text:
Padavan Honors 2009 Teachers of Distinction
New York State Senator Frank Padavan (Queens) presented awards to forty teachers during an awards ceremony in celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Week. The third annual event took place at the Queens County Farm Museum in Floral Park on Thursday afternoon, May 7th.
Teacher Appreciation Week was established in 1985 when the National Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) agreed to observe the first full week in May in dedication to teachers across the country.
"This week and in particular this event, is an opportunity to say thank you to each and every teacher who tirelessly gives of themselves day in and day out in the classrooms throughout our community," Padavan said. "Today we extend our gratitude and heartfelt thanks to teachers who inspire our children to reach new heights and strive for their dreams."
Principals from each school throughout the 11th Senate District were encouraged to nominate outstanding teacher from their school and submit that name to Senator Padavan to represent the school and be recognized at the awards ceremony held during National Teacher Appreciation Week. During the ceremony, Senator Padavan presented each honoree with a special Senate Certificate of Merit in recognition of their exceptional service as a teacher in Northeast Queens.
"The honorees here today represent the dedication, hard work and commitment of all teachers in classrooms throughout Northeast Queens," Padavan said. "I am proud to join with family, friends, administrators and colleagues of our outstanding teachers as we celebrate their lasting contributions to our future. On behalf of the families, students and parents of our community I extend our gratitude and congratulations to all teachers and the 2009 Teachers of Distinction."
The 2009 Teachers of Distinction honored by Senator Padavan are:
• Ruth Fried- Yeshiva University High School for Girls
• Christina MacKenzie- Whitestone Academy
• Cathy Kenny- Holy Cross High School
• Janice Hengl- Holy Trinity School
• Marica O'Neal Suber- St. Kevin School
• Sharon LaPenta- PS/IS 178Q
• Dana Chimento- PS 203
• Phyllis Pastuzka- PS/IS 166
• Robert Johnston- St.Francis Preparatory School
• Christina Cerdrone- St. Mel's School• Connie Cannone- St. Anastasia School
• Clara Kang- JHS 185
• Kendra Tinglin- PS/IS 208
• Angela Burnett- St. Andrew Avellino School
• Keri Wade-Donohue- St. Agnes Academic High School
• Judy Hom- PS 33Q
• Atia Abangapakwa-Toussaint- Holy Trinity Community School
• Vanessa Menendez- Mary's Nativity School
• Eileen Edebohls- Sacred Heart School
• JoAnn Summerville- Martin Van Buren High School
• Lina Heim- Our Lady of Lourdes
• Karen Record- Queens Centers of Progress
• Susan Mazzo- PS 94Q
• Douglas Potter- Benjamin Cardozo High School
• Karen Greenberg- PS 35Q
• Ianthy Goodison- Thomas A. Edison Center High School
• Philip Smolowitz- PS 811Q at the Queens High School of Teaching
• Houri Ghougassian- Holy Martyrs Armenian Day School
• Sharon Christian- Marie Curie MS 158
• Sister Catherine Quinn, S.C.- St. Nicholas Tolentine School
• Kathleen Retzel- Immaculate Conception School
• Jo-Ann Licciardi- Our Lady of Snows
• Ericka Conlon- St. Luke School
• Sister Patricia O'Keefe- The Mary Louis Academy
• Barbara Karafa- The Lutheran School of Flushing and Bayside
• Domingo Carrasco- PS 129Q
• Laura Buquicchio- PS 129Q
• David Dame- PS 129Q
• Susan Sladowsky- Bayside High School
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Senator Padavan presented the New York State Liberty Medal to Domingo Carrasco, Laura Buquicchio and David Dame from PS 129Q for their heroic actions in saving a fellow teachers life who collapsed in the school back in March 2009. The New York State Liberty Medal is presented to individuals who merit special commendation for their actions on behalf of their fellow New Yorkers and their community


text:
1965 Live Oak Blvd., Yuba City, CA 95991
530 / 822-7200
Services Provided:
Provides advocacy for Mental Health patients and
families. Contact Person: Linda Kestermont
Fees or Charges: None
725 D Street, Marysville, CA 95901
530 / 742-8289
Legal Services provided to persons over 60. Handles cases
related to Social Security, Medicare, Medi-Cal, Social
Security over-payments. Represents at both local level and
hearing level in Sacramento. Cases of elder abuse and
competency as well as other problems of the senior citizen
are often handled as well. Small Claims Court assistance
regardless of age is also available.
Eligibility Requirements: 60+ years old.
Fees or Charges: None - donations are encouraged.
Yuba-Sutter Mental Health
1965 Live Oak Boulevard ,Yuba City, CA 95991
PO Box 1555, Yuba City, CA 95992
530 / 822-7250
Peach Tree Mall
6000 Lindhurst Ave., Marysville, CA 95901
530/ 741-6306
People who are deemed no longer capable of handling their
own financial affairs may become conservatees of the Public
Guardian. After a court determines the need for such
assistance, the Public Guardian establishes a trust fund for
the person, with which he pays the conservatee's bills,
gives him money for personal needs, makes medical
appointments and otherwise monitors the welfare of the
person, making sure he has food, clothing and shelter. Some
conservatees continue in independent living situations, some
are in board and care, some may return to live with family
when possible. Others may be in locked facilities. Guardians
see to it that the clients are not a danger to themselves or
others and that others do not take advantage of them.
Eligibility Requirements: Based on determination of need.
Fees or Charges: According to ability to pay.
Northern California Chapter
517 12th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
24 hour line -- 1-800-231-4024
Local Ombudsman -- 530/755-2018
Contact Person: Morgan Powell Ransom
Investigates and resolves complaints for seniors in
licensed long term care facilities. Reporting agency for
suspected dependent and elder abuse in any licensed
facility. Act as witnesses for durable power of attorney for
health care in any skilled nursing facility. Trains
volunteer Ombudsmen. If you can help, call Morgan Powell or
leave message at Legal Center for Seniors.
Fees or Charges: None
blue line

subset: commoncrawl


text:
By training physicians, nurses, health workers, and administrators in settings of poverty, Partners In Health is developing a new generation of health care providers to deliver comprehensive, community-based care in the poorest and most remote places.
We recently sat down with two people on the front lines of PIH's training efforts in Haiti: Emily Dally, a curriculum and training specialist from Central Valley, NY, (pop. 1,857), and Vernet Etienne, general training coordinator from Cap-Haitian, Haiti, (pop. 190,000).
What kind of work do you do together?
Etienne & Dally: We've been collaborating since June 2012 and working together directly since Emily transitioned from the Boston training team to the Zanmi Lasante (ZL) training team in September 2012. We work together to develop curricula, improve training methodologies, and to organize trainings for Zanmi Lasante and ZL's partners. We also develop tools to help trainers as well as training materials and tools for participants. Finally, we collaborate on the production of a quarterly bulletin to share the work of ZL among our colleagues and partners.
The training team is based at the National Training Center in Hinche, Central Plateau, Haiti. However, our team oversees training initiatives across ZL sites, so we travel frequently between sites.
How do you describe what you do on a daily basis?
Etienne: I plan, organize, implement, and report on the trainings we host at the National Training Center and other ZL sites. On average, we have about 10 trainings each month—the participants include doctors and nurses, but also community health workers, accompagnateurs, and others. I also gather and edit articles for a quarterly bulletin that we produce, and manage weekly and monthly meetings to structure our work at the NTC and increase collaboration.
Dally: I work mostly on revising and writing training curricula and brainstorming with Vernet and other team members about how we can improve our trainings and the training process at ZL. Some of our large trainings, such as the accompagnateur training, is written in English and translated into Creole, Kinyarwanda, etc., for various PIH sites. I work with the ZL team to develop or adapt curricula to the Haiti context, and to integrate ZL and Ministry of Health protocols.
Why is training important? How is it improving ZL's work in Haiti? How does your work fit with all the services ZL provides?
Etienne: Training is important because it is an opportunity for professional development. Second, through training ZL can inform staff of new protocols or information that is important to their work. Trainings help to create unity among ZL staff and consistency with service delivery–the standard of care provided at one site is the same as that provided at another. Through training, we build capacity to break down the gap between theory (what one learns in school) versus what the individual is expected to do on the ground.
Dally: Vernet, you raise a great point about turning theory into practice. The trainings we deliver are not just an opportunity for the trainer to deliver information from his or her own point of view; they are opportunities for the participants to discuss what they are learning, draw from their own varied experiences, and question each other about best practices. We always try to incorporate role-plays or simulations into the trainings. For example, we just worked on a curriculum for accompagnateurs (community health workers who are responsible for accompanying our TB and HIV patients) on active tuberculosis case finding, so we incorporated a training session on sputum collection using the materials the accompagnateurs will use in the community. The main purpose of training is to provide knowledge and skills that will help participants perform their jobs, and this gives them an opportunity to practice these skills before they hit the ground running.
How did you find your way to ZL and your job today?
Etienne: In October of 2010, I was working as a cholera-training translator for Doctors Without Borders-Spain during the cholera outbreak in Port-au-Prince. I translated trainings for nurses and doctors on cholera care and treatment. I realized how important training was in continuing professional development and to quickly respond to problems that were not well understood. After my contract ended, a friend told me about a vacancy with the ZL training team. I really love to work for ZL and I share ZL's philosophy " for helping those most in need."
Dally: As a graduate student at the Yale School of Public Health, I spent a summer working in the Artibonite region of Haiti (at Hôpital Albert Schweitzer) to develop an exclusive breastfeeding curriculum for community health workers. When I returned, I knew I wanted to work on training initiatives in Haiti and found the perfect opportunity with PIH. The PIH approach to training—providing quality and comprehensive training opportunities for a range of stakeholders in community health—was what drew me to the position. I started working with PIH a few weeks after graduating with my master's degree in public health and transitioned to working full-time with ZL in Haiti a few months later.
It was planned that Emily would only be in this position for one year. What was the thinking behind that?
Dally: In my role I accompany the ZL team to support a variety of initiatives, specifically curriculum development and monitoring and evaluation. I act as a liaison between the PIH Boston and ZL training teams and support both teams' work. The thought behind the defined timeframe for this position is that as I transition from Haiti to Boston, a liaison between the ZL team and PIH team will no longer be necessary. I will have worked with both teams to set up a system in which the teams collaborate on projects without a designated point person.
What about your work together embodies the ZL approach or "model"?
Etienne: ZL strives to deliver high-quality care to those most in need—and this is the approach we use for delivering trainings as well: We deliver quality trainings and training materials to those most in need. Our trainings are not only for doctors. They are also for nurses and nurse auxiliaries, psychologists, social workers, and above all, community health workers and accompagnateurs, who are the pillars of the ZL system. We also train those functioning outside the traditional medical system, such as matrons—traditional birth attendants who take care of a majority of pregnant women at the community level—and oungan ("witch doctors"), who see many patients before they present at the clinic or hospital.
Dally: In training, it's important to recognize that a significant portion of medical care and preventative care happens at the level of the community health worker and accompagnateur. Community health workers administer childhood vaccinations, check in on women during pregnancy, educate families on methods of family planning, and search for cases of malnutrition and refer to the clinics. Accompagnateurs ensure that HIV patients take their medications properly and find active TB cases in their communities. Their roles are crucial to the success of the ZL model, and training gives them the knowledge and tools necessary to perform their jobs.
Social justice and solidarity with the poor are core values for ZL. How do you incorporate those values into your work?
Etienne: First and foremost, the ultimate goal of any training is to improve the care we provide to patients and in communities through enhancing the knowledge and skills of our participants. But trainings also serve to influence the attitudes of the participants. Our trainings always respond to real social and economic problems faced in rural Haiti. It is important that we set an example and deliver our trainings within the context of a human rights approach as we show respect for our training participants by providing them with all materials and meals and a comfortable and secure training location.
Dally: These values are the threads that bind our trainings together. In training, it is important to incorporate discussions of the social and economic context in which we are working. How can we ensure access to health care? Why is it important that women have access to appropriate family planning? When we train on cholera prevention and hygiene and sanitation, for example, we can consider these issues in the context of human rights: The people in our communities have the right to access clean, safe drinking water. Now how can we improve their access?
What gives your trainings the "Zanmi Lasante" spirit?
Dally: I think we do a great job of integrating adult learning principles into our trainings. We avoid using traditional training methodologies in which the trainer stands in front of the room and lectures at the participants. We use things like case studies, role-plays, and group discussions.
Etienne: We make sure to keep our trainings small (no more than 25 participants) so that each participant is involved in the activities. A majority of our trainers participate in a "Training of Trainers" to prepare them to be effective facilitators. The entire ZL team, not just the training team, is responsible for ensuring quality training for the most in need.


