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Brought to you by the editors of Truck News, Truck West & Motortruck Get our Free eNewsletter!
OTTAWA, Ont. -- Canada's Minister of Public Safety, Vic Toews, and the US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that paves the way for a pre-inspection pilot to be conducted on Canadian soil for truck cargo moving to the United States.
The pilot will involve the pre-inspection of US-bound truck cargo by US Customs and Border Protection (US CBP) at ports in Canada whose infrastructure constraints make pre-inspection of potential benefit. Phase I will test the concept of conducting U.S. CBP primary cargo inspection in Canada, and will be implemented at the Pacific Highway crossing between Surrey, B.C. and Blaine, Wash. Phase II will further test how pre-inspection could enhance border efficiency and reduce wait times to facilitate legitimate trade and travel. Phase II will be implemented at the Peace Bridge crossing between Fort Erie, Ont. and Buffalo, N.Y.
"Our Government aims to enhance our security and accelerate the legitimate flow of people, goods and services at the Canada–U.S. border, as envisioned in the Beyond the Border Action Plan," said Minister Toews. "The pilot announced today will test the concept of conducting primary inspection of U.S.-bound truck cargo in Canada in order to better manage our shared border and improve economic opportunities for Canadian manufacturers and their U.S.-based supply chain partners."
Secretary Napolitano added: "Our countries have made significant progress in implementing the initiatives of the Beyond the Border Action Plan. The implementation of the truck cargo pre-inspection pilot will aim to further enhance the economic and national security of both of our nations."
Commitment to a pre-inspection pilot was included in the Beyond the Border Action Plan announced by the leaders of Canada and the U.S. last year. Canadian and U.S. officials will now work together to finalize the details to implement the pilot.
David Bradley, president and CEO of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, agrees that "being able to have primary inspections conducted on one side of the border, or what we used to call reverse inspection, could be of benefit at some land border crossings where efficient border clearance is impaired by geographic constraints on one side; so the signing of the MOU is very significant."
Bradley says there has been some confusion and inter-mingling of terms in recent years. "Sometimes people were using terms like pre-clearance or pre-inspection, when really what they appeared to be talking about was pre-screening, which implies two stops for a truck where currently there is one. Obviously, that would raise some concerns for us. Today's announcement seems to make clear we are talking about primary inspections; we and the provincial associations in the affected crossings look forward to working closely with the government agencies and infrastructure operators on both sides of the border in the design and implementation of this project."
Ed Murdoch
Stop me if you think I'm picking nits here, but hasn't billions of taxpayers' dollars on both sides of "the world's longest undefended border" [yeah, right] already been flushed down the proverbial drain on the highly touted US Department of Homeland Security 'ACE' and the Canada Border Services Agency 'ACI' initiatives in frustration, ostensibly to fight a non-existent enemy & achieve similar real or imagined results?
Posted March 15, 2013 01:00 PM
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James Menzies The risk in making safety a competitive battleground
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Quick Links
Contact the Music Graduate Office
Merrill Hall 011
1201 E. 3rd Street
Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: 812-855-1738
Office hours: 9:00 am-12:00 pm, 1:00-4:00 pm
Fax: 812-856-5570
E-mail: musgrad [at] indiana [dot] edu
- musicdgs [at] indiana [dot] edu (Prof. Eric Isaacson), Director
- serbes [at] indiana [dot] edu (Sara Erbes), Academic Advisor
- anmiller [at] indiana [dot] edu (Angie Miller), Recorder
- musgrad [at] indiana [dot] edu (Sherri Bishop), Secretary
- musdoc [at] indiana [dot] edu (Jennifer Kirby), Doctoral Clerk
More Information
Advisory Committee
- Advisory Committee information
- When to request committee appointment
- How to request a committee appointment
Each student in a doctoral program will have a Doctoral Advisory Committee appointed. The Advisory Committee consists of three representatives from the major field and one from each minor field. This committee administers the qualifying examinations and, in the case of a performance major, the major field representatives approve and grade any required recitals or performances. One of the major field representatives serves as the chair of the committee. For performance majors, the student's teacher is the chair of the committee.
Visiting faculty members may serve as committee members only for recital grading. For qualifying exams, an advisory committee should include three permanent members of the student's department. If the student's teacher is a visiting faculty member, one of the other members from the permanent faculty should be asked to serve as chair.
Faculty with the rank of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, or Professor of Practice will ordinarily not be appointed to doctoral committees, but their departments may petition the director of graduate studies to allow exceptions if they regularly teach doctoral students.
The mechanism and timing for appointing faculty to a student's Advisory Committee differs in some cases for major and for minor field representatives, and for different majors and minors.
When to request committee appointment
Performance majors (including conducting and composition) should appoint their major field Advisory Committee before arranging the first recital.
Musicology and music education majors should appoint their major field Advisory Committe before arranging qualifying examinations. The music theory department has a procedure in place to
PhD students in music theory arrange their Advisory Committee in consultation with the music theory department chair.
The minor field representatives can be appointed near the end of the coursework stage of the degree, but should be completed by the end of the last semester of coursework. Students formally declare their minors (see the information on minors for how this is done) long before they declare their minor field representatives.
Note: The guided electives option does not have a minor field representative.
How to request a committee appointment
For most majors and minors, to request your committee, submit the form below. Signatures are not required, but the student must speak with each person on the list before submitting the form to the Graduate Office. This form may be submitted separately for the major and minor field representatives.
For a minor in Music History & Literature or Music Theory, the student must complete the appropriate form (also available in the Music Graduate Office):
- Minor Field representative in Music History & Literature Form
- Minor Field representative in Music Theory Form
requesting that a musicology or music theory faculty member be assigned as his/her minor field representative. These forms require faculty signatures, and are then submitted to the Music Theory and Musicology department office (in the Simon Center Building room M225H), which will submit them to the Music Graduate Office after action by the department chair.
Music theory majors should consult with the department chair.
How to request committee changes
Sometimes an advisory committee member needs to be replaced. A committee change can be requested using the form below. It is important that the faculty member leaving the committee first agree to be replaced.

subset: commoncrawl


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With much gratitude from the Csound community, this news:
Via Francois Pinot:
The French translation of the Canonical Csound Reference Manual is complete. I began this work in December 2006, and since then, this work in progress has been distributed with each release of Csound. The next release (5.14) will be the first one with a full French manual.
I will continue to keep the French version of the manual synchronized with the original one. Between two releases, people can view an up to date version of the French manual here:


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My blogging has moved
I'll no longer be blogging at this URL. From now on any blog posts and regular updates will be made at my portfolio site, pdstafford.com
Some thoughts on games and what they mean
I'll no longer be blogging at this URL. From now on any blog posts and regular updates will be made at my portfolio site, pdstafford.com
Look, there are way too many of these posts. But it doesn't seem to be helping much, so what the hell, right? Read the rest of this entry »
5.15am. The thin beam of sunlight stretching across my face wakes me before my alarm does – I switch off the piercing shriek just as quickly as it came. Twitter. Email. News. Can't miss a thing. Read the rest of this entry »
Next week is a big week for nostalgia.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the reimagining of a game first released in 1994, will hit on Thursday. The same day that Bethesda's Dishonored, in many ways an homage to stealth and immersive sims of old, will be released. Read the rest of this entry »
Of all the different discussions born out of Spec Ops' release and critical success, the most interesting was the notion the game isn't a commentary on war, so much as it is a comment on war games and the people who play them. Read the rest of this entry »
I want to talk about Tomb Raider. Read the rest of this entry »
There isn't much to say about E3 that hasn't already been said. The debate over whether the conference itself is relevant or not is not one I really have a huge stake in. Read the rest of this entry »
Update: I was going to make a new post about Mass Effect and why BioWare's decision to possibly change the ending is horrendous. I may still do that. But for now, this sums up my thoughts about that subject too.
