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It is possible, with careful portfolio management and creative commercial structuring, to realise greater value from intellectual property (IP) assets. In some cases, this can attract the additional benefit of increased tax efficiency. Intellectual Property Rights IP rights are flexible; they can be assigned permanently or temporarily and they can be licensed in whole, or in part, on a territorial or field of use basis. Licences can be granted exclusively, non-exclusively or solely. This flexibility and the ease with which IP can be transferred internationally means it is relatively easy to restructure and relocate IP assets. Intellectual Property Structuring IP ownership can become fragmented. Acquired entities may begin using a group trade mark, or they may even apply for local trade mark registration, thereby fragmenting IP ownership by jurisdiction. Operating entities may continue to develop know-how and register patents and trade marks for their own products, thereby fragmenting know-how and creating tension in competing markets as different parties own similar rights. IP ownership fragmented across a group suppresses value, as no single party has the power to exploit the IP globally. Without global rights there is always the risk of another party asserting rights against operating companies. There are two simple ways to maximise the value of IP assets. The first is to create IP centrally; the second is to consolidate existing IP in a single entity. There are a number of factors, however, that should be considered carefully in relation to any IP structuring: the commercial rationale for the project, specific IP issues and fiscal efficiency. The commercial rationale must be set out clearly and be well documented. This may include auditing the IP, hosting workshops with the management of the operating companies to discuss legal considerations surrounding the exploitation of IP, and educating management on the benefits of the proposal. Often operations management sees a proposed licence fee for the use of new group IP as a wasteful expense, but this expense may be looked on more favourably once the advantages of the proposal are explained. These may include the leveraging of services and skills across business units, group-level procurement savings, reduced human capital costs and better attraction and retention rates, and cross-branding opportunities. Once the commercial rationale has been established, the new structure can take shape. This will usually involve the following basic steps: - Conducting an audit to identify the group’s IP assets. A group-wide audit of the IP will give an overview of the rights held and their current ownership. Performing the audit has a number of additional advantages, such as presenting an opportunity to consolidate the progress of research and development companies in different jurisdictions. The audit may also reveal further gaps in ownership or protection. - Consolidating ownership. Having established the current ownership structure, IP rights can be transferred to new group company (IPHoldCo) from other group entities. Rights applied for after this transfer should be applied for in the name of IPHoldCo. - Licensing by IPHoldCo of the IP to operating companies (OPCos). The licence should be a non-exclusive, royalty-bearing licence (calculated on an arm’s length basis) with a fixed-term agreement, enabling the OPCo to use the consolidated IP for the operation of their business. By having a limited, fixed term, IPHoldCo can refresh the IP periodically or link the licence to the term of the IP protection. A significant factor in any structuring will be the location of IPHoldCo. Apart from the commercial considerations already discussed, fiscal efficiencies can legitimately play a part in planning, producing savings that can assist a group in managing its effective tax rate. Tax authorities and international organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recognise tax planning can play a part in any business decision-making process, provided the arrangements have the requisite commercial substance. The UK Government (through HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs) is reforming the controlled foreign company (CFC) anti-avoidance legislation to include an exemption for offshore IP companies that undertake genuine and ef fective management activity with the aim of maintaining and/or increasing the value of their IP. In its Restructuring Paper, the OECD accepts that a restructuring can be carried out to obtain tax savings if functions, assets and/or risks are actually transferred. In other words, it can be tax motivated provided there is a commercial, non-tax purpose present. Any transfer of IP between jurisdictions is likely to be a taxable event. The United Kingdom (as in other jurisdictions) is keen to avoid the artificial diversion of profits that could result from such a transfer, and the new CFC legislation, which will likely be effective in 2012, is expected to include some measures to protect that potential exchequer loss. There are a number of IP-specific issues that need to be considered in any relocation that could adversely impact the value of the IP. For example, where the benef it of a structure results in the creation of a patentholding company generating revenue streams from licensing the patents in its portfolio to others, this may affect the value of the patents when asserted. In the United States, only a patent owner has “legal standing” to prosecute an infringement claim in court. Whereas an exclusive licensee has the right to be joined as a co-plaintiff to such an action, a non-exclusive licensee has no such right, regardless of the level of economic harm it suffers. Even if the parent may have a claim of equitable ownership of the patent, this is generally not sufficient for the purpose of establishing legal standing in the United States, and the parent will be unlikely to succeed in claims to either injunctive relief or monetary damages. If applied to the example structure, IPHoldCo will not be able to seek a recovery of OPCo’s profits due to the infringement. Instead, as a non-manufacturing licensor, IPHoldCo’s damage recovery will be limited to a reasonable royalty, which may be relatively small (20 to 25 per cent of a lost-profits calculation). Additionally, attempts to circumvent such restrictions by re-assigning the patent to the party actually using it prior to bringing suit will have limited success, as the period for any claim for loss of profits will be calculated from the date of the assignment. Such legal limitations can have a serious impact on the value of the patent. Depending on the investment made in IP consolidation and its ongoing implementation, in our experience, the royalty may range from 0.5 per cent to 10 per cent of turnover. Structures are flexible and, as such, can accommodate different attitudes to risk from an aggressive stance (in which rights are disposed of at an arm’s length value and then licensed) to more conservative structures (in which any existing rights are licensed to the consolidating company, avoiding a taxable event on disposal, in return for an offset of the royalty paid by the owning company to use the IP globally). Finally, it is critical that the commercial justification behind the proposed consolidation of the currently fragmented IP rights is well documented with contemporary evidence. That evidence will be needed to satisfy any tax authority that the structure has the requisite substance and meets any “genuine economic activity” test.

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Airport charges have always been like a red rag to a bull for airlines, which frequently complain that they are too high and need to come down. Airports have long countered that they are capital intensive businesses, often with costly long-term expansion projects on the go that need to be funded somehow. The debate between airlines and airports on this issue has been going round in circles for a long time, but there are signs that the current tough operating environment is leading to greater co-operation between the two sides. "In these uncertain economic times, airports are working hard to keep charges stable and where possible to lower them to help our airline customers," says Andreas Schimm, director of economics at the Airports Council International. And airlines are finding that in some cases their bargaining power when it comes to negotiating charges is increasing, perhaps a little too much, according to Chris Smith, managing director and head of airports practice at Seabury. "Airlines that have a dominant position at airports are increasingly exerting their dominant position," he says. "Some airlines are exploiting their dominant positions in significant ways." One example of an airport that has recently reversed a planned charges hike in response to pressure from its main hub carrier is Detroit Metro. The Wayne County Airport Authority, which operates Detroit Metro, said in its original budget for the coming fiscal year that it planned to increase airline charges by $40 million. The airport authority's chief financial officer, Tom Naughton, says the increase was needed because Detroit had found itself at the centre of a "perfect storm", with the opening of its new terminal coinciding with record high oil prices and the onset of the global credit crunch. But Detroit's biggest carrier, Northwest/Delta, itself battling with tough market conditions, let its feelings on the planned charges hike be known and requested that the airport authority reduce the increase by $10 million. "The airlines, led by Delta, came in and asked us to go back to the drawing board and mitigate the impact," says Naughton. "So we spent four weeks working with the airlines, looking under every stone, and the board eventually approved a $7 million reduction. So instead of a $39 million increase, we're looking at a $32 million increase. "Delta's goal was $10 million and we've agreed to come up with an additional $3 million. We're committed to getting to $10 million." However, shaving $7 million off the planned increase did not come easily to the airport. After scrutinising its entire operation, it found that it could just about rake back $7 million by raising parking charges and through other measures. "We saw opportunities to increase parking rates and save money on utilities, so we agreed to move forward with the $7 million adjustment," explains Naughton. An additional reduction will be more difficult to achieve because "the low hanging fruit has already been picked", although the answer could lie in staff cuts. "We're at the end of a 20-year construction programme and we're not looking forward to a lot of new construction, so we have to reassess our requirements, such as staff and contractual services," adds Naughton. "We're naturally going down this road anyway so we see some opportunity to get some payroll costs out of the operation." Naughton says Detroit has found itself "caught up in the credit crunch", and as major carriers cut capacity "we're looking at a 7% reduction in traffic next year". It is a similar story at Dallas/Fort Worth, where the financial implications of hub carrier American Airlines cutting capacity by 5% in 2009 are severe. As an airport which operates under a residual cost system, where the income from airline landing fees alone is used to balance the airport budget, it had two options to cope with the expected traffic fall, says Joe Lopano, DFW's executive vice-president marketing and terminal management. "The pressure is on either the airlines to pick up the difference or the airport to make savings." DFW had been planning a landing fee increase in April 2009 to reflect rising costs, particularly for energy, of some $23 million in its 2008/09 financial year, which began in October. This may now be postponed. "We are trying to find ways to keep landing fees flat through a variety of measures including cost savings, re-financing and using some of our capital," says Lopano. "We're motivated. We understand how important American is to us and our community and how much pressure they're under." Detroit and DFW are not the only airports that have found themselves squeezed by airlines to reduce or maintain their existing charges. Says Naughton: "Most large airports are under some pressure from airlines. There is the threat that if charges are not lowered they'll move flights to other cities." Across the pond in Europe, Lars Rekke, director general of Swedish airports operator LFV - which operates 16 airports including Stockholm Arlanda - agrees that "there is pressure from airlines, of course, and that did have an impact on our decision" to lower charges. But, airline pressure aside, LFV's strategy for the last four years has been to give back any gains to the airlines that serve its airports in the belief that this helps stimulate volume. "Since 2004, we've said that if we exceed on our financial performance goals then we will use the additional resources to reduce our charges," says Rekke. "So since 2004, we have reduced our passenger charges by SKr325 million ($41.2 million) on a yearly basis. This represents 15% of our total charges." Shifting the burden LFV has been gradually moving the burden of airport charges away from the airline and on to the passenger, and this has also become a trend at other airports. "For a number of years we have shifted the balance between landing fees and passenger fees. Most of our charges are based on passenger volume. If we have SKr2.2 billion in fees, only SKr700 million are landing fees," says Rekke. ACI's Schimm says airport charges have shifted towards the passenger to such an extent that airports now face the risk of reduced revenues as load factors start to decline. "The amount of user charges paid by carriers for landing and parking and other airside services is insufficient to even cover the real cost and is already substantially subsidised by passenger charges and non-aeronautical revenues," he says. "If airlines were to pay the real cost of aircraft operations at an airport, charges per aircraft would have to go up. Increasingly, what airports elect to do instead is to recover their costs through passenger service charges. This approach increases the risk of the airport operator as its revenue depends on load factors, but it reduces the risk of airlines as they pay on a by-passenger basis." Seabury's Smith agrees that airport charges are becoming more heavily weighted towards the passenger than the airline, and he puts this down to "the practice of airlines". "There has been a very significant shift of charges from airlines to passengers. Ten to 15 years ago, half came from landing charges and half came from the passenger, and it would all be incorporated into the fare," says Smith. "There has been a structural shift in airport charges themselves. The passenger-related element at some of the airports I've evaluated shows that the passenger charge is now at least three-quarters of the revenue." However, he points out that "the overall trend for airport charges as airports run out of capacity is upwards, not downwards". This trend is clearly evident at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, where easyJet has launched a vociferous campaign against a recent hike in fees which the low-cost carrier claims makes the Dutch airport Europe's most expensive. "At Amsterdam Schiphol there has been an increase in airport rates of more than 30% as of 1 November 2008 and the departing passenger is paying the bill," says easyJet operations director Cor Vrieswijk (see main picture). "Departing passengers pay more than double what transfer passengers pay," says Vrieswijk. For a European flight operated by an Airbus A319, easyJet says the total fee for a direct passenger, including all taxes, security charges, passenger and landing charges, is €48.96 ($62), compared to €22.22 for a transfer passenger. The airline believes this is part of a strategy designed to drive low-cost carriers out of Schiphol and into surrounding regional airports. "Schiphol is full in terms of noise restrictions and it can grow only marginally. They want to move regional operations to Eindhoven and Rotterdam," says Vrieswijk, a claim that Schiphol denies. He adds that the airport has a "selectivity programme with a priority list of five", which he claims includes KLM at the top of the list "because it wants to maintain its hub status" and leisure carriers at the bottom. He says some are lumping low-cost carriers into the leisure category and calling for them to move to regional airports, something easyJet finds incompatible with its business model. "This doesn't excite us because it puts easyJet's position at the airport in danger. About 70,000 movements have to move to regional airports and we're concerned that half of those will be low-cost carriers. Schiphol is a very important airport to easyJet and we want to keep it as part of our network, despite the cost increases," adds Vrieswijk. He says the Netherlands faces the prospect of losing airline traffic to nearby airports in Belgium and Germany, and that Schiphol is "in danger of becoming a second-tier airport". He adds: "Schiphol stands to lose connectivity with Europe. Focusing on just being a hub won't support the position of Schiphol." EasyJet has filed a complaint with the Dutch competition authorities and is calling for Schiphol to reverse the fees and the 60% security charge increase, which it believes should be subsidised by the government. Vrieswijk says the airport has now become a "political debate", and that "the future for Schiphol is a matter for national policy". The extent to which government regulators get involved in airport charges is another lightening rod issue. For instance, controversy reigned in the UK earlier this year when the country's Civil Aviation Authority allowed airports operator BAA to significantly increase charges at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports. The CAA set the maximum charge for Heathrow at £12.80 ($19) per passenger for the year from April 2008 - an increase in real terms of 23.5% on the 2007/08 price cap. The increased cap for each of the following four years was set at a maximum of 7.5% plus the rate of inflation. At Gatwick, the maximum charge was increased by 21% for 2008/09 to £6.79 per passenger, with the maximum charge for the following four years increased by 2% plus the rate of inflation. The CAA's decision prompted outrage from the airlines and led to a rare moment of unity between the chief executives of bmi, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic, and the deputy chief executive of Ryanair, who held a joint press conference to brand the UK's airport regulatory framework a "failure" and call for a top-to-bottom review of the entire process. But the CAA continues to defend itself against the barrage of criticism from airlines. "We set maximum price caps at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted in a manner we think is best calculated to further the interests of users and encourage investment," says CAA head of economic regulation and competition policy Nick Fincham. He adds that the main driver behind the decision was "the need for investment" at Heathrow and Gatwick. "It was investment the airlines had agreed but they didn't like the bill that was attached." Fincham points out that economic regulation "should be focused on addressing the risk of abuse of market power" and should be "a proportionate response to the risk of abuse". However, he admits that "the current approach to regulating airports in the UK could be improved", and suggests modernising the process in two ways. "Firstly, there should be greater clarity as to the CAA's objectives," he says, adding that the current objective is to further the interests of the user, which refers to both the passenger and the airline. "Our duty should be to the end user - the consumer." Fincham's second suggestion is to afford the CAA greater flexibility. "Our principle function is to set maximum price caps, but we think we should have more flexibility to tailor regulation to the degree of market power," he says. "That way we could tailor or customise it to match the level of abuse." This would require the CAA to be "made properly accountable". The UK government has agreed that the airport regulation process should be modernised and is expected to put out some initial thoughts on how this could be achieved early next year. ACI's Schimm believes the success of regulation hinges on its definition and purpose, but agrees with Fincham that it should be geared towards the end user rather than the airlines. "Contrary to what many believe, it's not the purpose of regulation to protect airlines from excessive user charges. The ultimate purpose of regulation is to protect the consumer from price or service discrimination," says Schimm. "There is a fundamental difference between the interest of airlines and passengers, and it is plain wrong to assume that airlines are taking care of passenger interests." He adds that regulation should be "the exception, not the rule, recognising the competitive pressure airports are operating in today". The ongoing debate between airports and airlines on airport charges is moving forward, although that doesn't mean the two sides are not still locking horns, according to Seabury's Smith. "It's less of an emotional debate now and more of a rational debate," he says, adding that some airports and airlines "find it easier to see eye to eye than others". For instance, in the case of airports that are in the process of expanding, flexibility over reducing charges is not as easy to come by as it is at airports that have ample capacity going forward, as Smith points out: "For those airports in the middle of a capital expenditure programme, or those that urgently need to increase their capacity, there are not many options to reduce charges." However, in the current environment airports could find themselves in a position where they have no choice but to postpone planned expansion projects. "Many airports are now looking to delay capital expenditure," says Smith. "Airports may be in for declining traffic and capital expenditure may be put on hold. It's less obvious but airports are certainly suffering too - there is pain going on."

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Human touch — and labor It’s hard to resist Boone, a turkey, or Li’l’ Jay, a goat, who love to greet visitors at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. That’s what the co-founders are banking on. “The animals do most of the heavy lifting for us because they’re so charming,” said Doug Abel, who, along with his wife, Jenny Brown, founded the 5-year-old non-profit based in Willow. Animal ambassadors there speak volumes. In fact their stories move some visitors to volunteer, like the core group of 10 people this winter. Such assistance is vital to the existence of the sanctuary, which otherwise gets by on private contributions, money from small foundations, fund-raisers, hard work and long hours of a half-dozen employees, Brown said. No special skills are needed to volunteer, she said, only a desire to help. “More than anything, we need people who are willing to slip on some muck boots, dress appropriately and clean (barns, coops and more),” she said. Just as inhabitants like Boone and Li’l’ Jay win over visitors and volunteers, it was other abused, neglected and abandoned farm animals that moved Brown and Abel to open their sanctuary. Brown’s awakening came through an undercover film project she was working on in the early 1990s, a film that revealed gross maltreatment of horses. That sensitivity, in turn, led her to action years later after her final filming project — a documentary about downed animals. In a Texas stockyard, she saw debilitated creatures barely hanging onto life as they were dragged, moved by bulldozers or similarly abused on the path to their execution. “It’s sickening,” she said. Abel, a film editor who was living and working in New York City when he and Brown started dating, said it was she who largely opened his eyes and mind to the plight of farm animals. But it was ultimately a goat who made him truly see and feel. The animal touched Abel’s heart during his visits to a farm sanctuary where Brown worked before the couple married. Continued... “The goats are so dog-like in their behavior, in how mischievous they are and how smart they are,” Abel said, “and it really made me realize that these creatures are just like the animals we know as our pets. They’re really no different. That, for me, was kind of the epiphany moment.” Not long after, the couple made a commitment to each other as well as farm animals in need. In fact, they married at the sanctuary in 2004 on Oct. 2, World Farm Animals Day. Appropriately, the date is also International Day of Non-Violence, celebrated in honor of Mahatma Gandhi, known for the non-violent social-action movement he led in India. The sanctuary’s first animal inhabitants, on the approximately 23-acre spread that incorporates eight acres of forest, were three steers and a dozen chickens. The organization currently cares for and houses more than 200 farm animals, mostly roosters and chickens but also geese, ducks, turkeys, cattle, goats, sheep, farm pigs and rabbits. A blind chicken and an elderly rabbit even have taken up residence in an upstairs office in the home of Abel and Brown, adjoining the sanctuary’s property. The couple continues to bet on the charm of the sanctuary inhabitants to lure much-needed volunteers. Additional assistance, Brown said, will help make it financially feasible for the sanctuary to provide health care to its employees, something it is working to attain. Among core volunteers is Jean Rhode, whose main residence is in Brooklyn. Rhode, 52, was so taken by the animals she first came to visit that she eventually rented a small apartment in Woodstock. When she stays there — which is longer and longer — she spends much of her free time at the sanctuary between assignments as a copywriter in the field of advertising. “The animals really draw you in because they’re so amazing,” she said. “It’s really healing to be around them — and joyful.” Last week Rhode fed a special mixture of mash — eggs, vitamins, molasses, peas and lettuce — to a flock of more than 70 Barred Rock roosters. She also put antibiotic ointment on their combs to protect them from the cold and help them heal from frostbite. Rhode said she knew little about farm animals before visiting the sanctuary, but she soon learned to appreciate them and their “amazing” personalities. Their appreciation for her shows as well. For instance, when Rhode called out to Boone, who was a distance away near the visitor center, the bird took off toward her like an adoring puppy, but with an obvious side-to-side trot of a turkey. Pam Oppen of Hunter is another volunteer who loves what she does, even if it involves excrement. Continued... “It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to help these creatures. I just love being with them, helping to make their lives a little more comfortable. It’s also hard work. It’s good exercise.” When Oppen, 65, is not “picking poop” or engaging in other activities at the sanctuary, she works part-time at the Haines Falls Free Library. Sheila Hyslop, 46, a visitor from Scotland, said she volunteers in blocks of time after raising enough money from jobs that range from substitute-teaching to meal delivery. For other organizations, she has handed out leaflets, asked people to sign petitions and collected money in the streets. But she finds helping out at the sanctuary makes an immediate impact. “When a chicken has a clean bed and a goat has fresh water, it makes a big difference,” Hyslop said. “It’s a difference to them right then and there.” In addition to cleaning barns and coops and feeding and watering animals, other volunteer opportunities are animal transport and socialization. Additional needs include sweeping and cleaning the visitor center, working with merchandise, data-entry, web-writing, administration and publicity. Giving a chunk of at least three hours’ time makes it all worthwhile, Brown said, for everyone. “This is a sanctuary for people, too,” she said. “The world seems just and right here to a lot of people. That’s not a radical idea.” See inaccurate information in a story? Other feedback and/or ideas for us to consider? Tell us here. Location, ST | website.com National Life Videos - Law & Disorder (June 18, 2013) (1635) - Eight-year-old girl's gift brings Stone Ridge Library closer to repair fund goal (1224) - Study says Catskill Mountain Rail Trail would attract 140,000 annual visitors, over $3 million (878) - Uptown Kingston launches beautification effort (822) - In the Courts: Ulster County Court (799) - EDITORIAL: Public takes beating in Central Hudson-Fortis ruling (743) - Bear cub freed from Phoenicia trash bin after some tense moments (727) - Group raps Hinchey over change of heart on Cantine Dam viewing (16) - Study says Catskill Mountain Rail Trail would attract 140,000 annual visitors, over $3 million (4) - Kaaterskill Rail Trail offers hiking opportunity after lengthy effort (3) - State notice on TechCity site pollution cleanup effort cheers officials (3) - Mid-Hudson Athletic League Scholar-Athletes honored (3) - Bear cub freed from Phoenicia trash bin after some tense moments (3) - Family of Woodstock turns 40 (2) Recent Activity on Facebook Life Editor Ivan Lajara talks about living in the Hudson Valley, language, the Web, cats and even politics. But he shouldn't. Official blog of Nancy Donskoj, Kingston Main Street Manager. New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly's blog was started to promote her new book, published by Chronicle, and has evolved into writing and cartoons about anything.

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FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, Egyptian protesters carry their national flag and a flag with Arabic that reads "No God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet," and chant anti U.S. slogans during a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Egypt, as part of widespread anger across the Muslim world about a film ridiculing Islam's Prophet Muhammad. U.S.-funded ads on Pakistani television include President Barack Obama extolling Americas religious tolerance. To many in the Muslim world, this misses the mark in efforts to calm the outrage over a film mocking the Prophet Muhammad. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File) FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012 file photo, Yemeni protesters break a window of the U.S. Embassy during a protest about a film ridiculing Islam's Prophet Muhammad, in Sanaa, Yemen. U.S.-funded ads on Pakistani television include President Barack Obama extolling Americas religious tolerance. To many in the Muslim world, this misses the mark in efforts to calm the outrage over a film mocking the Prophet Muhammad. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, FIle) FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012 file photo, a Libyan man explains that the bloodstains on the column are from one the American staff members who grabbed the edge of the column while he was evacuated, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. U.S.-funded ads on Pakistani television include President Barack Obama extolling Americas religious tolerance. To many in the Muslim world, this misses the mark in efforts to calm the outrage over a film mocking the Prophet Muhammad. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File) FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012 file photo, masked Palestinians throw stones towards Israeli security forces, not pictured, during clashes that erupted after a demonstration against an anti-Islam film called "Innocence of Muslims" that ridicules Islam's Prophet Muhammad, in Shuafat refugee camp, Jerusalem. U.S.-funded ads on Pakistani television include President Barack Obama extolling Americas religious tolerance. To many in the Muslim world, this misses the mark in efforts to calm the outrage over a film mocking the Prophet Muhammad. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File) FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 file photo, supporters of a Insaf Student Federation burn an effigy of U.S. President Barack Obama and a representation of a U.S. flag demonstration in Karachi, Pakistan, as part of widespread anger across the Muslim world about a film ridiculing Islam's Prophet Muhammad. U.S.-funded ads on Pakistani television include President Barack Obama extolling Americas religious tolerance. To many in the Muslim world, this misses the mark in efforts to calm the outrage over a film mocking the Prophet Muhammad. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan, File) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In U.S.-funded ads running on Pakistani TV, subtitled clips show President Barack Obama extolling America’s traditions of religious freedom. For many watching, though, the message misses the mark in efforts to calm the Islamic outrage over a film denigrating the Prophet Muhammad. America’s free speech laws and values of openness are not in question, but rather there is confusion and anger over how they are applied. A powerful theme binding the protests from Indonesia to Africa is the perception that the U.S. codes of free speech are somehow weighted against Islam — permitting the Internet video that insults the faith but placing clear limits on hot button issues such as hate speech, workplace discrimination and even what is acceptable on prime-time network TV. Beyond the rage, bloodshed and death threats — churning now for two weeks — is a quandary for American policymakers that will linger long after the latest mayhem fades: How to explain the U.S. embrace of free expression to an Islamic world that increasingly sees only double standards? Although there are many nuances — including strict U.S. laws when hate speech crossed the line into threats or intimidation — they are mostly lost in the current outrage that included a peaceful march in Nigeria on Monday and Iran threatening to boycott the 2013 Academy Awards after the country’s first Oscar-winning film this year. With each protest, many clerics and Islamic hard-liners hammer home the narrow view that America is more concerned with political correctness or safeguarding children from sexual content than the religious sensibilities of Muslims. In Gaza, preacher Sheik Hisham Akram said tolerance is the goal, but the “red line” is crossed with “anyone who insults our religion.” Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — now in New York for the U.N.’s annual General Assembly — denounced last week the “deception” of U.S. laws protecting rights while allowing the clip from the film “Innocence of Muslims,” which portrays Muhammad as a womanizer, religious fraud and child molester. “In some extent, it’s not an issue of condemning America’s freedom of speech. It’s become an issue, in the eyes of many Muslims, over where the lines are and why they are not protecting the feelings of Muslims,” said John Voll, associate director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in Washington. It also turns the $70,000 U.S. ad initiative in Pakistan — one of the hotbeds of the protests — into a major challenge to gain any ground. Besides Obama, the spots include Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton repeating that U.S. authorities had no connection to the video. It’s part of wider U.S. strategies to use social media and other forums to reach out to moderates in the Islamic world — including what the State Department has described as a “virtual embassy” for Iranian web surfers. But the fallout from the film has so far drowned out appeals for calmer dialogue in places such as Pakistan, where at least 23 people have died in unrest linked to the film. “The fact that (the Obama administration) is trying to step up to the plate and trying to engage where the debate is really happening should be commended,” said Daniel Markey, a senior fellow in South Asian affairs at the Council on Foreign Relations. “But what credibility do they have to deliver this message? That’s a different story. ... It’s unlikely to make the sale on the Pakistani street.” At the U.N., a separate effort is being spearheaded by Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He said the film will be at the top of the agenda of a meeting of the 57-member group on the sidelines of the General Assembly. Among the proposals is a call to impose an international law against promoting religious hatred. Such appeals could get widespread support, but are nearly certain to collide with Western free speech codes and be rendered difficult to enforce in the borderless world of the web. Already, many moderate Muslim scholars and leaders have urged the U.N. or other international bodies to step in to help define possible global standards on religious expression. Paul Bhatti, an adviser to the Pakistani prime minister, told a multifaith crowd of Muslims, Christians and others outside the country’s parliament Sunday that international laws should be imposed to limit the most hateful fringes of Western free speech. But just a day earlier, a Pakistan government minister offered a $100,000 bounty for the death of the filmmaker. The two responses — one appealing for a higher law and the other taking justice into his own hands — frame another divide pried wider by the latest chaos: How much leeway can Muslim countries allow for expressions of anger against their faith? While many Muslims believe American protections for open expression were abused by the film, there are also moderate voices in the Islamic world questioning whether the defense of their religion is warped by death threats and violence that has left dozens dead, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya. “This is the flip side to the criticism against American free speech,” Voll said. “This is another major learning opportunity inside Muslim societies to look at themselves and interactions with the world. We have been here before.” But the latest upheavals appear to resonate even deeper because of the widening reach of the web and social media, which also have played a central role in the Arab Spring uprisings that have opened new political space for hard-line Islamists. “Sadly, the voices of reason and logic in this part of the world are few,” said Ebtehal al-Khateeb, a Kuwait University professor and human rights activist. “Even those who strongly oppose the violence prefer not to speak.” Kuwait is a particularly instructive proving ground in the struggle to clarify an Islamic version of free speech. After Islamist-led opposition groups gained control of parliament in February, they tried to push through measures that included the death penalty for blasphemy against Islam. Kuwait’s Western-leaning rulers signaled they would reject the move and later suspended the parliament over election law technicalities. “The truth is that as amateurish movie production is, it still falls in the category of freedom of speech,” al-Khateeb said. “If you say that to people here, they will read your response as: ‘You accept this. You are a blasphemer.’ They still don’t understand that they don’t have to accept it. They can oppose it, but in a civil manner that is more constructive.” Associated Press writers Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City, Asif Shahzad and Zarrar Khan in Islamabad, Adam Geller in New York, and Hussain al-Qatari in Kuwait City contributed to this report.

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cracking noise in P3a Hello, a long time ago I build 2 P3a's. They work great still no failiers. :angel: But I have noticed that when I try to get too much bass out of one of them, it starts to make cracking noise. I have a sine generator, and at any frequency below 70Hz it starts to crack with the same frequency except the cracking noise is coming out of the tweeter. I don't have an oscioloscope to check, but I suspect that I possibly damaged some of the transistors when I accidently soldered q9 the wrong way and all of the bc546 transistors blew up, then I checked all of the other transistors and they measured the right values, I just measured them with Ohm meter. So I got some new bc546's and I powered the amp without a heat sink, so when i touched the output transistors they burned my fingers, and I powered down immediately. I put the heat sink on and powered back again, and everyting worked fine until I noticed that cracking noise. Both amps are using exactly the same transformers and caps and everything so I am suspecting those transistors, I have 3 of each so I am going to try to replace them, even tho they measure the same resistance as the ones on the working amp, I didn't try to exchange them because it's just too much trouble. The amps are running at +/-24V DC so I am in the SAO. I am just looking for an advice and any information is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much. |All times are GMT. The time now is 07:40 AM.| vBulletin Optimisation provided by vB Optimise (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2013 DragonByte Technologies Ltd. (Resources saved on this page: MySQL 30.00%) Copyright ©1999-2013 diyAudio

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The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts fulfills Appalachian State University's long-held mission of providing a home for world-class visual arts programming. The center is the largest facility of its kind in western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia, and is named for university benefactors Robert and Lillian Turchin. Featuring two wings of exhibition and support space and the Arnold P. Rosen Family Education Wing, the center is located on King Street in the heart of downtown Boone, North Carolina. The Turchin Center's exhibitions focus on a blend of new and historically important artwork and feature works of nationally and internationally renowned artists, as well as many of the finest artists of the region. However, the Turchin Center is more than a facility devoted solely to the viewing of art. With its multi-faceted programs the center is a dynamic, living, breathing presence in the Appalachian community, creating opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the power and excitement of the visual arts. The Turchin Center is a department of Appalachian State University and is housed in the Office of University Communications and Cultural Affairs. The university has a long history of recognizing the importance of and supporting the arts, but we also depend on community support—through participation, memberships, and donations. To provide increased accessibility for the Appalachian community, the center is free and open to the public. Since opening in 2003, the center has built upon Appalachian's longstanding belief that access and interaction with great arts programming is an important part of a great university education. Learn more Plan a visit to the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Get directions, find out where to park, learn about guided tours and more. Learn more The Permanent Collection The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts Permanent Collection supports the mission of the center and the university by acquiring, documenting, preserving and exhibiting artworks of aesthetic, cultural and historic significance. Learn more Meet the people of the Turchin Center. Learn more TCVA Advisory Board Since its opening in 2003, the TCVA Advisory Board has been a stalwart supporter and integral to the center’s growth and achievements. Learn more Facility rental program The Turchin Center facility offers opportunities to host special events. Learn more The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts offers multiple exhibition and programming opportunities for established, as well as emerging artists. Learn more Find current listings of available positions as well as employment opportunities for students that support Appalachian's academic integrity. Learn more

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The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for several areas in Central Pennsylvania, including Lancaster County, until 4:45 p.m. Friday, June 1. A "tornado warning" means that a tornado has either been confirmed on the ground or detected on radar, and you should take immediate action to take cover. You should stay away from windows as well as doors and walls that face the building's exterior. Members of the Franklin & Marshall campus community and visitors to campus should be prepared to take cover quickly should a tornado develop in the immediate area. The National Weather Service will make additional announcements when the tornado warning is extended, canceled or expired. Franklin & Marshall College officials will provided updated information via the College's homepage and via text and email through the Franklin & Marshall Emergency Alert (FMEA) system. The outdoor activities planned as part of the Reunion activities for alumni and visitors on campus the evening of June 1 have been moved inside: The Department of Public Safety is advising all individuals on campus to seek immediate shelter. Emergency locations for shelter on campus include: If you cannot get to these shelters and find yourself in the following locations, go to the safe areas indicated within these buildings: The following actions should help protect you in the unlikely event that a tornado strikes: If you are in a building: If you are outdoors: Additional guidelines are available on the College's Emergency Preparation Guidelines.

