text:
This discussion paper is prepared by Henk de Zeeuw, Co-ordinator of the Resource Centre on Urban Agriculture and Forestry (RUAF), ETC, the Netherlands; and Karen Lock, Visiting research fellow, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.
This working group will deal with the health and environmental aspects of urban and periurban agriculture (UPA). UPA can have both negative and positive effects on the health and environmental conditions of the urban population. The positive aspects include a/o. reduction of urban food insecurity, improved access to food and improved diets of the urban poor, better physical and psychological health of the population due to greater physical activity, outdoor relaxation and ameliorated sanitation and greening of the direct living environment.
We invite participants in this workshop to report and discuss both positive and negative impacts of UPA on health and the environment, although most of the above-mentioned positive impacts on health will be dealt with more extensively in the workshop on UPA, nutrition and food security. However, tThe working group on UPA, health and environment - and thus also this paper - will mainly focus on the health risks of UPA and seek to formulate effective policies at city and national levels, that prevent or mitigate such risks.
Urban agriculture can be defined as the growing of plants and the raising of animals for food and other uses within urban areas (intra-urban agriculture) and in the fringe of urban areas (periurban agriculture), and the processing and marketing of the resultant products. UPA systems include root crops, vegetables, aromatic and medicinal herbs, fruit crops, and livestock of all shapes and sizes. A smaller number deals with other plants, such as ornamentals and tree seedlings. Within food crops, the more perishable and relatively high-valued vegetable and animal products and by-products are better represented. Food and non-food production is often mutually complementary, often along gender lines, they reinforce not only food security but also income benefits, at individual and household levels. Urban farmers are mainly small-scale family enterprises, but also medium sized and larger enterprises are encountered. Urban agriculture (especially and more so intra-urban agriculture) is often done in addition to other employment.
Like rural agriculture, UPA entails risks to health and the environment, if not managed and carried out properly. It is essential to address the health risks associated with urban agriculture for two main reasons (Flynn 1999):
City authorities have often been reluctant to accept urban agriculture because of perceived health risks. Nevertheless, in most cities in developing countries (as well as in many countries in transition in Eastern Europe), urban agriculture is practised to a substantial scale, despite prohibitive laws and regulations. Hence, rather than general laws prohibiting urban agriculture, which are largely ineffective, policies are needed that actively manage the health risks related to urban agriculture.
To formulate urban agricultural policies that improve the health of the urban population, it is important to critically examine the evidence for both health risks and benefits. We need to look at how the risks of urban agriculture can be minimised and the benefits increased. In order to be able to do so, we must specify the environmental conditions under which UPA-related health problems occur (i.e., type of agriculture, farm management practices, characteristics of the location, etc.) and the groups that are most vulnerable to those impacts, and the factors that determine this vulnerability (e.g. poverty, gender, age, main occupation). We must also discuss what factors currently restrict the urban poor from engaging in safer agricultural and food practices, as well as the capacity of city authorities to implement certain policy measures and to calculate their cost-effectiveness.
The main health risks associated with UPA can be grouped into the following categories:
Although there is no directly comparable information about the global burden of disease for each of these categories of health risks, we have presented them The health risks are presented above in a sequence corresponding with our estimate of their impact importance on for human health (from highest to lowest risk). , This whichis open for debate.
A review of the available literature indicates that, although insight into the potential health risks of urban and periurban agriculture is growing, detailed information on the actual health impacts of UPA is scant. Many of the health risks are not specific to UPA, and much of the following discussion is taken from the wider agricultural literature. Further specification for urban conditions is urgently required.
The main use of solid waste is as a soil improver (household wastes, market refuse, sewerage, night soil, manure, fish wastes, and agro-industrial wastes). Agro-industrial wastes, household refuse and market wastes are also used to produce feed for livestock and fish.
Composting is the most common form of processing urban organic wastes. Composting reduces several health risks by:
There are four main health risks related to the re-use of organic wastes:
Liquid waste from domestic sewage is widely used for irrigation and fertilisation of field crops, perennials and trees, biogas production, and fish ponds. A large part of the wastewater used is untreated or poorly treated.
Wastewater contains various bacteria, protozoan parasites, enteric viruses and helminths. These risks are not limited to official wastewater but often also apply to rivers and other open water sources, as indicated by figures gathered by Westcott (FAO, unpublished, cited in Birley and Lock, 20001999): 45% of 110 rivers tested carried faecal coliforms levels higher than the WHO standard for unrestricted irrigation.
There are many forms through which untreated wastewater can lead to human diseases in UPA. Coliform bacteria are mainly transmitted to humans from wastewater via the contamination of crops irrigated with wastewater. Another route is by consumption of contaminated meat from domestic animals that ingested tapeworm eggs from faeces in untreated sewage. Poorly treated sewage may contain viable stages of the hookworms that live in moistened soils and affect agricultural workers who expose their bare skin to the soil. Transmission of pathogens may also take place by fertilisation of fish ponds with human and animal wastes (e.g. overhanging latrines, overhanging poultry cages, ducks, addition of urban night soil and use of wastewater).
Furedy (1996) points out that official attitudes towards the health risks associated with re-use of urban wastes have historically changed with necessity. Furthermore, she believes that perceived health risks of the re-use of urban wastes in agriculture are overstated and that regulations of waste re-use are frequently outdated or lack comprehensiveness.
Armar-Klemesu et al. (1998) indicate that the major sources of bacterial contamination of fresh vegetables may draw from the distribution, handling and marketing system rather than from production.
Prevention and control measures suggested in the literature:
The workshop participants are invited to discuss the cost-effectiveness and applicability of these suggestions and to propose other measures.
Malaria occurs in many environments but particularly in areas where irrigation is practised. Adaptation of malaria mosquitoes to urban environments has been observed worldwide. However, most malaria is found on the periphery of the cities where mosquitoes breed in ricefields, riverbanks and garden wells. The malarial mosquito breeds mainly in relatively clean water.
Filariasis is transmitted by the mosquito, Culex quienquefasciatus, which breeds in standing water which is highly polluted with organic matter. This is typical of dense human settlements (e.g. pit latrines, blocked sewage drains, cesspits and septic tanks, soak pits and poorly designed sewage-treatment plants. Filariasis is spreading rapidly due to urbanisation.
The Aedes mosquito, which is the main vector of dengue, breeds in water containers that include much solid waste (e.g. tin cans, coconut husks, rubber tyres, water storage jars).
Chagas disease has recently been emerging in periurban areas mainly in Latin America.
Poor disposal of organic solid waste (animal manure, crop residues and other farm refuse) may also attract rodents and flies that may be carriers of diseases (e.g. plague), and scavenging by domestic animals (e.g. cats, pigs and rats) is associated with a range of food-borne diseases such as amoebic and bacillary dysentery
Suggested prevention and control measures (please comment):
Urban agriculture provides various potential exposure pathways to agrochemicals including occupational and environmental exposure and consumption. The intensive use of agrochemicals (fertilisers, pesticides, fungicides) may lead to residues of agrochemicals in crops or groundwater, and negative effects on the health of agricultural workers. Because of differences in usage, the level of risk of crop or groundwater pollution due to agrochemicals is higher in intensive commercial horticulture, especially for vegetables, than in traditional and subsistence farming (WHO Commission on Health and Environment 1992).
Acute poisoning due to agrochemicals can cause a range of symptoms which are often not correctly diagnosed (e.g. dizziness, diarrhoea, headache, memory impairment, convulsions, coma, liver and kidney impairment and lung fibrosis). Agrochemicals are also a major source of suicide worldwide.
Chronic illnesses have been associated to residues in foodstuffs due to concentration of agrochemicals in the food chain, including vegetables, red meat, poultry and eggs, and residues can be found in human milk (FAO and WHO 1988).
Suggested prevention and control measures include:
Please share with us your experiences with the proposed measures and available alternatives.
The main causes of soil pollution from heavy metals (including lead, cadmium, chromium, zinc, copper, nickel, mercury, manganese, selenium, mercury and arsenic) are irrigation with water from streams and wastewater contaminated by industry, the application of contaminated solid wastes and the use of former industrial land contaminated by spilled oil and industrial wastes.
Important sources of heavy metals are smelters, refineries, manufacturing plants, vehicles, metalliferous mines, ceramic industry (lead and cadmium), leather tanneries (chromium salts), lignite-based power plants, aluminium industry, electronics industry, and metallurgical industry. Some heavy metals precipitate in sewage sludge, which can therefore contain rather high concentrations.
The heavy metals may accumulate in the edible parts of crops that are consumed by people or fed to animals. Plant uptake of heavy metals varies, which opens the possibility to adapt the choice of crops in relation to the degree and type of contamination. Generally, the highest amounts of heavy metals accumulate in the leaves, whereas the lowest contents are located in seeds. Beans, peas, melons, tomatoes and peppers show very low uptake figures. Plant uptake of heavy metals (especially of cadmium and lead) also varies with soil pH (Iretskaya and Chien, 1999).
Though heavy metal content in soils of most cities in developing countries are so high as to be able to cause acutely toxic symptoms, their increased concentration in the human food chain over a long period can provoke detectable damage to health (carcinogenic and mutagenic effects).
Puschenreiter et al. (1999) conclude that, after considering the several available pathways to reduce the transfer of heavy metals to the human food chain, urban soils with slight heavy metal contamination can be used safely for gardening and agriculture if proper precautions are followed. However, Birley and Lock (2000) argue that little is known of the chronic health effects of consuming tiny amounts of heavy metals over long periods of time, and that further research is needed.
Suggested prevention and control measures encountered in the literature, include the following (please qualify and/or add alternative measures):
Zoonotic diseases are infectious diseases transmitted through direct contact of human beings with animals during production processes or ingestion of contaminated animal products.
Two major bacterial diseases carried by cattle are bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis. Bovine tuberculosis is transmitted via the ingestion of contaminated unpasteurised milk from infected cows, and causes symptoms similar to respiratory tuberculosis. Bovine tuberculosis is transmitted via the ingestion of contaminated unpasteurised dairy products or through direct contact with infected animal material (blood, urine) and forms a main occupational hazard of livestock farmers and slaughterhouse workers. It can also spread by air-borne transmission and inhalation (e.g. in the neighbourhood surrounding a slaughterhouse).
Taeniasis and cysticercosis (beef and pig tapeworm) are transmitted by consumption of meat infected with tapeworm eggs congested by animals that scavenge on human faeces, or of crops irrigated with improperly treated sewage. Pig tapeworms create more severe effects in humans than beef tapeworm. Trichinosis is transmitted by consumption of infected meat of pigs that scavenge on food waste and dead animals.
Anthrax is most common in people who work with livestock or work in animal product industries (e.g. tannery). It can be transmitted through a cut in the skin, by inhalation of bacterial spores or consumption of infected meat.
Leptospirosis (Weils disease) is transmitted through the contact of humans with infected animal urine or contaminated feedstuff or by swimming in or drinking from water supplies contaminated with animal urine.
Salmonella and campylobacter are can be transmitted through contamination of animal feed. Animals (especially poultry) shed pathogens in their faeces in slaughterhouses, which may infect the meat. The wastewater discharge from intensive poultry farms can carry heavy loads of these micro-organisms and may contaminate drinking water supplies.
Suggested preventive and control measures include:
As was explained in the conference announcement, we will have three rounds of discussion. For each of these, we have formulated some leading questions. But Participants should also feel free to put forward other questions that they feel should be discussed. Next to your contributions to each round's discussions, we also welcome case studies, best practices, thematic papers and videos, which will be published on the information market (in the Urban Health section)
First session: Fact finding and situation analysis
Second session: assessment of alternative policy measures
Third session: from planning to action
Armar-Klemesu M, Akpedonu P, Egbi G & Maxwell D. 1998. Food Contamination in urban Agriculture: Vegetable production using waste water. In: Armar-Klemesu M. and Maxwell D. (eds), Urban Agriculture in the Greater Accra metropolitan Area, Report to IDRC, (NMIMR, Legon).
Birley, M.H. and Lock, K. The health impacts of peri-urban natural resource development.
University of Liverpool Press, 2000
(the paper may be more accesible to people)Birley MH and Lock K. 1999. Health and peri-urban natural resource production.
Environment and Urbanisation, 10(1): 89-106.
FAO & WHO. 1998. Guidelines for predicting the dietary intake of pesticide residues. Bulletin
of the World Health Organisation, 66: 429-434.
Flynn Kathleen. 1999. An overview of public health and urban agriculture: water, soil and crop contamination & emerging zoonosis. IDRC - Cities Feeding People Report 30.
Furedy Christine. 1996. Title of paper? Solid Waste Reuse and Urban Agriculture dilemmas in developing
countries; the bad news and the good news. Joint international Congress of the
Association of
Collegiate Schools of Planning and Association of European Schools of
Planning, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto.
Iretskaya SN & Chien SH. 1998. Comparison of cadmium uptake by five different food
grain crops grown on three soils of varying pH. Comm. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 30: 441448.
Puschenreiter Markus, Hartl Wilfried & Horak Othmar. 1999. Urban agriculture on heavy metal contaminated soils in Eastern Europe. Vienna: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Organic Agriculture and Applied Ecology.
WHO Commission on Health and Environment. 1992. Report of the panel on food and agriculture. Geneva: WHO.