When I was a child and wronged someone, either one of my parents would shake a finger at me and demand the same thing every time.
And it was always such a weak effort. I was rarely ever sorry and of course, an apology isn't real if it's forced. It's just a parroted phrase that you use to get out of trouble. I didn't actually realise what being "sorry" meant until much later in life, when I discovered what real guilt was.
Let's switch over to GDC. This week, Deus Ex: Human Revolution creative director Frank Lapikas told players he was "truly sorry" for the game's terrible boss fights. And let's face it, they were terrible. Handed off to another company, not properly integrated, they ruined the entire feel and look of the game – not to mention the whole Deus Ex franchise.
It was a disappointing slip in an otherwise impressive game, but of course the nature of the franchise amplified the criticism. So much was riding on this game, the hopes and dreams of old-school gamers and developers alike, so a stumble felt like a fall of a cliff.
"Play tests did flag the boss fights as a problem, but they didn't flag the severity of it," he said, according to Edge. "They were a big part of the game, and we should have put more effort into them.
"I'm truly sorry about that. Next time we're gonna think about it more."
It seems an innocent enough comment. But he never should have given that apology, and we certainly don't deserve one.
Being sorry can mean a few different things. Australian prime minister John Howard found himself in a whole heap of hot water when he said that while he was sorry for atrocities that occurred in Australia's past towards indigenous peoples, he couldn't actually say "sorry" on behalf of the government because his belief was they hadn't personally committed those acts.
(A quick note, I don't agree with that position). The subsequent apology given by Kevin Rudd then attempted to take on responsibility for actions that had occurred in the past. Same word, two very different meanings.
On the other hand, being sorry can mean that you've:
A) Legitimately wronged someone and seen the error of your ways.
B) You've taken active steps to fix that behaviour, and
C) You want to repair the damage you've caused
The fact Lapikas has said he's sorry means two things. The first is that he feels the company somehow "wronged" the gamer, and in order to do that, there must have been a personal relationship there. Something much stronger than any normal title would have warranted.
There's a great line in the sitcom Community about all this. Alison Brie's character Annie has deliberately sabotaged the group's efforts to graduate, so they all have to be held back and complete a Spanish class together – she's afraid they'll lose touch otherwise.
Jeff Winger berates her after she says she's "sorry".
"Be sorry about this stuff before you do it," he says. "And then, don't do it."
And I suspect that's the mentality a lot of gamers had for the Deus Ex franchise. "Don't screw this up," the collective mind says. "This is our franchise and if you ruin it, we're going to kill you."
So basically, they expect everything to be perfect. They've projected their own memories from the original Deus Ex onto this new game, saying that if it doesn't stack up it'll be a total disaster.
But Eidos didn't ask for that. Yes, it may have subjected itself to the fanbase by taking on the Deus Ex name, and they may have closely associated the game itself with the previous title by constantly giving updates on how it was attempting to be faithful to the ideas of the original. Of course, it made it clear that it was taking on a massive project.
But that doesn't mean they've established a personal relationship with the player that warrants an apology.
The second meaning behind the apology is that not only does he feel that he wronged this audience, but that he feels accountable to them. That he actually owes them something in return for having made a mistake.
This is a dangerous mentality. This is not a politician apologising for misusing taxpayers' money, or a child apologising for stealing a toy. This is a grown man in charge of a piece of art – consumer art, but art nonetheless – suggesting that he is accountable to the fanbase.
This sets a dangerous precedent. When you buy a game, you're taking a risk. Your money is buying you an experience and like it or not, that experience could be bad.
The fact Eidos took on the Deus Ex franchise and closely communicated with the fanbase for the entirety of this game's development may have created a relationship between them, but that communication was given through grace, not through a mandate, and thus any expectation of accountability is completely nullified.
This is the same mentality behind the fans of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series who suggest that he owes it to the fanbase to deliver the next book as quickly as possible.
Eidos owes you nothing. It created a piece of art, sold it, and made some missteps along the way. But just because they took the effort to create a relationship with the fanbase does not mean everything the company does is subject to player democracy.
I understand the mentality behind the apology. And it's a great thing that Lapikas listens to feedback and is willing to incorporate that – more developers should. But the use of the word "sorry" implies this dangerous relationship where players dictate what should happen and should be catered to whenever a game maker makes a misstep.
And there is a legitimate argument here that Eidos hasn't given the player enough respect. And that's a legitimate complaint, and I would agree. But it's interesting that complaint then leads to the conclusion we deserve to be apologised to, as if not showing us respect was something akin to a friend backstabbing us. Disappointing, yes, but if someone feels as if they are disrespected in a fundamental way similar to how they would feel if they were portrayed by a best friend, then that's a much bigger problem than a bad boss fight.
Deus Ex is a product. You took a risk buying it, and for some, it didn't pay off. But you aren't owed a refund, and you definitely aren't owed an apology.
We have not been wronged. We are not a parent, sister, friend or colleague. We are consumers of entertainment, critics and analysts. We may be invested emotionally, we may have given our lives to talking, writing and developing, and we may feel as though we have a connection with the Deus Ex franchise that has been soiled by silly mistakes.
But we are not entitled to an apology.
This is to the journalists among us. Read the rest of this entry »
In the past 48 hours I've received a fair bit of criticism over a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago, titled "RPGs and the fundamental problem of sympathetic characters". I was linked to, kindly, I might add, by Rock Paper Shotgun's Sunday Papers article, which wraps up a few links from the previous week in a number of different gaming blogs. I was pretty surprised to wake up on a Monday morning and find my traffic had skyrocketed to about 5,000 views in 24 hours. Read the rest of this entry »


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Matching 2 Tags
Evolution and Christian Faith Grantees Announced
Congratulations to the 37 winners of the Evolution & Christian Faith (ECF) grants competition! ECF is a new BioLogos program designed to support projects and network-building among scholars, church leaders, and parachurch organizations.
Seeing the Flood Story Through an Ancient Israelite Lens
Pete Shaw highlights the story of Noah to explore how the story would have been understood in ancient times and from there he goes on to explore how we might consider it today.
The Second Creation Story and "Atrahasis"
Atrahasis is important to biblical scholars because of it similarity to Genesis 2-9. Both stories share a similar storyline: creation, population growth and rebellion, flood. They also share some important details within that storyline.
Matching 1 Tags
Raising Children to Pursue Truth
In this video Conversation, Joel Hunter articulates the importance of raising a child that can garner knowledge from a variety of sources and to be able to study science with integrity—that is, to be able to pursue the truth to where it leads.
Science, Christianity, and Homeschooling
Resilient learners and a robust faith can handle challenges. But the faith of the students my professor described was different— strong, but brittle; it did not have the resilience that comes through testing.
Series: Biblical and Scientific Shortcomings of Flood Geology
Gregg Davidson and Ken Wolgemuth seek to remove the stumbling block of the Genesis flood in this four part series. Though many believe in an ancient world-wide flood, the evidence given does not hold up to geological scrutiny, but points rather to something regional instead. It is their hope that Christians will not walk away from faith in Christ simply because a global flood is not supported by science. Looking at natural phenomena like the Grand Canyon, salt beds, and fossil deposits, they reveal reasons for these deposits and structures while showing that their origin did not stem from a violent flood that covered the planet.