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en

“Obama’s mouth won” Obama won the debate, and both Obama and Romney think China should be a partner of the US. That in a nutshell is the verdict of the Changjiang Times (长江商报) from Hubei province today on Monday’s third and final debate of the Big American Election (美国大选), as US presidential elections are commonly referred to in China’s newspapers. In a full page spread, the Changjiang Times has a neat summary of the essential information: Who won the debate and what was said about China. A handful of papers in China today carried similar reports of the debate on their front pages. Changjiang Times sums up the candidates’ performance as follows: Obama spoke confidently and frankly due to his wide experience of foreign policy, while Romney appeared passive and spoke like a rookie due to his inexperience in foreign policy. The newspaper then briefly recaps the main talking points of the debate: Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran’s nuclear ambitions — all the while hinting that Romney often shifted from his original opinions or stuck close to Obama’s positions. Most of the newspaper’s coverage, however, is focused on what was said about China, and it reports that there wasn’t much difference of opinion between the two candidates on this issue. The newspaper emphasizes that both candidates agreed that China should be a partner of the US, but both also agreed that China should be attacked (攻击) for its exchange rate policy, for stealing US intellectual property, and for causing a trade imbalance in Sino-US trade, all to show China how to be a responsible international power. If China acts responsibly, Obama said, it could be an ally of the US; while Romney added he has no desire for a trade war or a real war with China. Ultimately no matter who wins, Changjiang Times concludes, there might be some friction on trade and economic issues but the Sino-US relationship will in general remain unchanged. In another article on its special focus page, Changjiang Times makes this startling point: “The most prominent aspect of the third presidential debate was the recurring appearance of Chinese issues.” The paper asks “In this election, why do they want to keep on talking about China? What is really behind this?” To get some answers, Changjiang Times turns to an expert, Zhang Guoqing (张国庆), who focuses on US issues at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院美国所学者). According to Zhang its all about the economy (but really its all about US politicians that are becoming weak): The US became increasingly focused on China after the financial crisis erupted in 2008 because its economy and internal troubles put it on a downward slide, while China’s economy went from strength to strength, and China is now the US’s biggest creditor. All this has made the psychological state of US politicians very weak; they lost confidence; became hostile; and the China issue became mainstream. Next he was asked why Obama has recently repeatedly used a tough and rude attitude towards Chinese exports to the US and Chinese companies. What is the real reason for his “unreasonable” (蛮横) attitude? Besides psychological and strategic issues, its all due to the fact that Chinese companies are now competing with US companies in high-end technology industries, and this has made the US very worried. Mr Zhang also brings up the issues of the Chinese companies that have recently been facing “groundless accusations” in the US (i.e. Huawei and ZTE), and a lawsuit that some Chinese companies have filed against Obama personally. On this Mr Zhang’s views are forthright: This litigation may be more about the process than the result, but they must do it. Chinese companies should file a lawsuit with confidence in the US, they should be pioneers in protecting their own interests Lastly, Mr Zhang was asked his views on Romney’s statement that he would classify China as a currency manipulator on his first day in office. Is this just hot air, or will he really carry out the threat? Zhang says that it’s all posturing, and real policy will emerge only after the election is finished. Here’s how other front pages in China today reflected on the third debate (i.e. the third ‘show’): Links and sources

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Excitement in the Open Graphics community is quite high as it approaches its first production run of the FPGA-based "Open Graphics Development" board, known as "OGD1". It will be available for pre-sale this month with the first units expected to ship soon thereafter. The board is targeted at hardware developers, with the specific goal of supporting development and testing of designs for a fully-documented consumer Open Hardware Graphics Card to be implemented using an ASIC (thus resolving one of the biggest obstacles to free software on the desktop). A general purpose Open Hardware tool for testing Open Hardware designs, the OGD1 is as important a step in promoting the Open Hardware movement as glibc was to promoting free software. It also represents one of the first self-consciously community-produced pieces of Open Hardware design to actually make it to the marketplace. An ambitious design, with a ten layer PCB based on surface mount technology, high-speed input/output channels, and one of the largest Field Programmable Gate Arrays on the market, the OGD1 is no garage project! As an insider in this group, I had a unique opportunity to interview several of its members, including: Timothy Miller (TM), the experienced hardware engineer who first started the project (as well as the company, Traversal Technology, which will produce and sell OGP designs), and Patrick McNamara (PM), an interested amateur tinkerer who founded the Open Hardware Foundation. "The relatively sad state of FLOSS support from graphics vendors irked me" Joseph Black (JB) is another amateur who assists the project primarily by maintaining its documentation. Dieter (DX) is an active contributor with specific technical interests. Attila Kinali (AK) is a recently graduated hardware engineer while Lourens Veen (LV) is primarily a software developer, but both have spent a lot of time promoting the project and are founding members of the Open Hardware Foundation. In the first part of the interview I wanted to explore the motivations behind the project and what makes developers contribute to Open Hardware... Q: Why did you start the Open Graphics Project? TM: I had trouble finding a graphics card that was fully supported by free software. I did find one, but the relatively sad state of FLOSS support from graphics vendors irked me. At that time, I had about eight years of experience with graphics driver development and about four with graphics chip design, so I figured if I got enough other experts together, designing a completely open graphics solution would be feasible. Q: What specifically made you want to found the Open Hardware Foundation, and how do you see its scope compared to the OGP? What about relationships to earlier open hardware projects and organizations? PM: The need for such an organization had come up as a topic both on the Open Graphics mailing list and off, and I found myself as a rather vocal proponent. Nobody else stepped forward or really showed interest in pursuing it. In the end, it was "put up or shut up", and I found myself as the president of a non-profit corporation. We still haven't really engaged with any other community organizations, such as OpenCores.org. First of all, we aren't really sure what the relationship would be, and we certainly don't want to come off as the new kid on the block trying to take the spotlight. We also don't really have much to offer yet. We are really just getting our feet under us. Finally, we really are trying to keep focused on making the Open Graphics Project a success. One of our key goals is to see the production of the OGC1. Until the OGP is much further along, I have been trying to keep our focus purely on it. Q: What's the strongest personal reason for you to help the Open Graphics Project? DX: It used to be possible to maintain your own electronics. If the TV broke, just take the tubes out and take them to the hardware store and plug them into the tube tester. Buy a replacement for whichever tube was bad and plug them back in. There was a schematic stapled to the cabinet, along with a diagram showing which model tube went in which socket. Today of course, semiconductors are far more reliable than tubes were. But manufacturers no longer include schematics. In many cases you can't even obtain the information necessary to use the product, much less maintain it or modify it. LV: What keeps me coming back to the OGP today is the feeling that we are changing the world. Free and open source software is well-established now, but Open Hardware is relatively new. To me the Open Graphics Project represents a fresh look upon the ways in which our everyday environment is designed and manufactured. "The Open Graphics Project represents a fresh look upon the ways in which our everyday environment is designed and manufactured" JB: Previously the poor student could not do software design in his home—he could not afford the compilers. Open source broke down these barriers. Today, hardware is locked up in the same way. For example, I wondered if I could do anything with PCI. But I found out that I couldn't even legally download the specifications without paying what would be a huge amount for a student to join a group which appeared to me to be designed to lock out PCI from the reach of the lone inventor who likes to tinker. I realized I could never get into the PCI club. Yet, if I could do all this interesting stuff on my FPGA board, what about all the other guys in similar positions around the world? We now have working PCI code in subversion under an open source license. We may look back and see we have already reached a small but important breakthrough moment in hardware. It's a start. The Open Graphics Project OGP: The "Open Graphics Project" is a community of developers working on replacing proprietary 3D graphics acceleration cards (a major obstacle to free software operating systems on the desktop) with community-designed open-hardware boards which will be free-licensed from the hardware definition language for the chip through the printed circuit board layouts—and of course to the drivers. OGA: The "Open Graphics Architecture" is the gate-logic design of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) being developed to run on the OGD1 and later on the OGC1 cards. OGD1: The first "Open Graphics Development" card is designed to allow testing of the OGA in an FPGA device onto which new hardware designs can be loaded by special software. This is the card which is going into production now. OGC1: The first "Open Graphics Card" will be an ASIC-based, consumer-targeted graphics card that will be developed using the OGD1 as a testbed. TRV10: The ASIC chip that will be created for the OGC1 and also sold for embedded uses by Traversal Technology. Traversal Technology: A company founded by Timothy Miller, Andy Fong, and Howard Parkin, which will actually design, manufacture, and sell Open Graphics cards. OHF: The "Open Hardware Foundation" is a non-profit organization founded to aid OGP (and eventually other projects) in handling community funding for prototyping and manufacturing costs as well as other activities to promote Open Hardware Q: Why now? What has changed to make Open Hardware so active today? LV: Open Hardware has existed for quite a while just like free software, but with the advent of the internet as an accessible communication platform, it is now both growing and becoming more visible. Additionally, there seems to be a general cultural trend towards openness and sharing, which is probably affecting the Open Hardware movement as well. Q: Do you think that many users will care about the openness of the Open Graphics hardware? Or is it really only the openness of the specs that will matter to most? Will customers pay more for openness of the hardware? PM: What they will care about is the benefits that openness provides. If I as an end user can't make use of all the features that make a less expensive graphics card faster than an Open Graphics based card then the cheaper card really isn't faster. The openness brings full support. Full feature support is something that is worth paying for. AK: Open Graphics cards will as such have a greater impact on the market as an example of how to acquire more customers who care about openness in borderline situations. The whole question becomes different in the embedded market. There customers will gladly pay two times the money for a card where they are able to confirm and probably fix bugs themselves. A supplier for whom you do not know how he will react on a bug report is a very high risk, especially if it is a critical component. Q: What if ATI or nVidia (or another proprietary graphics vendor) suddenly decided to release their entire hardware design under a free license? Could they do that? What would happen to OGP? TM: ATI and nVidia likely license a lot of their internal chip designs from other companies. For instance, they probably didn't design their VGA cores, so they don't have rights to release that. Also, ATI and nVidia are probably violating each other's patents; they could never afford the legal fallout of revealing their infringements. If an existing hardware vendor were to open their designs, as Sun did with the Niagara CPU design, they would simply be joining this community. "I would estimate the chance of a full Open Hardware release by ATI or nVidia as being similar to the chance of Microsoft publishing the Windows source under the GPL" PM: There are two directions that could be pursued. One would be to take the newly opened designs and focus the project's efforts around improving it and getting drivers written. The other would be to study what they had done and incorporate the good stuff into Open Graphics, effectively jump starting its development. I can only wish for OGP to have to make that decision. LV: All hypothetically speaking of course—I would estimate the chance of a full Open Hardware release by ATI or nVidia as being similar to the chance of Microsoft publishing the Windows source under the GPL. Alphabet Soup for Hardware Hackers FPGA: A "Field Programmable Gate Array" is a reprogrammable logic gate chip whose internal gate connections can be altered by downloading a bitstream to the card with a special program written for that purpose. ASIC: An "Application Specific Integrated Circuit" is similar to an FPGA, but fixed at the factory, and much cheaper to produce in quantity. Verilog/HDL: A "Hardware Description Language" is a textual representation of logic gates and registers. It differs from a programming language mainly in that it describes a parallel structure in space rather than a sequence of actions in time. Verilog is one of the most popular HDLs and resembles C or C++ in its syntax. CPU: A "Central Processing Unit" is the part of a computer that actually does the computing: all math and memory operations are performed by a CPU. GPU: A "Graphics Processing Unit" is a kind of specialized CPU designed for graphics processing. PCI: The "Peripheral Component Interconnect" is the most popular expansion card bus used in most modern desktop computers. VLSI: "Very Large Scale Integration" refers to chips with many thousands of logic gates or transistors. SSI: "Small Scale Integration" refers to chips with only a few logic gates or transistors, such as the popular, standardized 7400-series chips that were introduced in the 1960s. PCB: A "Printed Circuit Board" is a plastic board with etched metal "traces" produced by a printing process. Many thin boards can be bonded together to form a multi-layer board. Q: Let's repeat "the world's most annoying question", but for hardware: How can hardware engineers get paid for their work if they open up their designs for free? LV: Just like the advent of free software did not remove the demand for people who are able to create new software, Open Hardware will not destroy the market for hardware design services. What will become harder, just like it is in the software world now, is to make money by doing the exact same thing over and over again. If you try to do that, you will be out-competed by someone who just uses the existing, and freely available, design, or by someone who actually innovates. Some of the less skilled and less innovative hardware designers might be forced to improve their skills and ingenuity to be able to compete. But that is how a market is supposed to work. Q: I have recently been told by a progressive computer manufacturer that they would "love" to use Open Hardware for their project, but don't believe any manufacturer would be willing to develop such hardware and share its source and design documents. Any comment? LV: I think that they are conflating design and manufacturing, very much as is done in the proprietary software world. Microsoft designs Windows and then manufactures CDs containing Windows that they sell. Red Hat does some design on the software they sell, but their core business is manufacturing CDs, boxes, and additional services. Most of the design is done by the rest of the community. Any computer integrator could do the same: hire someone to create a hardware design which is openly published, and then put out a request for quotes for manufacturing it. Q: If someone reading this decides they are interested in helping OGP, what sort of things would you be looking for in terms of contributions? AK: OGP, like any FLOSS project, is constantly looking for big and small contributions, including (but not limited to) HDL/Verilog, kernel drivers, X11 drivers, and application development. The people we are lacking the most are capable hardware engineers with an understanding of VLSI design. JB: Soon we will need bug tracking and bug reporting and those with triage skills to support the developers. People who have skills with marketing are welcome. A big problem is that for now companies such as Xilinx, Alterra, and Lattice Semiconductor provide their no-cost software only for Windows, and their full versions for Linux are very expensive. However, their no-cost versions can occasionally succeed on Wine. We need developers to keep this working under Wine, reporting bugs and helping out with testing. It will only help us if Xilinx and Lattice Semi see significant numbers of developers using the no-cost version on Linux. [Interviewers note: As far as I know, it would be extremely difficult to create a free software replacement for the Xilinx software that programs their FPGA. We don't know of the existence of an Open Hardware or even open specification FPGA which might be used for a project like this. Obviously that would be a future goal for Open Hardware]. A big problem is that for now companies such as Xilinx, Alterra, and Lattice Semiconductor provide their no-cost software only for Windows, and their full versions for Linux are very expensive LV: We obviously need hardware designers, but we also need driver writers, firmware developers, and documentation authors. Additionally, we need software developers who can help build the infrastructure we need: free tools and open standards for interchange file formats. TM: We don't have the documentation quite handled, and frankly, we can't have too much good publicity. We want to facilitate cooperation between Open Hardware communities, and to do that, we have to make people aware of each other. Besides the obvious things, you can contribute by just being involved in multiple FLOSS projects and helping to cross-pollinate. Join the OGP and tell us what others need and them what we need. To be continued... In the next issue I'll explore the Open Graphics community's culture and development process.

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MANATEE County commissioners Tuesday heard suggestions for property tax relief as part of a joint workshop with the Planning Commission reviewing a report on a more economical, holistic approach to future growth. The commission discussed How Will We Grow? -- a report designed to update county planning efforts. Based on a study that has been under way for more than a year, it presents a vision for Manatee Countys future through the year 2035. Then commissioners discussed "How Will We Pay?" with Jim Seuffert, the county director of financial management, suggesting methods of providing ad valorem tax relief to property owners. He suggests reducing property taxes, and instituting potential new revenue sources like a franchise fee on utilities. He also suggests reducing garbage rates for residential customers by $2 a month and instituting a stormwater maintenance fee of $2 a month. Savings for the typical residential customer would be about $100 should the commission elect to institute franchise fees to offset a property tax reduction, Seuffert said. The stormwater maintenance fee would be paid by owners of properties with impervious surfaces contributing to stormwater runoff, including some properties that are now exempt from property taxes, Seuffert said. The county's tax base has dropped by one-third, and other governmental entities, such as Sarasota County, have already diversified their revenue sources, Seuffert explained. He added that right now, "we're talking at a conceptual level," and that it would not be until April that he would be "looking for some sort of a go-ahead." Sara Kennedy, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7031. Follow her on Twitter @sarawrites.com.

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Saying that the human body is significantly different from a 'heat engine' is just common sense, too. Yeah. My experience has been that energy balance - calories in vs. calories out - is a critical element to weight loss. But the composition of that energy balance - macronutrient breakdown of the calories in, how you burn the calories out - determines what body comp you end up with. So if you cut to 1400 kcals a day and do cardio and eat high-carb, low-protein, you'll lose weight, but a good chunk will be muscle. If you cut to 1400 kcals a day and do weight training and intervals and eat high-protein, low-carb, you'll lose weight and most of that chunk will be body fat. In my experience, anyway. Both are important - if you just worry about CI/CO, you're missing half of the picture. If you only worry about macronutrients and not quantity, you're still missing half the picture. The workouts are more self-evident, I think - if you build muscle while you train, you'll burn more energy. If you do too much aerobic/low-strength workouts you'll encourage your body to cut back on the "unneeded" muscle to return more quickly to homeostasis. This is all IMO and IME. YMMV. ETC. :) For my part, when I biked a lot and ate a low-calorie diet (and only cared about calories), I lost a lot of weight and all my lifts went down, too. When I switched to low-carb, lower-calories, my body fat went down but my lifts didn't. When I switched to low-carb, eat all I could eat of protein and fat, my weight went up and my lifts didn't. Now, well, all hail carb cycling! :)

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June 14, 1924 – March 9, 2013 For decades, Miriam W. Ehrenreich held six different positions at Millard Fillmore Hospital, all as a volunteer. She worked as a patient advocate in the surgical waiting room for 23 years, served on the Millard Fillmore Foundation for nine years, enjoyed stints on the hospital’s board of trustees and the Ethics Committee and served as president of the Women’s Board. Most recently, she was a member of the Kaleida Foundation, as the Women’s Board liaison for new projects and acquisitions. Mrs. Ehrenreich – known to everyone as Mimi – enjoyed giving back to her community, before she died Saturday in an assisted-living facility near Philadelphia. She was 88. A lifelong Buffalo resident, the former Miriam Warnick graduated from Fosdick-Masten High School, attended Millard Fillmore College and later took ethics and English literature classes at the University at Buffalo, developing a love for Dickens, Boswell, Blake and English romantic poetry. As a volunteer in the Millard Fillmore emergency room, she helped pass along information about patients to their loved ones, a task that led her to become a dedicated advocate for patients’ rights, with a passion for medical ethics. Mrs. Ehrenreich, according to her family, was a foodie who loved dining, opera and old movies. She even was fascinated by texts and emails, although those electronic communications emerged a little too late in life for her to use them; still, she was a master communicator. “She loved to talk to people – butchers, waiters, taxi drivers,” said one of her sons, David. “By the time she got where she was going, she knew everything about the taxi driver’s family.” Mrs. Ehrenreich was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Dr. Robert J. Ehrenreich, who died in 1998, and later by her companion, Gordon A. MacLeod. Survivors include two sons, Richard and David B.; a daughter, Amy Haller; and her brother, Seymour Warnick. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Temple Beth Zion, 805 Delaware Ave.

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Essay writing, free sample essay topics, research papers You are welcome to search the collection of free essays and term papers. Thousands of essay topics are available. Order unique, original custom papers from our essay writing service. Sample essay topic, essay writing: Harrasement - 546 words NOTE: Essay you see on this page is free essay, available to anyone. We strongly do not recommend using any direct quotes from these essays for credit - you will most probably be caught for copying/pasting off the Internet, as it is very easy to trace where the essay has been taken from by a plagiarism detection program. You are welcome to use these samples for your research, but if you want to be sure that your essay is 100% original and one of a kind, we highly recommend to order a custom essay from us. Harassment or a Misunderstanding:The case of Amanda Stein In the article, Harassment or a Misunderstanding: the case of Amanda Stein, Amanda Stein, leads technical support engineer was facing continuous harassment by her manager Frank Villa. I believe Frank Villa's attitude towards Amanda Stein was unacceptable because she was being unfairly treated by the fact that she is a woman, and moreover, by the fact that she is Jew. In today's society, the issue of harassment in the work place is a very sensitive topic. There are many ways to harass people even though, the harasser do not realize it. For instance, our book list a few items, which are, consider harassment when directed to a person, "dirty jokes, vulgar slang, nude pictures, swearing, and personal ridicule and insult." (Bohlander 65) even though, Mr. Villa probably did not meant his comments in a malicious way, as stated in the book making a person feel ridiculous its consider harassment in the work place as well. One of the issues faced by Amanda Stein, in this article, is the fact that Amanda is a woman. For instance, Mr. Villa's comments towards Amanda being a woman, was harassment, Mr. Villa unacceptable comments such as "I think you have been successful in part due to your ability to take it and give it right back. Most women would have shriveled up around here but you haven't." (Page 30) this type of comment was out of place in this situation. As a result, comments like that could of caused Amanda from effectively performing her job; moreover, it could of underestimated her dignity, as a result make her feel like an outsider Secondly, Mr. Villa's constantly comments referring to the fact that Amanda is a Jew, in my opinion, its a hostile situation, and should not be tolerated. I believe that in a work place, an employee's wok performance can be less effective due to comments related to his/her religious beliefs. Moreover, Mr. Villa's unnecessary comments towards Amanda, were unethical coming from a supervisor, but more importantly unlawful. As we have leaned in chapter 2, every individual is protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibit discrimination and harassment in the work place environment because of the individual's "race, color, religion, sex o national origin.."(page 54). In other words, there is certain behavior that is just unacceptable for the work place environment; I believe that Amanda was been constantly discriminated by the fact that she was a Jew. Fortunately, Amanda never prosecuted Mr. Villa for his behavior, but I believe that Mr. Villa's inappropriate conduct should have been reported, so that he would think twice before he does it again. In conclusion, the article harassment or a misunderstanding is the perfect example of what is going on in a daily basic at the work place. In this case, Amanda was being over-look, by the fact that she was the only female in that department. On the other hand, she was also being picking by the fact of her religious beliefs. Whatever the case may be, the true is that we have to become aware of the fact that there are rules to follow when it comes to employees, co-workers, even classmates, because a simple comment could make a person feel insulted. Research paper and essay writing, free essay topics, sample works Harrasement Essay help, free essay samples: Ps Vs Xbox Vs Gamecube, Women In Combat, Watergate Chronology, Propaganda Effects Of Wwi, The Gothic Theme In Frankenstein, Functionalism According To Fod, Transcendentalism: The Philosophy Of The Mind, Why Did Oskar Schindler Do It?, Regression Analysis, Orwells Political Message To The World, Censorship In Public Schools, A Plan In The Making The Const, 9 11 Efffects, The Accidental Tourest, The Cyprus Problem, and much more... All rights reserved © 2004-2013 essaypride.com, links

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By Ford R. Myers President, Career Potential, LLC Of all the subjects we cover in career management and job search, the one that seems to cause clients the most anxiety is INTERVIEWING. To ease my clients’ concerns, I often simplify the topic by reducing it to a handful of basic elements. When you boil it all down, job interviews are made-up of only five statements from the interviewer, which include four questions and one sentence. Sure, you’ll be asked more than five questions, but they ALL seem to be variations on the items listed below. Each of these questions has to be “nailed” in a job interview, and each has a different strategy to answer it. “Winging it” just won’t do! Here is some simple, sound advice for responding to the five basic interview questions: No. 1: Tell me about yourself. This is the open-ended question that on the surface seems harmless, yet how you answer it may spell the difference between landing a job, or being pushed out the door to seek another position. You have to know yourself first – your strengths, your weaknesses, your likes, your talents and your goals. The best way to answer this question is to give your “Positioning Statement,” which is a one-paragraph summary of your career background, strengths, expertise and objective. No. 2: Why do you want to work here? This question seeks to determine if you know anything about the job and company. The goal here is to connect your talents, contributions and attributes to the employer’s needs, problems and challenges. You can only do this if you’ve done your homework, and have gathered all the necessary research. The best way to respond is to tell several relevant Accomplishment Stories that prove you have the right kind of experience for the job. No. 3: What’s wrong with you? Of course, the interviewer will not actually use these words. She might couch the question in more polite terms, but what she is actually trying to find out is why you’re unemployed, or underemployed, or why you’ve had so many jobs, etc. As the candidate, you need to acknowledge these sorts of career challenges in advance; then prepare and practice your responses. Your answers must be worded in such a way that they are fully positive, and elicit the responses you desire. No. 4: What are your salary expectations? When it comes to “the salary question,” you want the other guy to make the first move. Do thorough research in advance to determine what the likely salary range is. Make it clear that the job is not all about pay. Say that you’d be happy to discuss compensation once a mutual interest has been established, and get back to discussing your relevant accomplishments. Tell the interviewer that you want the opportunity, and that you expect the company will make a fair salary offer. This doesn’t mean you will necessarily accept that offer, but it means they will have to “draw” first. Once you receive the initial offer, always negotiate up from there. No. 5: Don’t call us, we’ll call you. Take an active stance, not a passive one. Be sure to discuss “next steps” before you leave the interview. Ask the interviewer directly how your qualifications compare to those of the other candidates. Display your excitement about the job and the challenges it poses. Let the interviewer know how and when you’ll be back in touch. Don’t leave all the power in the hands of the interviewer; this should be a mutual decision-making process. Since almost every interview question is a variation of the themes listed above, there’s no need to worry about the hundreds of questions you MIGHT be asked. If you go into the interview focused on addressing just these five basic areas, you’ll feel more confident and less overwhelmed. The more practiced and articulate you are in responding to these five items, the better chance you’ll have of landing the job. But even if you don’t get the offer, you’ll still be well-prepared for the NEXT interview! Copyright © 2010, Career Potential, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2010, Career Potential, LLC. Reprinted by permission of Ford R. Myers, a nationally-known Career Expert and author of “Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring.” For information about career services and products, visit www.careerpotential.com and www.fordmyers.com.

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The Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a community where people value animals and treat them with respect and kindness. For more than 128 years, WHS has been saving the lives of animals in need. We offer adoption services that place 9,000 animals in new homes annually, veterinary services that save thousands of lives, educational programs that instill respect for animals, behavior services to assist guardians and a myriad of other initiatives that help end suffering for animals. We depend entirely on private donations to fund our programs and rely on volunteers in nearly every department. If you are interested in adopting, volunteering, enrolling in a class, taking a tour or making a donation, check out our comprehensive web site at wihumane.org. The adoptable animals' web pages are updated every 30 minutes! This 7.5-year-old Siamese cat will also gently nudge your hand to encourage you to pet her. In addition to her sparkling personality, Baby has beautiful cream and black fur. Her luminous blue eyes are stunning and they will sparkle even more when she gets adopted! Ursula is like a giant puppy. Happy, energetic, curious and loving, this black Labrador Retriever will have you laughing several times a day. She is 4 years young and wants to play and run all morning long, then flop on her doggie bed for a nap. She's a riot to hang out with and performs silly antics. A good teacher will have no trouble teaching Ursula new skills and manners; she'd love to enroll in a manners class where she could show off her skills, too! Comet has one of those amazing personalities. He's a confident, up-front kind of guy who immediately comes up and introduces himself. He seems to be oblivious that he's so handsome and unique-looking. His markings include blue patches of fur that create cool shapes on his back. Comet's face looks like it's been painted! Comet was previously declawed, so it's especially imperative that he always stays indoors where he'll be safe. He seems to get along well with his roommate and would likely adjust fine to a home with another cat. This photo, actually, was taken when Comet was concerned about a little kitten meowing next door (the kitty was a bit lonely because her sister had just been adopted, but she went home moments later, so no worries!). Still, Comet stood up on his hind legs to make sure she was okay! Bongo never pounds on the drums or makes much noise, except for the occasional squeal of delight when you allow him to climb onto your lap for a intensive belly rub session! It's surprising that this stunning Australian Shepherd mix is only 7 months old, because he has a rather mature disposition. He's thoughtful, kind and always polite with strangers. He's curious but cautious in his explorations around our neighborhood and doesn't pull hard on the leash or jump up on strangers. Bongo always delights in returning to his suite for a cuddling session afterwards, too!

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THE students, secretaries and computer programmers who live at the White Plains Young Women's Christian Association on North Broadway are as diverse as any group of women -perhaps a bit more so. Five of the 174 residents are ex-offenders from the women's unit of the County Jail, charter members of the Y.W.C.A.'s fledgling effort to help these women rejoin society. Its sponsors say the new Y program is part of an effort to counter recidivism among the jail's former inmates, which has been 70 percent for those women who return to their old neighborhoods and receive no counseling. There is a growing waiting list for rooms at the attractive center on North Broadway, where weekly room rates are $67 to $80, but Y.W.C.A. staff members agreed that they needed to do more to help women in the county prison - even if it meant fewer rooms for the public. ''We didn't do it for the money,'' said Penny Rago, director of the nonprofit residence. ''We always look at our role in the community, and we ask ourselves 'Are we serving the needs of all women?' '' The Y.W.C.A. program, which provides space and support services for up to seven female ex-offenders, is one of only two such projects in the county - the other is at Providence House in New Rochelle. In the Y.W.C.A. program, $76,000 from several sources - including the County Department of Community Mental Health, the United Way and Sears, Roebuck in White Plains - is used to provide a full-time social worker, food and shelter for the female ex-offenders. ''Other residents at the Y.W.C.A. have paid little attention to the women in the new program,'' Mrs. Rago said. ''Our residents tend to keep to themselves, and if any choose to talk about their backgrounds, that is their business.'' The mix of residents at the Y.W.C.A. is so great, Mrs. Rago said, that new arrivals blend in immediately. All residents must be 18 to 35 years old; they include a number of Pace University students, corporate interns at General Foods and International Business Machines, as well as other professional workers. Three percent of the residents are referrals from area hospitals - women whom hospital staff members consider not yet ready to live on their own, Mrs. Rago said. These women suffer from emotional problems, including severe depression. The five women from the jail are all enrolled in drug- and/or alcohol-abuse day treatment programs, Patricia Michaelson, the social worker said. Nearly all of the female prisoners suffer from drug and alcohol abuse, Mrs. Michaelson said, adding that the women she selects for the Y.W.C.A. program ''must have the motivation to change.'' Many of the younger women who asked to be considered for the Y program, Ms. Michaelson said, ''are not ready to give up living in the streets.'' Older women, Ms. Michaelson said, ''are more likely to really want to change and to want their kids to be proud'' of them. In the six months since Ms. Michaelson has been conducting prerelease information and counseling sessions at the women's unit of the jail, she said, ''The word has spread like wildfire, and many have asked to see me.'' Nine women have been invited to join the program since it began last fall, but four have returned to the women's unit. ''If one is successful,'' Ms. Michaelson said, ''it is worth it.'' Women at the County Jail are eager to join the program, Ms. Michaelson said, ''because their own families are dysfunctional and they are unskilled and untrained.''

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Click here for fullscreen. Use your Back button to return to this page. Only the Valiant (1951) Gregory Peck stars as Capt. Richard Lance, who is unjustly held responsible, by his men and girlfriend, for an Indian massacre death of beloved Lt. Holloway. Holloway is killed while escorting a dangerous Indian chief to another fort's prison. The chief escapes. Knowing their fort is in danger of Indian attack, Lance takes a small group of army misfits to an abandoned nearby army fort to defend a mountain pass against the oncoming Indian assault. To Download or Embed this video, go to this link. Back to the Action/Adventure Films Library back to Uncle Earl's Classic TV Channel

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How to Do Interviews (Many Kinds) Major Types of Interviews Related Library Topics Learn More in the Library's Blogs Related to Doing Interviews In addition to the articles on this current page, see the following blogs which have posts related to Doing Interviews. Scan down the blog's page to see various posts. Also see the section "Recent Blog Posts" in the sidebar of the blog or click on "next" near the bottom of a post in the blog. For the Category of Interpersonal Skills: To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources. Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature. The following books are recommended because of their highly practical nature and often because they include a wide range of information about this Library topic. To get more information about each book, just click on the image of the book. Also, a "bubble" of information might be displayed. You can click on the title of the book in that bubble to get more information, too.

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Canine dental care giving me a toothache Sobbing from examination room No. 2 at Sierra Animal Hospital reminded my wife and me that pets, like all other living things, don’t live forever. Moments earlier, a gentleman carrying his dog in his arms joined his wife in the room and the door closed behind him. The sobbing from inside the room brought tears to my wife. We both knew what the dog’s fate would be and the emotional pain of its owners. Fortunately for our dog, this visit was just a routine physical and preliminary dental exam. Ollie came to us from daughter No. 1. She rescued him from the Humane Society in Chattanooga, Tenn. while attending school there. We then rescued him from our daughter when she moved on to graduate school in Chicago. So, you could say he’s on loan, staying with us on a temporary basis until she graduates and lands a job. However, something tells me he’s going to be around much longer. Ollie’s bad breath was an indicator he needed his teeth cleaned. Apparently the mint flavored breath mints I had been sharing with him weren’t working. So after his initial examination we scheduled him an appointment. To those unfamiliar with the dental care of a dog, the procedure requires your pet to be sedated. This allows the vet to thoroughly clean the teeth while making any necessary extractions — from his mouth and my wallet. Ollie, we would later learn, needed 11 teeth pulled. Yes, you read that correctly – 11. The medication the clinic provided was extensive. “Give him one of these pills every 12 hours and one of these tablets twice a day,” I was instructed. “Then he needs this antibiotic once a day for four days. Be sure he takes this on a full stomach.” A full stomach? I thought. Are you kidding me? How is he going to eat minus eleven teeth? Gum his food? Our 18 pound (slightly overweight) miniature pinscher would soon be on a forced diet. “How many teeth does a dog have?” my wife inquired after hearing the news. A quick call to my brother and we’d soon have the answer. He’s an equine veterinarian and has lots of experience with animal teeth. A few years ago, I had an opportunity to make a house call with him. After sedating the horse and securing its mouth open with a wire bracket, he went to work filing the horse’s teeth with metal files of various grades. The sedated horse just stood there as my brother stroked the file back and forth grinding down his overgrown teeth. But that’s for another column. A dog has 42 teeth my brother informed us. And despite the removal of six molars, three pre-molars and two incisors, our dog will live a healthier life without gum disease that may have resulted from his rotting teeth. Of course most dogs don’t require professional teeth cleaning. Chewing bones does the job. To prevent tooth decay you could always brush them yourself like my brother-in-law does. He uses meat flavored toothpaste. Now that sounds appealing — if you’re a dog. Somehow I don’t believe Ollie would welcome me shoving a toothbrush in his mouth, especially after the extensive procedure he just had. His mouth is off limits these days but at least his toothache days are behind him. I, on the other hand, started developing a toothache shortly after paying the vet bill for all this oral hygiene care. “What do you mean I can’t claim this on my dental plan?” I asked our human resource manager at the newspaper. We’ll do anything for our pets. They’re part of our families — our lives. And now that Ollie has clean teeth I was hopeful our dog care needs were finished for awhile. That was until my wife informed me Lily, our other family dog is losing her hearing. “She’s 12 years old and has trouble hearing me,” my wife explained. “Do you think we should take her in and have her ears checked?” “What was that?” I replied. “I’m having some trouble hearing you.” Richard Esposito is publisher of Village Life and the Mountain Democrat. Contact him at email@example.com. Short URL: http://www.villagelife.com/?p=18663This story falls on page "5"

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2nd February, 2007 Between the 20th and 25th of January 2007, delegations from various Palestinian organisations and networks in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Palestinians living inside Israel, and Syrian Golan Heights, attended the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. Among the delegations was an eight-member strong group from OPGAI – Occupied Palestine and Syrian Golan Heights Advocacy Initiative. Other Palestinian participants included: Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), Ittijah (Union of Arab Community Based Organisations), Coalition for Jerusalem, the Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign. OPGAI representatives organised and took part in several workshops, mainly focusing on the Boycott - Divestment - Sanctions (BDS) Campaign. Representatives were also involved in several other workshops, including Anti-War workshops and panels , Food Sovereignty and Occupied Arab Territories. Several meetings took place with Arab and international networks and organizations, including the European Committee and Communication for Palestine (ECCP) and Peace for Life, International South Group Network (ISGN) . Positive actions included the initiation of a new Arab network called the Alternative Initiative Network. This was just one of the many new partnerships discussed between the numerous international organisations.. The EJ YMCA Rehabilitation Program Mr Nidal Abu-Zuluf, coordinator of the OPGAI delegation, and Shireen Basha from Bisan Centre, member from PNGO delegation, met with Dr Kenneth Kaunda, the so-called "Ghandi of Africa", ex-president of Zambia and founder of the Peace Foundation and discussed the Middle-East conflict. During the Forum, a previously prepared joint statement from the Palestinian networks was distributed amongst all the delegations from around the world. The OPGAI delegation also took part in a pro-Palestine demonstration, to raise awareness of the Palestinian struggle.

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When a homeless Arizona man found a backpack containing thousands of dollars in cash, he could have seen it as a windfall. Instead, he saw that it was returned to its owner, an honorable act that's now paying off. Dave Tally, a recovering drug addict, came across the lost backpack earlier this month in a light rail station in Tempe. He opened it up, trying to find some sort of identification or baggage tag. Inside, there were no clues about its rightful owner, but Tally did find an envelope stuffed with $3,300 in cash, as well as a laptop computer. "Finding the envelope with the case was just mind-blowing," Tally said. "There were lots of crazy thoughts that went through my head." The cash could have meant a lot for Tally, who's lived on the streets for several years after losing his home. He now sleeps n the basement of local churches, saving what little he can to fix his broken bike, his only source of transportation. "I went into survival mode for a moment, actually more than a moment," Tally said, "thinking about all the things I could do for myself." But in the end, the money wasn't worth more than his honor. "It wasn't easy, but I know it was the right thing to do," Tally said. "I beat myself up pretty hard for even thinking I would spend one dime of that person's money." Tally took the bag to his boss at the Tempe Community Action Agency, which helps homeless people in the area find shelter and where he holds down a part time job. With no ID on the bag, they had no way of finding the owner until someone thought to plug in a flash drive that was with the computer. On the drive was the resume of Bryan Belanger, an Arizona State University student who thought he'd never see his belongings again after mistakenly leaving them in the station on his way to work. He was carrying the envelope of money with plans to buy a used car off Craigslist. Thanks to Tally's good deed, the bag, cash and computer were back in Belanger's hands five days after he reported them missing. "It's just the greatest thing I've ever experienced, I think," said Belanger. "It really is a lesson to keep your faith in people, and character exists no matter what your circumstances are." When Belanger met Tally, he offered a grateful handshake and a cash reward. Belanger even promised to volunteer at the Tempe Community Action Agency. But those aren't the only rewards Tally's decision brought him. After his story aired on ABC's Phoenix affiliate KNXV-TV, strangers sent Tally checks, and even found him to hand him cash. More than enough money has come in to fix his broken bike. For his part, Tally hopes his act will change some people's notions about the homeless. "My time being on the streets, I met some of the most intelligent people that just made bad choices," Tally said. "They are just everyday people that have a different way of life right now." For information on how you can help Dave Tally, click here to visit the website of his shelter program, TCAA .

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East Lancashire politician reveals all about his time in the Thatcher government (From Lancashire Telegraph) When news happens, text LT and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone. East Lancashire politician reveals all about his time in the Thatcher government 2:00pm Saturday 1st December 2012 in News ONE of Lancashire’s most prominent former politicians has revealed all about his time in Margaret Thatcher’s government. Former Clitheroe and Nelson and Colne MP David Waddington has unveilled the secrets of his career with the publication of his memoirs. Burnley-born Lord Waddington was in Clitheroe yesterday to promote the book, which tells all about his role as Mrs Thatcher’s last Home Secretary. In the role he was at the heart of British politics during a turbulent time. The memoirs describe his life from childhood in Lancashire, to his army postings in Hong Kong and Singapore. His role as MP first to the old Nelson and Colne constituency and later to the former Clitheroe constituency. Tales of his time as Conservative Chief Whip flow into a description of life as Home Secretary during the Strangeway prison riots. In 1990 he was created a life peer as Baron Waddington, of Read in the County of Lancashire. He went on to serve as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords until 1992 and went on to become Governor of Bermuda. Lord Waddington said: “I enjoyed writing my memoirs very much and they were dramatic times. “There were great changes happening in the country. It was a time when steps had to be taken to deal with what I thought was excessive trade union power. “We had to make what were at the time very controversial decisions. Often there was no particular call in a certain work place for union representation. It was terribly controversial at the time but now it is a very normal situation.” Lord Waddington, who has moved to Somerset in his retirement to be closer to his children, added: “I always thought it would have been difficult to represent the areas I did without growing up here. “My family history stretches back in this area many years and I love Lancashire. I would have been a much less effective MP without my years growing up here and the things it taught me.”

