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The International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security (IJCSIS) is a reputable venue for publishing novel ideas, state-of-the-art research results and fundamental advances in all aspects of computer science and information & communication security. IJCSIS is a peer reviewed international journal with a key objective to provide the academic and industrial community a medium for presenting original research and applications related to Computer Science and Information Security. . The core vision of IJCSIS is to disseminate new knowledge and technology for the benefit of everyone ranging from the academic and professional research communities to industry practitioners in a range of topics in computer science & engineering in general and information & communication security, mobile & wireless networking, and wireless communication systems. It also provides a venue for high-calibre researchers, PhD students and professionals to submit on-going research and developments in these areas. . IJCSIS invites authors to submit their original and unpublished work that communicates current research on information assurance and security regarding both the theoretical and methodological aspects, as well as various applications in solving real world information security problems. . Frequency of Publication: MONTHLY ISSN: 1947-5500 [Copyright � 2011, IJCSIS, USA]
(IJCSIS) International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2011 Comparative Analysis of Speaker Identification using row mean of DFT, DCT, DST and Walsh Transforms Dr. H B Kekre Vaishali Kulkarni Senior Professor, Computer Department, Associate Professor, Electronics & Telecommunication, MPSTME, NMIMS University, MPSTME, NMIMS University, Mumbai, India Mumbai, India firstname.lastname@example.com firstname.lastname@example.com Abstract— In this paper we propose Speaker Identification using Although many new techniques have been developed, four different Transform Techniques. The feature vectors are the widespread deployment of applications and services is still not row mean of the transforms for different groupings. Experiments possible. None of these systems gives accurate and reliable were performed on Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), Discrete results. We When you open have proposed speaker recognition Cosine Transform (DCT), Discrete Sine Transform (DST) and using vector quantization in time domain by using LBG (Linde Walsh Transform (WHT). All the Transform give an accuracy of Buzo Gray), KFCG (Kekre's Fast Codebook Generation) and more than 80% for the different groupings considered. Accuracy KMCG (Kekre's Median Codebook Generation) algorithms increases as the number of samples grouped is increased from 64 [11], [12], [13] and in transform domain using DFT, DCT and onwards. But for groupings more than 1024 the accuracy again DST [14]. starts decreasing. The results show that DST performs best. The maximum accuracy obtained for DST is 96% for a grouping of The concept of row mean of the transform techniques has 1024 samples while taking the transform. been used for content based image retrieval (CBIR) [15 – 18]. This technique also has been applied on speaker identification Keywords - Euclidean distance, Row mean, Speaker Identification, by first converting the speech signal into a spectrogram [19]. Speaker Recognition For the purposes of this paper, we will be considering a speaker identification system that is text-dependent. For the identification purpose, the feature vectors are extracted by I. INTRODUCTION taking the row mean of the transforms (Which is a column Human speech conveys an abundance of information, from the vector). The technique is used as shown in figure 1. Here a language and gender to the identity of the person speaking. The speech signal of 15 samples is divided into 3 blocks of 5 each, purpose of a speaker recognition system is thus to extract the and these 3 blocks form the columns of the matrix whose transform is taken. Then the mean of the absolute value of each unique characteristics of a speech signal that identify a row of the transform matrix is taken and this forms the column particular speaker. [1, 2, 3] Speaker recognition systems are vector of mean. usually classified into two subdivisions, speaker identification and speaker verification. Speaker identification (also known as The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section 2 closed set identification) is a 1: N matching process where the explains feature generation using the transform techniques, identity of a person must be determined from a set of known Section 3 deals with Feature Matching, and the results are speakers [3 - 5]. Speaker verification (also known as open set explained in Section 4 and the conclusion in section 5. identification) serves to establish whether the speaker is who he II. TRANSFORM TECHNIQUES claims to be [6]. Speaker recognition can be further classified into text-dependent and text-independent systems. In a text A. Discrete Fourier Transform dependent system, the system knows what utterances to expect Spectral analysis is the process of identifying component from the speaker. However, in a text-independent system, no frequencies in data. For discrete data, the computational basis assumptions about the text can be made, and the system must be of spectral analysis is the discrete Fourier transform (DFT). more flexible than a text dependent system. The DFT transforms time- or space-based data into frequency- Speaker recognition technology has made it possible to use based data. The DFT allows you to efficiently estimate the speaker's voice to control access to restricted services, for component frequencies in data from a discrete set of values example, for giving commands to computer, phone access to sampled at a fixed rate. If the speech signal is represented by banking, database services, shopping or voice mail, and access y(t), then the DFT of the time series or samples y0, y1,y2, to secure equipment. Speaker Recognition systems have been …..yN-1 is defined as: developed for a wide range of applications [7 - 10]. 102 http://sites.google.com/site/ijcsis/ ISSN 1947-5500 (IJCSIS) International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2011 -2jπkn/N C. Discrete Sine Transform Yk = ne (1) A discrete sine transform (DST) expresses a sequence of finitely many data points in terms of a sum of sine functions. Where yn=ys (nΔt); k= 0, 1, 2…, N-1. Δt is the sampling interval. ) Speech signal (1 × 15) (3) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Where y(k) is the sine transform, k=1,…, N. D. Walsh Transform Dividing The Walsh transform or Walsh–Hadamard transform is a non- into blocks sinusoidal, orthogonal transformation technique that of 5 Mean of decomposes a signal into a set of basis functions. These basis Transform each row functions are Walsh functions, which are rectangular or square 1 6 11 C1 waves with values of +1 or –1. The Walsh–Hadamard 2 7 12 C2 transform returns sequency values. Sequency is a more T C3 generalized notion of frequency and is defined as one half of 3 8 13 the average number of zero-crossings per unit time interval. 4 9 14 C4 Each Walsh function has a unique sequency value. You can 5 10 15 C5 use the returned sequency values to estimate the signal Transform matrix Row Mean frequencies in the original signal. The Walsh–Hadamard Speech signal transform is used in a number of applications, such as image converted into (5 × 3) (1 × 5) processing, speech processing, filtering, and power spectrum matrix (5 × 3) analysis. It is very useful for reducing bandwidth storage requirements and spread-spectrum analysis. Like the FFT, the Figure 1. Row Mean Generation Technique Walsh–Hadamard transform has a fast version, the fast Walsh–Hadamard transform (fwht). Compared to the FFT, the FWHT requires less storage space and is faster to calculate B. Discrete Cosine Transform because it uses only real additions and subtractions, while the A discrete cosine transform (DCT) expresses a sequence of FFT requires complex values. The FWHT is able to represent finitely many data points in terms of a sum of cosine functions signals with sharp discontinuities more accurately using fewer oscillating at different frequencies. coefficients than the FFT. FWHTh is a divide and conquer algorithm that recursively breaks down a WHT of size N into two smaller WHTs of size N / 2. This implementation follows the recursive definition of the Hadamard (2) matrix HN: Where y(k) is the cosine transform, k=1,…, N. (4) The normalization factors for each stage may be grouped k=1 together or even omitted. The Sequency ordered, also known as Walsh ordered, fast Walsh–Hadamard transform, FWHT w, is obtained by computing the FWHT h as above, and then rearranging the outputs [23]. 