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Marital Completionism: A Bad Model for Thruples and Couples Alike
Why assume you need to make compromises to achieve connubial bliss?
In an article for The Atlantic, Olga Khazan profiles several polyamorous couples and wonders whether more families should consider open (non-monogamous) marriages. Khazan argues that polyamory's great advantage is that practitioners better divide up and delegate the duties and pleasures of a relationship, mixing and matching for the best of all possible marriages. She writes:
Even many devout monogamists admit that it can be hard for one partner to supply the full smorgasbord of the other's sexual and emotional needs. When critics decry polys as escapists who have simply "gotten bored" in traditional relationships, polys counter that the more people they can draw close to them, the more self-actualized they can be.
There's an enormous assumption tucked into that first sentence. Monogamy isn't premised on the idea that one person can ever be everything to a partner. When a marriage fails to fulfill "the full smorgasbord" it's not a sign that anything's wrong. An expectation that a partner (or full set of them) is meant to be a perfect complement is destructive to romantic and platonic relationships.
Unfortunately, the premises of Khazan aren't confined to a negligible niche (polyamorous or otherwise). A survey commissioned by USA Network of 18-34 year olds in four cities (Austin, Omaha, Nashville, and Phoenix) found that 10 percent of respondents endorsed multiple partners within a marriage, "each of whom fulfills a need in your life."
What does this mean in practice? One of the women profiled in the Atlantic story explains that she and her husband looked to add partners to their marriages because the spouses couldn't fulfill all of each other's needs. Her husband was interested in kinky sex, so he found a woman to practice BDSM with him, but the wife's new boyfriend was picked for a more prosaic need: the boyfriend goes to the theatre with her and sees shows her husband wouldn't enjoy.
The reporter asks what she calls "the logical, mono-normative question" why the wife didn't simply leave her husband for her theatre-boyfriend, but the more relevant question is: why she didn't just book season tickets for herself and a friend? Kinky sex is, well, sexual, but going out to the theatre isn't an activity that's reserved to lovers.
It's natural for friends to fill the gaps in a marital relationship, indulging interests that aren't shared with the spouse, providing emotional support, and simply varying our lens on the world. After all, C.S. Lewis's observation in The Four Loves that "Lovers are normally face to face, absorbed in each other. Friends, side by side, absorbed in some common interest," wasn't meant as an aspirational image for spouses.
Spouses shouldn't wind up completely sated by a relationship, able to retreat from the rest of the world. Married people, just like singles, have some needs that are best met by a friend or by a neighbor or by family. Our mutual, unsated needs draw us together in service to each other. Read More…
Our Starved for Touch Culture
When did the Friendzone become such a terrible place to live?
In the wake of the Santa Barbara shootings, the unpleasant underbelly of the pickup artist community (PUA), involuntary celibates (incels), and other unhealthy refuges for lonely men have drawn scrutiny and condemnation. They describe themselves as exiles; in the case of the Isla Vista shooter, he decided to destroy the world he couldn't enter, instead of building something new outside it.
Their sense of exclusion is exacerbated by the stories we tell about sex as a prize you can earn and the tendency of the media to shame sexual inexperience (The Daily Mail referred to the shooter as "The Virgin Killer," implicitly agreeing that his sexual exploits, or lack thereof, defined him). It is also exacerbated by the stories we don't tell about friendship and platonic love.
The friendzone is treated as a wasteland not just because we treat sex as an idol, but because friendship and non-sexual affection is written off as irrelevant. Casual dating has been replaced by casual sex; platonic touch has been eclipsed by erotic signalling. Pickup artists teach their pupils (not inaccurately) that taking someone's hand, touching a shoulder, or even moving into one-on-one conversations are indications of interest, and a signal to keep escalating, in the hopes of transitioning to a hookup.
If affection is merely foreplay, then a person who isn't having luck approaching people romantically is also cut off from most normal human comforts. That kind of isolation is tremendously harmful.
In the 1960s, Harry Harlow conducted a famous series of experiments in which he gave infant monkeys a choice between mother-substitutes made of cloth or wire. Even when it was only the wire "mother" that fed the monkeys, they came to it only to eat, and clung to the cloth mothers that gave sustenance of a different sort. The monkeys who were only given wire mothers were more skittish and would cling to their cloth diapers as the only source of soft contact in their cage.
Some men and women feel that they've wound up in a wire monkey world. In an essay for The Good Men project ("The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men's Lives is a Killer"), Mark Greene talked about how isolated he was from others, until he had a child to take care of:
How often do men actually get the opportunity to express affection through long lasting platonic touch? How often does it happen between men? Or between men and women? Not a hand shake or a hug, but lasting physical contact between two people that is comforting and personal but not sexual. Between persons who are not lovers and never will be. Think, holding hands. Or leaning on each other. Sitting together. That sort of thing. Just the comfort of contact. … I found this kind of physical connection when my son was born. As a stay at home dad, I spent years with my son. Day after day, he sat in the crook of my arm, his little arm across my shoulder, his hand on the back of my neck. As he surveyed the world from on high, I came to know a level of contentment and calm that had heretofore been missing in my life.
The isolation may be more pronounced for men, since physical contact between two women is less likely to be stigmatized or even remarked upon. In my own experience, however, usually the only time I make physical contact with another person is when I shake the priest's hand on my way out of Mass. When I went on a cultural exchange trip to China, I was surprised and jealous when our group leader warned us that friends commonly hold hands in China, and we shouldn't assume a host was flirting with us if they did so.
In America, that kind of physical affection would be unusual between pairs of friends, especially if both were male. But, if friends are off limits, where else are people to turn for physical reassurance? Read More…
Amazon's War Is First in a Series
In an effort to get publisher Hachette to agree to give Amazon a larger cut of their profits, the web giant has begun playing hardball. First, Amazon listed Hachette books as delayed, informing customers that they'd be waiting three to four weeks for them, instead of the customary two days, and wouldn't they prefer to read something else?
Then, the fight escalated, and Amazon listed some Hachette books as completely unavailable while marking up others and pushing customers toward "similar items at a lower price." While Hachette authors (including this website's Rod Dreher) complain, creators and consumers find themselves with limited power to affect the outcome of the dispute. Unfortunately, this struggle could become the first in a series.
The problem isn't that Amazon wants to make more money, but the heavy-handed tactics they are using to force Hachette to the bargaining table, which may become more common if the FCC doesn't find a way to preserve net neutrality. Net neutrality is the current status quo online, where all data comes to you at about the same speed. For example, if your internet service provider (ISP) is Comcast, they aren't allowed to slow down all news sites besides NBC (which they own) in an effort to get you to change your media consumption habits.
The FCC is considering new rules for net neutrality, including the possibility of scrapping it all together. If the old rules are thrown out, customers will have to rely on market forces, not regulation, to limit corporate chicanery. But, as Amazon's war of attrition with Hachette suggests, ordinary consumers have a limited ability to force a marketplace to stay open to all.
Consumers have more power to punish Amazon than an internet service provider. Striking back against the retailer means placing your order somewhere else or cancelling your Prime membership. Punishing your ISP is an all or nothing affair, and switching providers means spending the day at home waiting for the cable guy. That's if you have the power to change at all, since many apartment dwellers are stuck with whichever company the landlord lets into the building, and years of crony capitalism have established regional monopolies at larger scales. An ISP would need to behave truly egregiously to lose customers.
The Hachette authors whose books are debuting now are being hamstrung by the current conflict; a reader who sees an interesting review, clicks over to Amazon, and closes the tab once she sees the book isn't available probably won't end up buying the book, enjoying it, and recommending it to her friends. Websites and online services similarly depend on word of mouth to jumpstart their growth, which becomes more unlikely as the loading bar lengthens.
Hachette is an established company, with a stable of eloquent clients, who are used to pleading their case in writing. The web companies that will be hurt by the end of net neutrality are less likely to have Hachette's ability to attract headlines. If they fail to propitiate the ISPs that serve your neighborhood, you'll probably never hear of them to miss them.
Treating Heartbreak With a Pill
Instead of comforting a friend after a break up with ice cream and a movie, bioethicist Brian D. Earp foresees the possibility of an anti-love drug, which could nip those regretful feelings in the bud.
Drawing on research in neuroscience, endocrinology, and psychology, he anticipates a toned down version of the chemical castration cocktail that is offered to pedophiles today. His paper isn't science-fiction speculation; he cites antidepressants and other existing drugs that could be repurposed for their anti-romantic side effects.
Earp subdivides love into three components: lust (the desire to have sex with the beloved), attraction (frequent, even obsessive thoughts about the beloved), and attachment (feeling of security with the beloved, anxiety without), and puts together a literature review of possible interventions to short-circuit any of these feelings or a combination thereof.
Omitted from Earp's taxonomy of love is agape—the love that desires nothing above the good of the beloved, and does not require anything in return. Earp's interventions all focus on suppressing or dampening the experience of lust, attraction, or attachment, but not on sublimating them into an expression of the higher love of agape. If a patient chose to forgo medical treatment, Earp imagines he or she would address the problem by "focusing on the loved one's faults, … deleting all of her emails," still focusing on expunging love rather than transfiguring it.
Among the pathological loves Earp lists that might merit these medical erasures are:
- Romantic love for someone other than one's spouse.
- Love of a battered woman or man for the abuser.
- Unrequited love that leads to despair or suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
- Incestuous love.
- Love for a cult leader
In these circumstances, and others like them, Earp concludes that "the individual, voluntary use of anti-love biotechnology … could be justified or even morally required." Earp circumscribes this moral imperative to mean that it would be morally wrong to interfere with a person choosing treatment, not that it would be immoral to refuse it, but it is worth noting that most of the examples that Earp cites are ones where the lover would not want to take the drugs, at least initially.
An individual's choice will be shaped by the soft coercion of friends, family, and society deciding it's finally time to intervene. Just as voluntary euthanasia has drawn criticism for the potential for weak groups (women, the elderly, the disabled) to feel pressured to die "altruistically" so as not to become a burden, anti-love drugs might create a new social responsibility for the romantically bereft to take their medicine and move on. Read More…
When the Pursuit of Health Turns Pathological
This is likely to be a record-setting year in baseball. Players are on track to eclipse the number of Tommy John surgeries ever performed in a year, breaking 2012′s old record of 69 operations across the major and minor leagues. Despite efforts to rest pitchers and reduce the rate of elbow injury, surgeries are still spiking. The surgery has gained such an aura of inevitability that one cause for its prevalence may be pitchers' expectation that they'll go under the knife sooner or later. Brian Wilson, a reliever with the Dodgers, told the New York Times, "[N]ow people are getting Tommy John with the slightest tear. … It's very precautious."
As baseball struggles to emerge from the taint of the steroid era, the rise of Tommy John surgery has mostly been treated as a problem of players' health, but the normalizing of this kind of repair points to a similar problem with the way players strain to meet impossible expectations of their bodies.
Tommy John surgery may have escaped the stigma of "cheating" because, although surgery is invasive, the procedure seems intuitively more natural than popping pills. Instead of introducing a foreign substance to the body, the surgery replaces a pitcher's ulnar collateral ligament with one of his own tendons from elsewhere in the body. It's more like using skin grafts to cover a burn than slathering on steroid cream. Of course, it also bears a more than passing resemblance to adulterating your blood with your own blood, as Lance Armstrong and his teammates did.
Why doesn't Tommy John surgery draw comparisons to doping? The surgery isn't just more natural with respect to its methods, but also in terms of its aims. Although some baseball players believe that they'll come back stronger from the procedure, the goal isn't to augment the player's pitching, but to repair an injury. The players are being returned to natural health, not pushed past normal (well, normal for a pro athlete) ability. The surgery passes the same test as double-amputee Oscar Pistorius's carbon fiber legs—acceptable as long as they don't make him better than he was with his original, flesh and blood legs.
Although the surgeries may simply restore pitchers to their pre-injury abilities, there is something about them that does fly in the face of the natural order. Of the 80 percent of pitchers who return to form, some will be re-injured and repatched. The cycle of injury, surgery, re-injury, new surgery treats the human body like one of Henry Ford's cars; plentifully stocked with swappable parts. The damage is treated less like a wound and more like an ordinary part of work. Read More…
The Rights and Responsibilities of Search Engine Users
