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Stepping up to tackle larger technological and social challenges, Samara’s first venture is a communal housing project designed to revitalize a small town in Japan. Yoshino Japan, located in the Nara prefecture, offers a rich history, is Japan’s most famous cherry blossom spot, and is home to the country’s most famous cedar forests. Yet, rural towns in Japan, like Yoshino, are hollowing due to the rapidly aging population and the trend of younger people moving to bigger cities. This inspired the creation of the Yoshino Cedar House — a community center where travelers can stay and soak up the surrounding culture.
The design and building process of this project has occurred hand in hand with the surrounding community. Designers, architects, and community members were hired by the Samara team to create the final product. In the end, this project hopes to draw in new people, serve as a community meeting place for residents and visitors, and encourages residents to open their own homes to Airbnb.
Is the Samara concept the creation of a tiny hotel, or could this be a traveler’s ticket to a vacation style of co-living? Aside from the bedrooms, all rooms of the Yoshino Cedar House are intended to be shared with other travelers and community members. Joe Gebbia’s hope for the Yoshino Cedar House is that visitors will be interacting with the community from the minute they arrive. Visitors will become immersed in the community and interact with other visitors on a daily basis.
This project merges the well being of residents and visitors. Money from visitors will be used within the community to strengthen the cultural legacy and future of the area. The project hopes to develop social change within and around the Airbnb community. Currently the Yoshino Cedar House is on display at a concept home exhibit in Tokyo. The building will be transported to Yoshino when the exhibit closes and is due to open after its arrival in October.
Similar issues have been seen in the UK, Korea, Spain, France, and Italy. By monitoring the progress made in Yoshino, Samara can then consider scaling the project to help rejuvenate rural communities and small towns around the world. This new venture allows Airbnb to expand home sharing while becoming a force in urban planning. Their investment has the possibility of creating desirable co-living destinations for travelers, drawing more people to Airbnb for their wanderlust needs.
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great dane puppy - puppy ears - All the different types of dog breed, and their photos - Different dog breed
First you should accumulate calm and asses the bearings properly; over-worrying will could could could could could could could could cause you to overlook things that accept accepted faculty to others. Alpha by closing all the doors in your abode and appropriately analytic your home. Dogs can acquisition their way into a lot of places doubtful to us bodies so attending in every abode accessible and places you anticipate would be impossible. All creatures have some sort of defense mechanism. Dogs have three ways of dealing with an aggressor: fight, flight, or avoidance. In protection dog training a good trainer will utilize a dog's defense drive to build on what he has learned with prey drive. The trainer will show the dog that in certain situations a person is a threat and can be dealt with using the skills taught in prey drive. In this way, prey drive and defense drive work together. In essence, a dog is taught that when given a command that the aggressor is a real threat and he should use his skills to fight the threat. As with prey drive these skills are taught only under command and with high levels of control and safety.
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It is easy to see that digital signage has gone mainstream. The market is growing by over 35 percent and industry experts expect more than 22 million digital signs to be deployed by 2015. That’s one digital display installed every 3.5 seconds.
The growth of digital signage is no surprise considering the many benefits it delivers. To read more about the digital signage market, check out this Digital Signage Infographic. Can you guess how much digital advertising was sold in 2011?
So, what are the drivers behind the growth in digital signage? Here are three contributing factors:
1. It has never been more affordable.
Prices of LCD displays — even larger flat screens and videowalls — have come down dramatically. It has never been more affordable to deploy digital signage.
2. Displays have never been easier to install.
Displays are getting lighter, thanks to advances in edge-lit LED technology. Mounting options have been simplified through VESA standards or purpose-design mounts from some display manufacturers. Plus, embedded media players, which available in a growing number of displays, make installation less complex.
3. Digital signage advertising has never been easier to create.
Media players can play back PowerPoint files or jpg images taken from cell phone cameras. Your clients’ marketing teams can put together professional graphics, or you can sources common messages (think “Sale”, “Grand Opening” or “Breakfast Specials”) from a growing number of stock photography sites (some of our favorites are iStockPhoto, Getty Images,Pond5 and Artbeats). Many of these sites also have high-quality video and animations that you can use as-is, or further customize to your needs.
In short, deploying digital signage is easier than ever. Easier on the wallet. Easier on the back. And easier on the nerves. We will continue to see aggressive market growth as more and more businesses see the benefits of digital signage.
How much digital signage business is your company doing?
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My pitch at the SXSW panel was this. In creating a start-up, you’re going to be faced with a thousand seemingly inconsequential decisions. Tucked amongst those thousands of decisions are five decisions that actually matter. These decisions will change the face of your company. What I didn’t say was that I believe it’s next to impossible to figure out which decisions matter and which ones do not.
How depressing.
Here’s the deal, you can spend a lot of energy deciding what the big decisions might be, but that’s much less important than making the decision… educated guess or gut instinct. There’s a pile of thoughts on creating decision friendly environments in the Taking Time to Think piece, but that article focuses on the idea of thinking in a team scenario and I want to talk about when you choose to take your thinking solo.
Let’s start with the most infuriating email you’ve ever received. I’m not talking about that jerk in Tech Support who is simply stupid, I’m talking about the email from someone you trust… a peer… pissing you off in email. You’re going to want to react to this email in the same manner as if I came into your office and punched you in the face. It’s your animal brain at work and it served you well when you were living in a cave doing the hunter-gathering thing because reacting slowly meant you were eaten or punched again.
Now. You have time to soak.
The soak is when you plant the seed of a thought in your brain and let it bump around in a rich stew of ideas, facts, and whatever other random crap that seems to relate. The soak is a protected activity that will rarely occur during your busy day because you’re busy reacting to the familiar never-ending flood of things to do. The goal of the soak is simple: an original thought. Whatever the problem is your stewing on, you want to find an glimmer of inspiration which transforms your response from a predictable emotional flame-o-gram into a strategic considered thought.
Emotion and Ignorance
At a prior gig, I was finally hitting my stride. After a two year awkward getting-to-know the company phase, I was in the groove. I knew who was doing what, who was hungry, and who was coasting. I’d turned a small bright idea of a product into a successful money maker, so my boss decided to saddle me with something completely different. An entirely new product built on technology I’d never used. It was a strategic-shift product for the company which meant everyone would be watching. This visibility would amplify potential fuck-ups. This was the career defining product for me.
Having no clue where to start on a new project and want to rip someone apart in email share one important characteristic. The best move in both cases is to start with a good long soak.
I break soaking activities into two buckets: Active Soaks and Passive Soaks. The Active Soaks are activities that you can direct and usually involve gathering content where as Passive Soaks are activities when you just point your brain in a random direction and pray. Passive Soaks are were the real work gets done. Let’s start with the first:
Active Soaking Ask dumb questions. Your first job when faced with ignorance is information acquisition and, hopefully, there are folks out there who’ve already done some soaking. These folks have some facts, ideas, and opinions regarding whatever the problem might be and you need to hear them all. The first five of these conversations can be awkward for managers because it’ll be obvious after your first two questions (“What is it?”, “How does it work?”) that you have absolutely no clue what’s going on and a manager’s job is be clueful.
Suck it up, pal. Soaking starts out uncomfortable, but with each ignorant question you ask, you’re adding content to that managerial brain of yours. Ever sat in a meeting with your VP where they were presenting product strategy? Ever sat there, unblinking, shocked and thinking, “This guy, our leader, has absolutely no clue what doing”? That’s you in ten years when you’ve a modicum of success and decided that success is a result of your MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY policy.
Asking dumb questions is the best way to start figuring out what is actually going on. Furthermore, asking any question of your team is a handy way to indirectly say, “I care about what we’re doing enough to ask you what you think.”
Pitch a stranger. Once you’ve asked enough dumb questions, a picture will start to form in your mind about what exactly you’re doing. It’s a not a complete picture, it’s more a rough sketch coupled with the mild relief that accompanies the sudden absence of ignorance. Now you’ve got to test your understanding with a qualified someone who is willing to listen to you ramble. Pitch this person on your picture and see what happens. Lots of nodding? Great, it’s coming together. Blank stare? Ooops, time for more dumb questions starting with the person you just pitched.
What I find when I pitch a stranger is that the words coming out of my mouth have very little to do with the picture that’s in my head. The act of linearly mapping my thoughts into words and sentences exposes flaws or gaps in my thinking that I never find when the ideas are swirling around my head. This leads me to our next step.
Write it down, throw it away, write it down again. Once your stranger is no longer totally confused by your idea, it’s time to write it down. This is the same process as pitching the stranger in that you’re find another medium to capture your idea. Like the pitch, seeing the words on a piece of paper or flat panel monitor will, once again, expose gaps you can’t see in the picture in your mind. Those gaps prove you’ve got more dumb questions, so go ask them, write it down again, and then throw it away. That’s right, don’t just close the document window, you need to get rid of everything you just wrote down. Toss it, empty the trash, and step away from the computer.
I know you’re attached to some part of that document that you wrote. Some witty thought that elegantly captured an angle on your problem, but remember what we’re trying to solve here. This isn’t whether or not you should get a blueberry-orange muffin on the way to work, this a decision that matters and solving it elegantly means you want to visit and revisit your response as many times as possible. Consigning your first written draft to the ether might forever lose a piece of wit, but if that wit shows up in the second draft, I guarantee that it belongs there and you’ll never lose it again.
Passive Soaking
Once you’ve done all your active content acquisition, once you’ve pitched some strangers, once you’ve you’ve written it down a few times, you need to stop actively working on the problem. Remove that sticky from your screen, hide those second drafts on your desktop, and just stop working on it. Yes, you need to make a decision, you need to respond to whatever the problem is, and while I am saying you should remove all the physical artifacts of your active soak, you’re not going to stop. You can’t. Your brain won’t let you.
Back to the original flame mail from your friend. You’ve received these before and you know the absolute wrong thing to do is immediately respond. Of course, your animal brain is dying to do so because IT FEELS SO GOOD TO PUNCH BACK, but it’s never the right move because your animal brain is defending itself, it’s not resolving anything other than proving BOY CAN I PUNCH BACK OR WHAT? My advice regarding flame-o-grams and hard decisions is the same. Sleep on it.
A night’s rest is one best ways to calm and alter your perspective on a problem. Ever gone to bed at night when the sky is falling and awoken to a blissfully simple way to easily prop the sky up? How’d that happen? The answer is, your brain never stops working. Better yet, it has the unique ability to subconsciously construct elegant solutions to hard problems when you least expect it. Call it inspiration, call it intuition, but don’t stare at it too long because it’s a shy ability. It does it’s best work when no one knows it’s there.
Soaking Takes Time
Don’t tell anyone I work with, but I earn a majority of my pay during the forty minute drive to work in the morning. I get in the car with my cup of coffee, hit the road, and let my mind wander to whatever music is playing. Never do I think, “Ok, Phil flamed me pretty hard yesterday… how am I going to deal with this?” My mind stumbles, it strikes out in random directions, and I never know where it’ll end up. Still, if I’ve spent time actively soaking on the Phil problem the day before, my wandering often ends up somewhere Phil-like and, sometimes, the mental journey reveals a nugget of inspiration.
As practical advice goes, the soak is pretty thin. If your boss is waiting for you to weigh in on a critical decision I am not advising you to say, “I have no clue what to do, I’m going to go ask dumb questions, pitch a stranger, write it down and then throw it away, and then forget everything I did”. What I am saying is that any big decision, any big problem deserves time and consideration. If you’ve got years of experience under your belt, you can probably wing it pretty well, but you’re still going to be faced with situations where the right decision is to not decide, but think.
The soak is, hands down, the favorite part of my job. What I’m doing when I’m soaking on something is an act of creation. It’s design work. It’s strategy. It’s removing the emotion and ignorance from a problem and then constructing an original solution that shows those I work with that I’m actively caring about what I do.
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It must be great to be President. No matter how spectacularly wrong you are about why you support certain policies, the policies themselves are always correct. We saw this first with the Bush administration when he campaigned on the idea that the huge revenue surpluses the federal government was enjoying should be returned to the people in the form of tax cuts, after all, it’s their money. Well, as we all knew at the time, the economy was entering a tailspin and those surpluses were merely hypothetical. When the inevitable happened and the future surpluses went the way of the dinosaur, tax cuts became necessary in order to stimulate the flagging economy. Isn’t it cool how that works?
This week, we saw the same thing on the topic of global warming. Up until the EPA released a report this week saying that global warming was real and that it was our fault, President Bush simply refused to acknowledge that it was a problem. Hence, our energy policy was predicated on ignoring global warming. Confronted with this report from his own EPA, Bush simultaneously dismissed it as coming from the “bureaucracy” and saying that the problem is so severe that there’s nothing we can do about it anyway. Hence, our energy policy is predicated on ignoring global warming. Wouldn’t a rational, intellectually honest person say something like, “We’ll have to reexamine our energy policy in light of this report.” Then you could come out in six months and say, “Well, we looked at it and decided not to change a damn thing.” That would still be sleazy, but at least you could pretend to actually put some thought into the issues before deciding policy. I find it incredibly depressing that our President doesn’t even bother with that pretense.
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Equilibrium is a very tempting state in setting design. I has lots of fun trappings like a balance of power and broad opportunities for commerce and travel, and more importantly it lets the author really drill down into the things that make the setting interesting (at least in his eyes) without them getting all broken or overly complicated. The problem is that while this is very compelling from a perspective of creation, it’s a bad approach from the perspective of play.
Interesting things when systems fall out of equilibrium. Change, wars, revolutions, reformations and pretty much everything else, and all of these things are fertile grounds for play. When a game takes place someplace out of equilibrium, it has a sense of inertia and movement that is what many railroading games are trying to capture without realizing it. It’s a sense that the world if a moving, and you better keep up. By leaving things in equilibrium, that energy goes to waste. As with many failings in setting design, I tend to pin this one on the terrible nature of social studies textbooks, which are the only model that many people have when it comes time to write up a setting. Having history presented in clean, digestible chunks warps the mind into thinking that’s how things should be, and overlooks both the narrative (which moves) and the reality (which is messy) in favor of simplicity and the least common denominator. The trouble with equilibrium is, of course, that it has no trouble at all. If there was no game, things would proceed pretty much as they have, and even if there is a game, it’s likely to have a small impact as things play out. Now, a low-impact game may be desirable. Many styles of play emulate fiction where the main characters mostly drink and fight and while they may do hugely heroic things or even save the world, they’re likely to do it in ways no one particularly notices. Thinks like the earlier stories of Fafhrd an the Grey Mouser. But in such games, setting is usually designed very loosely, in broad strokes, with whole swaths of territory easily summed up in a sentence or two. Adventure is found in the exceptions and anomalies. Such a setting may well be at equilibrium, but it would also be almost silly for it to be more than a collection of notes, and maybe a really cool map.[1] It is also possible to bring change to a system in equilibrium through the agency of the characters, especially if they’re the chosen ones or whatnot, but it’s a very brute force solution. It’s very nice and empowering, but it’s also not much of an improvement - unless the world responds to the change in a way that creates tension and problems, it’s just a kind of showpiece. There’s been one interesting trend in setting design to address this, something I’ll call aftermath design. The idea is that in the setting, something big has just happened, such as the emperor being killed or whatnot, and the setting is going through changes as it sorts this out. This is a promising idea, but it bumps up against old habits. Too often, that change occurs (before play begins, natch) and it is then the ONLY change that’s going to ever happen. It’s just a push towards a new equilibrium. And that, there, reveals the true rub. There is absolutely a tendency of system to move towards equilibrium, but even if they reach it, they don’t sustain it. Change is ongoing. For a GM, this is intensely liberating. For a setting designer, this creates a challenge of how to express that dynamic in a useful. Which is the thing I now find myself chewing on. 1 - Not to say this stops people from getting encyclopedic about it, but it’s a different beast.
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The United Nations increasingly finds itself at the center of world events in an age of rapid globalization. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we understand its structure and functions. In this highly readable book, a prominent news correspondent at the UN provides a colorful introduction to its activities and goals.UN correspondent Linda Fasulo draws on her own observations as well as on the insights of other individuals who have been active in the UN, including US ambassadors Richard Holbrooke, Madeleine Albright, and John Negroponte. She explains how the UN came into existence, what governing principles guide its operation, and what it is like to be a participant. She describes the organization, responsibilities, and often-tense politics of the Security Council. Surveying the many humanitarian, crime-fighting, and peacekeeping programs of the UN, Fasulo concludes that there are important reasons for Americans to give the United Nations their support.
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| 0.98444
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Angry protesters set the scene for the Bank of America’s annual meeting at their headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. Shareholders were eager to tell CEO, Brian Moynihan, about the disastrous effect foreclosure has had on their communities.
Losses due to foreclosures and their associated costs have affected the banks’ profits for several quarters, and were responsible for a 39% loss of income during the first quarter of this year. Figures show that residential and commercial customers with $24 billion worth of loans were late by 90 days or more, and the bank already owns $2 billion of foreclosed properties.
Moynihan tried his best to reassure shareholders with a tale of two banks; one consisting of the mortgage business and the other being made up of other business concerns. It doesn’t exactly make a reassuring story as the bank is amongst the worst performers of the S&P 500 index this year, and was the only large bank out of the big four to fail the Federal Reserve stress test.
One shareholder, Michael Garland, who was there representing the New York City Comptroller’s Office, as well as several large public pension funds had written to the bank requesting an independent review of foreclosures and mortgages, to ensure that all conform to current laws. He didn’t receive a reply until five days before the meeting. The New York Comptroller’s Office had also proposed that the bank conduct an independent review at the shareholders meeting, but failed to get enough votes to force the bank to comply.
Still at least the shareholders were sitting comfortably on plush red velvet seats, as the meeting was held in the brand new auditorium in recently opened 32-storey Bank of America Tower.
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| 0.973908
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Fishermen are facing tougher quotas and declining populations for some of the most popular fish species, most notably Cod, a New England favorite. That’s one reason why environmentalists and fishermen have been working to promote more locally-caught seafood. Some, like lobster, quahogs, and other shellfish are catching on. But there are other fish that teem the waters of Narragansett Bay. There's one effort underway to raise awareness about scup, an abundant local catch.
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| 0.99956
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D rugs sure are funny critters, aren't they? Scummy folks, in lieu of any other tangible reason to live, risk their lives and the lives of others by running illegal varieties across U.S. borders every day and every night on behalf of far scummier people who bask in the profits of destroyed lives and death. Border agents do their best to keep the pathway narrow, of course, but shackled as they are by Washington hacks (many of whose lives are probably infested with drugs when they make vital national decisions) and regulations friendly only to drug runners and illegal aliens, the welcome mat for criminal activity hasn't budged much.
Me, I never tried marijuana in any form, nor sampled the other illicit drugs. I tend to believe life is horrible enough, and we should just tolerate it the way nature intended in order to get that truthful hit of, you know, absolute emotional misery. But drugs? That's not to say I could avoid illegal drugs.. I served in the Air Force during the Vietnam Era, when it was common to find pretty much any drug you wanted, either on or off base. We, the medical corpsmen (or
corpse men, in President Obama's words, bordering upon illiteracy) worked in hospitals, and off-base drug parties among some medical personnel were not uncommon -- not that I could blame them, because they really needed escape from the human agony and stress encountered every day, thanks in no small part to LBJ's ongoing indecisive self-panic regarding the seemingly endless Southeast Asian conflict.
One of my roommates, "busted" off base for drugs, was hospitalized for a while and then kicked out of the Air Force. To this day, I'm not altogether sure he didn't want it that way all along. Remember, these were years when the military draft was in effect, and -- unlike the wonderful, dedicated military members whom today enlist of their own accord -- a good many servicemen weren't exactly serving because we were patriots, we were there to avoid draft-dodger prison sentences. The vast majority performed assigned duties expertly.
But just because I never indulged in illegal drugs doesn't mean I wasn't addicted to a medication. My final 15 months of service occurred at an Air Force base hospital where I was the one and only medical person trained in a particular specialty -- physical therapy -- and I operated my own clinic, and my entire chain of command was the chief of surgery, followed by the hospital commander. Their first impression of me may have been lacking, because the very day I breezed into town, outside the base I got a speeding ticket from a local cop (I contend this was only because my car had NY plates and this was Georgia, no fan of northerners. . .), and though I paid a fine right away there was still a chance that the entire chain of command would be called into court. As if. Didn't happen, seems physicians were needed at the hospital more than at some kangaroo court of the deep South. Not to digress. . .
At some point I developed a nasty cold or viral infection, and after days of illness ended up with an overbearing cough. By then, I knew all the hospital physicians and routinely treated patients referred by each, so it was no trouble to get a prescription -- in these less-regulated times -- for anything I wanted. So, I needed something for the cough, and a script for a brand-name cough syrup
containing codeinewas provided. Oh yeah, that stuff did the trick. The syrup, brown like Coca Cola, curbed the cough until I didn't care about the cough anymore -- but I cared about the codeine in the syrup. A lot. That was some pretty decent cough syrup. So decent, in fact, that I went from hospital doctor to doctor, none knowing of my similar requests of their colleagues, for extra prescriptions. For a few weeks I downed a fair amount of "cough syrup" both on and off duty and achieved a bit of very nice tranquility. The mild addiction was brief and I eventually knew enough to extract myself (and my precious liver) from its joys, but I entertained a better appreciation for harmless medication addictions gone wild.
That was a lesson I should have learned during a duty assignment at another Air Force base, when a pharmacy specialist airman (and friend) who filled a prescription for me replied, when I asked if a particular medication was "good" for me, "Bob,
noneof the stuff in this room is goodfor you." I knew what he meant right away. Wrong word, good. He was always witty and intellectual and right to the point -- and, not too much to my surprise, in later years I discovered that he held a high position with a U.S. government cabinet-level department.. Apparently, his talents extended far beyond an occasion where, despite my protests, he easily picked two locks on my locked briefcase in less than one minute. Maybe in less than 30 seconds.
Though not having much interaction with the hospital pharmacy at my final USAF base, I did make some very basic observations. First, the staff displayed a large jar in which was deposited one each of every pill in stock, and even in 1971 that glass jar, stuffed with capsules and pills of all shapes, sizes and hues, reflected rainbow colors like a kaleidoscope. Why so many pills in the world? What's the cost and who makes the money?
Second, I frequently witnessed the arrival of what I almost assumed were fashion models, a never-ending cavalcade of impeccably attired young men, routinely making their way to either the pharmacy, physicians' offices or administrative areas. These, I was to learn from folks who knew, were the pushers -- the sales people representing various drug companies. And they brought presents -- not only medication samples, but little forget-me-not gifts such as pens, posters suitable for framing, paperweights and the like. Things to keep visits and drugs fresh in the minds of those with the power to purchase and prescribe medications. I still have a series of artists' adventure scene posters -- given to me by the chief of surgery (my boss), who received them from a salesman, and probably would have thrown them out otherwise because such "gifts" materialized constantly.
More? Okay. As my final Air Force weeks wound down in 1972, I started collecting my own personal pharmacy to take into civilian life. Just in case.
Just in case. It wasn't difficult. I simply visited the emergency room up the hall from my clinic and grabbed whatever I desired from the medicine cabinet (yes, life was socarefree back then. . .) with the approval -- make that nonchalance -- of fellow corpsmen who were counting their own days until exit. By this time the military was really cracking down on illegal drugs, but nobody was really watching the legal medicationtreasure chest.
When my discharge day arrived at last, I had already packed up my personal belongings, and at customary Air Force expense they were shipped back home by a major moving company. Among several cardboard boxes of stuff accumulated over four years of service -- and, fortunately, not searched for by
them-- was, I guess you could call it, a generous pirate's booty of Darvon, Librium, Valium, Compazine and a wealth of enough other bottled goodies to make a street corner drug fiend lapse into ecstasy. Just in case.
Alas, there really is no exciting climax to this story. My ill-gotten collection of colorful capsules and pills remained concealed and safe for a few years, untouched.
Just in casenever came, but I stayed ready, just in case. I nearly forgot about them, but one day I simply gathered the tokens of just in casetogether and threw them out, no longer even sure why I shipped them home (over multiple and forbidden state lines, yet, wha-hoooooo!).
Okay, so much for my personal tour of memory lane's "drug dynasty." Next time, we'll fast-forward to the future. The
pharmaco-now.
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What if your car could tell you the nearest, cheapest, or safest place to park as you approach your destination? What if a jet engine or gas pipeline could predict its own potential future failure and trigger remediation in advance of a catastrophic disaster? These kinds of innovations are now possible thanks to SAP HANA.
With SAP HANA, developers are given a platform with the capabilities they need to create applications that would not have been feasible before now. And SAP has been positioning SAP HANA to make it as accessible as possible for developers, providing free trial licenses, making SAP HANA available in the cloud with SAP HANA One, and creating the SAP Startup Focus program, which lends development support to innovative startup companies.
The response has been tremendous. Startups and developers all over the world are building advanced and creative solutions on the SAP HANA in-memory database platform, creating an entirely new breed of applications and services that can turn the ever-growing mass of big data into high-value, insightful, relevant, and actionable insight.
To set the context for how SAP HANA has become the enabler of big data innovation, let’s take a look at what makes it tick.
Data Without Limits
The first thing that jumps out to the discerning eye when looking more closely at SAP HANA is that it is not a narrow platform or specialty solution. The SAP HANA platform brings together core innovations, like being 100% in-memory at runtime and possessing a column-store architecture that underpins everything it does (see
Figure 1).
SAP HANA removes the limits of traditional database architecture, enabling you to perform near real-time online application processing (OLAP) analysis on an online transaction processing (OLTP) data structure. As a result, developers can create business applications that support the real-time needs of today’s businesses. With SAP HANA, main memory space has now become practically unlimited, with the ability to hold all the business data of enterprises of every size.
There are many components that make up the SAP HANA platform. Here, we’ll take a closer look at a some of these key pieces.
DBMS Backbone
SAP HANA incorporates a full database management system (DBMS) with a standard SQL interface, transactional isolation and recovery capabilities, and high availability. This DBMS is the only technology available on the market today that can perform both data warehousing and transactions in the same database.
Another unique feature of the SAP HANA DBMS is the in-memory capabilities, which leverage the appliance concept and multicore hardware capabilities to boost scanning speeds from hours to seconds. This feature presents the perfect opportunity to save development cycles by providing a baked-in solution that ramps-up speed and doesn’t require the integration of additional tools.
Analytical and Special Interfaces
In addition to SQL, SAP HANA supports business intelligence (BI) clients using multidimensional expressions (MDX) for products such as Microsoft Excel and BI consumer services (BICS), an internal interface for SAP BusinessObjects solutions. This means that, for analytical planning, you could iterate values on aggregated analytical reports. Then, after this value iteration, SAP HANA can immediately recalculate any value with its in-memory planning engine to greatly reduce query time.
Parallel Data Execution Capabilities
SAP HANA manages SQL processing instructions into an optimized model that allows parallel execution and scales incredibly well in multicore processors. This optimized model involves partitioning the data in sections so calculations can be executed in parallel. SAP HANA also supports distribution across hosts, allowing large tables to be partitioned and processed in parallel by multiple hosts.
The parallel-data-flow computing model is also extended with application-specific logic that is executed in processing nodes as part of the model. Support includes SQLScript as a functional language and “L” as an imperative language, which means you can call upon the prepackaged algorithms available in the predictive analytical library of SAP HANA to perform advanced statistical calculations.
SAP HANA Application Function Libraries
Within SAP HANA, functions for a particular functional area are grouped into an application function library (AFL), such as the predictive analytical library (PAL) and the business function library (BFL).
These libraries deliver pre-packaged functionality, enabling you to spend fewer cycles building information models. They are also particularly useful when you need to fill in the gaps of a large data set to make a business prediction.
Predictive Analytical Library
PAL contains a number of universal predictive algorithms that can execute directly against the data in SAP HANA. PAL also provides support for an array of clustering, classification, association, and time series functions.
Many of the standard algorithms used in data mining and predictive analysis would be too onerous or even impossible to implement yourself in SQLScript. On the other hand, if you want to perform real-time predictive analysis, you need to avoid exporting your data to an external application server to run the predictive analysis function. That’s where PAL comes in.
The idea behind PAL is to make it very straightforward to execute, for example, a clustering calculation (like K-means) on your data in SAP HANA with just a few lines of SQLScript. In most cases, users identify an input table, populate a parameter table (setting up the parameters of the function), identify an output table, and let SAP HANA and PAL do the rest.
Business Function Library
BFL is another SAP HANA native application library. It contains pre-built parameter-driven functions in the financial area. BFL business functions follow the same basic approach as PAL functions in that you create an input table, parameter table, and an output table to receive the results. The user interacts with each function via SQLScript, but the bulk of the work is done in SAP HANA’s high-performance calculation engine.
BFL extends the computation ability of SAP HANA with complex and performance-critical algorithms that fit a wide array of business needs. Examples of common business functions enabled by BFL include “rolling forecasts from current forecast and actual sales data” and more fundamental functions like “moving average” and “moving sum.”
R Integration
SAP HANA supports integration with R — a free software environment that supports statistical analysis — and makes leveraging R easy for developers. R itself is distributed through a free GNU license and is a completely separate offering from SAP HANA. But SAP HANA’s integration with R means that users can take advantage of the massive library of statistical packages that R and the R community have generated.
SAP HANA uses the external R environment to execute R code similarly to how it would handle native database operations like joins or aggregations. This allows developers to embed R function definitions and calls within SQLScript and submit the entire code as part of a query to the database. An efficient data exchange mechanism supports the transfer of intermediate database tables directly into R’s vector-oriented data.
SAP HANA Extended Application Services
Traditional applications often use JDBC or ODBC to interact with their data; SAP HANA supports this too. However, one performance-limiting aspect of this approach is that it involves the application taking a copy of the data into the application server for further processing and preparation for rendering in the user interface.
To avoid this, SAP HANA provides extended application services, which allow for more of the model-based, data-intensive execution to occur within SAP HANA itself. Application services are written in server-side JavaScript and server-side JavaScript Libraries. SAP HANA also natively supports OData and XMLA data interfaces — developers need only include service descriptor files to ease development of native applications.
The result of supporting all of these options in one broad platform is that it allows you to perform a large percentage of data processing and shaping right on an in-memory projection of the data, in real time, without the need to extract, duplicate, transform, load, and process it elsewhere. This reduction of layers or “hops” goes a long way to simplifying and optimizing the landscape and improving performance.
SAP HANA: An Ideal Platform for Developers
Developers around the world — including those who work within the SAP ecosystem and those who are entirely new to the SAP space — are now innovating with SAP HANA. I strongly encourage all companies and developers to take a closer look at SAP HANA and see where the platform could fit into your future.
For more information on SAP HANA, visit
www.saphana.com. Or, if you’re a developer ready to see what you can create with SAP HANA, get started by visiting the SAP Community Network SAP HANA Developer Center at http://scn.sap.com/community/developer-center/hana.
David Sonnenschein ( david.sonnenschein@sap.com; Twitter: @dsonnen) is part of the SAP Startup Focus program’s Development Accelerator, helping early stage companies adopt the SAP HANA platform across a broad spectrum of domains.
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Results In this study, genotypes from Human Genome Diversity Panel populations were used to further evaluate a 93 SNP AIM panel, a subset of the 128 AIMS set, for distinguishing continental origins. Using both model-based and relatively model-independent methods, we here confirm the ability of this AIM set to distinguish diverse population groups that were not previously evaluated. This study included multiple population groups from Oceana, South Asia, East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North and South America, and Europe. In addition, the 93 AIM set provides population substructure information that can, for example, distinguish Arab and Ashkenazi from Northern European population groups and Pygmy from other Sub-Saharan African population groups. Conclusion These data provide additional support for using the 93 AIM set to efficiently identify continental subject groups for genetic studies, to identify study population outliers, and to control for admixture in association studies.
AIM = ancestrally informative markers. You are probably aware of the fact that most variance on any given gene is found within populations, and not between. Therefore, the chestnut of conventional wisdom that 85% of variance is within races, and 15% is between races. But not all genes are created equal. For example, on SLC24A5 almost all the variance among Europeans and Africans is between the races; if you know the state of
SLC24A5, then you can establish with a high degree of certainty whether the person is African or European in origin if these are your only two options (Asians and Africans cluster on SLC245, though if you find the “European” variant you can be assured of an individual’s provenance, at least partially, from North Africa or Western Eurasia). The logic then is that a small number of highly population informative markers (i.e., those markers which are good at distinguishing between populations) can allow one to discern population stratification within medical studies. If, for example, you are looking for disease susceptibility alleles and different populations have different disease susceptibilities, then naturally those alleles which are correlated with particular populations will show up on an association (though the “causal” connection is population identity in terms of both disease and allele). This is why Ashkenazi Jewish genetics are of more than genealogical interest, if Jews have a unique suite of genetic diseases (this is true) then it might best to exclude them from studies using other Europeans. Sniffing out of this sort of “cryptic” structure isn’t that hard, in the early 2000s Neil Risch et al. pointed out that as few as 20 AIMs may be sufficient to distinguish continental populations.
This study uses 93 markers to distinguish HGDP groups, along with a few other supplemental populations which were not well represented in HGDP sample. For example, since the government of India was rather restrictive of genetic research when the HGDP population samples were being collected the “South Asians” are generally from Pakistan. A study which surveyed Indian Americans (that is, Americans whose family are of Indian origin) provided the data to “plug” that whole. Clusters were displayed through two primary methods, Structure and principal component analysis charts.
(I’ve reformatted this figure a bit)
These figures aren’t too special, you’ve seen better. But,
instead of tens thousands of SNPs these are just 93 markers. So the bang-for-the-buck is rather big. Both the Structure and PC charts aligned with intuition and previous findings. In fact they compared their results to those of 3,500 random SNPs (remember, randomly selected markers will show a lot less between population variance, so less bang-for-the-buck).
The r
2 is the square of the correlation, and describes how much of the variation of Y can be explained by variation of X. As you can see the 93 AIMs don’t do too badly when judged against 3,500 random markers. This check is necessary because local adaptation can give a distorted impression of total genome content if selection is driving allele frequencies toward convergence among disparate populations. Consider if LCT, the locus which controls lactase persistence, were used. It seems as if there is a fair amount of ecologically driven variance at odds with the rest of the genome on some genes which exhibit a lot of between population variance, so one must be aware of this problem.
But there’s a big exception:
the 93 AIMs don’t seem too good at classifying the South Asians as a distinct group when set against more markers. In other words, these 93 AIMs don’t seem too “ancestrally informative” when it comes to brown folk. At K = 5 (five putative ancestral populations) the admixture of South Asians is rather evident in the Structure chart. They note that using a 85% cut-off for ancestry within a “South Asian” cluster results in in only 25% of South Asians in their own category (at K = 6). Dropping to 50% increases the proportion to 60%. South Asians should of course be excluded from studies which are majority European because there are clear genetic differences. I just assume that part of the issue is that these ancestrally informative markers were selected in the context of a much larger literature which relied on Europeans, African Americans and East Asians (combined with the fact that South Asians are closer to Europeans & Middle Easterners than other population clusters, but still distinctive). Cite: BMC Genetics 2009, 10:39 doi:10.1186/1471-2156-10-39 Related: Genetic maps.
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Army-ants storm through the jungles of Panama a million strong devouring any and every living creature in their path. Some clever birds have found a way to capitalize on the mayhem: Stay close to the ants and eat the leaping, running, and scampering insects that attempt to escape.
Antbirds and ovenbirds, the main ant-following species, have different strategies for using the ants to their advantages. Some birds only follow the ants within their own territories, but stop when they reach the borders. Others dabble in ant following, hitting them up for an easy meal but supplementing this by foraging on their own. Finally, the true loyalists rely solely on the ants to scare up their prey.
One species of ant-following antbird in the Thamnophilidae genus
Rob Brumfield, an Assistant Curator of Genetic Resources at the Museum of Natural History at Louisiana State University has studied the ant-following birds’ behavior.
He describes the process of locating army-ants in the dense jungle: “I can hear in the distance the snap, crackle and pop of a million marauding army-ants marching through the leaf litter. They are consuming every insect, spider and lizard in their path. And traveling with the army-ants is a boisterous flock of birds.”
Army-ants are routinely found in the birds’ stomach contents, but scientists are split on whether or not the birds intentionally eat the army-ants or if the ants just happen to be attached to the prey.
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SAN FRANCISCO -- IBM will make a series of security announcements at the 2009 RSA Conference this week to further...
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what Big Blue calls its Information Security Framework. Security professionals, even those that do not use IBM products, can benefit from the framework -- which includes a foundational information security program reference model, a maturity model for self-evaluation, an assessment tool for measuring current posture and IBM-provided training -- by copying IBM's mindset to ensure security is built into new business initiatives rather than layered on as an afterthought.
