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Voters in many European countries – including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland – have recently expressed strong support for extreme right-wing parties. This is new. From the 1970s until the mid-1980s, hardly any extreme right-wing party had gained more than 5% in a general election. Fifteen years later, some extreme right-wing parties in the aforementioned countries received between 10% and 25% of the votes.
History reminds us that the flourishing of extreme parties within a democratic environment can put democracy itself at risk. As a particularly striking example, the Nazis did not come to power through a coup but through regular elections. Understanding the drivers of recent developments is, therefore, of utmost importance.
Correlation between immigration and extreme right-wing voting
Another empirical fact is also noteworthy: there is an alarmingly high cross-country correlation between the election success of extreme right-wing parties and immigration. Figure 1 below (accounting for country fixed effects) suggests a correlation of 0.48 between the share of immigrants and the extreme right-wing vote share. This correlation is suggestive. However, researchers and policymakers are particularly interested in understanding whether immigration actually causes extreme right-wing voting.
Figure 1. Share of votes for extreme-right-wing (ERW) parties
Why geographic proximity of immigrants and natives matters
A natural starting point for understanding voting decisions is the hypothesis that rational and self-interested individuals vote for the party that promises them the greatest utility (Downs 1957). Extreme right-wing parties present anti-immigration platforms. Voters who lose from immigration should, therefore, favour extreme right-wing parties in elections. Theories of economic interest (Lipset 1963) suggest that wage, price, and employment effects should be decisive. Basic economic theory suggests that immigration hurts those native people who supply production factors that are close substitutes for factors supplied by immigrant workers. In contrast, people who supply complementary factors will gain from immigration. Or, anti-immigration sentiments based on self-interest are related to school quality and neighbourhood quality. Card et al. (2012), for instance, find that the natives' assessments of 'compositional amenities' that they derive from their neighbourhoods, schools, and workplaces are an important source of anti-immigration sentiments.
The conjecture in our paper (Halla et al. 2012) is that the natives' voting decisions depend on the skill levels of immigrants either because the intensity of competition for jobs varies across skill levels or because the native population perceives adverse effects on compositional amenities when the immigrants are primarily low- and medium-skilled. For either channel to work, a certain geographic proximity of immigrants and natives is required. Therefore, we explore one potentially important channel through which immigrants may drive support for extreme right-wing parties: the presence of immigrants (with certain skill levels) in the voters' neighbourhoods.
The Austrian case: Jörg Haider and the Freedom Party of Austria
We study the case of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). Under the leadership of Jörg Haider, this party increased its share of votes from less than 5% in the early 1980s to 27% by the year 1999. When Jörg Haider became the party leader in 1986 the nationalists within the party, favouring an anti-immigration stance, prevailed over its business-friendly, libertarian wing. After this change, the FPÖ steadily increased its vote share; the nationalistic approach has characterised the party's platform ever since.
Endogenous sorting of immigrants
To test the hypothesis that voters in Austrian communities with a higher share of immigrants (residents without Austrian citizenship) are more likely to vote for the FPÖ, we employ complete, detailed census data, allowing us to sidestep problems of measurement error. Our analysis takes into account the fact that the immigrant share in a given community is not exogenous. An immigrant's decision as to where to settle is likely to be influenced by the extent of cultural or racial prejudices in a community. Immigrants would rarely settle in communities with a high degree of overt anti-immigrant sentiments, since it would be more difficult to find housing and a job there. Thus, unobserved xenophobia is an omitted variable, leading to a downward bias in a naïve estimation of the effect of the immigrant share on FPÖ vote shares.
Identification strategy
Fortunately, the recent history of immigration into Austria offers features that allow us to identify econometrically the effect of the local presence of immigrants on election outcomes via an instrumental variable (IV) approach. We use historical settlement patterns of immigrants (prior to 1971) as an IV for the geographic distribution of the immigrant population in later years. This approach is based on the notions that:
- existing social networks are important elements in the settlement choices of current immigrants, and that
- the determinants of the historical settlement patterns are arguably uncorrelated with recent (unobserved) factors of voting behaviour.
We find strong evidence supporting the first assumption. The second and identifying assumption is not testable. However, we argue that historical settlement patterns form a valid instrument in the Austrian case.
Historical settlement of immigrants in Austria
To understand why historical settlement patterns can serve as a valid instrument, it is important to recall the situation of the Austrian economy in the 1950s and 1960s. The post-war boom of the Austrian economy led to a growing demand for labour amid increasing labour shortages. In the 1960s, the Austrian government began to forge bilateral agreements with southern and south-eastern European states to recruit temporary workers. Recruitment offices in those countries were established, and an influx of (mainly) Turkish and Yugoslav workers and their families to Austria began. These arriving immigrants arriving were greeted enthusiastically. The zeitgeist is captured neatly by the way the first foreign workers arriving in Vienna from Turkey in 1964 were welcomed. Turkish workers were received with cheers of approval and enthusiasm from a large gathering in the Viennese train station. A marching band played in their honour and officials handed out flowers to them (Wiener Zeitung, 2006/12/30). That means that settlement patterns prior to 1971 were not driven by anti-immigrant sentiments.