While truth has usually been a defense to charges of libel, Google is running into a higher standard in Europe. The European Union Court of Justice, considering the threat that Google can pose to privacy, seems to be applying a standard closer to the "Is it True? Is it Kind? Is it Necessary?" test.
In the press release announcing their decision, the European Court ruling found that Google was trampling on a right to be forgotten. Even if the information Google was linking to was accurate and lawfully published, Google and other search engines could be at fault for making that information too easy to find. Google wouldn't have to purge this information preemptively, just in response to complaints, but, still, acceding to this ruling would still be tremendously difficult.
Google is already engaged in one enormous curation problem: policing content uploaded to YouTube. Although algorithms can detect piracy and copyright infringement, detecting obscenity still relies on the "I know it when I see it" test, which requires a human viewer. Google contractors have to watch content flagged as abusive, violent, or obscene in order to rule it in or out. Screening links for "relevance" would be emotionally easier than taking a shift in the YouTube curatorial department, but the judgement calls will be a lot harder to defend.
Google's leadership presumably would like to avoid being dragged into culture fights, especially when only one month ago they faced controversy over the decision to purge ads for crisis pregnancy centers from searches related to abortion. But the European ruling could force them to play referee on a host of new issues. Google (in partnership with a European court) would now be expected to assess the relevance of any information and the prominence of the person filing.
Would Google have a duty to keep abreast of the employment history of the people asking to be removed from searches? If not, people just on the cusp of prominence might file general takedowns, to avoid the fate of the Benham brothers. Their show on HGTV was cancelled before it began when their Google histories of anti-gay marriage and anti-Islam activism caught up with them. Asking Google to manage your online identity would still be easier than the solution that former Google CEO Eric Schmidt once proposed: declare identity bankruptcy and legally change your name to escape your search results.
If Europe has an expansive view of the right to be forgotten, America has a sprawling understanding of the right to information. Anything that enters the public sphere, even phone calls recorded illegally, can be fair game for public comment and calls to action. Simply leaving your house and going to WalMart is enough to put you in the public eye as a public figure to be discussed and disparaged on People of Walmart.
Just because information is easy to come by, through Google or any other source, doesn't exempt us from responsibility for seeking it out and acting upon it. Instead of depending on a right to be forgotten, our society is healthier when people choose to avert their eyes or look with charity.
The solution may not be for Google to become a curator but for searchers to learn to practice better custody of the eyes. After all, hasn't the internet age taught us that large duties are easier to handle when they're crowdsourced?
Save Smallpox, Not Pandas
San Diego can give up its hopes of producing a sister panda cub to Washington D.C.'s Bao Bao in the near future. Both of the San Diego Zoo's pandas have encountered health issues that make it unlikely that either will work as half of a breeding pair again. The male panda has lost one testicle to cancer and has a heart condition; the female has probably hit menopause.
Of course, these new setbacks only represent a marginal increase in difficulty for the breeding program; the major obstacle remains the pandas themselves. San Diego's pair are the only pandas in the United States who have managed to reproduce naturally. Zoos appear to have stocked their pens with pandas of the Bartleby variety, who would prefer not to reproduce, despite zookeepers attempts to show the pandas porn, artificially inseminate pandas with the sperm of deceased males, and even build obstacles into the panda pens, in the hopes that the female will trip over them and fall into proper breeding position.
Even when these attempts succeed, pandas have a tendency to neglect or accidentally suffocate the cubs they manage to produce. The baby pandas that survive remain the property of the Chinese government, forcing a kind of sterility on any panda breeding project.
While we struggle to keep captive pandas alive, next week the World Health Organization will decide whether to definitively wipe another species from the earth, one considerably more dangerous. On May 19th, the WHO will vote on a recommendation that Russia and the United States destroy their remaining stores of smallpox. Smallpox has been completely eradicated, so, if the samples were destroyed, it would be nearly impossible for the disease to ever recur as the result of accidental breach or bioterrorism. However, destroying the disease stocks would preclude any further research.
Peter Jahrling, the chief scientist at the National Institute of Health's NIAID Integrated Research Facility has been using our national stores of smallpox to infect monkeys with the disease, in order to develop new vaccines for humans. His research, and that of other scientists trying to learn how to contain this and similar plagues, would be cancelled if the smallpox reserves were destroyed.
There is no smallpox equivalent of the panda cams; almost no one can quickly picture the delicate, football-shaped smallpox capsids in the way we can call up images of roly-poly pandas. Smallpox preservation is plainly intended to serve the good of humans alone, and no larger environmental cause. There's nothing particularly noble or aesthetically compelling about the cause.
Panda preservation should fall into the same category. Zoos are not conserving the panda for the sake of the panda but for the entertainment of the human spectators. Pandas in captivity could not sustain themselves, and there is little hope they can be trained to carry on their species without intervention. Any conservationist who praises themselves for "saving" the panda must recognize that the zoo breeding programs do little more than animate the corpse of the species.
The smallpox stockpiles fall more naturally under the the project of "conservation" than that of panda preservation. Smallpox reserves and research are meant to conserve the existence of humans. Pandas are more similar to the destructively bred bulldog, which also is incapable of reproducing on its own. If zoos wish to keep pandas around, they should admit it is for the sake of humans, not the pandas themselves.
Polio Breaks Out After the U.S. Breaks Trust
Only two diseases have ever been completely eradicated worldwide: smallpox and rinderpest. But hopes for eradicating a third have dimmed with the World Health Organization's announcement that the spread of polio has become a global health emergency.
After over 25 years of eradication campaigns, polio had been beaten back into only a handful of countries, and, by 2012, polio was eliminated or in sharp decline in all but three countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. But, as the virus has come roaring back, the WHO has set travel restrictions on new hotspots. Residents of Pakistan, Syria, and Cameroon are advised not to leave their countries unless they have been vaccinated against the disease and cannot carry it beyond their borders.
Pakistan is the cradle of the resurgent polio. Of the 74 cases of wild polio reported this year to date, 59 occurred in Pakistan. The increasing prevalence isn't due to a new mutation or drug resistance; the resistance is coming from the Pakistani people, not the microorganisms that live inside them.
The vaccinators lost moral credibility when, in order to confirm the identity of Bin Laden prior to his assassination, the United States ran a fake hepatitis vaccination campaign in Abbottabad. Although doctors claimed they were going door to door to give inoculations, the blood draws they conducted were used for DNA tests discover whether any relatives of Bin Laden were living in town.
After Seal Team Six carried out their mission, some Taliban leaders banned vaccinations in the regions under their control and over a dozen vaccinators were murdered, forcing Pakistan to put its eradication campaign on hold. The doctor who conducted the operation was arrested by Pakistan's own intelligence agency and held on charges of treason.
The doctor was accused of betraying his country to serve another government, but the United States itself came under fire for betraying the medical community and putting public health at risk. Scientific American excoriated the United States for disrupting and profaning a historically neutral and altruistic profession. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) said that the CIA operation was a "grave manipulation of the medical act" and endangered the lifesaving work doctors conducted around the globe.
If doctors could be spies in disguise, how could nations welcome them in? In Syria, where polio is spreading amid the chaos of the civil war, how can vaccinators persuade Assad to let them move freely within the country, if they could be doubling as spies, assassins, or gun runners? Read More…
History Hidden as Hologram
The technology that lets directors animate a CGI dragon with Benedict Cumberbatch's snarls, or tweak the nuances of an Marlon Brando's expressions in post-production is complicating the idea of primary source documents.
Paul Debevec, of the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technology, has taken on some philanthropic work as an addition to his work on big-budget Hollywood projects. Debevec has partnered with the U.S.C. Shoah Foundation to record holographic oral histories from Holocaust survivors. But, in Debevec's vision, these recordings wouldn't be static. As he told The New Yorker, he plans for them to be interactive.
Soon, Debevec said, the digital version of [Pinchas] Gutter could be projected into a classroom and questioned by students. The holographic replica could draw on the archive of interviews to answer almost any question relevant to Gutter's personal history; it could also deflect off-the-wall queries. As Debevec and his colleagues envisaged it, Gutter would be answering questions about the Holocaust long after he was dead.
The New Yorker profile points out that this isn't as large a leap as it might sound. When Thomas Edison designed his wax cylindrical records–the forerunners of today's MP3s–he imagined they might be used to tape the last words of a dying relative and to play back their final blessings for years to come.
However, a sound recording or a static picture is more clearly a snapshot of a deceased person than the proposed hologram would be. The responsiveness of Gutter's simulacra is what chips away at his authenticity. The researchers in the article say that the Gutter displayed could wind up with the same kind of conversational fluency as Siri or any other chatbot.
When students go off-script, and ask the ghost of Gutter questions he never answered in his oral history, they will still receive answers, but their partner will have become the program that animates his face, not the record that the man left in life. And just as Siri is updated to make it easy for the user to pose questions in colloquial language, Gutter's curators and guardians may "help" him by allowing him to reply to questions he never could have understood, phrased in the slang of times to come.
The extraordinary flexibility of the hologram and modelling technology also allow museum-keepers to update the replies Gutter offers. Once the simulation software has enough footage, it can invent or alter expressions or sync up new animations to new audio. A virtual Gutter could be changed to make reference to events that happened after his death, so that visitors would have an easier time translating his experience into their frame of reference. The animators could even make subtle changes to Gutter's affect as he repeats the answers he recorded in life, to match the norms of the day. The levers exist, and it's hard to imagine they'll never be used. Read More…
Drop Those Wedding Rings in the Name of the Law
Most gay marriage lawsuits have been brought by couples, but, in North Carolina, it's the clergy filing suit. Ministers from the United Church of Christ are going to federal court to claim that the state's gay marriage ban encroaches on their religious liberty: North Carolina not only bans same-sex weddings at the courthouse, but holds ministers and other people authorized to conduct weddings liable if they perform unauthorized marriages.
The New York Times characterized the suit as "a novel legal attack on a state's same-sex marriage ban" and Time noted that it was the "first time for a national Christian denomination to sue in favor of same-sex marriage." The UCC suit is a hybrid case, which folds in some familiar claims about an intrinsic right to gay marriage into its religious liberty claims. If the North Carolina ban falls, it will likely be due to the familiar claims brought by the couples, not the novel religious liberty claims made by their pastors.
The suit has three sets of plaintiffs, making two different types of arguments. The first two classes of plaintiffs are the church itself and its ministers, both of whom are making a religious liberty claim about their ability to conduct marriages ceremonies in their churches. The third class is the gay couples themselves who are making both a religious liberty claim about church weddings as well as an equal protection and due process claim against the state's ban on the legal recognition of gay marriages, which more closely resembles previous suits.
The North Carolina gay marriage amendment (passed as Amendment One, incorporated into the state constitution as Article XIV, Section 6) doesn't limit religious liberty. The amendment does not make it illegal for same-sex couples to have private, unofficial marriage ceremonies, or to set up legal contracts to approximate the full rights and privileges of marriage as closely as they can. The amendment states:
Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts.
A private ceremony becomes a crime if the officiant has been empowered by the state to conduct legal marriages. If a minister presides at one of these legally invalid marriages as forbidden by § 51-6, "No minister, officer, or any other person authorized to solemnize a marriage under the laws of this State shall perform a ceremony of marriage between a man and woman, or shall declare them to be husband and wife, until there is delivered to that person a license for the marriage of the said persons," he or she can be fined up to $200 per couple, according to state statute § 51-7.
This restriction is part of North Carolina's general code, and predates the gay marriage amendment. It is the law being contested under religious liberty claims. However, it's less an anti-gay marriage provision than an anti-fraud law. The statute is the legal equivalent of banning notaries public from witnessing and stamping invalid or unofficial contracts, even if they promise to use a unofficial stamp. As long as they're going through the same motions and procedures as when they conduct official state business, there's the possibility for confusion. Read More…