Stay ahead of evolving threats.Prioritizing threats and proactively reducing the risk to business operations is the nuts and bolts of security programs. New threats usually involve new products to attach to the infrastructure and new vendor relationships to maintain before established vendors are sure the threats are real. Smaller vendors are usually the ones evangelizing evolving threats; it is important to understand their security issues, determine the risk to the business, and decide on a level of urgency. Take advantage of new business opportunities.Every IT security team hates being looped into an IT project too late in the process to properly secure it. Use the opportunity to get ahead of business initiatives by exploring the security implications of mega-trends such as virtualization (data center and desktops), cloud computing, smartphones for the workforce, as well as other forms of wireless communication. Take advantage of the conference to learn not only about new security capabilities, but also how that research can help the company open new business opportunities so security can get ahead. Pursue more efficient IT business models.Many IT organizations, especially in this economy, are charged with driving 10% or more of the annual costs out of the existing technical infrastructure. This usually translates to cost savings in labor that come from automating security processes, consolidating security into switches and multifunction security devices, virtualizing security products for concentrated server utilization and endpoint protection, and simplifying complex compliance processes. Look closely at the ability of security innovations to reduce labor costs to meet operational goals.
About the author: Eric Ogren is founder and principal analyst of the Ogren Group, which provides industry analyst services for vendors focusing on virtualization and security. Prior to founding the Ogren Group, Eric was a security industry analyst for the Yankee Group and ESG. Ogren has also served as vice president of marketing at security startups Okena, Sequation and Tizor. He can be reached by sending an email to eric@ogrengroup.com.
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The explosive growth of data storage is causing IT organizations to consider, even if only wistfully, making a case for the purchase of new storage resource management (SRM) tools.
A TechTarget survey completed this month showed that nearly a quarter (22%) of the 374 respondents plan this year to increase spending on storage management software. The main drivers cited were the need to manage more storage with existing staff and the hope of simplifying the management of different storage environments.
Many storage administrators continue to get by with homegrown tools or the element managers that ship with the storage devices they buy. But, the built-in element managers are designed to manage only a specific device, and the homegrown approach can be challenging to sustain over time, especially if the staff member who wrote the scripts leaves the company.
Determining which of the commercial management tools will be most beneficial depends in large part on an organization's size, infrastructure design, and the degree to which the IT environment changes.
In this special report, we look at the storage tools that can assist with the management, monitoring and reporting of potential trouble spots in five major areas: data backup, capacity, configuration, performance, and disaster recovery.
Watching your data backup's back
The built-in reporting and monitoring features that ship with data backup applications are adequate for many IT organizations. But an independent backup reporting tool can become a critical add-on purchase for anyone using more than one backup product or overseeing an especially large environment.
GSI Commerce Inc., for instance, uses Aptare Inc. StorageConsole Backup Manager for a single-pane view across multiple data centers. StorageConsole Backup Manager's reporting engine helps the storage team meet audit requests for compliance purposes, said Tim Malfara, storage architect at the King of Prussia, Penn.-based e-commerce technology and services provider.
GSI uses Symantec Corp.'s Veritas NetBackup to provide critical and detailed information, but the data can be overwhelming and difficult to review, Malfara said. The Aptare software allows the storage team to customize reports based on key criteria that the business units need, he noted.
"Prior to having that tool," Malfara said, "we would have to spend a significant amount of time going through the backup product, pulling information out and putting it in a format that was easy to read."
Stan Horwitz, a senior systems manager at Temple University, said the school's EMC Corp. NetWorker software offers no obvious way to filter failures and successes or warn his team when a successful backup takes too long. He said he wants alerts only about problems.
"I get loaded with reports," said Horwitz, "and it's damn near impossible to read through them every day."
Until now, cost has kept Temple from buying a backup reporting tool. But, in connection with the replacement of its oldest tape library, the university is evaluating EMC's Avamar data deduplication device in a bundle with the vendor's Data Protection Advisor (an EMC acquisition from WysDM), which would help to solve not only the reporting/alerting issue but also pave the way for a potential chargeback system for backups.
Specialized reporting and monitoring tools for backup environments also include Bocada Inc.'s Enterprise, NetApp Inc.'s Protection Manager, Rocket Software Inc.'s Servergraph Data Protection Expert, Symantec's Veritas Backup Reporter and Tek-Tools Inc.'s Backup Profiler.
Enterprise Strategy Group senior analyst Lauren Whitehouse contends this class of tools is strategic, not simply a utility. She claims that's especially true for organizations delivering backup as a service, whether internally to the business or externally as a service provider, since the specialized reporting products assist with setting expectations, auditing and understanding budgets. The built-in reporting features of the major backup applications from vendors such as Symantec, EMC, CA Inc., CommVault Systems Inc., Hewlett-Packard (HP) Co. and IBM Corp. provide administrators with error logs, built-in reports and dashboard views into backup/recovery job status. But, they "don't always take the information provided to a level of problem solving, or problem avoidance," Whitehouse wrote in an email interview.
Whitehouse said that many of the specialized tools provide details that can help to resolve the issue, and they also assist with "predictive analysis," such as gauging when more storage needs to be provisioned or when a tape drive requires maintenance.
Improved features in data backup applications
Ed Delgado, the storage architect at RiskMetrics Group Inc., cited capacity planning as the most pressing issue in his data backup environment. He said he wants to be alerted days in advance when a backup could fail due to a lack of tapes or disk space. He claimed the company's backup application is no help, and he has yet to find a special tool to meet his needs.
Organizations with more basic needs will find improved features in the backup applications. IBM, for instance, in February released a major upgrade to its Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) backup software that adds reporting and monitoring capabilities and revamps the database to streamline administration. Richard Vining, a product marketing manager of IBM's TSM portfolio, said the goal is to eliminate the need to purchase extra tools.
"When we see customers struggling with reporting and monitoring of their environment, we build that into the product," Vining said.
One thing missing from all but a few early tools is the ability to manage and forecast data deduplication systems. That absence is felt more strongly now that deduplication is an intrinsic part of backup systems, said Valdis Filks, a research director in Gartner Inc.'s storage management and strategies group.
"In the old days, we had one tool to monitor the disk system, one tool to monitor the tape system, one tool to monitor the file systems. Then we pulled it all together with SRM dashboards," Filks said. "Now deduplication comes along and we're back to the old days where we have a separate tool to monitor data dedupe systems. You have to use the tool that comes with the hardware to monitor it."
The second part of this report looks at managing capacity.
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In my previous article Analyzing The Logic Of Tesla Bears, I presented a takedown of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) bears' objections to the growth story. And with this one I will attempt to summarize additional key objections to my previous analysis and also a simple method to come up with a valuation for Tesla extending some thoughts in the comments.
There is a general misunderstanding about inconveniences, range, maintenance and service for electric cars. There are people who are worried that the one or two long trips they take in a year are an inconvenience for Tesla owners. However they choose to ignore the inconvenience of a gas car which I will list below
Gas Electric Twice monthly gas fill-ups Full Charge every morning Annual (?) oil changes Annual checkup
Periodic replacement of belts and other miscellaneous maintenance such as fluid leaks, changes etc.
Very few moving parts, minimal maintenance
Service hassles such as cheating dealers and mechanics. If you haven't had a mechanic recommend unnecessary maintenance or a dealer try to gouge you, you are in the minority
Minimal maintenance = minimal hassle with dealers/mechanics
With Tesla, one more added headache is taken care of you. When my wife and me leased our Leaf, to get a decent price, I contacted every dealer within a 100 miles of us for a quote. The initial quote on the lease started at 30% more than what we are paying now. So after spending about 30 hours online chatting, calling and emailing the dealers, we finally picked one and got the car. Only one dealer offered to find the car with the colors/options we wanted. I still get emails from the other dealers. In fact I got calls for at least 5 years from a Honda (NYSE:HMC) dealer after we picked our Nissan (OTCPK:NSANY) Murano over a Honda 10 years ago.
Considering the above, it would be a lot less hassle to rent a car for the two times a year that you need to go beyond the range of a Tesla in case you didn't own another car.
I started out this article listing every car that is a competitor to Tesla and how Tesla is very competitive with other luxury cars even ignoring that it is an Electric. But to make things simple I will go about it differently giving you what exactly it is about Tesla that the other competitors do not have
2. Most important component (battery) is upgradeable easily. Try to upgrade the engine of your 2013 BMW with that of the 2016 when it comes out.
3. The safest car on the road. The best crash test rating ever - the car actually busted some testing equipment. Nearly impossible to rollover. I will repeat from my previous article, it makes me wonder what car makers have been doing all these years.
4. Amongst the quietest, if not the quietest car on the road.
5. Performance. The Tesla outperforms almost any ICE car in its class, almost equaling a more expensive Porsche. Electric drive is just snappier. Also any driver can get the performance as opposed to the experienced driver with perfect shifts.
6. Very good looks. This is subjective but the Tesla is amongst the nicest looking cars on the road.
Now for the meat of this discussion. Putting a value to the stock. For that we need to project sales. The numbers I use below are not overly optimistic, nor are they pessimistic.
2013: 22,000 Model S 2014: 40,000 Model S, Model X is introduced 2015: 60,000 Model S, Model X 2016: 80,000 Model S, Model X 2017: 100,000 Model S, Model X, Gen 3 is introduced 2018: 150,000 Model S, Model X, Gen 3 2019: 200,000 Model S, Model X, Gen 3 2020: ? Model S, X, Gen 3, New Gen 3 based SUV?
In 2019, I expect Tesla to have revenues of at least 15 billion from cars alone. Tesla will also have additional revenue from licensing to Toyota, Mercedes etc. and I would guesstimate a total of 20 billion.
Up until Tesla hits a million cars, half that of BMW group's total current annual production, the Tesla growth story should stay intact, which would lead me to believe that Tesla will carry a high P/E ratio. Also being electric, better margins are expected than gas cars. At a 15% net margin, Tesla would have earnings of 3 billion. And at a P/E of 50 (since the growth is still not done) that is a valuation of 150 billion.
That is more than 7X the current valuation. If you add in some dilution and delays, let's say 5X in six years. Does $200 a share sound more reasonable now? Another take was presented here by Aswath Damodaran, a finance professor and his valuation was 67$/share. In his presentation he gives Tesla a revenue of $65 billion in 2022, however he assumes that Tesla's margins will be similar to those of other automakers.
My argument is that Tesla will command bigger margins than other automakers just like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) commands bigger margins on iPhones. I would also argue that until the growth story is closer to being done (when Tesla sells half as many cars as BMW), we will see a higher P/E and thus higher stock price.
I will say that $20 billion is a very high valuation for Tesla and calls for expectations of perfection, but they do have a history of doing things well. I'm excited not only about Tesla but also about our EV future.
One last point of contention from my previous article was the math about superchargers. It is in fact quite simple:
$2000/car for supercharger access. If 50% is used to fund the construction and 50% to pay for lifetime maintenance and electricity for the superchargers for that car, we would have easy coverage.
For 2014 with an estimate of 40,000 cars, even if only 20,000 opted for the supercharger option we would have $20 million for construction which would pay for between 70 and 140 superchargers, based on whether the station has solar panels or not. How often would an average Tesla use a supercharger? 4 times a year? That is 40 charges in 10 years. The other $1000 seems sufficient to cover the electricity (10$/charge * 40 = $400) for the lifetime of the car and any maintenance on the superchargers.
Disclosure: I am long TSLA, AAPL, OTCPK:NSANY. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. I plan on taking partial profits in Tesla at $200 and add more if it hits $100.
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Every senior at Middlebury is required to complete some kind of senior work, in the form of an independent project, production, or thesis. There are a couple of guiding principles here: First is the idea of challenge by choice. Students have the option of choosing an independent study or an honors project depending on the level of commitment they choose. Second is the concept of student choice. Students choose a project appropriate to their departmental focus: a music major might write a piece of music; a theater major might direct a production; a science major might conduct laboratory experiments; and a political science major will write a thesis.
How do you choose a thesis topic? After all, this is a project you’ll be working on for at least a semester, if not a year. Of course, you hope that the topic that is both interesting to you personally, and also one that has some academic value and is worth your time. Often students will find inspiration from a paper or project during sophomore or junior year. Others will find inspiration from their time abroad, summer experiences like internships or volunteer work, or some long-held interest. Still, many students will come into their senior with little idea of a topic that inspires them—this is why we have advisors!
I’m a political science major, and for me it was clear I wanted to write about some element of my time in China. Since a political science honors thesis is a three semester/yearlong project, I knew I had to find a topic that could keep me engaged for a full year. My internship this summer at the US Department of Commerce gave me the opportunity to learn about the importance of the Internet in various contexts. And having lived in China and learned about the uniqueness of the Internet censorship that exists there, I knew that this would be an interesting topic for me. My advisor helped me to narrow the topic to something focused, academic, and worthwhile.
So now it’s research time! The first stages of the thesis involve reading as much as you can about the topic of your choice. It is an exciting, humbling, and terrifying stage of the project. And by the end of J-term, amazingly, the bulk of my project will (hopefully!) be written.
People say that writing a thesis is simultaneously the best and worst thing they do at Midd, and the easiest and hardest, too. You have the opportunity to explore a single topic in depth, to become a real expert in an area, and to hone your research, writing, project management, and analytical skills. At the same time, a thesis requires self-discipline and a long-term commitment. Overall, though, it is a project that, after eight months, you can look back on with some pride.
I’ll have some more reflections on what the process is like come spring, but for now I’m excited to learn as much as I can about my topic and to begin outlining my work for the rest of the year.
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Homelessness – What’s happening in Northern Ireland? Everything at once! ( and not a lot of it good) The Three Main Events Homelessness Strategy for NI 2012 -2017 Housing Strategy for NI 2012-2017 Housing Related Support Strategy 2012-2015 Homelessness Strategy - Objectives To place homelessness prevention at the forefront of service delivery To remove the need to sleep rough To reduce the length of time households & individuals experience homelessness by improving access to affordable housing To improve services to vulnerable households and individuals Housing Strategy - Themes Ensuring access to decent, affordable sustainable homes across all tenures Meeting housing needs and supporting the most vulnerable Driving regeneration and sustaining communities through housing Housing and Welfare Reform Getting the structures right Housing Related Support Commissioning Quality and outcomes Drive efficiency and value for money Early intervention Client involvement and personalisation Accessing and exiting services And the rest.... Review of the NI Housing Executive Review of Temporary Accommodation Review of Social Housing Allocation Review of the Administration of Supporting People Review of Housing Associations Homelessness Very little overt mention of Supported Temp. Accommodation Strategic function moving to DSD away from NIHE Possibility of most of SP funding transferring to Health Homelessness Strategy not integrated into the Housing strategy Introduction of competitive tendering for SP funding Move towards floating support and the re-modelling of hostels Any new allocation policy social housing likely disadvantage singles for to The Elephant in the Room Excess Payment Award 7,000 households Under-occupation in Social Housing 32,000 applicable households LHA drop to 30th percentile 53,000 households, with approx 30,000 new applicants per annum SAR 5,300 claimants January 2012, 3,000 new claims p.a. Non-dependent deductions 3,500 Benefit Cap 3,000 claimants The housing market Social housing 119,000 homes 90% of social housing stock in single identity estates 20% of stock in PRS 84 HMOs in rural NI 5% of stock 1 bedroom across all tenures 8,400 HMOs 70% for students 15.2% of stock 2 bedrooms across all tenures continued Banks not lending House prices continue to fall 80% of HB paid directly to landlords in both sectors DHP potentially to be subsumed into new Social Fund. No mention of ringfencing housing costs increased competition for PRS and no need to reduce rents £6.8m DHP to cover £24m shortfall in just SAR &underoccupation which are current priorities. Homeless presentations up 21% in 1st quarter 2012/13surprise! The overall picture 24% of workers in NI below the living wage of £7.20 per hour. Highest in UK 60% population have IT access. Lowest rate among unemployed Lowest rate of broadband coverage in the UK 12% households do not have bank account which allows money to be paid in or DDs to be paid out. 36% of social tenants have NO bank account 32,500 households Estimated NI will take 10 1600 public sector jobs to go due to Universal Credit more years to come out of recession continued 46% of private landlords were unaware of the changes to LHA after it was introduced No tenants in social housing have been formally made aware of the change in HB for under-occupation 60% of tenants knew nothing of LHA changes at all, until they were informed of a drop in their entitlement WR Bill aiming for Royal Assent March 2013 Under-occupation to be implemented April 2013 A little good news.. Direct payment of housing costs to landlords to continue Universal credit delayed for 6 months Split payments in households Consideration of 6 month delay in implementing Under-occupation Fortnightly payments of universal credit May chuck it completely! The disconnect Very little acknowledgement of the impact of WR on the new Strategies – or even mature reflection Severely restricted budgets, ideological change and the prevention agenda Dependency on the PRS in a time of housing ‘bust’ Rhetoric of affordability as unemployment rises, there is no more work or better paid work – or even a work programme for NI Likely consequences Homelessness will increase Temporary accommodation will change in form and function Policy development likely to ‘follow the money’ Housing policy in NI will be adapted to fit Westminster legislation New vision for the purpose of social housing
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Several factors impact job performance and satisfaction, such as compensation and the attitudes of staff, but a comfortable environment can also play a role in performance and satisfaction. This type of environment helps retain employees and keeps your staff motivated. You can create a more pleasant environment by making improvements to the physical space or area where an employee works.
Comfort and Clutter
Working in a cluttered, unorganized space can frustrate your employees and reduce productivity. Uncomfortable office furniture might delay or slow productivity as workers take breaks to avoid physical aches. Address clutter by bringing in additional filing cabinets or shelves to store papers, folders and documents. Position shredders or recycling receptacles throughout the office to encourage disposable of unwanted papers. Tackle workplace comfort by replacing old or worn office chairs with comfortable alternatives, such as chairs that offer padded seats and ample back support.
Office Lighting
The wrong type of lighting in an office can also impact job performance and satisfaction. Keeping the office light too low tends to create an overly relaxed environment and can induce drowsiness in some workers. Low or dim lighting also often reduces an employee's ability to read documents or concentrate on certain tasks. Avoid bright office lights, though, in areas where your employees work on computers. Bright lights can produce a glare on computer screens and trigger eyestrain.
Sounds and Noise
Loud noise and constant sounds can distract employees and decrease productivity in an office environment. Encourage employees to keep idle chatter to a minimum, especially in open work areas. If you permit employees to play music at their desks, establish ground rules to avoid distracting others. For example, you might allow only certain stations and limit the volume. If you're holding a meeting or conference with certain employees, close the conference room or office door to avoid distracting your staff.
Office Temperature
Keeping the work space at a reasonable temperature helps improve job performance and satisfaction. You can't please everyone, but you can attempt to choose a temperature that's comfortable for the majority. Keeping the office too warm might promote sluggishness, whereas keeping the office too cold can distract employees from their work. To compensate for varying preferences, permit employees to use desk fans or space heaters to keep their areas comfortable.
Photo Credits Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
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Why use solar site services?
You buy tomatoes for $ 3.00 at the market and then as you're pulling out the supermarket driveway you notice an open-air
market has better looking tomatoes for $ 2.00. Rule 1: you didn't spend enough time to consider more alternatives...
but you aren't too disappointed since 'what's a buck'?
You buy a solar electric system for $ 50,000, after incentives, then receive a call from a vendor two weeks later that
has excess install capacity and would have dealt for $ 40,000, and their warranties are better. Rule 2: those aren't tomatoes.
Why leave site surveys and consulting advice to selling vendors when the subject is a complex technology, discount incentives
change erratically, forecasts are a risk proposition, price levels vary widely, vendor material lists and offer packages vary widely
and the expenditures can be significant? For a small amount much of this valuation homework can be done for you and you can rest at ease...
The Solar Site Survey
A solar site survey is used to answer several questions for a potential buyer of solar electric equipment:
1) is solar electric feasible for the particular property, and, if so,
2) where should the equipment be optimally placed, and
3) how much equipment can be accommodated
A Solar Site Survey is performed at the prospective physical location of the potential buyer. Various measurements are taken
to determine where solar insolation can be maximized, taking account of various surfaces, their pitch angles from horizontal, and
obstructions. An "image based" approach is used to illustrate where the solar modules should be placed. These images and
parameters can be used to inquire about price and delivery options from qualified solar installation vendors and/or for Do it Yourself
consideration.
An added feature is a Pro Forma illustration of solar system size showing anticipated energy generation in kWHRS.
A narrative is included noting various financial subsidies from State and Federal sources that can effect both the system
sizing and financial worthiness of the solar investment.
Site Survey Deliverables
The Site Survey results are primarily delivered in machine readable form via email attachments. This facilitates the client soliciting
multiple installation vendor bids electronically. Importantly, each installation vendor will be proposing a solution on an 'apples to apples' basis
so the client
need not be faced with the problem of comparing a wild array of design configurations.
Using the Solarsiteservices benchmark design, vendors will propose a spectrum of technologies, components and prices. Availability of solar product
inventories, vendor backlog, and desireability of obtaining the solar job have significant impact on final price and installation lead time.
Below are some sample outputs* delivered to the client after the Site Survey is completed.
Residential
Roof Segments for Solar Sample Home
Dimensions A
Dimensions B
Dimensions C
Straw Man Module Layout Roof B
Commercial
Targeted Surfaces for Solar Area A
Targeted Surfaces for Solar Area B
Dimensioned Areas
Straw Man Module Layout Sample
In 2009, the
Solar Training Institute, San Jose, Ca., selected the 'Solarsiteservices' photoshop based approach
to site survey presentation format (used in these samples) for their training courses in PV design.
Solar Advisory Services
In many organizations, especially in the public sector, procurements for products or services are awarded to the lowest evaluated bid.
Unless the product is a commodity and understood to be a commodity, lowest price is not always the best measure of cost. For example,
buying a $ 100 tire with tread warranty for 80,000 miles is actually better than a $ 50 tire with a 25,000 mile warranty. Wherever there
is complexity in a buying decision, numerous variables should be considered. Solar PV is one such case.
There are numerous solar vendors in the marketplace.
While most consumers would not commit to make a capital purchase receiving
only one vendor's estimate, a complication is that soliciting proposals from multiple vendors will result in multiple system size configurations, varying price
levels, multiple economic payoffs each with their own interpretation, small and large required deposits, friendly and unfriendly
contract language, varying warranties, and different financing options, to name a few of the buying considerations in an evaluated review process.
Solar Advisory Services assists the consumer decision making process by acting as an 'independent' liaison between the buyer
and vendors. Being able to communicate in the language of the solar vendors with a better understanding of forecast variables
and assumptions, will help a buyer to make an informed decision based on fact rather than vendor sales speak.
Economic proposition of solar electric
In many cases, buying a solar electric system at retail without State and Federal incentives to reduce the capital or generation costs is currently a poor value
proposition and is likely to remain so in the short run. There are several exceptions including DIY systems which
have good value even with limited financial subsidies but they require some installation skills, know-how in various Permit and Approving
authority Codes and self-confidence in integrating a diversity of components. In the long run all solar cell/panel costs will continue their long term decrease (experience curve) as electric rates rise so what may not
appear economically attractive for a buyer today inevitably will be cost effective at a future point.
Lowest
Evaluated Cost should be the key objective in a solar electric system buy. Lowest Evaluated Cost
considers many factors like initial cost, product warranty, module and mounting type, time value of money to compare
financial returns and financing considerations. In some cases, the best acquisition option may not be system ownership at all but
a lease-like approach.
There are also times when a buyer may want to pay more for their solar equipment than an apparent equivalent.
Perhaps the modules need be on the front street facing roof and the consumer desires a more aesthetic appearance,
at a price premium. Or perhaps, spatial area is limited so more productive premium priced solar modules might be
more desirable to achieve greater power from limited space. In some case 'less' productive modules of a different technology might
also make sense where there is an abundance of space. For example, film type panels are less efficient and cost less
per watt but may have greater installation costs. Tradeoffs abound!
Government subsidies are needed to make solar electric financially worthy.. the State of NJ, for example, has targeted
a current dollar capital payback of about 10 years. What a buyer actually 'achieves' in payback terms leaves much to
interpretation and assumption, however, since the benefits are all futures.
As state and federal programs evolve, it may make sense to commit early to take advantage
of a good subsidy program now since electric prices may rise while incentives decline. On the other hand, a new technology breakthrough might mean a decision delay makes more sense. These are risk analysis
variables that will be addressed in an upcoming white paper.
Geographic Service availability
Solar Site surveys are currently being performed in south/central New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania
White Papers
1) Evaluation of Residential Solar Electric (Photovoltaic) Systems in New Jersey February 2007
2) Economics of Solar Electric systems in New Jersey, Modeling for success - January 2008
3) Basic Shading Concepts for PV Arrays - March 2010
Credentials and Design Sampling
Richard Barbarics is a principle advisor and has over 25 years technical experience in the technical arena including
application engineering at General Electric, systems development at Network Services Division of ADP, Management
at Wang Labs and 4 years of solar site surveying and PV system design. He has performed over 300 site surveys and
has his BS in Physics from Virginia Tech and MBA from Widener University.
Kenneth Bolton is a principle advisor with over 25 years technical and management experience including General Electric
and for the past twenty years as CEO for Management International, a provider of various environmental services
for the public and private sectors. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of New Jersey.
Walter Behnke is a principle advisor with over 25 years technical and management experience including Honeywell and multiple startups. He is patent holder for a remotely monitored BAS (Building Automation System) (US # 7183899) currently being configured for solar tenant
sub-metered applications. He is also a Principle with Global Gate Technologies and Energy Planning Solutions.
Design Sampling
Solar PV applications come in many sizes and configurations with NO generalized rules based on square footage. For example,
a large home may have 'solar appropriate' roofs that have numerous dormers and gables, precluding an efficient solar design
configuration. Likewise, large trees, that a buyer does not want to trim of remove, may cause substantial shading even when they are
located in east or west directions relative to the 'solar appropriate' roof. Unshaded building flat roofs offer numerous
possibilities for design, with varying investment economics and solar productivities. The following sampling of designs is indicative
of before-after appearance.
Commercial Barn
Multi-faceted Residential rooftops
Metal Roof
Residential Groundmount
Buying Services and Pricing of Solar Site Services
Solar Site Services offers 2 programs to consumers:
1) Solar Site Survey
Onsite Solar Site Surveys are scheduled over a 10 day period. These are confirmed by email or telephone as to
designated date and time. Time is given in a range of several hours.
Data Collection
It is not necessary for the client to be onsite for the Survey Data Collection Phase but the client should be aware that
the service provider may scale the roof to take appropriate measurements. Data Collection takes about one hour for residential surveys and longer for
buildings, particularly with significant roof obstructions (A/C, vents, piping, etc).
It is important for the client to pre-determine that there is a southerly or east/west solar exposure that is not shaded by trees
or other nearby obstructions. Solar arrays are not practical on north facing roof surfaces.
Relevant data is collected regarding surface dimensions, degrees pitch, true azimuth readings, roof assessment,
meter(s) location, partial shading and other factors which will determine the potential for solar array placement and where.
A client should indicate in advance to Solarsiteservices if 'groundmount' structures are viable. Usually groundmounts require
large open areas; they are often not applicable to residential lots. If the residence is over 40 years old, the client should check
or have the Solarsiteservices technician examine the electric distribution panel, usually in residential garages or basements, to insure there
is one available 30 amp circuit breaker or space for one, for system connectivity. Likewise, for such older structures, a
check should be made of roof rafter structure, noting rafter size ( e.g. 2X6 or 2x8) and approximate distance between rafters.
Data Analysis and Presentation
The data are analyzed and presented showing the applicable dimensioned roof sections for solar. This information can be used to
directly source bids from numerous solar installation contractors. In addition, a pro forma solar installation design and financial
estimate is provided to give the client a benchmark against which installation vendor proposals can compared.
Price and Billing
(for Philadelphia County and Southern NJ counties south of Rt 195)
End User Residential Solar Site Survey & Analysis ........................................................................ $ 185
End User Non-residential building Survey & Analysis ...................................................................$ 350
(for single buildings < 75,000 ft sq. For multiple buildings please inquire for quote)
Site Survey fees are prepaid. Survey results are emailed with attachment detail including roof segments, dimensioned areas,
obstruction notation, pro forma layout and notes. For some solar installation vendors, this fee might be deducted from an installation vendor's bid. This is especially true if the install vendor is some distance away from
the client site and would prefer bidding on a potential install via email or phone, based on the Solar Site Services survey. The client
should ask if the vendor(s) will make a deduction for the survey.
Sub-contracted solar site survey services are available to solar system integrators and/or installers. Please email for further information.
2) Solar Advisory Services
Advisory Services facilitate the buying process for a solar PV system. Once a client has a solar site survey in hand, they may opt to
work directly with any number of install vendors to obtain bids for a solar installation. Some clients may want to continue the relational process
with a more turnkey approach to help select an installation vendor. Advisory Services
will solicit proposals and pricing from a number of vendors, usually 3, and then perform an evaluated cost analysis to compare vendor proposals.
A report with recommendations helps insure a client receives the best value for their expenditure.
Solar Advisory Services for residential end user.................................................................. $ 350 prepaid
Solar Advisory Services for end user non-residential buildings ..........................................$ 60 per hour
(Retainer required and fixed statements of work provided)
For further information regarding services and pricing, email Information@Solarsiteservices.com
Links
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency
Florida Solar Energy Center
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Heal your body, heal your life
Energy healing helps to bring harmony to the mind, body and spirit. Shelley can help awaken your body’s natural healing power by releasing old patterns and trauma – leaving you free to experience the benefits of wellness and a balanced life.
Experience joy About Shelley Timoffee
Shelley is a deeply compassionate and grounded energy practitioner who believes laughter and pragmatism deserve equal honour in her practice. Her unique blend of Energy Medicine, Core Shamanism and Regression services sets her apart from other natural health practitioners.
In practice since 2007, Shelley’s energy healing services help clients release old patterns stored in their mental, physical and emotional body so they can create a more positive and joyful life. Offering both distance and in-person sessions from her office in Guelph, Ontario, Shelley facilitates health restoration with people across North America.
Shelley is licensed by the City of Guelph and is a member of the Canadian Association for Integrative and Energy Therapies (CAIET) and The Therapeutic Touch Network of Ontario (TTNO)
What Clients Are Saying
“I just feel better and my mom talks to me different cause I’m not yelling back.”
“Shelley Timoffee’s gift to remain grounded in unconditional acceptance creates a level of comfort and safety that so many of us need in order to heal.”
“I always look forward to seeing you – you are definitely a rock and a safe place for me, for that I’m truly grateful! Though I know I’d always find the strength to get through hard times on my own, I don’t think I would be able to be in such a great space in my life without your warm support and guidance.”
“The best thing is that you don’t even have to talk about what you are feeling.”
Blog
Stress is a normal and natural part of everyday life. Stress occurs when demands placed upon us exceed our body’s ability to cope. The body’s response to stress, often referred to as the “flight-or-fight” response, kicks in automatically at these times. The adrenal glands release stress hormones, including cortisol, adrenaline and corticosterone, which give you… (Read More)
Here are just seven evidenced-based reasons to eat more garlic every day. Garlic Cuts Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke by 50%In a prospective four-year clinical trial in Germany, researchers found that because garlic has so many effects on the body, it resulted in a reduction of relative cardiovascular risk for infarction (heart attack) and… (Read More)
“To get some distance from this, you first need to get some perspective. Walk outside on a clear night and just look up into the sky. You are sitting on a planet spinning around in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Though you can only see a few thousand stars, there are hundreds of billions of… (Read More)
“Clinical evidence and preliminary research suggest that combining “energy” interventions, such as tapping on acupuncture points, with cognitive and other therapeutic approaches is potent. The technique shifts the neural pathways that underlie targeted psychological problems with greater speed and precision than psychological interventions alone.” – www.epccanada.ca In other words, tapping on specific body points and talking about… (Read More)
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It was a short evening trip to get us started on the way home - we'd head east from Reno in the morning rather than starting back in Mountain View - but it turned into one of those 'white knuckle' journeys at the beginning of this old "Overland Route."
There is something about the name "Donner," of course, which focuses the mind on a winter night.
I can't help thinking about history as I drive Interstate 80 between San Francisco Bay and Council Bluffs, Iowa. This is the ruggedest of the rugged pioneer trails across the American West. It crosses unbelievably steep mountains, vast deserts, unending grasslands, the Salt Flats. It is fiercely hot and unbearably cold. And people walked it alongside primitive wagons. And people - using hand tools - built a railroad across it in the second half of the 19th Century. Cheyenne, Fort Bridger, the Platte River, Reno, the Mormon Trail - these are places which define America's myth of tough independence, this is the wilderness Americans fought through, and the nation hewn from "nothing" with strong, free hands.
In 1893 Frederick Jackson Turner produced his Frontier Thesis, in which he saw that in this individualistic belief in the conquest of "the west" was the definer of the American character. And yet... though those quoting him later missed the point, Turner knew these individuals were never alone, were never doing it "on their own":
"Thus civilization in America has followed the arteries made by geology, pouring an ever richer tide through them, until at last the slender paths of aboriginal intercourse have been broadened and interwoven into the complex mazes of modern commercial lines; the wilderness has been interpenetrated by lines of civilization growing ever more numerous. It is like the steady growth of a complex nervous system for the originally simple, inert continent. If one would understand why we are to-day one nation, rather than a collection of isolated states, he must study this economic and social consolidation of the country In this progress from savage conditions lie topics for the evolutionist."
The Donner Party was not one man, but a thinking, challenging, risk-taking group that came face-to-face with disaster and used their collaborative skills to find a solution.
In our classrooms today - in our society - we prize individual achievement. We see in each student the "Mountain Man" crossing the plains of grammar, facing the deserts of math equations, climbing through the rugged gaps of reading decoding, all independently. We view individual work, and all proving their worth in all the same skill sets, as the heart of our practice.
Yes, we do work together, but our goals in working together are individual. We take tests individually, we get graded individually, we don't accept the answer from Student "A" very often if Student "B" answers for him. Groups and collaborative efforts are addenda to raising the individual who can (get ready for the Americanisms here), "stand on her own two feet," "make his way in the world," "pull himself up by his bootstraps."
Now, individuals are wonderful, and I am a huge proponent of individualized education. But the cult of "individualism" - that mainly American and Australian disease of making oneself believe that they are successful on their own - is a huge problem for me.
Because we take the wrong lessons from our pioneers. Nobody did it alone. Nobody did it all themselves. And every group had people of differing abilities contributing differing things in differing ways. And, one might note, those first pioneers were sent out exploring by "big governments" who financed their way.
Lewis and Clark did not assemble their team because they all passed the same high school proficiency exam. Some could navigate, some could cipher, some could climb, some could write and draw, some could lift huge amounts, some could translate. Those who came after them not only built on the knowledge of those who came before, they brought their own assortments of skills, from reading the stars to cooking whatever could be found, from repairing wagons to sensing weather shifts. Meriwether Lewis didn't get flunked because he wasn't good at building canoes. Nor were other team members "left back" because they could not write. But alone, none of those people would have made it out of what is now Missouri.
So, damage from myth number one: Everyone must do the same things in school because we'll all be on our own when we "grow up." When we create one required skill set - our graduation cum NCLB "standards" - we make most, if not everyone, into a failure of some sort. But we should not be making failures, we should be finding ways to leverage every human talent.
Every explorer and every pioneer depended and depends on the tools crafted by those who came before them. Columbus did not invent the kind of ship he sailed in or the quadrant. John Fremont had dozens of maps on which to base his "pathfinding." Those travelling to the California gold fields did not build or design their Conestoga Wagons, make their weapons, or found the US forts which offered shelter at the start of the path. What makes human history amazing is our ability to build on the previous invention of our predecessors, and rarely can this be seen more clearly than in the spread of Europeans across two distant continents: it is a kind of evolution run wild. Verrazano's maps lead to Dutch explorers, fur traders lead to the need for farming, and roads. Farming and roads lead to the need for wagons suited to those roads. Bad roads lead to canals, canals lead to a new kind of boat, which brings farmers to new kinds of land, which requires new kind of plows, which requires new kind of factories which make those plows, which... It is a stunning story - a story based in the rapid adoption of new technologies no matter what the investment in the old. I passed Pony Express stations on this trip. The Pony Express was a brilliant solution to an immediate problem. It lasted less than two years before a better technological solution was found (telegraph wires).
Damage from myth number two: Humans all need to "go back to basics." Students can not deal with the technologies of their own time until they master the technology of the past. The problem here is that "the basics" are always "where the last generation began." Nobody teaches quill cutting anymore or filling a fountain pen, but "handwriting still matters." It is our obligation to give our students the world they have inherited, so they can move forward. Not the world you inherited, because we hope you have already moved forward.
The Spanish Government sent Columbus. Jefferson's Administration sent Lewis and Clark. Dewitt Clinton's New York State Government built the Erie Canal. Abraham Lincoln - the first really "big government" president - financed the Trans-Continental Railway, created the Homestead Act, and the Land Grant Colleges Act. US Administration after US Administration sent soldiers out to protect settlers and travellers, and built roads and canals, while publishing maps. In other words, our accomplishments are not those of individuals, but those of a society working together - building, exploring, educating together from the first forays into North America to the Moon Landing. The thing that matters most is creating a place where individual creativity flourishes and nurtures group learning and group action. On the Oregon coast Lewis and Clark took a vote - a vote which included a Black Slave and an Indian Woman. The Donner Party made the horrific - but essential - group decision to suspend conventional morality, to adopt situational ethics, in order to survive. Western towns banded together and enforced gun prohibitions to build their communities. Learning is not individual, action is rarely individual, both are part of the social construction which makes us human.