Science and Faith on a Secular Campus
While many Christian colleges actively seek to help their students engage issues of faith and science constructively, few secular colleges are active in promoting the conversation. As a professor at a secular school, how can I encourage my students to authentic engagement and dialogue on science and faith issues?
Mending the Disconnect
How can it be that two things we love and treasure—two things that are absolutely central to ourselves and the lives we've built—seem so often to be at odds with each other?
The State of Evolution (Infographic)
The BioLogos Forum is pleased to present this infographic about evolution and public education in the United States. The graphic, titled "The State of Evolution", draws upon sources from USA Today, the National Center for Science Education, and Pew Forum, and shows two challenges to a widespread understanding of the science of evolution in the United States.
Allaying Parental Fears About Evolution Education in Public Schools
If they left their children in the public classroom, should they as concerned parents, as committed Christians, as agents of truth and light in this dark world, remain quiet or should they speak out?
Series: The Meaning of mîn in the Hebrew Old Testament
The related ideas of the "fixity of species" and "natural kinds" have been prominent in the science and faith conversation. Some Christians take Genesis to mean that God created (bara) fixed species (mîn). But does the text truly indicate such a concept? Biblical scholar Dr. Richard Hess looks at the Biblical context and meaning of the Hebrew mîn, and suggests that when Christians use it to frame our understanding of the entire created order, we may be asking too much of this single word.
Series: But Does it Move? John Lennox on Science and the Bible
Taken from Chapter 2 of John Lennox's book Seven Days That Divide The World, this three part series looks at scripture interpretation. Lennox looks especially at the Galileo controversy regarding the movement of the Earth and why our own interpretations do not necessarily call into question the authority of the Scripture.
Series: The Genesis of Everything
Theologian, historian and Christian apologist Dr. John P. Dickson addresses the history and interpretation of Genesis 1. Making no claims about human biological origins, Dickson urges us to treat the early chapters of Genesis as a literary and historical statement, and listen carefully to it on those terms.
Teaching Science in Tennessee
Last week, Tennessee legislators approved a bill on science education (the Teacher Protection Academic Freedom Act) that has stoked controversy around the country.
Below the Surface; Behind the Scene
In this video, Alister McGrath discusses the importance of going beyond surface readings, both in Scripture and in the natural world. The parable of the sower, for example, contains a far deeper meaning than a story of a man scattering seed.
Gaining Perspective
In today's video, Michael Ramsden discusses the humility and openness we need to have before we approach Scripture.
The (Lack Of) Conflict Between Science and Religion in College Students
Media-hungry atheist, creationist and religious fundamentalist provocateurs have dominated the science and religion narrative for the past decade. A recently published large-scale survey of college students, however, finds that the call to arms has fallen on deaf ears.
Adventist Origins of Young Earth Creationism
Many evangelicals believe that Young Earth Creationism is the only authentic, biblical way for Christians to understand origins, and that until the advent of Darwin's theory of evolution, it was the only view held by Christians. However, in this excerpt from Saving Darwin, Karl Giberson explains that Young Earth Creationism's origins are surprisingly recent.
God's Accommodation to Humans
According to Calvin, accommodation is a pedagogical tool that God employs to communicate to human beings. If God wishes to speak to us, he must bridge the gulf by descending into our world and speaking our language. In other words, God accommodates himself to our ability to comprehend.
Daniel Harrell on Embracing Science
In this video, Pastor Daniel Harrell encourages the Christian community to embrace science as an element which can harmonize and strengthen, rather than attack and undermine their understanding of theology.
Load More


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latest headlines
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- Time for a New York tax revolt
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- BMHA sets high bar for cluelessness
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- Casinos are state's latest get-rich-quick scheme
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follow snowandgraham on Instagram
The appeal of a chalk board is undeniable. While the things we scrawl on them are easily erased, the act of writting them there seems all the more important.
Snow & Graham YOU + ME = GREATNESS card Anthroplolgie canisters
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Start: Saturday, June 29, 2013End: Saturday, July 6, 2013
Ireland Newcastle, 06611 IRL
Registration starts at $800.00
Thursday, June 20, 2013 @ 11:59 PM PST
The first in a amazing series of stage races on foot and bike across Ireland and parts of the UK. Tough terrain and beautiful trail. No camping. Lodge near to towns and seaside villages. This race will take you from the northeast coast of Ireland to the southwestern tip of Ireland. The last two days, spent in the beautiful coastal village of Bantry, will see you enjoying a festival atmosphere with live music, food and a lively outdoor celebration to round out your week and race experience.
Register in full by October 15th, 2012 to take advantage of a 20% SAVINGS and discounted price on all races.
registration for the Traverse 1000 will close after 60 confirmed registrations.
Race takes place on mountain and coastal trails outside of the coastal towns of Newcastle, Wicklow and Sneem, Ireland. 1st race goes through Mourne Mountains, Wicklow Way and Gap of Dunloe.
Eastern shores of Ireland to west coast. Race starts in Newcastle, Ireland and ends in Sneem, Ireland.
150k - 25k trail race each day....... 300k - 50k trail race each day....... 1000k - approximately 300k on foot and 700k on bike with team of 2 or relay team of (3 - 4)
A deposit of $525 for either stage race 150k/300k before Oct 15th, 2012 will reserve a space. Balance must be paid by Jan 1st, 2013.
Register in full by Oct 15th for 20% discount. Or register with deposit of $525. Balance due by January 1st, 2013. Scheduled price increases after Oct 15, January 1st and June 1st.
We have a 30-day full refund policy from time of registration. 50% of your registration may be applied to a future race if cancelling up to 90 days before race.
2-day tour option available after the Celtic Traverse. Picked up on July 8th. Details on our site or through our travel partner Combadi Tours. Contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com with any questions or for additional post-race travel possibilities within Ireland.
Stage Race Option or Non-stop Option. No camping. Lodge comfortably with other participants near to towns and seaside villages. Categories: Celtic Trail 150k Off road stage race – running - supported race. Approximately 25k each day for 6 stages. Celtic Trail 300k Off road stage race – running - supported race. Approximately 50k each day for 6 stages. Celtic Traverse 1000k – non-stop off road trail race -running and biking. Teams of 2 or teams of 4 (relay) Only 60 international slots available for the Traverse 1000. Guests - Registered friends and family can travel with the event and have their own activities each day or spend time in towns and coastal beach areas, rejoining stage racers each day.
Click here to view the event organizer's website
Sorry, we could not map this event.
Want to make your race experience more social? Plancast helps you discover what your friends are doing in the coming days, weeks and months. Now you can share your experience and distribute your photos and videos from a recent event through Twitter and Facebook instantly with your friends and fans.And it's easy, just choose what you want to upload!


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What You Need to Know Following the International Climate Change Summit
President Barack Obama leaves the podium after addressing the High Level Plenary meeting on Climate Change in Copenhagen on Friday, December 18, 2009. This post is by CAP's Rebecca Lefton, Andrew Light, and Daniel J. Weiss.
The international negotiations on climate change wrapped up December 19 in Copenhagen. The conference achieved an interim agreement, known as the Copenhagen Accord, which could put the major polluting nations on a pathway to reducing global warming pollution, and it continues to set the expectation for U.S. domestic action on climate change.