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If you - or someone you know - are having thoughts about suicide, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Calls are connected to a certified crisis center nearest the caller's location. Services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you - or someone you know - are having thoughts about suicide, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Calls are connected to a certified crisis center nearest the caller's location. Services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Depression Forums - A Depression & Mental Health Social Community Support Group Our mission is to create an atmosphere that is both supportive and informative in a caring, safe environment for our members to talk to their peers about depression, anxiety, mood disorders, medications, therapy and recovery. Our vision is to advance the public awareness of mental health issues so as to eliminate the stigma that surrounds depression and mood disorders through education and advocacy, as well as striving to obtain quality medical care for mental health patients, as it is no different from any other medical illness. 05/09/2013 Which means, in my experience, that it is still, to some extent at least, alcohol awareness month. Many people who suffer with undiagnosed depression or anxiety reach for alcohol or drugs to calm their nerves or relieve them of emotional pain. In other words, they self-medicate. Rather than seek out some help in managing depression, anxiety or chronic resentment, they seek their own solution -- a solution which, while it works pretty well for a while, eventually complicates the issues and leads to more pain. It's the same sort of premise as having access to your own morphine drip: You administer your own dose whenever you begin to feel pain. Hiding in Plain Sight Many people can get rid of temporary pain by having a couple of drinks and calming down in the evening, say, or by knocking back some "liquid courage" before facing a social event. For some, there's no more to it than this, and their use of alcohol remains fairly benign. But for another group, a group that is larger than any one cares to admit, the solution slips into a dependency, and the dependency slips into an addiction. Slowly, this group becomes trapped in their own solution. Not only can they not quite face an evening without some "help," but their own healthy coping strategies begin to atrophy through lack of use. And as they increasingly depend more and more on a substance to change their mood, their relationship with that substance comes to have a life of its own. Pretty soon you aren't really sure who you are talking to at dinner: Is it the person you remember or that person "under the influence"? Is it the "booze talking" expansively, angrily, or overly confidently, or is it them? The connection between alcohol/drugs and mental health is not made enough and cannot be made too often. Once a using pattern begins, often innocently enough, it can come to have a life of its own. No longer is the person downing a drink -- now the drink is downing the person. My husband and I recently went to a “marriage conference” attended by (and highly recommended by) some of our friends. One would think that a relationship-focused conference would be something that most men would avoid at all costs, equating it to sitting for seven straight hours in a women’s clothing store while their wife tries on outfit after outfit, asking “do I look fat in this?” Yet the atmosphere at this event, the Love & Respect Live Conference, was something the likes of which I’ve never experienced. As the primary speaker, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, spoke, the men in the audience laughed out loud, nodded their heads and visibly appeared moved. According to my husband, Eggerichs was expressing concepts that uncannily described what matters most to men in a relationship. The thing is - men being men - most don’t actually know what they most deeply need from a woman (other than the obvious!) and would not be able to describe or articulate it. Despite these factors, girls with ADHD remain at significant psychosocial risk into adulthood. By E. Mark Mahone, PhD | October 3, 2012 Childhood ADHD is a major public health problem, with prevalence estimated to be over 5 million children in the US alone. Of particular concern is the recent increase in diagnosis of the disorder. In 2011, the CDC estimated that nearly 9% of children in the US (1 of 11 children between the ages of 5 and 17) have ADHD; the diagnosis is made in approximately twice as many boys as girls.1 Moreover, ADHD rarely exists alone. In most children with ADHD (75% to 80%), a second (or even third) psychiatric disorder develops at some point in their lives. Spring has sprung, at least for most of us, which means sundresses, seersucker and boozy croquet parties on the front lawn. Goodbye happy lamp, hello mimosa. But it’s not just champagne that’s lifting our spirits and banishing the wintertime blues. According to Google (and a team of researchers from the University of Southern California, Harvard and Johns Hopkins) mental illnesses — such as obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and anorexia — are far more seasonal than we think. The epidemiologists, led by John Ayers, combed through every Google search performed in the United States and Australia between 2006 and 2010, looking for queries like “symptoms of” and “medications for” OCD, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar, depression, anorexia, bulimia and schizophrenia. April 21, 2013 Psychiatric medications are among the most frequently-prescribed medications in this country and throughout the world. One in 10 Americans takes an anti-depressant. Yet despite the incessant barrage of multi-media drug promotions, you may not have the answers to the questions you most want answered. I asked more than a dozen expert psychiatric colleagues, and myself, the questions they most frequently receive about psychiatric medications from people who take them or their families. Here are a dozen of those many questions; the responses are mine. Annmarie Timmins, age 9 (left), with her brother on vacation in Franconia Notch. After the Monitor’s mental health series, “In Crisis,” was published last week, I got one reaction more than any other: Readers were surprised, some unconvinced, that 26 percent of New Hampshire’s residents have a mental health disorder. The statistic appeared in the second story of the series and came from a 2010 study by the Concord-based New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies. The percentage includes a range of diagnoses, from major depression to anxiety problems to bipolar disorder. “Didn’t 26 percent seem high?” a caller asked me last week. Not to me. But I’m one of the 26 percent. I have been hospitalized twice for “suicidal ideation,” most recently for eight days in 2009 with a diagnosis of “major depressive order and anxiety disorder,” according to my records. I take four medications a day and have my counselor’s name and number in my emergency contacts on my cell phone. This will be news to most of the people who know me, family members included. That’s because with lots of help from my husband, a lot of exercise (one of my therapies) and medication, I’m able to keep my depression and breakdowns private. Prudence Jane, on 08 November 2011 - 03:29 PM, said: I was posting on the forum of the REVIVRE organization (literally means "rebirth" in French), an organization that helps people who struggle with bipolar, anxiety and depression disorders in Montreal, Canada. There was a thread about other forums that us members we're on and someone mentionned Depression Forums. I was curious, I checked it out, thought it was great and decided to create myself an account. And I've been posting here ever since :) Voila! ;) (Prudence Jane) If someone has cancer, heart disease or certain other physical ailments, we have compassion for them. But there is one illness that often elicits shame, not compassion. It is silenced in many families and that silence can add to the burden of those who have it: Mental Illness. Think about it. If someone in your family suffers from depression, anxiety disorders, bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia, do you share that information as easily as you do other health conditions? Over the centuries, our society has conditioned us to feel as if mental health issues are something to hide – a character flaw. When we feed into that stereotype, we may inadvertently send a signal to friends and family with mental illness, that they would be judged, unloved or shunned. Research shows that the causes of mental illness are usually a combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors. It is not the fault of the person with the mental illness. Brittany Snow and Jason Ritter which premiered on Lifetime Television on April 20. (Photo: Lifetime Television) By Katrina Gay, NAMI Director of Communications In April, Lifetime Television premiered Call Me Crazy, a series of interconnected short films that deal with the subject of mental illness. Through five short stories named after each title character—Lucy, Eddie, Allison, Grace and Maggie—powerful relationships built on hope and triumph give viewers a new understanding of what happens when a loved one struggles with mental illness. The two-hour movie event aired on television on Sat., April 20. NAMI attended the premiere on April 16 in Los Angeles and was honored by the network for its work on behalf of individuals and families affected by mental illness. In addition, Lifetime presented NAMI with a generous contribution and a public service announcement titled It’s Time. The PSA features testimonials by many of the film’s talent, including Brittany Snow, Jennifer Hudson, Octavia Spencer, Ernie Hudson, Jean Smart, Melissa Leo and others, who all joined together to urge action and support for NAMI. Other stars associated with the film included Jennifer Anniston, who served as one of the film’s executive producers, and Ashley Judd, who directed Maggie. “Sport that consumed me for over two decades . . . is now gone. Now it’s just me. No pressure, no expectations, no need to be fast, good, strong or to even improve. Yet I can’t let go of this idea that I always need to be more than I am. And it is eating me alive.”— Clara Hughes, in a January 2013 blog post Clara Hughes knew the transition wouldn’t be easy, but little prepared her for life after professional sport. The majority of her time once consumed by gruelling training regimens, the six-time Olympic medallist in cycling and speed skating found herself struggling late last year — at a time she would usually begin winter training — when she began to realize that her life was no longer geared toward the next big race. “Life in permanent off-season,” she called it in her poignant January blog post, which chronicled some of the mental and emotional difficulties she’s faced since completing her final race at the 2012 London Games. NEW YORK — Throughout life, even shortly before death, the brain can remodel itself, responding to a person's experiences. This phenomenon, known as neuroplasticity, offers a powerful tool to improve well-being, experts say. "We now have evidence that engaging in pure mental training can induce changes not just in the function of the brain, but in the brain's structure itself," Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told an audience at the New York Academy of Sciences on Feb. 6. The brain's plasticity does change over time, Davidson pointed out. For instance, young children have an easier time learning a second language or a musical instrument, he said. Exercise for the mind The idea of training the brain is not a radical one, said Amishi Jha, a neuroscientist at the University Miami and another panelist for the discussion. "How many of you think engaging in certain kinds of physical activity will change the way the body works? Our cultural understanding now is that specific types of activity can alter the body in noticeable ways," Jha said, adding that this cultural understanding may be shifting to incorporate the mind as well. [10 Easy Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp] Respect and intimacy are the foundation on which loving relationships are built. Without such safety and connection, there can be no trust; without trust, we lose the ability to be playful, spontaneous, and joyful The following are common issues in relationships that, if unaddressed, can kill love and happiness. For each relationship-ruining issue below, I explain what it is, why it is a problem, why we do it, and what we can do instead to heal and repair this issue. When people have the courage to look at these patterns, admit their own contribution, and are willing to change and put their relationships first, even the most difficult relationship problems can be healed. (1) Lack of Trust Inability to trust our partners may take many forms, including feeling that they are being dishonest or hiding something from us, not trusting them to be reliable and consistent, and available when we need them, fearing they may take advantage of us, not trusting their values as human beings, or not feeling safe to express who we really are in our relationships. Feb. 6, 2013 — Abusive bosses who target employees with ridicule, public criticism, and the silent treatment not only have a detrimental effect on the employees they bully, but they negatively impact the work environment for the co-workers of those employees who suffer from "second-hand" or vicarious abusive supervision, according to new research from the University of New Hampshire. In the first ever study to investigate vicarious supervisory abuse, Paul Harvey, associate professor of organizational behavior at UNH, and his research colleagues Kenneth Harris and Raina Harris from Indiana University Southeast and Melissa Cast from New Mexico State University find that vicarious supervisory abuse is associated with job frustration, abuse of other coworkers, and a lack of perceived organizational support beyond the effects of the abusive supervisor. Optimal treatment of sleep apnea in patients with prediabetes improves blood sugar (glucose) levels and thus can reduce cardiometabolic risk, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference May 17-22, 2013 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania... Depression News From Medical News Today Monday, 20 May 2013 22:00 In 2008 researchers from the University of Southern Denmark showed that the drug thioridazine, which has previously been used to treat schizophrenia, is also a powerful weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus)... Schizophrenia News From Medical News Today Monday, 20 May 2013 21:00 Chronic trauma can inflict lasting damage to brain regions associated with fear and anxiety. Previous imaging studies of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have shown that these brain regions can over-or under-react in response to stressful tasks, such as recalling a traumatic event or reacting to a photo of a threatening face... Anxiety / Stress News From Medical News Today Monday, 20 May 2013 21:00 Boys who are diagnosed with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are twice as likely to become obese in adulthood than those who did not have the condition when they were young, a new long-term study has shown... ADHD News From Medical News Today Monday, 20 May 2013 21:00 Among intensive care unit patients receiving acute ventilatory support for respiratory failure, use of patient-preferred music resulted in greater reduction in anxiety and sedation frequency and intensity compared with usual care, according to a study published online by JAMA... Anxiety / Stress News From Medical News Today Monday, 20 May 2013 08:00 Patients with treatment-resistant major depression saw dramatic improvement in their illness after treatment with ketamine, an anesthetic, according to the largest ketamine clinical trial to-date led by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai... Depression News From Medical News Today Sunday, 19 May 2013 22:00 Northwestern University scientists have shown a gene involved in neurodegenerative disease also plays a critical role in the proper function of the circadian clock. In a study of the common fruit fly, the researchers found the gene, called Ataxin-2, keeps the clock responsible for sleeping and waking on a 24-hour rhythm... Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia News From Medical News Today Sunday, 19 May 2013 21:00 Frontiers in Endocrinology Differential roles of orexin receptors in the regulation of sleep/wakefulness Takeshi Sakurai, the lead author on the 1998 article that first described orexin, here reviews the latest research on orexin and its role in regulating sleep and wakefulness... Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia News From Medical News Today Sunday, 19 May 2013 21:00 Why do so many sports players and athletes choose to wear the color red when they compete? A new study to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that it may have to do with their testosterone levels... Psychology / Psychiatry News From Medical News Today Sunday, 19 May 2013 21:00 Whether we're listening to Bach or the blues, our brains are wired to make music-color connections depending on how the melodies make us feel, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley. For instance, Mozart's jaunty Flute Concerto No... Psychology / Psychiatry News From Medical News Today Sunday, 19 May 2013 22:00 The relationship between the heritable risk for schizophrenia and low intelligence (IQ) has not been clear. Schizophrenia is commonly associated with cognitive impairments that may cause functional disability. There are clues that reduced IQ may be linked to the risk for developing schizophrenia. For example, reduced cognitive ability may precede the onset of schizophrenia symptoms... Schizophrenia News From Medical News Today Sunday, 19 May 2013 21:00

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When farmer Erard Louw gets a call from one of his sheep, he isn’t a happy man. Louw, of Durbanville in Cape Town, had 27 sheep and 13 lambs stolen 10 days ago, and has tried to find new ways of protecting his animals. So, he came up with the idea of tying cellphones on to the collars of four sheep in separate flocks. As soon as they start running, the cellphone is set to switch on. “As they run it gives me a phone call and says ‘sheep one’ or ‘sheep two’ and so on, so at least I know where to start looking because the farm is 750 hectares. The phone did start ringing that night and I went out. I checked all the fences – because they normally cut the fences – and they were all okay and the gates were closed. But the phone kept ringing, so I knew they were running. Then I found a new place where they had cut the fence.” He was too late to catch those stock thieves, but said his sheep cellphones had caught another thief. Stock theft of sheep is a major problem in the Western Cape and has led to sheep farmers leaving the industry. Winter is a peak time for sheep theft because the wet weather covers spoor, darkness comes early and the nights are longer. If the lambs bleat too loudly when rustlers are herding them off the farms, they are killed and dumped. Louw said yesterday that the thieves had killed four of the lambs by smashing their skulls against poles. He said the SAPS stock theft unit did try to help, but they were stationed far away in Malmesbury. His experience was that there was not much point phoning the police because either they did not have a vehicle available, or they had no petrol, or the tyres had been stolen, or there was no one who could drive. - The Star

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Between October 2006 and July of this year, judges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on average sentenced 147 defendants in criminal cases. According to a new study, the city's federal court had the smallest average criminal caseload of any federal court nationwide during that time. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, released the results yesterday of a new analysis of sentencing data from the federal courts. TRAC, which is based at Syracuse University, measured criminal caseloads by the number of defendants sentenced per judge; TRAC Co-Director Susan Long said they thought sentencings would be a useful measuring tool because most criminal cases in the federal courts end in a guilty plea or conviction. But U.S. District Chief Judge Royce Lamberth of the D.C.-based court said he didn't think the study was a helpful way to gauge criminal caseloads and judicial workloads, since it put all criminal cases on an even playing field, regardless of their complexity or how long they took to resolve. "In other courts, most of those cases are one-hour guilty pleas. If that's the case, compared to Roger Clemens or large cases we have here that go on for weeks, I don't think it's helpful for understanding the process," he said, referring to the years-long proceedings against Clemens, the former professional baseball player who was ultimately acquitted of charges of lying to Congress. Courthouses in states along the U.S.-Mexico border had the largest average caseloads, according to the TRAC study. In the Las Cruces, N.M., courthouse, the one active judge studied there handled 7,020 sentencings alone, the most of any other court's average caseload. According to TRAC, sentencings have been higher in the Southwest because of the federal government's increased efforts to prosecute immigration-related matters. Long said that while different cases might have different lengths, the length of the study period – more than five years – was enough to take into account the varying lengths of cases and provide an accurate sense of the criminal caseload in any given court. She said that a previous study looking at the total number of defendants yielded similar results as far as showing varying caseloads between different courts. Lamberth noted that the study didn't include the large number of cases the D.C. court has handled related to detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Those cases, which are mostly habeas petitions filed by detainees, aren't considered criminal cases, he said, but they had "swamped" the court. Besides comparing caseloads at different courts, the TRAC study explored the differences in caseloads among judges serving in the same court. Although caseloads varied widely among judges in some courts, including the Los Angeles courthouse of the Central District of California and the Beaumont, Texas courthouse of the Eastern District of Texas, caseloads in the Washington federal courthouse were fairly consistent. Of the nine local federal judges who were active throughout the study period – not including judges who joined the court or who retired or took senior status during that time – the number of defendants ranged from a low of 137 to a high of 169, according to TRAC's data. Lamberth and U.S. District Judges Rosemary Collyer, Richard Leon, John Bates, Ellen Segal Huvelle, Reggie Walton, Richard Roberts, Emmet Sullivan and Colleen Kollar-Kotelly were included in the 430 total active judges studied as part of TRAC's analysis.

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LITTLETON -- A Boston-based energy company is negotiating a tax deal with the town for a solar farm it will soon construct to generate electricity for Littleton Electric Light and Water Department. The recently formed Solar Payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) Committee began discussing a potential agreement between the town and NextSun Energy. The company is planning to build a 4-megawatt solar farm on Distribution Center Circle in Littleton. The project already has the necessary permits and is ready to start, according to Town Administrator Keith Bergman. NextSun has requested to enter into a PILOT agreement, which would substitute taxation through conventional tax assessment and helps the company predict the cost of running the plant more accurately and create multiyear energy-supply contacts, according to Bergman. Town counsel advised that selectmen negotiate such a deal, and in turn, the board appointed the Solar PILOT Committee. NextSun Energy hopes to have an agreement for annual Town Meeting to vote on in May. Reached by The Sun by phone on Friday, NextSun Energy President and Founder Jake Laskin declined to comment on the size of the project and the projected energy output, saying the company could not talk about any aspect of the project until the negotiations with the town are completed. The information posted on NextSun's website indicates that the project will encompass 7 acres as well as a 480,000-square-foot rooftop space for a If everything goes smoothly, the project will be completed during the fourth quarter of 2012, the website says. It was not clear when the information was last updated. Town Assessor Kenneth Mildren said the project site is part of a 69-acre industrial lot that has a large warehouse on it. The ground-mounted solar panels will be installed on an unbuildable portion of the land. All of the electricity produced there will be sold to the LELWD. NextSun Energy has a project in Rockland to produce energy for the town. The company was set to begin construction of a 2.1-megawatt solar farm at the town's Beech Street Municipal Landfill last fall, according to the company's website. The company's portfolio includes a 3-megawatt private solar facility in Douglas.

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To the editor: Re: "Joint venture," 12th & Cambie, Sept. 28. The vote by B.C. municipal leaders to decriminalize marijuana is a step in the right direction. There is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs. Decriminalization acknowledges the social reality of marijuana and spares users criminal records. What's really needed is a regulated market with age controls. Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. The marijuana plant is relatively harmless. Marijuana prohibition is deadly. As long as violent drug cartels control marijuana distribution, consumers of the most popular illicit drug will come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like cocaine, meth and heroin. Marijuana prohibition is a gateway drug policy. Robert Sharpe, Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C.

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COLDWATER —The Branch Intermediate School District has partnered with organizations throughout Branch County to provide parents and children aged birth to 6 years the opportunity to develop as individuals and families. With the Family Success Program, parental education is provided. "This is beneficial to our parents," said Linda George, coordinator of Early Education Services and Head Start director. "Very experienced people have done work with lots of families over the years," Every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. an inclusive play group for all abilities is offered at the Fremont Street Early Education Center at 95 S. Fremont St. in Coldwater. Additionally, on the last Tuesday and Thursday of each month hearing and vision screenings are offered free of charge. During the play groups, parents are provided with "Answers to parenting questions, information and ideas about child development," George said. On Tuesdays special education teacher Jill Beach, offers assistance and resources for developmental issues. "This is a community play group where children can learn to play together. We evaluate the children to see how they interact with other children and how they do at snack time," said Beach. The play group also allows parents to network and socialize. Many parents are single parents or stay-at-home parents and socializing with adults is a welcome pastime. "We've been coming for a while. It gives my daughter a chance to communicate with kids her own age," said Britnee, a Coldwater mother. "It also gives me a chance to breathe." "This is our very first time," said Marci, mother of 2-year-old Aurora. "I heard about it from my friend who has been coming here for a while. She said it was a good place to socialize and will provide structure." Many parents were in attendance for the Tuesday session of play group, several with children under the age of 3. Among the parents was a father. Jeff from Coldwater said, "We've been coming here for about seven months. It gives my daughter a chance to play with other kids — lets her socialize — it gives me a chance to network with other parents." Parents also have the choice to select a home visitor. The home visitors are experienced professionals whose responsibility is to provide parents with the same parenting guidance as offered in the play group. "We service the Branch County area," said Tia Tobolske, Early On program service coordinator. "They must qualify for Early On through a developmental delay, but anyone can call with questions and we offer a free developmental assessment that's done at the home. At this visit we will see if they qualify and get them hooked up with services they need." In 2000, grant money was supplied to the Branch ISD Head Start for parental education services. The grant funds lasted for a few years and since then organizations such as the Branch County United Way, Department of Human Services, Michigan Department of Education and the BISD have continued to fund the program.

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In TEDxSydney's third year, the conference will look to shine a light on the cream of Australia's scientific crop, with an impressive list of speakers announced yesterday. Professor Michelle Simmons of the single atom transistor project will speak at TEDxSydney this year The conference, set to be held in late May at Carriageworks in Sydney, aims to bring thought leaders in to present and share new and inspiring ideas around technology, entertainment and design — hence the TED name. This year's speaker list includes the head of National ICT Australia, professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte. The professor is set to draw on his experience as an engineer to talk about robotics. Another guest includes Australian expert on quantum computing, professor Michelle Simmons. Simmons is the director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology. Simmons' most recent achievement includes spearheading a project that saw a transistor built successfully out of a single atom. Other guests include entertainers like Tim Freedman of The Whitlams fame, Katie Noonan and the FourPlay String Quartet.

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It looks like Windham County escaped the worst of Hurricane Sandy’s wrath. With memories of Tropical Storm Irene still fresh in everyone’s minds, the relatively limited damage from this latest storm brings a collective sigh of relief throughout the region. The lessons learned from the August 2011 flood came to bear on Monday as emergency services and utility crews from far and wide stood ready to face whatever Sandy brought our way. Gov. Peter Shumlin on Sunday had declared a state of emergency, enabling him to call upon the National Guard as needed. Hundreds of extra line crews from areas outside New England traveled to Vermont early Monday morning to make sure there was support in case of widespread power outages. The Vermont Agency of Transportation had hundreds of workers out on the roads Monday with chainsaws to take care of downed trees and keep roads open. Vermont Emergency Management opened its Emergency Operations Center Monday morning and held a conference call with town legislators and city managers and mayors across the state. As we learned from Irene, state and local communications and coordination are vital to assessing and addressing any damage. All around Windham County emergency officials worked tirelessly in the days leading up to the storm to address key concerns and make sure they were prepared for whatever was to come. They opened up command centers, got designated shelters ready, While the destruction was less than we feared, what damage we did see was taken care of expeditiously. But for the most part, a lot of the emergency planning and preparation for Hurricane Sandy was never actually put into action here in Windham County. That’s not to say all the pre-storm efforts weren’t necessary or appreciated. It’s good to know everyone was ready to step up if the need had arisen. We tip our hats to all of those who put in long hours over the last few days to make sure every contingency was covered and that all of our immediate needs would be met.

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en

Dremel launches new tools for woodworking The Dremel Driver is a 7.2-volt lithium-ion powerhouse disguised as a Star Trek phaser. Seriously, this mighty-mite can power-drive screws like it's a much bigger tool. Chuck Hedlund, WOOD Master Craftsman, put it to use in our shop right away building a white oak rocking chair, and he was amazed at how easily it drove the 26 long screws. (Granted, they were into piloted holes, but it was still impressive for such a small tool.) Chuck also used the Dremel Driver to remove screws and planks from a wooden fence to resurface the planks. He removed over 100 screws on one charge. The Dremel Driver features a magnetic hex-chuck, a 300-rpm motor, and comes with eight bits (flat, Phillips, square). It sells for $70, including the charger. Add your comment Please confirm your comment by answering the question below and clicking "Submit Comment."

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en

Why the country needs more economic reporting Felix Salmon of Reuters notes that a recent Gallup/First Amendment Center poll shows that 40 percent of Americans think that there needs to be more reporting on President Obama’s economic policies — the highest of any policy — and discusses the problems with such coverage. Reuters writes, “Firstly, the question asks not about what Americans think of reporting on the economy, but rather what Americans think about the reporting on policies and practices of the Obama administration as they relate to the economy. Historically, reporters who understand economics and finance have generally been in New York rather than Washington — while the Wars and Terrorism reporters have been in Washington all along. But if you’re reporting on the Obama administration’s economic policies, you need to be in DC. The move to DC is happening, but it maybe not happening as quickly as the public would like. “Secondly, the simple fact is that the Obama administration has been much less good at communicating its economic policy than it has been at communicating its policies on other matters. Tim Geithner is not a great communicator, and the administration’s economic policy in general is very complex: it’s hard to reduce it to a simple choice like ‘Afghanistan: stay or go,’ or ‘Healthcare: should there be a public option or not.’ “More generally, I think the answer to the question is simply a function not of the quality of reporting on the economy, but just of the degree of confusion and anger that Americans have when they look at what has happened over the course of the Great Recession. That’s something that the news media can attempt to address, but it’s a very tough job, and they’re certain to fail with a large amount of Americans a large amount of the time. For all we know, this 40% figure is actually much lower than might be expected given the depth and complexity of the recession. “Still, I hope that the news media will use the results of this poll to increase the quantity and quality of their economic reporting.” Read more here.

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SACRAMENTO, CA -- A Sacramento pug rescue group is reaching out to animal lovers in hopes of providing a much needed surgery for one of their precious pugs. Eight year-old Mija (Mee-ha) is a playful pug who loves to snuggle. She was rescued by PugSavers, a Northern California pug rescue group, after her owner, who loved her dearly couldn't afford special care for her diabetes. Mija's foster family has been taking great care of her until she finds her forever home, but recently her condition has worsened causing blindness in both of her eyes. It has been recommended by a specialist that both of Mija's eyes be removed to help with her diabetes and alleviate what has now become a painful condition.

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It seems that the District of Columbia (That’d be Washington D.C. to you non-American readers) is having difficulty coming up with a legal definition of “Fast Food Restaurant”. Their previous attempt, constructed in the 1980′s, had phrases such as “ready-to-consume food” and “customer queuing” occupying “greater than ten percent of the total floor space on any one (1) floor that is accessible to the public.” Anyone with a passing knowledge of bureaucracy-speak can see that these can be broadly applied to places that may not fit in the spirit of what is “fast food”. Their current tact? Under the proposed change, you’ll know you’re in a fast-food eatery if a) there’s a drive-through window; or b) you pay before you eat; or c) you eat off paper plates, and your utensils are of the plastic variety. Then there was another issue: What about those establishments that aren’t fast-food or restaurants, such as ice cream parlors, latte bars and delis? What do they have in common? Answer: no cooking on premises. I think the drive-through window angle is a good start, but items b and c are problematic. Many buffet restaurants have you pay before you eat, and many barbecue places have folks eat off of paper (or Styrofoam) plates and eat with plastics utensils. If I recall correctly, there’s a pretty decent chili chain local to the D.C. area which offers paper plates and bowls as well as plastic utensils. And thus, if cooking on site and having a drive-window are the only requirement that fits, how would the Subway’s and Quizno’s of the world fit into their picture? Weird. How do you define a fast food restaurant? My quick and snarky reply? Any restaurant that deliver a customer over 1200 calories with two items from a menu board, and is designed to have these products in the customer’s hands in less than three minutes is a fast food restaurant.

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7 Billion Actions is a global movement to engage millions of people around what it means to live in a world of 7 billion, a population milestone that will be reached at the end of October. It started with a soft launch in July and will continue with a world-wide a viral campaign in September. The campaign will combine online, mobile and offline activities to collect stories and count actions by governments, NGOs, the private sector, media, academia and ordinary people that showcase the opportunities and challenges people face as they improve their lives and the lives of those around them. The contest organizers asked designers to submit a visionary logo containing the words "7 Billion Actions" for a chance to receive $1,000 and a certificate signed by UNFPA's Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. Creative designers from around the world submitted more than 1,250 entries. Millions of people will see the winning logo because it will be on all global campaign communication materials, ranging from websites to marketing brochures. "It's been really valuable for us to work with the crowdSPRING creative community. The logos were innovative, high-quality and exceeded our expectations," said Alvaro Serrano, director of 7 Billion Actions. "There were so many amazing, intriguing and professional quality logos that it was incredibly challenging to choose just one." Ms. Mandagaran, a designer and a teacher in industrial design at Mar del Plata National University (Argentina), designed the winning logo using colors, fonts and design elements that effectively depicted the key elements of the 7 Billion Actions movement. The campaign, which builds bridges and promotes understanding between cultures, includes a speech bubble and a globe. These elements can be modified by campaign partners to show their region of the world or their slogan, while the parent logo includes the entire globe. "The quantity and quality of the entries were remarkable, with large numbers of designers from hundreds of countries submitting entries," said Ross Kimbarovsky and Mike Samson, co-founders of crowdSPRING. "It was obvious that the designers put a lot of work into their creative submissions and we couldn't be more pleased to see the wide range on innovation, which is both inspiring and commendable." crowdSPRING is the world's #1 marketplace for custom logo design, web design, and industrial design as well as writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, nearly 100,000 creatives from 200 countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect. UNFPA works in partnership with governments, as well as with other agencies and civil society broadly, to advance its mission. Two frameworks serve to focus its efforts: The Programme of Action adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development and the Millennium Development Goals. To learn more about UNFPA, visit: www.unfpa.org.

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|The wonderful world of| |...and their strange powers| |Persons of interest| Spirit guides are a form of imaginary friend for adults. They are widely believed to exist by people in New Age circles, and these beliefs are propagated by psychics and authors who profit from this. For example, a psychic can take money from their client for telling them what their spirit guides' names are and what they look like, etc. For maximum profitability, it's usually asserted by the psychics/authors, and their fans alike, that all people invariably have a host of spirit guides; there are only extreme cases where a person doesn't have spirit guides at all. Nature and function Many variations of New Age beliefs contain descriptions of spirit guides: beings invented to assure the believer that they are not alone, or that they are in the care of something wiser or greater than themselves. Whether by migration or parallel conception, spirit guides also appear in many practices with varying properties, natures, and professed levels of influence over humans. They are popular among psychics as well as a staggering number of fluffbunny-targeted green ink websites and support forums. When called upon by psychics or similar practitioners, spirit guides are usually described as being not angels or other mythical creatures, but souls who may or may not have incarnated as people on this planet or others. They are usually "highly evolved" and as a rule are not the person's deceased family members (who may not be "evolved" enough to function as spirit guides). They are claimed to have been assigned or "hired" by each person's 'Higher Self'. A person's Higher Self is claimed to make 'contracts' with other souls so these souls would guide them through life. The Higher Self can continue to make contracts with guides as the person lives and grows older, sometimes hiring a guide to get through a specific time in their life. A person is usually said to have circa 4–6 guides involved with them at all times, with there usually being a main one who's been with the person their whole life. Fluffbunny practices may refer to humanoid spirits, ghosts, or other beings as above, but they also may also claim animal spirit guides, power animals, or spirit animals as well. While many people may deeply identify with a kind of animal or simply have a favorite one they find inspiring, spirit animals take it a step further. Often claimed to be some sort of ancient druidic or forgotten animal guardian spirits, these concepts may be borrowed from Native American woo regarding animal totems and totemic spirits. Nine times out of ten, individuals will 'encounter' (or, pretend they did and instead just pick from a list or some other selection method) an animal that they just so happen to like. It may or may not be said to reflect the person's inner soul, but it is telling that, no matter the content of the lists provided, wolves, foxes, ravens, cats, bears, and other 'cool' animals are far more common than say, goats, jerboas, molluscs, or lungfish. Although most spirit guides are not said to be angels, there is also a whole branch of christianity-neopaganism transitional practice that claims various angels as guides in similar roles, not only for humans but for entire nations and for the order of the world itself. Because nothing makes a person feel more at ease than a divine being carrying a giant flaming sword of death looking over one's shoulder, or the shoulder of one's entire country. Additionally, there are a staggering amount of people (at least in America) who believe in angels, mostly Christians, and quite a few of them believe in angels of the mortal-meddling guardian persuasion. Thankfully for the sanity of those who do, the angels in question are usually of the gift-shop cherub or tender all-loving-spirit varieties, rather than the Ezekiel 10:12 completely-encrusted-with-eyes variety. Actually, they seem to be able to conveniently do whatever anyone wants them to do. Strength of belief Not all New Agers necessarily believe in spirit guides, but those that do often believe in them harder than a Christian believes in Jesus. Their existence is taken as solid truth thanks to subtle indoctrination and brainwashing from certain spiritual authors and psychics. The believers are usually not familiar with the relatively recent origins of the belief in spirit guides. Spirit guides and free will Erin Pavlina (ex-wife of Steve Pavlina), a psychic and one of the main culprits of propagating modern belief in spirit guides, usually insists that spirit guides can not interfere with anyone's free will, presupposing that people actually have free will in the universal sense. She wrote a post saying that she believes that before the 9/11 events many people were 'nudged' by their spirit guides not to arrive at the buildings on that day. Too bad we don't have statistics to prove that an unusual amount of people were actually absent from the buildings when they should have been there. She says that she doesn't believe that the victims were meant to or fated to die, but adds: "Some of those innocent people may have received an intuitive feeling but ignored it. Some may have used logic to override their intuition. Still others may have received an intuition not to go to work or to be late, but feared being fired so pushed themselves to make it to work on time." This is classic victim-blaming and also pandering to the New Age beliefs that logic is bad and intuition is good, and that the feeling of fear is bad and should be ignored. She adds, "We can’t really ask any of them now." How convenient. She added in a forum post that the "guides of the terrorists were definitely attempting to get their charges to stop their plan, just like any guide would of anyone planning murder". This clearly implies that there are some universal rules of morality, not too different from the concept of the Ten Commandments, that the spirits adhere to. People who have claimed to have spirit guides See also - ↑ Green ink sites like this are astonishingly common. - ↑ Some green-ink 'druidry' It should be clear by now that most of these green-ink sites are individuals garbling about their personal spirituality... which then gets picked up by anybody impressionable enough to find it on a google search. - ↑ A handy how-to! - ↑ The mystical, magical image map of power animal goodness! - ↑ 'Angelology' - ↑ http://ap-gfkpoll.com/featured/ap-gfk-poll-december-2011-santa-topline Around halfway down this page is the relevant result. - ↑ Spirit guides - ↑ stevepavlina.com forums - Psychic & Paranormal - "I don't have a guide?". Indoctrinated minions parroting the claim that everyone has spirit guides. Tons of additional examples can be found from that forum alone. - ↑ Erin Plavina:Did Spirit Guides Save Lives on September 11th? - ↑ There are some examples of some of these people, but considering how many people were supposed to be in the buildings in the first place, it is not surprising that a few of them were coincidentally saved. Famous examples include Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy) who was suffering from a hangover on the fateful morning and also received a wrong departure time from his travel agent, and therefor missed the death-plane by ten minutes; and Michael Jackson who was supposed to attend meetings in the Twin Towers but had slept in due to sleep deprivation. Death caught up to Jackson eight years later. - ↑ Steve Plavina forums:Did Spirit Guides Save Lives on September 11th?