text:
TV can ruin your lunch hour
By Deana Nall
Baytown Sun
Published April 19, 2006
This week, I continued my adventures in Baytown's new restaurant offerings.
On Thursday, my husband Chad and I checked out the new El Toro on Garth Road.
First of all, this place is enormous. You could invite a couple hundred of your closest friends on a lunch date and they'd have no trouble accommodating you. If you need to go to the restroom, though, you might consider dropping tortilla crumbs on the way so you can find your way back to your table.
Next, the food. Like most Lakewood dwellers, Chad and I know El Toro's food quite well. I have the phone number and menu for the Bayway location memorized. So, at the new location, I ordered my usual: three tacos. With a fork.
(Other than burgers, I have an aversion to eating food with my hands. I don't know why. If my therapist ever figures it out, I'll let you know.)
The food was great as usual. But something put a damper on our dining experience, and it wasn't what was on our plates. It was something on TV.
Each dining room at the new El Toro has a couple of flat-screen TVs. On this particular day, the TVs were tuned to ESPN.
I wouldn't normally have a problem with that. However, during the lunch hour on this day, ESPN was broadcasting the World Sumo Championship.
Maybe I'm just not culturally educated, but as far as I can tell, here's what sumo wrestling is: A couple of guys who look like they've been sitting on a couch their whole lives watching... well, ESPN while eating truckloads of Krispy Kremes suddenly decide it might be fun to put on giant diapers and fight each other.
Actually, diapers are a lot more modest than the things those guys wear.
"Just don't look at it," said Chad, who, bless his heart, never really gets riled up about anything.
"But it's like driving past a car accident," I said. "I just can't tear my eyes away."
Besides, all 27 flat-screen TVs in the restaurant were showing this spectacle of almost-naked rotund guys. It was hard to ignore.
The announcer had just introduced an especially rotund Polish wrestler when our server walked up.
"Is this making anyone besides me completely lose their appetite?" I asked her.
She glanced up at the screen.
"That is pretty disgusting," she said. "I'll see if they can change it."
I spent a few minutes cupping my hands around my eyes so I could focus on my tacos instead of Dmitri Zbcdhjrtyk's jiggling backside.
Then all 27 flat-screen TVs in El Toro switched to hockey, a sport that can get bloody, but at least the participants are fully clothed. Salvation at last!
Other than having to look at scantily clad, overweight men while I was eating, we had a nice time at the new El Toro. The food is up to El Toro standards and you can still get ice cream on the way out the door.
Just check ESPN's schedule before you go.
Deana Nall lives in Baytown with her family.


text:
Business groups have thrown their support behind federal Treasury secretary
"It's encouraging that Treasury has acknowledged the extent of our budget challenges and that they extend well beyond the forward estimates," said Business Council of Australia chief economist Peter Crone.
"We know that market perceptions matter and that once they change they can't be easily reversed, so pursuing a disciplined fiscal approach that builds credibility is therefore vital."
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's director of economics and industry policy Greg Evans said the government should consider conducting a "root and branch" review of all current budget outlays to highlight areas of waste.
"The need to systematically review wider spending priorities is our key point and this is the only option if we are to deliver on other objectives such as meaningful taxation reform including lower taxes," Mr Evans said. "We can't continue to skirt around the issue of what is the appropriate size of government." Mr Evans noted that the last proper review of government spending was the National Commission of Audit conducted by Geoff Carmody and Bob Officer in 1996.
The comments from Mr Crone and Mr Evans were in response to a speech on Tuesday by Dr Parkinson, where he said recent developments in Europe and the United States had highlighted the importance of a "credible medium-term approach to fiscal policy".
Dr Parkinson said Australia had been well served in recent decades by a bi-partisan commitment to sustainable public finances, but he went on to warn that "significantly greater expenditure restraint" would be needed over the next decade to deliver the fiscal outcomes required for sound macroeconomic management and to pay down debt.
"Critically, having deployed our fiscal ammunition during the global financial crisis, the imperative today is to return to surplus and to pay down debt – to begin to recharge our fiscal ammunition for future use if needed, and to ensure that fiscal policy plays its part in delivering macro-economic stability in stronger economic circumstances," Dr Parkinson said.
The Coalition has also recognised the need for a medium-term fiscal framework. Shadow Treasurer
The Australian Financial Review


text:
PELHAM, N.H. – A 10-year-old boy who apparently was trick-or-treating in a New Hampshire neighborhood was killed after a tree snapped near its base and struck him.
Pelham Fire Department officials told WMUR television station the birch tree broke about four feet from its base and hit the child. The boy went into cardiac arrest. He was taken to a Lowell, Mass., hospital, where he died.
Neighbors told the television station the boy was out trick-or-treating Saturday.
It was not immediately known what caused the tree to break.


text:
Pre-kindergarten registration will soon be open in Newton County, for parents and guardians eager to register their little ones for school.
The Newton County School System will hold registration for its Georgia lottery-funded pre-kindergarten program Feb. 24-28.
Registration will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 24, Feb. 26, Feb. 27, and Feb. 28; and from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25. Parents should register their children at the elementary school they are zoned to attend next year, a news release from the school system said.
Newton County Schools has 608 Pre-K slots available at its 13 elementary schools for the 2014-15 school year. School system officials said children will not be placed on the roster for possible selection until all required documents are submitted. Only custodial parents and legal guardians may register a child for Pre-K. Registration does not guarantee children a slot in the Pre-K program.
Once registration has concluded, students with all documents submitted will have their names placed in a lottery drawing for their school zone for possible selection. Only students with completed registration packets will be eligible for participation in the school system's lottery selection process.
Pre-K enrollment is determined by school attendance zones. Once all slots are filled, the remaining names will be placed on a waiting list in the order they were drawn during the lottery process, and called if and when spaces become available.
Children must be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1 to qualify for enrollment. To register a child for the Newton County Pre-K program, parents should bring a certified birth certificate and two proofs of residence/address. Additional information about required documents may be downloaded from the Pre-K department page on the school district's website at newtoncountyschools.org.
For more information, call Velinsie Burden at 770-787-1330, ext. 1268.


text:
Hello All,
My mum has a Metrix MX60 DI hearing aids. I would like to know what needs to be done for this appliance to be able to be connected to phones ? I noticed the Metrix MX60DI seems to support for telecoil T & MT.
Do any compatible hearing aid phones support the T & MT system ? Would the following phone work ?
Would you recommend particular DECT phone compatible with the Metrix MX60 ?
Many thanks and have a nice Christmas.


