text:
Sorry, we haven't been able to update the recipes for quite a while now due to family problems....but now we're back with a vengeance!!
This is a delicious and filling salad - quite different from the "traditional" Greek salad. It's quick and easy to prepare and I think you'll like it!
Some lettuce
Some rocket
1/2 chicory cabbage
1/2 red pepper
1/2 red apple
3 - 4 walnuts
1 glass white wine
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon honey (preferrably Greek)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ginger
Wine vinegar
Olive Oil
Chop the lettuce, rocket and chicory cabbage into a salad bowl.
Chop the pepper and apple into cubes, without removing the apple peel, to give your salad a nice colour, and add to the lettuce, rocket and cabbage.
Add the walnuts, after chopping them in the blender, and mix the salad.
Mix the garlic, ginger, salt and pepper in the blender.
Add the wine, oil, vinegar and honey and blend again.
Add the dressing to the salad and you're ready!
Eat and Enjoy!
Traditional Greek food as cooked by Greek mothers!! Delicious and easy recipes!!
Ancient Greek Salad
Labels: Salads, Vegetarian
1 comment:
- Ivy said...
Hi, I just found out that someone has created a site and steals recipes from other blogs (has done this to some of my friends) and presents them as theirs. Checking the Greek recipes to see if he has stolen any of mine I found your recipes. I google searched the titles and came to your blog. You may wish to check it out:
- 31 August 2008 at 12:21
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
You're at your weekly staff meeting, and you've just presented your brilliant idea on how to boost productivity and save money. But then your boss shoots down your idea with a vague reason or two. You know you're right and your boss is wrong. So should you remain quiet or stand up for your idea?
Joseph Grenny, a coauthor of "Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes Are High," says that with the right set of skills, you can respectfully disagree with your boss, without damaging the relationship—and without risking your job. Here are some tips:
Speak up!
First, recognize that your opinion counts. "The ability to master crucial conversations is vitally important in the workplace," says Grenny. "Those who have difficulty confronting others negatively impact their organization."
Emily Bennington, a coauthor of "Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job," agrees that learning how to speak up is vital to success. "As you move up in your career, it's important to understand how to handle difficult conversations," says Bennington. "The sooner we can all learn to solve problems rationally through mature dialogue, the better."
Make sure your concern is "boss-worthy"
While being assertive is important, don't bring every little issue to your boss—be selective.
"When bosses are bombarded with interpersonal issues between colleagues, they feel like they are babysitting more than leading. Always try to resolve issues with your colleagues before running to the boss," says Grenny.
Larger concerns that impact your performance or the performance of the organization are boss-worthy, as are times when you need to own up to a mistake.
"Always tell your boss when you've made a mistake that could potentially damage a relationship with a customer or client," says Bennington. "A good boss would rather hear about a problem before it becomes a fire."
Get a room
If you disagree with a decision your boss has made, the worst thing you can do is voice your opinion in front of others or fire off a heated email.
"Make sure you pick the right moment," says career consultant Andrea Kay. "It may not be a good idea to challenge your boss in a meeting."
And don't just burst into your boss's office; request an appointment in a private place. "It's always better to have it face-to-face. And if there's a high degree of emotion involved, email is not your medium," says Bennington.
Start on a positive note
Don't start the conversation with the negative; kick things off by complimenting something about the situation that is working, advises Bennington. Then clarify your intentions, concerns, and recommendations to make it better.
"If your boss becomes defensive, pause for a moment and check in. Reassure them of your positive intentions and allow them to express any concerns they have," says Grenny.
Stay company-focused
Always stay company-focused, says Kay, by asking thoughtful questions and presenting various ways a situation will impact the organization.
Finally, don't be discouraged if your boss ultimately fails to change his or her mind. Remember that voicing your opinion is good for the company and lets your boss know that you care about the success of the organization.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
5 Ways to Spend Quality Time With Your Kids
Are you struggling with non-stop work or burnout?
Do you lack enough time for the things that really matter, like spending quality time with your kids?
Having too much to do without enough time to prioritize can leave you feeling exhausted, stressed and anxious.
In this article I'll share five ways to live a better, balanced, more focused life from the book, Living into Focus: Choosing What Matters in an Age of Distractions, by Arthur Boers.
Why Look for Focus?
It may sound simplistic, but the secret to keeping your life balanced and sane is FOCUS!
Our lives–especially our lives with kids–are in constant fast-forward, and it's not good for us. The problem is people often make choices that are inconsistent with the kind of lives they really want. They work long hours, have long commutes, spend too much time online, don't get enough sleep, etc.


text:
Have the policy errors that contributed to the global economic crisis been rectified? Sharan Burrow shares her vision for building trust and restoring confidence in the countries still suffering from the crisis.
References and recommended sources
International Trade Union Confederation
Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC)
OECD work on Regulatory reform
More OECD Observer articles on governance
©OECD Yearbook 2013
Related Documents


text:
Study identifies causes for high rates of allergic reactions in children with food allergies
A team of researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and four other institutions have found that young children with documented or likely allergies to milk and/or eggs, whose families were instructed on how to avoid these and other foods, still experienced allergic reactions at a rate of almost once per year. Of severe cases, less than a third received epinephrine, a medication used to counter anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic condition.
The findings are from an ongoing Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) study that has been following more than 500 children with food allergies since infancy. The results of the three-year study appear online in the June 25 issue of Pediatrics.
Nearly 72 percent of the participants experienced a reaction, with 1,171 allergic reactions in total. Allergic reactions were attributed to such factors as a lack of close supervision, misreading ingredient labels, cross-contamination, or errors in food preparation. Participating families had been given written and verbal food avoidance instruction, and written prescriptions for self-injectable epinephrine, beforehand.
"This study reinforces the importance of educating parents and other caregivers of children with food allergy about avoiding allergenic foods and using epinephrine to treat severe food-allergic reactions," said Scott Sicherer, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "We must work harder to thoroughly educate parents about the details of avoidance and when and how to correctly use epinephrine to manage this life-threatening condition."
Approximately 11 percent of the children experienced anaphylaxis, which can include symptoms such as swelling in the throat, asthma, sudden drop in blood pressure, dizziness or fainting. The children's parents or caregivers administered epinephrine in only 30 percent of the cases of children having severe reactions to food. Investigators found children did not receive epinephrine because either the drug was not available, or parents and caregivers were too afraid to administer the drug, or they did not recognize the reaction as severe and waited to see more symptoms.
"We found a significant number of young children received allergenic foods from caregivers other than their parents," said Hugh Sampson, MD, Dean for Translational Biomedical Sciences, Professor of Pediatrics, and Director of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "This underscores the need to educate everyone who is responsible for the child, including grandparents, older siblings and teachers."
Dr. Sampson is the lead investigator for COFAR, which is also performing numerous food allergy treatment trials.
The study is taking place at The Mount Sinai Medical Center as well as research hospitals in Baltimore, MD; Denver, CO; Durham, NC; and Little Rock, Ark., with support from The National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health. NIAID conducts and supports researchat NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwideto study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses.
Explore further


text:
Posts Tagged 'divorce cottage industry'
50/50 parenting should be the default position in divorce – think about it!
Divorce courts in America are destroying any chance of maintaining the children's mental health by interfering with parenting, promoting conflict by discouraging mediation and encouraging that a divorce should be an adversarial proceeding, as well as encouraging the racketeering that goes on when judges enrich court-appointed attorneys, counselors and therapists by appointing them in an open-ended instead of limited fashion and only when necessary.
Courts are the wrong place for divorce decisions to be made as they are inherently an adversarial proceeding. We need mediation outside of the court to be the default position in any dissolution of a marriage, particularly if it involves children. We need a complete overhaul of laws related to dissolution of marriage, as well as about probate issues such as guardians for elders – another area of court abuse of families.
Judges, lawyers, and most of the court-appointed hacks knows as GALs, child representatives, and evaluators (often who make their business promoting conflict to draw out their appointment and make more money in this cottage industry) end up raping the estates of families and even taking the children's college funds to pay for their fees.
Instead of promoting stabilization and financial security, the judges and lawyers work hard to end careers, teach children to be entitled and view parents as only deep pockets, promote parental alienation and defamation, as well as destroy the very stability necessary for a child to cope with divorce.
We need to ask Pres. Obama to make a task force on dissolution of marriage, paternity issues, and probate issues so that our country can advance socially as much as we have advanced technologically. We need to stop the court abuse of children, the elderly, and families in general.
Sign a petition to ask President Obama to appoint a task force to study divorce, child custody, family mediation, and ways to take divorce out of the courts, end court abuse, and let parents decide how to parent. Cleck here for petition.
With the dissolution of the family, the mobility that is breaking up the family, and the greed of the divorce cottage industry, we have a very big crisis in America, and around the world. We need to lead in solving this problem. Write President Obama and ask him to make this task force his priority in his second term.
The following two videos are powerful messages about the role of fathers and the need for equal parenting.
A video about promoting equal parenting and actor Baldwin's new book about divorce and the need for equal parenting:
A powerful video talking about the "father wound" that plagues a person for life if the father is absent:
Extensive posts, links, and videos about corruption in family court and the damage to the families:
Written by Linda Shelton
February 24, 2013 at 7:41 pm
Posted in attorney misconduct, child protective service, Child representative, Cook County Courts, Dissolution of Marriage, Divorce Cottage Industry, elder abuse and exploitation, family court, Fraud upon the court, government corruptiom, Guardian ad litem, Guardians, Parental alienation, Parenting, probate court
Tagged with absent father, absent mother, abusive courts, child abuse, child custody, child representative, court abuse, dissolution of marriage, divorce, divorce cottage industry, divorce counselor, divorce psychologist, elder abuse, family court, Family law, father's rights, father's role, GAL, Illinois families, Illinois family court, mother's rights, mothers role, parental alienation, PAS


text:
I know I need to make some changes, but it is not easy when the boundaries between my business (genealogy) and my hobby (genealogy) are blurred! I am working towards a more balanced lifestyle, and I really appreciate your support and encouragement.
The percentage of votes for news via email rather than Web pages is much higher than I expected. Many people emailed me and said, 'I didn't vote but I would prefer email'. I have therefore figured out a way to provide that service to those who want it. It will be very different from the current Updates Newsletter, and for people with research outside Queensland the new system may be better than the current one. When I have tested and fine-tuned things I will explain the options to everyone on the current mailing list.


