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Happy ending for big boy NikkiComment on this story
Johannesburg - It took three tranquilliser darts and a carefully planned operation to reunite the two chimpanzees that savagely attacked American primatologist Andrew Oberle.
Nikki's journey to Mpumalanga began with the thud of a tranquilliser dart at Johannesburg Zoo on Saturday morning.
Amadeus, the alpha male of the group, didn't have so far to travel – he just had to be moved from a quarantined section at the Jane Goodall Institute's Chimp Eden in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, to an enclosure where the rest of his family group were.
For a month, Nikki had been treated at Johannesburg Zoo for a gunshot wound to his abdomen and a leg.
He was shot on June 28 so that medical personnel could get to Oberle.
The bullet pierced his abdomen and lodged in his leg.
The chimp had to be rushed to Joburg, where a team of trauma surgeons and vets performed emergency surgery.
Two weeks ago, the bullet was removed after Nikki's wound became infected.
Finally, at about 7.30am on Saturday, a sedated Nikki was carried into a well-secured crate on a bakkie.
"Before driving we had to make sure he was fully awake," said vet Katja Koeppel.
She feared a sedated chimp could be injured during the drive.
Also making the trip to Mbombela with Nikki was Katherine Visser, the primate curator at Johannesburg Zoo. The two women were responsible for Nikki's stay at the zoo.
Along the way, motorists stared in amazement at Nikki's long fingers poking through the holes in the crate.
Nikki arrived at Chimp Eden just after 1pm. There, he was darted for a second time.
As the crate was opened, Koeppel had to make sure he was properly sedated.
She poked him a couple of times with a stick.
"You will be surprised at how quick these chimps can be," said David Oosthuizen, executive director of the Jane Goodall Institute.
If something did go wrong, the team from The Star had been told to dash to one of the cars and "lock yourselves in".
Procedure is that cars have to be kept unlocked.
Nikki was carried to one of the rooms in the enclosure. With the door locked, they waited for him to come around.
Then it was Amadeus's turn. He had been kept on his own since the attack.
Working with Amadeus was more difficult. He is believed to weigh 80kg – a big chimp.
Sedated, he was placed in the room next to Nikki. The plan is to allow the two to become reacquainted.
They are best friends, according to Oosthuizen.
"Even though they know each other, there is a risk they might fight," he said.
In a little while, both alpha male and his right-hand man were groggily hanging on the wire mesh window that separates them and were talking and touching one another.
"Now that is a good sign," said Marc Cronjé, a sanctuary guide.
The plan is to open the door between the two rooms over the next few days and to see how the two react with one another.
The process of rehabilitation is likely to take months, and in that time the sanctuary will remain closed.
Oberle is still at Netcare Milpark Hospital in
Joburg. He lost several fingers, toes and a testicle during the attack. His family are not releasing any details about his health. - The Star
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- Filed Under
The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office will be offering a plea agreement to a Hillsborough man charged with intentionally running over a man in Branchburg on St. Patrick's Day 2013.
Clint Benson, 22, who lives with his father, former New York Giants star Brad Benson, on a Hillsborough farm, is scheduled to come back before state Superior Court Judge Robert Reed on March 17 to state whether he will take a plea in the case.
Assistant Somerset County Prosecutor Frank Kolodzieski told the judge at a status conference Monday morning that he will be making the plea offer this week. ...

subset: commoncrawl


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Oozing sophistication and simplicity, 27 Saint Louis satisfies sophisticated palates with simple yet refined cuisine.
Leaning towards European gastronomy, diners enjoy a harmonious blend of flavours. The menu serves a gastronomic bistro menu complimenting the authentic atmosphere and serenity.
Indulge in the warmth and simplicity of 27 Saint Louis in Port Louis, Mauritius.
Experience the best cuisine that Turkey has to offer at Anatoli. Be greeted warmly by attentive staff and seated in an intriguing Victorian warehouse, built in 1904.
Freshly baked flat breads accompany traditional meze, presented in equally traditional oversized trays. The knowledgeable waiters will enthusiastically take diners through all of the meze available. There is something to suit every palate at Anatoli due to the variety that characterises Turkish cuisine.
Experience a memorable culinary journey through Turkey care of Anatoli at Green Point.
This fine bistro restaurant boasts rare classic dishes reflecting various influences from around the globe.
Gracing an elegant ambience bursting with a fusion of flavours, Aubergine and Andreotti's offer bistro dining at its best.
The décor embraces a contemporary setting perfect for languid lunches and decadently elegant dinners.
A well known landmark and favourite meeting place for diners, Baglio's Café embraces delectable delights in the form of European style pizzas and ultimate Italian indulgence.
Casual yet chic, the ambiance is warm and classic Italian with a hint of cosmopolitan. The extensive menu is well catered for with complimenting local and international estate wines.
Situated on the corner of Nelson Mandela Square, diners experience quality value for money cuisine and the art of indulging at Baglio's Café.
Set in scenic Stellenbosch and fusing both modern and traditional Cape cuisines, Barouche Restaurant is a must-try dining experience.Barouche provides delightful dining whatever the weather, with a terrace overlooking vineyards for warm summer days or a warm and welcoming inside area for the colder wintertime.Serving the finest of South African as well as international cuisine and using the freshest seasonal ingredients, Barouche is a wonderfully versatile and accommodating place to dine.
The menu explodes with nourishing choices such as salads, sandwiches, soups and moist bagels, all freshly prepared for a quick, healthy and affordable meal.
Enjoy aromatic coffee and decadent breakfasts at this relaxed and trendy restaurant in Sandton.
Located on the Boschendal Wine Farm in the picturesque wine-lands countryside of Stellenbosch, Boschendal Restaurant offers grand buffet style lunches.
The buffet restaurant is housed in the original wine cellar
Guests can expect an array of dishes that lean towards French / Cape cuisine. The menu changes every three days which ensures that the restaurant's exceptional standards on food quality are maintained. As a general rule patrons may look forward to roasts, seafood dishes, imaginative salads and a dessert table that caters for every sweet craving. The farm's own selection of wines is available to be enjoyed with the restaurant's offerings.
Do not miss the opportunity to visit the farm's national monument and museum, the Manor House.
Booking is essential at this popular venue.
The estate also offers deli style picnics (Le Pique Nique) and a café (Le Café) for a more casual eating experience.
This beautiful, unique restaurant's eclectic shabby chic feel evokes a feeling of Old World romance that complements the French-inspired gourmet dishes on a seasonal menu. Daily specials on food and decor are quite a treat, so whether it is a flavourful, melt-in-your-mouth meal, a painting or your chair you want to purchase, you will be spoilt for choice.
Café Dutch is a modern bistro café offering traditional and modern Dutch delights.
Located in Wynberg in a converted Victorian building boasting an upmarket feel dressed in stark white tables and chairs set against warm charcoal walls.
The menu encourages lingering sampling homemade crumbed organic beef kroketten served on rye bread and winter rich pea soup with smoked sausage.
Then there is the tasty nasi goreng with Indonesian chilli and spices, chicken satay, homemade peanut sauce and prawn crackers.
Diners can enjoy non-traditional highlights, such as wild mushroom tart with rocket and Parmesan shavings, or salmon fishcakes with dill mustard sauce rounded off by a simply sinful bittersweet dark chocolate dessert with orange curd, served in a coffee cup.
Chicory Cheese Café in Mantis Mall, Darling welcomes herself as Darling's new chic restaurant flavoured by intuitive and seasonal meals.
The menu brims with freshly cooked, freshly squeezed, freshly baked and freshly ground goodies with option to dine indoors or alfresco on farm fresh country cuisine.
Share in the love of good food at Chicory Cheese Café, Darling.
Banished plastics, water served in distinctive glass bottles, linen serviettes, worm farms and the best local organic ingredients farmed locally, organically.
The menu is short, seasonal and simple yet layered with taste and presentation. Unforgettable sumptuous organic breakfasts, fresh hearty soups, crispy sexy salads and decadent sandwiches spill off the menu.
There are plenty vegetarian options and homemade deserts that seduce your palate. Dine al fresco in the enclosed courtyard after browsing the funky clothing store nearby.
With a fresh menu prepared every few week according to seasonal produce and the feel good factor of reduced carbon footprint, Corner Café embraces the new eco dining trend with style and taste.
Boasting over 40 different crepes, the menu entices and tempts with chocolate chilli, apple cinnamon and cream and savoury crepes filled with fresh ingredients.
Although sparsely decorated, Crespella does not entertain through décor, but pampers through tantalizing crepes as discovered and indulged by guests who have adorned the walls with their gastronomic comments.
Visit Crespella in Lower Main Road, Observatory for some delicious indulgent crepes – a must try visit at least once.
A new take on pizza making, Da Vinci's tempts the palate with melt-in-the-mouth creations using the freshest organic ingredients where possible with plenty of vegetarian and wheat free options.
Loaded with healthy toppings and immune boosting prebiotics, this pizza gem caters for a new generation of pizza lovers looking for clean fun and carefree dining with a healthy twist.
Upon entering this cosy and much-loved eatery, the decor inspires images of a film set. Tiny and comfy with a casual feel and family friendly attitude. A quaint and social hotspot that remains unpretentious and true to nature of good food and company.
Visiting Da Vinci's is sure to put a youthful skip in your step and if anything, be sure to sample the Green Pizza – listed as no 97 on 100 things to do before you die.
Dear Me is all about indulgence without intolerance. Located along vibrant Longmarket Street, Dear Me caters for your every whim and desire in a positive and imaginative feast for the senses.
Feel welcome in a 181-year-old converted 3-story house dressed with fun and inviting décor. All dishes are suited and adapted to your taste buds and requirements making Dear Me ideal for breakfast or lunch.
Enjoy a perfect cocktail to unwind from the day's events in the upstairs bar Tjing Tjing. Dressed in bare wooden beams and red leather.
Relax, kick back and enjoy the warm inviting atmosphere softened by sparkling chandeliers, scattered cushions and sexy sounds. Deli Delish wraps the palate in exotic flavours infused with a traditional twist.
Enjoy sumptuous home cooked foods that pay homage to the roots of flavour and taste, real Moroccan chicken tagine, traditional Malay curries and smooth classic creations of Oxtail and Venison stew.
Signature dishes such as Deli Delish Greek-style lamb burger or prosciutto wrapped fillet and tiger prawns with mango and chilli relish, intoxicate the senses cooled by a glass of boutique white wine harvested straight from 4 of the 7 wine estates in Hout Bay.
With a European ambience spilling out onto pavements shaded by the cool warmth of Fisca trees, patrons enjoy delectable imported or cured meats and cheeses served with freshly baked breads dressed in speciality condiments and pates.
Whether dining alfresco, indulging in delightful combinations or enjoying lazy days savouring homely breakfasts, Deli Delish promises a warm and memorable dining experience that revitalises the soul.