Much work remains, but there were also numerous notable achievements and meaningful insights into how the United States can gain from leading the world toward a new international clean-energy agreement.
A "meaningful" deal on climate mitigation
President Barack Obama left Copenhagen Friday night after personally working to secure agreement from China, South Africa, Brazil, and India on a "meaningful and unprecedented" climate change agreement. The president played a major role in crafting the Copenhagen Accord that was hammered out by 28 countries and accepted by 188 by the end of the meeting. Only five countries""Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Sudan""refused the accord.
The accord will go forward with committed parties now required to submit national action plans for emission reductions by the end of January 2010 that are consistent with the agreement's stated goal of limiting global temperature increases from carbon pollution from rising to more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Farenheit) over pre-industrial levels.
The accord stipulates that countries should consider further strengthening this goal by limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Further specific targets are not iterated in the accord and need to be added as soon as possible, but most parties are committed to strengthening it and taking the next step to turn it into a binding agreement by the 2010 U.N. climate summit in Mexico City.
The existing and proposed policies by the nations that produce large amounts of greenhouse gas pollution provide a good start toward the pollution cuts that we need. The accord allows nations to undertake a full range of policies that reduce pollution, rather than limiting qualifying policies to economy-wide pollution caps. Preliminary results from a Center for American Progress report on carbon cap equivalents using recent data from Project Catalyst finds that current and pending policies among the world's 17 major carbon polluters will yield 65 percent of reductions needed by 2020 if all parties succeed in doing what they have promised to do as of today.
Responsibility from developing countries
The Kyoto Protocol called on developed countries to reduce emissions but did not demand reductions from developing countries. Major polluting developing countries, including China, India, South Africa, and Brazil, are now poised to make transparent emissions reductions or reductions in pollution rates. This is the first time that developing countries have agreed to binding emission reductions in an international agreement. This represents a major shift from the schism between developed and developing countries that blocked progress in the past.
First-ever compromise to measure, report, and verify pollution reductions
The accord includes a compromise between the United States and China to verify pollution reductions according to rigorous and transparent guidelines depending on the source of financing for the reductions. All reductions are subject to "international consultation and analysis." As a New York Times editorial observed, "China is now a player in the effort to combat climate change in a way it has never been, putting measurable emissions reductions targets on the table and accepting verification."
Serious emissions reductions targets for developing countries
The ramp up to Copenhagen and the United States' decision to put midterm emission reductions targets and immediate financing numbers on the table prior to the start of the summit stimulated unprecedented national commitments from key countries. China announced on November 26 a target of reducing carbon pollution per unit of gross domestic product by 40 to 45 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. Soon after the U.S.-India summit in Washington, India announced on December 2 that it intends to decrease its carbon intensity 24 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. More importantly, other clean-energy and climate policies in both countries will result in reductions in China of 13 percent below business-as-usual emissions by 2020 and 19 percent below business as usual emissions in India by 2020.
Major financial commitments
Developed countries committed significantly more financial resources than ever before to developing countries for mitigation, adaptation, and forest conservation. This was despite disappointments in negotiations over an international forestry deal and an international technology transfer regime. Developments include:
- The accord establishes a "fast start" fund to provide $30 billion from 2010-2012 for assistance to developing countries, including funds for forestry and a commitment to mobilizing $100 billion a year to address the needs of developing countries by 2020. Japan said that it will provide $15 billion through 2012 toward the fast start fund, contingent on achieving an international agreement. And E.U. leaders will provide $10.5 billion over the next three years as part of the fund. The United States promised a fair share of meeting this goal. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that the United States' funding is contingent on a commitment by developing nations to make emission reductions transparent.
- The United States will finance $1 billion for avoided deforestation that will be matched by other countries for a total of $3.5 billion to prevent the destruction of tropical forests. The global goal is to cut deforestation by half by 2020, which would be equal to eliminating emissions from the entire global transportation sector.
- Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the launch of the Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative, or Climate REDI, which will contribute $85 million to a global fund of $350 million over five years to assist developing nations with adoption of clean-energy technology. Secretary Chu also announced 10 new clean-energy technology road maps under the Global Partnership, which was launched during the Major Economies Forum in July in L'Aquila, Italy.
A boost to passage of U.S. climate change legislation
As the Washington Post editorial board observed, the Copenhagen accord "should prod the U.S. Senate to take up climate-change legislation." President Obama said that we should meet our commitment to reduce pollution, not only because the science demands it, but because it offers enormous economic opportunity to build new clean-energy companies. This first step in Copenhagen commits the United States to passing legislation to make way for an international binding agreement. It is time for the U.S. Senate to continue its international leadership role by acting in 2010, which would create millions of jobs, secure energy independence, and boost the economy.
The primary international opponents of the Copenhagen Accord are oil states
The leading voices of opposition to the sccord came from Venezuela, Sudan, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Cuba. The first three nations are oil-producing states that would lose major revenue if countries reduce their global warming pollution by using less oil. The latter two nations are clients of Venezuela that must curry favor with their patron. The ability of a handful of petro-states to block the accord from being endorsed by the entire U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change at Copenhagen suggests the flawed nature of the United Nations process that requires unanimity among 193 nations. Their opposition will not stop those signing onto the accord from moving forward and carrying out its mandate, but many observers believe that the outcome of this meeting suggests that alternative venues, such as the Major Economies Forum, which includes the world's largest developed and developing nations polluters, can and should play a larger role in the design and implementation of future agreements.
Rebecca Lefton is a Researcher for Progressive Media, Andrew Light is a Senior Fellow, and Daniel J. Weiss is a Senior Fellow and Director Climate Strategy at the Center for American Progress.
7 Responses to Lessons Learned from Copenhagen
No one in Copenhagen was saying much about the colossal threat that is posed to humanity by the skyrocketing growth of human population numbers on Earth.
Despite the unfortunate, inhumane ways a "ONE CHILD PER FAMILY" policy was implemented in China, the policy could be vital for the future of humankind and life as we know it in our planetary home. The immediate, free, universal and compassionate implementation of a voluntary "one child per family" policy could decisively limit adverse, human-driven impacts on Earth's body and its environs, and do so more powerfully than any other conceivable human intervention.
Given the already visible, converging global threats to human wellbeing and environmental health that are presented to the family of humanity in our time, the humane implementation of one child per family could be an indispensible centerpiece of a set of adequately designed, actionable programs that serve to actually rescue a good enough future for the children and coming generations.
If a root cause of the global threats on humanity's horizon now is the unbridled growth of absolute global human population numbers, our willful denial of this primary cause could make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the children to reasonably address and sensibly overcome these threats. Then the children are likely being directed down a "primrose path" to confront some unimaginable kind of ecological wreckage, the likes of which only Ozymandias has seen. The children will not understand why the catastrophe is occurring. Because their elders refused to acknowledge the best available scientific evidence of human population dynamics and, therewith, adequately "diagnose" the distinctly human-induced global predicament all of us face now, the children will not know what hit them, why it is happening, and what is required of them so as not to commit the same mistakes made by the elders.
This is only a guess but please note the likelihood that history will not be kind to the woefully inadequate leaders in my not-so-great generation of arrogant, extremely foolish and avaricious elders.