text:
drape (someone or something) with (something)
drape (someone or something) with (something)
To cover someone or something with something. We draped the couch with a sheet to keep it from getting damaged or stained in the move.
See also: drape
drape someone or something with something
to hang something on or over someone or something. They draped each guest with a makeshift toga. They draped the statue with a brightly colored loincloth.
See also: drape


text:
The Internal Revenue Service says it expects that 90 percent of tax refunds will be issued in a turnaround time of three weeks or less this year.
An IRS tool called "Where's My Refund?" can give you an update on when your money will arrive – much the way you can use online tracking for the whereabouts of a package that's on the way.
The tool, also accessible via a mobile app called IRS2GO, has a new look this year. It "will include a tracker that displays progress through 3 stages," the IRS says in a release. Those stages are (1) When the return is received, (2) when the refund has been approved and (3) when the refund has been sent.
You'll be able to start seeing the status of your return sooner than in the past, the IRS says. But "in a change from previous filing seasons, taxpayers won't get an estimated refund date right away."
The consolation, again, is that for 90 percent of recipients the refunds will go out within 21 days.
One key thing to remember, if you haven't filed your return already: The turnaround time at the IRS will depend a lot on how you file.
"In 2013 you will be able to start checking on the status of your return sooner – within 24 hours after we have received your e-filed return or 4 weeks after you mail a paper return."
One day versus four weeks. Hmmm. Could this be one the ways the IRS is encouraging people to file electronically rather than on paper? In any case, if you're eager for your refund, file electronically if you can.
Last year, Americans filed 148 million tax returns, about 120 million of which were filed electronically in some way. Many of the e-filers where tax professionals, filing on behalf of a client.
The vast majority of tax filers were owed a refund. According to IRS records, the average payment was $2,803 for the 110 million filers who got refunds.
To use "Where's My Refund?" you'll need to have some personal information handy: Your Social Security number (the IRS says it will remain encrypted and safe on IRS2GO), your filing status (such as "married, filing jointly"), and the expected amount of your refund. Plug that in, and you'll be able to see what stage your return is at.
Within 24 hours of getting your return, the IRS should show it as "received." ("Where's My Refund?" is updated once a day, usually overnight.)
If you've filed electronically, using accurate information (check the bank account and routing number, if you want the IRS to send the refund via direct deposit), that'll enhance your chances of getting the refund quickly.
Two final points:
First, watch out for refund scams, where crooks charge a fee on the pretext of helping you get a tax refund that you don't actually deserve.
Second, just because most people get their refunds fairly quickly doesn't mean you can bank on it. In some cases, the IRS warns, a refund is held up because it includes errors, is incomplete, or because it gets flagged for further review by the IRS.


text:
The fourth season of Comedy Central's series Workaholics continues to follow the exploits of Blake Henderson (Blake Anderson), Adam DeMamp (Adam DeVine) and Anders Homvik (Anders Holm), a trio of roommates who work together in a call center for the TelAmeriCorp corporation. Like a lot of guys in their twenties, they're still prone to drinking too much, smoking a lot of weed and going after girls at inopportune times and like the three seasons before this latest, much of the stories revolve around those misadventures. At work they answer to Alice Murphy (Maribeth Monroe), a stern woman who understandably becomes impatient with their constant slacking and attitude problems. When they're not at work they often hang out with their friend Karl Hevacheck (Kyle Newacheck), a pot dealer who tends to come up with one hair-brained scheme after another.
The thirteen episodes that make up Workaholics: Season Four are spread out across the two Blu-ray discs in the set as follows:
Orgazmo Birth: The season kicks off with a story in which the guys get ready to attend an electronic music festival and hope to score a solid supply of ecstasy but they need their co-worker Montez Walker (Erik Griffin) to get it for them. His wife wants him to stay home for a baby-shower so they throw a party in his backyard to distract her from all of this.
Fry Guys: The guys are bored at work and decide that what they need to do in order to brighten up the office is to have a fish fry. There's only one thing standing in the way of making that happening… Alice. So, how to get her out of the picture? Try to convince someone to have sex with her!
Snackers: Snacks in the lunch room are a big deal to everyone, particularly those who partake of a certain herbal smoke more than others. When it comes time to decide who gets to lord over the lunch room and control the snacks, the guys disagree and try to call an election to decide.
Miss BS: Fairly randomly, our three intrepid employees run into a TV news journalist who specializes in shining the light on the dark corners of business scams. Not being the sharpest tools in the drawer, they shoot their mouths off and wind up getting the office into trouble with her.
Three And A Half Men: In what would quite possibly be the worst business decision ever made, Alice puts the guys in charge of creating a promotional video to help advertise TelAmeriCorp to prospective clients. Adam's decides they should make a revealing documentary about his personal ability to eat hotdogs while Ders wants it to focus on Karl who has come up with an idea to have his own penis surgically attached to Blake's own member.
Brociopath: The guys are having a house party but it's not going off the way that they want it to. Just as it looks like it's going to fizzle out and die, the one man who can turn this into a rager shows up: Stan Halen (Will Greenburg). As soon as he shows up, his dumb frat boy antics get the three guys riled up, but soon he starts to annoy them and he might just prove to be too much of a good thing.
We Be Clownin': The three guys decide that they want a pool slide but in order to get that, they'll need to pay for it. So to make this happen, they take jobs as clowns and provide horribly inappropriate entertainment at children's parties.
Beer Heist: The guys, with some help from Karl, decide to break into a brewery and steal as much beer as they can. Along the way they wind up giving a trio of college girls a lift and with promises of beer, figure they're going to get to party with them. Nothing goes as planned.
Best Buds: Karl, enterprising young man that he is, decides to open up a burrito shop. Before you know it, the three guys are working with him and there's a whole lot of weed floating around. As the shop becomes popular very quickly, conflict arises as to who's in charge and who is really the better worker.
Time Chair: When they guys luck out and wind up being offered a free massage chair, each one of them wants it and neither of them are willing to budge as to where they want the chair kept in the house. So they decide to settle this once and for all with a race.
The One Where the Guys Play Basketball and Do the "Friends" Title Thing: TelAmeriCorp decides to boost moral by having a basketball competition. The prize? A trip to Reno, Nevada and use of the company car to get there. They figure they've got this nailed until Blake quits and Adam injures himself and winds up in the emergency room.
DeputyDong: The guys love online gaming but sadly, there are others out there in the gaming world better than they. One such opponent that they encounter goes by the ID of 'DeputyDong' and after he taunts them so fiercely, they decide to try to find him and pay him back.
Friendship Anniversary: Our heroes realize that they've been living together for seven years…
This series has a lot to recommend but this fourth season is definitely more uneven than the three that came before it. Whereas earlier in the show the three guys had very distinct personalities that would not only conflict but tend to balance one another out, here that's less pervasive and as such, there are moments where they feel completely interchangeable. We see Alice's personality become less unique here as well, as she seems to soften up a bit and becomes less of a nemesis for the guys so much as she is just a plot device. Most of the stories still work and they're still packed with plenty of gags and loads of jokes of varying degrees of both effectiveness and crassness (particularly in the uncut form that they are presented in on this Blu-ray), but the series doesn't feel as fresh as it once did.
As it is with any comedy series, there are going to be plenty of opportunities for personal preference in what constitutes 'funny' to play into everyone's individual take on the material, but there are a few standout episodes here, and a few clunkers as well. We Be Clownin' and Brociopath both work pretty well. They take the guys out of the typical office setting and show them doing more than just smoking pot around the house (which, oddly enough, is what a lot of the classic episodes of the superior first two seasons revolve around) but they feel at least like kindred spirits to the earlier material. Best Buds is also pretty funny but admittedly it relies a lot more on gross-out humor than some of the other storylines do. These contrast with stinkers though, as episodes like DeputyDong feel like a waste of potential and stories like the one told in Beer Heist, while mildly amusing, feel very contrived and predictable. Some of the scripts here feel like they were written for the lowest common denominator and from a formulaic sensibility.
Having written all of that, the show is still slightly more hit than miss. Fans of the series will want it and appreciate it. The characters can still be interesting and funny in the better stories and some of the situations that they find themselves in are so ridiculous that you can't help but at least want to know where the plot will go even if it might not have you rolling on the floor with laughter.The Blu-ray:
Workaholics: Season Four arrives on Blu-ray framed in its 1.78.1 widescreen broadcast aspect ratio in AVC encoded 1080p high definition. It looks a little better on Blu-ray than it does on HD cable, showing maybe a tad more depth and dimensionality here than on TV. Like a lot of cable shows shot on high definition digital video it looks a little bit flat but colors are pretty decent and typically pretty lifelike. Detail in close up shots is fine, fat better than standard definition, and a decent bit rate keeps the image free of compression artifacts. If you're familiar with the look of the show, you should be more than happy with the video quality on this Blu-ray release.Sound:
The English language Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio is also pretty decent. There isn't a constant flurry of surround activity here but music and effects do frequently come at you from the rear channels you're your subwoofer will give out a few decent kicks when the content calls for it. Dialogue stays clean and clear and easy to follow and the levels are properly balanced as well. There are no issues with any hiss or distortion and generally the audio shapes up nicely here. An optional English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix is also offered.Extras:
Extras are slim, limited to a selection of deleted and alternate scenes (10:36) and a few minutes of outtakes (10:57). There are also 1:24 worth of promo spots for Season Four. It would have been nice to get some cast or crew interviews but that didn't happen. Animated menus also offer up episode selection. The Drunkmentaries commentary tracks that were on the last set? None of those here, sadly.Final Thoughts:
Workaholics: Season Four tries to expand on things by taking a lot of the action and insanity out of the office setting. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. If you've enjoyed the series this far in, you'll get a kick out of the content assembled for this fourth release but if you're just dipping your toes in for the first time, start with the earlier seasons as they're more consistent. The audio and video quality on this two-disc Blu-ray set is pretty decent if not quite mindblowing, but the extras are slim. Recommended for fans, as there's still a lot of fun to be had here.