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Quick Contact
Ronald Porter
Director of Service-Learning
Eckerd College
Office of Service-Learning
4200 54th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33711
toll-free: 800-456-9009
local: 727-864-7512
Nicaragua: Spring Break 11
The 2011 alternative spring break trip to Nicaragua performed service in La Danta, a indigenous agricultural community, and the capital city Managua. Located in the mountainous northern region of Nicaragua, the community of La Danta and Eckerd students participated in homestays. Service activities included constructing a rock wall for flooding protection, assisting with the creation of the community church ground floor, moving thousands of bricks for the construction of a new house, planting cashew seeds, assisting in the elementary school garden, and baking bread in a community leader's brick oven. Eckerd students had the chance to go for a hike through La Danta, learn about the history of the village, and participate in a good-bye dance party.
In Managua, the Eckerd volunteers stayed in the Quaker house hostel. The students volunteered at La Chureca, the largest open-air dump in Central America. The afternoon was spent doing arts and craft activities with the children who reside in the dump. A night discussion was held with a local sweatshop union organizer who was able to explain and answer questions about the life of a typical sweatshop worker. She also gave details on how her job sought for social change. Finally, Eckerd students participated in a historical tour of downtown Managua.


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post4182727239234795657..comments2015-11-23T22:49:58.678-05:00Comments on Founders Ministries Blog: CT on Resolution #6Stanhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-49241939147174536322008-07-11T17:03:00.000-04:002008-07-11T17:03:00.000-04:00Kevin:Thanks for your service on that committee an...Kevin:

Thanks for your service on that committee and for your comment here. The Lord used it all in a wonderful way.

Bill:

Your estimates seem reasonable to me. And I agree with you that the reported attendance figures are probably very conservative on that basis.Tomhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-45518353208056261522008-07-11T01:27:00.000-04:002008-07-11T01:27:00.000-04:00I've believed for some time that the non-member at...I've believed for some time that the non-member attendee was a huge story that wasn't being told. Has there been any research as to the percentage of attendees that haven't become members?

My experience has been that a very high percentage of attendees in mega churches are not members. It wouldn't surprise me if that number was in the 15 to 20% range. (I only mention mega churches because that's where my personal experience has been. Not because I believe the problem is limited to them.)

If my gut feeling is anywhere close to being correct, we are in a far more miserable state than even the numbers indicate.Bill Formellahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-67665064144596521022008-07-10T23:12:00.000-04:002008-07-10T23:12:00.000-04:00Brother Tom,I, for one, was not embarassed when th...Brother Tom,

I, for one, was not embarassed when the resolution was amended from the floor. As a matter of fact, I was pleased with how gracious you and Brother Yarnell were to us on the stage.

I did blush as we (the committee) flew under the banner of "let the baby live."

Grace to you,
Kevin Smithsmithbaptisthttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-67462458631982349502008-07-10T12:09:00.000-04:002008-07-10T12:09:00.000-04:00Debbie:I think you are probably right. Some has su...Debbie:

I think you are probably right. Some has suggested that the Resolutions Committee was embarrassed to have had such a high profile resolution significantly amended from the floor.

John:

I have heard from several pastors and others who have used the resolution in their churches already. For example, Denny Burk read it to the Wednesday night gathering at FBC Dallas.

Blessings,
tomTomhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-51436596645724955462008-07-10T06:37:00.000-04:002008-07-10T06:37:00.000-04:00Could it be the repentance clause is still a thorn...Could it be the repentance clause is still a thorn in the side of some? And maybe that is the problem.Debbie Kaufmanhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-75361157601612942052008-07-10T06:20:00.000-04:002008-07-10T06:20:00.000-04:00I'm thankful for the resolution, but wonder if it ...I'm thankful for the resolution, but wonder if it will even be mentioned in most Southern Baptist churches. Being able to be a life-long member without ever having to attend seems to be such a long standing tradition. Keep up the good fight. I'm currently reading Jerry Sutton's The Baptist Reformation. Sounds like it's not over yet.Johnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-42503922921853358542008-07-09T17:58:00.000-04:002008-07-09T17:58:00.000-04:00Rob:Those figures fit with what I have read and se...Rob:

Those figures fit with what I have read and seen from others. It would be great if LifeWay Research would do a study of those baptized in SBC churches, to see what happens to them after 1, 2, 3, and 4 years. I fear that in many cases, it would be eye-opening.Tomhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-4367209497252597042008-07-09T17:53:00.000-04:002008-07-09T17:53:00.000-04:00In working with several churches I crunched some n...In working with several churches I crunched some numbers regarding new members. Y'all may already be aware of this sort of thing, but I found out, for example, that new members were not participating in Bible study/Sunday school. Over a two year period, only 17% of new members attended at least 75% of the time in the churches I surveyed.

When you factor in attendance at other services -- Sunday evening and Wednesdays -- the number gets even smaller.

This is bad enough, but also troubling is that fact that members are oblivious to the situation, and are shocked to hear of it.

All the more reason, then, to encourage biblical discipline in this area.Rob Fairclothhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-86194400290065508442008-07-09T13:27:00.000-04:002008-07-09T13:27:00.000-04:00Wyman:Thanks for pointing that out. Regenerate chu...Wyman:

Thanks for pointing that out. Regenerate church membership certainly involves more than having members who merely attend gatherings of the church for worship. The tragedy is that even this minimalistic standard of gauging a church's health reflects serious problems throughout the SBC.

Stan:

You make an excellent point. The kind of culture that has been created in the SBC over the last 60-70 years encourages the celebration of churches who never see large percentages of their members even gathering for worship.

When you factor in the reality that many of those who do gather on any given Sunday in our worship services are not members, then the percentages are even more dismal.

Hopefully, as more and more pastors and church leaders start reevaluating these issues in the light of what the Bible says a church is we will see this kind of mindset change.Tomhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-52083564996320832712008-07-09T13:05:00.000-04:002008-07-09T13:05:00.000-04:00Johnny Hunt's church has 41% of its members attend...Johnny Hunt's church has 41% of its members attend on any given Sunday and 61% of its members attend attend at least one service over the course of a month.

59% of his church membership do not attend church on any given Sunday and 39% don't make it to at least one service over the course of a month.

Almost 2 out of 5 "members" don't make it to church in a month and Mr. Hunt says "We have to be very careful...If you try to take this to the lowest common denominator, before too long, you'll find the pastors and the church leadership trying to separate the sheep from the goats, and only Jesus and the angels he assigned can do that."

Is this guy serious? Lowest common denominator? He wants lowest common denominator? How about 5? Two of which don't show up to his church in a month. And he says we have to be very careful?

That sounds more like the advice I would expect from the U.N. rather than the president of the SBC.Stan McCullarshttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-64984300652840808352008-07-09T12:49:00.000-04:002008-07-09T12:49:00.000-04:00One more thought: Johnny Hunt's comment about hav...One more thought: Johnny Hunt's comment about having over six thousand on any given Sunday but around ten thousand total when you look at all of the Sundays of any month is, in my opinion, a bit off the mark.

Regenerate church membership is much more than being in a pew every so often, and I fear that comments like that reduce the issue to just that kind of minimalist idea.

The attendance statistics cited in Resolution 6 are meant, as I see it, to show one symptom of a greater sickness. Regenerate church membership is more than that one symptom, but not less.Wyman Richardsonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669175.post-50242780523338831392008-07-09T12:32:00.000-04:002008-07-09T12:32:00.000-04:00In response, Ascol said, "That's a sad reality. Ev...In response, Ascol said, "That's a sad reality. Even Jesus can't tell some Southern Baptists what to do."

Sad but true! Thanks for linking to this. Pretty balanced article, on the whole.