Population growth is a serious issue that affects many environmental boundaries besides climate. However, regarding climate, it seems clear that a much larger threat is unbridled growth of absolute consumption by those wealthy enough to afford it – overconsumption patterns of a small minority of the world population produces an incredibly disproportional amount of global CO2 pollution. See Fred Pearce's excellent summary of the problem: Consumption Dwarfs Population as Main Environmental Threat
http://www.e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2140 -
Dear lgcarey,
Can you see that the global predicament before humanity does not appear to provide us with the luxury of picking the global threat that suits us? Conspicuous per-capita overconsumption and the gigantic scale of the global human population are both problems that must be acknowledged, addressed and overcome. We are not presented with an "either/or" situation.
I agree with both of you, it is both population and increased standard of living – both dictate more energy consumption. However, in the US our standard of living should not go up while in some of Africa, it should. I wonder how some people can see Copenhagen as a success.
I especially wonder how was it possible that Chancellor Angela Markel, of Germany, Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of England, and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France could offer at Copenhagen to reduce their greenhouse gases by 30% by 2020 while President Barak Obama can offer only 5% reduction?
It is because the European leaders have the support of their people and president Obama does not have it.
Why? Because the Europeans are more global citizens; they have suffered through many wars, they are not naïve, and they are also more interested and more aware of the rest of the world. However, the majority of our American people are nice, simple, caring people, but they are also quite naïve. We have had it quite easy. We did not suffer any destruction from the time of our civil war, and even during WWII our losses were the least by far of any major participant in the war. And our economy benefited from the war effort. We think we are special and invincible.The problem is not primarily lack of knowledge and understanding of facts by many of our leaders. It is also, or may be mostly, an emotional and psychological dilemma. It is very hard to acknowledge within your own soul that humanity is on a verge of irreparable damage. It took me several years before this reality broke my own emotional resistance; and I have been educated as an environmental scientist. I also have been aware of global warming for decades and spent years developed alternative energies against it.
From the ending of the last ice age we had it relatively easy. We never experienced any global danger of this magnitude before. It is not only Republicans that deny GW, many Democrats in Congress and across the country are more interested in their reelection than the survival of humanity. They are unable to grasp reality. It is not that they are bad people, they are too limited, too self absorbed, and do not have enough courage to brake with their "business as usual" mode. In the same time we have some outstanding industry leaders that are willing to be pioneers and stake their position and income to push for a more aggressive fight against global warming, such as the presidents of Duke Power and PG&E utilities.
I believe our president is not able to grasp the full reality of global warming despite the advice of some good people around him. He may understand it intellectually but when it is critical to act and go beyond his political comfort zone, he is not willing to risk his political future to fully alert the American people to the danger we are facing. His political advisers are not grasping the global reality yet.
It is not sufficient to be better than president Bush. President Obama did not show yet the characteristics of a leader of substance, and of a leader suitable to these critical times.We are not willing to accept that global warming is posing real danger to all the people of the world. Even those who are against global warming have been doing little to change the political status-quo. They have not gone beyond their comfort zone to protest, to create massive political pressure or any thing else that would make a difference. They feel good that they are against global warming. But beyond a small minority of activists do you see any great movement doing anything of substance? I do not.
America is such a vast country it is hard to see beyond it.. We are so focused on our own community, state and country as if the rest of the world does not exist. Most of the American public is unsophisticated, and unaware of what is going on in the rest of the world. At the same time poles find that we are now have the most isolationists' attitude from the time of WWII. We do not grasp within our guts that global warming has no boundaries and we are all in the same boat.
We have been accustomed to think that the American strength will get us everything, from the latest
I Phone to an easy conquest of Iraq. After all we have the strongest military power in the world, and we have the largest economy. But we also are the most lied to, mislead people on earth both by business and our own government and politicians. No wonder we regress to be so self-centered, so self-involved we can not see nor accept reality.And the power of money (essentially legal bribes) in our politics is so powerful, Congress can not pass any meaningful bill that benefits the majority of the people.
I just watched again a two hour documentary on the US Advertisement Industry. Amazing how they have developed the most appealing, powerful mind-bending approaches to force us to buy almost anything they want to sell us. We are so much lied to in business, so many in the banking and real estate business justify their lies by: "every body does it" that it was natural for many of us to participate in the mass lies that produce the financial collapse of the last few years. The financial industry used the same tools if bending facts to mislead people to buy and commit and speculated to such an extent that the economy tanked. But the people on the top remain very wealthy.
And the problem with global warming is that our politicians and leaders across much of the country are using the same proven techniques to mislead us to believe whatever they want to.
As long as we will continue to be so self absorbed, so uninterested in the reality around us, so unaware of the world beyond the US, then our destiny would be to be the most disliked country on earth, and with a good reason, we are not willing to reduce our standard of living one iota to allow some of the poorest people on earth to have just one decent meal daily.WE are not so strong any longer and our unwillingness to participate in the fight against global warming will backfire on us from all sides.
The physical world will survive with much higher temperatures but the people will suffer endlessly unless we cut our greenhouse gases drastically and soon. And we are the country that emitted the maximum amount to date and that continue to emit some twenty tones of CO2 per person per year. If China did that it would emit four times what it emits today. And four and a half times more than we do now.
What is the answer?
The US must cut its emissions of all GHG by at least 30% by 2020 as the Europeans are willing to do. We have so much energy waste that it is not too difficult to do it if our political system pass the right laws without catering to the interests of the coal and power industry, but the interest of humanity.We can not escape from our responsibility and let the global climate deteriorate even more rapidly than it does now. Our leaders must rise to the occasion, and I do not know how to force them unless we get involved in political pressure on a wide scale. No environmental organization has done anything of substance in this area yet. Only their leadership is involved as if mass grassroots pressure is ineffective or not possible to create.
It would be impracticable to wait until the general public sees and grasps the damage and then panic into action. It would be too late to reverse the escalating climate deterioration.
Wow! Dr. Ginosar has said the obvious about our U.S. reality concerning the Copenhagen Accord! I believe Obama and his advisors think that Obama needs to strengthen his political position here at home before taking on the global warming fight. When the Health Care bill is signed, we will quickly find out if Obama can lead us to a significant role in CO2 reductions. If not, then the planet is in severe trouble. It is not sufficient for Europe alone to try so hard with clean energy and excellent CO2 reductions goals. If the U.S. and India and China fail to make significant reductions soon then the world fails.
I have commented several times in these columns over the months that we must march on Washington; we must demonstrate in the streets. Nobel prize winning scientists signing petitions have not worked. Endless Internet blogs have not worked. Excellent U.N. documents have not worked. The amazing movie and books by Al Gore have not worked. The public must be stirred to action just like it was to elect Obama. It will take grass-roots political action – we need a Green Party coup!
I thought the Copenhagen Accords were considered a failure. Didn't UN Chair Ban Kee Moon (sp?) as much as admit that?
[JR: Many disagree with that assessment.]
Apparently, the "per-capita CO2 emissions" are not taken in consideration. 7 billion people consuming like Africa is one thing, 1 billion consuming like an average US citizen or a upper middle class Brazilian is another issue.