Figure 2.
In later decades the very positive image of immigration started to change. Nevertheless, further waves of immigration (in the 1980s and in the 1990s) took place. As the figures above indicates, later immigrants settled where they found existing social networks and neighbours with the same cultural and linguistic background (provided by earlier temporary workers who eventually stayed). Such networks facilitate the job search and assimilation into the new culture (Bartel 1989). This settlement pattern creates the special correlation between historical settlement patterns and the geographic distribution of immigrant population in later years.
The impact of immigration on the success of extreme right-wing parties
As hypothesised, the presence of immigrants in their neighborhoods has a quantitatively important and statistically significant impact on citizens' voting patterns. Our baseline IV estimate suggests that a one-percentage-point increase in the share of immigrants in a community increases the percentage of FPÖ votes in general elections by about 0.4 percentage points. This implies that a one-standard-deviation increase in the share of immigrants leads to a quarter of a one-standard-deviation increase in the FPÖ vote share. We also find that the increase in the share of immigrants had a positive effect on the increase in the vote share of the FPÖ. The increase in immigration helps to explain an important part of the rise in support for the extreme right over time.
The importance of the immigrants' skill composition
Our results further show that the skill composition of immigrants affects voting decisions. We find that the proximity of low- and medium-skilled immigrants causes Austrian voters to turn to the far right. By contrast, high-skilled immigration either has an insignificant or a negative effect on FPÖ votes. This is consistent with the hypothesis that voters vote in their economic interest: high-skilled immigrants improve living conditions for the native population; lower-skilled immigrants pose the greatest threat of labour-market competition. This result is also consistent with the idea that Austrians worry about adverse effects of immigration on the compositional amenities that natives derive from their neighbourhoods, schools, and workplaces. Such effects can be expected to play a larger role with low- and medium-skilled immigration than with high-skilled immigration.
Policy implications
It is a simple fact that immigration is necessary for developed countries, given demographic developments such as a persistently low fertility rate and the aging of society. However, immigration also has potentially critical political implications, including the possible rise of extreme right-wing parties. Several channels are likely to exist through which immigration may affect voting decisions, and each channel requires different policy responses. The geographic proximity of immigrants is one important causal driver behind the support for the far right. The evidence suggests that policies at the local level deserve significant attention. For example, it is possible that integration policies in the community may help restrict emerging xenophobia. Future work is needed to understand which specific policies are particularly suitable.
Bartel, AP (1989), "Where Do the New United States Immigrants Live?", Journal of Labor Economics, 7(4):371-391.
Card, D, C Dustmann, and I Preston (2012), "Immigration, Wages, and Compositional Amenities", Journal of the European Economic Association, 10(1):78-119.
Downs, A (1957), An Economic Theory of Democracy, Harper and Row.
Halla, M, AF Wagner, and J Zweimüller (2012), "Does Immigration Into Their Neighborhoods Incline Voters Toward the Extreme Right? The Case of the Freedom Party of Austria", CEPR Discussion Papers 9102.
Lipset, SM (1963), Political Man: The Social Basis of Politics, Anchor Books.
Peri, G and C Sparber (2011), "Assessing Inherent Model Bias: An Application to Native Displacement in Response to Immigration", Journal of Urban Economics, 69(1):82-91.


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Newcomer Knight aided by veterans
Updated: February 19, 2010, 1:12 AM ETBy Lindsay Berra | ESPN The Magazine
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Midway through the second period of Team USA's 5-0 win over Finland on Thursday afternoon, 20-year-old Hilary Knight leapt over the boards, took a cross-ice pass from Natalie Darwitz and put the puck top shelf for her first Olympic goal. Typically, Knight would have embraced Darwitz, said "Great pass," and headed back to the bench. But this time was different.
"I just kept saying, oh my gosh, that's my first goal in the Olympics!" says ...
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American Evan Lysacek came up with the skate of his life -- and walked away with figure skating gold on Thursday.
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Energy/bandwidth efficient medium access control protocol for wireless packet networks
Primary Inventors:
This invention introduces a new medium access control (MAC) protocol invented for high bandwidth wireless packet networks, such as IEEE 802.11a/b/g based wireless LANs. In general, the invention provides media access control in a communication network which includes multiple communication stations coupled over a shared communication medium.