WymanWyman Richardsonhttp://email@example.com


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Star Wars The Clone Wars Season Five News and Discussion
View Single Post
December 9 2012, 05:47 PM
Mr. Adventure
Location: Mr. Adventure
Re: Star Wars The Clone Wars Season Five News and Discussion
Christopher wrote:
lennier1 wrote:
If it's anything like Trek they'd probably need massive amounts of energy to divert a FTL jump mid-flight.
Umm, no; aside from a single pretty terrible
episode (with the line "Faster than light, no left or right"),
Star Trek
has never depicted it as difficult to change course during warp travel.
My impression from the Star Wars-verse (and mind you I've never given it any real thought) is that once the course is laid in that you are pretty much committed to it. Are there any examples of steering at all? Given Han's dialogue about the importance of properly plotting the course and the way hyperspace is depicted that's how I figured it worked.
Mr. Adventure
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text:
Linking Human Services & Housing Assistance for Homeless Families & Families At-Risk of Homelessness
Alvaro Cortes, Ph.D. et al.
Abt. Associates
April 2012
Recent reports have brought national attention to the prevalence of family homelessness and the need to coordinate across all levels of government to prevent and end family homelessness. In June 2011, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR), the sixth in a series of annual reports on the extent and nature of homelessness nationwide. The report documents a 29 percent increase in sheltered family homelessness between 2007 and 2010. Today, an estimated 168,000 families— 567,000 people—use an emergency shelter or a transitional housing program at some point during the year. The toll of homelessness on children living with their families is troubling. Homelessness can adversely affect children's mental health and behavior, school attendance and educational achievement, cognitive and motor development, and general health.
A year prior to the 2010 AHAR release, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) released the nation's first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness, Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The plan sets an ambitious agenda for addressing homelessness among families and other target groups, stresses governmental collaboration at all levels, and encourages using programs targeted to homeless families and mainstream resources to help families achieve housing stability. The growing concern about family homelessness has renewed the focus among policymakers, researchers, advocates, and practitioners on using mainstream programs to prevent and end homelessness. The underlying belief is that programs explicitly for homeless people cannot be expected to do the whole job of preventing and ending family homelessness. Indeed, ever since the start of specialized federal funding for homeless people, it has been recognized that mainstream programs such as Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) provide much greater resources than targeted programs for helping families leave homelessness.
It is within this context that the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) commissioned a study that focuses on local programs that link human services with housing supports to prevent and end family homelessness.
The primary goals of this study are to:
1. Identify programs nationwide that deliberately integrate human services and housing supports for homeless families and conduct site visits to understand how these programs were designed and implemented.
2. Synthesize the information from the site visits into promising practices that facilitated the development, implementation, and sustainability of these programs.
In addition, the study includes the development of an evaluation design document that provides a theoretical framework for rigorously evaluating programs that integrate services and housing supports for the purposes of preventing or ending family homelessness


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- Filed Under
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is urging Congress to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff, saying the nation "can't afford a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy."
Obama says in Saturday's radio and Internet address that he believes leaders in Congress may be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses before taxes rise and spending cuts take effect at the end of the year.
He ...


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Jerry Fenstermaker chaired the Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizens' Task Force, aired questions and concerns about the pension before recommending the sales tax be approved in November 2009. / News-Leader file photo
A Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizens' Task Force helped address concerns about the pension fund between Springfield's first, unsuccessful attempt to pass a tax and the second ballot measure, which passed. / News-Leader file photo
Read More
Click here to read for: Voters will decide April 8 whether to renew a 3/4-cent pension sales tax, or repeal it and pay for the pension debt another way.
Click here to read : Boosted by sales tax revenue, Springfields pension fund has been trending up as others decline.
Ballot Language: The ballot language for the sales tax vote is worded in a way that may be confusing to voters.
Timeline: This timeline tracks the history of Springfields police-fire pension fund.
Underfunded: Chronic underfunding and inaccurate projections contributed to the pension shortfall.
Benefits: Police and firefighters enrolled in the citys pension plan receive a retirement benefit of up to 70 percent of their final salary.
Coming Monday: Employee unions and a citizen group campaign against a repeal of the pension sales tax.
While Springfields pension woes were once a source of doom and gloom, the citys efforts to address the shortfall have won some positive recognition in recent years.
Moodys, the credit rating agency, increased the citys bond rating in June 2011, raising it from Aa2 to Aa1, the second-best score assigned by the company. In its analysis, Moodys mentioned the citys budget-cutting efforts and the improved condition of the pension fund following approval of the 2009 sales tax.
In an October series on municipal finances, the Wall Street Journal mentioned Springfield as a city that was turning around its pension fund, even as others saw finances decline or cut promised benefits.
A recent report commissioned by the Society of Actuaries provides additional evidence that Springfield is bucking the generally negative trend in pension funding nationwide.
The Feb. 24 report, from the The Blue Ribbon Panel on Public Pension Plan Funding, doesnt reference Springfields pension specifically. But the local funds upward trajectory is in sharp contrast to the national trend.
The panel report notes that the average funded ratio of state and local pensions declined from a high of 103 percent in 2000 to an estimated 73 percent in 2012. A separate survey of 113 large public pensions found that fewer than 30 percent of plans were at least 80 percent funded traditionally seen as reasonably healthy in 2012. Of the surveyed plans, 86 percent had experienced declines in the past nine years, with a median drop in funded ratio of almost 20 percent.
There are clearly more plans in a more fragile position than there were 15 to 20 years ago, said Bob Stein, the panels chair.
In its report, the panel recommends that pension funds strive for 100 percent funding, rather than settling for 80 percent. Stein said full funding is especially important for a closed plan like Springfields.
Other recommendations aim to increase transparency and help pension boards analyze and manage the risk associated with invested assets.
The report recommends, for example, that pension boards compare pension costs at the assumed rate of return to the costs if investments were made at a risk-free rate, such as the expected earning on long-term bonds. By making the comparison, pension board members and other stakeholders can get an idea of the cost savings related to riskier investments.
The report encourages plans not to be overly conservative, but indicates the traditional rates of return pensions use often in the range of 7.5-7.75 percent may be too high.
Stein said a 7.5 percent rate of return has been reasonable in the past. The question is, is it reasonable going forward?
The report recommends pensions adopt forward-thinking rates of return that can be achieved at least 50 percent of the time, based on financial modeling.
Springfields pension board has commissioned similar probability modeling in the past several years while updating its investment policies.
De-risking as you approach a larger group of retirees would make sense, Stein said. A lot of plans made decisions without that understanding.
Told of some of the changes made locally, Stein said Springfields pension appears to be on the right track.
By approving the sales tax as the stock market was recovering, Springfield hit it on the upswing, he said. They made tough decisions and theyre implementing them.


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Jacks Bistro
St Annes
Tel: 01253 780990
Keith Blackburn has strived to achieve the Ambience for an exquisite eating establishment. "As a restaurateur, my aim is to give pleasure to other people. We are creative, and what we create is gone almost instantly, but there is always the thought that maybe tomorrow we will create something even better."
We are sure that you will find something to tempt you in on our menu, including many Vegetarian dishes. We have many 'Musical Evenings' with great bands
Opening Times
|Open All Year
|Opening Hours (1 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2015)
* Closed Sunday and Monday. Open 12noon to 2pm then 5.30pm to 10pm.
What's Nearby
St Annes Pier
Welcoming visitors since 1885, a beautiful pier. Rain or shine, there is a wide choice of things to...0.18 miles away
Gerrards Auction Rooms
Gerrards Auction rooms are conveniently situated in the Centre of St Annes. As a family run...0.18 miles away
Les Dawson Statue
The unveiling of the comedy legend Les Dawson statue took place on Thursday 23rd October. This...0.2 miles away
St Annes Boats & Balls
If you're looking for something different to do, St. Annes Boats and Balls offers family fun on a...0.21 miles away
The Island Cinemas
The Fylde's No. 1 venue for movies. The Island Cinema will be open 7 days. The manned box office...0.25 miles away
Ashton Gardens
Ashton Gardens, situated in the heart of St Annes, providing a bowling green, a children's play...0.25 miles away
St Annes Beach Huts
For the first time in more than 25 years Beach Huts return to the seaside resort of Lytham St Annes...0.3 miles away
Drift Arts & Crafts Gallery
Drift is a family run gallery where Lancashire based artists and craft folks works can be viewed...0.39 miles away
Miniature Railway
St Annes Miniature Railway 10 ¼ inch
The St Annes Miniature Railway is situated in the busy...0.48 miles away
Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club was founded in 1886 and the present Course constructed in 1897....0.53 miles away
The St Annes Heritage Mural
The heritage mural embroidered by the St Annes Broderers, is 18ft long and 6ft 5in high and...0.56 miles away
St Annes Old Links Golf Club
Since 1901, St Annes Old Links Golf Club has offered the purest of links experiences, its fairways...0.91 miles away
RSPB Ribble Discovery Centre
RSPB Discovery Centre, an interesting visitor attraction with interactive displays and volunteers...1.45 miles away
Fairhaven Lake
Fairhaven Lake is one of the borough's most popular attractions. Nestled between Lytham and St...1.45 miles away
Fairhaven Golf Club
Listed in both 'The Best 10 'Open Championship' Qualifying Courses', and 'Great Britain & Irelands...2 miles away
Helivation Ltd. is a fully registered helicopter charter company based in Blackpool, Lancashire but...2.01 miles away


