text:
Ed Miliband has claimed his plans to reform Labour are more significant than Tony Blair's modernisation of the party.
The package, which will be voted on at a special conference on March 1, will change Labour's links with the trade unions and allow people to have a say in the party's leadership contests without being full members.
The Labour leader said the "seismic changes" were an attempt to increase public involvement at a time of declining political party membership.
Under the plans, for £3 people can have a vote in the party's leadership elections and involvement in the movement as registered supporters or, for trade union members, affiliated supporters.
Mr Miliband told The Independent the plan went further than Mr Blair's symbolic scrapping of Clause IV of the party's constitution, which committed it to nationalisation.
"Clause IV was a symbol of what we believed," he said.
"But this is bigger than Clause IV in its impact on the way it will change politics."
Labour has acknowledged the party will take a financial hit as a result of the changes to the union link, but hopes that by building an individual relationship with thousands of new supporters it will be able to attract donations from them and involve them in campaigning.
Mr Miliband said: "This is about addressing the discontent people feel about politics, and opening ourselves up.
"We are not going to be a shrivelled, shrinking band of people.
"We have got to find new ways of getting people into our party.
"We are trying to buck the trend of what has been happening to political parties around the world.
"They are facing declining support.
"There are millions of people from every walk of life and, for the first time, we are saying they can be part of our party without having to go so far as joining it.
"By anyone's estimation, I think these are pretty seismic changes."
In a criticism of his predecessors Mr Blair and Gordon Brown, he stressed the importance of grassroots politics.
"You are more likely to achieve things and make change happen if you are a real presence on the ground," he said.
"Why? Because you are more likely to win arguments door to door, street by street, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
"And you are more likely to get ideas filtering up from the ground to government."
He added: "We would have been a better government (under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown) if we had been listening to people on the ground."
Insisting he would also like to see a change in the way politics is conducted in the Commons, Mr Miliband criticised the way Prime Minister's Questions was conducted, arguing it was "irrelevant" to people outside Westminster.
Commons Speaker John Bercow has written to the party leaders to find ways to curb the "yobbery and public school twittishness" of their MPs at the weekly session following a Hansard Society study which found that PMQs put people off politics.
Mr Miliband said: "It is actually irrelevant.
"It's watched by a few hundred people in Westminster but it doesn't travel beyond Westminster and that should make us all pause for thought.
"I have a simple view.
"If people think politics will make a difference then they will get engaged.
"If they think it is just a bunch of blokes shouting at each other then they won't."


