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PARASHAT NITZAVIM-VAYELEKH - SELIHOT September 12, 2009 – 23 Elul 5769 Annual: Deuteronomy 29:9 – 31:30 (Etz Hayim, p. 1165; Hertz p. 878) Triennial Cycle: Deuteronomy 30:1 – 31:6 (Etz Hayim, p. 1169; Hertz p. 880) Haftarah: Isaiah 61:10 – 63:9 (Etz Hayim, p. 1180; Hertz p. 883) Prepared by Rabbi Joyce Newmark Teaneck, New Jersey Torah Portion Summary As according to tradition Moses speaks to the people on the last day of his life, he reminds them that they are entering into a covenant with God and that those who violate that covenant will be severely punished. Moses also tells them that even as God punishes their disobedience He will not abandon them. When they learn from what has happened to them and return to God in repentance, God will welcome them lovingly and bring them back from their exile. Moses encourages the people, telling them that God’s commandments are not too difficult or beyond reach. Rather, they are very close, so that every Jew has the ability to observe them. Moses concludes: “I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life – if you and your offspring would live.” Moses then tells the people that it is now time for Joshua to succeed him. They should not be afraid, because God will continue to be with them as they conquer the Canaanites, just as they already conquered the Amorites. Moses then charges Joshua in the sight of all Israel. Moses writes down the Torah (or, perhaps, parts of Sefer D’varim) and gives it to the priests and the elders. He tells them that every seventh year they are to assemble the people on Sukkot and read the Torah to them. God calls to Moses and tells him it is almost time for him to die. God instructs Moses to bring Joshua to the tent of meeting to hear God’s instructions. God tells Moses that in the future the people will break the covenant and turn to alien gods, so that God will become angry and “hide His countenance” from them. Therefore, Moses is to write down a poem (found in Ha-azinu) and teach it to the people. It will remind them of God’s promise and their disloyalty and prompt them to repent. 1. Turn, Turn, Turn You, however, will again heed the Lord and obey all His commandments that I enjoin upon you this day. [Literally, You will return and obey the voice of the Lord...] (Deuteronomy 30:8) - “You will return and obey the voice of the Lord.” Earlier (30:2) the Torah says, “You will return to the Lord your God,” which implies repentance. What, then, is the meaning of “You will return” in this verse? Rabbi Shlomo of Radomsk explained that before a person repents he does not even know what sins he has committed – he doesn’t know that he doesn’t know. Only after he first begins to repent does he begin to realize how great his sins were. Thus he begins to ascend stage by stage, and at each stage he repents all the more. The first verse, then, refers to the person when he begins to repent, while the present verse refers to him as he repents each subsequent time, as he ascends higher and higher in his spiritual development. (Rabbi Yehoshua Sheinfeld, cited in Itturei Torah, Rabbi Aharon Yaakov Greenberg) - Repentance doesn’t bring a sense of serenity or of completion but stimulates a reaching out in further effort. Indeed, the power and the potential of repentance lie in increased incentive and enhanced capacity to follow the path even farther. The response is often no more than an assurance that one is in fact capable of repenting, and its efficacy lies in growing awareness, with time, that one is indeed progressing in the right path. In this manner the conditions are created in which repentance is no longer an isolated act but has become a permanent possibility, a constant process of going toward. It is a going that is both the rejection of what was once axiomatic and an acceptance of new goals. (Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, “The Thirteen Petalled Rose,” pp. 131-132) - Rabbi Eliezer said: “Repent one day before your death.” His disciples asked: Does anyone know on what day he will die?” “All the more reason to repent today,” answered Rabbi Eliezer, “in case you die tomorrow, and thus a person’s whose life should be spent in repentance.” (Talmud Shabbat 153a) - Our Father, bring us back to Your Torah. Our King, draw us near to Your service. Lead us back to You, truly repentant. Praised are Your, Lord who welcomes repentance. (Weekday Amidah, Siddur Sim Shalom) Sparks for Discussion Humash Etz Hayim notes, “The Hebrew verb meaning “return” or “repent” (shuv) occurs seven times in verses [30:]1-10” Our commentators learn from this that teshuvah (repentance) is not an event, but a process. Does this make sense to you? Why? The very first thing we do after the conclusion of Yom Kippur, even before we take the first sip of water or bite of food, is to pray the weekday Maariv service. During the Amidah we ask for the gift of repentance. Why? 2. No Excuses Surely this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who among us can cross to the other side of the sea and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it.” (Deuteronomy 30:11-13) - Rava said, “Set fixed times for Torah, as Avdimi bar Hana bar Dosi said, Why is it written, “It is not in the heavens... it is not beyond the sea.” “It is not in the heavens” – if it would be in heaven you would be obliged to go up after it. “It is not beyond the sea” – if it would be beyond the sea you would be obliged to cross it in pursuit. (Talmud Eruvin 54b-55a) - Every Jew is required to study Torah, whether poor or rich, healthy or ailing, young or old and feeble. Even a man so poor that he is maintained by charity or goes begging from door to door, as also a man with a wife and children to support, is under the obligation to set aside a definite period during the day and night for the study of the Torah... Until what period in life is one obligated to study Torah? Until the day of one’s death. (Rambam (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, 1135-1209, Spain and Egypt), Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Talmud Torah, 1:8,10) - [The prophet] Elijah, ever mentioned on good occasions, said: Once, as I was walking on the road, a man who met me mocked and reviled me. I asked him, “My son, since you have refused to learn Torah, what will you say on the Day of Judgment?” He replied, “I have an answer: Understanding, knowledge, and spirit were not given me from Heaven [so how could I study Torah]?” I said, “My son, what is your work?” He replied, “I am a trapper of fowls and fish.” I asked, “Who gave you knowledge and spirit to take flax, spin it into cords, weave the cords into nets, use the nets to trap fish and fowls, and sell them?” He replied, “Understanding and knowledge [to do my work] were given me from Heaven.” I said, “To take flax, spin it into cords, weave cords into nets, and use nets to trap fish and fowls, understanding and knowledge were given to you from Heaven. But do you suppose that, for words of Torah, about which it is written, ‘The thing is very close to you’ (30:14), understanding and knowledge were not given to you?” (Tanhuma, Va-Yeilekh, 2) - Hillel said: Do not say, “I shall study when I have leisure.” Perhaps you will never have leisure. (Pirkei Avot 2:4) - These are the things whose fruits a person eats in this world while the capital remains for him in the world to come: honoring one’s parents, the practice of loving-kindness, hospitality to strangers, and making peace between a person and his neighbor. And the study of Torah surpasses them all. (Mishnah Peah 1:1) Sparks for Discussion How would you define Torah study? What texts and topics are included within “Torah”? Our commentators insist that there are no excuses for neglecting Torah study. Do you agree? How might you respond to someone who claims that he would like to study Torah, but it just isn’t possible? What is the goal of Torah study? Why do you think the Rabbis consider Torah study the preeminent mitzvah?

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May 25, 2013 Oct 18 - Rick Ridings Before the 20th century, the Biblical prophecies of all the nations gathering against Jerusalem seemed far-fetched. Before World War I, Jerusalem was perceived by most as merely a backwater town of the Ottoman Empire (1). The population began to grow from the middle of the 19th century as Zionist Jews made aliyah (2). The creation of the State of Israel and the division of Jerusalem in 1948, the city’s reunification in 1967 and Israel’s 1980 proclamation of Jerusalem as the undivided capital (3) began to bring the “Holy City” to the forefront of the world’s attention. Now, in 2012, you can hardly turn on a news channel without some headline about Israel and Jerusalem. Sometime in November, the United Nations will likely vote on whether to recognize Palestine as a non-member state (4). Last month Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it a point to highlight Iran’s nuclear program during his United Nations speech (5, see The looming war and coming harvest, September 2012, for how to pray). God’s end-time purposes focus on Jerusalem Jesus made it clear that He will not return to earth and restore all things until enough Jewish people in Jerusalem welcome Him back. In one of His laments, Jesus says to the city: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Matthew 23:37-39, NIV). When Jesus does return, God will establish the throne of the Son on the Temple Mount. As the LORD rebukes the nations in Psalm 2, He says: “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain. … You are my son; today I have become your father.” (Psalm 2:6-7, NIV) This is not some spiritual allegory. This is speaking of a literal king and throne on the literal Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be the center of justice and teaching, the place the nations learn the ways of the LORD, thus bringing peace to the earth. In Isaiah 2:1-4, we see: In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. (NIV) Again, this is not figurative but literal. We need to remember that Jesus is more than the suffering servant of the Gospels. He is also the conquering king of Revelation 19, Psalm 2 and Psalm 110. The Middle East conflict is about the spiritual battle for Jerusalem News media, activists and even some Christians argue that the Middle East conflict is about land, refugees and borders. However, we need to be aware that it is primarily a spiritual battle. In Isaiah 14, when God is indicting the fallen angel Lucifer, one of the charges is Satan’s desire to sit on both the throne of heaven and on the Temple Mount. How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly…I will make myself like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:12-14, NASB, emphasis added) The LORD is clear that Jerusalem, and specifically the Temple Mount, are His for eternity. He tells Ezekiel from inside the temple, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever” (Ezekiel 43:7, NIV). Israel’s enemies know the Middle East conflict is about who will be worshiped in Jerusalem. In 1999, I had an opportunity to visit a Hezbollah stronghold in the Bekaa valley of Lebanon. The men in the camp showed my Arabic-speaking friend and me trophies of war with Israel: Jewish prayer books and prayer shawls with bullet holes. They said that these items proved that “Allah is greater than the God of Israel.” In saying that, they acknowledge that Allah of the Koran is not the same God as in the Bible. The Hezbollah men showed us a model of the Temple Mount. On it sat the Dome of the Rock. Below the blood stained hill were many small, green boxes shaped as a cedar of Lebanon. The men said those were the caskets of the martyrs who must die “liberating the mount” from Israel. Why do they feel they must take it back? Even now, any one who prays in a Jewish or Christian way is quickly escorted off the mount (6). Khaled Mashaal, the leader of Gaza-ruling Hamas, speaking at a mosque in Damascus, February 2006 said: We apologize to our Prophet Muhammad, but we say to him: Oh Prophet of Allah, do not be saddened, your nation will be victorious. … We say to this West, which does not act reasonably, and does not learn its lessons: By Allah, you will be defeated. You will be defeated in Palestine, and your defeat there has already begun. True, it is Israel that is being defeated there, but when Israel is defeated, its path is defeated, those who call to support it are defeated, and the cowards who hide behind it and support it are defeated… Tomorrow, our nation will sit on the throne of the world. This is not a figment of the imagination, but a fact (7, emphasis added). God and Satan are both raising up highways to Jerusalem Throughout Isaiah, the LORD speaks of preparing highways for Him (Isaiah 11, 19, 35, 40, 49, 62). Highways are important to God’s end-times purposes, as they will carry His people, the nations and Himself. The highway of Isaiah 19 is one that we in Jerusalem see already forming. In verses 23-25, the prophet says: In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.” Already this highway of worship is taking shape, as houses of prayer in Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and United Arab Emirates are not only rising up, but also connecting with us in Israel. Satan is also raising counterfeit highways to Jerusalem, as seen in Muslim Brotherhood demonstrations chanting that they must “liberate Jerusalem” (8). This is why all believers are commanded to pray for peace of Jerusalem Jerusalem is at the center of God’s end-times plan. Satan has known this all along. He tried to kill Moses in Egypt to keep the deliverer of Israel from arising. He tried to kill the Jewish people in Persia because the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. He tried to rid the world of all the Jews again in the Holocaust, because when they acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, the King of the earth will come back to rule and reign. And so, through the psalmist, God exhorts: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity (Psalm 122:6-9, NIV). The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, and this word has a much deeper meaning than the mere absence of conflict or war. It can mean “to be completed” in regard to God’s purposes and plans (9). When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are actually asking the LORD to bring Jerusalem into her divine destiny and into the fullness of God’s calling. 1. Burston, Bradley. “As American as Mark Twain, Jerusalem and shattered illusions.” Haaretz. Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. 3 July 2012. Web. 9 October. 2012. 2. “Demographic history of Jerusalem: Modern Era.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2 October 2012. Web. 9 October 2012. 3. “Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel.” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 30 July 1980. Web. 9 October 2012. 4. “Palestinians UN status likely to be debated in November.” Reuters. Thompson Reuters. 3 October 2012. Web. 9 October 2012. 5. Goldenberg, Tia. “Netanyahu’s bomb steals the show in his UN speech.” The Associated Press. 28 September 2012. Web. 9 October 2012. 6. Ya’ar, Chana. “Rabbi arrested on Temple Mount for Praying.” IsraelNationalNews.com. Artuz Sheva. 7 October 2012. Web. 10 October 2012. 7. “Hamas Leader Khaled Mash’al at a Damascus Mosque: The Nation of Islam Will Sit at the Throne of the World and the West Will Be Full of Remorse When It Is Too Late.” MEMRI. The Middle East Media Research Institute. 3 February 2012. Web. 10 October 2012. 8. “Egyptian Cleric Safwat Higazi Launches MB Candidate Muhammad Mursi’s Campaign: Mursi Will Restore the ‘United States of the Arabs’ with Jerusalem as Its Capital.” MEMRI. The Middle East Media Research Institute. 1 May 2012. Web. 11 October 2012. 9. “Dictionary and Word Search for shalowm (Strong’s 7965)”. Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2012. Web. 10 Oct 2012.

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Gatherum Centennial Farmland Preserve Description: Located in Layton, this 39 acre farm which has been passed down through generations of the same family for over 100 years was threatened by development on all sides. To the south are sprawling subdivisions, along the northern edge of the property, although not as threatened because of the hill air force base fly zone, there could have been similar encroachment when the zoning laws come up for review. Furthermore, the Fort Lane Road, a major thoroughfare, bisects the property making the preservation of the farm's historic character, pastoral setting and open space even more critical. Fortunately, the landowner possessed the vision and foresight to permanently preserve the farm, forever safeguarding its unique historical and agricultural values from the imminent threat of development in the area. In fact, without a conservation easement, the family farm could not have been passed to the next generation due to the escalating real estate values in the area and exorbitant estate taxes.

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Forms of verse: Elegy An elegy has no set form. Characteristics of the elegy An elegy is a lament for a loss: of a person, place or thing. More generally, it can also be a poem of sombre reflection on life's vicissitudes and the vanished past. This poem moves from consideration of an object (here, a log of wood burning on the fire) through memories of the past until it becomes an elegy for the poet's sister: The fire advances along the log Of the tree we felled, Which bloomed and bore striped apples by the peck Till its last hour of bearing knelled. The fork that first my hand would reach And then my foot In climbings upward inch by inch, lies now Sawn, sapless, darkening with soot. Where the bark chars is where, one year, It was pruned, and bled Then overgrew the wound. But now, at last, Its growings all have stagnated. My fellow-climber rises dimLogs on the Hearth, A memory of a sister, by Thomas Hardy From her chilly grave Just as she was, her foot near mine on the bending limb, Laughing, her young brown hand awave. Although it is not precisely a lament, the following poem has elegiac qualities: I know not how it may be with others Who sit amid relics of householdry That date from the days of their mothers' mothers, But well I know how it is with me I see the hands of the generations That owned each shiny familiar thing In play on its knobs and indentations, And with its ancient fashioning Hands behind hands, growing paler and paler, As in a mirror a candle-flame Shows images of itself, each frailer As it recedes, though the eye may frame Its shape the same. On the clock's dull dial a foggy finger, Moving to set the minutes right With tentative touches that lift and linger In the wont of a moth on a summer night, Creeps to my sight. On this old viol, too, fingers are dancing As whilom just over the strings by the nut, The tip of a bow receding, advancing In airy quivers, as if it would cut The plaintive gut. And I see a face by that box for tinder, Glowing forth in fits from the dark, And fading again, as the linten cinder Kindles to red at the flinty spark, Or goes out stark. Well, well. It is best to be up and doing,Old Furniture, by Thomas Hardy The world has no use for one to-day Who eyes things thus no aim pursuing! He should not continue in this stay, But sink away. Advice on writing your own elegy Elegy may be an appropriate form for certain kinds of reflections evoked by relics of the past or inspired by old memories.

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Plant the cherry tree in a sunny border in any well drained soil. Prior to planting, incorporate plenty of well rotted manure or garden compost into the planting hole. Fruit trees should be fastened to a stake to prevent them from rocking in windy weather. Drive the stake into the ground prior to planting. Staking after planting may result in damage to the root ball of the tree. Plant fruit trees at the same soil level as they were in their original pots and firm them into the ground. Fasten the tree to the stake using a tree tie. Water well.When growing cherries in containers, repot into well drained, soil based compost such as John Innes No. 3. As container grown plants increase in size they will require repotting into increasingly larger pots up to 60cm (2') diameter. In spring, while the ground is moist, apply a mulch of well rotted manure or garden compost to the base of the tree. This will help to retain moisture throughout the summer.Feed and water cherry trees regularly throughout the summer, particularly during their first two years. Fruit trees do not suffer weed competition well. Keep weeds and grass clear from within a 30cm radius of base of the tree. Pruning cherry trees can be undertaken in summer to improve their shape and remove any damaged or crowded branches. We will do our best to ship your plants or bulbs to you at the ideal time for planting as stated against each product. We recommend that you prepare your soil, planting beds or patio containers ahead of time so you are ready to plant out, or pot on, just as soon as your order arrives. You will find the name of the variety printed on the top line of the address label on your package. Please ensure that you open the packaging immediately and carefully read through the instruction leaflet provided. For greatest success, please pot on or plant out as soon as possible, following the cultural instructions enclosed with your order. By Katy Hewett 09-02-2012 I have had my stella from van meuwen for four years and have a healthy crop of fruit every year, the Stella are delicious and I normally have plenty to share with friends and neighbors. My garden is so small I ran out of room, so was forced to leave my cherry growing in a large pot, thankfully it doesn't seem to mind at all. You will be redirected to login/registration page to post your review. Reviews are subjected to approval.

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Remember to enter Amazon via the VDARE.com link and we get a commission on any purchases you make—at no cost to you! The Fulford File, By James Fulford | Yes, Virginia, There Is A War On Easter—And Also War On Easter Denial "Easter day in the morning the wind coming very calm, we entered the sound, and by four of the clock we were at Chipanum, whence all the savages that we had left there were left, but their weirs did yield us some fish, as God was pleased not utterly to suffer us to be lost: for some of our company of the light horsemen were far spent. The next morning we arrived at our home Roanoke..." [Grenville and the Lost Colony of Roanoke: The First English Colony of America, by Andrew Thomas Powell, 2011] That was Easter Sunday 1586. And people have been celebrating Easter in America ever since. Since our current fundraising appeal featured a picture of Peter Brimelow's daughter Felicity Deonne, I'll add a picture of the baptism of Virginia Dare, the first white child of English parentage born in the New World, baptized August 24, 1587. In line with the War On Christmas, there are signs of a "War On Easter" by which I mean calling the Easter Bunny the "Spring Bunny," changing the name of Easter to "Celebration of Spring" to avoid "giving offence" to people who hate religion, especially the Christian religion. Brenda Walker noted an Easter Egg incident recently—War On Easter: Seattle School Steers Students to Spring Spheres. Oh, and singer Lady Gaga chose Easter Sunday for the official release of a song called "Judas." But here's what else we notice: War On Easter Denial. There must be no War on Easter, because they're already declared that there is "no War on Christmas." FOX News, Catholic League Declare There Is A War On Easter by Bridgette P. LaVictoire, Lez Get Real | A Gay Girl's View on the World, April 22, 2011 Fox News And Catholic League's Bill Donohoe Invent 'War On Easter', by Judd Legum, Think Progress, April 22, 2011 Steve Doocy Advances Fox Meme Of Lady Gaga's War on Easter, reported by Priscilla, News Hounds, April 22, 2011 Fox And Hannity's Ridiculous Whine About A War On Easter, Reported by Ellen, April 22, 2011 The last of these, Ellen's News Hounds post, accuses Fox News—and by extension Christians—of "whining" about insults to their traditional symbols. That's something that's frequently heard in reference to the War On Christmas. It's also something that's not heard in reference to all the kerfuffles about "racism," "xenophobia", "homophobia" and "sexism." It's not something we hear from these left-wing sources about Muslims and racial profiling, and it's not something we hear about ethnic slurs. Oh, we hear a lot of actual whining about all of this, but we don't hear it called whining unless we call it that ourselves. News Hounds' Ellen whines: "Poor, poor Sean Hannity. He may be a multimillionaire but as a white Christian, he faces terrible discrimination in America. It used to be just the War on Christmas. But now the forces of evil secular liberalism are threatening Easter - or at least Hannity would have you think so. And what better way to show off being a Christian than to use your victimhood as an excuse to attack people who disagree with you?" I think the idea is that it's ridiculous for white Christians to complain about discrimination, or attacks on us, because we're the majority—currently—therefore we have no right to complain. They will still continue saying that our complaints are childish and ridiculous until, one day, they reach the point already reached, somewhat prematurely, by Village Voice writer Laurence Chua, who, in what is Peter Brimelow's favourite hostile review of Alien Nation, wrote: "His fear is justified. We will bury him." But it's Easter, and the Story of Easter is the story of Death, Burial...and Resurrection. Previous War On Easter reportage - 04/03/10 - The Fulford File: Easter 2010: Who Is This "Spring Bunny"? - 04/11/09 - The Fulford File: Save The Easter Bunny! (And America) - 03/22/08 - The Fulford File: Happy Easter From VDARE.com - 04/07/07 - The Fulford File: Happy Easter Once Again From VDARE.COM! - myRobot—Our Easter Bunny By Steve Sailer

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Scientists Combat Meat Industry’s Dismissal of Antibiotic Resistance (March 14, 2011) More here.In addition to spawning epidemics of zoonotic diseases such as bird flu that can “jump” from livestock to humans, industrial farms are contributing to an outbreak of ‘superbugs’ – bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. People can become infected with superbugs by working in close proximity to the animals themselves or by eating tainted meat. A recent study shows that people can even be infected via insects that transport antibiotic resistant bacteria from factory farms to surrounding residential areas. When superbugs infiltrate hospitals, they can make sick people even sicker. One well known example is Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a multi-drug resistant species that kills 20,000 Americans every year. Although there’s an extensive amount of evidence showing that giving antibiotics to animals spreads antibiotic-resistant bacteria to people, the meat industry has refused to accept that excessive antibiotic use in agriculture is to blame for the dramatic increase in antibiotic resistance. The meat industry argues that the rise of superbugs might be attributable to increased antibiotic use outside agriculture – such as use in human medicine. But recent research is working to combat that argument. A new study shows that chickens, chicken meat, and humans are carrying identical, highly drug-resistant E. coli. The research suggests that antibiotic resistance is being spread through the food chain.