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Irving ISD paid $265,000 (per year) for CSCOPE. Did it raise their students’ STAAR/EOC’s? According to this article, “And for all those efforts, Irving’s students fell far behind the state average last year on STAAR, the state’s new standardized test that CSCOPE was supposed to prepare them for.” Some Texas legislators are trying to do away with the STAAR/End-of-Course tests at each grade level (Grades 3 – 11). These tests serve as a measuring stick, a yardstick, a ruler. If we lose the “measuring stick,” how would parents and the public ever prove whether regular public schools, charter schools, CSCOPE, Turkish Gulen Harmony Charter Schools, dual-credit courses, Texas Virtual Academy, online learning, Advanced Placement courses, International Baccalaureate programs, Web 2.0 Tools, and Safari Montage are actually pulling up our children or dumbing them down? School board elections are coming up on May 11, 2013, in many towns and cities throughout Texas. In Irving ISD, these elections will evidently settle whether or not CSCOPE will be removed from the District. My hope is that numerous schools will take the money they have wasted on CSCOPE and use it to purchase the new English / Language Arts / Reading textbooks that are totally aligned with the new curriculum standards adopted in May 2008. These textbooks contain the systematic teaching of phonemic awareness/decoding skills (phonics), grammar, usage, spelling, composition – all of the back-to-the-basics skills that must be learned by students to help them to be successful in the rest of their school subjects, on the STAAR/End-of-Course tests, and in life. CSCOPE MAY SOON BE GONE FROM IRVING ISD By AVI SELK Published: 10 March 2013 11:07 PM Excerpts from this article: After May’s election reshuffles its school board, Irving ISD may become one of the few to sign off… Irving ISD administrators say the package — which costs roughly $260,000 a year — saves administrators time, keeps students on track with state benchmarks and helps teachers plan their school year. But echoing complaints across the state, a minority of trustees complain the program bogs teachers down in paperwork, fails to prepare students for state tests and turns classroom planning over to a secretive third party. Norma Gonzales, who is running unopposed for an open seat on the board, says she wants to phase out the program when she takes her seat. By then, CSCOPE’s detractors on the board should have a majority to do exactly that. …But CSCOPE also comes with prewritten unit exams, which Irving makes its teachers use. And the software can spit out dozens of handouts per unit, which district officials insist are optional despite claims to the contrary. Dani Van Wig, a regional manager for United Educators Association, said the union has heard stories from about half of Irving’s campuses where principals forced teachers to replace their entire lesson structure with CSCOPE material. “It’s so rigid it doesn’t allow for a teachable moment,” she said. Trustee Steven Jones said at least 40 teachers in the district have made similar complaints to him. And for all those efforts, Irving’s students fell far behind the state average last year on STAAR, the state’s new standardized test that CSCOPE was supposed to prepare them for… “A lot of the complaints we heard about had to do with the assessments.” …The teacher, who asked for anonymity to protect his job, said educators were promised CSCOPE would prepare students for STAAR. “It simply didn’t happen,” he said. Instead, the teacher said, he wasted hours photocopying CSCOPE handouts no better than the material in the textbook — some of it worse. He said if his principal walked by the classroom and saw him using the book, or deviating at all from CSCOPE material, he would be “redirected” back to the new program. …Trustees’ complaints about CSCOPE go beyond classroom flexibility. Jones said the program had Marxist origins and appeared designed to “do an end run” around the Texas Board of Education and adopt federal curriculum the state has rejected. At board meetings, he and trustees Larry Stipes and Gail Conder Wells have claimed that CSCOPE lessons indoctrinate students into Islam and socialism. A state Senate hearing in January heard similar complaints from other districts. “Nobody knows what’s in CSCOPE,” Jones said. “It’s very secretive.” In an effort to settle the matter, the district is preparing a teacher survey on CSCOPE. But even that has turned political, with Jones, Stipes and Wells complaining staff won’t include their questions…

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We believe that we ought to discern diligently and very carefully from the Word of God what is the true church, for all sects which are in the world today claim for themselves the name of church.1 We are not speaking here of the hypocrites, who are mixed in the church along with the good and yet are not part of the church, although they are outwardly in it.2 We are speaking of the body and the communion of the true church which must be distinguished from all sects that call themselves the church. The true church is to be recognized by the following marks: It practices the pure preaching of the gospel.3 It maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them.4 It exercises church discipline for correcting and punishing sins.5 In short, it governs itself according to the pure Word of God,6 rejecting all things contrary to it7 and regarding Jesus Christ as the only Head.8 Hereby the true church can certainly be known and no one has the right to separate from it. Those who are of the church may be recognized by the marks of Christians. They believe in Jesus Christ the only Saviour,9 flee from sin and pursue righteousness,10 love the true God and their neighbour11 without turning to the right or left, and crucify their flesh and its works.12 Although great weakness remains in them, they fight against it by the Spirit all the days of their life.13 They appeal constantly to the blood, suffering, death, and obedience of Jesus Christ, in whom they have forgiveness of their sins through faith in Him.14 The false church assigns more authority to itself and its ordinances than to the Word of God. It does not want to submit itself to the yoke of Christ.15 It does not administer the sacraments as Christ commanded in His Word, but adds to them and subtracts from them as it pleases. It bases itself more on men than on Jesus Christ. It persecutes those who live holy lives according to the Word of God and who rebuke the false church for its sins, greed, and idolatries.16 These two churches are easily recognized and distinguished from each other. 1Rev 2:9 2Rom 9:6 3Gal 1:8; 1 Tim 3:15 4 Acts 19:3-5; 1 Cor 11:20-29 5Mt 18:15-17; 1 Cor 5:4-5, 13; 2 Thes 3:6, 14; Tit 3:10 6 Jn 8:47, 17:20; Acts 17:11; Eph 2:20; Col 1:23; 1 Tim 6:3 7 1 Thes 5:21; 1 Tim 6:20; Rev 2:6 8 Jn 10:14; Eph 5:23; Col 1:18 9 Jn 1:12; 1 Jn 4:2 10Rom 6:2; Php 3:12 111 Jn 4:19-21 12Gal 5:24 13Rom 7:15; Gal 5:17 14Rom 7:24-25; 1 Jn 1:7-9 15 Acts 4:17-18; 2 Tim 4:3-4; 2 Jn 9 16 Jn 16:2

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1"The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars, 2while their children remember their altars and their Ashe'rim, beside every green tree, and on the high hills, 3on the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your sin throughout all your territory. 4You shall loosen your hand from your heritage which I gave to you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land which you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled which shall burn for ever." 5Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." 9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it? 10"I the LORD search the mind and try the heart, to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." 11Like the partridge that gathers a brood which she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by right; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool. 12A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. 13O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake thee shall be put to shame; those who turn away from thee shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water. 14Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou art my praise. 15Behold, they say to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come!" 16I have not pressed thee to send evil, nor have I desired the day of disaster, that which came out of my lips was before thy face. 17Be not a terror to me; thou art my refuge in the day of evil. 18Let those be put to shame who persecute me, but let me not be put to shame; let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed; bring upon them the day of evil; destroy them with double destruction! 19Thus said the LORD to me: "Go and stand in the Benjamin Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, 20and say: 'Hear the word of the LORD, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21Thus says the LORD: Take heed for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. 22And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the sabbath or do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. 23Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction. 24"'But if you listen to me, says the LORD, and bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but keep the sabbath day holy and do no work on it, 25then there shall enter by the gates of this city kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited for ever. 26And people shall come from the cities of Judah and the places round about Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the Shephe'lah, from the hill country, and from the Negeb, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, cereal offerings and frankincense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the LORD. 27But if you do not listen to me, to keep the sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched.'" |<< | Jer:17 | >>|

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Lost generation? Recession and the young We’ve been talking recently in vLabs blog about how unemployment is affecting young people in the UK; looking at the role of volunteering as a lifeline the role of volunteering as a lifelineduring hard times, how employers could help and some of the creative ways young people have been responding to adversity. Of course, the recession is not just impacting on young people in the UK. Here, I thought I would share some of the best journalism I’ve come across which highlights how young people are being affected by the recession in other countries. The New York Times leads the way with an interesting look at the development of Rural Labour Squads in Japan. In Europe, TIME’s cover page story, ‘Generation Disappointment’, looks in-depth at the impact of the recession on young people in Spain. Foreign Policy magazine looks wider, at how young Europeans face a declining jobs market, ‘Europe’s New Lost Generation’. In the US, PBS and the veteran broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff have recorded a great series of interviews in, Generation Next: Tough Choices, looking at how 18-to-25-year-olds or trying to start their lives in one of the most challenging economic times in recent memory. For the figures and trends of youth unemployment in the US, check out Bob Herbert’s Op-Ed. In this context, v has been working hard to get volunteering seen as an important part of the response to youth unemployment. We’re thrilled to be hosting with the RSA a lecture by Professor David Blanchflower, the leading labour economist and recent member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee from June 2006-May 2009, who will deliver a keynote address on the recession and the young. We’ve then got an impressive panel lined-up – David Willetts MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Universities and Skills, Terry Ryall, CEO, v, Wes Streeting, President, National Union of Students and Miles Templeman, Director-General, Institute of Directors – to debate what can be done to prevent a generation losing hope and opportunity.

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en

We came to know some interesting stories of players embracing social media in my last blog post: Courage in Sports: Titanss of Social Media. We also learned that some leagues are not embracing the use of Social Media during live events. Did the National Football League (NFL) take things too seriously or were they only taking precautionary steps to check team room discussions going open or even trivial field issues between players getting nasty behind wary eyes of the coach, management and sponsors. So, not only can NFL players not tweet during the game, they also can’t post updates for the 90 minutes before and after a game or (presumably) during halftime. And it’s not just players; coaches, officials, and even press must stay away from their phones, too. Incidentally, fans who are watching the game are not prohibited from using Facebook, tweeting, or texting during the game, thank goodness. Following this event with the NFL, the National Basketball Association (NBA) banned players to participate in social media 45 min before or after a game, but is liberal to permit different teams to stick to their own rules resulting in many teams completely abdicating social media in the interest of their players. However, not all sports leagues prohibit social media use by their players, there are a number of other leagues like the NBA, NHL and MLB that embrace social media in sports. The National Hockey League (NHL) for instance, has a welcoming approach to social media, with some of its teams quite active on social channels like Twitter. Overall the league in general seems to be pretty social media-friendly. The NHL organize Tweetups (#nhltweetups), a very interesting site focused on getting Twitter-using fans together to watch various NHL games. The NHL also runs a contest on Twitter to give away tickets to fans. The contest is rather simple: pick the winners of the games that will be played on the upcoming Saturday, tweet them to @NHL, and include the hashtag. Participants who get all 15 teams right get free tickets to any regular season game of their choice. It’s a simple but an effective social media marketing promotion by the nation’s premier hockey league. Major League Baseball (MLB) has hit a home run in adopting social media. Not only has the MLB put out a rather popular iPhone app, that has social media tools, but the organization also maintains an active Twitter account. Check out the plethora of social media channels leveraged by MLB for their social outreach to fans. The interesting part is MLB broadcast their match’s streaming through their iPhone app (and through its own website) resulting in a large number of fans following the players that are tweeting regularly. Naturally, the MLB actively promotes those players’ Twitter accounts on its own website. So long as no one overdoes the live game updates and photos, it seems like the MLB might be able to strike a balance (avoiding the NFL and NBA stance). Social media channels like Twitter and Facebook may seem to be influenced by influential people at some occasion but it is never controlled or defined by these people. Social media enthusiasts have always been driven by their passion to find new uses of the medium and will continue to collectively drive the medium together. This new breed of social savvy users will generate interest and desire for sites like Olympics News: The Social Media Olympics is Here where you can easily find everything that is going on regarding the Olympics via social channels. Sites like this are giving users freedom to follow, share and watch as they like across teams, countries, and boundaries. Really, is this not what the true spirit of Olympics is all about?

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“I wish atheists wouldn’t talk so much about atheism.” The sentiment gets worded in many different ways. “The new atheists are so evangelical.” “This atheist criticism of religion is just intolerant.” “You atheists are just as close-minded as the hard-line religious believers you’re criticizing.” But the essence of it is the same: The fact that many atheists are talking publicly about our atheism, and are trying to persuade people that we’re right about it, shows that we’re … well, evangelical, intolerant and close-minded. So today, I want to explain why so many atheists think it’s important to talk about atheism … and why many of us try to persuade other people that atheism is correct. Thus begins my latest piece for AlterNet, Why Do Atheists Have to Talk About Atheism? To find out why I think it’s not only valid, but important, for atheists to explain our beliefs and critique religion — and why I don’t think that’s intolerant or close- minded — read the rest of the piece. (And if you want to post comments here as well as, or instead of, on AlterNet, I’ll understand. Boy, howdy, will I ever.) Enjoy!

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Hampton Creer just stood at the front of the Centenary Centre theatre, no props, no slides, just a very gentle, quietly spoken Manxman, the whole audience entranced. More than this, Hampton’s humorous presentation of the articles in the Manx Sun newspaper of the two visits of the queen and Prince Albert in 1847 had the audience laughing from the outset. Queen Victoria was travelling in the Royal Yacht to holiday in Scotland, accompanied by a squadron of naval vessels. The only information was that the monarch and party would ‘touch in’ to the island on Friday, August 13th. All the principal towns painted themselves up, hastily gathered choirs of children were rehearsed, speeches prepared and dignitaries poised for this great honour. Ships were readied to sail out and meet the yacht, without any knowledge of where! All were roused early in the morning, lookouts posted and horses and carriages poised to rush to wherever. The day came and went. Nothing – they had been delayed by a great welcome in Wales! Disappointed, frustrated islanders went home, only to be told that she would be here on the16th. Once more, everything was made ready. The Steam Packet had a ship poised off the Calf to intercept the Royal Squadron, spotting them seven miles off Douglas. A pilot was requested to complete the entry safely through the then dangerous rocky approaches. Captain Gill was transferred to the Royal Yacht and all went well with her anchoring just off shore. The crowd went wild as the queen and family waved to them, before she sketched the scene, still acknowledging them. Lt. Governor Hope raced up from Castletown, eventually being rowed out to the ship. However, when nearly there, the paddles started, churned up the sea leaving him disgraced! Bewildered Peel children were taken home, as were others, Island wide. The process was repeated but in Ramsey, six weeks later at the end of the Scottish holiday. Once again, confusion! Messages were sent to Castletown to inform Governor Hope. His awaiting carriage and horses had been hi-jacked by a group of young bloods who galloped wildly to Ramsey. Meanwhile, deemsters, the bishop and other worthies were rowed out to and received on the Royal yacht. They were there for several hours with a moored barge alongside plus band playing Manx music. Only Prince Albert came ashore and conducted by a couple of locals up to where the Albert Tower now stands for a picnic. At their suggestion, then went for a royal walkabout, possibly the first in history. Governor Hope arrived, flustered in a borrowed carriage. He was hastily rowed towards the yacht and, as Hampton said, “You’ve guessed it,” - the Queen commanded the paddles to turn, leaving him stranded for a second time – disgraced. He was nick named, ‘ Folorn Hope’. What a hilarious evening! Next event - Manx Concert and Supper, 7.30pm, 6th July, Centenary Centre. Tickets from ‘Celtic Gold’ or ring 843502 or 844938

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There's a hot new startup in the limelight more often than not — but the cold truth is 90% of technology startups fail. Even companies which make it big out of the gate often lose momentum and shift from a potential powerhouse to a thing of the past. A new inforgraphic from Allmand Law analyzes the successes and failures of well-known tech startups from Zynga and Shopkick to AirTime and MySpace, helping us understand why some companies fall short. "The successful startups seem to be flexible enough to shift with changes in the tech climate," an Allmand Law spokesperson told Mashable. "Whereas with the failed startups, some fail due to a lack of vision and others have terrible timing. Ultimately, there is a lack of foresight which might have saved their companies." Check out the infographic below for a deeper look at some of the industry's biggest success stories — and their not so lucky counterparts. Why do you think some startups succeed while others fail? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will meet and shake hands with Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness today in a gesture that will herald a major milestone in Anglo-Irish relations. Stormont’s Deputy First Minister – a former IRA commander – and the Queen will join for a historic meeting in Belfast before making the symbolic greeting. The handshake has been hailed as hugely significant by peace campaigners, while republican Mr McGuinness said it would reach out to hundreds of thousands of unionists. Peter Sheridan, chief executive of Co-operation Ireland, a charity which promotes peace in the North and the Republic, said the gesture would alter things irrevocably. “From my perspective it’s a huge act of reconciliation, you cannot underestimate how important this is,” he added. “Whoever would have thought we would ever be in this situation – I think it says a lot about healing, human dignity and treating each other with respect. “I think after today all of us will say things have changed – for me that’s the significance of it.” The Queen last year broke down barriers on both sides of the Irish border through her conciliatory words and gestures during her visit to the Republic. Today’s meeting with Mr McGuinness will take place at a Co-operation Ireland event at the city’s Lyric Theatre with the handshake being made in private alongside a handful of VIPs. Ahead of the meeting Mr McGuinness said the gesture would be a vital step in securing reconciliation between nationalists and unionists. Speaking earlier this week he said: “Obviously, it is physically impossible for me to stretch out the hand of friendship, peace and reconciliation to hundreds of thousands of unionists. “I have shaken the hands of many unionists over the course of recent years, people who have appreciated my contribution and my party’s contribution to peace. “But in shaking the hand of Queen Elizabeth I am effectively, symbolically, shaking the hands of hundreds of thousands of unionists. “I think that is a good thing. I think that is something that is very important to do, particularly in showing unionists that a spirit of generosity on all sides can pay huge dividends for all of us.” First Minister Peter Robinson welcomed the meeting, but acknowledged it would be difficult for the Queen, given that her own family was hurt by republican violence when the IRA killed Lord Mountbatten in a 1979 bombing in Co Sligo. The Democratic Unionist leader added that republicans should pay due respect to the monarch as a recognition of her importance to many in Northern Ireland. The Queen, who will be joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, is joint patron of Co-operation Ireland along with President Michael D Higgins. The President will be present at the event along with Mr Robinson. Leading figures from the arts have also been invited including actor Adrian Dunbar who has appeared in notable films like 'My Left Foot', 'The Crying Game', and 'The General'. The meeting with Mr McGuinness is separate to the Queen’s two-day Diamond Jubilee visit to the North, which yesterday saw her and Philip tour Enniskillen. Today the royal couple will travel to Stormont in Belfast for a garden party attended by 22,000 guests in the grounds of the famous building.

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CC-MAIN-2013-20

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East Valley Tribune Brown rapids and debris turned Tempe Town Lake into a spectacle for curious people Friday as the lake’s dam-lowering system and the rest of the Valley was tested by a massive release of water. Traffic slowed on Loop 202 and onlookers lined the banks of the Salt River to witness what many people have not seen before: The transformation of a normally dry riverbed into an expanse of rushing water as wide as a half-mile in some places. “I’ve been here four years and I didn’t even know this part was a riverbed,” said Joanna Parris, who came from Phoenix with her dog to see water rolling over the Tempe Town Lake dam and back into the Salt River. Parris wouldn’t take the leash off her dog, fearing he’d jump in the water and be washed away. “It’s kind of scary.” Heavy rainfall prompted Salt River Project to release 30,000 cubic feet of water per second Thursday, the first release since March 30, 1998, and the largest since 1995, said SRP spokesman Jeff Lane. RARE SIGHT: Watchers gather Friday to see water flow through the Salt River .

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CC-MAIN-2013-20

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World Wide Study Bible a Bible passage 23. Paul Transferred to Caesarea 1And Paul, looking stedfastly on the council, said, Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day. 2And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. 3Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: and sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? 4And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? 5And Paul said, I knew not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people. 6But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees: touching the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. 7And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. 8For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. 9And there arose a great clamor: and some of the scribes of the Pharisees part stood up, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: and what if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel? 10And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle. 11And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer: for as thou hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. 12And when it was day, the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13And they were more than forty that made this conspiracy. 14And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15Now therefore do ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you, as though ye would judge of his case more exactly: and we, before he comes near, are ready to slay him. 16But Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, and he came and entered into the castle and told Paul. 17And Paul called unto him one of the centurions, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain; for he hath something to tell him. 18So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and saith, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and asked me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say to thee. 19And the chief captain took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, What is it that thou hast to tell me? 20And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask thee to bring down Paul tomorrow unto the council, as though thou wouldest inquire somewhat more exactly concerning him. 21Do not thou therefore yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who have bound themselves under a curse, neither to eat nor to drink till they have slain him: and now are they ready, looking for the promise from thee. 22So the chief captain let the young man go, charging him, Tell no man that thou hast signified these things to me. 23And he called unto him two of the centurions, and said, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night: 24and he bade them provide beasts, that they might set Paul thereon, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor. 25And he wrote a letter after this form: 26Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix, greeting. 27This man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be slain of them, when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. 28And desiring to know the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him down unto their council: 29whom I found to be accused about questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds. 30And when it was shown to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to thee forthwith, charging his accusers also to speak against him before thee. 31So the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32But on the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle: 33and they, when they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, presented Paul also before him. 34And when he had read it, he asked of what province he was; and when he understood that he was of Cilicia, 35I will hear thee fully, said he, when thine accusers also are come: and he commanded him to be kept in Herod's palace. A Conspiracy against Paul; Paul Sent to Felix. 12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. 14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. 15 Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him. 16 And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him. 18 So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee. 19 Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me? 20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly. 21 But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee. 22 So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast showed these things to me. 23 And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cæsarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night; 24 And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor. 25 And he wrote a letter after this manner: 26 Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting. 27 This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman. 28 And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council: 29 Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds. 30 And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell. 31 Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle: 33 Who, when they came to Cæsarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him. 34 And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia; 35 I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's judgment hall. We have here the story of a plot against the life of Paul; how it was laid, how it was discovered, and how it was defeated. I. How this plot was laid. They found they could gain nothing by popular tumult, or legal process, and therefore have a recourse to the barbarous method of assassination; they will come upon him suddenly, and stab him, if they can but get him within their reach. So restless is their malice against this good man that, when one design fails, they will turn another stone. Now observe here, 1. Who they were that formed this conspiracy. They were certain Jews that had the utmost degree of indignation against him because he was the apostle of the Gentiles, v. 12. And they were more than forty that were in the design, v. 13. Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! 2. When the conspiracy was formed: When it was day. Satan had filled their hearts in the night to purpose it, and, as soon as it was day, they got together to prosecute it; answering to the account which the prophet gives of some who work evil upon their beds, and when the morning is light they practise it, and are laid under a woe for it, Mic. ii. 1. In the night Christ appeared to Paul to protect him, and, when it was day, here were forty men appearing against him to destroy him; they were not up so soon but Christ was up before them God shall help her, and that right early, Ps. xlvi. 5. 3. What the conspiracy was. These men banded together in a league, perhaps they called it a holy league; they engaged to stand by one another, and every one, to his power, to be aiding and assisting to murder Paul. It was strange that so many could so soon be got together, and that in Jerusalem too, who were so perfectly lost to all sense of humanity and honour as to engage in so bloody a design. Well might the prophet's complaint be renewed concerning Jerusalem (Isa. i. 21): Righteousness has lodged in it, but now murderers. What a monstrous idea must these men have formed of Paul, before they could be capable of forming such a monstrous design against him; they must be made to believe that he was the worst of men, an enemy to God and religion, and the curse and plague of his generation; when really his character was the reverse of all this! What laws of truth and justice so sacred, so strong which malice and bigotry will not break through! 4. How firm they made it, as they thought, that none of them might fly off, upon conscience of the horror of the fact, at second thoughts: They bound themselves under an anathema, imprecating the heaviest curses upon themselves, their souls, bodies, and families, if they did not kill Paul, and so quickly that they would not eat nor drink till they had done it. What a complication of wickedness is here! To design to kill an innocent man, a good man, a useful man, a man that had done them no harm, but was willing to do them all the good he could, was going in the way of Cain, and proved them to be of their father the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning; yet, as if this had been a small matter, (1.) They bound themselves to it. To incline to do evil, and intend to do it, is bad; but to engage to do it is much worse. This is entering into covenant with the devil; it is swearing allegiance to the prince of darkness; it is leaving no room for repentance; nay, it is bidding defiance to it. (2.) They bound one another to it, and did all they could, not only to secure the damnation of their own souls, but of theirs whom they drew into the association. (3.) They showed a great contempt of the providence of God, and a presumption upon it, in that they bound themselves to do such a thing within so short a time as they could continue fasting, without any proviso or reserve for the disposal of an overruling Providence. When we say, To-morrow we will do this or that, be it ever so lawful and good, forasmuch as we know not what shall be on the morrow, we must add, If the Lord will. But with what face could they insert a proviso for the permission of God's providence when they knew that what they were about was directly against the prohibitions of God's work? (4.) They showed a great contempt of their own souls and bodies; of their own souls in imprecating a curse upon them if they did not proceed in this desperate enterprise (what a woeful dilemma did they throw themselves upon! God certainly meets them with his curse if they do go on in it, and they desire he would if they do not!)—and of their own bodies too (for wilful sinners are the destroyers of both) in tying themselves out from the necessary supports of life till they had accomplished a thing which they could never lawfully do, and perhaps not possibly do. Such language of hell those speak that wish God to damn them, and the devil to take them, if they do not do so and so. As they love cursing, so shall it come unto them. Some think the meaning of this curse was, they would either kill Paul, as an Achan, an accursed thing, a troubler of the camp; or, if they did not do it, they would make themselves accursed before God in his stead. (5.) They showed a most eager desire to compass this matter, and an impatience till was done: not only like David's enemies, that were mad against him, and sworn against him (Ps. cii. 8), but like the servants of Job against his enemy: O that we had of this flesh! we cannot be satisfied, Job xxxi. 31. Persecutors are said to eat up God's people as they eat bread; it is as much a gratification to them as meat to one that is hungry, Ps. xiv. 4. 5. What method they took to bring it about. There is no getting near Paul in the castle. He is there under the particular protection of the government, and is imprisoned, not, as others are, lest he should do harm, but lest he should have harm done him; and therefore the contrivance is that the chief priests and elders must desire the governor of the castle to let Paul come to them to the council-chamber, to be further examined (they have some questions to ask him, or something to say to him), and the, in his passage from the castle to the council, they would put an end to all disputes about Paul by killing him; thus the plot was laid, v. 14, 15. Having been all day employed in engaging one another to this wickedness, towards evening they come to the principal members of the great sanhedrim, and, though they might have concealed their mean design and yet might have moved them upon some other pretence to send for Paul, they are so confident of their approbation of this villainy, that they are not ashamed nor afraid to own to them that they have bound themselves under a great curse, without consulting the priests first whether they might lawfully do it, that they will eat nothing the next day till they have killed Paul. They design to breakfast the next morning upon his blood. They doubt not but the chief priests will not only countenance them in the design, but will lend them a helping hand, and be their tools to get them an opportunity of killing Paul; nay, and tell a lie for them too, pretending to the chief captain that they would enquire something more perfectly concerning him, when they meant no such thing. What a mean, what an ill opinion had they of their priests, when they could apply to them on such an errand as this! And yet, vile as the proposal was which was made to them (for aught that appears), the priests and elders consented to it, and at the first work, without boggling at it in the least, promised to gratify them. Instead of reproving them, as they ought, for their wicked conspiracy, they bolstered them up in it, because it was against Paul whom they hated; and thus they made themselves partakers of the crime as much as if they had been the first in the conspiracy. II. How the plot was discovered. We do not find that the plotters, though they took an oath of fidelity, took an oath of secrecy, either because they thought it did not need it (they would every one keep his own counsel) or because they thought they could accomplish it, though it should take wind and be known; but Providence so ordered it that it was brought to light, and so as effectually to be brought to nought. See here, 1. How it was discovered to Paul, v. 16. There was a youth that was related to Paul, his sister's son, whose mother probably lived in Jerusalem; and some how or other, we are not told how, he heard of their lying in wait, either overheard them talking of it among themselves, or got intelligence from some that were in the ploy: and he went into the castle, probably, as he used to do, to attend on his uncle, and bring him what he wanted, which gave him a free access to him and he told Paul what he heard. Note, God has many ways of bringing to light the hidden works of darkness; though the contrivers of them dig deep to hide them from the Lord, he can made a bird of the air to carry the voice (Eccl. x. 20), or the conspirators' own tongues to betray them. 2. How it was discovered to the chief captain by the young man that told it to Paul. This part of the story is related very particularly, perhaps because the penman was an eye-witness of the prudent and successful management of this affair, and remembered it with a great deal of pleasure. (1.) Paul had got a good interest in the officers that attended, by his prudent peaceable deportment. He could call one of the centurions to him, though a centurion was one in authority, that had soldiers under him, and used to call, not to be called to, and he was ready to come at his call (v. 17); and he desired that he would introduce this young man to the chief captain, to give in an information of something that concerned the honour of the government. (2.) The centurion very readily gratified him, v. 18. He did not send a common soldier with him, but went himself to keep the young man in countenance, to recommend his errand to the chief captain, and to show his respect to Paul: "Paul the prisoner (this was his title now) called me to him, and prayed me to bring this young man to thee; what his business is I know not, but he has something to say to thee." Note, It is true charity to poor prisoners to act for them as well as to give to them. "I was sick and in prison, and you went on an errand for me," will pass as well in the account as, "I was sick and in prison, and you came unto me, to visit me, or sent me a token." Those that have acquaintance and interest should be ready to use them for the assistance of those that are in distress. This centurion helped to save Paul's life by this piece of civility, which should engage us to be ready to do the like when there is occasion. Open thy mouth for the dumb, Prov. xxxi. 8. Those that cannot give a good gift to God's prisoners may yet speak a good word for them. (3.) The chief captain received the information with a great deal of condescension and tenderness, v. 19. He took the young man by the hand, as a friend or father, to encourage him, that he might not be put out of countenance, but might be assured of a favourable audience. The notice that is taken of this circumstance should encourage great men to take themselves easy of access to the meanest, upon any errand which may give them an opportunity of doing good—to condescend to those of low estate. This familiarity to which this Roman tribune or colonel admitted Paul's nephew is here upon record to his honour. Let no man think he disparages himself by his humility or charity. He went with him aside privately, that none might hear his business, and asked him, "What is it that thou hast to tell me? Tell me wherein I can be serviceable to Paul." It is probable that the chief captain was the more obliging in this case because he was sensible he had run himself into a premunire in binding Paul, against his privilege as a Roman citizen, which he was willing now to atone for. (4.) The young man delivered his errand to the chief captain very readily and handsomely (v. 20, 21). "The Jews" (he does not say who, lest he should invidiously reflect upon the chief priests and the elders; and his business was to save his uncle's life, not to accuse his enemies) "have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to-morrow into the council, presuming that, being so short a distance, thou wilt send him without a guard; but do not thou yield unto them, we have reason to believe thou wilt not when thou knowest the truth; for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty me, who have sworn to be the death of him, and now are they ready looking for a promised from thee, but I have happily got the start of them." (5.) The captain dismissed the young man with a charge of secrecy: See that thou tell no man that thou hast shown these things unto me, v. 22. The favours of great men are not always to be boasted of; and not fit to be employed in business. If it should be known that the chief captain had this information brought to him, perhaps they would compass and imagine the death of Paul some other way; "therefore keep it private." III. How the plot was defeated: The chief captain, finding how implacable and inveterate the malice of the Jews was against Paul, how restless they were in their designs to do him a mischief, and how near he was to become himself accessory to it as a minister, resolves to send him away with all speed out of their reach. He received the intelligence with horror and indignation at the baseness and bloody-mindedness of these Jews; and seemed afraid lest, if he should detain Paul in his castle here, under ever so strong a guard, they would find some way or other to compass their end notwithstanding, either beating the guards or burning the castle; and, whatever came of it, he would, if possible, protect Paul, because he looked upon it that he did not deserve such treatment. What a melancholy observation is it, that the Jewish chief priests, when they knew of this assassination-plot, should countenance it, and assist in it, while a Roman chief captain, purely from a natural sense of justice and humanity, when he knows it, sets himself to baffle it, and puts himself to a great deal of trouble to do it effectually! 1. He orders a considerable detachment of the Roman forces under his command to get ready to go to Cæsarea with all expedition, and to bring Paul thither to Felix the governor, where he might sooner expect to have justice done him than by the great sanhedrim at Jerusalem. I see not but the chief captain might, without any unfaithfulness to the duty of his place, have set Paul at liberty, and given him leave to shift for his own safety, for he was never legally committed to his custody as a criminal, he himself owns that nothing was laid to his charge worthy of bonds (v. 29), and he ought to have had the same tenderness for his liberty that he had for his life; but he feared that this would have incensed the Jews too much against him. Or perhaps, finding Paul to be a very extraordinary man, he was proud to have him his prisoner, and under his protection; and the mighty parade with which he sent him off intimates as much. Two centurions, or captains of the hundreds, are employed in this business, v. 23, 24. They must get ready two hundred soldiers, probably those under their own command, to go to Cæsarea; and with these seventy horse, and two hundred spearmen besides, which some think were the chief captain's guards; whether they were horse or foot is not certain, most probably foot, as pikemen for the protection of the horse. See how justly God brought the Jewish nation under the Roman yoke, when such a party of the Roman army was necessary to restrain them from the most execrable villanies! There needed not all this force, there needed not any of it, to keep Paul from being rescued by his friends; ten times this force would not have kept him from being rescued by an angel, if it had pleased God to work his deliverance that way, as he had sometimes done; but, (1.) The chief captain designed hereby to expose the Jews, as a headstrong tumultuous people, that would not be kept within the bounds of duty and decency by the ordinary ministers of justice, but needed to be awed by such a train as this; and, hearing how many were in the conspiracy against Paul, he thought less would not serve to defeat their attempt. (2.) God designed hereby to encourage Paul; for, being thus attended, he was not only kept safely in the hands of his friends, but out of the hands of his enemies. Yet Paul did not desire such a guard, any more than Ezra did (Ezra viii. 22), and for the same reason, because he trusted in God's all-sufficiency; it was owing, however, to the governor's own care. But he was also made considerable; thus his bonds in Christ were made manifest all the country over (Phil. i. 13); and, son great an honour having been put upon them before by the prediction of them, it was agreeable enough that they should be thus honourably attended, that the brethren in the Lord might wax the more confident by his bonds, when they same him rather guarded as the patriot of his country than guarded against as the pest of his country, and so great a preacher made so great a prisoner. When his enemies hate him, and I doubt his friends neglect him, then does a Roman tribune patronise him, and carefully provide, [1.] For his ease: Let them provide beasts, that they may set Paul on. Had his Jewish persecutors ordered his removal by habeas corpus to Cæsarea, they would have made him run on foot, or dragged him thither in a cart, or on a sledge, or have horsed him behind one of the troopers; but the chief captain treats him like a gentleman, though he was his prisoner, and orders him a good horse to ride upon, not at all afraid that he should ride away. Nay, the order being that they should provide, not a beast, but beasts, to set Paul on, we must either suppose that he was allowed so great a piece of state as to have a led horse, or more, that if he did not like one he might take to another; or (as some expositors conjecture) that he had beasts assigned him for his friends and companions, as many as pleased to go along with him, to divert him in his journey, and to minister to him. [2.] For his security. They have a strict charge given them by their commander in chief to bring him safely to Felix the governor, to whom he is consigned, and who was supreme in all civil affairs among the Jews, as this chief captain was in military affairs. The Roman historians speak much of this Felix, as a man of mean extraction, but that raised himself by his shifts to be governor of Judea, in the execution of which office, Tacitus, Hist. 5, says this of him: Per omnem sævitiam ac libidinem jus regium servili ingenio exercuit—He used royal power with a servile genius, and in connection with all the varieties of cruelty and lust. To the judgement of such a man as this is poor Paul turned over; and yet better so than in the hands of Ananias the high priest! Now, a prisoner, thus upon his deliverance by course of law, ought to be protected as well as a prince. 2. The chief captain orders, for the greater security of Paul, that he be taken away at the third hour of the night, which some understand of three hours after sun-set, that, it being now after the feast of pentecost (that is, in the midst of summer), they might have the cool of the night to march in. Others understand it of three hours after midnight, in the third watch, about three in the morning, that they might have the day before them, and might get out of Jerusalem before Paul's enemies were stirring, and so might prevent any popular tumult, and leave them to roar when they rose, like a lion disappointed of his prey. 3. He writes a letter to Felix the governor of this province, by which he discharges himself from any further care about Paul, and leaves the whole matter with Felix. This letter is here inserted totidem verbis—verbatim, v. 25. It is probable that Luke the historian had a copy of it by him, having attended Paul in this remove. Now in this epistle we may observe, (1.) The compliments he passes upon the governor, v. 26. He is the most excellent governor Felix, this title being given him of course, his excellency, &c. He sends him greeting, wishes him all health and prosperity; may he rejoice, may he ever rejoice. (2.) The just and fair account which he gives him of Paul's case: [1.] That he was one that the Jews had a pique against: They had taken him, and would have killed him; and perhaps Felix knew the temper of the Jews so well that he did not think much the worse of him for that, v. 27. [2.] That he had protected him because he was a Roman: "When they were about to kill him, I came with an army, a considerable body of men, and rescued him;" which action for a citizen of Rome would recommend him to the Roman governor. [3.] That he could not understand the merits of his cause, nor what it was that made him so odious to the Jews, and obnoxious to their ill-will. He took the proper method to know: he brought him forth into their council (v. 28), to be examined there, hoping that, either from their complaints or his own confession, he would learn something of the ground of all this clamour, but he found that he was accused of questions of their law (v. 29), about the hope of the resurrection of the dead, v. 6. This chief captain was a man of sense and honour, and had good principles in him of justice and humanity; and yet see how slightly he speaks of another world, and the great things of that world, as if that were a question, which is of undoubted certainty, and which both sides agreed in, except the Sadducees; and as if that were a question only of their law, which is of the utmost concern to all mankind! Or perhaps he refers rather to the question about their rituals than about their doctrinals, and the quarrel he perceived they had with him was for lessening the credit and obligation of their ceremonial law, which he looked upon as a thing not worth speaking of. The Romans allowed the nations they conquered the exercise of their own religion, and never offered to impose theirs upon them; yet, as conservators of the public peace, they wound not suffer them, under colour of their religion, to abuse their neighbours. [4.] That thus far he understood that there was nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds, much less proved or made out against him. The Jews had, by their wickedness, made themselves odious to the world, had polluted their own honour and profaned their own crown, had brought disgrace upon their church, their law, and their holy place, and then they cry out against Paul, as having diminished the reputation of them; and was this a crime worthy of death or bonds? (3.) His referring Paul's case to Felix (v. 30): "When it was told me that the Jews laid wait for the man, to kill him, without any legal process against him, I sent straightaway to thee, who art the most proper person to head the cause, and give judgment upon it, and let his accusers go after him, if they please, and say before thee what they have against him, for, being bred a soldier, I will never pretend to be a judge, and so farewell." 4. Paul was accordingly conducted to Cæsarea; the soldiers got him safely out of Jerusalem by night, and left the conspirators to consider whether they should east and drink or no before they had killed Paul; and, if they would not repent of the wickedness of their oath as it was against Paul, they were now at leisure to repent of the rashness of it as it was against themselves; if any of them did starve themselves to death, in consequence of their oath and vexation at their disappointment, they fell unpitied. Paul was conducted to Antipatris, which was seventeen miles from Jerusalem, and about the mid-way to Cæsarea, v. 31. Thence the two hundred foot-soldiers, and the two hundred spearmen, returned back to Jerusalem, to their quarters in the castle; for, having conducted Paul out of danger, there needed not strong a guard, but the horsemen might serve to bring him to Cæsarea, and would do it with more expedition; this they did, not only to save their own labour, but their master's charge; and it is an example to servants, not only to act obediently according to their masters' orders, but to act prudently, so as may be most for their masters' interest. 5. He was delivered into the hands of Felix, as his prisoner, v. 33. The officers presented the letter, and Paul with it, to Felix, and so discharged themselves of their trust. Paul had never affected acquaintance or society with great men, but with the disciples, wherever he came; yet Providence overrules his sufferings so as by them to give him an opportunity of witnessing to Christ before great men; and so Christ had foretold concerning his disciples, that they should be brought before rulers and kings for his sake, for a testimony against them, Mark xiii. 9. The governor enquired of what province of the empire the prisoner originally was, and was told that he was a native of Cilicia, v. 34; and, (1.) He promises him a speedy trial (v. 35): "I will hear thee when thing accusers have come, and will have an ear open to both sides, as becomes a judge." (2.) He ordered him into custody, that he should be kept a prisoner in Herod's judgment-hall, in some apartment belonging to that palace which was denominated from Herod the Great, who built it. There he had opportunity of acquainting himself with great men that attended the governor's court, and, no doubt, he improved what acquaintance he got there to the best purposes.