text:
Highstones is the Clan term for an abandoned Twoleg mine in the forest territories. They are the tall jagged peaks surrounding Mothermouth,[1] the large cave opening leading to the Moonstone. It is home to the Moonstone, a sacred place to Clan cats.[2] The Moonstone is a giant quartz crystal that catches the starlight, allowing for cats to visit StarClan.[2]
- 1 Description
- 2 Location
- 3 History
- 3.1 In the Super Editions
- 3.2 In the Dawn of the Clans arc
- 3.3 In The Prophecies Begin arc
- 3.4 In The New Prophecy arc
- 3.5 In the Graystripe's Adventure arc
- 4 Trivia
- 5 Gallery
- 6 See also
- 7 External links
- 8 Notes and references
- Highstones are the rocks[3] that are home to Mothermouth, a pitch-black cave, which contains the Moonstone.[2] Highstones can easily be seen from far away.[1] The earth is darker here, the grass coarser underpaw, giving away to bare rocky soil dotted with patches of heather.[4] Mothermouth is square and black, and yawns beneath a stone archway.[5] Inside Mothermouth is a tunnel, leading to the Moonstone.[6] The Mothermouth got its name because of its very large mouth-like opening to the Moonstone. The air inside is stale, with a tang of dust and stone.[7] Mothermouth also has two tunnels, one to the Moonstone, and the other that goes somewhere deep into the earth. Cats must find their way through a tunnel by using their whiskers to feel the edges of it,[7] or by following the scent trail of the cat ahead of them. The tunnels of the Mothermouth are very rocky and may cut the pads of a cat if they have gone down the wrong tunnel. There are tunnels branching off in opposite directions, but only one leads to the cavern. It is much like a maze. The "right" tunnel has tall, smooth walls glistening with moisture. It is a rough, downward slope.[7]
- It opens up to a cavern arching high above the cats visiting. The vast curved walls in the cavern reach to the ceiling, finally opening to a hole. The scents of heather and wind wash down from the hole, and the moonlight illuminates the Moonstone.[2] There is scent of water, stone, and earth, and a jumble of strange odors surround the place.[6] The cat is then dazzled by an extremely bright light, caused by the moon reflected onto the Moonstone from a hole in the ceiling, and it bleaches the cat's fur white.[8] Cats are often surprised by the power of the Moonstone.[9] The Moonstone is several tail-lengths high.[10] To communicate with StarClan, all the cat must do is press their nose to the rock, and they fall asleep almost immediately.[11] It is said to be very cold, and some cats believe they are not dreaming until they open their eyes, realizing their nose is no longer pressed against the rock.[12]
- This is where leaders and medicine cats go to share tongues with StarClan.[13] Leaders go there to receive their nine lives or ask StarClan for help.[14] Once they enter Mothermouth, the cats must stay silent, the medicine cat or the leader about to receive their nine lives must lean down and place their nose on the Moonstone. They will gradually fall into a special dream sent by StarClan.[13] They then dream about their warrior ancestors, and are able to talk with them.[15] Cats come here as part of various ceremonies, such as medicine cats sharing tongues with StarClan every half-moon,[16] and leaders gaining their nine lives.[17] When leaders go to the Moonstone, they are forbidden to eat or drink anything beforehand, including traveling herbs.[18] They receive nine lives and have the second half of their name replaced with the suffix "–star" to honor StarClan.[19] Leaders and medicine cats also come here if they need guidance from their warrior ancestors, but cannot wait for members of StarClan to walk in their dreams or have not seen them for many moons and need guidance.[6]
- To get there, ThunderClan must go through WindClan's territory,[20] but although cats are supposed to be given free passage through to the Moonstone, this law is not always obeyed, as seen in Rising Storm.[21] Medicine cats would travel together at the half-moon to share tongues with StarClan, allowing the medicine cats to travel on other Clans' territory.
- Mothermouth, and the Moonstone, are left behind when the Clans leave the forest in Dawn, and replaced with the Moonpool in the Lake territories, which was discovered by Leafpool when she was an apprentice and previously used by the ancient version of the Tribe of Rushing Water, in which Rock was a leader. The tradition in which apprentices would journey to Mothermouth was not used any longer after the Clans moved to the Lake.[22]
- Moth Flight, an ancient WindClan cat, was a cat who was easily distracted. When Wind led a patrol to ShadowClan's side, Mothflight saw a blue feather floating in the breeze. She soon went closer and closer to the Thunderpath, where a monster was coming. Gorsefur saw and risked his life by pushing her away from the monster.[23] Angrily, Wind demands to know what exactly she was doing. Mothflight replied that the feather was calling to her. Even more furious now, Wind banished her from WindClan, and Mothflight kept walking in the direction of the feather.
- Soon she saw a large hole in the ground,[24] and because of her free-spirited nature, decided to climb down it. She ended up at a large glittering rock, now called the Moonstone,[24] and instinct told her to press her nose to it. She did, and she woke up with StarClan surrounding her. They congratulated her, and told her that this was the Moonstone. They also told her that at the next half moon, she should bring three of their chosen cats to become the first medicine cats. Mothflight said that she was exiled, so she couldn't carry out these plans. StarClan says that she was exiled for the very reason of discovering the Moonstone. StarClan sends a dream to Wind, who now welcomes back Mothflight as a medicine cat. Cloud Spots, Dappled Pelt, and Pebble Heart also become medicine cats of ThunderClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan, respectively.[25] Because Mothflight was a WindClan warrior, WindClan feels as if they are more loyal and close to StarClan by usually sleeping out under the stars.[26]
- Highstones is on the very edge of the forest territories, in the northwestern part. It is neutral ground, unclaimed by any Clan, just as Fourtrees isn't claimed by any Clan.[27]
- The Clan cats' only passage to Highstones is to cross the Thunderpath.[28] Cats can be easily killed on it.[29] WindClan lives closest to Highstones, and RiverClan and ThunderClan cats must cross WindClan grounds to reach it.[20] Cats are supposed to be given free passage by WindClan, but this law is not always obeyed, as seen in Rising Storm.[30]
In the Super Editions
Moth Flight's Vision
- Coming Soon
Crookedstar's Promise
- Crookedkit wonders if it is really his destiny to lag behind the other apprentices. For this, he wants to talk to StarClan, and makes plans to go to Highstones. He thinks that he has to go through WindClan territory, and after that Highstones should be easy to find, for it is much bigger than Sunningrocks. Compared to Highstones, Sunningrocks looks like a pebble.
- As he's on ThunderClan territory, he sees the moors and distant cliffs, and wonders if those are Highstones. He's heard elders talk about the jagged rocky peaks, and he knows he has to go there eventually.
- Cedarpelt, Brightsky, and Owlfur really take Crookedpaw, Graypaw, and Willowpaw to the Moonstone this time. As the apprentices are getting herbs, Brambleberry tells them about the journey and the dark stones of Highstones. On the journey, Crookedpaw sees that the wide valley between the moors and Highstones are filled with newleaf growth. Finally, the cats get there, Highstones rearing above them and the sun melting on its peaks. The apprentices comment that they're hungry, but Brightsky comments that there's no fish or birds here. However, Willowpaw catches a rabbit and they soon go in to Mothermouth to speak to StarClan.
- Crookedjaw and Brambleberry go to Highstones to receive his nine lives and leader name.
Bluestar's Prophecy
- On Bluekit's first day out of the nursery, she comes back in, saying she saw everything. Moonflower purrs, and says she hasn't seen everything yet, as there are lands beyond the Territories, such as Highstones and Mothermouth.
- Pinestar later says he will take Bluefur to the Moonstone. Bluefur knows they'll have to cross WindClan territory to reach Mothermouth, the cave containing it. As they head on the journey, Bluefur sees a cliff of tall, jagged peaks, and asks if those are Highstones. Pinestar nods, and they continue. As they get there, the sun sets behind Highstones, sending long shadows over the valley. They get there, and Bluefur stares up the slope, staring at the hope gaped in the hillside. Pinestar tells her to follow him, and she obeys, pushing far down the deep tunnel. Bluefur manages to get dizzy, and Pinestar comforts her. Soon they get to the Moonstone. After dreaming, the two head back to ThunderClan.
- Long after, Sunstar dies, and Bluefur is to become leader. She and Featherwhisker travel to Highstones and slip inside Mothermouth. Bluefur still feels that the darkness is uncomfortable. It is as if she is drowning in thick black water tasted, but not felt. She soon gets her nine lives, and becomes leader of ThunderClan.
Firestar's Quest
- After a Gathering, Firestar asks if he can travel with WindClan, as he wants to go to Highstones to ask StarClan about the strange cat in his dreams. After leaving, them, Firestar heads toward Highstones, eager to go on his journey. As Firestar enters Mothermouth to talk to StarClan about the mysterious cat haunting his dreams, he feels fear gripping his belly as he steps into the hungry shadows. He steps on, wondering who the cat is, and he wonders if that cat will visit him. However, after learning the truth about the fifth Clan, Firestar walks away wearily from Highstones, contemplating what he should do.
Graystripe's Vow
- As an elder, Graystripe ventures outside of ThunderClan to go on a wander. After visiting the Tribe and believing he saw a sign from Feathertail telling him to visit the old territories, he tries to visit the Moonstone to seek answers from StarClan about their absence and the imposter. However, when he gets to Highstones, it looks far different than he remembered it as a young warrior and he easily gets lost among the tangle of Thunderpaths and Twoleg dens. After Graystripe recovers himself in the old RiverClan territory, he finds a group of kittypets who call themselves WarriorClan. They eagerly wish to assist him on his journey back to Highstones to find Mothermouth.
- Graystripe arrives at his destination with the kittypets and goes into Mothermouth while it is storming outside. He tries to speak with StarClan but the Moonstone is dark and the ancestors are silent. A bolt of lightning enters through the top of the cave, striking the Moonstone and shattering it into tiny pieces. Graystripe is terrified and believes StarClan is angry with him and he runs out of Mothermouth.
In the Dawn of the Clans arc
The Sun Trail
- Coming Soon
In The Prophecies Begin arc
Into the Wild
- Bluestar and Tigerclaw take Firepaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw to Mothermouth, and it is mentioned that if Bluestar wants to share tongues with StarClan, she cannot eat during the journey. When it's time for Bluestar to go inside of the Mothermouth, to the Moonstone, she asks Firepaw and Tigerclaw to go in with her. Tigerclaw ends up leaving, because he was afraid of the power of the Moonstone, but Firepaw stays. Bluestar says that Tigerclaw is a strong warrior on the outside, but softhearted on the inside.
- When they leave, Firepaw asks Graypaw and Ravenpaw what Tigerclaw said when he came out. Graypaw says that he was just checking if they were still guarding the cave. He then adds that Ravenpaw is jumpy with Tigerclaw around. The young apprentice says it was creepy near the Mothermouth, and Graypaw half-heartedly agrees.
Fire and Ice
- Highstones are briefly mentioned by the new ShadowClan leader, Nightpelt. He says that he will travel to Mothermouth to receive his new nine lives and his leader name to be the official leader of ShadowClan after Brokenstar was driven out.
In The New Prophecy arc
- When the cats stand on the Highstones, they see the sign of the dying warrior, which was a shooting star running through the night sky and disappearing behind the mountains.
In the Graystripe's Adventure arc
Warrior's Refuge
- Millie and Graystripe spot Highstones, thinking they are close to the territories. The pair continue to walk, for many days, but they still have not reached their destination.
- "Highstones" was written as "HighStones" every time it was mentioned in Into The Wild.[31]
- Bluefur was not taken to Highstones by Pinestar when she was an apprentice because Pinestar had been busy, and had neglected to take her to the Moonstone, so she was taken when she became a warrior instead. Bluefur's littermate, Snowfur, also did not make the trip to Highstones as an apprentice, and it is still unknown whether or not she visited the Moonstone at all, as Snowfur did not attend the trip to Highstones with Bluefur.[32]
- The second known exception to the rule is Squirrelflight. According to Midnight, she had never been to the Moonstone before she and the five other journeying cats left, as confirmed by Brambleclaw when he sees how nervous she is travelling through WindClan territory. When they return from their journey, in the time between them getting back and the Clans leaving for the Lake, she never officially went with her leader, except for when they passed it on the way to the sun-drown-place, on the way back, and on the way to the Lake.[33]
- The Moonstone was once mistakenly mentioned as the Great Rock from Fourtrees in Tallstar's Revenge.[34]
Official art
See also
External links
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Revealed in Bluestar's Prophecy, page 236
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Revealed in Bluestar's Prophecy, page 241
- ↑ Revealed in Crookedstar's Promise, page 266
- ↑ Revealed in Crookedstar's Promise, page 199
- ↑ Revealed in Bluestar's Prophecy, page 239
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Revealed in Bluestar's Prophecy, page 240
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Revealed in Firestar's Quest, page 50
- ↑ Revealed in Into the Wild, page 166
- ↑ Revealed in Into the Wild, page 178
- ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 144
- ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 43
- ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 57
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 45
- ↑ Revealed in Bluestar's Prophecy, page 242
- ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 49
- ↑ Revealed in A Dangerous Path, page 53
- ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 46
- ↑ Revealed in Bluestar's Prophecy, page 235
- ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 54
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Revealed in Bluestar's Prophecy, page 237
- ↑ Revealed in Rising Storm, page 62
- ↑ Revealed in Outcast, page 29
- ↑ Revealed in Secrets of the Clans, page 92
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Revealed in Secrets of the Clans, page 95
- ↑ Revealed in Secrets of the Clans, page 96
- ↑ Revealed in Secrets of the Clans, page 93
- ↑ Revealed in Secrets of the Clans, page 89
- ↑ Revealed in Bluestar's Prophecy, page 238
- ↑ Revealed in Secrets of the Clans, page 94
- ↑ Revealed in Rising Storm, page 45
- ↑ Revealed in Into the Wild, page 168
- ↑ Revealed in Bluestar's Prophecy, page 234
- ↑ Revealed in Midnight, page 158
- ↑ Revealed in Tallstar's Revenge, page 494
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
NEA president condemns efforts to stifle academic freedom
WASHINGTON - April 01, 2011 -
The National Education Association (NEA) strongly condemns efforts by the Wisconsin Republican Party and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan to intimidate professors in those states' institutions of higher education. The two groups submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to examine professors' personal emails.
The following is attributed to NEA President Dennis Van Roekel:
"The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) should not be used to intimidate or promote political agendas. These fishing expeditions create a climate that chills academic inquiry and threatens academic freedom. How is our society served by putting tape over the mouths of the very people who ensure an open dialogue? Higher education faculty members have the First Amendment right to speak out on matters of public concern, and that includes voicing their opinions about political activities and pending legislation. Everyone benefits when scholars explore ideas, find facts and discuss different points of view.
"The preservation of free speech and academic freedom is also supported by the courts. The Michigan Court of Appeals recently ruled that the personal emails of school employees are not subject to disclosure under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. Just last year, the Wisconsin Supreme Court reached the same conclusion in a similar FOIA case.
"FOIA undeniably plays a critical role in our system of checks, balances and accountability. With that in mind, the public must also hold politicians accountable for wasting valuable time that should be spent getting budgets back in the black, creating jobs and improving schools. It's time to stop making politically motivated, burdensome requests and instead focus on the priorities that are important to working families."
Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/NEAMedia
# # #
The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing
3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.
CONTACT: Ramona Parks-Kirby (202) 822-7823, firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
1. We have introduced a series of new articles for the front page of TMC. The first one is by Steve Leighton and is about the film "Black Gold" and the so-called "Fair Trade" business model.
2. You can now subscribe to an RSS feed of both the latest forum posts (excluding those in the Clubroom of course) and the latest front page articles. People using either Firefox or Internet Explorer 7 can subscribe from the usual icon link on the URL bar. People using earlier versions of IE or other browsers that don't respond to XML+RSS links in the page header can get to the feeds through the following links:
http://www.toomuchcoffee.com/xBackends. ... e=PNphpBB2 (forums)
http://www.toomuchcoffee.com/index.php? ... =1&tpl=RSS (front page news / articles)
The wiki that I promised many months ago has been in test for ages but has been held up by difficulties in resourcing the final shakedown testing. I hope that it will be with you in the next couple of weeks.
Finally, the member-supplied content feature has been in testing for a couple of months but I have been held up trying to find the time to complete the debugging of the implementation of the Xinha WYSIWYG editing control. Really soon, I hope, folks