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Sunday, 26. May 2013 - 04:05 21. 01. 13. - 20:00 An average of 20 hectares of agricultural and green land is built on each day in Austria that's the equivalent surface of an average cultivated farm per day. Experts are asking for a change in the planning law and are calling for more cooperation between municipalities in construction projects. The president of the agricultural chamber Gerhard Wlodlowski said recently that it is almost exclusively high-quality agricultural lands that end up as building projects. Compared to European statistics, the building on agricultural land in Austria is higher than average. In the past 50 years, the agricultural land available fell by 300,000 hectares and meadowland went back 570,000 hectares the equivalent of a city the size of Salzburg. At the same time, the number of abandoned industries and commercial premises shot up. These could cover one third of the space needed each year. Only a third of the mountain land in Austria is suitable as a settling place 15 percent of which is already used. Wlodowski said: "Everyday around 11 hectares of agricultural land is used for transport, industry, economy and housing. If one counts the recreational and mining areas, that is over 20 hectares a day." The increasing building has negative impact on the environment and climate. Meadows and agricultural land are responsible for various functions, such as regulating the ecosystem. These are also the living space for animals and plants act as a protective measure in holding back or saving rain water. They take part in conserving biodiversity and storing carbon. Last but not least, they are a living and relaxation space for humans. With every modification to the CO2-rich soils, the climate and the global warming is accelerated and the risks of storms increases. Chairman of the Austrian Hagel insurance company (Hagelversicherung) said the consumption of the land urgently needs to slow down. Gerling Weber from the institute for spatial planning at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna (BOKU) asked on public radio that planning laws are changed. One should build sparingly, instead of always building on new meadowland. He said: "First of all, always look at what is available. And then, go for the meadowland. At the moment, it's the opposite." He added that political motives often prevent efficient construction. He said: "The bigger the competition is between the communities, the more yielding they become with regards to the offering of such plots of land which absolutely does not conform with the ground sparing regulations." President of the eco-social forum Stephan Pernkopf said: "Active space policies is not only important because of ecological factors." The growing urban sprawl leads to rising costs. Compact housing structures are, on the contrary, a great relief for budgets. Environment minister Nikolaus Berlakovich (ΦVP) doesn't believe the municipality policy is failing. There the belief that usage of ground should be slowed-down and planning laws are already being modified. He said: "There are already positive examples in all regions of planning projects whereby resources and energy consumption are reduced. Berlakovich asks fore more cooperation between the communities to spare meadowland. He said: "the land must be worked on together, efficiently used in the housing for individuals but also in creating new economical zones." Birth balance negative once again The birth balance of 2012 has been negative for the first time in three years. This was due to an increase in deaths. Another trend is that women give birth to their first child when they are older. Suspected fraud in community flats sector Five recently renovated community flats are being taken apart again. The state-housing organisation "Wiener Wohnen" is examining whether the renovation works have been carried out properly. Long Night of the Churches tonight The programme of "Long Night of the Churches" offers hundreds of events in Vienna alone. It partly focuses on the topic of asylum. The question whether aliens go to heaven will also be discussed. Army officer sentenced over getting recruits to lay flooring at his house The state court of Vienna sentenced a second lieutenant of the Austrian Army to nine months in jail due to misuse of authority. He had three recruits lay the flooring in his own house. Child injured on zebra crossing A ten-year-old girl was severely injured in a car accident in Vienna-Margareten yesterday (Wed). A car hit her on a zebra crossing. It remained unclear whether the girl or the driver was supposed to wait. Long Night of the Churches Hundreds of churches Austria-wide to open their doors for the "Long Night of the Churches" (original: "Langen Nacht der Kirchen") on May, 24. Cheapskate Tourist Almost Died In Sewer Visit A German tourist had a lucky escape after he decided to go underground to get a view of the Vienna sewers, and fell badly breaking several bones including his hip and his leg. Preparation for Life Ball begins The preparations of the Life Ball in Vienna are at full blast after delays due to bad weather last weekend. Star guests like Eva Longoria and Carmen Electra are expected at Vienna Airport on Friday. Woman killed by Vienna tram A female pedestrian tried to cross a street in Vienna Hietzing yesterday afternoon (Tues) without paying attention to the traffic. She was hit by the tram number 60 and died at the scene. 15 minutes free parking instead of 10 The 15-minute parking ticket will replace the 10-minute parking ticket in autumn. The only alternative is to buy your parking ticket with your phone. A parking clock does not protect you from a fine. The most popular stories – last 7 days |Huge debate over multilingualism in Austria| |Cheapskate Tourist Almost Died In Sewer Visit| |Third man accident leaves man in hospital| |Woman killed by Vienna tram| |Charity seeks funds to restore Jewish cemetery|

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en

Along the southern coast of Vieste, you can see a small beach that owes its name to the imposing rock that monitors the city and its inhabitants from high: the beach of Pizzomunno. Here there seem to have taken place an interesting and wonderful story that has as protagonists two young lovers, both from Vieste . Pizzomunno, young and attractive fisherman, and Cristalda, beautiful girl with long golden hair, tenderly loved one each other and lived in the belief that nothing in the world could affect such a strong and sincere feeling. Every evening, Cristalda walked down to the beach to greet her beautiful Pizzomunno before he left with his boat towards the open sea Every night, at sea, Pizzomunno received the visit of the sirens who tried to bewitch him with their sweet songs. The queens of the sea fervently wanted Pizzomunno to become their king and lover. The young man, however, never yielded to the temptations of the sirens, having already given his heart to pure Cristalda. The many refusals of Pizzomunno unleashed the wrath of the sirens. One evening, the sirens reached the two lovers on the beach and attacked Cristalda with great ferocity, letting her be swallowed by the depths of the sea. Pizzomunno felt such a devastating sorrow, to get petrified forever. The following day, the fishermen of Vieste found Pizzomunno petrified on the rock that now bears his name. The legend tells that, every one hundred years, Cristalda emerges from the depths of the sea to meet Pizzomunno and live back the old thrill of a night of love on the same beach where they first met.ry of the wonders of Vieste.

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Seasonal jobs and the end of strikes helped Virginia’s unemployment rate fall in April, despite the weak national economy. Virginia’s unemployment rate fell 0.6 percentage point, from 3.9 percent in March to 3.3 percent in April. Employment increased mostly because of the increase in tourism jobs, construction work and the end of the strike at the Volvo plant in Dublin. The end of the strike also meant workers at suppliers for the plant returned to work. The April unemployment rate is above the 2.7 percent unemployment rate for April 2007. All of the state’s metropolitan areas saw a drop in unemployment. Northern Virginia retained the lowest unemployment rate at 2.6 percent. Danville had the highest at 6.3 percent, but that was down from 7.4 percent in March. Out of the Virginia’s 134 localities, Arlington County had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.1 percent and Martinsville had the highest at 10.1 percent. The Virginia Employment Commission said April typically has the lowest unemployment rate for the first half of a year. Unemployment rises often in May or June as college students graduate. There are no comments for this entry

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Today In History Today In History - October 5 05 October 2009 Lisa Niven Picture credit: PA Photos ON this day in history October 5... ...2007, Karl Lagerfeld dismissed the idea of retiring. "All my contracts are for life, so I am like a death row inmate," he quipped. "Fashion is about today and tomorrow, not yesterday. If you have to be taken seriously because you have a heavy past, I don't think it's a good thing. I don't want to remember, I want to do things and go ahead." ...2005, Sharon Stone criticised the companies that had dropped Kate Moss from ad campaigns following her cocaine scandal. "I understand that she has apologised and is changing her life," she said at a Paris press conference. "I think that is the most important thing." ...2005, Paul Smith celebrated the launch of YSL's Smoking Forever exhibition at a dinner hosted by Pierre Berge. "My wife and I felt incredibly honoured to be invited as there were only 80 guests and it was very much Yves Saint Laurent's inner circle," he said. "One highlight was Hedi Slimane telling me that he used to creep into my fashion shows without a ticket when he was starting out. It was extraordinary to hear that, and very flattering."

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en

A global spectrum policy tool kit Here is a collection of information about rules for license-exempt radio at the international level, to help advocates of spectrum reform better understand the policy landscape. Radio licenses are issued at the national level, but within a framework developed internationally. The international Radio Regulations are a binding treaty revised every few years at World Radio Conferences (WRCs) which are convened by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In addition, ITU Recommendations shape national rules regarding signal characteristics, measurement techniques, and how equipment is designed, deployed and used. National regulations can differ from international norms. This is especially easy for short-range devices, whose signals are too weak to interfere with stations conforming to ITU rules in other countries. Governments can also register their objection to particular parts of the international Radio Regulations by attaching Reservations to the ITU treaty. A similar process exists for the international Table of Frequency Allocations: countries can add Footnotes to the Table, describing their policies as exceptions. But as the market for radio equipment globalizes, there is growing pressure on national regulators to "harmonize" with world standards. Manufacturers want agreement on the bands that devices use so they don't have to make a different model for every country. The World Trade Organization (WTO) strives to prevent national spectrum sovereignty from creating barriers to trade. Regional associations of telecom regulators are also increasingly influential and they, too, promote harmonization. The ITU itself strives for consensus and compromise, to ensure that their decisions are broadly supported. So the relationship between national, regional and global spectrum policies is interactive - "bottom up" as well as "top down" and "peer-to-peer." Changes in national laws are needed to open the spectrum for more unlicensed use, yet one cannot ignore the international dimension, since positive international policy changes encourage reforms at the national level, while bad international policies inhibit reform everywhere. Thus, it is important to understand and engage with global and regional policy processes, regardless of whether they are helpful or problematic. International Telecommunication Union The ITU is an intergovernmental organization. Its members are States. Some national governments consult with business leaders, academic experts and NGOs as they prepare positions on matters discussed in the ITU, and some delegations to ITU events include representatives from the private sector. So one way to influence ITU policy is by helping your government prepare for ITU events, contributing opinions and research. Another way is to be selected as a delegate to an ITU meeting. However, not all governments are open to citizen participation. Even then, it is still useful to know about ITU processes and positions, if only so that misrepresentations cannot be used to justify bad national policies. (A recent survey found that 60% of African countries said their Wi-Fi licensing policies are based on ITU recommendations, even when they actually conflict with those recommendations.) Because of limited funding and the need to reposition itself for WSIS, telecom privatization and a possible role in Internet governance, the ITU's willingness to consider input from nongovernmental organizations is increasing - albeit from a very low level, and primarily to make "Sector Members" feel like partners. ("Sector Members" tend to be large firms operating commercial networks.) Especially in the area of technical research, the ITU is "contribution driven." "Research Organizations" may respond to ITU surveys, while "Sector Members" and "Associates" can attend Study Group meetings and submit proposals and position papers, although they cannot vote. "Associate" membership costs about $3200/year, or about $1600/year for organizations registered in developing countries. See the ITU-R Associates webpage for details. "Sector" memberships are much more expensive and are not suitable for the audiences we want to address. The ITU's website (http://www.itu.int) has made their documentation more accessible, but only up to a point. Drafts of working texts for the Study Groups and contributions for the WRCs are still only available to government officials and Sector Members. Other documents are priced high to supplement the ITU budget. However, careful searches of the ITU website - and the websites of agencies which deal with the ITU - sometimes reveal surprises. Radio license exemption and the ITU Until quite recently, ITU policies discouraged unlicensed radio transmissions. ITU-R Regulation S18.1 still says: "No transmitting station may be established or operated by a private person or by any enterprise without a license issued in an appropriate form and in conformity with the provisions of these Regulations by or on behalf of the government of the country to which the station in question is subject." Meanwhile Regulation S4.4 says: "Administrations of the Member States shall not assign to a station any frequency in derogation of either the Table of Frequency Allocations in this Chapter or the other provisions of these Regulations, except on the express condition that such a station...shall not cause harmful interference to, and shall not claim protection from harmful interference caused by, a station operating in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, the Convention and these Regulations."While they seem strict, many countries interpret these two rules as jointly indicating that unlicensed "stations" are allowed so long as they do not cause harmful interference to any properly operating licensed station. That interpretation is codified in Draft New Report ITU-R SM.[Doc. 1/54]: Guidance on the Regulatory Framework for National Spectrum Management, to be presented at WRC-07: "In situations where there is no risk of causing harmful interference across borders, for example when low power transmitters are used, administrations may overlook [S18.1], designating the corresponding band for 'unlicensed use,' or [as a] 'common.' The Draft New Report is still being revised and by WRC-07 it could be quite different. Nevertheless, the ITU's new attitude toward unlicensed radio is increasingly positive and deserves publicity: ITU Study Groups Some 1500 specialists from telecoms organizations, research institutes and government agencies participate in the work of the ITU Study Groups. These Groups draft Recommendations to guide national regulators and prepare Reports for consideration at the World Radio Conferences. ITU Recommendations are essentially answers to Questions assigned to the Study Groups. The Study Groups dealing with Questions we care about most are: Under the auspices of SG1, Working Party 1A looks at spectrum efficiency and band sharing (among other issues). Working Party 1B looks at spectrum management methods, flexible allocations, alternative approaches, economic strategies and long-term planning. Within SG3, Working Party 3K looks at short-range indoor and outdoor communication systems (including Wireless Local Area Networks), point-to-multipoint wireless access systems, etc. Meanwhile, ITU-R Task Group 1/8 is studying ultra-wideband (UWB) devices' compatibility with other radiocommunication services. Unless you are a well-qualified radio engineer - or can write, think and speak like one - we would not recommend trying to participate in Study Group activities. Study Group Questions More than 400 Questions have been assigned to the ITU-R Study Groups. Here is a sampling of those relevant to Open Spectrum: More than 900 ITU Recommendations concerning radiocommunication are now in effect. ITU footnotes related to these bands are gathered here on a separate page. "As early as 1993 ITU-R Study Group 1 decided to study the spectrum management aspects of Short Range Communication Systems by adopting Question ITU-R 201/1 'Spectrum management aspects of short range communication systems'. It was intended that this Question would result in a recommendation [but until] 1997 the response to this Question was nil, not a single contribution being received to begin the work. "A new attempt by ITU-R Study Group 1 started to address this topic in 1997 by adopting the new Question ITU-R 213/1 'Technical and operating parameters and spectrum requirements for short range devices'... However, when starting the drafting of the new recommendation, it soon became obvious that the differences between the three ITU Regions in handling SRDs were so significant... that a global solution could not be found. Hence, it was decided to develop a recommendation which consists of a common part describing the SRD applications and the commonly used frequency ranges... and a number of appendices in which the regulations for SRDs [in various] regions or countries are explained. This Recommendation, ITU-R SM.1538 'Technical and operating parameters and spectrum requirements for short-range radiocommunication devices', was first adopted in 2001 and is subject to revisions on a regular basis..." ---"Improving the effectiveness, flexibility and availability of spectrum for short-range devices," World Radio Conferences The international Radio Regulations are revised every few years at World Radio Conferences. WRCs are major events, lasting 4 weeks and attracting thousands of national delegates and hundreds of observers. The most recent one (WRC-03, 9 June - 4 July 2003) was a breakthrough for license exempt radio: a non-exclusive but primary global allocation of 455 MHz was approved for "wireless access systems" (WAS) in the 5GHz band. Even though 43 countries joined in a footnote blocking WAS use of the 5.65-5.85 GHz band inside their borders, this new allocation is an important step. We should also mention Resolution 63, which was revised at WRC-03 to call for urgent studies on limiting radio frequency emissions from Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) devices. These studies - which will be reported at WRC-07 - could effect unlicensed communications in the ISM bands. WRC-07 is scheduled from 22 October to 16 November 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland. The chairman's report presenting the issues to be discussed is here.

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CC-MAIN-2013-20

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en

"Every time we see an accident investigation it's very rarely a technical failure. What we do see is human error," Lloyd's Register chief executive Richard Sadler told the Intertanko conference in Tokyo. "We should look at the real causes of the accidents. Instead of spending all our money and time on research and development, let's spend it on the human factor," Mr Sadler said. In terms of the human factor, industry officials said that there needed to be a greater focus on the design of equipment seafarers use. "We need to design the equipment, and the working practices that surround them, with the human interface in mind," Mr Sadler said. In particular, a parallel was drawn with the commercial aviation industry where equipment designs are standardised across different aircraft types. "Now is the time we have to focus on putting money into research programmes around the human factor, meaning that we design equipment like they have on airplanes," Intertanko chairman Nicholas Fistes told Lloyd's List. "Bridge equipment should be standardised so each officer that goes onboard a ship should not have to go through a special programme to be familiar with it," he said. "A tanker that carries crude oil should have the sort of standard equipment onboard no matter its size or design." Mr Sadler said the airline industry's regulatory regime was more geared to the human factor than shipping. This included the sharing of information on incidents. "They take much more notice in the civil aviation regulations of design principles and they do share operational expertise across all companies and all the design types," Mr Sadler said. Lloyd's Register classes over 8,400 vessels in the world fleet and is looking for ways it can share its expertise across the industry. But the mechanisms to facilitate this did not exist, Mr Sadler said. "At the moment there is a lot of information that is kept confidential between the owners of the assets and the classification society," he added. But he does not think a new body is needed to facilitate the sharing of information in the industry. Instead, existing structures have to work together better than they do at present. "We have all the component parts we just need all the bodies to work together better," he said.

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en

Austin Langley is used to challenges. She's challenged daily in Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music and as a member of Vanderbilt's swimming team. However, none of those challenges stack up to a relatively unknown challenge that Langley has faced her entire life. Since birth, Langley has had to deal with a severe low-tone hearing loss -- something that makes her enrollment in the Blair School that much more remarkable. While most individuals with hearing loss struggle to hear high tones, such as whistling, the Vanderbilt sophomore is just the opposite. "As you get older, most people naturally lose their high tones because they are unprotected," Langley said. "I don't have any low tones or conversational tones and the protective part is gone and they don't really know why. It is really kind of uncommon to have it reversed like that." Langley's hearing loss is hereditary on her father's side of the family, with her father and grandfather also having low-tone hearing loss. "Low-frequency hearing loss is typically seen in individuals with hereditary factors or middle ear pathologies," said Meredith Moss, a clinical audiologist at Vanderbilt. "High-frequency hearing loss is much more common as it is seen in most individuals with age-related hearing loss and noise exposure." Although she's had hearing loss since birth, it wasn't discovered until first grade when Langley was failing all of her spelling tests. It was then that her father taught her about another way to compensate for her loss of hearing. "That is when my dad explained to me that if I watch what someone is saying, you might be able to figure out what letter they are saying," Langley commented. Since then, Langley has combined her ability to read lips with what she has been able to hear, to understand people. "I hear every fifth or sixth syllable, so I pair that with what I see to understand what someone is saying," Langley said. "It is variable depending on the situation, but in general that is the way it works." While the process would seem unnatural to most, it is completely natural for Langley and others in her family who have the same condition. "You kind of just grow up reading lips when you need to," Langley said. "My dad reads lips really well, and so does my grandfather. My grandfather almost needs no sound at all to understand what you are saying. My dad probably hears every seventh or eighth syllable and he is pairing that with what he is seeing to help him figure out what is being said." As natural as the process has become for Langley, there still are times when she has trouble understanding what others are saying. One example of this is in the classroom when a professor will talk softly or talk with his or her back to her. Even sitting in the front of the room, as she does in all of her classes, is useless in those situations. Instances such as that have been new challenges for Langley since she arrived at Vanderbilt. Before college, Langley could always get by with just teaching herself, reading the book or asking classmates questions about what the teacher explained in class. "In high school (my hearing loss) wasn't really an issue in class," Langley said. "I knew it was there, but it didn't really affect anything. When I got to college, let me tell you, my professors don't talk loud enough." The class where Langley was most affected was her calculus class the first semester of her freshman year. "My professor's shoes squeaked louder than his voice," Langley said. "He'd always face the board, so I couldn't lip read or do anything to help myself. I didn't know what to do. As a result, I did not do well on the first two tests at all." Feeling helpless and realizing that the class was getting away from her, Langley turned to her academic adviser, Katie Berglund, for assistance. In turn, the athletic department was able to purchase an FM Listening System for Langley. What the system does for Langley is magnify the sound of the teacher's voice. For the system to work, Langley has the professor wear a device that looks like a lapel microphone, while she wears an earpiece. Since beginning to use the device, Langley has seen a tremendous spike in her performance in the classroom. "After I got an FM System, the first test I did well on. It's made a huge difference and has been very helpful." The improvement Langley had in the classroom with the FM Listening System may make it seem logical for Langley to wear a hearing aid, but it isn't that easy according to her. "Nowadays they can pick frequencies to be amplified on hearing aids, but they are still going to amplify the high tones, which is a problem for me," Langley said. "They can turn them down. The only other problem is that, if I can hear the high tones, I don't want to listen to it through a microphone because it has a different sound. If you turn the hearing aid completely off, it works as an earplug so it makes it worse. They are trying to find a way to overcome that situation and once they get that, then I might be interested in hearing aids." Moss believes that time may not be too far away. "With the advent of digital, multi-channel, nonlinear hearing aids that offer greater flexibility of adjustment, it is possible for audiologists to fit this type of hearing loss more successfully," Moss said. Some people may let their hearing loss keep them from doing what they love, but not Langley. The best example of this may be her love of music, which is why she is enrolled in the Blair School as a saxophone player. Since the saxophone emits high tones, Langley is able to hear her own music fine. It is the music of other instruments, particularly those that play bass, that she is unable to hear. "I guess in high school I always just played my instrument because it is in a range that I can hear," Langley said. "I never really bothered with listening for other instruments and balance. I just kind of followed the director, and in private lessons I could hear my instruments." However, Langley quickly realized how much of a challenge it would be for her to excel in certain classes within her major because of her inability to hear bass. "Last year, I had to hear and write out chords in my music theory class and that was the hardest thing for me because I couldn't hear the bass unless I sat there and really focused," Langley said. "I got speakers in my room with a subwoofer and I would put my feet on the subwoofer and turn up the bass as loud as it could go so I could feel it. That's how I'd get my homework done. I couldn't do it with regular headphones because with regular headphones, I couldn't hear the bass at all." Although swimming isn't necessarily a sport where you would think communication would be key, there are definitely times that present challenges for Langley, who specializes in the backstroke and 200 IM. "Yes, it is a challenge," Langley said. "Sometimes I can't hear the set, and I get really frustrated because I didn't hear the set and you have 30 seconds before you have to go. Especially if I'm going first that day and I don't know what's going on, it is really bad and I get really frustrated." It is obvious that Langley's hearing loss hasn't stopped her from achieving her goals, and she doesn't plan on letting it slow her down anytime soon. "It is very impressive for Austin to balance swimming and the Blair School," swimming Coach Jeremy Organ said. "There are not enough hours in the day for Austin to get everything done. Her time management skills are put to the test each and every day. I think that music and swimming are very similar in that they both require practicing perfection every day, and that daily practice all leads up to a concert or a competition where your success is gauged by your performance." Langley's ability to balance so many things at once, while overcoming her hearing loss, has led to her teammates respecting Langley even more. "I think that everyone on the team respects Austin that much more because of all she does and has to deal with on a daily basis," Organ said. Even though she still is just a sophomore, Langley already has more than just the next two years of her life mapped out. This past summer, Langley found her true calling when she was in Norway with 4-H. During that time, she worked at a dairy farm. "I've always really enjoyed being around animals, and this summer I decided that I really want to work around animals for my career," Langley said. "I decided that I wanted to be a veterinarian and that I'm going to pursue the pre-vet track here. It's going to be kind of difficult though because I'm a little behind, and I haven't had science since high school." Langley's interest in pursuing a career as a veterinarian also led to her question whether she should return to Vanderbilt before the start of this year. After all, the university does not offer the necessary classes to directly enter vet school, and she would have a lot of catching up to do. "I decided that I really shouldn't leave Vanderbilt because there was so much here for me between swimming and music," Langley said. Because she lacks the classes that would be necessary for her to get directly into vet school following graduation, Langley already has her eyes set on attending graduate school before "hopefully" returning to North Carolina to attend vet school at N.C. State. The journey to become a vet may look long and winding for most students, but for someone like Langley, it would be hard to believe she would want it to be any other way.