text: Hi there, Victoria Accent Inns here. I'm totally lucky having 4 other "sister" hotels around BC (coincidentally also all named Accent Inns…) and it looks like in just a few days (May 1st is the due date) I'll have to get used to having a new cousin around, a new Victoria Hotel. Me and my siblings are really proud of our great rooms, good service and totally fun attitude but this new family member…. well she's different. (more…)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This 72 page books tells the story of a block of flats in Brighton on the south coast of England. Built by Wells Coates in the 1930's, it became well known for it's famous residents and artistic community. It fell into disrepair in the 1990's. Residents fought a tough battle to save their building and it was restored to it's former glory in 2005.
This book tells my story of Embassy Court, Embassy Court's own story and shows stunning photographs of it's run-down state in 2003 and how it looks now in 2009.
The architecture of Wells Coates makes this something rather special.
Comentario publicado.
Inicia sesión o crea una cuenta para publicar un comentario.
Portfolio Publicado 10 de abril de 2009
Two Sides To Every Story Publicado 19 de noviembre de 2008


text:
There has been a change to the 2014 UMass women's soccer schedule, which was announced last month. The Minutewomen's home game against Yale, originally scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 14, was canceled due to a scheduling conflict.
UMass has replaced the game with a 1 p.m. road match on that date at Connecticut. It will mark first time the squads have met since 2006.


text:
WATCH: Kate Middleton Makes First Public Appearance Since Hospitalization
Kate Middleton stepped out on Sunday for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony in London, marking her first public appearance since her pregnancy was announced while she was hospitalized for severe morning sickness.
As Gossip Cop previously reported, the Duchess of Cambridge spent several days in the hospital earlier this month due to hyperemesis gravidarum, before being released to further recover at home.
RELATED – Kate Middleton's "Crazy Pregnancy Plan"?
The mother-to-be made a glamorous return to the spotlight at Sunday's event in a long, green Alexander McQueen dress with a thigh-high split.
Middleton, alongside co-presenter David Beckham, gave a lifetime achievement award to athlete-turned-politician Sebastian Coe, and the personality of the year award to cyclist Bradley Wiggins.
Check out the videos below!
Follow @GossipCop on Twitter.
Like us on Facebook.


text:
All Current Services | All Past Services | All Veterans Memorials | All Fallen Heroes
Order a Book of Memories™
for Your Loved One
Learn More
We are here to help you. If you have need of our services, please call us, day or night. Or, if you prefer, you can fill out the form on the right.
Are you thinking about pre-planning your funeral? Pre-planning is the best way to choose how you're remembered, to ease the emotional and financial burden on your loved ones, to protect yourself from rising funeral costs, and to let your family know your final wishes.
Click here to learn more, or fill out this form and we will contact you.
We provide our families with an open door policy. Please feel free to contact us 24 hours a day.
Jolliffe Funeral Home
2104 Broadway,
Scottsbluff, NE 69361
Phone: (308) 632-2121
Fax: (308) 635-1642
Email: email@example.com
Jones Mortuary
1532 14th Street PO Box 235,
Mitchell, NE 69357
Phone: 1-308-623-1133
Fax: (308) 623-1461
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Jolliffe Funeral Home - Bridgeport
824 Main Street PO Box 361,
Bridgeport, NE 69336
Phone: 1-308-262-1753
Fax: (308) 635-1642
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
If you are looking for information on a particular topic, or if you are looking for a loved one who has been entrusted to our care, you can use the form below to narrow down your search.
Text Sizing
Grieving doesn't always end with the funeral: subscribe to our daily grief support email, designed to help you a little bit every day, by filling out the form below.
Our comprehensive selection of products is designed to offer you the widest array of ways to honor your loved one. Whether you're in need of a burial or cremation casket, an urn, burial vault, or even custom, personalized items, we invite you to view our product catalog.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.


text:
In assessing the cost of building a new home , many people use the square meter as a basis for comparison.
Let's see what we mean when we talk about square meters (sq m or m²).
That of square meters, is a method to compare the approximate cost of construction of two or more similar homes in different parts of the country and even houses with different characteristics. But the method of square meters is not reliable to determine how much it will cost you a property based on a particular design.
Based on a project with some specific questions, you can get a rough idea of costs. This is a start, but for a custom home of 100 square meters, for which we had a budget of $ 3,500.00 / sqm, and a final cost of $ 350,000.00 is not difficult to get to spend $ 400 or even 450 thousand and This may depend on several factors.
With a bit of research, the method of square feet can be a useful tool to get an idea of the price of a football field, nothing più.Dopo doing a search on the likely construction costs in your area, remember to add the cost of land, which is not negligible.
DESIGN, SIZE AND MATERIALS Many parameters affect the cost of building a house, but there are three main dimensions , complexity and level of finish . The effect of size on the cost of construction is evident, bigger houses cost more. But it is not as simple as it may appear.
Significantly more important than the size of the place, the site where you are going to build.
The " cost per square foot "of a house varies greatly even from one room to another. The rooms like the bathroom and kitchen, which are full of plants "hydro-thermo-sanitary" will cost more rooms "empty." Even the type of finish greatly affect the final cost: floors made with simple single-fired tiles will cost much less than those in marble or other more expensive materials.
COMPLEXITY OF THE PROJECT A simple form, maintains low construction costs.
The effect of the complexity of a house on construction cost is often misunderstood, and it's one of the sources of unpleasant surprises for many buyers.
Simply put, a house is complicated more expensive to build a simple house. What makes complicated the construction of a house? Mainly is the shape of the house, the ratio of the amount of the roof and the amount of foundation with the rest of the construction.
Consider two typical models of construction: the first is a colonial house in rectangular shape with two floors and the second a typical French farmhouse, with a master bedroom suite on the first floor. Both houses are 1,000 square meters, and both have the same level of finish.
The colonial house is the image of simplicity, both plans have exactly the same dimensions and are stacked one above the other directly. So, while the house is 1,000 square feet, the foundation and the roof are only 500 square feet (I'm ignoring the garage for this example). It 'efficient and easy to build.
The French construction is the same size, but is less efficient, with the master bedroom suite moved from the upper to the lower surface area of the roof and the foundation increase of about 500 square feet – but the overall size of the house remains the same: 1,000 square meters. A greater surface area of the roof and foundations contain the same area, more and more concrete timber equals higher costs.
The colonial houses have simple roof "hut" with two slopes sloping. In the simplest examples the roof is made entirely with a single truss. This is a huge advantage for manufacturers – each truss is the same! And with no roofs or dormers that intersect, there is no need to install metal beam, everything is made of wood.
The design of the house French is distinguished by its more "irregular". The French pavilion roofs are typically four layers rather than a hut and are often more sloping, so you need more wood, and the roofing job is more expensive.
Intersection of slopes, windows, dormers, porches, corners etc. … increase the level of complexity in the building of a house. If you are considering a number of projects, seeking aesthetic complexity can significantly drive up the final cost.