2≤k≤N III. FEATURE EXTRACTION The procedure for feature vector extraction is given below: The DCT is closely related to the discrete Fourier transform. 1. The speech signal is divided into groups of n samples. You can often reconstruct a sequence very accurately from (Where n can take values: 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, only a few DCT coefficients, a useful property for applications 2048, and 4096) samples. requiring data reduction [20 – 22]. 2. These blocks are then arranged as columns of a matrix and then the different transforms given in section II are taken. 103 http://sites.google.com/site/ijcsis/ ISSN 1947-5500 (IJCSIS) International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2011 3. The mean of the absolute values of the rows of the transform matrix is then calculated. IV. RESULTS 4. These row means form a column vector (1 × n where A. Basics of speech signal n is the number of rows in the transform matrix). The speech samples used in this work are recorded using 5. This column vector forms the feature vector for Sound Forge 4.5. The sampling frequency is 8000 Hz (8 bit, the speech sample. mono PCM samples). Table I shows the database description. The samples are collected from different speakers. Samples are 6. The feature vectors for all the speech samples are taken from each speaker in two sessions so that training model calculated for different values of n and stored in the and testing data can be created. Twelve samples per speaker are database. taken. The samples recorded in one session are kept in database Figure 2 shows the row mean generated for the four and the samples recorded in second session are used for testing. transforms for a grouping of 64 samples for one of the speech signal in the databases. These 64 row means form the feature vector for the particular sample considered. In a similar fashion, the feature vectors for other speech signals were also calculated. This process was repeated for all values of n. As can be seen from figure 2, the 64 mean values form a 1×64 feature vector. Row Mean for DFT for a grouping of 64 samples Row mean for DCT for a grouping of 64 samples 3 0.4 2.5 0.3 2 Amplitude Amplitude 1.5 0.2 1 0.1 0.5 0 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Mean of the absolute value for each row of the transform matrix Row mean of the absolute value for each row of the Transform matrix (A) (B) Row mean for DST for a grouping of 64 samples Row Mean for Walsh for a grouping of 64 samples 2 0.04 1.5 0.03 Amplitude Amplitude 1 0.02 0.5 0.01 0 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Row mean of the absolute value for each row of the Transform matrix Mean of the absolute value for each row of the Transform matrix 104 http://sites.google.com/site/ijcsis/ (C) ISSN 1947-5500 (D) Figure 2. Row Mean Generation for a grouping of 64 samples for one of the speech signal (IJCSIS) International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2011 TABLE I. DATABASE DESCRIPTION TABLE II. NO. OF MATCHES FOR DIFFERENT GROUPINGS Parameter Sample characteristics Language English No. of Speakers 105 No. of Number of matches (out of 105) Speech type Read speech samples Recording conditions Normal. (A silent room) grouped FFT DCT DST WALSH Sampling frequency 8000 Hz Resolution 8 bps 64 78 85 86 76 B. Expermental Results 128 87 92 98 79 The feature vectors of all the reference speech samples are 256 96 98 99 82 stored in the database in the training phase. In the matching phase, the test sample that is to be identified is taken and 512 97 99 98 85 similarly processed as in the training phase to form the feature vector. The stored feature vector which gives the minimum 1024 100 97 101 89 Euclidean distance with the input sample feature vector is declared as the speaker identified. 2048 100 96 97 85 Table II gives the number of matches for the four different 4096 98 96 99 83 transforms. The matching has been calculated by considering the minimum Euclidean distance between the feature vector of 8192 96 90 90 67 the test speech signal and the feature vector of the speech signals stored in the database. The rows of Table II show the number of samples of each speech signal grouped together to form the columns of a matrix whose transform is then taken. C. Accuracy of Identification For each grouping, the transform which gives maximum The accuracy of the identification system is calculated as matches has been shaded in yellow. We can see that for given by equation 5. groupings of 64, 128 and 256 DST gives the best matching i.e. 86, 98 and 99 (out of 105) respectively. For a grouping of 512, (5) DCT gives best matching i.e. 99. For a grouping of 1024 samples, DST gives maximum matches i.e. 101. It can also be The accuracy for the different groupings of the four transforms seen that as the number of samples grouped is further increased was calculated and is shown in Figure 3. beyond 1024, the number of matches is reduced for all the transforms. 105 Figure 3. Accuracy for the four transforms by varying the groupings of samples http://sites.google.com/site/ijcsis/ ISSN 1947-5500 (IJCSIS) International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2011 [12] H B Kekre, Vaishali Kulkarni, "Performance Comparison of Speaker Recognition using Vector Quantization by LBG and KFCG " , The results show the accuracy increases as we increase the International Journal of Computer Applications, vol. 3, July 2010. feature vector size from 64 to 512 for the transforms. Only for [13] H B Kekre, Vaishali Kulkarni, " Performance Comparison of DST, the accuracy decreases from 94.28% to 93.33% as we Automatic Speaker Recognition using Vector Quantization by LBG increase the feature vector size from 256 to 512. The feature KFCG and KMCG", International Journal of Computer Science and vector size of 1024 gives the best result for all the transforms Security, Vol: 4 Issue: 4, 2010. except DCT. For DCT, the best result is obtained for a feature [14] H B Kekre, Vaishali Kulkarni, "Comparative Analysis of Automatic Speaker Recognition using Kekre's Fast Codebook Generation vector size of 512. For DFT, the maximum accuracy obtained Algorithm in Time Domain and Transform Domain " , International is 95.2381% for a feature vector size of 1024. Walsh transform Journal of Computer Applications, Volume 7 No.1. September 2010. gives a maximum accuracy of around 84.7619%. DST [15] Dr. H.B.Kekre, Sudeep D. Thepade, Akshay Maloo "Performance performs best giving a maximum accuracy of 96.1905% for a Comparision of Image Retrieval using Row Mean of Transformed feature vector size of 1024. Column Image", International Journal on Computer Science and Engineering Vol. 02, No. 05, 2010, 1908-1912 V. CONCLUSION [16] Dr.H.B.Kekre,Sudeep Thepade "Edge Texture Based CBIR using Row Mean of Transformed Column Gradient Image", International Journal of In this paper we have compared the performance of four Computer Applications (0975 – 8887) Volume 7– No.10, October 2010 different transforms for speaker identification. All the [17] Dr. H.B.Kekre, Sudeep D. Thepade, Akshay Maloo "Eigenvectors of Transforms give an accuracy of more than 80% for the feature Covariance Matrix using Row Mean and Column Mean Sequences for Face Recognition", International Journal of Biometrics and vector size considered. Accuracy increases as the feature Bioinformatics (IJBB), Volume (4): Issue (2) vector size is increased from 64 onwards. But for feature [18] Dr. H.B.Kekre, Sudeep Thepade, Archana Athawale, "Grayscale Image vector size of more than 1024 the accuracy again starts Retrieval using DCT on Row mean, Column mean and Combination", decreasing. The results show that DST performs best. The Journal of Sci., Engg. & Tech. Mgt. Vol 2 (1), January 2010 maximum accuracy obtained for DST is around 96% for a [19] Dr. H. B. Kekre, Dr. T. K. Sarode, Shachi J. Natu, Prachi J. Natu feature vector size of 1024. The present study is ongoing and "Performance Comparison of Speaker Identification Using DCT, Walsh, Haar on Full and Row Mean of Spectrogram", International Journal of we are analyzing the performance on other transforms. Computer Applications (0975 – 8887) Volume 5– No.6, August 2010 [20] N. Ahmed, T. Natarajan, and K. R. Rao, "Discrete Cosine Transform", IEEE Trans. Computers, 90-93, Jan 1974. REFERENCES [21] N. Ahmed, "How I came up with the Discrete Cosine Transform", [1] Lawrence Rabiner, Biing-Hwang Juang and B.Yegnanarayana, Digital Signal Processing, Vol. 1,1991. "Fundamental of Speech Recognition", Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, [22] G. Strang, "The Discrete Cosine Transform," SIAM Review, Volume 2009. 