text:
BGCI > Garden
Botanischer GartenAustria - Tyrol - Innsbruck
Institution Code: IB
International Agenda Registration: N
BGCI Member: Y
Tropical Greenhouses
About the Botanischer Garten
In the Botanical Garden we find the following plots:
- 2,5 acres arboretum in which the trees and bushes are systematically arranged - 1000 square meters of herbs and poisonous plants, classified according to phytochemical principles - 129 square meters taste and touch garden where the plants are labelled in Braille. - 2000 square meters alpine garden arranged according to geographical and geological principles including plants from all over the globe. - 80 square meters Alpine House - 1000 square meters systematic garden, an area in which the plants are arranged according to plant families 633 m2 tropical greenhouse: tropical houseplants, water plants, ferns, epiphytes, carnivorous plants, cacti and succulents, plants from the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. Opening Hours: The park and all other open-air grounds are open throughout the year from 7.30 to 19.00 (to 16.30 during the winter months). No entrance fees. The tropical green houses are open every Tuesday,Thursday and every first Sunday in the month from 13.00 to 16.00
Main Address: |


text:
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2013) |
Certainty series |
An approximation is a representation of something that is not exact, but still close enough to be useful. Although approximation is most often applied to numbers, it is also frequently applied to such things as mathematical functions, shapes, and physical laws.
Approximations may be used because incomplete information prevents use of exact representations. Many problems in physics are either too complex to solve analytically, or impossible to solve using the available analytical tools. Thus, even when the exact representation is known, an approximation may yield a sufficiently accurate solution while reducing the complexity of the problem significantly.
For instance, physicists often approximate the shape of the Earth as a sphere even though more accurate representations are possible, because many physical behaviours (e.g. gravity) are much easier to calculate for a sphere than for other shapes.
It is difficult to exactly analyze the motion of several planets orbiting a star, for example, due to the complex interactions of the planets' gravitational effects on each other, so an approximate solution is effected by performing iterations. In the first iteration, the planets' gravitational interactions are ignored, and the star is assumed to be fixed. If a more precise solution is desired, another iteration is then performed, using the positions and motions of the planets as identified in the first iteration, but adding a first-order gravity interaction from each planet on the others. This process may be repeated until a satisfactorily precise solution is obtained. The use of perturbations to correct for the errors can yield more accurate solutions. Simulations of the motions of the planets and the star also yields more accurate solutions.
As another example, in order to accelerate the convergence rate of evolutionary algorithms, fitness approximation—that leads to build model of the fitness function to choose smart search steps—is a good solution.
The type of approximation used depends on the available information, the degree of accuracy required, the sensitivity of the problem to this data, and the savings (usually in time and effort) that can be achieved by approximation.
Contents |
Science [edit]
The scientific method is carried out with a constant interaction between scientific laws (theory) and empirical measurements, which are constantly compared to one another.
The approximation also refers to using a simpler process. This model is used to make predictions easier. The most common versions of philosophy of science accept that empirical measurements are always approximations—they do not perfectly represent what is being measured. The history of science indicates that the scientific laws commonly felt to be true at any time in history are only approximations to some deeper set of laws. For example, attempting to resolve a model using outdated physical laws alone incorporates an inherent source of error, which should be corrected by approximating the quantum effects not present in these laws.
Each time a newer set of laws is proposed, it is required that in the limiting situations in which the older set of laws were tested against experiments, the newer laws are nearly identical to the older laws, to within the measurement uncertainties of the older measurements. This is the correspondence principle.
Mathematics [edit]
≐ | general approximation |
≈ | asymptotic analysis |
Approximation usually occurs when an exact form or an exact numerical number is unknown or difficult to obtain. However some known form may exist and may be able to represent the real form so that no significant deviation can be found. It also is used when a number is not rational, such as the number π, which often is shortened to 3.14159, or √2 to 1.414. Numerical approximations sometimes result from using a small number of significant digits. Approximation theory is a branch of mathematics, a quantitative part of functional analysis. Diophantine approximation deals with approximations of real numbers by rational numbers.
Related to approximation of functions is the asymptotic value of a function, i.e. the value as one or more of a function's parameters becomes arbitrarily large. For example, the sum (k/2)+(k/4)+(k/8)+...(k/2^n) is asymptotically equal to k. Unfortunately no consistent notation is used throughout mathematics and some texts will use ≈ to mean approximately equal and ~ to mean asymptotically equal whereas other texts use the symbols the other way around.
Unicode [edit]
Symbols used to denote items that are approximately equal are wavy or dotted equals signs.[1]
- ≈ (Unicode 2248)
- ≃ (Unicode 2243), a combination of ≈ and =, also used to indicate asymptotically equal to
- ≅ (Unicode 2245), another combination of ≈ and =, which is used to indicate isomorphism or sometimes congruence
- ≊ (Unicode 224A), also a combination of ≈ and =, used to indicate equivalence or approximate equivalence
- ∼ (Unicode 223C), which is also sometimes used to indicate proportionality
- ∽ (Unicode 223D), which is also sometimes used to indicate proportionality
- ≐ (Unicode 2245), which can also be used to represent the approach of a variable to a limit
- ≒ (Unicode 2252), commonly used in Japanese and Korean
- ≓ (Unicode 2253), a reversed variation of ≒
See also [edit]
Look up approximation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
References [edit]
- ^ "Mathematical Operators – Unicode". Retrieved 2013-04-20.


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GBits Science Supplement no. 6
The GBits Science Supplement keeps you abreast of the increasing number of scientific studies making use of data accessed through GBIF. This is the sixth edition, covering December 2012-January 2013.
Resource details [More..]
GBIF Secretariat, 2013
Bibliographic citation: GBIF (2013). GBits Science Supplement no. 6. 8 pp. Copenhagen: Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Available online at http://www.gbif.org/orc/?doc_id=50932.
Coverage: Scientific use of GBIF-mediated data.
Rights Holder: GBIF Secretariat
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United States Department of Transportation (DOT) Curriculum for the EMT-Basic Refresher (NREMT Compliant)
Course Details | Sample Certification
This course follows the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Standard Curriculum for Emergency Medical Technician Basic Refresher. Students are trained according to the standards outlined above. Students who successfully pass the course, will be issued certification identifying the number of hours obtained for training.
EMS UniversityOnline First Aid and CPRJournal of Emergency Medical Services


text:
Bat For Lashes
Album Reviews
Pitchfork.tv on Youtube
Bat for Lashes and Crystal Castles Touring With Depeche Mode
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Watch Bat For Lashes' Monster-Filled "Lillies" Video
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Watch Bat for Lashes Perform "Marilyn" on Electric Guitar for Vogue
February 12, 2013 at 07:40 a.m.
Watch Bat for Lashes Play "Laura" and "Lilies" Live During Radio Sessions
February 5, 2013 at 12:03 p.m.
Bat for Lashes Announces Tour
January 16, 2013 at 11:11 a.m.
Watch the Video for Bat for Lashes' "A Wall"
December 21, 2012 at 08:45 a.m.
Watch: Bat for Lashes Returns to "Jools Holland"
Performing "Oh Yeah"
November 10, 2012 at 10:47 a.m.
Watch Bat For Lashes on "Jools Holland"
Performing "Laura"
November 7, 2012 at 04:54 a.m.
Bat for Lashes Cover Rihanna's "We Found Love"
October 11, 2012 at 09:18 a.m.
Listen to Three New Bat for Lashes Songs
October 9, 2012 at 02:50 p.m.
Watch: Bat for Lashes' Seven Song Set on the BBC
October 3, 2012 at 10:53 a.m.
Watch Bat For Lashes Dance on the Beach in "All Your Gold" Video
September 30, 2012 at 07:25 p.m.
Listen: Bat for Lashes: "All Your Gold"
September 18, 2012 at 01:31 p.m.
New Bat for Lashes: "Marilyn"
September 13, 2012 at 09:21 a.m.