text:
Kemmel & Bayernwald Trenches
A view of Kemmel Hill shortly after the War. Photo: NELS
Kemmel village can be found about six miles south-west of Ypres, and is reached by following the N336 out through the Lille Gate, and then turning right onto the N331 about half a mile further on (just before the level crossing).
Located just to the north of the village centre is Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery. The entrance is flanked by twin brick-built arches, and the village cemetery is located immediately to its left. The land and rows of graves curve slightly uphill away from the road, and then downhill. Many of the headstones are quite irregularly spaced. The cemetery was established early in the war, in December 1914, taking its name from Kemmel Chateau which stood to the rear of the cemetery location. The chateau at certain stages in the war housed an Advanced Dressing Station (ADS), and the cemetery continued to be used until March 1918, when Kemmel was taken by the Germans. Although it was retaken later on that year, both the cemetery and the chateau suffered from shelling with the chateau being destroyed. In total there are 1,135 First World War soldiers buried here, all but three being identified. In addition, located in a row on the left by the entrance are 21 Second World War burials.
Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery
Buried in Row J is Private James Jacobs of Lancaster, who served with the 2nd King's Own (Royal Lancasters). He was killed in action on the 25th of June 1915, and the register tells us that he was the grandson of a Crimean War veteran. In Row X is one of the many Canadians buried here: Private Henry Harry Jackson (originally from Cumberland in England). He enlisted in September 1915, and probably died as a result of wounds he suffered when his battalion, the 72nd (British Columbia Regiment), carried out a raid near Kemmel on the 16th of September 1916. The battalion war diary reports that it was a bright moonlit night, and that although all the raiding party returned to the trenches, five of them were wounded. They did however take two German prisoners - capturing enemy soldiers to determine which units were in the line was often an objective of raids. Also buried here is an uncle of the novelist Daphne du Maurier - Lieutenant Colonel Guy du Maurier, who was a veteran of Burma and South Africa. He was commanding the 3rd Royal Fusiliers, and was aged 49 when he died in March 1915.
There is a small square in the centre of the village, with shops and restaraunts lining it. From here, a road leads out of the village and up the hill. After a few hundred yards there is a parking area and information boards on the left hand side. Also here, although sometimes not easy to see behind the trees, is a tall modern sculpture as shown below. I have recently been informed that this statue has been destroyed, however.
Modern sculpture on Mont Kemmel
Just opposite this, a cobbled track leads uphill off to the right, past the restaraunt De Alverman. This road leads up Kemmel Hill (Kemmelberg). The road winds uphill steeply, past the tower of the Belvedere restaraunt on the left. The tower can be climbed for an entrance fee and has excellent views of the surrounding country. This tower is a replacement for one sited here before the war, which was used as an observation post during it.
Carrying on up the hill, at the top is another parking area, by which is a large French Memorial. This is a tall, imposing white monument, with the figure of an angel on the front. It was unveiled on a misty day in September 1932, by Marshal Petain, who also referred in his speech to the British 9th Division which was also involved in the action. The figure represents France, the granite monument behind is 54 feet high and topped by a poilu's helmet. On the front are the words 'Aux soldats Francais 1914-1918'. The angel has her eyes closed, with what seems an expression of suffering and sadness on her face.
The French Memorial at the top of Mont Kemmel
The memorial is to commemorate French soldiers who fought and died here in April 1918. The British held Kemmel Hill against a determined German onslaught on the 17th of April 1918, and it was just after this that the French took over the lines here. The Germans attacked again, using gas, on the 25th of April, and this time broke through taking the hill. However, their final offensive was now running out of steam. On a road a little to the west of Kemmel Hill is one of the demarcation stones that mark the limit of their advance.
The Angel on the French Memorial
The cobbled road then continues from the summit down the other side of the hill, and at this point is extremely steep indeed, and the cobbles can be slippery. Down this road, visible from the monument at the top of the hill, is the French Cemetery and Ossuary.
The French Cemetery and Ossuary at Kemmel
There are information boards outside the Ossuary to the left, and these show interesting photographs of the site over time. The earliest show the excellent views behind the Ossuary, which in later photographs and today are blocked by trees.
Old photographs of the French Cemetery and Ossuary on an information board nearby
The Ossuary was constructed after the war, and contains the remains of many of the French soldiers who fell trying to defend the hill in April 1918. For those used to the individual headstones of Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries, it is somewhat shocking to learn that 5,294 soldiers are buried in this small area, with only 57 of these identified. The 57 identified are listed alphabetically by name on the front of the obelisk in the centre of the Cemetery. On the other side is a plaque which gives the total number.
The 57 known burials listed on the Obeslisk...over 5,000 more were buried here
This approach of mass burials contrasts with that of the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC), the forerunner of the CWGC. It was determined very early on that the names of each and every British and Commonwealth soldier who died would be commemorated individually, either on headstones above their individual graves, or else on 'special memorial' headstones when it was thought they were buried in a certain cemetery, or it was known they were but the location of the grave had been lost. For those who had no known grave, their names would be inscribed on a series of Memorials to the Missing, such as at the Menin Gate in Ypres and at Ploegsteert to the south. Anyone visiting CWGC cemeteries will have seen the many unknown burials, again each with an individual headstone with the inscription "Known Unto God".
The road to the top of Mont Kemmel rises steeply behind this view of the Ossuary
Just south-east of Kemmel Hill is Lindenhoek Chalet Military Cemetery, located a little way off the N331. Tiers lead up along the side into the cemetery, which was started in March 1915 and used until October 1917. After the Armistice, more than a hundred additional graves were concentrated here from the battlefields in this area. In total, there are now 315 men buried or commemorated here, and of these 67 are unidentified. To the left of the Cross of Sacrifice are special memorials to four men known, and two beleieved to be buried here. Some of the headstones in back row appear quite discoloured from lichen.
Lindenhoek Chalet Military Cemetery, and (right) the graves of
some of those from the 1/4th East Yorkshires who died on ther 17th of June 1916
The names of six men from the 1/4th East Yorkshires, all of whom died on the 17th of June 1916, appear on just three headstones in row K of Plot One. Nearby, another five men from the same battalion who also died on the same day are commemorated on a further two headstones. At least some of these men were from 'A' Company, as recorded in the register. This territorial battalion in fact lost 18 men and one officer killed in action on the 17th of June 1916, and a further nine died of wounds the same day, although it is not possible to say how many of these might have been wounded on the 17th of June 1916 itself. In fact, all those who were killed in action that day, except one, are buried here at Lindenhoek Chalet Cemetery. The single exception is Archibald Fraser, who is buried not far away in Loker (Locre) Churchyard. Those from the battalion who died of wounds that day are all buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, a large cemetery which was near a number of Casualty Clearing Stations during the war.
With the help of the Great War Forum, the War Diary for the 1/4th Easy Yorkshires showed that at 12.25 a.m. there was a German gas attack on their trenches near Wytschaete. The gas cloud was reported as "very thick" and it lasted for about 20 minutes. The single officer who died was Second Lieutenant William Carlton, who died in F Trench. At that time there was a dressing station at Lindenhoek, where several of those affected by gas died. On June the 18th 1916, the War Diary records that Second Lieutenant Carlton and 17 other ranks were buried at this cemetery. The cause of death was detailed as six from shell-fire and eleven from the gas.
Kemmel Hill is a tourist area, popular with cyclists and walkers, and the views from the hill over the surrounding countryside can be superb. Back in the village, just off the roundabout is a tourist information centre. This is where to go before visiting the Bayernwald trenches. The information centre will supply a code number which is then used to gain entry to the Bayernwald trenches. Although this restored trench system is some way from Kemmel, and in fact nearer Wijtschate, I have covered it on this page as the ticket has to be purchased in Kemmel, and there are also sites of interest on the route taken to reach it.
The map on the back of the ticket they shows how to reach the trenches but can be misleading. It does not show all the turns or features, and it is easy to take a wrong turn.
To reach the trenches: From the tourist information centre, return to the roundabout just before it and turn left on the N331 heading back towards Ypres. Continue quite a way along, past La Laiterie Cem (on the left), and then past a Demarcation stone and American Monument on the right.
The American monument is a large white Rocheret stone set within short white pillars. An information board is located on the left hand side, giving the historical background. The monument commemorates the actions of US soldiers from the 27th and 30th Divisions who fought in August and September 1918. Around 1,300 from the 27th Division and 800 from the 30th Division died in these actions, which followed a German withdrawal. The monument stands in the middle of the area over which the US troops made their advance, and was erected in 1929. Some of the Americans who died during these actions are now buried in the Flanders Field American Cemetery, which is near Waregem, about 35 miles east of here.
The American monument near Kemmel
Just to the right of the American monument is a Demarcation Stone. These were erected after the war to mark the furthest points to which the Germans advanced, and originally there were many, although only a small number now remain. This one was moved from it's original location here (or nearby) after the Second World War to Vierstraat. It was moved bak to the Kemmel road in 2005.
To continue to the Bayernwald trenches, after the American monument take the next right turn, just after a large two-tone building on the left with the word "PREFAB" printed on it. There is a signpost here as well.
This small road winds, first downhill and then uphill again towards a wood on the left. Just before the end of the wood is a left turn which again is signposted, and this comes out of the end of the wood. There is a small parking area on the left and Croonaert Chapel Cemetery can be seen in the field to the left (the pathway which leads to the cemetery is a little further on).
Parking your car at the parking area, to reach the trenches walk up the road to the right, past a new house being built on the corner. When I made my visit, a shell lay on the verge here, probably dug up during the building of the new house.
Iron harvest near Bayernwald trenches
Bayernwald Trenches
The entrance to the trenches is on the right, and the code you are given at Kemmel should be keyed in, then the door will unlock.
Entrance to Bayernwald trenches and the poem 'Seidenschleier' just inside
There is a sheltered information area on the left as you enter, which has information boards about the trenches including wartime aerial photographs as well as a modern aerial view of the site, and a 'You are here' legend on each to allow one to understand exactly the context of the wartime layout. There is also a bronze relief map of the salient.
Also here are wartime photographs of German soldiers manning these trenches. There is a schematic showing the layout of the trench system which includes four bunkers and two mineshafts. Another information board explains that one of the mine shafts was unearthed in 1971 by schoolteacher Andre Becquart. He later excavated the four bunkers, and opened the site as a museum. However, after he died the site was more or less abandoned, until in 1998 restoration work commenced. This was initially made possible by Heuvelland council, and later also by the Association for Battlefield Archaeology in Flanders. The restored trench system was opened in 2004, and there are several places at which one can enter the trench system itself.
Wicker-lined trenches surmounted by sandbags (right, the view from the trench)
There are a number of information boards at various points within and outside the trenches, and one of these explains that the earliest trenches were built with wood and sandbags, whilst later (1916) trenches were constructed with reversed A-frames connected by wickerwork. There are wartime photos of trenches which can be compared with the restored trenches. There are even portions of corrugated "elephant iron" used to form part of the trench edge at one point.
Elephant iron in the side of the trenches
The trenches are surprisingly shallow, and to keep ones head below the parapet one would have to duck the whole time. Wooden A-frames make firing steps. In some places low bars of wood run right across the trench which were well below my head height. This meant ducking even more to pass through these sections.
The trench system contains two mineshafts, one (Berta 4) 17 metres deep. This was the shaft discovered by Andre Becquart in 1971. An information board nearby shows the layout of the shaft, as well as photographs from it's excavation. In May 2006 when I visited, it was full to the top with water.
One of the mine shafts at the Bayernwald trenches
There are four bunkers within the trench system, made of pre-fabricated concrete blocks as can be seen in the photographs. An information board explains that those near the front line were constructed of the pre-fabricated blocks, which makes sense as the positions would have been subject to enemy fire. Further back, concrete without the need for prefabrication could be used.
One of the bunkers, exterior and interior
One bunker has half it's structure missing on the left side, and this allows the thickness of the roof to be seen. The height of the bunkers was limited to 1.2 metres, and orders were that they were only to be used as shelters during violent shelling. It was believed that 'larger constructions would affect the offensive mind' of the soldiers.
Another Bayernwald bunker: the thickness of the walls and roof can be clearly seen
The largest bunker has two entrances, and was also completely water filled when I visited. Whilst four bunkers can be seen today, in 1918 there were 10 bunkers at Bayernwald. An information board shows details of how they were constructed, plus a photograph of one partly built.
The largest bunker at Bayernwald
One trench was taped off when I visited, with the side having started to collapse. However, this is a marvellous site to visit - not only because of the trenches themselves, but also the thought that has gone into the information boards that give background to the bunker construction and the mineshafts, as well as contemporary pictures of trenches and other items. Nowhere near as busy and popular as the trenches at Sanctuary Wood, perhaps because of it's more remote location, the Bayernwald trench system deserves a higher place on the list of "must visit" sites in the Salient.
Sites North of Kemmel
Returning to the main N331 the same way you came, one can, instead of turning left at the crossroads back towards Kemmel, go straight across, following a minor road. The small settlement at these crossroads is known as Vierstraat At the first left turn leading off this road is another Demarcation Stone, similar to that seen near the American Monument (above).
Demarcation stone near Suffolk Cemetery
Just a little way down the road leading off by the demarcation stone is Suffolk Cemetery. A short path leads up to it, and there are only three rows of graves, with just 47 men buried here. Only eight of these are unknown. The cemetery was started in March 1915 by the 2nd Suffolks, and used by them for just that month and April 1915. The front two rows contain these burials, and the headstones are quite close together. In November 1917 one man was buried here, and after that the cemetery was not used again until October 1918, when the bodies of men killed during the German advance six months earlier were buried here by the 38th Labour Group. The bodies were mainly those of men from the 1/4th and 1/5th York & Lancaster Regiment. The cemetery at that time was known as Cheapside Cemetery, as the small road it is located beside was known by that name. In early 1918 there were a number of camps nearby, with structures around the location of the cemetery; the position known as Fort Toronto.
One of the Suffolk graves intrigued me. It is that of Private S. Jessup, and according to the CWGC entry, the 'S' stood for 'Sergant' - a very unusual Christian name. Further research showed that the Medal Index Card for this man lists his first name as 'Sergeant'. Soldiers Died in the Great War also lists his first name as Sergeant, but his last name as Jessop, rather than Jessup. It shows he was born in Framlingham and enlisted in Ipswich. He had arrived on the Western Front on the 26th of January, 1915. Even more interestingly, whilst there was no surviving service record in the WO/363 series, there was a record in WO/364 - to a man of the same name but who had enlisted at Ipswich in the Royal Field Artillery in November 1913. He had then been court-martialled early in 1914 and sentenced to 42 days in detention (14 of which were remitted). On the 26th of February 1914 he was discharged from the Army for misconduct under paragraph 392 (X.I) of the King's Regulations. Unfortunately, there is no further detail and this paragraph in the regulations themselves is not further defined. The possibility that this was the same man was strengthened by the fact that the pension record lists his next of kin as elder brothers Alec and Clement Jessup, of the High Street, Hadleigh, Suffolk. The CWGC entry also lists the next of kin as Mr. C. Jessup of 55 Benton Street, Hadleigh - a different address, but the same town. Sergeant Jessup was 22 years old when he enlisted in 1913, meaning he would have been born in 1891. Turning to the 1901 Census, there is only one Sergeant Jessup listed - living in Framlingham in Suffolk (about 20 miles north-east of Hadleigh) but with a birthdate that matches, and with elder brothers Alexander (Alec) and Clement. Their father was Frederick Jessup, a blacksmith born in Thetford in Norfolk, but their mother, Ellen, was born in Hadleigh in Suffolk. In 1901, Frederick was 63 whilst Ellen was 49, so it might seem possible that if Frederick died after the 1901 census, Ellen and the family might have moved back to her village of Hadleigh. It seems very likely that Sergeant Jessup re-enlisted when the war broke out, and although he had previously been discharged, the Army may have accepted his previous blemish (if indeed he declared it when he re-enlisted). In any event, he was killed in action on the 24th of March 1915. During March and April 1915, the 2nd Suffolks suffered 80 fatalities, so this was obviously a busy time for the battalion.
Returning from Suffolk Cemetery to the demarcation stone, turning left again on this roads leads to two more cemeteries. First reached, on the left side of the road, is the interesting Kemmel No. 1 French Cemetery. Despite this name, and that it is marked on the NGI Belgian map as "Fr.Mil Begrfpl." (as opposed to "Br. Mil Begrfpl." for British cemeteries), this is a CWGC maintained cemetery. The CWGC entry for this cemetery states that "the origin of the cemetery is not known". It was found by the French Graves Service shortly after the Armistice, and then contained Commonwealth, French and German graves. Some more German graves found by the Belgian Graves Service were then brought here, as were more Commonwealth graves from both nearby and further away. Later on, all the French graves were removed, some to the nearby Ossuary at Kemmel (see earlier on this page), and some to the French cemetery at Potijze. There are estimated to be 253 Germans buried here, and of the two rows of headstones marking Germans graves at the back of the cemetery, the first row is actually a mass grave. There are also a few German graves among the other rows. There are 296 Commonwealth graves, and of these only 36 are identified, reflecting, I suppose, the lack of records of this cemetery originally and also the later recovery of bodies from other sites which were then brought here. Still, it is a tiny number of identified graves, and in percentage terms although not numerical terms must be one of the highest of unidentified soldiers for any CWGC cemetery. Those who are identified died in all years of the Great War, although the majority of the graves are from the later years. Railway sleepers run along the cemetery boudaries in places. From the back of the cemetery, Kemmel Hill is visible.
Kemmel No. 1 French Cemetery - actually a Commonwealth War Cemetery
Just across the road is Klein-Vierstraat British Cemetery, which has a better documented history. It was started in January 1917, and the first three plots date from that year until the middle of January 1918. Plot 4 was begun in April 1918, and after the Armistice more graves were concenterated here from two smaller cemeteries at Poperinghe and Westoutre, as well as from battlefields nearby. There are now a total of 804 Great War burials, 109 of them being unidentified. At the front right of the cemetery is a square structuure which houses the register box, and the rows of graves are set on a slope downwards from the front of the cemetery.
Klein-Vierstraat British Cemetery
Locre (today Loker) is a small village located about two miles or so to the west of Kemmel. Next to the road leading there (Lokerstraat) are some British bunkers, known as the Lettenberg bunkers. These are located to the right side of the road just as you come out of Kemmel, climbing up a hill towards Locre, at the edge of some woodland. They are reached by a short path through the woods, which is signposted - take the left fork of the track as it enters wood.
The bunkers were constructed in the spring of 1917, although the 175th Tunnelling Company had been digging to create underground headquarters here for some months before that. There are four bunkers, including a first aid post which has a red cross painted on the wall, and a command post located at the far end. There are information boards outside the bunkers.
Locre Hospice Cemetery is to the south-east of Locre village, reached by following a small road called Godtschalkstraat. Following this small road will eventually lead you back to Kemmel. The cemetery is on the upslope of a hill, to the right of the road as you leave Locre, and now behind a newly constructed house. A grass track leads to it from the road, to the left of this house. Locre Hospice Cemetery is a long narrow cemetery, containing just three long rows of graves. The cemetery was started in June 1917, and used up until April 1918. The Hospice itself from which the cemetery takes its name was originally nearby. Usually some distance behind the lines, in April 1918 Locre was captured by the Germans, fought over and then retaken by the French on the 30th of April 1918.
There are just under 250 Great War burials or commemorations here; and at the far end of Row 3 are 14 Second World War burials. These graves are not marked on the plan of the cemetery available on line at the CWGC website, and they have been hand-drawn in on the plan in the register at the cemetery. Behind the Cross of Sacrifice are nine special memorials commemorating men known to be buried in the cemetery. At the front of the cemetery is a seat looking up towards the Great Cross at the far end, and on the back of this seat is the inscription found in all CWGC cemeteries in Belgium about the ceding of the cemetery land in perpetuity.
A path runs by the right hand wall of the cemetery to a site at the rear of the cemetery where Major William Redmonds grave is located. Despite being buried outside the walls of the cemetery Major Redmond is listed in the register, where further details are given: he was mentioned in Despatches and was also awarded the Legion of Honour by the French. He had served as MP for Wexford since 1884, and was aged 56 when he died of wounds (although the inscription on the cross itself states "killed in action") received at the Battle of Messines. Rather than the usual Plot, row and grave number, his grave position is described as "close to path leading to the cemetery".
Major Redmond's grave - just outside Locre Hospice Cemetery
Major Redmond, along with three other men, was originally buried in the garden of Locre Hospice, and standing either side of the grave cross are two stones which originally were part of the Hospice buildings. Behind the cross is a modern pipe which has been put in place, surmounted by a figure of the Virgin Mary.
On the road leading into Locre is the rebuilt Hospice. In front of it is a small part of a stone wall from the original. The information board tells the story of Major William Redmond,
Locre Hospice was rebuilt - today there is an information board on Major Redmond in front of some stones from the original Hospice
Sources & Acknowledgements
Beatrix Brice: The Battle Book of Ypres
The Great War Forum
Major & Mrs Holt: Battlefield Guide to the Ypres Salient
Michael Scott: The Ypres Salient
Paul Reed: Walking the Salient
Rik Scherpenberg for information on the Demarcation Stone
The Times online archive