41, Number 1,1999. [2] S Furui, "50 years of progress in speech and speaker recognition [23] Fino, B.J., and Algazi, V.R., 1976, "Unified Matrix Treatment of the research", ECTI Transactions on Computer andInformation Technology, Fast Walsh–Hadamard Transform," IEEE Transactions on Computers Vol. 1, No. 2, November 2005. 25: 1142–1146 [3] D. A. Reynolds, "An overview of automatic speaker recognition technology," Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech,S [4] Joseph P. Campbell, Jr., Senior Member, IEEE, "Speaker Recognition: A Tutorial", Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 85, no. 9, pp. 1437-1462, September 1997. [5] S. Furui. Recent advances in speaker recognition. AVBPA97, pp 237-- AUTHORS PROFILE 251, 1997 [6] F. Bimbot, J.-F. Bonastre, C. Fredouille, G. Gravier, I. Magrin- Chagnolleau, S. Meignier, T. Merlin, J. Ortega-García, D.Petrovska- Delacrétaz, and D. A. Reynolds, "A tutorial on text-independent speaker Dr. H. B. Kekre has received B.E. (Hons.) in verification," EURASIP J. Appl. Signal Process., vol. 2004, no. 1, pp. Telecomm. Engg. from Jabalpur University in 430–451, 2004. 1958, M.Tech (Industrial Electronics) from IIT [7] D. A. Reynolds, "Experimental evaluation of features for robust speaker Bombay in 1960, M.S.Engg. (Electrical Engg.) identification," IEEE Trans. Speech Audio Process., vol. 2, no. 4, pp. from University of Ottawa in 1965 and Ph.D. 639–643, Oct. 1994. (System Identification) from IIT Bombay in 1970. He has worked Over 35 years as Faculty of [8] Tomi Kinnunen, Evgeny Karpov, and Pasi Fr¨anti, "Realtime Speaker Identification", ICSLP2004. Electrical Engineering and then HOD Computer Science and Engg. at IIT Bombay. For last 13 years worked as a Professor in [9] Marco Grimaldi and Fred Cummins, "Speaker Identification using Department of Computer Engg. at Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, Instantaneous Frequencies", IEEE Transactions on Audio, Speech, and Mumbai. He is currently Senior Professor working with Mukesh Patel School Language Processing, vol., 16, no. 6, August 2008. of Technology Management and Engineering, SVKM's NMIMS University, [10] Zhong-Xuan, Yuan & Bo-Ling, Xu & Chong-Zhi, Yu. (1999). "Binary Vile Parle(w), Mumbai, INDIA. He ha guided 17 Ph.D.s, 150 M.E./M.Tech Quantization of Feature vectors for robust text-independent Speaker Projects and several B.E./B.Tech Projects. His areas of interest are Digital Identification" in IEEE Transactions on Speech and Audio Processing Signal processing, Image Processing and Computer Networks. He has more Vol. 7, No. 1, January 1999. IEEE, New York, NY, U.S.A. than 300 papers in National / International Conferences / Journals to his credit. [11] H B Kekre, Vaishali Kulkarni, "Speaker Identification by using Vector Recently twelve students working under his guidance have received best paper Quantization", International Journal of Engineering Science and awards. Recently two research scholars have received Ph. D. degree from Technology, May 2010. NMIMS University Currently he is guiding ten Ph.D. students. He is member of ISTE and IETE. 106 http://sites.google.com/site/ijcsis/ ISSN 1947-5500 (IJCSIS) International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2011 Vaishali Kulkarni has received B.E in Electronics Engg. from Mumbai University in 1997, M.E (Electronics and Telecom) from Mumbai University in 2006. Presently she is pursuing Ph. D from NMIMS University. She has a teaching experience of more than 8 years. She is Associate Professor in telecom Department in MPSTME, NMIMS University. Her areas of interest include Speech processing: Speech and Speaker Recognition. She has 8 papers in National / International Conferences / Journals to her credit. 107 http://sites.google.com/site/ijcsis/ ISSN 1947-5500
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User Reviews for Oxybutynin
Also known as: Anturol, Ditropan, Ditropan XL, Gelnique, Oxytrol, Oxytrol for Women, Urotrol
The following information is NOT intended to endorse drugs or recommend therapy. While these reviews might be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgement of healthcare practitioners in patient care.
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Reviews for Oxybutynin to treat Hyperhidrosis
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"I started using this on September 2010, and it has been the solution I thought I'd never find. Over sweating even during winter, was such a embarrassing thing in public situations, sweaty palms, on my face and on other areas of my body. Yes, there are side effects, it makes my mouth and other areas including my skin very dry. I increase my liquid intake, and chew a gum now and then to counteract the total dryness. Along with using a regular lotion like cocoa butter before bed. It also causes a bit of dizziness and zombie like feeling which taking a 2x 5mg begins about an hour after. To overcome this I just time it into my schedule where I don't anticipate doing anything of significant or demanding. This will probably sound strange to someone who does not suffer from over sweating, but for those that do, it is a worthy sacrifice."
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The Society was set up following the centenary of the Wakefield Theatre Royal in 1994. Our members come from all over the U.K. and abroad. We aim to:
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*publish a regular Newsletter with news and details of visits
*publish an annual Journal with more in-depth articles.
Membership is open to everyone interested in theatre architecture at £20 for single membership and £25 for joint membership at the same address. Click on the link below and post your membership application.
The second edition of The Matcham Journal, now mailed to the membership, features illustrated articles about theatrical effects at the London Hippodrome, the Bourla in Antwerp and theatre design and architecture from Richard Pilbrow and Tim Foster.
A limited number of copies available to non-members £5 plus postage.
email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Click here for the membership form in PDF format to download and print.
If the form does not open properly download the PDF Reader here.
Still at risk - planning consent active three more years.
It is not yet known who took on the property or what they want to do with it. Please sign the NEW petition to support the local campaign Our Brighton Hippodrome. They will present it at a meeting of the Economic Development & Culture Committee of Brighton & Hove City Council on 18 June and speak for a restored performance venue to benefit the city's cultural status and local economy. If you supported the first petition please sign again via the link below - thank you.
Sign this new petition to the City Council and help the campaign - tap or click here.
Join the 100 figures from the Arts world who signed an open letter of protest to Brighton & Hove City Council against the original plan for partial demolition of Matcham's II* listed Hippodrome.
Find out how to Join, Donate and Support the local campaign here.