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Pa. Copts urge unity in aid for Christians in Egypt
If Cairo dentist Adel Abdel-Shahid needs anything right now, it's simple things that most people outside Egypt would take for granted.
He has asked his nephew Mark Matta, 36, of New Castle for antiseptic mouthwash.
"It's too expensive," Matta said. "It's almost triple what it costs here."
As Coptic Christian churches in Pennsylvania grapple with events of the past week — attackers struck more than 60 churches, vandalizing or burning them — they are just beginning to discuss sending aid to help Egyptians and the churches.
"They need everything," said Matta, a deacon at St. Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church of Ambridge. "Food, money, simple items."
As discussions on humanitarian aid get under way, Coptic Christian officials here believe the effort should be unified among American churches.
"We should do something to help our Egyptian brothers," said the Rev. Bishoy F. Mikhail, pastor at St. Mary's. "But we'll do it in a united way."
Rebuilding the more than 60 churches will require "help from everyone," he said.
On Sunday, Coptic Christians in Ambridge got a show of support from the Rev. Michael Kochis, pastor at nearby St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
"Father Michael said he wanted to be part of our efforts," Matta said. "It was very, very touching ... especially coming from very different cultures and backgrounds."
"They are our neighbors. We look at the news, and it's so real for them," Kochis said. "They have friends and relatives there. I wanted them to know they are not forgotten."
Protesters looted and torched nearly 40 churches in Egypt and heavily damaged 23 others when chaos erupted as Egypt's military-backed interim administration moved in to clear two camps packed with supporters calling for former President Mohamed Morsy's reinstatement.
The action killed scores of protesters and sparked deadly clashes nationwide.
Coptic Christians, one of the world's oldest Christian communities, generally keep a low profile but became more politically active since ex-President Hosni Mubarak's ouster. Christians sought to ensure fair treatment in the aftermath.
Matta said the initial push here will be through political action — lobbying and protesting — to raise awareness of the issue. About 200 Coptic Christians protested the church attacks on Monday in Nashville.
Then there will be detailed discussions about how best to help the Egyptian people and raise money for the effort.
Egyptians hope the West stays out of the dispute and allows them to handle their affairs, he said.
What they need most is a quick return to normalcy, Mikhail said.
"They need to feel that they are safe when they go out and practice their daily life," he said. "The situation there is still a little bit crazy."
Craig Smith is a Trib Total Media staff writer. Reach him at 412-380-5646 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
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jGuru Forums
Posted By:
Posted On:
Thursday, July 31, 2003 06:34 AM
Hi there,
I am using JBuilder9 and I have compiled all my source codes successfully and the stubs have also been generated.
After that, I start the RMIRegistry in JBuilder and run my applet and I come to this "java.rmi.NotBoundException".
I have written 2 different test programs and they both come to the same error message.
Why is this so? I would be very grateful if someone can help me solve this problem.
Re: java.rmi.NotBoundException
Posted By:
Posted On:
Thursday, July 31, 2003 09:12 AM


text:
To protect trademark, Texas A&M sends 12th Man usage complaint to double amputee, cancer survivor
Editor's note: Click here for an update from SportsDay staff writer Kate Hairopoulos.
Texas A&M has been notorious for its tight grip on the "12th Man" phrase known by most as the loyal Aggie fanbase at Kyle Field dating back to 1922.
Since 1990, the university has owned the trademark and in recent years lawsuits have been needed for those trying to use the term. The most notable altercation came with the Seattle Seahawks with the two sides eventually agreeing to licensing terms to use the term selectively.
As of Wednesday, the Aggies have a new case on their hands as Buffalo Bills fans took to the internet using the 12th Man phrase in hopes of petitioning for their team to remain in Buffalo.
According to The Buffalo News, Texas A&M sent two complaints to a group of four Buffalo Bills fans for "using a website with a common football phrase that infringed on its trademark," The Buffalo News' Mark Sommer reports. "The school also held out the possibility of legal action."
One person facing A&M's wrath is Charles "Chuckie" Sonntag, a Bills fan who is a double amputee and cancer survivor who co-founded 12thManThunder.com to keep the Bills in Buffalo.
"My experience has proven two things: a handicapped person can accomplish just about anything – and Texas A&M will sue just about anybody," Sonntag said.
The report states that Texas A&M has moved quickly on this matter and insists that the group has not moved quick enough for its liking.
"We have been negotiating about a turnover date for several weeks. When it became apparent they would not make that change, we gave them a deadline of last Friday to respond. The domain name still needs to be transferred from their ownership. It is still redirecting to their website. Their use of social media is still in question," Texas A&M spokesman Shane Hinckley said.
The Seahawks and Bills both pay licensing fees to use the term and Sonntag said he has seen the term in so many places surrounding his favorite team that he was sure he could use it.
To read the complete story from The Buffalo News, click here.


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Google AdSense 'whistleblower' accuses company of fraud, fund theft
updated 03:18 pm EDT, Wed April 30, 2014
Purported timeline alleges advertising host mistreatment since 2009
An individual who purports to be an ex-Google AdSense employee is claiming that the search engine is intentionally blocking payments to otherwise-deserving websites. The person making the claims posted a document to Pastebin on Tuesday alleging proof, with a timeline spanning 2009 through 2012, that Google gives preferential treatment to some sites, and shuts down other sites and keeps the money accumulated.
Google AdSense allows publishers in the Google Network of content sites to serve automatic text, image, video, or interactive media advertisements that are targeted to site content and audience. These advertisements are administered, sorted, and maintained by Google, and they can generate revenue on either a per-click or per-impression basis. The program has been running since 2003 in one form or another.
Google categorically denies the claims saying that the document is "a complete fiction." Google admits to shutting down some sites, to "stop bad actors and protect our publishers, advertisers and users." Google's policy on a website shutdown is to refund any accumulated funds in a shuttered account to the advertiser, and not to company coffers.
The document alleging proof of Google's misbehavior claims that "We were told to go and look into the publishers accounts, and if any publisher had accumulated earnings exceeding $5000 and was near a payout or in the process of a payout, we were to ban the account right away and reverse the earnings back."
The ex-employee goes on to claim that the employees "felt really uneasy about the whole thing, but we were threatened with job losses if we didn't enforce the company's wishes. Those who voiced concerned or issue were basically ridiculed with 'not having the company's best interest in mind' and not being 'team players.'"
Google employee Matt Cutts said on Hacker News that "I can tell you from personal experience that the terminology is incorrect and the allegations are completely at odds with my direct experience. I'm also hearing multiple, strong confirmations from the ads side that this post is completely fake."


text:
November 27, 2015
CARROLLTON, Ala. (AP) - A west Alabama woman could soon be
cleared of a capital murder charge in the death of her stillborn
A judge set a hearing for Thursday in Carrollton in the case
against Bridget Lee, a longtime church pianist.
The 34-year-old Lee was charged with capital murder and spent
nine months in jail after authorities charged her with murdering
her baby in 2006. She conceived the child during an extramarital
The first autopsy by a state examiner determined the child was
born alive and was suffocated in a homicide. The defense challenged
the finding, and state experts now say the baby died of pneumonia
and never drew a single breath.
The doctor whose autopsy led to the murder charge left Alabama
and now works in Texas.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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More than 900 of your friends and neighbors are attending classes at your local community college, which provides classes at its center in the Santa Cruz County Provisional Community College District building in Nogales, located on Grand Avenue.
Cochise College started offering classes in Santa Cruz County in October 2003. Since then, it has offered students a solid start in their bachelor's degree while living close at home. More than 100 classes offered every semester will help you prepare you to transfer to a university, earn your associates degree or lead a career to certification.
Class size at the Santa Cruz Center averages 15 students, and all classes are fully transferable. Transfer degrees are offered in the arts, business and sciences, along with four levels of English as a Second Language.
Students taking classes at the Santa Cruz Center learn with modern, up-to-date technology in a modern setting. There are three computer labs, as well as an interactive television classroom, which allows students to take classes along with peers and instructors at campus and center locations in Cochise County.
We know that 68 percent of students work while attending Cochise College, which is why online classes are also available to fit your schedule. Classes are offered during the day, nights and weekends.
The staff at the Santa Cruz Center offers placement testing, GED testing and CLEP testing, advising, admissions, registration and financial aid. A wide array of scholarships are also available. The college bookstore visits the center at the beginning of each semester.


text:
Published on July 4th,2013 at 1:37 PM
By >Yoriko
By >Yoriko
Mister Donut Thailand – Sushi-shaped colorful doughnuts "Sushido Delight" – Does it stimulate your appetite?
Category: Offbeat - Tags: Mister Donut, Mister Donut Thailand, Sushido, Sushido Delight
Mister Donut, a popular doughnut chain in Japan, started selling "Sushido Delight" in its stores in Thailand. It's a set of 10 different flavored doughnuts that each look surprisingly like different kinds of sushi.
For the fillings and toppings for those doughnuts, plenty of tropical fruits such as lychees, coconuts, and passion fruits are used, and that sounds really good. However, I am not sure if they look very appetizing to me since they look like sushi…
No Comments
- - Japan Probe – News from Japan (Subscribe)