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en

MISINFORMATION posing as fact on the internet was responsible for much community fear about the foreign purchase of Australian farms, Fairfax MP Alex Somlyay said yesterday. He said there was a very real fear in some quarters that Australia was being taken over by Chinese, a position that could not be sustained by the facts. "If something goes on the internet everyone believes it,'' Mr Somlyay said. "People need to take with a grain of salt what is written in some emails and get the facts.'' A Lowy Institute survey has found that 46% of Australians believed that too much foreign investment happening in Australia. When questioned about Chinese investment, 56% felt there was too much. Statistical data, however, shows China only 13th in terms of investment dollars here in the past 12 months, well behind that from the UK, US and Japan. The Coalition has called for community input into its policy discussion paper on foreign investment in agricultural land and agribusiness.

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Frequently Asked Questions These questions are meant help you solve specific but common problems that may pop up when using this language. They are meant to be read after you have gone through the tutorial and begin actual development. How can I put my Ruby on Rails application on the web? There are numerous options for hosting Ruby on Rails applications due to it's recent boon in popularity and usage. Below are what this author thinks are some of the best hosts. If you are a University of Washington student, staff, or faculty you can follow the UW IT Connect tutorial for setting up your Ruby on Rails application for free on UW servers. If you want a free, easy to use, but very limited host than you can try using Heroku. They also have a step by step tutorial for uploading Ruby on Rails applications. You can pay to host with them for premium features, but that can get rather expensive. If you want a paid host that has high performance and scalability, but requires extensive knowledge of virtual servers than you can try using Amazon EC2. A great resource for this is ec2onrails, but even this tutorial requires extensive knowledge of rails. Not recommended for beginners. Why use Rails over other widely used server side technologies such as PHP? Rails favors a "convention over configuration" approach to software development meaning that you are forced to structure and do certain programming tasks following a single Rails convention as opposed to deciding project by project. This principle enforces best practices in software engineering even for beginners as opposed to languages like PHP which allow beginners to fall into preventable programming pitfalls. If you are interested in more reasons why check out the following link.

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Christian L. Novetzke Study of religion as a general human phenomenon. Manner in which different methods of inquiry (phenomenology, anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary criticism, archaeology, philosophy, theology) illuminate different aspects of religion and help to shape our conceptions of its nature. Recommended: RELIG 201 or RELIG 202. Offered: jointly with CHID 380. This course provides students with a variety of approaches to the study of religion centered on examining the relationship between religion and modernity in the tradition of post-enlightenment, Euro-American scholarship. The central thesis of this course is that what we understand to be "religion" today was fashioned out of Western modernity, similar to other "modern" ideas such as science, democracy, the modern state, humanism, and capitalism. Religion is not a relic from a pre-modern period or the purview of non-modern, non-Westernized, irrational societies, but rather is the creation of the modern world itself. We will examine this thesis in relation to four broad disciplines: anthropology, sociology, history, and politics. As a survey course, we will tread lightly through these areas with the goal in mind to provide students with opportunities for future study and ideas for critically thinking about the history and role of religion in public culture today. For students interested in pursuing this thesis in the rest of the world outside European and North American societies, I offer a seminar called "Religion and Modernity in the Rest of the World". Student learning goals Answer the question, in multiple ways, "What is religion?" Be able to use ideas about what constitutes "religion" in order to understand how religion is used in public discourse Understand the relationship between religion and modernity Summarize the history of "theories" about religion proffered in the Euro-American academy Learn to theorize critical positions about questions related to the study of religion Take into future courses or other experiences a set of tools for understanding not just religion, but culture more broadly. General method of instruction Class meets twice a week for roughly two hours. We will usually divide the time this way each meeting: Lecture for the first 50 minutes; 5 minute break; 45 minutes of something else. The "something else" will likely be one of these: 1) large group discussion; 2) small group discussions; 3) film or other media screening; 4)in class exam. Class assignments and grading Tentative: Assignments: Your grade for this course will be distributed evenly among three components: . Participation-Class participation is measured by active participation in the form of questions and comments during lecture; lively engagement with classmates in small and large group discussion; and generally positive investment in the learning environment of the class. We are a large class and participating in such an environment can be difficult. It is my job to help create possibilities for participation, but it is your job to interact with my, your classmates, and the subject intelligently and enthusiastically. . Weekly Media Assessment-Once per week, by Monday, 10pm, you will post online a short assessment of some media you have observed (read, heard,watched, viewed, etc.) that is relevant to the subject of this course. This may be a news item, a film, a radio show, a book or article, a work of art-any media is valid. These are not formal papers, but postings should be clear, well considered, and should reference the materials and ideas of the course. The assessments should be no less than 250 words and no more than 500 words. Please do not quote extensively. . Two In-Class Written Exams-You will complete two in-class written exams. These exams are to be (legibly) hand-written without the use of notes, books, or computers. The nature of the questions will allow many possible answers. A high grade will be determined by the quality of your thought in the essay, the organization of your response, and your ability to reference the ideas of the course.

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Love and respect have at least two things in common: they were themes at Tampa on Tuesday night, and Mitt Romney is still working on obtaining them from the American people. “The greatest lesson Mom ever taught me,” Chris Christie said in his keynote address Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention, “...was this one: She told me there would be times in your life when you have to choose between being loved and being respected. She said to always pick being respected.” Contrast this with Ann Romney, who noted in her speech that, “I want to talk to you tonight about that one great thing that unites us, that one thing that brings us our greatest joy when times are good, and the deepest solace in our dark hours. Tonight I want to talk to you about love.” As someone who was really hoping Ann would say “bacon,” not love, I confess a certain sympathy with Christie’s view. Love. Respect. Which matters most? And which can Romney hope to attain? People always address him as you would a wonderful machine whose workings you do not entirely understand. “Look what it did!” you murmur. “Look what it can do! Let’s get one for the kitchen, Carol!” You’re happy to take it home if it’ll cut down the heating bill, but it’s not going to replace the puppy. Tampa, if the first night is any indication, is an effort to move past that. Ann will make us believe in the warm, human Mitt Romney if she has to repeat uncanny, propagandistic phrases dozens of times without blinking! Respect him? Chris Christie will make us respect him if he has to gesture a lot, scowl meaningfully and force us to listen to Three Doors Down. In fact, he seemed to think the best way to gain respect for Romney was barely to mention him, apparently laboring under the misapprehension that enough had already been said on the subject and people wanted to hear more about New Jersey. Even the love needed a little work. Ann’s strength has always been her warmth and humanity. These qualities are fundamental to most humans, but they are difficult to broadcast from behind a podium. Mitt Romney, who is by all accounts a live human, has severe difficulty with this, giving him a public demeanor that closely resembles that of a constantly overcompensating cyborg. Ann did her best to counteract that, as usual. She noted in her speech that in the early days she and Mitt had to eat a lot of tuna and pasta, which is, I think, hardship, although it could also have been Tuna Helper. Ann also gave off what multiple commenters called an Oprah-like vibe. One kept expecting to see the delegates pawing under their seats for tickets and car keys. But, also as usual, the warm family anecdotes of the Human Mitt soon blurred into the Lore of Mitt The Efficient Accomplisher of Mighty Works and Builder of Businesses. “Sounds handy to have around the home,” one thinks, “but — not cuddly.” Then again, these are not cuddly times. This recession leaves no time to sand the edges off. Still, the conclusion of Ann’s speech left much to be desired, climaxing with the kind of refrain repeated to denizens of Brave New World as they slept. (“Ending is better than mending. More stitches, less riches!”) “You Can Trust Mitt,” she intoned. “He loves America.” It was that bad. “This man will not fail. This man will not let us down. This man will lift up America!” Even Ann, warm, human Ann, could not help sounding a bit robotic.

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LA PAZ, Bolivia -- After an unusually long lapse in communication with her son, Sheila Poirier called the Peace Corps in Bolivia to tell them she was concerned about him. Two days later, on March 6, 2001, Walter J. Poirier was officially declared missing, and neither U.S. nor Bolivian authorities have been able to figure out what happened. When Mrs. Poirier called, Peace Corps officials did not even know where the 22-year-old was living in the Zongo Valley, a mountainous, tropical-forest region about two hours north of La Paz, the capital, and where he had been sent by the foreign-service agency to organize an ecotourism project. Later, investigators went to his small room in the Zongo Valley and found, among other personal items, his wallet. It contained about $12, credit cards and all his personal IDs, suggesting that Mr. Poirier had not strayed far. Neighbors said they did not see him enter or leave the room during the period he became missing. Now, nearly four years later, officials can only presume Mr. Poirier is dead. But his family and others familiar with the case say they think the U.S. Embassy, the Peace Corps and Bolivian officials botched the investigation. Mr. Poirier's parents, Walter Sr. and Mrs. Poirier, say that most recently, the U.S. Embassy halfheartedly followed up a lead from authorities in August in which a Bolivian kidnapping victim claimed to have overheard what had happened to their son's body. "This is the best lead to have surfaced since the disappearance of our son," the Poiriers said in an e-mail from Lowell, Mass., the hometown of the missing volunteer. The Massachusetts congressional delegation also has been critical of the investigation. In 2001, a General Accounting Office investigation, done at the request of Rep. Martin T. Meehan, Massachusetts Democrat, found the Peace Corps at fault, saying it had failed "to properly supervise Mr. Poirier and lost track of him." In 2002, a GAO study concluded that major physical assaults on the 7,533 Peace Corps volunteers had more than doubled in the preceding decade and that organizational problems likely had worsened the problem. "This investigation has been mishandled since the beginning," Mr. Meehan said. "While the Peace Corps may have instituted changes, they have been too little too late as far as Walter Poirier and his family" are concerned. Barbara Daly, a spokeswoman for Peace Corps, said that at the request of the Poiriers, the agency is maintaining their son in "active status," which allows it to continue to investigate. "We have been investigating, and will continue to do so," she said from Washington. Mr. Poirier joined the Peace Corps shortly after graduating from Notre Dame University in 2000 and had been in Bolivia for about six months when he was declared missing. An extensive search was carried out soon by U.S. and Bolivian authorities in the Zongo Valley, near the room where he stayed and at places he frequented. In addition, a publicity campaign was conducted on Bolivian radio and television, and in newspapers. At the insistence of the Poiriers, the Peace Corps recently boosted to $50,000 the reward for information leading to the recovery of their son's body. The family is contributing half the amount. But U.S. authorities said they have gotten nowhere. "The effort to obtain additional information on the disappearance of Walter Poirier has been extremely frustrating," the U.S. Embassy said. "Despite a number of apparently promising leads, every trail thus far has been unproductive." In June, under pressure from Mr. Meehan and Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry, the Peace Corps agreed to hire a full-time investigator. The unidentified investigator began work in September and was given six weeks to do an in-country assessment, said a Bolivian private investigator hired to assist him. The Bolivian investigator said they had not identified any solid leads, nor finished reading the mounds of paperwork given to them to review when the Peace Corps investigator left Bolivia in mid-November. Raising hope for a break in the case, a formal criminal complaint was filed with La Paz police in August against two persons in connection with the volunteer's disappearance. In the complaint, which obliges La Paz police to investigate, Ramiro Machaca, 22, an Aymara Indian, said he was kidnapped May 23 and held for six days in a Zongo Valley river tunnel near the Wahi electric plant. Mr. Machaca, who worked at the plant, said he was kidnapped because in February, while cleaning the machines at the plant one evening, he had overheard two other employees discussing Mr. Poirier. Mr. Machaca said they were celebrating and drinking alcohol. "One of them made a toast to 'el chango' Walter Poirier," Mr. Machaca said, using slang for "the kid." "Then, they began talking about what they did with his body," he said, adding that the two mentioned it was buried in the mountains below Zongo Pass. Several witnesses have corroborated to La Paz police the kidnapping of Mr. Machaca. A medical report from Agramont Hospital in El Alto, near La Paz, said he was brought there May 30 in a "metabolic coma." A doctor wrote that Mr. Machaca also bore head injuries, with signs of strangulation and lack of oxygen to the brain. But formal criminal charges have not been filed. La Paz District Attorney Audalia Zurita said the authorities need more evidence. She said last month that she last communicated with the U.S. Embassy about the Poirier case in late September. She said her office wants to conduct a monthlong search for Mr. Poirier's body in the areas of Zongo identified by witnesses who have come forward in connection with the Machaca case, but the U.S. Embassy wants a more precise location before it hires specialists and equipment. "I still believe the information we have on the possible whereabouts of Poirier is credible, but I need help convincing the U.S. Embassy," Mrs. Zurita said. But others say Bolivian authorities share much of the blame for the failed investigation into Mr. Poirier's disappearance. His parents also think more can be done. "We are perplexed as to why the embassy and Peace Corps have not embraced this lead," they said. "The Poirier family feels that, from the beginning, the Peace Corps was inept and unprepared to handle our son's disappearance -- they simply did not know what to do." 'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America Independent voices from the TWT Communities A collection of reader guest articles, thoughts and opinions by Communities writers and breaking news and information. Reflections on raising families in a holistic way -- with a focus on nutrition and alternative health. Get in the middle of all the action inside and outside the boxing ring. Reviews, insights and commentary from an eclectic observer. Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal Vietnam Memorial adds four names Cinco de Mayo on the Mall

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• Prices for advertising mail, periodicals and parcels also will rise about 2.1 percent. • There will be a new three-month option for renting post office boxes to people who need them only for a short time. • Delivery confirmation will be free on some parcel services, rather than costing extra. A major financial problem for the post office has been the requirement, imposed in 2006, that it pay $5.5 billion annually into a fund designed to cover the medical benefits for retired employees in the future. No other agency has such a requirement. While the post office is not part of the federal budget, the fund receiving the payment is; so it counts as income to the government, making the federal deficit appear $5.5 billion smaller. Because eliminating the payment would make the deficit seem bigger, there has been reluctance to drop it. Still, both houses of Congress are working on legislation to address the Postal Service’s financial problems, though some members are also fighting the closing of local post offices and seeking ways to keep six-day delivery. 'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America Independent voices from the TWT Communities Reflections on raising families in a holistic way -- with a focus on nutrition and alternative health. Get in the middle of all the action inside and outside the boxing ring. Reviews, insights and commentary from an eclectic observer. Join the Communities. We want to hear from you. Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal Vietnam Memorial adds four names Cinco de Mayo on the Mall

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The thirty-five men and one woman serving as the jury during the Roland Pothier murder trial, 1924. WSHS - All rights reserved. "From 1883 to 1887, women in the Washington Territory served as jurors just as they do today. But unlike today, their presence was a source of great legal and social contention. Critics claimed that allowing women to serve as public decision-makers in the state’s courts was a misguided experiment that violated the laws of nature, and would lead to dire consequences for family and society." Caplan, Aaron. "The History of Women's Jury Service in Washington." Washington State Bar News (March 2005):12-21. Available from ACLU of Washington. Emma Smith Devoe Scrapbook, 1910 Bernice A. Sapp Scrapbook, 1910-1913 Roland Pothier jury panel, 1924

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in the UK "Curriculum and Imagination" describes an alternative 'process' model for designing developing, implementing and evaluating curriculum, suggesting that curriculum may be designed by specifying an educational process which contains key principles of procedure. This comprehensive and authoritative book: offers a practical and theoretical plan for curriculum-making without objectives; shows that a curriculum can be best planned and developed at school level by teachers adopting an action research role; complements the spirit and reality of much of the teaching profession today, embracing the fact that there is a degree of intuition and critical judgement in the work of educators; and, presents empirical evidence on teachers' human values. "Curriculum and Imagination" provides a rational and logical alternative for all educators who plan curriculum but do not wish to be held captive by a mechanistic 'ends-means' notion of educational planning. Anyone studying or teaching curriculum studies, or involved in education or educational planning, will find this important new book fascinating reading. Other books by this author See all titles The prices displayed are for website purchases only, and may differ to the prices in Waterstones stores.

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27 ways to boost your metabolism The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America compared data on 100 cities to rank the 25 most challenging cities to live with seasonal allergies this spring. Scores are based off pollen counts, allergy medicine use and the number of allergists. Spring allergy season is here. Find out if you live in one of the 25 worst cities for seasonal sniffling and sneezing. Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' advice to college graduates on Saturday was the same she offered senators earlier this year as they prepared to consider gun-related legislation.

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As the population of northern China explodes, it needs more water than the land can provide. To bring water to its thirsty cities, the government has embarked on the world’s most expensive and largest engineering feat: the South-North Water Diversion Project. We talk to Kenneth Pomeranz, professor of history at UC-Irvine and author of several books, including The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy. He says that while the project is rife with problems, will likely displace millions and might not work, it’s nonetheless necessary for China’s future. Tune in to All Things Considered tonight (7/14) for the latest installment of Front and Center – WBEZ’s special series examining critical issues in the Great Lakes region as Shannon Heffernan and Heather Radke report on how tribal fishing rights may be the most powerful legal argument for protecting Great Lakes eco-systems.

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When Worlds Collide The American past meets modern museum doctrine. Jun 9, 2008, Vol. 13, No. 37 • By P.J. O'ROURKE Fortunately, Chief Obama was willing, without diplomatic preconditions, to meet and negotiate with any ancient American leader. Therefore, the "periods of conflict" didn't result in anything like, oh, members of the Iroquois Confederation capturing, torturing, enslaving, and occasionally eating everyone they could get their hands on. An office cubicle's space is allotted to the Moundbuilders. Who were they? Why did they build the mounds? How did they do it? Was there free parking? Translating, again, from the Academese: "Got me, pal." Then comes a prolix wall headed "Powerful Leaders." So maybe it was Hillary, not Obama, who got elected. This brings us to the Maya and their abominable customs, nicely glossed. Now wait a damn minute, you infidel apes of social science. Shut your brie holes and listen up. God, the God, the God who didn't make me an Eskimo, does not require human sacrifice, he suffers it: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That is the difference--perhaps the only difference--between civilization and savagery. And it's not just us Christians who say so. From the time of Abraham no monotheist has practiced human sacrifice; no Buddhist ever has, and no Hindu since the days of suttee and the Thugs. No Taoist, no Confucian, no Zoroastrian, Baha'ist, or Sikh includes murder in his "spiritual practices." The text on the Maya continues: Let's finish that sentence. "Anthropologists don't fully know the difference between right and wrong." In a nook around the corner from Mayan Spirituality a computer-animated movie runs on a continuous loop. "Living in a State Society" offers a different definition of civilization. State Societies are, it seems, all societies in which sticks and grass aren't the principal constituents of housing, wardrobe, and diet. The movie explains that, in a State Society, the "Ruling Classes" are supported by the "State Power Triad" consisting of the Economy, the Military, and Religion. "For the first time," the narration drones, "the ruling class had a different standard of living than others. Why would people want to give up their freedom? For most there was no choice." The message of the movie is, I think, to build a wigwam, wear a hula skirt, and boil some sticks for dinner. Or maybe the message is to pack the car and move to North Korea. Or, possibly, the message is to get over it, accept Big Chief Hillary, and learn to love her tax hikes, Iraq retreat, and pseudo-Methodist spiritual beliefs (including health care bloodletting) because "there was no choice." After a twist and a turn in the exhibit's vagrant route you are among the Aztec and Inca. The loathsome Aztec devoted most of their energy to human sacrifices, horrifying in extent and gruesome in technique. The Ancient Americas treats this in a moving-right-along manner. The original New World Order, as it were. Inscriptions also give a nod to media hype. You're hustled past the Inca's no doubt better-justified conquerings. You enter a hushed and funereal room with tombstone lettering on black walls. Mao Zedong, please go to the white courtesy phone. The wall inscription proceeds: Here, we reflect on the magnitude of loss inflicted on America's Indigenous peoples by European invasion. The European inflictions are grimly illustrated. The first one upon which we are expected to reflect is the only decent thing (not counting the wheel, iron, cigarette papers, etc.) that Europeans brought to America's Indigenous peoples, "Religious Conversion." Second is "Disease," which should stir our sympathy but hardly our guilt. The exhibit points out that disease was the chief cause of suffering after European contact. Therefore, the horrors that beset The Ancient Americas following 1492 would have happened if the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María had been manned by Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama, and Bono. You escape the pity parlor of When Worlds Collide and traverse a space of video screen talking heads and interactive displays with all their buttons being pounded by toddlers. This is "Living Descendants." The ancient Americans' modern relations are regular folks, as well as their ancestors were, and with clothes on, too, the same as you and me. Of course, if they're the same as you and me, why do they need a room in a museum any more than we do? Well, "despite centuries of injustice and oppression, today's "Indigenous peoples strive to sustain their cultural traditions." You could say the same of the Irish. Being one, I looked for the exit to go find a drink. I wandered into a solemn, quiet, awe‑engendering place. Looking around the large, gloomy hall I saw the full-scale cutaway of winter quarters in MacKenzie Bay. Its labels are curled and yellowing but unchanged: respectful, factual, precise. The ancient Americans weren't regular folks. They lived strange, spectacular lives on strange, spectacular continents untrod by man and more remote for them than Mars--or the world of museum curation--is for us. The ancient Americans were tough as hell. They did their share of nasty stuff. But even the Aztec don't deserve to be patronized, demeaned, and insulted by what is--or is supposed to be, or once was--one of the white man's great institutions of learning. Give the "Ancient Americas" exhibit back to the ancient Americans, and the Field Museum along with it. If any of the heirs and assigns of the Aztec, Inca, or Maya feel inclined to practice a little human sacrifice on anthropologists, sociologists, moral relativists, neo-Marxists, and other conquistadors of modern academia, call it "maintaining the natural order of the world." P.J. O'Rourke is a contributing editor to THE WEEKLY STANDARD.