Key features include:
- Separation of random collision avoidance and contention resolution at MAC layer
- Collision avoidance with fixed back-off window size
- An efficient, adaptive fair rate control mechanism for contention resolution
Applied to wireless Local Area Networks, it can improve power consumption, bandwidth use, can provide quality of service support to different traffic classes
Advantages over the existing distributed wireless medium access protocols:
- Significantly improves communication efficiency, resulting in a major savings in communication power
- improves the achievable network capacity that can accommodate a larger number of users
- provides fair channel sharing among arbitrary number of users with fast convergence
- provides inherent quality of service capability with quantitative performance guarantees for different priority users
- simple to implement, with low computational complexity and no additional control overhead buffer requirements
Licensing Status:
Available for Licensing
Patent Status:
For More Information:
Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property
Phone: 413-545-3606
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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People with the following implants cannot be scanned and should not enter the MRI area:
You should tell the technologist if you have medical or electronic devices in your body, such as:
In general, metal objects used in orthopedic surgery pose no risk during MRI. However, a recently placed artificial joint may require the use of another imaging procedure. If there is any question, an X-ray may be taken to detect metal objects.


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ips news
IPS at 84th INTERPOL General Assembly
IPS exhibitor at Milipol 2015 Paris
Telecom Operators can largely benefit from the significant IPS experience in the Lawful Interception sector thanks to its modular and customizable monitoring platforms, suitable for any type of network and compliant to the reference interoperability standards in the sector. Telecom Operators as well as any Communication Service Provider have ...
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Law Enforcement
IPS can provide LEAs all over the world with the most enhanced Monitoring Centre to connect to any Network and handle any source of multimedia information with a unified approach and unparalleled performances and ease of use. As security is becoming a major concern with threats coming from both ...
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IPS innovative solutions are especially designed to deliver a new level of intelligence capability, including active and passive network systems, complementing traditional Lawful Interception infrastructure and analysis tools which can be even integrated in existing Monitoring Centres.


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Fill out the form below and pay with Paypal or credit card. Credit card payments are processed by Paypal and you don't need a Paypal account. If you prefer to pay by check or Money Order, click here to download the registration form. Registrations are accepted until October 31, 2015.
If you want a LONG-SLEEVE or WOMEN'S shirt instead of the short-sleeve t-shirt, add $5. For extra t-shirts, add $15 for each short-sleeve and $20 for each long-sleeve and women's shirt, 2XL and 3XL are slightly more. NOTE: This is the only chance to get reduced prices and FREE shipping and handling. Ordering from the store will incur additional shipping fees.
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text: Gerardo Gomez (Mike Derer, Pool / AP) [ Final Newark Schoolyard Killing Defendant Convicted By Associated Press November 10, 2012 A jury in Newark has convicted the final defendant in a notorious schoolyard triple murder from 2007. Read More|Comment Category: TS net Tags: Gerardo Gomez, Newark schoolyard killings, NJ, police blotter Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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The Magazine
Dogs and Cats Living Together
A Tea Party-Occupy Wall Street agenda
Nov 14, 2011, Vol. 17, No. 09 • By PETER J. HANSEN
What if the two prominent grassroots movements of the day, the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street, joined forces to support an agenda that would be good for America?
A Tea Party gathering in Orlando, April 2009
UPI / Roger L. Wollenberg / LANDOV
Both groups are short on policy specifics. As popular movements, they lack organizers and spokesmen; both are to some extent expressions of mood. Nonetheless, there are several policies that reflect the concerns of at least a large part of both groups and that would be beneficial for the ordinary Americans whom both claim to represent. These policies would be a departure, however, from the current positions of the Democratic and Republican parties—whose shortcomings caused the two movements to spring up in the first place. So here it is, the Tea Party-Occupy Wall Street agenda.
Prevent bank bailouts
Both Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party are disturbed by the way the federal government handled the financial crisis of 2008. The problem is not that people on Wall Street make a lot of money (though some in Occupy Wall Street might think it is). The problem is that when they lose money, at least when they lose a lot, the rest of us have to bail them out.
In addition to being unfair and heightening income inequality, this arrangement corrupts Wall Street itself. It produces an incentive for traders at financial institutions to take foolish risks, in particular to follow strategies that usually yield modest profits but occasionally produce spectacular losses. In other words, this arrangement rewards bad traders and thereby misallocates capital.
The most significant way in which the taxpayer stands behind financial institutions is federal insurance of bank deposits, which began as a response to the massive bank failures of the Great Depression. Federal deposit insurance clearly serves the public interest, but it is not without cost. It commits American taxpayers to support every insured deposit at an American bank. People in the Tea Party are rightly suspicious of government regulation, but where the federal government puts taxpayers on the line, it should exercise strict oversight.
The Dodd-Frank financial legislation passed in 2010 includes the so-called "Volcker rule," named for proponent Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve. The Volcker rule is a step in the right direction, but it doesn't go far enough. It forbids banks from trading for themselves, but it allows them to engage in what is called "market-making"—offering prices at which one is ready to buy and sell a particular instrument, such as a foreign currency or a stock. Doing so involves taking short-term positions—buying or selling until one can offset the transaction—and market-makers often also take longer-term positions, based on their sense of where the market is going.