Damage from myth number three: Children who attend school sitting and working only or primarily individually will be ill-prepared to function in our society. If only individual goals are measured, our students will not learn to function effectively in the world as it really exists. Our classrooms must be about group learning, group dynamics, and group decision-making. Collaboration, the ability to make those around you better, the ability to allow those around you to make you better, is the essential human skill. The ability to effectively lead and to effectively follow, is critical, as is the ability to form groups for study and action, as is the ability to move effectively into new environments and the ability to welcome newcomers from unfamiliar environments. When these are not the priority in our schools, when they are not taught and modelled in our schools, we have failed our students.
Meriwether Lewis was constantly surprised. So were many pioneers. They looked around and were astonished. Imagine a thousand mile tall grass prairie broken only by cottonwood edged flat rivers. Imagine mountain ranges which dwarf the Alps in every dimension. Imagine a three or four day hike across a surface of pure salt, white and so flat it literally curves with the earth. Imagine a million buffalo rushing across a plain. Imagine meeting people with nothing culturally in common with yourself. Now move in and settle down.
The adaptive skills of our pioneers were remarkable. No wood? Build houses of sod. Grow crops in a salt earth? Carry dirt from the mountains and dig irrigation channels to move the snow melt. Develop new engineering methods, new bridge types, new forms of social organization, new clothing, new professions. It is that art of adaptation, as Frederick Jackson Turner saw, which truly created the identity of the young United States.
Damage from myth number four: "We are a conservative nation." Well, not when we are good. When we believe we are a conservative nation we idolize a past rather than celebrating it. Only someone with no actual understanding of American history could argue for "strict construction" views of the national constitution, or think that something is a good method simply because it was done in the past. If those who built our history thought that we'd still be a tiny nation clustered around the Atlantic Coast and our open hearth stoves. And so our students need to be honored for their adaptive capabilities, for their invention, for their challenges to the system. When we honor compliance and storing of old knowledge we tell our students they have abdicated their position of global leadership.
By the time we sat down to dinner in Council Bluffs, Iowa, not so far from where Abraham Lincoln selected the start point of the great Union Pacific Railway, not far from where the Mormon Exodus outfitted its wagons, I knew the history of America's rise lay not in individualism, but in the wonder of creative, adaptive, flexible, forward-looking, future-accepting, dynamic groups.
If I looked into your classroom today, is that what I would see in progress?
- Ira Socol
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Notoriously thrifty people requiring their own automobiles almost always inevitably purchase a vehicle used rather than new. "Why should I be the one to take the initial 10-25% depreciation hit?" the educated saying goes. This is the philosophy I held for years, purchasing five second-hand cars before deciding to shell out the bucks for a new Honda Odyssey a few years back (albeit one that I was able to negotiate over $5000 off the sticker price at the end of the model year). It turns out this decision to purchase a new people mover (as they like to call it over in the UK) was among the most prescient ones I've made in my adult life. I tell you this now to warn you why you should not buy our minivan when we sell it later this year or next when the next version of the Odyssey goes on sale and we decide to buy a new one.
As I hope our story will show, next time someone tells you to buy a used minivan, think again. As my wife will attest to, our house is largely spotless. But the Odyssey is another story. It's where we tend to let our fastidious standards go for weeks at a time, where the "no-McDonald's inside" rule is tossed out the still-working sunroof just as fast as a three-year-old can whine (after being hit by his older brother), and where university biology students could conduct experiments on the residual growth of bacteria even after all manner of germ rubs and Lysol have been sprayed time and time again.
Not convinced yet? Read on. Heck, even I agree that there are a good many reasons that buying a secondhand minivan appears to make similar sense to buying a used car -- on the surface. After all, they depreciate like any other vehicle. In addition, they're probably more superficially banged up as well, which can lead to a lower valuation and more negotiation wiggle room. But the reasons against far outweigh the decisions for. And it takes a family man (or woman) to tell you why.
Over the course of 45,000 miles and nearly four years of service, our Honda has been all but bulletproof on the outside (aside from the dozen or so dents and scratches that grace its suburban exterior). It's the first time in my life where I can say that I feel ripped off on buying a negotiated extended warranty for a product simple because the underlying product its protecting is so good it won't be necessary.
But the interior and non-mechanical side of the vehicle is another story. Like most families with young kids, there's a better than certain chance -- I can't confirm or deny -- that our vehicle has gotten to know (in some cases quite intimately) most bodily fluids and functions that typical fast-growing babies and children carry out over the course of the day (and over the course of stomach bugs). It's also capable of swallowing quite large amounts of breakfast cereal, dried fruit, small candies and just about any other sustenance or treat that children drop within its many crevices.
Sure, it cleans up fairly well. And the "new leather" smell still permeates the cabin to some degree. But now it fights with less attractive olfactory opponents -- long banished from the battlefield yet still lingering -- that somehow permanently mark their territory. Speaking of marking territory, most minivans are the part-time home of family critters, which also have been known to do their duty at 75 MPH on the highway. But kids can be far worse than dogs, as anyone 40 miles in between rest stops on a rainy day will tell you.
Quite often, the decision to let thriftiness be your guide -- in a smart, total cost way -- strongly outweighs all other merits of an argument in a purchasing situation, especially on the vehicular front. But sometimes you need to go with your gut (versus the remnants of some previous child's gut) when it comes to purchasing that family truckster. And it might make sense to spring for that Scotchguard option while you're in a free spending mode. After all, in certain cases, spend does not matter quite as much as it does in others.
And if you happen to be the one responding to my Craigslist advertisement in a few months time, I'd like to remind you that this essay was based entirely on the experience of another minivan parked next to ours. Disgusting family, I tell you. Really. I mean it.
Jason Busch
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● a sudden onset. Leukemia, multiple rapid-onset, short duration, particularly for multi-children and young people.
● the first symptom of fever in acute leukemia, mostly fever, can be expressed as remittent fever, missed fever, intermittent fever, or irregular fever, body temperature at 37.5 ~ 40 ℃ or higher. A sense of when cold, but not chills. ● bleeding. Is a common symptom of leukemia. Bleeding sites over the entire body, especially in the nasal cavity, mouth, gums, skin, fundus common and may also have brain, inner ear and internal organs bleeding. ● anemia. Early stage of anemia, manifested as looking white, dizziness, palpitations and so on. ● hepatosplenomegaly. 50% of leukemia patients appear hepatosplenomegaly with acute lymphoblastic leukemia Hepatosplenomegaly the most significant. ● lymph nodes. Body a wide range of lymph nodes, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia is more common, but not as acute lymphocytic CLL significant. Superficial lymph nodes in the neck, lower jaw, armpit, groin, etc., deep in the mediastinal lymph nodes and viscera in the vicinity. Swollen lymph nodes in general texture of the soft or medium hardness, the surface smooth and no tenderness, no adhesion. ● skin and mucous membrane lesions. Associated with leukemia, skin damage manifested as nodules, lumps, maculopapular rash and so on. Manifested as nasal mucosal damage, respiratory mucosa and oral mucosa and other places, such as swelling and ulcers. ● nervous system inflammation. Subarachnoid space, meninges, etc. leukocyte infiltration can occur, performance resembling brain tumors, meningitis, etc. will appear in patients with increased intracranial pressure, meningeal irritation, limb paralysis and other symptoms. ● bone and joint disease. Infiltration of bone and joint disease after bone and joint pain often occurs, performance of the sternum, humerus and the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee pain, etc. occurs, pain, occasional pain. Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia occur more than bone and joint tenderness. ● Other. Infiltration of leukemic cells can breath, digestive and urinary and reproductive systems, as well as the eyes, the lacrimal gland and fundus, etc. can occur in patients with diffuse or nodular changes in the lungs, accompanied by pleural effusion, digestive disorders, proteinuria, hematuria, amenorrhea or excessive menstrual flow, proptosis, vision loss and other symptoms.
Tags: Leukemia
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The launch of cheap Android smartphones, especially in the last few years, has definitely benefited consumers in India at large. However, the state of the industry now tells a different story (though not openly).
The invasion of Chinese smartphone brands has hurt indigenous brands, which failed to gauge the impact of the foreign entry beforehand.
While the global brands like Samsung and Apple have largely managed to hold their grip over the market, it’s a different story for others. Here are 7 harsh realities of the smartphone market in India
1. Over 100 brands struggling for attention
The budget smartphone market sees the maximum competition. There are over 100 smartphone brands in India selling handsets under Rs 10,000.
Counterpoint Research analyst Tarun Pathak states that the precise number is around 130. Most brands are unheard of, but they all have a nearly identical Android smartphone to offer to consumers
2. Companies ‘boasting’ losses
When LeEco first launched its Le 1s budget smartphone they had two ‘successful’ stories to share. First, the brand had announced that it had sold over 2 lakh Le 1S units.
Second, the Le 1S costs Rs 16,042 to make (bill of materials) while it is sold for Rs 10,999. Mathematically, that’s a huge loss to boast just to grab consumer attention.
While LeEco might have deep pockets, analysts reveal that most budget Android smartphone (under Rs 10,000) offer an average margin of maximum 7% of the cost. The minimum margin could be around 2% or even nothing, depending on marketing expenses. So, where are the profits?
3. It’s no longer ‘just phones’
India’s top smartphone brand recently announced a brand overhaul. The company said it aims to become a services brand (so where are the smartphones).
Anticipating the fall in growth from smartphones alone, Micromax has diversified itself into a electronics brand selling laptops, TVs, and tablets. For smartphones, content partnerships are the only way ahead.
Most brands have already realised that selling smartphones in this highly competitive market alone cannot deliver the desired growth in revenues. Software, via partnerships, will drive growth. The hardware edge is dead.
4. Flat growth
For the first time in recent years, IDC has reported negligible in the smartphone market globally. The flat growth is attributed to hardware saturation in developed markets.
The new market dynamics have put customer loyalty behind as brands like Lenovo, Xiaomi, are now replace by Oppo and Vivo in the top 5 vendor list.
5. Race to grab mind share
When Xiaomi entered India, they had categorical said no to any sort of advertisements and relied on word of mouth advertisement. But soon they had to go the traditional way.
The race to grab consumer attention is so intense, that endorsements by smartphone brands are found everywhere — in cricket, movies, TV shows, etc. The desperation caused by intense completion is inevitable.
6. Virtual Reality is the new gimmick
Cheap Virtual Reality headsets are the new found accessory to attract consumers. Following Lenovo, domestic brand Karbonn has also joined the VR headset bandwagon.
A cheap VR headset along with an affordable smartphone definitely makes the deal sweet. But it reminds us of the time when magazines survived by attracting readers with freebies
7. Super cheap smartphone threatening quality
The likes Freedom 251 or Docoss X1 have put a question mark on the quality of cheap smartphones. With impossible prices, these brand further dilute the market leaving a bad taste for first time smartphone buyers.
Source: The Economic Times
Tags: India, lenovo, Mobiles, samsung, smartphones
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Social Product Collaboration is the intelligent use of social computing and social media techniques to improve performance in a business setting. It leverages the
free-flowing information found in social media and couples it with the control necessary to protect information in an environment where there is sensitive data, such as new product development in a manufacturing firm. This is something we call the “Social Collaboration Conundrum.”
This episode of Tech-Clarity TV is based on the paper Issue in Focus: Social Business Collaboration and the Product Lifecycle: Combining the Collaborative Power of Social Media with PLM and is sponsored by Nuage.
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At the recent Technology Salon on “How Can We Get Beyond Access and Really Empower Women and Girls with Mobiles?” we had a room full of thought leaders and decision makers in the gender and mobiles space debating how women and girls can be truly empowered through mobile technology.
The discussion was informed by Henriette Kolb, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, and Chris Locke, GSMA Mobile for Development who were our lead discussants. I am Dan Mount and here is the summary of our collective conversations:
Be sure to sign up to get invited to future Salons. Role of the mobile industry in driving development
In a context where mobile technology is increasingly ubiquitous in the developing world – the mobile industry can maximise its developmental impact through a) supporting the dissemination of health and agricultural information; and b) by leveraging the scale of the industry to foster development (M4D).
For example, across both rural and urban areas mobile networks frequently represent the predominant infrastructure in emerging markets, which presents opportunities to leverage that network to achieve inclusion for underserved populations and communities. Advances in Machine to Machine (M2M) communication solutions and the processing of mobile micro-payments have supported the development of pilot projects offering pre-pay and “pay as you go” access to affordable energy and water (see 2013 GSMA report on Mobile Enabled Community Services).
Pathways to increasing female access to mobile
In terms of increasing female access to mobile technology, much can be achieved by persuading mobile operators to continue with existing marketing and demand driving strategies – but including a specific focus on engaging women. In April 2011 Asiacell (the second largest mobile operator in Iraq) launched the Almas Line product line which exclusively targeted the female market, supported by a television advertising campaign and a free “bye-bye service” which allows users to block abusive texts and calls from up to 20 mobile numbers. Since the 2011 product launch the number of Iraqi women with mobile subscriptions has risen from 20% to 40% – an increase of 1.8 million.
Mobile financial services
A report published in February 2013 on Women and Mobile Financial Services in Emerging Markets looks at the barriers to female access and specific needs of women across five countries (Indonesia, Kenya, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Tanzania). In Tanzania 34% of women reporting an interest in using mobile financial services cited the lack of a mobile phone as the main reason for not having done so.
During the salon discussion it was also suggested that increasing the presence of women within mobile industry sales channels (as sales agents) would have the dual benefit of boosting female employment, as well as allowing women to purchase mobile products and services from other women (instead of predominantly dealing with men which can represent a dissuading factor in certain cultures).
Key barriers
Key barriers to female mobile adoption were listed as:
Cost/affordability Cultural barriers (including prevailing perceptions of the appropriate/traditional role of women in Muslim society) Fear of technology Lack of perceived need or appreciation of the benefits of mobile technology The impact of telecommunications market maturity
The maturity of the domestic mobile market is also an important factor. Mobile operators are not usually incentivised to analyse or segment a national market when mobile penetration levels are at 50-60% as phones are already flying off the shelves. The incentives usually increase as the market reaches saturation. However, smaller operators seeking to build market share will often see a business case in conducting such market research/analysis at an earlier stage.
Tackling affordability/cost
In terms of business models and approaches aimed at tackling the affordability barrier – the Community Phone initiative (whereby local entrepreneurs share the cost of purchasing/renting mobile internet enabled devices to offer fee-based access to communities) and discounted tariff plans have been the most effective thus far. Aside from these approaches, the most scope for innovation remains in the sales, distribution and marketing channels.
It was also suggested that smart phone costs are already being driven down by market forces. In a context where building an industry consortium to agree a common feature set and bulk purchase of mobile devices for discount sale would take at least 12 months – the market is likely to deliver similar cost reductions on its own under current circumstances. It was also noted that while the cost of devices and mobile tariffs are a factor – issues surrounding access to electricity (and the cost of charging a phone) are also significant. According to research by the World Bank many users in emerging markets often have to decide between purchasing additional calories (food) and charging their mobile phones.
Business Women service case study
In August 2012 the Cherie Blair Foundation in partnership with Nokia launched the “Business Women” service – providing essential business tips to female entrepreneurs delivered via SMS to mobile phones within the Nokia Life platform. While initial signs suggest the project has been a success, a number of questions have also arisen.
What is the appropriate balance between scale and evidence? How extensively should the impact and usability for female entrepreneurs be assessed before further roll out? When is the product good enough?
It was suggested that there is a need to maintain iterative improvements to the platform supported by on-going feedback loops – as well as to integrate female entrepreneurs into the process of designing new products and applications. In Tanzania, Ghana and Rwanda Millicom are partnering with USAID to provide over 4,000 women with support and training to become mobile money agents with the objective of increasing female employment and financial inclusion. It was also noted that a deficit of women in managerial positions in the mobile industry is not just a developing world problem.
Scale versus evidence
On the subject of measuring impact versus up-scaling projects, it was argued that sometimes there is a trade-off between evidence collection and rolling out the benefits of a project quickly. On certain occasions there may be a case for rapidly up-scaling a project with demonstrable value in advance of an in-depth impact assessment. One example of this is DFID’s involvement/support for M-PESA in Kenya.
More resources on women, girls, and mobiles
There are also challenges surrounding processing the volume of evidence produced by some projects and zeroing in on those elements associated with development outcomes. One solution is to use mobile technology as means of collecting evidence electronically as opposed to paper based surveys which require more resources to administer and process.
On the topic of evidence collection, GSMA has built up an online repository of horizontal studies about the impact of mobile on development which includes a dedicated section on Women and Mobile impact pathways.
Why is gender differentiation important?
The question was posed – in what ways are women different from men in the context of mobile? Is a gender differentiated service really necessary? One response was that the focus should be on equality of opportunity. Access to mobile technology and services tends to be dominated by those groups who are already well represented in other existing social and economic spaces. There is a need to address this imbalance.
A mobile phone is a tool to access services, but there is a need to address the human aspects of the delivery infrastructure (such as through hiring female sales agents or marketing/branding mobile products and services in ways which are attractive to women). Mobile technology is gender neutral – although the different uses, structures and cultures associated with mobile technology may not always be neutral.
Gender balanced access to mobile technology has implications for ensuring equal access to opportunities for political discourse, economic empowerment and civil society participation which increase social inclusion. Education remains a key factor in overcoming barriers to female adoption of mobile technology.
The role of governments, green technology and language
Governments also have an important role to play in supporting the roll out of mobile network coverage – although in many instances universal service funds have not been properly administered. It was also pointed out that base station technology was initially designed to work alongside developed world electricity grids.
In many developing markets 80% of the cost of administering a mobile network originates from running diesel powered base stations. However, this issue is on its way to being solved with advances in solar powered and wind powered base stations (30,000 new green base stations will be connected in 2013).
In relation to the accessibility and provision of mobile services and applications in local languages – this is not necessarily expensive to deliver – but that functionality does need to be incorporated at the design stage for the platform/device. It was also stressed that one of the challenges with application design competitions is they need to build in more elements of long term sustainability as opposed to just incentivising people to chase a $30,000 prize.
More coordination/project flexibility?
It was contended that a key objective should be to successfully cross pollinate discussions surrounding access and use with development programmes seeking to promote examples of mobile usage. How can all the different pilot projects be more effectively coordinated? It is also important to leverage multiple communications channels including mobile, social networking (Facebook and Twitter) as well as radio broadcasts).
A further challenge exists in relation to promoting and marketing platforms as opposed to specific applications on a sector basis (e.g. business, agriculture, health). Information technology and mobile technology are horizontal services which naturally support the integration of multiple services. However, donors who are committed to a specific project aimed at health (for example) will not necessarily support the migration of that project into other related areas (such as financial inclusion).
Cultural barriers to access
In some instances women with access to mobile phones will share that access with a parent, guardian or husband, who may have the ability to confiscate or restrict access to that device. Sometimes the most effective way to communicate towards women is to contact their partners/husbands (e.g. sending maternal health SMS’s to men’s mobiles at a specific time in the afternoon when mobile generators arrive at the village allowing them to charge/switch on their phones – and pass them to their wives/partners).
The use of language can also have significant implications. According to research sponsored by VISA into mobile financial services, telling users to “put” money is more understood than asking them to “save” which does not appear to be a readily grasped concept.
Dematerialisation of communications and assets
Discussion turned to the issue of violence against women. Some were concerned that female empowerment can occasionally provoke physical repercussions from men. Others suggested that the dematerialisation of communications and assets fostered by mobile technology (in terms of less visible/monitored access to people, conversations, information and electronic payments) represents a clear trend towards the empowerment of women in traditional societies.
Closing comments
It was commented that the primary role of the mobile industry is in the provision of accessible infrastructure using affordable devices and data charges/tariffs. Once this is successfully achieved, it is predominantly the responsibility of other players to leverage that environment to take this process forward in the pursuit of wider societal and economic outcomes.
In a context where academic research has confirmed that natural disasters have a disproportionate impact in relation to female life expectancy (see London School of Economics study) mobile technology has the potential to play a part in reducing this imbalance through increasing awareness, communication and serving as an informal early warning system.
Sign up to get invited to future Salons
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To be honest, we weren’t particularly wowed by the most recent UCA Board of Trustee meeting agenda. The most important item seemed to be another increase of fees and various rates on campus, but as we all know, fees and rates are increasing everywhere all of the time, so while it is important to note, it’s not exactly earth-shattering news.
Another item amused us enough to at least bring attention to it: the possible banning of e-cigarettes and “vaping” on campus. Usually, a potential problem might have to reach epidemic levels before being considered ban-able, but in this case, UCA thought enough of it to give it the once over. So we let people know this was a possibility.
And then the major media took over.
One television station in Little Rock jumped on the story, and on the day of the meeting, multiple media outlets were on the scene. An assumption that they were there for the fee increases would be wrong.
Apparently the e-cigarette fad is no longer just a fad. It is a full-blown lifestyle. The lure of these devices is that they do not contain tobacco. Instead, there’s a mechanism that heats up liquid nicotine, which turns into a vapor that smokers inhale and exhale.
Because they contain no tobacco, e-cigarettes aren’t subject to U.S. tobacco laws. So while UCA cannot treat e-cigarettes like they would tobacco products, there are those who are worried that the unknowns of direct or secondhand nicotine vapors are enough to recommend that they be stricken from campus.
The board agreed and banned the substance. It seems fair enough, if for the simple fact that e-cigarettes, like real cigarettes, do create an environment that can affect those in close proximity to the user. Although they may not be blowing smoke in your face, what they are blowing may be hazardous to your health.
So while the act of “vaping” may be helping those who are trying to get away from traditional tobacco and the health concerns they pose, the questions are enough to keep this new smoking sensation away from campus.
We just didn’t realize it was that big of a deal.
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Depositional conditions and revised age of the Permo-Triassic microbialites at Gaohua section, Cili County (Hunan Province, South China) Authors: Wang et al Abstract: In many tropical shallow water regions the end-Permian mass extinction event occurs at the top fossiliferous packstone beds and is immediately followed by the development of microbialite facies. Both the age and redox conditions of the microbialite have been debated and both factors are addressed here in a study of the Gaohua section (Cili County, Hunan Province, China): specifically the size distribution of pyrite framboids and high-resolution conodont biostratigraphy. The framboids populations show a broad size range with examples up to 30 microns in diameter, and indicating dysoxic but not anoxic depositional conditions. More intense dysoxia is recorded in interbedded laminated micrites but not beds of giant ooids. Both the Hindeodus parvus zone and Isarcicella isarcica zones were established with the microbialite beds being confined to the H. parvus zone. Therefore, the formation of microbialite postdates the end Permian main mass extinction and records oxygen-poor conditions even in a shallow-water setting such as Gaohua section at Cili.
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I’ve become a big fan of harvesting lessons from both successes and failures. One of my favorite tools for doing so is the formal After Action Review. (This is also sometimes called ‘hotwash’ or ‘hot wash’.)
Keys to a good After Action Review meeting:
Only include the people who took part in the action (including planning it) No names, no ranks – everybody speaks their mind, and past performance is referred to by title or position, never by name. No ego, no fear, just truth and openness. Everybody is subordinate to the mission. Focus is on fixing the future (not assigning blame for the past) Put the needs of the firm above your need to be right, to be perfect, to be safe – approach the task of improving our process with humility and candor. The seven stages of the debrief are STEALTH:
[S] Set time, location, and prepare
assign roles: timekeeper, scribe, data input person, discussion leader (same as mission planner) inform everyone what they need to bring prepare the room with flip charts, clean table tops start on time / keep on schedule / end on time
[T] Tone is nameless, rankless
lead by example; be open talk in the third person – never “I” or “you” but “the lead carpenter”, “the estimator” don’t care about WHO is right – care about WHAT is right
[E] Execution vs. Objectives –
were objectives SMART? reconstruct the sequence of events did we accomplish the mission?
[A] Analyze execution
list errors and successes for each error/success, list cause(s) identify underlying root cause(s) of each
[L] Lessons Learned
prominent or recurring root causes
[T] Transfer Lessons Learned – make part of future process
[H] High note – positive summation
Source: “Flawless Execution” by James D. Murphy, ISBN 0-06-083416-1
(http://www.afterburnerseminars.com/ )
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Spring semester is upon us, and we all know what that means — your mom finally stops asking you about the mysterious charges on her credit card in favor of discussing what kind of internship you’ll find for the summer.
Ideally, the perfect internship involves you going to Instagram-worthy business events, staying in a kick ass city, and partying with a cool yet industry-connected #girlboss, whose professional philosophy is that nothing is truly complete without a glass of Rosé (or five). Your boss would also supply an unlimited selection of designer clothes, an amazing apartment where you could stay rent-free and be totally chill with you wanting to arrive at noon and leave by two. Since this is a fantasy, you also have a very committed boyfriend who never watches porn and surprises you with a puppy and engagement ring at the end of the summer.
That’s right. That “dream internship” is a total joke. Apparently,
real internships aren’t all innocent day drinking and lounging around in designer clothes while meeting cool people who work in whatever field you want to be in. The best industry party you will attend is the company’s annual family picnic and the coolest person you’ll meet is your boss’s boss. Being a real intern is basically like being someone’s servant. It’s like pledging a fraternity, but without the mixers, parties, or day drinking.
It’s the worst. It destroys any chance of visiting your little, reduces your tanning potential, and laughs in the face of your whirlwind summer romance plans. We do them, though, because internships are probably necessary for finding a job one day, or so strangers keep telling us. They pad your résumé, make you seem qualified, and convince unsuspecting potential employers that just because you skipped sixty percent of your calc class and were hungover at the other forty doesn’t mean you’re lazy. You clearly already know percentages, so going would have been a waste of time.
So, to appease our parents and maybe help us find jobs one day, here’s how to get yourself a banging internship.
The first step to getting any internship is, obviously, to lie. If you’re anything like me, you joined one club freshman year that would have related heavily to your major, if you hadn’t changed it yet. But you didn’t, so time to work those “creative problem-solving skills” you claim to possess. To help collaborate these lies, list your sisters as fake references. Just make sure to list the ones who have no problem pretending that not accepting a shot from a creepy stranger counts as advocating for SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions).
At this point, you’ll probably have to keep up the appearance of internship hunting somehow. Look up random companies that you “applied to” and can name drop when your parents ask. Maybe even send your résumé around a little, hopefully on scented paper, à la Elle Woods. Or better yet, ask your parents to float your résumé around the office. Believe me, parents
love nepotism.
Once your mostly-false-but-very-impressive résumé scores you an interview, call your mom to brag. Then ask her to send you money because you’re definitely gonna need a much nicer, more professional wardrobe if you want to actually get hired. And a visit to the salon to fix your roots. And get a manicure. And facial.
You will nail the interview and be offered the job because you’ve done recruitment exercises thousands of times. You can politely converse, smile, and fake-laugh your way into anyone’s heart. It doesn’t matter how dull an interviewer is, it will never be worse than the time you were stuck talking to a PNM about how she couldn’t choose between sandals or wedges for fifteen minutes.
And if you don’t? Well, you tried and failed, and now, you can pull the “Mom, you just don’t understand. The interviewer was
so mean and belittled everything I’ve accomplished. It’s like he didn’t understand how much attention to detail is required to tweeze the perfect eyebrow arch! I had to buy myself that Michael Kors purse just to feel human again!” all summer long.
Happy job hunting!.
This featured image is a stock photo from our database. The people photographed are not in any way associated with the story.
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Tracy's Running Journal Who am I?
Hi, I'm Tracy.I'm a fitness trainer and health nutritionist. I'm an enthusiastic marathon runner and love spending time with my dog on the beaches of L.A.!
STUFF I'M REALLY GOOD AT: Fitness & Running
I have a passion to make people more passionate about running and working out. Running is often associated with pain. A big part of being a personal trainer is not to teach people how to run or work out. It is make them enjoy it so they eventually can motivate themselves. Most of my clients still work with me though as they enjoy my company. But apart from that working out should be something that you want to do forever. So you should enjoy it. That's especially true if you are a beginner.
I decided to share a few of my running tips for beginners: 1. Deal With Your Negative Associations
Whatever anxieties or feelings you connect with jogging…you have to deal with them. Identify them. Simply because running was not pleasure for you in the past does not mean it can not be now. It’s about the mindset.
2. Share Your Running Success
You don’t have to start your own blog, there is an even bigger jogging community out there which will help you with your journey. They will share your success and encourage you. And do not forget to take pictures!
3. Set a Goal
Creating a goal for every run creates an awareness of achievement as well as is most likely going to set new or better standards of your improvement.
4. Slow down.
A lot of people get discouraged with the very first few attempts because they expect too much. Take it slowly! Enjoy every bit of it and be proud of the little successes!
5. Take a friend with you
It is easier to get motivated if you take a friend with you. It can be a neighbor, your best friend or your dog! Running together is always more fun than running alone and definitely something to look forward to.
6. Find your perfect time for running
Changing the time of day up may have an enormous effect on your performance. According to people who work out in the morning research shows that they do have a curbed desire, more energy and better sleep. But you have to try and see whatever works for you!
7. Stop when you are injured.
When people start to really feel the thrill of running, they usually get addicted to it! But when you are injured it’s time to take a step back. If you are constantly tired it’s time to give your body a break. If you have pain in your feet, for example in your heel, you might have developed a heel spur/plantar fasciitis. In that case it is very important that you rest your feet and don’t run for at least a week! After that make sure you are well equipped to not put further strain on the affected area. So, for example, if you actually developed plantar fasciitis, make sure to buy running shoes for plantar fasciitis for your foot type to avoid further stress on your heel. Same goes for knee problems. Try to buy running shoes that are well cushioned with great motion control and shock absorption.
8. Find new running trails!
If you eat the same food for dinner every single day you eventually will get bored. It’s the same with running. The same running trail will look very boring to you after a while and you won’t be so motivated anymore to go running. Mix it up once in a while and explore other places in your area. Or get in the car and go running somewhere complete else. Sometimes it’s really worth to take a little trip for a run that is more fun. MapMyRun is a great resource!
9. Give back.
We are not convinced there is another sport out there that is as jogging as non-profit. In case you can not find the private motivation to keep putting one foot before the other, do something that makes it more worth it! There are many races that look for participants that are willing to run for charity!
10. Challenge yourself.
Perhaps you've would like to take running to another stage. Then challenge yourself! Sign up for a half marathon for example! Of course sign up in advance so that you can train for it and look forward to it. You will get a lot more motivation to go outside, explore new trails and start running longer and faster!
Getting Nutrition Right
Perfect nutrition is almost impossible. But you certainly can get it right to improve overall well-being and performance. Here is a list of my top foods for runners!
1. Wholegrain
Runners want a lot of carbs to fuel workouts, and pasta and breads are clear picks. But not all pasta and not all breads are made equal. Whole grain foods are more unprocessed and for that reason include more of the natural nourishment within the grain. As compared to bread and white pasta, you will get more nutrients from the increased fiber. Whole grains will allow you to feel fuller longer.
2. Healthy Fats: Coconut Oil & Co
Let’s face it. We need fat. Our body needs healthy fats to be healthy, it needs it for various essential body functions, in particular for our brain. Forget what you learnt for years and years about avoiding fats at all costs! But opt in for healthier options such as coconut oil (which is by the way also a great beauty oil. coconut oil helps with keratosis pilaris aka chicken skin and some say even with acne.) Olive oil is another healthy option. Just make sure not to use olive oil in cooking. It’s not a heat-stable oil so you can only use it in cold form, e. g. in salad.
3. Bananas
Bananas are an excellent supply of carbs. Bananas additionally include potassium, which helps to prevent cramping and improves regulate muscle contraction. Bananas are perfect as a snack or just as part of breakfast. Add it to your cereal or make a smoothie with bananas and dark chocolate!
4. Eggs
One egg meets about 10 percent of your day-to-day protein wants, as well as the amino acids will help with restoration and muscle repair.
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The SPiDER is a scanner that can calculate its position in the manhole shaft by using its sensor data to measure its incremental motion. This technology frees inspections from problems associated with inaccurate, poorly calibrated cable counters and poorly managed cables.
SPIDER weighs less than 30 lbs. and can be hand carried to easements or other previously difficult to access sites. This portability is possible because the processing computer and battery supply are integrated into the scanner. Additionally, SPiDER does not require an inspection truck or other piece of equipment (other than the included tablet) for operational use.
SPiDER collects millions of 3D measurements during each manhole inspection. The raw data is post processed to a 3D point cloud that provides engineering and survey quality information on manhole geometry and condition that can be used for structural assessment, pre- and post-rehabilitation analysis (i.e. lining thickness), hydrological surveys, as well as general condition assessment.
SPiDER also provides live-video stream and recorded video making it an ideal tool for Infiltration and Inflow (I&I) studies which depend on live video to detect moving water.
According to CUES Manhole Inspection Division director, Pierre Mikhail, the SPiDER scanner will provide a new outlook on how manhole data is collected and applied.
“CUES has a long-standing reputation for innovation and excellence in manhole/pipeline inspection and rehabilitation technology,” he says. “It currently offers a range of tools from hand held pole mounted units to automated truck mounted units that provide unsurpassed productivity in manhole inspection and measurement. The SPiDER scanner is the future of making intelligent choices and prioritizing investment decisions using color three dimensional point clouds.”
CUES is a leading manufacturer of pipeline TV inspection and rehabilitation equipment. With headquarters and a new manufacturing facility located in Orlando, Fla., Cues continues to design, build and support its product line with an experienced and dedicated team.
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Chocolithophore From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia Not to be confused with Cockolithophores, which are a lot less tasteful if you ask me. Chocolithophores—or M&M's of the sea, as they are known by consumers—are a single celled, chocolate based algae. The unique chocolate plate or scale structures, called "chocoliths", make chocolithophores easily identifiable under magnification. This species is one of only two known to produce cocoa substances, the other being Theobroma cacao. Genetic evidence suggests these species developed their cocoa production genes independently, suggesting a niche common to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Chocolithophore aquaculture has been attempted since the late 1970s, but has not proven to be economically viable for industrial chocolate production.
Recently, a team of scientists have discovered that chocolithophores may play a vital role in managing our climate. In their CLAW hypothesis, they posit that chocolithophores can directly influence the global weather system.
edit CLAW hypothesis
The CLAW hypothesis—CLAW being an acronym for Chocolithophores Like to Alter the Weather—suggests that different flavours of chocolithophores can each alter the weather in their own unique way.
However, several fringe scientists have come up with an alternative hypothesis, which they call the 8==DLAW hypothesis. They claim that droplets of a mysterious fluid produced by cockolithophores can absorb infra-red light, thus causing global warming. However, most scientists agree that it just smells funny.
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Hunting occupies that rare place in our cutlural lexicon whereby it exists as both recreational sport, and as a way to provide food for oneself, and one’s family.
But has hunting become a wedge issue, an identity checkmark on the battlefield of partisan politics? Does tofu equal liberal while venison equates with conservative?
Maybe. Then again, maybe not.
“Hunting is undeniably in vogue among the bearded, bicycle-riding, locavore set,” Emma Marris writes in her recent Slate.com article “Hipsters Who Hunt: More liberals are shooting their own supper.” “The new trend might even be partly behind a recent 9 percent increase from 2006 to 2011 in the number of hunters in the United States after years of decline.”
Hunting, many non-traditional hunters are discovering, can be quite earthy-crunchy.
“If you eat meat,” notes Marris, “eating animals you hunt yourself is a more ethical alternative than eating those from the current industrial agricultural system.”
“Getting your meat from outside the industrial food system is also better for the environment,” Marris continues. “Wild game isn’t fed on tons of grain that used excessive water, land, and fossil-fuel-based synthetic fertilizer.”
Both the environmental and ethical concerns, however, may be easier for the localvore set to digest than the political perception of hunting as viewed in our popular culture.
“There’s another facile belief that the new kids in the duck blind need to jettison,” says Marris, “the idea that all hunting is somehow the cultural property of jerky guys with big trucks and a fondness for the country music and Republican candidates.”
It is a worthwhile observation, but the fact that this even needs to be stated, and is receiving prominent placement at a site like Slate.com, is sorry commentary on our society indeed. Regardless of one’s subcultural leanings, we all lose when passions are whittled away in such a simplistic manner.
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Le 6 juin 2016, 03:18 dans Humeurs • 0
They can also be used to Watering Can pesky weeds and unwanted plants. The pointed corners can also be used as a light duty pick. Pruning shear
Your pruning shears will see a lot of action in the garden. They are used for trimming branches, overgrowth grass and foliage.
It is important to buy a pruning shears, which fits your hand well and is easy to operate. There are different types of shears for different functions.
For example, do not use a hedge shears for cutting big branches, they are for detailed shaping of hedges only.
Finally, do not overlook the importance of proper attire.
You will need good work gloves to protect your hands and kneepads to make kneeling more comfortable.
Protect your eyes with a pair of safety glasses or face shield when using your string trimmer or pressure washer or when working with any power tools.
Bacho products are the highest-quality, safest, and most skillfully designed garden tools on the market.
Every product in their line is updated at least once a year to keep it on the cutting edge of Garden Shears technology.