text:
Welcome to my new series, "How to immigrate to Canada"!
I recently received quite a lot of emails, asking me questions about the immigration process. So I decided to explain the whole process in 10 posts, which will be published every Saturday.
I also encourage you to ask any question you may have. I'm not an immigration consultant, but from experience, I may be able to point you to the right direction!
In the series, we will see the different options you have to come to Canada, as well as your rights and duties as a Permanent Resident, what happens after you arrive etc.
Applicants main concern is often on how long the whole process takes. Unfortunately, there is no rule and no one can know for sure. However, there are some tricks to make sure your application is processed as fast as it can be!
How long does the immigration process take… roughly?
- Most permanent resident applications, no matter in which category you apply, take from 6 to 12 months to be processed.
- That said, some applications are processed much faster… I was one of the lucky applicants, I received the permanent resident in only 4 months!
- On the other side, some applicants will wait for a few years.
Citizenship and Immigration provides tables indicating how many months were necessary to approve or refuse application at various visa offices around the world. You can check the processing time for application in Canada, outside Canada, and by categories, such as the skilled worker category or the family class category.
So, what's taking so long?
Approving or refusing a permanent residence application is a long process. Immigration agents must check all documents and make a life-changing decision!
But many other factors affect the average application processing time:
How busy the local visa office is: some regions of the world receive more applications. For example, visa offices in Africa and the Middle East currently have the longest processing time for skilled worker applications. Not every country has a Canadian visa office and as a result, a central visa office may be responsible for several countries or region. For example, the Paris visa office is responsible for immigration applications for Algeria, Belgium, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Tunisia! Same goes for the London office which is responsible for Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen…!
The difficulty of the security check: there is a mandatory security check on all permanent resident applicants to prevent individuals who pose a risk to Canada's security from entering the country. Its duration can be affected by such factors as military service, foreign trips, membership in political organizations etc. Some foreign countries cooperate better with Canada than others and sometimes, background checks can be quite difficult to conduct.
What you can do to ensure your application is processed as fast as it can be
- Fill up your application properly: it sounds obvious, but a lot of people think "oh, I'm not sure what to say here… they will figure it out". No, "they" won't. Your application will be sent back and your will waste time. It may take you a week or two months to complete your application, but do it seriously. It pays out.
- Send all the documents required: it should go without saying. If for some reason, you really can't provide a document, send a letter explaining why. I did that for our marriage certificate, after learning it would take as long as 6 months to receive it. I send my application and explained why I would send the certificate later and it was no problem.
- Inform your local office or any change: if you move, don't forget to inform your visa office! Some application take years to be processed and applicants' lives can change a lot meanwhile: some get married, some have kids. Inform your visa office fast because they will know anyway.
- Choose your immigration category wisely: do the online test to make sure you have enough points to apply in the skilled worker category. If you apply in the sponsorship category, make sure you have enough proof that the relationship is genuine. Basically, make your choice obvious, clear and back it up by sending all the supporting documents needed.
- If you can, choose your visa office: as I mentioned above, some visa offices are much busier than others. If you apply outside Canada, unfortunately, you must apply in the country you live in. But if you are already in Canada, you may apply from within Canada, or from outside Canada. I had the choice for example between applying in Buffalo NY or in Paris. At the time, Buffalo was extremely busy and I was advised to apply in Paris, which paid off since my application was processed really fast!
- Only contact your visa office when you are past the average processing time: whenever CIC communicates with you, it always indicates the average length of a step (for example 3 to 6 months, 5 to 7 months etc.). If you are past the average processing time, you are welcome to contact them. I personally did it twice, once in person at the Canadian embassy in Paris (for my permanent residence application) and once on the phone (for my citizenship application). Both times, my application status was checked and I received news shortly after. On the other side, don't contact visa office and complain if you are not past the this average processing time: it's a waste of immigration officers' time and you won't get any special treatment, no matter how loud you complain.
Two myths…
Immigrating through Quebec is faster: as I explained in If You Immigrate to Quebec, the process to settle in the province is slightly different. A lot of French-speakers think it is always faster and easier to go through Quebec. The truth is, it really depends. Going through Quebec means an additional step (the CSQ) and there are backlogs. It all depends on when you apply and your personal situation, but it is not necessarily faster, especially that now, immigrating to Quebec is quite popular.
Immigration consultants can speed up my application: no, they can't. A good and honest immigration representative will always tell you that they cannot speed up the process, so be very careful with those who claim they can. The only thing they can do is make sure your application is filled up properly, that no documents are missing… etc. Basically, things you can do by yourself.
Good luck!