The distinction between trading and market-making will be difficult if not impossible to enforce in practice. Even if it could be enforced, market-making itself is a risky activity which should not be underwritten by insured bank deposits. We should go further and reinstate the division between commercial and investment banking that existed until the partial repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999. (There is also much we don't need in Dodd-Frank, notably the establishment of an Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity, which may help ensure that the recent financial crisis is not our last.)
Any financial institution that accepts FDIC-insured deposits should be deemed a commercial bank. Commercial banks should not be permitted to engage in investment activities other than lending to borrowers and purchasing U.S. debt instruments. They should be permitted to buy only U.S. debt instruments, not those of Italy or California or Fannie Mae or any private corporation, and certainly not stocks, options, futures, currencies, mortgage-backed securities, swaps, and so on. The United States is the entity issuing the guarantee—and holding the bag if troubles arise. It should not be compelled to guarantee anybody else's creditworthiness.
In a word, commercial banking should be boring. Other financial firms—investment banks, private equity firms, hedge funds, venture capitalists—can take big risks and reap big rewards. When things go awry, as they will from time to time, the taxpayer should not have to pay. The government should ensure that no firm is in a position to cause a financial crisis which might require a taxpayer bailout. And that will be easier to do if we reinstate the division between commercial and investment banking. Panics will occur from time to time, but for the most part they won't affect regular banks or endanger insured deposits, so the damage will be limited.
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Delivery Zone:
We also ship fresh Zabihah Halal meat to other states of USA. Note there are restrictions on grocery products, and we do not ship grocery items to other states except few selected counties of NJ, NY, PA and CT destinations.
All out of state meat orders will be delivered in 2-5 business days or less if received Monday through Wednesday by 3pm CST. If received after Wednesday at 3pm CST, your halal meat order will be delivered on the first Monday of the following week. Your halal meat will be delivered to you via UPS in ice pack packing. The meat will stay 100% fresh.
When your order has been processed, we will send you an e-mail confirmation from Taaza Halal with your customer order number and UPS tracking number. For your convenience, you can simply check your order status with UPS.


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One of the most important German biographical sources, the Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopadie (DBE) [Dictionary of German Biography], is now available online to the Yale community.
The DBE provides information on roughly 65,000 individuals from the 9th century to the present, who contributed to the cultural heritage of the German-speaking areas of the world. The database contains the full entries of the second, revised and enlarged print edition of the DBE which began publication in 2005. Over 1,250 longer articles were written and signed by recognized experts and a reference to further reading is provided at the end of each entry.
DBE Online also provides biographical information on individuals who are mentioned in the text of an entry in the print edition but who do not have their own article.
You can access the Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopadie at http://gso.gbv.de/DB=2.176/LNG=DU/ (German) and at http://gso.gbv.de/DB=2.176/LNG=EN/ (English)


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Branch and Birdie
8021 SE Stark St., 894-9338, branchandbirdie.com.
Anna Fickle operated a shop on Etsy before opening Branch and Birdie, and this stylish new store in Montavilla certainly reflects its roots in that online DIY wonderland. The airy, inviting space is stocked with jewelry, handbags, clothing and kitchenware, often graced by hip, Portland-friendly images like bikes, owls and jellyfish. With a play area for the kids and events like singalongs for the whole family, the shop appears poised to contribute a great deal to a neighborhood where strollers occupy an ever-increasing amount of sidewalk space.
Buy this: Colorful leather wallets ($24), screenprinted canvas laptop bags ($48).
2850 SE 82nd Ave., 517-8899, fubonn.com.
The closest Portland comes to the wonderfully chaotic commerce of San Francisco's Chinatown, Fubonn is much more than a grocery store, with a wide variety of exotic foods (artichoke soda, yum!). This iconic complex, which bills itself as Oregon's largest Asian shopping center, also encompasses several cafes, bookstores (specializing in Chinese and Vietnamese texts) and gift shops offering imported tea sets, toys and herbs. Sweeten any stocking with a pastry from Meianna Bakery or any one of scores of intriguing candies in the supermarket, or demonstrate your status to neighbors with one of several bizarre marble statues (including a 4-foot-tall Jesus that will set you back about $1,500). Shopping at Fubonn is more than an errand; it's practically a pilgrimage.
Buy this: Ten-cup Tayama rice cooker ($29.98), Taiwan Giant Lollipop ($4.98).
Gifts & Toys, Inc.
7940 SE Stark St., 251-7689.
It's hard to adequately describe the sheer WTF-ness of Gifts & Toys, a chilly warehouse of rare mass-produced treasures, exhibiting the ultimate absurdity of consumerism. There is much to pick through: Barbie knock-offs, plastic desk clocks graced by fighting cocks and Obama Inauguration T-shirts are just a taste. But the real attractions are the aisles of framed wall prints, in various sizes, including an astonishing selection of religious and patriotic iconography beside kittens beside Tupac beside Indians beside an array of Scarface and Betty Boop. Yet though it all seems like perfect fodder for gag gifts, after touring this Louvre of absolute kitsch one is blindsided by some inexplicable earnestness in it all. Gifts & Toys, you keep me up at night.