text:
As the US enters its tenth year of active engagement in Afghanistan, a polarizing debate intensifies regarding our continued involvement. Rather than enter the weary fray of should we/shouldn't we, I offer up a different window into the future of a country plagued by nearly 40 years of conflict and destruction. The youth.
Young adults living in Afghanistan today grew up under the oppressive regime of the Taliban. Their brutally oppressed formative years that banned music, sport, art, and education have collided with the past ten spent crawling out from under the dark blanket that covered the entire country. A decade later, they are living their lives every day under great strain, never knowing if their country will one day be at peace again, but determined to find their own voice in amongst the rubble that surrounds them. The capital city of Kabul is home to a select few that have chosen to shake off the apathy and find their voice, and in doing so, are sowing the seeds of tomorrow's generation.
1. Kabul Dreams. The first Afghan rock band, played in public last fall for the first time, and since then, have become a force in the Kabul youth scene. They are the first to publically part ways with the steadfast tradition of cultural music, and are creating quite a fanclub in the process. Not unlike the changes rock music made in our country when it emerged, it's controversial and powerful. The next Elvis? Probably not. But seeing them perform is incredible, if not just for their music, but for the audience's reaction when they cut loose.
2. Kabul Girls Soccer Club. In the same stadium that was famous for beheading women and using their heads as footballs, its an inspiring sight to see girls playing football. Ghazni stadium is home to a growing group of girls that play and compete in tournaments outside of Afghanistan, assuming visas are granted and uniforms can be rounded up. Highlighted in the book, Kabul Girls Soccer Club by Awista Ayub, eight original girls started playing in 2004. Today, close to 200 hundred play in the Afghanistan Football Federation - challenging perceptions of women and sport.
4. Sabrina Sagheb. Afghanistan's youngest female parliamentary candidate ran an outspoken campaign in last month's election. Female candidates are always at risk, but 25-year-old Sabrina didn't let the risk quiet her voice. "If elected I will face up to the old men with guns that destroyed our country. Now it is our turn to fight with them." Votes are still being counted and she's a longshot, but her willingness to stand up, speak up, and be heard will inspire more women to take up the fight for years to come.
4. Afghan Star. Afghanistan's Tolo TV had its first big hit in the reality television series, Afghan Star based off our own, American Idol. A documentary by the same name came out in 2008 and won acclaim at Sundance Film Festival. It showcased the men and women that auditioned from around the country to compete, often at great risk. The country as a whole responded with fervor, and voting for idol stars crossed ethnic lines that government elections have so far failed to do.
6. Skateistan. A NGO launched in 2007 by three Austrailians that teaches boys and girls, young and old to skateboard. Kabul has very little in terms of smooth roads or sidewalks, so they raised the funds for a skatepark which opened at Ghazni stadium. Kids spent a few hours in a safe environment, off the streets, learning to nail an ollie, or take on the halfpipe. Can't be long before they're picking up the slang and riding the rails. Any future for an Afghan X-Games?
This is a real country, with real people, with a real youth movement. Just because there is daily violence, and an ongoing war, doesn't mean that real life doesn't continue, that normalcy shouldn't be encouraged, and that we can't focus projects that embolden, strengthen, and inspire the future generation to stay in Afghanistan and give voice to its future.
In fact, considering the generations of conflict, it's all the more reason to galvanize the youth out of their apathy and support those youth movements that are burgeoning. It can do more for stability than we can possibly know.


text:
Special thanks to Ainsley Bevis from BloomWebDesign.net for sending in this great Adobe Illustrator tutorial! She covers a number of good techniques good for beginner to intermediate Illustrator users, and some of the tricks are sheer genious!
Ainsley writes . . .
Learn how to create a Christmas or Birthday inspired Gift Box in Illustrator using shapes, colour gradients and 3D options.
1. Getting started : Create a new document that's 600×600 pixels. Using the Rectangle Tool draw 2 shapes like below for the cover and box. (Enlarge)
2. Extrude the 3D Shape :
With the 2 shapes selected go into
Effect > 3D > Extrude & Bevel.
Put in these settings (Open the 3D dialog)
3. Expand Appearance, Ungroup :
If the cover is slightly off move it in place. Next select the 2 box layers and go to
Object > Expand Appearance, then go to
Object > Ungroup (Shift+CTRL+G),
you'll need to do this several times to ungroup the shape.
NEXT: we'll dissect the box and add gradients to begin colorizing our creations ...
... continues on the next page!


text:
Two Gazan women overlook their destroyed home | AFP
The 72-hour ceasefire entered its second day today while indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, on a more lasting truce, continued in Cairo. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki expects "the ceasefire to expand into another 72 hours and beyond," according to Al Jazeera reports.
With discussions ongoing later tonight, an Egyptian official stated that "the indirect talks between the Palestinians and Israelis are moving forward." He added that "it is still too early to talk about outcomes, but we are optimistic."
An American delegation is expected to join the negotiations. Spokesperson for the State Department Jen Psaki said "it is likely we will be participating in these talks" and added that "we are determining at what level and in what capacity and when."
Suspect in killing three Israeli teenagers revealed
Israeli authorities revealed yesterday that it holds Hussam Kawasmeh, 40, in custody for his involvement in the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers in June. Kawasmeh, a resident of Hebron, has been arrested since July 11th.
His name was made public after a recent court case that deliberated whether his house and that of two suspects should be destroyed as a way of punishment.
According to the court document, Kawasmeh received money from Hamas to purchase weapons. These were passed on to two other suspects, identified as Marwan Kawasmeh and Amar Abu Aysha, who carried out the attack. The two remain fugitive.
The statement of Kawasmeh contradicts earlier statements made by the Israeli Police Spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld, who told a reporter that the attack was definitely done by a "lone cell" that was not Hamas affiliated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied these claims, stating on Facebook right after the teens were found that "Hamas is responsible – and Hamas will pay".
Searching for loved ones
With the ceasefire holding, Gazans search the rubble for the remains of loved ones. Ma'an reports of a family who searched for four days trying to find the body of four-year-old Yamin Abu Jabir in the rubble near his destroyed family home in Al-Bureij refugee camp.
Unable to find him, they resorted to visiting hospitals and eventually found him alive in Al-Shifa hospital. Yamin is the only survivor after an Israeli air strike killed 22 of his relatives in Al-Bureij.
The death toll stands at 1,875 Palestinians according to the Gaza Health Ministry. There is a high possibility this number will increase as more bodies are discovered under the rubble.
A figure presented by Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights shows that 79 per cent of the Palestinian victims are civilians.
On the Israeli side, 67 people have been killed of which 4 per cent are civilians.
Back to Top


text:
The Stockman Episode
The Triumph of Politics
The Real David Stockman
Stockman: The Man, The Myth, The Future
The point has often been made: If you hear someone in public life say that he is going to stand firmly on principle, you should take cover and warn others to do the same. There is going to be suffering. So it is, at least in economic and social policy and action.
This is not to say that stalwart ideological commitment is without purpose. A commitment to free enterprise or socialism, to liberalism, neoliberalism, conservatism, neoconservatism, or the new right, is eminently serviceable to self-esteem and as a form of self-identification. It also allows a certain freedom from thought: "That is my position and I stand on it." And it helpfully classifies political expression and behavior, makes it more predictable, and serves to unite people in a highly visible way beneath a common banner. Further, ideology brings a dignified righteousness to social, political, and economic expression and action: "I am, let me assure you, faithful to my cause."
What is less often recognized is that rigorous ideological commitment is of greatly negative value for governing a country, especially for making economic policy, and is a positive threat to social tranquility and economic well-being. Economic and social institutions are in a constant process of change; ideological commitment, by its nature and strongly avowed virtue, is static. Accordingly, guidance therefrom is likely to be obsolete, obsolescent, or irrelevant. Never is it so comprehensive in guidance as to take account of the greatly diverse circumstances of real life. The United States has survived, at least until now, by the willingness of governments, large and small, to make practical concessions to change and to diversity. A reluctant pragmatism has been our salvation.
Such, for example, was the Keynesian response to the increasing severity of booms and busts—the capitalist crisis culminating in the Great Depression. Such was the welfare response to the cruelty that the classical system once visited on the old, the unemployed, the helpless young, the handicapped, the homeless, and, of course, the minorities, all with resulting alienation and anger. Such was the response in the United States, as it was in all the other industrial countries, to the way the free market in its most nearly perfect competitive form subjects agriculture to intolerable uncertainty and economic trauma. Such was the response to the mistreatment of women and minorities. It has been, to repeat, by an inchoate pragmatism far outside any convenient ideological identification that the country has been held together.
The liberal mind, no doubt, has been more open to pragmatic accommodation than the conservative mind, but by no means exclusively so. Jesse Helms stands staunchly and rhetorically for the free market and for a uniquely rigorous quota and licensing system for the tobacco producers (or landowners) who help to assure his election. Similarly other stalwart southern conservatives with respect to peanuts. In the broader sense, there is the fact that no industrial or financial enterprise, if it is large enough, is any longer allowed to fail. First the speeches on…
This is exclusive content for subscribers only.
Get unlimited access to The New York Review for just $1 an issue!
Continue reading this article, and thousands more from our archive, for the low introductory rate of just $1 an issue. Choose a Print, Digital, or All Access subscription.
If you are already a subscriber, please be sure you are logged in to your nybooks.com account.