text:
Oct. 20, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The 2012 recruiting class for the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team was ranked No. 24 in the nation by Baseball America. The 16-player class, made up of eight pitchers and eight position players, include 11 freshmen and five junior college transfers.
Of the eight pitchers, Ian Gardeck, Justin Kamplain and Taylor Guilbeau come to Tuscaloosa after all three were selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. Gardeck is one of five junior college transfers, while Kamplain and Guilbeau are two of the 11 incoming freshmen. Additional freshmen that will make an impact on the mound are Jake Hubbard, Jon Keller and Spencer Turnbull.
On the position player side, key additions include junior college transfers Kenny Roberts and Cameron Carlisle, while freshmen AJ Cole and Ben Moore have been impressive additions during the fall practice schedule.
The Tide continues fall practices this week with scrimmages on Thursday and Friday beginning at 3:30 p.m., at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The fall schedule comes to a close with the final Alabama Crimson and Grey Game on Friday, Nov. 4, at "The Joe."
2012 Alabama Crimson Tide Baseball NewcomersNo. Name Pos. B-T Ht. Yr. Hometown (Previous School)49 Ryan Blanchard OF R-R 6-1 Fr. Irmo, S.C. (Dutch Fork)15 Cameron Carlisle OF L-R 6-2 Jr. Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Central Alabama CC)45 Riley Colburn OF L-R 6-0 Fr. Northport, Ala. (Tuscaloosa County)14 AJ Cole INF R-R 6-2 Fr. Huntsville, Ala. (Huntsville)50 Kelby Deerman LHP L-L 5-11 Jr. Huntsville, Ala. (Madison Academy)48 Zack Edel INF R-R 5-11 Fr. Rincon, Ga. (South Effingham)55 Ian Gardeck RHP R-R 6-2 Jr. Lake in the Hills, Ill. (Angelina College/Dayton)20 Taylor Guilbeau LHP L-L 6-4 Fr. Zachary, La. (Zachary HS)28 Jake Hubbard RHP R-R 6-2 Fr. Birmingham, Ala. (Oak Mountain)31 Windham Jackson OF R-R 5-11 Fr. Jackson, Ala. (Jackson)26 Justin Kamplain LHP R-L 6-0 Fr. Jasper, Ala. (Walker)35 Jon Keller LHP R-L 6-1 Fr. Maylene, Ala. (Thompson)7 Ben Moore C/OF R-R 6-1 Fr. Cullman, Ala. (Cullman)47 Chazz Otwell INF R-R 6-1 Jr. Pleasant Grove, Ala. (Wallace State CC)3 Kenny Roberts INF R-R 5-8 Jr. Meridian, Miss. (Meridian CC)32 Spencer Turnbull RHP/INF R-R 6-3 Fr. Madison, Miss. (Madison Central)


text:
#1 Ranked Children's Hospital by U.S. News & World Report
MyPatients provides referring primary care providers with secure access to their patients' information.
Boston Children's has launched the world's 1st program dedicated to offering hand transplants to children who qualify.
Innovation insider is a semi-monthly e-newsletter analyzes innovations at Boston Children's, other academic medical centers and from industry.
Read the latest blog by a Boston Children's doctor, clinician or staff member.
There are many ways you can help children and their families get the care they need.
Associate in Pediatric Dentistry
Department: Dentistry
Director, Postdoctoral Pediatric Dentistry; Associate in Pediatric Dentistry
The future of pediatrics will be forged by thinking differently, breaking paradigms and joining together in a shared vision of tackling the toughest challenges before us."


text:
Log in
This index features 840+ local social service agencies, self-help groups, civic, service and common-interest clubs, neighborhood associations, and faith-based organizations.
Annually updated entries include contact information, services provided, the organization's goals or mission, non-profit status, and more.
Call or email for more information about the Local Organization Directory.
Name: KALAMAZOO JAZZ SOCIETYMailing Label: Kalamazoo Jazz SocietyMailing Address: PO Box 2602Kalamazoo, MI 49003-2602Phone: 269-226-6134Email: email@example.com: Jim Smith, Contact, 269-226-6134 (W).Goal: To foster a greater appreciation for jazz in the greater Kalamazoo area.Services: Volunteers help promote jazz; distribute information for Fontana, Gilmore, and Kalamazoo Community Foundation concerts, public and educational classes with emphasis on jazz, blues and roots music.Sources of support: Regional and state grants; fundraisers; donations.Subjects: JAZZ MUSIC Nonprofit Status: Club or unincorporated association Source of Info: Phone 11/2012 per Jim Smith.


text:
Hospice for the homeless: Faith community unites to help provide death with dignity
"We travel all over the country and we meet with other homeless service providers," said Monte J. Hanks, the clinic's client services director. "We are often on the cutting edge in terms of the services we're able to provide here, and people ask us how we do it. The answer is simple: collaboration.
"We have an amazing community here," Hanks continued. "It is a caring community, a faith-based community. Every faith group, every community service organization, every government entity is at the table, working together to serve the underserved in our community. We have a lot of people who care about our homeless population, and who want to make a difference."
As a result of collaboration, a team has come together to launch Salt Lake City's hospice for the homeless. The Fourth Street Clinic with its staff of 50 health care professionals will provide the medical resources needed for The Inn Between. Hanks said that several community hospice organizations are willing to provide hands-on hospice care pro bono. And Thorpe is coordinating efforts with the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable and other interested agencies to train and prepare surrogate families to add that much-needed link in the hospice chain.
"We will continue to try to reconnect these folks with their real families," Chambers said. "But that can be a long process, and sometimes it just can't happen. So these surrogate families will fill in the gaps and make the whole hospice program work in behalf of indigent people who are coming to the end of their lives."
Training for the first group of family surrogates is currently underway. And the clinic recently received a two-year, $60,000 grant from the state — "Manna from heaven," Hanks said — to temporarily cover the cost of hospice housing.
"Ultimately we would love to have a permanent home, a real home, where we can house 3-5 people at a time and care for them," Chambers said. "That's really the long-term answer, a place with a resident manager where people can rest comfortably and where volunteer surrogates can come and bring food and provide support."
"That will happen," Hanks said, the expression on his face firm and resolute. "I have no doubt of it. This community will make it happen. It always does. Look at what the Catholic Church does at the Weigand Center, or what the Episcopal Church does with their food pantry, or what (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) does at Welfare Square, or what the Presbyterians and Methodists and Unitarians and just about every other faith group I can think of does here in this community.
"These are people of great faith, and they live it," Hanks said, nodding and smiling knowingly. "Trust me. This facility will happen."
Meanwhile, the state grant will help provide temporary housing for the Inn Between, while the faith community provides surrogate families to help bridge the gap between a cold, sterile death on the streets or in a hospital emergency room, and a death with dignity surrounded by love, kindness, compassion and faith.
For more information on the the Fourth Street Clinic and The Inn Between, visit fourthstreetclinic.org.
- Pope prays at Armenia memorial after...
- Pope visits Armenia's closed border with...
- Pope's message of peace resonates with Syrian...
- Retired pope thanks reigning pope for his...
- Apocalypse when? How teachings on the end of...
- Fight Like Girls group helps women battle...
- Arthur Keefer: Faith matters as UK votes on...
- Survey: White evangelicals say US no longer a...
- Never on Sunday: BYU won't compete on... 159
- The pro-life plan that could reverse... 36
- Did Trump really just become a... 36
- Survey: White evangelicals say US no... 21
- Faith leaders respond to Supreme... 12
- Apocalypse when? How teachings on the... 10
- Could Brexit be an apocalyptic prediction? 9
- Pope Francis: Christians should... 9


text:
- About ITS
- Services
- Learning Environments
- Learning Technologies
- Loaner Equipment
- Google Apps
- Networking
- Supported Hardware and Software
- Research Computing
- Telecommunications
- Training-Lynda.com
- Web Development
- Help Desk
- Information Security
- News
- Events
- Documentation
- Policies & Forms
- Contact Us
Enterprise System Maintenance
Tuesday, 4:00 am - 8:00 am
Wednesday, 4:00 am - 8:00 am
Thursday, 4:00 am - 8:00 am
Sunday, 6:00 am - 12:00 pm
Enterprise Systems may be unavailable during these times.
This page contains information technology policies and also outlines responsibilities of those who use information technology resources at the college. Users of these services agree to abide by and be subject to the terms and conditions contained in this and all other applicable College policies. These policies are designed to enable high-quality services and maximize productivity while protecting the rights of all members of the community.
Questions or suggested improvements on these policies and procedures or other computing matters should be addressed to Ellen Borkowski, Chief Information Officer. Policies are regularly reviewed by the Liaison Committee for Academic Computing and Technology. Web Policies are defined by the Offie of Communications & Marketing.
Need Help?
- firstname.lastname@example.com
- Help Desk (6400)
- MyResnet (Apogee) 855-813-7010
- Electronic Classroom Hotline (7007)
- Telecom Help (6411)
- Hours: M-F 8:30-4:54


text:
Come enjoy a hot air balloon ride with High 5 Ballooning, New England's premier hot air balloon ride company. From the thrill of lift off to the last bite of our delicious post-flight picnic*, you will be treated to an experience that will leave you
Four Bedroom Lake Front home on Crystal Lake, in Historic Gilmanton Iron Works
Looking for warmth, friendliness, and old-fashioned hospitality? Lamie's Inn has that and more. We offer seasonal packages to customize any stay. Close to the ocean. Not far from the mountains. Visit our web-site to make online reservations
Hot Air Balloon Flights in the Milford-Amherst NH area. Private flights of 2 to 4 people
Stay on a traditional New England farm in the Historic District of Wolfeboro, NH. The Guest House at Mustard Seed Farm is a charming alternative to the Inns and Resorts while visiting the Lakes Region and Mountains.
We can provide planning for any type of travel. Our pledge to you is that we will work with and for you to find the best and most enjoyable travel and vacation experience at the best value available.
We fly senic Hot Air Balloon flights in the south central portion of New Hampshire.
62 rooms, toll free 866-460-9927, 2-3 room suites, Jacuzzi suite, heated & covered pool, cable TV, kitchenettes, refrigerators, A/C, one block from the beach & all attractions, daily housekeeping, free parking, multi-lingual staff
Select your destination in Portsmouth New Hampshire. Browse thousands of listings for accommodations, adventures, tours and travel services.