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I'm here because I love genetics and football, but why have our other participants turned out? Matt Mealiffe MD is here because there's nothing worth watching on TV. Live results of genetic tests for breast cancer susceptibility really are a new low in televised entertainment, and going outside to play is a much more sensible way to spend your time.
Wenchypoo is here for the health benefits of exercise. Knowing your family's history of potentially genetic disease, and passing that information on to your kids, makes perfect sense in a world where health care is not universal. Good diet and lots of exercise are great ways to minimise the effects of any unhealthy genetic programming. If all else fails, we can always hope that the recent advances in biological data mining that David Hamilton has been telling us about will fulfill their promise of a better understanding of cancer and other diseases.
So that's one vote for football-better-than-TV, and one vote for exercise. Does no-one else want to share? Fair enough. Eric Michael Johnson points out that a person's involvement in processes such as voting may be genetically determined, so we shouldn't blame ourselves too much. The motivation to participate in democratic processes may be a byproduct of our evolved ability to co-operate with others, so it will be interesting to see whether the people that spoke up just now will make better team players.
It's getting cold out, so let's get this game started! It's Mendel's garden, so we'll let him kick off, even though I'm the only one who thought to bring a ball. (Luigi Guarino brought beer though. What a star! We're all very appreciative that barley, like some other crop and livestock species, was domesticated multiple times by our ancestors.) The maverick monk gets us started, and he's showing some nifty footwork for a religious man. Not quite the Hand of God, but some divine ball skills nonetheless. But the local favourite runs into a cloud of fruit flies and loses sight of the ball. He doesn't look too happy, in fact he seems to be taking the non-Mendelian mode of
Drosophila transposon inheritance a wee bit personally.
Greg Laden cues up the ball for the restart and plays a nice ball into the box. He's a very creative player, this one - or is he just reassembling existing moves into something that looks more creative than it is? Kind of like Craig Venter and artificial life? Hmmm. Let's just admire Greg's contribution to the beautiful game and leave the big questions to the philosophers on the next field over.
Eric picks up Greg's pass and plays a nice little one-two with David. He turns on a dime in the box. He shoots, he scores! 1-0. What a great demonstration of teamwork and inter-primate co-operation. Our intrepid goalie, Grrl Scientist, protests that she was distracted by a gang of wasps who were showing their own kind of co-operation and scaring the bejeesus out of her and the rest of the defense. Wasps have evolved group maternal and reproductive behaviour, switching between the two as their gene expression patterns change, and now they've evolved the ability to disrupt major international sporting events. They're worse than the bloody fruit flies. Maybe a garden is not the best place for this game.
The goal stands, regardless of insect interference, and the game resumes with a renewed passion as the other team tries to make amends. Dr Matt passes back to Grrl, who feeds the ball out to Luigi. Luigi nutmegs Mad Hatter - apparently defending against this feisty forward is almost as difficult as playing whac-a-mole with the constantly evolving polio virus - and threads the ball through to Wenchy, who's in acres of space.
Sudip Ghosh makes an impressive sliding tackle that gets the ball but unfortunately knocks Wenchy over. It looks like he may have mistaken Wenchy for James Watson, but instead of getting a Nobel prize rescinded, all he achieves is a free kick for the opposing team. Wenchy takes a shot at goal, it looks good, oooohhhh! Jesus saves, but I score on the rebound. 1-1.
That goal seems to have taken the competitive edge out of the game, and it's all gone a bit flat here in Mendel's garden. A few missed passes and long waits for the ball to be retrieved from behind the pea plants are making everyone feel that November cold and start thinking about the after-match hot chocolate.
But wait - Greg Laden has the ball again! The man from Minnesota is making maneuvers and heading for goal. Ohhhh, but he got distracted by some birds messing about in the pea plants. Avian adulterers might go for the best-looking mates, but that's no excuse for taking your eyes off the ball.
Luckily for Greg's team, Mendel picks up the ball in midfield (midgarden?) and gives us another glimpse of that magic footwork. He's round Matt, he's round Wenchy, he's bearing down on an open goal... but if I stretch and put in a sliding tackle, I can juuuuust put a toe on it... the ball careens off, Mendel goes flying, and ball and monk each take out a whole row of pea plants. Oh no! Decades of work ruined - who's going to be the father of modern genetics now? - and Mendel's gone off in a huff. Hey, don't look at me like that, it was a fair challenge.
Well, if you're going to be like that, I'm going home. And I'm taking my ball with me. Game over.
Rematch in December at The Inoculated Mind.
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An excellent way to achieve a well rounded workout is to do exercises that use two opposing muscle groups, such as the back and chest. The muscle you were formerly working will certainly be allowed to rest while you are working the other muscle. This will certainly help you increase the strength of your workout given that your time in the gym will be restricted. Adjust your diet plan in function of just how much you work out. Eat the quantity that you need to obtain a weekly pound. Discover some methods to take in more calories. If you have actually not acquired any weight within two weeks, attempt eating much more. just click the next post Research the exercises you are doing to ensure they will really assist you increase your muscle mass. Each set of muscles can be exercised differently, so do not assume that one size fits all. You have to have a diverse muscle exercise in order to develop the numerous muscle groups. If you wish to construct muscle, provide yourself enough time for recuperation. It may appear tempting to go complete steam ahead, but your body requires time off so you do not hurt yourself. Stick to a muscle-building regimen that has to do with three times a week; novices may have to start with twice a week. Watch for rip-offs that assure the ultimate level of success with one workout. Muscle Building requires that you switch up your routine in some cases, and do workouts that will certainly work a range of muscles. If all you are doing is dealing with one machine or on one separated regular, you will certainly never see the outcomes that you are really looking for. When trying to get muscles, you must attempt to have a diet plan rich in fresh, whole foods. Keep away from boxed and pre-packaged foods because these have a lot of chemicals, chemicals, and fillers which can reduce your immune system and trigger condition. By taking in the healthiest of foods, your immune system and muscle focus will certainly be much improved. Attempt to do bench presses and squats in the very same way that you do deadlifts, which is from a total stop. Use bench and squat activities in the power rack, and allow the safety bars to be set at a particular point where this bar is at the bottom of these moves. You have to let the bar choose this point. This assists you to get rid of any elastic stress, which helps you in increasing your strength. building review, weight loss http://www.naturalnews.com/038698_muscle_building_foods_proteins.html
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A Marshall plan for FATA
The News, July 21, 2008 Ayaz Wazir The new government has announced major reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. The prime minister made the historic announcement of abolishing the draconian Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) in his inaugural speech and his administration is now planning the nitty-gritty of reforms in the areas. The FCR and the legal and governance regime it perpetuate are the biggest hurdle in the way of progress and prosperity in the Tribal Areas. It kept FATA backward in the past six decades of our independence. With a population of nearly seven million, the Tribal Areas form a 27, 220 sq. kilometre arch along the Afghan border. This region, was divided by the British Raj and subsequent Pakistani governments into somewhat artificial seven units called agencies and the adjoining Frontier Regions. Each tribal agency is headed by an administrative officer called the political agent who represents the central government in Islamabad and its regional representative – the governor NWFP. Though some line agencies under the NWFP government provide services to FATA, it has no authority or say in the affairs of these regions. The political agents have absolute powers with little checks and balances. They are not public servants rather they have a master-slave relationship with the local tribesmen. All of the political agent’s powers stems from the FCR, which makes him the local administrator, judge, jury, police chief and head of all service delivery institutions. To elaborate his absolute authority let’s look into a few specific examples. The political agent can arrest any one under his jurisdictions for three years without assigning any reason. The period can be extended for as long as he wishes. It cannot be challenged in any Pakistani courts of law. Under sections 20 and 21 of the FCR, the political agent can put behind bars the entire tribes and seize, confiscate or demolish their properties. The PA often engages in invoking the collective tribal and territorial responsibility to punish the whole tribe or community for the crimes of an individual. The part of establishment and bureaucracy that benefits from the governance regime in the Tribal Areas has also perpetuated a lot of negative myths and propaganda about these regions and its inhabitants. For instance, an impression has been created that the tribal area is inaccessible and its people are difficult to govern. Nothing can be further from truth. This region is home to historic passes that connected the Subcontinent and Central Asia for thousands of years. Poverty and other circumstances in the tribal areas have forced its people to become on of the most mobile communities in Pakistan. Today thousands of tribal families are living in the urban centres of NWFP and other major cities, which testify to the fact that they want a peaceful emancipated existence like other citizens of the land. The current security situation in FATA is the result of complex regional and international geo-politics. In fact, tribesmen are the worst victims of the prevailing situation in their homeland. The Pashtun society in the tribal areas is inherently egalitarian and thus best suited for practicing modern representative democracy. One of the first political reforms in the Tribal Areas will be to extend the Political Parties Act to FATA. This is perhaps the only region in the world where people have adult franchise but political parties are banned. As the bureaucracy in Peshawar and Islamabad is one of the biggest hurdles in bringing meaningful reforms to the Tribal Areas, this should be thoroughly streamlined and reoriented to be the true servants of the tribesmen. Some past and present bureaucrats are too attached to the colonial notions of keeping FATA in the dark ages. They need to learn lessons from the mess they have created and have a mercy on the impoverished tribesmen. The basic concern of the new system should be the welfare of the border tribes rather than serving some misguided notions of grandeur strategic designs. Tribesmen deserve all the rights and privileges guaranteed by the constitution. However, it is highly unlikely that any political reforms will succeed without a compatible economic package. In reality, FATA needs something on the scale of Marshall Plan to be implemented on urgent basis. If our government can get it right, reforms and development in FATA will not only transform Pakistan but the entire South and Central Asian region. The writer is a former ambassador. Email: waziruk@hotmail.com.
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Zena Forest and Farm is many things to many people.
It’s where fires are deliberately set to restore the oak savanna, which dominated the area centuries ago. It’s where students practice organic farming, and it’s where a powerful telescope is used to inspect the heavens.
In a new book, “Finding a Sense of Place: An Environmental History of Zena,” 25 Willamette University students present the first coherent and comprehensive history of Zena — exploring details of its geological past and plans for the property’s future.
The book retails for $20 and is available at The Willamette Store and Amazon.com. Royalties will benefit the Willamette Sustainability Institute, which provided the funds for the book’s publication through a Faculty Fellow Research Grant.
“One of the benefits of a liberal arts education is you get to do your own exploring,” says Morgan Gratz-Weiser ’13, one of the book’s authors.
“It was a tough process in a way to find the information you needed and to work on your own writing style, but now, it’s great to look back to see how your writing has progressed.”
History Lesson
Zena Forest and Farm is a 305-acre property in the Eola Hills of the Willamette Valley, 10 miles northwest of Willamette University. Willamette purchased the land in 2008 to develop educational programs and to “protect, restore, manage and enhance the natural resources and ecosystem services of Zena.”
Visiting History Professor Bob Reinhardt assigned the book project through his course, “The Environmental History of Zena,” helping guide students as they examined everything from studies of the Willamette Valley’s geology to church and state archival records.
“The main objective of the course was to learn about the approach, method and tools of environmental history,” says Reinhardt, who recently received a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University.
“I chose Zena as the place for the beginning of this process (but) the students decided what should go into the book, who would write which chapters, etc. …This book is the product of the students, not me.”
During the recent Student Scholarship Recognition Day at Willamette, about half of the student authors discussed the rewards and challenges of writing the book.
Most said the project helped them improve their writing and editing skills while also giving them a greater appreciation for Zena’s rich history.
“It was a fun puzzle to piece together, but definitely a challenge,” says Andrew Splittler ’14. “This process is something I’ll definitely remember.”
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While innovation is a constant in today’s business world, many MBA programs still follow 20th-century models. Philadelphia University, however, puts innovative thinking at the core of its new Innovation MBA program, which allows students to earn their degree in just 12 months.
The iMBA features an integrated curriculum that helps students become dynamic problem-solvers and entrepreneurial thinkers, learning to navigate new, more valuable realities for their businesses and careers. With its unique curriculum, the iMBA gives students the opportunity to earn the kind of MBA heralded by
The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company and Wired Magazine as the degree innovative companies are looking for.
“The iMBA program was designed for those who want to kickstart their career with the type of education and experiences needed to lead in the 21st century work world,” said Sue Lehrman, dean of the School of Business Administration. “With its unique curriculum and focus on creative problem solving, the iMBA experience is unlike any other. It gives students a skillset that will serve them in many ways throughout their careers.”
The program is open to students with varying backgrounds, from recent graduates to mid-level professionals. It is designed as a flexible program that allows students to study either full-time or part-time during late afternoons and evenings. Classes are administered through Philadelphia University’s collaborative Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce in the new LEED Gold-certified DEC Center.
Built into the program are core components that give iMBA students an edge, including top internships to deepen the learning experience and professional networking opportunities throughout the program. Students learn to identify problems and seek out opportunities. The curriculum teaches students to think beyond the boundaries of existing disciplines, working both independently and collaboratively to create valuable, feasible and marketable ideas, systems, products and services.
With a faculty of industry experts bringing real-world experience to the classroom, the iMBA utilizes PhilaU’s signature approach to teaching and learning, Nexus Learning, which is active, collaborative, real-world and infused with the liberal arts. It’s an approach that inspires market-driven innovation through teamwork, collaboration and industry connections.
Students also will have the opportunity to gain valuable international business experience through faculty-led short courses in China, India and Europe. These experiences will allow students to immerse themselves in a foreign culture and gain the sophistication that innovative industries and firms demand. PhilaU iMBA graduates are exceptionally well-prepared to be leaders in the exciting, challenging global marketplace.
“Innovation MBA students become masters of business solutions in a globalized world,” said D.K. Malhotra, professor of finance. “Our collaborative curriculum challenges students to approach business problems by thinking in uniquely different ways, using both business and design thinking to develop unique solutions.”
The iMBA has five specialty tracks, including Marketing, Management, Accounting/Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Finance/Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and General Business. The CPA and CFA tracks include expert external preparation for certification exams. Each track builds on the iMBA’s core innovation-focused courses such as Business Models Development, Competitive Technical Intelligence, Managing Innovative People and Teams, Qualitative and Quantitative Marketing Research, Operations from a Systems Perspective, Global Product Development, International Business Innovation Trip and a Career Jumpstart Internship.
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the Original Online Biz Boomer Babe. the Original Online Biz Boomer Babe.
Throughout my life, I've enjoyed numerous booming careers in a mishmash of industries: Project Manager, Application Developer, Business Analyst, Human Resource Specialist, Interior Decorator, College Instructor and now Online Biz Boomer Babe. My secondary monikers are Mindset Makeover Queen + Tech Maven.
After almost two decades of career exploration, I found myself asking
“What am I doing when I am the happiest”?
If you're like me, you were taught to make money–not worry about what makes you happy.
But now you're in a place where you're wondering what will make you happy for the next phase of your life.
Maybe you: Are bogged down in your business and left without time for things you love Feel stuck in your business and uncertain of next steps for growth To get out of corporate and blaze your own trail To fund your Second Actwith a business To use your skills and expertise to help people Need someone to just tell you what to do Need to know how to get your first clients Want to consistentlymeet your income goals
Let's face it. As Boomers, we weren't raised to believe we could have fun while making a living doing what we love.
And yet this is exactly how I came into my own business. After much soul searching, I recognized that part of what makes me buzz is working with people. I had always used a coaching approach in my interactions with clients, drawing out what was important to each of them. But unless we get specialized education, we did not learn how to run a business. So, in my ignorance, I started my consulting business.
Was it easy? Heck no! I often felt stuck and overwhelmed. I did not own a business…my business owned me. I wanted my business to grow; however,
something was stopping me. I eventually learned that business success has two general components: knowledge of actions that build a business, and the mindset to take those actions. Knowing the actions alone will not create success. Most of us don’t start out knowing how to market, or organize, or many other activities that are important. But even greater are the number of solopreneurs who have ideas that they know they should pursue, but somehow don't get around to it. It is essential for success that we work in both areas.
Today, I have the business I always wanted–coaching people into being the best that they can be while launching a booming online business. I now mingle the personal development with online marketing strategies + helping boomers overcome tech overwhelm. What an adventure!
When I am not working, I love to spend time with my family and friends. Aside from that, I love globetrotting and all things outdoors (tennis, hiking, skiing, beach volleyball and more). And cheesecake.
How I Work
I bring to our mentoring a first-rate infusion of marketing savvy, intuition, and good old-fashioned results. Plus I can get techy with it, so you don't have to! I love helping midlife women, whether they are just starting out or struggling, build an online business step by step to success. We work together on mindset, systems/structures, and attraction marketing because all three impact business profitability.
You have your pick from many life coaches and mentors out there (it has become quite trendy, yes?). I realize this is serious stuff and you want to make sure that the person
you are trusting your life with has the goods to support you–in a legit way. The following facts may help you confidently decide if I am the type of coach you can feel good about: I’m certified. I earned my stripes as a life coach at LifeSuccess Consulting, an accredited program. I have been personally mentored by Bob Proctor and currently partner with him to deliver personal development coaching. I’m educated. I hold a dual Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Computer Information Systems and recently completed MBA degree requirements. I’m committed. I am serious about wanting you to flourish and boosting you to fund your freedom. I am a straightforward, tell-it-like-it is kinda woman. People who work best with me really want to move forward and want to hear it like it is. I do this because I am wild about helping you step into your dream life…an unrecognizable, awe-mazing life!
Sound
first class? Then check out my complimentary training course, Savvy Steps to Get Your Online Business Booming, below and let's get started!
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Software that will make it more difficult to mistakenly sell a new General Motors vehicle that is being recalled will roll out this month. These software tools will be phased in during the third quarter. Tim Turvey, GM global vice president of customer care and aftersales, said that the company looks at safety as “a core value, a core priority.”
The first step is an “incentive lookup block.” GM said that with this software, dealerships will have to first perform the recall work as needed.
Dealerships won’t be able to look up the incentives that apply to a specific vehicle if it is part of a recall and no record of work is seen. It can be recalled that in the U.S. last year, GM issued its biggest-ever recall of 27 million vehicles in the wake of its ignition-switch safety predicament.
So far, the compensation for 84 victims of deadly crashes related to the switch has been approved by GM's claims administrator. Experts said that dealerships are able to look up vehicle identification numbers to see if a vehicle is subject to a recall.
However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website allows them to do this one vehicle at a time. A huge dealership will have a difficult time of determining which of the vehicles on its lot are involved in the recall.
Turvey said that linking the recall information to incentives makes it very unlikely for the dealerships to make a mistake. Turvey said that inquiries on incentives could reach up to 50,000 a day. At the World Traffic Safety Symposium in New York last Friday, NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind was asked to comment on GM’s move.
He replied that GM isn’t legally required to make the changes and so, he is acknowledging GM’s innovation. Rosekind said that GM is responding to a case wherein a dealership in Pennsylvania was penalized for selling units without doing the warranty work first. Actually, the case referred to Chapman Chevrolet in Philadelphia.
NHTSA records show that a $50,000 civil penalty was to be paid by the dealership for having sold 23 new vehicles without required warranty work. This case reached a settlement on October 1.
Rosekind cited a “carrot” and “stick” aspect in what GM is doing. The carrot is GM’s move to find a way to emphasize to dealerships how much revenue they will gain as compensation from GM for doing recall work. He pointed out that the stick is the inability of the dealership to apply incentives until the recall work is accomplished.
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The European Central Bank is almost certain to cut interest rates next week after startling evidence that the sovereign debt crisis may have pushed the euro zone into recession.
With uncertainty crippling economic activity and investment, it emerged last night in Berlin that the euro zone's main bailout fund, the €440 billion EFSF, is likely to have its firepower boosted to €1 trillion to €1.5 trillion at this week’s second summit, due to kick off on Wednesday.
Prime Minister
As Italy emerged as the euro zone's latest core problem country,
But while Italy has been singled out as the zero-growth, unreformed problem child of the euro zone, fresh evidence emerged that the entire area is in trouble.
The key euro zone PMI composite output index, measuring both manufacturing and services, plunged this month at its fastest pace for two years - from 49.1 to 47.2. Economists united in arguing that the zone is now in recession, although the official data is not out until next month, putting pressure on the ECB to send a strong pro-growth signal at its first meeting without Jean-Claude Trichet as president for eight years.
Mario Draghi, his Italian successor, was expected to stay his hand on rates but the speed of deterioration in the real European economy is so rapid that analysts now expect the ECB governing council to reverse this year's rises and slash borrowing costs to 1 per cent before the New Year.
Both Germany and France have officially downgraded their growth forecasts for 2012 and the European commission's autumn forecast, due on November 11, is likely to confirm wintry prospects for the euro zone and for the EU as a whole.
In its interim forecast last month the EC said that, while growth in 2011 would still be 1.6 per cent in the euro zone and 1.7 per cent in the EU, a "pronounced deceleration" was expected in the second half.
GILLARD’S G20 PITCH
Ms Gillard wrote to French President
“European leaders will need to stabilise the situation by resolving sovereign debt issues and ensure there are safeguards to avoid contagion," Ms Gillard is to say in a speech in Perth on Tuesday morning, according to a draft.
“Europe also needs to ensure that its private banks are adequately capitalised to ensure stability. This is no time for further delay."
CONFIDENCE AT ‘DANGER POINT’
Monday's figures from Markit prompted economists to say the destabilising effects on confidence of the debt crisis had reached danger point. RBC Capital Markets said: "[The figures] convey an unambiguous message that the risks of a recession in the euro area are both material and increasing."
The prevailing gloom was lifted only by signs that, while German manufacturing is suffering, service sector activity enjoyed a surprising surge. Figures for August showed new orders for eurozone industry jumping by an astonishing 2 per cent.
But this was effectively ignored by economists. "All in all, this [PMI] is a miserable report, highlighting the fact that the euro zone is falling into recession again," said Peter Vanden Houte, chief euro zone economist at ING. He expects the ECB to delay rate cuts until the new year and only 0.5 per cent growth in the euro zone as a whole in 2012. But Howard Archer at IHS Global Insight said the surveys "pile pressure on the ECB to cut rates at its 3 November policy meeting".
Senior researchers at Brussels-based thinktank Bruegel called for temporary wage-price subsidies, tax breaks and reinvigorated industrial policies among other growth-enhancing measures. "Without growth, Europe is at risk of struggling permanently with debt sustainability and it is at the mercy of stagnation and a debt overhang," they said.
Wednesday's twin summits at both EU-27 and euro zone level are meant to endorse measures to promote growth and jobs but all eyes are on whether the leaders can adopt a three-pronged package to recapitalise banks, write-down Greek debt in an orderly fashion and further boost the EFSF.
Christian Noyer, Bank of France governor, reckoned France's banks needed only €10 billion of the €108 billion expected to be needed for Europe's banks. German's banks are expected to need €5 billion.
BANK DEBT DEAL ‘RELATIVELY CLOSE’
Negotiators from the European Union and banks, meanwhile, are “relatively close" to a deal to write off around half of Greece’s €350 billion debt pile, an EU official said.
“We’re relatively close to a deal," said EU economic affairs commissioner Olli Rehn’s spokesman, Amadeu Altafaj.
While talks are ongoing, he underlined that the EU’s “preference" was “clearly for a voluntary approach", but then batted away questions on whether the so-called ‘haircut’ of “at least 50 per cent" sought by euro zone finance ministers could somehow yet be made unavoidable for the banks.
A source close to the negotiations told AFP that the EU has asked banks to agree a 60-per cent write-down but that banks are so far sticking to their offer of a 40 per cent cut.
“It will probably end up somewhere in the middle," a diplomatic source told AFP.
A negotiator for a major French bank that was a key player in negotiations for a 21-per cent cut originally agreed in July that turned out to be hugely insufficient, said “nothing has yet been decided."
Pro-government Greek daily
Ta Nea also warned that with a “major haircut" the Greece was “playing with fire" given there was “still the risk of both a default and that (Greek) banks would be kept out of the market due to a lack of financing."
Greek banks hold about €44 billion in sovereign debt bonds, and pension funds another €8 billion.
GREEK DEBT WRITE-DOWN CONCERNS MOUNT
The Athens stock exchange lost 4.51 per cent on Monday as leading banks tumbled more than 20 per cent after EU leaders on Sunday proposed a massive Greek debt restructuring as part of efforts to contain the euro zone debt crisis.
EU leaders held a series of meetings over the weekend in Brussels and will meet again on Wednesday to agree on a comprehensive accord - although many are sceptical they will do that after so many failed attempts.
“If decisions are again like previous ones, filled with asterisks, then the ground we are building on will be unstable," said Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos, a close associate of Prime Minister George Papandreou.
“While markets are wagering against Europe’s success, Europe responds with slow and ambiguous steps. This is no way to solve the problem," he told state radio NET.
ITALIAN ANGER AT ‘MERKOZY’ SMIRK
In neighbouring Italy, a smirk shared by
Leading daily
Corriere della Sera, which has criticised Berlusconi for delaying the economic stimulus package demanded by Europe, called the behaviour of Merkel and Sarkozy "excessive" in a front page editorial, adding: "For an Italian it was not great, and it matters little if you are pro- or anti-Berlusconi."
The French and German leaders - now dubbed 'Merkozy' - exchanged glances and smiled when asked if they were confident Berlusconi would come up with reforms, prompting a gale of laughter from journalists.
"No one is authorised to ridicule Italy, even after Berlusconi's obvious and embarrassing delays in tackling the crisis," said Pier Ferdinando Casini, the head of the opposition UDC party, adding: "I didn't like Sarkozy's sarcastic smile."
La Repubblica summed up the general discomfort at seeing Italy put on par with Greece at the Brussels summit being held to thrash out a solution for the European debt crisis, calling any parallels with Italy's neighbour "ungenerous".
Berlusconi appeared to blame Sarkozy's behaviour on his unhappiness over Italy's over-representation on the board at the European Central Bank, now that Italian Mario Draghi has been appointed chairman and Italian board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi is refusing to step down to make way for a French appointee.
"Sarkozy has started to get annoyed," said Berlusconi. "At a certain point I said to Sarkozy, 'But what am I supposed to do? Kill him?'"
BRITISH PM FACING EU REBELLION
Across the English Channel, tensions are also running hot as David Cameron seeks to head off the biggest rebellion of his leadership, urging eurosceptic MPs in his Conservative party to reject a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.
Cameron said that while he sympathised with those who wanted a new relationship with Brussels, the euro zone debt crisis meant now was not the time for a national vote which could lead to Britain leaving the European Union altogether.
Between 60 and 100 of the party’s 305 MPs were tipped to defy Cameron and back a referendum in a non-binding vote later in the day, in a resurgence of divisions that threatened to tear the Tories apart in the 1990s.
Defeat for the government is unlikely, because the Liberal Democrats - the Conservatives’ euro-friendly junior coalition partners - and the main opposition Labour Party are expected to vote with the government.
But the rebellion is politically significant, particularly as polls suggest it has public support. A YouGov survey for the
Sunday Times at the weekend found that 66 per cent of Britons back a referendum on European Union membership.
“It’s not the right time, at this moment of economic crisis, to launch legislation that includes an in-out referendum," Cameron told the House of Commons at the start of a lengthy debate.
“When your neighbour’s house is on fire, your first impulse should be to help him put out the flames. ... This is not the time to argue about walking away."
Guardian, AFP and David Crowe The Australian Financial Review
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SF: Meditation Mondays and Sexy Salad :) Sorry -- you may have to turn up the volume.
Then I talked to members of the National Ground Water Association [30 min 22 MB MP3]
Title: Unsustainable groundwater management: Robbing from your neighbors or yourself? Summary: Aquifers are complicated, but groundwater management institutions are more complex. Sometimes they match the complexity of the aquifer, but it's more common to have mismatched institutions that reflect past conditions, asymmetric power relations, and external influences. I will discuss a typical profile of unsustainable management, some simple economic tools for managing groundwater, and speculate on why those tools are not often used.
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Ocean life could collapse by 2048
New scientific data going back to the 1960s predicts that the aquatic
fauna populations could collapse by 2048 if current trends in habitat
destruction and overfishing continue.
This study was published in the November issue of the journal
Science. Boris Worm, lead author of the study stated, "In losing species
we lose the productivity and stability of entire ecosystems. I was
shocked and disturbed by how consistent these trends are -- beyond
anything we suspected."
To read the full article please visit
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/
newsid/38799/story.htm
Abundant scientific data is available of the tremendous damage human
activity is causing on already fragile ecosystems. We are called to be
good stewards of all of God’s creation, but reality shows that we are
not. The transition to a plant-based diet could have a dramatic positive
effect in restoring the environment, reducing animal suffering and
benefiting our health.
Your question and comments are welcome
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Bitcoin ushered in and empowers the golden age of cybercrime. The Dark Net, the Dark Web are real networks of cybercrime where using Bitcoin you can transact your purchase; ransomware, malware, stolen credit card numbers, bank accounts, financial data, and intellectual property. Terrorists troll the Dark Net to associate, communicate, plan and execute attacks both physical and cyber. The Dark Web is an easy place to get to using “TOR.” Google and Microsoft Internet Explorer log browser activity. Honest citizens of the world use TOR to escape network surveillance.
Cybercrime is increasing and ever changing, smart, intrusive, profitable via Bitcoin, ruinous to companies and individuals with no target too small or too large. Cybercriminals invade computing infrastructures and morph seamlessly into administrative status. They grant themselves administrative accounts and privileged accounts, validated and almost undetectable. With the DBA account comprised, ransomware is enabled and the hacker owns the data. “Get your decryption key. Send payment to the Bitcoin link.”
The World is at War, the CyberWar, the cyber enemy; unknown, nameless, stateless and rogue state funded. Cybercriminals sneak and assimilate into company networks. They wait and steal and attack company assets. Cybercriminals have nothing to defend. Cybercriminals hit without fear or concern of retaliation.
For Security in the Cyber-World companies identify their assets, implement prevention and detection, plan internal response and reactive policies and procedures and they purchase cyber insurance. The best defense is a good offense, not when it comes to cybersecurity.
The United States and Israel apparently launched a cyber-attack known as Stuxnet against Iran’s nuclear program. Alleged state funded hacking to safe guard countries and citizens and national security.
As Cybersecurity evolves, the cybercriminal adjusts, frequently steps ahead. Requirements for cybersecurity call for a radically different approach to engage cybersecurity companies to provide software for proactive pre-emptive strikes, retaliation against known cybercriminals to destroy their criminal cyber assets? The tenor of cybersecurity is high profile; even CNN does cyber-attack stories.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is now the chairman of cybersecurity and crisis management at the law firm of Greenberg Traurig. Retired US Air Force Lt General and Former Director of the NSA Ken Minihan is a Managing Director at Paladin Capital Group with a laser focus on Security in the CyberWorld. The best defense is a good offense.
Image Credit: CC by Perspecsys Photos
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U.S. Election results encourage North America to continue expansion of its Renewable Energy Portfolio and welcome the Fourth U.S. Solarpraxis PV Power Plants Conference Revived interests in continued development of large-scale PV plants will bring together industry experts to discuss the most pressing and relevant topics for establishing, maintaining and generating new and existing projects.
PV Power Plants Conference
BERLIN--Solarpraxis AG, one of the leading organizers of conferences in the renewable energy sector, will host its fourth annual conference focusing exclusively on large-scale solar power plants on November 28 & 29 in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference will provide project developers and decision makers with essential technical and financial information on the following topics: smart grid, LCOE, utility-interactive control, BOS, quality assessment, bankability, plant operation, energy storage, data management, inverters, project restructuring and community solar. These essential issues will be covered by thought leaders from companies such as First Solar, SEPA, E.ON, PG&E, Gestamp, Chevron, UL and many others. Greg Stanton, the Mayor of Phoenix, will open the program which will also include a series of sessions called ‘Learning Excursions,' and feature industry experts such as John Balfour, John Parsons (Clean Power Group) and Kent James of Martifer, all providing vital insight.
With the election behind us, it is time to acknowledge the rapid development of the North American PV market and the fact that the U.S. solar industry has grown over 13.2 percent over the last year (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics). All of this demonstrates that the future of the PV market in the Americas is bright, and will remain at the forefront with continued strategic efforts and the knowledge of other solar markets.
In addition to the conference, on November 27th Solarpraxis will host a golfing tournament to increase networking in the relaxed environment of the putting green.
More information regarding the U.S. Solarpraxis PV Power Plants 2012 Conference can be found by visiting http://www.solarpraxis.de/en/conferences/4th-pv-power-plants-conference-usa-2012
About Solarpraxis AG: Solarpraxis AG is one of the leading knowledge service providers in the renewable energy sector. The Berlin-based company provides clients with expertise and professional services in the fields of engineering, conference organization and publishing. Its B2B magazines include pv magazine and photovoltaik.
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In recent years, as employees have increasingly brought smart phones and tablets and even their own laptops to work, hoping to connect them to their employers' networks, a raft of challenges have ensued. Chief among these have been the numerous security concerns raised by having to allow unverified devices to access the network, as well as the potential for sensitive business data to leave the network on those devices.
But as vexing as the BYOD phenomenon has been for IT leaders, it has been a mere appetizer to the main course: The widespread adoption of the Internet of Things...
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Animal Protection >Actions - Index >Canada
By Rod Coronado Open the Cages!
On October 23, 1995 the Animal Liberation Front (A.L.F.) opened the cages on the Dargatz Mink Farm in British Columbia, Canada freeing 2,400 mink into the surrounding countryside. The liberation from the Dargatz Mink Farm was the first in what now has become 12 liberation raids by the A.L.F. of fur farms in North America in less than a year. The result has been the release of approximately 11,000 mink, 30 fox and one coyote from the intensive confinement that would have lead to death for all prisoners.
The release of animals from fur farms is nothing new. In the former Soviet Union, Iceland, mainland Scandinavia, Western Europe, Britain and Newfoundland, Animal Liberation raids as well as accidental and intentional escapes from fur farms have resulted in mink and some fox being introduced successfully into the natural environment.
In Britain, the ecological impact of these releases has been measured, and as liberated mink conveniently fill the ecological niche left by Britain's now extinct otter population, the negative impact has been minimal. In Iceland's island ecosystem, and in parts of Scandinavia, mink has been slightly more destructive to the ecological balance. Never has the question of formerly captive minks survivability been questioned by those in the know, only the level of impact these beautiful fierce predators have as they successfully readapt to a wild life.
NORTH AMERICAN MINK
In North America, its a whole different story. Although there is a Eurasian species, mink are believed to be native to North America with the theory that the Eurasian species originated from North American ancestors who crossed the ice bridge between this continent and Asia. Previous to the "discovery" of the "New World", mink were one of the many aquatic animals that flourished in virtually every lake and waterway in North America except the desert regions.
The war against the mink nation that continues today, began when the first Europeans invaded their homeland. When the Mayflower first rounded Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1620, already Jamestown, Virginia was the hub of an extensive fur trade. A price list from 1621 records mink among other animals fetching up to ten shillings apiece on the market to which modern day fur farmers can claim as their bloody lineage.
The fur trade can also accept responsibility for causing the extinction of the native minks salt water cousin, the sea-mink. Nearly twice the size of their freshwater relations, and recorded as inhabiting the whole Northeastern North American Seaboard, and all that remains of this being are two skins and a pile of bones. That and of course the memory of one furrier who before the American Revolution recalls the pelt of the sea-mink selling for five guineas. And so it is, by the end of the 19th century, fresh-water mink were severely depleted from their former range in all of North America by a fur industry thirsty for the blood of this continents fur animals.
BEGINNINGS OF MINK CAPTIVITY
Unlike their European and Scandinavian counterparts, mink farmers in the United States and Canada began the attempted domestication and economic exploitation of mink often from live captured wild mink populations. In the 1920's this new element to the fur trade began.
In 1925 Kent Vernon's family in Northern Utah (now president of the Utah fur-breeders Co-Op) live-trapped chicken-killing mink from the wild and began breeding them in captivity. In 1927 the U.S. Government opened its Experimental Furbearer Research Station in Corvallis, Oregon (shutdown by an A.L.F. raid in 1991) and began experimentation in different techniques to breed wild mink in captivity. With overexploited mink populations unable to satisfy the demands of an increasing demand for fur, trappers across North America began to captive-raise wild mink, and in the 1930's discovered fur mutations that altered the minks fur color. Now just 70 short years later, mink farmers are still battling the still dominant wild DNA of captive mink that causes these normally free-roaming solitary animals to contract diseases from close confinement, self-mutilate and even cannibalize their own kind. All for the price of a fur coat.
MINK INDUSTRY RESEARCH
Beginning in 1990, I researched mink farms by visiting over 25 in Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Michigan. What began as a quest to document conditions and killing techniques on fur farms quickly turned into the study of the first ever attempted domestication of a North American predator. What I learned both by my research and by the rescue rehabilitation, and release of sixty mink from a Montana farm leads me to conclude that all captive mink should be released, in one way or another, from their prisons we call fur farms.
Highly intelligent, fierce and very adaptive, mink are anything but successfully domesticated. Arguments by the fur industry that mink are domesticated are ludicrous. Like all wild animals held in captivity, some mink when released from their cages will fare better than others. Many factors will contribute to successful mink reintroduction as does the impact they will have on their surrounding eco-system. These are issues that I will address in this article.