text:
Lee Blue 20 Resin Colour Correction Filter
This product is either directly despatched from our supplier or is produced to order. Whilst we will pre authorise your credit or debit card at the point of ordering, no payment will be taken for this item until we have contacted you to confirm that we are in a position to despatch the product. If you require further information we recommend that you contact one of our Customer Service representatives on 01603 486413.
Lee Blue 15 Resin Colour Correction Filter. More
1x Lee Blue 20 Resin Colour Correction Filter Sorry, there are no more available.
Product Specification
|Effect / Type
|Lee 100mm
|100 x 100 mm
{{item.DisplayName}} for the Lee Blue 20 Resin Colour Correction Filter
1x {{accessory.DisplayName}}


text:
Idea For The Site
Post here if you are having problems with the website or if you have comments about it.
Post Reply
- Artur
- Level 13: Midday Club 2
- Posts: 120
- Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 1:41 am
- Xlink Kai Setup?: yes
- Xlink Kai username: Sierron
- Location: Germany
- Contact:
Re: Idea For The Site
For others to link to this forum for example. I use one of them to link to this forum. Thought I might share them for others to use.
Post Reply


text:
Easily deliver touch-friendly applications using WPF and our touch-friendly components for any touch device. You can easily transition to native Windows 10 applications since our UWP components share the same API as our WPF components.
Performance is critical for delivering a good user experience. We ensure that all our components have been designed and built to achieve the best performance possible.
All WPF components ship with several stunning built-in themes, and customizing their appearance is easy.
Popular test automation frameworks like HP QTP/UFT and coded-UI are supported. All components include complete support for MVVM, enabling you to create robust, scalable, and testable applications. They are also fully compliant with popular accessibility standards like Section 508 and VPAT.
All components can be easily customized to use resources for different locales.
With our commitment to at least four major updates per year, you receive the most up-to-date functionality and new components in addition to monthly service packs and bug fixes. Custom patches are available as needed.
Read and write Excel, Word, and PDF files in your WPF applications using file format libraries that allow for the easy manipulation of these files.
All the components are MVVM-friendly and seamlessly work with popular MVVM frameworks like Prism, MVVM light, and Caliburn Micro.
Complete integration with Visual Studio includes toolbox integration, an enhanced designer experience, NuGet support, and IntelliSense comments.
Essential Studio
/developer 1st year
Cover everyone in your organization for one low annual feeCONTACT US
/developer 1st year
Greatness—it's one thing to say you have it, but it means more when others recognize it. Syncfusion is proud to hold the following industry awards.


text:
August 27, 2012
RIT designated a 'Great College to Work For'
RIT has been recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education on the publication's list of "Great Colleges to Work For 2012." This is the fourth time RIT has been highlighted in the annual survey's five-year history. Among large four-year universities, RIT was specifically cited for its compensation and benefits. The university is one of 103 colleges and universities—among nearly 300 institutions participating in the survey—designated as "outstanding institutions" for employees, according to The Chronicle. About 47,000 people employed in higher education nationally completed the survey, which identified 12 features of excellent academic workplaces—categorized as leadership, careers, compensation and the workplace environment.


text:
Disregard my e-mail. Thanks
Hey Heather
Can you please delete my "not your favorite skater" from the main michelle board?
I have deleted most of the words and put it there by mistake
Sorry and thanks
Hi Grace and Heather,
I checked the FAQ and also did a search and couldn't find anything to answer this question....
Can members use the MKF logo on items? For example, I have a friend who has a sewing machine that she can attach to a computer and then have the machine capture the image and then embroider it to a shirt or piece of material.
I would, if possible, like to have her put the MKF logo on two hoodies for me. I bought a sweatshirt when you had a sale several years ago, but I could only get a huge size and it doesn't really fit nicely. I love having something that shows I'm a member of this board, but would wear it more if it fit better.
Please let me know if I can have my friend use your logo on some shirts for me.
If I can, please send me a copy of the logo via email or PM.
Thanks for your time (I know you are both so busy running this forum) and thanks for this forum too!!!
I don't think she's posted since the board moved. If you want to report mulitple postings, please use the reporting thread feature, so that all mods will get the report.
I've combined the Marketplace threads.
I cant PM SOIFan. I think her PM is off. Anyhow, I just wanna report multiple postings of threads in Marketplace
KwaNation Under A Groove
I'm not weird, I'm gifted!
I'm beautifully tragic . . . ~ Elphaba (Wicked)


text:
It's not far-fetched for me to make a fashion statement.
I mean, I routinely wear a rabbit-fur bomber hat around SoDak. I wear a cowboy hat.
I have titanium earrings, for chirssakes.
But I'm really hoping Barack Obama steps it up on Jan. 20.
I want him to wear a hat to the inauguration.
Bring back a new are of hat-wearing.
A fedora, hopefully.
(But not a Homburg.)
(And probably not a Porkpie.)
If President-elect Kennedy is regarded as "The Man Who Killed the Hat" in American Society (he didn't wear a hat to his inauguration and men everywhere soon followed), then President-elect Obama is to only person to reverse that.
And he could do it in a big way.
I mean, I'd look great in a fedora.
(Not so much in a Homburg; a Porkpie, maybe.)
I just don't want to go first.
Bringing back the hat
Labels: Barack Obama, fashion, Fedora, hats, inauguration
2 comments:
- quin browne said...
i wear berets..... i guess you aren't hoping for that one, are you?
- Miss Alister said...
I'm with you on this one. I love a hat. But I get the feeling our man Obama isn't a "hat person." Sure he donned a Lonestar when passing through Austin—and he looked mighty fine, as do you in your profile pic, I might add—but that don't mean a thing 'cause the air in TX just makes you do cowboy things. So there's not much time Thom, you've got to be the one to start the hat fuss. If college kid Adam Brickley could boost a Palin wave, why not you surfing the hat wave?


text:
Greg Lindstrom
Greg Lindstrom
Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Amgen on Thursday told 200 workers involved in its manufacturing operations that they will no longer be employed by the company, effective April 30.
Amgen's Longmont site is the only one in the world at which the drug Epogen is manufactured, and the company had announced in August 2012 that it would be shuttering its Epogen manufacturing at a then-undetermined time. Thursday, the company notified its employees involved in its production that that time will be the end of April.
"We're not closing the site," spokeswoman Peggy Krause said Thursday. "We will still have approximately 430 employees on-site," she said, referring to both the Longmont and Boulder facilities.
Krause would not specify what percentages of the 32 percent reduction in its Colorado work force would apply to each Boulder County site.
Epogen is used to stimulate red blood cells in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease and cancer. Since the company first announced plans to stop producing Epogen, it has been ramping up production of the bulk version of the drug, which is called Epoetin Alfa Intermediate. That bulk material is sent off to Puerto Rico, where it becomes the finished drug.
"We're suspending the manufacturing but we're putting it in a state that if we wanted to bring it back we could," Krause said, referring to what the company calls "Building 20" on the Longmont campus, where the manufacturing process occurs.
The remaining employees at both sites includes those in process development, quality control, information systems and corporate support functions, Krause said. Those employees serve the company's U.S. facilities from their Boulder County locations and, in some cases, the company's facilities around the world.
Amgen's Longmont site is about 700,000 square feet of building space, with 220,000 of that devoted to Epogen production. The company's Lake Centre facility in Boulder is about 300,000 square feet.
Krause said employees were notified of the cuts Thursday and are being offered severance packages that include cash, health insurance and career transition services.
Earlier this week Amgen announced its year-end earnings and the company said overall revenues were up 8 percent year-over-year, to $18.7 billion.
Sales of Epogen in the recent quarter were up 10 percent year-over-year, driven by higher unit demand, the company said. For the entire year, Epogen sales increased 1 percent.
Amgen's stock (Nasdaq: AMGN) was up $1.72 Thursday to $120.89 per share.
Tony Kindelspire can be reached at 303-684-5291 or at email@example.com.