Fund raising events are taking place in Brighton. Details on the Our Hippodrome website here. These will support the campaign vision for the Hippodrome.
No effort should be spared in protecting and finding a fully sympathetic new use for such a great survivor.
The Frank Matcham Society, believes that the original developer's plan to divide and demolish this unique national asset had not been properly thought through and that the reasoned objections by the local campaigners had not been given the careful consideration that they are due. Tap or click here and download the OBH Viability Study for a thoroughly researched response to the situation in Brighton. That a local campaign can demonstrate this depth of knowledge requires nothing less than a full re-examination by the city administration.
This is the most important of Frank Matcham's works no longer in beneficial use and listed Grade II*, putting it in the top six percent of all listed buildings in the UK.
It is essential that all those concerned for the future of this significant Frank Matcham live performance venue pledge your support now and sign the latest petition. Keep it Alive. Brighton's cultural treasure must not join those already lost. The Frank Matcham Society is concerned at the failure of local and national government to appreciate the value of live theatre and the UK's built theatre heritage.
> Sign the latest petition to the City Council here.
> See the Save Our Hippodrome campaign video here.
> Join the big names supporting the campaign here.
For more Frank Matcham Society and Theatre news click here...
Ken Dodd OBE and Prunella Scales CBE & Timothy West CBE
for their support of the Frank Matcham Society.
about us | frank matcham | gallery | magazine | contact & links | news
copyright Frank Matcham Society 2015


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- Barbara A. Metelsky
- … show all 1 hide
Address of Organization
340 W. Michigan St., Canal Level, Suite A Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA www.arnova.org
The Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) is a nonprofit professional membership organization dedicated to advancing scholarship on nonprofit organizations and voluntary action. ARNOVA members include scholars and practitioners from the United States and abroad who conduct research on issues affecting the nonprofit sector. This research often informs nonprofit policy and practice.
Brief History
In 1971, ARNOVA was founded as the Association for Voluntary Action Scholars (AVAS) by David Horton Smith. Funding for AVAS was provided by the Center for a Voluntary Society. Major historical milestones include: (a) the publication of the first issue of the Journal of Voluntary Action Research in 1972; (b) the convening of the first annual conference in 1974; (c) the journal's name change t ...
- Association for Research on Nonprofits and Voluntary Action. 2007 annual report: A year of change and progress, from http://www.arnova.org/pdf/07AnnualReport.pdf; 12/10/2008
- Johnson, T. E. Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). In: Burlingame, D. eds. (2004) Philanthropy in America: A comprehensive historical encyclopedia (Vol. 1, pp. 35–37). ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA
- Smith, D. H. (2003) A history of ARNOVA. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 32: pp. 458-472
- Van Til, J. (1993) ARNOVA and its journal: Some reflections. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 22: pp. 201-205
- Title
- Reference Work Title
- International Encyclopedia of Civil Society
- Pages
- pp 31-32
- Copyright
- 2010
- 10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_305
- Print ISBN
- 978-0-387-93994-0
- Online ISBN
- 978-0-387-93996-4
- Publisher
- Springer US
- Copyright Holder
- Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
- Additional Links
- Topics
- eBook Packages
- Editors
- Helmut K. Anheier (1) (2)
- Stefan Toepler (3)
- Editor Affiliations
- 1. University of Heidelberg
- 2. Hertie School of Governance
- 3. George Mason University
- Authors
- Author Affiliations
- 1. 101 Dovershire Court, Cary, North Carolina, USA
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text:
Mediasite Helps Laid Off Workers Earn Degrees and Retrain for the Changing Job Market
Adult students in
The Rock County Engineering Program is a collaboration between UW-Rock County, which provides students with general education requirements and introductory engineering courses, and UW-Platteville, which provides instruction in mechanical or electrical engineering. Students in the program can take courses online via Mediasite or traditionally in
Douglas credits his pursuit of a degree to the
"With Mediasite we're helping students build their communities and maintain their lives," said
"When we talk about educating the workforce we usually talk about training, but when people get a four year degree they have a career rather than a job. All of a sudden a lot of doors open that weren't even there before," said Lerner. "Those are the programs that allow people to be promoted to become managers or supervisors. With this degree you're not only trained in engineering, but you're also trained to reinvent yourself, innovate and adapt to the constantly changing workplace. And that's what's really valuable."
"This collaborative engineering program is a great model for using Mediasite to remove the barriers of time and place for individuals who see education as a key to their success in this economy. Sonic Foundry is proud to join the UW-Platteville and
The patented Mediasite webcasting and content management system quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of rich media presentations that combine audio, video and accompanying graphics for live or on-demand viewing.
This announcement is part of Sonic Foundry's next-gen education initiative. With its higher education Mediasite community now topping 600 colleges and universities, the company is highlighting customer stories that exemplify the convergence of technology and education. Through webinars, news and speaking engagements, Mediasite users around the globe are sharing their best practices for using lecture capture to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve academic performance.
About Sonic Foundry(R), Inc.
Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO, www.sonicfoundry.com) is the global leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge management, providing enterprise communication solutions for more than 1,500 customers in education, business and government. Powered by Mediasite, the patented webcasting platform which automates the capture, management, delivery and search of lectures, online training and briefings, Sonic Foundry empowers people to transform the way they communicate. Through the Mediasite platform and its Events Services group, the company helps customers connect a dynamic, evolving world of shared knowledge and envisions a future where learners and workers around the globe use webcasting to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve performance.
Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.
Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market acceptance for Sonic Foundry's products, its ability to succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services and/or systems, the effect of new competitors in its market, integration of acquired business and other risk factors identified from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE Sonic Foundry, Inc.


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The 3rd Grade Astronomy Test
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You scored 80 in your Astronomy knowledge!
Their Analysis (Vertical line = Average)
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Earth bound like a toad. Might want to start thinking about reaching for the stars. Read more
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Nice Knowledge of your Universe. You sitll have places to go though! Read more
Out of this World
You are made of the right stuff! Hope you catch the next shooting star (meterorite, but you knew that right?) Read more
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Removal of fuel from grounded US ship to be completed Friday
More News from Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines—The removal of thousands of liters of fuel from the US Navy minesweeper that ran aground on Tubbataha Reef was expected to be completed Friday, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
As of 1 p.m. Friday, the defueling of the USS Guardian was already 70 percent complete, a Coast Guard spokesman said.
The PCG and the Philippine Navy were assisting the US Navy in removing the fuel from the minesweeper.
The USS Guardian was reportedly carrying 15,000 liters of fuel, which was transferred to the Malaysian ship Vos Apollo.
"We're continuing with the operation today, taking out fuel from the ship to prevent serious marine damage," said PCG spokesman Cmdr. Armand Balilo as he allayed fears of an oil spill.
He added that the defueling process was initially delayed because of strong winds and rough seas.
"But since Thursday, the weather has been good, enabling us to proceed with the removal of the fuel," Balilo said, adding that one US salvage ship arrived at the site at around 7 a.m. Friday.
He said that representatives from various agencies such as the PCG, the Philippine Navy's Western Command, Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board, and the World Wildlife Fund also made an aerial inspection in the area Friday morning.
Two crane ships from Singapore, which will lift the Guardian, are expected to arrive at the site by Jan. 30.