text:
John's Education Platform
For a quarter century, I have been active in education, beginning as a tutor-counselor in the federally-funded Upward Bound Summer Bridge program and most recently working for eight years as Special Assistant to the Maryland State Superintendent of Schools. [See Education Experience] I am intimately familiar with the challenges faced by teachers, principals, and administrators. My three children are enrolled in public schools and I am committed to ensuring that every child has access to a first-rate education through our public school system.
Key Points in My Education Platform
I am excited about the possibility of representing the 3rd Congressional District in Washington and bringing to Congress my experience in many key areas of education, such as student promotion, mentoring, leadership development, class-size reduction, and instructional best practices.
If elected, I will push to increase federal resources for the following K-12 initiatives:
* Job-embedded, site-based professional development for all teachers, as well as full-time mentoring support for first-year and second-year teachers.
* Succession planning for principals and key central office administrators to ensure that the energy and progress of a school or school system is maintained, even during a changeover to new leadership.
* Early childhood education, including pre-kindergarten and full-day kindergarten, so that our kids can begin their school careers on the cutting edge.
* Outreach to private industry and other non-traditional sources of teaching candidates in order to address teacher shortages in the areas of math, science, technology, and special education.
* Incentives to bring top notch teachers and administrators into our most challenging schools.
* In communities where family and neighborhood structures are weak, conversion of schools into round-the-clock resource centers ("community schools") that serve both children and families.
* Other innovative school models, including public charter schools that keep public dollars within the public system, while offering parents and students greater choice.
* These are just some of the exciting initiatives that can help propel public education forward in this country and allow our students to compete with the best in the world.
I will work to counter the dangerous roll-back in support for higher education. Recent student loan interest rate hikes come on the heels of increases in tuition and the largest cut in our nation's history to student aid. The Republican-led Congress has slashed $12 billion from student aid programs to finance additional tax cuts for wealthy special interest groups. Moreover, President Bush's budget completely eliminates the Perkins Loan program, leaving more than 670,000 students vulnerable to lose out on loan forgiveness if they elect to become teachers, law enforcement officers, or if they choose to serve in our military. And yet at the same time, President Bush's budget only increases the maximum Pell Grant by $100 - from $4,050 to $4,150 - falling nearly $1,000 short of his promise to students. We must do better!
I will fight for a fully-funded public education system that enables every child to attend preschool through at least two years of education after high school graduation. This has been referred to as a "P-14+" initiative and Congress ought to chart a realistic plan for creating such a system. Fully funding public education also means fully funding the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). I support the NEA's call for a phase-in of such funding over the next six years, which would mean increasing the federal contribution from 17 percent to 40 percent.
I will urge the overhaul of No Child Left Behind to ensure that the federal government offers real support to America's schools. The next Congress will take up the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), signed into law by President Bush. NCLB made bold promises to the American public, establishing important new performance expectations for our children. Regrettably, President Bush has failed to provide sufficient resources to allow them to meet these expectations, and the promises of the NCLB Act remain largely unrealized.
No Child Left Behind: Bold Promises, Not Yet Realized
No Child Left Behind contained bold promises: all students will reach higher standards; all students will become proficient in reading and mathematics; all students will be taught by highly qualified teachers; all students will be educated in learning environments that are safe, drug-free, and conducive to learning; and all students will graduate from high school.
These goals are appropriate and necessary. However, educational administrators, school boards, educators, and state boards of education have identified many problems with the ongoing implementation of the NCLB Act. Four problems are proving particularly vexing and are limiting the success of the Act's intent within Maryland and across the country.
First, the heavy emphasis on reading and mathematics in NCLB has led to a narrowing of the curriculum, particularly in schools that have been identified as "in need of improvement." No one would deny the centrality of reading and mathematics in school success; however, the excessive focus on these subjects is resulting in less time devoted to important subjects such as civics, social studies, the sciences, and humanities. Two points in particular must be emphasized:
* An education in civics is a necessity - not a luxury. It is our responsibility to ensure that students enter the work force and college with a comprehensive sense of both the types of political and economic systems that exist and the consequences of political and economic decision-making. It is shortsighted to trade additional or remedial mathematics and reading instruction for crucial civics and social studies curricula.
* Research shows that the students most impacted by a narrowing of the curriculum are those students who live in economically limited circumstances. Unless addressed, this result of NCLB is likely to undermine large portions of our notion of equality of educational access, a fundamental principle of our educational beliefs and practices, particularly since the landmark decision in Brown vs. Board of Education.
Second, and even more alarming, is the increased practice of "teaching to the test." Students who are experiencing this type of teaching are apt to be writing less, engaging in less discussion about content, and experiencing testing that is multiple choice or short answer. All of these practices limit the creative imagination that make formal schooling less of an opportunity to learn and apply knowledge, and more a place where knowledge is memorized and recited.
Third, the most destructive impact of NCLB stems from the unrealistic timelines for the implementation of accountability provisions. Ignoring all of the research on school improvement and any common sense notion of what impediments are still ahead, the Act calls for immediate improvement once a school has been designated as "failing" in some respect. Additionally, the sanctions for lack of improvement escalate in a series of steps that suggest there is consensus about what successful implementation of improvement strategies looks like, and that any lack of improvement must therefore, be willful.
Much of this, of course, is not true, and all of it contributes to the likelihood that once a school is put "on the grid" for remediation and accountability, it will never emerge. No one wants his or her child to attend a school that has been labeled as, "in need of improvement" or "failing." At the same time, the ways schools achieve those labels are not well understood by the general public, and many otherwise high performing schools are struggling with one aspect of achievement, yet have been or will soon be labeled as, "in need of improvement." This will have two detrimental outcomes: continuing erosion of the public's sense of the quality of education our children receive, and misappropriation of critical funding from schools that truly need those resources to improve over time, to schools that, on balance, do not.
Fourth, NCLB does not provide an adequate definition as to the definition of a highly qualified special education teacher. While local and state educators are struggling to meet rigorous testing standards, the duty is even more daunting for those who are synthesizing these new regulations with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). NCLB requires that teachers, who teach core content areas, such as reading, math, and science, must be "highly qualified." NCLB is very specific as to what highly qualified means in those subject areas. However, that same specificity is missing with respect to special education teachers. If elected, I will push Congress to improve the definition of "highly qualified" as it relates to special education teachers in the 2007 upcoming reauthorization of the NCLB Act.
At exactly the time when other industrialized nations are seeing positive results from emphasizing a more holistic approach to student and school performance and improvement, the United States seems determined to move the other way. Under No Child Left Behind, the accountability regime is overly rigid, with a punitive impulse that can be highly counterproductive. Moving forward, the key is to maintain the high expectations of performance that are imbedded in the Act, while allowing for consideration of multiple factors in determining student and school progress.
Source: http://www.sarbanesforcongress.com/ht/d/sp/i/854059/pid/854059