Watch: Bat for Lashes Discusses Her New Album, Cover Art, New Single "Laura", The Term "NSFW"
"The weight of him throughout the day was becoming more and more intense, and that's what a lot of the music is about-- being ...
August 28, 2012 at 11:52 a.m.
Check Out Bat for Lashes' NSFW Album Cover, Plus New Video and New Track "Laura"
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Report: Bat for Lashes Live in Cambridge
Review, video, and photos from Natasha Khan's comeback show
June 14, 2012 at 12:30 p.m.
Bat For Lashes Announces New Album
The Haunted Man out in October
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Video: Bat for Lashes Performs New Song
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Listen: Bat for Lashes Cover Depeche Mode
Natasha Khan takes on "Strangelove" for Gucci
February 22, 2011 at 10:30 a.m.
Listen: Skream Remixes Bat for Lashes
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Coldplay to Appear on "The Simpsons", Tour With Bat for Lashes
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Bat For Lashes Preps Two Suns Special Edition
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Lollapalooza: Jane's Addiction, Band of Horses, Passion Pit, Bat for Lashes
Plus Passion Pit, Bat for Lashes, and more.
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Echo Chamber: Bat for Lashes
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Flaming Lips and Bat for Lashes to Open for Coldplay
Pretty great lineup!
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News in Brief: Bat for Lashes, Thrill Jockey, Spinnerette, Hove Festival
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Bat for Lashes Tours, Enters Cover of the Year Race
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Slightly ironic acoustic cover songs: they're not just for that wacky dude at the open mic night in your dorm lounge anymore! In fact ...
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Year-end lists from some of our favorite artists including: Chairlift's Top Brain-Melt Moments, Titus Andronicus' Record Company Fails, The Top 10 Partiest Things Andrew W.K. Visualized This Year ...
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Moldavite is often referred to as the "gem that fell to earth". This material is believed to have formed when a shower of meteorites fell in what is now the Czech Republic within a one hundred mile area around the Vltava River, which was once called the Moldau, and from which Moldavite gets its name. These stones are actually tektites and Moldavite is a one-of-a-kind tektite. There are many theories where Moldavite originated and the inability of science to resolve the issues with one conclusive explanation of the true origins of Moldavite causes it to remain one of the great mysteries of the gem world. Nonetheless, Moldavite isn't often faceted into gems (usually it is left in it's original form or used for carvings - plus the very unusual form of the "rough" stones doesn't make for very good yield when it comes to cutting stones), and this is a good size stone for the material. The stone has a Heart Brilliant cut, and would make for a beautiful piece of jewelry. There are some slight inclusions, which is par for the course for these stones.
Clinozoisite forms an isomorphic series with Epidote and Zoisite, and is a relatively rare gem in the world. This stone has a distinct color for Clinozoisite with a blending of yellow and a slight green color, but truly does not show any pleochroism like Epidote, which is one of the better ways to tell that it is truly Clinozoisite. The stones/crystals from Pakistan are actually well documented material, and probably some of the best gem grade Clinozoisite to hit the market in recent years. The stone is only very slightly included with a Square Emerald cut.
Gypsum certainly is not a rare species, but facetted gems are definitely hard to find. The incredible softness and perfect cleavage of the mineral makes for some very difficult cutting, and only highly skilled gem cutters can facet a stone like this one. This Octagon cut gem has only very slight inclusions, and is essentially colorless. It is a very impressive stone for the size considering that very few are ever available over a few carats.
This stone gets its name from the Greek, words "tria", three, plus "phylon", family, because it was thought to contain three cations (Fe, Li, Mg). There have been crystals of Triphylite found in South Dakota up to 6 feet long !! Most of those crystals are opaque and wouldn't be well suited for cutting gems. Brazil is one of the few places that produces gem quality Triphylite and this stone is a a very good size gem for the material. It is very very slightly included and has a very pleasing almost dichroic appearance as it looks somewhat greenish grey one direction, but shows hints of a brownish orange in another direction. It reminds me of Axinite stones that I have seen from Baha. The stone has an Emerald cut, and would make a great addition to any rare stone collection. Enjoy.
Sapphire is one of those gems that comes in virtually every color of the rainbow. With that said, the most recognizable color of Sapphires by far is blue. I've seen literally every shade of blue known to man exhibited in Sapphires, and they are still some of the most popular, durable, colorful and highly sought after gems on the planet. This stone has a beautiful "royal blue" color which shows up well in strong light. The stone is very slightly included and has an Oval cut, which is common for Sapphires.
This is super rare collectors stone. When is the last time that you can remember seeing a faceted stone of Aragonite? With the exception of the Czech specimens, Aragonite is rarely found in facet grade material. This stone is a wonderful, very very slightly included gem with a beautiful Octagon cut. These gems are very difficult to find these days, and stones this size are not common.
About two to three years ago there was a substantial discovery of what are some of the finest red, gem quality Chondrodites found in recent memory. The crystals were not terribly large, but they were fine quality, and showed a deep orange red hue within. This particular stone was cut from a broken crystal that we purchased two years ago. It is gem quality, make no mistake, but does have some slight inclusions. When viewed in the sunlight, the color is a very rich red with slight orange overtones. The stone has an Oval cut, and is simply a great example of this extremely rare and highly sought after material. I have seen some of these stones selling for up to $500 per carat overseas recently.
Achroite is the colorless variety of Elbaite Tourmaline, and is not found is great quantity from any locality. Colorless Tourmaline is an indication of the purity of the material as there are little no to imperfections in the chemical formula to create the color. This is often the case with many gems as impurities (chromaphores) actually allow the stones to have their vibrant hues. This stone is an impressive Achroite gem that is virtually eye clean with an Oval cut. You don't see many of these stones on the market these days (especially with over 10 carats with this clarity), and it would make a great addition to any Tourmaline suite to show the diversity of colors (or lack thereof) for this highly popular gemstone.
There are only a few localities in the world that produce gem quality Lazulite. About 10 years ago, there was a limited find of Lazulite crystals in Pakistan, and they were some of the most unique (and largest) Lazulite crystals ever found. These days, Pakistan produces virtually no Lazulite, so the value of the top crystals and stones is on the rise. This beautiful stone is virtually eye clean, with an attractive mix of yellow and bluish green colors. The stone shows distinct pleochroism when rotated on different axis. Most people are probably familiar with the dark inky-blue Lazulite crystals from Rapid Creek, Canada, but these crystals are often too dark to produce stones that don't appear "black", so to find any gems, even if they're small, with bright color like this, is a real treat. The cut on this stone is a Pear cut.
Taaffeite as a mineral species is incredibly rare, and facetted gems are becoming more and more difficult to obtain. IT IS THE ONLY GEM SPECIES I KNOW OF WHICH WAS DESCRIBED FIRST FROM ITS BEAUTIFUL ROUGH, LONG BEFORE A CRYSTAL WAS FOUND! Purple material remains among the most rare of all gems today despite decades of hunting. Taaffeite (the correct name is actually now Magnesiotaaffeite-2N�2S) is one of the great rarities in the gem world. This stone is from the TYPE LOCALITY for the material, and it is a superb quality gem. The clarity and size make this more than just collector quality, it's top notch! Taaffeite is very similar to mauve colored Spinel, and the original stones were actually all sold as Spinel (which can still happen to this day), but it is the characteristic birefringence of Taaffeite which now allows gemologists and gem dealers to identify the material and prevent it from being labeled as the much more common Spinel. This stone is a very attractive, purplish-pink color, virtually eye clean, Marquise cut gem. The fact that this stone is over 1 carat is weight makes it truly collector quality, and a very worthwhile stone. Every rare gem collection needs a top quality Taaffeite like this stone in their collection. For future reference, it is most likely that in the gem trade the name "Taaffeite" will mostly likely continue to be used instead of the more cumbersome (though correct) Magnesiotaaffeite-2N�2S.