text:
Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Additional InformationRegarding Wedding Dress Shops:The wedding shops are located at the following addresses:Shop #1: Rich Forest & Beauty Fine Wedding Dress Shop (CHINESE) * Located at CHINESE (MengShengHeng Street)1 (#1)Shop #2: Silver Gorgeous Wedding Dress Shop (CHINESE) * Located at CHINESE (MengShengHengHou Street)4-1 (#4-1)Shop #3: The Precious One Wedding Dress Shop (CHINESE) * Located at CHINESE (NanHua East Road) CHINESE (Chao'AnLi)7 (#7)This challenge only, once you find the wedding dress district, a local person may a...or lead you to one of these addresses.Regarding Travel to Guangzhou:You must fly from Los Angeles to Guangzhou on one of the two following flights: * First flights (Teams with Cathay Pacific ticket jacket) o Cathay Pacific Flight CX883, departing 10:20pm November 16th, connecting to Dragonair Flight KA 782, departing Hong Kong at 8:00am November 18th. * Second Flight (Teams with EVA airline ticket jacket) o EVA Airlines Flight BR 15 departing 10:45pm November 16th, connecting
Search for your next clueat the stadium onthe river below you.
ROUTE INFOMake your way to theChen Clan Academy陈家祠 and stand still infront of "The Master" toreceive your next clue.You have $30 for this legof the race.
Additional Information* Take a packing kit for transporting your toy car* The Guangzhou Cultural Center is located at [Chinese characters]* If you fail to deliver your fully assembled car, you may... [receive a penalty?] based on the condition of your car.
ROUTE INFOMake your way to theShamian Promenade[Chinese characters] and search for yournext Pit Stop.Warning: The last teamto check in may beeliminated
ROAD BLOCKWho will fall for this one?
ROUTE INFOMake your way toKampung Tompinahatonand follow the markedpath to the river.Note: You should holdyour taxi when you arriveat the next location.
DETOURDetour: "Mix master" or"Master mix"Mix master: Keep thecrowd dancing while youplay "Follow the Leader"with a master DJ toreceive your next clue.Master mix: Mix 7 drinksand pour themsimultaneously into apyramid of glasses.Then deliver a tray ofcocktails to receive yournext clue.
DETOURDetour: "Gladiator" or"Charioteer"Gladiator: Fight andPerform to the Emperor'ssatisfaction to receiveyour next clue.Charioteer: Drive horseand chariot in thisancient Romancompetition to receiveyour next clue.
ROUTE INFOMake your way to thepiazza of John Keats'unhappy Roman Holidayand search for your nextclue.
ROAD BLOCKWho can sum up theSpanish Steps?
Additional Information* Take a postcard from the chestnut vendor to write your answer* There are multiple numbers carved on the obelisk. Use the number which corresponds to the year the obelisk was erected in its current location.* There are many opinions about the total number of Spanish Steps, to get the correct answer you should count them yourself.* If incorrect, you must return to the vendor for a new postcard.
DETOURDetour: "Spanish Steps" or"Running with the Ballz"Spanish Steps: Dance aFlamenco routine with themost prestigiousFlamenco company in Seville.Running with the Ballz:Dressed as a bull, run thenarrow streets of Seville,and look for thebullfighter's quotation onthe way. Watch out forthe other bulls!Caution: U-Turn Ahead!
ROUTE INFOMake your way on foot toyour next Pit Stop, thePlaza de España!Warning, the last team tocheck in may beeliminated!
Maf, one correctiion. The distance between Plaza América and Plaza de España is only 500 meters. The 1.1 km distance is between the U-Turn location and the Plaza Amérca.
Y Sipsi! Hei ho Heidi ho! Fi yw sipsi fach y fro Carafan mewn cwr i fynyddNewid aelwyd bob yn eilddydd Rhwng y llenni ger y lli Haf neu aeaf waeth gen i Hei ho Heidi ho!
ROUTE INFOMake your way to theNeon Boneyard andsearch the grounds foryour next clue.
Page created in 0.499 seconds with 33 queries.


text:
IT Budgets Reflect the Overall BusinessBy Michael Vizard Print
Enterprises could save real money on technology, but most avoid changing the IT financial equation.
Given the state of today's economy, there is naturally a lot of chatter about saving money when it comes to IT spending. Most efforts to reduce the size of IT budgets are focused mainly on hardware spending. As a result, server and storage virtualization are at the top of the IT agenda because these technologies help companies get more for their hardware dollar.
But when it comes to saving real money on technology, most enterprises shrink from the opportunity to substantially change the IT financial equation. The truth of the matter is that most IT organizations have any number of applications that are either redundant or have had their primary purpose incorporated as a feature set in another application.
Unfortunately, very few organizations do anything resembling a real application audit of their enterprise. Many are unsure which applications are tied to a strategic business process versus which have become redundant.
For example, R. L. Polk & Co., an organization that provides research data to the automotive industry, has embarked on a top-to-bottom analysis of its IT operations. According to Gary Rosteck, manager for data quality, the company initiated this effort by first reviewing its business rules and data models using tools from DataFlux, a unit of SAS that specializes in master data management (MDM) technology.
The goal of this activity, says Rosteck, is not just to improve the quality of the company's data, but also to identify redundant applications in the long term so R. L. Polk can consolidate systems more efficiently. Once that's accomplished, the company can think about reducing the number of people it needs to manage its entire IT architecture.
None of this re-engineering can happen overnight, so companies need to take a modular approach to the process. But the conundrum most organizations face is that they are so focused on IT savings in the short term that they never get to realize the large savings that can be derived from taking a strategic approach to the way information technology supports business processes.
In addition, IT must be able to make a strong case for spending additional money on the tools needed to identify which applications and business processes are linked. On paper, it sounds good to say we need to spend a little to save a lot, but when your organization is facing an imminent budget cut, it can be hard to make that case successfully.
That's why IT leaders need to take a longer-term approach to MDM projects, which can pay off 10 times more than any server- or storage-consolidation project ever will. But trying to take a comprehensive approach to such projects is probably never going to work.
Instead, companies need to adopt a more modular strategy that allows them to streamline the IT environment, one business process at a time.
Of course, any IT organization that decides to undertake a master data management project has two basic choices: It can either use the data management tools at hand or spend money on MDM platforms from vendors such as DataFlux, IBM and Siperian.
Given the general lack of MDM expertise, the tools from the vendor community are probably the better way to go if your company can afford the upfront investment. If it can't, it may take your internal customers a lot longer to get the results they seek. However, if an IT organization is serious about reducing the real cost of computing, MDM must be an essential part of the process.
Nobody likes to admit that they've allowed inefficient business processes to take hold, but we all know that any company that is more than two years old probably has some redundant business processes. So the next time the CFO tells you to pare back the IT budget, you may want to open your business executives' eyes to the true state of enterprise computing today.
The simple fact of the matter is that IT expenses are a direct reflection of the business. This means that if companies really want to cut back on perceived fat in the IT budget, they need to first get the overall business back in shape.
IT Solutions Builder TOP IT RESOURCES TO MOVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD
Which topic are you interested in?
Data Storage
IT Management
What is your company size?
What is your job title?
What is your job function?
Searching our resource database to find your matches...


text:
GBliss video.Free chat with GBliss
Hello everyone, my name is Georgiana (or Georgy or as everyone likes to call me, G) and i am 28 years old from Romania. Now that we got that out of the way i can tell you a little bit more about myself ... Or should we leave that for Private Chat? That sounds much better :-))


text:
OrthodoxWiki talk:Copyrights
Lack of Authorship/Editorship Information in Encyclopedic Wiki Entries
All what one finds in wikis are IP addresses and nicknames. The lack of clear and complete authorship/editorship information attached to each entry, including authors/editors' affiliations and credentials, is a very serious quality issue encountered in most wiki-based encyclopedias these days (not just OrthodoxWiki). There are no built-in wiki mechanisms or policies to enforce the presence of such metainformation in every article.
Problem with Citations
Citing a wiki page in your work can also be very tricky (unless one uses the new 'permanent link' feature in MediaWiki to point to a specific revision of that page). A page might significantly change and become a totally different article than the one you were originally referring to (while still maintaining the same URI).
Some Related Links
From User:Arbible
As far as Wikipedia is concerned, they explicitly state "a direct link back to the article satisfies our author credit requirement" (wikipedia:Wikipedia:Copyright). I think we should adopt the same explicit policy (and to this end, the "click through" language has recently been revised. I agree about the permalinks -- that's why I'm now recommending that the link to the original article go to the version permalink rather than the article itself (although I'm not requiring it since Wikipedia does not require it for compliance).
As far as OrthodoxWiki is concerned, we don't have the issue with IP addresses. Besides this, an author is free to give as much or as little information about themselves as they wish (on their user page). There is more discussion of this at Help:Citing OrthodoxWiki - please feel free to comment there too. Thanks, — FrJohn (talk)
- Just to confirm - does OrthodoxWiki have the same stipulation as Wikipedia, ie that OrthodoxWiki must be referenced in quotes and borrowed articles? — Pιsτévο, at 22:48, May 31, 2006 (CDT)
- Yes, I believe this is the case, Pistevo. --J. J. 15:32, August 17, 2006 (CDT)
Until I noticed your multimedia announcement today, I hadn't realized that OrthodoxWiki ran under dual licensing. Maybe it would be best to remove the CC image from the footer and replace it with plain text, like "GFDL-CC licensed". --J. J. 15:32, August 17, 2006 (CDT)


text:
Nyla Rodgers is one charity official who is fed up with the way nonprofits represent Africa. Too often she sees depictions of AIDS, warfare, famine, hopelessness, desperation, and dependence on a Western hero.
That kind of concern came to the surface when she saw the "Kony 2012" campaign by the advocacy group Invisible Children.
"When I saw the Kony campaign, it made me so mad," says Ms. Rodgers, founding director of Mama Hope, a San Francisco charity that works in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to start farms and build schools, health centers, and other facilities that strengthen communities.
RELATED: After Kony 2012: Three ways NGOs can work with Africans as equals
But long before that campaign, her charity started working to create new perceptions of Africa and to show that it is full of capable people with the potential to support themselves. Her nonprofit has released three videos over the past year as part of its "Stop the Pity" campaign, using humor to create a new conversation about the continent and humanize the people who live there.
In the first, published in February 2011, a 9-year-old African boy explains in detail the plot of his favorite movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Commando." In another, Americans and Africans sing along to Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al."
The most recent video shows a group of educated, rugby-playing young African men dismissing Hollywood stereotypes and making jokes about a "shirtless Matthew McConaughey."
The video, released on Wednesday, received more than 250,000 views on YouTube in its first day online. Ms. Rodgers takes that as a sign people are ready for a new image of Africa.
"Using images that people can relate to, showing people not at their worst but at their full potential, with creativity, is just as effective," Ms. Rodgers said.
Donors so expect to see a tragic story from Africa that many people who watched the "Commando" video assumed at first that the boy was a child soldier, Ms. Rodgers said. But as the video continues, it becomes clear that the piece is merely about a 9-year-old boy's love for his favorite movie.
"We wanted people to say, 'What am I thinking?' " Ms. Rodgers said.
Ms. Rodgers has faced criticism for showing only relatively wealthy, happy African people in the charity's videos. But Bernard, a man featured in the "Hollywood Stereotypes" video, was an orphan originally sponsored by Ms. Rodgers's late mother, who inspired the founding of Mama Hope. His story shows the power of what people can do when they get an education, Ms. Rodgers says.
Ultimately, Ms. Rodgers said she believes the perceptions Americans have about Africa will be shaped by what nonprofits say. Too often, she says, charities figure images of desperation will attract more gifts. But that's not helping anyone, she says.
• This blog post originally appeared at The Chronicle of Philanthropy website.
• Sign up to receive a weekly selection of practical and inspiring Change Agent articles by clicking here.