"What we are doing is mostly in preparation for the salvaging operations that would start once the vessels with cranes arrive in Tubbataha Reef," he added.
Get Inquirer updates while on the go, add us on these apps:
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
To subscribe to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper in the Philippines, call +63 2 896-6000 for Metro Manila and Metro Cebu or email your subscription request here.
Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer's day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer's Reader's Advocate. Or write The Readers' Advocate:
c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets, Makati City,Metro Manila, Philippines Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94


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For rates, availability, and other information fill out the availability request form and a representative from Waldan Pond Apartments will contact you shortly
Waldan Pond Apartments is located in the Atlanta Area in the 30102 zip code. View this apartment on a map.
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text: Closed Captioning ON OFF apply | reset x Text Display Background Enhancements font Times New Roman Arial Comic Sans size T T T T color share link TODAY video May 16th, 2014 Lunesta gets reduced dosage and new label The FDA has ordered the makers of the sleep drug to cut the recommended starting dose in half. More video Sponsored Content Now Playing Boy Scouts leader: Ban on gay adult leaders 'not sustainable' Sponsored Content Now Playing Heavy rains, flooding hit Texas Sponsored Content Now Playing Dylan Dreyer: 'Brace yourself' for Memorial Day travel Sponsored Content Now Playing 'Dancing Man' gets down with Meghan Trainor on TODAY plaza TRENDING Now Playing Delta Air Lines to travel sites: You're grounded Now Playing Watch: Man has surprise run-in with bear Now Playing DC Comics to Rihanna: 'Robyn' is too close to 'Robin' Now Playing Street vendor at Ground Zero tries to sell $30 hot dogs LIFESTYLE Now Playing J. K. Rowling on sexy 'Potter' star photos: 'Warn me next time' Now Playing Maggie Gyllenhaal: I was 'too old' to play 55-year-old's lover Now Playing Throwback! KLG, Hoda get slung by bulls in Texas Now Playing Summer's must-see movies: 'Tomorrowland,' 'San Andreas' Most Watched Now Playing Sponsored Content Cop killed 1 day before her maternity leave Now Playing Sponsored Content Hoda: My parking tickets almost cost me graduation Now Playing Sponsored Content 'Voice' winner Sawyer Fredericks: 'Whole experience was amazing' Now Playing Sponsored Content Sawyer Fredericks: 'Voice' win is 'definitely still surreal' Now Playing Sponsored Content Does massive airbag recall impact your family? Now Playing Sponsored Content 13 great white sharks spotted off California coast Now Playing Sponsored Content David Letterman has star-studded finale


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from Oxford,MA
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Photo by Romulo Yanes
Leave a Review
This garlic bread has absolutely no garlic flavor. Instead of 2 tsp, may be I should have put in 2 tbsp of garlic. Very disappointing. The cook from Springfield MA is correct -- it's too bland.
I was looking forward to trying this recipe, but I found that it has absolutely no garlic flavor. The bread tasted like it had been spread with an oil, but there was no other flavor. I don't consider this garlic bread. Bland, bland, bland.
I use this recipe base all the time. I particularly like to use chopped fresh rosemary, shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and a few shakes of garlic salt.
I made this using a crusty local bread, Judies, for a nice accompaniment to the Super Easy Spinach and Pesto Lasagna. It wasnt shy with the salt and perfectly buttery, but if I had to do it again Id use basil in addition to the parsley.
I was disappointed in this bread as it was too soft and did not have enough garlic spread. I think I would cut the bread in half lengthwise and open it for the last 5 minutes in the oven. I would also prefer some cheese in the spread.
This recipe is outstanding!! I wouldn't change anything except maybe adding a little parmesan to the garlic butter mixture.
This garlic bread is perfect....follow the recipe and you won't be dissapointed!
Great as is with just the addition of a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top before placing in the oven.
Easy, delicious. Didn't change a thing.


text:
Whether or not Republican Scott Brown wins today in Massachusetts, the special Senate election has already shaken up American politics. The close race to replace Ted Kennedy, liberalism's patron saint, shows that voters are rebelling even in the bluest of states against the last year's unbridled pursuit of partisan liberal governance. Tomorrow marks the anniversary […]
The Message of Massachusetts – WSJ.com
January 19, 2010 by Jacob Laksin Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: anniversary, approval rating, Blue Dogs, Clinton, Congress, country, economic agenda, economic recovery, Election, Emanuel, GOP, gop members, governance, Government, Government spending, Illinois, Inaugural, leadership, liberalism, majorities, Massachusetts, members of congress, message, Mr. Emanuel, Mr. Obama, Obama, obstructionism, opportunity, patron, patron saint, personal style, policy, political mistake, political opportunity, President Obama, public mood, pursuit, Race, Recession, Republican, role of government, Saint, Scott Brown, Senate, senate election, senate seat, state, Stimulus, Ted Kennedy, today, tomorrow, U.S., unpopular-war-, year
The Exit-Strategy President – by Alan W. Dowd
December 10, 2009 by Alan W. Dowd 14 Comments
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Crew Offered Oz To Asia
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Sebastian Vettel set fastest lap time at the end of Practice 1 on the brand new circuit in Texas; marking the return of Formula One in the USA.
Championship is on the line at the inaugural United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, and other Formula One drivers commented on the newly built Circuit of The Americas.


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About Schools in Wardensville, WV
Contact a Coldwell Banker® real estate agent to learn more about the schools and school districts in Wardensville, WV.FIND AN AGENT
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The Ethnographic Turn in the visual arts describes a practice in which artists approach other cultures or realities through their research and documentation activities.... more
To advocate the Swiss minaret ban with the arguments of Anne Applebaum, Henryk Broder and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, is to apply to the sort of fundamentalist logic which the west left behind - historically speaking - an amazingly short time ago. If we don't want to return to a pre-1648 world, Gustav Seibt argues, what we need now is two-way tolerance.
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Corporations are people? It's a real legal concept
Friday - 7/4/2014, 10:28am EDT
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- There may be more to that "we the people" notion than you thought.
These are boom times for the concept of "corporate personhood."
Corporations are people?
Mitt Romney got mocked during the 2012 presidential campaign for the very idea.
But it turns out the principle has been lurking in U.S. law for more than a century, and the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, gave it more oomph this week when it ruled that certain businesses are entitled to exercise religious rights, just as do people.
Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the court's majority, said protecting the religious rights of closely held corporations, which are often small, family-run businesses, "protects the religious liberty of the humans who own and control them."
In its ruling, the court said closely held corporations with religious objections cannot be forced to pay for their employees' insurance coverage for contraception, as required under President Barack Obama's health care law.
Four years earlier, the corporations-as-people idea got another big boost when the court voted 5-4 to expand the free speech rights of businesses and labor unions by striking down limits on their political spending. That unleashed a massive flood of private money into political campaigns.
The rulings have triggered renewed debate over the idea of corporations as people, which surfaces in legal cases stretching back to the 1880s.
There are wonky legal discussions about the differences between "artificial persons" (corporations) and "natural persons" (the kind with flesh and blood).
TV comics riff on the notion that fake people have more rights than real people.
There's a petition drive to amend the Constitution to ensure that "inalienable rights belong to human beings only."
All of this calls for a brief reality check: Corporations really aren't people.