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Southern and Northern Dynasties (420 AD – 581 AD) period, the boots in the north, widespread, and spread to the south; air maxconcubine of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 – AD 907), the boots have been the official suitable for all ages; the Song Dynasty (960 AD – 1297 AD ), when women’s boots; the Yuan Dynasty (1279 AD – 1368 AD) the prevalence of the Korea-style boots; the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD – 1644 AD), the court ordered a ban on the clichés of ordinary people, air max tn but still many like boots like shoe short boots; Qing Dynasty man civilian clothes to shoes, mainly, to wear male clothing with boots. Boots and more satin, velvet, Buppee material toward the boots square toe boots, folk are pointed boots. Folklorists believe that the Chinese foot binding began in the Southern Tang. Commonly known as “lotus feet”, nike air max eagerly shoes, the shape of a bird head, soles for wood, bent like a bow, so called “bow shoes”. The bow shoes originally refers to the bend-soled shoes, the latter refers to foot-binding women’s feet shoes worn. Yuan Ming Dynasty provisions be restricted to the wealthy family of women’s bound feet. Bow shoes of this period more than 4-5 inches high soles. nike air max To the Qing Dynasty (1644 AD – 1911 AD), Han Chinese women “lotus feet” won the Manchu women of all ages. The Qing government has repeatedly prohibit bannerman foot-binding, but despite repeated prohibitions, many flag women still follow the example of fatigue, foot-binding of the wind heyday. The style of bow shoes, sleep shoes for feet shoes, pointed mouth shoes, stepping hall shoes, net shoes, lotus shoes, shoes, overshoes funeral shoes, shoes kun together face shoes, and other hundreds. Elegant bow shoes in the toe, shoe soles, air max 2012 shoe uppers embroidered filled with all kinds of auspicious patterns, rich woman on the bow heel plus decorated Pearl and other accessories. In China, the sandals was first by slippers evolved. Slippers, shoes in ancient times known, began in the Han dynasty (before 206 BC – AD 23 years). Then, one after another hemp sandals, cloth sandals and leather sandals. Ancients in sandals embroidered with auspicious patterns of dragon and phoenix, air max tnand some are even adorned with jewels.

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What should I do if my child refuses to eat what I cooked for dinner? Posted Aug 25 2008 3:43pm This is bound to happen sooner or later. We each have individual tastes, and it's a good idea to make easy and nutritious alternatives available to everyone in the family in case they don't like what is being served. There's no need for you to COOK more than one dish -- kids can prepare a simple Plan B themselves. It's fair for parents to request a "good sport bite" -- just one teensy bite to see how it tastes, so kids don't miss out on something yummy just because it looks funny. If they don't like the taste, then a good ol' pbj sandwich will suffice for backup. Don't make a big deal about it. Eating is not an area where you want to engage in power struggles! Simply excuse your child from the table so he can make a sandwich and bring it right back to eat with the family. Even at age three kids can assemble a pbj sandwich with a plastic knife while you stay at the table and enjoy your meal. You may want to discuss this ahead of time, and teach your child the language you'd like to hear. Mommy, I took a good sport bite of the okra, and I don't like how it tastes. May I please make myself a sandwich instead? You'll also want to teach your children how to handle this situation appropriately for times when they are a guest in someone else's home. Remember to tell them to take very small portions of any questionable foods that they want to try -- they can take a second helping later if they like it. Teach them how to compliment the chef on the foods they do like, and how to graciously deflect questions about the ones they don't. Kids don't just naturally know the language for these situations, and they need your guidance and example to learn good manners. And "good manners" rarely, if ever, require us to eat something that we find revolting!

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http://www.wellsphere.com/parenting-article/what-should-i-do-if-my-child-refuses-to-eat-what-i-cooked-for-dinner/201029

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Carnivorous bumble bee? Location: Royal Oak, MI August 2, 2011 2:15 pm We have a honey bee hive in our yard and have been very bug friendly. We have cicada killing wasps in our driveway and we just steer clear of them instead of filling it with concrete. Imagine my shock when I was hanging laundry out and saw one of our honey bees having the life drained out of it by what appears to be a bumble bee. Is it? We absolutely love your email, and we would like to wax poetically after we answer your question. This is a Robber Fly. It is one of two genera that both feed on large flying insects including bees and wasps that are captured on wing. Robber Flies are amazing hunters. They do not sting. They will not attack you and bite you, but they might bite you if you tried to pick one up, though we could not imagine how you would ever be able to catch one. We cannot, based on your photo, determine if this is a Bee Killer in the genus Mallophora, or a Bee-Like Robber Fly in the genus Laphria. One of the ways they can be distinguished from one another is the shape of the antennae. Your specimen appears to have antennae that end in fine filaments, a sign it is a Mallophora, however, upon enlarging the photo to better examine the details, your photo is not of high enough resolution to maintain image quality. Your individual does not have markings similar to any of the five species represented on BugGuide, which makes us wonder if it might not be a Laphria, and based on the photos posted to BugGuide, there are several species with markings similar to your individual. They seem to all have yellow beards, and it is not possible to make out the beard on your Robber Fly, though we are not sure if the black hairs are lost in the shadow or if the tasty Honey Bee meal is obscuring the beard. TO BE CONTINUED … August 3, 2011 Hi again Jessica, We are positively enthralled by the way you set the tone for your question by providing us with your bug friendly qualifications. We would like to take additional time to comment on your mention of Cicada Killers. We have devoted considerable internet real estate on our site toward lobbying for the preservation of Cicada Killers, and when we receive post-mortem images of them, we tag them as unnecessary carnage, but the fact of the matter is that we have never had to share our homes and yards with them. We really cannot claim to have experienced first hand the communal nesting habits of these large wasps. We applaud you for your tolerance and also for inquiring about this Robber Fly. Since we began working on this posting, we have received another unidentifiable image of a large Robber Fly feeding on a Japanese Beetle, and the person who submitted that image wants to know how to encourage more of them. These large Robber Flies are reported to be able to consume large quantities of Honey Bees, and for that reason, they have a bad reputation among bee keepers. Thanks again for your wonderful submission. Thank you so much for the information. We try not to have knee jerk reactions to what we find in the yard and as the cicada killers are nonaggressive unless you happen to be a cicada, there was no reason to destroy their habitat. It’s a short two month inconvenience of my daughters running to the door from the driveway while screaming. As for the robber flies, they may be a bit of a bother as we are beekeepers. We have already lost one hive to varroa mites a couple of years ago and would rather not lose another one. Now that I think about it, we have spotted a few smaller species of robber flies in our yard. We have never had these insects in our yard before. Do you think the beehive may be attracting them? Is there any way to humanely deter them from eating my bees? Hi again Jessica, We have no advice regarding the deterring of Robber Flies. The smaller Robber Flies are most likely not preying on your bees, and the larger Robber Flies will not enter the hive. They will attack individual bees that are in flight. Good Luck.

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2000 - Tularemia in Kosovo - Update 27 April 2000 Disease Outbreak Reported The Institute of Public Health (IPH), Pristina has now identified 699 suspected cases, 56 laboratory confirmed. The problem is widespread with the majority of municipalities reporting cases. Surveillance is being enhanced across the whole territory. Laboratory capacity for the confirmation of tularemia has been established at the IPH with the help of the international team. The joint IPH-international team is carrying out further case finding and epidemiological investigations. A case control study at household level is being implemented with systematic laboratory sampling to establish the presence of recent infection. Environmental samples are also being taken. For further information, please see the previous report on the outbreak.

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Broader economic impact on vaccines (BEIV) 28-29 June 2012, Geneva, Switzerland IVR embarked on a new work programme on the broader economic impact on vaccines in 2011. As part of this work program, IVR issued a request for proposals on BEIV with the aim to encourage development of innovative tools to measure, value and obtain country evidence on broader economic impact on vaccines. In total four proposals were awarded beginning of 2012. The Fiscal Consequences of Vaccination for Government: A Government Perspective Assessment of Tax Revenue and Transfers Associated to Changes in Population Health Status Attributed to Immunization To develop an easy-to-use tool for assessment of macroeconomic impact of vaccine preventable disease targeted at generalist policymakers and country-level ministries of health To develop a novel tool to assess the broader economic and health benefits of delivering a combination of interventions integrated onto the same vaccination platform: case study of current Indian supplemental immunization activities (SIAs) to deliver a second dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV2). To explore the broader economic benefits of prospective group A strep vaccination (GAS) - Phase I: a cost-of-illness study of rheumatic heart disease and invasive group A strep. The objectives of the consultation were to: - present and discuss the interim results of the four awarded study proposals. - propose modifications to the study proposals if possible based on feedback and comments from the meeting participants. The meeting had the following expected outcomes: - A common understanding of the different study proposals by the participants; and - Agreed study proposals which contribute to the overall WHO framework on the broader economic impact on vaccines.

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The World Health Report 2006. Working together for health Also available in: This flagship report of the World Health Organization provides an expert assessment of the current crisis in the global health workforce and contains ambitious proposals to tackle it over the next ten years. The report reveals an estimated shortage of almost 4.3 million doctors, midwives, nurses and support workers worldwide. The shortage is most severe in the poorest countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where health workers are most needed. Focusing on all stages of the health workers' career lifespan from entry to health training, to job recruitment through to retirement, the report lays out a ten-year action plan in which countries can build their health workforces, with the support of global partners. The report annexes contain country by country estimates of health worker availability, ratios of health workers to patients, and gap calculations.

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Ever look at your garden pond and think hmmm, something’s missing? Well, allow us to give you some ideas that can help you transform your pond into something wonderful, all you may be missing is a garden stream…. Lay the Foundation - 2Construct your foundation gradually down from the top-pool into your pond, ensure the foundation is sloped steep enough to allow the water to flow freely. - 3If you want to create a waterfall, build steps into the foundation of your stream, (30cm in height). - 4At the base of each step, dig a small hole (15cm) to sink your pondliner into thereby creating a small pool where the water can fill up and flow over to the lower step. - 5You’ll need a strong enough water-pump (we used 2500 Gph) to pump the water up from your pond through a hose (we used 20mm for extra propulsion) into the top-pool which will feed the water down into your stream. Add the Pondliner - Careful and precise fitting of the pondliner is probably the most important part of the entire process. - 2It’s best to fit the liner with plenty of overlap on all sides of your foundation. - 3Before you trim the liner to size be sure to fill your stream with water to see how rapidly your water flows and check for possible holes in the lining. - 4Run the hose from your pond waterpump up to the top-tool, carefully hide the hose under the liner and be sure to check for kinks, again check your flow of water before covering over the hose and liner. Build the Stream - 2If you have added steps to your stream you can build out the steps with garden slate allowing the edge of the slate to overhang creating a waterfall effect, the slate also hides the liner underneath. - 4You can cover the excess liner and soil with small stones (we used bags of ‘gold light’) and decorate the area with driftwood, logs, slate, granite and beach stones. Plants for your Stream Edit Things You'll Need Recent edits by: Max, PZ, Manchurian President

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Perinatal Mental Health: A Guide for Health Professionals and Users This price is valid for United States. Change location to view local pricing and availability. Other Available Formats: E-book This book covers the recognition, treatment, care and management of perinatal mental health disorders with chapters on the antenatal period; postnatal depression and bipolar disorder; psychosis, personality disorders, eating disorders, sexual issues, self harm and suicide; possible causes of postnatal depression; the multidisciplinary team; and global cultural practices.

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The WITH ART program matches artists with community groups to collaborate on art projects that explore ideas and issues and give voice to community. The resulting voices were literal, loud, clear and strong. The filmmakers worked with the youth of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba to create a hip hop video and a documentary of the process. IRCOM, located at 95 Ellen Street in downtown Winnipeg, is a transitional housing complex and delivers social and recreation programs to newly arrived refugees and immigrants to Canada. Over 250 new immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Korea, Liberia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan live at IRCOM and access their programs – over half of whom are under the age of 18. Navigating their new environment is challenging and some youth become vulnerable to gang-related activities. The goal was to offer opportunities for more productive activities and creative growth. The artists, Jim Agapito and Ervin Chartrand, worked with the youth over an extended period and together developed a project that reflected an artistic style and content that was relevant to the youth. The filmmakers brought in Wab Kinew and Dammecia Hall who mentored the youth in hip hop writing and dance as well as other professional artists and craftspeople to create a high quality rap video and documentary of the process. The youth were able to decide what they wanted to communicate and in what fashion, making it a unique and personal, as well as a universal, expression of life in a new land. The films premiered in July 2009 to a full house at Cinematheque and in Market Square where the performers received a much-deserved standing ovation. The youth of IRCOM who wrote the music and performed in the films are: Azim Bekhodjavea, Takatel (T.K.) Dayasa, Dagmawit Fekede, Mandela Garang, Mohamed (M.D.) Mohamed, Musa (D.P.) Mohamed, Daniel Ogbagirgis, Biniom Tesfaldet and Jamshaid Wahabi. "Having the opportunity to work with the youth of IRCOM has opened our eyes to the power of music and filmmaking. All they needed was an outlet to channel their raw energy into something positive to keep them out of trouble. It's an experience both of us will cherish for a lifetime." Jim Agapito and Ervin Chartrand. “The WITH ART project provided a vibrant and talented group of newcomer youth with the opportunity to share their voices and stories, using creative mediums that they resonate with – film and hip hop. The artists Ervin Chartrand and Jim Agapito not only shared their valuable skills but also identified with the backgrounds and daily challenges of the kids in many ways. WITH ART is a powerful program - it impacts hearts, minds and communities alike.” Abdikheir Ahmed, Program Co-ordinator and Noëlle DePape, Executive Director, IRCOM. MEDIA INFORMATION (IN THE PRESS and PRESS MATERIALS) May 16, 2013 May 02, 2013 May 03, 2013 May 27, 2013

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The philanthropic arm of UPS said it will cease donating to the Boy Scouts as long as the group continues to discriminate against gays. UPS is the second major corporation to recently strip funding from the Scouts. Intel took the same action earlier this year. Both companies changed course after Zach Wahls, an Eagle Scout with two mothers and founder of the group Scouts for Equality, began petitions at Change.org calling for corporations to end their financial support of the BSA. Other groups took up the cause, including GLAAD, which has highlighted the case of a lesbian mother in Ohio barred from volunteering with her son’s Cub Scout pack. The Atlanta-based UPS Foundation gave more than $85,000 to the BSA in 2011, according to its federal tax return. “Corporate America gets it better than most: Policies that discriminate aren’t simply wrong, they’re bad for business and they’re hurting the scouting community,” Wahls said following the UPS announcement. UPS spokeswoman Kristen Petrella said groups applying for the foundation grants must adhere to the same standards UPS does by not discriminating against anyone based on race, religion, disability or sexual orientation. “We promote an environment of diversity and inclusion,” Petrella said. “UPS is a company that does the right things for the right reasons.” Petrella said the company had been concerned about discrimination by the BSA before the petition drive. The Scouts said this summer it was sticking with its long-standing policy of excluding openly gay youth and adults. Deron Smith, the director of public relations for the Texas-based BSA, said the group was disappointed about the decision from UPS. “These types of contributions go directly to serving young people in local councils and this decision will negatively impact youth,” Smith said. “Through 110,000 units, Scouting represents millions of youth and adult members in diverse communities across the nation, each with a variety of beliefs on this topic.” The policy of excluding gays has come under increased scrutiny within the last month, as thousands of confidential files released as part of a lawsuit show top leaders for decades tracked thousands of scoutmasters and volunteers who sexually abused boys in their care but routinely failed to report them.

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Here is how: lexbind-mode Tag Archives: elisp Surely one of the first things VIers want to know as do the rest of us is how to move forward N characters (or backward or whatever) from the mini-buffer in EMACS. Here is how it is done, using the universal argument. So to move forward 100 chars: C:u 100, C:f ADDENDUM:01/13/13 Thanks FUCO for [...] Here is an enhancement to parenface that adds support for the editor and REPL for Clojure, Jess, and Elisp. Here is an ELPA package for the Geiser library. The code is original from the author, I just packaged it up! Here is one way to install it: (require ‘package) (when (not (package-installed-p ‘geiser)) (url-copy-file "http://www.wisdomandwonder.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/geiser-0.2.1.tar" "/tmp/geiser-0.2.1.tar" t) (package-install-file "/tmp/geiser-0.2.1.tar")) Here is an ELPA package for the pretty-mode.el library. The code functionality is original from the author, I just tweaked the pretty symbols and packaged it up! Here is one way to install it: (url-copy-file "http://www.wisdomandwonder.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/pretty-mode-plus-1.0.tar" "/tmp/pretty-mode-plus-1.0.tar" t) (require ‘package) (package-install-file "/tmp/pretty-mode-plus-1.0.tar") Addendum: 09/29/12 Fixed the package definition and now it is on Marmalade [...] To get started with ELPA packages I started small by trying to package up hide-comnt.el. Marmalade wouldn’t let me upload it though giving me a “520 Bad Gateway error”. Here is the package that I’m testing with. Here are the steps I have since followed to try to address it: Guys in #emacs said it [...]

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We've gone from the first live television broadcast in the 1930's, to the first color TV program in the 1960's, to now -- 3D TV in the 21st century! You probably have seen or even worn the paper glasses before with one lens is blue, the other red. Experts say 3D TV still requires special glasses, but this wave of technology is even better. And this week, Comcast has teamed up with the Masters to show it off. "This is really the next generation of 3D technology and it's going to be very similar to what people have seen in theaters with theatrical releases such as “Avatar” or “How to Train Your Dragon”. It really brings the screen to life and it's now an experience consumers can have in their home without having to go out to the theater to experience it," says Jay Kreiling with Comcast. "I think the course down in Augusta is beautiful and I think it will give people not only an appreciation for not only the beauty of the course but also the challenge that it presents to the players." Comcast is partnered with the Masters through Sunday providing free 3D coverage to customers who have 3D capable televisions. The company says you can buy the TVs at any major electronics store.

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February’s Book: The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg Tuesday, February 05, 2013 Our habits—good and bad—shape our lives, and understanding how habits work is key to losing weight, being more productive, exercising regularly, and achieving success. In The Power of Habit, award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg investigates the scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist, how they can be changed, and uncovers a new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation. He shows why some people and companies struggle and fail to change, while others seem to remake themselves overnight. He looks at the ways neuroscientists explore how habits work, and how the right habits were crucial to the success of people such as Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

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The single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each year. Immunization is recommended for: - Children from 6 months through 18 years of age - Anyone 50 years of age or older - Pregnant women and women who will be pregnant during influenza season - Anyone with long-term health problems - Anyone living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities - Healthcare providers - Anyone who lives with or cares for people at high risk for influenza-related complications. - Anyone who wants to reduce the likelihood of becoming ill with influenza or spreading influenza to others.

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Coordinator of Languages Other Than English, 6-12 550 North Street, White Plains, NY10605 Phone: (914) 422-2230 The White Plains Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Department is very proud to be able to offer the study of six languages. Students have the option to study French, Spanish, Italian, or Mandarin Chinese beginning in the sixth grade for a sequence which may lead to the Honors and Advanced Placement levels. Students also have the option to study German and Latin when they attend the High School. OUR CORE VALUES We strive continually to raise standards and levels of language proficiency, to involve an increasing number of students in longer sequences of language study, and to encourage students to become multilingual. We believe that: all students can be successful language and culture learners; language cannot be separated from the cultural context within which it is learned; language is best learned in meaningful contexts; language learning is cumulative and must be continuous over a long period of time in a sequential developmental program; language learning must begin with a strong foundation; students must have many and varied opportunities for practice; language development must be assessed frequently, over time, and in a variety of ways; language development must be oriented to present and future use; standards for communicative competence and cross-cultural skills must incorporate the dimensions of problem-solving, creative thinking, and students' awareness of how they learn best; linguistic self-confidence and independence motivate students to become life-long learners. Students in the White Plains School District begin their study of language in grade 6. Children attending the Highlands or Eastview Middle Schools may choose from French, Italian, Spanish, Spanish for Spanish Speakers, Spanish Language Arts and Mandarin Chinese. Middle School students also have the opportunity to study Latin as an enrichment class; this is in addition to their regular LOTE language. Students continue their language study at the high school where, upon successful completion of a locally developed Checkpoint B exam, may apply for Honors and Advanced Placement courses in their respective language. The high school also offers accelerated courses in German, French, Italian, Spanish and Latin for those students who wish to begin the study of a second or third language. The LOTE department has a long history of providing students with many opportunities to travel abroad. Our trips to France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Costa Rica are an integral part of our program and they are planned and organized to directly align with the NYS Learning Standards for Languages Other Than English. Trips to each country are alternated every other year.

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$100 Million Needed for Toronto Water Fix More than $100 million would be needed for new equipment to eliminate the foul taste and odor recently plaguing Toronto's water supply. The city's supply and that of neighbouring regions including York that receives 75 percent of its water from Toronto has been smelling and tasting badly in recent days, the result of unusually high temperatures in Lake Ontario that have spurred the growth of algae. It would cost more than $100 million to install granular activated carbon filters in Toronto water treatment plants, said Hiroshi Taniguchi, the city's director of water supply. "We're talking about a major process addition to all of our plants. It would be huge activated carbon filters that filter the water after our normal filtration to remove taste and odour compounds," he said. Chlorination and conventional water treatment won't remove the "earthy" taste and odour during periods of algae buildup, he added. However, the frequency and duration of past episodes of smelly water have not been enough "to make recommendations for that sort of expenditure." The problem surfaced in 1994 and again - though less seriously - in 1996, with the unpleasant characteristics disappearing within days. "If the frequency and duration of episodes increases, it's a different story, there might be a stronger justification to invest those kinds of dollars," Taniguchi said. The algae and microbes creating the stench this time around (by producing a compound known as geosmin) struck in Durham Region first and have been moving west. Durham spokesperson Ron Motum said complaints started Saturday (August 11) and have continued. Taniguchi said Toronto's problem first surfaced at a Scarborough filtration plant near the Pickering border, then at a plant at the foot of Victoria Park. On August 12, the city's most westerly plant, R.L Clark, also began to detect the foul taste and odour. Mitch Zamjoc, Peel Region's public works commissioner, said residents there have also started to complain. "We have the same issue, but on a much smaller scale. We've had some complaints, but not many." Zamjoc said filtration plants in Peel are adding more chlorine to the water, hoping it will partially mask the taste and smell. Odour and taste problems routinely occur at this time of year but not to this extent, he said. Meanwhile, water problems of a different sort have forced public health officials to post warning signs at 10 Toronto beaches finding unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria. People are advised against taking dips at Marie Curtis Park East and West, Colonel Samuel Smith Park East and West, Amos Waites Park, Windermere/Ellis Ave., Sunnyside, Centre Island, Hanlon's Point, Bluffers Park, Humber Bay Park East and Rouge Beach. E. coli is found in the waste of animals and humans. Swimming in contaminated water can lead to ear, nose and throat infections, an upset stomach, skin rash and diarrhea. Officials warn that children and the elderly, as well as those with suppressed immune systems, are most susceptible

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Yesterday, the co-chairs of the bipartisan special joint committee – otherwise known as the super committee – said in a statement that “after months of hard work and intense deliberations, we have come to the conclusion today that it will not be possible to make any bipartisan agreement available to the public before the committee’s deadline (November 23rd).” Charged with trimming a measly $1.2 trillion from anticipated federal spending of more than $44 trillion over the next 10 years, this not-so-super committee could not reach agreement after months of deliberation. Rewind to the failed debt ceiling negotiations of this past summer, the same negotiations, or lack thereof, that contributed to Standard & Poor’s ratings downgrade of U.S. Treasury bonds. According to the enabling legislation, the super panel’s failure to reach agreement should now trigger $1.2 trillion in across-the-board spending cuts, half from defense and other security spending and the other half from domestic programs other than Social Security and Medicaid. The thinking at the time was that these cuts would be so painful to both Democrats and Republicans, the panel would be forced into agreeing on a deficit-reduction plan in order to avoid them. Well, guess what? That line of thinking, like virtually all thought in Washington, DC, was clearly erroneous. The bottom line is that our political system is so polarized that no agreement appears possible, at least until after the upcoming Presidential election in 2012 and likely well beyond that. Our government is broken, and it is the American populace that is being held hostage. Generally speaking, I believe that the simplest solutions possible are usually the best ones. And so, I would like to present my humble solution. We should reconvene the super committee under the following conditions: instead of lack of agreement triggering across the board cuts in defense and domestic programs, it should initiate an immediate 100% cut in the salaries and benefits bestowed upon our elected leaders and staffs in both Congress and the Executive Branch of our federal government. Under those conditions, I am certain that the Democrats and Republicans on the super committee will suddenly find common ground and swiftly negotiate an equitable agreement.