text:
(By Delegate Staggers, Butcher, Mahan, Moye and Perry)
(Originating in the Committee on the Judiciary)
[February 21, 2012]
A BILL to amend and reenact §16-4C-6 and §16-4C-9 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to emergency medical services; authoring rule-making authority relating to temporary suspension of a certification or license; providing for the immediate temporary suspension of certification of emergency medical service personnel or licensure of emergency medical service in certain circumstances; and providing for a temporary emergency suspension hearing.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §16-4C-6 and §16-4C-9 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
§16-4C-6. Powers and duties of commissioner.
The commissioner has the following powers and duties:
(a) To propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code: Provided, That the rules have been submitted at least thirty days in advance for review by the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council, who may act only in the presence of a quorum. The rules may include:
(1) Standards and requirements for certification and recertification of emergency medical service personnel, including, but not limited to:
(A) Age, training, testing and continuing education;
(B) Procedures for certification and recertification, and for denying, suspending, revoking, reinstating and limiting a certification or recertification;
(C) Levels of certification and the scopes of practice for each level;
(D) Standards of conduct; and
(E) Causes for disciplinary action and sanctions which may be imposed.
(2) Standards and requirements for licensure and licensure renewals of emergency medical service agencies, including:
(A) Operational standards, levels of service, personnel qualifications and training, communications, public access, records management, reporting requirements, medical direction, quality assurance and review, and other requirements necessary for safe and efficient operation;
(B) Inspection standards and establishment of improvement periods to ensure maintenance of the standards;
(C) Fee schedules for licensure, renewal of licensure and other necessary costs;
(D) Procedures for denying, suspending, revoking, reinstating or limiting an agency licensure;
(E) Causes for disciplinary action against agencies; and
(F) Administrative penalties, fines and other disciplinary sanctions which may be imposed on agencies;
(3) Standards and requirements for emergency medical service vehicles, including classifications and specifications;
(4) Standards and requirements for training institutions, including approval or accreditation of sponsors of continuing education, course curricula and personnel;
(5) Standards and requirements for a State Medical Direction System, including qualifications for a state emergency medical services medical director and regional medical directors, the establishment of a State Medical Policy and Care Committee and the designation of regional medical command centers;
(6) Provision of services by emergency medical services personnel in hospital emergency rooms; and
(7) Authorization to temporarily suspend the certification of an individual emergency medical service provider or the license of an emergency medical service agency without a hearing or prior notice if there is probable cause that the conduct or continued service or practice of any certificate holder or licensee may create a danger to public health or safety, in accordance with the procedures required by section nine of this article. Upon a finding of a physician that serves as a medical director that probable cause exists that a certificate holder or licensee is a danger to public health or safety, the commissioner may cause an emergency suspension and conduct an hearing within ten days; and
(7)(8) Any other rules necessary to carry out the provisions of this article.
(b) To apply for, receive and expend advances, grants, contributions and other forms of assistance from the state or federal government or from any private or public agencies or foundations to carry out the provisions of this article.
(c) To design, develop and review a Statewide Emergency Medical Services Implementation Plan. The plan shall recommend aid and assistance and all other acts necessary to carry out the purposes of this article:
(1) To encourage local participation by area, county and community officials and regional emergency medical services boards of directors; and
(2) To develop a system for monitoring and evaluating emergency medical services programs throughout the state.
(d) To provide professional and technical assistance and to make information available to regional emergency medical services boards of directors and other potential applicants or program sponsors of emergency medical services for purposes of developing and maintaining a statewide system of services.
(e) To assist local government agencies, regional emergency medical services boards of directors and other public or private entities in obtaining federal, state or other available funds and services.
(f) To cooperate and work with federal, state and local governmental agencies, private organizations and other entities as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this article.
(g) To acquire in the name of the state by grant, purchase, gift, devise or any other methods appropriate real and personal property as may be reasonable and necessary to carry out the purposes of this article.
(h) To make grants and allocations of funds and property so acquired or which may have been appropriated to the agency to other agencies of state and local government as may be appropriate to carry out the purposes of this article.
(i) To expend and distribute by grant or bailment funds and property to all state and local agencies for the purpose of performing the duties and responsibilities of the agency all funds which it may have so acquired or which may have been appropriated by the Legislature of this state.
(j) To develop a program to inform the public concerning emergency medical services.
(k) To review and disseminate information regarding federal grant assistance relating to emergency medical services.
(l) To prepare and submit to the Governor and Legislature recommendations for legislation in the area of emergency medical services.
(m) To review, make recommendations for and assist in all projects and programs that provide for emergency medical services whether or not the projects or programs are funded through the Office of Emergency Medical Services. A review and approval shall be required for all emergency medical services projects, programs or services for which application is made to receive state or federal funds for their operation after the effective date of this act; and
(n) To take all necessary and appropriate action to encourage and foster the cooperation of all emergency medical service providers and facilities within this state.
§16-4C-9. Complaints; investigations; due process procedure; grounds for disciplinary action.
(a) The commissioner may at any time upon his or her own motion, and shall, upon the written complaint of any person, cause an investigation to be conducted to determine whether grounds exist for disciplinary action under this article or legislative rules promulgated pursuant to this article.
(b) An investigator or other person who, under the direction of the commissioner or the director, gathers or reports information in good faith to the commissioner or the director, is immune from civil liability.
(c) After reviewing any information obtained through an investigation, the commissioner or director shall determine if probable cause exists that the licensee or certificate holder has violated any provision of this article or rules promulgated pursuant to this article.
(d) Upon a finding that probable cause exists that the licensee or certificate holder has violated any provision of this article or rules promulgated pursuant to this article, the commissioner or director shall provide a copy of the complaint and notice of hearing to the licensee or certificate holder. Upon a finding of probable cause that the conduct or continued service or practice of any certificate holder or licensee may create a danger to public health or safety, the commissioner may temporarily suspend the certification or license without a hearing or prior notice. In such case, the commissioner shall simultaneously institute proceedings for a temporary emergency suspension hearing in accordance with the applicable rules.
(e) The commissioner or the director may enter into a consent decree or hold a hearing for the suspension or revocation of the license or certification or the imposition of sanctions against the licensee or certificate holder.
(f) The commissioner or the director issue subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum to obtain testimony and documents to aid in the investigation of allegations against any person or agency regulated by the article.
(g) The commissioner or the director may sign a consent decree or other legal document related to the complaint.
(h) The commissioner shall suspend or revoke any certificate, temporary certificate or license when he or she finds the holder has:
(1) Obtained a certificate, temporary certificate or license by means of fraud or deceit; or
(2) Been grossly incompetent, and/or grossly negligent as defined by the commissioner in accordance with rules or by prevailing standards of emergency medical services care; or
(3) Failed or refused to comply with the provisions of this article or any legislative rule promulgated by the commissioner or any order or final decision of the commissioner; or
(4) Engaged in any act during the course of duty which has endangered or is likely to endanger the health, welfare or safety of the public.
(i) The commissioner or the director may, after notice and opportunity for hearing, deny or refuse to renew, suspend or revoke the license or certification of, impose probationary conditions upon or take disciplinary action against, any licensee or certificate holder for any violation of this article or any rule promulgated pursuant to this article, once a violation has been proven by a preponderance of the evidence.
(j) Disciplinary action may include:
(1) Reprimand;
(2) Probation;
(3) Administrative penalties and fines;
(4) Mandatory attendance at continuing education seminars or other training;
(5) Practicing under supervision or other restriction;
(6) Requiring the licensee or holder of a certificate to report to the commissioner or director for periodic interviews for a specified period of time;
(7) Other disciplinary action considered by the commissioner or director to be necessary to protect the public, including advising other parties whose legitimate interests may be at risk; or
(8) Other sanctions as set forth by legislative rule promulgated pursuant to this article.
(k) The commissioner shall suspend or revoke any certificate, temporary certificate or license if he or she finds the existence of any grounds which would justify the denial of an application for the certificate, temporary certificate or license if application were then being made for it.