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In honor of his keynote speech Tuesday night, I thought I’d recount a revealing story about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie from my new book, The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era. If you think of Christie as a disingenuous blowhard who’s more interested in picking political fights than improving public policy, well, this tale probably won’t change your opinion. The story involves President Obama’s Race to the Top education initiative, which has been hailed by Republicans like Jeb Bush and Mitch Daniels as a groundbreaking advance for public schools. It encourages states to promote charter schools, use student test scores to evaluate teachers, and adopt other reforms that traditionally Democratic unions had always opposed. Christie’s education commissioner, a well-known conservative reformer named Bret Schundler, avidly pursued a Race to the Top grant for New Jersey. “I was extremely excited,” Schundler said later. “It was an opportunity for tremendous bipartisan cooperation.” In the summer of 2010, when the Obama Administration announced some winners of Race to the Top grants, New Jersey barely missed the cut, in part because its application was docked a few points for incorrect budget information. In typically overstated fashion, Christie held a news conference to blast the Administration for playing politics. He claimed his education aides had tried to submit the correct information during a meeting with the Education Department in Washington, but federal reviewers had refused to accept it. “That’s the stuff that drives people nuts about government,” Christie told the press. In fact, the budget error was not the main problem with New Jersey’s application. The state lost many more points because it lacked buy-in from its teachers unions, which was entirely Christie’s fault. Schundler had worked out a deal with the unions to support New Jersey’s reform plans, winning concessions that would have made it easier to reward good teachers and fire bad ones. But at the last minute Christie scuttled the deal, complaining that it didn’t go far enough. Still, Christie’s allegations about the Education Department interview were potentially explosive. They were also bogus. A videotape of the meeting proved that Christie’s aides never tried to correct their error. Christie, forced to find a new scapegoat, fired Schundler. “Thank God we taped it,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan told me. “When you play it straight, things usually work out in the end.” And sometimes when you don’t play it straight, you get to give a keynote address.

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If you are returning to the U.S. by air or sea, you will be asked to complete a Customs Declaration form. To "declare" means to tell the Customs officer about anything you're bringing back that you did not have when you left the United States. In addition to declaring items, you will be asked to tell what you paid for each item (in U.S. currency, including any taxes) and may be required to pay a “duty” (tax on imported goods) on them. The following is a list of all items that must be declared on this form: - Items you purchased and are carrying with you upon return to the United States (Customs Service suggests keeping sales slips on hand). - Items you received as gifts, such as wedding or birthday presents (if you are not sure of the value, Customs Service suggests finding out the fair market value in the country in which you received it). - Items you bought in duty-free shops or on the ship or plane. - Repairs or alterations to any items you took abroad and then brought back, even if the repairs/alterations were performed free of charge. - Items you brought home for someone else. - Items you intend to sell or use in your business. Keep in mind that if you leave the country with a foreign item, and do not have proof that you left with it, you may be required to pay a duty on it when you return. Sales receipts, appraisals and insurance policies serve as proof of prior ownership, or you may wish to register the piece before you leave. Registration needs to be done in person, before you leave the country, at a Customs office. Once you have received a Certificate of Registration (Form 4457) for a particular piece, it can be used over and over again in the future; you do not need to re-register the item each time you travel. U.S Customs > Making a Declaration > Duty-Free Exemption > Duty-Free Shops > Paying a Duty > Prohibited and Restricted Items This is only a guide. For more information, please visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

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Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) September 28, 2009 – October 1st, 2009 marks the one year anniversary of the implementation of the new citizenship test. Most immigrants who take the test find it to be more difficult than its predecessor. It’s so hard, in fact, most natural born American citizens would fail it. Citizenship Coach™ is here to help. With the motto “You can pass the citizenship test. We can help!” they do indeed: Of the many thousands of immigrants who have used Citizenship Coach’s products and services, not a single one has failed the test yet. How can Citizenship Coach help immigrants pass the citizenship test? To keep up with the implementation of the new citizenship test, Citizenship Coach has developed new innovations that are helping U.S. immigrants study and pass the test. The company’s online citizenship test class named SurePass™ is available 24/7. It is reviewed by Immigrant Community Examiner and others as one of the best and most innovative tools available today for immigrants who wish to become naturalized U.S. citizens. By using streaming videos, SurePass helps immigrants learn the 100 new citizenship test questions online and learn how to answer them correctly word by word, verbally – all without having to drive to a class. The online program has been very popular since its debut in 2008 because it is effective, convenient, and easy to use, especially for the non-web savvy users, to practice the citizenship test at their own comfort at home. When purchasing a citizenship test CD, DVD, Mp3, or a simple study guide, Citizenship Coach’s customers are helping a child in Africa, Asia or in a remote part of the world. For example, last year Citizenship Coach helped build a small house for a poor family in Vietnam. This year they plan to triple that. Immigrants are helping themselves Through the company’s website, they are offering the largest collection of the translated version of the new citizenship questions and answers in 15 different languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Amharic, Oromo, Rusian, French, Tagalog…, even more than the USCIS — and they’re all free to download . This collection is growing fast as more immigrants volunteer to translate the English citizenship questions into their own languages, and then share with their communities via this popular website. All products are designed with the advice, input and the recommendations of many citizenship teachers, immigration lawyers, and past customers. Nguyen said, “They’re helping themselves and helping others at the same time. It only happens in this country, and it’s a beautiful thing!”

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Recently, Harland and I paid a visit to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in east central Kansas. We go there several times each year to see the nearly 11,000 acres of native grasses and wildflowers and to take lots of pictures. In October 2009, Tallgrass brought in a new reason for us to visit the preserve: a herd of bison. Thirteen head were brought in from the Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. On Mother’s Day 2010, a bison calf was born – the first calf to be born here in over 140 years. This May, a second calf was born, and 2 more are expected this summer. The plan is to grow the herd to 75 – 100 head. During a visit last summer, we caught sight of the herd from a distance and were thrilled. This year during our visit, I was hoping to see the herd a little bit closer. So on a late afternoon a couple weeks ago, we walked the trail into the preserve under a stormy sky. After a couple miles walking, we had not seen the herd, and were considering giving up when Harland caught sight of some dark objects on the western horizon. It was the herd about a mile away. We adjusted our camera backpacks, took a deep breath, and hiked toward them. As we approached, they looked at us each in turn, and then continued grazing. We stopped. They moved closer. A storm skirted to the north of us with frequent bursts of lightning flashing across the sky. Harland moved some distance away, set up his tripod and began to take pictures of the lightning. I stayed where I was watching the bison. After a half hour,much to my surprise, the herd drifted towards me. They seemed curious and looked at me thoughtfully. As they continued to graze their way towards me, the herd split, half on one side of me, the other half on the other side. I was thrilled, and a little scared. I was a bison sandwich with the nearest one only about eight feet from me. That’s me in the red shirt sitting on the ground. Males weigh in at about 2000 pounds and stand about 6 feet at the shoulder. Females are 1000 pounds and 5 feet. Both have horns. They surrounded the baby calf most of the time, but I caught glimpes of it between their huge shaggy bodies. Mama rested her chin protectively over her 1 month-old. While they expressed little or no concern about me, I finally became nervous and backed some yards away. They followed. So I walked even further and finally they drifted away from me leisurely grazing on the endless supply of native grasses. Harland crouched down into the grass and took some pictures of them too. The sun set. The storm to the north moved further away. There was too little light to take any more pictures. In the twilight, the herd lay down to rest and take dust baths. One drank from a puddle on the trail. Harland and I packed up our camera equipment, said goodbye to the bison, and hiked the 3 – 4 miles back to the truck. It was nearly dark as we reached the end of the trail. Lightning bugs flew around us. We heard the surprised snort of deer start at our approach and bound away. It was after 10pm when we reached the truck. We were tired and sore. But as we drove home in the darkness my mind kept drifting back to the prairie and bison grazing around me. Was it real? I kept repeating to Harland as we drove along, “I was surrounded by a herd of bison.” “Yes, I know,” he replied. And we smiled. ————> Friday: More pictures of the Baby Bison: the close bond between her and mama, and close up shots of baby by herself. Plus a video.

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The word palindrome is derived from the Greek palandromos, meaning running back again (palan = AGAIN + drom-, dramen = RUN). By etymology, a palindrome is a word or phrase which reads the same in both directions. All palindromes are in Bold Typeface. More often than not, the TITLES of the blogs are palindromes. Filipinos are passionate about our balls. Before your dirty mind thinks of other things, let me explain further. We love sports! Just recently, our very own Django Bustamante won (almost won FIRST) second place in the 2002 World Pool Championships in Cardiff, Wales. This was the same tourney that Efren "Bata" Reyes pocketed in 1999. Despite the very sad news about his 8-year old daughter, Django led 15-13, but lost on a scratch at the break on the 29th match of a First to 17 championships. Oh well, that's what you call an unlucky break - a scratched ball. In another sports news, Dorothy Delasin placed 3rd at the recent 2002 Giant Eagle LPGA Golf Classic held in Vienna, Ohio which she has won for the last two years. But not without a fight. She had to score a 67 to bag 3rd place. Another Filipina, Jennifer Rosales won 10th overall. En route to the 3rd and 10th places, Both Filipinas have scored on a lot of birdies. But as Dorothy herself placed it perfectly well, "I ran out of holes (for the birdies???)" Gig Name : UB40 - Reggae and Rhythm Gig Venue: Montreux (Switzerland) Jazz Festival Gig T & D : 12:45 AM to 2:45 AM, Saturday, July 19, 2002 Gig Entry : 2-month old tickets with the most beautiful date in town, my wife Gig Tracks: not in any order: 1980s : The Way You Do the Things You Do, Don't Slow Down, Red Red Wine (song that brought the house down) 1990s : Can't Help Falling In Love, Sorry, Bring Me Your Cup, Where Did I Go Wrong, Breakfast In Bed, Here I Am (Come And Take Me), Reggae Music (Rap by their Keyboardist) 2000s : Since I Met You Lady, Cover Up, and other songs I can't remember. What made this concert unique was the fact that it started way past midnight. I was in the concert halls at 7 pm just to be informed that the concert's sked for the night includes Ike Turner and Mandrill for the first four hours, before Britain's Premier Raggae Band takes centerstage. I decided to go home and have dinner first, sleep for an hour or two and prepare for the real show. The night was made more enjoyable as the whole UB40 decided from the git-go to make the audience have a fun time and didn't withhold their great songs, starting off with "The Way You Do the Things You Do" while the crowd would help chant the track's title refrain. "Cover Up", a song on the use of condom reeled off tracks from their last year's album and then followed up by the 80s reggae theme song - "Red Red Wine", familiar tunes "Can't Help Falling in Love" and then "Higher Ground". Memorable? Yes, definitely! With the new sked, my wife was able to come with me and jam it up with close to 4,000 other Europeans turned rastas til 2:30 in the morning! Concert Rating: Deserving of a red red wine toast! UB40 got me, babe! Gig Name : David Bowie Concert Gig Venue: Montreux (Switzerland) Jazz Festival Gig T & D : 8:45 PM to 11:15 pm, Thursday, July 18, 2002 Gig Entry : via scalper at 9:00 PM Gig Tracks: not in any order: 1970s : Space Oddity, Changes, Ziggy Stardust, Rebel Rebel, Fame 1980s : Fashion, Let's Dance, China Girl and Blue Jean 1990s : I am Afraid of America 2002 : Sunday, Cactus, Slip Away, Afraid, I've Been Waiting for You, I Would Be Your Slave, Everyone says "Hi", Slow Burn, The Angels Have Gone If you are given the chance to see a guy that has mastered the art of Ch-Ch-Change and Reinvention and has formed most of one's cassette or vinyl record collection, will you take it? I would, if I could. In the first place, tickets were sold out 2 hours upon opening of the box office way back in April 26. So, I never really hesitated but took my sweet time to do it. And I did, as probably 5,000 more rocking Europeans in the Auditorium Stravinski last night. Mr. Bowie was last night's most dapperdude with an aura far unimaginable this day if you happen to see his pictures being Ziggy Stardust or "Diva" Bowie in the 70s. His voice was still solid and showed his versatility as he sang his freakish 70s tracks and his present rock solid new songs from "Heathen". His most applauded numbers included, "ChinaGirl" and "Changes" and of course, taking a cue and joked about the name of the concert (being a Jazz Festival), David rendered a soulful samba-sounding introduction of "Let's Dance" and right smack as the audience have surrendered that the joke was true, the band pumped a notch higher to bring back the rocking bass and drum beating the song was known for. What were supposed to be meek Swiss people who love to frolic with their cheeses and cows were now ecstatic, short of wild beasts "putting on their red shoes" and really dancing their blues away! I've been in and around CD Stores most of the time lately and have been a listening-section-rat for a good 15-30 minutes hopping from one CD to another listening to new releases and just discovered these three. Today, I'll start off a portion of my palindromic-entitled blog section with "DISCS I'D... (blank) - either shun, just continue listening to it or yes maybe, buy...here goes DAVE MATTHEWS BAND - "Busted Stuff" Released : July 16, 2002 I got hooked with DMB with "Crash" and plastered with "The Best of What's Around", then cemented with "Everyday". That oh-so-familiar-timbre of a voice as cool as, yes, Sting, was enough for me to shop around for more stuff. Just last year, I tumbled upon "Lillywhite Sessions" from where-else - the Internet and thought it was a weird idea from a label to not produce the album with such great stuff and allow it to be released only in the internet. Of course, I didnt know that the screwed up producer wanted to get back at DMB and leaked samples of what could be a great masterpiece. Just the same, the South African band and their "Lillywhite BUSTED Stuff" are here to stay, not pirated, and with digitally mastered copies of the "original sessions", the 11-track album will be a good buy for any DMB fanatic like me. This Disc, with its bonus DVD, I'd definitely BUY. I will continue to listen to it here til I get back home though. Or else I'll gnash my teeth if it won't be released in the Philippines when I go back home in August... DAVID BOWIE - "Heathen" Released in Switzerland, July 2, 2002 Hmmmm. Let me see. David Bowie is playing tonight at the Montreux Jazz Festival - and - and - I didn't scramble for tickets...what could be the reason for such a decision? Maybe because Mr. Bowie, Ziggy himself hasn't released any respectable album of late. But this album is a reunion of sorts (just like U2) with the producer who got him out of the Stardust eras. So maybe with tracks like "Afraid", a cover of the Pixies "Cactus", "Angels Have Gone" and the title track will make me buy a ticket from a scalper? Those are 4 reasons out of the 12 tracks! I think I'll give it a get-go. I'd try to get the ticket first, if not settle for the CD or maybe the vinyl LP (which was also released for nostalgic reasons). This disc, I'd BUY but in the Philippines, because it will surely be released there at a much lower price of Php 450.00 than its wallet-busting price of CHF 29.90 or Php 900.00. Ugh. Doble. OASIS - "Heathen Chemistry" Released in Switzerland, July 2, 2002 Six degrees of separation. Dave Matthews to Oasis. Dave Matthews - David Bowie (both Dave's), Heathen to Heathen Chemistry, (both are CDs). Forget about the spats between the brothers. Forget about the chest-thumping ego maniacal statements the two have made but this CD is going to throw you back to the 90s, with their first two albums. Correction. It will throw you back to the 60s with the Beatles' era. Defintely, not just maybe, a good way to listen to the young John and Paul, Ringo and George. As Amazon puts it, "... if a band is going to unapologetically rip off what was unquestionably the best band in the world, no one does it better than Oasis." This disc, I'd BUY in the Philippines for Php 450.00 and not its Swiss Price of CHF 24.50 or roughly Php 750.00. Doesn't tell you something about my taste, but tells you that I'm definitely and not maybe, saving some moolah for more European escapades!

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Steve Netherby, San Clemente Last September, as reported in this paper, I hiked the John Muir Trail from Yosemite Valley to the peak of Mt. Whitney. The JMT is an iconic hike, through perhaps the most beautiful country in the High Sierras, and I had wanted to complete it since I was a teenager. After my pack and I had ridden trains and buses from San Clemente to Yosemite, I set out on the trail with a sense of elation and happy anticipation. As I trekked upward from Yosemite’s Happy Isles toward Vernal and Nevada Falls, I recorded my impressions on my iPhone’s audio notes application. Ironically, my seventh voice memo on that blue-sky day was a sobering one, all about San Clemente’s neighboring San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station: I asked myself, “What if SONGS melts down while I’m up here and Jackie (my wife) is home in San Clemente?” First, I might not find out for days, possibly weeks—there’s no cell phone service over 98 percent of the trail. Second, once I did find out, I would do all in my power to get home to my wife; we’ll have been married for 46 years this February and, if she were exposed to the radiation, I would want to be with her, to hold her close and share her fate. But would I be allowed to return? What if she was trapped in the evacuation zone and I couldn’t get to her? The questions that came, one after the other, were heart wrenching. For too many years, we in Orange and San Diego Counties have, in exchange for the privilege of residing and working in this beachfront paradise, lived in denial that we risk health and life-years every day to what the recent book Nuclear Roulette by Gar Smith, rightly calls “the most dangerous energy source on the planet.” In our lifetimes, we may never sheath the sword of Damocles that hangs over us here—in the 4,000-plus tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste (produced by the plant, when it’s active, at the rate of 500 pounds per day, and stockpiled a few miles from our doors) that no container, natural or manmade, can imprison indefinitely. What we can do is limit the existential threat of a Fukushima-style meltdown. SONGS has been shuttered for a year. More than 700 workers there are slated for layoff. In towns around Orange County, homebuilders are offering full-featured homes that require no outside power. The time is right and ripe for closing SONGS for good—and turning our talent and treasure to advancing green power and diminishing greatly the frightening legacy we bequeath to our children and grandchildren.

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Most Active Stories Shots - Health Blog Sun May 20, 2012 Poll: What It's Like To Be Sick In America Originally published on Mon May 21, 2012 7:21 pm In the lull between the Supreme Court arguments over the federal health overhaul law and the decision expected in June, we thought we'd ask Americans who actually use the health system quite a bit how they view the quality of care and its cost. Most surveys don't break it down this way. When the results came back, we found that people who have a serious medical condition or who've been in the hospital in the past year tended to have more concerns about costs and quality than people who aren't sick. No big surprise there. But what was notable: 3 of 4 people who were sick said cost is a very serious problem, and half said quality is a very serious problem. Nearly half of those with recent serious illness say they felt burdened by what they had to pay out of their own pocket for care. The recently ill are more likely to say the cost and quality of care have worsened over the past five years, compared to people who weren't sick. Among people who've recently required a lot of care, significant proportions say their treatment was poorly managed, with nearly a third complaining of poor communication among their caregivers. One in eight believe they got the wrong diagnosis, treatment or test. Those findings led us to investigate the problems people are having, both in our poll and in a series of stories on the radio and the Web we're calling "Sick in America." The poll, a joint venture of NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health, is one of very few focusing on people who've actually been seriously ill, injured or hospitalized in the past year. "This poll listens to the voices of the sick," says Robert Blendon of Harvard. "That provides a good barometer of what's happening in health care in America." The poll randomly surveyed 1,508 adults across the nation. A little more than a quarter of them had a serious illness, injury or disability requiring "a lot of medical care," or overnight hospitalization within the past 12 months. If you want to dive deeper, here's a summary of the poll findings, plus the topline data and charts. And you can meet some of the real people who shared their experiences of being sick in America with NPR in this post. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Now to a poll that explores what sick people in America think of their health care and the costs of care. NPR along with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard surveyed 1,500 people across the country, about a quarter of them self-identified as sick. And the report found that those sick people have a more negative view of the cost and quality of health care than people who are not sick. Among the sick, three out of four said costs are, quote, "a very serious problem." And nearly half said the quality of care is a very serious problem. For more on the study, we're joined in the studio by its author, Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at The Harvard School of Public Health. Hi there, Robert. DR. ROBERT BLENDON: Pleasure to be here. CORNISH: So, first of all, what's the significance of focusing on the views of sick people in particular? BLENDON: First is because they have real experience, you get the views of people who are actually living with health care as it's provided rather than many of us who haven't been ill giving views that are just very removed from what might go on. And secondly, they are more worried about these problems in this country. And so it gives a chance for them to have voice. CORNISH: And what's the definition of sick? Obviously, these people self-identified. So what does that really mean? BLENDON: So the - we asked people if they had a serious illness, medical condition, injury or disability that led them to have a lot of medical care and that's over the last year or hospitalized. CORNISH: So let's talk a little bit about the quality of care because the survey asked a lot of questions about people's perception of, you know, their doctors, the tests, everything. What stood out for you in those findings? BLENDON: Well, about half of the people were very satisfied with what they received, but for the other half, the issues that emerged are people who thought their care wasn't well managed as a whole, were concerned that the communication between physicians and nurses and themselves really didn't work out very well. And a share of people - and they are not the largest - were really concerned that their diagnosis was not correct or they got the wrong test or treatment, and something had gone wrong. And so what you have is is a - half of people who were very satisfied, and the other had very real problems about the care they got. And that's the principal concerns that people who just lived through a year of illness reported to us. CORNISH: And then on the issue of the cost of care, I want you to help sort of explain something. We've got here in the study that 73 percent of sick Americans said health care costs are a very serious problem, and yet, among these same people, 63 percent said that they get a good value for what they pay for when it comes to their health care. And I was wondering if you could help us understand that divide of essentially saying we're all paying too much but is it worth, is it not worth it? BLENDON: These findings were surprising. You have sort of these conflicting feelings - I think it's too expensive; it's going to be hard for me to afford; the impact on my family. At the same time, people think that the charges are reasonable given, I think, so many people think most of the care worked out to be very good. But it looks like you're worried about the increasing cost of what things are, but you're not as critical about the services that you're getting and even the charges for individual services. CORNISH: Robert Blendon, thank you for talking with us. BLENDON: Thank you very much for having me. CORNISH: Robert Blendon of Harvard's School of Public Health, he's a lead researcher of the sick in America poll. You can find the entire survey at npr.org. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

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mint wrote:What makes this so incredible is that, as a social being, every person I mention Dzogchen to, must have great merit, and every person they mention Dzogchen to must also have great merit, etc.. It grows exponentially until everyone has heard about Dzogchen. Not a bad thing, but it just calls the issue of merit into question, I think. Plus, I wonder how well these "rules" of merit apply in an age of increasing technology and ease of access to information. I know I would not have heard of Dzogchen had it not been for the internet. Is it merit if the History Channel does a special on Tibetan Buddhism and Tantra and happens to mention Dzogchen? They at least have a connection. If you compare the number of people to whom you refer Dzogchen to the number of those who will never hear about it and died without doing so, you'll get an idea. If you compare then those who hear about it and criticize or hear about it and don't care or don't have any interest, you also get another idea. Then ponder the difference between those who hear about it and have interest but lack the conditions to practice and do nothing about it, to those who actually make something to put the teachings in practice. Then, you have the difference between those who actually learn effectively how to practice and progress and those who mistake themselves, although having interest and practicing, going astray (by thinking they have accomplished something they haven't for instance). Well, see the word more searched in Google: sex. If we were to get the compared statistics about searches for Dzogchen and searches for sex, they would be a like grain of sand when compared to a beach. Your proximity to this subject creates this illusion. It's like those guys who start to play a card game and suddenly think pretty much everyone else is doing it, when if fact they are still an insignificant minority. What grew is your perception of the number of people who know about Dzogchen. You didn't know what it was, so you didn't know who knew about it. Sadly, we are but a few, if compared to those who never heard and never will hear about the word Dzogchen, let alone practice it. 50 years ago, not even Buddhists knew what Dzogchen was and even inside Tibet not many were familiarized with it. Now Tibet was emptied, millions killed, practice being hindered under the oppressive regime of China. Tibet is an illegally occupied country. There's no freedom under a dictatorship. Guess we had to take rebirth somewhere, didn't we? Might as well be where our practice is less hindered by politics and society. The West seems a suitable choice, since it's a part of the world in which we have this nice thing called freedom of religion and many Dzogchen masters come or live here, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu among them.

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The da Vinci surgical team at CAMC has more doctors performing more procedures in more specialties than any other hospital in the state. With da Vinci surgery there is less pain, less risk of infection, less blood loss, less scarring and a faster recovery. Patients undergoing gynecology procedures such as hysterectomy and fibroid removal; urology procedures such as prostatectomy and kidney and bladder surgeries; and many general surgery procedures such as bariatric, colon and hernia surgery, are potential candidates for da Vinci surgery. The da Vinci Surgical System is a totally "intuitive" laparoscopic surgical robot. It's not a robot in the sense that you would imagine, but it integrates the latest advancements in robotics, computer-enhanced technology and the skills of surgeons. This system is a part of CAMC's surgical tools, which means the surgeon's hands are at the control of this state-of-the-art robotic device and can perform the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions, with unmatched accuracy. The da Vinci surgical team at CAMC is specially-trained in efficiency to prepare for, assist with and complete robotic surgery cases. The CAMC team is used to demonstrate procedures and train new robotic teams from around the country and around the world, and is one of the many important aspects of this medical breakthrough. This breakthrough is allowing hospitals everywhere to extend the benefits of robotic surgery to a broader base of patients. Some of the major benefits experienced by surgeons using the da Vinci Surgical System over traditional approaches have been greater surgical precision, increased range of motion, improved dexterity, enhanced visualization and improved access. Patients routinely travel to receive care at hospitals that offer robotic surgical technology. Since CAMC invested in this technology and now has two da Vinci systems, patients in southern West Virginia don't have to go far.

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Posted on | april 10, 2012 | No Comments There are reports that PIG FLESH was thrown inside three mosques and Wine Bottles hurled at another mosque in Hyderabad. The most surprising thing is in spite the demand by the Muslim community that the culprits should be arrested immediately no action has been taken by the local Police and no arrest in this case has been made so far. This news reports reminds me of my days of doctoral research on ‘Partition of India’ at the India records office London. I use wade through heaps of files to read exactly the similar stories to instigate Hindu Muslim communal riots just before the Partition of the country. When I read the report of pig flesh and wine bottles from Hyderabad, a stream of thought relating to the Partition of India jogged through my memory lane. My head bows in shame living in a nation that has not learnt any lessons from its history even some sixty five years after its independence. On one hand our country is progressing by leaps and bounds showing its baggage of civilization to the world, on other, such dastardly acts put happening at regular intervals put us under the category of uncivilized countries of the world. Here one may like to question the role of security agencies. What kind of lessons and training they have received. Instead of stopping such incident to happen they seem to be a party to such act. It’s a foregone conclusion that if they were upright such incidents could not have happened at all. This brings to the larger question; on whom should the weak and helpless may trust, or should have faith, in such cases where both law breakers and law enforcers are hand in gloves. The righteous and the evil, the good and bad, the light and darkness have all have ganged up. At the receiving end is the humanity that’s weak and frail. It seems there is a conspiracy of silence all round, as no one have the guts to say, stop this madness, as a civilized nation we can not tolerate this any more. Since that is not happening one is prompted to say what an irony what a shame. Is India still an uncivilized nation? AUTHOR: Mujtaba Syed E-MAIL: syedalimujtaba [at] yahoo.com

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May 12th, 2011 → 9:04 pm @ John Seah The Singapore Prison Services engaged Everest Innovation Pte Ltd to deliver three Innovation Workshops for them. 63 participants (WITS Leaders) representing the various units attended, forming 21 Innovation Teams. The participants generated 3500 ideas, of which the best ideas were presented to their management as well as used in SPS/ MHA WITS competitions. Time period: MARCH – APRIL 2004 All Everest Innovation projects begin with the client’s business mission statement or their toughest business problems. For our client, Singapore Prison Services, their mission was to be Captains of Lives, to Rehab, to Renew and to Restart. With all their officers’ dedication, many inmates were released from prison in high spirit and greatly motivated to change a new live. However, the society did not accept them. As the result, the ex-inmates went hungry and returned to crimes. How did our Consultant value-add? The prison officers brought the problem for brainstorming in our workshops. Using the techniques taught, our thought processes and brainstorming techniques solved the problem as follows: Problem Statement 1: Our inmates could not get jobs AFTER they were released from prison How can our inmates get jobs BEFORE they were released? Problem Statement 2 Our inmates could not get jobs because their tattoos would frighten off their clients How can our inmates get jobs where clients would not see their tattoos? The participants then proceeded to generate several hundred ideas based on the paraphrased problem statements. The Innovative Achievement: At the end of Ideas Sorting phase, one idea stood up as the answer to the above problem statements: Call Center behind bars, the First in the World Through this idea, the inmates could be working BEFORE they were released WHILE they were still in the prison. It helped the inmates better integrate with the society in preparation for them to restart their live anew. They were also trained on Customer Service Skills, Handling Difficult Customer Skills and Problem Solving Skills. See Straits 24 August 2005, headlined “24 hours Call Center – behind Bars” Publication Date: 24/08/2005 Pub: Straits Time Page: 3 By: Tanya Fong Page Heading: Prime HOW CAN I HELP YOU, SIR? : Female inmates at the Changi Prison Complex turn phone operators and telemarketers in rotating 12-hour shifts. Corporation: Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises, Score Subject: Singapore Rehabilitation IT’S the prison that never sleeps. Female inmates at the Changi Prison Complex are working as phone operators and telemarketers in a 24-hour call-centre. They answer queries on everything from mobile prepaid phone cards to how to work a consumer product. The 38 women turn up for ‘work’ in rotating 12-hour shifts. The call centre is housed in an office about the size of a basketball court. They may not be able to take tea breaks whenever they like, but judging from their enthusiasm as they pick up calls, these workers enjoy their jobs. Aris, a 32-year-old inmate serving a six-year term for cheating, loves every minute of it. ‘I was a workaholic before, and not having anything to do in jail made me feel down,’ said the university graduate. ‘Being in this programme helped me to be myself once again because I feel useful.’ The high-tech call centre was set up last December at the Changi Women’s Prison and Drug Rehabilitation Centre. It is the latest project initiated by the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (Score) to create work for inmates and to rehabilitate them while they serve their sentences. Score’s first project was a 24-hour laundromat in the Changi Prison Complex, the largest in South-east Asia. It was rolled out last year. Fifteen of the inmates handle outgoing telemarketing calls, while the rest handle incoming calls. All calls are controlled by the phone and computer systems. Calls come in via a switchboard and are automatically transferred to an operator, while outgoing calls are pre-programmed and made via the computers’ controlled dialling system. Conversations are monitored by the centre’s supervisors to allay security concerns that inmates may fraternise with callers. The women get their fair share of nasty customers. ‘When we make sales calls, the potential customer would ask us to call them back,’ said Aris. ‘When we do, we sometimes get a scolding for doing so.’ Connect Centre’s business operations manager, Miss Elena Lim, said: ‘We run this place exactly like a commercial call centre – the difference is that we are doing it behind bars.’ Businesses need some convincing before they sign up as call centre clients. ‘When we make cold calls to potential clients, they sound apprehensive,’ said Miss Lim. ‘But when we take them inside the centre, they end up coming out impressed.’ The reason: The women receive training of a similar standard afforded to people working on the outside. They are trained to project their voices, enunciate their words and handle difficult customers. The centre has 10 clients, including a telecommunications company and a listed consumer company, both of which declined to be named as they were unsure how their links to the prison would reflect on their businesses. Said the managing director of the telco: ‘Their set-up is as professional as any call centre. Cost is not a significant factor because the rates are competitive. We decided on them because it’s also our effort to take part in the Yellow Ribbon Project in giving offenders and ex-offenders a second chance.’ Newspaper Article No 2: Pub Date: 29/07/2005 Pub: Straits Time Page: H8 By: Tanya Fong Page Heading: Home SYMBOL OF FORGIVENESS : The prison aims to sell $600,000 worth of such ribbons. The money goes to the Yellow Ribbon Fund to help former inmates and their families. HAPPY TUNE : A thank-you song by a former inmate at the launch of this year’s Yellow Ribbon Project at Hard Rock Cafe yesterday. Subject: Singapore Rehabilitation 40 inmates to work at call centre in Changi Prison in rehabilitation drive THAT sweet and warm female voice which greets you at the end of the line when you next call a product hotline could be from behind Changi Prison walls. A 24-hour call centre has been set up at the prison’s women’s wing, with about 40 women inmates working as receptionists or telemarketers for private companies. The women take turns to handle the product hotlines, with six telemarketers at work each time, making calls to potential buyers here. The centre is run by a private firm, ConnectCall, which set it up in January. This new venture to help rehabilitate prisoners was made public yesterday at the launch of this year’s Yellow Ribbon Project campaign. The campaign, now in its second year, aims to rally the support of the community in giving former prisoners a second chance. Inmates are trained in relevant skills so that they are employable when they are released, said the chairman of the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (Score), Mr Kong Mun Kwong. ‘We are now developing skills for the services and IT industries and one example is the call centre in the women’s prison,’ he added. Last year’s campaign resulted in more than 120 employers coming forward to provide jobs and training opportunities. Fast-food chain KFC was one of them. Although the number of former prisoners who were matched with jobs is not available, the boost in employer numbers indicated the campaign’s success. The name of the project was inspired by the 1970s pop song Tie A Yellow Ribbon (Round The Old Oak Tree), about a former prisoner’s mixed feelings about going home to his loved ones. The yellow ribbon signifies the acceptance and forgiveness from family members and the wider community. Said the director of Singapore Prison Service, Mr Chua Chin Kiat: ‘For people to get involved wholeheartedly in a project like this, they must first understand why it’s necessary to rehabilitate ex offenders.’ He said many prisoners do want to change and return to society and the rehabilitation programme is crucial in paving the way for them to do so. About 11,000 inmates are released from prison every year. More than 320,000 ribbons – cut and attached with safety pins by inmates -were sold for $1 each last year. This year, the prison aims to sell $600,000 worth of ribbons. The money goes to the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which is used to help the former inmates and their families. More than 5,000 people have signed up to take part in the Tie-A-Yellow-Ribbon Walk with former offenders on Sept 3, when they will walk from the old Changi Prison to Pasir Ris Town Park. The walk will launch this year’s campaign. Yellow ribbons will be tied around trees along the route and the walk will end with a carnival with games and food. Members of the public are urged to take part. Free shuttle bus services from Pasir Ris MRT station will be available from 7.15am on the day of the walk.