text:
Why is Scout puzzled by Miss Gates' disapproval of Hitler? Chapter 26 To Kill a Mockingbird
- print Print
- list Cite
3 Answers
Scout is puzzled by Miss Gates' disapproval toward Hitler because of Miss Gates' outspoken prejudices against Tom Robinson. In chapter twenty-six, Miss Gates tries to explain the reason that Hitler persecutes the Jews:
'That's the difference between America and Germany. We are a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship. Dictator-ship,' she said. 'Over here we don't believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced. Pre-ju-dice,' she enunciated carefully. 'There are no better people in the world that the Jews, and why Hitler doesn't think so is a mystery to me.'
Miss Gates statement above puzzles Scout because, during the Tom Robinson's trial, she saw how prejudice people were in Maycomb; she saw this with the conviction of Tom Robinson. Scout doesn't understand how Miss Gates can feel sympathy toward the persecution of the Jews but then feel nothing toward Tom Robinson who was convicted of rape because of his race.
Scout rivaled Ms Gates because during this time because as she was going through the lesson she talked about how she felt sympathy for the Jews, however, did not feel sympathy for Tom Robinson and this was what was confusing for Scout because she saw Tom Robinson in the same situation, yet the other members of Maycomb did not see this.
actually the lesson was going on about the nazi germans and terefore miss. gates strongly disapproved hitler. but what made scout puzzled was that if miss gats dispproves hitler for his acts than why does she herself believes in status consciousness.