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - One of the historic buildings in Old Town Alexandria will remain closed through the weekend following damage from Tuesday's earthquake. City officials in Alexandria have closed Gadsby's Tavern Museum while they assess the damage. The most significant damage occurred on the chimneys of the 1792 structure. The Tavern Museum consists of two buildings, a tavern that dates to 1785 and a hotel that dates to 1792. The tavern was a center of social life in late 18th century Alexandria, and George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were among its more famous patrons. City officials say they will keep the museum closed at least through Sunday. (Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) Morgan Freeman can't stay awake during a TV interview. (Video) The Nickelodeon star's antics continue in New York City. Vegas's Neon Museum offers night tours of nightlife icons. A fallen police officer's daughter gets a swarm of support. (Photos)

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March 4, 1881 Ladies and Gentlemen, My Fellow Citizens - By the choice of the people, embodied in the will of an intelligent majority, I have been called upon to be the Chief Magistrate of this commonwealth. As a commonwealth our interests and our duties as one people are the same. It is incumbent upon us as one body of citizens, in a very marked sense to create and perpetuate the prosperity of the State, as a community having a heritage from the past to maintain, and large prospective interests in the future to extend and improve. Although we were a part of Old Virginia, with many of the ancient and noble associations with its past history, our population was composed of citizens from every part of this great country, and from the older continents of the world; so that we are well prepared to take up all lines of march for improvement, and yet to be conservative of all principles and careful in the adoption of all measures which will keep us in the line of progress, protect our liberties, maintain the honor of the State and secure as far as in us lies the Constitutional integrity of the Union. Continuation of Prosperity We are one of a great body of sister republics, and in the joint destiny, which belongs to all these, it is our duty to look to the welfare of all, well knowing, that any principle or measure which strikes down one, threatens the whole. The first duty even to accomplish this is to secure our own prosperity; and to do this to all legitimate extent, we must regard the Constitutional limits of our powers, and we must exercise our powers to their full legitimate Constitutional extent. So we shall promote the welfare of all, and at the same time preserve the integrity and true freedom of that Commonwealth with which we are so intimately connected, and whose laws and methods of legislation so fully enter into and affect our daily life in our homes and at our firesides. Effect of Public Opinion The will of that intelligent majority of our people who have imposed on me the responsibilities of office shall be my guide in all my opinions and actions as Chief Magistrate of the State. I make this avowal the more fully and clearly, and with the greater confidence, knowing as I do, that that majority is composed of some of the best elements of the old Whig party of the State, some of the best men who stood by the Government and the Union in the late civil war, formed around the old solid nucleus of the Democratic party which, since the days of Jefferson and Madison, have regarded the Constitution of the United States, in its simplicity and integrity, as the surest guardian of the liberties of the people, and the firmest support of a Union that must rest so broadly on public opinion. Whatever a written Constitution may be, its interpretation and application in legislative acts, in judicial interpretation and in executive construction, depend largely upon public opinion. It is this public opinion that makes all these officers, and to a great extent inspires them, with intent, purpose and policy. If a party shall avow or have a policy of consolidation in a central government, and that this shall be strengthened by measures of the government looking to the accumulation and centralization of wealth for the success of such policy, then the only alternative to preserve the ancient form of the government, secure the power of the States to promote the daily welfare of the people in their homes and at their firesides and perpetuate their liberties, will be another party of moderate, consistent and patriotic principles, who will resist encroachment on the one side and oppose radicalism on the other, and will be the determined foe of both when they so unite that the strong government party shall seek to use radicalism for the accomplishment of its policy. It is this condition of things which has made that intelligent majority in this State composed of these old line Whigs, these Union men, and this "old solid nucleus of the Democratic party." In so shaping my opinions and actions as the Chief Magistrate of the State, I am controlled by the clear conviction, that in so representing the will of the majority, I shall be taking care of the interest of all in a manner and upon principles, that will protect the rights of all, promote the largest welfare of all, provide for the freest and fullest enterprise of each citizen of the State, and secure that perpetuity of our institutions, without which all will be a sad and lamentable failure of the Republican form of government. In a country of so vast an extent as was embraced in the original colonies, covering the whole area north of Florida and east of the Mississippi river, with such diversity of climates, such variety of productions, such great bodies of native and mineral wealth, such variety of origin among the people, such differences in religious faith, and such distinctive features of life, in the habits and modes of thought in the separate colonies, and all looking to the future for harmony of action and fullness of development and wholesome employment, it could not but be that the government which would provide for all this should look to the freedom and welfare of the people and to the distinct preservation of the States. Absurdity of a Strong Government Situated alone on this continent, absolutely alone as a question of power, a strong government was neither desirable nor needed. And a strong government today is an absurdity. If it means anything it means a military despotism, with its iron hand upon the throat of the States, and its heel upon the liberties of the people. The late civil war, if it has shown one thing more clearly than another, has demonstrated that the strength of the Union does not depend upon the strength of the general government as a political and military organization, but on its capacity to command the affections of the people and to insure enough of their voluntary strength for its maintenance. Take this away and indeed it is a rope of sand. This has been its strength in the past, it should be its power in the future. And this strength and this power is the result of that frame of government which the circumstances of the times and the wisdom of our progenitors committed to posterity. It was a government well defined in its powers, limited to the exercise of these powers, with the necessary flexibility for including the whole continent on the same reciprocal terms which belonged to the original States constituting the General Government, and making provision for new States. The history of the government, has shown that it is strong enough to take care of itself against all internal dissention and division. This is the great Republic embodied in the Constitution of the United States. Properly understood every State Constitution is a part of that Constitution. Whatever gives undue power and influence to the general government detracts just so much from what is due and just to the States, as any unlawful assumption of power by the States would affect the true and legitimate power of the general government. Obedience to the Constitution It is therefore of the highest necessity to the people that the Constitution, so seen in its whole integrity as providing for these two great classes of powers, should be preserved. There is no immediate danger, I trust, that a military chieftain or armed power of any kind can at once, b an arbitrary movement, concentrate these powers and wipe the States out of existence, or materially affect their functions, or that it is possible to dismember the States and dissolve the sisterhood of republics. What cannot be done at once by violence or coup de main, history teaches us may be done by pernicious and gradual encroachment. It is in this last aspect of principles and measures that all the parties known to the history of the country have had their origin and their continuance. In our politics there has been a continual blending of principles and measures, involving more or less consideration of questions, the effect of which, decided one way, would be to increase the powers of the general government, and of so weakening the rights and liberties of the people; and decided another way, would simply leave the people to seek their own interests and pursue their own enterprises on the broad platform of political equality and general law. It is, therefore, not a matter of surprise that the intelligent majority of which I have spoken should be composed of the best elements of those other parties, who have felt themselves compelled to stand by the Constitution as it is, by the States as integral parts of that Constitution, and by the liberties of the people which can only survive as these others survive. Necessity of Railroads Nations as known to us are only prosperous in the large accumulations of individual wealth. Railroads are the great civilizing agencies of this age of the world. As a nation we have more than any other nation; and as a State we would be greatly benefited by more of the. They develop all the industrial pursuits of the people, open up unbroken forest, excavate the mountains for their minerals, build immense establishments, and keep the world busy. As a result our manufacturing system, in proportion to our population, is the largest and most flourishing in the world; our agricultural interests cover a larger area of successful cultivation than any other space belonging to one people on the globe. Along with these we have a corresponding increase of that population whose sole or main capital is their daily labor. No other people of the world have the same amount of population, with the same amount of intelligence and skill, and work of brain and hand so devoted to all the pursuits of life. Thanks to our free government, and our system of common schools. It is for the welfare of all these people that our government is in existence, and to perpetuate that form of government which has produced all these results in so short a period of history, and conferred these blessings on such numbers it is vastly important that our principles should be clearly stated, our measures well matured by looking to all interests, and that our energies be fairly and fully directed, and above all that the government of which these are the legitimate fruits should be preserved in that form and spirit which has produced such fruits. Taxes Should be Light Believing that these views are characteristic of the majority of the people of West Virginia, I am gratified in having been called to hold the most prominent official position as the State's representative. I speak for those who have no capital but their labor. I speak for the capitalists who employ their means to give occupation support to those men. I speak for that great class of our farmer population who must unite their labor and their moderate capital for the support of their families, and in the production of food and textile materials (wool, flax and hemp), and who contribute so largely to all other industries by the consumption of the products of the mechanics and the manufacturers of all kinds; that taxation shall be kept as near possible to the minimum; that no one class of our people shall be sacrificed to another, and that all shall bear the burthens of government in just proportions. Although I speak of minimum taxation, I do not mean a niggardly system, that will sacrifice great interests, whether connected with material prosperity or our intellectual and moral standing among our sister commonwealths. As the subject of the currency entered somewhat into the late canvass, I may be pardoned for referring to it here. Money and Tariff In the National Constitution provision was made for a solid and substantial money. Currency comes from ingenious devices to evade and so far nullify the Constitution and supplant money by paper, which can be contracted and expended in volume to suit the designs and purposes of capitalists, who have their own ends of amassing wealth in view, or to suit the more dangerous designs of an ambitious and unscrupulous administration, by contraction, withholding bread from the laborer and teaching him subservience, and by expansion teaching him venality; by contraction sacrificing all men who have incurred debts to capital and who in a depleted currency are not able to pay; and by expansion or inflation (filling with wind) again increasing prices and enabling the same capitalists to sell at high prices, what they had taken from their miserable victims by the contraction. So this contraction and inflation affects the tariff, until it is a very grave question whether with this and other causes, protection does protect. If a tariff is laid when there is a contraction of currency, and the price of materials down, and labor is cheap, and an inflation of the paper currency is made or takes place, a new tariff becomes absolutely necessary. We can so see that those who have control of the paper currency, have the whole issues of life and death as it were not only to the industries of the country, but of the contractions which place the property of millions of our fellow citizens at the mercy of these men. We can so see that with a greenback currency there never can be a protective tariff any six months together, and that all these other evils will be intensely aggravated by such power over the currency. The Constitution provides for money, not currency. Money, like the waters of the ocean, seeks a common level over the whole world, and to the extent that any nation furnishes currency as a substitute for money, the money so displaced from circulation will seeks its level in some other country where it is needed, and where there is no currency to exclude it. The country with the largest amount of enterprise and industries of all kinds, with the least proportional amount of currency will have the largest amount of solid money, the least fluctuation in business, and the most permanent prosperity. And this is in the very spirit of the Constitution, and comes the nearest to representing the Democratic idea of a Republican Government. With the Democratic party money - money as the solid and permanent basis of all of our great operations is a principle. With the Republican party it is a measure only, but it is a measure by which they can move all those springs of actions and make whom it will and destroy whom it pleases of those who commit their business and their lives to its contractions and inflations. Necessity of EducationRepublics are only safe with an educated people. Instruction as distinguished from education, which is so largely given by some of the European Empires makes but machine men for the uses of the government. In such governments they will be mere instruments of its power, or in the contrast and opposition which will sooner or later come to the human mind placed in such conditions, they will be those agents of destruction which we know are now undermining the whole fabric of society in Europe. The education of the people should be left to the jurisdiction of the States; and if there were no other reasons for preserving their identities and maintaining their constitutional fullness of power, this one alone would be sufficient to control our judgments and command our sympathies. In the variety of systems of education which each State will institute for itself, and each striving to have the best, in the diversities of their interests and pursuits, there will be an Education of the people, a self power to seek the best and do the best. A stereotyped instruction by the general government, so emanating from one source of power, would be to the people in their national affairs like a State religion. It would be moulded to one type, for one purpose, and the talent and ability which would appear, would be selected by the government to maintain its autocracy, consolidate its power and limit that competition of talent, and character which now in the States, tends to bring our best men to the front, and which will increase as our systems of education shall have time to demonstrate their good results and to perfect their systems of education. We propose to keep the education of our own people in our own hands, because it is meet and right that by such education they should have the competent intelligence to understand these questions of government, those relations of capital and labor, those mutations of tariffs and currencies, those characters of men whom they must select for their public agents and comprehend the great destiny of our country, in which it is becoming the civilizing power of the world. We do not want to see this country become, under any system of stereotyped or governmental instruction, a pallid and decayed representative of dying liberties, nor a co-conspirator with the governments of the Old World against the freedom of mankind. I desire to keep the administration of the finances of the State in Democratic hands, because we have given evidence of our ability to administer them fairly and honestly, take proper care of the fund for building the school houses, make an honest use of any lands or funds which may come from the general Government for the purposes of education, and so administer all the affairs of State, that its continued prosperity shall make the same favorable contrast, which the census gives us for the ten years ending with 1880 as compared with the ten years ending with 1870. Education and Enlightenment I maintain that in representing the intelligence of this Democratic majority in the State, I will be best employed in constructing the edifice of our prosperity, will best take care of the common interests and secure the common welfare of the people, will preserve the autonomy of the State, will insure to the people the largest liberty with the least danger of degenerating into license, will increase their intelligence, and make them alive to the responsibilities by giving them the means, through our system of education, of seeing their dangers, and how they are affected by the measures of government and by the fluctuations of currency and trade, and that they will have the moral self reliance to take care of themselves. I know there is intelligence and virtue among my Republican brethren, and I trust that I shall have enough deliberate judgment to accept their fair and candid criticism, and to consider impartially any suggestion of detail or measures of improvement which they may offer for the benefit of our whole body politic. Of any captious and cavilling spirit I have had enough to know its value, and to know that, while it may disturb it, cannot arrest the march of events. West Virginia's Governors West Virginia History Center

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Following trip, McKinley stands with Israel September 8, 2011 · Following a trip to the Middle East, a West Virginia congressman says he’s standing firm with Israel. Rep. David McKinley is encouraging President Obama to do the same. This is Congressman’s David McKinley’s first term representing the first district of West Virginia. Last month, a powerful Jewish lobby group paid to send him and 24 other members of Congress to Israel. The trip for the legislators was paid for by the American Israel Foundation. According to their website, the group “... provides grant money to educate opinion leaders about the U.S.-Israel relationship, to expand public awareness about issues affecting the Middle East and to encourage participation in public affairs.” The First District Representative says he wanted to take the trip to see what everyday life was like for Israelis. He said it was eye-opening to visit the country that’s about the size of New Jersey. "Every day we were there, there were missile attacks coming out of the Gaza strip," McKinley said. "What I marveled at is the resiliency of the people. Is that they have came to understand that there are people that do not respect their right to exist and for them to retaliate may very well weaken their position in the global the community so they try to just defend their selves." In 1967 Israel took control of several lands including the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank. In May of this year, President Obama said that Israel should go back to pre-1967 borders, a key Palestinian demand. McKinley disagrees with that idea. "The want what they call defensible borders," he said. "They can’t afford to have the same situation that occurred back in 67 when through the West Bank the Syrian the Egyptian Army were able to get right at the heartland of Israel." Simplified, McKinley says Israel wants a homeland but its neighbors won’t accept the nation’s existence. "The sheer reality is who are they negotiating with, terrorists Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria," he said. "It’s not like we deal with in America where we deal with other countries that accept reality and accept the existence but when a nation rejects the whole concept that there had been a holocaust it’s just a so bizarre way of understanding how people live." The Congressman does not serve on a committee that would enable him to do anything specifically in favor of Israel. But he hopes to start dialogue and raise awareness about his point of view on the Israel situation.

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Josie M. - Certification in Proofreading, English Grammar, Spelling, Music Theory; Copyeditor, Singer, Composer, Music Producer, Associate Producer; BMusEd from Nyack College in Music Education/Voice; and a Music Honor League alumnus of the prestigious HS of Music & Art. I enjoy tutoring and always encourage my students to develop their skills to help improve themselves. Writing is an art of expression. Many individuals write as a hobby; many others write professionally. However, to avoid making grammatical errors, it is necessary to learn how to apply the basic principles of English grammar appropriately, and have a clear understanding of punctuation marks, spelling, phrasing, sentence structure to become more confident and effective communicators. Your writing is a reflection of you, so how you present your copy is extremely important. Although you’ve worked hard to develop and present your ideas, it is always recommended that you present a polished text, with no typographical or grammatical errors. However, this is not always the case. Like it or not, the way your paper looks can affect the way others judge it, regardless of who it was sent to, or the purpose (i.e. job, promotion). When your copy is read by someone else, not only are your choice of words and style of expression being assessed by the reader, but also your spelling, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Content is important, but you don’t want careless errors distracting your reader from what you have to say. Whether it is a simple statement, letter or thesis, every single word, just as every error, is noticed and taken into account, determining your level of writing skills and grammar comprehension. Therefore, it is crucial to have a copyeditor or proofreader correct your errors, so that you can present error-free, well-written copy worth paying attention, to help you make a good impression. back to top

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Subject: Re: Lisp syntax From: Erik Naggum <[email protected]> Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 14:08:13 GMT Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp Message-ID: <[email protected]> * Adam Warner | That's a poor example of more complex syntax Oleg. Lisp s-notation is | just as simple as Scheme. Both Lisp and Scheme have extremely simple | syntax. Not so. Scheme has no programmable reader. Common Lisp does. Please do not feed the trolls, and more so not with bogus answers. -- In a fight against something, the fight has value, victory has none. In a fight for something, the fight is a loss, victory merely relief. 70 percent of American adults do not understand the scientific process.

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Who’s Still Active Among the Early-Stage Biotech VCs? Imagine for a moment you’re a hotshot biomedical scientist at a university. You have invented a technology in your lab that you think has potential to make a big difference for the world of medicine. Despite all the accolades you might be getting in Nature, you are savvy enough to know you still have a pretty raw concept. Your idea needs someone who can build a business around it, and invest a lot of time, money, and talent to prove it’s the real thing. Who would you call? There aren’t that many people who you can call anymore, and the number is shrinking. This question has been gnawing at me for a while, as I’ve sought to understand the historic contraction that’s occurring in the biotech venture capital business, and what effect it will have on the biotech industry’s ability to turn bright ideas into valuable new healthcare products. Much has been written about the venture financing stats, which aren’t pretty. About $780 million of venture capital went to life sciences companies in the first quarter of 2012, a breathtaking 43 percent drop from the prior quarter, according to the MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association, based on data from Thomson Reuters. What’s even more disturbing is that the vast majority of that money went to existing companies with products in late-stage development, not to startups. Despite some fascinating advances in the basic science of genomics, microRNA, drug delivery, diagnostics, vaccines and more, the amount of money for first-time company financings fell by 60 percent in the first quarter to $120 million. Only 21 companies in the U.S. got their critical first financing in the initial three months of this year—in a country where Ernst & Young counts 1,870 public and private biotech companies. Less money is going into the industry, and this isn’t a one-time quarterly blip, it’s a long-term trend. The VC industry has already contracted dramatically, as there were 1,022 active firms during the tech bubble year of 2000, and just 462 active firms were left in 2010, according to the National Venture Capital Association. The NVCA definition of “active” includes firms who invested at least $5 million into companies in the past year. But the number of active firms is still declining, because many firms raised their last funds before the financial crisis of 2008. Most of that pre-2008 money has been invested already in companies, and the VCs can’t go back to hit up their friends at pensions, endowments, and foundations for more money, at least until they can generate better returns. With slim odds of taking their portfolio companies public or striking a big acquisition by a Big Pharma company, the biotech VC industry has been withering on the vine the past four years. Maybe because I’m a startup guy myself, I’m more interested in finding out who still can do interesting things in biotech rather than spending too much time wallowing in pessimism about the new “zombie” VC funds. So I’ve attempted to put together a list of which biotech VC firms are still truly active in the early-stage investment game. It’s not quite as easy a question to ask as it looks, since I needed to come up with my own satisfactory definition of “active.” But after chatting with a handful of VCs who make their living in this arena—Risa Stack of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Alexis Borisy of Third Rock Ventures, and Bruce Booth of Atlas Venture—I’ve come up with the following criteria. “Active” for the purpose of this exercise, includes VC firms that made investments in at least four early-stage life sciences companies (biotech and medical devices), and invested at least $12 million in the sector during the 12-month period that ended March 31, 2012. The data below comes from the National Venture Capital Association, which uses information from Thomson Reuters. |VC Firm||# of ES Bio Co Investments||Sum of Equity Invested| |Third Rock Ventures||16||$68.1m| |Polaris Venture Partners||13||$39.9m| |ARCH Venture Partners||11||$41m| |Novartis Venture Funds||7||$15.2m| |The Column Group||6||$35.2m| |Adams Street Partners||5||$25.3m| |Source: NVCA, Thomson Reuters| A few caveats are in order. There are several “undisclosed firms” who show up in the rankings, which I cut out of this chart. The Thomson Reuters data may not accurately capture everything that’s considered “early stage,” because it defines that group of companies as ones who have “a product or service in testing or pilot production. In some cases, the product may be commercially available. May or may not be generating revenues. Usually in business less than three years.” There are also firms on this list who are dialing back activity like The Column Group—and there’s at least one instance of a merger in the works, between Morgenthaler Ventures and Advanced Technology Ventures’ life sciences units. Plus, the data set has some holes. Atlas’s Booth, for one, says his firm has invested … Next Page »

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DBConvert for Oracle & MySQL is a reliable bi-directional database migration tool which allows you to convert from: Oracle to MySQL, Oracle to Oracle, MySQL to Oracle, MySQL to MySQL, MySQL to MySQL Dump, Oracle to MySQL Dump, Oracle to PHP Scrip idb2MySQL copies tables and views from source DB to MySQL. ADO is used to connect to source.Import-operation creates an SQL-script, which will be sent to PHP-script of web-server. PHP-script loads SQL into MySQL. PHP-script example. This script is a real world application that shows how to use MySQL with PHP. You can learn from the step by step commented php source code how to build a php program that uses MySQL to keep a database of your books. DBConvert for MySQL & PostgreSQL is a reliable bi-directional database migration tool which allows you to convert from: - MySQL to MySQL; - MySQL to MySQL Dump; - MySQL to MySQL PHP Script; - PostgreSQL to MySQL ; -PostgreSQL to PostgreSQL PHP Sc MyDbDump dumps your MySQL database structure and/or records in a single PHP file or SQL script , by running the PHP file once in your Web site, you can restore your Mysql database. Easily whenever you need. RISE PHP for MySQL code generator The RISE PHP for MySQL code generator renders PHP source code for database access. The generated code implements the classes and methods corresponding to the information interfaces specified in the RISE model. This tool can process any web form, makes all validation, handle file uploads, send email to form owner with all submitted data, send personalized auto respond email to visitor, store submitted data in a flat text file or in a mysql database PHP Link Directory Script is an extensive and powerful script to run your own dmoz like link directory. It has potential to generate consistent revenues for you. Your visitors can register and post their links. They can also request to become edito Do you want to create a web application from your MySQL database using which users can interact with your database? This tool is the answer for you, using PHP MySQL wizard you can create a web interface for your MySQL database in less than 6 Minutes DBConvert for MS Excel & MySQL is a reliable bi-directional database migration tool which allows you to convert from: - MS Excel to MySQL - MS Excel to MySQL Dump - MS Excel to PHP Script - MS Excel to MS Excel - MySQL to MS Excel - MySQL to MyS

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The Southern District YMCA/Camp Lincoln has engaged in a strategic planning process in order to identify critical priorities and strategies toward achieving the mission, vision and values of the YMCA. The YMCA's Board of Directors and Executive Director determined that this project is necessary to move the organization forward and required the full support of its staff and volunteers, as well as support from YMCA of the USA's consulting team. A strategic planning committee was formed in September 2006 to work with a Y-USA consultant, YMCA staff and volunteers to gather and present data necessary to support the process. For more information, contact Rob McGregor at [email protected]. The leadership of the YMCA performs strategic planning for the sole purpose of moving the organization in a conscious and deliberate fashion towards an end goal of the successful leadership it wants in the future. The process is defined as strategic because this type of planning deals with the larger, directional issues affecting or influencing the YMCA. Key YMCA stakeholders will engage in defining the mission, vision and goals of the association and identifying the strategies for best achieving them. The strategic planning committee will work over the course of 6-9 months to review internal and external data, identify and define aspirations for the association, develop strategies and draft a plan. A final strategic plan will be endorsed by the Board of Directors, which provides clear purpose and direction for the association's future actions and operational planning.