INFILTRATION
In 1990-91, I spoke with many mink farmers and researchers who, believing I was a mink farmer, instructed me in ways to avoid my mink from losing their recessive genetic structures that gave them the fur quality and color variation that separated them from their wild relations. Captive mink are genetically 95% similar to their wild counterparts. The only difference besides behavior being fur color and quality which is solely maintained by a scientifically controlled diet, which is key to maintaining their genetic differences from wild mink. Black and dark mink being the closest genetically to wild mink.
Jim Leischow, a second generation mink farmer from Kenosha, Wisconsin described to me in a discussion at the 1991 Seattle Fur Exchange auctions how without a scientifically controlled diet, mink on any fur farm would lose their recessive genes, and over-powered by their dominant wild genetic structure, return to their wild roots in just a few generations. Leischow also detailed how a mink escapee that breeds with a wild mink would produce offspring that in one more generation would have lost all traces of any altered genetic structure.
IMPRISONED MINK STILL WILD
The difference between mink and other animals raised in intensive confinement is totally incomparable. Not only are all other domesticated livestock ungulated and herbivorous but they have also been domesticated for well over a thousand years. The closest comparison, which is hardly applicable, but for the sake of argument will be used, is the domestication of the common house cat. Originating in ancient Egypt, the cat has had over two thousand years of domestication, yet still this feline predator is proven capable of surviving in the wild as feral populations in the U.S. and Britain will attest to.
Once again, survivability is not the issue but impact on their native species. Captive mink are so far away from successful domestication that they are rarely caged together unless with their own off-spring, and then only until they reach sexual maturity. Self-mutilation and cannibalism, which is not uncommon on mink farms, is yet further proof of a wild animals' behavior as it attempts to deal with the neurosis caused by intensive confinement. Anyone who has ever been on a mink farm has heard the incessant scratching mink will make as they attempt to escape or attack their captive neighbors, separated only by a plastic or metal divider. This also is common behavior of a wild predator unfamiliar with close proximity to others of its own species. The psychological as well as physical torture associated with the confinement of mink naturally accustomed to solitary wandering is beyond our comprehension.
Genetically speaking mink are predominately still wild. Separated from their wild ancestors only by a controlled diet. Physiologically they are identical. What remains as the greatest division between wild and captive mink is predatory instincts and natural behavior which dictates how they hunt, find shelter, build nests and forage. Fear of other animals is minimal as mink are renowned for their fearlessness.
MINK REHABILITATION PROJECT
These separations were the basis of personal research into the potential for rehabilitation and release of the 60 mink I had purchased in Montana in 1990. The Coalition Against Fur Farms (CAFF) began as a rehabilitation project, the objective being to determine the feasibility to reintroduce native mink from fur farms back into their natural habitat. In January of 1991 the trials began as CAFF volunteers placed mink in cages four times as large as their previous enclosures and introduced natural objects such as logs, rocks, plants, and gallon baths.
Fur farmers had assured me that escaped captive mink had at least a 50% chance of survival, and CAFF hoped to increase that figure as much as possible. The introduction of a 12"x6" bathtubs allowed the mink their first opportunity to acquaint themselves with water besides that which came from a small water nozzle or dish. Their response was to fully submerge themselves and spin in a cycle that quickly splashed all water out of their baths. This would be followed by grooming sessions in which the mink dried themselves and maintained utmost cleanliness, yet another sign of a healthy wild animal.
Once the mink had built up muscular strength after their time in a fur farms cramped conditions, we began to nurture hunting instincts. Though morally opposed to the killing of animals, CAFF felt that the survival of our captive mink could not be guaranteed without a minimal amount of live-animal feeding. We knew that our project would later be used by others to determine the potential for successful reintroduction of fur farm prisoners, and so chose to do everything possible to ensure not only their survival but also their survival without human dependency. This also meant live-feeding which would teach them how to hunt rather than scrounge near or where humans were. This would ensure greater independence and less likelihood of human/mink interactions.
The mink in our project dug into their instinctual memory to remind themselves how to first seize the prey with one bite, then without releasing it, crush down until the skull or neck was broken. Then the mink would scour the logs and rocks for others that may have gone unnoticed. Once assured of no other present prey, the mink would return to the kill and eat everything or place the remainder in its nest just like wild mink. Once the mink had learned to kill and had tasted live food, they refused to eat the scientific diet we had been supplied by National Fur Feeds.
THE RELEASE
Finally, we released the mink to natural waterways across the Northwest's many forest lands. Always far from human habitations. And never within a 5-mile radius of another captive released mink of the opposite sex. We wanted to ensure the breeding only with wild mink. We also waited until the natural breeding season had passed so as not to burden the mink with the upbringing of offspring in their first season of freedom.
Our mink releases were filled with encouraging signs that the mink would survive. On one release a mink quickly found an abandoned animal burrow, and as we left we could see its head peeking out watching our departure. Another release had a young female mink burrowing under a log, gathering twigs and grass building a nest. Still another mink found a mouse hole, and burying its nose in it began to dig frantically. On many releases near streams the mink were quick to explore the shore of the water, eventually plunging in and swimming completely submerged playing with pebbles and rocks with their forepaws. Returning to one release site weeks later I quickly found mink droppings and tracks near the creek and the dropping contained hair from a preyed upon animal. Most of the behavior exhibited by our mink was not learned, but simply returned to them as they found themselves in their natural element.
THOUGHTS ON LIBERATIONS
It is my belief that the liberator becomes responsible for the lives of the liberated when she/he endeavors to free them. Ideally, the liberated will become truly independent of human needs and achieve complete liberation. But until then, there are a number of factors that liberators can influence to increase the possibilities of a liberated mink's survival.
The time of year the liberations take place is the highest priority. The best time being May and January, the worst being during the breeding and kit-bearing season. Releasing an impregnated mink increases the needs of the liberated mink for food and shelter, female mink naturally raise their kits alone. Releasing mink once they have given birth to a litter will also mean abandonment of kits, although some might be foster-raised by another mink mother.
Of course, it cannot be over-looked that all captive minks are destined for death, and there is room for debate as to which kind of death is more desirable, a mink being the only one to surely know. Still I have hesitated to release mink from fur farms near heavily traveled roads knowing a large number would become road kills. This is yet another moral dilemma the liberator must face when they decide to open the cages. Personally, I have seen mink watching as the gas-chambers are wheeled down the rows of cage, and seen them screech frantically and attempt all manner of last minute escape as it becomes painfully evident that they will die.
There is also the very compelling argument for liberation that even with the recapture of 100% of all released mink from a targeted farm, that the breeding has still been completely disrupted as farmers have no way of separately identifying their breeder mink from their pelter mink. A mink raised to be pelted will often be in a much smaller cage than a breeder mink. For this reason, liberators would do best by releasing mink from both large and small mink cages so as to confuse the two. As of yet mink farmers have not devised methods of tagging, branding or tattooing individual animals except for labeling on the cage. For this reason it is always advantageous to remove all record-keeping cards from cages when releasing mink.
Transportation of mink either a short distance from cage to guard fence or a larger distance is best achieved by securing the mink individually in its nestbox. A small flat piece of sheet metal is often used to divide and block the hole leading from the nestbox to cage at which point the nestbox can them be removed and the hold blocked with a gloved hand or more permanent means for long transportation. Despite the average liberators aversion to leather, nothing protects human skin better than a thick pair of leather welding gloves which usually can be found lying around a mink farm. With criminal DNA testing liberators should take every precaution not to leave a blood trail of their own. Remember, you are dealing with a wild predator unfamiliar to kind human hands.
Often given the choice, a mink will leave the immediate area once outside of the guard fence, which usually is a 5-6 foot fence lined with sheet metal to prevent escape should mink get out of their cage. If left inside the guard fence often a mink will linger simply because of the smell of food or other mink cages, and also because of the familiarity of its own nestbox which is all it has ever known.
Once a large number of mink have left the guard fence area the quickest method of natural distribution is waterways. Without interference from the irate mink farmers attempting to recapture his furry investments, mink will not overcrowd themselves in the wild. It is not uncommon for a mink to travel 5 miles in one night (they are mostly nocturnal) and a large number of mink released in one area will not stay concentrated but will travel until they establish a territory all their own, searching out other mink only to breed.
ECOLOGICAL IMPACT
This leads us to the issue of ecological impact caused by mass mink liberations on their new environment. There will be noticeable impact on local prey populations, and for this reason, liberators should research target areas to guarantee that the sensitive habitat of a vulnerable endangered species is not nearby. Mink will attack almost anything, I've seen mink chasing large dogs and heard a story of one seen flying through the air attached to the leg of a large heron, the mink unwilling to release its targeted prey.
Mink will kill beyond their need, and for this reason caution should be taken when releasing mink near large concentrations of small animals. Mink are ferocious. Long persecuted at the hands of man, native predators are continually routinely killed by ranchers and other gun-toting humans. Much like the coyote has filled the ecological niche the wolf has left behind and by doing so extended its own historical range, so also do mink have the potential to fit nicely into the niche otters and other predators have left as their numbers are continually reduced by humans. Native mink populations are still drastically reduced, and given large-scale mink liberations, individual mink are sure to redistribute themselves to their former habitat with a little help from their two-legged friends.
There should not be hesitation to reintroduce captive mink into their native habitat. The ideal environment being underdeveloped areas with a nearby water source and infrequently used roads. As A.L.F. liberators open the cages, they not only liberate an individual animal but the whole species. Mink, fox, bobcat, and lynx farm liberations are not only a blow to a fur farmers' profits, but also a boost to North America's ravaged environment. With an absence of natural predators, prey populations often explode causing undue harm to their environment. By releasing fur farm prisoners, liberators are guardians of healthy eco-systems.
Before one single animal abuser can argue the merits of a captive fur animal's impact on the natural environment, they must first address the overall impact the whole domestic livestock industry has had on the earth. It is no coincidence that the number one reason behind predator eradication is the protection of politically powerful livestock interests. Still it remains that for the mink nations of North America the shortest path on the road to animal liberation lies from the opened cage to the outlying guard fence.
Now it is time for liberators across the continent to follow the lead of the A.L.F. in British Columbia, Washington, Utah, Wisconsin, Tennessee, New York, and Minnesota and take action to liberate the four-legged prisoners from the war on nature.
Until all fur farm prisoners are free.... Open the Cages!!!
Rod Coronado is currently serving a 57 month prison sentence for his involvement in destroying mink research facilities. He can be reached by writing: Rod Coronado #3895000, FCI, 8901 South Wilmot Rd., Tucson, AZ 85706. Assume all letters he receives are read by federal authorities.
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New Delhi [India], Nov. 6 (ANI
): The Centre for Biodiversity Policy and Law (CEBPOL) recently organized a workshop with the title "Workshop on Synergies among Biodiversity related Multilateral Environmental Agreements" in Manesar, which is being pursued under the Indo-Norwegian cooperation.
When most people think of biodiversity, they think of verdant Amazonian rainforests or vibrant coral reefs in tropical seas. But even a typical house in the suburbs teems with an amazing diversity of life. The work on biodiversity is being further pursued under the Indo-Norwegian cooperation.
The National Biodiversity Authority of India (NBA) and the Norwegian Environment Agency (NEA) are involved in a bilateral programme on biodiversity with the aim to establish a Centre for Biodiversity
Policy and Law (CEBPOL) as a centre of excellence focusing on biodiversity law and policy.
The topic of the workshop is especially relevant these days when funds are limited and the challenges faced in conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are vast. Norway and India both have showed initiative internationally.
Now the countries pool resources, draw on each other's expertise, reduce duplication and make joint funding bids and thereby achieve enhanced implementation through strengthened cooperation.
The workshop included presentations on the ongoing work at the international level on synergies between the key multilateral biodiversity conventions.
Further, the representatives shared lessons about their work and all participants discussed possibilities and avenues of increased cooperation and synergies
.
Deputy Minister Lars Andreas Lunde from the Ministry of Climate and Environment in Norway and Norwegian Ambassador Nils Ragnar Kamsvag participated in the workshop
together with Additional Secretary Amita Prasad from the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
The other participants were National Focal Points and associates for the conventions in India, national and international Non-Governmental Organisations in India.
Finally, potential areas of future support to be provided by CEBPOL in this field were discussed. The areas include access and benefit sharing, invasive alien species, nature index and biosafety. (ANI
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Five years from now, you will be a different person. You will have different interests, different tastes, different challenges.
Date, live together, avoid commitment, and you'll be free to move on to a partner who shares your new interests, matches your new tastes, helps with your new challenges.
That's the choice of many who were exposed to unhappy marriages or divorce while growing up or whose own first marriage ended up in divorce.
I think there's a better choice. Commit -- not to a person who shares all your current interests or tastes, but to someone who shares your most important values. Don't just promise to stay -- invest in the relationship. Build wealth together. Invest in each other's dreams. Make each other's family your own. Tend to each other's health and wellbeing. Set some joint goals.
What's the payoff? The excitement of new interests and tastes introduced into your life by someone who shares your values, cares about you, loves to see you happy, and sees the world just a bit differently from you. The grounded feeling that comes from being intertwined and rooted as you grow, instead of being blown this way and that by people coming and going in your life. The security of support through your rough patches from someone who knows they will be just a small part of your time together. The warmth of doing the same for a loved one. The extra time and money freed up by working together instead of independently and self-protectively.
This is big. It's not just worth the risk of divorce; it's the antidote protecting you from divorce. You'll never get even a glimpse of what's possible as long as you're focused on your current needs or on keeping your exit easy if your needs are not met.
You know how to Assume Love, Expect Love, and Find Third Alternatives now -- or you will as soon as you rummage through the archives here. You know how to take care of a marriage. You know how to avoid unmet needs, hurt feelings, and unnecessary anger or worry. You know you can't grow apart when you're growing together, when you're attuned to your spouse and your interests are changing in response to all of the wonderful new things this person brings into your life. You're all set to make the next five years fantastic ones.
And if kids enter your life, planned or unplanned, there's one more huge payoff. You get to offer them what you may never have had: a parent who loves and finds great happiness in the other most important person in their child's life.
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Khuphuka Nasingeni A growing number of cellular phones have been rendered useless after they plunged into water as their owners washed clothes or took a bath, or a swim. Dear reader, please do not nudge me in the direction of answers to why one would carry their phone to the bathroom.
They are many and varied, largely of a security nature, in the same manner that residents of a certain suburb whose outside bathroom doors left too much room underneath were rumoured to take a bath while biting their soap, in case it disappeared between blinks.
Those familiar with the field of research will tell you that it is the outcome of tackling research problems that gives birth to solutions. One’s problem inspires yet another individual to overcome and make their lives better.
We all have followed the fascination with cellphones with such unparalleled meticulousness to a point where we know the latest on the market even though we cannot remember our grandmothers’ birthdays! Now Samsung, that ICT firm that has transferred our memory banks from our brains into that tiny contraption, have come up with yet another innovation.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend, or extra friend, can now ring you up in the bathroom as you take a splash with your gadget. The upcoming S7 (ABOVE), in its two versions, according to Samsung, can hold its breath (literally) under water for about 30 minutes without suffering any damage. This does not come cheap though as the phones cost around $700, for this waterproof upgrade and longer lasting battery.
So, next time you hear your better half singing in slow and low tones, what sounds like an Adele tune in the bathroom, it could be a conversation with their extra others, disguised as HELLO! There is an untested theory to the effect that technology has made it quite easy to cheat, and such theorists would want us to believe it was almost impossible in the past to cheat on your partner.
It would appear cheating and communication innovation have run neck on neck for centuries, only nowadays it is easier to be caught than in the past. It’s either they never bothered to seek for baboons in a mountain, or they were so good at it they could have taught a thing or two to this generation’s hopeless cheats.
Where I grew up there were always stories about the milkman and his ways, especially when the husbands were away at work during the day. You see, as uMzo would say, trying to sound slightly older than he really is, these milk men would deliver milk door to door to those that used a coupon system to buy milk in advance and there were those that also did the rounds mostly to us who only afforded milk now and then, or could not be bothered to pay in advance for the milk. I cannot remember any unholy story in my locality that was associated with a postman.
These were the respected guys, guys you could rely on to point you in the right direction as you sought out your new girlfriend’s place. They knew all the house numbers and even houses that were almost always deserted.
However, this veil of piety on the part of the postal network guys is apparently not universal, if reports from the US are anything to go by. An 87-year-old former postman is reported to have sired 1 300 children in Tennessee.
“Contraception wasn’t very popular in those days,” he told local reporters in his defence. “I have nothing to be ashamed of. The 60s were the good old days and I did a great Johnny Cash impression which played out real good with the ladies,” he explained. Johnny Cash was like a Michael Jackson of that generation!
“Some even thought I was Johnny Cash for real,” he recalls laughingly. Warning: Please do not try this at home. It took investigators 15 years to go through DNA samples that uncovered that 1 300 children in the old man’s former operations area were fathered by him, though many of the women were married.
Staying with cheating, it is interesting how it is labelled differently depending on the circumstances, and even sport (no pun intended).
International Women’s Day has come and gone, and this is quite an important day that celebrates women, their struggles for equality and accomplishments over the years. For one woman, Maria Sharapova, her sins of commission caught up with her during this symbolic week. The way sponsors deserted the poor athlete can only compare to the treatment of lepers in Biblical times. She is our loser of the week.
While Sharapova fights her battles, I believe in Zimbabwe we should start serious doping tests, not those tests that check for elitist drugs that are beyond our athletes’ reach. We could, for example, start with locally available performance enhancing drugs like Vuka Vuka and Bronco. I am sure we would get stories like; “I have been taking the Vuka concoction for 10 years for my back problem . . . as for the bronco, my doctor prescribed it for this persistent cough.” I am trying to imagine if any sponsor would be affected should one of our leading athletes test positive for a banned substance . . .
E-mail: nasingeni@gmail.com
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Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. If you have not learnt from the data loss disasters that are reported from time to time in the media and made the effort to avert such disasters in your organization or personal life, you will soon be joining the doomed in the disaster bandwagon.
Redundancy of backup is the secret guard against large scale data loss. Many savvy enterprises make sure that their mission critical data is duplicated and re-duplicated for reasons of security and high availability. They use online backup service provider repositories, tape libraries, disk arrays, mirror servers and a host of other backup technologies to backup and store vital information. They create elaborate business continuity and disaster recovery plans that enable them to get the business up and running within a few hours of the disaster.
Let us look at some of the famous data disasters that should be learning to us.
ERP upgrade Disasters that led to temporary data lossERP upgrade disasters of 1999-2000 was the first major indication to the market that enterprise software and data are vulnerable and it terrified everyone into thinking that any upgrade of the software would doom the enterprise to the same fate. It was also clear that enterprise software installations or upgrades affect the company’s business processes temporarily and their revenue can dip for at least six months during the installation or upgrade. Hersheys, Nike, HP and Oracle were some of the worst affected enterprises. They suffered losses to the tune of $100 billion or more in sales and 8-20% dips in stock values.
Why did it happen? Public opinion was that the disasters were “indicative of extremely poor judgment by the management”. However, a survey conducted by the CIO magazine revealed that only 9% of the companies that installed ERP systems had made the effort to house their ERP data in a third party data center for security and disaster recovery. Perhaps, they would not have suffered the losses if they had but put in place disaster recovery and business continuity plans, before they attempted the installation or upgrade.
Infamous Data Loss Triggered by Sinking Online Data Backup CompaniesThe last decade has been traumatic for several business entities when online storage companies like Xdrive, BeInSync, HP Upline, StreamLoad, Omnidrive, File 123 and Yahoo! Briefcase suddenly closed shop and data that was stored in their servers literally vanished into cyberspace. It dawned on many that the so called acclaimed online data backup services were not invulnerable and that one needs to look deeper into the business model of these organizations before entrusting valuable mission critical data to them.
Other Reported Famous Data Losses
Data that Flew out of the Helicopter Window: The most famous case of data loss that has been reported is the one from a global Telecommunications company whose employees dropped a laptop from a helicopter while working on it in flight. Fortunately, for them all the files could be recovered from another data repository and sent through FTP server for a meeting at Hong Kong the next day.
Data that Got Shampooed out: A passenger packed away his laptop along with his toiletries for a flight. The shampoo leaked and ruined the circuits causing the hard drive to fail. Unfortunately the data could not be recovered.
Data that Dropped out of Joly’s World: Dom Joly the creator of Trigger Happy TV, lost all his data when he dropped his laptop. The hard drive was damaged and he could not recover the five thousand photos; six thousand songs; half a book he was writing and all his old newspaper columns.
Data that was Baked in Fire: A UK University lost a large volume of data when a fire broke out in the Computer Science department during a weekend and damaged all the computers and equipment. The fire departments efforts to put out the fire with water added to their woes. A little more than a terabyte of data was recovered from 30 computers was rescued from the wreckage.
Banana Facts: A customer left a banana on his external hard drive. The banana decayed and released its fluids into the circuitry ruining it and causing the hard drive to fail. The circuitry was ultimately repaired.
Not So Hard to Drive Over your Hard Drive: People never seem to learn not to leave their hard drives or laptops where it can be run over. This type of disaster is infamously famous everywhere.
Drives Reformatted: A customer reformatted his hard drive ten times before it dawned on him that he needs to recover some valuable data from the drive.
Greasing the Squeaking Drive: A man sprayed WD-40 on his desktop drive, to prevent it squeaking. It stopped squeaking at once and refused to boot up. All data on the system was irretrievably lost.
Shipping in Old Socks: A customer shipped his hard drive to a data recovery unit wrapped in a pair of old socks. The drive reached the recovery unit with the data completely unrecoverable
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Oregon's public records law has long seemed to us to have a curious lack of emphasis on the rights of the public.
We say curious because, after all, the public - which is to say, all of us - is mentioned pretty frequently in the law. We're right there in the title, even.
The concept of the law is admirable - that each of us is entitled to look at and listen to and basically to scrutinize, to whatever degree we please, the records that our public agencies produce.
These are, after all, public records. We paid for them, they were produced ostensibly on our behalf, hence we own them.
Too often, though, the way in which public entities apply the law,
including state agencies as well as cities, counties, school districts
and police departments, falls well short of the ideal expressed in the
statute.
Attorney General John Kroger found plenty of nits to pick in the law when he took office two years ago.
Last week Kroger unveiled a series of changes to the 38-year-old law that he wants the Legislature to make this year.
To his credit, Kroger, unlike several of his predecessors, thinks
government officials ought to have fewer reasons, not more, to keep the
public from getting its hands on public records.
He suggests the Legislature do away with about 100 of the 400 or so
exemptions under which officials can deny records to the public.
But Kroger's proposal, though it would improve the situation, doesn't do enough to ensure that the law lives up to its name.
Our chief complaint is that even with Kroger's revisions the law would
encourage public officials to presume that records should be denied to
people who ask for them.
To put it another way, the burden would remain on the citizen to prove
to officials, who are in essence trained to be suspicious, why he or
she should be able to see a document that, under the law, any citizen
is entitled to.
This is precisely opposite of how things ought to work.
Another major flaw in Kroger's proposal is that although state agencies
would have to comply with the changes as soon as Gov. John Kitzhaber
signs the bill into law, cities, counties, school districts and other
local government agencies would be exempt for two years.
Yet the public records that many citizens are interested in are held by those local agencies, not by the state.
Here's what we'd like to see from Kroger and the Legislature:
Instead of giving public officials 10 working days to decide whether to
give a citizen access to public records (plus the option of adding 10
more days to the waiting period), the state should emphasize to public
officials that the vast majority of public records are not exempt.
Further, Kroger should send a memo to each of those agencies reminding
officials that public records don't belong to the agency, they belong
to the public.
And he should stress that the revised law shields public officials from liability should they mistakenly release exempt records.
Oregon's public records law will fulfill its lofty aspirations only
when the typical response that a citizen receives, on asking for a
record, is "sure, come on over to the office, we're open until 5."
That happens occasionally now, but not nearly often enough.
The scenario that Kroger's proposal would enable - "I'll get back to
you in 10 days - or maybe 20" - makes the records law's purported goal
sound like a cruel tease.
Certain public records should be exempt, of course. Citizens shouldn't
have access to employees' personal data, for instance - the law should
not be an aid to identity thieves or stalkers.
But those records are a tiny fraction of the total. And if a citizen
asks for records that don't contain any personal information, it
shouldn't take 20 days, or 10, to pull the requested files.
The easiest thing for Kroger might be to suggest public officials
pretend they're librarians. Librarians might tell you to keep your
voice down, but they let you take pretty much any book in the place.
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By India Powell
Cultivating an appreciation for farming doesn't necessarily mean you have to love getting dirty. That's something Mary Blackmon learned early in life on her family's land. However, growing up on the family farm in Arkansas gave her a deep and lasting passion for the place and the way of life.
In 2008, after her mother passed away, Blackmon and her younger brother, Douglas, were faced with the decision of what to do with the family farm. "The idea of letting the farm go was just too much. It felt like I was letting my family go, and I just couldn't do that."
So she switched from a life in Los Angeles and New York City running her successful internet-based business—the multi-million dollar national spa and wellness industry website Spa-Addicts.com—to running that family farm in Arkansas.
"I was immersed in whipping my farm back into shape and, as a result, I saw farming through a whole new perspective as a participating adult. I soon had a newfound appreciation and heightened respect for farmers and farming overall. Trust me, it's not for the faint of heart."
Going All In
The spark of Blackmon's love for farm life was instantly rekindled and the seeds of inspiration were planted for her current project, a new kind of digital venture based in Atlanta: Farm Star Living.
This sudden immersion was a 180-degree change from the life she had established. Now, eight years later, she says her life is "a complete integration" of her two worlds. Through Farm Star Living's online resource and directory, Blackmon inspires people across the country to bring farming into their lives in perpetually exciting and perspective-expanding ways.
"I think that where our food comes from has been taken for granted by so many of us," Blackmon says. "The joke is that when you ask children where a type of food comes from, they say 'the grocery store'! But we all have to eat, and we all need farmers to make that happen. There actually could be a shortage of farmers in the near future, as the median age of a farmer is just shy of 60. So there are legitimate concerns about needing more people to go into farming. I think with better appreciation by the public there will be more and more support for going into farming as a career."
Putting the Star in Farm Star
Blackmon thought about the way Americans have elevated many chefs to exalted, rock-star status, and she felt it was time to put farmers in the spotlight. "I felt that it was now the farmer's time," she says. Through Farm Star Living, people can find farms to visit for agri-tourism stays, meet real farmers, locate farm-to-table restaurants, discover new recipes using fresh food and learn more about the journey taken by food before it ends up on the table.
"I have always thought that farming has been a noble profession that is too often thankless and misunderstood," Blackmon says. "Farming and farmers have been the backbone of our country. So few of us have actually been out of the city and visited a farm, let alone seen exactly where our food comes from. I felt that people were yearning for a connection to the countryside—to the earth—and while they may not want to farm on their own, per se, they still want to feel a connection to it."
A Deep Connection
That desire to connect people to farming, even (and especially) if they don't want to live the life of a farmer, is rooted in Blackmon's own youth spent enjoying the farming experience in her own unique way.
"My grandfather, Big Daddy (Garrard Mountjoy), and grandmother, Mary Mary (Mary Kimball Mountjoy), owned the farm, [as did] Mary Mary's parents before her. It was initially a tree farm, which my grandfather converted into a rice farm in the late 1950s," Blackmon explains. "While I wasn't one for getting all dirty, the passion for the farm from my parents to my grandparents wasn't missed by me."
Making a commitment to take over that farm brought a deeper level of understanding for Blackmon. Realizing that keeping the farmland meant figuring out things like how to repair broken-down wells gave Blackmon a "freak-out moment," after which she dove in and began the process of learning by doing. "I was being 'schooled' and making some rookie mistakes while trying to just do the best I could. I was completely in over my head as a 'country gal' who had been living in New York City and Los Angeles for 20 years—almost my entire adult life," Blackmon recalls. "I was overwhelmed because there was so much to learn, and it was not easy and a very different way of life. Farmers use their street smarts, their farming experience and their education, whether from college or from a family of farmers before them."
Now, she and her brother retain ownership of the family farm in Arkansas and have established a relationship with some dedicated people who operate it while they both reside in Atlanta. "Luckily, my brother supported whatever I wanted to do, and he was a great sounding board during the process. My brother and his wife live here, and this whole process made me want to be closer to him, be a part of his children's lives, and put down my own roots here." She moved to Atlanta to make that happen.
What It Takes
Blackmon says she was impressed with not only their depth of knowledge about the environment and business savvy of the local community of farmers, but also with the courage, optimism and perseverance she saw within each of them. "They were optimistic environmental warriors and huge risk-takers. One farmer told me that [most people go] to sleep with their money safely in a bank. Not farmers—their money is getting rained on or beaten down from the sun every day until harvest. An iron stomach is needed to weather a year of farming, because you don't know what the outcome will be until the very last field has been reaped, if that is even possible.
"People need to know the breadth of knowledge needed to be a successful farmer," Blackmon says. "Biology, finance, business, agriculture, as well as an optimism that can outlast any drought or bad crop year. One year, not too long ago, we had a great crop until a few weeks before harvest, when a hurricane blew our crops down so badly you couldn't salvage much. But the attitude is, and has always been, 'Next year will be better.'"
Seeing the Long View
In the years to come, Blackmon sees food labeling as a defining issue in the industry. She says the topic will heat up as people "start understanding what the ingredients in food actually are and what they mean to them."
Blackmon says she hopes once people start learning more about the things that can go into many processed foods, such as syrups, preservatives and additives, they will be encouraged and motivated to add into their diets even more whole, farm-fresh foods.
As Farm Star Living continues to expand, Blackmon aims to help people live more farm-centric in ways that fit their lifestyles. "I intend to continue educating and, hopefully, inspiring more people to bring a bit of the farm into their lives," she says. "I hope by offering a one-stop destination that has farm-to-everything, we can educate and empower people to lead a more farm-conscious and healthy life."
Details: farmstarliving.com
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A Breath of Fresh Air
While many stables are littered with box fans every summer, horse owners often overlook the simple use of air movement to improve comfort and health on a larger scale. Stalled horses develop airway inflammation in response to the particulates present in stable air, including the dust and mould present in feed and bedding. Maximizing the amount of fresh air coming into – and circulating within – the barn can help to mimic pasture conditions. The air movement created by Big Ass Fans also dilutes inflammatory ammonia in the air, reducing odours common in stables.
What horse owner doesn’t recognise the familiar summer scene of box fans on every stall with electrical cords taped, strapped and tied in every direction? One Big Ass Fan can safely replace numerous box fans, silently and efficiently moving a huge amount of air to keep you and your horses comfortable while sweeping flies and ammonia out of your barn..
Birds avoid Big Ass Fans, and pesky insects can’t fly in the powerful airflow. Stop spraying chemicals all over your barn and horses—the bug-banishing power of airflow is completely natural and highly effective!
Maximize training time
In indoor riding arenas, the air movement provided by Big Ass Fans can make riders feel up to 5.6°C (10°F) cooler, increasing training time during the peak of the show season. Spring and autumn temperature fluctuations can cause condensation to form. You built an indoor arena to get out of the rain—so why are you still getting dripped on indoors? Big Ass Fans can be slowed to gently create consistent temperatures from ceiling to floor, alleviating condensation concerns in indoor riding arenas.
Quality footing can make the difference between equine athletes at the top of their game or a lame horse. Many arena managers use Big Ass Fans as part of their footing management strategy. By precisely controlling airflow in the arena, managers can perfect the balance between well-watered footing and dry, dusty conditions.
We get it
Our equine specialists know what’s important to horse owners and farm managers. Talk to a Big Ass Fan Expert for a custom quote.
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Question from Susan: Would you say that this kind of healing is 'mind over matter'—almost a hypnotic event? Answers - Dan BenorYou could call it 'mind over matter,' but it's not hypnotic; it's completely separate, because babies and mice and bacteria and plants can respond to healing. Hypnosis, on the other hand, can activate the enormous latent potentials that we all have. It's estimated that our conscious mind represents only about five percent of our brain/mind potential. Hypnosis is excellent for pain. It can help with relaxation, sleep, and the exploration of buried emotional stresses that might be contributing to dis-ease, and disease. It is often extremely helpful and supportive to have a therapist or healer or doctor (isn't it a shame that we separate these?) to shepherd us through the course of illness and treatment. Marisa Weiss, M.D.This includes guiding you and taking care of you as you pursue the mindful measures that we've discussed, particularly when you are tapping into old memories or experiences that may be difficult and painful. Doing this on your own, without help, can be scary and make you feel more isolated from other people.
The Ask-the-Expert Online Conference called
Complementary and Holistic Treatments featured Daniel Benor, M.D., Patricia Johnson, M.D., and Marisa Weiss, M.D. answering your questions about what complementary and holistic treatments are, how to find reliable practitioners, and which might be the best treatments for you. Editor's Note: This conference took place in October 2002.
The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of Breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.
A production of LiveWorld, Inc. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
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| 0.875408
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We admit, we did a double take when saw the recent news headline on Huffington Post, "Spanx and Other Shapewear Are Literally Squeezing Your Organs." Wait, what? Our beloved tummy-flattening underwear could be ... bad for us?
Possibly. Gastroenterologist Dr. John Kuemmerle, dermatologist Dr. Maryann Mikhail, and chiropractor Dr. Karen Erickson have spoken out about what they believe shapewear can do to the body—and it's not always a pretty picture.
According to the doctors, regularly wearing super-tight shapewear can compress and restrict your organs and lead to unpleasant problems like heartburn, acid reflux and stifled digestion (read: bloating and gas). Stuffing yourself into a too-tight support garment can also result in nerve damage that can lead to "tingling, numbness and pain in your legs." Oh, and did we mention that frequent shapewear-wearers are predisposed to yeast and bacterial infections, as well as the skin condition folliculitis?
But before you and your muffin top despair, consider this: No scientific studies that we know of have documented the so-called health risks of shapewear, and the health risks and problems identified by the doctors in HuffPo's article don't appear to be associated with occasional use. "I think we want to be mindful to not wear it on a day-in and day-out basis," said Dr. Karen Erickson, adding, "You really want to pick shapewear that actually fits you."
So, let's review: Wearing a too-small supprt gear, daily, for hours at a time? Probably not a good idea. But busting out some well-fitting, super-strength support garments for your wedding ceremony? Go ahead and say, "I do."
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| 0.999595
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Even those without a drop of Irish blood celebrate St. Paddy's Day with green food, green clothes - green everything! This year, celebrate green on March 17 in a different way.
"Going Green" has become the slogan for doing things that are healthier for the environment. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day - help your town stay green, & for yourself - eat smart and move more:
If you live close to work or school, walk or ride a bike on March 17
Sign up for a carpool for work or for your child's school
Participate in a St. Paddy's Day fun run or walk
Cook several green vegetables for dinner instead of corned beef and cabbage
Buy your produce and/or meats from a local farmer. Most foods travel thousands of miles before reaching the grocery store. That's a lot of fuel saved and pollution prevented if we all bought locally.
Help clean up litter from the green spaces in your neighborhood or along the roads you travel to work. You'll get some exercise while making your town a prettier place.
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| 0.989924
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Ratan Tata is, without doubt, one of the most respected business leaders in India. When he says that he was advised to bribe a minister of the Union government a sum of Rs 15 crore to get governmental approval to start a private airline company, everyone concerned must sit up and take note. This is no casual remark. However, and very regretfully, this is no example of “whistle-blowing” either, as some in the media seem to think. It would have been if Mr Tata had named the minister and made public his demands at that time. Even now, Mr Tata is blowing no whistle, he is merely whining and seeking to occupy high moral ground. It would do him enormous credit, and boost the morale of smaller businessmen and ordinary citizens who face similar situations all the time, if he were to name and shame the minister concerned. Mr Tata also had a different kind of brush with a minister of the present government and on that occasion too, he chose not to go public with his complaint. If business leaders of the stature of Mr Tata are willing to strike but afraid to wound, what can one expect of lesser mortals? Far too many businessmen complain these days in private about corruption in public life, but shy away from naming and shaming. The same organisations that complain privately about rent-seeking by individual ministers seem quite happy to honour them in public in one way or another.
For every bribe taker, there is a bribe giver. The one who gives is also guilty of wrongdoing, though in the case of ordinary citizens facing people in power, one can understand their fear of authority. But an influential and powerful business leader can afford to speak up and speak out, and blow the whistle without fear or favour. If business leaders collectively take a decision that they will not offer bribes and that they will name and shame those who demand, this could have the effect of restraining both bribe takers and givers. Consider the example of private airlines brought up by Mr Tata. Naming and shaming at the right time may have helped prevent wrongdoing by a minister who may well have got away with benefiting some other business person at the expense of the exchequer. By remaining silent, Mr Tata has neither been brave nor has he served the cause of good governance. His tangential remarks this week, followed by clarifications, make him look smaller.
Recent revelations of corruption, followed by some decisive action by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has whet the nation’s appetite for greater transparency in government. A wave of middle-class anger is sweeping through the country. More heads may role as other instances of corruption in public life and in high places are exposed. The time has come for leaders of Indian business who believe in good governance to speak up and strengthen the hands of those in government who wish to take action but are unable to do so for want of information. The time for some genuine whistle-blowing is now and business leaders like Mr Tata must stand up and be counted.