Buy this: 8-by-10 prints are $3; 16-by-20 are $6.
Knittn' Kitten
7530 NE Glisan St., 255-3022, knittnkitten.com.
OK, so this is a few blocks off 82nd Avenue, but it's worth the detour for a wide selection of retro patterns and fabric from the 1930s to the present day. In a crafty city like Portland, this emporium of gently used cotton, yarn and polyester should be a mandatory starting point for anyone who wields needles and thread, crochet hooks or knitting hoops. The owners promise that a visit will be like a treasure hunt, and they aren't kidding; from beads to quilts to fabrics of all imaginable prints and colors, Knittn' Kitten is bursting at the seams (sorry!) with endless creative possibilities.
Buy this: Vintage apron ($5-$10).
Let's Brew
8235 SE Stark St., 256-0205, letsbrew.net.
It's hard to go anywhere in Portland without meeting an aspiring crafter of IPA, porter or stout. There is probably not a soul left in the city who hasn't quaffed a friend or relative's lovingly brewed creation, some more successfully than others. Whether you're a home brewer or just know one (or several dozen), head to Let's Brew to find pretty much everything one needs for a successful barleypop, from barley and malt to bottle caps. Can't do it at home? Rent Let's Brew's professional kitchen and keep it sanitary. Cheers!
Buy this: Basic brewing kit ($120).
418 SE 81st Ave., 493-7011, shagmidcentury.com.
Just off Stark in Montavilla, Shag is testament to the fact that in the style world, what goes around comes around. Lamps, chairs and, yes, rugs only recently thought to be hopelessly outdated, are here cleverly curated and arranged as eternal emblems of high modern sensibilities. Those who reflexively head up to IKEA for simple, unadorned furniture would do well to stop here first; at least with Shag's offerings, you know that couch, table or chair will last longer than five years. It may already be older than you. Bonus: Stop by Duds, just two doors down, for stylish vintage clothing at the lower-than-Goodwill price of $5 for everything from pants to shoes.
Buy this: Vintage globe table lamps ($80-$90).
Yard Sticks Furniture
7315 SE 82nd Ave., 774-2001, yardsticksfurniture.com.
Inside and scattered around the yard of a 1930s cottage on a desolate stretch of 82nd Avenue near the city limits lies an extensive collection of handmade cedar picnic tables, benches, chairs, bar stools and even water wheels (a reputed specialty). With the exception of the latter, we're not talking about anything too unusual; Yard Sticks just carries solid, well-made outdoor furniture far superior to anything you'd find at Home Depot or that you'd (god forbid) make yourself. And c'mon, who couldn't use a water wheel?
Buy this: Five-foot picnic table ($375).
Al's Shoes & Boots
5811 SE 82nd Ave., 771-2130, alsshoesboots.com.
Entering this modest storefront across from a scruffy barbershop, a shopper is immediately welcomed by two things: the oddly comforting smell of leather, and an eager, refreshingly un-hip staff who knows how to make a shoe fit. "Al" was Al Green, a war-surplus merchant who first opened a shoe store in 1947, at Southeast 39th Avenue and Powell Boulevard. In 1956, the business moved to 82nd Avenue, then just a quiet two-lane road according to manager (and Al's son) Chuck Green, who has been working in the store since he was 13. Green and employees continue Al's mission: to provide the city's workmen and businessmen with an extensive selection of steel-toes, motorcycle boots, Hush Puppies and cozy slippers, with special emphasis on wide and extra-large shoe sizes. "We don't get into the latest fashions," Green says. "We just do good shoes that work well." The consistency and quality must be why many of Al's customers are the children and grandchildren of Portlanders who walked through the front doors six decades ago. With the sincerity and knowledge of the longtime staff ("you can just look" at a shoe to see if it fits, Green says), and oldies streaming from the radio, one could guess those original customers would still recognize Al's today, even though its namesake passed away a few years ago. Some things just shouldn't change.
Buy this: Slippers International wool blend slippers ($29), Laredo python-skin cowboy boots ($199).


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By PATRICK PAINTERRepresentative from District 67
This past couple of weeks the Legislature has considered some very interesting and worthwhile issues.
Just this Friday in our Business/Labor Committee we contemplated a bill before us that dealt with the longstanding question of who owns the Internet. Rep. Bradley last presented HB450 to our committee. This bill deals with the quandary of who owns a trademark as it relates to various search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Internet Explorer? Two Utah based companies, XANGO and 1-800-CONTACTS. He presented a persuasive argument that competitors advertising on these search engines, unfairly pray on the registered trademarks and brand names that they have spent millions of dollars on to build their brands. It became apparent to me during this hour-plus long presentation that these guys might have a point.