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Sprite coined the phrase in their marketing campaign in 2001 starring the NBA’s Grant Hill and seemingly it’s been the reality for a generation, or two. We base image as the number one advertisement of who we are and what we mean to society. If you’re making a lot of money it’s unlikely that you’re still driving that Datsun 120Y you had when you started out at college or university. Datsun 120Y’s scream “Poverty-stricken-teenager-that-can-hardly-afford-the-fuel.” This is not a great image if you’re a real estate agent or financial planner trying to woo your next client. So, is “Image” everything? Could I honestly look at my last 5 purchases and say they had nothing to do with forming and reiterating who I think I am? As a youth pastor, I love working with teenagers. This age group are like sheep when it comes to image. Us older guys, on the other hand, are so much more mature and no longer succumb to peer-pressure. We don’t care if people don’t approve of our ruggedly rusty golf sets, or our family car that’s been bruised and battered and it’s only a month off the showroom floor. Maybe the teenagers are just a bit more honest about it. The problem with image, other than what psychologists will tell you, is that it costs a lot of moolah to remain loyal to a pre-defined image. Even ‘gothics’ who lounge around town centres in their hideous black garb have dolled out small fortunes to dress that way. I went shopping with my wife to Target (pronounced Tar-sjay) last week and she picked out – yes, my wife is my image consultant – a new pair of torn denim pants and a very cool new T-shirt. I asked a couple of teens to try and estimate the cost of my new outfit to which they unanimously decided the pants would have been no less than $75 and the T around $20 – 25. I took great delight in sharing with them the true cost: Jeans – $9.90, T – $3.80. Not bad for an almost $100-looking outfit. Yes. Image is (almost) everything but to obey your thirst for this narcistic appetite you don’t have to take out a mortgage.

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Guillermo Del Toro – Pacific Rim To Be In 3-D Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pacific Rim’ will be released in 3-D. The action film - about a group of humans who use robots to fight off a host of hostile aliens – was originally intended for a release in 2-D, as Guillermo had shot it, but Warner Bros has decided to convert it ahead of its July 2013release. The movie stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba and Charlie Day, and Guillermo previously said he was not keen for the film to be 3-D. He revealed: ”There was a discussion that took a long time to overcome and that was to make the movie 3-D. ”And I didn’t want to make the movie 3-D because when you have something big … to force the 3-D effect on robots and monsters that are supposed to be [big], you are making them miniaturised, you are making them human scale. I knew that 3-D effects sounded like a good idea, but it was going to be counter.” It is believed one of the reasons is because Warner Bros are keen to release the film in China, which only shows US movies if they are in IMAX or 3-D.

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I will try to create new articles with useful information for the categories of storage and virtualization on a regular basis. This will mainly contain FreeNAS 8 and OpenFiler 2.99 SAN appliances and Xen Cloud Platform (XCP) hypervisor. In separation to the how-tos in my blog these will be more of a kind of knowledge articles and guides rather than simple step-by-step processes. I really hope that this will help some people to get solutions for the issues they were looking for. For now there are the following articles online: - German translation of the (yet un)official FreeNAS 8 FAQ - OpenFiler 2.99 Update Enjoy reading and please let me know when the information you found there was somehow useful for you!

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This picture above shows a simple abstraction of web evolution. The traditional World Wide Web, also known as Web 1.0, is a Read-or-Write Web. In particular, authors of web pages write down what they want to share and then publish it online. Web readers can watch these web pages and subjectively comprehend the meanings. Unless writers willingly release their contact information in their authored web pages, the link between writers and readers is generally disconnected on Web 1.0. By leaving public contact information, however, writers have to disclose their private identities (such as emails, phone numbers, or mailing addresses). In short, Web 1.0 connects people to a public, shared environment --- World Wide Web. But Web 1.0 essential does not facilitate direct communication between web readers and writers. The second stage of web evolution is Web 2.0. Though its definition is still vague, Web 2.0 is a Read/Write Web. At Web 2.0, not only writers but also readers can both read and write to a same web space. This advance allows establishing friendly social communication among web users without obligated disclosure of private identities. Hence it significantly increases the participating interest of web users. Normal web readers (not necessarily being a standard web author simultaneously) then have a handy way of telling their viewpoints without the need of disclosing who they are. The link between web readers and writers becomes generally connected, though many of the specific connections are still anonymous. Whether there is default direction communication between web readers and writers is a fundamental distinction between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. In short, Web 2.0 not only connects individual users to the Web, but also connects these individual uses together. It fixes the previous disconnection between web readers and writers. We don't know precisely what the very next stage of web evolution is at this moment. However, many of us believe that semantic web must be one of the future stages. Following the last two paradigms, an ideal semantic web is a Read/Write/Request Web. The fundamental change is still at web space. A web space will be no longer a simple web page as on Web 1.0. Neither will a web space still be a Web-2.0-style blog/wiki that facilitates only human communications. Every ideal semantic web space will become a little thinking space. It contains owner-approved machine-processable semantics. Based on these semantics, an ideal semantic web space can actively and proactively execute owner-specified requests by themselves and communicate with other semantic web spaces. By this augmentation, a semantic web space simultaneously is also a living machine agent. We had a name for this type of semantic web spaces as Active Semantic Space (ASpaces). (An introductory scientific article about ASpaces can be found at here for advanced readers.) In short, Semantic Web, when it is realized, will connect virtual representatives of real people who use the World Wide Web. It thus will significantly facilitate the exploration of web resources.A practical semantic web requires every web user to have a web space by himself. Though it looks abnormal at first glimpse, this requirement is indeed fundamental. It is impossible to imagine that humans still need to perform every request by themselves on a semantic web. If there are no machine agents help humans process the machine-processable data on a semantic web, why should we build this type of semantic web from the beginning? Every semantic web space is a little agent. So every semantic web user must have a web space. The emergence of Semantic Web will eventually eliminates the distinction between readers and writers on the Web. Every human web user must simultaneously be a reader, a writer, and a requester; or maybe we should rename them to be web participators. In summary, Web 1.0 connects real people to the World Wide Web. Web 2.0 connects real people who use the World Wide Web. The future semantic web, however, will connect virtual representatives of real people who use the World Wide Web. This is a simple story of web evolution.This article is originally posted at Thinking Space. Web 2.0 Explorer As Danny highlights in the latest instalment of This Week's Semantic Web, Marc Andreessen has once more demonstrated that he's not content with co-authoring Mosaic, sneaking around in the 24 Hour Laundry and driving social networking Ning-style. Far from it, as he continues his recent practice of blogging thoughtfully on issues facing the industry of which we - and he - are part. Yesterday's post, The three kinds of platforms you meet on the Internet, touched on a number of issues that we've addressed here on Nodalities before, and it is well worth both reading and thinking about.As Marc suggests in his introduction; “One of the hottest of hot topics these days is the topic of Internet platforms, or platforms on the Internet. Web services APIs (application programming interfaces), web services protocols like REST and SOAP, the new Facebook platform, Amazon's web services efforts including EC2 and S3, lots of new startups talking platform (including my own company, Ning)... well, 'platform' is turning into a central theme of our industry and one that a lot of people want to think about and talk about. However, the concept of 'platform' is also the focus of a swirling vortex of confusion -- lots of platform-related concepts, many of them highly technical, bleeding together; lots of people harboring various incompatible mental images of what's about to happen in our industry as a consequence of various platforms. I think this confusion is due in part to the term 'platform' being overloaded and being used to mean many different things, and in part because there truly are a lot of moving parts at play that intersect in fascinating but complex ways.”How true. The Platform space is a great one to be in and it's brimming over with opportunity and potential; so much so that we're one company staking an awful lot upon the detail of our Platform vision. Traditionally sloppy use of language, however, has led to a situation in which unnecessary confusion is now associated with a superficially straightforward term. Some of this confusion is introduced by innocent drift in the evolving usage of a word, but far more is down to the unfortunate fashion for everyone jumping on the bandwaggon and unleashing a 'platform' of their own. At least we've been using the Platform label for our own endeavours in this area for a number of years.In his attempt to introduce some clarity, Marc's post reiterates his basic definition of an internet platform; “A 'platform' is a system that can be programmed and therefore customized by outside developers -- users -- and in that way, adapted to countless needs and niches that the platform's original developers could not have possibly contemplated, much less had time to accommodate. We have a long and proud history of this concept and this definition in the computer industry stretching all the way back to the 1950's and the original mainframe operating systems, continuing through the personal computer age and now into the Internet era. In the computer industry, this concept of platform is completely settled and widely embraced, and still holds going forward. The key term in the definition of platform is 'programmed'. If you can program it, then it's a platform. If you can't, then it's not.”Check.He then offers three 'kinds' or 'levels' of Internet platform, being careful to stress that one is not necessarily better than those it supersedes; “I call these Internet platform models 'levels', because as you go from Level 1 to Level 2 to Level 3, as I will explain, each kind of platform is harder to build, but much better for the developer. Further, as I will also explain, each level typically supersets the levels below. As I describe these three levels of Internet platform, I will walk through the pros and cons of each level as I see them. But let me say up front -- they're all good. In no way to I intend to cast aspersions on what anyone I discuss is doing. Having a platform is always better than not having a platform, period. Platforms are good, period.”Marc's three levels are;Access API “Architecturally, the key thing to understand about this kind of platform is that the developer's application code lives outside the platform -- the code executes somewhere else, on a server elsewhere on the Internet that is provided by the developer. The application calls the web services API over the Internet to access data and services provided by the platform -- by the core system -- and then the application does its thing, on its own.”Plug-in APISuperficially very similar to the 'Access API', but the host application (such as Facebook) into which a developer's application connects does the vast majority of the work around marketing; “Facebook provides a whole series of mechanisms by which Facebook users are exposed to third-party apps automatically, just by using Facebook.”Runtime Environment “In a Level 3 platform [such as Salesforce], the huge difference is that the third-party application code actually runs inside the platform -- developer code is uploaded and runs online, inside the core system. For this reason, in casual conversation I refer to Level 3 platforms as 'online platforms'.” “Put in plain English? A Level 3 platform's developers upload their code into the platform itself, which is where that code runs. As a developer on a Level 3 platform, you don't need your own servers, your own storage, your own database, your own bandwidth, nothing... in fact, often, all you will really need is a browser. The platform itself handles everything required to run your application on your behalf.”And there's more, and it's interesting stuff that Marc has clearly thought about long and hard.Reading - and rereading - Marc's post, though, I kept coming back to ideas touched upon in two posts of mine about the relative openness of different Platform solutions; “Facebook and Talis might very well be offering 'Platforms', but they're quite different in intention. Facebook's platform seems to be all about making the Facebook site as rich, compelling and sticky as possible; everything is sucked to one point. The Talis Platform, on the other hand, is about providing developers - wherever they are - with the tools and capabilities to easily link and manipulate data across and through the web. The former sits heavily 'on' the web, and feeds upon it to suck ever more into its maw. The latter is truly 'of' the web, giving a distributed community of developers and users powerful new capabilities to enmesh their applications, and to deliver capabilities at the point of need.”Regardless of its position in Marc's levels, I truly hope and believe that the Internet platforms of long-term viability will be those that embrace the Network rather than feeding rapaciously upon it; those that are of the web as we are trying so hard to be.A Platform should give the developer a helping hand. It should lift them up and provide them with a set of tools that make it easier to concentrate upon and deliver their core value whilst the Platform worries about the day-to-day mundanity that is mere context [to paraphrase Geoffrey Moore]. A Platform should enable the developer to realise the benefit of those tools and capabilities in places and manners of their own choosing, rather than expecting or requiring the developer merely to expose their assets within the bounds of whatever site(s) the Platform chooses to offer. Platform providers who realise and embrace that will be the ones to succeed. Last week's Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco was pretty intense, all things considered. It's therefore lucky that this week is the Half Term school holiday in this particular corner of the UK, and peppered with days off to do various non-work things.During the conference (sorry, 'summit') I managed to live-blog most of the sessions I attended, and the corpus can be found here. O'Reilly/CMP are also doing a great job of getting session videos up.Now I've had time to reflect without the need to type and listen and keep an eye on the office, what were the trends and highlights for me?I noticed two big switches since 2005 when I last attended this particular gathering. Firstly, although I didn't see much evidence of a credible alternative, there was far less of an assumption that Google AdWords were the business model of choice. And secondly the lobby conversations just seemed much less desperate than last time, when everyone and everything was frenetically for sale.The iPhone was everywhere. I saw lots of people using Apple's latest, but don't think I saw anyone actually talking into the thing, which means that Nokia's phone-less (?) alternative may do well. We get iPhones in the UK in a couple of weeks, and Talis will be raffling one at our conference the week before that launch. Something tells me that my chances of winning that iPhone are about as high as those for Nokia to send me an N810.There seemed less of an emphasis upon scheduled evening entertainment than previously. Richard MacManus comments on this, too. From my perspective it was a good thing, as it made my packed schedule of dinner engagements (and a trip to a real San Francisco home) so much easier to manage. In many ways, these (including one with Mr MacManus) were the highlight of the trip.The main auditorium was a truly unpleasant place to spend time; way too crowded. The overflow room upstairs was a far better bet, complete with comfy sofas, power, wifi (which you could also get downstairs, if your battery was up to the job), and easy access to food and drink. It would have been nice to be able to ask questions with a video link to the sweatshopauditorium downstairs that was bi-directional, though. A second display showing the whole stage would also have been good. The main monitor kept zooming in to provide detail on faces/slides etc; it wasn't always focussed on the thing I considered important.So what about the meat?Well, in case you hadn't noticed, Facebook is going to be big. I don't just mean suggestions that Zuckerberg may be 'selling himself short' at a mere $15bn, or evidence that Facebook's platform is delivering profit for third party developers. More than both of those, there was an underlying - often implicit - recognition that growth opportunities lie in pushing content and functionality off our individual websites and into the cloud. Although I've argued before that Facebook is a very long way from being open, it's 'Platform' remains a compelling example of ways in which external content can be aggregated and consumed elsewhere. Imagine what would be possible in a more open ecosystem, an ecosystem of which Facebook could be a part? Were others (MySpace, anyone?) to seed such an ecosystem whilst Facebook remained off to one side, would the rate of fall in Facebook numbers equal or exceed their recent growth?'Semantic' has arrived; the Metaweb/ Radar Networks/ Powerset pow wow with Tim O'Reilly (pictured) on the final afternoon was great, and was just beginning to go places when they ran out of time. More debate and analysis would have been nice, with (a lot) less demo. This was followed up by John Doerr recognising the whole space as a compelling investment opportunity, echoing trends that Brad Feld highlighted in his recent podcast with me. I found Danny Hillis' explicit distancing of himself from the Semantic Web odd (Shelley just found it funny...); I'll admit that I've done a little of the same, but more to demonstrate that there is plenty that the Semantic Web's building blocks (RDF, GRDDL, etc) can do right now, without needing to await the arrival of The Semantic Web. We do need to find better ways to describe this space, though; 'Web 3.0' can be unnecessarily confrontational/epochal, and 'Semantic Web' carries way too much baggage...Jonathan Zittrain had some interesting things to say, and they're not nearly as contrarian as they might at first have appeared.Mary Meeker was good value, as always... although impossible to blog! I was surprised by the lack of reaction to her figures illustrating the fall in US growth, relative to competitors to the east.The Launch Pad, that gathering of exemplary startups, was hugely disappointing. I can't believe that was the cream of the crop.Gene sequencing needs to be watched... very closely.Real people don't think (quite) like geeks and venture capitalists! Craigslist, rejoice...(Almost) everyone had a Platform, with some more black hole sucking-ish than others. It does appear, all too often, that the web is actually becoming less open than it has been of late. All these Platforms are sucking data and users and developers to themselves, and letting very little flow back out. It certainly fulfils short-term goals around eyeballs, advertisers, and the like. But it's bad for the web and, in the long term, it's got to be bad for (most of?) the guilty.(Almost) everyone was recognising the power of intention/attention, and seeking ways to implicitly or explicitly harness both. Social and semantic graphs have something to say, here.Photograph © James Duncan Davidson/O'Reilly Media With Ian Davis and I packing to join the UK contingent hopping across the Atlantic to this week's Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, it was interesting to see Anthony Lilley's piece on Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 in today's Guardian. He's clearly not a fan of the labels; “So, finally web 2.0 is dead. Its jargon half-life has expired and the buzzword du jour is being interred and superseded. And by what? Well, you'll never guess. Long live web 3.0. Honestly, give me strength. We'll look back in 20 years and wonder when we decided to hand over the English language to people who can haggle for hours about the difference between versions 2.1 and 2.5 of some software.”In amongst the criticism of marketing hype, and the grounding in nappy/diaper changing that I am so happy to have left behind for the giddy heights of the tooth fairy, Anthony follows John Markoff's line in postulating that Web 3.0 may be the Semantic Web; “I'm coming to the conclusion that if web 3.0 is anything at all, then it's a step on the way to something I first heard about several years ago - the development of the semantic web. And, let's be honest, a version number is a better selling point than the word semantic is ever going to be.”On the way, Anthony steps sideways into discussion of money; “But I share some of the cynicism of a Canadian colleague who says that web 2.0 will actually come to an end when the venture capital money runs out. Well, given that lots of Silicon Valley investors are suddenly starting to talk about web 3.0, maybe that day is near and web 3.0 is just a branding relaunch, kind of like Kylie's new look?”Despite recent figures in the Financial Times, I'm actually not so sure that the money is leaving Web 2.0. Rather, I think that we're seeing the sort of technological bedding in that Brad Feld and Talis Platform Advisory Group member Mills Davis talked about in their podcasts with me. VC's aren't drawing back from funding Web 2.0 at all; instead, we're moving through the hype that Anthony rightly criticises, and we're emerging into an environment in which smarter entrepreneurs and smarter investors are once again becoming interested in meeting real business opportunities. Web 2.0 technologies are there, through and through, but there's far less interest in funding a company just because its website has curvy corners and a smidge of AJAX. That's a good thing. It doesn't mean Web 2.0 is dead. Maybe it does mean Web 2.0 has grown up a little.Like so many others, Anthony also refers to Jason Calacanis' recent PR stunt. I commented on that at the time, but he draws value from Jason's assertion that; “Web 3.0 is the creation of high-quality content and services produced by gifted individuals using web 2.0 technology as an enabling platform. Web 3.0 throttles the 'wisdom of the crowds' from turning into the 'madness of the mobs' we've seen all too often, by balancing it with a respect of experts.”Well, maybe. “The reliability of content and an understanding of the wider context in which content sits are rising in importance on the web and taking their place alongside the wondrous power of group communication, especially as more and more people join the party.”Absolutely. Here, Anthony hits the nail right on the head. Long before the all-encompassing ontological wonder of the Semantic Web is realised (if it ever is), there is much that some of its building blocks can do to help us deliver real solutions to real problems right now. I touched on this mid-point between Web 2.0 and the Semantic Web in my presentation in Cambridge last week, and will be expanding upon those ideas in various places over the next wee while. Behind the curvy corners and the blurring of boundaries between the Cloud and its access point, Web 2.0 is the manifestation of numerous trends, and Tim O'Reilly has consistently done a good job of expressing these. Open Source, Falling costs of storage, Increases in compute power, increasing ubiquity of access, commoditisation, software as a service, and more.However, for all their advances, all too many Web 2.0 applications remain fundamentally 'on' rather than 'of' the Web; offering rich functionality and interaction within their own little microcosm of the wider Web. Through pragmatic application of robust elements of the Semantic Web stack, we can move far beyond 'simply' crowdsourcing an encyclopaedia, 'merely' tracking recommendations and behaviour within a single e-commerce site, or 'just' allowing 46 million people to turn one another into zombies. It is this recognition that the power of the connections between resources is woefully under-utilised that is behind the Talis Platform. We are moving beyond the 'see also' links of the traditional web, and beyond the best-efforts silos of Web 2.0's darlings, to offer means by which assertions - and their provenance - may be made and tracked across the open web. Many of Web 2.0's ideas figure highly, as does a strong grounding in the technologies of the Semantic Web. Data is, of course, key... but we need to move beyond current presumptions in favour of use toward a model by which everyone is clear as to what data can - and should - be used for. Hence our long-standing interest in the Open Data movement.Is any of this 'Web 3.0'? I'm not sure. Talis Platform Advisory Group member Nova Spivack has, in the past, attempted to defuse the whole Web 2.0/ Web 3.0 polarisation by painting Web 3.0 as merely a label for the third decade of the Web. Semantic technologies are part of that decade, but so are other things. Nova is one of those speaking in a Semantic Web session at the Web 2.0 Summit this week. It'll be interesting to see how his ideas are received in that temple to 2.0, and you can be sure that I'll be sat there taking notes...Image of Kylie Minogue by Keven Law, shared on Flickr with a Creative Commons license. To understand why, you'll have to read Anthony's article... I've really enjoyed the recent flow of posts between Talis Platform Advisory Group member Nova Spivack and (not yet a member!) Tim O'Reilly. Through them it's possible to see some of the complex interrelationships between aspects of 'Web 2.0' and the more pragmatic areas of 'Semantic Web' development. 'Web 3.0' occasionally makes an appearance, confuses things, and gets pushed down the pile in order that a more sensible dialogue can take place. Except, perhaps, in Nova's use of it to describe the third decade of the Web, 'Web 3.0' does seem to currently be causing little more than confusion; which is surely exactly the opposite of what a loose label such as that should be for? Despite that, it - or a term like it - will be needed as the media and others struggle to describe the transitional phase that we're entering as the exuberant outpourings of the early Web 2.0 days bed down into sustainable and longer-term activity. We can either craft these labels ourselves and use them to tell our stories, or we can have them created for us with language that will (doubtless) pit the new thingummy against the 'old' Web 2.0 in ways that are unhelpful. For want of a better term, many of us do seem to fall back upon 'Web 3.0' to describe something else, but I'm not sure that any of us actually like the term. 'Web of Data'? Maybe. 'Web of Intentions'? Possibly... and I'll begin to dig into why in an upcoming series of posts. 'Semantic Web'? No, probably not. It's far too bound up in the totality of Tim Berners-Lee's vision; something that we see small parts of in various labs around the world, but something that is an extremely long way from the mainstream web of today or tomorrow. Parts of the Semantic Web ideal figure extremely highly, but it may be unwise to shoot them in the foot by bogging discussion of them down in all that ontological big system stuff that seems to accompany any mention of the big SW.Robust, pragmatic, and Web-scale deployment of the technologies and ideas of the Semantic Web is not a replacement for Web 2.0. It is an evolution, a change of emphasis and approach. It is the realisation of many of Web 2.0's under-delivered promises, and a powerful step forwards for incumbents and new entrants. The opening up (legally, technically, and practically) of the data that drives the current social web is the big story. The particular W3C recommendations that make it possible are a means to an end.As Nova comments; “The Semantic Web is not about AI or anything fancy like that, it is really just about data. Another and perhaps better name for it would be 'The Data Web.'”Nova also remarks; “I agree with Tim that the Web 2.0 era was a renaissance -- and that there were certain trends and patterns that I think Tim recognized first, and that he has explained better, than just about anyone else. Tim helped the world to see what Web 2.0 was really about -- collective intelligence.”Absolutely. And it is here that the opportunity lies in taking a huge step forward. We're seeing plenty of interesting examples in which silos of reasonably collective reasonably intelligent data are growing and being mined.The opportunities are so much greater with an open pool of data, to which context, role and reason can be applied, and it is here that semantic technologies such as RDF have so much to offer.Nova goes on to say; “The fact is, while I have great respect for Tim as a thinker, I don't think he truly 'gets' the Semantic Web yet. In fact, he consistently misses the real point of where these technologies add value, and instead gets stuck on edge-cases (like artificial intelligence) that all of us who are really working on these technologies actually don't think about at all. We don't care about reasoning or artificial intelligence, we care about OPEN DATA. From what I can see, Tim thinks the Semantic Web is some kind of artificial intelligence system. If that is the case, he's completely missing the point. Yes, of course it enables better, smarter applications. But it's fundamentally NOT about AI and it never was. It's about OPEN DATA. The Semantic Web should be renamed to simply The Data Web.”I know for a fact that Tim 'gets' - and passionately believes in - Open Data. I've seen him talk compellingly on the subject, and read his thoughts online more than once.It does seem, though, that he's not yet making the connection between the power and importance of Open Data and the importance of the open web of data that a move from the siloed databases of today's best Web applications to a distributed network of flexible and actionable RDF data. Getting the data out there (with appropriate licenses to encourage use and reuse, of course) is only part of the job. The networks of association, inference, context and more make the sum of the parts worth far more than the individual records or databases... and this doesn't require (despite fears to the contrary) any wholesale adoption of inflexible ontologies or the widespread crafting of RDF.Now I really must finish the set of posts in which I hope to show more clearly how web-scale and sustainable deployment of Semantic Technologies promises to enrich (not replace) the vibrant ecosystem that Tim has so eloquently captured in his descriptions of Web 2.0. The Economist. Tim O'Reilly. Nova Spivack. Danny Ayers. Read/Write Web's Alex Iskold. Kingsley Idehen. Brad Feld. Over the last few days all of them have been amongst those writing to clarify their understanding of the Semantic Web and where it's going.Each piece is thoughtful, each piece is well worth a read, and each differs somewhat from the others in outlook as they delve into 'ontologies', 'classic approaches', 'machine intelligence', 'SPARQL', 'Turtle' and other geekiness [meant in the nicest possible way]. I do wonder, though, if all of them are bypassing some fundamental points as they seek to clarify their own perspectives to themselves, to one another, and to the world; points with which I suspect that each may actually agree.First, I definitely don't think that a company, technology or approach can only be either 'Web 2.0' or 'Semantic Web'. Sure, some companies will see themselves (or pitch themselves) in one space or the other, but there's going to be an ever-increasing number that reside firmly in both. Ultimately, of course (and figures in the FT this week, suggesting that “The pull-back was particularly acute in Silicon Valley, as big Web 2.0 investors such as Benchmark Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Omidyar Networks, the private financing vehicle of Ebay founder Pierre Omidyar, cut back on their investments.”might more logically be interpreted as supporting this argument) companies won't be Web 2.0 or Semantic Web. They will be companies that solve a particular set of problems for a particular set of audiences. Some of the tools in the toolbox they use to do this will be Web 2.0-ish, some will be Semantic Web-ish, some will be both, and some will be neither. Those things that currently differentiate us - and to which we apply labels in order to reinforce the differentiation - will become mainstream, run of the mill, mundane, and simply expected. That's progress, and it's a good thing. Web 2.0 won't go away. The Semantic Web won't go away. Shouting about either might, and it doesn't have to mean that their importance has diminished.Second, 'collective intelligence' applies equally to both. Tim O'Reilly's absolutely right that it's been a key differentiator of many Web 2.0 darlings; “By contrast, I've argued that one of the core attributes of 'web 2.0' (another ambiguous and widely misused term) is 'collective intelligence.' That is, the application is able to draw meaning and utility from data provided by the activity of its users, usually large numbers of users performing a very similar activity. So, for example, collaborative filtering applications like Amazon's 'people who bought item this also bought' or last.fm's music recommendations, use specialized algorithms to match users with each other on the basis of their purchases or listening habits. There are many other examples: digg users voting up stories, or wikipedia's crowdsourced encyclopedia and news stories.”It's also front and centre in Semantic Web work, though. For example that from ourselves, Radar Networks and others. See this white paper [PDF] for one, and watch here and here for public sight of internal developments... soon. The connections that RDF makes so manifest are a perfect way to express, traverse, and mine the habits, behaviours and desires of the collective.Third, 'a formal ontology' is not a requirement, and nor is pushing structure in the face of the user.Tim makes a good point here; “The Semantic Web is a bit of a slog, with a lot of work required to build enough data for the applications to become useful. Web 2.0 applications often do a half-assed job of tackling the same problem, but because they harness self-interest, they typically gather much more data. And then solve for their deficiencies with statistics or other advantages of scale.”I'm not sure, though, that SemWeb/ Web 2.0 is the dichotomy here? Rather, it's a split between purist, all-encompassing, and hugely flexible on the one hand and pragmatic and 'good enough' on the other. I would agree that stereotype would often place Semantic Web developers on one side of that divide and Web 2.0 startups on the other. The technology is not the point there, though, so much as the mindset. Believe me, we can do some great stuff to harness self-interest, gather much more data, and solve the deficiencies with statistics and other advantages of scale in a Semantic Web-ey Platform... :-) “But I predict that we'll soon see a second wave of social networking sites, or upgrades to existing ones, that provide for the encoding of additional nuance. In addition, there will be specialized sites -- take Geni, for example, which encodes geneaology -- that will provide additional information about the relationships between people. Rather than there being a single specification capturing all the information about relationships between people, there will be many overlapping (and gapping) applications, and an opportunity for someone to aggregate the available information into something more meaningful.”Too right, Tim. But I'd definitely suggest that those building the second wave should be talking to Talis, to Radar Networks, to Metaweb and to some of the other proponents of a new and far more Web 2.0-inspired Semantic Web paradigm. There are way too many synergies there to ignore...Dan Brickley's comments in response to one aspect of Danny's argument are also interesting; “Let me clear something up. Danny mentions a discussion with Tim O’Reilly about SemWeb themes. Much as I generally agree with Danny, I’m reaching for a ten-foot bargepole on this one point: 'While Facebook may have achieved pretty major adoption for their approach, it’s only very marginally useful because of their overly simplistic treatment of relationships.' Facebook, despite the trivia, the endless wars between the ninja zombies and the pirate vampires; despite being centralised, despite [insert grumble] is massively useful. Proof of that pudding: it is massively used. 'Marginal' doesn’t come into it.”Too true. I've complained about Facebook, too [for example here and here]. But I use it, and millions of others use it. And it serves a purpose. That doesn't mean it can't be better.Turning, finally, to Alex' post; “The first problem is that RDF and OWL are complicated. Even for scientists and mathematicians these graph-based languages take time to learn and for less-technical people they are nearly impossible to understand. Because the designers were shooting for flexibility and completeness, the end result are documents that are confusing, verbose and difficult to analyze.”Well, yes and no. That's what tools are for. And in a large number of cases the RDF may actually be auto-generated as part of some process of aggregation or value addition of which the data creator or manager need have no explicit awareness. The RDF may very well be generating an aggregation of tiny snippets of data from large numbers of transactions; the interaction of a single user with a single resource doesn't have to result in a whole RDF document of its own. More on that later.And, also from Alex; “Going back to John Markoff's example of a computer booking a perfect vacation, one can't help but think of a travel agency. In the good old days, you would go to the same agent over and over again. Why? Because just like your friends, your doctor, your teacher, the travel agent needs to know you personally to be able to serve you better. The travel agent remembers that you've been to Prague and Paris, which is why he offers you a trip to Rome. The travel agent remembers that you're a vegetarian and orders the pasta meal for you on your flight. Over time people learn and memorize facts about life and each other. Until machines can do the same, knowledge of semantics, limited or full is not going to be enough to replace humans.”Exactly. And that's where network effects, collective intelligence, behavioural observation and all the rest kick in. The knowledge comes from observation of an awful lot of behaviour; not from having the traveller fill in some long-winded and tedious form detailing an RDF graph representation of their travel preferences for all situations. Context matters. I, for example, want a window seat on short-haul flights, and an aisle seat on long-haul flights. It's not a simple preference one way or the other. I don't have a preferred airport to depart from, as so many other factors come into play. I'll go to a more distant departure airport for a better departure or travel time, for example. I won't always travel with the airlines I've got frequent flier cards for... but they don't have to be cheapest before I can or will. It's more complex than that. Current systems don't understand. “Perhaps the worst challenge facing the semantic web is the business challenge. What is the consumer value? How is it to be marketed? What business can be built on top of the semantic web that can not exist today? Clearly the example of instant travel match is not a 'wow.' It's primitive and, in a way, uninteresting because many of us are already quite adept at being our own travel agent using existing tools. But assuming that there are problems that can be solved faster, there is still a question of specific end user utility.”Talis. Radar Networks. Joost. Metaweb. Garlik. Need I go on? (I can... :-) ) “The way the semantic web is presented today makes it very difficult to market. The 'we are a semantic web company' slogan is likely to raise eyebrows and questions. RDF and OWL clearly need to be kept under the hood. So the challenge is to formulate the end user value in ways that will resonate with people.”Absolutely right! SWEO is part of the answer. Companies like ours getting out and showing what can be done, and why it's valuable is crucial too... and we're getting there.And to answer my initial question; No, I don't think everyone is confused by or about the Semantic Web. We do, though, have a lot of different niche views of value (or lack thereof), clamouring for attention. These overlapping - and not necessarily incorrect - perspectives certainly could appear to be a result of confusion, if viewed from the outside. Language is a complicated thing, and these are complex ideas. Describing one with the other requires a number of iterations to arrive at clarity, but we're getting there.There's a lot more to say, but this post has now gone on long enough (especially as I initially meant to simply point you at some interesting blog posts...). If you’re familiar with Twitter, you’ve probably figured out there’s some interesting things you can do with these types of SMS-based apps. If you’re a power Twitterer all of you know it’s way more than “what am I doing”. Jaiku’s the other one, and although essentially both provide the same capabilities, I give an aesthetic edge to Jaiku for its slick looking badges. That aside, while working on a community project yesterday, we started thinking about how these tools can benefit the business. If you extrapolate what’s being done by some of the big brands, it’s pretty easy to see the evolution. Take ZDNet for instance. Their approach aggregates all of their blogs into one Twitter feed. Using something like TwitKu, (screenshot below) I get a pulse of what ZDNet is covering that hour. And ZDNet knows most people won’t have the inclination to subscribe to all of their blogs, so they give us options. That’s an important notion when building your business case. Always give the user options. If you want to be a media company, act like one. Show me how to consume, repurpose, mashup, and deliver your content not just in ways you want but ways I want.Other companies, including Dell and the NYTimes, also use use Twitter to push out all sorts of content, from product updates and discounts to industry information and news. And isn’t it a bit ironic that the NY Times is so prolific on Twitter? They came across as a skeptic back in April. So know that we know there’s some real-world scenarios for this stuff, the question becomes how to best incorporate these communication tools into an integrated and cohesive marketing strategy? I’d suggest start by stripping away all the Web 2.0 monikers and buzzwords and boil it down to content and communication. From there think about what everyone else is thinking about. How do I come up with creative ways to distribute my content? After that, think about how to be a facilitator. Once a brand becomes a trusted information source or content provider, conversations happen. Tools like Twitter and Jaiku can drive those conversations. And conversations build brand. Back in January I wrote a blog entry discussing my desire to cut back my cable television and rely more on iTunes, Netflix, Joost, etc. I asked Comcast to simply disconnect my cable TV but keep my Internet. Not content to simply spy on Americans without a warrant, AT&T has taken a bold move forward and decided to work with the MPAA and RIAA (two of the most hated organizations on the planet), to eliminate copyrighted materials being transmitted between parties on their network.Tip o' the hat to Doc Searls suggestion... File this under funnny?I'm listening to Pandora Radio through my Sonos today when up comes a track from one of my favorite artists, Cock Robin.