text:
your water meter and plumbing protected from the cold?
American Water offers tips to keep pipes and water meters from
freezing and breaking
Send a link to a friend
[January 07, 2013]
BELLEVILLE -- Illinois American Water
reminds homeowners that now is the time to make preparations to
prevent water damage from frozen and burst pipes and water meters,
before temperatures plunge. Acting now can prevent costly plumbing
repairs and frozen water meter replacement fees that can cause
headaches for homeowners.
ice expands inside pipes, it can crack and burst the pipe, leaving
homeowners with a costly plumber bill and thousands of dollars in
damages from water leaking inside their home," she said.
During winter weather, water meters and pipes need special care
to keep them from freezing, so homeowners should take reasonable
precautions to help protect their property and the water company's
meter from damage.
"Weatherproofing your home against the cold will pay dividends on
energy bills in the winter and will also help protect your indoor
plumbing against the threat of breaks," Teasley added.
Illinois American Water encourages its customers to take the
following precautions to reduce the risk of frozen water meters and
pipes that can freeze and burst:
Make sure everyone
in your home knows where the main water shut-off valve is and
how to turn it off and on. If a pipe freezes or bursts, shut the
water off immediately.
Search your house
for uninsulated pipes, especially in unheated areas. Consider
wrapping pipes with electric heating tape, but follow
manufacturers' instructions carefully to avoid a fire hazard.
Seal cracks and
holes in outside walls and foundations with caulking, especially
where cable TV or phone lines enter the house, to keep cold
winds away from pipes.
If your home is
heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them
slightly. Close them when water appears.
Make certain that
the water to your hose bibs is shut off inside your house (via a
turn-off valve) and that the lines are disconnected and drained.
[to top of second column]
Drain and shut off
entirely the water to any unoccupied residence such as a summer
or vacation home. A loss of power during a winter storm could
cause pipes to freeze.
If you intend to
leave a property entirely without heat, be sure to drain all
water to prevent the possibility of frozen pipes.
Set the thermostat
at 55 degrees if you're going out of town. Although you may be
able to get away with a lower temperature, this setting is
considered to be safe for pipes.
Consider wrapping
your water heater in an insulation blanket. While the heater is
not really at danger for freezing, this can lower your heating
Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE:
AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state,
providing water or wastewater services to more than 1.2 million
people. American Water also operates a customer service center in
Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.
Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S.
water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees,
N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 professionals who provide
drinking water, wastewater and other related services to
approximately 15 million people in more than 30 states, as well as
parts of Canada. For more information about the company, visit
[Text from file received from
Illinois American Water]
< Top Stories index
Back to top
News |
Sports | Business |
Rural Review |
Teaching and Learning
Home and Family |
| Obituaries
Community |
Law and Courts |
Leisure Time
Spiritual Life |
Health and Fitness |
Teen Scene
Letters to the Editor


text:
Basic Life Insurance
The university provides a basic $50,000 life insurance benefit at no cost to the employee. Employees may purchase additional life insurance through payroll deductions (see Supplemental Life Insurance).
All regular full-time, and regular part-time employees become eligible on the date of hire. Your group life insurance ends on the date that you terminate employment with the university.
No cost to the employee.
The benefits will be paid to the beneficiary you name on the Beneficiary Designation Form. You may change your beneficiary at any time by completing a new form and returning it to your regional human resources office.
Life insurance and travel accident claims should be filed through your regional human resources office. Claims should be returned to that office for final completion and transmittal to the insurance carrier.


text:
Finance Act Update
This course will cover all of the major clauses in the Finance Act and will concentrate on the practical implications for accountants and their clients.
Key topics will include:
• Personal tax
• Business and corporate tax changes
• Employee tax
• Capital taxes changes
• VAT and SDLT
• Other legislative changes
New credit option for 2019
Our training courses credits could provide a more flexible payment option. Call 0116 258 1200 to find out more or visit our credits page.


text:
It looks like a regular Volvo C30 and it features the very same safety, comfort and space as the standard car. The difference is that it is powered solely by electricity, entirely without exhaust emissions, and has a range of up to 150 kilometres.
The Volvo C30 Electric project has attracted immense international attention. Volvo Cars has received visits from many potential overseas customers and the first sales contract has already been signed.
Volvo Cars' electric car project currently encompasses about 250 vehicles that will be used by a number of companies and authorities. The first ten C30 Electric's will go to the energy company Göteborg Energi with deliveries starting during the autumn of 2010.
"We have had a very positive response from the market so far. If the demand continues to be high, we will of course expand our production series," says Lennart Stegland, director of Volvo Car Corporation's Special Vehicles division.
If Volvo C30 Electric is recharged using electricity from renewable sources, travel is virtually free from carbon dioxide emissions. The range is up to 150 km on a single battery charge.
"That's way further than 90 percent of commuters in Europe cover on a daily basis. The car could be used for the average family's everyday commuting needs," says Lennart Stegland.
The electric motor is housed under the bonnet, just like the engine in a conventional car. A lithium-ion battery powers the Volvo C30 Electric. It is charged from a regular mains power socket. A completely depleted battery takes about eight hours to recharge.
The car has a top speed of about 130 kilometres per hour and accelerates from zero to one hundred in 10.5 seconds.
Electric cars are the future
Electricity is highly suitable as a fuel for passenger cars. It is the superior energy efficiency of the electric motor compared with the combustion engine which suggests that electric cars will become increasingly common in the future as fuel prices rise and demands for low CO2 emissions become ever more stringent.
"By 2020 about 5-10 percent of cars in Sweden are expected to be electric. By 2020-2025 we believe that electric cars will account for 3-10 percent of the market share in the EU countries. Different markets have different preconditions," says Lennart Stegland.
The same safety standards as always
Volvo Cars imposes the very same high safety standards on all its products irrespective of the type of fuel or power source used. Volvo's safety dedication is always focused on the human being and is based on solid know-how of real-life traffic situations. What is more, comprehensive in-house tests are carried out both virtually and in Volvo's highly advanced crash-test laboratory - all with the aim to ensure that the C30 Electric is just as safe as any other car bearing the Volvo badge.


text:
based British Fashion designer Jason Boateng graduated from Middlesex
University in 2008. During his three year BA degree; he worked as a fashion
stylist and personal shopper for fashion houses such as Ted Baker and Tommy
Hilfiger. Gathering all the fashion experience he felt he needed, as well as
being a very business minded young man; he decided to start up his own Fashion
styling/personal shopping business.
In 2009, Jason Boateng started his own business called JB Styling, a wardrobe
styling and fashion consulting company based in London.
Designer Jason Boateng, worked in London, New York and Paris as a fashion
stylist and costume wear designer; dressing celebrities such as Charlene White,
Brenda Emmanus, Nicki Minaj, Yolande Letshou, Michelle Brooks, Nigel Reo-Coker
and Yvonne Nelson for red carpet events and shoots. Jason Boateng expanded the
company and branched into creative fashion directing for music videos, TV shows
and commercial shoots for the likes of Raheem De Vaughn, Lola Rae, Kay B, McDonalds's,
Law and Order, Harry Potter, Luther and much more.
Jason Boateng has styled magazine editorial shoots and front covers for some of
the biggest publications in the world such as W magazine, Elle US, Schon, I.D,
Iconography and Glitz.
In 2013, Jason Boateng became a TV personal. The designer did his first TV
appearance on London Live, as a style and fashion expert. He has regular
fashion segments on the channel offering fashion tips, trend advise, celebrity
do and don't and current affairs.
In 2014, Jason Boateng started working on his first women's wear collection and
launch the Jason Boateng Resort 2015 in December 2014.
Jason Boateng's aims for the near future is to see his label grow as a brand
and to make women all over the world look and feel amazing.


text:
How do I get started? Can I get a free cost quote?
Simply fill out our Request Quote form and we'll be happy to provide a free, all-inclusive quote. Or, you may call me at the number above.
Can we have our training on a Saturday?
Absolutely. We can schedule an On-Site Training on the date of your choice, provided the instructor is available.
Are CEUs or clock hours provided?
CEUs and/or clock hours can be provided only through your district.
Is college credit provided as an option?
Yes. Graduate level semester college credit is available through Brandman University, part of the Chapman University System. Please note that additional requirements and fees will apply.
Are training materials included?
Yes, unlike most onsite training sponsors, we provide a professionally printed comprehensive resource handbook for each participant. There are many other supplemental materials you may choose from to enhance your day. They all align with the course and augment the outcomes.
What if our school does not have a full day available for training?
Your trainer can work with you to develop a plan that best meets your campus needs. This means that you may be able to break up the training day into smaller units over a period of time.
How long are the On-Site Trainings?
Each On-Site Training Seminar includes 5 instructional hours plus breaks.
Who is my instructor?
Here is your trainer's BIO page.
How much is the training?
We provide you with a series of training options to best meet the needs of your campus. Request a Quote…
Earn Grad Credits
"…best day ever in in-service…"
"So much information I never learned in my university schooling. Classroom management is my weakness and I now know how to change that from this day forward. Thank you so much for changing my career."
Odyssey Elementary, Colorado Springs, Colorado
"The main change I have seen in my classroom is ME! And because of that, my classroom is much better."
Water Valley ISD, Texas
"I usually do not give perfect scores…until now. I learned many valuable techniques to bring back to my classroom."
Francis Howell Central High School, Missouri