text:
Maurel et Prom : Maurel et Prom : Reserves and resources Paris, 7 March 2013 No. 05-13 Reserves and Resources - Oil P1+P2 reserves net of royalties:198 million barrels, +7% P3 reserves net of royalties:98 million barrels Gas C1+C2 resources net of royalties:294 Bscf C3 resources net of royalties:433 Bscf Additional resources linked to discoveries: Oil:41 million barrels Gas:1.8 Tscf - Disclaimer: The Group's reserves correspond to hydrocarbon volumes revealed by discovery and delineation wells that can be operated commercially.P1 (proven), P2 (probable) and P3 (possible) oil reserves net of royalties were evaluated by DeGolyer and MacNaughton on 1 January 2013 for Gabon and by GLJ for Colombia. Gas resources on the Mnazi Bay permit in Tanzania were evaluated by RPS-APA on 30 September 2007. Included in our "Additional hydrocarbon resources" classification are resources corresponding to hydrocarbon volumes that have been revealed butwhich have not been made the subject of a development plan and for which the development economics are still to be proven.These resources were evaluated by DeGolyer and MacNaughton on 1 January 2008 for Sicily, and by GLJ on 1 January 2013 for Colombia. In line with the Group's historical policy, reserves and resources are presented as Maurel & Prom's share, net of royalties and before taxes specific to each type of contract (production sharing, concession, etc.). Oil reserves (M&P share net of royalties) As at 1 January 2013, the Group's P1+P2 oil reserves were 198 MMbbl or a +7% increase compare to 1 January 2012. These amounts are recognized as Group share, net of royalties. unit P1 P2 P1+P2 P3 OMOUEYI 85% Mboe 53.8 140.5 194.4 94.5 BANIO 100% Mboe 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.2 GABON Mboe 54.2 140.6 194.8 94.7 SABANERO 50% Mboe 2.1 1.3 3.4 3.6 COLOMBIA Mboe 2.1 1.3 3.4 3.6 TOTAL Oil Mboe 56.3 141.9 198.2 98.4 Changes from the corresponding previous year: *Annual production, mainly in Gabon, -6 MMbbl; *Upward revaluation of P1+P2 reserves in Gabon, + 23.1 MMbbl; *Downward revaluation of Sabanero P1+P2 reserves in Colombia, -4.2 MMbbl. In Gabon, the results of drilling carried out in 2012 and an improvement in water injection management increased Group reserves. In Gabon, in addition to its P1 and P2 reserves, the Group also has 95 MMbbl of P3 reserves net of royalties. In Colombia, the Sabanero field reserves were evaluated by GLJ, an independent auditor based in Canada. It showed that Maurel & Prom's share of reserves net of royalties were 2.1 MMbbl (P1) and 1.3 MMbbl (P2). The downward revision is the result of flooding observed on this field's production wells in 2012. The reserves published by Pacific Rubiales Energy are higher, as their auditor uses historical data provided by the operator for similar fields in Quifa and Rubiales to which GLJ does not have access. The P3 reserves in this field total 3.6 MMbbl. Gas reserves (M&P share net of royalties) While awaiting the finalisation of a gas sales agreement, the Group has published the resource valuation by RPS-APA for the Mnazi Bay permit in Tanzania. This report, dated 30 September 2007, remains valid. During the first half of 2012, the Group exercised its preemption right on Cove Energy's interest in the Mnazi Bay concession. Following this operation, Maurel & Prom's interest in this permit increased to 48.06%. Consequently, the Group's C1+C2 resources total 294 Bscf, or 52.5 Mboe. C3 resources on the Mnazi Bay permit are 433 Bscf, or 77 Mboe. A 3D seismic campaign is under way on the possible extension of this offshore field to gain more precise knowledge of this area which is prolific in gas. The potential linked to the drilling of the Mafia Deep well must be added to this figure. The volume of local natural gas for this well was evaluated by Schlumberger to be between 1.97 and 4.15 Tscf (the Group's share net of royalties would be between 1.0 and 2.2 Tscf). Additional resources (M&P share net of royalties) The hydrocarbon volumes presented in the table below correspond to an evaluation of resources (net of royalties) linked to discoveries, or to wells that have revealed the presence of hydrocarbons, but which have not yet been assessed. Type of hydrocarbon 2013 COLOMBIA CPO 17 25.00% Oil 41 MMbbl SICILY Fiume Tellaro 100.00% Gas 1.8 Tscf In Colombia, the resources have been evaluated by GLJ, they amount to 41 MMbbl on the CPO 17 field. It should be noted that the Godric field discovery in December 2012 alone allows the Group to increase its resources by 13.3 MMbbl (net of royalties). The operator Hocol (MP Colombia 50%, or M&P 25%) is scheduled to drill additional exploration wells at this prospect during Q2. Additional exploration potential The resources mentioned above do not take into account the potential linked to the intensive exploration which began this year with seismic campaigns and drilling. Glossary: Tscf: trillion cubic feet Bscf: billion cubic feet Mboe: million barrels of oil equivalent MMbbls: millions of barrels The energy conversion factor adopted is:1 barrel of oil equivalent = 5,610 cubic feet of gas. For more information, go to www.maureletprom.fr Communication: INFLUENCES Tél: +33 1 42 72 46 76 Mail: email@example.com This document may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial position, results, business and industrial strategy of Maurel & Prom.By nature, forward-looking statements contain risks and uncertainties to the extent that they are based on events or circumstances that may or may not happen in the future.These projections are based on assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which may prove to be incorrect and which depend on a number of risk factors such as fluctuations in crude oil prices, changes in exchange rates, uncertainties related to the valuation of our oil reserves, actual rates of oil production and the related costs, operational problems, political stability, legislative or regulatory reforms, or even wars, terrorism and sabotage. Maurel & Prom is listed for trading on Euronext Paris - Compartment A - CAC® mid 60 - SBF120® - CAC® Mid & Small - CAC® All-Tradable - CAC® All-Share ISIN FR0000051070 / Bloomberg MAU.FP / Reuters MAUP.PA RES_MAU-7MAR13_ENG.pdf ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Maurel et Prom via Thomson Reuters ONE HUG#1683857
Maurel et Prom : Maurel et Prom : Reserves and resources
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A total of six studies conducted during the past year have shown evidence of the beneficial impact of apple consumption on risk of breast cancer.
They were all reported by Cornell researcher Dr. Rui Hai Liu in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. In one of them, he looked at the development of mammary tumors in rats.
He found that 81 percent of the animals in the control group developed it but only 57 percent, 50 percent and 23 percent of the rats fed low, medium and high doses of apple extracts became ill during a period of 24 weeks.
"We not only observed that the treated animals had fewer tumors, but the tumors were smaller, less malignant and grew more slowly," said Dr. Liu who is an associate professor of food science and a member of Cornell's Institute for Comparative and Environmental Toxicology.
The ingredients responsible for the anti-cancer and anti-proliferative effect are phytochemicals known as flavonoids whose rich sources include apples and many other fruits and vegetables.
In a separate experiment, Dr. Liu also found that apple peel contains a variety of other phenolic compounds that have potent antioxidant effects.
According to the American Cancer Society, 184,450 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 40,930 will die from the disease. However, if detected early and treated properly, breast cancer is one of the most curable of all cancers affecting women.