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December 13, 2012 BRUSSELS (Deutsche Presse-Agentur) -- Smoking is to become a less attractive proposition in the European Union, according to proposals on the design of cigarette boxes that the bloc's executive in Brussels is expected to unveil next week. A spokesman for EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg confirmed that the proposals would cover cigarette packaging and the use of flavourings in cigarettes, as well as options to protect against forgery, after Germany's Bild newspaper reported on the measures. According to the newspaper, cigarette boxes sold in the EU would in future be almost entirely covered in warnings such as "Smoking kills" and shocking images of smoking-induced diseases, leaving little room for company branding. Some EU countries, such as Denmark, already force manufacturers to print such shocking images. In addition, the proposal would introduce a ban on additives such as vitamins, caffeine, taurine or colourings in cigarette tobacco, according to Bild. It would also outlaw cigarettes with a diameter of less than 7.5mm, popular among female smokers. The commission's tobacco directive became embroiled in controversy as Borg's predecessor, John Dalli, was forced to resign in October after he was investigated for allegedly improper contacts with the tobacco industry. The tobacco industry has vigorously lobbied against the proposed changes, which would need to be approved by the European Parliament and member states. Copyright 2012 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

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By Sean Pendergast By Sean Pendergast By Sean Pendergast By Jeff Balke By Richard Connelly By Jeff Balke By Casey Michel By Craig Hlavaty It's noon on the first day of dove season, and hunters in green and brown camouflage are packed into the Live Oak Restaurant & Bar on Highway Boulevard in Katy, recounting their morning's luck. The same scene could be playing out in almost any small Texas town -- a reassuring seasonal tradition, a gathering of the local tribe. But change is afoot. Something very strange is arising on the prairie east of Katy, and it's not the little gray birds that brought hunters out en masse on this Friday. Live Oak owner Eric Hilton, for one, is puzzled by the phenomenon. "What is it?" asks Hilton. "A religion or cult or something?" Not exactly. But Hilton's confusion is understandable. Why anybody would be constructing a replica of the Tomb of Emperor Qin outside of Katy, Texas, is an ongoing source of bemusement to some townspeople. The small-scale version of the resting place of the third-century B.C. Chinese ruler is just one planned attraction of Forbidden Gardens, a $20 million park and outdoor museum under construction on 85 acres of flat and fallow rice fields. Already in place -- and making for a somewhat eerie sight on the prairie -- are 8,000 clay soldiers arrayed in neat rows in a huge pit, half-life-size representations of the 8,000 terra cotta soldiers that were entombed with the Emperor Qin. During the emperor's epoch it was believed that soldiers should be sacrificed and buried with their leader to protect him on his heavenly voyage, but Qin apparently was a progressive sort and settled for representations of his sentinels. Plans call for Forbidden Gardens to also feature replicas of the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, along with multicolor ponds and waterfalls, a five-story pagoda and roving bands of musicians and singers. The complex will be similar to an existing one in southern China's Shenzhen province, where theme parks devoted to miniature replications of international attractions (such as Niagara Falls and Mount Rushmore) are a hot draw for Chinese tourists. If Forbidden Gardens is a puzzlement to its neighbors, the man whose vision of fun is unfolding on the prairie isn't visible enough to qualify as a puzzle. In fact, even the people who are working on Forbidden Gardens seem to know little about the man behind the complex, a reclusive Chinese-American businessman from Seattle named Ira Poon -- or, perhaps, Ira Pun. "I've been working with him since the beginning of the year and I haven't met him yet," confesses Jane McMillian, a local publicist who's handling media inquiries about Forbidden Gardens. When asked whether Poon might be available for an interview, McMillian says no, that probably won't happen. It doesn't. Robert Robinowitz, an architect for the project, says he initially was a bit skeptical about Poon's plans until he saw the pint-size pagodas and palaces of Forbidden Gardens beginning to arrive at the Port of Houston. (The 1:15-scale buildings are currently being stored in a warehouse on the Katy Freeway, awaiting a thaw in Chinese-U.S. relations so Chinese artisans can fly here for installation.) McMillian says that Pun is "the original Hong Kong version" of Poon's name. In America, people were incorrectly rhyming his name with bun, so he changed his name to the phonetically correct Poon. Poon or Pun, the man has definitely kept a low profile in Seattle. His name hasn't appeared once in that city's Post-Intelligencer in the past ten years, and it didn't ring a bell with business reporters in the city. McMillian, who stresses that Poon is a naturalized U.S. citizen, says Poon amassed his wealth through real-estate dealings in Hong Kong or Seattle. Hong Kong business interests have been sending their wealth offshore for years in advance of the British colony's return to mainland China in 1997. Much of it has been invested in tangible assets in Seattle, Vancouver and other Pacific Rim depots. That has triggered some resentment in Seattle, where the Hong Kong money is viewed as having inflated land values. Hong Kong buyers there frequently are very quiet about their acquisitions and have been known to Americanize their names so as not to attract attention. In the case of Forbidden Gardens, however, the Houston area's gain is Seattle's loss, at least according to Isa Yin, vice-president of Green Ever Company Inc., a limited partnership created in 1992 to develop Forbidden Gardens. As Yin explained, in a faxed response to questions from the Houston Press: "... Due to Seattle's no-growth policy and city regulations, Poon decided to look at alternative locations. Houston was strongly recommended because it had fewer restrictions for new development, land prices were good and the climate was more stable throughout the entire year." The prospect of relatively unfettered development that drew Poon to the prairie is something that angers hunting enthusiasts such as Eric Hilton, who worries that further encroachment on the rice fields will upset the delicate balance of nature that makes the area home to one of the largest concentration of geese in the nation. Find everything you're looking for in your city Find the best happy hour deals in your city Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90% Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city

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Organic farm directory available to retailers, manufacturersMinnesota food retailers and manufacturers have a new directory to turn to when searching for organic ingredients grown in the state. Minnesota food retailers and manufacturers have a new directory to turn to when searching for organic ingredients grown in the state. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has updated its Directory of Minnesota Organic Farms to help connect certified organic farmers with brokers, grocery stores, restaurants, and food manufacturers that are seeking organic ingredients. Organic farmers volunteered to be listed in the directory. It lists 215 of the estimated 700 certified farms in Minnesota both by location and by what they produce, making it easier for buyers to find what they are seeking. The directory includes information for 45 products, including grains and oilseeds, fruits, vegetables and livestock. Jamie Pfuhl, executive director of the Minnesota Grocers Association, has served on the Minnesota Organic Advisory Task Force and says the directory is an important resource. “Our members place a priority on sourcing organic products from farms in their area of the state, and a resource directory like this provides a valuable tool in creating those partnerships,” Pfuhl said. Meg Moynihan, principal administrator of the MDA Organic and Diversification program, points out that the directory is also a useful tool that organic farmers can use to find and contact each other. For example, dairy farmers may use it to locate certified organic hay, grain, or straw. An electronic version of the directory is posted at www.mda.state.mn.us/organic This directory is for intermediate and large-scale buyers. Consumers wishing to purchase organic products should refer to the Minnesota Grown Directory (www.minnesotagrown.com

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Ghosts, UFO’s, and Jesus: The Interaction of the Physical and Spiritual Realms Many cultures have been influenced by the stories of ghosts. Who are these spirits? What do they want? Why are they here? What messages from the gods do they convey? Even the Bible mentions ghosts, though there are no direct statements about who and what they are. In the modern American culture, ghost stories continue to be popular, largely due to old Paganistic customs and influences from the pre-christian European cultures, which are still presented in Halloween and TV. The recent re-awakening of Paganistic influences in our culture has caused a degree of ignorance about ghosts. Only the practicing Christians promote Biblically-oriented doctrines about them. But our Pagan-influenced segments of society have a great interest in ghosts and they often seek to find non- or anti-biblical teachings and meanings about the reasons and causes for ghosts appearing and communicating with us. Dogmas about life after death, other dimensions of the universe, the relationship between the physical and the spiritual, etc. are propagated without any reference to the teachings and spiritual experience of the Prophets and Apostles of the Bible, and of the Ancient Jewish sages and Early Christian saints of Sacred History. At one time it was popular to disbelieve in the existence of ghosts. But this unbelief is itself not completely from an Apostolic awareness of the spiritual worlds. It’s an opinion often derived from two sources- one that is a hatred of Roman Catholic communication with angels and saints and one that is a trust in science being superior to faith. Both of these sources had influenced many Protestants, and even some Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, to discount the existence of ghosts, or at least to publicly reject or ridicule any possibility of contact with the invisible worlds beyond observable science and Protestant theology, which tends to minimize and reduce Christian spirituality anyway, especially when dealing with invisible beings. However, today’s average person understands that people, honest and intelligent people, have seen ghosts, and that many sightings are in all probability real contacts with the spiritual realms. The question then is: what’s going on? One of the most commonly known observations about ghosts is that they usually appear in places where they, when they were once alive on earth, supposedly were powerfully attracted to. Hence, it seems as if after death, it is possible for a person to become a ghost under the right circumstances and in extremely dramatic instances. If a person was murdered at a certain location, he may become a ghost and re-enact his death at that place, or he may simply wander around it. If a person had a powerful love for his life at a certain house, he may become a ghost and continue to act as though he still lives there. If a person was overly jealous about a certain object or room or house or bridge or whatever, he may become a ghost and angrily seek to protect whatever it is he desired in life, even physically assaulting any living being threatening his space. Whatever the case, ghosts usually appear as dead human beings who supposedly had a strong emotional experience during their earthly lives, which causes them to become ghosts and retain connections with a certain thing or things in our physical world. These are just the main general observations pertaining to hauntings, though they in no way prove that the ghosts really are who they are seen to be, nor that they have some uncontrollable connection with earthly physical things. Thus, there are ghosts appearing in the name of once-living people, being seen by living people in connection with physical places and objects that the once-living people apparently were inordinately and powerfully identified with, uniting the spiritual with the physical. And there are many other details, facts, and concepts about ghosts that have been documented and explained through Christian and non-christian analyses. But here is an important question: If ghosts really are the spirits of dead people who are somehow strongly connected with an earthly house or event or whatever, thereby causing them to appear visibly, then where do their clothes come from? All these ghosts are always wearing the clothes that they supposedly had been wearing while they were alive. Some ghosts are from the U.S. Civil War, some are from colonial times, others are from Shakespeare’s days, etc. They’re all wearing their old clothes, shoes, hats, etc. But they’re dead! They’re spirits! What do they need clothes for? And how did they acquire these clothes, especially the ones that they used to wear according to the cultures and times of physical earth? Did these clothes also die, so as to become ghosts too? Or do ghosts have tailors making them this stuff? Or is it that ghosts go to some spiritual mall to buy clothes? Or maybe they go downtown on earth and use magical powers to make thread and clothes disappear, then just borrow them for the night! The question about the origins of ghostly clothes is a good one. It indicates that there’s an intellect involved in causing ghosts to appear. Ghostly clothes should not be capable of visibly appearing to living people if ghosts are simply dead souls, especially dead souls more interested in their supposedly incessant quest to haunt something. If these ghosts are so distraught or so emotionally attached to whatever it is they want to haunt, then they should have no concern about being seen by people or about being seen naked or about looking around various realms to get some clothes for the right occasion. Why is it that not a single ghost has modernized his apparel? If they are emotionally stable enough to procure clothes for themselves, then at least a few of them must be mentally stable enough to have some fun and get a wardrobe change! Or is it that someone gives them these clothes? Whatever the case may be, it is evident that there is some mind behind the appearances of ghosts. Someone wants people to see these apparitions and he wants them to seem presentable and culturally acceptable. Similarly, there are no stories about ghosts beyond 500 years ago. There are no reports of ancient centurions still guarding Rome against the attacks of the Vandals. People do not hear about King Alfred the Great still fighting off invaders, or about some typical Crusader still wandering the streets of Byzantium seeking Orthodox Christians to kill or wandering Jerusalem looking for Muslim heads. Even ghosts from Shakespeare’s time are quite rare. Most ghosts occur in a space of time and in cultural settings that living people are expected to relate to. As these observations show, there is some mind manipulating the visions of ghosts, and this mind conforms their appearances to fit our cultural expectations and experiences. So, since there is a mind behind them, then there is a reason for their appearances, and this reason is not in the process of promoting Christianity. Hence, it comes from Satan. One of the proofs that Satan is the mind behind the appearances of ghosts is the overtly powerful attraction that ghosts have to particular physical entities. The Bible talks about demons possessing human souls and bodies on earth, as well as possessing pigs. Even wooden idols are said to be possessed by demons. This is because souls, bodies, and physical objects can be possessed by evil under the right conditions, due to sinful inquisitiveness, spells, and curses. But the Bible also talks about angelic or Holy Spirit possession, whereby human souls, bodies, and earthly objects may take on divine qualities through the subjugation of the flesh to the spirit, prayers, and liturgical blessings. Protestantism teaches that only souls can be given the grace of Holy Spirit possession, and even that concept is heavily watered down by Protestants, who interpret the concept of spiritual perfection in ways that the Ancient Jews and Early Christians would consider as being extremely superficial or shallow. For Protestants, only God is allowed to fuse the spiritual realm with the earthly world by becoming Man, Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, Scripture has always been known to teach that souls can be given Holy Spirit possession, so that Christ’s command for us to be as perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect becomes a literal doctrine, not a figurative or metaphorical one. Moreover, the Bible also talks about the Christian’s physical body attaining to the same level of divine possession, when one’s flesh becomes perfectly subjected to his spirit, which is in full possession of the Lord. This is when a person’s will is in total conformity to God’s will, not partially in conformity, but totally united, which is sainthood and holy perfection, the goal of the Christian Faith. In this transformation of the person’s mind to Christ’s Mind, the body equally acquires divine qualities, and this is what the Bible means what it talks about Adam and Eve being one flesh, which does not simply refer to physical union between the two, but also to a spiritual union between them and between each of their souls and bodies. And this is why the Bible constantly speaks of bodily parts as though they are spiritual realities, such as lifting up our hearts (Lamentations 3:41), or sinking words into our ears (Luke 9:44), or tasting the Lord (Psalm 34:8), or telling us to “see” the Truth (Mark 8:18), etc., though we are not expected to lift up our physical hearts or literally taste the Lord or see invisible ideas with our earthly eyes. It is similarly the case with the Bible’s meditative concept of fasting, where the body is denied food and water for a time in order to induce a heavenly experience, thereby uniting the flesh with the spiritual realm. Thus, the body and the spirit are so intertwined for any person that both one’s spirit and body can either become possessed by Satan, if there is some cause for this, or become purified by the activity of God’s grace, if such a one ardently seeks the Kingdom of Heaven. This is what happened with Elisha’s bones, which were found in his grave in 2 Kings 13:20-21. Elisha was so divinized by the possession of the Holy Spirit in his soul and flesh that his bones after his death were still healing people, a miracle that also continues to this day with some relics of ancient saints. But this unity of body and spirit, especially the miracles of saintly relics, is rejected by many Protestants, due to their divorce from Apostolic spirituality. In addition to these Biblical truths, the Bible, Holy Tradition, as well as extra-biblical tales, even the most fanciful ones, never recorded stories about Prophets, Jesus, and Apostolic men reversing the aging process, either to make people older or to make them younger, nor even to make them change their sex. This is not just true in Christianity, but it is also true in Paganism and other religions in the world throughout history, where stories of the gods reversing the aging process or changing people’s sexes, are as a whole quite rare in their holy books, myths, fairy tales, folk tales, etc. And there is a reason for this. Though aging and gender are real physical functions, one’s body is so interwoven with his soul and spirit that to change or reverse or advance this physical activity would literally cause great harm to the person as a whole, not just physically but also spiritually. This is one aspect of Jesus’s parable in Matthew 13:24-30 about the weeds among the wheat, where He talks about how Satan came and planted weeds among the wheat that God planted. Because the weeds and the wheat are so intertwined, Christ, the Master in this parable, declares that He cannot uproot the weeds until harvest time, lest the wheat be accidentally uprooted along with the weeds. Now, Jesus in Matthew 13:39 explains that the harvest time is the end of the age, when the good and bad people are finally separated, nevertheless, the intertwining of the soul and body is just as or more intertwined than the social relations between good and evil people before Judgement Day. Like this parable, the lack of miracles changing people’s age and sex is due to the ancient awareness since Adam and Eve of the inseparably unified essence of the soul and body. This Apostolic understanding of the flesh and spirit being permanently united and essential to the identity of a person in God’s triune image and likeness is the main reason why the Early Christians vehemently opposed and philosophically disproved the Pagan doctrine of reincarnation, where one’s soul enters or re-enters another body or form. Because of this powerful interconnection between the soul and the body, and because each soul and body must remain within the gender and time dimension that it was created in until harvest time, the end of the age, the scientific theory of time travel, which may be a possibility, leads to spiritual and physical problems as well, even if time travel can occur or may be different from how it is envisioned in science and on TV. Since the body and soul are so intertwined with the aging process and require remaining in a consistent progression of time in society as the end of the age nears, it is probable that time travel will seriously damage one’s body and soul irreparably. In fact, the indivisibility of the soul and body within its original dimension of time may not even allow any time travelers to physically interact or communicate with or be noticed in any way by people living in the past and future. In other words, the only thing time travelers might be able to do is simply observe events in the past and future in a very detached way, much like watching TV. But as Scripture indicates, since God Himself will not separate the good people from the bad people until harvest time, or Judgement Day, lest spiritual damage occurs, it is likely that the essence of each human being will further disintegrate spiritually and physically if he tampers with time beyond its own natural progression. It is even theoretically possible that if only one person alters time’s natural progression, then all people may be adversely affected. In the same way as the body and spirit are intertwined, so may physical objects become infused with an individual’s spirituality, either from Satan or from God. As the Bible itself often relates, physical objects may take on divine possession through saintly people. The Ark of the Covenant and the Urim and Thumim that God told Moses to make are good examples of this spiritual reality, whereby the Holy Spirit worked through sacred objects that were physically handled and used in prayer by the souls and bodies of divinely possessed men. This is why Christ’s robe in Luke 8:44-46 actually healed a woman when she touched it. Jesus even felt power leave Him when this happened, so that His robe had become a physical-spiritual extension of Himself. St. Paul’s handkerchief in Acts 19:11 was also capable of healing people, since it was handled by a divinized soul and body, thereby becoming possessed by the Holy Spirit through Paul’s saintliness. The same is true in Acts 5:15 of St. Peter’s shadow, which God used to heal people. And even the Holy Tradition of the Jewish Prophets and the Apostolic Tradition of the Church recount many instances whereby physical objects took on the sacred spirituality of its owners through the Holy Spirit and God’s grace, such as the relics of saints, the handkerchief of Jesus Christ, Scriptural texts, etc. All of these things, particularly the robe, the handkerchief, and the shadow in the Bible, were not used by God just to show how He can work through inanimate objects, but also to show how the Apostles had become as perfect in body and soul as Christ is. Even the angels in Revelation 8:3-4, who united sacred, physical incense with spiritual prayer, also infer by this the mystical unity between the physical and spiritual realms. This inanimate connection between the spiritual and physical realms is a concept that Protestantism either denies or ignores, due to its reductionist and minimalist spirituality. These spiritual truths about the connections between the physical and spiritual worlds, as cited from Scripture and Apostolic Tradition, provide important insights about ghosts haunting houses, physical objects, and other earthly entities. In the right circumstances, where powerfully sinful inclinations and activities permeate over time, certain physical objects, typically houses, can become possessed by demons, or ghosts. But just as it takes prior preparation or a motivation for one’s body to either become visibly possessed by evil or manifestly possessed by God, there occurs some degree of cultivation for physical objects to become possessed, such as a house being the home for a very sinful man, or for a succession of sinful family after sinful family, or for being cursed by Satan worshippers, or for someone influenced by false beliefs, etc. This degree of spiritual preparation or infusion is why it is quite unusual for a new house to be haunted; it is generally true that the older the house the greater the possibility of hauntings. And it is conversely true that the longer an object has been used for holy prayer, such as relics, icons, crosses, old bibles, ancient churches, etc., the more it exudes a powerful divine presence and the more a person senses from it a sacred spirituality. Hence, the possession of a physical object, even a house, is a reality, especially when there are many reports of Christians praying over or liturgically blessing haunted houses, which effectively eliminate ghosts from the scene, especially if the Christians knowingly or unknowingly pray in the mystical understanding of the spiritual-physical connection. Not only does this indicate how ghosts come from hell and not from dead humans, but it also indicates how physical entities can either acquire satanic influences or divine protection. Much like ghosts, the appearances of UFO’s are quite similar, yet there is no direct haunting of physical objects, only the appropriation of physical senses and probabilities. As a result, UFO’s do not permanently have physical outer space aliens sitting inside them, though they may temporarily affect physical things, like burning grass, bruising arms, scratching legs, damaging houses, etc. But they are in fact spiritual entities that interconnect with earthly realities. Logical deductions about this have been known and accepted by practicing Christians, but sometimes there are UFO citings that clearly show what is going on. For instance, at Fatima, Portugal in 1917, at the beginning of the visions of the Virgin Mary there, a whole crowd of people at one time looked up at the sky to see some amazing things. Some people saw the Virgin Mary, while others saw UFO’s. This event is only one good example out of many that reveal the spiritual origins of UFO’s, which are clearly designed to harm the Christian Faith. Hence, UFO’s and their passengers are not full-time physical entities, but they are demons working through the physical world, only in a different way than ghosts. As these experiences of ghosts and UFO’s make clear, under certain circumstances, God and Satan do work through physical entities. But Satan does this in the opposite way than God does. God works in physical objects in order to instruct, sanctify, and heal people, whereas Satan inwardly possesses physical realities in order to spiritually confuse people, along with utilizing physical realities outwardly to mentally confuse and physically handle people adversely. In this way, Satan makes the spiritual seem like a physical reality, when this is not true at all, thereby making people trust more in the physical world than the spiritual realms, and to deny both God’s and Satan’s existence. This attempt to affect perceptions about the physical and spiritual worlds is not only done to twist Scripture and to defeat Christianity, it is also done to blind all people from understanding and discerning the union itself between spiritual and physical realities, as the Apostles originally taught. Christians for 2000 years have believed that there has always been a powerful connection between spiritual and physical realities, which is what Baptism, Communion, icons, and good works are all about, where being dunked in water is treated as being spiritually born, taking bread and wine is treated as literally eating Christ’s Flesh and Blood, praying before icons is treated as a true window to Heaven, and doing good works is treated as actually influencing our salvation. Once Christians cease to understand this unity between the physical and spiritual realms, then Satan has a much greater chance of regaining control of earthly realities, which is in total opposition to Christ’s Baptism, along with His Cross and Resurrection, when Christ freed the physical world from sin’s impurity and now controls it. This is why the Apostles never carried over the Old Testament doctrine of not touching corpses, since Christ has purified the flesh. And this is why the Apostles taught that salvation occurs not just by purifying one’s image of God, that is, having faith in Christ, as St. Paul teaches in Ephesians 2:8, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith”, but also by purifying one’s likeness of God, that is, doing good works and acquiring all the virtues, as when St. Paul says in Philippians 2:12, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”. Thus, salvation is a matter of saving the soul and the body, not just the soul, as St. James says in James 2:26, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Satan wants to regain his power over the physical world, and he can do so more easily when all Christians cease to identify the spiritual with the physical and vice-versa. Moreover, Satan also wants to confuse any future perception of Jesus Christ. As ancient experience tells us, at the moment of one’s death, the spiritual and earthly worlds begin to fuse to the point of being visually the same, which explains why people often see angels or demons standing or levitating near their deathbeds. Thus, Satan wants to confuse people throughout their lives about this state of mind and soul, so that just before their deaths, good people may become so confused about the spiritual-physical connections that they may forget Christ at their deaths, even after a life of faith in Him, and suddenly seek or yearn for a more friendly version of Christ, rather than bow in humility to the Lord, knowing that they may have hidden sins which may cause Him to say, as in Matthew 7:23, “I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers.” Similarly, when Christ comes again on Judgement Day, He will be seen in some visible and physical way, and then He will take all people to some kind of physical-spiritual location for judgement. At the moment of this event, when the all spiritual and physical realities fuse into some unity, Satan hopes that his confusion over these concepts will also guide some people to forget or re-interpret faith in Christ, to make Him seem more human-friendly than the God-Man deciding our eternity. All of these things are inferred by the appearances of ghosts and UFO’s as another element behind Satan’s usages of them. In a more strategic sense, Satan also wants to transform the Bible’s references to heavenly concepts and make them seem like physical things. He does this by confusing our perceptions of the interactions between the heavenly and the earthly, the spiritual and the physical. In Scripture, there are many visions of physical things existing in Heaven- trees, fruits, rivers, divine wings, God’s hands, the Millenium, etc. But these physical objects are not meant to be interpreted as though Heaven or God really contain physical realities in the same sense that we understand them now. They are either mere symbolical concepts and/or they are signs of spiritual things that do exist in some way, yet we cannot comprehend them in their truest sense, except according to earthly realities that we can understand now in this age. This is another aspect in Satan’s battle to force our faith to become more humanly oriented, in this case so that we may rely on a false or superficial perception of connections between the spiritual and physical realms. Thus, he either strives to make people deny a spiritual fusion of the body and soul, by tricking Christians into emphasizing salvation through one or the other, or he distracts people from the real spirituality by fooling them into believing in superficial or shallow fusions of the body and soul at the expense of more substantive means of subjecting the flesh to the spirit and experiencing the union of God with man through this purification. Satan wants all Christians to focus totally on the physical world, and he has been striving for millennia to impress on our minds this underlying perception in all our Biblical and theological studies. For some Christians, the union between the spiritual and physical worlds is a controversial one or moot or a heretical idea. But Paradise, man’s original created reality, has always been said to be a commixture of the spiritual and the purest earthliness, being a realm between mortality and immortality. Christ even says that He has come and will come again in order to restore Paradise for all mankind and that all the saints will enjoy eternal life in Heaven, as He says in Acts 3:21, “He must remain in Heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy Prophets,” and in Revelation 2:7, “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the Tree of Life, which is in the Paradise of God.” This is the message of Scripture and Apostolic Tradition, and it is the Gospel that all Christians must put into practice, to subject the flesh to the spirit, so that they may have the holy capacity to know Christ when they visibly and invisibly see Him. Hence, a better comprehension of the truest earthly perceptions as they relate to the heavenly realities is a matter of great importance, not just in understanding the nature of man but also in knowing Christ, the God-Man, who will change our mortality into immortality, as St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” The souls and bodies of the living and the dead will be raised, so, as Paul again says in Ephesians 1:10, “that in the dispensation of the fullness of times God might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in Heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him.” It is then that the unity of the body and spirit will become subject to Christ and ascend to something greater.

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The United States Postal Service announced Monday September 26 that it would for the first time be putting people who are still alive on postage stamps. Had they listened to me in 2005 the USPS may not have been in such bad shape today. Here’s a clip from my 2005 keynote in Washington DC. It’s obvious that some of my references are dated but then again, some people have a way of staying in the spotlight. The USPS has taken all sorts of flack from all sorts of people for a long time. Yes, they don’t have the best business model and they loose billions every year, but there closest competitor delivers a letter for you for $16. I don’t care how efficient you are and how much you cut waste and workers benefits, you can’t make a lot of money delivery mail at 44¢ a letter.Give your next event a real shot in the arm. With Vinny’s no-nonsense approach to motivation you can get motivated and still make lunch by one. http://motivatethis.net

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Four ways to ensure the Fed’s stimulus will work By John Wasik The opinions expressed are the author’s own. The Federal Reserve can buy all the US Treasury bonds it wants, but it won’t do much other than make corporate treasurers waggily over being able to borrow at incredibly low rates. As a last-ditch effort to stimulate the US economy, the Fed’s $600 billion initial purchase of US debt, also known as “QE2,” could be better spent directly helping Americans and easing the housing crisis. Part of the problem is not that interest rates aren’t low enough — short-term rates are practically zero — it’s that there’s little demand because nobody is getting financially ahead through employment, homeownership or 401(k)s. There’s no sense in the middle class of a “wealth effect.” Fear is ruling now. So here are some proven approaches that might help: A Payroll Tax Holiday. The Fed could boost employment by redirecting its QE2 purchases to offset a payroll tax holiday. This would directly put money in both employers’ and employees’ pockets. It might even stimulate some hiring. A Really Potent Housing Credit. What would happen if the Fed intervened in the housing market in a meaningful way instead of buying distressed mortgage securities and Treasury debt? It could redirect money (with Congressional blessing and IRS oversight) into paying for homebuyer tax credits. The last round of $12.6 billion in buyer’s credits ($8,000 for newbies and $6,500 for others) proved to be somewhat successful; 1.8 million people bought homes. Why not even add a sweetener of an additional $1,000 rebate to those who buy vacant, short sale, bank-owned or foreclosed homes? And instead of offering it for a few months, offer it for two years, or at least until the inventory of some 19 million empty homes is whittle down to about 1 million homes or less. A Retirement Funding Boost. Let’s overhaul the fabled 401(k), the retirement plan that was never meant to be a mainstay of long-term savings. Some 40% of Americans don’t even have access to them at work, with minorities, young people and low-income workers showing the lowest participation rates, according to Demos, a New York-based policy center. Why not make a tax-free contribution to all Americans in a no-fee, universal savings account? Savers would face a tax penalty if they withdrew the money before retirement age, but could still use the assets to borrow against in a pinch. Since the Fed is now a super-regulator in the wake of financial reform, why doesn’t it impose limits on 401(k) fees, which costs workers an average 20 percent of their retirement kitty over a working life? They could mandate that program expenses can’t exceed those of the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan. This is probably more of a mission for Congress, though, which has avoided addressing this massive rip-off for years. Direct Help to States. It’s no secret that a combination of the Great Recession and housing crisis have knocked the stuffing out of state, local and school board revenues. Inflation-adjusted state tax revenue fell nearly 15 percent during the downturn, which was the biggest decline in 50 years, according to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Teachers are being laid off or furloughed and the overall quality of education in the US is suffering. If the Fed wants to create — or at least preserve employment — it can direct money to the states. I know this is not what the Fed normally does as baron of the banking system, but at least it can make funds available for borrowing to state treasuries through member banks at zero interest. That’s the minimum it can do. Look at the myriad toxic securities-buying programs it set up for Wall Street in 2008! I realize that many of these suggestions are beyond the Fed’s purview as it’s not in the fiscal stimulus business per se. Yet as a divided Congress begins to organize and study ways of reviving the economy, further enabling the federal government’s debt addiction will do little to find buyers for vacant homes or convince businesses to start hiring. Without consumers flush with money and gainfully employed, the private sector won’t budge. Lowering long-term interest rates won’t hurt, but it won’t compel banks to lend money in a low-demand environment. It’s like a crazed dog chasing its tail. The Fed still has an awful lot of sticks to throw — if it can only send them in the right direction. John F. Wasik is author of “The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome: Turning Around the Unsustainable American Dream.”

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Litoranea di Pontecagnano Salerno (Italy) Tel: +39 089 203004 Fax: +39 089 203458 Amalfi Coast, Positano, Sorrento, Naples, Pompeii, Paestum, Capri, Ischia, Salerno, Ravello, Herculaneum, Mt. Vesuvius, Maiori, Minori, Vietri sul Mare, Furore Pompeii: The Bartolo Longo Basilica An introduction to Mary’s Citadel The history of Pompeii, one of the most famous Shrines of Christianity, is tied, in its origins and its development, to the life of its founder, the Blessed Bartolo Longo. There are few cases in history where a town owes its existence to one single man, rarer still a sanctuary town with such unique characteristics as Pompeii. This is not, therefore, a guide in the usual sense of the word but rather an introduction to the understanding of the "miracle of Pompeii", of that exceptional "adventure of the Spirit". Very much in evidence, not only in Bartolo Longo’s private life but in his life as a founder as well, lies the power of the Spirit; that Spirit of which Jesus says: "The wind blows where it wishes and you can hear its voice, you do not know where it comes from and where it goes: this is so of anyone who is born of the Spirit". (Jn. 3,8). Bartolo Longo was "guided by the Spirit" as much through the desert as the rich harvest, and through the dark of the night as in the radiant midday light. He was conscious of this adventure and he wanted to live it to the full. Before the consecration of the new church in 1891 he wrote: "For fifteen years we were continually astonished by the phenomenon that was occurring inside of us without clearly understanding its laws or the nature and force of its purpose. What was that secret impulse, persistent and untiring, that for so many years had driven us to build this church?". The founding of Pompeii is neither lost in myth nor in the dark of the ages. A simple story of an image that makes its entrance on the 13th of November, 1875, on a cart of manure and is worshipped by millions. A simple story of a village (three hundred inhabitants in 1872) that grew to a town of thirty thousand in a hundred years. Pompeii was not born from a preconceived plan. It grew slowly as projects and the needs of development presented themselves daily. The signs of the times – projects and providence – were interpreted by Bartolo Longo in his efforts to fulfill God’s Will and the needs of his brothers. In all this lies the human-divine adventure of Pompeii and its founder. You may think it quite out of the extraordinary, but its "extraordinariness", if you will forgive my use of the word, lies in the interpretation and the meaning that the founder gave to events. 2. The founder Bartolo Longo was born in Latiano (BR) on the 10th February, 1841, of Dr. Bartolomeo and Antonietta Luparelli. Very early, his natural qualities began to manifest themselves: a lively intelligence and fiery character. He was cordial, easy going and a teaser. At the age of six he began school at Francavilla Fontana which was run by the Scolopi priests. He later went on to Lecce and finally concluded his education in Naples where he graduated in law in 1864. During that time, at the university, there was a strong current of anti-Christianism and Bartolo Longo found himself mixed up in superstitions and spiritism to such a degree that he was consecrated "the priest of the spirit". Later he bitterly regretted this juvenile alienation, but in the plans of providence this "sin" proved useful for his final rediscovery of the Faith and goodness. His friend, professor Vincenzo Pepe, and the learned Domenican priest Alberto Radente, were the "angel" God invited to accompany Bartolo Longo along his path. His dedication proved generous and total. He renounced his legal career and devoted himself to charity and to his religious studies. For these reasons he refused several good proposals of marriage, as well. But Bartolo Longo’s mission was not to end here. In 1872 he happened to go to Pompeii on business as the Countess De Fusco had entrusted him with the administration of her property. He was at once struck by the human and religious misery of the peasants. Following a divine inspiration he decided to dedicate himself to the teaching of Catechism and to the spreading of the Rosary. With the boldness of desperation I lifted my face and hands to the heavenly Virgin and cried: "If it be true that you promised St. Dominic that whoever spreads the Rosary will be saved, I will be saved, because I will not leave Pompeii until I have spread your Rosary". Words of a twentieth century Apostle of the Rosary. In 1876, at the suggestion of the Bishop of Nola, Msgr. Formisano, he began to collect a "soldo" (the twentieth part of one lira) a month to build a church in Pompeii. The prodigies of the Madonna, whose picture of the Rosary had already been placed in the church that was being built, attracted so many people and donations that an impressive temple and throne of the Madonna were erected. Our Lady assisted powerfully in the construction of the shrine by granting graces and favors to benefactors of the enterprise. "If you wish to be cured" she said to a dying person "go to my church at Pompeii". In 1884 she appeared to dying Fortuna Agrelli and after curing her said: "Whoever desires to obtain favors from me should make three novenas of the rosary in petition with the reciting of the fifteen decades of the Rosary and three in thanksgiving". This is the so-called fifty-four day novena wich is so popular with devotees of Our Lady of Pompeii. By 1885 some 940 cures were recorded and described in Blessed Bartolo’s history of the shrine. For the great love of Mary he became a writer. "The Fifteen Saturdays" is a book which nourishes the piety of generations of devotees, as well as the "Petition", written in 1883, wich has for a long time, in millions of copies and many different languages, crossed the borders of Italy and Europe. The magazine "The Rosary and the New Pompeii", founded in 1884 has today a circulation of 300.000 copies, enjoying world wide readership. It is published also in English. Fifty years of intelligent, ardent and untiring work produced the "miracle of Pompeii". A generous and strong contributor was the Countess De Fusco, who, following the advice of friends, married the lawyer in 1885. She stood by him until the 9th of February, 1924, when she died at the age of 88. Bartolo Longo lived two more years but they were years of moral bitterness and physical suffering. He passed away on the 5th of October, 1926. His remains are at rest in the chapel dedicated to him (1983) under the Madonna’s throne, as he had wanted. On the 7th of May, 1934, the canonical proceedings were started for his beatification, proclaimed in Rome on the 26th of October 1980 by Pope John Paul II who defined him as "a layman who had lived his ecclesial pledge to the full". For what he achieved in Pompeii Bartolo Longo became known as a forerunner, a prophet of the modern catholic layman. "That he was a layman, an intellectual biased in his youth by heterodox temptations, did not help: the mistakes of his past were used to belittle his work. To build, to set up a new devotion with an original laical coherence, to dedicate oneself entirely to a social apostolate among the slow moving people of the valley, to reawaken the divine sentiment in those minds ruined by daily misery, was at that time an incredible undertaking, and, contrary to the idea that everyone had of the layman in religious life: the world of brotherhood had never thought of uniting prayer to the ends of social transformation or re-education". (G. De Rosa). |In the main square of the town, the building of which required the pulling down of Longo’s own house, a beautiful monument to the founder was erected in 1962. The sculptor Domenico Ponzi, autor of many valuable works in the Shrine, has cleverly synthesized the history of Pompeii. The solid parallelepiped of the pedestal narrates Longo’s own conversion, the universality of the supplication to the Madonna and his social and charitable works are united together like a flower to the fruit. The stele expresses the development of his work at Pompeii as a consequence of Our Lady presence, which is clearly expressed by the epigraph: Pompeii / Marian town / Where Faith and Charity / Create miracles / Where prayer is perennial / Honours its founder / Bartolo Longo / Apostle of the Rosary / Father of the orphans / MCMLXII 3. The New Pompeii Although it is usually called Pompeii, the founder had intended it to be called "The New Pompeii" in order to differentiate it from the old Pompeii that more often than not was its complete opposite. "Next to a land of dead appeared, quite suddenly, a land of resurrection and life: next to a shattered amphitheatre soiled with blood, there is a living Temple of faith and love, a sacred Temple to the Virgin Mary; from a town buried in the filth of gentilism, arises a town full of life, drawing its origins from a new civilization brought by Christianity: The New Pompeii!... It is the new civilization that openly appears beside the old; the new art next to the old; christianity full of life in juxtaposition to long surpassed Paganism". (B. Longo, "The History of the Shrine of Pompeii"). How and when did he get the idea of founding a town? It was certainly not initially on his mind. As a good layman, this being another of his merits, he knew how to bring together "the social" and "the spiritual". "Starting from the religious education of the rough and unhappy people of the Valley he soon decided to associate the spreading of the worship of the Holy Rosary with the civil and social redemption of the people. I believe that it is unquestionably from this association of ideas that the project for a new urban aggregation, capable of finding its legitimation in religion, was realized". (G. De Rosa). It has been noted that this Shrine, unlike many others, has been succesfull because it is situated in the midst of active life, of many avenues of communication and of an exceptionally high tourist market. All this, as well as the ruins are not the only reasons for the crowds that flock. People come here for the Shrine and its social works. The erection of the Shrine attracted mumerous families from the neighbouring towns and catalyzed, as nothing else could, such a variety of activities. Rail-ways, postal and telegraph services, the police, |hydro and water, hotels, restaurants, the motorway and shops are all a consequence of the Shrine. It would not be an exaggeration to say half the population owes its livelihood to the Shrine. About 3.000.000 pilgrims flock to the town each year. Obviously the speed and movement entailed by the colossal number of people is too great for the conveniences that the town has to offer and many pilgrims do not have the opportunity of enjoying these amenities. In its history of a little more than a hundred years, Pompeii has seen many visitors among which there have been saints, kings, queens and princesses, and important personalities of the public and cultural world. More recently Pope John Paul II (21st of October 1979) appeared at the Central Loge of the Basilica to bless the crowd, thus bringing to life the prophecy of the founder.| 4. The Hearth of Pompeii The bell-tower, surmounted by a huge bronze cross has, since 1925, been the landmark of the whole Sarno valley, very like a lighthouse for those approaching Pompeii and a sweet memory for those having visited it. Once in the town, one is struck by the white mass of the Sanctuary with its domes and lateral chapels. The present temple is the result of the enlargement made in 1939 around the original church, which, as far as the dome, is today the central nave. The façade, on the other hand, was inaugurated in 1901 after eight years of work by the architect Giovanni Rispoli. To Bartolo Longo it represented the monument dedicated to universal peace built with the offerings of millions of people all over the world. Although the sanctuary is generally an oasis for prayer, there is inevitable whispering caused by the numerous people interested in the precious marble ornaments, mosaics and paintings. Inside this jewel of a Shrine the most precious treasure is the painting of the Our Lady of the Rosary with its history of neglect, restoration and triumph. In 1875 it was, in fact, hastily restored by Galella and again, more judiciously, by Maldarelli in 1879. A further restoration was made in 1965 by Benedettini Olivetani Fathers from Rome. The journey to Pompeii after its solemn incoronation in the Vatican Basilica by Pope Paul VI, was a triumph in which thousands of people took part."There is not a Christian soul that has not found in the Lady of the Rosary comfort in dark and troubled times, peace for a deep wound or pain; hope for moments of anguish". (G. Leone). The long corridors adjacent to the shrine, livened from the very start by the voices of the first orphans, are today full of the many devotees that come moved, to admire the thousands of offerings given in gratitude for miracles received. All this is an incisive, effective catechesis of Mary’s powerful intercession and, in such, an exceptional document of man’s habits, customs and evils over the last hundred years. The museum holds testimonials, precious chalices, corals, cameos and small silver statues as tokens of thanksgiving for Mary’s received protection. Last but not least is the "Vesuvian Museum". Bartolo Longo acquired a love for science at the service of local needs which inspired him to create an Observatory for the studies of the volcano, among other geological phenomena. Other events then brought about the formation of a museum that today exhibits prints, paintings and reconstructions, as well as a large collection of volcanic material inherent to the activity of the Vesuvius and to the destruction of the old Pompeii. An interesting particular is the finding of some "signs" of the presence of Christianity in Pompeii prior to its ruin in 79 A.D. Could these be the seeds of the New Christian Pompeii? 5. Pompeiian works of Charity The large family that one meets at Pompeii consist of more than a thousand people. Surrounding the growing Shrine Bartolo Longo wanted a town of charity whose inhabitants were the orphans of nature and the law: and by their side the nuns, priests, monks, workers and teachers help in the development of Mary’s town. The statistics, although not a complete indication, are quite eloquent. Since 1887 about ten thousand children have been educated in Pompeii. |Charity has no frontiers: then, like today the institutes are open not only to Italy, but to the whole world. Charity never tires: it is always ready to bring itself up to date. At the start, in 1887, Bartolo Longo thought first of nature’s orphan girls and then, in 1892 of the law’s orphan boys (sons of prisoners) and finally, in 1922, of the daughters of prisoners. "The three most dazzling gems with which the world, through Bartolo Longo, crowned the Virgin of Pompeii", are the words that Brother Regolo Battaglini used as the title of his poetic trilogy in 1936. Charity fears neither difficulties nor risks. Many people felt shocked and disoriented by Bartolo Longo’s social initiatives. "Much against positivists beliefs, Bartolo Longo put forward his great Faith which will always remain the focal point of his work". These wretched creatures, the positivists maintain, are doomed from birth to delinquency and neither prevention nor education can save them from crime. These bitter and depressing statements of positivist science neither stopped us in our difficult undertaking nor discouraged us: we did not believe in the power of evil but we believed in the redeeming forces of good, in the effectiveness of education. to the means provided by endless public charity, I gathered as many youngsters as I could, sons of prisoners, and saw that they were educated according to special methods, and I was able to prove that even children who have an inherent tendency to delinquency, a natural tendency passed down to them by their fathers and forefathers, can, if it is constantly corrected, be modified and sometimes even destroyed". (B. Longo). When visitors used to ask "what do the orphans do all day? How do they live?", Bartolo Longo would give them a long list of scholastic, recreational and formative activities that were provide the orphans with human warmth and meaning to life. Modern pedagogy has suggested the modification of some of the original ideas and rules, leaving the institutional aims intact. More recently, the problem of the aged has been taken up, and over the last twenty years, following the example of its founder, the directors of the Shrine have built a house in Pompeii for about fifty old people. The boys school is run by some Brothers of the Christian Schools. The increasing number of pupils as well as the fall in religious vocations has necessitated the collaboration of external teachers and workers. The Pompeiian family is completed by about sixty priests and monks who provide spiritual assistance to the institutes and to the millions of pilgrims. Bartolo Longo always used to say the following famous words: "If the works are those of God they will live forever, otherwise they will perish", which he often said in reference to his own work. A hundred years later Pompeii is alive and still flourishing. At present it has a precise legal and organizational structure, defining itself as such in the course of the years. What was taking place in Pompeii came to the notice of Pope Leo XIII who, as early as 1883 published his first encyclical on the Rosary, consequently showing his gratitude to Bartolo by giving him a private audience in 1884 and by appointing, in 1890, Cardinal Monaco La Valletta as Protector of the Sanctuary. Year" of exchanges between the Vatican and Pompeii was 1894. Bartolo Longo offered the Shrine and all it contained to the Pope. Leo XIII accepted the gift and detached the Shrine from the diocese of Nola, declaring it part of the Papal Estates and therefore under its immediate rule. The founders were appointed life administrators: this exceptional investiture was the response to false charges that had been made regarding Bartolo Longo’s management. In the year 1900 the first apotheosis of Pompeii was signed. It was the first jubilee in Pompeii, coinciding with the Holy Year that was being celebrated in Rome. Pope Leo XIII became the first herald of the marvels of Pompeii, exorthing the pilgrims: "Go to Pompeii; go and pray for the Pope in the Shrine of the Pope!". Jealousy over the development of the Shrine and its works caused some people (of whom some were religious) to give it a mistaken and malicious interpretation. They tried to overthrow the founders and their work. These rumours eventually reached the ears of the Pope. As these were hard times for the Church, especially in light of modernistic heresy, Pope Pius X was greatly alarmed and summoned the founder to a special audience on the 24th of November, 1903. Deeply hurt by this, Bartolo Longo wrote this justification: "My only aim in thirty three years of work has been to save my soul and that of my neighbours by spreading the worship of the Rosary and by educating the sons of prisoners, orphan girls and the children of the newly born Pompeiian town". In 1906 Bartolo Longo made the final detachment of his works in favour of the Holy See and at last the tempest came to an end. Obeying the Pope’s command: "you must not die, you must work...", he co-operated with Msgr. Augusto Silj, head of administration and Representative of the Holy See. On the 8th of May, 1926, Msgr. Carlo Cremonesi was appointed the Delegate for the Papal Estates and first Prelate of the "Prelatura Nullius", that is immediate subject to the Holy See. On Bartolo Longo’s death in 1926 the structure of the Sanctuary and annexed works of charity was complete and definitive. The succession of the Pope’s Delegates for the Sanctuary, who are also Prelates of Pompeii - became ordinary administration. In 1928 the Patriarch Antonio A. Rossi came to Pompeii and stayed until his death on the 29th of March, 1948. He took care of the enlargement of the Sanctuary. On August 15th of the same year Msgr. Roberto Ronca arrived as the Pope’s new Delegate. During the time of his office a great many additions were made: the new House of the Rosary, a new orphanage and the Graphic Institute. For two years, 1956-1957, Msgr. Giovanni Foschini was Prelate with the office of Apostolic Administrator. He was succeded by Msgr. Aurelio Signora, who held office until 1978. During the past twenty years, while many buildings were extensively renovated, Pompeii was further enriched by a Seminary, the Marianna De Fusco Home for the Aged and the Monastery. From 1978 to 1990 Msgr. Domenico Vacchiano has been the Prelate of Pompeii. The present Prelate is Msgr. Francesco Saverio Toppi, consecrated in Pompei on December 7, 1990. A work of God be it an institution or a person’s life, is like "the house built on a rock" that Jesus mentions: that neither wind nor storm can destroy. Here in Pompeii God gave another sign of His Goodness and Power. Mary, mother of God and the Church, administers, motherly, this Divine Goodness and Power. The charitable institutions and works, the Sanctuary and the town itself are all tangible signs of it. Men, be they inhabitants or pilgrims, are docile tools of the Work of God. Their offerings and their work are woven together by the hands of Providence to form the history of Pompeii. The adventure of Pompeii continues, and we feel sure that, as time passes, more and more will be told of what the blessed Bartolo Longo has done for Pompeii in God’s Will, the seed of which has produced and will continue to produce beautiful flowers and numerous fruits.