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Slovak supermodel Viera Schottertova accompanied by her husband... News Photo 181163460Accompanying,Adult,Arts Culture and Entertainment,Attending,Cocktail Party,Czech Republic,Fashion,Horizontal,Husband,Men,Mercedes-Benz Prague Fashion Weekend,Opening Event,Prague,Souleyman Domumoya,Supermodel,Traditionally Slovak,Viera SchottertovaPhotographer isifaCollection: Getty Images Entertainment 2013 isifaPRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - SEPTEMBER 18: Slovak supermodel Viera Schottertova accompanied by her husband Souleyman Domumoya attends the opening Cocktail Party at the Mercedes-Benz Prague Fashion Weekend 2013 on September 18, 2013, in Prague, Czech Republic. MBPFW presents more than 30 Czech and Slovak designers and their latest collections on a catwalk on prestigious Parizska Street from September 18 to 22, 2013. (Photo by Michaela Feuereislova/isifa/Getty Images)

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A Ghanaian businessman and supporter of the country's ruling party is facing a second fraud charge in relation to a 51 million-cedi ($27 million) court award that saw two government ministers lose their jobs in January.
Alfred Woyome will appear on June 12 on charges of defrauding by false pretense and causing financial loss to the state, according to documents at the High Court in Accra, the capital.
Woyome won the court judgment after he said a 2006 contract he had to renovate sports stadiums for Ghana's hosting of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament was unfairly canceled. The award became known late last year when lawmakers began looking into an auditor-general report for 2010. He didn't answer two calls made to his mobile phone today.
Earlier today, fraud charges were dismissed against Woyome and three others by the Accra court after state prosecutors decided not to pursue the case, said Cynthia Lamptey, director of public prosecution.
"We studied the docket and realized we had to change and prepare appropriate charges," she said in an interview. Woyome was charged for the second time about 30 minutes later, according to Accra-based broadcaster Joy FM.
Attorney-General Martin Amidu was dismissed three days after he asked an Accra court to force Woyome, to pay back 51.3 million cedis, according to a copy of the writ. The office of President John Atta Mills said Amidu was fired on Jan. 19 for "misconduct" at a meeting with the leader. Education Minister Betty Mould-Iddrisu, the previous justice minister, quit on Jan. 23, without saying why.
Deputy Information Minister Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa didn't answer a call made to his mobile phone today seeking comment.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ekow Dontoh in Accra at firstname.lastname@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Emily Bowers at email@example.com