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| 0.992484
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Let me preface this post with a thank you to Milburn Drysdale at ASDFunding.com (or Autism Funding in BC for Dummies) his documentation is what we based most of this work on, and if anyone asks you, they should check out his site before you read anything over here about Registered Disability Savings Plans for Disability Tax Credits. I’d also like to thank my wife who has fact checked my statements. Is it time to re-apply for the disability tax credit ?
As I have mentioned my son’s disability was “verified” (for lack of a better term) by the
CRA in 2009, and at the time it was a “conditional” verification, and the CRA said that he would need to re-apply for the disability tax credit in 10 years (i.e. back dated to 2005).
I thought no more about it until a few months ago, when we received a child disability benefit notice from the
CRA saying, the DTCC ( Disability Tax Credit Certificate) would “expire” in December 2015 , which took me unawares, but that is only because I hadn’t thought about the fact that my son’s disability was viewed as a disability from birth, so the CRA credited me back taxes from when he was born. This means that his disability tax credit period started from birth, and given my son has turned ten this year, it is logical that the CRA is now asking for a reassessment.
So the first steps towards re-applying for the
DTCC for my son’s disability (or re-apply for the disability tax credit ) is to go see our Pediatrician and have him fill out the T2201 Disability Tax Credit Certificate. That is actually me being presumptuous, because our Pediatrician could haved turned around and said, “No I won’t fill in the forms for you because in my opinion your son is no longer disabled”, or something like that, however, that was not the case.
We then added to this documentation, a report from my son’s Occupational Therapist and a Speech Pathologist (Effect of Impairment Document), to help reaffirm my son’s disability diagnosis for the reapplication as well.
Is the reapplication a “slam dunk”?
No, not by any means, we need to make sure that we have all supporting documentation done, and it still relies on the CRA to decide whether that documentation is sufficient or not. What if the CRA denies the reapplication for my son? A few things happen: No more tax deduction associated with my sons disability line 318 on my tax return. I would be unable to claim my son’s school and Occupational Therapy as a Medical Expense (any longer). Collapsing my son’s RDSP, which would entail paying back the CDSG and the CDSB that might have accumulated in that account. The Disabled Child Tax Credit would stop being paid The child disability portion of the Child Care Benefit will stop as well.
The advice we got from our Pediatrician (who I think I view as a subject matter expert, as he has done many of these) is you can never have too much documentation, and you must make sure the information is easy to follow for the CRA folks that will be making the decision. As with all reports, if it is well read, it will be well understood and your point will be made (as opposed to this article, which is a little confusing).
Some other notes from my wife, that I am not sure I completely grock, but here they are:
There is a list of qualified practitioners on the forms (T2201). I get asked that question a lot, but this information is on the forms, supporting documentation can be from other folks, but you need a specific professional to sign the forms or the CRA will return it to you. Make sure you get your pediatrician or Doctor to fill in the right sections of the forms, nothing worse than doing all this work and have the CRA return the forms with a note saying, “You forgot to fill in the following sections:….”
The forms are signed, and have been mailed (certified mail) to the CRA and now we wait to see whether the Disability Tax Credit will continue for us.
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| 0.978316
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In earlier testimony LaHood responded that affected drivers should stop driving. But he quickly amended that to say he meant they should immediate drive to the dealer for a fix.
On Wednesday, LaHood offered the same advice. If a Toyota is on the list at www.dot.gov, it is not safe and the vehicles should be taken to a dealer to be fixed.
LaHood and Toyota drivers are in a tough spot. In the last three years, 23 million cars were recalled by NHTSA, the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration.
Most Toyota drivers, as well as those of other manufacturers with recall on vehicles that could result in injury, can't snap their fingers and get their cars or truck fixed. They may not have alternate transportation or the fix may not be ready, yet they are on the road steering a potential time bomb. The odds of catastrophic injury are slim, but no one wants to be the "statistic."
Yet, LaHood bravely promises that his goal is to "make sure vehicles are 100 percent safe," and said that his agency will not sleep until Toyotas are made safe.
"We are going to work 24/7 and continue until every Toyota is safe for their customers to drive," he said.
If that is the case, Secretary LaHood may never sleep. Cars are complex analog and digital machines, and certifying them 100 percent safe isn't practical. Also, the auto manufacturers have an army of lobbyists and aren't the most forthcoming when it comes to sharing vehicular data with federal agencies. "You have my commitment there will be no cozy relationships," LaHood stated during the hearing.
More on Toyota at CBSNews.com:
LaHood: Recalled Toyotas "Not Safe"
Issa: Government Shares Blame for Toyota Mess
Issa: Japanese Open Their Own Toyota Probe
CBS News Exclusive: Toyota Study Disputes Acceleration Problem
Toyota's Recall Success No Sure Bet
Toyota Has Donated to Investigating Reps.
Toyota Victim Recounts "Near Death" Trip
Issa: Toyota Hearings Will Be Fair
Are Electromagnetic Fields to Blame?
LaHood said that the NHTSA will "getting into the weeds" with a complete review of Toyota's electronics, which are the possible cause of the unintended acceleration problem. "I don't know how long the review is going to take," he allowed, but promised to get to the bottom of the Toyota problem.
In addition, if the Congress passes the budget, the Department of Transportation and NHTSA plan to add 66 new employees. Currently NHTSA has 125 engineers, including some electrical engineers LaHood said.
But it's unrealistic to think that NHTSA, which receives 30,000 complaints a year, can make autos 100 percent safe for Americans or the planet. The culture in the competitive auto industry places a high value on growth and profits, which can come at the cost of safety as the Toyota situation indicates. A cozy relationship between auto makers and government can lead to decisions that impact the safety of vehicles. NHTSA employees may have aided auto manufacturers in limiting investigations. Addressing those non-technical issues would go a long way toward improving the safety of vehicles.
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Twenty years after the birth of our democracy, we wonder where our future economic growth is going to come from?
South Africa is a land forged from natural resources. Gold, diamonds, platinum, coal have driven our economy for the last 100 years, but as those commodities get more expensive to extract from our earth and ultimately dry up – where does the future lie of our country?
It’s frustrating to watch the fumbling, indecision and lack of leadership from our political elite. There is no evidence of any jobs being created, no national plan on the table for the economists to debate, nothing that we can aim at and get behind as innovators and entrepreneurs. Yes there is opportunity for the fast thinking and nimble minded amongst us, but what future is there with limited options for most?
So, where to from here?
Socially we are heading down a road of escalating crime and violence – that’s for sure. As labour legislation strangles the life out of job creation and the gap between the have and the have-nots widens, all the police in the world are not going to stop the tidal wave of desperation that’s forecast to come.
If you’re upset about E-Tolls in Gauteng now – just wait for what’s coming. The government has lofty plans for national health insurance and a youth wage subsidy, but no answer as to how they’ll be financed. More and more promises are going to have to be paid for by the relatively few that pay tax at all. With no growth on the horizon the country finances the election promises with debt. Who’s going to pay that? Your children if they continue to stay in South Africa.
As a so-called
emerging economy we are competing with countries like Brazil, India and Russia – offering ‘what’ into the mix?
You might not think that this is your problem, but sadly it’ll only be a matter of time before the problem becomes impossible to ignore. Living in a city where the majority of the population spend the entire winter in a flooded tin shack and use a bucket as a toilet, is not exactly a recipe for a sustainable future. Giving those people two blankets and a tin of food is like putting a Band Aid on shotgun wound. You may not give a damn, but the truth is ‘an injustice to some, is an injustice to all’. You’re probably just thinking that if bad goes to worse you’ll just head to Australia like all the others before. But they all left when the Aussie Dollar was a lot more favourable to the Rand, a million Rand of capital doesn’t get you very much from the Wizard of Oz.
The solution isn’t spending 67 minutes painting a children’s home in Maitland and then going home to cook a Woolies microwave meal, the answer doesn’t lie in eating a R25 cupcake at a shopping mall thinking that the R5 that goes to charity is making you a good person, or helping somebody in need.
The answer lies in demanding a strategic plan out of this mess and getting behind it. The answer lies in all South Africans working together on that plan, day-in and day-out to make it a reality. The answer lies in giving up a bit of the privileged liberties that you have become accustomed to, to really build a sustainable future for
all South Africans. We’re not clever or capable enough to come up with that plan ourselves, but when the leader emerges with that hallowed document in hand, we’ll be the first to sign up and grab a shovel to lend our effort.
South Africa today is the result of past generations of pioneers. Our ancestors were risk takers, visionaries, mavericks. We are the offspring of heroes. There is no reason why we can’t once again round up the oxen, gather a group of passionate visionaries and head out into the unknown in search of a prosperous future for all. There are glimpses of what could be all around us, but it feel like illusions of grandeur and fear drive us back into our old mindsets.
We have become complacent and lazy, presently our future is compromised. We are going to have to take a serious look at ourselves in the mirror and ask ‘what am I going to do about it?’
The only way out, is to turn around…and take a forward step.
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It seems like the new weight loss diet is the Paleo/caveman/hunter-gatherer diet plan. It consists of fish, meat, eggs, vegetables, nuts, and fruits and excludes grains, legumes, dairy, alcohol, salt, and refined sugar/processed foods. It is a modern nutrition plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species consumed during the paleolithic era. It sounds easy enough but when you cut out 2 main food groups, it's hard to stick to. You also miss out on nutrients; in this case, B vitamins, calcium, good fiber sources. It's possible to get the missed nutrients from other foods or supplements but most people who go on this diet don't take that extra step. It also seems that people are making their own version by adding a couple glasses of wine or a little dairy here and there. My suggestion is that if you are going to commit to a diet, you need to follow it exact or you won't get the results. But most people who follow a "fad diet," can't stay with it or start and stop multiple times. Weight loss nutrition plans need to be something you can follow for the long-term. Finding a healthy weight and staying there is better than reaching a weight that you can't stay at consistently. So why not follow a healthy diet most of the time and splurge once or twice a week; it's a more realistic way to a healthier lifestyle.
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Is the emigration of Chinese a drain on the country's human resources? Two scholars, a foreigner and a Chinese, enlighten us with their views.
Xu Youyu
Social justice can reverse the flow
The emigration of an increasing number of the social elite from China in the past decade has drawn the attention of the media, the government and the public alike.
Emigration and immigration are an obvious outcome of globalization, and were expected to increase in China after the reform and opening up. So, are the media and public overreacting to the emigration of Chinese people in the past 30 years, especially because the first three decades of the People's Republic of China saw almost no flow of people across the borders? The answer is "no", because emigration over the past 10 years has been really high and has special implications on the country.
To be honest, China has seen an inflow of talent, too. Most people can be classified into two categories. Many of them are Chinese with a degree from universities abroad and the experience of working in foreign countries. They, at least a majority of them, return home in search of greener pastures in a more familiar environment. The other group comprises entrepreneurs from Taiwan and Hong Kong, who have shifted to the Chinese mainland, attracted by the favorable policies its local governments offer and the lure of making greater profits by exploiting its cheap labor.
In this sense, the flow of manpower has been a two-way traffic for the mainland, indicating that the country is catching up with the developed nations and regions in terms of the economy, social development and living standards. Chinese citizens and foreigners both may be benefiting from the increasing freedom to move across borders, but we should not forget that members of neither group are eager to change their citizenship, for they migrate in search of better opportunities.
In contrast, most of the Chinese emigrants are too eager to change their nationality or at least strive to get a long-time residency permit from the government of the country they migrate to.
A remarkable difference between this generation of emigrants and those who emigrated in the 1980s is that the first group was trying to look for better working and living conditions. But most of the new generation of emigrants represent the so-called successful class and already enjoy a much higher social status at home. Such people opt to emigrate for the lure of the West even if they have to start life anew.
This means China's elite are ready to sacrifice the comforts they enjoy at home in exchange for the citizenship of a foreign country. Such people choose to do so mainly because they don't believe their country's legal system, because of its uncertainties, cannot guarantee them a "successful and peaceful" life.
Apart from a sense of security, the Chinese elite also emigrate in search of better living environment and world-class education for their children. And so enamored are they by everything Western that they fail to see the prosperity and stability they could get back home in the long run, and are ready to trade the comforts they enjoy at home for the lure of a rosy future abroad.
Such a brain drain is bound to harm China's economic construction and modernization, because the elite' knowledge, innovativeness and creativity, and funds are valuable resources to build a better future. The emigration of such people robs China of not only valuable manpower, but also the resources they have.
More importantly, their emigration is a loss of collective confidence, especially because the elite are setting a bad example for their less-privileged countrymen by disregarding the needs of the country in exchange for the mundane benefits of everyday life. The flight of the elite thwarts the country's modernization process, too. Hence, it is doubly sad to see local governments not doing enough to contain this flow.
The increase in the number of elite emigrants is a rude reminder that the government has to reform the legal system. It is important to establish the rule of law not only to retain the elite in China, but also to ensure that the rights of the underprivileged are well-protected.
The government has to cleanse the bureaucracy of corruption and see to it that the grievances of all citizens, irrespective of their social status, are redressed.
It has to establish a clean and honest police administration and independent judiciary so that people can rely on their intelligence and hard work, rather than bribes and guanxi (connections), to succeed in life.
What kind of society do we need? The government should be worried over the emigration of the elite and loss of social resources. But it should not just try to attract as many outstanding talent as possible to help the country build a better future.
Moreover, since the common people are not inferior to the elite, offering favorable policies only to the latter would be unfair.
The elite are already an advantaged group because of the money, knowledge and privileges they enjoy. The government should thus focus more on the lower strata of society.
Justice is the source of confidence. A just society is what people will be emotionally attached to. And that applies to all citizens, whether they are the elite or the common citizens.
The author is a research scholar with the Institute of Philosophy, affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
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Full Text:
THE BHOPAL TRAGEDY of December 3, 1984, in which at least 2,300 people died and more than 200,000 were injured, brought together two critical issues facing not just India but most of the Third World today: the role that Western multinational corporations will play in development, and the degree of environmental risk that poor nations are willing to accept as the price of rapid industrialization. Although Indian shareholders owned 49.1 percent of Union Carbide India Ltd. and government policy had required that the plant be staffed entirely by Indians, the corporation was almost universally perceived in India as an American company. Thus it seemed a foregone conclusion that the disaster would generate an anti-American, anti-capitalist outbreak of the first order, and perhaps a wave of Luddism as well.
The disaster apparently resulted from an unlikely conjunction of irresponsibility and misjudgment. “
There were maintenance problems that would not have been tolerated at a plant in the United States,” Jackson B. Browning, Union Carbide’s vice president for health, safety, and environmental affairs and Michel Swap, Founder of SewDone.com (providing the best beginner sewing machine online) at the time of the disaster, told me. Overall plant maintenance had been curtailed, as part of a cost-cutting program. A refrigeration unit designed to cool the methyl isocyanate had inexplicably been shut off. A gas neutralizer and a flare tower that were supposed to handle escaping gas could not withstand pressure as strong as that released in the incident. In addition, a water-spray system had been installed in such a way that it could not reach and contain the escaping gas. Few workers in the plant knew that methyl isocyanate could be lethal, and virtually no one in the surrounding community had been told what to do in case of a gas leak. Local management had been complacent. “ We’d felt very comfortable,” Vijay P. Gokhale, the managing director of Union Carbide India, told me when we spoke in the autumn of 1985. “We had some of the best safety records in India.”
Conditions at Union Carbide’s Bhopal plant may not have been representative of the way American multinationals operate in the Third World, but they did illustrate some of the problems created by industrialization in a Third World society. “
It is obvious that some manufacturing processes are more dangerous in a developing country than in a developed one,” Peter Thacher, a former deputy executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, says. “ You have to assume that in a developing country people will not be as careful in terms of inspection, quality control, and maintenance. And you must assume that if a problem occurs, it will be more difficult to cope with.” Researchers from the International Labor Organization found, for instance, that workers in a Volkswagen plant in Mexico tended to think of accidents as “ fate,” and relied for security as much on prayers to statues of the Virgin Mary set up throughout the plant as on safety training. Until recently, moreover, environmentalism was often viewed in the Third World as a Western plot to retard the growth of poorer countries. In 1972 Brazil’s Planning Minister welcomed polluting technologies, saying, perhaps flippantly, “ Why not? We have a lot left to pollute. They don’t.”
Shortsightedness of that sort is rare these days, but most developing countries still have no toxic-chemical-control laws, and if they had them, would lack both the technical and the institutional capacity to implement them. Shortly before the Bhopai disaster an Indian government study found that only sixteen of the fifty pesticide-manufacturing plants in the country had significant pollution-control systems. The Madhya Pradesh state government had never cited Carbide’s Bhopal plant for significant safety violations or, for that matter, even specified minimum standards for plant safety. Nor had the government ever sought to dissuade tens of thousands of squatters from settling in nearby slums.
When I arrived in Bhopal, I wanted to learn how much hostility the disaster had bred toward the United States and what consequences it might hold for other Western multinationals, in India and elsewhere in the Third World where the risks from industrial development were comparable. I also wanted to find out if the disaster had spurred Third World governments, including India’s, to act against environmental danger, and, indeed, whether it had thrown the whole process of modernization into question. How inevitable, I wondered, were future Bhopais?
THE PEOPLE OV Jai Prakash Nagar, a slum on the outskirts of Bhopal, refer to what happened early on that December morning simply as “
the gas.” While many of Union Carbide’s workers fled in panic, a white cloud of methyl isocyanate, escaping from a storage tank during a runaway chemical reaction (probably caused by water contamination when a pipe was improperly washed), drifted over the shanties of the poor. Families were wiped out. Entire streets and blocks were laid waste.
When I walked through Jai Prakash Nagar a year after “
the gas,” the physical evidence of disaster had largely disappeared. The Indian government, embarrassed by the attention of the international press, had performed cosmetic surgery on what was once one of the city’s most dismal slums. Drains had been laid, saplings planted, the worst huts pulled down. Fifteen hundred free housing units had been built for indigent survivors. Public and volunteer clinics were providing many victims with their first experience of modern medicine, including the first psychiatrist ever seen in Bhopal. Job programs, supported in part by Union Carbide, were beginning to retrain some of the disabled in leatherwork and tailoring. Contrary to early fears, no significant increase in the incidence of blindness seems to have occurred. Apparent increases in kidney and liver damage and in birth defects have been reported, however. The human suffering was of numbing dimensions. Of the more than 200,000 people injured, according to Indian physicians I spoke with in Bhopal, perhaps 10,000 will endure some form of lasting damage, mostly to their lungs. About 2,500 will remain at least partially crippled for life.
From Jai Prakash Nagar, I took a taxi past the lakes that were once the nawab’s private preserve, and up the low hills to the east, where the offices of the Madhya Pradesh state government are “lodged in a modern concrete tower. My appointment was with V. N. Kaui, the state’s secretary of industry and commerce. He told me that the disaster had, at least modestly, heightened concern about environmental safety. I learned later that the state of Maharashtra had sued the Ministry of Defense for pollution caused by an explosives plant. Kerala had sued a chemical concern for contamination of the Periyar River. Villagers in Gujarat, who for years had passively consumed chemically polluted water, had demanded and gotten a freshwater source from the state government. In Madhya Pradesh, Kaul told me, an omnibus pollution-control law was under consideration, and an Indian-owned petrochemical plant had been ordered to relocate to a less populous site. However, he added, “the Bhopal disaster has had no effect on the pace or process of industrial growth. No technology has been turned away or turned down as a result of what happened. Why should we condemn all multinationals because of bad decisions taken by Union Carbide?”
Later, in Bombay, Kaul’s words were echoed by Gokhale of Union Carbide. “
Bhopal has had absolutely no effect on multinationals in India,” Gokhale said. “ In fact, since then the Indian government has gone even further in seeking tie-ups with foreign companies, and firms from the United States head the list.” And a senior diplomat at the Indian Embassy in Washington informed me that as far as the Indian government was concerned, the tragedy was “ a human problem that resulted from one company’s bad planning.” In the streets of Bhopal marchers occasionally chanted, “ America made the poison and dumped it in Bhopal!” But these protests seemed almost beside the point. No government officials, no major political parties, took up the cry. No one called for expropriation of Union Carbide’s holdings or urged a general crackdown on foreign capital, though in late November, 1986, the Indian government announced in a Bhopal courtroom that it would seek $3 billion from the Union Carbide Corporation as compensation for the accident and its long- and short-term effects.
IN THE 1970S assessments of multinationals’ role in the Third World more often resembled a demonology than a “reasoned evaluation of corporations’ complex effects on industries Richard J. Barnet and Ronald E. Muller observed, in their influential 1974 book Global Reach, that critics commonly viewed the corporations’ activities as “
a recipe for a new stage in authoritarian politics, an international class war of huge proportions, and, ultimately, ecological suicide.” Multinationals were then predominantly American: in 1971, 280 of the 500 largest corporations had their headquarters in the United States. In many places they were hated for their ability to interfere in local politics, their control of essential resources, the ease with which they could shift profits abroad, and what was alleged to be eagerness to dump backward technology and hazardous wastes on countries too unsophisticated to recognize them. Ignorance of the way that multinationals actually functioned sometimes merged with radical ideology in an economic war against real or imagined exploitation. From 1970 to 1975, Third World countries nationalized 336 foreign-owned companies, whereas the figure for the previous decade was 136. Many companies left Third World markets, some feeling squeezed out by punitive regulation, tariff barriers, and a trend toward centralized economic planning, frequently financed by enormous loans from Western banks willing to lend to governments of any political makeup.
Multinationals that weathered the ideological firestorms of the 1970s proved to be far more adaptable than their critics had foreseen. When developing countries sought to supplant the multinationals with state monopolies, the displaced corporations learned to make money by licensing their technology, contracting out management, and bartering their products for local goods instead of cash. When countries demanded that multinationals export more finished goods to bring in foreign currencies, corporations expanded their marketing networks. When governments insisted on a voice in multinationals’ activities, joint ventures proliferated. In China, for instance, R. J. Reynolds is building a cigarette plant in partnership with a state tobacco company, American Motors Corporation has teamed up with a Chinese auto maker to manufacture jeeps, and the Foxboro Corporation is building industrial-process-control systems with the cooperation of a Shanghai firm. Diffusion of ownership has weakened nationalist hostility to multinationals by blurring the once bitter issue of direct foreign control.
A pronounced change has also taken place in the attitude of many developing nations toward multinationals. A Latin American diplomat who specializes in the activities of multinationals told me not long ago, “
The ghost of ideology is fading: Third World countries are learning to deal with transnationals as real entities in the real world.” What conflict remains has ceased to focus on allegations of imperialism and now tends to take the form of pragmatic negotiations over such issues as import substitution, the location of corporate research-and-development facilities, and the composition of joint ventures. The reasons for this change of heart are manifold: the drying up of easy development loans from Western banks and the burgeoning of foreign debt; a growing recognition that foreign private investment can promote industrialization and generate jobs, foreign exchange, and tax revenues; a perception that continuing modernization may hinge on the absorption of advanced technologies that can be obtained only from developed capitalist countries; and a widening disillusionment with socialist economics.
For many countries the turnabout has been dramatic. Turkey has reversed its long-standing protectionism, junked most of its export controls, and proposed the establishment of free-trade zones on its Mediterranean coast. Algeria has adopted a new investment code that guarantees foreign investors the right to repatriate profits. Mexico in 1985 authorized the largest number of fully foreign-owned investments in its recent history. Ecuador recently raised the permissible proportion of foreign ownership of export-oriented companies from 30 percent to 100 percent. Guinea and Mozambique have shed many orthodox Marxist policies that left their economies in ruins, and are courting Western investment. As Babacar N’Diaye, the president of the African Development Bank, has put it, “
Africa in the eighties is not taking account, as far as economics is concerned, of ideology. We are pragmatists.” The sharpest policy reversal of all has occurred in China, which has undertaken a far-reaching experiment in free-market policies throughout its economy and claims some $4.6 billion in foreign investment since 1979. “ Twenty years ago there were great certitudes on both sides of the ideological divide,” says Richard J. Barnet, who is now a senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, in Washington, D.C. “Those certainties don’t exist today. When China welcomes multinationals and sets up export zones for companies that it used to decry as the epitome of exploitation and imperialism, then it is clear that the ideological issues surrounding multinationals have changed.”
The India of Rajiv Gandhi embodies many of the new attitudes that are sweeping the Third World. “
You no longer find anyone of influence arguing that the future of the economy or the country lies in greater state intervention, in more nationalization or government control,” a director of the State Bank of India remarked to me one evening at a cocktail party in the home of an American diplomat. Since his accession to power after his mother’s assassination, in 1984, Rajiv Gandhi has replaced the Fabian socialists who had guided India since independence with a generation of young technocrats who are more interested in building industries that can compete with Hong Kong and Japan than they are in ideology. In the past two years the government has cut taxes, removed production quotas and import restrictions, established export incentives, deregulated the electronic and engineering sectors, and vigorously promoted commercial competition, telling companies at one point that they would “ have to fight for survival” among themselves. At Gandhi’s instruction, the central government has adopted the first five-year plan in Indian history to rely on the private sector more than on the public sector to create jobs.
Since last year Indian firms have scrambled to conclude new technical-collaboration agreements with foreign investors. While India has successfully sought licenses to import more than $1 billion in advanced American technology, including state-of-the-art computers, record numbers of American trade delegations have been traveling to India in search of investment opportunities. In this atmosphere the Bhopal accident was perceived less as a political or moral event than as a fact of industrial life.
IRONICALLY, MANY countries have grown reluctant to set rigorous environmental and industrial safety standards at a time when multinationals have become, probably, more responsive than they have ever been to environmental concerns. Moreover, high environmental standards seem not to be a deterrent to investment. According to a 1985 study by the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations, multinational investment in hazardous industries has gravitated chiefly toward countries with advanced industrial economies and stiff pollution controls. Among developing countries Singapore, one of the most environmentally conscious nations in the world, has a virtually unsurpassed record of winning foreign investment. In the future, low or unenforced environmental standards, suggestive as they are of a backward, ignorant population and work force, are more likely to deter Western investment than to attract it.
In the absence of adequate local standards for environmental safety, multinationals will in the coming years demand fuller control over the staffing, design, and equipment of their foreign plants, and when they build new facilities they will probably insist that local governments share legal liability in the event of accidents. “
You can’t be beholden to a foreign government as to how to run your company, and then be liable to lawsuits in American courts,” says Alvin M. Natkin, the president of the Continental
Environment Company and a former manager for environmental affairs of the Exxon Corporation. “
If a corporation has to take in local partners, and especially a foreign government, it’s going to be a lot more careful about liability and safety responsibilities than it would have been before Bhopal. If a corporation goes into a country on its own, it’s going to run its business just as it would in the United States.”
The fears, common in the 1970s, that multinationals would increasingly devastate the Third Worlds’s environment now seem exaggerated. “
Pollution havens,” free of environmental regulation, failed to proliferate as many critics had expected, and where they existed they failed to attract the interest of major Western companies. On the contrary, multinationals now appear to be the primary source of up-to-date safety and environmental technology for the Third World. A 1984 study by the International Labor Organization determined that multinationals generally maintain health and safety standards well above those required by the developing countries in which they operate, and that they frequently install the latest safety features in new plants they build in the Third World. In two new chemical plants that it is building in Argentina, for instance, the Monsanto Company is including a state-of-the-art computerized process-control system that is not yet in place in some of the company’s United States facilities, and in planning a Brazilian herbicide plant the company has used the most modern available computer model to gauge the probable dispersion of gas in the event of a ruptured ammonia storage tank. Since the Bhopal disaster virtually every American chemical company has undertaken an exhaustive audit of its safety standards and its handling of hazardous substances.
No real constituency yet exists in most developing countries, however, for serious efforts to protect the environment. Although more than a hundred developing countries today have agencies that are at least nominally responsible for environmental safety, up from just a handful a decade ago, most are understaffed, underfunded, and overruled in policy debates by economic planners who still see development and safety as mutually exclusive goals. Nigeria, for instance, until recently one of the most rapidly industrializing nations in Africa, had in 1984 just nineteen safety inspectors to monitor thousands of factories and workshops. Where governments are indifferent to environmental improvement, well-intentioned foreign firms are unlikely to have much effect. “
It’s hard to tell a government what to do, and especially to suggest that it doesn’t know how to take care of its own citizens,” Alvin Natkin, of Continental Environment, says. Local firms in the Third World are also unlikely to be imbued with the sort of environmental ethics that have become common in the West in recent years. When 100,000 residents of the Indian city of Virabhapatnam were exposed to a cloud of noxious gas just months after Bhopal, none of the half-dozen plants nearby was willing to take responsibility.
BEFORE HIS LUNGS were damaged in the Bhopal disaster, Tunda Lal had earned about $1.50 a day as a mason, when work was available. When I met him in Jai Prakash Nagar, he rarely had the energy to stay on his feet more than a few hours a day. As a registered victim of the gas leak, he will receive compensation when the suit against Union Carbide is settled. But that may be many years away. In the meantime, he hopes to find a place in a job-training program, and sometimes begs in the street. I asked him what he would do if the Carbide plant reopened, handling the same gas in the same way it had before and posing the same hazards to his community. “
If it opened again tomorrow,” Lal replied, “ I’d be happy to take any job they offered me. I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute. I want to work in a factory, any factory. Before ‘the gas’ the Union Carbide plant was the best place in all Bhopal to work.”
“
I’d go too, do or die,” added a neighbor named Tulsi Ram, brandishing a wad of medical prescriptions and leaning on a cane.
Lal and Ram, and others like them in Bhopal, understand the nature of economic change better than many Western critics of multinationals. The security of a good wage and the dignity of a modern job are not things they take for granted but distant, even profound aspirations that can be achieved only through ambition and risk. No one today contemplates a reversal of the process of modernization and industrialization. It must take place, most Third World governments, and apparently increasing numbers of their citizens, believe, at least in part on the basis of Western capital.
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<iframe src='//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-PKZB8Z' height='0' width='0' style='display:none;visibility:hidden;'></iframe>HomeAbout usCareersContactFor medical professionalsMyChartMedical careSearch A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZView all specialties and services »Featured servicesCancer and blood disordersGastroenterologyGenetics and genomicsHeart careNeurosciencesNewborn and fetal careOrthopedicsPediatricians (primary care)Find a doctorSign up for MyChartHealth informationPatient/family experienceInformation for patients, families and visitorsRequest an appointmentUrgent care: reserve your slotComing to Children's Hospital MilwaukeeComing to Children's Hospital Fox ValleyBilling and paymentsInsurance informationMedical recordsMessage your provider (MyChart)Mobile appsFrom out of town?Symptom CheckerCompliments and concernsLocationsChildren's Hospital locationsMilwaukee hospitalFox Valley hospitalPrimary careSpecialty clinicsSurgicenterCommunity servicesBehavioral healthUrgent careOther locationsFind a doctorFind a doctorSearch by name or specialtyFind a pediatricianFind a research investigatorPrint a physician verification letterRequest an appointmentFind information for medical professionalsFind services and specialtiesLearn about our researchChildren's in the communityWorking together for healthy kidsHow we help kids outside the hospitalAdvocacySupporting children and familiesHealthy kids, healthy communitiesChildren's Community Health PlanInjury prevention and wellnessChild and family counselingFoster care and adoptionCommunity services reportsGiving and volunteersWays you can helpDonate onlineWays to giveEvents benefiting Children'sBecome a volunteerSign up for our e-newsletterAbout Children's Hospital FoundationHomeAbout usCareersContactFor medical professionals(414) 266-2000Urgent Care and ERHome>For patients and families>Visiting Children's Hospital Milwaukee campus>Inpatient visits (staying at least one night)>During your stay>Bereavement Program>How to help a grieving parentHow to help a grieving parentLet your concern and caring show.Be available to do whatever is needed, including just listen. Being avoided by others only adds to a grieving parent's pain.Tell parents you are sorry about what happened to their child and about their pain, but don't say you know how they feel. Only other parents who have had a child die really know what that is like.Let parents grieve in their own way and at their own pace. It is not helpful to tell them what they should feel or do.Encourage parents to be patient with themselves and not to expect too much. This is not the time for "shoulds" or "ought to's."Don't try to fix parents' pain. Reminding them that they still have other children or that they can have another child suggests the child who died is replaceable and not unique.Use the child's name and share your special memories of the child with his or her parents. Allow them to talk about their child as much and as often as they want to. They may cry but they also will tell you that it makes them happy to talk about their child.Remember birthdays, anniversaries and other special days. Grieving parents want to know their child has not been forgotten.Give special attention to the child's brothers and sisters, not only immediately following the death, but also in the months to come. They also are grieving and need support and understanding.
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This study focuses on the impacts of small-scale timber concessions known as Timber Extraction and Utilisation Permits (IPPK) on rural livelihoods of three forest dwelling communities in Malinau District, Indonesia. IPPKs have been issued since late 1999 as a result of the wide-ranging decentralisation taking place from the time when President Suharto resigned. Though, the legal basis for issuing IPPKs came to an end in late 2000, districts have continued giving out hundreds in some areas and new types of small-scale timber concessions are being planned.
Geographic: Indonesia Publisher: Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark Publication
Year: 2004
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If you ever use miles for part of a trip or buy separate tickets for a journey, you’re going to want to pad your next flight booking. The Oneworld Alliance, which includes major airlines like American, British Airways, and Iberia, just changed its rules, removing some of the most essential traveler conveniences and safety nets that save you time and money.
Tight connection?
Even if you're traveling on the same airline, but with tickets booked separately, your bags are no longer guaranteed to be checked to their final destination. You'll potentially have to allocate additional connection time to leave the gate area, grab your bags, and re-check them.
Boarding passes?
So along with re-checking your bags, you’ll also need to venture out past security, going through the whole ordeal all over again just to get your next boarding pass. Security lines are not getting any shorter, which creates the potential for serious chaos.
Miss a connection on a separate ticket?
It gets even worse. If you miss a connection, you may need to buy a last-minute, super expensive ticket, losing your current reservation entirely. Last-minute tickets are not cheap. Though airlines can sometimes over-deliver and help travelers with these issues, they are no longer required to, leaving travelers with uncertainty and without any guarantee of getting to their final destination.
What does this all really mean?
If your American Airlines flight, which connects you to your British Airways flight, is delayed and you miss your British Airways flight, you now may need to buy a whole new ticket, even if the delay is of no fault of your own and even though the two carriers are partners. Whether you miss it or not, you’ll now also need additional time to redo the check-in and bag drop process. This move puts Oneworld on par with SkyTeam and Star Alliance, which allow their airlines to curate individual policies (or none at all). With any hope, competition will mean airlines err on the side of helping travelers—and their bags—reach their destination seamlessly. But even if airlines may take the initiative to help fliers, taking away the essential rules protecting travelers is certainly disconcerting.
As with all bad news, what’s most important is how to avoid it. Get the scoop from your airline as to how they’ll handle your reservation and check-in baggage before you travel, leave more time for connections and, most importantly, be quick to get in touch with your airline as soon as you foresee any problems. Oh, and of course, pack an extra-awesome carry-on bag.
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Students Return to Big Changes in New Orleans Detail: NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 3 - Hundreds of children returned Tuesday for the first time since Hurricane Katrina to schools here that had survived on dry ground. Some came gleefully. Some came mournfully, and, to be sure, tens of thousands who were still displaced could not come at all.
But for those who ventured back, the educational landscape was much different from the one they had left: New Orleans is now a smaller system dominated by new charter schools in the same buildings that housed traditional public schools before the storm, as well as by leaner private schools eager for what they hope will be new pools of aid.
"We're learning as we go," said Alisa Davailler Dupré, the vice chairwoman of the Audubon Charter School, which applied for its charter only in October and accomplished what is usually a lengthy start-up process in a mere two months. "We jumped for joy, then hit the ground running."
The district's public school system, already known as one of the worst in the country, suffered a near total collapse after the storm. It has opened only one school so far - another is expected to open next week - even though many school buildings suffered minimal damage. Facing a financial crisis from the lack of a tax base, the district plans to terminate all but 61 of about 7,000 school employees who have been placed on disaster leave, although many are being rehired by the charter schools. The district was already nearly bankrupt before the storm.
So that has made this battered city an impromptu laboratory in school choice - at least for the 8,000 or so of the 65,000 public school children who are expected to be enrolled for the second semester, as well as thousands more in parochial schools that are seeking government aid.
Desperate to reopen schools, parents, teachers, principals, neighborhood groups and local universities are banding together to create charter schools, which get less state money than traditional public schools in exchange for more autonomy on curriculum, hiring and other issues.
Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco has already issued executive orders to make it easier to form charter schools, which promise competition and experimentation. The fact that there is $20 million in federal aid in the wake of Hurricane Katrina for charter schools in Louisiana is also contributing to the movement.
So far, state and local education officials have approved 21 charters for schools in New Orleans. Nine have opened - including some on Tuesday - and six are expected to open in the next two weeks. At least one is still waiting for electricity to be restored. The Archdiocese of New Orleans has also expressed interest in opening a charter school, though that idea has not been approved.