text:
At Floor Coverings International Woodbridge, we work hard to provide our customers with high-quality tile flooring. We work with nationally recognized manufacturers to offer great products to Woodbridge, Manassas, Dale City, Lake Ridge area homeowners at reasonable prices. Whether you are looking to transform your home or office, we will help you every step of the way.
Our tile installation team has extensive experience in a wide variety of installations, from large-scale flooring projects to backsplashes. We ensure that your project is completed on-time, within your budget, and suited to your unique needs.
Slate flooring tile is just one option of many when considering natural stone tiles. You should take into account the styling options and characteristics of slate, as well as the utility it provides.
Styling Options
- Available in a large variety of sizes and finishes.
- Adds a natural, rugged beauty to your home. The majority of color options range from light to dark gray, although it is not unusual to see veining and other color markings in orange, red, purple, and green.
- Grout color can be customized to be light or dark so that it blends in or provides some contrast.
- Slate is sometimes used as an accent to a room's flooring design. It can also be installed in patterns to give your floor a one-of-a-kind look.
Utility Value
- Slate is extremely durable and with proper care you can expect to enjoy your slate floors for many years to come.
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Let us help you with your new slate installation. Give us a call to take advantage of our free, in-home estimate where we bring the samples to you!
Photo by zabmo, used under the morgueFile license.


text:
What We Are Fighting For: A Radical Collective Manifesto
by Shaun Chamberlin on September 20th, 2012
Out today from Pluto Press is What We Are Fighting For: A Radical Collective Manifesto – a book to which I was delighted to contribute.
My chapter, "The Struggle for Meaning", wraps up the section on 'New Economics' and addresses our collective fight for meaningful lives, and the importance of the beliefs and stories that shape and power our struggle. It considers the Transition movement and TEQs through this lens, viewing them as part of the vast, diverse upwelling of people around the world resisting the current death march and fighting, so simply, for a future.
I feel most honoured to see my work published alongside inspirational writer/activists like John Holloway, David Graeber and Ann Pettifor.