text:
Merchants who use online payment processing service Stripe can now accept bitcoins.
In an interview with Re/code, Stripe CEO Patrick Collison revealed the bitcoin news. Stripe has launched a private beta program for customers who want to include bitcoin payment options among their accepted payment methods.
Stripe competes with online payment giant PayPal, owned by auction website eBay (EBAY). PayPal does not allow customers to make payments in bitcoins at present.
Collison told Re/code that Stripe didn't know if bitcoin would retain its relevance over time, but hoped to boost online sales by increasing the number of available payment methods. He noted that many people around the world don't have access to credit cards, but could purchase bitcoins.
Online data storage provider Tarsnap became Stripe's first customer to exploit the new bitcoin payment option. Stripe will automatically calculate bitcoin conversions into local currency for its customers.
EBAY stock slipped slightly in Friday morning trading.
More Bitcoin News:


text:
Eddie Hausner, a photographer for The New York Times whose subjects over a five-decade career ranged from poor people in the South to Joe Namath with a white llama rug, died on Saturday at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J. He was 76 and lived in Fair Lawn, N.J.
The cause was a stroke, said his son, Clifford Hausner.
Mr. Hausner's 1950 photograph of a rumpled umbrella salesman was among his favorites, and he received acclaim from the photographer Edward Steichen for it.
Mr. Hausner's 1968 photo of an allegorical statue of ''Day,'' taken from the facade of Pennsylvania Station and dumped upside down in a landfill in Secaucus, N.J., was described by David W. Dunlap of The Times as ''probably the most evocative single image of the demolition of Pennsylvania Station.''
Mr. Hausner was named a senior photographer at The Times in 1990.
His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and was shown there in a 1996 exhibition called ''Pictures of the Times: A Century of Photography from The New York Times.''
Several of his photographs are currently on view in the traveling exhibition ''The Tumultuous Fifties: A View from the New York Times Photo Archives,'' organized by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.Continue reading the main story
Edward Hausner was born on July 2, 1926, the son of John Jacob Hausner and Betty Schwartz, both of the Bronx.
In 1941 he graduated from Metropolitan High School in Manhattan. From 1941 to 1943 he worked for Paramount Pictures as a film inspector, and for 20th Century Fox, in advertising sales.
In 1944 he fought with the Seventh Regiment, Third Infantry Division, as a rifleman, seeing action in France and Germany.
After the war, he was transferred to the E.T.O. Army Pictorial Service, where his first assignment was the ceremony honoring the war hero Audie Murphy's departure for home.
Mr. Hausner joined the staff of The Times in 1946, working five years on the night shift.
In 1952 he married Ruth Ray Hyman. She died in 1995.
He received awards from the Newspaper Guild of New York and the New York Press Photographers Association, and recently served on the association's board.
Mr. Hausner retired from The Times in 1991, but continued to take pictures for the paper until recently on a freelance basis, particularly for the ''If You're Thinking of Living In'' feature in the Real Estate section.
In addition to his son, he is survived by three daughters, Meryl Stollar, Audrey Hausner, and Judy DelPrete; and six grandchildrenContinue reading the main story


text:
This entry was posted by Search Bot on February 26, 2017 at 8:33 pm
For Ryan Reed, there's magic in the air at the Birthplace of Speed.
Comments are disabled for this post.
Regarding any products, goods or services mentioned on this website,
you can assume I have an affiliate relationship with
those product and service providers.
I hope to and will be compensated when and
if you purchase anything from these providers.
Before you purchase the products
or services through your exposure to these products or
services on this website,
be sure to investigate their creditability
both here and on the Internet.
The owner of this website, Nick Schultz is a participant in the
Amazon Services
LLC Associates Program,
this is
an affiliate advertising program designed to provide
a means for sites to earn
advertising fees by advertising and
to Amazon properties which include
amazon.com, endless.com, smallparts.com,
myhabit.com or


text:
The Complete Bitcoin Course: Get .01 Bitcoin In Your Wallet
MP4 | Video: AVC 1280x720 | Audio: AAC 44KHz 2ch | Duration: 6.5 Hours | 2.83 GB
Genre: eLearning | Language: English
MP4 | Video: AVC 1280x720 | Audio: AAC 44KHz 2ch | Duration: 6.5 Hours | 2.83 GB
Genre: eLearning | Language: English
Here is how you can get involved with Bitcoin today! Finish the course: Get 0.01 Bitcoin! Course updated February 2016.
How would you like to learn from the ground up what Bitcoin is all about - and receive 0.01 Bitcoin in your Bitcoin wallet for doing so?
This course is as an investment opportunity, as the 0.01 Bitcoin you get could increase in value!
By enrolling on this course it will serve as your guide to this exciting crypto-currency, and how you can utilise it for yourself in the digital, and physical world.
Remember that Bitcoin is a unique type of crypto-currency; it has no physical properties and is stored electronically. It's the world's first real working example of a cryptocurrency - one that can be traded and used in digital transactions.
Bitcoin is a community currency - not owned and therefore not misused by anyone.
Many of you are probably thinking now, that if it's not controlled by an institution, you can simply create unlimited amounts of bitcoin. But you'd be wrong, because there are a set of rules and regulations, known as the Bitcoin Protocol.
Remember that bitcoin is based on mathematics rather than, say, the value of gold like traditional currencies. The software used to calculate the value of bitcoins is open source, meaning it's free to anyone to analyse, and produces a mathematical formula which anyone can check.
So how would you like to earn 0.01 Bitcoin, for learning about this revolutionary crypto-currency?
If so, simply enroll today and absorb all the content this course contains and take your Bitcoin expertise level from zero to hero. Remember all the course content is updated as the Bitcoin ecosystem evolves, and best of all, course updates are completely free.
Mirror Links


text:
Father: Jeremiah M. Virgin b: 22 FEB 1817 in Harrison Co., Ky.
Mother: Amanda Gerard b: ABT 1818 in Miami Co., Oh.
RootsWeb.com, Inc. is NOT responsible for the content of the GEDCOMs uploaded through the WorldConnect Program. If you have a problem with a particular entry, please contact the submitter of said entry. You have full control over your GEDCOM. You can change or remove it at any time.


text:
Amazon (AMZN) is making waves by joining forces with USPS in order to provide Sunday deliveries to most of its U.S. customers.
The online retailer said that a "large portion" of the U.S. population will be eligible for Sunday deliveries later this year. Amazon is also looking to test its carrier drones in order to deliver packages to its customers in 30 minutes or less.
The company is constantly looking for ways to make delivery faster and more convenient for its customers. In several major cities in China and India, Amazon has bike couriers who deliver packages directly to their recipients.
AMZN stock is down a whopping 4.4% Thursday.
More Amazon News


text:
Kim Kardashian Sets Record Straight On Adoption & Relationship Rumors (LISTEN)
She addressed the most recent rumors surrounding her friendship with Kanye West, and the gossip that she's looking to adopt a baby. Kim, 31, got people talking when she showed up to Kanye's Paris Fashion Week show wearing his designer clothes. She quickly squashed the relationship rumor to Seacrest.
"I think I'm still married," Kim quipped, addressing the fact that her divorce isn't final from Kris Humphries. "I'm really not dating right now at all. I'm really just focusing on work. I know I always say this, but I'm trying to just get through my situation and just have fun."
Kim also had a bit of a back-and-forth feud this past week with Mad Men star Jon Hamm after he said some not-so-nice things about the fashionista. The reality star is choosing to take the high road though, telling Ryan, "I just feel like, to be honest, it's all about trying to stay focused and keeping everything positive. It really takes a lot more energy and effort to be harsh than to say something nice and be positive."
For more Kardashian news, pics and quips, be sure to follow @Celebuzz on Twitter, like us on Facebook and check us out on Tumblr!


text:
Oct 8, 2012 #128
Contact: Jacqueline Hawkins
UMKC's Crescendo Takes on New Venue
Annual celebration benefits the Conservatory
This year, the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Conservatory of Music and Dance's Crescendo celebration is going in a new direction, in a new venue.
On Nov. 2, the Conservatory will showcase its greatest strengths in the area's best new arts venue, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
Crescendo 2012 will place more than 250 students and faculty on stage in a seamless performance designed to be as brisk as it is eclectic. From jazz to classics, music and dance will fill Helzberg Hall. Crescendo 2012's performance reflects the dynamic and ever-changing rhythms and riffs that define the Conservatory.
For Conservatory patrons, the evening will begin at 6 p.m., with cocktails prior to the performance. The performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. Dinner in Brandmeyer Hall will immediately follow the concert. Patron tickets start at $250.
Guests who prefer to simply enjoy the concert may purchase concert-only tickets. Student tickets are $12.50 plus a $2 Kauffman customer service fee in advance, and $12.50 plus a $6 Kauffman Fee at the door. General audience tickets are $27.50, plus a $6 Kauffman fee in advance or at the door.
Tickets are available through the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
Crescendo is an annual celebration designed to support UMKC's Conservatory.
"The Conservatory's best and brightest will sing, dance, and play from every corner of Helzberg Hall. The concert will be a celebration of the arts in Kansas City. We can't wait," Peter Witte, dean of the Conservatory, said.
Crescendo 2012's venue will place Conservatory students downtown, where artistic energy is already thriving.
"More than ever, Kansas City is talking about UMKC's Conservatory. Crescendo 2012 is yet another big idea, an elegant yet action-packed performance that celebrates the Conservatory's future." Lisa Hickok, chair of Crescendo 2012, said.
About the ConservatoryDubbed "one of the country's liveliest academies" by The New York Times, UMKC's Conservatory of Music and Dance is internationally recognized as a center for artistic excellence, innovation and engagement with our communities. A community of artists, educators and scholars, the Conservatory enrolls about 500 students in a comprehensive array of liberal arts and professional degree programs in Composition, Music Theory and Musicology; Dance; Instrumental Studies, Keyboard Studies; Music Education/Music Therapy; Jazz Studies; and Vocal Studies.
About the University of Missouri-Kansas City
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.
This information is available to people with speech or hearing impairments by calling Relay Missouri at (800) 735-2966 (TT) or (800) 735-2466 (voice).