This "bid for hits" procedure on these sites is a very fluid process that can change daily based on who wants to pay the most for each "hit" to garner the top spot that appears after a user inserts the key word in the search field. This may sound at first blush like unadulterated free market capitalism to which I say "Sign Me Up!" What I'm not sure of is if it's fair for a competitor to piggyback a trademark owned by someone else by simply bidding against that trademark holder for top spot on the "hit list".
I went to committee convinced that I was going to vote against the bill, but after hearing the arguments on both sides came away voting for this bill that provides some protection for Utah companies that register their trademarks in our state.
HJR8 Joint Resolution regarding secret ballots was also heard in the House Business/Labor Committee a few days ago. This bill simply adds the words to Article IV, Section 8 of the state constitution to say, "All elections, including elections under state or federal law for public office, on an initiative or referendum, or to designate employee representation, shall be by secret ballot."
The right to vote for anything should be guaranteed to every individual by secret ballot. There may be a move afoot in Washington to change this and this resolution protects the rights of every individual. This is a Constitutional amendment and will need 50 votes in the House and 20 in the Senate and approval by the governor before a vote of the people can be considered in the general election in 2010. I support this measure.
We also received word in the last few days that Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar has suspended the permits to drill for natural gas in the Tavaputs area in Carbon and Duchesne counties. This is a terrible decision by the Obama administration. This area contains over one trillion feet of natural gas that could supply up to 60 percent of Utah's needs for years to come. What's worse is that this resource would provide the state over $100,000,000 yearly in mineral lease monies and severance taxes to support our general fund needs. This is one of those deals where you scratch your head and wonder, "What in the hell are they thinking back there in Washington?"
The Legislature passed a resolution last week for Governor Huntsman to take to Washington and plead our case to reverse this foolish action. Stay tuned.
Here is a status update of the bills I am sponsoring since my last Legislative Report.
HB18 Water Right Applications and Records: Passed both houses unanimously.
HB68 Development Exactions: Passed both houses unanimously.
HB85 Mutual Benefit Corporations-Judicial Liens: Passed both houses unanimously.
HJR6 Joint Resolution Revising Property Tax: Referred to Interim Study.
HJR12 Joint Resolution Supporting Hydrogen Power from Advanced Coal Technology: Passed House unanimously and is waiting a vote in the Senate.
HB389 Application to Appropriate a Small Amount of Water: Heard in Committee on March 2 and is awaiting a House vote.
Again, I thank the citizens of District 67 for giving me this fascinating opportunity to serve in our Legislature. I also wanted to let everyone in Carbon County know that Senator Mike Dmitrich and Representative Brad King left big shoes to fill, but that Representative Christine Watkins and Senator David Hinkins are both doing great.


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The Power of Community: Working Together for Greatness.
The power of yoga starts within one person and quickly becomes a shared experience, growing exponentially as we leave our mats and take our practice into reality.
The magical moment that starts when your breath connects with your body can be extended by connecting your actions and energy to a community of people. When this group of people finds a common goal, the impossible becomes possible and change happens relatively quickly. Looking around the country, I see yoga studios lit up with service oriented causes, whether it is fundraisers or trips to local or international locations to participate in helping others. This is our yoga community reaching its potential, taking care of each other and extending the efforts beyond our own basic needs.
As I finished a delicious lunch in Cancun, I looked over at the wall and saw a group of ants accomplishing the impossible. There was a small trail of ants leading up the wall to the roof, the majority of the ants were ferociously circling a sliver of sugar cube, lifting it up the wall. The scouts kept the team on the right path, as the rest alternated lifting and moving quickly to the next spot. Sure, I know these ants could have lifted the cube and moved it along a horizontal path. Climbing a wall, impossible.
When a community starts to work together, anything is possible. Just like those ants, we can accomplish more than any one person thinks possible. So how do we get organized like the ants?
In many ways, we already are. Our yoga communities are centralized systems of communication. The tools are basic and generally free – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Blogging. What is missing? Leaders.
I believe that yoga teachers are simply great students, sharing what they learn and experience along their journey. Leaders are teachers who use the tools to communicate effectively – shining a light on every dark place. As you look at your own journey, the choice to be a student, teacher and/or a leader is yours. Are you using your authentic voice when you are on Facebook? If not, don't worry. We know (and we have probably hidden your posts to minimize the junk in our newsfeed).
The good news is, a few of our teachers are showing up as leaders. They post on Facebook sharing their lives and respond to comments, using the tools to communicate and teach. Are you Leading or Lurking? How you show up on Facebook is how you are showing up everywhere. This is not the time to make yourself small, this is the time to show up exactly how you see yourself when you are flowing on your mat…shining bright energy!
But this is about us. How can we move that sugar cube up the wall?