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Well as I am on the road travelling I had to stop several places to fuel up. They looked great from the highway but, when I got off the overpass things started to look a little shady.
I put my small canister of Sabered in my front pocket and filled up my tank and paid. Several times today I kept thinking..I really wish I had my CHL/CCW.
I need something that I will carry around all the time on my person. I know its not a lot of firepower compared to other handguns but I am seriously thinking of getting the .380 from Kel Tec for concealed carry use.
Anyone think this is a good idea. I even thought about getting a .38 special revolver.
Which would you guys pick? .38 revolver or .380 Kel Tec?


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ABCNews' Karen Travers Reports: President Bush praised the Inspector General while still supporting the national security letters at the stem of this week's FBI controversy during a joint press conference with the President of Uruguay.
"Those problems will be addressed as quickly as possible," said Bush, who was briefed on the subject last week. He also complemented the Inspector General for "good and necessary work."
On Friday, FBI Director Robert Mueller accepted blame for privacy infringements associated with the national security letters. According to the report, the FBI both underreported its use of the letters and failed to obtain proper subpoenas that are supposed to follow the letters.
"He took responsibility as he should have," Bush said.
The President did not see the report as a knock on the use of the letters, citing the Inspector General's note that they were "important to the security of the United States."


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9:49 am
Thu July 25, 2013
International Conservation Conference, Cleaning Up the Bay
By Don Rush
More than 1,500 scientists gathered this week in Baltimore for the 26 th annual the International Congress for Conservation Biology. Event organizers Autumn-Lynn Harrison, scientist and research associate at Clemson University talks about efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay with Delmarva Public Radio's Don Rush.


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Traxxas replacement 54mm turnbuckles for Traxxas trucks.
Includes: 2- 54mm threaded turnbuckles w/nut for easy adjustment.
2- 3x6,4.0mm thick aluminum spacers
Comment: The spacers are for spacing the ball end away from the transmission bulkhead.
Prices are relatively good, but shipping is a bit expensive compared to other stores.They are also good sellers for the speed of shipping and stock products


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Steve Jobs biography released early for Kindle, iBookstore (updated)
Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs has been released a couple hours early on the Kindle Store, and its release in the US iBookstore is expected at midnight. The US iBookstore is still showing the book as available for pre-order as of this writing, but it should be available for download within the next couple of hours.
Multiple details of the biography have leaked out over the past week via multiple media outlets, and a 60 Minutes interview with Walter Isaacson provided some fascinating insights into both the biography itself and the man who was its subject.
Along with many other members of the Apple-loving world, I am very much looking forward to reading it, and I will have a review of the work up on TUAW as soon as I've finished reading it. Look for that review later on in the week -- with a print length of 656 pages, it might take me a day or two to read through the whole book.
Thanks to the readers who tipped us!
Update: The biography went live on the iBookstore an hour earlier than expected, so it's now available.
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The 1st International SCANDAL Fan-Based Forum.
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Relive your childhood memories & see what was out on those special times of your life. This forum gives a weekly view of the Top 40 songs from 1955-today. I hope this will be a true gem for all music
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Free forum : Japan Attack is a server based on Japan's drifting cultures as well as the virtual dimension abroad. Hosted by us! ! ! Team Free Spirit! ! !
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Free forum : The precursor to the Dragon Ball: Shattered Hope series. The ancient races of the Romans and Seraphim are just beginning as empires.
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Welcome to ZDA, a academy where the best players unite. We hope you enjoy your stay!
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Here at the Legend of Kingdom Hearts, we seek to deliver aforum unlike most others: with a blend of fanfics, challengestournaments, and many, MANY other things, this forum wantsthe members to be as happy as can be. We hope you enjoyyour stay!!
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A network of inquirers, converts, and reverts to the Catholic Church, as well as life-long Catholics, all on a journey of continual conversion to Jesus Christ.
Join & Get the CHNewsletter Learn MoreRick grew up in a Jewish community in Oak Park, Michigan. Unknown to Rick, his journey to faith in Jesus Christ began when he married an Irish Catholic girl. God used a rocky time in his marriage to get his attention to enable him, through the Holy Spirit, to accept Jesus as his Messiah, Lord […]
I chose to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church when it became apparent to me that I no longer could confess the Creed, in which I made the claim to believe in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and not be in communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter, and Pastor of the universal Church.
Seth grew up, in California, in a nominal New Age Jewish family that celebrated Passover, Christmas and Buddha's birthday. As a child he had no concept of the present of God in his life. He attended a Catholic high school and had his initial encounter with Church at the elevation of the host in the Holy […]
Dan is the executive director of the "National Catholic Register" newspaper.
Marcus Grodi with Roy Schoeman, Mark Shea, Dr. Scott Hahn & Fr. Ray Ryland.
Growing up in a Conservative Jewish home in suburban Toronto, I was a regular attendee at synagogue on Sabbaths and High Holy Days, and I lived a committed Jewish life. My father is a Polish Holocaust survivor from Auschwitz, and my mother's family escaped the organized massacres of Jews in Russia.
My sister and I were raised in Canada in a Jewish, Yiddish-speaking environment where all our friends were Jewish, and Israel was our raison d'être. Christianity was the religion of the outsiders, the faith of anti-Semites and Jew-haters, the creed of the Crusaders, Inquisitors, Persecutors, and Nazis. Yet my mother would remind me continually that "Jesus was a Jew."


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Homeotherapeutics of Respiratory Illness Respiratory Therapuetics The respiratory tract is the most common focus for prescribing in General Practice. This is because our system of airways is a very vulnerable interface with our environment.
Prenatal exposure to pesticides linked to attention problems Children who were exposed to organophosphate pesticides while still in their mother's womb were more likely to develop attention disorders years later, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
Antioxidants and Lung diseases Respiratory disease causes over 10% of hospitalizations and over 16% of deaths in Canada and refers to many disorders affecting the lungs, including lung diseases of pleural cavity, bronchial tubes, trachea, upper respiratory tract and the nerves and muscles of breathing.
Asthma : Homeopathy treatment and Homeopathic remedy Child Allergic Bronchial Asthma cure by Homeopathy treatment By Dr Harshad RavalAir pollution more and more child suffering from different kind of allergy like respirations, skin, and gastrointestinal track.
Simple test may identify stroke survivors at risk of another cardiovascular event DALLAS, USA - Measuring circulation in the ankle using a device similar to a blood pressure cuff can help identify asymptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) in stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) survivors, a group at much higher risk of subsequent cerebrovascular events, according to a study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.