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Art & Design We believe that art has a unique power to change our world, to make it a more beautiful, generous, rich, and open place. We are convinced that the world needs not only artists, but Christian artists who in their talent and power of creative expression proclaim the glory of the Creator. Art & Design ACU Art & Design students learn from award-winning artists who actively produce and exhibit their creative work. These artists are also experienced educators - educators who love to teach because they love what they teach; who teach by what they do as well as by what they say; who motivate, inspire, nurture, and mentor aspiring artists and designers. These faculty equip students to think creatively, to find creative solutions to difficult problems, to courageously accept challenges and overcome them, and to use their tools, skills, and passion to reflect God's creativity to the world. Project Merge: Home makeover helps local family For many students at ACU, service to the community has been an integral part of their college experience. Like any town, Abilene has plenty of people who just need a helping hand. A group of students in the Department of Art and Design have come up with a way to help out the best way they know how - by applying the skills learned in their classes.

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I don’t know much about Elena Kagan, but I’m glad to see another woman being picked for the Supreme Court. Kagan, 50, the former dean of Harvard Law School, would become the fourth woman to serve on the high court; if she is confirmed, the nine-member court will have three female justices for the first time. In replacing Justice John Paul Stevens, Obama would also be breaking with tradition. Every other member of the court is a former federal appeals court judge, and Kagan has never served in the judiciary. The last time a non-judge was appointed was in 1972, when President Richard M. Nixon nominated William H. Rehnquist and Lewis Powell in the same year.

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There are numerous treatment options available for those who suffer from an enlarged prostate. The treatment options range from medication to surgery. According to the Mayo Clinic, the type of treatment needed depends on the severity of the condition and the patient’s age, as well as what course of treatment the patient prefers to pursue. The Mayo Clinic states that the most common treatment for an enlarged prostate is medication. Medications should be able to ease the symptoms for those with a moderate condition. If the medications aren’t effective, or if the symptoms are severe, a patient may need to consider surgery. Surgical procedures can range from minimally invasive to open surgery.

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Mobile use in the US continues to increase. According to Google, more people today use a mobile phone than a PC. In the U.S., 76% of respondents report using a mobile phone whereas 68% said they use a laptop or desktop PC. As many people migrate to smart phones, this means mobile traffic will continue to rise as well. Traffic to websites from mobile devices is now around 10% in the US (according to StatCounter). Here at New LifeStyles, we are seeing the same trend, with around 7% of our site visits coming from mobile devices, and that’s not counting App usage, which is why we invested in a mobile site and iPhone app in 2011. What is your site’s mobile traffic? Most web statistics programs should track mobile usage. They should also be able to tell you which devices are accessing your site, so you know for which you need to optimize. Check your site on an Android phone, an iPhone, a Blackberry, an iPad, and other tablets. Do you have to scroll a lot? Is it difficult to complete forms? Are they too long? Don’t miss out on 10% of the traffic to your site! Make sure it is optimized for mobile use today! This can be done in a number of ways: - You can build a mobile site focusing on your main goals, with shorter forms and less options. - If your site changes according to window size (responsive design), optimize it for mobile views. - Consider building an App for the devices that most access your site (you will need a separate App for each device). This trend will only continue. Stay ahead of the curve and make your site friendly for mobile visitors!

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California Utility Reopens Residential Energy Efficiency Program September 8, 2004 Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), one of the largest utilities in California, announced on August 31st that it has reopened its popular program of energy efficiency rebates for residences. The utility has an additional $6.5 million in funds to keep the rebates flowing until the end of the year. PG&E closed the program in early July for lack of funds, but recently earned approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to redirect some unspent funds toward the rebate program. See the PG&E press release. PG&E is also offering discounts on Energy Star lighting. Now through October 31st, 750 retail and hardware stores in the utility's service area are offering instant discounts on compact fluorescent lamps and energy-efficient light fixtures and torchiere lamps. See the PG&E press release. Meanwhile, the state's other major residential energy efficiency rebate programs continue to run low. As of August 25th, Southern California Edison (SCE) was down to 13 percent of its residential rebate funds. San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) closed most of its residential rebate programs in mid-August. See the SCE and SDG&E Web sites.

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What is refinancing? Refinancing is when you finance something again. This typically applies of loans, where you refinance them at a lower rate of interest than you initially had. During refinancing, the initial loan is paid off so that the new loan can be instated. Who is best eligible for refinancing? Typically borrowers with high credit scores have better experiences with refinancing. Borrowers with not so good credit or even too much debt may be taking a risk with refinancing. What are the advantages of refinancing? The best and most sought out advantage is a lower interest rate on the loan. Considering many of us do no have established credit in college, once we are making more money in our established careers, we are able to pay our bills in a more timely fashion increasing our credit score. In turn, this will impress creditors and interest rates can drop, saving us more hundreds of dollars a year off of interest rates alone. For those who have homes and have had them for a while, you could refinance for large purchases - such as cars or to reduce debt incurred from credit cards over the years. Borrowers are given a lump sum of cash calculated by what the appraisal value of the house is now (what the loaner will loan based off of this appraisal) less the amount already paid on the home. Since many people do home improvements, they typically get a good cash out. What are the disadvantages/risks of refinancing? The hidden fees could be a major disadvantage. It is best to check all paperwork before filing for refinancing as the companies that issued the loans could have included penalty fees for those deciding to do this. Additionally, having an attorney on hand to check over your paper work or even having bank fees could be major money busters. The fees themselves could be the very deterrent you face when refinancing. Wait until banks offer free financing or have very low fees associated with this process. It could save you thousands of dollars. So, should you refinance? The decision is purely based off of your current situation. Refinancing with your original loaner could be an option and save you tons of money. Likewise, using another lending company could give way to the same benefits or could hurt your more than help. Consult with a financial advisor for better instructions. For now, I'm good on refinancing. Have you refinanced your house/car? How was the process?

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Along with the Kosovo Roma Refugee Foundation, the Roma Information Foundation, and the Society for Threatened Peoples (Germany and UK), Ms. Post continues to work for the approximately 550 Roma Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Kosovo who were forced for over 9 years to live on lead contaminated toxic land. Two actions have been filed with the United Nations itself since Kosovo has been governed nine years by the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) who is the responsible party. The favorable admissibility decision made by HRAP on 5 June 2009 that can be found on this web site at "Research and other tidbits" was overturned on 30 March 2010 by HRAP due to UNMIK changing the rules of the game and prohibiting HRAP from hearing the claim after they got an unfavorable ruling. In August 2011, after five years and five months, the UN declined to act further on the case claiming that it was a claim against the administration of Kosovo by the UNMIK rather than a claim for injury of the individual Roma, a patently false statement. Post re-filed the case with the Human Rights Advisory Panel in Kosovo and continues to work on an additional complaint against EULEX that took over after UNMIK. An international advocacy group has a web page at www.toxicwastekills.com, and you can go there and see what you can do to help these most forgotten victims. On behalf of 10 protective mothers, one adult child, and 6 organizations, Post filed a petition with the Inter American Commission on Human Rights on 11 May 2007. The petition was supported by 17 national and state organizations as well. The petition claims that the U.S. is violating the Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of Man by the policy and practice of giving child custody or unsupervised visitation to abusers and molesters. To read the petition, go to www.stopfamilyviolence.org [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] Site Design: DeLaPointe Web Design LLC

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Ralston Crawford (1906-1978) Artist Ralston Crawford at Hoover Dam. Ralston Crawford was born in St. Catherines, Ontario, in 1906. He studied art at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, the Barnes Foundation, the Academie Colarossi and Academie Scandinave in Paris, and Columbia University. During his career he taught at many institutions including the Art Academy of Cincinnati, the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, the University of Michigan, and the University of Colorado. He was the recipient of numerous awards and was the featured artist in many exhibitions. His works can be found in the collection of several universities and corporations as well as many museums and the Library of Congress. Return to Artists and

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Prominent Republicans who support marriage rights for same-sex couples are the focus of a new million-dollar ad campaign that's set to roll out Wednesday. The spot, from the Respect for Marriage Coalition, features clips of former Vice President Dick Cheney, former first lady Laura Bush, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell all voicing their support for same-sex marriage rights. The ads also use a clip from President Barack Obama's second inaugural address in January. The group said they would spend $1 million to air the ad, as well as run print ads in major newspapers utilizing the same quotes from the Republicans who back equal marriage rights. "None of us would want to be told we can't marry the person we love," a narrator says introducing the clips. "That's why a growing majority of Americans believe it's time to allow marriage for gay and lesbian couples." Bush is shown in a 2010 CNN interview with Larry King saying, "When couples are committed to each other and love each other then they ought to have the same sort of rights that everyone has." Those remarks came as a surprise at the time, since she appeared to be breaking ranks on the issue with her husband, former President George W. Bush. In 2011, her daughter Barbara appeared in a television spot for another pro-gay marriage group, the Human Rights Campaign. Wednesday's ad from the Respect for Marriage Coalition also shows Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State under George W. Bush, supporting same-sex marriage in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer from May. "Allowing them to live together with the protection of law, it seems to me is the way we should be moving in this country," Powell said on CNN's "The Situation Room." That interview reflected a shift for Powell, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy was implemented. A third Republican, former Vice President Dick Cheney, is shown in the spot saying "Freedom means freedom for everyone." Cheney's younger daughter Mary wed her longtime partner Heather Poe in June. They were married in Washington, D.C., which legalized same-sex marriage in 2009. And a Democrat, President Barack Obama, is shown during his January inauguration address declaring "Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law." The new ad campaign comes as the Supreme Court prepares to tackle the issue of same-sex marriage this spring. Last year the high court agreed to hear two constitutional challenges to state and federal laws dealing with the recognition of gay and lesbian couples to legally wed. Oral arguments will be held on March 26 and 27, with a ruling by late June.

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amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research has published a fundraising toolkit for community-based NGOs working in the HIV-related programs and services for gay men, transgender individuals, and other men who sex with men (MSM) in low and middle-income countries. The guide provides information on following common questions that NGOs come across in the field of HIV and AIDS: - Which donors are funding MSM and other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community-based organizations? - Which donors are funding projects in particular geographic areas? - What kinds of grants are these donors making? - What kinds of programs and projects are being funded by these grants? - Whom do I contact and how does my organization apply for funding? It covers donor agencies such as private foundations, intermediaries, multilateral donors, bilateral funding agencies, embassies, corporate donors and academic institutions which have a focus on providing grant support in this area of interest. One of the main sources of information for this guide has been amfAR’s own grant application system where applicant organizations applying for its fund specified other donor support in the same field. The guide can be downloaded from this link.

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Practical Learning Courses Practical learning courses include internships, directed projects, field work and practicums. These courses are directly supervised by faculty at Hood College, are graded in a similar manner and awarded credit in the same unit as resident courses, are part of an approved curriculum and meet a requirement for graduation. Students are expected to spend at least as much time in preparation and training as is normally required for resident courses; each course has an assigned instructor; and interaction between instructor and student is regularly scheduled. The planned program of activities is controlled by the school, not by officials of the external agency. Independent Study (375) and Teaching Assistantships (335) Independent study (375) and teaching assistantships (335) are not conventional classroom or laboratory experiences but are an integral part of Hood’s programs. A Hood faculty member is required to supervise and schedule regular interaction with students involved in these learning experiences. Course titles followed by (CORE) indicate courses included in the Core Curriculum. Refer to Undergraduate Degree Requirements. Course Numbering System 100-499 Courses numbered in this way designate undergraduate courses. 299 Special topics courses are offered in many departments or on an interdepartmental basis. The content and methods of such courses vary with the interest of students and faculty members, emerging knowledge or issues and opportunities for field experience. A special topics course may or may not count toward the major. 397 An upper-level special topics course offered at the discretion of the department. The content and methods vary with the interest of students and faculty members. Designates departmental honors paper, a two-semester senior-year program designed for students who wish to pursue intensive research or special projects in close coordination with faculty advisers. Departmental honors students are known as the Christine P. Tischer Scholars and receive 6 credits for this work.

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THIS MONTH IT’S already three years since the death of dear Dempsey Heiner, who went to his eternal reward on 16 January 2008. Demspey was a real gem of a man: a scholar and a gentleman, capable of relaying brilliant insights easily and who, at least once, exhibited his skill in the art of the gentlest intellectual rebuke of a presumptuous young intellectual fellow-Catholic (i.e.: yours truly), backed up with a remembered citation of François Mauriac. Dennis Clinton Graham Heiner was born in New York in 1927 to Robert Graham Heiner and Frances Eliot Cassidy, friends and fellow-travellers of Margaret Sanger, the notorious racial eugenicist & founder of Planned Parenthood. Dempsey’s parents enrolled him at St. Bernard’s, where he was in the same year as George Plimpton, the founder of the Paris Review and twentieth-century embodiment of the gilded amateur. Plimpton (who died in 2003) described Dempsey as “the brightest boy in the class, a genius” and remarked that since leaving school he remained something of an enigma. Dempsey stretched the veracity of the truth regarding his date of birth in order to join the U.S. Navy and catch the tail end of the Second World War. With the return of peace, it was Harvard for undergrad, and then a law degree from Yale Law School (though he never practised law), followed by study at the University of Paris from which he received a medical degree (though he never practised medicine either). Dempsey’s typically cryptic response to an alumni questionnaire from St. Bernard’s stated that he had been “studying languages” for forty years. Assuming that Dempsey had retired from some field or profession, a close friend of mine once asked of Dempsey’s sister, “What did Dempsey do?” “Dempsey didn’t,” was the simple response. The answer is telling yet inaccurate. In fact, Dempsey did. In the 1950s, Dempsey did convert to Catholicism, as Father Rutler put it, “in contradiction of everything his parents understood to be rightly ordered”. Dempsey did frequently pray the Rosary, silently and solemnly, outside one of Manhattan’s busiest abortion clinics. Dempsey did marry Helena Reina, a Cuban psychiatrist who fled the ravages of Castro’s revolution. Father Rutler again: They were married for more than fifty years, and all the while I knew them he was her nurse, for she had become blind and nearly comatose. Even toward her end, whenever I brought her the Blessed Sacrament, he sat her under an oil portrait of herself in youth. Not once did I ever hear him speak of her as anything but a blessing, or of her infirmity as anything but a benison, and he seemed never so joyful as when he tried to make her drink through a straw. But the most famous thing that Dempsey “did” happened on December 16, 1999. The Brooklyn Museum put on an exhibition entitled “Sensation” that included, among other failed attempts at art, a revolting portrayal of the Blessed Virgin surrounded by images of female reproductive organs cut out of pornographic magazines. The painting was an affront to the good people of the Five Boroughs who hail Mary as their mother, but the popular outrage only increased the smug feelings of superiority amongst the puerile cultural elite of the city. And so Dempsey did. The 72-year-old visited the exhibition, stepped over the barrier in front of the offensive misrepresentation of his beloved Mother, opened a tube of white paint and smeared it all over the work. He was quickly apprehended by Brooklyn Museum security guards, who phoned the authorities, but once the arresting police officers were out of sight of the museum officials, each one shook Dempsey’s hand with pride, and patted him on the back for a job well done. The trial provided a somewhat surreal moment as Dempsey, testifying in his own defense, listed the numerous places throughout the world where the Blessed Virgin is reputed to have appeared. The court stenographer asked for the proceedings to halt temporarily so she could take down the spellings of such exotic locales as Częstochowa. Dempsey’s filial devotion for Mother Mary shone forth to such an extent that even the judge, a Jew, was convinced. Judge Thomas Farber admitted that before the proceedings began he had expected to hear nothing but hate from Mr. Heiner but that instead he heard only love. He rejected the prosecutor’s request for probation, community service, and an order barring Dempsey from the Brooklyn Museum. Instead, he encouraged Dempsey to visit any museum he liked “but without a tube of paint”, and sentenced him to one day of sensitivity training. “I am sure that no amount of sensitivity training,” the Judge avowed, “will lessen the defendant’s love for the Virgin Mary.” Truer words were never spoken. The last time I saw him alive was a Monday morning in 2008, as I was ensconced in Bloom’s Deli on 39th and Lexington, enjoying a hearty breakfast at a table beside the window. I looked up from the morning paper out towards the street below and there he was, Dempsey Heiner, sailing slowly down the sidewalk with a steady but ponderous gait, immaculately dressed in jacket and tie. I immediately dropped the paper to knock on the window and wave hello, but relented at the last minute and decided to let him go his way in peace, sure I’d see him another day. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

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Nelson, Rubio join chorus of concerns over No-Fishing Zones in Biscayne National Park In a letter to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Florida’s bi-partisan U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio urge the National Park Service to reconsider the proposed General Management Plan (GMP) for Biscayne National Park and to work cooperatively with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to maintain public access for anglers and boaters. The National Park Service signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the FWC in 2007 that specifically stated they would provide for recreational and commercial fishing opportunities for the angling public by seeking the least restrictive management actions necessary. “But the measures proposed in the National Park Service plan represent the most extreme tools available for making fishery management modifications in Biscayne National Park, ignoring alternative ways to achieve the desired resource improvements without sacrificing the public’s ability to access and enjoy the park,” the letter to Sec. Salazar from U.S. Sens. Nelson and Rubio states. The recently released GMP for Biscayne National Park includes a preferred alternative that would close roughly 10,500 acres of the Park’s most popular and productive shallow water reefs to recreational fishing, boating and other activities by designating these waters as a marine reserve. The most extreme alternative would close twice that much area. On April 27, Karl “KC” Crook, a member of CCA Florida’s Dade County Chapter and owner of Crook & Crook Bait and Tackle, testified before the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands in a hearing entitled, “Access Denied: Turning Away Visitors to National Parks.” “Biscayne National Park is a regional treasure. It deserves the proper attention and controlled use to sustain and protect the natural beauty and resources contained within the Park,” Crook said. “Anglers are willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of the resource, as long as they are confident that these sacrifices are based on strong science and a true desire to improve the health of the fisheries we enjoy. However, the closures being proposed in Biscayne National Park are not based on solid fisheries management and seem to place undue blame for any and all problems in the park on anglers and boaters.” At the same hearing, Kenneth W. Wright, vice chairman of the Florida FWC, outlined his agency’s concerns over the development of the new General Management Plan for the Park. “The new GMP proposes alternatives for management of the Park for the next 20 or more years,” he said. “The FWC has significant concerns with the management actions that are proposed in the GMP by the NPS, but are hopeful and guardedly optimistic that these concerns can be resolved through further coordination with the National Park Service.” A coalition of boating and angling groups, including Coastal Conservation Association, the American Sportfishing Association, National Marine Manufacturers Association, the Center for Coastal Conservation and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, has worked to find a reasonable compromise that will protect the Park’s marine resources, but not disconnect the Park from millions of America’s citizens. “We are grateful that Senator Nelson and Senator Rubio are engaged on this effort and are seeking to have the National Park Service work cooperatively with the Florida FWC to maintain access in the park,” said Center for Coastal Conservation President Jeff Angers. “Conservationists across the country applaud them for standing up as stewards of our fisheries resources and our coastal communities.”

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Bring back the beagles and x-raying of passenger bags at airports – that’s the call from Horticulture New Zealand following the discovery of a fruit fly in Auckland. HortNZ president Andrew Fenton of Te Puke says without the return of stricter board controls, scares like the latest one will happen on a regular basis, threatening this country’s $3.3 billion fruit and vegetable export industry. No further Queensland fruit flies have been found since May 8 but biosecurity officials maintain strict controls and a large-scale field effort will continue for the next 10 days to ensure that if any of the insects were present, they would not able to spread from the Avondale area. Andrew says growers and the country don’t want any more scares or a real incursion of insects or other pests and diseases and action must be taken now to prevent that happening. “We want 100 per cent x-ray of all passengers arriving from offshore. And we want the beagles back at Wellington Airport.” HortNZ believes this country might still be able to claim the world’s toughest biosecurity protection, but it’s not good enough for New Zealand’s growers. “It’s got to the point where we are relying on 2000kms of sea to provide our biosecurity protection. “We know where the fault lies. This Government’s determination to cut costs has now cost all of us big money, and risked billions of dollars in national earnings,” Andrew says. HortNZ has confidence in the passionate and capable people working on the ground responding to this detection. “We thank them for all their effort and also thank all the people in the controlled areas for their co-operation. “But those people, and the rest of New Zealand, don’t want to be going through a scare like this every six months. That’s exactly what will happen if we don’t very quickly put back all the protection that’s quietly been taken away. “We have heard too much about creating a ‘domestic-like travel experience’ and reducing passenger processing times. Biosecurity is a national issue. It is a serious business and can’t be compromised.” HortNZ believes the Ministry of Primary Industries have cut too deep and now we are all paying the price. Long-serving, extremely knowledgeable and passionate staff have been lost. Figures provided to HortNZ show a reduction in frontline biosecurity staff of 12 per cent since 2007, to just 280 people at airports country wide. At the same time, passenger arrivals have increased by 14 per cent, from 4.3 million to 4.9million. Wellington airport has had no detector dogs since September last year and nationally there are two less x-ray machines in service than there were two years ago. “I have had former and current MPI staff tell me how worried they are. That makes me, and all 6000 growers HortNZ represents, very worried and very angry,” sasy Andrew. The ‘Direct Exit’ policy, which aims to speed up a traveller’s trip by 15 minutes has been criticised by HortNZ in the past, and will be again if this Government’s policy does not change. “We want the 100per cent x-ray back. We want all the beagles back. And it needs to happen now.”

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The original gospel comes with signs and wonders, and what we witnessed last week was absolutely glorious. Miracles upon miracles. Without the miraculous the gospel would be an empty shell. But Jesus Christ is the same-today. Miracles identify Him.Miracle reports include: - The blind receiving sight. - The lame walking. - One man said he was healed of HIV/AIDS. - "One pastor had been shot in the arm by robbers and the arm had died. He had spent a small fortune on doctors trying to save the arm, but they were unable to restore it and so he was scheduled to have it amputated ... After the prayer, he received feeling in his hand again and use of two of his fingers, and his hand was still improving in real time as he gave his testimony." - A thirty-five year old man who was deaf and mute from birth, received his hearing and was able to repeat words after healing prayer. - A thirty-two year old man born lame no longer had to crawl around but was able to get up and walk. - A woman who was injured in an accident and unable to walk correctly demonstrated her healing by leaping on the platform. - Tens of thousands received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We ought to have a blazing neon sign in every church with the words: "This Same Jesus." The Jesus we point to is the Jesus of saving grace, miracle power and healing mercy. What He was in the past He still is today. What He did in days gone by He still does in our day. When we preach Jesus as He is, He reveals Himself in confirmation of what is said."You can find this report here. God is still doing today what He has always done in His Church.

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Taronga Western Plains Zoo is mourning the passing of Yum Yum, our much loved African Elephant. We estimate Yum Yum at 42 years of age, she has been the matriarch of the African Elephant herd at Taronga Western Plains Zoo since they first arrived on the 12th December, 1977. Over the years we have tried to find out information about her origins, we only know the records state she was wild caught in the early 70’s as an orphan, we believe somewhere in Kenya. Yum Yum, along with Cheri, Cuddles and David, travelled from Longleat Safari Park in the UK to Australia on a P&O ship. We have recently had emails from a gentleman who shared the trip over with them and remembers them docking at Fiji where all the locals came to bring them banana palms as they had never seen an Elephant before. They quarantined at Taronga Zoo in Sydney before travelling out to Dubbo by truck. Over the years, two other African Elephants Toto and Congo joined the herd, both they as well as Cheri and David have now all passed on and with Yum Yum’s passing, Cuddles is the last of the African Elephants in Australia. Yum Yum was a fantastic matriarch. She was level headed, calm and often stubborn! She was very intelligent and would learn a new behaviour within a day or two. In recent years Yum Yum and Cuddles have enjoyed learning a variety of new behaviours as part of a more intensive approach to their management. This ranged from various husbandry behaviours to more fun things like kicking a ball around, sucking and blowing water, pushing large tree stumps around, waving and painting. Yum Yum was a vigorous painter, as with most things she was all brawn (as you would expect with 4.7 tonnes behind you!). She could cover a canvas with a few quick brush strokes and loved to do blow paintings. Whenever we got the easel out, Yum Yum would start making her gurgling noise which was a sign of pleasure. This gurgling noise was unique to Yum, it was the first sound to greet us as we arrived in the shed in the mornings and as she waited for her breakfast. She would also gurgle constantly whilst drinking from HER hose, a green garden hose we would hook up to the warm tap for her morning drink. By far the highlight of Yum Yum’s day was her early morning walks with Cuddles. If we were too slow getting ready to go, she would go outside and stand at the gate, just to hurry us up! Yum Yum loved to explore new areas around the zoo, but her favourite place to visit was the old browse pile at the back of the zoo and she would always speed up when we headed in this direction. Yum Yum was well named as she loved her food. She would often collect treats in her mouth and then stand and suck on a wad of goodies going into what we called ‘a Yum Yum trance’. So when Yum Yum stopped eating on Saturday keepers and vets knew that she was not going to come through this most recent digestive upset. Yum Yum was put to sleep on Sunday morning surrounded by keepers and vet staff that loved her. She was stoic and brave until the end, giving kisses to keepers right up until she went to sleep. She was one of a kind and has left a huge hole in the hearts of the Elephant team at Dubbo. Goodbye Yum Yum and thank you for 33 years of giving pleasure to visitors and staff at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, you will be sorely missed. - Elephant Keeper team at Taronga Western Plains Zoo Taronga Zoo, Media Relations (02) 9978 4606 Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Media Relations (02) 6881 1400 Note: For all other enquiries please see the Contact Us page.

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Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display. arbcombo -- In-use Off-road Diesel Vehicle Regulation Adopted Posted: 14 Aug 2007 07:25:28 At the July 26, 2007 Air Resources Board (Board or ARB) meeting, the Board unanimously voted to adopt the proposed in-use off-road diesel vehicle regulation, along with some additional modifications. The regulation will significantly reduce particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions from the nearly 180,000 existing off-road diesel vehicles in California by requiring fleet owners to accelerate turnover to cleaner engines and install exhaust retrofits. Implementation of the regulation is expected to prevent approximately 4,000 premature deaths through the year 2030. The modifications to the regulation that were approved by the Board include: A new appeals process for fleets in the event that the Executive Officer denies a request for a safety exemption from the retrofit requirements; Removal of the three month grace period for out-of-state or new fleets that come to California; Requiring the issuance of a Certificate of Reported Compliance to fleets upon receipt by ARB of the required reporting data showing compliance with the regulation; and PM retrofit credit for the retirement of Tier 0 vehicles such that equivalent emission reductions are achieved; Clarification of the appropriate tax exempt IRS code citations by adding reference to sections 501(c)(5), 501(c)(6), and 501(a); Restructuring the regulatory language so that the PM and NOx requirements are contained in separate sections; and The addition of new language creating a regional incentive based program (known as the SOON program) to achieve additional NOx reductions, including allowing any local air district the ability to opt in and allowing air districts to establish their own cost-effectiveness criteria in their guidelines. Other minor clarifications. Finally, the Board asked staff to report back in early 2009, late 2010, early 2013, and early 2017 regarding implementation of the regulation. Once staff has modified the proposed regulatory language to reflect these changes, staff will release revised regulatory language and other supporting documentation to the public for a 15-day public comment period. Staff expects that the notice, revised regulatory language, and supporting documentation for this15-day public comment period will be available within the next month. As staff begins outreach and education activities related to implementation of the in-use off-road diesel vehicle regulation, staff will post announcements and training materials to this email list-serve. We look forward to working with all interested parties to make implementation as smooth as possible and make the rule a success. You are receiving this single arbcombo email because you are a subscriber to or have made a public comment to one or more of the following lists: diesel-retrofit, onrdiesel, ordiesel, showcase.