text:
July 02, 2013
Savvy home decorators know that not all whites are alike, and careful matching of the shade is needed for the best color combinations. But like the timeless quality of wood floors in Anderson's Eagle Lodge collection, some of the most effective color schemes in home design feature white prominently because it's the hue that goes with everything.
Creating atmosphere
Better Homes and Gardens magazine states that white can brighten a space by reflecting natural light into rooms. It also create an airy atmosphere while showing great personality when paired with bold hues.
TV designer Shari Hiller advises home decorators to take care when choosing a shade of white or off-white depending on whether they want a contemporary or traditional look.
Bright white with blue undertones coordinates well with modern decor that may include charcoal gray, silver and black. However, off-white with gray-based tones works best in a traditional design scheme with classic hues such as wedgewood blue, sage green or dusty rose.
Color families
Homeowners trying to decide on the right shades to combine with white furnishings will find the decision easier if they stick with a color family, which simplifies the selection process by focusing on different gradations within a spectrum.
The late designer David Hicks was an early advocate of using related hues to come up with the best color combinations. His advice is still a good guide for room design.
"There are a set of loose rules, which when applied to color cannot fail," wrote Hicks in his classic design book, "David Hicks on Decoration." "All reds go together, all pinks go together, just as all blues, greens, yellows, browns and all grays do."
For accent, brighter members of the same color family work well in a variety of ways. They may be used singly or to accentuate the overall scheme in different accessories.
White as an accent
As with other colors, white can be easily coordinated within a color family either as an accent or a neutral. Hiller's guide for off-whites in traditional design and bright whites for contemporary styles is a good rule of thumb when matching them to a color family.
One of bright white's best uses is as an accent for other whites. Bright white trim will make beige-white walls appear slightly darker by contrast, while cool whites will appear clear and fresh when outlined with the brighter shade.
Anderson Reader
Engineered Flooring


text:
Note: This message is displayed if (1) your browser is not standards-compliant or (2) you have you disabled CSS. Read our Policies for more information.
The President signed the appropriation bills authorized by Congress to provide assistance to grantees for a number of specific projects in Indiana (and throughout the country). These appropriations provide assistance to grantees for project planning, design and construction of water, wastewater and groundwater infrastructure projects.
The specific requirements governing the award of the special projects and programs are contained in the respective annual Consolidated Appropriations Resolution/Act and outlined in a guidance released annually by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The IFA assumed the management of the Special Appropriation Program in February of 2005.
For more information on SAP, contact:
Amy Henninger
Special Programs Coordinator
State Revolving Fund Loan Programs
(317) 232-6566


text:
Exuberant and Rich
With Latitude 37 we heard virtuosic playing in a chamber music context exhibiting current Baroque practice, streets away from the often indulgent reverence placed on Baroque performance practice twenty or more years ago.
With an improvisatory approach and free, relaxed playing Latitude 37's performance more closely represented what might have been heard in the original Baroque period.
The three players studied at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague, a centre for Baroque performance teaching.
We know from other performances the astonishing virtuosity and excellence of harpsichord Donald Nicolson and here he was teamed with equivalently excellent Australian players in baroque violinist Julia Fredersdorff and viola da gamba and lirone player Laura Vaughan.
It was a fascinating concert of music by mostly little-known 17th century composers.
Their playing was vibrant and involving with a spontaneity that was refreshing and it was especially interesting to hear the rich viola da gamba, alternating with the chordal playing on the lirone from Vaughan.
From one of the well know Italian families, Frescobaldi, we heard the Toccata per spinetta e violini. An exuberant piece.
The playing throughout was free-spirited with seamless moments of improvisation.
Latitude 37 touring for Chamber Music New Zealand
Ilott Theatre, Wellington, August 17 2011.
Reviewed by Garth Wilshere


text:
Copyright © 2015 FunnelBrain LLC. All rights reserved. *AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product
Which of the following court cases established the criteria for disparate impact?A. McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green
Total Views: 362760
SHRM PHR copyright the SHRM Learning System: this material or any portion may only be used for noncommercial personal use by myself.


text:
"Non c'e' due senza tre" (All good things come in threes), say the Italians – and aren't they right!
Soon-to-be-open Eataly Chicago is ready to share the first details of its upcoming Birreria Chicago – the third beer-themed restaurant and brewery to feature the original and unique recipes of the well-oiled Birreria Brother Brewers partnership.
Much like its Roman and New York counterparts, Birreria Chicago will see the creative minds of Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head), Teo Musso (Birra Baladin) and Leonardo DiVincenzo (Birra del Borgo) come together to design the brewery, oversee the recipes, train the Eataly Chicago head brewer and participate in brews on site.
In line with the Eatalian philosophy, all recipes will include both American and Italian artisanal ingredients and techniques. Additionally, Birreria will feature an extensive list of individual beers from Birra del Borgo, Birra Baladin, Dogfish Head and other great American and Italian craft breweries. There will be plenty to eat as well, with a menu focused on beer-friendly food. Offerings will include artisanal cheeses, cured meats and rotisserie items from Eataly Chicago's "Rosticceria."
Birreria Chicago is scheduled to open before the end of the year, within Eataly Chicago, located at 43 East Ohio Street. The event will be celebrated with an exclusive beer dinner and toasted with the first onsite Birreria Brothers collaborative brew.
About Eataly
Eataly is the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in the world. First established in Turin, Italy, in 2007, the Eatalian concept and philosophy had been exported all over the globe, giving millions of people the opportunity to "Shop, Eat and Learn." At 42,500 square feet, in the heart of the Flatiron district, Manhattan, NYC, Eataly's first US store features seven eateries, offering pizza, pasta, meat, fish, vegetables, panini, gelato, pastries, coffee and in-house brewed beers. Founder and creator Oscar Farinetti is once again teaming up with US partners Mario Batali, Joe and Lidia Bastianich and Adam and Alex Saper to open Eataly Chicago, the second US store, in Fall 2013.


text:
The Dave and Adam's offices will be closed Monday, July 4th
in observance of Independence Day
Orders placed after July 1st at 4:00 pm EST will ship Tuesday July 5th when our normal customer service and shipping schedule resumes.
Signed Matt Laporta Official Major League Baseball. This item has been certified by Upper Deck Authenticated. Comes with certificate of authenticity and has sticker certificate of authenticity affixed to the ball with a matching certification number. Ball is in poor condition with some staining. Perfect for the autograph collector on a budget, but not as good for someone who likes perfect condition baseballs. Here is your chance to own the autograph of one of the brightest outfield prospects in the game!
Sorry, it looks like your browser doesn't have cookies enabled. Dave & Adam's only uses cookies to keep track of your shopping cart while you browse dacardworld.com. Please enable cookies to further enjoy your shopping experience. If you have cookies enabled, please refresh your browser.