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Sun, Feb 28, 10 at 15:58
We tried to band our 10 day old young bull, but noticed his sac is empty. Bummers... it was hard catching him. Shouldn't the testicles have descended by now? |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by bulldinkie pa (My Page) on Sun, Feb 28, 10 at 18:30
THat means his testicles didnt drop yet.I dont remember much I think theres a way to bring em down or just wait till they drop. |
It really is not going to be easy to ban a young bull much older than he is now. They get very strong very fast and this increases the danger of getting nerves in the band and causing lameness and infection. I would suggest you wait until he's about 6 months old and take him to the vet for castration. We do all our bull calves at 3 days and even then they are really really strong. If there wasn't such a struggle with the banding and his strength you can reach up and gently bring the testicles down for banding. But at his age it's a real challenge. |
I do all of mine at least a month old. I cut them instead of band them but I do undertand why people use bands. Either way it helps to be handy with a ropeor have a chute handy. When you band them at such a young age there is a real risk of one testicle being pulled back up through the band. If you wait until they're a little bigger it's not such a problem. To get them to drop just run your fingertips from their flank down to the scrotum and it will push them down into the scrotum. |
You can wait until he gets larger. We wait and work all our calves several weeks prior to taking them out to grass pasture. A bigger bull is not going to be prone to lameness or infection. I don't know where you are getting that information. If yo do not have a chute, then tie a panel in a corner of a pen, run him into the corner and sandwich him between the panels. Tie a rope or put a pipe behind him so he doesn't back up and do your deed. I have been stuck in many remote locations and have used this method on cows for preg checking, shots, and general doctoring. You will have to be quick and more than one person is helpful. Jay |
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- You cannot add "Peanut Butter & Jelly Illusion" to the cart because the product is out of stock.
The Magician demonstrates the sharpness of the blade by cutting a piece of paper and then place the blades one at time into their mouth. Swallowing the blades, showing his mouth empty. The performer places a piece of floss or yarn into their mouth. Pulling the string and showcasing the blades tied onto the string and it pulled out of the performers mouth. You must be 18 years old to purchase. Razor Blade Eating Trick comes complete with Teaching DVD
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NEW YORK, April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Deirdre Finn, a highly experienced management liability underwriter, has joined Beazley in New York, further enhancing the service provided by the company's US management liability team. Deirdre will help build upon Beazley's established and growing presence in the US, primarily underwriting public company D&O.
Deirdre joins Beazley from Navigators, where from 2001 she built and managed a substantial book of management liability business. Her prior experience includes senior underwriting roles at Axcelera and Reliance.
"We are delighted that Deirdre has agreed to join Beazley," said Marc London, head of the Beazley's US management liability team. "Over the past seven years our Specialty Lines division has built an impressive local presence in the US with more than seventy-five underwriters and claims managers. With her technical underwriting background and business development experience, Deirdre will fit right in with our 'straight answers' approach to the business."
Deirdre may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com, and 917-344-3310, 1270 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10020.
For further information, please contact: Marc London (646) 378 4012 Note to editors: Beazley's Lloyd's syndicates are the largest insurers of US D&O coverage in the London insurance market and, since 2005, the company has also built a substantial local presence in the US market, writing a broad suite of management liability products including D&O for both public and private companies, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability and fidelity insurance, through both Beazley Insurance Company Inc. and Lloyd's syndicates 623/2623. Beazley plc (BEZ.L), is the parent company of specialist insurance businesses with operations in Europe, the US, Asia and Australia. Beazley manages five Lloyd's syndicates and, in 2011, underwrote gross premiums worldwide of $1,712.5 million. All Lloyd's syndicates are rated A by A.M. Best. Beazley's underwriters in the United States focus on writing a range of specialist insurance products. In the admitted market, coverage is provided by Beazley Insurance Company, Inc., an A.M. Best A rated carrier licensed in all 50 states. In the surplus lines market, coverage is provided by the Beazley syndicates at Lloyd's. Beazley is a market leader in many of its chosen lines, which include professional indemnity, property, marine, reinsurance, accident and life, and political risks and contingency business.Check Out Our Best Services for Investors
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Philly Soccer Show
Philly Soccer Show: Union, Licking Wounds, Hope For Better Against Montreal
The KYW Philly Soccer Show talks with Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath as the Philadelphia Union get ready for the dangerous Montreal Impact at PPL Park this Saturday.
Philly Soccer Show: Kelyn Rowe
He is one of the key players for a resurgent New England Revolution, and now he is the guest on the KYW Philly Soccer Show.
Philly Soccer Show: Lucky Mkosana
Mkosana talks with KYW's Greg Orlandini and Philly Soccer Page writer Eli Pearlman-Storch about playing for the Union's minor-league affiliate team and his hopes of making it to MLS.
Philly Soccer Show: Jack Of All Trades
Jack McInerney is having a dominant year and he talks with Greg and Mike this week.
Philly Soccer Show: Union Assistant Coach Jim Curtin
Curtin, an Oreland, Pa. native, sits down this week with Greg and Eli.
Philly Soccer Show: Martin Rennie and the Vancouver Whitecaps
The Philadelphia Union heads to Vancouver to take on the high-flying Whitecaps this Saturday, and the KYW Philly Soccer Show gets you ready for it.
Philly Soccer Show: Portland's Darlington Nagbe And A Wet Win For Philly
Darlington Nagbe is one of the top young players in MLS, and he is this week's guest. We then look back at the Union's water logged home win against Chivas USA.
Philly Soccer Show: Leo Fernandes
This week, Eli and Greg talk with Union midfielder Leo Fernandes and with "Sons of Ben" travel coordinator Kelly Delaney.
Philly Soccer Show: Alejandro Moreno, and Union's Big Win
He was a Philadelphia Union original, and now he sits in the broadcasters' booth at PPL Park.
Philly Soccer Show: Oka Nikolov Joins Union, US Men's National Team Wins 3
A perfect three-for-three for the US National Team, and the Philadelphia Union gets a new goalkeeper.
Philly Soccer Show: US Men's National Team on a Roll
The USA are at the top of the qualifying group and are very close to booking their trip to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Philly Soccer Show: Aaron Wheeler
Union forward Aaron Wheeler is the guest on this week's KYW Philly Soccer Show.
Philly Soccer Show: In The Booth With JP Dellacamera
JP Dellacamera, the play-by-play voice of the Philadelphia Union, is this week's guest on the "KYW Philly Soccer Show."
Philly Soccer Show: Farewell, Gabriel Farfan
The former Union defender/midfielder heads back to his native California with fond words for his Philadelphia team.
Philly Soccer Show: The Fans Speak Out!
This week Greg and Eli open the phones to a select group of Philadelphia Union fans.