text:
Pitcher safety against liners still issue for MLB
Cleveland Indians reliever Vinnie Pestano has a recurring dream. A batter hits a line drive right back up the middle and it's screaming toward his head.
He wakes up just before impact.
The real thing is a nightmare scenario that happens a couple times a season in the major leagues.
"Guys are bigger now and hitting the ball harder and we're throwing the ball harder and when a guy hits one right on the screws bad things can happen," Pestano said.
Most recently, it happened Saturday night in Florida.
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Alex Cobb took a nasty shot off his head from the bat of Kansas City's Eric Hosmer. That was the second time this season everyone in the stadium at a Rays game held their breath. In early May, on the very same mound, Toronto left-hander J.A. Happ took a nasty shot off his head.
Happ won't return until July -- at the soonest. There's no timetable for Cobb yet, though he's home from the hospital.
In the meantime, baseball is left to figure out how to protect pitchers before one gets hurt in a more serious way.
It's not just a player's health and livelihood at stake. Teams also lose money when their players are on the disabled list. While Major League Baseball has been auditioning various types of equipment to protect pitchers, nothing has made the cut yet.
Any gear would have to stay in place during the violent, whole-body motion of pitching, not hinder its effectiveness and, of course, effectively protect their heads in event of an impact.
"I really hope something gets done because it's time to act," Royals pitcher Bruce Chen said. "I know it will probably take a couple of years to get it done, but let's do it. Too many guys are getting hurt."
Every pitcher knows that any pitch could result in a ball flying 100 mph or more right back at his head. Not all of them agree that something must be done.
"No one's forcing you to play this game, and we're not children," Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija said. "We're playing big league baseball with grown men, so that's the risk you take when you play this game."
Samardzija played major college football as a wide receiver at Notre Dame before he went into professional baseball, so he knows about danger in sports, and is familiar with wearing a lot more protective equipment than he does on the mound.
He is adamantly against requiring pitchers to wear anything more than they do now.
"Absolutely not. No. This game's been played the way it's been played for a long time," he said. "And when you sign up to play this game, no one's forcing you to play. No one's pulling you out there to do it. You're choosing to do it. It's what we love to do and obviously when you choose to play you take the risks that come with doing it."
Each major league game has at least a couple hundred pitches thrown. And there are more than 2,500 games a season. Out of all those games and all those pitches, no more than a few have a pitcher getting hit in the head.
The rarity of those occurrences is such that most pitchers put it completely out of mind -- out of necessity, if nothing else.
"If you think about it while you're out there, you're not going to get your job done," said Chris Jakubauskas, who was hit by a line drive early in the 2010 season.
He sustained a concussion but recovered fully and is now in the Cleveland minor league organization, trying to return to the big leagues. He has more immediate problems than something that statistically improbable.
"When you take into account how many balls are put in play every single year," Jakubauskas said. "The risk is there, if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, you just hope you're in a place where you can protect yourself a little bit."
Of the more than a dozen pitchers and managers The Associated Press interviewed for this story, the one thing they all emphasized was just how much bad luck it takes to be hit in the head.
Sure, when a player gets hit, everyone notices, but the vast majority of balls put into play come nowhere near hurting anyone. And even the close calls emphasize how unlikely it is for a pitcher's head and a batted ball to wind up in the same place in such a way that the pitcher is unable to turn or get his glove up.
"That ball's not big, so for that ball to hit me right there, the percentage of chance of that happening to me is not worth doing all the headgear," Giants pitcher Jeremy Affeldt said. "Unless you have to, I'm for that. That's just your livelihood, I'm not going to die. I'm not going to do it."
Reds starter Mat Latos, meanwhile, actually calculated some chances.
"Let's see. You have five starters. No, wait, you have, what, 12 pitchers on a team? Do the math," he said, pulling out his phone to use the calculator function.
"You have 360 pitchers ... and two have been hit in the head. It happens. It's a terrible thing. When guys like Happ and Cobb get hit in the head, you feel terrible. It's not because they're your teammate or your friend. You feel terrible."
Nevertheless, Latos was skeptical of mandating safety improvements.
"It is what it is," he said. "You know comebackers can happen."
And they will continue to do so. The question is what can be done to prevent these rare but dangerous incidents.
Helmets? Protective cap liners? A protective screen, like in batting practice? All of these have been suggested. None have been acclaimed in baseball. Neither by rookies or veterans.
"I'm not going to overreact to that because I'm not real sure a guy can pitch with a helmet to be honest with you," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I can't imagine a pitcher out there pitching with an ear flap on. ... I hate to sound cold about it because I don't mean to, but I'm not sure that'll work."
Ideally, baseball won't have to find out.
"Hopefully it doesn't get to the point where there is a mandate to wear something," Pestano said. "Because that would mean something tragic has happened."
AP Sports Writers Tom Withers in Cleveland, Larry Lage in Detroit and Janie McCauley in San Francisco, and AP freelancers Brian Dulik in Cleveland and Mark Schmetzer in Cincinnati contributed to this report.


text:
This was published 7 years ago
Beale is ready and raring to get started
KURTLEY Beale says he is keen to get his season started this Saturday with the Melbourne Rebels' trial match against the Hurricanes, but he may be told to wait yet another week.
The Rebels have been cautious about their use of Beale, saying the 24-year-old, one of the standouts of a criticised Wallabies team last year, was coming off an arduous season.
He was not used in the Rebels' 24-16 loss against New South Wales in a trial last weekend and there had been speculation he could be rested until next week's opening round of the Super Rugby season against the Western Force.
But a spate of injuries among the back-line ranks, with Jason Woodward [finger] and Cooper Vuna [shoulder] out for up to six weeks and uncertainty over utility Richard Kingi and Nic Stirzaker, could force coach Damien Hill into including Beale, who is likely to this season rotate between full-back and five-eighth with James O'Connor.
''I'm super keen to get out there, first game back for the season. I'm not too sure what the coaches are thinking at the moment, but I've put myself in the best position to get the body right and mentally I feel refreshed so we just have to wait and see,'' Beale said.
''I was very keen to get out there and play in Hobart … I got a bit eager on the sidelines, seeing the young, fresh faces go out there and be able to throw the ball around like they did and defend the way they did.
''I've come back fresh and I've been training well … the physio staff and the conditioning staff have been working really hard on me and trying to get my body at the right weight and in the right condition and I feel really good.''
He said he was excited by the young talent that could press for spots this season, including Victorian teenager Kemu Valentini, who replaced him against the Waratahs.
''He's a good young lad, very unselfish and he's got a really good rugby knowledge about him. His positioning on the field was great and he's got a really good kicking game,'' Beale said.
Meanwhile, Beale also declared that the Wallabies, who have been branded underperformers in recent seasons, would need to beat the British and Irish Lions in the three-game series this year to prove they are among the elite teams in the world. He said he believed criticism of the Wallabies' performances on last year's spring tour to Europe had been harsh.
''That negativity is always going to be there. We won three out of four games [on the spring tour] and we still get criticised,'' Beale said. ''It was tough so there's a big opportunity this year against the Lions to turn all that into positives.
''There is a lot of expectation on the way we play but I think just to prove to ourselves that we can match it with some of the best in the world.''
Stathi Paxinos covers rugby league, rugby union, boxing, swimming and Australian Rules football for The Age. He has covered numerous major sporting events including the Sydney Olympic Games (boxing), the 2003 Rugby World Cup, state of origin contests and NRL finals, world title fights and national swimming championships. Stathi also covered boxing and aquatics at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.