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I offer you some little bits of wisdom and advice from my many years of experience that should ease the skiing experience for both you and your child. 1. Start talking about skiing in a positive manner long before the actual event. Build up the excitement and prepare them for sliding around on snow by taking them tubing or pulling them on a sled. Make them think it is going to be the greatest thing ever and build up their confidence. We let our boys walk around the house in their boots and jump on the trampoline with their skis on. You don't want the first time they squeeze into a pair of uncomfortable boots to be that first day on the hill. 2. Don't force the issue if your child does not want to ski right off the bat. There is always another day. Hire a sitter or enroll him in an adventure or day care program at your local resort. Keep in mind that a small child sees those big funny sticks on their feet only as a hindrance that disables them from walking; especially, if they just grasped the concept of their two feet being independent. 3. Cough up the money and pay for a few lessons. Your sanity will thank you and your child will be that much further along when you take her out on the slopes. Children will usually learn quicker and have more fun with the competition of a peer group. Also, Mom and Dad are not there being overbearing or criticizing every move. 4. Please make sure your child is well suited to be out in cold temperatures. Their small bodies lose heat quicker than yours and need to be well insulated and protected. Waterproof layers are a good idea (and a backpack for you) as they will be tugging clothes and gear off and on all day. You will become a skiing closet. 5. Helmets are necessary equipment. Helmets are not something you buy for your child to grow into. Make sure it fits properly and don't forget the goggles. Make sure you rent good equipment if you are not ready to drop the cash on your growing child for skis and boots. Your child will be at a huge disadvantage if you set them up on the same skis you learned on back in "the day." The new technology and width of modern skis make the learning curve much faster than old-school gear. Don't forget the sunscreen. 6. Don't be afraid to stop and build a snowman or make snow angels if your child starts to break down or become tired. You may be surprised how good a little frolic in the snow can be for the soul. Just make sure you stop in a safe place and are aware of your surroundings. 7. Scan the Web for learning games and ideas and keep an eye on instructors as they teach. There is a wealth of information out there to help you instruct your child and have fun doing it. Kids don't realize they are "learning" when they are playing "Red Light, Green Light" or making airplane turns with lots of funny noises. Learn to be a kid yourself. Enjoy the time you are spending with your child. 8. Make sure you know the mountain well so you don't take your advancing little skiers somewhere beyond their capabilities. Don't assume that because they can carve on a black groomer at one ski area that they are ready to charge a truly advanced run at another. Putting a child in an uncomfortable and even dangerous situation could be the end of a lifetime of fun. It takes one bad experience to make skiing equal "no fun" in their heads, besides the fact that you could be charging up unnecessary doctor's bills. Your family members should decide on a meeting spot in case anyone gets lost or left behind. The bottom terminal of a central chairlift is a good bet. Make sure your child knows that if he needs help it is okay to talk to someone in a uniform. Point them out so they know who to look for. Pin your cell phone number to an inside pocket in case he gets lost. 9. Most importantly, and I can't say this enough--make sure you are having fun. It is time to quit as soon as teaching becomes a chore or your child is losing interest or not listening. She knows when you are getting cranky and things will just go south from there. 10. Let the ski school take over if you are not an advanced skier with good technical skills and cannot confidently ski backwards, or are uncomfortable skiing with a child between your legs. That is what they are there for. The smiles on your tike's face will be well worth it and so will your sanity and their safety. Skiing is one sport that families can enjoy for a lifetime and the memories that you create will be some of the most cherished by your children. Chances are they will carry on the tradition with their own kids so, get out there, enjoy the unparalleled scenery, fresh air and adventure.

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Blog Posts Tagged with "Military" April 16, 2013 Added by:Jarno Limnéll Cyberweapons are now comparable to the ballistic nuclear missile arsenal of the US, which also resides under the jurisdiction of the President. Giving the President cyber-initiative responsibilities speaks volumes regarding the serious attitude to which they are treated. January 18, 2013 Added by:Joel Harding I know the Chinese recently held a military exercise under constrained conditions, they even advertised it ex post facto. Why don’t we? I would see that as the perfect opportunity to increase the cross-pollination, knowledge and appreciation between Electronic Warfare and cyber... January 15, 2013 Added by:Robert M. Lee A quick(er) look at the publication: "The Interim Years of Cyberspace." The publication was intended for a military audience but this post tries to apply some of those lessons and thesis points to the larger InfoSec community... October 01, 2012 Added by:Pierluigi Paganini It's known that military sector represents a privileged incubator for new technologies than in many cases are subsequently used in civil. We have already read about the existence of software to spy on victims that are able to record communications and movements but the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana in collaboration with researchers at Indiana University created a new type of 'vi... September 19, 2012 Added by:Joel Harding With the way US forces are distributed globally, cyber capabilities and flexibilities are enhanced. Cyber, both offense and defense, can be launched from anywhere. All Combatant Commanders have liaisons and representative elements with geographic commands, Cyber Command is no different... September 11, 2012 Added by:Stefano Mele According to a new report from the DoD Inspector General, security policies "often overlap, are fragmentary, or inconsistent". The sheer volume of policies that are not integrated makes it difficult for those in the field to ensure consistent and comprehensive policy implementation... August 28, 2012 Added by:Pierluigi Paganini “As a commander in Afghanistan in the year 2010, I was able to use my cyber operations against my adversary with great impact... I was able to get inside his nets, infect his command-and-control, and in fact defend myself against his almost constant incursions to get inside my wire, to affect my operations...” August 28, 2012 Added by:Joel Harding So what is cyberwar? Most people feel that some country is going to launch attacks against another, trying to blind their military, mute the government and make life incredibly miserable for their citizens. If the attack is successful, part of the economic base will probably be permanently destroyed... August 26, 2012 Added by:Richard Stiennon Carbon whiskers unleashed to disable transformers? Oh yes. Just a few grams got released into the atmosphere and shorted out transformers throughout the Pacific Northwest. I do not like the idea of kilograms of this escaping the target area. It could be decades before power grids are free of this menace... August 23, 2012 Added by:Joel Harding The Swiss are standing up a cyber command and they say their cyber warriors will be armed. Why wouldn’t this work in the US? First, we don’t trust our people as much as the Swiss. That is the nature of our culture, especially in the US. We are more paranoid, cynical and negative. We tend to micromanage... August 20, 2012 Added by:Headlines "The vulnerabilities inherent in social media, ubiquitous encryption and malicious software that has the ability to change form and target enroute, retaining access and the freedom to maneuver in cyberspace will be essential for us to defend ourselves and influence the nature of future conflict..." August 18, 2012 Added by:Pierluigi Paganini It is expected that in the first phase of an offensive against Iran, Israel will conduct a cyber attack of impressive dimensions with the intent to paralyze the country by knocking out the Internet, all communications and other critical infrastructure. This is the new way to engage in a war... August 17, 2012 Added by:Joel Harding "Silverstein claims to have obtained an Israeli briefing document outlining the Jewish state’s war plans against Iran, which, according to him, include the launching of dozens of missiles, an aerial attack, a sophisticated cyber attack and even the assassination of senior Iranian military and intelligence officials..." August 15, 2012 Added by:Richard Stiennon The trade of conventional weapons is a multi-billion dollar industry. But when it comes to cyber weapons, developed nations have yet to place limits on what kind of offensive software can be sold. It becomes a necessity to begin some kind of international regulatory system for cyber weapons and the prerequisite expertise... August 11, 2012 Added by:Scot Terban We have opened Pandora’s box and there is no way to get what has escaped back in. We have given the weapon framework away due to the nature of the carrier. Even if Gauss is encrypted, it will be broken and then what? Unlike traditional weapons that destroy themselves, the malware we have sent can be reverse engineered... July 31, 2012 Added by:Headlines Cyber war is complicated and defending systems demands world-class engineers and technicians and the military must compete with other public agencies and the private sector in attracting these specialists. Having the right people in the right places with the right training is the best defense against any attack... Mobile Security Processes Could Be Applied t... Johnnie Nix on 05-21-2013 ATM Security (And Really Learning from the P... Johnnie Nix on 05-21-2013 New Study Published on Mobile Malware... Caitlin Rachel on 05-21-2013

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Operational Changes Took Effect on May 1 The Lighthouse Visitor Center is now only open Fridays through Mondays. The Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center will be closed through late December 2013. More » 2013 Harbor Seal Pupping Season Closures From March 1 through June 30, the park implements closures of certain Tomales Bay beaches and Drakes Estero to water-based recreation to protect harbor seals during the pupping season. Please avoid disturbing seals to ensure a successful pupping season. More » Boat Rescue at Point Reyes National Seashore on August 3, 2003 Contact: John A. Dell’Osso, 415-464-5135 On August 3, 2003 at 8:00 am, a fisherman reported a boat in distress that had run aground on Driftwood Beach in the wilderness area of Point Reyes National Seashore. National Park Rangers responded and found five individuals and their boat had made it ashore in a rugged section of Tomales Point. The outer coast of Tomales Bay is considered extremely dangerous because of heavy surf, rip tides and extremely cold water. The boat operator Linh Dang reported that his boat experienced mechanical difficulties while he was fishing near the shoreline in his 19-foot power boat. After receiving assistance from park rangers, four of the individuals were able to hike out to McClures Beach. One individual unable to make the steep climb out from the beach area was evacuated via a Coast Guard helicopter. Rangers had been standing by to perform a technical rock rescue evacuation if necessary. The salvage company, Parker Dive, was able to refloat the vessel at high tide and tow the boat to Drakes Bay where it was removed by the owner. Did You Know? Elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris)are the largest pinniped with males reaching a maximum of about 5,000 lbs. Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) are much smaller with both males and females reaching a maximum weight of around 250 lbs. More...

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Monday August 27, 2012 Distractions can cause you to walk into trouble PETALING JAYA: Fiddling with her phone while jogging by the road, English teacher Jeslyn Amarasekara ran straight into a lamp-post. The 26-year-old had been using her headphones to listen to songs while jogging and was looking through the playlist for a particular song. “I was scanning the list for a specific song. I didn't bother looking up because I knew I was the only one jogging there. “I didn't see the lamp-post and ran straight into it,” said Jeslyn, adding that she had bumped her head and the phone fell from her hands. To make things worse, she said, a stranger had witnessed the embarrassing incident. The man stopped and said: “Are you okay? Next time, keep your eyes open when you walk” before bursting into laughter. Assistant manager Vijay Kanna, 26, fell off a bus because he was busy SMS-ing. “I was distracted by a text message while alighting a bus. I ended up missing a step and falling down on the road in front of people were waiting to board,” he said. Facebook addict Felicia Tan, 17, once walked into a wall and hit her head. “Since then I have learned to keep my phone away while walking in public places,” she said.

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23 April 2013 by Permi Krishna The best cameras for wildlife photography are the digital SLRs. The one absolute must feature that you need to look for is a fast continuous autofocus, which helps you track fast moving animals without losing focus. We limit our selection of the best cameras for wildlife pictures to the ones having supporting continuous auto focus and high response times(atleast 3 frames per second). Our selection also includes some of the expensive DSLR's, which supports this fast and continuous autofocus. Professional wildlife photography demands a tele-photo lens in the range of 300mm and more. Generally, wild animals are not that obliging and one may want to have large zoom range to get in close enough. Wild life photography also means faster shutter speed (to capture moving animals) and wider aperture for shooting in lower light. Also a key feature is that there should be no shutter release button time lag, which could make a difference in capturing a great shot at the right time. For amateurs who don't want to lug around a large DSLR body and telephoto lens, there are the superzoom cameras which have an awesome 10x or even 20x zoom built in. They are fixed lens cameras but nevertheless give an impressive 300mm or more zoom. To serve the purpose better they boast faster shutter speed and wider aperture in the range of F3.2. And the icing on the cake is that, they come at very affordable price so it's perfect for your safari vacations. Compared to dSLRs, the point-shoot cameras have sensor chip that are small in size, trying to cram as many pixels are possible. At higher ISO (that is when shooting in low light) this might lead to more noise. And many wild-life shots are to be taken in natural low lighting. So, remember to buy a camera that has little noise at higher ISO than a camera that has higher mega-pixels. The best digital cameras for wildlife photography come with image stabilization which is a must-have to get less blur due to powerful zoom. Check out our list of best cameras for wildlife photos, top rated by some of the best camera reviewers around the web. This list also includes the list of best cameras for nature photography.

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A Sacred Site in Wyoming Long before climbers, hikers, and geology lovers started visiting Devils Tower National Monument (September/October 2011), Lakota, Cheyenne, and other tribes regarded the monolith as a sacred site. Every June, American Indians hold traditional prayer ceremonies at the rock, and the National Park Service asks the public to refrain from climbing. Linda J. Pulliam For You, Fossil Fanatics You should have included more about the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in your article about Fossil, Ore., (September/October 2011). It’s home to the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, which features a collection of 47,000 fossils; interactive exhibits with touch tables and simulations; and a state-of-the-art laboratory where scientists study the area’s plant and animal fossils spanning 50 million years. Another Bird-watching Spot on the Pacific Flyway You didn’t mention Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, nearly 70 miles north of Sacramento on Highway 20, in Adventures on the Pacific Flyway (September/October 2011). December through January is the prime viewing of ducks and geese. In winter you can also spot snow geese and Ross’ geese passing through on their trip south from the Artic tundra. Seat Belts on School Buses in California As a chairperson for the California Association of School Transportation Officials (CASTO), I was interested in your September/October 2011 article Why aren’t there seat belts on buses? California has required three-point seat belts on all new school buses, regardless of size or weight, since the mid-2000s. Although older school buses aren’t required to be retrofitted, they’re considered one of the safest vehicles on the road because of the design and construction of the bus, as well as the rigorous training and certification that California school bus drivers must complete. Santa Rosa, Calif. This article was first published in November 2011. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.

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Tuesday, June 12, 2012 Scottish National Party criticise YES UK Campaign for using NHS Scotland slogan, ‘better together’, SNP suffer panic attack, sour grapes anyone? Slogans can help define a campaign, pick the right slogan and it can lodge in the minds of the public and stick. The classic example is ‘Labour’s not working’ used by the Tories to usher in 18 years of Tory rule under Margaret Thatcher. The YES UK campaign has come up with a slogan “Better Together”. For their campaign it is an excellent slogan to use, it is also been used by others namely to front an NHS Scotland programme. It isn’t usual for political parties to use bits of other people’s material, the Scottish National Party ran with a slogan ‘be part of better’ which looks like it was lifted straight out of the SKY broadcasting slogan “believe in better”. The YES UK campaign has set up a limited company called Better Together Ltd much in the same way as the SNP set up Yes Scotland as a legal entity. Former chancellor Alistair Darling is among the directors and is a leading light in the YES UK campaign. In the latter end of the Brown regime, Darling was seen as the man with gravitas, what Alex Salmond is to populist politics, Alastair Darling is to serious politics. In recognising the power of such a positive slogan, the SNP have accused the anti-independence campaign of “hiding behind a phrase already in use” and of copying a name that supports NHS boards, staff and patients. When visiting people in hospital, visitors sometimes take grapes, however the SNP seem to think this is a time for sour grapes. It isn’t, it doesn’t matter what the other side is doing if you believe in the strength of your own campaign and the arguments that back it up. If someone is doing something different, it is worth looking at but reality is that Yes Scotland should already have an encompassing strategy in place of how they intend to run their Yes Scotland Campaign. If they intend to make it up as they go along they will become unstuck. Case in point, the ‘Declaration of Cineworld’, rushed, botched and woeful. This was one abortion that wasn’t carried out on the NHS and it showed! SNP MSP James Dornan said that the Better Together campaign, which is due to be launched next week, was “failing at the first hurdle”. Does that mean that Alex Salmond nicking the bit of the American Constitution was also “failing at the first hurdle?” The YES UK is going to be a serious campaign, a professional campaign and a positive campaign, the Yes Scotland campaign will have to match them. Given the lack of talent in the Scottish National Party, as displayed at the ‘Declaration of Cineworld’, they better get their thinking caps on for Yes Scotland and start to outsource. Now, we will find out how clever Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon are in a ‘falling market’. My analysis is they are going to go spectacularly bust with their current strategy. And as the SNP know, George Laird is always right and ahead of the curve. The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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by Bernd Debusmann, Jr. [This article updates a version that was published on our web site a week ago, but after the email edition had already been distributed. It includes Mexico drug war information from the last two weeks, as opposed to the usual one week.] Mexican drug trafficking organizations make billions each year smuggling drugs into the United States, profiting enormously from the prohibitionist drug policies of the US government. Since Mexican president Felipe Calderon took office in December 2006 and called the armed forces into the fight against the so-called cartels, prohibition-related violence has killed more than 36,000 people, including more than 15,000 last year. The increasing militarization of the drug war and the arrest of dozens of high-profile drug traffickers have failed to stem the flow of drugs -- or the violence -- whatsoever. The Merida initiative, which provides $1.4 billion over three years for the US to assist the Mexican government with training, equipment and intelligence, has so far failed to make a difference. Here are a few of the latest developments in Mexico's drug war: Thursday, February 24 Prohibition creates an endless supply of hot guns and cold cash. (Image via Wikimedia) In Zapopan, Jalisco, a senior police commander and his wife were shot and killed when his vehicle was ambushed by heavily armed gunmen. Jesus Quirarte Ruvalcaba was the commander of a state police unit which specializes in car thefts. Car theft in Mexico is often related to or controlled by drug trafficking organizations. In Houston, Texas, a police officer was wounded after being shot in a raid on the home of a suspect with ties to a Mexican drug cartel. The officer is in good condition. A suspect was also wounded after being hit by gunfire and is in good condition. In Saltillo, Coahuila, a former governor admitted that the previous PRI administration had controlled and negotiated with drug trafficking organizations, which kept violence manageable. Former Nuevo Leon Governor Socrates Rizzo is the first former PRI official to speak this openly about party deals with drug trafficking organizations, although it has long been well-known in Mexico. Saturday, February 26 In Torreon, Coahuila, 13 people were died and at least 18 were wounded in two separate attacks on bars in the city. Sunday, February 27 In Saltillo, Coahuila, a Zeta commander was captured . He is alleged to be connected to the incident in which two American ICE agents were shot -- with one killed -- in early February. Sergio "El Toto" Mora is accused by Mexican authorities of being the regional Zetas commander in the state of San Luis Potosi. At least nine other arrests have been made in connection with the shooting of the ICE agents. In Ciudad Juarez, 11 people were killed in several incidents in the city. In one incident, five men were killed when gunmen attacked a bar the Colonia Villa Esperanza area of the city. In another part of the city, a man was found murdered in a house where we had apparently been held hostage. Monday, February 28 In Juarez, eight people were murdered in several attacks across the city. In one incident, four people, including a ten-year old boy, were killed when their car was attacked by gunmen. A five-year was severely wounded. Saturday's killings bring the total number of dead in the city to approximately 229 for the month of February, 36 percent are females. This is about a 40 percent increase over the same time period of 2010. In Dallas, Texas, three suspects were arrested after police linked them to the weapon used in the recent killing of an American ICE agent in San Luis Potosi. In Chilpancingo, Guerrero, a police chief was ambushed by gunmen armed with AK-47s. The police chief, Humberto Velazquez Delgado, was wounded and four of his bodyguards were killed. Approximately 400 shell casing from AK-47 rounds were found at the scene. Tuesday, March 1 In Guerrero, 17 bodies were discovered in two clandestine graves near the town of San Miguel Totolapan. This is the third time mass graves have been discovered in Guerrero in less than a year. Additionally, four bodies were found dumped on the highway between the coastal city of Acapulco and Mexico City. In Tamaulipas, eight gunmen were killed in a fire-fight with Mexican marines near the town of Valle Hermoso, which is close to the US border. In Washington, a top law enforcement officer announced that 678 gang members, many of whom have ties to Mexican drug trafficking organizations, have been arrested during a two-month operation, called "Operation Southern Tempest." Approximately have the suspects -- which came from 113 different gangs around the country -- have ties to drug trafficking groups, and two-thirds are foreign nationals. Wednesday , March 2 Near Phoenix, Arizona, police said that the decapitation of a local man in October is related to Mexican cartel activity. Martin Alejandro Cota Monroy, 38, was allegedly killed by a three-man team for ripping off a 400-pound load of marijuana. One of his killers is in custody. According to police, Monroy first told the cartel that his load had been confiscated, and then, when they found out, offered his house as collateral until he could pay his debt. He was killed after they found out he didn't own the house. The killers are thought to have moved in next door to befriend Monroy before killing him. In Ciudad Juarez, nine people were murdered. Sunday, March 6 In Mexico City, Mexican officials asked for clarification on an ATF operation which allowed American guns to flow to Mexico in an effort to track the supply lines of weapons to Mexican cartels. Among the guns were two AK-47's that were used in the attack on the ICE agents in February. In Ciudad Juarez, 13 people were murdered in several incidents across the city. At least three of the incidents had more than one victim. In one attack, three men were killed after gunmen sprayed a bar -- which is within sight of the US consulate -- with gunfire. Four others were wounded. In another incident, five people, including one woman, were found executed. These killings bring the death toll in Juarez for the first six days of March to 31. The total for the year is 494, including at least 55 females. Monday, March 7 In Abasolo, Tamaulipas, a gun battle between rival cartel gunmen left 18 people dead. The battle was almost certainly between members of the Gulf Cartel and their former enforcers, the Zetas, who have been at war for just over a year now. Near Guasave, Sinaloa, gunmen attacked a police convoy, killing seven police officers and one prisoner. The attack was an apparent attempt to rescue one or both of two prisoners who were being transported to the state capitol of Culiacan. Over 1,200 rounds were fired during the attack. Tuesday, March 8 In Chilpancingo, Guerrero, three government offices were attacked by assailants , who doused the offices in gasoline and set them on fire. The motive for the attack is unclear, but the area has high levels of drug related violence. In Texas, officials announced that the 20-year old female police chief of the Mexican town of Praxedis G. Guerrero is seeking asylum in the United States, apparently after having received threats. Marisol Valles Garcia made international headlines when she took the job . The local government has fired her for abandoning her post. Local police will answer to the Mayor until a replacement can be found. In Mazatlan, Sinaloa, armed men attacked a nightclub with automatic weapons. At least twenty people were wounded in the attack. The gunmen managed to escape, despite the fact that police and army units were nearby Wednesday, March 9 In San Luis Potosi, Mexican authorities arrested another suspected Zeta thought to be involved in the February 15 incident in which a US ICE agent was killed. Mario Jimenez Perez, 41, is alleged by Mexican authorities to be in charge of Zeta financial operations in San Luis Potosi, where the attacks took place. Total Body Count for last Week: 88 Total Body Count for this Week: 52 Total Body Count for the Year: 1,315 Total Body Count for 2010: 15,273 Total Body Count for 2009: (approx.) 9,600 Total Body Count for 2008 (approx.): 5,400 Total Body Count for 2007 (approx): 4,300 Total Body Count for Calderon's drug war through 2010: 34,849 Total Body Count for Calderon's drug war to date: 36,164

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MINOT, N.D. — Federal officials are racing as winter approaches to finish up to 2,400 temporary homes for North Dakota residents displaced by summer flooding. Record flooding from the Souris River swamped some 4,100 homes in Minot (MY'-naht) this summer and displaced nearly 11,000 residents. Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Dolph Diemont (DEE'-mahnt) says the Minot temporary housing development is the third-largest in the agency's history. It's also among the most challenging because of the area's tough landscape. FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are placing structures modeled after oil-field housing used in Arctic conditions throughout the city. Some residents began moving into one 600-unit village this week. Federal officials say the project is expected to cost $237 million. © Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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If the Pac-10 Conference invites Colorado to join its ranks later this year, a move that would take effect in 2012, the Buffs might be without a true conference rival, assuming Nebraska didn’t leave the Big 12 for the Pac-10 along with CU. If the Buffs no longer play the Cornhuskers every year, Colorado State would probably become the big rivalry game each year. After a few years of Pac-12 play, that could change, especially if Colorado competed annually for a division title with a team such as USC, Oregon or Washington. But there are other possibilities for rivalries to develop, or return, as the case may be. The most logical scenario involving Pac-10 expansion would have CU and Utah joining the league together. It’s been a long time, but the Buffs and Utes have been conference rivals before. The football programs competed almost every year between 1910 and 1947 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference or the Mountain States Conference. CU moved east in 1948 joining the Big Seven Conference, which included more than half of the current Big 12 and nearly all the former Big Eight Conference teams. It probably wouldn’t take much for the CU-Utah rivalry to be rekindled. Playing in the same league has a way of doing that, especially when the programs are on similar footing. There is no denying Utah has been much more successful over the past few years than the Buffs. Colorado and Utah haven’t met on the football field since 1962, and the Buffs lead the series 30-24-3, but have a two-game losing streak against the Utes.

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The new revolution in apps and social media continues at a stunning rate. Nearly every day a colleague tells me of another app or site that is bubbling up and about to hit the big time. Many will not break through, but some will capture the imagination and become the next generation of YouTube and Facebook. The behaviour of certain apps/sites, however, gives me some cause for concern. As a recent entrant to Pinterest, I was alarmed to note that the site takes a copy of the pinned image and serves that from its own servers. The burden of managing copyright issues seems to sit firmly with the users, most of whom never give such legislation a second thought. There is a method for removing content however, unsurprisingly, it’s not half as simple as pinning new content. Pinterest’s terms and conditions are also interesting, giving it “irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free” permission to “exploit” member content. The Pinterest site is building its value on other people’s content — which is fine as long as those people have consented. I recently looked at some interesting Infographics pinned on the site, all of which must have taken considerable resources to put together, yet I never once needed to visit the source site, which may have perhaps triggered advertising income vital to enabling them to continue their work. I wonder if they even realize their content is available in this way?

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Plea to Parliament THE Central Mission Directorate at The Hague has made a plea to members of Holland's Parliament for financial support for the work of missionaries in social and economic development. The directorate. which represents 10,000 Dutch missionaries. said in a letter sent recently to all members of Parliament that missionaries are active in education, medical care, land development, road building and housing. This work is now supported mostly by Dutch Catholics and it is becoming difficult to finance it, the letter said. The letter asked for financial support for projects sponsored by bishops in mission areas and suggested that government officials of the developing country be consulted. No aid was asked for evangelizing activities. The Dutch Catholic daily De Tijd said in an editorial that, while it favours such government aid, this aid most be carefully organised. The missions cannot allow government control, the paper added. "What would have been the fate of the flourishing Dutch mission in Indonesia if this mission had been dependent to a great extent on aid from the Dutch Government? What would happen if political difficulties arise between the Netherlands arid an underdeveloped country where Dutch missionaries arc working?" the paper asked. Dutch missionary societies have 4,529 priests, 3,780 Sisters and 1,260 Brothers. The totals include 14 doctors, 64 midwives and 348 registered nurses serving in 262 hospitals and 277 out-patient clinics. Also. 100 priests teach in secondary schools and 1,000 Sisters and Brothers teach in primary schools. Altogether, the Dutch missionaries run 9,300 schools which serve more than 900,000 pupils.

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OPINION: Forever thirsty By Erika Vigen Chameleon Staff Writer USGA has been trying to ban the sale of plastic water bottles on campus. Despite what a large majority of students seem to think, I believe this is a stupid idea. I know that legislation was already passed last semester and is now waiting for administration to enforce the ban, but this cannot happen without support of student votes on March 27 and 28. I’m crossing my fingers that these votes won’t support the ban so that administration cannot enforce it. With these dates approaching, I want the student body to know why I think this legislation should not be passed. This ban is big news at Loyola. I have heard discussions about it at my job on campus. Many students support the ban because bottled water is “bad for the environment.” The Phoenix quoted Dr. Robert Kelly, the vice president for student development, saying, “The ban is very much in line with our principles and our commitment to issues of ecology and sustainability.” I’m sorry to inform you, but plastic water bottles are the same as pop bottles, juice bottles, and everything else that comes in some sort of plastic or glass container that is sold on campus. No one is moving to ban these! That is not a suggestion, by the way. I also don’t understand how banning bottled water fits into Loyola’s core values, because the “green” initiative isn’t in full effect here since not all plastic will be banned. The other argument I’ve heard is that we are taking clean water from the third world countries to bottle it up and sell it here in the United States. Okay, can someone tell me where this information is coming from? I literally looked through the first five pages of Google search and found nothing proving this. Maybe if someone showed me a legitimate source with this fact, I would MAYBE change my mind. With this being said, it will be highly inconvenient for those students (like myself) who aren’t “green” or “environmentally friendly.” I don’t want to go out and buy a $30 filtered water bottle because, quite honestly, the tap water in Chicago is not the best I’ve ever tasted. I know filtered water is better for you, but I still don’t care. I also find water fountains revolting. Excuse me, how many mouths have been in/around that thing? It’s a breeding ground for germs. And, yes, I’ve heard about the many water bottle refill stations. However, I’ve only seen them in Simpson Hall (maybe because I haven’t been looking for them) and, again, that would require a reusable water bottle. I don’t even own one, because I take advantage of the ability to buy water in a recycled plastic bottle. I’m going to attack this from a liberal standpoint: the government is desperately trying to control what we Americans consume nowadays. I don’t know about you fellow students, but if bottled water was banned on campus, I would never drink it and neither would the people I eat lunch with regularly. I’d drink soda or other sugary drinks everyday for lunch instead. Michelle Obama would faint at that statement. I don’t agree with the regulation, but I do want healthy options. Also, I want my right to buy bottled water if I please. I pay tuition at Loyola; I want to be able to do as I please. I won’t be the only person to forget to bring my water bottle to class on any given day. Half of the time, I forget to bring a plastic water bottle from my fridge. What if I went to Halas and forgot to fill a bottle up on my way out? I’ve done this before. It would be nice to be able to visit the on-campus café or vending machine to grab a bottle AND use my meal plan, declining balance, or Rambler Bucks instead of going all the way to CVS or 7-Eleven. Most importantly, I would also like to enjoy my right to be environmentally un-friendly. Was the recycling campaign not working or something? It’s almost unfair of Loyola to ask all of their students not to buy bottled water just because organizations or students think that it’s wrong and destroying our environment. Some of us actually think it’s doing no harm. To contact Erika Vigen, email her at email@example.com.

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I had another "pinch me; I can't believe it" moment last week. When I was surfing the web, I suddenly remembered a song that I had heard in June 1972 while driving from Ottawa to Toronto. It was a hit in Canada for a few weeks. I loved it. I never knew the name of the song and I was pretty sure that the artists were Canadian one-hit wonders. Every few years in the 1980s and 1990s, I thought about that song and wanted to buy it. But I couldn't think how. But what I did remember was this line: You know she's gone and she won't be back, you must be a happy man. So I googled it and found the name of the song, "Dunrobin's Gone," the name of the band, "Brave Belt," and even a link so that I could buy it. I've played it about ten times already. Moreover, one stranger was kind enough to write out the lyrics for free, and then another stranger corrected his lyrics, so that now I can sing along with it. I actually got the song for free (pardon me--this is an economics blog--"at a zero price") because the web site I found gave two hits free to every new user. But my consumer surplus that these strangers helped create is easily over $100. I have deliberately used the word "marvel" to shock the reader out of the complacency with which we often take the working of this mechanism for granted. I am convinced that if it were the result of deliberate human design, and if the people guided by the price changes understood that their decisions have significance far beyond their immediate aim, this mechanism would have been acclaimed as one of the greatest triumphs of the human mind. Its misfortune is the double one that it is not the product of human design and that the people guided by it usually do not know why they are made to do what they do. But those who clamor for "conscious direction"--and who cannot believe that anything which has evolved without design (and even without our understanding it) should solve problems which we should not be able to solve consciously--should remember this: The problem is precisely how to extend the span of out utilization of resources beyond the span of the control of any one mind; and therefore, how to dispense with the need of conscious control, and how to provide inducements which will make the individuals do the desirable things without anyone having to tell them what to do.

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The outstanding college committed to your success Courses » Construction The Construction Department offers a wide range of courses in: Courses range from First Diploma to National Diploma to HND level, and allow students to study full-time or part-time around work and/or family commitments. The courses are designed to for students who wish to learn a ‘trade' such as Brickwork or to enter a profession such as Architecture, Surveying or Civil Engineering. Many students progress within the Construction Department at Bridgend College starting with a Level 2 course and leaving with a level 5 qualification, and often return to College to update skills as industry standards develop. Contact Construction - email: firstname.lastname@example.org Bridgend College recently received funding to the tune of £3.2m from DCELLS (Welsh Assembly Government) to part finance a new state of the art Construction Academy at our Pencoed Campus which will cost £6.4m in total. The Academy brings plumbing, painting and decorating, brickwork and wood trades, from entry to degree level, and which were split between three of our campuses, together on one site. To find out more about our new Construction Academy, check out our Construction Academy Diary

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I remain surprised at the almost total silence from liberals about two common, uncomfortable facts about all the plans Democrats have introduced in both houses: Few people will have true choices in buying a health insurance plan, and if there is a public option, more than 150 million insured workers will not have access to it. Only three categories of people under any of the Democratic plans — the eligible uninsured, the self-employed, and small businesses — will have access to state insurance exchanges, and therefore, a public option, if there is one. That is estimated to be about 25 million people or less. Why is this the case? Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, a strong supporter of a “level playing field” version of the public option, was asked on a Sunday talk show why so few people will have any access to the public exchanges or a public option. His answer was unclear — something about the public option leading to greater competition and a reduction of health insurance costs by employers. Huh? How does that explain why 150 million insured workers shouldn’t have the same multiple choices for insurance as everyone else? Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon has a simple answer and, for the life of me, I do not understand why Democrats have not embraced it, as well as Republicans who value maximizing individual choices (and who oppose a public option). Wyden’s Free Choice Amendment could be attractive with or without the public option. He would require employers either to offer their employees a lower-cost, high-value policy along with the policy in place, or allow them to “cash out” on the value of their employer-provided policy and go to the state public exchange and buy a policy of their choosing. If that policy is less expensive than the one the employer had been providing, the employee gets to pocket the difference. This is a good idea regardless of whether there is a public option. If there is one, then insured employees will be guaranteed a lower-cost choice offered by their employers or could go to the exchange and purchase the public option. (Thus it would create incentives for employers to shop for lower-cost insurance as a second choice for all employees.) But if the public option doesn’t succeed in getting 60 votes in the Senate to end the filibuster, it seems to me that the Wyden Free Choice Amendment becomes even more important, because it guarantees that employees lacking a lower-cost choice that meets their particular individual or family needs from their employers could go to the exchanges to buy a better plan of their choosing. And one of those choices could be a requirement that every state exchange offer the equivalent of the lower-cost, higher-value Blue Cross health insurance plan available to all members of Congress and federal employees. For reasons that have never been fully explained, when Wyden introduced his amendment, which he wasn’t able to do until 1 a.m. after the day of the markup of Sen. Max Baucus’ Finance Committee bill, Baucus ruled it “out of order” and would not let a vote to occur. Baucus, D-Mont., was under the erroneous conclusion that the Congressional Budget Office had not "scored" Wyden’s proposal. In fact, it had — on Sept. 22, the CBO had issued a scoring that found Wyden’s Free Choice Amendment would have the effect of reducing the federal deficit by $1 billion over 10 years. Assuming that an honest mistake was made thwarting a vote on Wyden’s amendment, it is not too late for Senate leaders to include his proposal in the merged bill to be debated on the Senate floor — assuming there are 60 votes allowing that to happen — or at least allow Wyden to get an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. The only explanation I’ve read so far as to why Wyden’s proposal has received so little support is that, as Jay Stevens wrote on Oct. 7 in his Left in the West blog, “the proposal was doomed by the joint opposition of businesses and labor. Businesses didn’t like it because they lose control over their employees’ health benefits. Labor groups didn’t like it because they lose control over their members’ health benefits.” If both business and labor don’t want their workers to have multiple choices for health insurance, then that may be one reason why this is a good idea. At the very least, Wyden’s Free Choice proposal should be debated and voted on, and not shunted aside as “out of order.” Who could disagree with that? Lanny J. Davis, a Washington lawyer and former special counsel to President Bill Clinton, served as a member of President George W. Bush's Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. He is the author of "Scandal: How 'Gotcha' Politics is Destroying America." This piece also is published at http://pundits.thehill.com/author/lanny-davis/. © 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

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Insanely insufficient justifications In some circumstances we have gone out deliberately to get drunk, feeling ourselves justified by nervousness, anger, worry, depression, jealousy or the like. But even in this type of beginning we are obliged to admit that our justification for a spree was insanely insufficient in the light of what always happened. We now see that when we began to drink deliberately, instead of casually, there was little serious or effective thought during the period of premeditation of what the terrific consequences might be. - More About Alcoholism, pg. 37 Most of us can relate and understand this in regards to our drinking. However, in sobriety... does it help to check on our Insanely insufficient justifications for some of the other things that we do?

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Every week, Unions Together are questioning all five Labour leadership candidates on specific issues that matter to their members. Last week, the Milibands, Diane Abbott, Ed Balls and Andy Burnham all answered questions on how they saw the role of the unions in the 21st century. This week, there’s a question on how each candidate, were they elected, would implement a living wage. All five candidates back campaigns for a living wage. Diane Abbott says: “I would support introducing legislation to ensure that government tenders are not able to be taken up by contractors who are not prepared to pay a living wage to their staff. As a party, we must lead by example and those who are not willing to offer a decent wage for a decent day’s work, should not benefit from government contracts.” Ed Balls sets out a seven point plan for what he would do, including: * Raising the National Minimum Wage every year at least in line with average earnings. * Following Ken Livingstone’s example by having the Low Pay Commission properly assess the level of a Living Wage. * And ensuring the public sector leads the way on fair pay, both directly and through procurement. Andy Burnham says: “I would establish a joint consultation of unions, business and a range of stakeholder groups to ensure that it is set at the appropriate level for each region and that it is workable. We must also remember the importance of policing and enforcing the minimum wage. In Opposition it is essential not only to press the coalition government to ensure that the minimum wage keeps its value in real terms but also that government ensures that checks and enforcement continues to stamp out bad business practice. Finally, I will set up a scheme, where good employers who were paying at the level of a living wage would receive accreditation and gain the recognition of being a good employer with positive employment practice.” David Miliband says: “I think we should pursue this goal through the government becoming a living wage employer – and committing to only doing business with contractors who pay a living wage. This would set a bar and show the way for the private sector – where campaigns involving community groups and trade unions have already made a big difference.” And Ed Miliband says: “I’ve already thrown my support behind Labour councils and Labour groups who have led the way on the living wage – like Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Glasgow, Preston, Oxford, Lambeth and Hackney – and I’ll be working with others to do the same. Businesses too have a chance to show they are responsible employers by adopting the living wage and Labour members can and should campaign to raise the wages of the lowest paid employees in shops and banks as well as councils…When in government again we need to throw its entire weight behind the campaign, by supporting councils who adopt it, broadening the range of public sector workers who get it and by moving towards a procurement process that supports living wage employers bidding for external contracts.”

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