Looking at one of my favorite groups, the Africa Yoga Project, I see a lot of ways people are making a difference. My friend and yoga teacher, Terri Bahr, is a mentor to a new yoga teacher in Nairobi, putting all of her knowledge and training to work helping to spread yoga in Africa. My friend Pauline Caballero just returned from leading a team of yogis to Nairobi to build a playground at the Kibera School for Girls with the Africa Yoga Project. Erin Anderson is hosting Yoga Jam fundraisers at Whistler Mountain (she will help you launch yours) and leading the fundraising efforts for the Africa Yoga Project. Marie Phillips is bring Trevor Hall to Buffalo for a Fundraising concert for the Africa Yoga Project. Paige Elenson is training teachers and leading the efforts in Nairobi to harness the power of yoga to create change in individual lives and maybe the lives of a town, city, country, continent, world. How can you start helping? Maybe buy the book, Portraits of Empowerment and Peace – supporting the Africa Yoga Project or maybe this is your time to volunteer in Kenya and be on the ground making change happen.
Whatever your role is, keep doing it. We are the ants that are going to make this world a better place for everyone. Yoga is our Weapon of Mass Construction.
Editor: Kate Bartolotta.
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15 Responses to "The Power of Community: Working Together for Greatness."
Yet many communities do simply move things along the horizontal path, that's the problem with most yoga communities…they are moving horizontally, focusing on one "leader" at the top, by their need to be on top, and many teachers kept underneath, encouraged to follow, not lead…tired of the environment to not exceed their leader. Take a good look at the American yoga community as a whole, very few leaders, mostly followers.
I struggled with this for a long time, I blame it on my mom ;-). As a child it was ingrained in me to be a leader, not a follower. As I grew up I came to understand that "copying" from and following is essential for learning. Kind of like learning the rules, before breaking the rules. I see an amazing group of leaders out there and Facebook and other social tools are leveling the playing field, empowering them to share their knowledge with the world. In some way, I think the leaders are a new generation of teachers who are living transparently…
Posted to Elephant Yoga on Facebook and Twitter.
Tanya Lee Markul, Yoga Editor
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Just posted to "Featured Today" on the Elephant Yoga homepage.
Posting to Elephant Yoga on Facebook and Twitter.
Tanya Lee Markul, Yoga Editor
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Jamie, this is really, really great. Thanks again for the insight. And inspiration.
Thanks Sandy!!!
" Leaders are teachers who use the tools to communicate effectively – shining a light on every dark place." I appreciate you writing this. We're seeing growth and unity in our little Houston community of yoga and I'm loving every minute of it… with the BreakfastYogaClubHouston.com- it's been amazing to watch.
Thanks again for sharing.
Melissa Smith
Fellow EJ contributor
Love it Melissa, Thanks for sharing your community with us…keep shining the light!!!
I don't understand this sentiment: "How you show up on Facebook is how you are showing up everywhere."
That statement seems to imply that showing up on Facebook [at all] is somehow necessary. Facebook is a great accessory to any community, but a community it does not make. If we're measuring the strength of our communities and leadership based on social networking… I would assert that the ego has outpaced the intention.
What am I missing?
It is not based on the strength of social networking, but rather Communication. If you are not communicating transparently and authentically on Facebook, you are hiding elsewhere. This is not fact, just an observation I have made from looking and engaging with people on Facebook. Today, showing up on Facebook is necessary. It is the best way to make this huge planet small and accountable. We have been given (for free) the tools and power to communicate, it is our obligation to each other to use them!!! Thanks for commenting Mike!
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I sold a LittleFee wig to PositivelyThrifty, she was lovely to deal with wouldn't hesitate to sell to again.
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St. Louis: Not The Fattest City, But Far From The Healthiest
CBS St. Louis (con't)
Affordable Care Act Updates: CBSStL.com/ACA
Health News & Information: CBSStL.com/Health
ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – The city of St. Louis finds itself in right about the middle of the pack on a new list of the Most Obese metro areas.
Nationally, more than a quarter of adults were technically obese in 2011 based on numbers in the most recent Gallup Healthways survey.
In the St. Louis metropolitan area, that number was 26.2%, an improvement from 26.7% the year before.
Other rankings for the St. Louis area:
* Nearly 10% have diabetes, slightly lower than the national average
* Almost 49% of St. Louisans claim to exercise "frequently", with the national average at 52%
* 52% of local residents say they eat produce "frequently", well below the national average of 57%
KMOX © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Dont forget guys Gordons is closed bank holiday Sat 4th & Sun 5th May!!
With all of the work going on in the background Gordons Caribbean, St George will be operating the below reduced opening hours for the next 8-12 weeks from Jan/feb 2013.
Mon , Tues & Weds - Closed
Thurs—5:30 - 10pm
Fri—5:30- 11pm
Sat—5:30 - 11pm
Sunday Roast - 12 -4 pm
Sun - 5:30 - 10pm
Gordons Sunday Roast available between 12pm and 4pm on Sunday afternoons ONLY.
Welcome to Gordons Caribbean.
You can now order food online in Bristol. Try our online website which contains all our takeaway menu.
We offer deliveries to all surrounding areas in Bristol. We are situated on Church road in Bristol and offer all our customers fast food delivery. You can now order your favourite Afro-Caribbean dishes online and get fast home delivery on orders over £12.