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Adventures of Toy Land
It is an imaginative film, which shows how toys in the store enjoy after the store has closed for the day. This is a fun-filled movie with lots of exciting effects to look forward to.
Roller Coaster
Roller Coaster is a thrilling ride wherein you will feel as if you are on a roller coaster. During the ride, you will meet unexpected guests who will make your ride much more thrilling
Sorry! None of the critics have had a chance to review this movie yet.


text:
Please read description carefully.
Do not base your order on the picture presented.
Features of the Veridian Healthcare ProKit Aneroid Sphygmomanometer with Dual Head Stethoscope:
Includes: black gauge, standard air release valve and inflation bulb, 2-tube bladder, calibrated nylon cuff, aluminum dual head stethoscope, one spare set of eartips and zippered attaché case.
Medex SKU: VRD-02-12703


text:
More than seven months after announcing it was entertaining a proposal to use eminent domain to acquire underwater mortgages to help stabilize the local housing market, a San Bernardino County joint powers authority on Thursday rejected the proposal.
The proposal, rolled out by San Francisco investment firm Mortgage Resolution Partners last summer, intrigued cities and counties across the nation hardest hit by the subprime mortgage crisis and garnered national opposition by the real estate and mortgage industries, which joined forces in an effort to block the proposal.
But it was potential risk and a lack of community support, not threats of litigation and the cutting of credit to homebuyers in San Bernardino County, that prompted the Homeownership Protection Program – the joint powers authority (JPA) composed of the county and the cities of Fontana and Ontario – to back away from the proposal, said Greg Devereaux, chief executive officer of both the county and the JPA.
"It introduced risk into the market that we couldn't quantify," Devereaux said following Thursday's meeting. "My conclusion was that I was not in a position and didn't have the knowledge to assess that risk. Therefore, it had to be a community decision."
But community support for such a program never materialized.
"It wasn't a decision a board like this should make unless there was overwhelming support in the community for going forward with that and assuming that risk," Devereaux said.
The five-member JPA board unanimously voted to solicit proposals from organizations and/or individuals on ways the county could stabilize its housing market and thwart foreclosures, but took the proposal by Mortgage Resolution Partners off the table.
A formal request for qualifications will soon be going out, with responses expected in the next four to six weeks, Devereaux said.
Representatives of Mortgage Resolution Partners, who have traveled the country pitching their idea to other cities and counties over the last seven months, opted not to attend Thursday's meeting after learning the JPA would not be considering their proposal.
"We are disappointed that the JPA in San Bernardino chose not to explore all options to prevent mortgage foreclosures in their jurisdiction, a jurisdiction where roughly two thirds of the (private label securities) mortgage holders are currently underwater and some one third are already in default," said Steven Gluckstern, chairman of Mortgage Resolution Partners, in a statement Thursday. "JPA members have publicly stated previously that to not fully explore all options would be irresponsible."
Gluckstern said he and representatives from his firm are currently in discussions with two dozen other cities or counties across the nation, including cities in San Bernardino County.
One of those cities is a member of the joint powers authority – Fontana. Mayor Acquanetta Warren on Thursday said the city, where 49 percent of its homeowners owe more on their homes than they are currently valued at, is considering the proposal separately from the JPA.
"We continue to believe that it would be irresponsible for the city of Fontana to not examine all options available to strengthen our community by helping our underwater homeowners," Warren said. "While the JPA today apparently decided to limit the scope of the options they would consider, it is our intention to go forth aggressively to help find local solutions to Fontana's mortgage and foreclosure crisis."
More than 150,000 homeowners in the county owe more on their homes than they are currently worth.
Mortgage Resolution Partners has proposed targeting underwater loans held in private label securities, loans that are held in trust but bundled and sold to Wall Street.
Under the proposal, the county would seize the loans using eminent domain, a process traditionally used by government to acquire private property, at fair market value, via a court order for redevelopment purposes. The loans would then be modified to reflect their current market value, then sold to hedge funds, pension funds or other investors.
The JPA also agreed Thursday to collaborate with several real estate and mortgage organizations on a campaign to inform and educate both local government and homeowners on existing mortgage assistance programs and to promote their use.
"All we're trying to do is promote coordination, cooperation and communication between the various interested parties," said Timothy Cameron, managing director of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. "There's no simple solution to the problem because the circumstances surrounding each individual's case is a little different."
Paul Herrera, government affairs director for the Inland Valleys Association of Realtors (IVAR), said his group's biggest concern was the potential chilling effect the eminent domain proposal could have on the housing market.
"We have to be creative about how this works – how we can look for things that make a difference without having a negative reaction," Herrera said.
firstname.lastname@example.com, 909-386-3874


text:
Christmas Song
1. There was starlight on the hillside,
And one star bent very low
Till it passed above a stable
On that night so long ago.
2. There was music on the hillside
On that night in Bethlehem.
Heavenly hosts appeared to shepherds
And the singing wakened them.
3. There was Jesus in the manger,
Born that night in Bethlehem,
And the shepherds left the hillside
And they came to worship him.
Text: Mabel Gabbott
Music: Michael Moody
Artist: Gabbott/Moody
Album: Music Published in the Church Magazines: Friend
Composition Date: 1973-12-01
More Info: Friend