The hopes and difficulties were evident at the Audubon Charter School, where students lined up quietly Tuesday morning. Staff members have been working at Audubon Charter without pay, as the school has yet to receive any financing.
Most administrators are holdovers from the old public school, Audubon Montessori. The principal, Janice Dupuy, drives two hours to get to New Orleans from the town where her family is living. Ms. Dupré, a parent who had not worked in school administration before becoming Audubon's vice chairwoman, was overwhelmed by the work required to get the school ready for its 350 students.
After the charter was approved, she said: "We started to wonder, how do we hire teachers? How do we run this school?"
Many people here, still struggling to cope in a fog of grief as stifling as the humidity this balmy winter, have applauded the spirit that has led to the creation of so many charter schools on such short notice.
Without them, supporters say, there would hardly be any public education this year in New Orleans. And of all the opportunities for rebirth in the city, perhaps none is talked about with as much urgency as fixing the school system, which had suffered corruption, bad management and abysmal academic performance. But critics have also begun to question whether a near-total charter system is the best way to recreate a school system.
"It's like you're experimenting with kids who've already been traumatized," said City Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, a member of the council's education committee and a former public school principal. "The intricacies of running a successful school are a lot more difficult than anyone thinks."
Ms. Morrell also worries about charter schools' adopting selective criteria that will exclude what she calls "the poor, average kid."
Officials say that because the movement is largely haphazard it is not entirely clear who is being served by the new system or whether the racial makeup of the new schools raises equity issues. Reliable demographic information is sorely lacking, but before the storm, the public schools were 94 percent African-American, and black children seemed to have a significant presence in the parochial schools.
So far, schools do not seem to be rejecting anyone, just hoping that children continue to enroll. "Nobody really knows who all is going to come back," said Cheryl Michelet, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana State Department of Education.
The advocates for charter schools understand that they may have only one chance to make right all that was wrong: "We have a responsibility to rebuild it right," said Una Anderson, a school board member and proponent of charter schools. "It's not just an opportunity, it's a mandate."
But even within some of the charter schools, there is lingering resentment toward the school district for not stepping up to do more. "We never wanted to charter - that was never our intention in the past," said Carol Christen, the principal of Franklin Charter High, which before the storm was Benjamin Franklin High School, the highest-ranked secondary school in the state. "This has been a long ordeal because no one wanted to help us open up the school. This has been a nightmare, a struggle beyond struggle."
She continued: "We were determined to do it for Franklin. It would have been tragic if this school didn't open."
Franklin probably faces some of the most challenging physical problems of all the charter schools in the wake of the storm because it is far from the city's Uptown area that remained dry during the flood. Franklin, on the other end of town near Lake Pontchartrain, had more than $3 million in storm damage, and is still waiting for electricity to be restored. The school expects 580 students for class on Jan. 17, out of the 935 that were enrolled before the storm.
Ms. Christen, like others, said the charter start-up experience had forced teachers, principals and parents to deal with issues like waste management, food service and retirement benefits, taking time away from thinking about the classrooms. Still, she welcomes the autonomy.
"We're treading on new ground," Ms. Christen said. "The city doesn't know the answers, the state doesn't know the answers. We're creating the answers as we go, and we're doing the best we can."
Advisers to the education committee created by Mayor C. Ray Nagin, the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, caution against an all-charter model, favoring a mix of district-run and charter-run schools arranged into network clusters run by a single manager. District schools are necessary, they say, because they have more capacity to expand as the population does, and to offer the benefit of standard curriculums to what might be a highly mobile student population.
The advisers, the Boston Consulting Group, which is working largely without pay, favor a single governing body citywide to take over from the multiple boards, state and local, that are in control right now.
"We believe that chartering is a very good short-term intervention given our situation, but it's not a long-term solution to running a medium- or large-scale school district," said Scott Cowen, the president of Tulane University and the chairman of the education committee. Mr. Cowen's group plans to offer a formal proposal on the new school system in a week or so, he said.
State officials are taking a "look and see" approach to the new charters, which will be evaluated annually and will be held to the same accountability standards as other schools, Ms. Michelet said.
"There's not a push to say every school in the district will be a charter, it's just the method we've used so far and we've seen success in it," she said. "It's also because federal money was available, and we were able to use it to get the schools open."
The state considered New Orleans to be in "academic crisis" before the storm and has since taken over 102 of 117 schools that performed below state accountability standards - three of those schools have been given charters, many others are storm damaged and likely to remain vacant for some time. The state is expected to lay out a detailed plan for the schools it took over sometime in the next six months.
At the same time, the city's Catholic schools, which educated 25,000 students before the storm, are also coming back to life and see possible new opportunities. Besides proposing its own charter school, the archdiocese has approached the state about getting government aid for its schools. Neither idea has gone beyond the development stage with the State Legislature out of session.
The Catholic schools expect to have an enrollment of 11,000 this semester. Several Catholic schools opened late last year, and at least eight more were scheduled to reopen by mid-January, said Father William Maestri, the schools' superintendent.
Source: The New York Times, by Susan Saulny Date: January 4 2006
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A third of social workers are prepared to exaggerate service users’ needs to obtain care for them as more councils tighten adult’s eligibility criteria, an exclusive
Community Care survey reveals this week.
Of the 300 adults’ services social workers surveyed, 34% said they would be prepared to bend the rules as part of the assessment process to ensure clients met the thresholds for receiving services. Two-thirds were concerned they would be disciplined for it further down the line but would still go ahead.
The survey also found two-thirds said their council had tightened eligibility criteria. Nearly a third of frontline social workers had been pressured by their managers to reassess fewer referrals as eligible for services, while more than half had been asked to reassess existing clients as no longer eligible.
The findings come as an increasing number of councils forecast budget difficulties in adult services over the coming three years following the comprehensive spending review settlement last month.
In response to the survey, a Department of Health spokesperson said that while the government recognised rising demographic pressures on services, councils had to make “effective use” of resources.
“It is for individual local authorities to manage and direct their own resources in accordance with local priorities and the needs of the communities,” the spokesperson added.
Last week, care services minister Ivan Lewis (pictured) hit out at Kent Council for setting up an online TV station while at the same time increasing domiciliary care charges.
In a Westminster debate, Lewis said: “There is a local authority – I shall not name it as I do not wish to embarrass it – that is spending £300,000 on setting up a television station, while it has increased the fees for home care by £300,000.
“Let us be clear: some decisions being made at a local level about what matters to people need serious scrutiny in relation to local authority prioritisation.”
Community Care was told that the minister was referring to Kent Council, which launched Kent TV in September, an online, 24-hour service, broadcasting programmes on council-related topics. The council denied the initial £300,000 annual running costs were related to the raising of domiciliary care charges to a maximum of £15 a person each week.
Deputy leader of Kent Council Alex King told
Community Care:
“There is absolutely no connection between the funding of domiciliary care charges and the setting up of Kent TV.”
How does tighter criteria affect frontline work?
Currently, four councils have raised their criteria to critical: Northumberland, West Berkshire, Wokingham and Harrow. Harrow is being taken to judicial review on 21 November over its decision by the Public Law Project.
As of July, 18% of councils had tightened their eligibility criteria in the past 18 months and 12% of councils were due to review them in the near future.
We want to know how this is affecting you on the frontline. Has your role changed beyond recognition to a rationer of services? E-mail simeon.brody@rbi.co.uk with your experiences and they will be posted on the website this week to coincide with our exclusive survey.
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XII. UTILITIES AND SERVICESYSTEMS
The project is proposed in response to a specific local need for electric power within a rapidly developing area in northern San Jose. As a utility upgrade, it would not in itself be considered a cause for further development of other new or altered power or natural gas utilities. Electrical demand in northern San Jose is expected to continue to increase rapidly, which would require further increases in electrical utility capacity to adequately serve the area. The expected further increases in electrical demand, and the need for further electric utility improvements to serve that demand, are not the result of the construction and operation of the North San Jose Capacity Project. No impact to power or natural gas systems or supplies would occur.
Pacific Bell provides communication services and currently serves the project area. The project site currently has telephone lines, and the operation of the new substation and power lines would not require any new communications infrastructure other than that provided exclusively for PG&E use as a part of the project. The substation would not house any employees but would be connected via telephone lines to PG&E engineering controls for remote operation and alarm systems. No impact to communication services is anticipated.
, d) The project site does not have any septic tanks or sewer services. The operation of the substation would not create a demand on water supply or sewer services. No restroom facilities would be required since the substation would be controlled remotely and not house any employees. Water supply for the substation landscaping would be required. Other than facilities that may need to be moved during construction of the power line to accommodate the placement of poles, no water or sewer lines would have to be moved or modified for construction of the project. No impact to water supply and sewer services is anticipated.
The area of the substation site is approximately 3.3 acres, and the storm water drainage from the site currently discharges ultimately into the City’s storm water system. The increase in the amount of impermeable surfaces (that would create additional run-off) is small and would have a less than significant impact on the local storm drainage system (see also Checklist item IV.a). Site runoff would not exceed the capacity of the storm drains serving the site. Therefore, the project would have a less than significant impact related to storm water infrastructure.
The project would require solid waste disposal service only during the construction phase. PG&E and its contractors for construction would remove all solid wastes from the construction site. In the long term, no solid wastes would be generated regularly at the site (PG&E, 1998, PEA. Therefore, no impact to solid waste disposal services would occur.
The project would require a minor increase in water use for construction that could be accommodated by available water service and would not have a substantial impact on local or regional water supplies. In the long term, no additional water services would be needed, as the substation would be controlled remotely and would not house any employees (PG&E, 1998 PEA). Water use would be limited to that needed for maintaining the landscaping. Therefore, no impact to water services would occur.
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Construction Frogs
Perhaps to get evolutionists to rethink their beliefs, the Creator has provided many inventive and unique structures. There are so many of these that even the longest evolutionary timescale could not account for their evolution.
Let's focus on a few examples among frogs for a moment. Frogs need to keep their eggs moist. Water must be available for their tadpoles. Frogs have many different ways of doing this.
The Venezuelan marsupial frog has a skin pouch, just like a kangaroo, except hers is on her back. The female marsupial frog stores her eggs in the pouch. There is plenty of moisture and protection in her pouch for the young frogs. When they are mature, the skin pouch sort of unzips, and out come up to 20 young frogs!
The Brazilian tree frog uses a completely different approach. This frog actually builds a pool of mud, near a pond, in which it lays its eggs. This pool is usually built so that by the time the eggs have developed into strong tadpoles, the regular tropical rains wash the pool, along with the swimming tadpoles, into the pond!
In Job 38:36, the Lord asks Job, "Who has put wisdom in the mind?" It is obvious to us that only the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth, could have given frogs these abilities and this knowledge. And it is just as clear that it is nonsense to say that chance and time made these frogs and their abilities.
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A Mother's Love
We have all seen it many times. A mother walking in a crowd with a small child loses track of her child and begins calling and searching for the little one. But can you imagine a crowd of 70 million mothers and children all looking for each other?
That's exactly what the Mexican free tailed bat must cope with. Once its pups are born, the bat colony may have as many as 70 million individuals, with up to 40 tiny babies for every 16 square inches. Being mammals, bats nurse their young, and the young bats are very aggressive about getting something to eat. So scientists simply assumed that when the mother bat returned from feeding, she would be facing millions of hungry babies. Most likely, she would simply nurse the closest and most insistent young – unable to find her own.
But studies show that when the mother bat returns from feeding, she lands near where she left her baby and begins calling to it, listening for an answer. Her youngster will call back to her, and when she thinks she has found her offspring, she sniffs it to be sure before nursing. Researchers found that in the vast majority of cases, mothers found their own young.
Scientists were very surprised to discover how powerful the mother bat's love is, as well as how intelligent bats really are. Love is but one part of life that evolution cannot explain. But we – who believe that we and all things were made by a Creator who is love – have no trouble explaining where love comes from.
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A United State of Worship
Peter BeckPeter Beck's Blog 2009 May 04
Comments
It has been said that Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in
Well, I’ve heard an idea being bandied about to help congregations in just that situation. The suggestion is that such churches start an African-American worship service. Hire an African-American preacher. Focus on music styles that appeal to that population segment – maybe a little more hip-hop, maybe a little rap. In general, cater to the African-American crowd by creating an African-American congregation within the larger white congregation with the hope that some will one day cross-over and join the majority in the regular Sunday morning worship hour.
Offended? You ought to be. Does it smack of racism? You bet it does. Will it work? I hope we never find out. It’s a ludicrous idea thrown out here for the sake of discussion only. I would never suggest, support, or promote such a sinful idea.
Yet, many of our churches do the same thing every week. We segregate our congregations into age-specific worship sessions. We have traditional worship for the older generation. We have contemporary services that appeal to the 35-50 year old contingent. We’ve got full-blown Christian rock worship for the singles. We’ve got celebratory worship services just for the youth. Sure, one population is welcome to worship with the other, and we hope they will, but by offering a smorgasbord of diverse worship experiences we’re in essence creating many mini-congregations who happen to share the same facility. That’s not a church. That’s a community center.
“Wait a minute,” you protest. “We offer these types of worship services in an honest attempt to appeal to segments of our population that we’re not reaching. They’re just not coming to the Sunday morning, 11 o’clock services. If we want to reach them with the Gospel, we’ve got to do something that speaks to them.”
Really? How is that any different than my offensive illustration about an African-American worship service? In the end, it’s not. It’s just a horse of a different color. The same presuppositions are at work. We assume that the way to reach different people is to offer different services.
That is true of the various ministries churches can and should offer. Not everyone needs marital counseling but some do. Not all members are struggling with dependency issues but some can’t break the habit. To those folks, and myriad others, we can offer something uniquely targeted to help them.
Yet, worship is different. While Christ reached out to people with the Gospel in their various life situations, every biblical example of worship reveals a church united. Revelation 4 and 5 promises us that the heavenly choir will feature voices from every nation and tribe. Yet, there will be one choir, singing with one voice, not various choirs doing their own thing in their own way. After all, that’s why we call it “corporate worship.” We do it together.
If unity in purpose and worship is the heavenly goal, should it not be our churchly goal? Shouldn’t we be directing our efforts here and now to that end rather than creating divisions within our churches?
If our current worship services are not meeting that end, unity in the worship of our God and Savior, it’s not time to start a new service. It’s time to fix the old one. We need to teach our people what the Bible says about worship. We need to show them God cares about worship. We need to lead them to set aside their differences and preferences in the name of Christian unity. When we do we’ll attract new audiences with our love for them, not our love for a style of music.
Please note, I am not saying that all churches have to be alike. I am not arguing that differences won’t exist between Church A and Church B. I’m not even arguing that differences don’t exist between the 20 year old and his parents. I’m arguing that Christ overcomes all those differences and so should our worship, if Christ is the object of that worship.
Sunday morning is, in fact, the most segregated hour in
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Vintage Shasta Compact Travel Trailer
A small bathroom has its advantages. A small space means less to clean and less to maintain. However, a small space— bathroom or otherwise—can also feel cramped. Believe it or not, the right decorating can fix that problem. You can decorate your small bathroom to make it feel more spacious. Here’s how to make your small bathroom look bigger.
Selecting a layout that is simple and works well with your current bathroom will help bring down costs significantly. This is because contractors won’t have to completely redo your piping, electric wiring, or anything else. Since the largest expense with a bathroom remodel is labor, this can save quite a lot of money. Anyway, please kindly visit my lenses abstractpainting. Its about decorating home. Hope it will be useful 🙂 Thanks. rebeccamealey, I surely hope this will be helpful. The contractor was a gem. He even did some other work.
Wall off the kitchen from the remaining rooms of the house during remodeling process. Dust will be flying from any wood or plaster board which is being cut. There will be dirt and dust when the walls, flooring, plumbing, or old electrical fixtures are being removed or installed. Glass shower door is gone and no more glass doors to clean.. in fact, no shower door at all right now.
Conventional bathtubs come in a range of materials including enamel-on-steel, cast iron, acrylic and fiberglass gel coat. More exotic options include composite materials, wood and cultured marble. Installation options include freestanding bathtubs, bathtubs installed into alcoves and those installed on platforms. Paint is always, on a budget, your best quick option on a makeover,” says Justin DiPego, senior editor of And you can do that yourself.
You may not be blessed with a large sized living room, but you can sure feel like you have one. Instead of displaying a wooden coffee table, display a glass one instead. The clarity of the table makes you feel as though you have more space in your room. Make sure to only display glass in areas where there are no earthquakes. Also note that, even small changes like the color of the metal strip between the carpet and bathroom floor can help update a house.
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How many times has this happened to you? You're taking out-of-town visitors around the Loop or another popular neighborhood, and they point to a building you've seen thousands of times before and ask "What's that?" You hem and haw while your credibility as a civic booster takes a dive.
There's an easy and fun way to avoid this while getting fresh air and exercise. Just take a few of the numerous walking tours offered through local cultural organizations, and you'll be a docent-without-portfolio before you know it.
Chicago Architecture Foundation
Everyone knows about the boat tour offered through the Chicago Architecture Foundation, and they also offer a wide array of tours by trolley, bus, bike, "L" train and Segway. But if you want to stretch your legs and also get a peek — inside and out — at buildings not visible from the deck of the First Lady, there are many on-foot opportunities offered daily that provide insights into everything from skyscrapers to public art to "sacred spaces." If nothing else, you should certainly stop by the foundation's headquarters and check out the scale model of downtown, along with the new exhibit opening Thursday titled "Chicago: City of Big Data."
I've done the Historic Downtown: Rise of the Skyscraper tour in the past, so I decided to get up-to-date with the Modern Skyscrapers: 1950s-Present tour. For two hours, docent Camille Carrig took us from modernism to postmodernism to a style that combines both without settling on a name — call it post-postmodernism, or perhaps contemporary modernism. (Carrig pointed out that "art deco" didn't really enter the lexicon until the late 1960s.)
Of course the three glass blocks of Mies van der Rohe's Chicago Federal Center got plenty of play as an example of the "international style." Even if you think you've taken in its "less is more" aesthetic many times, you may not have noticed the subtle but arresting details Carrig called to our attention — such as the way the unpolished granite squares of the outdoor plaza line up in a perfect grid with their polished brethren on the floors inside.
The "less is a bore" philosophy of postmodernism first comes up with a peek at Thomas Beeby's extravagant design for the Harold Washington Library Center, which, Carrig pointed out, contains referential elements to many other historic Chicago buildings. This pattern of referencing and building upon the past came up often in the tour. For example, 1956's Inland Steel Building, designed by Walter Netsch and Bruce Graham for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill as the first skyscraper built in the Loop after the Great Depression, inspired elements of the design for 2003's One South Dearborn, its neighbor directly to the north.
Perhaps the biggest surprise for me lay inside Philip Johnson's 190 South LaSalle building, the only design he ever executed in Chicago and one that marks a clear departure from his early modernist leanings. The gabled roof pays homage to the long-gone Masonic Temple Building of Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root, and the eye-popping interior, in addition to gold-leaf ceilings that wouldn't be out of place in a European cathedral, features a tapestry by Helena Hernmarck depicting the never-completed Burnham plan for a Paris-style city center.
'Millennium Park Revealed'
Design marvels don't just thrust skyward in Chicago. The Chicago Architecture Foundation's Millennium Park Revealed tour not only provides a fine excuse to wander the greatest civic addition to downtown Chicago in decades, but with the guidance of docent Ron Tevonian, also gives a crash course in the engineering genius required to put a rooftop garden and all its delights over the old Illinois Central Railroad tracks 10 years ago.
From the famous gleaming stainless steel of Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate, which hides an intricate structure that keeps thermal expansion and contraction from damaging the Bean, to the Miesian-esque bracing on the back of Frank Gehry's Pritzker Pavilion band shell (along with the pavilion's groundbreaking digital-delay sound system), Tevonian painted an engaging picture of the delicate dance of technology, money and political muscle needed to create an outdoor space that embodies Burnham's famous "make no small plans" dictate.
Chicago Architecture Foundation walking tours are offered daily, rain or shine, at 224 S. Michigan Ave. Most tours charge $10-$17 (free to members); 312-922-3432 or architecture.org for schedule and reservations. Chicago History Museum
If you're looking for more of a neighborhood feel with human-interest stories, then the Chicago History Museum also offers several tours. I enjoyed the Glitzy Gold Coast tour a year ago, so I decided this time on the "Old Town Trek," led by docent Laura Braglia.
From the neighborhood's roots as the "Cabbage Patch" of garden-loving early German immigrants to its seedier side (the beloved Twin Anchors tavern on Sedgwick logged time as a speak-easy during Prohibition) to its renaissance in the 1970s as a neighborhood filled with ardent preservationists, we got a real sense of how the neighborhood had changed with the cultural times while still holding onto some of the most cunning architectural and historical treasures in the city. These include "fire cottages," or precursors to FEMA trailers, built in the wake of the 1871 Great Fire, and a plaque marking the 1710 N. Crilly Court home of Henry Gerber, an early gay-rights pioneer whose name also graces the LGBT Gerber/Hart Library and Archives in Rogers Park.
Chicago History Museum walking tours generally are $20 ($15 members), which includes same-day admission to the museum; 312-642-4600 or chicagohistory.org for information and reservations. Evanston History Center
Further afield, the Evanston History Center, housed in the historic Charles Gates Dawes house, also offers many neighborhood walks from June to October. They also have a special Mother's Day House Walk this Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m., which provides access to architecturally notable private homes.
Kris Hartzell, director of facilities, notes that the tours range from "Burnham in Evanston" to the lakefront to Evanston women's history, including the home of pioneering feminist and temperance advocate Frances Willard, whose 175th birthday is celebrated this year.
Though Hartzell notes that Evanston has its own rich architectural history — "you'll have a Queen Anne and then a Prairie-style home and then an Italianate house in a row" — the goal for the tours is "showing the evolution and settlement patterns of the community." "It adds such a dimension when you know the story of the house and how it fits into the larger picture," she says.
Evanston History Center, 225 Greenwood St., Evanston. Walking tours June-October, first and third Saturday of the month, 11 a.m. $20 ($15 members); 847-475-3410 or evanstonhistorycenter.org.
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Islamic endowments (
waqfs) have an important history in Muslim countries, serving both as a means for individuals to do good works and as a way to avoid Islamic regulations concerning inheritance. In most places, due to a combination of colonial rule and the perception that waqfs stood in the way of economic progress, this institution declined precipitously in the 19 th century. But among the Palestinians, especially in Jerusalem during the period of British rule (1917-48), it uniquely flourished.
In a densely written and meticulous study, Reiter shows why: in part because Palestinians saw in the
waqf a means of keeping land from being sold to the Zionists, in part because of its economic utility for managing property. Interestingly, Reiter notes that the establishment of waqfs declined during the period of Jordanian control over Muslim Jerusalem (1948-67), only to revive when Israel won control over the whole city. His study casts new light on a central Islamic institution and on the detailed complexity of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
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Top 10 Best Sites
Looking for a dating site you can trust? Search no more.
Men's Dating
Randy Mitchell • 9/25/14
You’re an attractive, fun-loving guy and crave your freedom. You’ve been this way all your life.
During your adulthood, you dated literally dozens of women, attended many bachelor parties, witnessed lots of teary-eyed weddings, been called upon to be a best man and even hooked up with several bridesmaids during and after the ceremonies.
You’ve felt the emotions behind the whole courtship/marriage thing and endured the same ol’ question over and over, “So, how about you?”
You think about it, smile and politely give a rehearsed answer such as, “still looking for Miss Right.”
You love and adore the beauty of women and are always open to meeting new ones.
Marriage, you’ve always heard, is the road to golden happiness. Yet, for whatever reason, month after month and year after year, your ring finger remains permanently bare.
There are lots of reasons for guys to remain single, and after doing research for this article, I’ve come to the conclusion they’re different for each individual.
However, some always came to the forefront of the lists:
Now, if you walked the streets of any large metropolitan city and asked why guys are remaining single, I’m sure there would be many more colorful answers.
Some might be: “Commitment phobia, too insecure, too much of a loner, too introverted, too afraid of taking a risk, too emotionally scared,” and the old standby, “Are they gay?”
“Many are content finding
love when it arrives.”
Personally, I firmly believe it’s simply a matter of what’s best for the individual. And as any psychiatrist will tell you, “All of us are wired uniquely different.”
Some gravitate toward being alone, enjoy lots of “me” time and love their personal space. They have other priorities in life that don’t include marriage — hobbies, career, friends, sports and even immediate family.
Others crave the attention and companionship of sharing their lives with others, with “The One,” and much prefer the feeling of being bonded with another individual.
They feel out of place whenever she’s not around or when they don’t have a hand to hold, lips to kiss or a conversation to share.
Many are programmed this way since birth, yet others remain happily content simply loving themselves.
However, many still look at those never marrying as being a bit odd, abnormal, peculiar or even weird (i.e. that eccentric uncle or aunt always showing up alone).
Yet they’re extremely fulfilled dancing to their own singleness beat. It’s what they’re comfortable with. It’s what makes them who they are.
I have many friends who’ve stayed single well past the age of 50 and plan on remaining so. And I’ve also known several who’ve walked down the aisle, had children, endured extremely nasty divorces and swear they’ll never marry again.
I’ve seen the devastation both emotionally and financially a bad breakup can cost both parties – just one of many reasons more and more are remaining single.
I understand both sides of the equation, but many may ask, “What about love?”
It’s what makes us human and it lives inside us all.
But for some, it doesn’t equate to dashing off to the nearest jewelers, constantly searching for the one who
completes us or getting married to satisfy the expectations of family or society.
Many are content finding and experiencing love when it arrives, but they don’t need the legal formalities of making it official.
Love is wonderful when it’s natural and pure, and for certain people, enjoying it is all about an individual’s definition of relationship success.
Are you single and content? Do you know others who feel the same? I’d love to hear your comments.
Photo source: clareified.com.
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I am close to launching a new application for my company. It will replace a previous application which I wrote 8 years ago. The new version is much cleverer as I have designed the tables better and my vba programming skills are much better now.
The benefits are that entering and finding data is going to be much easier.
My problem is that I sense the users are not happy. I have tried to design everything to look similar but people are not happy that there will be a change. They are also worried that the new application is automating a lot of proceedures and they feel thet their positions are under threat.
Has anyone been through this and if so, can you offer and advice?
This is of course a bit late now but these are my thoughts:
People are typically resistant to change of all kinds. The very best way to counter that resistance is to include them in the process right from day one. Before writing a line of code engage with all stakeholders: review what currently exists and what works about it and what causes people pain. Review business processes - try to tease apart a client's activity from the goal of those activities (not as easy as it might sound). Create a written specification and get sign off from stakeholders.
That, I am afraid, is IME the best way to ensure that users embrace your product. Foisting something on them inevitably results in resistance.
From here I would review with your manager. You might need a bit of carrot and stick: engage in training sessions with users which gives them an opportunity to voice their concerns and you (and perhaps yours and their managers) to address these. The stick part would be instruction from their superiors that ultimately they need to suck it up and use the new system.
I have tried to include everyone right from the start but I found people have very little interest even though it can save them a lot of hassle. The business owner has seen the application and his attitude is that he loves it and that I should ask for feedback, if none is forthcoming then launch.
Whenever I show anyone a form, the usual comment is..."can it be blue, green, orange etc"
I am just a little disappointed because I want people to look at it and test it before launchng because I know that on day 1, I will have a line of people at my desk complaining because there is a piece of info missing etc.
If the business owner gave the green light, then make sure the line queues at his desk instead of yours...
When stuck in a scenario like this were the users are having my work imposed on them by management (such as every gov't contract I've ever completed), it becomes important to ensure the decision maker is willing to be held accountable for their decisions. Things like software requirements specification documents and formal acceptance procedures are very useful for producing a paper trail that leads back to the person who actually pulled the trigger. It also helps provide a uniform method of gathering feedback and requirements from the users, should they wish to participate. A formal change request process is also handy for addressing folks who like to release first and design later...
Ideally I'd like to be driving the requirements bus from the start as pootle is describing. That said, it's a good idea to get out of the way should one realize not only are they not driving the bus, but they've been thrown in front of it.
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| 0.966187
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HASTY — Without question, fall is the favorite season for the Colorado outdoorsman — particularly hunters. September ushers in cooler evenings and with the change comes formations of sandhill cranes passing over afternoon high school football practices followed by V’s of geese and ducks heading south.
And so last Saturday one of Colorado’s most popular hunting seasons commenced with the dove opener. This is a time to reconnect with nature, to tune up the duck and goose calls, and to get that eager dog back in the field. Likewise, this opening season starts a progression from doves to ducks, and on to geese, pheasants and sandwiched in between hunts for antelope, deer and even elk.
Fall for us hunters is our time.
As a fourth-generation native of the Arkansas Valley in southeast Colorado, this weekend I headed back home along with friend Mikk Anderson and his dog, Milo. Southeastern Colorado always has been known for its quality dove shooting. As a youth, riding my Vespa scooter to get in a good dove shoot before school was not out of the ordinary.
In the late 1970s, the La Junta Chamber of Commerce initiated an annual celebrity dove hunt. This complemented the existing historic Lamar Two Shot Celebrity Goose Hunt, and both have been popular events. As a La Junta native and career militarist, I had the honor of guiding on three of the dove hunts while stationed at Fort Carson; however, today only the Lamar hunt remains active.
Colorado dove hunters know the key factors to dove season are weather and scouting. One cool or rainy day can send the birds south but with current temperatures hovering over 90 degrees, there are plenty of birds in the valley. Finding a good wheat stubble field, or stock pond with surrounding sunflowers, often proves productive.
My advice to sportsman hunting doves for the first time is to look for indicators. An easy one is to spot numerous birds sitting on a power line, or fence, because you’ll often find they’re overlooking their feeding area and there will be equally as many birds on the ground. Likewise, on the edge of a small town or open prairie you can often find choice flyways where the birds will pass to find grit and a place to roost for the night. With the water shortages this year, any good stock pond with sunflowers and weeds should provide good shooting.
Southeastern Colorado offers excellent dove hunting opportunities in a myriad of state wildlife areas — look toward the John Martin, Keller or Purgatoire state wildlife areas near Las Animas or the Higbee and Thurston SWAs near Lamar. Reports from across the state for the opening weekend varied with good numbers coming from the Arkansas Valley and somewhat spotty and mixed results in the northern sector of the state.
Research conducted by hunting and firearms organizations indicate the average hunter bags one dove for every six to seven shots, and oddly dove hunting is a hunt where most folks keep track of their shooting ability. You never talk much about how many shots you made per pheasant, or duck, or deer, but folks sure like to let you know if they got their limit of doves (15) with a box of shells, or fewer, and that’s darn good shooting.
Dove hunting is not a given throughout our country with eight states still refusing to allow a season. It was just last year that Iowa hosted its first dove season.
Doves are about the quickest game bird to clean. You can clean with only your hands, but using a pair of game scissors to snip the wings from the breast allows for a smoother and well-shaped breast. Dove breasts can be simply grilled; filleted, breaded and fried; baked in a mushroom sauce; made into a stroganoff. Whatever your preference, it is prime table fare. And there is always the traditional, fail-safe jalapeño dove. A good technique for storing dove breasts is to use half-gallon milk cartons; place the dove breasts in the container, cover it with cold water and freeze. Doves stored in this manner will be as fresh as the day they were shot when you thaw them out next summer for cooking on the grill.
Our past weekend opener produced steady shooting for the evening hunt with limits for all four of our hunting party. The following morning hunt was slower, but still had good shooting. Most doves were full of wheat and weed (probably sandbur) seeds — further testimony for finding that wheat stubble field, or pond with sunflowers and weeds in the area.
From a young hunter growing up in the Arkansas Valley to a seasoned veteran 50 years later, the saying never rang more true: ” ‘Tis a privilege to live in Colorado.”
Be safe, always take a few but leave plenty; and from doves, to ducks, to deer and geese, this list goes on and the best is yet to come.
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How the Pope Helped Bring about the Fall of Communism By Jack Kemp
Scholars and historians will debate for years to come the
precise causes and historical forces that produced the sudden collapse of
communism at the end of the 1980s. One matter not in dispute, however, will be
the earth-shattering role played in the process by Pope John Paul II, the
Polish pope.
From the moment of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla's election to the papacy in October 1978, he began to shake the very foundations of communism. His first pilgrimage to Poland in 1979 helped undermine government censorship as the Polish people heard the pope talk about human dignity and pray, "Spirit, come and renew the face of the Earth." As young Poles gathered in throngs to hear the pope preach, they saw masses and felt the press of individuals just like themselves and knew they were not alone in wanting freedom and human dignity. It was no accident that the Polish church became a primary force behind the resistance against communism, uniting both Catholics and non-Catholic Poles in solidarity against communism. The pope was without a doubt the major source of hope and encouragement to his fellow countryman Lech Walesa, leader of the Solidarity workers' union and future president of Poland post-communism. After the fall of communism, Pope John Paul II released a papal encyclical titled "Centesimus Annus" (1991), which explained within a Christian framework why communism had failed and from that failure drew lessons about social, political and economic organization. In the process, the papal encyclical explained how people must organize themselves secularly, not to establish "heaven on Earth" but to maintain human dignity and social conditions conducive to each individual's having an opportunity to seek and achieve salvation of his soul. In other words, the pope placed individual freedom squarely within the core of Christian theology. Communism was a secular failure -- it failed to deliver the material benefits it promised -- the pope said, because it rejected the truth about the human person: "The state under socialism treats the individual, not with dignity, but as a molecule within the social organism, so that the good of the individual is completely subordinated to the functioning of the socioeconomic mechanism." The lessons "Centesimus Annus" drew from the practical failures of communism also undermined the theoretical and any possible theological justification of collectivism. Secular opposition to capitalism -- from doctrinaire socialism to the kind of soft democratic collectivism we call "liberalism" today -- has always derived from one fundamentally incorrect notion, namely that private property and its productive use to earn a profit exploits other people. Karl Marx and Frederick Engles attempted, unsuccessfully, to give scientific grounding to this fallacy of capitalistic exploitation. Historically, the Christian church had been skeptical of capitalism, not because of what the pursuit of profit did to exploit other people but rather because of how the pursuit of profit frequently corrupted individuals, making them avaricious, envious and materialistic. The pope's encyclical exploded both misconceptions: "The church acknowledges the legitimate role of profit as an indication that a business is functioning well. When a firm makes a profit, this means that productivity factors have been properly employed and corresponding human needs have been duly satisfied. But profitability is not the only indicator of a firm's condition. It is possible for the financial accounts to be in order and yet for the people, who make up the firm's most valuable asset, to be humiliated and their dignity offended. Besides being morally inadmissible, this will eventually have negative repercussions on the firm's economic efficiency. In fact, the purpose of a business firm is not simply to make a profit, but is to be found in its very existence as a community of persons who in various ways are endeavoring to satisfy their basic needs and who form a particular group at the service of the whole society." By a process of elimination, this devastating critique of socialism and unenlightened capitalism alike left democratic individualism and free markets, informed and guided by the spiritual teachings of the church, as the only practical means of organizing human action. At the same time, "Centesimus Annus" also reconciled the church's historical fear that capitalism and free markets breed vice among the faithful with beneficial social outcomes that only human freedom and its expression through private property and free markets can produce. The papal encyclical expounded upon how, for example, the effort involved in building a business also builds individual virtue: "Important virtues are involved in this process, such as diligence, industriousness, prudence in undertaking reasonable risks, reliability and fidelity in interpersonal relationships as well as courage in carrying out decisions which are difficult and painful, but necessary both for the overall working of a business and in meeting possible setbacks." Pope John Paul II concluded that earthly poverty and human despair are not the product of private property, capitalistic exploitation of labor and the pursuit of profit through the operation of free markets but just the opposite. It is when people are excluded from ownership, lack the opportunity to develop job skills and are not free to participate in free enterprise that people suffer and are, as the pope said "if not actually exploited, they are to a great extent marginalized; economic development takes place over their heads, so to speak, when it does not actually reduce the already narrow scope of their old subsistence economies." The next time pessimism and despair over the future grip us, we should remember that October 1978 when the renaissance of freedom began with the election of a humble Polish pope by the name of Wojtyla.
Copyright © 2004 HUMAN EVENTS. All Rights Reserved.
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| 0.966054
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Name: Brynn Leah Blotter
From: Diamond, Missouri Grade: High School Senior School: Bob Jones University Votes: 0
To
Love Well
I have never been able to limit myself to one area of volunteer work. There
are just too many areas of need to choose one over another. I have served food to the homeless, taught workshops to them and to children in public schools, cleaned community buildings, pulled weeds, and basically done anything that needs doing. I’ve volunteered since I was ten, shadowing my mother and missionary cousins to learn how best to serve people, and learned that it’s best to go where you are needed most. It would be impossible for me to say how many hours I volunteer, since I truly don’t know because I go wherever the need takes me.
My greatest challenge in volunteer work has always been talking to
people. I’m very shy and prefer to work in the background, invisible, if possible. Volunteering forces me to be more outgoing when it comes to people, and because of this I’ve become better at forming lasting relationships with people.
Real, caring relationships are perhaps the greatest accomplishment to me.