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Top 10 Problems With Tube or Cylinder Type Softside Waterbeds
Many purists do not consider a Tube Type Waterbed a true Waterbed rather they consider it a hybrid waterbed. This is the beginning of our two part blog that highlights the ten things we consider to be the biggest problems with this type of water bed.
1. Tube Beds do not feel like a deep fill waterbed.
It does not form to the body the way waterbeds that are 7 inches or deeper do. Deep fill waterbeds are much better at relieving pressure points on the body and decreasing tossing and turning than tube beds.
2. Softsided systems like the tube bed are usually too firm for most waterbed lovers.
They can feel as firm as a regular spring mattress, not providing the same head to toe full body support as a waterbed.
3. Tube type waterbeds usually are not heated.
Adjustable heat is the one thing most waterbed owners want yet many tube beds don't have them. Most tube type waterbeds are designed with a thicker top cover to insulate and eliminate the need for a heater. If a heater is used it must be a low watt heater to keep the bed from overheating or even possibly burning out.
4. Trying to find where the leak is located.
With 8 tubes in a Queen mattress and 10 in a King mattress, each must be examined very closely. Many times it is one of the 8 or 10 cap and plugs that can leak and they must be replaced. If the leak is found in the vinyl of the tube, we recommend replacing the tube. Repairing in tubes can be tricky because leaks are usually in high stress areas due to their design. It is common for them to fail around a seam or the valve making it nearly impossible for a patch to stick and contain water.
5. Tubes / cylinders are awkward and hard to fill.
Tubes are usually filled in an area close to a water source and then carried into the bedroom and placed in the bed. Each tube should be filled to the same level. This means holding the 60 to 100 lb. tube erect which is very heavy and very awkward and filling to the fill mark on the tube itself. This is contrary to the sales pitch many sales associate provide suggesting that they are easy to fill, drain, and move. These same people usually have never installed one in a customer's house much less attempted to fill and get the water level precisely the same so comfort is not affected..
6. Lack of core support from the multiple water mattresses
Look at the fingers on your hand and tightly pull them together. This is basically a simplified demonstration of the core support in a tube bed. The gaps in your fingers are no different from the gaps in the tubes that are lacking to properly support the sleeper. Over filled tubes exaggerate the problem and layers of foam in the cover disguise the problem.
7. Top covers can and do break down quickly.
One of the most common problems next to tube failure in these water log designed beds is that the cover of the mattress breaks down. Mattress covers are over filled with materials to insulate sleepers from what is usually considered a non heated waterbed. They usually have 4" or more of padding and foam and frequently breakdown and compress much like a fluffy pillow top mattress not to mention these top covers are not standardized or cheap to replace.
8. Finding the right size replacement tubes can be tricky.
Tubes are not standard in length and must be the correct length or they will rupture at the end seams of the bed. Some tubes are round while others are more squared off. Always take the old tube with you when you are shopping for a replacement tube to make sure you're replacing it with a proper replacement..
9. Baffled or fiber filled tubes can be very hard to drain.
This baffling is usually an open cell foam. This foam acts like a giant sponge making them hard to extract the water from. If the baffled tubes are not handled carefully the foam can be torn. It can also shift out of its correct position or get balled up inside the tube. These tubes can cost up to 50% more than a free slow tube to replace.
10. Free flow tubes don't have a very long life expectancy.
These cylinders have a tendency to give the bed a bucking motion. The water races the length of these tubes when pressure is exerted on the opposite end, which stresses the end seams and can cause a seam failure.
Somma is probably the most recognizable brand name of tube beds sold. Don't get us wrong many people have enjoyed these beds over the years, however our 24 plus years of handling their service issues is the reason we are not big fans of their design. At STL Beds we have limited our sales of them and even removed them from our showroom floor. Their high failure rate, lack of support, durability and the fact that they feel nothing like a true waterbed puts them at the bottom of our recommendation list. Our suggestion is to consider a true deep fill softside waterbed. If your response is that tube waterbeds don't feel like a waterbed then I think you can see why we believe the tube bed is a hybrid bed with a lot of troublesome issues making nearly any other mattress a better option.
9 Comments Leave your comment »
What's the real reason you don't sell tubes, can't get a soma distributorship? I've had tubes for years, never had a leak or any of the other problems you mention Comment by Sharon — September 23, 2013 @ 2:20 am |
There are 10 very well explained reasons why tube beds are no longer displayed in our store, all I ask is for you to take the time to read all 10 and you will have the answer to you question. Somma was a brand that went out of business in the late 1990's. The rights to that name were purchased by a company called Land and Sky. We still do business with them today and they are considered the #1 manufacturer of waterbeds. After buying the defunct company long story short, Land and Sky did away with nearly every Somma designed manufactured good built by Somma. They replaced those products with their own proven products and took advantage of the Somma name, which had literally been bought with hundreds of thousands of dollars in marketing through Better Homes and Gardens magazine and television advertising. In reference to your personal success as a Somma Tube Bed owner, we love to hear happy successful stories like yours and wish you continued success as a tube bed owner. Disappointingly that one bed by itself does not make the entire brand a success story. If the brand had delivered what it promised in the beginning, the majority of Somma owners would still be sleeping on those mattresses today just like you. Remember the 2001 Pontiac Aztek: 1987 Yugo: 1958 Edsel Corsair: 1971 Chevrolet Vega: but also remember some people loved these cars yet history shows us they may have been 4 of the worst cars ever built. Thank you very much for your input. Doug Comment by Douglas Belleville — September 24, 2013 @ 8:05 am |
I agree that one does not a dozen make!. As an a long time married couple we have slept on beds over the world. Many of these beds were definitely comfortable. We bought our "tube bed" in 1985. After a couple of years and a couple of relocations, we tried leaving one tube out and by using only 7 tubes it increased the confortability of the bed, which we were already very satisfied with, and have remained so for the last 28 years. When returning home from trips and sleeping on the road in quality hotels it is always a pleasure to get back into our "tube bed"! Oh, we have had the bladder-type before. Both with internal dampening material and without.. Comment by Dr. John Kirschke — October 22, 2013 @ 9:39 am |
My husband and I have slept on a queen size Somma II bed for 30 years and our guest bed is also a Somma. We've replaced the top cover on our Somma once. Our cylinders have never leaked, but we have a few extra, just in case. Guests think the Somma is really comfortable and are surprised to hear it's a waterbed. It uses standard queen sheets. We always look forward to "sleeping in our own bed" when returning from trips. Comment by jeanne hammond — February 23, 2014 @ 7:19 pm |
I would like to start with I used tubes probably 7 years ago. I went n bought a number bed |
I would like to know if you can replace the mattress . Our tubes our just fine. We need a new mattress to hold the tubes in. We love our bed. The firmness is the best thingl Had it for 15 years. Thank you Comment by Andria Ayers — June 23, 2014 @ 1:25 pm |
Hi Andria, while the softside bed without the tubes may be hard to find on line by itself store like STL Beds would be more than happy to look into it for you. We will need you to contact us with the inside cavity dimensions. If the inside walls are vertical we will need 3 measurements. Comment by Douglas Belleville — June 24, 2014 @ 9:21 am |
Help! We have had our Somma waterbed for 30 years also! We just love it! The problem is our top mattress is falling apart and lumpy. Where is the best place to buy the top mattress that fits over the bottom box spring? I don't have a model number – how do I ensure that it will fit my box spring? Is there any way to save some money on the top mattress? Do any other brands fit the somma bed? We live in Las Vegas. Thank you Comment by Ruth — July 19, 2014 @ 4:09 pm |
Ruth, The fact is this that this is a 30 year old bed and as you described is falling apart. My suggestion do not throw good money after bad. Spending money to try to string along the old 30 top is ill-advised. Besides that most likely the part(s) you are looking to replace no longer exist since Somma has been out of business since the 90's. The new company building them uses none of their old designs to my knowledge making the possibility of buying said parts impossible. The foundation should be nothing more than an upholstered wooden box. This on the other hand could be kept and should save you a couple hundred dollars. We have tube or cylinder type waterbeds available. Feel free to contact me at the number above to discuss specific options. Good Luck in your tube bed quest. Doug Comment by Douglas Belleville — July 22, 2014 @ 7:50 am |


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Kapetan Tasos is a very pretty all suites B&B. The rooms are very generous, full of light and all white and minimal decoration that pleased my eyes (no kitsch). It is a very good place to stay in Pollonia, near two small beaches, one organized, another one not. The service by Stella and Maria is impeccable, always with a smile... More
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- Also Known As:
- Kapetan Tasos Milos/Pollonia, Greece


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Jump into the chemicals sold in my zoning
from Aesop Rock (Ft. Camu Tao & El-P) – Rickety Rackety Lyrics on Genius
New York is notorious for its reputation as a dirty city. Alternatively, he's referring to the drugs sold by dealers in his neighborhood.
To help improve the quality of the lyrics, visit "Rickety Rackety" by Aesop Rock (Ft. Camu Tao & El-P) Lyrics and leave a suggestion at the bottom of the page