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The flag of Germany is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold. The flag was first adopted as the national flag of modern Germany in 1919, during the Weimar Republic. The black-red-gold tricolour first appeared in the early 19th century and achieved prominence during the 1848 Revolutions. The short-lived Frankfurt Parliament of 1848–1850 proposed the tricolour as a flag for a united and democratic German state. With the formation of the Weimar Republic after World War I, the tricolour was adopted as the national flag of Germany. Following World War II, the tricolour was designated as the flag of both West and East Germany. The two flags were identical until 1959, when the East German flag was augmented with the coat of arms of East Germany. Since reunification on 3 October 1990, the black-red-gold tricolour has remained the flag of Germany. The flag of Germany has not always used black, red, and gold as its colours. After the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, the Prussian-dominated North German Confederation adopted a tricolour of black-white-red as its flag. This flag later became the flag of the German Empire, formed following the unification of Germany in 1871, and was used until 1918. Black, white, and red were reintroduced as the German national colours with the establishment of Nazi Germany in 1933, with the deliberate attempt to replace German republican colours with imperial colours. The colour schemes of black-red-gold and black-white-red have played an important role in the history of Germany and have had various meanings. The colours of the modern flag are associated with the republican democracy formed after World War I, and represent German unity and freedom: not only the freedom of Germany, but also the personal freedom of the German people. During the Weimar Republic, the black-red-gold colours were the colours of the democratic, centrist and republican political parties, as opposed to the political right and political left, as seen in the name of Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold, formed by members of the SPD, the German Centre Party, and the German Democratic Party to defend the republic against extremists on the right and left, to teach the population to respect the new republic and to honour its flag and the constitution. The German association with the colours black, red, and gold surfaced in the radical 1840s, when the black-red-gold flag was used to symbolize the movement against the Conservative European Order that was established after Napoleon's defeat.

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Do you know the fact that you will be able to listen to any text on your computer? Yes, it is true! The voice simulator and the text to speech computer technology already allows us to do this. However, still many people are not aware of this amazing option. If you want to listen to your documents, emails, web pages, e-books, or study materials rather than read them on screen, if you want to allow your tired eyes to take a break, or even if you wan to convert your lengthy reports to MP3 and listen to it on your early morning drives to your job, text to speech software is the answer. How does text to speech software work? In a nutshell, text to speech software converts text into spoken audio. With text to speech software, you can either listen to the synthetized speech immediately, or save it to an audio file (.MP3 or .WAV) for later playback. The later option is a great feature for you if you want to listen to the vital information you need while working out, riding a bike or watching a child's soccer game. Wait a sec. Doesn't the computer sound like, well, a computer? Believe me, your fears are unnecessary. The dark age of the robotic voice has gone forever. Nowadays, there are a lot of high-quality speech voices available on the Internet. Here is a brief list of most famous voices. Cepstral Voices - These high quality voices take up less disk space (average less than 50mb) than most premium voices, do not use as much processor power, and are very fast when creating audio files. AT&T Natural Voices - An award winning text to speech technology developed by AT&T Laboratories. Natural Voices is believed by many to be the most natural sounding TTS available, the "highly scalable" multi-threaded technology can automate and add tremendous interactive and humanistic value to a wide variety of applications and projects. IVONA Voices - Human voices for your PC - Use the most natural Text-To-Speech voices ever heard for fun and work. CereProc Voices - High-quality voices for computers running Microsoft Windows XP and Vista/7. It can replace the default American English Microsoft voices with a wide range of other accents and languages. CereProc's Windows voices are compatible with Microsoft SAPI5, and all voices are 22khz for excellent clarity and naturalness. Conclusion - Voice Simulator Text To Speech Software More and more people use text to speech software to improve their reading efficiency and save time. You can listen on your PC or create audio files for use on portable devices like iPods, PocketPCs and CD players. You can improve your reading and comprehension by listening to text while viewing it on your screen. The more you use text to to speech software, the more you are enabled to affirm that it's a must-have for computer users. Can't wait to experience text to speech? Click here to use this exciting technology instantly.

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What it’s good for: These beauties take minutes to make and keep for a few weeks in the fridge. Pack a few into a lunch box for a healthy quickie lunch if you’re flat out at work or travelling in the car. Great source of omega 3 also helps stimulate the secretion of leptin a hormone help to suppress the appetite and burn stored body fat. Protein 4g • Fat 6g • Carbs 10g • Cal 110 Oats are one of the best complex carbs rich in soluble fibre, that can help lower blood cholesterol and provide long lasting energy. Fresh Dates are a natural sweetener and high in minerals potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron. BSc Vanilla Creme Protein Powder packs a protein punch to help sustain and repair muscle and for a healthy immune system, Pumpkin seeds are high in the minerals – terrific for a healthy immune system. Walnuts add a hit of protein and omega 3. It’s a great idea to double the recipe, as these cookies are very delicious. 1 cup rolled organic oats ¼ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp vanilla 1 cup pitted fresh Medjool dates (the ones you buy in the veggie section in your supermarket) 2 tbsp Vanilla Creme Protein Powder ½ cup pumpkin seeds ½ cup walnuts 1. Combine oats, cinnamon, vanilla and dates, Vanilla Creme Protein Powder and pumpkin seeds in a food processor and pulse to mix well until just combined. 2. Add the walnuts and pulse again. Add a little water to help mix stick if necessary. 3. Roll about 1 tablespoon into a ball and flatten slightly to form a cookie. Place onto a piece of greaseproof paper and continue making the rest of the cookies. You don’t bake these cookies, store in an airtight container in the fridge until required. Wheat Free – High Protein –Low GI.

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Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics Back to the USPP Homepage Analysis of Jesse Venturas Playboy Interview October 11, 1999 Gov. Jesse Ventura is nothing if not predictable. What makes him so consistent is a clear-cut personality style. An analysis of Ventura's autobiography, I Aint Got Time to Bleed (1999), reveals a dauntless, adventurous personality style (see Immelman, 1999). Using the psychological framework developed by personality theorist Theodore Millon (Millon, 1996; Millon & Davis, 1998; see also Oldham & Morris, 1995) it can be shown that Jesse Venturas performance for Playboy (Grobel, 1999) clearly conveys the core elements of his deep-rooted, enduring predispositions. Characteristic behavior. Dauntless personalities are typically adventurous, fearless, and daring, attracted by challenge and undeterred by personal risk. They do things their own way and are willing to take the consequences. Not surprisingly, they often act hastily and spontaneously, failing to plan ahead or heed consequences, making spur-of-the-moment decisions without carefully considering alternatives. This penchant for shooting from the hip -- or the mouth -- can signify boldness and the courage of ones convictions as easily as it may constitute shortsighted imprudence and poor judgment. In my opinion, an accurate understanding of these distinctive character traits provides an indispensable frame of reference for evaluating Governor Venturas Playboy interview. Not only does it highlight the consistency of the governors utterances with his underlying personality pattern, it offers a stable basis for judging his policy preferences and leadership style, and supplies a vital tool for prognosticating the governors future performance in the chief executive role. For example, it can be reliably predicted that Jesse Ventura will never assume a position that can be construed as signifying personal weakness, nor will he favor policies that trigger his contempt for human weakness and dependency. Personal relations. Dauntless personalities are rugged individualists, not compromisers or conciliators. They take clear stands on the issues that matter, backed up by the self-confidence and personal skills and talents to prevail in the face of adversity. (Lawrence Grobel, who conducted the Ventura interview for Playboy, writes: "What I found most refreshing about Governor Ventura was his willingness to defend his positions and attack his interrogators. . . . Hes an imposing man whos not easily intimidated, and hes convinced he has the aura that will take him to higher places.") Though generally jovial and convivial, dauntless personalities become confrontational and defiant when obstructed or crossed. (Ventura: "When people attack me, I attack back.") Mindset. Dauntless personalities are original, independent-minded, and unconventional. At their best, these personalities are enterprising, innovative, and creative. (Ventura: "Prohibiting something doesnt make it go away.") They are nonconformists first and foremost, disdainful -- even contemptuous -- of traditional ideals and values. (Ventura: "If you buy the flag its yours to burn.") Moreover, they shirk orthodoxy and typically believe that too many rules stand in the way of freedom. (Ventura: "Drugs and prostitution, those shouldnt be imprisonment crimes.") Temperament. Dauntless personalities are untroubled and easygoing, but quickly become irritable and aggressive when crossed. They are cool, calm, and collected under pressure, restless and disgruntled when restricted or confined. (Ventura: "I unsheathed the knife in front of [Predator producer] Joel Silver one day. He had become infatuated with my wife, Terry. . . . I calmly took out the knife and started filing my thumbnail with it.") They are tough-minded and unsentimental, and display their feelings openly. (Ventura: "Why are you eligible for parole after seven years? Life should be life. And there should be no three strikes. Should be one strike." / "I dont condone what happened [in Tailhook], but I understand it.") Self-image. Dauntless personalities view themselves as self-sufficient and autonomous. (Ventura: "The best thing [about being governor] is that theres no one who can tell me what to do.") They pride themselves on their independence, competence, strength, and their ability to prevail without social support, and they expect the same of others. (Ventura: "Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers." / "[G]overnment . . . was not founded to create jobs. Create your own job. Be an individual." / "Hemingway lost his credibility with me when he killed himself." / "If youre a feeble, weak-minded person to begin with, I dont have time for you.") Self-regulation. Dauntless personalities are unconstrained. They express their impulses directly, often in rash and precipitous fashion, and generally without regret or remorse. They rarely refashion their thoughts and actions to fit a socially desirable mold. (Ventura: "If I could be reincarnated as a fabric, I would come back as a 38 double-D bra.") Deeper motives. Dauntless personalities are driven by restive impulses to discredit established cultural ideals and mores, yet are skilled in arrogate for themselves what material spoils they can garner from society. (Playboy cites a Star Tribune estimate "that Ventura may have earned as much as $2 million to $3 million during the first eight months of his term.") Though fundamentally driven by self-serving motives, dauntless personalities are capable of incidentally advancing social causes in the service of their own ambition. (Ventura: "[What is most important to accomplish as governor is] to prove that I can govern now." / Playboy reports: "When a TV series he was to star in didnt pan out and he lost his job as a WWF announcer, he decided to run for mayor of Brooklyn Park . . . over a personal issue.") The distinctive feature of the inner drives and impulses of dauntless personalities is their unruly, recalcitrant, rebellious nature, which gives rise to unfettered self-expression, a marked intolerance of delay or frustration, and low thresholds for emotional discharge, particularly those of a hostile nature. (Ventura, referring to former Minnesota first lady Barbara Carlson, who had told Mirabella that Ventura "can dish it out but cant take it": "Consider the source. . . . This is a woman who struck the former governor with a frying pan. . . . Shes also a woman whos had her stomach cut out so she dont eat as much. What happened to willpower?") Conclusion. The tenor of Jesse Ventura's interview with Playboy is entirely in character for a dauntless personality. Nontheless, even though many Minnesotans appreciate their governor's candor, political capital is too valuable a commodity to fritter away in moments of self-indulgent excess. For his own sake, Gov. Ventura should realize that sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Immelman, A. (1999, July 8). Will Jesse "The Adventurer" run for president? Its academic. Minneapolis Star Tribune, p. A14. Grobel, L. (1999, November). Playboy interview: Jesse Ventura. Playboy, pp. 55-56, 60-64, 66, 184-185. Millon, T. (1996). Disorders of personality: DSM-IV and beyond (2nd ed). New York: Wiley. Millon, T., & Davis, R. D. (1998). Ten subtypes of psychopathy. In T. Millon, E. Simonsen, M. Birket-Smith, & R. D. Davis (Eds). (1998). Psychopathy: Antisocial, criminal, and violent behavior (pp. 161-170). New York: Guilford. Oldham, J. M., & Morris, L. B. (1995). The new personality self-portrait (rev. ed.). New York: Bantam Books. Ventura, J. (1999). I aint got time to bleed: Reworking the body politic from the bottom up. New York: Villard Books. Page maintained by Aubrey Immelman Last Updated: 07 May 2002