text:
Rangers can't help Wolf in terrific emergency outing
Kinsler's sixth-inning homer provides only offense for struggling lineup
BALTIMORE -- The Rangers won the first two of a four-game series against a very good team in their own ballpark. But then their offense flatlined in the final two games against the Orioles, and the Rangers left Baltimore on Thursday night with a disappointing split.
"We're a tough team too, one of the best in the big leagues," second baseman Ian Kinsler said. "To split after winning the first two games is not the way we wanted to go."
But that's what happened after the Rangers' offense produced a combined two runs in the final two games of the series. Miguel Gonzalez and three relievers did the trick on Thursday night, pitching the Orioles to a 3-1 victory over the Rangers at Camden Yards.
The lack of offense left starter Ross Wolf taking the loss despite allowing just two runs over six innings while filling in for Yu Darvish. Wolf allowed three hits, but two of them were home runs.
"There was some good pitching on both sides," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "There weren't a lot of opportunities, but they took advantage of the ones they had. They beat us. Last night, they beat us pretty good. Tonight, we had our chances and didn't get it done."
The Rangers had 26 hits and 16 runs in the first two games of the series and just 11 hits and two runs in the final two. They were also 11-for-21 with runners in scoring position in the first two games and 0-for-8 in the final two games. This is only the second time this season the Rangers have scored one or fewer runs in at least two consecutive games.
Chris Davis hit the first home run for the Orioles, smashing a 2-1 changeup into the right-center bleachers with one out in the second. The home run was the 34th for Davis, and it also snapped an 0-for-17 slump for him.
"He's leading the big leagues in home runs and right now he's locked in," Wolf said. "I thought our whole pitching staff did a good job pitching to him. He did minimal damage. I left a changeup in the middle of the plate."
Brian Roberts then made it 2-0 with a home run to lead off the third. It was only the second of the season for him.
That was it off Wolf. He allowed just a walk and a single against the next 12 hitters, and both were erased on double plays. Wolf was done after six innings, having thrown just 72 pitches. He is now 1-2 with a 2.14 ERA in two starts and 10 relief appearances since being called up on May 22.
"I was very happy with him," Washington said. "He did his job and kept us in the ballgame. That's all you can ask of him. We really needed him tonight and he did what we needed him to do."
Gonzalez gave up his only run when Kinsler hit his ninth home run to lead off the sixth. Gonzalez went 6 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out four.
"He's been pretty consistent and that's all we're asking," Showalter said. "It's asking a lot. Going through Major League lineups, especially one like Texas' is difficult. That's why not many people can do it."
Gonzalez left with a 2-1 lead, and the Rangers had a chance to tie it in the eighth after Leonys Martin led off with a single against reliever Troy Patton. Right-hander Darren O'Day then replaced Patton to face Kinsler and before he threw a pitch, Martin advanced to second when Davis couldn't handle a pickoff throw at first base.
O'Day didn't let him get any farther. Kinsler was thrown out after hitting a ball into the dirt that died right in front of home plate. O'Day then retired Elvis Andrus on a popout and Nelson Cruz flied to right to end the inning.
"All you want is an opportunity, and we had it," Washington said. "We just couldn't cash it in. I'll take my chances with my 1-2-3 guys every night of the week. You just have to give credit to O'Day. He did what he had to do."
Washington said he did not consider having Kinsler bunt Martin to third.
"I had Kinsler at the plate and the only run we had, he hit the ball out of the ballpark," Washington said. "I wasn't going to bunt there. I was going to give him a shot."


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All Socks - Crew, Knee High, Wide Calf, No Show, and More
All the socks that are fit for feet! Here's a list of all our socks regardless of type.
Choose from our wide array of socks in our sock store! Included in our collection are funny socks, crazy socks, cool socks and funky socks.


text:
Chicken Little would do well to duck and consider taking cover if he were a Martian.
The little green men should definitely watch out and possibly follow his lead. The sky may not be falling, but an asteroid is!
Last week brought the news of a football-field-sized asteroid making a beeline for the equator of Mars. The odds are good that it will hit.
Astronomers discovered asteroid 2007WDS in November and shortly after noted that it is on a collision course with Mars. Original odds put a direct hit at 1-in-350 chance, but that chance was increased to 1-in-35 and now to a 1-in-7 chance. Gentlemen, place your bets.
Even though the sky won't fall, if the asteroid does hit, it will cause a significant dust cloud that will even be visible from Earth (with a telescope.) Speed would be to blame for the planetary powder puff: the asteroid is moving at about 27,900 miles per hour.
Don't take a gamble on the damage that this asteroid may cause: it will be a lose-lose situation. The last time an asteroid of this magnitude hit our planet it did some serious damage. In 1908, the Tunguska explosion in Central Siberia, which was a suspected asteroid hit, left complete destruction in its wake. The explosion had the power of 10 to 20 megatons of TNT — a thousand times more powerful than the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The Tunguska blast flattened 500,000 acres and wiped out almost 60 million trees. It was an earthly Big Bang.
Chances are the incoming asteroid will be a miss. That is usually the case with space debris, but astronomers are following this one closely. And if it does hit, we may have some great photos of the impact since, as luck would have it, NASA's rover Opportunity is exploring nearby. Scientists don't fear for the robot's safety since it is outside of the expected asteroid impact zone.
Asteroids are rocky old fragments that were left over from the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago. The word asteroid is a derivation of a Greek word meaning star-like. These celestial nuggets are also called minor planets.
There are millions of asteroids of varying sizes orbiting the sun elliptically, most of which are found in the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter. While there are many asteroids, their total mass is less than the mass of Earth's moon. Occasionally one of these can get knocked out of orbit by gravity and become a planet-bound projectile—thus the impending game of Martian Roulette.
Stay tuned: scientists expect that if the asteroid does score a hit on Mars, the most likely date for the impact is Jan. 30. That still gives you some time to watch the odds and consider a call to your bookie.
Suzan Bellincampi is director of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown.