Everyone knows this.
Even Romney, who was criticized for being out of touch when he famously told a protester that "corporations are people, my friend."
The point the GOP presidential candidate was trying to make was that raising taxes on corporations would affect real people because "everything corporations earn ultimately goes back to people."
The Supreme Court was reasoning in a similar vein when it ruled that the real people who run closely held corporations should be able to exercise religious rights just as do individuals.
Alito, in his ruling, described the concept of corporate personhood as "a familiar legal fiction" that retains its usefulness.
"It is important to keep in mind that the purpose of this fiction is to provide protection for human beings," he wrote.
But Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in her dissent, zinged Alito and the majority for "an expansive notion of corporate personhood."
She said the "startling breadth" of the court's ruling could clear the way for corporations to opt out of all sorts of other legal requirements if they can cite a religious objection.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, a potential Democratic candidate for president in 2016, voiced similar concerns.
"Just think about this for a minute," she said. "It's the first time that our court has said that a closely held corporation has the rights of a person when it comes to religious freedom."
Some opponents of the ruling see the expanding view of corporate personhood as a legal fiction run amok.
They say the latest court ruling could encourage corporations to try to claim greater rights in other areas as well -- arguing against cruel and unusual punishment if they think a fine is too big, for example, or even seeking a corporate right to bear arms. The courts already have extended to corporations Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches but have declined to provide them Fifth Amendment protection from self-incrimination.
After the Supreme Court's 2010 campaign finance ruling, attorney Burt Neuborne lamented: "At the rate the court is going, soon we will be able to be adopted by a corporation. Maybe even marry one."
Now, Neuborne calls the latest court ruling "an immense perversion of the Constitution. Robots don't have rights, trees don't have rights, and neither do corporations."
He warned that the ruling could backfire against corporations if the court goes too far in extending individual rights to businesses. Breaching the wall between corporations and their shareholders, he said, could ultimately make corporations liable for the actions of their shareholders and vice versa.
For example, if Hobby Lobby, one of the companies that sued against covering some forms of contraception, owed someone money, its creditors might try to go after the shareholders, he said.


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The Sedalia Kiwanis Club has been around for approximately 95 years and is instrumental in helping many youth programs in the area. On Jan. 17 they will raffle off a handmade quilt, made by the Daughters of Isabella and donated by fellow Kiwanis member Linda Hoffmann.
Hoffmann gives credit to Joyce Grinstead, of Sedalia, for the majority of the work done on the quilt.
"She pieced it, constructed it and she quilted it, she did three fourths of the little tulip squares," Hoffmann said. "But a lot of the other ladies from the Daughters of Isabella did the embroidery squares."
The Daughters of Isabella previously conducted a raffle for the quilt, which Hoffmann won. She then donated it to the Kiwanis, in a pay it forward move.
The proceeds from the raffle will go toward helping youth programs that the Kiwanis sponsor.
"Kiwanis is really an international program, that tries to help one child, in one community, at a time," said Pat Kelley, who is the Lt. Governor of Division 11. "One of our big projects is the car seat safety (check) that we do in conjunction with the police department and the fire department. We do it three times a year."
She said people can bring in their car seats and have them checked or, if need be, they are able to receive new ones.
"There is an expiration on your car seat," she added. "And a lot of people don't realize that, plus your child will out grow it, and it becomes too small. And that's one of the biggie's we do."
They also sponsor a Key Club for Smith-Cotton High School students.
"Which is a high school volunteer organization," she said. "One of their main things is, they have to do so much service work in the community plus so much service work in their school."
Smith-Cotton Key Club President Alex Eppenauer and Vice President Heather Galloway, both seniors, were present for Thursday's Kiwanis meeting. This was their second year in the club, but the first year as officers.
"This gives us a lot of opportunities to help the community, in ways that we may not have thought of on our own," Galloway said. "We come together as a group and accomplish bigger things than we could on our own."
"I'm learning a lot about the leadership and how the structure is working," Eppenauer said. "I'm a boy scout, so I've worked with leadership before, but it's different, it's a different setting. So I'll use some skills I've learned from scouting and apply them here, and learn different things here that I can apply over there too."
The Kiwanis also supports the BUGS or Bringing Up Grades Program for elementary children at Skyline Elementary. Kelley said this helps children work toward raising their grades one subject at a time. When the quarter is up, if they have succeeded, they receive an award certificate.
"So it's trying to get kids to become better at studying and trying to get good grades," she added. "And it really kind of caters to the opposite end of the spectrum for kids. You know the ones that are always getting the A's and B's, it's actually rewarding the other end."
Scholarships are also available through the Kiwanis. They offer a local $500 Bill Schien Scholarship and a $1,000 Earl Collins Scholarship, that goes to someone in the Division 11 area.
"We have a prayer breakfast in the spring," Kelley added.
Churches nominate youth who portray volunteerism and spiritual values.
During the holidays Kelley and her husband David, who is the Kiwanis president, dress like Santa and Mrs. Claus to raise money too.
"We're the fundraiser," she said laughing. "And we made $1,040 this year."
Some of the other programs supported by the local Kiwanis are Melita Day Nursery, the Community Cafe, Open Door and Paul Klover Soccer.
"One of the emphasis of Kiwanis is they believe in service," Kelley added.
The queen size quilt will be raffled off at Trivia Night on Jan. 17 at the Salvation Army, 1200 E. Broadway. Trivia Night will begin at 7 p.m.
"It's $10 a person," Hoffmann said. "And if they want to bring a team or just individuals, the food will be supplied and the drinks. We have door prizes, and we'll do 50/50 and we'll raffle off the quilt."
Raffle tickets are $1 a piece or six for $5, and may be purchased at the door.
The Kiwanis Club welcomes new members. They meet at noon each Thursday at Best Western State Fair Inn. For additional information call Linda Hoffmann at 827-1098.


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The Blue Mikey Recording Device enables easy and direct recording to your compatible docking iPod or iPhone. There's no software required for use - Simply connect Mikey to your player's dock connector and you're ready to start recording CD-quality audio.
Mikey features a 230° rotating design and 7 angle adjustments for recording in most any setting. Two Blue capsules and 3 gain settings allow you to capture clear, stereo audio as well. A line-input and a carrying pouch for safe storage round out the features of this affordable and unique recording tool.
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- 230 degree rotating design and two Blue capsules for stereo recording


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TexShare is a consortium of Texas libraries joining together to share print and electronic materials, purchase online resources, and combine staff expertise.
TexShare services are available to patrons of participating member libraries all across Texas, regardless of institution type, size, or location. The consortium is administered by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Find out more: Librarians | Library Users
Already have a TexShare login and password from your library? Click here!
Contact TexShare!
Send e-mail to: email@example.com with any questions or comments
Call 800-252-9386 toll-free statewide
Featured Information
- Interlibrary Loan Program - Navigator: See links to implementation activities, webinars, system upgrades, documentation and more.
- Courier Monthly Statistics Reporting Form
TexShare is On-The-Air!
See our Radio Spots page for the latest TexShare public service announcements.
TSLAC 2016 competitive grants cycle is now closed
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) recently opened the application cycle for FY 2016 grants. Approximately $1.75 million will be available to support eligible library programs and services through its five competitive grant programs. Maximum grant awards will range from $3,000 to $75,000.