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CC Salon SF on WED, Aug 8 from 7-9 PM: Bittorent and Intern Presentations!
This is just a reminder – on Wednesday, Aug 8th, from 7-9 PM, we will be returning to Shinesf.com (1337 Mission St. in San Francisco) for another Creative Commons Salon! The Salons are a great opportunity to meet-up with others interested in Creative Commons' flexible licensing, technology and standards and informally discuss how we can all work together.
Joining us will be Ashwin Navin, President and Co-Founder of Bittorent, Inc., who will be discussing the overlaps between the CC community and Bittorent as well as what this means in the near future. Also, all of us summer interns will be presenting on what we've been up to for the past two months. We have some other tricks up our sleeves, but you will have to wait until Monday to find out what…
As always, music and drinks will top everything off. Here is the link on Upcoming – we'll see you there!Comments Off on CC Salon SF on WED, Aug 8 from 7-9 PM: Bittorent and Intern Presentations!
Tay Zonday's "Chocolate Rain"
If you been looking for some new music to sing along to lately, make sure to check out the wonderful "Chocolate Rain" by Tay Zonday. A catchy tune to say the least, Zonday released "Chocolate Rain" on to YouTube under a CC BY-NC-ND licence and has since seen his video reach over 2.5 million views and counting.
Although this is certainly due in large part to the song and accompanying video's engaging aura, by choosing a licence that allows others to freely redistribute his work without fear of legal issues, Zonday enabled his viewers to share his work openly, adding weight to the the argument that ubiquity, and thus popularity, begets popularity.
On his MySpace blog, Zonday poses an interesting question about collecting royalties for his work through BMI or ASCAP. At this point, "Chocolate Rain" has been featured on both CBS and NBC, and although Zonday would enjoy reaping the rewards from these performances, he worries that joining BMI/ASCAP will enforce performance rights on smaller, less funded, endeavors such as "mom-and-pop cafes, nonprofit radio, and small businesses" (a practice the Seattle Times has a detailed writeup on). In his words:
1 Comment »
I want nonprofit radio and small mom/pop cafes to be able to play my music for free. But I also want giant corporations who can afford to give me a dime or two to pay fair royalties. I want a fair piece of commercial uses of my music.
Amarok developer hired by Magnatune
Magnatune, a record label that uses a CC BY-NC-SA license for all releases (Magnatune founder John Buckman is also on the CC board), has just hired free software developer Nikolaj Hald Nielsen to work on Amarok, a free software media player.
While software and services companies for years have hired many free software developers to continue to work on their free software projects and employees of open content companies have contributed to free software projects, this may be the first time an open content company has hired a free software developer to work on the developer's free software project.
I suspect this will be the first of many such hires. Open content companies are growing and often are highly dependent on free software for infrastructure and end user services.
Congratulations to Magnatune and Nikolaj! There's a placeholder article on the CC Wiki concerning Amarok/CC integration.Comments Off on Amarok developer hired by Magnatune
Introducing Desktop Licensing
Hi, I'm Scott Shawcroft a Creative Commons technical intern and a student at the University of Washington. I'd like to tell you about my project but will start with a bit of a preface. Sorry its long, I'm excited. I've been a fan of Creative Commons for a few years now. I watched the original Get Creative video in awe. A few months earlier I discovered GNU/Linux. Having a free (in both senses in my mind) operating system at my disposal felt immensely empowering. The collaboration of people around the world enabled by the Internet. Wow. I was introduced to a new world by broadband internet. (CD isos are huge in dial-up times.) To top my discovery of free software I discovered Free Culture. People collaborating across borders in hopes of expressing ideas in an endless variety of ways. Audio, video, photography, poetry and scientific research all released with 'some rights reserved'. Again, wow. The web was blossoming with license data, the GNU GPL and others on Sourceforge and Creative Commons licenses on Flickr. The web was going somewhere. The desktop was going… nowhere.
While the web had a way of denoting and acknowledging an author's intention, the desktop had no such thing. No easy way to say, "This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0." There was no easy way to ask, "How can I use this file? What does the creator allow me to do?" Once off of the web, the files were on their own. Away from all of the comforts of the creator's website in the big mess of files we call a desktop computer. When would this all change? When will a license be as ubiquitous as a last modified date?
Both the original Get Creative video and in the newer Wanna Work Together video emphasize the fact that upon the fixation of an idea in a tangible form its author gains a bundle of exclusive rights formally known as copyright. Each and every file on each and every computer created by someone has rights associated with it. Upon creation of those files, the user has a copyright for each one. To counter this automatic copyright, a desktop-centric fundamental way to release those given rights is needed.
I'm happy to announce that this is about to change. With great thanks to Jason Kivlighn, Jon Phillips, Nathan Yergler and every license author I'd like to point you to liblicense, the first small and shaky step towards universal license tracking on the desktop. What we've created is a library to assist in tracking and tagging file's licenses. Our intention is not to create the means for rights restriction but to ease the process of informing users about the rights granted by the author of a particular file. We're not in the restriction business. We're in the information business.
However, this is a very small step and there are many more steps to go. Liblicense is in need of much love. Kind of like the teenage years; it still has some things to get sorted out before it matures. Also, its a bit lonely. There are many cool companions to it which have yet to be written. As I wrote earlier, we're planning on venturing into the world of Sugar for the One Laptop Per Child project. That still leaves much unexplored. What about applications? Sure, the desktop will know about licenses. But what about music players, feed readers, desktop publishers and text editors? All of those applications are in the business of ideas. Shouldn't they display the rights to the information they are dealing with? Imagine finding a song you love using Amarok and finding out you can share it with your friends. Or imagine finding a brilliant poem on a blog through Liferea you can base a video or song off of. Cool. I'm excited.
One last thing, liblicense is, well, kind of skinny. To continue the teenage analogy you are probably sick of, liblicense is the skinny kid who could use some bulking up. While Jason (my esteemed colleague, former roommate and great friend) and I are trying our best to get liblicense to bulk up, we could use your help. We'd like liblicense to support embedding license information into all of the file types known to man. I'm serious. All applications and even the kernel of the operating system should have license information embedded in them. While some formats have semi-standard ( and I say semi due to the lack of application of said standard ) methods for embedding license, others just plain don't. Those issues need to get resolved before we can support every file format known to man. I know what you are thinking, "It can't be done. He's intentionally exaggerating." Well, you are wrong. Again, I'm serious. Every file format can be supported, its just an issue of how. And an issue of how can be solved. We just need your help. The power of collaboration knows no bounds.
For more information about liblicense visit the project page at http://www.creativecommons.org/project/Liblicense. If you are running Linux (other platforms planned) and would like to try it get it here. If you would like to help develop liblicense or talk with/get help from the developers join us on irc.freenode.net/#cc or the mailing list email@example.com. Thanks.Comments Off on Introducing Desktop Licensing
CC at OSCON, Eric Steuer on Slideshare
We had a great time at OSCON last week – Nathan Yergler, CTO, and Jon Phillips, Business + Community Developer, gave two presentations on CC and the open source community while Mozilla and CC held a party to the jams of the one and only Menomena. Although somewhat delayed, here is a nice digital trail of our escapades:
- Nathan Yergler – Integrating CC Licensing with Applications (via slideshare.net)
- Jon Phillips – Refining Copyright Oscon 2007
- Mozilla/CC Party – Photos (via flickr)
In other CC news, Eric Steuer, Creative Director, posted two of his most recent presentations on slideshare.net as well – check them out here and here (UPDATE: These links now link to the correct presentations).Comments Off on CC at OSCON, Eric Steuer on Slideshare
SPARC Video Contest – Mind Mashup
SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) announced this past week the launch of the first annual SPARC Discovery Awards, a "contest to promote the open exchange of information". The theme of this year's contest, Mind Mashup, calls on entrants to illustrate in a short video the importance of sharing ideas and information of all kinds.
While this challenge is clearly in line with CC's goals and mission, SPARC has gone a step further by making CC-licensing a required step in the submission process. Contestants are allowed to use the licence of their choosing, as long as it doesn't contain the ND condition, and in doing so, SPARC creates a contest that educates two fold. Not only will the entrants create short films about the sharing of information, but they themselves will partake directly in the process, crafting films that will be both educational in content and in practice.
To get more info on the SPARC Discovery Awards, go here. The winner will receive $1,000 and entries will be judged by an esteemed panel which includes both Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and documentary filmmaker Peter Wintonick.Comments Off on SPARC Video Contest – Mind Mashup
Strange Horizons goes Creative Commons
Strange Horizons, a speculative-fiction webzine that publishes short fiction, poetry, reviews and articles on a weekly basis, have recently added an option allowing authors to publish their works under a CC license. Many authors have taken them up on the offer, including Ben Rosenbaum, whose desire to release his Hugo-nominated "The House Beyond Your Sky" under a CC-licence spearheaded the entire process.
Strange Horizon's adoption of CC-licenses allows, very simply, for greater flexibility in terms of how an author's work is distributed online. Jed Hartmen, co-editor of SH, puts it well:
"Some authors would be happy to allow anyone who wants to do so to translate their work into another language or another medium. ("Want to make a music video out of my story? Go ahead!") Some authors would be fine with letting other people make copies of their work as long as nobody is making any money from the copying. And so on; there are a variety of license options."
It is great to see this sort of adoption taking place, especially from a publication that Cory Doctorow calls "one of the best short fiction publishers in the world". Be sure to check out these two blog posts for the various CC-licensed works SH now offers. Oh, and they're running a fundraising drive as well.
(via Boing Boing)Comments Off on Strange Horizons goes Creative Commons
Rhizome integrates Creative Commons licenses into ArtBase
Rhizome, "an online platform for the global new media art community", announced yesterday that it will integrate Creative Commons licenses into its online art archive, the Artbase. From here onwards, artists who contribute to ArtBase will have the option to license their work under a Creative Commons License of their choosing, greatly adding to ArtBase's flexibility. From Rhizome:
"By implementing Creative Commons, Rhizome aligns itself with sites like Blip.tv, Flickr and Digg, who nurture not only a community of free creativity, but of free culture," says [Fred] Benenson. Lauren Cornell, Executive Director of Rhizome, adds that "It's in the spirit of Rhizome to foster collaboration amongst artists. I'm happy that Rhizome is able to make these licenses available, and to support the practice of sharing cultural material within the arts."
It is fantastic that a leading institution in new media art such as Rhizome has added the ability for CC-licensing in its online publishing interface. As more online repositories, be they artistic or otherwise, add CC-licensing options, the stronger the commons grows. As such, license-adoption from online communities is an essential part of CC's overall goal, enabling content-creators and content-consumers easy tools to license and remix larger and larger bodies of work.
You can read more about Rhizome here.Comments Off on Rhizome integrates Creative Commons licenses into ArtBase
Announcing ccLearn – the education division of Creative Commons
Creative Commons is pleased to announce the launch of a new division focused on education: ccLearn.
ccLearn is dedicated to realizing the full potential of the Internet to support open learning and open educational resources (OER). Our mission is to minimize barriers to sharing and reuse of educational materials — legal barriers, technical barriers, and social barriers.
- With legal barriers, we advocate for licensing of educational materials under interoperable terms, such as those provided by Creative Commons licenses, that allow unhampered modification, remixing, and redistribution. We also educate teachers, learners, and policy makers about copyright and fair-use issues pertaining to education.
- With technical barriers, we promote interoperability standards and tools to facilitate remixing and reuse.
- With social barriers, we encourage teachers and learners to re-use educational materials available on the Web, and to build on each other's contributions.
ccLearn will be in transition over the remainder of the summer, 2007, reaching full operation this Fall. ccLearn is generously supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and is working closely with members of the Foundation's Open Educational Resources Program. This is an international project, and we will be working with open educational sites and resources from around the world.Comments Off on Announcing ccLearn – the education division of Creative Commons
CC Salon SF on WED, Aug 8 from 7-9 PM: Bittorent and Intern Presentations!
On Wednesday, Aug 8th, from 7-9 PM, we will be returning to Shinesf.com (1337 Mission St. in San Francisco) for another Creative Commons Salon! A quick turn-around (last months was to make up for our absence in June while at iSummit) with tons of wonderful things in store. Apart from the presentations, it is a great opportunity to meet-up with others interested in Creative Commons' flexible licensing, technology and standards and informally discuss how we can all work together.
Joining us will be Ashwin Navin, President and Co-Founder of Bittorent, Inc., who will be discussing the overlaps between the CC community and Bittorent and what this means in the near future. Also, all of this summer's interns (of which I am one) will be presenting on what we've been up to for the past two months. It is bound to be a joyous occasion and one that will surely bring tears to the eyes of the rest of the CC staff.
As always, music and drinks will top everything off. Here is the link on Upcoming – we'll see you there!Comments Off on CC Salon SF on WED, Aug 8 from 7-9 PM: Bittorent and Intern Presentations!
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Deconstructing Lieberman's Iran Resolution
Sen. Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman, the "independent Democrat" from Connecticut, has been one of the most hawkish members of the Senate for years. He is in fact a turncoat who campaigned for John McCain in 2008, and in many ways he has been more Republican than Republicans. He supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and he has blindly supported and defended Israel to the point that he has been given an award for his support.
Most importantly, Lieberman has consistently advocated tough economic sanctions and even military attacks on Iran. In a conference of Christian Zionists in 2009, Lieberman declared, "The chief obstacle to peace in the Middle East is not Israelis living on the West Bank but the regime in Tehran." He has been a sponsor or co-sponsor of many anti-Iran Senate resolutions, including those that directly intervene in Iran's internal affairs and impose economic sanctions on the country.