text:
Atheist Centre 1940-1990 Golden Jubilee
International Conference Souvenir
Vijayawada, February 3, 4, and 5, 1990
[OCR, Tim Sullivan; HTML, editing, Cliff Walker]
Atheist Centre -- A Way of Life
R. Kasturi
Advocate, Coimbatore.
It is a matter of immense satisfaction that the first Atheist Centre in the world is celebrating its Golden Jubilee. This function is historic in the annals of Atheism, in mere than one sense, because it is the celebration of the first golden jubilee of the first Atheist Centre in the world. From a humble beginning from a corner of Andhra Pradesh, the Atheist Centre has grown into a grand institution, embracing the entire world of thinkers, rationalists, humanists, reformers, revolutionaries and atheists. This institution has grown from strength to strength and is winning success after success. On an occasion like this, we pay our respects to Mr. Gora and Mrs. Saraswathi Gora, the rounding parents of this great institution.
Having been born, bred, and educated in an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family, it is something unthinkable that Mr. and Mrs. Gora had chosen to become atheists, chalking out for themselves an atheistic way of life and established this Atheist Centre, more than fifty years ago, at a time when the word "Nathigam" (atheism) itself would have provoked greatest opposition and in a society saturated with age old superstitions. untouchability, regimented caste-system, contradicting creeds and religions and plurality of gods and goddesses. Fighting against such an inimical society and surviving, inspire of such difficulties, penury, sufferings and sorrows, the young Gora couple gave us this unique institution of Atheist Centre.
With a sharp, prominent nose, twinkling eyes, and smiling lips in a closely-cropped round head with a broad forehead, of more than medium height, with a soft bright colour, clad in pure Khaddar dhothy twisted around his strong legs in traditional fashion and an upper cloth covering his body around his back, Mr. Gora, an out-and-out atheist, looked a real Gandhian, but following atheistic principles. His principles are Gandhian minus Deism plus atheism. He was a revolutionary, in thought, word, and deed. He defined Atheism as a positive, affirmative way of life. The natural inclination of man is not faith in God. The man was made to acquire such beliefs and faith by imitating and following the tradition, age-old customs, and influenced by surroundings. So atheism is not negative but it is a positive affirmative system of living. He had the greatest faith in man and in his happy rational future, uninfluenced by false beliefs and hoped that humankind at least in a distant future will accept the nonexistence of god as a means of a healthy human life for brotherly peaceful human existence.
Gora was unique and original in many ways. To him any act of man should be directed to enhance the happiness of human life. He originated the garland of vegetables, to substitute garland o flowers, and vegetable gardens in the place of parks of flowers and crotons. Above all it was he who started and propagated the holding of cosmopolitan dinners of pork and beef as a means of eradicating the evil of caste prejudices and religious taboos of certain food.
No doubt Gandhi was a great force in the modern world and Gora was a Gandhian in many ways, except Gandhi's faith in God and traditional customs. Gora rejected the whole of Hindu Sanatana Dharma and Varnashrama Dharma, four-fold caste system, in which Gandhi totally believed and advocated as necessary aspects of Hindu religion and society and as a matter of fact for all societies. Among the traditional practices of Hindu Society and tenets of Hindu Scriptures, Gandhi was only against untouchability. He was more a traditional-bound social reformer. In the interview between Gora and Gandhi and in the course of the discussion between them, regarding atheism, Gora very nearly convinced Gandhi to accept the correctness, sanity and necessity of atheism.
According to Gora the ideal of atheism has to be achieved by the Gandhian way. He was a humanist. He hated none and loved even those who held opposite views and criticise him. He did not organise parties and regimented institutions, probably for fear of evolving atheists as another caste. These are the fundamental principles, on which Atheist Centre has been functioning.
Atheist Centre is having continuous contact with its counterparts and sister and similar institutions in Tamilnadu, just as it has similar associations with the rest of India and several parts of the world. We in Tamilnadu know Mr. & Mrs. Gora, the couple of atheism, for a long time. We know their trials and tribulations, their difficulties and miseries and their successes The course of a true atheist can never run smooth. This atheist couple had necessarily to tread on a rough, rugged slushy and thorny path of Gandhism to achieve the goal of atheism. Gora was a born revolutionary, who could not tolerate slightest injustice to any human being.
For this undaunted couple, atheism is not confined only to a table talk or to a public meeting or for writing a book or editing a journal or for preaching to others. For them atheism is a way of life, atheism has to be lived and it shows the way how human beings should live as human beings without any distinctions and differences of race, religion, creed, caste, sex and colour and we are just human beings and not anything else.
In 1949 Indian Rationalist association had been formed on all India basis, the first organising meeting was held at Madras. Gora is one of the founders of this association, along with Late Mr. S. Ramanathan, who subsequently became an Education Minister in Madras Presidency, and Late Mr. Annathurai, who led the first rationalist ministry, in Tamilnadu elected under democratic process and many others. He was also closely associated with Late Mr. "Koothusi" Gurusamy, a rationalist, a revolutionary, a close associate of Periar Ramaswamy and he was a person who wielded his mighty pen to topple the entire frame work of religious philosophies. Thus Gora had been closely associated with rationalist activities in Tamilnadu. He had participated in several conferences in Tamilnadu and had led several agitations.
In 1970 Gora was invited to Coimbatore, an important city in Tamilnadu to participate in a Rationalist convention. Late Mr. G. O. Naidu, a rationalist, Industrialist of world fame was his host and participated in the conference in a big way. A debate was organised on the subject, "Whether God exists or not". Leading believers argued that God exists and leading atheists debated that God does not exist and the debate evinced immense interest. Gora was an observer and concluded the debate by his unanswerable and telling remarks and observations. He also unveiled the portrait of Late Periar (Great) Ramaswamy, one of the great modern thinkers and who revolutionised the thinking process of Tamilnadu in this century.
In 1972 we organised a cosmopolitan beef and pork dinner function at Coimbatore. Late Periar Ramaswamy, the iconoclast and octogenarian presided over the dinner function. The Atheist couple from Andhra Pradesh Mrs. Saraswathi Gora and Mr. Gora were the guests and guest-speakers. It was a grand function. More than 700 persons participated. Some of them were couples. Mrs. Saraswathi Gora spoke of her experiences as an atheist, in chaste Telugu. Gora delivered his speech in English. Periar Ramaswamy, President of the function, who knew Telugu. English and Tamil, spoke in Tamil. Speeches kept the audience spell-bound. All the hearers knew Tamil. Some of them knew English and Telugu. The entire audience were really enthused. This function attracted a lot of youth to the atheist fold. Mr. Gora and Mrs. Saraswathi Gora, born Brahmins ... giving up their cherished age-old privileges and high caste status, plunging and allying themselves with common folk, and participating in beef and pork dinner, are historic and were talked of as the magnificent achievement of atheist way of life. Late Periar Ramaswamy and Gora couple were my guests as usual. Periar and Gora moved like members of a family and exchanged their views on several matters in sweet Telugu.
Gora had all love for me and took me to be his atheist younger brother, along with many Rationalists in Tamilnadu. The first World Atheist Conference was held in 1972 at Vijayawada sponsored by Atheist Centre. Late Periar Ramasamy and Late Mr. G.D. Naidu had planned to attend the Conference, but they could not attend because of their serious illness. Gora delivered his keynote address, giving the substance of positive atheism. I was given the opportunity to introduce Gora's book "Positive Atheism" in the conference. The conference was a laudable success and helped in a great way to propagate atheism as a way of life.
Some time later I had another occasion to go to Atheist Centre and it was a pleasure to live with them and to see how a family of atheists actually live in day to day life. Atheist couple have a large family. Every one of them is not only an atheist but lives a life of Gandhism. The family is a harmonious blending of Gandhism and atheism. They are a simple folk, with high thoughts and ideals. They work like a watch, whose each part big or small, unitedly moves to keep up the correct time; the key is the mother, Mrs. Saraswathi Gora. It is a wonderful family, not very easy to follow. Each member of the family has married from different communities. Some of them are "untouchables". The family is cosmopolitan in nature and composition, as well as in practices. This family is the greatest achievement of Gora and Saraswathi Gora. The wonderful principles of Gandhism and atheism had solely contributed to this wonderful success. One can win another by convincing him and not by compulsion. Following this principle, Gora had reaped rich dividends.
We have seen that we can convert thousands of men to atheism but not one woman; the woman cannot be diverted from her traditional beliefs, customary practises and age-old thinking, inspite of best efforts. But in the family of Goras, women are as much sincere to atheism as men. We see the entire family is devoted to the ideal of atheism; atheism is not only an ideal with them but it is a matter of practical life. The names of the members of this atheistic family are not mere meaningless sounds; every name has a meaning, indicating a particular incident. Gora touched every aspect of human life and whatever he touched, he did not fail to improve or to give a new life. We from Tamilnadu also attended in large numbers, the 2nd World atheist conference held by the Atheist Centre in 1980. We were all really happy that the Atheist Centre is really a centre of world atheist activities. We are all happy to note that it also serves needy people and takes steps to alleviate human miseries in the surroundings. It is not a mere talking society; but it also acts and helps man. It does not consist of mere arm chair theoreticians but its members are active practical workers. Many have thought but I am not one of them -- that the Atheist Centre would cease to be atheistic after the death of Gora, the great founder. But under the able and effective guidance of Mrs. Saraswathi Gora, the light lit by Gora is becoming brighter and brighter and the banner of atheism unfurled by Gora is carried from State to State, from Country to Country, displaying to the world that India, alleged to be a country of Godmen, Vedas, and superstitions is really a land of humanism, rationalism, free thought and atheism. We wish the atheist centre all success.


text:
WASHINGTON — Regulators are looking into how trading in financial instruments linked to gold in New York and Chicago occurred so quickly after the release of a Federal Reserve statement last week.
''It's standard practice to look at moves like this from a surveillance perspective,'' said Bart Chilton, at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The Federal Reserve is asking news organizations to review their procedures for publishing stories based on central bank news releases from so-called lockups.
Trading in gold futures and exchange-traded funds linked to gold intensified within 1 millisecond of 2 p.m. Eastern time Sept. 18, when the Fed said it would refrain from tapering off its bond purchases, according to Nanex LLC, a firm that analyzes high-frequency trading.
The quick response is unusual. It takes data seven milliseconds to travel to Chicago from Washington, where the Fed statement is released. The time between Washington and New York is two milliseconds. The trading wasn't possible unless the statement had been available in those financial centers before the 2 p.m. embargo time in Washington, Nanex said.
The Fed releases its market-moving policy statements through lockups at the press room of the Treasury Department. Journalists in the lockup are given the statement about 10 minutes early — on condition that they refrain from publication until 2 p.m., as measured by the Naval Observatory's master clock.
The agreement does not address whether news organizations can store the information in advance on remote servers and time it for release at 2 p.m. Such servers could be in trading centers such as Chicago or New York, eliminating the time it takes for the data to travel from Washington, said Robert Stowsky, at Aite Group in Boston .
Receiving data even milliseconds early can give an unfair but highly profitable market advantages to those who get it.


text:
Browse Collection
19 of 236
Click to hide image
Dish with Aeneas at Carthage
Guido di Merlino
Urbino, 1545
25.5cm (diameter)
tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica)
Inscribed on the reverse, ala citta dido pię da miratiô il bô troiano (the good Trojan full of wonder in the city of Dido) and 1545. The dish illustrates a scene from Virgil's Aeneid, book 1. After fleeing the destruction of Troy, Aeneas arrived with his companions at Carthage. There he encountered the story of the fall of the city depicted on a temple frieze and, in one of Virgil's most famous lines, was moved to exclaim, Sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt (here are tears for the state of things and mortal matters touch the heart).
The design is derived from a vignette in an engraving known as the Quos Ego, by Marcantonio Raimondi after a design by Raphael. Perspectively virtuoso ideal cityscapes were a subject of interest in Urbino court art from the time of Federico da Montefeltro in the late 15th century. The dish has been considerably overpainted.
Lent from the Barlow Collection. LI206.16


text:
Ages ago I started a Beasts of Chaos Army with lots of dragon ogres, with the release of the Warriors of Chaos I had to make a Dragon Ogre Army lead by Kholek Suneater. These photos so my work so far on Kholek Suneater. Once I have some paint on him then I will post further pictures.
The rest of the army is converted to look like dragon ogres and hopefully I can post some photos of the other units soon


text: The UT Downtown Gallery is pleased to present Northern Exposure, an exhibition of student work from the students in Sam Yates' summer course.Six students accompanied Sam to New York, Philadelphia, Boston, New Haven, and Washington DC. They visited major art museums, had studio visits with artists, and learned about the contemporary art world. The work on display was inspired by their travels. The exhibiting students are, Alexandra Gellis, Eric Cagley, Brandon Donahue, Sarah Campbell, Jessica Beeler, and Kelly Householder.


text:
Direct Pallets Sydney
About Us
Recycled Pallets
New Standard Pallets
Second Hand Standard Pallets
Waste Pallet Recycling
Plastic Pallets
Export Pallets
Pallet Cartons
Timber Boxes & Timber Crates
Custom Made Pallets
Pallet Sizes / Dimensions
Direct BioProducts
Direct BioBedding
Buy BioBedding Bale Bags
Buy BioBedding In Bulk
Direct BioMulch
Direct BioAbsorbent
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
Other Products
Pallet Cartons
200 Litre Plastic Drums
Bearers, Dunnage & Gluts
Stretch Wrap
Articles Directory
Welcome to Direct Pallets
Direct Pallets and Recycling has been in business for over 20 years and is a proud part of Direct Corp Pty Ltd, based in Ingleburn in Sydney, Australia.We offer a full range of
custom-made pallets
, skids,
crates and boxes
. Specialists in
, with dollar savings that hit your bottom line. High quality pallets delivered on time, every time.
Buy Recycled Pallets
New Standard Pallets
2nd Hand Standard Pallets
Waste Pallet Recycling
Plastic Pallets
Export Pallets
Pallet Cartons
Direct BioBedding
Custom Made Pallets
Latest Posts
NSW Poultry Field Day – 28th & 29th August 2013
Direct BioBedding proudly took part in the NSW Poultry Field day on August...
Read more
Chicken's Green Credentials Give It The Edge
Chicken meat, together with other poultry meats, is experiencing tremendous growth both in...
Read more
Rotary Fund Raiser "Keep Calm, Hits of the Blitz"
Direct Corp proudly co-sponsored a charity fundraiser held by Rotary at Mittagong RSL...
Read more
Benefits of manufacturing poultry bedding from clean end-of-life timber pallets, crates, and timber offcuts.
Background 140,000 tonnes1 of end-of-life timber pallets and crates are disposed to landfills...
Read more
© 2016 Direct Pallets. All Rights Reserved. | Web Design
Lab Web Marketing
Back to Top


text:
Go back to Flash Reviews
Go Home
By Gus Solomons jr
Copyright 2003 Gus Solomons jr
NEW YORK -- If you missed
the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet at the Joyce Theater, June 17 - 21, don't
let it happen again! This exhilarating company of twelve, directed
by Jean-Philippe Malaty and Tom Mossbrucker, stormed the stage with
an eclectic repertoire that electrified the audience. Both directors
are alumni of the Joffrey Ballet, and neither are choreographers,
but they obviously have a perceptive eye for choosing strong dancers
and repertoire that shows off their strengths as well as delighting
audiences. The dancing is go-for-broke daring -- especially from
the women -- with high energy and edgy dynamics.
The ballet "sans detour"
by Dominique Dumais, formerly of the National Ballet of Canada,
turns the women into sinewy, angular creatures with cupped hands,
turned-in knees, and flexed toe shoes. As the title implies, the
movement -- propelled by Movement III of Philip Glass's "Third Symphony"
mixed with bits of Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" and Bach's "Chorale
Prelude" -- unravels in a fluid stream of big extensions, spinal
gyrations, deft partnering. In a solo with chair, Irene Joyce has
an emotional meltdown, pierced by silent screams. Peter Lavoie's
lighting articulates the space in interesting architectural ways,
and Guillaume Cote, the complex sound design. Dumais creates some
ravishing, sensuous duet passages for single and multiple couples,
especially one for Tom Chittenden and Irene Joyce. But she's packed
the dance so full of both movement and expression: abstraction,
neo-classicism, and drama, it leaves us wanting less.
After this neo-classic
blockbuster, Dwight Rhoden's eloquent "Ave Maria" -- set to Cacini's
version, not the more familiar Schubert one -- enjoyed a passionate
performance by ASFB founding members Brooke Klinger and Seth DelGrasso.
Its convoluted couplings and lifts keep building momentum, and the
gripping physical image of Klinger balancing on toe in an impossibly
deep second position plie always draws applause. Michael Korsch
designed the flesh-flattering lighting.
Moses Pendleton, a founding
father of Pilobolus, can come up with crowd-pleasing images with
his hands tied behind his back. His "Noir Blanc" fills the bill
with its how'd-they-do-that images that evoked applause several
times. Pendleton is adept at exploring the permutations of his unlikely,
if sometimes predictably manipulated, imagery. Behind a scrim, across
which astrological scenes are projected, glow ten all-white profiles.
They lean at impossible angles, finally floating off the ground
altogether. The trick is the costumes, conceived by Pendleton and
designed by Phoebe Katzin, which are half white and half invisible
black, concealing the dancers' supporting legs.
Riding the pulse of
music by The Buddha Experience and Harold Budd, the piece exploits
visual trickery in myriad gravity-defying ways: dancers glide across
the stage in mid-air; they appear to leap huge distances; they split
in two and reassemble their halves. At the climax nine bodies assemble
into an all-white mass, and a shadowy black creature is sucked into
the shape and disappears. Then the mass morphs into a towering mountain
Finally, "Vertical Dream"
by Nicolo Fonte, an American who danced with Spain's Nacho Duato,
explores similar neo-classic territory as Dumais, with even juicier,
elastic extensions, inventive partnering, and, yes, a bit of faux-angst.
Here, the women are off point, and Fonte's dynamic flow is nicely
modulated, hitched to percussive electric music by David Lang and
a somber, intense score by Arvo Part.
It opens with a forceful
solo by DelGrasso, who's then joined by Katie Dehler in Lloyd Sobel's
mysterious lighting. Eric Chase, Chittenden, and Patrick Thompson
meet DelGrasso in a powerful male quartet. The men wear briefs and
the women leotards by Billie Meyer: black, each adorned with one
narrow color stripe. Klinger, Joyce, and Elizabeth Johansen partner
with the men and dance together with each other. Upstage, four vertical
green neon tubes frame the dancers in their glare from time to time.
As the music dies, a strong wind is heard, and Johansen is left
alone onstage in a storm of delicate snow falling in a small rectangular
patch. The standing ovation that greeted the show affirmed that
this a company to be reckoned with.
Go back to Flash Reviews
Go Home


text:
Edit Article
How to Redo a Small Teen Bedroom (Girls)
Sometimes, a small bedroom can feel a little cramped and frustrating. But luckily, these redecorating tips will hopefully help the room feel roomier, bigger, and most of all -- your own creation.
1Get adult permission (from your parents) if you plan to do anything major like getting new furniture or painting.
2Clean your room. This will help if you plan to move things around or paint and looks much nicer anyway.
3Pick a theme. A theme can be just about anything you want. The simpler themes are the easiest themes to work with and are flexible ones like color schemes. Make sure your theme isn't too bright as this could over power a small room.
4If your room is very small try painting it in 2 colors. For example, red and white. The white makes the room look more airy and spacious, and the red makes it look warm and inviting.
5Start planning. Grab a sheet of paper and decide things you could do, where things would go, etc.
6(Optional) Now is your time to paint. Pick a pale color that won't overpower your small room. If you have a larger room a brighter or darker color might work although, I would still stay with pale colors. Decide on a color. There are lots of different colors and here are some reasons to pick them.
- Red: It's exciting and makes a statement. It's not always a good idea in bedrooms though and it may be too bright and will probably overpower a small room.
- Blue: A relaxing and cool color, blue is always a good choice for a bedroom. It's the most productive color. Sadly, if it looks too cool it may make you feel cold.
- Yellow: It's uplifting, bright, energetic, and happy. Yellow is great for almost any room. It's a great color, but just not everyone wants a yellow bedroom.
- Green: Green is relaxing and refreshing. It's the easiest on the eye and is very uplifting. Posters may not look as good if they are in certain colors.
- Purple: It's the color of royalty, purple is often very luxurious.In light shades of purple is gives a calm, restful, peaceful, quality. It also calms the nerves. It may not fit with every color scheme.
- Pink: It's a pretty girly color that is calm, and warm.
7Decide on furniture. While your paint is drying, it is the perfect time to pick out what you need. Think about what activities you will be doing in here that will affect your furniture. Will you be studying? Maybe you need a desk. Will you be reading? A bookshelf is for you.
8Decide where all your new furniture goes. Where will your bed be? Your nightstand? Desk?(These are examples but you probably should include the bed!) You should try PB Teen's Room Planner. http://www.pbteen.com/stylehouse/roomplanner/
9Check out things no one is using anymore and see if you want you could use them in your room. Maybe there's a cool decoration you can use.
10Shop around at thrift stores to see what kind of stuff you could use. Stick with the theme. Check out fabrics that you could use to make your own pillows or pillow cases, cool bedding that will go with your theme. Only get what you need.
11Take what you have and put it where it goes. You don't have to use everything, just what you think would be you. If there's too much stuff it will look babyish and won't be what you want it to be.
12Personalize and decorate! Best step of the way! You can turn your room into what YOU want it to be! You can add fun pillows, put up posters, anything you want too look great! Just keep in mind what I said last time, don't overdo, because it will look horrible.
Community Q&A
Ask a Question
- Listen to YOU when you're redoing your room, not your friends.
- When personalizing, really let it show through you, and it will show in your room.
- When your painting, cover up the carpet so it won't get paint stains on it.
- Try to keep pets and/or people who may mess up your room out when painting, most importantly, through the whole process.
- Parents may be able to help and give you ideas, but don't let them run the project.
- A good way to change the look of your room is to paint it white, and add splashed of bright colours in bedding, lamps and cushions. If you get tired of this, you can change the look of your room by changing your soft furnishings.
- Keep your parents up to date, as it will calm them down about all the paint and pillows flooding into their house.
- Make sure to add small decorations that suit your personality!
- Make sure your theme isn't something that you grow out of.
- You might want a small budget for paint and decoration.
- Make sure you're actually allowed to paint your room.
- Avoid wallpaper as it is hard to take up and down.
Article Info
Categories: Bedroom Styles for Youth
In other languages:
Español: remodelar una pequeña habitación de adolescente (para chicas), Italiano: Rinnovare una Camera da Letto Piccola (per Ragazze Adolescenti), Русский: переделать небольшую спальню подростка (для девочек)
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 131,044 times.
Did this article help you?


text:
The dark malts of a porter or stout, the bitter bite of an IPA, the black IPA is an example of American ingenuity (and indifference to common sense; how can it be both an India pale ale and also be black?). It's a style that straddles a line with one foot in the dark beer category, another in the hoppy beer category. For an example of this dichotomous libation, there's Black IPA (6.5% ABV) from Sanitas Brewing Co.
Color: Though black at a glance, Black IPA is really more an extremely dark red when held up to a light. Mocha-colored foam sits atop.
Aroma: There are no discernible hop aromas in Black IPA, the scent is dominated by chocolate and mild, hardly-roasted coffee notes.
Taste: Black IPA starts out smooth and chocolate-y but that gives way to a burst of bitterness akin to cocoa nibs or black coffee. Then, in the aftertaste, there is a different type of bitterness—pine resin. This aftertaste does not linger at first but, with each subsequent sip, the hops become more apparent and last longer.
Mouthfeel: Black IPA is relatively dry; the hops want to dry out the mouth but the malts keep it from being too arid. It is a beer that's on the high end of medium in terms of thickness.
Dark beer or hoppy beer? Thanks to Black IPA and others of its ilk, no beer geek need make that decision. Black IPA is available just beyond the Denver metro area; click this link to see where one might procure a six-pack.


text:
Please wait while page loads...
- $130.00
- Color: TNF WHITE TNF WHITE MARKER BLUE BEACH GLASS GREEN FIRE BRICK RED
- Find Your Size
- Size: XS S M L XL
Bring reliable rain gear on your next hike with this waterproof HyVent® 2.5L rain jacket that features a printed interior layer that shows through the exterior. Pit-zips allow you to dump heat quickly on the trail without entirely removing this protective jacket. The right pocket is designed to hold your MP3 player and streamlines headphone wires.
Features Include
- Waterproof, breathable, seam sealed with printed DT layer
- Attached adjustable hood
- Secure-zip hand pockets
- Reverse-coil center front zip
- Pit-zips
- Elastic at back hem
- Stowable in hand pocket
Product Specifications
- Style:
- Fabric:
- 20D 68 g/m² HyVent® 2.5L—100% nylon
- Average Weight:
- 320 g (11.28 oz)
- Length from Center Back:
- 25.5"
- Source:
- Imported
- Guarantee:
- Lifetime Warranty
A waterproof, breathable technology utilizing a polyurethane (PU) coating that consists of a tri-component, multi-layer formula for waterproof protection, moisture permeability and durability. HyVent® technology has been lab- and field-tested to ensure the best possible durability and function while also maintaining an optimum level of breathability. To test the level of waterproofness, we subjected HyVent® garments to 20 wash cycles, where garments retained an average of more than 60 PSI on the waterproofing Mullens test.


text:
I know certain elements of this scenario have been discussed and I apologize in advance if in my research I missed a thread that did specifically deal with this.
To my wife's disagreement in more than one debate, I have always been of the belief that if a BG points a gun at you, that they intend to use it. In which case I will certainly use mine (if no escape options exist). Contrary to her belief that "alot of times they will let you go" and just want your $ or your car, I am not willing to put the decision of my life into someone else's hands. To her scenario of "What if it's a fake gun or some 19 year old playing around?" I respond that if I have what appears to be a real weapon pointed at me, even if by some idiot 19 year old driving by in a car, then I would probably spend my days in court defending my actions to a judge and his mother explaining that her little baby did something very stupid in today's day and age and it cost him.
Now, with that, a scenario. I am in a a gas station in in the gum and candy aisle when a BG walks up to the clerk with what appears to clearly be a gun and points it at him. He barks and threatens the clerk and doesn't see me. Through the conversation I ascertain that it is imminent that the clerk is about to get shot for not cooperating properly. There is no threat at anytime to my own life or well being, only to the clerk and I am the only other person on earth right now that could save the clerks life with my actions.
Questions: Aside from the moral obligation, do I have a legal right to fire on the BG before he fires upon the clerk?
What are the legal ramifications that I could face if I decided to do so?
Are those ramifications different if I fired upon him AFTER he fired upon the clerk?
Thanks for your thoughts!


text:
Autism Spectrum Disorders Health Center
Recovering From Autism Possible, Study Suggests
Behavioral Therapy May Make the Difference
Lisa Gilotty, PhD, of the National Institute of Mental Health, says it is increasingly clear that some autistic children do eventually move off the autism spectrum.
"We don't yet know what percentage of children are capable of doing this, what interventions play a role, or if there is a biological reason for this," she says.
Fein is a big proponent of very early intensive behavioral therapy, and she says kids who recover are more likely than those who don't to have had a behavioral therapy known as applied behavioral analysis.
'Like He Was on a Dimmer Switch'
Karen Siff Exkorn began the therapy with her son Jake immediately after he was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2.
She says Jake had hit all of his developmental milestones before the age of 17 months, but after that it was like he was on a dimmer switch.
"His behaviors just started fading away," she says. "He stopped playing, and he no longer had any social interaction, and he no longer liked hugs. By his second birthday he had stopped speaking."
She and her husband hired a team of therapists to help Jake relearn basic skills like making eye contact and sitting in a chair using the positive reinforcement, repetitive behavioral therapy.
"My husband and I learned it and so did the babysitter," she says. "We pretty much lived this program with Jake 24/7."
By the time Jake was 4, he showed no signs of autism. Now 16, she says he is a typical teenager with no autistic behaviors.
Earlier Detection, More Optimal Outcomes
Fein makes it clear that even with the best treatments, most children with autism will not move off the spectrum.
"Parents should not feel that they have done something wrong if their child does not have an optimal outcome," she says. "Most kids will not move off the spectrum, even if they have the best treatments we know how to give. But they will progress."
Exkorn says many kids who do recover and move off the autism spectrum still have other developmental problems, including ADHD.


text:
March 31, 2007
Husky Open Results in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
SEATTLE - The Washington rowing program showcased its depth Saturday, winning six of the seven collegiate races contested during the season-opening Husky Open Regatta on the Montlake Cut.
The top UW crews took the day off following last weekend's intra-squad Class Day races. The rest of the Husky fleet was impressive in their six victories, including five events in which Washington crews placed one-two.
The annual slate of 2,000-meter races included collegiate crews from UW, Washington State and Western Washington along with several rowing clubs from throughout the region.
The Huskies captured the top-two places in the women's featured event, the varsity four race. The field included two of the nation's premier four-oared crews. At the 2006 NCAA women's rowing championships, Washington State finished fourth in the varsity four grand final and Washington was fifth.
UW reversed that order on its rival Saturday. The Huskies' top varsity four entry was first across the finish line in 7-minutes, 22.7-seconds. UW's novice four crew was second in 7:25.0 followed by the Cougars' varsity four in 7:34.8.
The Huskies' third varsity women's crew clocked a winning time of 7:09.6 in Saturday's varsity eight race. Another UW entry, the fourth varsity boat, was second in 7:16.1 followed by WSU in 7:32.0.
The women's novice eight race was also won by Washington with a time of 6:56.9. Washington State was second in 7:33.7 and UW's second entry was third in 7:36.3.
Washington swept the top-three places in the three collegiate men's events. UW won both varsity four races and registered a winning time of 5:55.3 in the novice eight competition.
The lone collegiate event not won by UW was the women's novice four race. The Cougars won in 8:05.4 followed by UW in 8:30.4.
The Green Lake Crew and Everett Rowing Association shared top honors in the juniors' events.
Green Lake won four events: the men's varsity eight, women's varsity eight, men's lightweight eight and women's third varsity eight. Everett was victorious in three races: the men's junior varsity eight, women's junior varsity eight and women's lightweight four.
The Huskies' top crews return to action next week, visiting cross-state rival Washington State, Saturday, April 7 on the Snake River.
(all events 2,000 meters)
Montlake Cut/Seattle, Wash.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Men's Collegiate: Novice Eights
1, Washington "A" 5:55.3
(cox- Michael Welly, stroke- Simon Taylor, 7- Graham Oglend, 6- Roko Svast, 5- Blaise Didier, 4- Aaron Luke, 3- Dane Robbins, 2- James Olson, bow- Maxwell Weaver)
2, Washington "B" 6:09.7
(cox- Jackie Allen, stroke- Christopher Culbert, 7- Ethan Katz, 6- Daniel Cornutt, 5- David Goulet, 4- Allan Mathisen, 3- Thomas Hedlund, 2- Jamie North, bow- Andrew Hamacher)
3, Washington "C" 6:20.1
(cox- Alex Tanabe, stroke- Andreas Costea, 6- Lawrence Dearth, 5- Peder Teigen, 4- Alexander Keats, 3- Christopher Pomer, 2- Aidan Pera, bow- Matthew Mackinnon)
4, Western Washington 6:42.4.
Women's Collegiate: Varsity Fours
1, Washington "B" 7:22.7
(cox- Kristy Gauthier, stroke- Brittney Pierce, 3- Asiha Grigsby, 2- Lia Prins, bow- Laura Cooper)
2, Washington "A" 7:25.0
(cox- Maggie Cheek, stroke- Alison Browning, 3- Rosie DeBoef, 2- Erin Knox, bow- Kayleigh Mack)
3, Washington State 7:34.8
4, Washington "C" 7:45.5
(cox- Sofia Benson-Goldberg, stroke- Ashley Brown, 3- Heather Walker, 2- Noelle Broom, bow- Danielle Berz)
Women's Collegiate: Novice Eights
1, Washington "A" 6:56.9
(cox- Daphne Hazlehurst, stroke- Jen Dwyer, 7- Sophia Duluk, 6- Kara Rybczyk, 5- Adrienne Martelli, 4- Line Larsen, 3- Meredith Dugoni, 2- Heather Young, bow- Jenny Park)
2, Washington State 7:33.7
3, Washington "B" 7:36.3
(cox- Isabelle Woodward, stroke- Emily Koltuniak, 7- Keira Brooks, 6- Melissa Meister, 5- Sarah Martin, 4- Blakeley Holland, 3- Joanne Tustison, 2- Lauren Bresnahan, bow- Katherine Ou)
Men's Juniors: Varsity Eights
1, Green Lake Crew 6:05.5
2, Mount Baker Crew 6:14.1
3, Sammamish Rowing Association 6:27.5
4, Lakeside 6:30.3
Women's Juniors: Varsity Eights
1, Green Lake Crew 6:56.6
2, Pocock Rowing Center 7:03.5
3, Everett Rowing Association 7:05.7
4, Mount Baker Crew 7:11.6
5, Lakeside 7:19.1.
Men's Juniors: Junior Varsity Eights
1, Everett Rowing Association 6:29.9
2, Mount Baker Crew "A" 6:31.5
3, Green Lake Crew 6:36.8
4, Sammamish Rowing Association 6:47.4
5, Mount Baker Crew "B" 7:26.7.
Women's Juniors: Junior Varsity Eights
1, Everett Rowing Association 7:00.5
2, Green Lake Crew 7:12.5
3, Sammamish Rowing Association 7:19.5
4, Lakeside 7:31.0
5, Mount Baker Crew 7:32.0.
Men's Collegiate: Varsity Fours (A Race)
1, Washington 6:21.0
2, Washington 6:21.9
3, Washington 6:34.1
4, Washington 6:36.3.
Men's Juniors: Lightweight Eights
1, Green Lake Crew 6:34.8
2, Everett Rowing Association 6:29.0
Disqualified, Mount Baker Crew.
Women's Juniors: Lightweight Fours
1, Everett Rowing Association 8:09.7
2, Lakeside "A" 8:12.8
3, Green Lake Crew 8:33.4
4, Mount Baker Crew 8:39.7
5, Lakeside "B" 9:41.8.
Women's Collegiate: Varsity Eights
1, Washington "A" 7:09.6
(cox- Kristy Gauthier, stroke- Brittney Pierce, 7- Laura Cooper, 6- Lia Prins, 5- Asiha Grigsby, 4- Heather Walker, 3- Rachel Powers, 2- Danielle Berz, bow- Ashley Brown)
2, Washington "B" 7:16.1
(cox- Sofia Benson-Goldberg, stroke- Jessica Fernen, 7- Tara Kinsella, 6- Caitlin Henry, 5- Betsy Page, 4- Ali Steiner, 3- Courtney White, 2- Kelsey Whitcomb, bow- Karin Golob)
3, Washington State 7:32.0.
Men's Collegiate: Varsity Fours (B Race)
1, Washington "A" 6:49.9
2, Washington "C" 7:00.0
3, Washington "B" 7:02.3
4, Western Washington 7:07.7
5, Washington "D" 7:34.6.
Women's Collegiate: Novice Fours
1, Washington State 8:05.4
2, Washington "A" 8:05.4
(cox- Laura Daly, stroke- Katherine Ou, 3- Lauren Bresnahan, 2- Sarah Martin, bow- Madeline Tuesley) 8:30.4
3, Washington "B" 8:35.5
(cox- Alex Tanabe, stroke- Emily Koltuniak, 3- Keira Brooks, 2- Melissa Meister, bow- Anyka Ozog)
Women's Juniors: Third Varsity Eights
1, Green Lake Crew 7:44.1
2, Sammamish Rowing Association 7:52.2


text:
Harry Styles Stays Over At Caroline Flacks!
December 7, 2011 Harry Styles, News 8 Comments
In news that will come as a shock to 1D fans, and maybe a confirmation of their romance, Harry Styles was captured leaving the home of Caroline Flack yesterday morning at 9:30am.
Caroline apparently left the house a couple of hours later with a smile on her face, hiding behind her sunglasses (in the middle of winter!)
Harry is 15 years younger than Ms Flack, and not even old enough to drink yet. The pair supposedly met a few weeks back and shared a kiss, with Harry later denying this whilst saying she was "hot".
What do you make of this revelation? Are they definitely an item or is there another reason for Harry & Carolines late night antics? Is the world ready for Carry?
- http://www.twitter.com
- http://www.twitter.com


text:
Japan: Political leadership needed for better democracy
Author: Yoichi Funabashi
Bureaucratic memos have no place in the new administration led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan.
His Cabinet members make a point of not looking at, let alone reading from, memos submitted by bureaucrats at ministerial committee meetings and news conferences.
Of course, his ministers let bureaucrats offer their input on relevant data, but they do not want any memos instructing them on what to say.
On the evening of Sept. 20, prior to Hatoyama's debut visit as prime minister to the United States, he hosted a ministers' committee meeting at the prime minister's office to discuss global warming.
Besides Hatoyama, eight ministers attended. They were: the deputy prime minister who also serves as state minister in charge of national strategy; the foreign minister; the finance minister; the farm minister; the minister of economy, trade and industry; the minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism; the environment minister; and the chief Cabinet secretary.
Hatoyama told the gathering: 'I will be making a speech at the U.N. summit on climate change. I hope you will leave the details up to me, but I want to hear your opinions.'
Seiji Maehara, the transport minister, talked about the importance of establishing international rules that would recognize Japan's advanced environmental technology, such as in hybrid and electric cars, in contributing to greenhouse gas reductions. He asked Hatoyama to not undermine the national interest.
Hirotaka Akamatsu, the farm minister, argued that farmland should also be considered as absorbers of greenhouse gases along with forests.
The debate soon turned heated.
Cabinet ministers freely discussing policy without reading from memos prepared by their ministries must surely seem like the most natural thing in the world. But it serves as another example of politicians taking the initiative in policymaking.
One high-ranking bureaucrat who sat in the background of that meeting commented: 'I do not want to appear to be sycophantish toward the DJP-led government, but I thought they were actually doing a good job. At meetings of Cabinet ministers handling global warming issues under the previous administration, the ministers could not keep their eyes off memos in front of them. It was a major difference this time.'
A check into what Hatoyama did over his first 12 days as prime minister as reported in the vernacular Asahi Shimbun produced an interesting comparison with previous Liberal Democratic Party governments.
Of the people Hatoyama met, 26 were Cabinet ministers and only eight were bureaucrats.
Over the first 12 days of their respective administrations, Taro Aso met with 21 ministers and 24 bureaucrats, while Yasuo Fukuda met with 16 ministers and 27 bureaucrats and Shinzo Abe met with 21 ministers and 19 bureaucrats.
Those numbers are a telling indication that politicians are gaining the upper hand over bureaucrats.
The secret to maintaining control of government is the ability to effectively control the bureaucracy. Thus, how a party manages the submittal of memos from bureaucrats is an important part of controlling the bureaucracy.
Prior to the Aug. 30 Lower House election, Naoto Kan, who now serves concurrently as deputy prime minister and state minister in charge of national strategy, visited Britain and sought advice on steering the bureaucracy from John Prescott, who served as a deputy prime minister under Tony Blair. Britain has a much longer history with change in government than Japan.
Prescott told Kan to never allow bureaucrats to take the initiative in writing responses for parliamentary debate. He said once that happens, important political decisions cannot be made.
So far, it appears the Hatoyama Cabinet is taking that advice to heart.
A senior vice minister said, 'If we ask something, they (bureaucrats) will immediately present a memo. However, policy discussions should never be based on the memo that they presented because the devil is hidden in the details.'
For the time being, the Hatoyama administration will put most of its efforts into 'removing the bile' and 'reviewing wasteful spending in the budget.'
An influential DPJ lawmaker said that in egregious cases the party was prepared to hold 'a public execution in Kasumigaseki.' (Kasumigaseki, a Tokyo district where the central government ministries are located, is a synonym for the bureaucracy.)
Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii also had advice for other Cabinet members on the budget compilation process.
'Do not think of yourselves as ministers who are making requests,' Fujii said. 'I want you to become ministers who appraise ministry projects.'
However, the administration has no intention of taking on the entire bureaucracy. It knows the importance of a divide-and-rule strategy.
Because there should not be any mishaps in the budget and foreign policy, the administration will work somewhat closely with the finance and foreign ministries.
However, it plans to be more aggressive with ministries that have major public projects, such as the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
By reducing the huge amounts spent on projects with vested interests under the jurisdiction of such ministries, the administration will seek to squeeze out revenues for use in fulfilling DPJ campaign promises, such as support for child-rearing.
One minister said, 'The vertical division in the ministries is much worse than I expected. But, that means that it will be easier to divide and rule.'
One method for carrying out that strategy would be to classify bureaucrats as either good or bad and appoint those willing to help in changing policy to important posts. Those who resist would be left out in the cold.
Bureaucrats, for their part, are preparing various strategies of their own to meet the challenge from the new administration.
The Defense Ministry's strategy is based on flexible response and is being dubbed the '1-8-1' theory.
A high-ranking Defense Ministry official explained what that means.
'The first 1 would be carried out by changing the style of doing things, while the 8 involves maintaining the status quo,' the official said. 'The final 1 would allow the DPJ government to carry out what an LDP government could not.'
A specific example of what would be involved under the first 1 relates to the DPJ argument to move Marine Corps Air Station Futenma outside of Okinawa Prefecture. The ministry would conduct a review of the proposal, but in the end convince the government to give up on that possibility.
A possible scenario for the final 1 in the Defense Ministry theory would apply to the DPJ promise to propose a revision of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. The United States just might go along with the proposal, thereby producing an unexpected positive result.
Other ministries are viewing the new administration as an opportunity to clear out 'accumulated inventory.'
For example, the Foreign Ministry faces the problem of secret pacts with the United States over nuclear weapons and military emergencies. Some people in the ministry, including a diplomat with experience in Asia, want to use the new administration to sweep away old issues.
The Asian hand explained the expectations held by some ministry members.
'All major diplomatic initiatives in the postwar era have been led by politicians,' the diplomat said. 'For example, the normalization of relations with the Soviet Union, with South Korea and with China as well as the return of Okinawa were all such cases. There will be no diplomatic action unless politicians make risky decisions. Diplomacy over global warming has already begun to move dramatically.'
The diplomat was pointing to Hatoyama's promise made soon after becoming prime minister to cut Japan's greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent over 1990 levels by 2020.
Other ministries want to cut ties with organizations that built up influence through a mutually dependent relationship with LDP lawmakers who served as a lobby for such vested interests.
Some examples are the health ministry and the national medical association, the farm ministry and the national association of agricultural cooperatives as well as the education ministry and those seeking subsidies for private schools.
However, most ministries are taking a wait-and-see attitude when it comes to finding out what politicians can really do.
Finance Ministry officials have submitted a reference document to key government officials about items in the supplementary budget that the DPJ wants to cut. The items were classified as 'ordinary,' 'somewhat difficult' and 'difficult.'
Even among items classified as ordinary, most would require a major political decision for cuts to be made.
It was as though the bureaucrats were presenting a challenge to politicians, saying, 'Since this requires decisions made by politicians, please go ahead and do so.'
That is likely just the beginning of what one minister called 'a game of outfoxing the foxes.'
There is a risk that the battle with bureaucrats will end up in a quagmire.
DPJ lawmakers who take on government posts could turn out to become lobbyists for the ministry in which they work.
There is the danger that bureaucrats could take advantage of confusion among the three parties making up the coalition government.
There is also the possibility of bureaucratic opportunists emerging, such as the move in 1994 by Finance Ministry officials to introduce a national welfare tax. While the proposal was killed quickly, it also led to the collapse of the coalition government headed by Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa.
What the new administration should be careful about is not setting up too many battle fronts with the bureaucracy.
This was another piece of advice Prescott gave Kan.
Prescott said that any new government would be eager to do many things, but that some patience was needed. Any major initiative should be limited to one per ministry, Prescott said.
Control by politicians does not mean that politicians should rule with an overbearing and domineering manner over bureaucrats.
The important thing is to establish the neutrality of bureaucrats.
The goal is realizing the objective laid out in Article 15 of the Constitution, which states, 'All public officials are servants of the whole community and not of any group thereof.'
Making the bureaucracy an impartial entity is also necessary because bureaucrats should not be allowed to over-represent the public space.
For a long time in Japan, the bureaucracy had a near-monopoly over the public space.
Those involved in civil society, but who were not bureaucrats, were considered as being only part of the private sector and were not given an adequate opportunity to take part in the public space.
Politicians' endeavors to exercise greater control over policymaking should not simply end as an all-out confrontation with bureaucrats.
We should look forward to a situation where politicians display leadership to create a lively and powerful public space.
That could be achieved through a major move in information disclosure on public policy as well as through deeper ties with nongovernmental organizations.
Political leadership should be utilized to expand the public space along with the people and to foster greater participatory democracy.
This article first appeared here in the Asahi Shimbun.
Post a comment
East Asia Forum welcomes comments, both for adding depth to analysis and for bringing up important new issues. Original comments adding insight and contributing to analysis are especially encouraged.
The editors retain the right to refuse and edit comments at any time.