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Colleges should keep their libraries updated.
In the midst of tedious classes and examinations, college students often have a difficult time choosing the best way to spend their free time. With Internet-enabled phones and social networks vying for students' attention, they find an easy refuge online. This, coupled with widespread digitisation of books, has left some wondering if libraries have become obsolete. On the contrary, there has never been a time when a library, especially a college library is more important in the life of a student. A visit to the college library can either aid the students' coursework, or prove to be a great respite from it. They can unwind while browsing shelves stocked with Oscar Wilde and Jane Austen, or find books that challenge their prejudices.
A library is no longer merely a place that stores books but also performs an array of other functions. Anna University's Central Library is visited by 1,000 students everyday. Dr.Krishnamoorthy, a librarian, says that undergraduate students use the library mostly to refer to textbooks, while the postgraduate students come in for projects and research. Anna University has embraced digitisation by signing an MoU with the UGC, which gives the library access to UGC-Infonet Digital Library Consortium. The library is also a member of INDEST-AICTE Consortium. UGC-Infonet and INDEST allow students access to a large database of online journals and research papers. The library offers over 32,000 e-journals and 32,400 back volumes. A large number of students choose to stay on campus to avail themselves of the rich resources offered by the library.
The Arts
A library of an academic institution depends on the courses that the college offers. While the Central Library mostly offers books on science and engineering, arts colleges have to cover a wider range of subjects. Arts college libraries are usually more eclectic than others. Stella Maris College, for example, has two libraries, one for undergraduates and another for postgraduate students. Both libraries boast a large collection of novels of various genres and reference books on subjects, including philosophy, international affairs and religion. Stella Maris College has subscribed to online research databases such as EBSCO and QUESTIA, which are open to students and faculty. Students here have the unique privilege of using the resources of the library even after they graduate. Shri Sankarilal Sundaribai Shasun Jain College for Women also has two libraries — one for the humanities and another for the sciences. But the process of digitisation has been slow. Librarian Mathanki Devi says that although they subscribed to the online resources portal INFLIBNET last year, students do not have access to the database yet.
Every college library caters to both the immediate scholarly needs of students and tries to keep them updated on current affairs. The latter becomes more prominent in a media college. Indian Institute of Media and Communication (IIMC), Delhi, subscribes to over 100 periodicals and 40 leading newspapers. The library maintains a large collection of books covering areas as niche as advertising, public relations, journalism and communication research, and as broad as economics and politics.
Another very dynamic area of studies is medicine. It is constantly evolving as new findings and discoveries are made everyday. With a budget of nearly Rs. 4 crores assigned to the library, Zacharia, Librarian, Sri Ramachandra University, says that the library is the backbone of the university and that it is currently in a transition period. The library is massive and covers countless specialisations such as surgery, pathology, ophthalmology. A staff member from the University says that a medical student must spend at least five to six hours everyday studying outside class. Therefore, both physical and digital journals are available to students. A total of 487 print journals are stocked, out of which 115 are of Indian origin. There are two internet rooms, an archives room, and a personal reading room where students can bring in their own books. When compared to other fields, the library plays a more crucial role in the education and growth of both the students and faculty in a medical college.
The future
It has become necessary for colleges across the country to change with the times and keep pace with the current trends. It is the responsibility of every college to ensure that the library plays the role of a guide and a teacher.


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Veterinary Support
Gaby Ramirez, CVA I
Veterinary Tech School: University of Texas at Arlington
I was born and raised the youngest of 5 children in Forth Worth, TX. Some of my earliest memories were playing with the dogs and cats we owned growing up. I am the first in my family to attend and graduate from college. My favorite part of this job is playing with puppies and kittens all day.
Surgical Supervisor
Crystal Templin, CVA III


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My best friend's mom died in 2008 from breast cancer. She always believed in me. She was the first person I shared my writing with . I still write and I dedicate Until Next time to her. my dad died…Continue
Started Apr 11, 2011
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Good News Translation (GNT) | New International Version (NIV) |
31 because he defends the poor and saves them from those who condemn them to death. | 31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him. |
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. (The Good News Translation - The Holy Bible Online) | Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |


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Man dead, boy in hospital after shootings
Comment on this storyCape Town - A man was killed and a 12-year-old boy was wounded in a spate of gang shootings on the Cape Flats over the past few days.
In Kleinvlei, Eersterivier, a 20-year-old man was shot dead on Tuesday.
Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said police found the man in Park Street, Spandau Village, in Kleinvlei, at about 8.45pm.
Police were called to the area after residents complained after hearing gunshots.
Van Wyk said: "They noticed that the victim who was standing in the street fell on the ground.
"He had a gunshot wound to the lower back and died on the scene."
The motive for the killing was still under investigation and a murder case had been opened.
Meanwhile, police have arrested two men for shooting a 12-year-old boy in Hanover Park on Sunday.
The incident took place in Tiberius Court at about 9.40pm.
The boy is still in hospital.
Cape Argus
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Definition: A person, place, or thing
Context: The words "president," "American Revolution," and "United States" are nouns.
Definition: More than one
Context: Usually you add an "s" to a word to make a plural noun.
Definition: A three-dimensional figure with a square base and four triangular sides
Context: The pyramids of the ancient Egyptians were tombs for their rulers.
Definition: Only one
Context: The singular form of foxes is fox.
Win for Your School Enter every day for your chance to win $30,000 and a new playground.
NOW OPEN: Ultimate Cool School Sweepstakes Win a free year of access to Discovery Education Science for your entire school.
Siemens Science Day Download 130 free hands-on activities to promote science literacy in your classroom.


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I'm very happy with this services and I like it mooooore its safety and fast. I dont forget this site and i will order from it all the time...Read More ->
I've just deleted all other magic e-tailers from my bookmarks. Many orders w/ MJM and they have never let me down! No need to search all over - one...Read More ->


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Personal shop > > Stamps, collectibles & gifts > Stamps > Products > Stamp sets
Your shopping basket is empty.
All our special stamp sets availabe to order or buy now
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As Home Secretary in the 1820s, Peel famously founded the Metropolitan Police Force, reformed criminal law and put through legislation allowing Catholics to become MPs.Code AS49A
A renowned orator and reformer, Grey led the Whigs for almost 30 years, becoming famous for the �Great� Reform Act of 1832, which expanded the electorate and, according to many historians, placed Britain on the path to democracy.Code AS50A
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Your video will begin after this quick intro to Brightstorm.
Dividing Radicals and Rationalizing the Denominator - Problem 7
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In math, we try to leave the denominators of any fraction as rational numbers (as opposed to roots.) If you have a root in the denominator of your fraction, in order to make it rational, you need to multiply both top and bottom of the fraction by that root. This process is called "rationalizing the denominator" because, if done correctly, the bottom of the fraction becomes an integer and the only roots will be in the numerator. You can choose to simplify the root in the denominator either before you begin (which gives you smaller numbers to work with throughout) or after you have multiplied top and bottom- you should get the same answer either way.
Transcript Coming Soon!