In January 2011 Lieberman announced that he will retire from the Senate when his term expires this year. He is now using his last months in the Senate to provoke a war with Iran. Earlier this month, Lieberman, together with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the man who has declared, "I want to destroy Iran," and Robert Casey (D-Pa.), introduced Senate Resolution 380 to give President Obama a blank check to go to war with Iran and prevent diplomacy. In effect, it declares that it should be the policy of the United States to prevent Iran "from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability" and it "rejects any United States policy that would rely on efforts to contain a nuclear weapons-capable Iran." As recently reiterated by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the U.S. policy has been preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons, but Resolution 380 declares that Iran cannot even have the know-how. The resolution is replete with lies, exaggerations and half truths. Let's begin:
Whereas since at least the late 1980s, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has engaged in a sustained and well-documented pattern of illicit and deceptive activities to acquire a nuclear capability…
False: What Iran has set up is a complete cycle for producing nuclear fuel. The same facilities can be used to produce high-enriched uranium for nuclear weapons, but there is no evidence, as certified time and again by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that Iran has diverted its nuclear facilities and materials to production of nuclear weapons.
Whereas the United Nations Security Council has adopted multiple resolutions since 2006demanding the full and sustained suspension of all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities by the Iranian government and its full cooperation with the IAEA on all outstanding issues related to its nuclear activities, particularly those concerning the possible military dimensions of its nuclear program…
Half-truth: True, the Security Council has demanded suspension of Iran's nuclear program, but sending Iran's nuclear dossier to the Council was an illegal act taken by the Board of Directors of the IAEA in the first place.
Whereas on November 8, 2011, the IAEA issued an extensive report documenting "serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program" and stating that "Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device" and that these efforts may be ongoing…
Half-truth: The activities that the IAEA pointed out, if they have taken place, are all research, not development of any particular nuclear device; they all have a variety of civilian applications; and in many cases, the results of the research have been published in open source journals. In addition, the IAEA is not even sure whether all the activities have taken place, as its report is replete with "perhaps," "may," "might," "possible," etc.
Whereas as of November 2008, Iran had produced approximately 630 kilograms of uranium-235 enriched to 3.5% and no uranium-235 enriched to 20%, according to the IAEA;
Whereas as of November 2011, Iran had produced nearly 5,000 kilograms of uranium-235 enriched to 3.5% and 79.7 kilograms of uranium-235 enriched to 20%, according to the IAEA…
Half-truths: True, Iran has produced low-enriched and 20% enriched uranium, but they are all sealed and safeguarded by the IAEA. So long as they are, Iran will not be able to use them for any purpose other than fuel for nuclear reactors. In addition, Iran began producing the 20% enriched uranium only after the IAEA and the West refused to supply nuclear fuel for Tehran Research Reactor that produces medical isotopes for 850,000 Iranian patients every year, in which the 20% enriched uranium will be spent.
Whereas on January 9, 2011, IAEA inspectors confirmed that the Iranian government had begun enrichment activities at the Fordow site, including possibly enrichment of uranium-235 to 20%…
Insinuation: The Fordow facility is monitored and safeguarded by the IAEA inspectors. Nothing is going on there that can be hidden from them.
Whereas if Iran were successful in acquiring a nuclear weapon capability, it would likely spur other countries in the region to consider developing their own nuclear weapons capabilities…
False: There is no evidence of that. But, if that is going to happen, who is going to supply the nuclear technology to these countries? Clearly, it will be the United States and France, which already have signed agreements with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. So, if there are concerns, the West can simply deny them the technology and offer them security guarantees.
Whereas on December 6, 2011, Prince Turki al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia stated that if international efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons fail, "we must, as a duty to our country and people, look into all options we are given, including obtaining these weapons ourselves…
Absurd: This is the same prince who has referred to the Arab Spring as the "Arab Troubles." Since when must one pay attention to such absurd proclamation by one of the most reactionary and corrupt Saudi officials?
Whereas top Iranian leaders have repeatedly threatened the existence of the State of Israel, pledging to "wipe Israel off the map"…
False: What Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said was, "The Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini] said this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time," meaning the government, not the people of Israel, must disappear. Since the 1979 Revolution, Iran has always advocated a democratic state in Palestine in which Jews, Christians, and Muslim can live side by side.
Whereas the U.S. Department of State since 1984 has designated Iran as a "State Sponsor of Terrorism" and has characterized Iran as "the most active state sponsor of terrorism"…
Double standards: The State Department has also listed the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) organization, an Iranian terrorist cult, as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), but its agents have been free to recruit former senior U.S. officials in order to remove the MEK from the FTO list without any hindrance whatsoever. So the list is purely political and subjective.
Whereas Iran has provided weapons, training, funding, and direction to terrorist groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Shi'ite militias in Iraq that are responsible for the murders of hundreds of American forces and innocent civilians…
Half-truth and exaggeration: The Shi'ites came to power in Iraq as a result of the U.S. invasion. They are supposedly our allies. Hamas does receive aide from Iran, but follows its own independent path. The Lebanese Hezbollah is Iran's first line of defense, not offense, against Israel. This is not to say that Hamas and Hezbollah have not committed terrorism in the past. They have, but everything must be put in its proper context.
Whereas on July 28, 2011, the U.S. Department of the Treasury charged that the Government of Iran had forged a "secret deal" with al-Qaeda to facilitate the movement of al-Qaeda fighters and funding through Iranian territory…
False: al-Qaeda is Iran's bloody enemy. The allegations have already been rejected both in the United States and in Europe. To the contrary, Iran offered to exchange senior al-Qaeda members who are under arrest in Iran for senior members of the MEK, but the United States refused.
Whereas in October 2011, senior leaders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force were implicated in a terrorist plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the United States on U.S. soil…
Absurd: The allegations were so absurd that they were emphatically rejected even by those who have spent a lifetime fighting the Islamic Republic. What happened to the allegations, anyway? The main Iranian-American supposed culprit recanted his confessions, and everything died down quickly after that.
Whereas on December 26, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution denouncing the serious human rights abuses occurring in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including torture, cruel and degrading treatment in detention, the targeting of human rights defenders, violence against women, and "the systematic and serious restrictions on freedom of peaceful assembly" as well as severe restrictions on the rights "to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief"…
Crocodile tears: True, the Iranian regime has oppressed its people and has put down peaceful demonstrations by violence. But these are internal matters for Iranians, or at most for credible international organizations for human rights, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. How can a Senate Resolution that "urges continued and increasing economic and diplomatic pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran" and in effect advocates war with Iran help the Iranian people? How credible are people such as Lieberman and Graham, who constantly advocate paralyzing economic sanctions and attacking Iran, when they shed crocodile tears for the Iranian people?
Whereas President Obama, through the P5+1 process, has made repeated efforts to engage the Iranian government in dialogue about Iran's nuclear program and its international commitments under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty…
Half-truth: The effort by the president was halfhearted to begin with, and as demonstrated by Trita Parsi, it was derailed quickly by Saudi Arabia's and Israel's lobbies in the U.S. No serious efforts have ever been devoted to diplomacy with Iran, and no serious considerations have ever been given to Iran's legitimate national security concerns.
Whereas on March 31, 2010, President Obama stated that the "consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran are unacceptable";
Whereas in his State of the Union Address on January 24, 2012, President Obama stated: "Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal";
Whereas Secretary of Defense Panetta in December 2011 stated that it was unacceptable for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, reaffirmed that all options were on the table to thwart Iran's nuclear weapons efforts, and vowed that if the U.S. gets "intelligence that they are proceeding with developing a nuclear weapon then we will take whatever steps necessary to stop it"…
False: The president and the defense secretary were both talking about nuclear weapons, not the nuclear-weapons capability that the resolution emphasizes. The two are vastly different. Any state that uses nuclear technology has the potential for making nuclear weapons. The main point is to keep the potential latent, and in Iran's case it has remained so.
Once again, we have a Senate resolution based on lies, exaggerations, and half-truths. Once again, warmonger wolves in sheep's clothes are trying to bring about an unnecessary war against a nation that has not attacked any other country for hundreds of years, a nation that poses no threat against anyone, least of all Israel and the United States, which are armed with thousands of nuclear warheads. Once again, supporting Israel and ignoring the United States' true national interests will bring destruction and misery to another nation in the Middle East.
Read more by Muhammad Sahimi
- Deconstructing Senator Chuck Schumer's Pro-War Statement About the Iran Nuclear Deal – August 11th, 2015
- Those Who Want War With Iran Should Explicitly Declare It – July 28th, 2015
- Demonizing Iran To Prevent the Nuclear Agreement – July 3rd, 2015
- As a Muslim and Iranian-American I Am Delighted Netanyahu Will Speak to Congress – March 1st, 2015
- Washington's Hawks Provide Ammunition for Tehran's Hawks – January 29th, 2015
15 Responses to "Deconstructing Lieberman's Iran Resolution"
The reason that Iran went to the trouble of enrichment was because of the duplicity of members of the security council. The French said that they would enrich Uranium for the Iranians and what did the French do, NOT GIVE THEM THEIR ENRICHED URANIUM BACK, The United States refused to allow 20 percent enriched Uranium for their Nuclear Medicine reactor to be sold to Iran, now the question is what would ANY country fo if rhis was done to them, they would make theier own they are allowed such things under IAEA rules.
The MEK were Terrorists that were INSIDE the US embassy when the Hostages were taken, yet the Republicans court them with glee, (of course though so did Ronald Reagan and GHW Bush and the Israelies remember The Iran (Israeli) Contra affair, illegal dealings with Iran were a fixture of the Republicans back then).
Then of Course Hamas is really an organisation invented by the MOSSAD to destabilise the Palestinian Liberation Organisation,that is a famous blowback of the Israelies but most Americans are too ignorant to even know these things.
1- Actually, Iran's enrichment program started in the 1970s and not 1980s', with the assistance and encourgement of Western powers. Note that Lieberman resorts to a weasel phrase "nuclear capability" — which is not the same as nuclear weapons.
What do you expect of a f-cking Zionist Jew!?
Lieberman,McCain and Graham are very dangerous fools, who would enjoy world war III.
Already the terrible "Iran Threat Reduction Act" passed recently 100 to zero in the "US" Senate, destroys Iran's economy and possible chances of negotiation on any basis.
This "resolution" is to prevent Iranians of having the "know how" to develop nuclear technology. Sounds a lot like the plantation owners that didn't want dem slaves learnin' hows ta read & write. Of couse, Lindsay Graham is just having a hissy fit because of Iran's treatment of gays…
I think I'll go watch Blazing Saddles…I need a chuckle.
Lieberman, an open supporter of Jewish state terrorism and a traitor to the nation he is supposedly elected to lead.
You really can't see him any other way, or else he gets re-elected, over and over.
I am sorry it is our fault not our Senators. We let this happen. We are leaderless cowards. So sad.
[…] of Chemical Engineering and political columnist on Iran issues, discusses his article "Deconstructing Lieberman's Iran Resolution;" the false premises upon which Senate Resolution 380 is based; Iran's closely […]
HANDS OFF IRAN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACzYJ9IGlTg
[…] of chemical engineering at the University of Southern California, wrote in an article called, "Deconstructing Lieberman's Iran Resolution": "Once again, we have a Senate resolution based on lies, exaggerations, and half-truths. Once […]
[…] of chemical engineering at the University of Southern California, wrote in an article called, "Deconstructing Lieberman's Iran Resolution": "Once again, we have a Senate resolution based on lies, exaggerations, and half-truths. Once […]
[…] of chemical engineering at the University of Southern California, wrote in an article called, "Deconstructing Lieberman's Iran Resolution": "Once again, we have a Senate resolution based on lies, exaggerations, and half-truths. Once […]
[…] of chemical engineering at the University of Southern California, wrote in an article called, "Deconstructing Lieberman's Iran Resolution": "Once again, we have a Senate resolution based on lies, exaggerations, and half-truths. Once […]
[…] http://original.antiwar.com/muhammad…an-resolution/ Sen. Joseph Isadore Joe Lieberman, the independent Democrat from Connecticut, has been one of the most hawkish members of the Senate for years. He is in fact a turncoat who campaigned for John McCain in 2008, and in many ways he has been more Republican than Republicans. He supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and he has blindly supported and defended Israel to the point that he has been given an award for his support. Most importantly, Lieberman has consistently advocated tough economic sanctions and even military attacks on Iran. In a conference of Christian Zionists in 2009, Lieberman declared, The chief obstacle to peace in the Middle East is not Israelis living on the West Bank but the regime in Tehran. He has been a sponsor or co-sponsor of many anti-Iran Senate resolutions, including those that directly intervene in Irans internal affairs and impose economic sanctions on the country. […]
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Traders work the floor at the New York Stock Exchange.
Bubble. Bubble! BUBBLE!
One of the latest sports among market watchers has been bubble-spotting, despite the fact that bubbles, by definition, are nearly impossible to spot while you're in them. The latest sign of a stock market bubble, they say: scads of new money going to stock funds.
After all, the Investment Company Institute, the funds' trade organization, estimates that investors have poured a net $40.7 billion into stock mutual funds the five weeks ended Nov. 13. That's a lot of money. Another big number in the same report: Investors have yanked $24 billion from bond funds the same ...