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Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, RN Area of Expertise: - Environmental and Global Health - Community Health Workers to promote health in vulnerable populations (Arab immigrants in Philadelphia & Waslala, Nicaragua) - Ethno-Cultural Groups' Experience in Higher Education and Health Care An expert in international nursing students and community health nursing with a global perspective, Dr. McDermott-Levy advises nurses from Oman and has conducted research about their experience in the U.S. She has traveled to Nicaragua and Peru to promote health through education about water-borne illness. She led a group of Villanova nursing students in teaching residents of rural Latin American communities about the connection between environmental factors and health and how to counteract respiratory illnesses and other infectious diseases. She also teaches nursing students in clinical settings that focus on environmental health and Arab-Muslim populations in the Philadelphia region. A member of the Pennsylvania State Nurses' Association Environmental Health Task Force, she can also discuss integrating environmental health into the nursing curriculum and the needs of Arab-Muslim women in the U.S. - Ph.D., Villanova University - M.S.N., Villanova University - B.S.N., Wilkes University - McDermott-Levy, R. (2009). Acculturation: A concept analysis for immigrant health. Holistic Nursing Practice, 23 (4), 1-7. - McDermott-Levy, R. (2009). Education: Nurses tool for advocacy in environmental health. Pennsylvania Nurse, 64 (2), 10-13. - McDermott-Levy, R. (2008). "Green Meetings: Hosting Environmentally Friendly Events." The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 39 (9), 388-389. Selected Professional Experience - Villanova University College of Nursing Omani Undergraduate Advisor - "Integrating Environmental Health into Community Health Nursing Education", Health Care Without Harm Minigrant

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Monday July 27, 2009 Monday July 27, 2009 by Dan Peeler Minister for Children and Families The Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily… Judges 14.6 In a recent study of the Book of Judges, we have been examining the story of Samson, the famous strongman of Old Testament legend. In our time, however, when most children (and adults) think of a man of great strength, the first image that comes to mind is DC Comics’ Superman. But there are major differences. Samson was pictured as almost totally self-centered, quick to anger, lustful, deceitful, vengeful, and easily manipulated. Superman’s ethics are the direct opposite of Samson’s. Yet, to their original audiences, each was considered the greatest super-hero of his time. Superman, that pillar of impeccable morality, is the champion of the oppressed, the common folks. Samson was essentially seen doing the same job, with the evil Philistine oppression of their world paralleling Lex Luthor’s aspirations of world domination. The two heroes’ results were the same; Luthor in jail for a while, and the Philistines subdued by a defeat or two. Today, we have a difficult time justifying Samson’s self-centered violent actions as being classically heroic. But the ancient reader simply wanted to see those evil Philistines get what they deserved. So, Samson’s great powers were always credited to God, since it was the usual practice to retro-fit God’s complicity into all manner of barbaric human acts. But the Judges lived around 1200 years before the birth of Jesus, the Superman writers’ primary role model. The Man of Steel with his other-world origin, has often been the subject of metaphorical comparisons to Christ and his writers and publishers have kept Superman’s motives as admirable as his results. It is not his muscle, but his character that is his greatest strength. Now as then, our young people spend a lot of time emulating legendary folk heroes, whatever their cultural or biblical origins, but in this instance, I thank God more for the legend in the comic book. This day, I pray for super-strength of character that the life I live can more closely reflect the ethical example of Jesus.

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Why Is It Illegal to Make Your Own Liquor (Moonshine) but Not Your Own Beer or Wine? It's perfectly legal to brew your own beer or make your own wine at home, as millions of people do. So why is it illegal to make your own distilled spirits at home? The reason is simple - - - taxes. Taxes on beer and wine are low compared to the very high taxes imposed on whiskey, vodka, gin, and all other distilled spirits. Over half the retail price of a bottle of distilled spirits consists of taxes. Congress was pressured by home brewers and wine makers into letting them make their own alcoholic beverages at home in limited quantities. But the government doesn't want to lose any of the many billions of dollars it receives each and every year from the very high taxes on distilled spirits. Government officials argue that moonshine is a serious health hazard because many illegal producers use vehicle radiators in the process, which can potentially cause lead poisoning. However, safe home stills could easily be sold to solve that problem. The real issue isn't the health risk of contaminated alcohol, but the potential for enormous revenue loss from the production, even in small quantities, of otherwise very heavily taxed liquor. - Tsai, Michelle. Why is moonshine against the law? Slate website, October 18, 2007. filed under: [pending] Need help with an alcohol or drug problem? Someone at the highly effective St. Jude program can help you.

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Characteristics of Visual Learners Visual learners learn best by seeing information. The following characteristics are typical of many individuals with strong visual processing skills: 1. Information presented in pictures, charts, or diagrams is easily remembered. 2. Visual learners have strong visualization skills. They can look up (often up to the left) an "see" the information invisibly written or drawn. 3. Visual learners can make "movies in their minds" of information they are reading. Their movies are often vivid and detailed. 4. Visual-spatial skills such as sizes, shapes, textures, angles, and three-dimensional depths are strong. 5. Visual learners often pay close attention to the body language of others (facial expressions, eyes, stance, etc.) 6. Visual learners have a keen awareness of the aesthetics, the beauty of the physical environment, visual media, or art. Home Back to Academic Skills Learning Styles Form Contact the site coordinator revised 01.12.2000 13:18

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Quake professionals gather atop East Bay fault - November 21, 2008 By David Goll San Francisco/East Bay Business Times During the same week as the 140th anniversary of the last major temblor on the Hayward Fault, more than 200 people who work in earthquake-related jobs are gathering at Cal State East Bay for a conference. The campus straddles the fault, considered one of the most dangerous in United States because of its presence in a major metropolitan area. Scientists say it averages a major quake every 140 years and have estimated there is a 30 percent chance of a major quake occurring along the 60-mile fault within the next three decades. The anniversary of the 1868 Hayward quake - which killed 30 people, caused extensive property damage and is believed to have been between 6.8 and 7.0 on the Richter Scale - is today. The Bay Area, home to about 7 million people today, had a population of only 260,000 140 years ago. The region's last major quake, the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake centered about 50 miles south of Hayward in the Santa Cruz Mountains, measured 6.9 on the Richter Scale and killed 63 people, injured 3,757 people and left about 12,000 people homeless. Sponsored by Cal State East Bay, the University of California, Berkeley, the U.S. Geological Survey, the California Geological Survey, URS Corp. (NYSE: URS) and other organizations, the Conference on Earthquake Hazards in the East San Francisco Bay will be held Wednesday through Sunday. It will feature a discussion of technical issues by prominent earthquake experts and an earthquake preparedness fair over the five-day period, as well as a public forum Thursday featuring speakers from the USGS, American Red Cross and Cal State East Bay.

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CHICAGO – A section of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) is planned to be closed to all traffic, weather permitting, beginning December 2 for a period of four to five days. During the first week of December, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to perform scheduled maintenance on Barrier IIA, one of two electric barriers presently in operation on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal constructed to prevent the movement of the destructive Asian carp into Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes. Performing scheduled maintenance is required in order to maintain reliability of the structures and minimize the risk of unplanned outages due to inadequate maintenance. During the maintenance shutdown, Barrier I will remain active. However, because of late summer detection of Asian carp near the barrier system and concern that Barrier I may not be effective in deterring juvenile fish, a fish toxicant called rotenone will be applied to the canal between the barrier and the Lockport Lock and Dam. The application will allow for the removal of Asian carp and other fish to keep them from advancing past the barrier toward Lake Michigan. Illinois EPA water quality experts will be monitoring downstream of the application zone to ensure that the waters of the state are protected, and the chemicals do not move beyond the designated application area. “The barrier is currently the only protection against Asian carp for the Great Lakes and the maintenance shutdown may present an opportunity for the destructive fish to advance up the canal toward Lake Michigan,” said Illinois Department of Natural Resources Assistant Director John Rogner. During this process, the U.S. Coast Guard will be enforcing a safety zone and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) will be closed to all commercial and recreational vessel traffic between CSSC Mile marker 291 and CSSC Mile Marker 298. The waterway is planned to be closed beginning December 2 and last for the duration of operations. “We understand the impact of this canal closure on commercial and recreational waterway users, but it is necessary to help protect lives, prevent long-term damage to the ecosystem, and facilitate the working group’s application of rotenone and its cleanup, ” said Rear Adm. Peter Neffenger, Commander of the Ninth U.S. Coast Guard District. “We will work closely with our partner agencies to reopen the waterway as soon as operations permit.” Asian carp have been detected using environmental DNA testing in the canal below the barrier, and there is consensus among federal, state, and local agencies along with other partners that actions must be taken to prevent these invasive species from reaching Lake Michigan while Barrier IIA is shut down. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), in coordination with the multi-agency Asian Carp Rapid Response Workgroup along with the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, will manage the application of rotenone in the CSSC. While the toxicant will eradicate Asian carp and other fish in the canal, rotenone does not present a risk to people or other wildlife when used properly. The application of rotenone is planned for December 3, and crews from the IDNR and other agencies will remove fish from the canal and dispose of them in a landfill. The fish habitat in the section of the canal scheduled for treatment is made up of mostly non-sport fish with the most common species being common carp, goldfish, and gizzard shad. Before the application of rotenone, an electro-fishing operation will be conducted to relocate as many sport fish as possible. Rotenone dissipates quickly on its own, but to accelerate that process a neutralizing agent known as potassium permanganate will be used following the application. The Asian Carp Rapid Response Workgroup and its partners are committed to implementing the rapid response plan and completing the electric barrier maintenance as quickly as possible to expedite the reopening of the ship canal. “Protecting and restoring the Great Lakes is one of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s highest priorities,” said Cameron Davis, Senior Advisor to U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson on the Great Lakes. “The plan announced today reflects a difficult, but critical team effort to protect the lakes against a destructive fish that could cause catastrophic damage to the Great Lakes ecosystem.” If Asian carp become established in the Great Lakes, they could cause a catastrophic decline in native fish species and severely damage the Great Lakes sport fishing industry, valued at $7 billion. The Asian Carp Rapid Response Workgroup includes the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Coast Guard, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Chicago Department of Environment, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, Midwest Generation, Great Lakes Commission, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, International Joint Commission, and Wisconsin Sea Grant. Fisheries management agencies from Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York are also providing support to the operation.

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Although some charitable gifts (i.e., cash or assets) currently affect your estate, most planned gifts are deferred. Deferred gifts may be made through a testament or a life income arrangement, which means that they are arranged now and fulfilled later. A personally tailored planned giving program can assure maximum impact from your gifts for both you and the college. The following is a brief description of the most popular vehicles that you may use to facilitate your giving: - Bequest: A provision made in your will to make a charitable donation. - Charitable gift annuity: Legal contract between you and the College where you exchange cash, stocks, and other assets in exchange for an agreed-upon income for life. - Charitable remainder trusts: Transfer of assets to a trust. The assets are subsequently transferred to the College after the death of the last beneficiary. You retain a fixed or variable income for life. - Life estate contract: You agree to transfer the deed of real property to the College. You reserve for yourself and/or someone else the right to reside and use the property for life. - Charitable lead trusts: Transfer of assets to a trust, which provides income to the College for a period of years. At termination, the assets revert either to you or to someone you designate. - Life insurance policy (two types): (a) You may transfer ownership of the existing policy to the College. (b) You may purchase a policy where the College is the named beneficiary or owner. Other charitable gifts include: In-kind gifts: equipment, computer software, printed materials, food for sponsored dinners, personal property, fine art, etc. You must submit appraisal when donating fine art. Real estate: You must provide the appraisal and environmental review.

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Being an executioner in those countries is a "honored position" Maybe that's why they take the time to educate their children. Just like many of us they like to take their kids to work: Once I took with me one of my children, who is not here right now. I had to chop off the hand of a thief, and I took him with me. I took Muhammad, who is younger than Faysal. After we returned, he went to school, and all his friends gathered around him. He said to them: I saw how the hand of a thief was chopped off, and so on. The school principal called to thank me for explaining this to my son, who, in turn, explained it to the other students. This way they learned that a thief gets his hand chopped off.How splendid! Along with having an absolutely brutal system, they take their children to watch. In many countries, bringing along a child to watch someone have their hands cut off or decapitated is considered child abuse, but at least in Saudi Arabia and Egypt it is considered a fun education. Read the kid's comments in the transcript below and YOU decide: Saudi and Egyptian Executioners Discuss Their Lives and Profession in Debate on Capital Punishment in the Arab World Following are excerpts from a TV debate on the death penalty in the Arab world, with the participation of two Saudi state executioners, an Egyptian hangman, the head of the Lebanese Association for Human Rights, an Amnesty International representative, and an Egyptian MP. The debate aired on Abu Dhabi TV on January 28, 2009. One of the executioners in the debate, Abdallah Al-Bishi, was previously interviewed on Lebanese LBC TV, on November 4, 2006. See video Below: Saudi Executioner Al-Bishi: "If I Let Myself Feel Mercy Or Compassion For The Person I Am Executing, He Will Not Die At The First Stroke - He Will Suffer" TV host: "Professionalism is the key to success, and in the case of the stroke of a sword, success depends on concentration. Concentrate with us on the following report from Saudi Arabia." Saudi executioner Abdallah Al-Bishi: "I inherited the job from my late father. At first, I used to accompany him. On my first mission, I was terrified. I wasn't afraid that the execution would fail. No. I was worried that if I failed, the people there would laugh at me. "Any executioner who wants to work in this field must know how to apply the theoretical knowledge. If he knows how to stand next to the person he is executing, how to concentrate on the blow, and how to land it, the rest is easy. "At work, if I let myself feel mercy or compassion for the person I am executing, he will not die at the first stroke. He will suffer. If the heart is compassionate, the hand fails. It can take two, three, four, or five strokes. God knows how many. He might not even die. If the heart is compassionate - that's it. The hand cannot function properly. Your hand betrays you. "Once the mission is done, I feel relieved. I come home relaxed. I play with the children. We have fun. We have lunch. Sometimes we go out. Other times, we stay at home. Everything is normal. It has no effect on me." Al-Bishi's Son: "Sometimes, We [Children] Join Him for an Execution" Abdallah Al-Bishi's son: "We sit with him and have fun together. Sometimes, we join him for an execution. The first time I went there, I was frightened. When the first guy was executed, I stood a bit towards the back, but when I saw that there was nothing to it, and that there was no reason to be afraid, I came in closer to watch. There was no problem." Abdallah Al-Bishi: "Once I took with me one of my children, who is not here right now. I had to chop off the hand of a thief, and I took him with me. I took Muhammad, who is younger than Faysal. After we returned, he went to school, and all his friends gathered around him. He said to them: I saw how the hand of a thief was chopped off, and so on. The school principal called to thank me for explaining this to my son, who, in turn, explained it to the other students. This way they learned that a thief gets his hand chopped off. "As for swords - there are all kinds. There are 'Jowhar' swords - and Indian one and an Egyptian one. There are different kinds. The best is the Indian 'Jowhar.' "I have this 'Sultan' sword. This is my favorite sword, because it is the first I worked with, after my training. Praise God, this is the 'Sultan.' This is a great sword. There is also the Indian 'Jowhar.' Praise God. You can use it up to 10 times in a row, and nothing happens to it. This is another 'Jowhar' sword, but of lesser quality, but it’s also good." Saudi Executioner Al-Ghamedi: "It’s A Little More Difficult to Execute a Woman Than a Man" Saudi executioner Abdallah Ahmad Bakhit Al-Ghamedi: "None of these executions have ever affected me. They have no effect on me at home, on the street, or with my family and friends." Abdallah Al-Bishi "This work is not about physical force. It is more about mental concentration." Abdallah Ahmad Bakhit Al-Ghamedi: "I had to execute three women. I did all three with a sword. One I executed in Riyadh and two in Dammam, and there was a fourth one, who I executed by shooting here, in Jedda. It’s a little more difficult to execute a woman than a man. With a man, his neck is exposed down to his chest. "With a woman, it's different, because she is completely covered, head covering, robe, and gloves included. A narrow opening is left at the neck. A skilled executioner goes in with the sword right through this opening. If the sword lands a little lower, it hits the robe, and if it lands above it, it hits her head covering. This may cause her more pain. I did this three times, and it went fine, thank God. It was not that difficult. "In this profession, nothing happens by chance. We carry out Allah's punishments. It would be difficult to carry out executions just like that. This requires concentration and deliberation. Naturally, you have to want to do it, and you must have strong faith in Allah." [...] Human Rights Association Head: "Execution Is... the Ending of a Life That Was Given By Allah" Lebanese Association for Human Rights head Nemeh Joumaa: "An execution is the taking away of the life of a human being irrevocably. This is the ending of a life that was given by Allah, and should be taken only by the Creator." Lamri Chirouf, Amnesty International: "According to 2007 statistics, the Middle East countries executed at least 552 people. That year, the number of executions throughout the world was 1,200. Of the 552 executions, 523 were carried out in four countries: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Iraq. "Ninety-nine percent of the executions are for murder and drug-related offenses. Approximately 50% were in drug cases, and 50% in murder cases. The concept of qisas [execution for murder] is very broad, which allows the judges to sentence people to death very easily. It seems that in some of these countries, this is related to customs of blood vengeance, which have nothing to do with justice. These customs diminish the value of a human being who has erred, without delving into detail in an attempt to prove these crimes. For instance, the concept of killing is unclear. What constitutes intentional killing? There is no consensus about it. What constitutes killing in self-defense? What constitutes premeditated murder? All these are considered simply 'killing.'"[...] Egyptian MP: "This Method Is More Humane Than Execution By Hanging" Egyptian MP Subhi Saleh: "Does this execution method need to become more humane? This method is more humane than execution by hanging. In hanging, a man is hung by a rope, and it takes a while for him to die. In some cases, he loses control of his bodily functions - his urine and feces. In my view, being executed by sword is the same as being executed by gunshot." [...] Egyptian Hangman Urni: "I Chose This Profession Because a Hangman Executes the Word of Allah In This World" Egyptian hangman ["Ashmawi"] Hussein Urni: "I chose this profession because a hangman executes the word of Allah in this world. The hangman exacts retribution from the criminal, because the victim cannot do it himself. I chose this profession out of faith in Allah. I believe I will be rewarded in this world and in the world to come, because I restore the rights of the oppressed. "The word 'Ashmawi' is derived from the name of the first executioner - Ahmad Al-'Ashmawi. People say 'Ashmawi,' but the official title is 'District Hangman' - the hangman who carries out the death sentence in this district. "A person does not become an 'Ashmawi' just like that. He needs to observe people carrying out executions, and then he develops an inclination towards it. He needs to want to do it. Nobody can be forced to do this job. He needs to want to do it, and then he accompanies them year after year, until there is an execution, and someone just retired - and so he replaces him. One hangman is replaced by another hangman. I replaced one of my colleagues, and now I am teaching another colleague. I accompany him now as a supervisor. "The first time it is a little difficult, the second time it gets a little easier, but from then on, it becomes run-of-the-mill. It's not different than a cameraman. That's his job, and he likes it. Like anyone who is trying to make a living, he goes to work, and prepares the chains and the ropes. "Since 1990, I have personally carried out about 850-870 executions. We have a notebook in which we list... We have large chambers - large enough for three, five, or seven people. There's no room for emotions or feelings of injustice, and so on. I do my job to the best of my ability, and that's it. I don't go into the details. I don't even know the reason for the execution. When I go out, they tell me. "My line of work as an executioner has no effect on my personal life. The proof is that people come up to me on the street... You'd have thought people would consider an executioner to be grumpy. A man's job is one thing, and his personal life is another. The first time children came to my kids at school... Once, they saw my picture in a newspaper, and the kids wanted to be friends with my children, and were proud of them because their father was a celebrity." Urni's Son: "I Want To Hang People Like He Does" Ahmad, son of Hussein Urni: "I want to be like my father. I know that he only hangs people who have done something wrong. I want to hang people like he does." Hussein Urni: "I hope that one of my children will follow in my footsteps." Ahmad: "In school we are treated normally. Sometimes, my friends want to be closer to me, because my dad is an 'Ashmawi.' I am the only one whose dad is an executioner, so they call me 'Ashmawi.' When I get into trouble, I usually tell my dad. This is how they raised me. He doesn't beat me. I'm used to telling him everything that happens, good or bad." Urni: "When the Punishment Is Light, Some People Become More Criminal" Hussein Urni: "The night before an execution, I go and sleep there. I wake up in the morning, carry out the execution, and go home, as if nothing happened, as if I just got back from a walk. "When I get back, I spend time with my friends. I drink tea with one friend, coffee with another... We play backgammon... The other business is over and done with. That's one thing, and this is another. "Even if the death penalty is abolished all over the world, it will still be implemented in Egypt. This is my opinion. When the punishment is light, some people become more criminal. "May Allah protect us from disease. That's all I ask for. God's protection is the most important thing. As for disease, I hope that when it is my time to go, I will go healthy." To view this MEMRI TV clip, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2052.htm.

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