text:
All Categories
Books & Bibles
Fashion & Jewelry
Gifts & Giving
Home Decor & Accents
Kitchen & Gourmet
Beauty & Health
Specialty Stores
Christian Bookstore .Net is a leading online Christian book store.
Shop Christian Books, Bibles, Jewelry, Church Supplies, Homeschool Curriculum & More!
Item Specifications...
Item Description...
For students ages eight to fourteen, the MY AMERICAN JOURNEY series presents a true history of the United States with a cleverly helpful dose of fiction. Each of these first four books (in a projected series of ten) recounts highlights from the life of a true American founder or social pioneer. But to engage a student's interest from page one, a fictional narrator-usually a school-age person who somehow knew the main hero-tells the story with youthful vigor. Adding to Deborah Hedstrom-Page's unique lessons are plentiful illustrations from Sergio Martinez (Max Lucado's You Are Special). Each book also contains study questions for every chapter and other educational helps. Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was an African-American abolitionist. Born into slavery herself, she helped hundreds of slaves escape to the North via the Underground Railroad during the Civil War.
Buy From Slavery to Freedom With Harriet Tubman (My American Journey) by Deborah Hedstrom-Page from our Christian Books store - isbn: 9780805432688 & 080543268X
The team at Christian Bookstore .Net welcome you to our Christian Book store! We offer the best selections of Christian Books, Bibles, Christian Music, Inspirational Jewelry and Clothing, Homeschool curriculum, and Church Supplies. We encourage you to purchase your copy of From Slavery to Freedom With Harriet Tubman (My American Journey) by Deborah Hedstrom-Page today - and if you are for any reason not happy, you have 30 days to return it. Please contact us at 1-877-205-6402 if you have any questions.
More About Deborah Hedstrom-Page
Product Categories
Similar Products
Reviews - What do our customers think?
Write your own review about From Slavery to Freedom With Harriet Tubman (My American Journey)
Customer Support: 1-888-395-0572


text:
Everyone is welcome to give a lecture. If you intend to do so, please inform us about the title of your talk, how long time you need (e.g. 20, 45, 60, 90, or 2x90 minutes), whether you need overhead (for transparencies) or computer projector. Furthermore, we kindly ask you to submit the abstract of your talk at your earliest convenience. In case of late correspondence, however regretfully, we can not take the responsibility for the possible skipping of the talk from the program and/or book of abstracts.
We have placed a tentative, very preliminary program on the web-site. The organizers assume no responsibility for skipping, changes, extensions, as well as for the explicit and implicit content of the abstracts or lectures whatsoever. Nevertheless, should you note any erroneous or unwanted detail, or have any wishes concerning the program, then please inform us about in order to keep the program as up-to-date and correct as possible.
From Budapest, the recommended train to Baja departs from
Kőbánya-Kispest Railway Station at 16:56 on June 29, see
To take the train we can meet and assist you,
in case you give us details of your arrival to Budapest.
This direct (no transfer) train arrives at Baja
(its terminal station) at 20:52.
At the railway station the organizers will welcome participants
arriving by this train:
please look for the SSPT-7 sign in the hands of some handsome young men!
From Szeged, the best option is to take a bus. This website lists the available buses, please click on "Keresés" (search; sorry, no English version).
If you need any help in planning your travel in Hungary, we gladly assist you.
For those who stay until the end, /and are still alive/, on July 6 we will offer assistance in getting back to Budapest or Szeged. Details will be discussed in Baja.
The recommended accommodation is the student hostel at the campus.
There are double-bed rooms with bathrooms and toilets with
internet access (via campus LAN).
For one person, it is 5000 HUF/night (approx. 20 €),
for two persons, it is 8000 HUF/room/night (approx. 30 €),
that is, 4000 HUF/night/person.
There are rooms which are suitable for three persons, this is 10800 HUF/night/room, that is, 3800 HUF/night/person.
Please let us know the type of room you require.
Meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) will be offered by the dormitory restaurants for very reasonable prices. If you have any particular requirements, then you are on your own.


text:
In Tehran, lingerie and punk hair
By Barbara Slavin, USA TODAY
TEHRAN, Iran Beneath her veil, Victoria has a new
Tucked away in a residential neighborhood, the Western
boutique that sells sexy lingerie has opened a store here in Iran's capital.
It is one of many signs that, after 20 years, the fist of the Islamic revolution
is loosing its puritanical grip.
Some of the most dramatic changes are measured in inches
the length of hemlines.
Fashionable young women no longer wear shapeless floor-length
coats. Instead, they sport short jackets, tight pants and high-heeled boots.
Basic black still prevails in conservative south Tehran, where women wear chadors,
all-enveloping pieces of black fabric that became required dress after the 1979
revolution. But there are more and more splashes of color on Tehran's drab streets.
Young men, too, appear more Westernized. Fewer have beards,
and some teenagers affect a punk look with stiff, gel-slicked hair. Others wear
ties, which revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini banned as decadent.
Some Iranian men will even shake the hand of a woman in
public. That was unheard of a few years ago.
Unmarried young men and women stroll hand and hand, another
practice once forbidden as encouraging premarital sex.
There are more places where men and women can mix and and
listen to music. More than 1 million of Iran's 65 million people are connected
to the Internet, a figure that has doubled in a year.
Police still occasionally break up parties in private homes,
particularly in wealthy north Tehran, where they can collect fines or bribes.
But there are fewer religious monitors who peer into cars looking for unmarried
couples and hassle women for wearing scarves far back on their heads.
Conservative judges close newspapers and arrest government
critics. But Iranians increasingly speak out against religious rule.
Most important, dissidents are no longer murdered in their
beds, as occurred here three years ago, when intelligence agents assassinated
several critics.
These victories have only made Iranians want more freedom.
Former Iranian culture minister Ataollah Mohajerani says: "Once a chicken is
hatched, it will not go back into its shell."