text:
Pitchers and Catchers Report Today!! Time for Angels' New Baseball Year Resolutions
Pitchers and Catchers report today!! Okay, granted with a few exceptions. But, still, pitchers and catchers report today. *happy dance* I know, I know. To the baseball fan, it's 'Play ball!' that's the truly wonderful phrase, the phrase we all rank highly on any list of the most beautiful phrases in the English language. 'Pitchers and catchers report!' just doesn't have the same impact…most of the time. Today, however, 'pitchers and catchers report' means that the long, looooooong winter without baseball is over. It means that players will begin throwing baseballs, conducting drills and preparing for the main event, Opening Day, any moment now. It means that spring training 'play ball's will soon ring out loud and clear across Florida and Arizona and that official, regular season 'play ball's are not far behind. So why don't you just take a moment, let that phrase roll off your tongue again and really savor it this time. Pitchers and catchers report! Today is sounds absolutely gorgeous, doesn't it?
In honor of this beautiful day — my personal first day of Spring regardless of what the calendar says — I have decided to finally share my "resolutions" for the 2013 Angels, resolutions that I think the team should keep in order to help make their high potential for a fantastic 2013 season a reality. Hey, I know these sorts of things are traditionally done in January but what the heck. I missed that with my little blogging break and I might argue that today is the start of the baseball year anyway:
- Health is a common resolution, right? So let's start there. Obviously no one ever wants to get injured or sick and Angels players are a tough bunch, often playing while injured. But when you look at the issues the team has had the last several seasons — with the offense, the bullpen, the starting rotation — the need to work around injuries and illnesses has played a significant role in each of those issues. So, as much as injuries are absolutely just a part of the game, play hard and with joy and passion but, while you're doing that don't forget to do all of your stretches/take up yoga or Pilates/ lift from the correct position/don't hit the wall unless you have a shot at making the play/avoid walking into toe breaking brick patios/take your vitamins/whatever it takes to stay healthy. (And, hey, as I write this I am recovering sloooowly from the ick that's going around my office and wishing desperately that I'd taken my own advice, so there you go. Healthy >>>>>>>>>>>>>not healthy.)
- Along the same theme as health, I would really love to see all aspects of the Angels' game working at the same time. Last season, it seemed like the offense found their stride only to have the starting rotation hit a rough patch. Then the starting rotation would right themselves for a few games only to have the bullpen fall apart. Mind you, despite these issues, the team still won 89 games. So it stands to reason that if the Angels can really get on a role in 2013 with all of their strengths working at the same time, this could be really special season!
- Free Peter Bourjos! Picture it, an outfield with Bourjos in center flanked by Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton. Mike Trout truly is one amazing centerfielder, but Bourjos is even faster, runs even better routes and has a similarly golden glove (and, seriously, if both of these kids don't get actual, for real Gold Glove awards in the plural sooner rather than later in their careers, that will be a crime). So, putting the two of them in the outfield together?!! Plus Hamilton?! I get goose bumps just thinking about it. And let's just quit it with all of that Bourjos can't hit talk, shall we. Yes, last year, coming into the game sporadically, often in the middle or at the end of the game, sometimes with weeks in between at bats, his batting average was terrible. But when given a full season to play the year before that, he may have started out slow but he finished with a more than respectable .271. Is a .271 average really higher than we should expect from Bourjos in a normal season like some say? Perhaps. But instead of continuing to speculate, why don't we find out, really find out…you know, by leaving him in for more than a handful of games at a stretch. Look, even if Bourjos' normal batting average turns out to be like .250, that's a lot better than 2012's alternative of Vernon Wells.
- Accomplish the above ^^ without losing Mark Trumbo's bat. Barring any scary slumps — which means, Mark, stay out of the Home Run Derby unless you can do it without f-ing up your swing, 'kay? — Trumbo should be a lineup constant, primarily in the role of DH but also as an occasional substitute outfielder, as needed.
- Hey, Sosh, fewer lineups, please. Now I understand that having multiple starting lineups for specific occasions can serve a useful purpose, as can shaking things up from time to time. And I do realize that giving up having 100+ lineups for 162 games is probably harder for you than quitting cigarettes is for most people. So I'm not asking you to go cold turkey and pick just one lineup to stick with for the rest of the season. But how about choosing one basic lineup with a small handful of situation specific variations — for example the ideal infield and outfield for Angels fly ball pitchers, the ideal infield and outfield for Angels groundball pitchers, and whatever? And, hey, maybe you could stick with each situation's lineup for a while to really see if it works instead of switching them up at the drop of a hat? Hmmmm…What's that you say? Probably not? Yeah, I thought as much. But hey, you can't blame a girl for trying.
- Stay healthy.
- Players who tend to swing between off years and on years, I really hope to be cheering for the best version of you, so to speak, in 2013. For example, I really want to see the 2012 Kevin Jepsen again, or even a continuing, positive evolution of him. Because 2012 Jepsen was a revelation, pulling all of the occasional glimpses of skilled reliever we'd seen in previous seasons into a solid, reliable reliever who saved the Angels bacon a lot. Among my other biggest wishes in the category? I want to see the .300 + hitting Albert Pujols, the bone-spur free, kick ass version of C.J. Wilson, and I want to see "amazing feats of baseball awesomeness" Josh Hamilton, not the "caffeine ailments and special eye issues uniquely related to blue eyed folks" Josh Hamilton…because I've got a pair of baby blues of my own, Josh, and I call shenanigans on you there. 😉
- Another common resolution is to try new places/styles/foods/fill in the blank with a sense of adventure instead of fear. For the Angels, I think this specifically refers to new opposing pitchers. Facing a new pitcher should a be a light hearted adventure filled with all kinds of fun games, like home run derby and "how many bases can I steal?" not the sort of fear and over thinking that makes rookie pitchers look like Cy Young candidates.
- Fans and players alike: prepare for a full year of Mike Trout magic!!! But at the same time, let's keep the same attitude of wonder and amazement we had in 2012 instead of heaping all of the expectations of last year's stellar season on his young, albeit strong and capable, shoulders. I have not a doubt in my mind but what every year with Trout is going to be something special, but keeping some sort of running game by game comparison of last season's home run totals and on base percentages with this season's creates a stupid kind of pressure and is just going to drive everyone crazy…especially if you tend to do this out loud and while sitting next to me at the Big A. I'm just sayin'. 😉
- Oh, and last but certainly not least, the best resolution of all, again for fans and players alike: let's have fun with the 2013 season! That, and did I mention stay healthy?
And, with that, I'm going to cease my giddy Pitchers and Catchers Report Day bouncing around the house and go back to getting some serious work done. *boingy, boingy, boingy* *sigh* Okay, apparently I'm going to continue my giddy Pitchers and Catchers Report Day bouncing around the house while getting some serious work done. 2013 is going to be amazing, I can just feel it!


text:
Iraq and Afghanistan Winter Soldiers
Why we're against the war
Q: Why are veterans, active duty, and National Guard men and women opposed to the war in Iraq?
A: Here are 10 reasons we oppose this war:
- The Iraq war is based on lies and deception.
The Bush Administration planned for an attack against Iraq before September 11th, 2001. They used the false pretense of an imminent nuclear, chemical and biological weapons threat to deceive Congress into rationalizing this unnecessary conflict. They hide our casualties of war by banning the filming of our fallen's caskets when they arrive home, and when they refuse to allow the media into Walter Reed Hospital and other Veterans Administration facilities which are overflowing with maimed and traumatized veterans.
For further reading: www.motherjones.com/bush_war_timeline/index.html
- The Iraq war violates international law.
The United States assaulted and occupied Iraq without the consent of the UN Security Council. In doing so they violated the same body of laws they accused Iraq of breaching.
For further reading:
- Corporate profiteering is driving the war in Iraq.
From privately contracted soldiers and linguists to no-bid reconstruction contracts and multinational oil negotiations, those who benefit the most in this conflict are those who suffer the least. The United States has chosen a path that directly contradicts President Eisenhower's farewell warning regarding the military industrial complex. As long as those in power are not held accountable, they will continue…
For further reading:
- Overwhelming civilian casualties are a daily occurrence in Iraq.
Despite attempts in training and technological sophistication, large-scale civilian death is both a direct and indirect result of United States aggression in Iraq. Even the most conservative estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths number over 100,000. Currently over 100 civilians die every day in Baghdad alone.For further reading:
- Soldiers have the right to refuse illegal war.
All in service to this country swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. However, they are prosecuted if they object to serve in a war they see as illegal under our Constitution. As such, our brothers and sisters are paying the price for political incompetence, forced to fight in a war instead of having been sufficiently trained to carry out the task of nation-building.
For further reading:
- Service members are facing serious health consequences due to our Government's negligence.
Many of our troops have already been deployed to Iraq for two, three, and even four tours of duty averaging eleven months each. Combat stress, exhaustion, and bearing witness to the horrors of war contribute to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a serious set of symptoms that can lead to depression, illness, violent behavior, and even suicide. Additionally, depleted uranium, Lariam, insufficient body armor and infectious diseases are just a few of the health risks which accompany an immorally planned and incompetently executed war. Finally, upon a soldier's release, the Veterans Administration is far too under-funded to fully deal with the magnitude of veterans in need.
For further reading:
- The war in Iraq is tearing our families apart.
The use of stop-loss on active duty troops and the unnecessarily lengthy and repeat active tours by Guard and Reserve troops place enough strain on our military families, even without being forced to sacrifice their loved ones for this ongoing political experiment in the Middle East.
For further reading: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,FL
- The Iraq war is robbing us of funding sorely needed here at home.
$5.8 billion per month is spent on a war which could have aided the victims of Hurricane Katrina, gone to impoverished schools, the construction of hospitals and health care systems, tax cut initiatives, and a host of domestic programs that have all been gutted in the wake of the war in Iraq.
For further reading:
- The war dehumanizes Iraqis and denies them their right to self-determination.
Iraqis are subjected to humiliating and violent checkpoints, searches and home raids on a daily basis. The current Iraqi government is in place solely because of the U.S. military occupation. The Iraqi government doesn't have the popular support of the Iraqi people, nor does it have power or authority. For many Iraqis the current government is seen as a puppet regime for the U.S. occupation. It is undemocratic and in violation of Iraq's own right to self-governance.
For further reading:
- Our military is being exhausted by repeated deployments, involuntary extensions, and activations of the Reserve and National Guard.
The majority of troops in Iraq right now are there for at least their second tour. Deployments to Iraq are becoming longer and many of our service members are facing involuntary extensions and recalls to active duty. Longstanding policies to limit the duration and frequency of deployments for our part-time National Guard troops are now being overturned to allow for repeated, back-to-back tours in Iraq. These repeated, extended combat tours are taking a huge toll on our troops, their families, and their communities.
For further reading: