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March 22, 2014
|Craig Jones
Naples, FL (rushPRnews) 03/22/14 — Community Foundation of Collier County President/CEO, Eileen Connolly-Keesler, has announced that Craig Jones has joined the Community Foundation of Collier County as Marketing Director.
Jones joins the Community Foundation team with more than 25 years of public relations and marketing experience, most recently as Vice President of Marketing for Premier Sotheby's International Realty. Prior to that, she conducted real estate transactions in excess of $130 million as a real estate broker associate with Premier Sotheby's International Realty and with John R. Wood Realtors. Ms. Jones has also held principal holds degrees and certifications from Smith College, Washington University and the School of Journalism at Columbia University.
"I believe strongly in the mission of the Community Foundation of Collier County – to provide donors with knowledge and financial stewardship that result in a stronger community – forever," said Craig. "To be chosen to work with such a dedicated and effective group of individuals is a privilege."
Craig has been active in the Collier County community in which she has lived with her husband, Robert Printz, since 2002. In Naples, she was a member of Leadership Collier 2005, a graduate of Leadership NABOR 2004, and the NABOR Rising Star Award recipient. She has served on a number of boards and councils including the Naples Historical Society, the Missouri Governor's Economics Council and Planned Parenthood. Ms. Jones is the first recipient of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Award bestowed by General Colin Poweell.
"Craig is already familiar with the Community Foundation from her service to a number of non-profits in the community and her relationship with many of our donors. Her extensive background in marketing and public relations will allow us to execute a marketing strategy that showcases our donors and the positive impact that they have in Collier County," Connolly-Keesler stated. "It is our donors that help make our charitable work within the community possible."
About the Community Foundation of Collier County
The Community Foundation of Collier County is a tax-exempt, public charitable organization established in 1985 with a $300,000 endowment. The first grants were awarded in 1986 towards Cambier Park's band shell construction project and The Shelter for Abused Women initial development.
Today, the Community Foundation oversees more than 500 funds, collaborates with over 400 local nonprofits, manages nearly $73 million in assets and has distributed $70 million in grants. For more information about the Community Foundation of Collier County call (239) 649-5000 or visit www.cfcollier.org.
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Powering Smart Shelters
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New picture posted.
New picture posted.

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Home >> Toys, Baby & Kids >> Baby >> Others >> Dark Brown Fuchsia Cartoon Face Printed Stretchy Baby Toddler Knee Support Pair
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Flames NewsFlames Home > Women's Soccer Home > News
Free Kicks With Ashley Nyholt
Every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday throughout the women's soccer season, fans will have an opportunity to get to know the Lady Flames a bit better through a question-and-answer session. Today, the series contines with freshman Ashley Nyholt.
Nyholt, a freshman goalkeeper, is in her first year at Liberty. The Brampton, Ontario, native has started all four of the Lady Flames' matches this season. Her twin sister, Laura, who we met in the last installment, also plays for Liberty.
My earliest soccer memory is … playing soccer in my hallway with my dad and sister.
Other than soccer, my favorite sport to play is … snowboarding.
When I have an hour of free time, I like to … play my guitar.
If I won a million dollars, I would … have no idea what to do with it!
If someone would look at the songs on my iPod, I would be embarrassed for them to see I have this song … A Whole New World by Aladdin and Jasmine.
It is not good for you, but I still eat … Nutella straight from the jar!
A place I would like to visit one day is … Dominican Republic.
If you could eat dinner with three other people (living or alive), who would they be and why?
Jesus - Who wouldn't want to eat dinner with him? A guy who rose from the dead would be pretty cool to talk to in person.
My Grandpa - I never got to meet him, so having dinner with him would be awesome.
Ruth Graham - It would be cool to find out what it was like being the wife of Billy Graham. I'm not sure how many people got to hear her story (compared the number of times her hubby spoke).
Who is your favorite Bible character and why?
David - He knew God was in control of his life, even when his enemies were trying to take it away.
When surfing the Internet, what website do you visit the most frequently? The Weather Network
What is something about you that other people don't know? I have a strange fascination for thunderstorms.
What is the best part about being on the Liberty Women's Soccer team?
The fact that I'm a part of Liberty Women's Soccer.
Who is your favorite Superhero and why?
Superman - He can fly anywhere in the world without having to pay for airfare!
What cartoon character are you most like and why?
Gumby – He's a pretty easy-going person who likes animals and enjoys playing guitar.
After graduation, I would like to … get into coaching, and go on a big trip.
Previous Free Kicks
(click on the name to view previous editions)
9/9 - Tanya Payne


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PoppySeed Dancer Model
Damian TierneyPhotographer Male Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
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Kukla's Korner Hockey
A Big Mess In Vancouver
by Paul on 06/30/13 at 09:22 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Tony Gallager of the Vancouver Province,
What happens if they move Schneider and Luongo decides he doesn't want to come back? Granted that's unlikely because it means Vancouver wouldn't have to pay him and could actually find a way to walk from his deal. But suppose he meant what he said when he intoned that his contract "sucked" and he'd do away with it if he could. Sure, he was probably bullbleeping, but that would certainly make for a new season in this series which is clearly Breaking Bad for the Canucks.
This isn't over, and who knows? Perhaps Gillis pulls a rabbit out of the hat tomorrow and moves Luongo. St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong was saying Friday in an approving manner that he felt Vancouver was right to hang onto an asset like Luongo when giving him away was the other option, so perhaps the Blues are interested.
Perhaps they or some other team might take Luongo straight up on waivers. It wouldn't change the fact these guys have totally misread the tea leaves in this mess.
It wouldn't bring back any assets. It wouldn't change the fact that they could have assets — no matter how small — had they acted earlier, but it would certainly be a burden lifted off ownership and it would allow them to go with the better goalie in the game's most important position.
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Archive for the 'japanese government' tag
Fukushima Radioactive Fallout: Latest News
May 15th: Tepco and the Japanese government struggle to keep up the appearance that they have the Fukushima situation under control.
APRIL 23rd: Once again the mainstream media is is down playing the situation.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Helen Caldicott received her medical degree in 1961 from the University of Adelaide Medical School. In 1977 she joined the staff of the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston, and taught pediatrics at the Harvard Medical School from 1977 to 1978.
In 1980, following the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, she left her medical career in order to concentrate on calling the world's attention to what she refers to as the "insanity" of the nuclear arms race and the growing reliance on nuclear power. Dr Caldicott tells it as it is. You won't hear this on the news!
NEW EPA MILK SAMPLES IN HAWAII show radiation in milk at 800% above limits for C-134, 633% above limits for C-137 and 600% above EPA maximum for I-131 for a total of 2033%, or 20.33 times, above the federal drinking water limits. Read this article
Japan nuclear radiation, including i-131, Caesium 134 and Caesium 137, is now being detected in a wide variety of foods on store shelves in California. In the first food chain tests made public radioactive contamination was found in spinach, strawberries, topsoil, grass, and milk. Of the isotopes detected, radioactive iodine has a half-life of 8 days outside of the human body and 100 days inside the body. The C-134 has a half-life of 2 years and the c-137 has a half-life of 30 years. C-135 with a half-life of over 2.3 million years is not reported as detected.
New readings have also been posted for Phoenix AZ with milk being above the federal limit and Los Angeles with milk being slightly below the limit for Iodine.
Montpelier VT milk has tested positive for radioactive CS-137, above about 2/3rds the EPA maximum and Spokane WA milk testing less than half the limit for i-131.
Editors Note: We are well aware that the EPA levels are gauged for yearly exposure but the idea that it is somehow safe to be way above accepted levels for at least 2 weeks is ludicrous.
Read more:
- Radioactive Iodine-131 in Pennsylvania rainwater sample is 3300% above federal drinking water standard
- NY Times contributor confirms California rainwater 181 times above drinking water standards for radioactive iodine-131
- Don't drink the rainwater says State of Virginia (VIDEO)
- EPA: Radioactive Iodine-131 levels in PA & MA rainwater "exceed maximum contaminant level permitted in drinking water"
- EPA: Penn. and Mass. have seen elevated levels of radiation in rain — "Short-term elevations" not a health concern… How about Long-term?
More: The Intelhub.com | Alexander Higgins Blog | Twitter
The EU Response to Rising Radioactivity
European Union Increases The Acceptable Radiation Level For Food By 20 Times!
April 6, 2011: USA Radiation Charts
See video for Data | UMD link: www.atmos.umd.edu
Northern hemisphere: Iodine-131 | Xenon-133 | Caesium-137 | Potential dispersion of radioactive cloud
Fukushima Radioactive Fallout: Latest News
Rolling Update No.3 On The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster by a Japan Resident – From: We Can Do Better
May 11th
Now two months since the day of the 'triple disaster' on March 11. The nuclear disaster is far from over, and as the following article suggests, we are still a long way from knowing just what is going on at the Fukushima disaster site.
Nuclear collapse looms? Fukushima No. 4 reactor 'leaning'
Deadly Silence on Fukushima: It's Not Over
This article gives a new twist to things we already know, but which the Japanese public is not informed about because most of them do not see Arnie Gundersen's reports and because there appears to be a systematic coverup attempt by the Japanese government and TEPCO to keep the public in Japan in the dark about certain important matters to do with radiation releases from the damaged reactors. This almost certainly includes plutonium releases from reactor 3 and may involve other releases as well. News about reactors 2, 3 and 4 has been pretty sparse in the last few days.
The Greenpeace ship Rainbow water has requested the Japanese government to test the waters near Japan, and Japan has refused this independent data request. The EPA has also shut down all inspection centers and is NOT inspecting fish. (Why the silence?)
There does seem to be (as I have mentioned before) a systematic effort to exclude from government and TEPCO press conferences anyone who would ask 'probing' questions. In addition a new project team has been created by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, the National Police Agency, and METI to combat "rumors" deemed harmful to Japanese security in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. That really does make it sound as if there is information that the government wishes to keep secret…
"The Japanese media today is no different from the wartime propaganda media that kept repeating to the very end that 'Japan is winning the war against America,'" Uesugi exclaimed. There is one particularly telling example of the media shielding TEPCO by suppressing information. This concerns "plutonium." According to Uesugi, after the reactor blew up on March 14, there was concern about the leakage of plutonium. However, astonishingly, until two weeks later when Uesugi asked, not a single media representative had raised the question of plutonium at TEPCO's press conferences.
If you suddenly stop hearing from me it might be because I have been arrested…
~~~Situation at the Nuclear Disaster Site~~~
Was there a Massive Fire Breakout At Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant May 8th 2011?
This seems to have come from this live webcam.
TEPCO slipping behind schedule to contain accident
Radiation high at No.3 reactor pool
The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has detected high levels of radioactive materials in the spent fuel pool of the No.3 reactor at the plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Company examined a water sample from the pool on Sunday. The sample contained 140,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium-134 per cubic centimeter, 150,000 becquerels of cesium-137, and 11,000 becquerels of iodine-131.
None of these substances were detected during an inspection on March 2nd, before the accident triggered by the March 11th disaster.
I'm a little puzzled. Arnie Gundersen, among others, has shown us a video clip of reactor 3 fuel pool blowing up, and he and others have suggested that it was at least partially a nuclear detonation. This NHK article, however, suggests that the pool itself is still intact. The video accompanying the article does show something underwater. It's a mess and it is not really clear what is being shown. Two further things worry me. 1) The presence of iodine-131 in quite large amounts, as Arnie and others have told us, suggests that some nuclear activity is still ongoing in the pool area. 2) Where's the plutonium? There should be plutonium in the pool, since reactor 3 was running on mixed plutonium-uranium fuel. Am I wrong somewhere? Or did TEPCO simply not test for it, or did they just not announce the results? Please read the top article of today's update and think for yourself. Nothing definite, but does not look good. Isn't the public entitled to look at the information and draw their own conclusions, or at least ask 'probing' questions?
TEPCO starts adjusting gauges at Unit 1
Workers adjust gauges to flood Fukushima No. 1 reactor with water
Radiation to restrict work on No. 1
By opening the double-entry doors, air containing about 500 million becquerels of radioactive substances is believed to have been released into the atmosphere from the upper part of the No. 1 reactor building, which was damaged in a hydrogen explosion that occurred in the early days of the nuclear crisis.
Aerial fallout map confirms soil radiation levels
Government was hours late with radiation map
~~~Hamaoka News and its Impacts~~~
Governors cautious on resuming reactors
The notion that prefectural governors might withhold approval for the restart of nuclear reactors on the grounds of safety is gaining prominence here. Partly it will depend on how vociferous the local populations are – the governors will definitely not want to be seen approving the restart of nuclear reactors against the wishes of the local population.
EDITORIAL: Tsunami not the only safety concern for Hamaoka plant
Hamaoka impact will be far-flung
The shutdown, decided Monday, may signal an inevitable shift away from a policy of nuclear dependence. Financially speaking, the move affects not only the utility company but also Japan's core manufacturing sector.
Hamaoka nuclear plant's shutdown may impact nationwide power supply
Hamaoka suspension could adversely affect employment, warns minister
Kan to focus on natural energy, energy saving
Govt to promote use of renewable energy
Japan to review plan to raise nuclear energy level to 50 percent
"Along with Tokyo Electric Power Co., the government, which has promoted nuclear energy as a national policy, is very responsible for failing to prevent the accident," Kan said.
Contamination: From Minamata to Fukushima
What Caused the High Cl-38 Radioactivity in the Fukushima Daiichi Reactor #1?
Japan's government faces looming crisis over 'whack-a-mole' nuclear policies
20 Millisieverts for Children and Kosako Toshiso's Resignation
Save the Children: Radiation Exposure of Fukushima Students Back
Complicity and Victimhood: Director Kamanaka Hitomi's Nuclear Warnings
Fukushima Residents Seek Answers Amid Mixed Signals From Media, TEPCO and Government. Report from the Radiation Exclusion Zone
Japan crisis highlights mismatch between nuke power, humans: expert
"We are not competent to deal with (the) technology…we don't know enough about it, and we don't have it under control,"
TEPCO decides to accept conditions for state support
Fukushima residents having hardest time recovering from disaster: Mainichi survey
Near-record 2 million people on welfare in Japan: Mainichi survey
27 percent of evacuees say they have no prospects of making a living: poll
Fukushima city to remove topsoil from schoolyards
More Fukushima veggies banned
The government Monday banned the shipment of bamboo shoots and "kogomi" wild vegetables from parts of Fukushima Prefecture after some were found to have unsafe levels of radioactive cesium.
Japan eyes holding opening ceremony of trilateral summit in Fukushima
Nuclear plant workers release unknown amount of radioactive tritium into Mississippi River
~~~Situation at the Nuclear Disaster Site~~~
Cold shutdown work starts at Fukushima No. 1 reactor building
High radiation may slow down TEPCO's repairs
High radiation in reactor building
Japan nuclear crew may need lead shields: official
Radioactive strontium detected at Fukushima plant
TEPCO to begin pipe work for No.3 reactor
~~~Hamaoka News~~~
Chubu Electric agrees to shut down Hamaoka reactors
Chubu Electric faces massive loss in wake of Hamaoka nuke plant closing
Kan, economic ministry differ over future energy policy
"If nuclear and thermal power generation is unacceptable, then we'll have no choice but to place emphasis on the introduction of recyclable energy and energy-saving efforts," Kan was quoted as telling his aides.
Small steps at home can add up to saving 3.1 gigawatts
Some figures to go with what I was saying about the summer peak of electric power consumption yesterday. It's nice to know that 'small steps at home' can save so much electricity, but how about businesses doing something as well?
Nuclear experts seek single regulatory body
Rape plants may help cleanse soil in Fukushima
Germany at 40% nuke capacity, no issues
"More than half of all German nuclear power plants are offline but our power supply remains stable," Dietmar Schuetz, head of the German renewable energy industry association BEE told the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper. "Until 2020 at the latest, power from the sun, wind, water and biomass can easily replace nuclear power."
China to boost nuclear safety standards
Madrid demo calls for end to nuclear power
Lithuanian nuclear plant to go online in 2020
Final Energy Crisis » Tony Boys
Continuing the updates on the Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Station in Japan from…
The original article in French
More about the 'Say "No to nukes!" campaign' and its aim (bottom of page)
Updates will be posted here. Later dates will be at the top, but later updates within each date may be anywhere, depending on importance and relevance to other material reported on that day. Previous days>> April 8, April 9, April 10, April 11, April 12, April 13, April 14, April 15, April 16, April 17, April 18 – no post, April 19, April 20, April 21, April 22, April 23, April 24 – no post, April 25, April 26, April 27, April 28, April 29, April 30, May 1, May 2, May 3, May 4, May 5, May 6, May 7, May 8, May 9, May 10
I did talk with Kevin Barrett on No Lies Radio from 10 am to 11 am Japan time on Sunday 1 May. This was a recording, and was broadcast from 9 am to 10 am Tuesday 3 May, Pacific time. There is a programme promo and an archive has been posted.
We Can Do Better- May 10th Update
Japanese Government Censors Fukushima Reports That Contradict The Official Story
(NaturalNews) Censorship of the truth about what is really going on at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility has been taken to a whole new level of corruption. According to a recent report from the Shingetsu News Agency, the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIAC), in conjunction with the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), has established a special project team to crack down on independent and freelance news agencies that criticize or otherwise scrutinize the official Japanese government position concerning Fukushima.
The Japanese government appears to be working closely with both the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the nation's mainstream media outlets to maintain the facade that everything is just fine, and that the nuclear meltdown situation is largely mitigated and under control. But recent prodding and questioning by certain media sources outside this "good ol' boys" club have struck a nerve with authorities, sparking the new crackdown on those who oppose the official story. Authorities say such scrutiny is a threat to national security.
For the most part, the mainstream Japanese media has been the only type of media invited to most of the press conferences concerning Fukushima. And the reporters who attend these events merely reiterate what TEPCO and others are saying about the situation, without asking any hard questions or investigating the situation. But the few press conferences at which independent and freelance reporters have been permitted to attend have been rife with the tough, hardball questions that nobody else has been asking — and this has caused quite an upset.
"Freelance journalists and foreign media are pursuing the facts, even going into the radiation exclusion zone," explained Uesugi Takashi, an independent journalist that has been pushing the Japanese government to be more forthcoming with the truth about the situation. "However, surprisingly, the Japan government continues to prevent freelance journalists and overseas media from gaining access to official press conferences at the prime minister's house and government."
One of the biggest and most obvious questions that many independent journalists, as well as Japanese citizens, are asking concerns the near-total blackout of information on the current status of Fukushima. Authorities continue to repeat that the situation is under control, but where is the actual evidence to back this claim? And if those in power have nothing to hide, then why have all the meetings between TEPCO officials and the government been private, closed-door meetings that exclude actual journalists?
Meanwhile, empty reassurances that the Fukushima situation is essential "over" have drawn many citizens who previously evacuated the Fukushima exclusion zone back into these dangerous areas. This occurs, of course, as radiation readings around the world continue to rise in response to the Fukushima disaster (http://www.naturalnews.com/032048_radiation_milk.html).
Sources for this story include:
Japanese government censors Fukushima reports that contradict official story
Is Fukushima About To Blow?
by Mike Whitney – Information Clearing House
Conditions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are deteriorating and the doomsday scenario is beginning to unfold. On Sunday, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) officials reported that the levels of radiation leaking into seawater at the Unit 2 reactor were 100,000 times above normal, and the airborne radiation measured 4-times higher than government limits. As a result, emergency workers were evacuated from the plant and rushed to safe location. The prospect of a full-core meltdown or an environmental catastrophe of incalculable magnitude now looms larger than ever. The crisis is getting worse.
If spent fuel rods catch fire from lack of coolant, the intense heat will lift radiation plumes high into the atmosphere that will drift around the world. That's the nightmare scenario, clouds of radioactive material showering the planet with lethal toxins for months on end. And, according to the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics of Vienna, that deadly process has already begun. The group told New Scientist that:
"Japan's damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima has been emitting radioactive iodine and caesium at levels approaching those seen in the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Austrian researchers have used a worldwide network of radiation detectors – designed to spot clandestine nuclear bomb tests – to show that iodine-131 is being released at daily levels 73 per cent of those seen after the 1986 disaster. The daily amount of caesium-137 released from Fukushima Daiichi is around 60 per cent of the amount released from Chernobyl. ("New Scientist", March 24 —thanks to Michael Collins "They said it wasn't like Chernobyl and they were wrong")
So, volatile radioactive elements are already being lofted into the jet stream and spread across continents. What's different here is that the quantities are much larger than they were at Chernobyl, thus, the dangers are far greater. According to the same group of scientists "the Fukushima plant has around 1760 tonnes of fresh and used nuclear fuel on site" (while) "the Chernobyl reactor had only 180 tonnes." The troubles at one nuclear facility now pose a direct threat to humans and other species everywhere. Is this what Obama meant when he called nuclear power, "Safe and green?"
This from CNN:
"Authorities in Japan raised the prospect Friday of a likely breach in the all-important containment vessel of the No. 3 reactor at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, a potentially ominous development in the race to prevent a large-scale release of radiation."
And this from the New York Times:
"A senior nuclear executive who insisted on anonymity but has broad contacts in Japan said that there was a long vertical crack running down the side of the reactor vessel itself. The crack runs down below the water level in the reactor and has been leaking fluids and gases, he said….
"There is a definite, definite crack in the vessel — it's up and down and it's large," he said. "The problem with cracks is they do not get smaller." (Thanks to Washington's Blog)
The media has switched into full "BP Oil Spill-mode", making every effort to minimize the disaster and to soothe the public with half-truths and disinformation. The goal is to conceal the scale of the catastrophe and protect the nuclear industry. It's another case of profits over people. Still, the truth is available for those who are willing to sift through the lies. Radiation has turned up in the Tokyo water supply, imports of milk, vegetable and fruit from four prefectures in the vicinity of Fukushima have been banned, and the evacuation zone around the plant has widened to an 18 mile radius.
Also, monitors have detected tiny radioactive particles which have spread from the reactor site across the Pacific to North America, the Atlantic and Europe…According to Reuters: "It's only a matter of days before it disperses in the entire northern hemisphere," said Andrea Stahl, a senior scientist at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research."
Here's more from Brian Moench, MD:
"Administration spokespeople continuously claim "no threat" from the radiation reaching the US from Japan, just as they did with oil hemorrhaging into the Gulf. Perhaps we should all whistle "Don't worry, be happy" in unison. A thorough review of the science, however, begs a second opinion.
That the radiation is being released 5,000 miles away isn't as comforting as it seems…. Every day, the jet stream carries pollution from Asian smoke stacks and dust from the Gobi Desert to our West Coast, contributing 10 to 60 percent of the total pollution breathed by Californians, depending on the time of year. Mercury is probably the second most toxic substance known after plutonium. Half the mercury in the atmosphere over the entire US originates in China. It, too, is 5,000 miles away. A week after a nuclear weapons test in China, iodine 131 could be detected in the thyroid glands of deer in Colorado, although it could not be detected in the air or in nearby vegetation." (Washington's Blog)
The smoldering Fukushima hulk is a perpetual death machine poisoning everything around it–sea, sky and soil. Here's a clip from the Collin's article:
"…The soil contamination is really high. Soil found 40 kilometers away…. the levels on the soil were very high—in fact, a thousand times iodine, 4,000 times the cesium standard. And we just got a report from the Kyoto Research Reactor Institute, Dr. Tetsuji Imanaka, that said that—he had to look a little bit more into the sampling of the Japanese government, but depending on how the sampling was done, this level of contamination in the soil could be twice the amount that was compulsory evacuation for Chernobyl. Aileen Mioko Smith, March 24 (thanks to Michael Collins "They said it wasn't like Chernobyl and they were wrong")
Twice as high as Chernobyl already, and the disaster is likely to persist for months to come. Things are getting worse, much worse.
The Japanese government has been downplaying the crisis to make it look like they have matters under control, but it's all a sham. They control nothing. The rescue mission has been a flop from the get-go and now things are at a boiling point. The emergency effort has been overtaken by events and now it's a matter of "wait and see". We're approaching zero hour.
So why the cover up?
Why is the media trying to soft-peddle the real effects of a nuclear cataclysm? Does the Japanese government really believe they can make things better by tweaking their public relations strategy? They should focus on saving lives and abandon "perception management" altogether. This is from the Union of Concerned Scientists website:
"Our assessment is that the Japanese government is squandering the opportunity to initiate an orderly evacuation from larger areas around the site–especially of sensitive populations, like children and pregnant women. It is potentially wasting valuable time by not undertaking a larger scale evacuation at this time."
The Japanese government is trying to protect the powerful nuclear lobby. The same is true of Obama, who continues to promote nuclear energy even while radiation belches from battered Fukushima. He's not thinking about the public; he's thinking about the deep pocket constituents who fill his campaign coffers.
Japanese workers are putting their lives on the line to regain control of the broken facility, but with little success. The probability of another fire, another monstrous explosion, or a full-core meltdown increases by the day. The Fukushima fiasco is gaining pace putting tens of thousands of people at risk of thyroid cancer, childhood leukemia and other life-threatening ailments.
On Saturday, Japan's prime minister, Naoto Kan, said the situation at the Fukushima nuclear plant was "serious". That might be the understatement of the century.
More On "Chernobyl Solution" At Fukushima As Prime Minister Says Japan Releasing All Information It Has
Following now pervaseive allegations of a massive Fukushima accident cover up by the Japanese government including non-disclosure of real radioactive levels, the Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Friday that the government has been dislosing all the information it has on the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant according to Reuters. "We have been honestly saying that the situation with the nuclear plant accident remains very serious," he said in a televised address to the Japanese people marking one week since a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck northeast Japan. At this point we are willing to believe him: judging by the increasingly improvised Japanese response to the catastrophe nobody has any idea what is really going on or how to handle it properly. Which is why very expect to hear increasingly more about the "Chernobyl solution" – or the shotgun "resolution" of the problem by literally burying it in sand. From Reuters: "A "Chernobyl solution" may be the last resort for dealing with Japan's stricken nuclear plant, but burying it in sand and concrete is a messy fix that might leave part of the country as an off-limits radioactive sore for decades. Japanese authorities say it is still too early to talk about long-term measures while cooling the plant's six reactors and associated fuel-storage pools, comes first. "It is not impossible to encase the reactors in
concrete, but our priority right now is to try and cool them down
first," a Tokyo Electric Power official told a briefing on Friday." Alas if and when the plan to restore power to blown up cooling plants (has anyone actually seen the before and after pics of the reactor) fails, this will be the only option.
From Reuters:
"It's just not that easy," Murray Jennex, a professor at San Diego State University in California, said when asked about the so-called Chernobyl option for dealing with damaged reactors, named after the Ukrainian nuclear plant that exploded in 1986.
"They (reactors) are kind of like a coffee maker. If you leave it on the heat, they boil dry and then they crack," he said.
"Putting concrete on that wouldn't help keep your coffee maker safe. But eventually, yes, you could build a concrete shield and be done with it."
Experts say the cores at the six battered reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, are likely to be safely contained, but worry about the cooling pools for spent fuel, one of which contains plutonium.
So far, authorities have failed to cool the pools, where normally water circulates continuously, keeping racks of spent nuclear fuel rods at a benign temperature.
Helicopters and water cannon trucks have dumped tonnes of water on the reactors, but still the water in the pools is evaporating and the rods are heating up. It is also feared that the quake has smashed the rods into each other, which could cause a nuclear reaction.
"It is not impossible to encase the reactors in concrete, but our priority right now is to try and cool them down first," a Tokyo Electric Power official told a briefing on Friday.
The only problem with the Chernobyl Solution is that it doesn't really ever work out quite as planned.
At Chernobyl, an army of workers conscripted by the then Soviet government buried the reactor in tonnes of sand, then threw together a concrete container known as the "sarcophagus" within months of the fire and explosion there.
It failed to set properly and it cracked, leaking radiation into the atmosphere and water. Partly supported by the damaged walls of the reactor building, it has had to be reinforced.
Under a new plan for Chernobyl, a massive structure will be assembled away from the reactor at a cost of billions of dollars, then slid into place over the existing sarcophagus.
Chernobyl-style methods would be even more difficult at Fukushima Daiichi, given the number of reactors involved.
As Japanese officials have said, cooling is still the top priority. Pouring sand onto hot fuel could theoretically produce glass, and that same heat would prevent working on a durable concrete shell.
That means the stricken complex is likely to become an open sore, leaking radioactive particles into the atmosphere, for weeks and possibly months before the Chernobyl solution could even be implemented.
Authorities say radiation outside the Japanese plant is not high enough to cause harm. Still, the 20 km (12 mile) exclusion zone around the plant may end up as a permanent no-man's land, a major problem for small, populous country.
A 30 km (19 mile) exclusion zone remains around Chernobyl.
There is supposedly good news though…
Tokyo, though, is likely to remain largely unscathed no matter what happens because of its distance from the reactors, no matter how nervous its citizens may be.
It is not accidental that the nuclear plant was built so far away from Japan's biggest city, said Yuki Karakawa, international coordinator at the International Association of Emergency Managers, an extension of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"Those reactors in Fukushima are there for Tokyo's power and Tokyo's benefit, not for Fukushima's," he added. "After all, Tokyo is more than 200 kilometres away."
We wonder which expert was consulted on the "Tokyo is safe" determination considering the prime minister of the crisis stricken country still has no idea what is going on. But yes, massive media propaganda certainly was another side effect of the Chernobyl Solution, and unfortunately so were up to a million deaths.
More On "Chernobyl Solution" At Fukushima As Prime Minister Says Japan Releasing All Information It Has


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Politico published Bauer op-ed that advanced 61-detainee falsehood
Research ››› ››› JOCELYN FONG
Politico published an op-ed by Gary Bauer that falsely claimed that "a January Pentagon report found that 61 former detainees [of the prison at Guantánamo Bay] had engaged in terrorist activities." In fact, according to the Pentagon, 18 former Guantánamo detainees have been "confirmed" to have "return[ed] to the fight," while an additional 43 former detainees are "suspected" of having done so. Even the Pentagon's "confirmed" figure has been questioned by analysts.
On March 23, Politico published an op-ed by American Values president Gary Bauer that falsely claimed that "a January Pentagon report found that 61 former detainees [of the prison at Guantánamo Bay] had engaged in terrorist activities." In the op-ed, Bauer stated that those numbers were the result of what he called an "extreme religious accommodation" at the prison that he said has created "a culture of Islamic radicalization." In fact, the Department of Defense has stated that 18 former Guantánamo detainees have been "confirmed" as having "return[ed] to the fight," as Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented. During a January 13 press conference, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell announced "updated recidivism numbers of people who have been at Guantanamo": "The new numbers are, we believe, 18 confirmed and 43 suspected of returning to the fight. So 61 in all former Guantanamo detainees are confirmed or suspected of returning to the fight."
Even the Pentagon's claim that it has confirmed that 18 former Guantánamo detainees have "return[ed] to the fight" has been questioned by analysts. For instance, CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen stated on the January 23 edition of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360: "[W]hen you really boil it down, the actual number of people whose names we know are about eight out of the 520 that have been released [from Guantánamo], so a little above 1 percent, that we can actually say with certainty have engaged in anti-American terrorism or insurgence activities since they have been released. ... If the Pentagon releases more information about specific people, I think it would be possible to -- to potentially agree with them. But, right now, that information isn't out there."
Additionally, as Media Matters has noted, Seton Hall Law School professor Mark Denbeaux has disputed the Pentagon's figures, asserting that the Defense Department's most recent "attempt to enumerate the number of detainees who have returned to the battlefield is false by the Department of Defense's own data and prior reports." Denbeaux has written several reports about Guantánamo detainees, including reports challenging the Pentagon's definition of "battlefield" capture and the Pentagon's published detainee recidivism rates.
From Bauer's March 23 Politico op-ed:
Is the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, erected after Sept. 11 to imprison "the worst of the worst" of America's enemies, creating terrorists? With Attorney General Eric Holder's recent announcement that some Gitmo detainees may be released in the U.S., the question has never been more relevant.
After a January Pentagon report found that 61 former detainees had engaged in terrorist activities, several commentators concluded the answer was yes and suggested that conditions at the prison are to blame.
This may surprise you, but as a staunch proponent of the prison, I agree. But while many liberal commentators believe inhumane treatment and religious persecution transforms detainees into suicide bombers and high-level terrorists, I believe the opposite is true: that the unprecedented and extreme religious accommodation granted to Gitmo prisoners has created a culture of Islamic radicalization.
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[OP-ED]: Our Education, Born from Swamps
by Alexander Centeno
05/15/2017 - 15:27
The story of education in lower income neighborhoods is an all too familiar one. The struggle to obtain a stable education is a story of overcoming conditions that are less than favorable, much like the swamp plant. What is causing these students, especially Latinos, to fall behind? How can they grow from these meager and impoverished conditions?
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Monday, May 15, 2017 - 2:30pm
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A Fully Vetted Dolittler Rewind - This Day in 2008: A Case of Misdiagnosed Even Temperedness
Yesterday was my birthday. In a misguided attempt to celebrate this auspicious day with me, my first patient of the day took a whopping chomp out of my left hand.
As is my usual style, I made no exclamations or accusations; I simply whipped out a muzzle, sparing just enough time to write "Watch!" on the file in bold letters and utter a few words of exculpatory explanations.
Now, this would have been a relatively typical display of appropriate hostility for an animal (in this case, one with painful ears), save for his breed. This was a happy-faced chocolate Lab, not unlike every other Lab I see — except in his expert ability to connect teeth to flesh, and his uncharacteristic willingness to do so (uncharacteristic for his breed, that is).
Labrador retrievers in our area are almost uniformly even tempered. Sure, some are bouncier than others, but this is the first serious chocolate biter I've come across. (24 hours later I'm still nursing a puncture wound at my nail bed and a deep purple bruise in the palm of my hand.)
And yet, there are never any guarantees, as anyone who works with animals knows. Brian Killcommons, a well-known dog trainer and friend of the family, once spoke to this point with his sage words: "Dogs are always fine (meaning non-aggressive) … until they're not."
Nonetheless, "breedism" is a big deal in vet medicine. Many a mistake has been made in my field by assuming even temperedness on the basis of breed alone.
Those of you with pit bulls and Rottweilers have doubtless experienced the converse version of this bias, in which muzzles are uniformly applied and heavy-handed holdings are the norm, but few owners of so-called "easy" breeds will be able to relate to this. Their pets are always expected to be saintly examples of their breed.
Luckily, I learned early that this mistake can be costly. The most aggressive pet I've yet met was presented to me as an after-hours emergency in my first year out of vet school. But that time there was no mistaking the dog's intentions:
This Golden retriever wanted me dead. He suffered from "rage," a descriptive syndrome that seems to have a genetic origin. Though he clearly needed medical attention for a bleeding wound, I was unable to even stand in the same room with him for all his lungings and snarlings.
To make matters worse, the owner was useless. I refused to treat the dog, of course. Living in Philadelphia at the time, I was able to send him to the University of Pennsylvania (with a couple of Acepromazines [sedatives] in his belly), where better resources for handling such examples of his behavioral malady were immediately available — and where I referred him to the behavior service once his laceration was repaired).
Too bad I wasn't in a similar frame of mind when facing down the chocolate Lab. Memory seems to have a time limit, doesn't it?
It's easy for us to flaunt our breed prejudices in veterinary medicine when it comes to preferring one over another, but it's also stupid to assume anything when it comes to any pet based on his looks alone. Yesterday I received a much-deserved lesson on that fine point. Hopefully this time my memory will serve me a little longer than it did last time.
Dr. Patty Khuly
This post originally ran on September 27, 2008, with the title, "Breedism in the dog world: A case of misdiagnosed even-temperedness."
Pic of the day: Happy Cocoa! by FirestormChris


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Fire up the grill--and fight off the fat!
By Nicci Micco, May 20, 2009 - 4:36am
When the weather turns warm and the days get long, my husband, Jon, and I start gathering our neighbors and friends for "firepit nights." (A month after we moved into our house, Jon built us a huge in-ground firepit.) We'll make burgers or some chicken, tofu or even grilled pizzas; everyone else brings sides, snacks and drinks to share. On a typical Saturday, the crew gathers around 4:30 or 5 and lingers well past midnight. Often, the eating gets out of hand. So that I can still stuff myself into my shorts the next day, I've found that it's helpful to follow a few simple rules for smart eating at summer barbecues:
Contribute something that's good—for you. If you bring a healthy potluck dish, you know that you'll be able to get something nutritious in, no matter how decadent all the other offerings are. Here are some perfect summer potluck recipes to bring to the picnic.
Have a little lean protein. Studies show that, gram for gram, lean proteins help you to feel fuller than carbohydrates or fats, so enjoy a little bit of what's grilling: a lean-beef burger, a piece of chicken (try these Sweet-&-Sour Chicken Drumsticks) or fish, some tofu. Aim for about 3 ounces, which is about the size of your cell phone—provided you've upgraded since 1999—or a deck of cards.
Don't go crazy with starchy carbs. If you're trying to keep a cap on calories, limit yourself to 1 cup—total—of starchy side dishes, such as potato, pasta and those delicious bean salads. Of course, you're not going to whip out a measuring cup at a social event! Instead, visualize a tennis ball—that's about the size of 1 cup. So is the size of a woman's fist.
Fill up on vegetables first. Eat loads of green salad—with a couple of tablespoons of a healthier salad dressing. (Here are 13 great dressing recipes to try.) One tablespoon is about the size of your thumb. Crunch on the crudités—go easy on dips—instead of chips.
Prioritize your favorite foods. Does dessert look irresistible? Dig in. Just make room for it first. Have a piece of lean protein (chicken, fish), grilled vegetables and a healthy side (1/2 cup or so of baked beans or a bean salad) so you can indulge without feeling guilty.
When you're finished, go play. Start tossing a ball with the kids. Rally the adults to play horseshoes. No need to jump around like a fool to "burn off" dinner; the point is to pull yourself away from the chips and salsa.
Got it? Good. Now gather up your troops and get grilling.
TAGS: Nicci Micco, Diet Blog, Diet, Dinner, Weight loss
Nicci Micco is co-author of EatingWell 500-Calorie Dinners. She has a master's degree in nutrition and food sciences, with a focus in weight management.
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. — Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266 showcased the MV-22B Ospreys for the Japanese Ministry of Defense, Aug. 3.
The Marine Corps plans to bring Ospreys to Okinawa, Japan, in the future. However, before that happens, the Marine Corps wanted to demonstrate the aircraft to the Japanese officials.
Some of the people who witnessed the demonstration included the Marine Corps commandant deputy of aviation, the Japanese ambassador and the Japanese Minister of Defense.
"The Japanese (officials) want to see what this aircraft can do," said Maj. John M. Ennis, VMM-266 executive officer. "They want to see what it can do, how safe it is and how much noise it makes."
Ennis said many Japanese officials were concerned about bringing the aircraft to their country because they thought it might be loud and disruptive. The demonstration showed them the Osprey can be quiet, as well as effective.
"When the Osprey is in airplane mode, it has the ability to fly higher and with less disruptive noise than many other helicopters," said Ennis.
Marines with VMM-266 conducted the demonstration at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. They used four Ospreys to transport the officials while conducting simulated flight operations.
"We didn't do anything too tactical," said Ennis. "We just wanted to show them what the aircraft was like while conducting various flight patterns."
Ennis said the flight patterns used will reflect the kind of flights they would do over Okinawa.
The squadron flew four Ospreys for more than six hours to showcase the safety of the MV-22B.
"If the Japanese (officials) can see that we're using the same aircraft for an extended period of time, they will see Ospreys will be safe to fly in the Pacific."
Ennis said one of the primary reasons why the Marine Corps is transitioning the Osprey into Okinawa is the aircraft's effective range.
"Having the Osprey in the Pacific will increase our range and therefore our presence in that part of the world," said Ennis.
Ennis said following World War II, Japan has maintained a purely defensive force.
"If any offensive action is ever needed in that part of the world, we are the ones who would do it," said Ennis.
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This work, VMM-266 demonstrates Osprey to Japanese government officials, by Cpl Martin Egnash, identified by DVIDS, is free of known copyright restrictions under U.S. copyright law.


text: Category: Opinion/Interviews Link: With iPhone, 'security' is code for 'control' Description:: Buying an iPhone isn't the same as buying a car or a toaster. Your iPhone comes with a complicated list of rules about what you can and can't do with it. You can't install unapproved third-party applications on it. You can't unlock it and use it with the cellphone carrier of your choice. And Apple is serious about these rules: A software update released in September 2007 erased unauthorized software and -- in some cases -- rendered unlocked phones unusable. Computer companies want more control over the products they sell you, and they're resorting to increasingly draconian security measures to get that control. The reasons are economic. Posted on MacBytes.com Approved by Mudbug


text: Vitamin D Vital for Immune System Category: Clinical Update Created: Saturday, 01 May 2010 00:00 Print Email According to researchers, the immune system's T cells rely on vitamin D to become active. These "killer" cells remain dormant and unable to fight pathogens if vitamin D is lacking in the blood. Dr. Carsten Geisler of the Copenhagen University's Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, stated that, "When a T cell is exposed to a foreign pathogen, it extends a signaling device or 'antenna' known as a vitamin D receptor, with which it searches for vitamin D. This means the T cell must have vitamin D or activation of the cell will cease. If the T cells cannot find enough vitamin D in the blood, they won't even begin to mobilize." Dr. Geisler's team published their findings online March 7 in Nature Immunology. Although researchers have long known of the importance of vitamin D for calcium absorption, and the link between levels of vitamin D and diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis, until now they didn't know how vital vitamin D is for activating the immune system. Most vitamin D is derived from exposure to sunlight, but it is found in certain foods and can be taken as a supplement. Nearly half the world's population has suboptimal levels of vitamin D, and this problem is worsening because people spend more time indoors. This study offered much needed information about the immune system and would be of particular use when developing new vaccines. Although there are no definitive studies on the optimal daily vitamin D dose, experts recommend 25 to 50 mg. (Source: Reuters, March 8, 2010; accessed via MDlinx.) Prev Next


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Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Jakarta that killed two people and five terrorists who police believe have links to a fighter in Syria.
The suicide bombing and gunfight took place on Jl Thamrin, between a Starbucks coffee shop and a police post in the middle of a busy intersection at a.bout 10.30am local time (2.30pm AEDT) yesterday
The victims were an Indonesian and a Canadian, and a further 15 people and five police were wounded.
The injured include an Algerian, Austrian, German and Dutchman.
Do you know more or did you witness the attacks? Email email@example.com
One of the attack gunman walks on the street as crowds flee. (Veri Sanovri/Xinhua via AP)
A suicide vest, explosives, pistols and a knife captured following the shootout with police. (Twitter)
Islamic State officially claimed responsibility for the attack late last night, with a news agency affiliated to ISIL also reporting the group was behind it.
"A group of soldiers of the caliphate in Indonesia targeted a gathering from the crusader alliance that fights the Islamic State in Jakarta through planting several explosive devices that went off as four of the soldiers attacked with light weapons and explosive belts," the group said in a statement.
Jakarta Police Chief Tito Karnavian revealed the attackers were linked to IS in Raqqa, Syria, in particular an Indonesian named Bahrun Naim.
"He wants to be the leader of ISIS groups in Southeast Asia," he said.
Gunfire at the scene. (Twitter)
Between two and seven explosions rocked the area around a popular shopping centre, the Sarinah at the crossroads of Thamrin Road and Wahid Haysim Street, as bombers and gunmen carried out attacks on a Starbucks café and a nearby police post.
Video from the scene shows at least one attacker detonating a suicide vest near the shopping centre, exploding as he approaches the building.
Indonesian media has reported that three suicide bombers targeted the Starbucks in the shopping centre, while two gunmen attacked the police station, triggering a gunfight.
Another blast occurred on nearby Thamrin Road, the same street as the United Nations local headquarters.
Following the initial attacks, it is believed the surviving gunmen pulled back into a nearby theatre. Counter terrorism police surrounded the building and a fresh round of heavy gunfire broke out as police stormed the building.
Smoke rises over the scene. (Supplied)
A popular shopping mall and a police post were attacked. (Supplied)
There were reports of another explosion during the stand-off.
Indonesian media tweeted photos of a captured suicide vest, pistols, knives, ammunition and explosives devices following the shoot out.
A bank security guard told the Associated Press he saw at least five attackers, including three wearing suicide vests, attack the Starbucks as part of the coordinated strikes.
The guard, Tri Seranto, said the three bombers detonated their vests one by one after they entered the café.
Police firing at the terrorists (left), who were equipped with suicide vests and automatic weapons (right).
He said the other two attackers, carrying handguns, entered the police post from where he heard gunfire, before fleeing the scene with police chasing them.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have urged Australians to exercise a high degree of caution if travelling in Indonesia.
A statement from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the embassy was making urgent inquiries to determine if any Australians had been killed or injured.
"This incident is still unfolding and it's still too early to determine the scale of damage or extent of casualities," she said.
Starbucks has issued a statement, confirming one customer was injured during the attack on the Jakarta store.
Emergency services at the scene. (Supplied)
"One customer sustained injuries and was treated on the scene; our partners (employees) are all confirmed to be safe," the statement read.
"This store and all other Starbucks stores in Jakarta will remain closed, out of an abundance of caution, until further notice."
A United Nations staffer, Jeremy Douglas, was working in a UN building nearby when the blasts rang out.
He has tweeted, saying he has heard a hail of gunfire, followed by police and security forces urging everyone to stay away from doors and windows.
Smoke rolling across the city. (Twitter)
After a series of attacks on foreigners in the last decade, Indonesian extremists have in recent years directed their violence at domestic "enemies of Islam", mostly police.
There have been no attacks against foreigners since the 2009 twin hotel bombings in Jakarta which killed seven people.
Jeremy Douglas @jdouglasSEA
Police now backing-up & security announcement to stay away from windows, & telling folks to retreat from lobby View on Twitter
Jeremy Douglas @jdouglasSEA
Serious exchange of fire in downtown #Jakarta. Didn't experience this in 3.5 years in #Pakistan View on Twitter
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|Matthew Dean, Director of Facilities, Maintenance, and Student Affairs
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Christine Sixta Rinehart, Ph.D,
USC Union Laurens Location Director of Academic Affairs and Assistant Professor of Political Science
507 North Harper Street Suite L
Laurens, SC 29360
Phone: (864) 681-1456
Fax: (864) 681-1469
Monday - Friday 8:30AM-5:00PM
About the Campus:
Since 1983, The University of South Carolina Union has served an important part in offering University education to Laurens residents. In 2014, USC Union Laurens location moved to The Oaks Shopping Center at the Intersection of Highways 221 and 76 Bypass in the City of Laurens. The USC Union Laurens location offers a variety of programs and services to area citizens including the opportunity to complete one of our associate or baccalaureate degree programs without leaving the community in which they live and work. The campus offers state-of-the art classrooms where students can take traditionally classroom setting and two-way video classes. They also offer classes for Concurrent (Dual Enrollment) courses to area high school students who want to get a jump start on their college career.
Click here to map our location.
To search for USCU at Laurens classes only, select USC Union in the Campus search box and Laurens in the Attribute Type search box. Class Schedules
Opportunities available through the Laurens location include:
- General education classes that will fulfill requirements for many majors and are transferable to most college and universities.
- Associate Degrees:
Associate in Arts/ Associate in Science
- Palmetto College:
Onsite Options:
Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership
Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies
Online: Click here for online options.
- Dual-Credit course work for qualified high school juniors and seniors. Click here for additional information.
- Prerequisite course work required for admission into most Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree programs.


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Product Reference: 45443
Handmade from high quality materials
Zenus cases are renowned worldwide for their exquisite quality and workmanship. The Zenus Metallic Diary is specially designed for the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet - with every case being carefully cut, assembled and stitched by hand to perfectly complement the aesthetic of the Z2 Tablet.
Sleep/Wake function compatible
The specially designed Metallic Diary case for the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is compatible with the Z2 Tablet's Sleep/Wake function. Close the case and your tablet will power down. Open the case and it will awaken. This saves you draining your precious battery power.
Rugged design keeps your phone fully protected
Featuring a reinforced back cover which fits perfectly to the contours of the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet, and a stylish but rugged finish; the Zenus Metallic Diary Series for the Z2 Tablet is extremely resistant to scratches, drops and knocks. Furthermore, the front cover ensures that your screen is safe from harm.
Built-in viewing stand function
Not only is this case incredibly slender, but the back cover is designed to allow the Xperia Z2 Tablet to fold on to itself horizontally. This creates the perfect viewing stand for watching movies, listening to music or web browsing.
Soft microfibre inner lining protects the screen
When the case is closed, the screen of your Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is protected by a soft microfibre lining - which will help to keep it looking as good as new.
Made for the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet
Designed specifically for the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet, this case offers a perfect fit for your device. It also features a cut-out for the headphone jack so you can listen to audio without having to open the case.


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UXmatters has published 18 articles on the topic UX News.
Venture capitalists (VCs) are now investing significant funding in applications that help businesses to evaluate, measure, and improve their product user experiences. On October 15, 2015, leading UX research and testing SaaS platform UserZoom received $34 million in venture financing, led by TC Growth Partners, with investments from Trident Capital, and StepStone Group. This momentous event demonstrates how important user experience has become to the success of products and the businesses that make them. This is exciting news for the UX community! So we thought this would be the perfect time to interview Alfonso de la Nuez, CEO of UserZoom, who is shown in Figure 1. (If you're wondering why Alfonso has a basketball poised on the tip of his finger, he won a full scholarship to play on the Varsity basketball team at San Jose State University and is still passionate about the game.) Read More
Welcome to Strategy Matters, my new column on UXmatters, which will focus on answering these essential questions: How should we define UX strategy today? Where is it going? As UX professionals, how can we better develop ourselves and those who have yet to find their home in this field? Building on that premise, I'd like to put out a few disclaimers as I kick off this column:
In our increasingly connected world of 2012, we have more ways of continually learning to better understand, communicate, live, and work with each other, both locally and globally. The old boundaries, borders, and divisions are slowly disappearing, and established systems are starting to break down, making it challenging to learn what this new world means to all of us.
When it is easy to become a friend of someone who does not live in our neighborhood or even our country, our assumptions about other people start to change. Similarly, the UX research and design professions are seeing a shift that edges us beyond the boundaries within which we live and work, forcing us to look outside our window when designing and improving the products and services we work on. Read More


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Chalkboard Wall Decals by Wall Candy Arts
This recommendation is a little out of the ordinary for me, but today I'm trying to organize my home office. This adhesive chalkboard is a great idea! Apartment and dorm friendly because you don't need holes to hang it. I'm trying to choose between this and corkboard, and wish I didn't have to choose. Great to be able to write on this, but need to be able to tack things up too. I guess I could use both since they come in tiles...
Works just like a real chalkboard! So pretty!Tags: home decor, vinyl, decals, interior, design, chalkboardsAdded 6 Years Ago from Vinylwallart
Reusable wall decal that works with chalk and dry erase markers. Great for reminders, notes, and any random saying you might want on your wall.Tags: decorations, decals, chalkboardsAdded 8 Years Ago from AllPosters.com
A really nice looking chalk board for leaving messages. Removable and instant.Tags: home decor, decals, wall decals, chalkboards, removable, BaroqueAdded 8 Years Ago from Bob
These may look like ordinary wall decals, but they're actually chalkboards too. What a genius combo of two of the biggest wall-art trends.Tags: home, humor, art, interior design, decorate, pets, home decor, decor, heartAdded 8 Years Ago from Tradingphrases
Trading Phrases has finally came out with blackboard designs. This one is a serious of dots and they have creatively arranged them into a Disney Micky design.Tags: decals, wall decals, Disney, dots, chalkboards, chalkboard decals, chalkboard paint, chalkboard stickers, blackboard decalsAdded 8 Years Ago from Tradingphrases
I didn't know they even made chalkboard decals! This is the perfect way to know what everyone in the house is doing throughout the month.Tags: home, graphic, decor, calendars, decals, wall decals, wall graphics, design, chalkAdded 8 Years Ago from Dezignwithaz
Walls looking a bit bare? It may be wise to make this wide-eyed owl a permanent part of your apartment scenery. Simply peel and stick this black bird and accompanying leaves above your mantle or bed and easily remove him when you ... Walls looking a bit bare? It may be wise to make this wide-eyed owl a permanent part of your apartment scenery. Simply peel and stick this black bird and accompanying leaves above your mantle or bed and easily remove him when you want to move his perch. And you can even use him as a chalkboard for your cutest to-do lists!
Just a fun addition to the walls of a kid's room.Added 9 Years Ago from HearthSong


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German painter Georg Baselitz takes no prisoners in his recent interview with Spiegel, conducted at the lakeside Herzog & de Meuron-designed home-studio he doesn't want photographed for fear that it will attract interest, an introductory bit of color that should tip readers off to the coming deluge of crankiness. In case you don't want to wade through three web pages of the septuagenarian's snarling commentary — "which he delivers with a mischievous smile" — on women artists, German museums, the media, the art market, and more, here are some highlights.
Baselitz says Berlin's National Gallery does a poor job collecting contemporary German art:
Baselitz: Berlin has the National Gallery, a name that suggests that the museum ought to be there for national art. There are similar museums all over the world, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the MoMA in New York and the Reina Sofia in Madrid. They all fulfill their purpose and do what has to be done.
Spiegel: And what's that?
Baselitz: They collect what's important in their respective countries. In Berlin's National Gallery, however, this isn't the case. They're interested neither in me nor the other usual suspects. It's simply a German reality.
Baselitz doesn't buy the art world's cult of personality:
Those who don't drink and aren't crazy, or who don't attract attention with how they behave in public, aren't noticed in art.
Baselitz doesn't believe that people actually go to museums — certainly not to see his exhibitions:
The museums! They say that people are going there. I had two big exhibitions in Dresden, but no one went. There are plenty of tourists on the street in Dresden, but they'd rather go to the Green Vault (museum) or to see the Old Masters. Other contemporary artists have had the same experience. […] I think that our music and our art belong to our era. If the public doesn't show up, it must be stupid.