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Email Marketing Tactics
Today's Business it is found that email marketing is a productive and cost-effective means of generating sales. The cost of sending a direct mail piece by postal service runs over a dollar whereas the cost of sending email is negligible. Analysts say getting even one percent response rate from direct mail is rare but an email marketing campaign can easily fetch a five to ten percent response rate. The benefit of email marketing is not confined to increased sales and lead generation. It also significantly helps to create powerful brand awareness and improved customer relationships.
Email marketing is one of the best ways of gaining publicity for your business online. As the number of email users is swelling by the day, more and more businesses are choosing email marketing as their primary advertising campaign. Email marketing is cheap, fast and more importantly - effective. Email marketing is extremely productive and brings good ROI (Return on Investment) for internet marketers.
If you are planning to start an internet business or if you are already an existing internet business owner, it is beneficial to implement email marketing in your web business promotion strategy. A well planned email marketing campaign can help you boost sales for your on-line as well as off-line business.
Before embarking on your email marketing campaign, it is critically important that you clearly understand the difference between proper email marketing and spam. If you fail to learn the distinction, you may seriously hurt your business. Spam is very unethical way of internet marketing. Simply stated, it means sending promotional email messages to people who did not solicit that information. If you try to spam, you may be even be banned by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) completely disabling you from sending messages from your email account again.
A much better and healthy method is opt-in email marketing. Contrary to spam it is permission based, which means that people have agreed to receive emails from you. This way of marketing is preferred by many businesses and it brings very good results. Unsolicited email marketing or spamming brings very low response rates. It's not targeted, which means that email message goes to people who are not interested in your offer. A majority of people will not even look at your spam email, so it is not possible to obtain good response rates using unsolicited advertising.
One of the most important elements of your email marketing campaign is the content of your promotional message. Learning how to write an effective message or follow up email messages is an essential step of your email marketing campaign. Write your message only to those people whom you consider likely prospects.
Write your message individually putting his or her name in the message. Do not send out a collective message by addressing 'dear subscriber'. For all that smart targeting, it's still hard to get people to open e-mails unless they recognize the sender immediately.
Write interesting headlines as these are immediately get noticed. Make sure your headline arouses interest of the recipient if you want your message to be opened and read. Give your prospects the option to unsubscribe from your list. If you retain them against their will, you may be accused of spam. So provide removal instructions at the end of your message all the time.
Email marketing is a unique way of developing long-standing relationship with your existing and prospective customers. If you are really serious about your on-line or off-line business, email marketing is a cost-effective way of promoting your products and services.
Andrea Ferdinand is a Copywriter of My Email Marketing.
She written many articles in various topics Email Marketing Calary
For more information visit:
Internet Maketing Vancouver
contact her at : firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, August 22, 2007, 12:00 AM
Town Square
Diana Diamond: STAR test results show many students have proficiency problems
Original post made on Sep 5, 2007
Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, August 22, 2007, 12:00 AM
Comments (2)
a resident of Midtown
on Sep 5, 2007 at 8:51 pm
Professor Michael Kirst. normally a wealth of informative analysis, really hit rock bottom when he roundly generalized that unless you're in an AP or honors class, "the course quality falls off the cliff." (Weekly, August 22).
When I received my doctorate in curriculum and instruction, my teachers taught us to avoid brutal, unfounded generalizations like that, especially when empirical data that refutes the assertion sits right under the researcher's nose, as is the case here at Palo Alto High School.
First of all, I have taught AP History and my comments are not a refutation of AP as much as they are a recognition of what is going on in other classrooms that Professor Kirst seems not to be aware of. Students who take my "regular" U.S. History class as juniors travel in a different direction than those taking AP History. They are able to do things that those students are simply not able to do, such as conduct year-long investigations of primary, original historical documents. Beyond the investigations of primary material, and to ensure that students hear a multiplicity of expert voices, I have also taken advantage of Paly's close proximity to Stanford and invited speakers.
The teacher education program at Stanford, STEP, has asked me to open my classroom for observations, presumably because I'm doing something that is helping students and, perhaps, teachers.
I think what Kirst meant to say is that we have to do more for those students who fail to learn the prerequisite skills necessary for their further success and that at each opportunity, as long as those skills remain unlearned the chances for achievement are significantly diminished.
David Rapaport
Palo Alto High School
Embarcadero Road
Palo Alto
a resident of another community
on Sep 9, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Clearly Micheal Kirst generalized -- that was obvious from the quote and the context. But was he, in general, wrong? I, for one, have observed multiple times over the years exactly what Micheal described. The quality of teaching and particularly of EXPECTATIONS below the highest track classes, be they AP or "honors" depending on the subject, fall like a rock.
Now, it may be that Mr. Rapaport is an exception, and I am sure there must be some other exceptions around. But isn't Mr. Rapaport, despite his Ed. D. degree, doing exactly what he accused Micheal Kirst of doing -- generalizing from his own experience onto the whole district?
The issue is not about exceptions. The issue is about general trends in PAUSD teaching. For those, after 20+ years in PAUSD, multiple kids, and heavy involvement with PAUSD schools, I join Michael Kirst's observations.
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text:
Council contractors have cut down five trees along the Water of Leith, despite earlier promises they would be protected.
Stop the Chop campaigners were informed of the reversal on Thursday, with three trees removed within 24 hours. The two remaining trees were cut down earlier today.
Stop the Chop's anonymous petition organiser said that local residents had been given "no time to respond to this Council U-turn", adding that "the Council have acted with a lack of transparency and in a cynical, underhand manner".
The Water of Leith Flood Prevention Scheme has seen numerous trees removed along the river between Stockbridge and Warriston Crescent in recent months, prompting a petition signed by 1,159 people to save the trees on the Canonmills stretch of the river.
In December 2011, Dave Anderson, director of city development, confirmed that the five trees in question could "be saved without any negative impact on the flood works programme".
However, this government-backed decision was overturned by Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, convenor of the council's Transport, Infrastructure and Environment Committee, after the trees' removal was deemed necessary to "provide a safe access for the construction team".


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I've just finished The Great Gatsby, first time since high school (hey Ms. Mac!) and thanks to John Green, object of my latest author-crush, I have a newfound appreciation. Seriously, you should check out this video.
Oh ya, and the latest screen adaptation is coming to a branch near you.
James Gatz fell in love with Daisy when he was a soldier and she was a teenage debutant. Daisy went through gentlemen callers by the dozen, but clung to Gatz, for a time. But James was a "Mr. Nobody from Nowhere" and Daisy couldn't wait around for him to become a somebody from somewhere, so they both moved on. Some years later, Jim Gatz became Jay Gatsby, a charming, wealthy "Oxford man" and Daisy Fay became Daisy Buchanan, with a summer mansion and a philandering husband and a baby daughter.
Gatsby may have come across his newfound wealth by questionable means, but that didn't deter anyone from attending his outrageous parties at his beachside mansion. Besides, he did it all for Daisy, he wanted her back.
Talk about lack of sympathetic characters. The major players of the book are all from the Midwest and are young, handsome and, to varying degrees, rich. It's the age of prohibition, but that doesn't stop our richlings from indulging in fine liquor at lavish parties on luxurious east coast beaches. Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband is an ex-footbal star. He's old money, a bit racist, having an affair, and what's worse, he's just a jerk. Daisy seems to have no input on control over any aspect of her life. Our narrator, Nick Carraway and his summer fling, Jordan Baker are perhaps unwitting voyeurs to the Gatsby-Buchanan drama, but they seem to revel in it. Nick is decent, but even he doesn't want to like Gatsby, a caricature of perfection, who had a smile that "...concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor." They are all young, beautiful, rich, carefree, and ultimately miserable.
What holds the novel together is that you can empathize with Gatsby, and maybe all of them. Who doesn't want to be young and carefree? Who doesn't want to relive their golden past? Perhaps you would have made different life decisions, but you have the benefit of hindsight and as a reader, not a character, also of being omnipotent. I don't want to give away the ending, but I'll just say that there's a horrific car crash, and a murder-suicide in the end. Tom and Daisy come away physically unscathed.
I think that Tom and Daisy are meant for each other. "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy -- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made." They blow into town for a frantic summer and leave death and destruction in their wake. In the end they simply move on to the next fashionable town or whirlwind vacation.
Does being rich mean that you can brush off your responsibility toward your fellow man? And Is the pursuit of wealth for love and acceptance a worthy pursuit? Of course, these are loaded questions, because if the answer is "no" then why do we continue these pursuits?
Posted on: September 20, 2013, by Jenera Burton, Piedmont Ave branch