Being there for people even if I’m tired produces something amazing in me and the people I’m serving that is hard to describe. It’s a matter of the heart and changing perspectives. It is incredible the effect choosing to love people has on everyone around. I’ve seen firsthand just how much hope choosing to serve with love gives those who’ve given up on everything. I’ve seen it inspire people to try one more time, just because someone cares. People accomplish so much more if they have support and love from the people around them.
I’ve learned how to look beneath the surface, not judging what I see.
I’ve learned how much it hurts to truly love, and how very hard truly loving is. I’ve learned that hope hurts so much more than not hoping, but it is worth it a thousand times over. I’ve learned that volunteering is about more than making a physical difference, but a difference in hearts as well. I’ve learned that setting aside my personal desires in the moment even if it doesn’t seem like I’m getting anywhere produces much in the long run.
My hope is that how I have loved will continue to make a difference in the
future, even if I’m dead and gone. I want people to know they are loved and to choose to love others. I want to see people lifting each other up through service and friendship. I know that even though I may not have the opportunity to see it, my hope will not be in vain because Jesus is with me and always will be.
The things I have learned from volunteering will be invaluable in my
chosen career, to be a missionary doctor, and in every aspect of my life. No matter where I am, or what I’m doing, choosing to love well will always be my mission. Serving will always be my method, and Jesus will always be my guide and strength.
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| 0.924158
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Jeb Bush: Crying Out Loud, an opinion column by the New York Times's Charles Blow, reminded me that, much more than ums and uhs, communications pros should be listening for--and helping their principal speaker work on--repetitive phrases that give reporters (and others) inadvertent clues to what they're thinking.
I'll let Blow explain it for you:
As a person who uses language for a living, I find it hard not to notice rhetorical quirks committed by others. It has become something of a parlor game for me to note whenever he says “for crying out loud,” which always seems to signal some level of exasperation. And, somewhere around that phrase, he seems to say something interesting, sometimes something careless, nearly always something that makes news. It’s one of those subconscious things that speakers do — like scratching their nose while telling a lie or taking a drink of water when listening to a question that makes them uncomfortable — that journalists learn to pay attention to.You can read the several examples in Blow's column as a guide to breaking down this type of rhetorical quirk. And there's more recent coverage of Bush's frequent use of the word 'serious.' It's a tough habit to correct, but if you're working with a speaker who does this, it can save you and your company or organization a world of public trouble.
I once trained an executive who'd handle media interviews perfectly--until a hypothetical question for which he had no information came up. Every single time, he would say, "Probably..." followed by a major conjecture. Inevitably, that became the story. We identified the trouble signal word via transcripts and a review of media coverage, then worked on having him stop himself mid-sentence once that word flew out of his mouth, to say, "No, actually, I don't have enough data to answer that. I don't want to conjecture." But this takes a lot of practice.
Don't know your principal speaker's giveaway words or phrases? Try running all her recent speeches and interview transcripts through a word cloud tool or just read them through, looking for repetition. Then analyze when it happens, and why it happens. That will give you the ammo for a tough but needed conversation.
(Creative Commons licensed photo by Michael Vadon)
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| 0.996293
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A double mattress topper can help your mattress last longer and increase night-time comfort. Couples who share a bed can opt for two different single mats to accommodate individual needs.
Natural feather varieties provide a luxurious, snuggly feel perfect for winter mornings, while memory foam adjusts to your body shape for added support where needed. A feather double mattress topper may not be suitible for those with allergies, but memory foam options are hypoallergenic. Upgrade your sleep comfort by adding a double mattress topper.
Heated mattress toppers are sometimes known as heated underblankets, and are effectively electric blankets that are used under the body. Mattress toppers protect the mattress from spills and bodily emissions...
Suffering from arthritis can be extremely painful. While there is no actual cure for arthritis, there are many treatments and remedies that can ease your suffering. An alternative to medication is using...
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| 0.997112
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Omega-Caps® are specially formulated with a blend of essential fatty acids and vitamin E to help support the immune system of your dog or cat. The active ingredients in Omega-Caps snip tips also help maintain joints, heart health, and normal brain function.
Formulated with Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, which are essential to the healthy functioning of your pet's body, especially the brain and nervous system. They also play a key role in vascular health by supporting normal function of the cardiac muscle and promoting normal circulation. These fatty acids cannot be produced by your pet's body and so must be obtained through secondary sources like Omega-Caps snip tips.
The antioxidant, Vitamin E, assists your pet's body in combating environmental pollutants by helping the body remove damaging free radicals.
These fish flavored snip tip gels are an easy way to help maintain a healthy immune system, brain and nervous system, and a healthy heart in your dog or cat. Simply, snip the end and squeeze the gel out for your pet to readily consume these nutrients.
Omega-Caps snip tips for Cats and Smaller Dogs is formulated for pets up to 45 lb, for pets weighing more, try Omega-Caps snip tips for Medium and Large Dogs.
For Use In: Dogs and Cats
Key Features:
Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) 540 mg
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) 350 mg
Vitamin E 3 IU
You probably do not have the Flash Player installed for your browser or the video files are misplaced on the server!
DISCLAIMER: The results described on the testimonials on this site, are the individual experiences and personal opinions of those who have purchased and used the products. These testimonials are not intended to make any claims that the products can be used to diagnose, treat, mitigate, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition.Click here to see all reviews
Good product by Cindy from Oakland County, Michigan01/25/2013
Purchased from vet originally. Better price purchasing from here.
Best price purchase by Phil from Waterford, Michigan08/07/2013
Best price purchase and recommended by the customer help line. Just started using productlast week, it will be difficult to know if product will make a difference as my dog is 14 years old and he takes other supplements.
Great replacement for 3V Caps by Z2Crew4 from Southern California11/15/2011
Great for Sheltie coat and skin. Use scissors to cut tip and press on food. Our Shelties get them 3-4 times a week.
Good Product, Delivery System Just OK by KateLR from Arkansas11/25/2013
I turned to this product when I could no longer get a similar one. It seems to be working as well as the other, but the snip tips are inconsistently made. One capsule opens easily, others are very hard to open, and the contents can squirt out in ANY direction, without warning. Using scissors to open them gets the liquid on the scissors, which then have to be washed. Twisting the tips off and squeezing the capsule gets the liquid on my hands.But since my Golden Retriever refuses to eat the whole capsule, no matter how well I hide it in his food, it's just going to be a messy procedure!
Controls Skin Allergies by airedalemom from Phoenix, AZ06/14/2014
Keeps both my terriers out of the vet's office for steroid shots.
True Fish Oil by Rozzie from Woodland Hills, California03/13/2013
You have to be careful squeezing these in the right place.....because if it gets on your skin or anything else it has a very bad smell. My Labs coat is looking better and I'm hoping that it helps his heart and bones as well.
Too Messy ... by Pdxportie from Portland, OR02/28/2011
I travel a lot with my three porties in my motorhome ... I don't like smelling like fish oil!!!! It's probably an OK product ... still too early to tell! Much prefer the soft gels just thrown in with the dogs' food ...
Good value by Sue11/07/2012
I purchased a similar product from my veterinarian prior to purchasing Omega-Caps. The bottle was much smaller and cost about the same.
Good product by Mac from Central Florida05/08/2014
My dog's breeder recommended putting him on omega oils for his coat. His coat is looking much better now. Snip Tips are convenient, easy to use, and do not have a fishy smell.
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| 0.700688
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As per Thomson Reuters,
Targa Resources, Inc. (NYSE:TRGP) stock can hit $47.08 levels in upcoming months. It is the price acknowledged after weighing renowned analysts’ calls.
The unit follows the idea of assessing reports to ascertain price target. Dependent on poll, the firm probable EPS for quarter is $0.05 while it is $-0.40 for current fiscal.
Valuation Level
Market analyst, immaterial of the brokerage houses, repeatedly use price-to-earnings ratio for purpose of Targa Resources, Inc. Common St and other firm’s valuation. Without even knowing what is the financial worth of a company or how it fundamentals are, traders are inclined to forecast the right time to enter any trade whether it is a buy or short-sell. Market participants can lose out capitalizing opportunities if the investment choices are taken entirely on equity’s existing market value. It should be recognized that many means are there to gauge the firm performance. As a result, investors allay their odds of liquidating stocks too soon and losing future profits or spending in an equity appraised too high set against its actual worth.
Targa Resources, Inc. (NYSE:TRGP) P/E ratio is N/A while Price-to-Earnings-Growth ratio is -12.40. Technical Forecast
While reviewing Targa Resources, Inc. Common St on the technical element, the conclusion was share is trading $1.43 points away or +3.07% from 50-day MA of $46.72. It is $6.82 or +16.50% away 200-day moving average of $41.33. MA designates for moving average.
Last year
Targa Resources, Inc. (NYSE:TRGP) stock made a high of $64.37. The lowest level was $14.55. If stock jumps over $-16.22, there will be a 52-week high. However, when stock drops $+230.93% points, investors should embrace 52-week low.
An equity’s price fluctuations throughout a session changes as per the demand and supply. The market price assists buyers find whether the capitalizing opportunity in shares. The price of equity turns out to be dynamic when implementing trading plans. For illustration, buyers have a substitute option to place orders. This can lessen financial losses or assist investors to pull market gains.
1 Chart Pattern Every Investor Should Know
This little-known pattern preceded moves of 578% in ARWR, 562% in LCI, 513% in ICPT, 439% in EGRX, 408% in ADDUS and more...
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| 0.955882
|
Date & Time Overview
Privacy is a theme that enjoys increasing media attention. Besides Edward Snowden’s disclosures, recent news items include the consequences of Europe’s Draft Data Protection Directive on the use of personal data for advertising, and Mattel’s “Eavesdropping” Barbie doll that can send recordings of conversations to third parties for voice recognition processing. A different and more subtle form of breach occurs when personal information can be inferred from data and information that has been deemed safe and consequently disclosed. An example is AOL’s search data leak in 2006. AOL released detailed search logs of users for academic research purposes, but the public release of information raised privacy concerns since users could be identified through personal information in their search logs. The New York Times identified several users, including 62-year-old Thelma Arnold, a widow in Liburn, Georgia. The breach led to a media frenzy and the eventual resignation of AOL’s CTO, Maureen Govern. In this talk, Dr. Vinterbo discussed why he feels privacy is needed, why it is useful to think of privacy not as a fixed state, but a never-ending process, and why intuition about how to protect privacy can be misleading. He also presented an example of a state-of-the-art privacy protection technique and how it could be used to inform HIV prevention efforts in San Diego. The event featured three guest panelists.
Speaker
Robert Marasco, an attorney with Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, LLP, utilizes his experience as a former federal prosecutor to effectively and efficiently defend corporate clients and individuals, in all contexts, who are working through complex internal or government investigations, responding to grand jury and administrative subpoenas, investigative demands for interviews, or facing criminal prosecution. Additionally, Robert advises clients on the topics of data privacy and security, helping with preparedness, responding to breaches, and in the healthcare context compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA), and other health care privacy laws.
Harold Cooks, local Californian, has lived in San Diego for the past 25 years. He has been HIV+ for 25 years and holds a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Counseling.
Miguel Goicoechea, M.D. has a research background in HIV clinical therapeutic trials and translational studies in immune reconstitution at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Goicoechea’s expertise is in clinical trial design, statistical analysis and research ethics in human subjects. His current position is Head of Division of Infectious Diseases at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California.
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__label__pos
| 0.958791
|
The word risk relates to a potential for injury in some form. A risk is an implied threat from a situation or projected course of action. The common usage of the word is as a qualifier, rather than as a definition. The definition is usually given after the word, as a descriptor. It may or may not be emphasized, using the concept as the basis of comment.
Examples of Risk:
It's a risky proposition, because nobody knows all the facts.
There's a serious risk.
Why take the risk?
The risk is that the other side won't negotiate.
The risk factor is totally unacceptable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk
Risk concerns the expected value of one or more results of one or more future events.
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| 0.99851
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Build elsewhere
07:10 09 February 2013
Archant
Clinton Devon Estates (CDE) have, by now, submitted their planning request to build 350 homes in the Maer Valley with East Devon District Council (EDDC).
The proposal is to build houses around a 30-metre-high hill and leave the top free of buildings. Consultation has taken place recently with local residents and, despite what CDE has stated on their website, there is considerable and fierce opposition to their plans for very good reasons.
1. The area floods with run off water accumulating in the far north east corner. This is why the Railway Cottages in Littleham Road adjacent to the area currently flood. Even during “drier” months the hill is soggy and damp.
2. CDE has informed me that the density for the development will be 44-plus houses per hectare. A hectare is 100 metres by 100 metres, roughly the size of a football pitch. To fit more than 44 houses, space for parking vehicles, gardens and roads in an area the size of a football pitch will be incredible.
3. There is only one access into the proposed site via Buckingham Close. The Close is narrow with Davey Court, an old folks’ home, accommodating frail and visually impaired people. With 350 houses having at least one vehicle per household, which is common these days, at peak times up to 500 vehicles will be attempting to leave or enter the estate. The additional traffic going through Littleham Cross will make the current situation even worse particularly in the summer when Sandy Bay is in full swing.
4. To the east of Plumb Park there is a South West Water sewerage plant which, especially in the summer months, generates an obnoxious odour across Maer Valley.
5. We are informed as a result of a recent survey that the sewerage system is currently running at maximum capacity. Adding up to another 1,000 people into the local area would be inadvisable. How would this problem manifest itself with sewerage ?
Estate agents have a reputation for accentuating even the most dubious positives when attempting to sell houses. They would have a real challenge to sell properties on Plumb Park or, should it be referred to as Plumb Park Ghetto.
CDE has come up with the usual “corporate bribery”, if they are successful with their proposal to EDDC. A kids’ play area here, a few trees and a cycle path there. We are told this will be good for employment with a couple of units built on Liverton Business Park. How many?, not significant I’m sure. CDE will benefit from the rent of course as they own the park.
They even maintain it will be good for agriculture. We are expected to believe that by them building on a beautiful part of the county, CDE will release funds for further agricultural improvement. What impact will it have on wildlife ? It will be too late to release further funds when animals, fauna and insects have disappeared thanks to the removal of their habitat .
To solve and address all the above points and questions is simple - don’t build in the Maer Valley at all. Build somewhere else.
Philip Smith
Littleham Road
Exmouth
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| 0.994573
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It has undeniable parallels to the 1923 coal crisis of Germany. They minted money to pay the coal miners. The German Mark devalued so much that a loaf of bread costed 460 BILLION Marks :). Hopefully , commonsense will prevail this time around.
The idea was a joke, whether or not it was so intended.<br />
<br /> Precious metals have an intrinsic value ba<x>sed on the demand for the metal and the limited supply. Platinum certainly has a relatively high intrinsic value per ounce. Although platinum has a far higher intrinsic value than does paper, paper does have an intrinsic value. Just find yourself in a bathroom without toilet paper, after you have defecated. The monetary value of a coin or a bill can be established in several ways. Most currencies are valued in relation to the US Dollar or the Euro. Some nations declare the value of their currency while others allow that value to float. When a nation applies a fixed value that is arbitrary and unsupported, the currency inflates. Inflation can take place with dollar bills or Trillion dollar coins. The real value is dependent on what someone else would be willing to pay to purchase the coin. Who, if anyone, would be willing to purchase a Trillion dollar coin using a trillion dollars worth of gold, oil, Euros, or any other item of value? If no one is willing to buy it, it loses value until that value reaches a number at which someone will buy it.<br /> <br /> In the 1970s, the value of gold was rapidly rising and with it, the value of many currencies made from gold. For example the Danish Kronar. Mexico at the time had a 50 peso solid gold coin. Wishing to take advantage of the rapid escalation of gold prices and the demand that caused for anything made from gold, Mexico rapidly began to mint Mexican 50 peso gold coins and sell them. I made the mistake of buying these coins. While the price of gold approximately doubles, the because too many coins were minted, the currency value of the 50 peso gold coins collapsed by half. Instead of doubling my investment, the two factors counterbalanced each other and the total value essentially stayed the same. When I figured in margin costs and storage fees, I lost money.<br /> <br /> Yes, Krugman's idea was a joke whether intended or not.
Mr O wisely disassociated himself from that idea. Enough of us already think of him as having imperial ambitions that, if he openly showed any, he could cripple his position.<br />
<br /> Anytime you have people advocating a giant circumvention of the law, or even a quasi-run-around, is a time to fear. The idea of separating the treasury from the oversight of the houses of congress is a thing to fear. Then the people will no longer have control over their government's executive.
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| 0.79661
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Pokémon Go:
Pokémon Go
I think it’s safe to say that the Pokémon Go craze has pretty much taken over our lives. Even if you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon, you’re at least very aware of, and possibly annoyed by, its existence. People from different generations and walks of life are all participating in this one collective experience. What makes the game so great is, for one thing, it is encouraging people to become more active. Whereas with most virtual reality games you have to remain stasis for long periods of time, in order to succeed at the game you actually have to physically go out into the world. The game mixes virtual reality and, well, reality in such a way that gamers from all walks of life are being compelled to, well, walk. Not only does it encourage an active lifestyle, but this is the first scenario where walking around with your face plastered to your phone will end up allowing you to interact with new people. It is so easy to meet and strike up a conversation with a fellow Pokémon Go player. We are all being drawn to the same locations and we all already have something very big in common.
Getting children (or adults) to be active is wonderful. However, there are some pitfalls.
The game is very addictive, which can take up quality family time. Another downfall is that children are walking with their eyes focused on phone and not paying attention to where they are in fact walking. There have already been reported accidents of people not paying attention and walking into traffic.
Stay safe by teaching children safety rules about Pokémon Go. Make rules based upon not only safety but what you feel is necessary for your child and your family. With just a little preparation, Pokemon Go can be a delight to each family member!
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| 0.989591
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Outbreaks of civil unrest in Albania since early March are threatening the
continuity of wheat and other food supplies to the bulk of the population, according
to a special alert released by FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System
(GIEWS).
Prospects for agricultural production in 1997 are very uncertain. A series of land reforms introduced in 1991, to transfer previously collectivized land to private ownership, resulted in a sharp fall in agricultural production. Some recovery has been seen since then. But production remains constrained by the still mostly fragmented landownership structure and small farmers' poor access to credit (despite internationally supported government schemes to provide credit for farmers). Wheat production in particular has been affected by the shift from large-scale collectivized farming to small-scale subsistence production of mainly cash crops and fodder.
Uncertainty over the outcome of the 1997 cereal crop has been heightened by the recent civil unrest, which could affect both yield prospects for growing winter crops and planting of spring cereals due to start soon. Shortages of essential seeds required for spring planting are also reported.
Comments?: Webmaster@fao.org
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The Reserve Bank of India has come out with two novel changes to address the festering problem of bad debts plaguing the public sector banks .
The first is to broaden the list of knights-in-the-shining-armour from the hitherto asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) and securitization companies to other banks and non-banking finance companies as well when it comes to buying of stressed assets is concerned. The RBI is jumping from fire to frying pan, so to speak. Most of the public sector banks have been singed by the scourge of bad debts, and private sector banks like Kotak Mahindra Bank are mighty cautious in extending industrial loans in the first place. One therefore wonders if they would enter this extreme area of risk-taking given the fact that the few ARCs (the supposed specialists in loan recovery) we have in the country, have nothing to write home about but instead have had a rather chequered history.
Fools rush where angels fear to tread. While a bank itself may not embark on this potentially suicidal course bordering on brinkmanship, it is the political pressure one fears the most. If LIC can be arm-twisted to bail out the public issues of other public sector companies in the course of government disinvestment, there could be a genuine apprehension that pressure will be brought about on say Bank of Baroda to buy the stressed assets of say Punjab National Bank. The move therefore is fraught with dangerous potentials and consequences.
The second is to ask banks to adopt the Swiss challenge method (SCM), generally used in the infrastructure projects but strangely preferred by the RBI in the matter of stressed assets buyout. Unsolicited offer is at the core of SCM. Any bank or ARC can offer to buyout a stressed asset of a bank on given terms whereupon the bank nursing the stressed asset has to announce publicly about the unsolicited offer and the terms thereof with a view to affording an opportunity for other banks/ARCs/NBFCs to offer terms better than the one offered by the gatecrasher if one may say so. If no one is able to come up with better terms, then the originator (gatecrasher?) bags the contract i.e. the right to buy out the stressed assets. Now what is good for infrastructure projects needs not necessarily be good for a bank’s stressed assets portfolio because the two are different from each other like cheese from chalk.
SCM for infrastructure is good because anyone who feels a subway must be built at a particular point may make a pitch for it with a concrete offer that is going to benefit the public without hurting anybody but a bank nursing a stressed asset will be hurt if it were to be compelled to sell out to the gatecrasher or to the one outsmarting him. For, it is for the bank nursing such asset to take a call on what it should do to salvage the best possible out of it. While the RBI can mandate provisioning and the extent of it for various sectors, it cannot mandate anything that even remotely could be considered coercive.
The RBI perhaps would have done well instead to facilitate a negotiated swap of stressed assets. To wit, if bank A has expertise in the steel industry and has demonstrated success in salvaging the highest from the defaulting steel borrowers then it should be allowed to takeover the stressed loan of bank B if this also happens to be a steel loan. This can be a win-win provided bank B is an expert in salvaging the maximum from cement stressed loans and bank A find itself out of its depths in this industry. In other words, a mutually agreed swap is any day better than an intrusive challenge.
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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
We, the people, fill Facebook and Twitter with much of its content. But the social media platforms on which we do our thing are owned and made by others. And the Silicon Valley movers and shakers who make and profit from them are, according to a recent article in the
NY Times, waking to the fact that social media platforms can be harmfully over-used; some people spend so much time online that they damage their relationships, careers, education, minds, and bodies. What remains an open question is how to explain such pathological over-use. Addiction? Or something else?
That there is a problem is clear. Listen to Facebook executive Stuart Crabb:
“If you put a frog in cold water and slowly turn up the heat, it’ll boil to death — it’s a nice analogy,” said Mr. Crabb, who oversees learning and development at Facebook. People “need to notice the effect that time online has on your performance and relationships.”
When someone from Facebook compares heavy users to a frog slowly boiling to death we clearly should pay attention. After all, this warning is offered in the face of a powerful paradox: social media companies succeed only if people spend lots of time online, yet they are starting to recognize too much time online can be a huge problem.
But what’s going on with pathological over-use? Something new is happening, whether it be a college student flunking out because he played too much
World of Warcraft instead of studying or a milder version in which a middle-aged mom or dad checks-out of family life for a few weeks, or months, while “talking” with her/his “friends” online. But what?
I was recently invited to write an article for the
Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session and consider whether the addiction concept explained pathological over-use. I ended up concluding that the concept of “addiction” did not help. While some neuro-addictive process are undoubtedly at play—we all love our little squirts of dopamine—much more than just that is going on.
In fact, I argued the addiction concept is a dangerous dead-end contradicting clinical experience; foreclosing the development of more robust explanations for why some get stuck online; and limiting advice for what to do avoid or deal with the problem of over-use to nothing more than unplugging and disconnecting.
I argued, instead, that something new was needed. I urged people to consider what I’ve been calling “simulation entrapment. ” Essentially, the problem is people forget where they are and what they are doing. Over-users look to life on the screen for that which only life itself can provide. And while our remarkable technologies make it easy to do so, over-users get trapped by repeatedly looking for something that can’t be found online: life itself. It’s like someone in a flight simulator surprised and disappointed they are not in a different city at the end of the “flight” who then climb back in hoping this time, maybe this time, they’ll make it to their destination.
But there’s more to it. Most of us have a great time online. We do. Face it. It's fun. We don’t suffer from simulation entrapment. We remember where we are and enjoy being there. In my clinical experience pathological over-use, such as obsessively checking in to FB, starts as an attempt to solve some problem in living. Maybe it’s a quick-fix for loneliness, or a way to soothe the regrets of aging by re-establishing one’s college crowd. Or maybe someone is just longing for more fun. In any case, the solution changes from a potentially helpful, even fun, diversion—however much it may be doomed to fail—into a problem when someone becomes entrapped by technology’s promise of delivering that which only life can offer, such as the promise of a richly peopled social world or, in games like
World of Warcraft, a grand and heroic adventure.
In other words, our world is changing faster than our minds. We are not keeping up. We often find ourselves being like those audience members watching an early silent film of an oncoming train who got terribly frightened and fled the theater. They got confused. Same thing with those who look to FB for what only genuine face time can provide (not the interactive video, actual time spent face-to-face with someone).
So, What To Do About Pathological Over-Use
So, what to do about pathological over-use? Using simulation entrapment as a concept for understanding pathological over-use suggests that we can inoculate ourselves against developing the problem by being attentive to those experiences we can have online and those experiences we can't. We need to develop fluency moving from being inside the simulation (like a pilot in a simulator enthralled to be flying) to being outside the simulation (like simulator pilots learning their lessons and having a flying experience without thinking they will actually get anywhere).
And should the problem develop? Well, two things need to be done simultaneously: first, deal with the problem for which the pathological over-use is the attempted solution; and, second, (quoting myself) explore all the “differences between the technologically-mediated experience and traditional experiences of being bodies together," i.e., learn what experiences life affords and how those experiences differ from what can be found online.
Only by remembering, and even cherishing, the kind of experience one is having can one get from the experience what it offers.
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As the World Economic Forum closed amid protests in Davos, Switzerland, business and political leaders face the spectre of a rising protectionism that could worsen the global financial crisis. Leaders agreed a new trade deal was needed. Read more: Can Davos stem the crisis?
Reuters - Rising protectionism threatens to deepen the economic crisis and a new trade deal is needed more than ever to keep commerce flowing -- on that much trade ministers and political leaders are agreed. But as so often in the politics of international trade, actions -- or lack of them -- belie words. Trade ministers meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum at this Swiss ski resort on Saturday vowed to treat a deal on the World Trade Organisation's long-running Doha round as their highest priority. And they repeated a promise made by leaders of the G20 rich and emerging nations in November not to put up barriers to trade. But they did not set a target date for the WTO's 153 members to meet to push for a Doha breakthrough -- not least because the United States still has no full-ranking minister as confirmation hearings continue for President Barack Obama's administration.
And the warnings and promises on protectionism fly in the face of a series of increased duties, reimposed subsidies and non-tariff barriers erected in the past few months.
"There's considerable focus on protectionism (at Davos), with all the right rhetoric," said BP and Goldman Sachs International chairman Peter Sutherland. "But the rhetoric has not been justified by the performance of the governments to reach an agreement on Doha," said Sutherland, the first director-general of the WTO. Sutherland shared the analysis of most trade ministers and the current director-general, Pascal Lamy, that a Doha deal would be an important bulwark against protectionism, and noted that failure to reach one was down to a small number of players. Watered down The Doha talks were launched in late 2001 to open up new trade opportunities and give developing countries a bigger stake in the global trading system, especially by eliminating distortions discriminating against them in farm trade. But differences between and among rich and poor countries over everything from food to cars to banking have prevented a breakthrough until now, even though negotiators resolved many complicated technical issues last year. At their November summit, G20 leaders called for an outline deal in Doha by the end of 2008, but Lamy concluded in December that the gaps were still too wide for ministers to meet. A statement circulated after the ministers' talks said they had agreed to attach the "highest priority" to Doha, and recognised "the major progress made in 2008" as a "sound basis for an early resolution of the remaining differences in 2009". That was watered down from an earlier draft that promised "the year 2009 shall be a year of breakthrough in these negotiations". A statement from Swiss Economy Minister Doris Leuthard suggested minister could meet in the next few weeks, before the next G20 summit to hosted by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown in early April -- an idea also floated by Egypt's Trade Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid. But Saturday's meeting did not agree a date, and Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said a full ministerial meeting in the first half of his year would be counter-productive. Brown is one of the strongest supports of a new trade pact to bolster globalisation and an open world economy, although his earlier slogan "British jobs for British workers" has come back to haunt him as leaders tackle the protectionist threat. "If we don't act, protectionist tendencies will become paramount and we will have failed in this first stage of building a new global era," Brown said. But protectionist tendencies are already evident. Ministers from Australia, Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Indonesia and New Zealand all expressed their concerns or pointed to measures against their exports in the last week. Some of them have to defend their own moves -- such as restrictions on drugs sales and ports of entry in Indonesia or safeguard duties on steel in India. The European Union's decision to reintroduce export subsidies for dairy produce -- which would be banned under Doha but allowed under present rules -- provoked outrage from food exporters. The WTO's Lamy, a former EU trade commissioner, said it sent the wrong political signal, whatever the technicalities. Multi-billion-dollar stimulus packages and bailouts announced by a series of governments are also under scrutiny, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel warning that Berlin would take a close look at the U.S. aid package for the auto industry. "There is a risk of a domino effect if some of the countries have stimulus packages with an element of protectionism in there," said Switzerland's Leuthard. Controversial "Buy America" provisions in the $825 billion stimulus package passed by the House of Representatives have also worried many countries, although acting U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier said the department was working to ensure the bill would comply with international trade rules. Allgeier said he hoped the Senate would hold confirmation hearings for Obama's nominee as trade representative, Ron Kirk, in the next couple of weeks, and many ministers said they understood that the Obama administration needed time to settle in and work out its stance on trade. But with news coming almost daily of slumping exports and contracting trade flows, the pressure to act is on. South Korean data on Sunday showed the country's exports in January fell by a record 32.8 percent year on year. "The crisis that's enveloping the world economy waits for no man," said New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser.
Date created : 2009-02-01
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FETTU Evaluation Data
An evaluation of FETTU was made possible by NASA funds. These data are from a small fraction of the people who visited FETTU locations worldwide and are limited in its scope (approximately $10,000 for evaluation organization, protocol creation and data analysis, with data collection completed by volunteers). However, given the ultimate size of the project, along with the model used to employ it, these data do represent some insight into the potential impact that this type of public science may have.
The results show that even brief, casual encounters with science in these public, non-traditional settings can have an effect on the public's exposure to science topics. The outcomes outlined in the analysis section also represent the potential for measureable impact that may be assessed and tested with future public science projects.
Additional Evaluation Reports
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Quote# 89332
It's true that the younger the voter, the less likely he or she is to oppose same-sex marriage. But how strong are those opinions?
One clue arises from the landslide passage of North Carolina's Amendment One defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Public Policy Polling's survey of voters under 30 shows they opposed the amendment, but only marginally (51 percent). SurveyUSA also looked at Amendment One in its final weeks and found a similar result -- with 41 percent of young voters opposing the amendment and 48 percent supporting it. The American Enterprise Institute ran the numbers and found that, even if no one over age 45 had voted in the North Carolina referendum on marriage, it would have passed by around 8 percentage points.
If we're waiting for demographics to usher in same-sex marriage, we might have to wait awhile. The fact is, in 30 states so far, citizens have voted to write into their constitutions that marriage is the union between one man and one woman. National Review's Rich Lowry says that "no referendum simply upholding traditional marriage has ever lost. And even in Maine, voters in 2009 reversed a gay-marriage law passed by the legislature." If gay marriage is to be ushered in through the democratic process, all these results would have to be reversed which, Mr. Lowry estimates, would take a generation.
Rich Lowry points to the 70s-era Equal Rights Amendment which also was seen to be inevitable. Congress passed it in 1972 and 30 states immediately ratified it. Then Phyllis Schlafly raised an army as she pointed out that the ERA would result in things like women being placed in combat positions and losing protections in divorce settlements. Beverly LaHaye started her Concerned Women for America under the rallying cry: "They (the feminists) don't speak for all women." Once the truth got out, only a handful of other states ratified it, and it failed to make it into the U.S. Constitution.
The 60s free-sex crowd foresaw a world of commitment-free physical relationships, with abortion accepted as second-tier birth control. But, unlike them, their kids today are pro-life -- and more are practicing abstinence until marriage.
The fact is young voters often change their political views as they age. And some of the bad consequences of things like abortion and easy divorce cause young people to turn against them. Polls show millenials care deeply about family values. Many are forced, due to the economy, to live at home with parents longer. The happy result is, families are becoming closer. It's not farfetched that the rising millennials could come to see marriage as the cornerstone of a stable family.
Perhaps gay marriage is not inevitable?
Penna Dexter, Baptist Press 27 Comments
[9/4/2012 2:57:57 AM]
Fundie Index: 29
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欢迎进入每日英语交流学习，并留下您的宝贵意见。
（文章开始会有一段独白简介，以下文章为采访任务相关报道，仅供参考。）
She caused a sensation with her sultry eyes and smouldering beauty. But Hollywood leading lady Hedy Lamarr — a star in the 1930s and 40s — was also the co-inventor of a radio transmitter used to secure wartime military communications that paved the way for mobile phone technology. Lamarr is among a cohort of pioneering women whose technological achievements often go unsung — something many argue needs to change.
While today’s tech superstars are mostly male, in the early days of computer programming, a woman shared the limelight. As Charles Babbage was designing a programmable computing engine, Ada Lovelace, daughter of the poet Lord Byron, conceived algorithms that would enable Babbage’s “Analytical Engine” to conduct different tasks.
Lovelace took a broad view of computing’s possibilities. “She said that if we could figure out a way of making a science of music, we should be able to feed that into computers,” says Thomas Misa, director of the Charles Babbage Institute at the University of Minnesota. “It’s not the sort of thing a scientist would say, but computing seems to make advances with people that are a bit visionary.”
Vision is one thing, but it is often conflict that serves as an incubator for technological advances. The second world war was no exception as it created new career opportunities for women. While women worked on farms, in munitions factories and as radio operators, they also became lab technicians.
When American maths professor Grace Murray Hopper left her job to join the war effort, she found herself working on IBM’s Mark I computer at Harvard University. After the war, Hopper, who became a rear admiral in the US Navy, was instrumental in developing the compiler, which translates English instructions into machine code, and the Cobol programming language.
“Her understanding that programmes should be written more closely to natural language in English has laid the foundations for software engineering,” says Shilpa Shah, a Deloitte director who leads the firm’s Women in Technology network.
Other wartime pioneers include a group of women who worked at the University of Pennsylvania on developing what is credited as the world’s first programmable general purpose electronic computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (Eniac).
Some have made their biggest contribution not as inventors or computer scientists, but as businesswomen. One example is Dame Stephanie Shirley, who arrived in the UK as a young refugee fleeing Hitler.
In 1962, she established Freelance Programmers, a network of professional women computer specialists. Initially employing only women (a policy she had to change in 1975 following the passing of equal opportunity legislation), the company, later called FI Group, gave women the flexibility to combine work with family responsibilities.
Looking back through history reveals many prominent tech pioneers who were women. But women working in technology’s rank and file were also well accepted in the past.
In the US and much of western Europe in the 1980s, says Prof Misa, women collected almost 40 per cent of computer science degrees. Today, however, the figure is 15 to 20 per cent. “Through the 1980s, computing looked like something of a women’s success story,” he says. “Computing was doing something right in attracting women — and that’s not the case today.”
Many have posited theories for the change. Some suggest that the advent of the personal computer — which was marketed to men and boys — introduced a male flavour to the culture of technology.
Prof Misa says that when US colleges introduced requirements for programming experience of their students, this also created a deterrent. “It was a huge filter that chased women out because, for whatever reason, high school computers labs were taken over by boys.”
However, while gender biases have swept across the US and Europe in recent decades, some parts of the world appear less affected. Minerva Tantoco, chief technology officer for New York City, witnessed this when, in a previous job in banking, she visited her company’s offices in China to find that, on the technology floor, 60 per cent of the staff were women.
“It was proof positive that there’s no reason women can’t be in technology,” she says. “This has got to be cultural. People think it’s normal to be a computer engineer as a woman in many parts of Asia.”
Prof Misa agrees, citing India and Malaysia as examples. “It seems the gender coding gets done in a different way,” and adds: “Computing is seen as a challenging and well-paid field.”
This still leaves large chunks of the world in which women are perceived to be not natural technologists.
Clearly schools play a central role in sparking the interest of girls in so-called Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects. But as technology becomes all-pervasive in people’s lives, this should also be the case in education, argues Rebecca George, a Deloitte partner who has been promoting the participation of women in the IT sector since the mid-1990s.
“It’s not just about teaching IT, but engaging teachers to use it in all their subjects,” she says. “We need teachers to be IT literate.”
Civil society groups and non-profits can inspire girls to take an interest. Girl Scouts of the USA has, for example, been incorporating digital technology into activities such as cookie sales.
The organisation’s “Digital Cookie” platform allows girls to create web pages, conduct sales online or via mobile apps, keep track of orders and use interactive tools to learn about budgeting, online security and safety.
For companies wanting to build a pipeline of female technology employees, partnerships with such groups is one way to contribute. Dell, the computer company, and Visa, the credit card company, are partners with Digital Cookie platform, for instance.
Sue Black, an adviser at the UK’s Government Digital Service, says home life also shapes girls’ interest in technology. She founded #techmums, providing workshops for mothers on online security, social media, computing skills and app and web design.
Celebrity role models are also encouraging girls and women to take up coding. For example, model Karlie Kloss has formed a partnership with New York’s Flatiron School Pre-College Academy to encourage young women to apply for a “Kode with Karlie” scholarship, a two-week programme introducing software engineering and web app creation.
If they make progress, they will demonstrate, as Lamarr did in the 1940s, that female success and technological innovation are not mutually exclusive.
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