New options are also available for TexTreasures grants. The TexTreasures Basic grant will award up to $7,500 to small libraries to process collections of local or regional significance and make them accessible to the larger community. TexTreasures Original grants will continue to fund larger projects, but the maximum awards have been increased to $25,000 for single institutions and $35,000 for collaborative projects.
The deadline to apply was extended to Wednesday, March 11, 2015; grants will be awarded in August 2015. Funded projects will run September 1, 2015—August 31, 2016. See the competitive grant programs page for full details.
Discovery White Paper
Implementing a discovery service can be both challenging and rewarding. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) contracted with Amigos Library Services to write a white paper to provide basic information concerning discovery services, as well as an overview of the major discovery vendors. For an overview of what is covered, see the executive summary. For full content, including vendor information, "What to Look for in a Discovery Service Checklist," and "Evaluating Your Discovery Service Checklist," see the full report.
All-New LearningExpress Library 3.0 Comes to the TexShare Databases
The all-new LearningExpress Library is now available to participating TexShare libraries at no additional cost. See the comprehensive FAQ for full details.
Now in TexShare: American West and American Indian Histories and Cultures databases
TexShare has added two new historical resources to the Databases program. See the news release for more information about the products, and the FAQ for how to access them.
New Do-It-Yourself Resources, Literary Reference,
and HW Wilson Databases Added to TexShare
Effective July 1, 2013, eleven new databases from EBSCO are available to all TexShare member libraries as part of the TexShare core, including the Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center, Small Engine Repair, Literary Reference Center, Book Review Digest, and more! See TexShare's New EBSCO FAQ here for full details.
The TexShare Databases are supported in part by funds granted to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.


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What do you call a program that was established by the government, is run by the government, was created to save lives, and is, in fact, saving lives?A success.That's right, folks. Those cameras that have been catching red-light runners at some of the worst intersections on Roosevelt Boulevard for seven years and are popping up at several other frustratingly congested intersections in Northeast Philly are doing their job.On the Boulevard alone, the number of pedestrians struck and killed by vehicles since the cameras were installed has dropped dramatically.In addition to adding funds to the city and state from financial penalties imposed upon red-light runners, the cameras are getting many motorists to do what they should have been doing all along — stop driving like maniacs, reduce their speed, and actually stop when the traffic light turns red.It shouldn't take a rocket scientist — or even a Philadelphia Department of Streets official with a Ph.D in traffic engineering — to know that the city must do its level best to install cameras at as many busy intersections as possible, not just in the Great Northeast but throughout the City of Brotherly Speeders. Police need all the help they can get to crack down on red-light runners. Vigorous enforcement of the traffic code, aided by the marvelous technology mounted atop poles on the busy streets of the city, will do wonders to force all the Leadfoots to ease up on the accelerator and step on the brakes.Foes of red-light cameras need to remember this: We, the people, need government to protect us from ourselves.Send letters to: email@example.com
A new way to crack down on the drunksA drunken driver kills someone. He or she gets caught, is fined and jailed. This is not acceptable because no one should have died in the first place. How can this scenario be stopped? Here's an idea: Since we have plenty of police, detectives, investigators, and others, why not have them go back to the source of the problem? Find the tavern or the private party or wherever the place was that the guilty one became intoxicated. Then search out all the others that were present there, too. Finally, fine everyone at that affair, even those who were not in direct contact with the drunken person.What will this eventually do? This action may make people aware of what is going on around them at future affairs, and the mere threat of a fine (possibly $100 a head) may have folks consider speaking to the bartender or whoever is responsible at a party to take action.Awareness and responsibility seem to be the keys to help end this horrific problem. A considerate society means everyone must be involved.Nicholas ZeccaSomertonTacony needs a reality check To Alex Balloon, corridor manager of the Tacony Community Development Corporation, regarding plans to build all the storefronts on Torresdale Avenue (Grand plans in Tacony, July 18 cover story):Why? And for who? Are you kidding? It's yet another waste of money. That's like putting lipstick on a pig! Go with the times!You need a couple of pawnshops, tattoo parlors, a pool room, adult book store, head shop, two more 7-Elevens, and a rest stop for the hookers. And you could put car carriers down the middle of Torresdale Avenue for parking. Also, make the lot at Princeton Avenue and the Delaware River a trailer park!All of these will increase the economy for Tacony! If all of those fail, I suggest an air strike.J. "Boots" RitterAlmost gone Tacony
Yo, Philly, show some pride in your city!After living and working in Philadelphia all my life, I have moved to a retirement community in Schuylkill County.I am living near a family that has helped me get settled in, as I need assisted living. I'm grateful for family to help.Small-town life is so different. There is no hustle-bustle and noise of the city streets. A traffic jam is rare. Many people that I have met have lived their entire lives here and maybe visited Philly on a rare occasion.I felt that Philly was a small town compared to New York. We have so much to be proud of, especially now with the new Barnes museum, excellent theaters and restaurants everywhere. Our schools and universities are tops.I am proud to tell people that I am from Philly as I try hard to get used to the quiet of small-town life. Actually, I don't have to tell people because most people can pick up my "Pfhilly" accent if I ask for "a cup of cawfee." I didn't think we spoke oddly, do ya?Enjoy the city, be proud of the Northeast and appreciate what you have.Janice JakubowitczPottsville, Pa., formerly of RhawnhurstKnights in shining carsI was diagnosed with cancer in February. My treatments included 45 radiation therapies and 12 chemotherapies. I stressed over how I was getting to these appointments, until I spoke to an "angel" who said they would help. When my family could not help, the "angels" came. I got to every appointment!When you are sick, having support, kindness and generosity really matters. So far, the treatments have worked and I am grateful for all my angels that gave me hope.Please, if you have a day to give, I can only say you will be rewarded in a way that is indescribable.Eva GebauerFrankfordTake a hike, CouncilmanOnce again in the Soviet Republic of Philadelphia, City Council has spoken with all-knowing wisdom.Councilman James Kenney has decreed the owner of Chick-fil-A must "take a hike."Just what we need — push successful businesses out of Philadelphia (as if we have loads of them waiting to move in). And what was Chick-fil-A's crime? The owner said he supported the biblical view of marriage as heterosexual, as he also supports closing his restaurants on Sundays. That's it. No one who is gay is denied service. Is Mr. Kenney aware of the message he is sending? As a public official he is attacking a private business simply for the common, Christian beliefs of the owner. What does Kenney think of traditional Catholics? And free speech? His words seem deliberately "intolerant" to me. This is all part of a bigger political game plan. Ten years ago it was "all we want is civil unions." Then it had to be marriage "equality." Now, even President Obama uses the inclusive "gay, lesbian… bisexual, transgender community."Pretty soon, gay marriage will be old business, as we push into gender-free, anything goes America. Absurd…or is it?This is not a civil rights issue, it is a technique for destroying religion. If you are seriously religious, you are now a bigot.And if you want to run a business in Philadelphia, prepare to shut up about it — or become an atheist.Richard IaconelliRhawnhurst
It was Adam and Eve, not Adam and SteveLove and marriage know no boundaries
Unless Pennsylvania's so-called Voter ID law is struck down by the courts before The Big Day — the general election on Nov. 6 — every eligible voter in the Keystone State will be required to show poll workers valid photo ID before they're permitted to enter the voting booth, thanks to the Republicans in Harrisburg.People who buy the argument that Voter ID is NOT an attempt by the ruling Republicans to suppress the votes of urban Democrats and help presidential candidate Willard Mitt Romney win Pennsylvania also believe that the moon is made of cheese. Mike Turzai, the Republican majority leader in the state House of Representatives, admitted the GOP's motives just last month.Aside from the Republicans' obvious ulterior motives, however, Voter ID is a good idea. As proponents point out, citizens must show photo ID in order to purchase alcohol or gun, drive a car or get into the screening line at the airport. Showing valid ID will protect the integrity of the vote by virtually eliminating fraud at the polls.There's still ample time for unregistered voters to find the necessary documents required to obtain a state-issued Voter ID card. The Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees elections, and PennDOT can do their part to get folks registered — thereby helping to increase voter participation and aiding the cause of democracy — by sending staffers with mobile electronic machines that verify required documents to senior centers, nursing homes, etc., to sign up voters on the spot.Election Day is more than three months away. May the best-organized political party win.