GEM: 1.8 x 1.8 x 1.4 cm (25.5 carats) I love this set because its a rare instance to match the significance in both specimen and gem! The specimen is a superb example for this classic locale because it is large, complete, and very well colored. the gem is HUGE for what it is unusually clean, and is said to be by those who know more than I one of the best cut Mexican apatites. It is VERY impressive in person and look smor elike fluorite, for the color and clarity - you would not guess aapatite at first. And yet, the colors here are a dead-even match and i know the man who cut it. BOTH STONES ARE MORE GREEN IN PERSON< THAN YELLOW AS THEY APPEAR.
GEM: 1.0 x 0.8 x 0.5 cm (3.55 carats) At one time, rhodochrosite stalagtites from Argentina were readily available at rocks shows around the country. Today, good ones with little damage and rich color are quickly disappearing from the market. This stalagtite has what you want as a specimen collector - very nice sharp crystal terminations along the outside. Inside, the stalagtite has nice richly colored, concentric growth lines, typical of the better pieces from this area. Some bruising present along the outside of the stalagtite on rear faces, but it displays well and is much better than what we normally see around. I recently found a nice cut stone for the locality - unusual because this material is mostly 100% opaque and a stone this large, with such translucency, is rare. The stone is valued at $150 (my cost) or more only but is a nice accent!
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July 20, 2012
God's Small Creatures
Incredible photography in this video showing what goes on in the "small" world around us, a world of little creatures God created. "How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." (Psalm 104:24)


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VegNews Dessert Contest with Chloe Coscarelli
Enter your fantasy dessert idea for a chance to win incredible prizes!
What's your fantasy vegan dessert? Layers upon layers of puff pastry and French crème in a beautifully decorated Napoleon? Rich chocolate cake with salted caramel frosting? The ultimate baked Alaska with fluffy meringue peaks? We want to make your dessert dream come true! Submit your out-of-this-world ideas to our I Love Vegan Dessert Contest, and superstar chef and cookbook author Chloe Coscarelli will veganize the most enticing recipe entry. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a KitchenAid Mixer, signed copies of Chloe's Kitchen and Chloe's Vegan Desserts (which hits shelves February 19!)—and the recipe Chloe creates will be published in our September+October 2013 food issue. Plus, 10 runner-ups will receive a signed copy of Chloe's Vegan Desserts. Here are three easy ways to enter:
- Send your dream vegan dessert idea to Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ilovevegandessert
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- Email your dream vegan dessert idea to email@example.com
Submit as many ideas as you'd like by Friday, March 1. Chloe Coscarelli and VegNews editors will choose one Grand Prize Winner and 10 runner-ups based on innovation and appeal, with winners announced March 15. We love vegan dessert!
Download and share the VegNews Vegan Dessert Contest with Chloe Coscarelli flyer here.
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I am an at home baker searching for an air brush. I don't want an expensive one. I heard a lot about the KopyKake air brushes but I am not sure if I want to spend that much money. I have a few cakes coming up so I need to know soon if I want to buy it for those cakes. What is a good brand? Where can I find a good air brush for the lowest amount of money?
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Go to a local hardware store, and look for a small airbrush kit. I found a kit for like 60 bucks, included a compressor, hoses, airbrush gun with a few cups, etc. It isnt made for cake decorating, so you have to make sure the pressure is low, but itll work until youre ready to upgrade. Then the compressor can still be used with any gun. FYI, the "kopykake" style gun is kinda crappy. Not adjustable, small color cup. If youre gonna spend money on one, go with the Aztek brand. It has color lids, several different nozzles, wayyy adjustable on pressure and color amounts....Its sweet. Check it out at www.winbeckler.com
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Try TPC Global
They have a starter kit for $80 and it includes a set of 4 colors. I got mine about 2 years ago and still use it. I even dropped the compressor once and it still works fine. They also have a store on ebay.
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Not good for vacations!!!!!! Don't reserve here!! Terrible MOTEL not even close to be called HOTEL! This place is ugly & very noisy! Plus be aware when reserving the hotel someone there steals all the credit card information when you make a reservation. Definitely fraud Alert!!..
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Good morning!! It's Wendy Jordan and I am so happy to Welcome you to Paper Craft Planet and Zva Creative's Fall into Fall with Flair!!
The Paper Craft Planet Super Nova's have been given the opportunity to create fabulousness with wonderful Zva Creative products.
I recently bought a new home and I am already dreaming of my holiday decorating so I chose to "bling" up an old vase that I have had for years.
Stamping on glass with Stampendous Cling Jumbo stamps is cool and very simple to achieve. I applied Versamark Watermark onto the beautiful scroll included in the Cling Jumbo Dahlia Stamp set by Stampendous.
Without using an acrylic stamp blog, I placed the stamp on the glass and pushed down by placing my fingers on the back of the stamp. However, Versamark is slipperier on glass than it is on paper, so be careful not to push to hard, or the stamp with smear, BUT if is does, don't panic, wipe the Versamark off with a damp cloth, dry the area and start over.
I stamped and embossed around the bottom of the vase and added Aged Bronze Embossing Enamel to each image. Once I sprinkled the enamels to the vase, I heat set if with my heat tool.
Zva Creative was really thinking when they decided to adhere their beautiful flourishes to acetate in the packaging. It makes the process of WHERE to adhere the flourish easy. I love being able to see exactly where I will be placing my bling!!
I love how this turned out. I really wanted to be able to take a picture of my Thanksgiving table for this post, with my "new" vase, but like I said before, I recently moved and all of my holiday decor has been placed in a pile in the garage. Ugh.
I know that my table decor will knock the socks off of my guests…when the time comes.
I was loving my Zva Creative bling and having such a ball, I decided to create a card as well.
Lisa Somerville is hosting The Planet's Sketch Challenge this week, so I decided to create a card using her sketch, Zva Creative bling, Canvas Corp Handmade Paper and Stampendous stamps and Embossing Tinsel.
I created a card base of kraft colored paper and stamped the Cling Queen Crown (CRP113) from Stampendous with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink onto the background. With a Versamark Pen, I added embossing ink to a few areas on the crown, sprinkled Vintage Mahogany Embossing Powder and heat set.
I cut my Handmade Paper from Canvas Corp to the desired size with a mat, adhered over the stamped background of the card base. I stamped my sentiment, Cling Cherish Family (CRQ164), added a bit of color around the edge with Distress Ink and adhered it to the card base. Last but not least, I added a smaller Zva Creative flourish to the base.
Zva Creative produces many beautiful color groupings of high quality pearls, flowers and crystal embellishments that can be used on scrapbooking, card making and mixed media projects. Visit Zva's gallery or blog for great project ideas and to find a list of stores and online retailers that sell Zva click HERE.
Want to win some Zva Creative goodies of your own? You can win the product featured here by leaving a comment on this post and we will pick one lucky winner at the end of the week.
I would love to wind some Zva Creative goodies, then I could make a vase, it looks so great.
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