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Mainichi.me | Everyday Japanese
www.mainichi.me/, posted Jan '15 by peter in education japan language online
New Japanese words every day, with kana, romaji and kanji. And colorful pictures, just in case.
Could the lingua franca approach to learning break Japan's English curse? | The Japan Times
www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/08/17/issues/could-the-lingua-franca-approach-to-learning-break-japans-english-curse/, posted Aug '14 by peter in cognition education japan language toread
Perfection is unattainable: Learning English as a lingua franca (ELF) involves approaching the language as a tongue shared by non-native speakers around the world rather than as a lingo that must be mastered to native-speaker level. Letting go of the idea of speaking 'perfect English' could do wonders for Japanese students' confidence.
School is a prison — and damaging our kids - Salon.com
www.salon.com/2013/08/26/school_is_a_prison_and_damaging_our_kids/, posted 2013 by peter in cognition education opinion parenting politics
School is a place where children are compelled to be, and where their freedom is greatly restricted — far more restricted than most adults would tolerate in their workplaces. In recent decades, we have been compelling our children to spend ever more time in this kind of setting, and there is strong evidence (summarized in my recent book) that this is causing serious psychological damage to many of them. Moreover, the more scientists have learned about how children naturally learn, the more we have come to realize that children learn most deeply and fully, and with greatest enthusiasm, in conditions that are almost opposite to those of school.
The Theoretical Minimum
theoreticalminimum.com/, posted 2013 by peter in education free online physics video
The Theoretical Minimum is a series of Stanford Continuing Studies courses taught by world renowned physicist Leonard Susskind. These courses collectively teach everything required to gain a basic understanding of each area of modern physics including all of the fundamental mathematics. The sequence begins with the modern formulations of classical mechanics discovered by Lagrange and Hamilton in the late 18th and 19th centuries, and then moves on to the radical new theories of relativity and quantum mechanics discovered by Albert Einstein and others in the early 20th century. The sequence concludes with a study of modern cosmology including the physics of black holes.
Learn Japanese online. With our podcast, learning Japanese is easy. | JapanesePod101.com
www.japanesepod101.com/, posted 2013 by peter in education japan language podcast
Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101! No more dry, out of date textbook story lines! Here at JapanesePod101, you'll learn Japanese with fun, interesting and culturally relevant lessons that are easy to listen to. But not only are they fun - they're effective too! Join the hundreds of thousands of people already learning Japanese through the power of our mobile apps, desktop software and website with free Japanese lessons released every week!
liv | Dear brilliant students: Please consider not doing a PhD.
liv.dreamwidth.org/389934.html, posted 2013 by peter in education opinion science writing
Look, I am in fact a career academic. I know exactly what's attractive about it, I've made considerable financial and personal sacrifices to get myself to a position where I can work in a university environment and spend my time doing groundbreaking research. And yet. The gateway into this life is a PhD, and the PhD system is deeply, deeply fucked up when it isn't actively abusive. Doing a PhD will break you. It's pretty much designed to break you.
If you have every admirable personal quality you can think of, if you have every advantage in life, still, getting through a PhD will grind you down, will come terrifyingly close to killing your soul and might well succeed. It will do horrible things to your mental and physical health and test to breaking point every significant relationship in your life.
Våra studenter kan inte svenska - Debatt - UNT.se
www.unt.se/debatt/vara-studenter-kan-inte-svenska-2027570.aspx#.UOaWmkKmmJA.twitter, posted 2013 by peter in education history language opinion science sweden
Vi förutsätter inte att våra studenter ska komma från gymnasiet med perfekta språkkunskaper. Den individuella språkutvecklingen är en process, och alla gör fel ibland. Vi är heller inga bakåtsträvare – som historiker är vi självklart fullt medvetna om att språk förändras. Vad vi önskar är att våra studenter kommer till oss med en svenska som fungerar.
Vi vädjar till landets beslutsfattare att tilldela svenskundervisningen de resurser som behövs. Dagens skolungdomar måste få ett fungerande språk. Vi som undervisar på universitetsnivå har inga möjligheter att täcka upp för de brister som uppstått redan i grund- och gymnasieskolan. Som läget är nu har vi stora svårigheter att ens åstadkomma en acceptabel kunskapsnivå i vårt eget ämne hos våra studenter – alltför många av dem förstår helt enkelt inte vad vi säger.
"Många blir inte klokare av en högskoleutbildning" - DN.SE
www.dn.se/debatt/manga-blir-inte-klokare-av-en-hogskoleutbildning, posted 2012 by peter in education inswedish opinion politics sweden toread
Brist på kritiskt tänkande. Högskolan har blivit en gigantisk sysselsättningsarena för ungdomar, ofta med tveksamma kurser i alltför lätta ämnen. Samtidigt vill många högskolor få universitetsstatus. Kanske borde de göras om till gymnasieskolor i stället, skriver professor Mats Alvesson.
News in Slow French | French Podcast
www.newsinslowfrench.com/?gclid=CL226v7Kmq8CFeJYmAodUi7zZQ, posted 2012 by peter in education language news podcast
Learn online with us and improve your French quickly! Choose the subscription that best fits your level of French language and your interest!
Let's Japanese
www.letsjapanese.net/, posted 2012 by peter in education japan language online
Let's Japanese - The site that lets you learn Japanese when you want, where you want and how you want!
Add your own vocabulary, or choose from one of our pre-set vocabulary packs! Check out the help page for more information on getting started! Registration is easy, and best of all, it's free!


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The coroner's office releases the name of a pregnant woman who died after being severely beaten last night.
Deputy coroner Dwayne Lawrence says 18-year-old Okari Moore of Bowling Green was pronounced dead around 10:15 last night at The Medical Center.
Just after nine yesterday evening Bowling Green police were called to an assault at Grant Village Apartments. Once there they found Moore severely beaten and transported her to the hospital where she later died.
The coroner's office confirms she was 22 weeks pregnant. A suspect is in custody. 29-year-old Michael Cofer was arrested on a murder charge early this morning. He's being held without bond in the Warren County Jail.
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