He yearns for mild gun-control reformsThe mass shooting in Colorado should motivate our legislators to come together and make sensible reforms to our gun laws. Unfortunately, that is not likely to happen.I predict gun-control advocates will make reasonable proposals like an assault weapons ban and a "one handgun purchase per month" law. But then they'll overreach and advance unwise laws that do nothing but inhibit law-abiding gun owners from protecting themselves — for instance, designating so many so-called "gun-free zones" that legally carrying a concealed weapon becomes impracticable.On the other side, the gun lobby and the politicians beholden to them will refuse to budge on anything. The mildest reforms will be decried as an assault on fundamental liberty — as if the right to buy 30-round magazines for Glocks belongs on the list of unalienable rights endowed by our creator.Debate will be filled with the same tired bumper-sticker logic and nothing will change. This process will repeat itself after the next massacre and the next one after that.Of course, I hope I'm wrong. I want to see someone step up and say, "I can work with you on no assault weapons and one handgun a month; but now we need to get something done about concealed carry reciprocity."I yearn for compromise and reforms that hamper madmen and strengthen the citizens to stand up against them. I yearn for politicians who are reasonable enough to make it happen.Matthew McGrathBrookhaven
Silence is deafeningOn hearing the news concerning Monsignor Lynn's sentencing, my first thought was to turn to the Catholic Standard & Times and send a missile to them about my thoughts. However, that institution is history. My theory of sending a letter to the CST was to get the big guy's attention, the chief of the diocese, Archbishop Chaput. I wonder why he, the shepherd of his flock, including his own priests, would be so silent during the trial of Monsignor Lynn and all days leading up to his sentencing.The bishop is in charge of the diocese and is an extension of the pope in Rome — the head bishop. He, the bishop, is to tend to his flock, being pastoral, supportive, understanding and just. He might have pulled the wampum over many of the parishioners in the diocese as well as some of his priests, but his silence and inactivity around the Lynn debacle is disgraceful and doesn't even come close to being just.Hiding behind his collar, his bishop's miter and staff is cowardly. He sat there day in and day out and pretended that the Lynn trial was so removed from his responsibility that I think at times he thought the trial was happening in some other state. Did he walk into a mess when he accepted the keys of the Philadelphia kingdom? Indeed. Did he attempt to try to support Lynn in any way, at any time, in any manner? NEVER.Every priest, bishop, cardinal and yes, even the Holy Fathers through the ages knew this was happening and many closed their eyes to some of the vilest of acts and closed their ears to the screams of abuse as well as ways to stop the sickness.How can those clergy, no matter what level of the hierarchical ladder they are standing on, sleep at night?Stephen T. FerryBustleton
Penn State isn't the only cover-upIt sickens me to see the hypocrisy around the media's non-stop assault on Joe Paterno. He is surely one of the most vilified Americans of our time, more so than the actual child abuser, Jerry Sandusky.One needs to remember that as the Jerry Sandusky abuse story broke, a parallel story also broke. Hall of Fame sportswriter Bill Conlin (sadly, a childhood hero of mine) was also accused of child abuse. He immediately retired, moved to Florida and will not speak. The story was briefly reported, but the media then quietly dropped it.Readers, use some logic. Bill Conlin worked at the old Inquirer/Daily News building for 40 years. He was known by reporters all over the country. And none of these people (who are trained to dig out stories) knew something was rotten in Philly?One has to believe, either every reporter was completely fooled by Conlin's behavior, or that a few of them KNEW something was wrong but refused to investigate or say something. Why? Maybe like "JoePa," this was out of shame for one of their own.The media crucify Paterno, but are they likewise running away from another big child-abuse story? They demand the Paterno statue be torn down, that Penn State football be suspended, yet one of their own, Bill Conlin, remains in the Hall of Fame. I have called and written to the Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News, asking them about why they attack Paterno but Conlin gets a pass. No one ever responds and my letters go unpublished.I hope someone has the courage to publish this letter.Richard IaconelliRhawnhurstOfficer Brian Lorenzo, we salute youToday our city says goodbye to a heroA life that touched so many is now goneWe are left to move on without your graceBut we'll never forget the smile on your faceThose who had the chance to walk with youKnew you as a man with a heart of goldAnd a smile that would take your breath awayBut today Heaven has taken you from usWe are never given enough time to thank someoneLike you, Brian, for the sacrifices that you've madeThe lives you've changed and the joy that you gaveEach time we were all graced by your smiling faceToday all of our city will shed its tears togetherFor the loss of someone who made us all betterHeaven opens its gates to allow your soul throughOur Dear Officer Brian Lorenzo, we salute you John J. RuppertMayfair
Fourth of July entertainment was garbageI cannot believe that Mayor Nutter thinks Philadelphia should have national coverage for our Welcome America concert and fireworks.The city of Philadelphia will never receive national coverage when they continue to provide horrible entertainment year after year. When will the city get some class and provide entertainment meant to celebrate our nation's independence? Just look at the other major cities and what they provide on the Fourth of July — Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C. If I'm not mistaken, Philadelphia is the birthplace of America. We should act like it. Get some class entertainment next year. Year after year it is the same old garbage.Happy birthday, America!!Mark PuckerRhawnhurst
Happy birthday to America the BeautifulAs a former federal worker with 26 years of service at the Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration, the Fourth of July, our nation's 236th birthday, is an important day for me. I love the parades, barbecues, pool parties and mostly fireworks commemorating this day. Since the dawn of our nation, federal workers have played a significant role in America's achievements.The contributions of federal workers will be very much in evidence this week as Americans prepare to celebrate our nation's birthday. Millions of Americans will check a weather report prepared by the National Weather Service, grill meat inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and flyin skies kept safe by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration.Others will enjoy time outdoors in our national parks, travel with children protected by car seats inspected by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and visit post offices to mail letters and packages to loved ones serving in the military.My fellow federal workers and I are proud of the jobs we've done for America for the last 236 years. We wish you, and the nation we love, a Happy Independence Day.Gloria SpeerEast Torresdale