Baselitz wants to be part of the art market and the in crowd; he just wants to belong:
It's really an ambition. I want to be part of it, to be young and belong. That has always been what I wanted.
Baselitz doesn't think much of Jeff Koons's porn paintings:
The most unpleasant works of Jeff Koons that I've seen are those fuck paintings with Cicciolina. Just the fact that he made those paintings while at the same time talking about love and fathering a child … I think it's dreadful.
Baselitz believes it's a "fact" that women don't paint well:
Spiegel: The market only embraces a few women. There are hardly any women among the most expensive artists.
Baselitz: Oh God! Women simply don't pass the test.
Spiegel: What test?
Baselitz: The market test, the value test.
Spiegel: What's that supposed to mean?
Baselitz: Women don't paint very well. It's a fact. There are, of course, exceptions. Agnes Martin or, from the past, Paula Modersohn-Becker. I feel happy whenever I see one of her paintings. But she is no Picasso, no Modigliani and no Gauguin.
Spiegel: So women supposedly don't paint very well.
Baselitz: Not supposedly. And that despite the fact that they still constitute the majority of students in the art academies.
Spiegel: It probably isn't a genetic defect.
Baselitz: I think the defect actually lies with male artists. Male artists often border on idiocy, while it's important for a woman not to be that way, if possible. Women are outstanding in science, just as good as men.
Though the interview ends shortly after the above exchange — possibly because the journalists, Susanne Beyer and Ulrike Knöfel, have reached their full capacity for absorbing offensive comments — Baselitz does mention how happy he is to no longer be a professor, a fact for which art academy students of any gender should be grateful.
— Benjamin Sutton
(Photo via Wikipedia Commons.)


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Backroom Exclusives 9, Scene #01
- : 01/03/2008 |
- : 09:46 min |
- : 1014
Scene Info
Join sexy cajun stud Ty LeBeouf in a beautifully shot Backroom Exclusive Video overlooking San Francisco. Being the ultimate exhibitionist Ty can't stay outside long because he wants to get naked and rub one out right away. Ty lubes up his tasty cock with gobs of his own spit and jacks off, taking time to turn around and give you a good look at his hot ass. Ty ends up on the bed where he shoots his load and eats it, like a good boy!
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Mini garden in a pot: 3 easy pieces
With copper-tipped Echeveria subrigada 'Fire and Ice' (center) playing off rich chocolate Aeonium arborescens 'Tip Top' (left) and cascading Sedum rupestre 'Blue Spruce' (right), this pot of sculptural succulents creates a dramatic focal point, yet takes just moments to pull together.
How to plant this succulent pot:
Buy the plants in 4-inch pots. Transplant them into a container, with drainage holes, that's partially filled with potting mix. (The oval stone planter pictured is 7 inches wide, 14 inches long, and 6 inches deep.)
Care for these easily maintained container gardens by providing a sunny or partly sunny location and watering when the soil gets dry. They'll fill in fast. — Julie Chai
Around The Web


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DALTON -- Barely a week in to the Wayne County Athletic League's maiden voyage of matching the same
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CSP Study Guide CD-ROM
Product Details
The CSP Study Guide™ prepares candidates for the BCSP Comprehensive Practice Examination. The CSP Study Guide is a self-paced exam preparation package which, in addition to questions and answers (with solutions), presents subject information in convenient "study sessions." The study sessions make exam preparation more interesting, facilitating retention.
The Comprehensive Practice Examination Study Guide contains over 700 questions in all three Domains of the BCSP CSP certification examination:
- Collecting Safety, Health, Environmental, and Security Risk Information
- Assessing Safety, Health, Environmental, and Security Risk
- Managing Safety, Health, Environmental, and Security Risk
In addition to the study sessions, the CSP Study Guide offers the same easy-to-use features as previous versions: Question and Answer sessions that build on the practices and principles presented, and test your knowledge, and subject areas quizzes which provide the self-assessment needed to create your own study plan. Questions may be bookmarked for review later in your study session, and solutions may be hidden for additional practice. A timed final examination simulates the actual Comprehensive Practice Examination. Each time you practice taking the final exam you will face a new set of questions selected based on the actual percentages on the Exam as noted in the BCSP's Examination Guide. The final exam is timed and your scores in each domain are tabulated so that you can focus your study time exactly where improvement is needed.


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Education Leaders Nix Controversial Proposal, For Now
This article has been updated to reflect the vote of the New York Board of Regents.
The full Board of Regents on Tuesday voted to approve all but one proposal meant to improve implementation of the Common Core learning standards.
The Regents decided to table a change that would give certain teachers an added short-term protection against termination. The State Education Department said the Regents postponed a vote on that recommendation until April.
Anthony Bottar, Regents vice chancellor, admitted in a statement that the added protection for teachers "raised a great deal of discussion" among teachers, lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who released an angry statement about the proposal on Monday.
"To give everyone a chance to better understand and gauge the correct path to follow, we are putting that recommendation out for comment," said Bottar. "This recommendation does not require immediate action and allowing for public comment will enhance the public deliberations."
On Monday, the Regents released a set of seemingly tepid recommendations to adjust the rollout of the Common Core. Of the 19 recommendations, Gov. Cuomo latched on to one: an added defense for teachers who receive an ineffective rating on the test score portion of the state tests administered in the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 schools years.
The Regents, from their point of view, did not place a moratorium on teacher and principal evaluations tied to the Common Core tests but instead allowed a change in how teachers could defend themselves against termination based on these ineffective ratings. Under the proposal, teachers may claim "an alleged failure" by the school district to adequately implement the Common Core through a lack of supports to schools and teaching staff.
In a fiery statement, the governor charged that the Regents were halting the teacher evaluation system and seemed to question the Regents' competence overall.
"As far as today's recommendations are concerned, there is a difference between remedying the system for students and parents and using this situation as yet another excuse to stop the teacher evaluation process," said Cuomo. "The Regents' response is to recommend delaying the teacher evaluation system and is yet another in a long series of roadblocks to a much needed evaluation system which the Regents had stalled putting in place for years."
The Regents, and State Education Commissioner John King, reiterated that the teacher evaluation system was a priority and that the change was meant to protect teachers from being unfairly removed from their jobs.
"To me, this is a direct recognition that the department understands that Common Core can be a problem unless it's properly implemented," said State Senator John Flanagan, who chairs the education committee and previously issued his own report critiquing implementation of the Common Core.
Flanagan will serve on the governor's own panel for improving the Common Core, but he said he was pleased with several of the recommendations proposed Monday.
Key among them was the modification affecting high schoolers: Students would have an additional five years to meet higher, "college-ready" levels on Regents exams aligned to the Common Core.
The class of 2022, last year's third-graders, would be the first class required to pass the Regents at a level considered "college-ready," which would be a score equivalent to a 75 on pre-Common Core English exams and an 80 on pre-Common Core math exams, according to King.
Under the proposed changes, the class of 2017, current ninth-graders, would still take the Common Core Regents. However, these students would be able to pass the exams at a level of performance consistent with the current 65 passing threshold, said King.
In the first year that each of the new exams is phased in, students will have the option of additionally taking pre-Common Core versions and using the higher score of the two.
The Regents also recommended that districts like New York City eliminate promotional criteria tied to state tests; eliminate standardized tests at the district level for students in kindergarten through second-grade that are used for the purposes of teacher evaluations; and provide more supports and testing changes for English Language Learners and students with disabilities.
Several of these tweaks were recommended by the State Education Department months ago.
And in one recommendation sure to please many parents and school staff, the Regents called for an elimination to stand-alone field testing and increased access to questions on the state tests. This change boils down to a funding issue, said King. He and the Regents are asking for $8.4 million to print more forms of the state tests and expand the state's "item bank" of test questions.
More versions of the test would allow the state to embed more field test questions during the annual testing period. Likewise, more versions of the test would allow New York to expand its bank of questions, said King, which would then allow the state to release a greater percentage of annotated test questions and answers.