text:
Drama at Changi Airport
Friday, October 29, 2010
I didn't blog about the incident after touching down in the US because I was too tired, still pissed and didn't want to write about this when I was still angry.
Here's what happened.
Last Sunday, Oct 24th, I was departing from Singapore Changi Airport on the SQ12 for LAX.
While in queue for security check I was stopped by a police/security officer after he checked my passport and boarding pass. He insisted that because my passport was renewed in July 2009, it was mandatory for it to be biometric in order for me to visit the US on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
According to the official US VWP website:
* Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended on or after 10/26/06: passports must have integrated chips with information from the data page.
* Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended between 10/26/05 and 10/25/06: passports must have digital photographs printed on the data page or integrated chips with information from the data page.
* Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended before 10/26/05: no further requirements.
My Machine-readable Passport (MRP) was issued in Sep 2003 and renewed after Oct 2006. Maybe the phrasing in the text is a bit confusing, but if someone were trained for these passport checking, he should damn well know that my passport fits under "issued before 10/25/05" and that no further requirements were necessary.
Alas, I wasn't aware of the exact dates and terms until I looked them up during my transit in Narita.
Before this trip I had travelled to the US four times in the past year, three times from Singapore and once from London. Not ONCE was I stopped or even told that my passport had issues. When the security staff got my passport he went on haughtily about how I was wrong about the fact that my MRP was acceptable and in actual fact I must have a biometric passport. (Where/who could I check with at that point of time, anyway?)
So he dragged me to the boarding counter where the ground staff were, and repeated his dates and my folly, to a counter of staff who knew no better.
One of the girls attempted to reach the US customs but in vain. Shortly after that she told me they were going to take me off the flight, I heard my luggage being asked to be put on stand-by.
You cannot imagine my shock then, never in my years of travelling was I so traumatized (at such a crucial time too, the flight was due to take off pretty much then).
I couldn't help and started crying. The security guy looked away gleefully.
Eventually someone (probably senior?) on the line with the ground staff seemed to have convinced them to let me go, but they reiterated over and over how I was responsible for myself and my airfares if I was turned away at US customs and deported back to Singapore. And that they were going to ALERT the US customs that I was aware that I was committing an "offence" but still going.
I mean, seriously, IF I were wrong and yet maybe I could have had a chance at landing, why did they have to completely blow it by being unreasonable, putting me in a bind that I could do nothing about, when clearly I had no problems the previous times, where was my warning because all previous times had told me I was right? What was the point aside from making me miserable?
And all these time they were doing everything still without ACTUALLY knowing whether my passport was legible or not. Wtf?
In the end I was let on the plane, still crying and angry and scared that I was going to be deported back to Singapore. But after calming down, the more I thought about it the more it felt wrong. I definitely remembered reading that my passport was fine being MRP when I was making my first trip to the US.
During my transit in Narita, I managed to get online to check the VWP website. It was only then did I finally have a peace of mind.
I boarded the flight again from Narita, going through the security and passport check again without any problems; I landed in LAX and passed through immigration smoothly too—my passport was fine.
I still can't believe how horrendous the security guy's attitude was.
I was clearly a frequent traveller and harmless, and yet through the whole time he was being nothing but god damned happy about my misery. Least he could have done was to be human and try to be helpful or understanding or comforting or something right? Really didn't help that the rest of the ground staff were such a far stretch from being competent.
What IF there was an emergency in my family (choyx10000 touch wood) and I was taken off the flight just because someone THOUGHT he caught somebody committing an offence and can finally rake some extra credits for being sharp, WHO is to take the responsibilities here? I can't imagine the pain I could have been in. For all you know I could have killed myself out of guilt for not being there.
I really do wish I'd taken down their names, but I was so overwhelmed I couldn't think. Argh.
I guess part of the point of this post is to serve as a reminder to myself, part as a warning to everyone to be sure to check your visas and passports before travelling—be clear about all the immigration and customs terms, lest you run into problems, or be wronged by poorly-trained security/ground staff/whatever have you.
Changi Airport, it was not cool. I'm beyond disappointed as a Singaporean.
18 comments :
- Richard from Purplest said...
Wow! That's quite a story! And to think that I really admire Changi airport all these years for their excellence. Glad you made it to the US safely and trouble-free!
- October 29, 2010 at 11:02 AM
That's awful! You should just call anyways and state the time and place you met him, they'd know who was working then! What a prick. :( I'm glad you made it though. I had some problems in customs coming back from Mexico once and they made us wait 3 hours because they were unsure if all of us (in the USA, all white sunburnt people) were mexicans trying to pull a fast one. Crazy airport people. :(
- October 29, 2010 at 11:02 AM
- sringangel said...
D: *shocked*
*hugs* T_T
Glad you made it through in the end! Goodness, I say you can still complain to Changi Airport if you tell them when, what time and what date and possibly what gate you were being stopped at. They'll be able to know who was on duty that time.
- October 29, 2010 at 11:11 AM
- Yume Ninja said...
I'm sorry to hear that happened to you. I work in an office where we have to enforce rules/policy too. sometimes when my less-educated coworkers try to enforce rules they don't understand i have to come down on them.
it sucks when people who are in positions where they need to understand rules, actually don't get it at all.
i'm glad you go through though!
- October 29, 2010 at 11:39 AM
- Liv said...
You should definitely lodge a complaint with Changi Airport. They take these things quite seriously, so letting them know about it would be important to improve the service levels there.
Glad you managed to get on the flight in the end. Hope all is well.
- October 29, 2010 at 1:11 PM
- Wolf Schröder said...
That's really unfortunate. I'm just glad you were able to make it.
- October 29, 2010 at 3:12 PM
- Rimfrost said...
I know how you feel. When I was going from Copenhagen to Chicago and from Chicago to Tampa, they stopped me in the Chicago passport control. The lady in the counter took me aside to a waiting room where I had to wait for over half an hour (when my flight was leaving only 20 minutes after that) and they were questioning me about everything. I actually started crying too cause they never told me why I was there or what was wrong. When they let me go I just had to run like crazy to catch my plane. Of course I had to go through customs with my suitcase and security check right before the gate. People started letting me through in the line because they could clearly tell I was in a hurry, but then I got shouted at by a security guard that I had to get back in line. It was horrible! I caught my plane just in time all sweaty and stressed out...urgh x___x
- October 29, 2010 at 4:10 PM
- mashnash said...
amazing blog post.
i admire your courage to get through the ordeal. some people have no respect for others; what horrible people! must have been one of the worst experiences! I truly hope nothing as bad as this ever happens again. the customs were far too dramatic, its not as if you were flying without a visa etc. your passport was right and ridiculous they would almost deport you.
all the best
- October 29, 2010 at 6:26 PM
You should complain about the security officer's behavior :9
Did you get his name?
If you explain how incompetent and horribly behaved he was, maybe he'll get into some trouble ;D
- October 29, 2010 at 6:35 PM
- Bel said...
Something similar happened to someone on the same plane as me in Singapore too. She was stopped, and the staff/security kept on insisting there was something wrong with her passport. They did let her on the plane, but not till just a few minutes before take-off. :|
- October 30, 2010 at 12:36 AM
- Sheue said...
Hi there, i think you should go ahead a lodge a complain on this matter. It's ok if you do not have their names, so long as you mentioned the time and date and which check-in gate it was. they should be able to track down the person involved.
This is unacceptable!
- October 30, 2010 at 10:20 PM
You [b]should[/b] file an complaint. If we don't do this airports will never stop to go very cheap on their security staff.
- October 31, 2010 at 9:24 AM
- Melike said...
I just wanted to say welcome to LA! I've been a follower of your work for the past ~5 years (I think), and it's been so exciting to watch you develop as a photographer. I live in LA, too, but I couldn't make it to one of the socials you'd had earlier this year. Maybe next time!
- October 31, 2010 at 2:59 PM
Srsly, what the fuck.
If they have the habit of performing this 'prank' on local passengers, you should really highlight this to the airport that there are some jokers working there and attempting to sabotage the airport's reputation. Better yet make a big hoo-haa on the newspaper, so it's your turn to sit back and watch the drama unfold.
- November 1, 2010 at 4:36 AM
- Witek said...
I'm glad that it all ended well for you and they actually let you on the flight. Surprising that it happened in Singapore, it seems like about the last place for such a bad and uneducated service.
- November 1, 2010 at 11:27 AM
You know this happened to me when I was going to LA for a work trip too! I transited at Narita and was on the plane to LA, when this STOOPID GUY came over and asked me get out of the plane. He didn't even give me any explanation, and was so rude to me!!! In the end, he allowed me back on the plane. I suspect it has something to do with being a sole Asian female travelling to LA...which is seriously WTF...this is why I HATE travelling to the STATES
- November 3, 2010 at 5:04 AM
how are you!This was a really quality blog!
I come from roma, I was luck to look for your topic in yahoo
Also I get much in your blog really thanks very much i will come daily
- November 10, 2010 at 6:42 AM
- Alan Chen said...
I like to share my horrible experience with one customer service counter in Terminal One Premium Check in Suite We are Australian passport holders. We booked our tickets from Singapore to Xiamen through Bravofly web site(http://www.bravofly.com.au/), it only allowed First name and last name to be entered. We were told at Singapore Airport that there is a special requirements regarding to middle name by Xiamen Airlines, the check in staff (from Premium Check in Suite) said that our middle names were required because we are Chinese. We were insulted by the comments made by the check in staff that middle name is not required for European, in particularly she mentioned that a Caucasian is not required to match middle name. Xiamen airlines has special requirements on middle name but its system refuses to change middle names for more than 4 characters.My wife's middle name contains 5 characters, so we were forced to purchase an additional costly ticket from Xiamen airline without any option and help from airport staff. We were warned by Xiamen Airline on the phone that ticket might be unavailable if we didn't pay for an additional ticket immediately. Xiamen airlines didn't accept international credit card payment, we will definitely miss the flight and stuck in the airport without payment from my relative from China. We felt helpless and under enormously pressure at airport. We travel regularly but this was the worst nightmare we ever had, it ruined our tour. Singapore Airport said they were following instructions from Xiamen Airlines. We suffered a total lost of CNY6134.00 plus enormous stress from this ordeal.
- May 19, 2015 at 3:06 AM


text:
|Home > Opinion > Article
Not so, it seems. Cheery news comes from NASA that there is something out there in the gaps called "dark energy", and it is a cosmic force that will keep the universe "expanding forever". This comes as such a relief. Why is it not on page one?
Mind you, the downside is that, after trillions of years, the stars are still going to go out and all that will be left will be black holes, which themselves are going to explode and leave nothing behind except the aforementioned dark energy. Perhaps it is not such good news after all.
Sometimes the good news lurks below a disquieting headline. On Monday, I see "Traffic blitz reaps alarming numbers" and I am about to skip straight to Nicole's chances in the Oscars when something in the side box catches my eye.
Here's the background. In a valiant effort to turn us into responsible drivers and at the same time raise a few bob for the state coffers, the police got out on the roads in force last week. They nabbed 973 offenders. And you think, "My goodness, that's terrible. No wonder the roads are unsafe with so many maniacs driving too fast".
Except, hang on a minute, of the 973 naughty road users only 18 were caught exceeding the speed limit. And seven of those were exceeding it by less than 10kmh.
OK, hands up all of those who were just lucky not to be caught doing between one and 10 Ks over the limit last week?
What were the other 955 malefactors doing to put their own and others' lives in peril? Well, 254 had "covered number plates", not-completely roadworthy vehicles or were riding their bicycles dangerously. How many of the cycling criminals were caught for not wearing a helmet or for cheekily scooting across a pedestrian crossing? It doesn't say.
In other words, what we have here is a good-news story. We have been cowed into keeping within the speed limits. Even a bunch of cops sent out specifically to look for speeders did not find many. Only 11 were done for exceeding the limit by more than 10kmh.
Naturally, the release of the figures was accompanied by a homily from the traffic management unit of Victoria Police. The man in charge says that "police would not tolerate motorists who put themselves and others at risk". Well, you know, it has never occurred to me that a car with an obscured number plate is a threat or that a cyclist without a helmet is doing anything but putting himself in peril.
The harping about wiping off five, and being conscripted to contribute to consolidated revenue, are as depressing as the cold death of the universe. But they have obviously worked. So why not bung the good news story at the top of page one? "Traffic blitz fizzes. Not many caught".
Printer friendly version Email to a friend
Also in Opinion
The moral doubts about 'peace'
Why the different rules for Howard and Crean?
No, abortions do not increase breast cancer risk
Melbourne's Games village is all wrong
The politics of Howard's war
Why the US should not lift the lid on Iraq
Allies boil over after two years of 'bullying'
America races to pay the wages of its holiday from history
The cost of the war could be dwarfed by the cost of the peace
Anti-war protests a reminder of political consequences of backing US
There is a third way on Iraq: let's give containment a chance
From Vietnam to Iraq, a tale of two protest movements
Four haunting questions about the coming war
Peace is no walk in the park
Can Howard's 'peace mission' stand against rising tide of anxiety and hostility?
Invitation to war... by default
Here it is, conclusive proof against Iraq
Where has all the money gone, Mr Treasurer?
First-strike call against North Korea shakes Japan
Breast cancer and abortion: the facts
Anti-war lobby must not be silenced by the smear
Nice little learners, but the check's on the male
The axis of weevils in the Apple's corps
Let's be up front about the good news
D-day approaches for Crean
Most viewed articles
From midnight AEST
|text | handheld (how to)
membership |
conditions |
Copyright © 2003 The Age Company Ltd
|advertise | contact us