Here at Gordons we are constantly improving our service and quality to give our customers a better experience which is why we are now proud to offer this fantastic online ordering website.
You can even pay online and get your favourite Afro-Caribbean dishes delivered to your home in Bristol. We at Gordons are amongst the top fast food takeaways and restaurants in Bristol offering great fast food at affordable prices.
Order your favourite fast food online in Bristol at Gordons. Remember to order your takeaway online to get up to date prices and great meal deals. We do home delivery to make it easier for you. Please see our online website for more details.Thank you for visiting Gordons in Bristol. We hope you enjoy our online ordering website.


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Public and private schools around here start classes this Thursday. Since we are moving Monday, we won't be starting school work for a couple more weeks, but curriculum plans are in place (even if lesson plans are not).
Here are our choices for this year (or at least all the ones my sleepy brain can remember):
Prima & Secunda (grades 9 & 8, respectively):
History, Literature, and Bible: Omnibus 1 & 2
Science: Apologia Biology
Math: Saxon Algebra 1 (Prima) & Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 Secunda)
Vocabulary: Vocabulary From Classical Roots A & B
Writing: Writing As Drama (modified and taught by Kyle - unfortunately, no longer available on the market)
Terzo (grade 5):
History & Geography: Story of the World 1
Science: guinea pig for my "soon"-to-be-published science curriculum
Spelling: Spelling Workout
Math: Rod & Staff 5
Logic: Mind Benders
Quarto (grade 2):
History & Geography: Story of the World 1
Science: guinea pig for my "soon"-to-be-published science curriculum
Spelling: Spelling Workout
Handwriting: Rod and Staff Penmanship
Math: Rod & Staff Math 2
Logic: Mind Benders
The boys will also read a variety of books from the library.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things, but my brain just can't recall them.
If you'd like to participate in the "Not" Back to School Blog Hop, head on over to Heart of the Matter for the participation rules.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
"Not" Back To School Blog Hop: Curriculum Week
6 comments:
We're SOTW fans too... doing volume 4 this year. :) Would love to read more about your SOON to be published science work!ReplyDelete
Thank you for sharing, and I hope that your move is smooth! I hopped over here from HOTM's NOT Back to School Blog Ho -- have a great year!ReplyDelete
Looks like a great year!ReplyDelete
Dropping by from the Hop! I love your line up. I have heard great things about SOTW!!! I can't wait to hear how you enjoy it.So glad you linked up!ReplyDelete
I hope you have a great year!ReplyDelete
Last year was our first year using Story of the World and we loved it. Hope you have a great year!ReplyDelete
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The Mysteries of R&D, Part I
By: Art Rich, PhD
Posted: June 22, 2010, from the July 2010 issue of GCI Magazine.
page 2 of 5
One further note: The "cracked" term used for emulsions simply means that the cream or lotion has separated into distinct layers. It is no longer homogeneous.
Components of Skin Care Products
Now, here are a few types of materials that can be delivered through emulsion systems. Emollients: These are added to provide a skin-softening effect. Chemically, they are esters that can be modified to vary the feel on the skin. Those that have a "dry" feel have virtually no perceptible feel on the skin. Those with a "wet" or "oily" feel leave a noticeable residual on the skin.
Exfoliants: These are included in skin care formulas to remove the uppermost layer of dead cells. They provide for the newer "more alive" cells to be at the surface. They also impart a glow to the skin.
Exfoliation can be done in either of two ways: mechanical and chemical. The mechanical method physically abrades away dead cells. Ingredients for this purpose include ground walnut shells, beads of jojoba wax (which can also melt onto the skin to provide emolliency) and plastic spheres of polyethylene or nylon. Chemical exfoliants perform by reacting with the dead, upper layer skin cells. This causes the cells to become unglued and slough off. Ingredients for this purpose include: alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) such as glycolic acid and fruit acids. Beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs) are also chemical exfoliants and include salicylic acid and willow bark extract (which contains salicylic acid), and these are very effective. Note, when AHAs are included in a formula, there needs to be an advisory label cautioning about exposure to the sun. In addition, there needs to be an effective sunscreen present in the formula.
Sunscreens protect the skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays. There are two UV ranges of wavelengths that cause problems: UVB causes stimulation of melanin to induce tanning, but also causes burning. UVA penetrates more deeply into skin tissues, and these rays are involved in the destruction of DNA and breakdown of cell structure via free radical release, causing the appearance of premature aging and wrinkling.


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Giving Hope! The physically and mentally challenged children attending Oasis of Love are often considered a curse by society and even their families. We don't believe that and neither does God! We treasure… Read More
Impacting the Future! Many children in India are living at such a level that going to school or gettng basic health care is not possible. Through the Asha Project we give each child hope…Read More
Transformation! God can take a "dirty" situation and turn it into "gold". Many of the girls living at Mercy Home have a "dirty" story. One girl was born because her mother was raped…Read More
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