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Anthony Gregory at P.A.U.L. Festival 2012 Recorded: Saturday, August 25, 2012
Independent Institute Research Fellow and Student Programs Director Anthony Gregory addresses P.A.U.L. Festival 2012 on Government Power and the Road to Liberty.
Experts: Anthony GregoryType: Other EventIssues: Civil Liberties/ Human Rights, Constitutional Law, Culture/ Society, Free Market Economics, Freedom, Nationalism, Political Ideology and Philosophy, Property Rights
Benjamin Powell on the Payroll Tax Cut and Salt Regulation by the FDA Recorded: Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Benjamin Powell engages with Judge Napolitano on Fox Business Networks Freedom Watch about the payroll tax cut and the FDA regulation of salt.
Experts: Benjamin W. PowellType: TelevisionIssues: Agriculture, Fiscal Policy/Debt, Regulation and Deregulation, Social Security, Taxes
Full Video of The Independent Institutes 25th Anniversary Gala for Liberty Recorded: Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Full Video of The Independent Institutes 2011 25th Anniversary Gala for Liberty held November 15, 2011. Part 1: Introductory Remarks and Tribute to Robert Higgs Part 2: Tribute to Mario Vargas Llosa Part 3: History of The Independent Institute and Fund for the Future Part 4: Tribute to Lech Walesa Part 5: Special Tributes, Sponsors, and Credits
Experts: Leszek Balcerowicz, Price V. Fishback, Robert Higgs, Ron Paul, Jorge Quiroga, David J. Theroux, Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, Mario Vargas Llosa, Lech Wałęsa, Yuri Yarim-AgaevType: Independent Institute EventIssues: Bureaucracy and Government, Business, Civil Liberties/ Human Rights, Constitutional Law, Defense and Foreign Policy, Democracy, Economic History and Development (U.S.), Economic Policy, Government Power, History (International), History (U.S), Latin America, Nationalism, Political Ideology and Philosophy, Politics, Privatization, Property Rights, Terrorism and National Crises
Anthony Gregory on Military Assassination of American Citizens Recorded: Friday, September 30, 2011
Research Editor Anthony Gregory interviewed on KTVU 2 on the dangerous precedent of the US government assassinating American citizens such as Anwar al-Awlaki.
Experts: Anthony GregoryType: TelevisionIssues: Civil Liberties/ Human Rights, Constitutional Law, Terrorism and National Crises
Ivan Eland on Obama Breaking War Powers Act Recorded: Sunday, May 22, 2011
Ivan Eland, Director, Center on Peace and Liberty at the Independent Institute, talks to Russia Today about Obama disregarding the War Powers Act since entering Lybia over 60 days ago.
Experts: Ivan ElandType: TelevisionIssues: Constitutional Law, Defense and Foreign Policy, Diplomacy and Foreign Aid
Stephen Halbrook on DC vs. Heller II Recorded: Monday, November 15, 2010
Stephen P. Halbrook on nra.org discusses his optimism that the U.S. Court of Appeals in the D.C. Circuit will rule that Mayor Fenty's anti-gun laws in D.C. are unconstitutional.
Experts: Stephen P. HalbrookType: TelevisionIssues: Constitutional Law, Gun Control
The Supreme Court and the Battle for Second Amendment Rights (Oakland) Recorded: Thursday, July 22, 2010
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Experts: Stephen P. Halbrook, Nelson Lund, Alexander T. TabarrokType: Independent Institute EventIssues: Constitutional Law, Gun Control
The Supreme Court and the Battle for Second Amendment Rights Recorded: Thursday, July 22, 2010
In June 2008 the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a landmark ruling on the Second Amendment individual right to keep and bear arms with its Heller v. District of Columbia decision. Two years later, in June 2010, a second historic decision squeezed through the highest court in the land.
Experts: Stephen P. Halbrook, Donald E. J. Kilmer Jr.Type: Independent Institute EventIssues: Bureaucracy and Government, Civil Liberties/ Human Rights, Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice/ Prisons, Culture/ Society, Gun Control, History (U.S), Law Enforcement, Litigation, Political Ideology and Philosophy, Race Issues


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Seishin refuses when Ozaki says Sunako is a Shiki. Later at the old church, Sunako explains that no death is REALLY awfull, Then Seishin said that Ozaki suspects that Sunako is a Shiki and then Seishin asks if that is true, then Sunako reaches in to bite him but stops at the last second and said "You are quite the romantic arent you?". Later when the war started, Seishin was protecting Sunako in her basement but when the sun comes out and everyone discovers the basement, Seishin runs out with Sunako in a suitcase (sleeping). Then he hides sunako under a bush, and goes to another bush farther away and dies. then when sunako is about to get killed by Ookawa, Seishin has a knife and almost chops his head off. Seishin has risen into a jinrou! (werewolf) then he makes an awful speech about how god never says anything, then he takes sunako with him out of the village.
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Google kills plans to launch physical credit card before I/O
Google CEO Larry Page has killed any plans to launch a physical credit card for Google's Wallet program leading up to their I/O event next week. The head of Google Wallet has also departed the company as a result of this fiasco.
AllThingsD is reporting that although Google will be updating its Wallet product, it will not be launching their own physical credit card at their I/O event next week. If you didn't know they were even considering doing that, you probably missed a report by Android Police in November of 2012 that revealed plans for a physical card. Their sources say that this news was announced in a recent memo which also included the announcement that the head of Google Wallet, Osama Bedier, would be leaving the company.
The card was described as one with "a black face adorned with the whimsical rainbow "W" of the Google Wallet logo, a standard magnetic stripe and the usual raised numbers of a credit card embossed on it." Which all sounds very Google-ish in design.
The report claims that releasing the credit card was part of an overall strategic plan that is unsurprisingly based around Google being able to collect more information on people. The card would allow them to track purchasing habits which would of course help them to continue to perfect their all-important advertising business.
Google has always been interested in growing its Wallet business but has been held back by the lack of adoption of NFC technology by many of the world's most popular retailers and banks. AllThingsD also mentions that Google CEO Larry Page abruptly killed the plans to launch the physical card after being very unimpressed with the lack of innovation, and he held the belief that it would not be able to compete with the startups like Square.
All this bad news make it easier to understand why Osama Bedier was then ousted from the company. His highly questionable strategy for Google Wallet was killed before it ever saw the light of day, and it keeps the program in a bit of a limbo as they decide where they should go next. The good news is that Larry Page had the foresight to end this before it got out, which is a step up for Google who has in recent past went ahead with a couple projects that were destined to fail. Most recently the Nexus Q.
Source: AllThingsD Via: The Verge


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Sara Boyd
Hola Arepa Among The Stands At Food Truck Fair
Say hello to Hola Arepa — the bright, teal truck that's fast become a favorite for many downtown lunch-goers. Serving the best in Latin cuisine and traditional arepas, this mobile kitchen has been a popular place since it opened last year.
Curiocity: MN Chef Competes On 'Chopped' For Local Charity
Four chefs, three courses – but this time, there's a lot more on the line.
Curiocity Review: 'Mary Poppins' Brings Disney Magic To Life
No one needed a bright, colorful, uplifting performance — proving there's magic in an old trusty umbrella — more than winter weary Minnesota.
Curiocity: Q&A With 'Mary Poppins' Cast Member
When Mary Poppins flies into Minneapolis on her trusty umbrella — yes, fingers crossed she won't be swept up in yet another April snowstorm — she'll bring one of our own home.
Curiocity: A Chef's Profile Of Jack Riebel, Part 2
It's taken Butcher and the Boar's Jack Riebel 30 years of cooking, but he finally feels like he's arrived.
Curiocity: Q&A With The Stars Of 'Flashdance'
Get out your leg warmers and slouch your cut-off sweatshirt — "Flashdance, the Musical" is taking over Minneapolis.
Curiocity: A Chef's Profile Of Butcher & The Boar's Jack Riebel, Part 1
Butcher and the Boar's Jack Riebel is in the midst of celebrating 30 years of cooking and while he's worked just about every position over the course of his career – breakfast cook, smoothie maker, salad cook, executive chef – he said working the line is where he loves to be.
Curiocity: New Foods Announced For Target Field
While last year's offerings included a mega meatball, garlic fries and healthier offerings from LeeAnn Chin, this year we're welcoming food truck fare and a Minnesota favorite.
Curiocity: Macy's Flower Show — Fun Facts, By The Numbers
For nearly 50 years, Macy's eighth floor has been transformed into a giant, gorgeous blossoming garden for the annual flower show. This year, with the help of Bachman's, the theme "A Painted Garden" comes to life through the majestic colors and inspirations of Asia.
Curiocity: All-Male British Company Brings Shakespeare To MN
For those that have seen Shakespeare plays before or those looking to experience them for the first time, one thing's guaranteed: You've never seen Shakespeare like this.
Curiocity: Q&A With 'Spamalot' Star, Thomas DeMarcus
For only three performances, "Monty Python's Spamalot" will come to the home of Spam Town USA.
Curiocity: A Chef's Profile Of Mike DeCamp, Part 2
When La Belle Vie turns 15 this month, the man responsible for a significant portion of its success will also be the man "stuck" back in the kitchen.
Curiocity: Q&A With 'Other Desert Cities' Star
From the creator of the hit TV drama, "Brothers & Sisters," comes a play about a family trying to heal the wounds of a difficult tragedy.
Curiocity: A Chef's Profile Of Mike DeCamp, La Belle Vie
You could say he's a dime a dozen. From the incredible kitchen at La Belle Vie, Chef de Cuisine Mike DeCamp leans on years of experience and a natural talent instead of the now-typical route of culinary school or collegiate courses.
Curiocity: Q&A With 'Top Chef's' Chris Crary
Three years before Chris Crary was old enough to drive, he was creating dishes and experimenting with flavors in his home kitchen.