text:
Inside and out, the University of North Florida is an award winner.
The University recently added a pair of prestigious acknowledgements to its ever-growing collection of honors.
The Student Union was recognized this month by the Florida Chapter of The American Institute of Architects (AIA Florida) as the best educational building and voted the top building in the state in a poll of architects. The public also voted UNF's Student Union as the No. 4 building overall in the state. It's the only Northeast Florida building in the top five. About 2.4 million votes were cast.
"We're thrilled to have been voted as the No. 1 educational facility in Florida and to be selected as the top pick by architects," said Zak Ovadia, director of UNF Campus Planning, Design and Construction. "It's also an honor to be among the buildings recognized by AIA as the top 100 buildings that have beneficially added to the unique architectural fabric of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida."
The Top 100 Buildings statewide online competition was launched in March, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of AIA Florida. The competition identified 100 structures across the state that represent the best in architectural achievement, a natural fit for UNF's Student Union.
Designed by Rink Design Partnership Inc., the $40.1 million, 150,000-square-foot glass-and-metal showstopper was completed in 2009.
UNF's aesthetic beauty isn't the only reason the University is a topic of conversation among national higher education ranking organizations.
The Princeton Review also selected UNF as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada. As part of a partnership between Princeton Review and the U.S. Green Building Council, the third annual Guide to Green Colleges profiles institutions that demonstrate a dedication to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation. This is UNF's second straight year on the list, and it's no wonder why.
The University's green building practices have become a priority campus initiative. Spearheaded by Ovadia, 100 percent of new construction on campus is either LEED-certified or pursuing certification. That includes the new Biological Sciences Building, which opened its doors earlier this year after coming in ahead of schedule and under budget, and the aforementioned Student Union.
UNF's sustainability research is also top-notch, as evidenced by the State of the River Report for the Lower St. Johns River Basin and the ongoing work of the thriving Coastal Biology Flagship Program.
These recent honors are no isolated incidents. UNF was also included on the Princeton Review top 75 "best value" public colleges and universities list from earlier this year, the fourth time the University has received the honor.
A full list of all the national awards the University has racked up are available online here.
A birds-eye view takes on new meaning after seeing the Osprey Flight Path in action.
Designed by a trio of University of North Florida students from Dr. Ching-Hua Chuan's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course, Osprey Flight Path is an expandable mobile application that allows its users to glide quickly and easily across campus.
Simply put, just about every inch of the main UNF campus is mapped out for users, showing the quickest routes between classrooms and other campus points. It's not publicly available yet, and it's only usable on a desktop computer at the moment, but plans are in place for mobile browser functionality.
The students — Erick Douglas, Marc Mazour and Nihar Goswami — said the project was designed with the entire campus community in mind.
Awestruck freshmen who were previously lost the moment they stepped outside their residence hall rooms can trek across the campus worry-free. Hurried adjuncts can map out how to get from car to class in record time.
It's as simple as typing in the soon-to-be web address, plotting your location and destination and following along.
"Applying theories from our coursework to the real world is what we set out to do," said Goswami, a senior computer science major.
"It's all about ease-of-use," said Douglas, a senior information technology major. "There wasn't a University application available like this, so we decided to make it ourselves."
That kind of forward-thinking and problem solving is what Chuan said she wants to instill in her students.
"Students learn best when they're taking real-world problems and designing their projects around applications that can solve those issues," she said. "Hands-on learning helps them get the experience they need to tackle those problems. That's what we try and teach at UNF, and that's what these students embraced."
Osprey Flight Path allows users to plot their starting building and the destination building into a user-friendly graphic interface. Considering Google Maps and other GPS devices aren't capable of mapping paths to and from on-campus buildings, students worked to refine available maps. They plotted node points and used those to determine the quickest ways to get from Point A to Point B.
Chuan already graded their work, but the students continue to toil away on Osprey Flight Path in their free time. Their work has evolved into a labor of love, and they want to see the project evolve into something bigger than a classroom assignment.
Lance Taylor, UNF's Chief Information Officer, commended the students on their application for pushing the envelope. And while it is exciting to be on the cutting edge of technology — especially when student-led — Taylor cautioned that all such programs, if they are to be supported long-term by the University, must go through the proper vetting channels to ensure we have the staff and infrastructure to support and relate it to other initiatives currently in progress.
The students have already started thinking of ideas for future iterations — a more streamlined interface, more data points for a better user experience. The ideas are endless.
And they've applied for one of the University SMART Grants, which are awarded to undergraduate students and their faculty mentors who are engaged in collaborative scholarly endeavors. They've also turned some heads at conferences.
The project won first place out of about 40 projects in UNF's 2011 School of Computing Student Symposium, and the students were invited to present in the 2nd Annual Florida Undergraduate Research Conference at Stetson University in March. Their work caught the eyes of dozens of event guests, including representatives from other colleges in the State University System who could be interested in adapting the Osprey Flight Path project for their own campuses.
"We spoke with people from UF [University of Florida] and FSU [Florida State University] about Flight Path, and they loved it," Mazour, a junior computer science major said. "There hasn't been something like this done at a lot of colleges. We're breaking some new ground, I guess."
When University of North Florida freshman Yuri Rodriguez moved to the United States from Colombia in 2007, he didn't speak a word of English.
He admits he was scared at first.
Being thrust into a new country with a foreign language while taking classes in an equally foreign education system would cause tremendous anxiety to anyone, much less a teenager.
That fear didn't last long.
Rodriguez blasted through English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes at Sandalwood High School as quickly as they were offered. By his sophomore year, Rodriguez was just about fluent.
Now a UNF psychology major, Rodriguez aspires to be a doctor. He credits his family and a dedicated cadre of teachers who pushed him to pursue his education, no matter how difficult it seemed at first.
"Some students might think they should give up when things get tough," he said. "But in my case, I had people supporting me through it all. Having that support is the key."
Rodriguez's story was the centerpiece of an April presentation by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, one of a national association of local education funds striving to to advance public school reform in low-income communities across our country, inside the Student Union Building.
Jax PEF's ONE in THREE exhibit, which includes pictures and stories of 20 current and former Duval County Public School students, was installed just outside UNF's Intercultural Center for PEACE office. It's a part of Jax PEF's ONE by ONE initiative, which aims to increase community engagement in public education in Duval County.
Oupa Seane, the center's director, said the Fund's ongoing push to involve the community in conversations about public education and student engagement is a core focus of his office, and of the University in general.
"A University's role is to be engaging the community on a fundamental level about the status of education, from young students to doctoral scholars," Seane said. "This is also what the Public Education Fund is doing — increasing the dialogue. Change can't start without a dialogue."
Rachael Tutwiler, a UNF grad and former Student Government president who now works as Jax PEF's manager for community engagement, said Jacksonville is at an educational tipping point.She said surveys indicate most residents care deeply about education in Duval County, but local K-12 public schools are facing greater challenges than ever before. That's where the Fund fits in, and that's why strategic partnerships with places such as UNF are key, she said."UNF was the first higher-education institution to engage us in a conversation about what we can do to help our students," Tutwiler said. "We've spoken with President (John A.) Delaney about how UNF can get involved, and we've opened a good dialogue about how we can benefit each other for the betterment of these students. They need a support system in place to keep them focused on school, and other people need to know about what some of these students go through to get an education. It means a lot when you look at it through the lens of a university. Students dream about getting a degree. And with the proper support in place, they can."Rodriguez said getting involved with Jax PEF's ONE in Three exhibit was a no-brainer. He is thankful for the opportunities he received and wants other students to know that they're not alone."I'm in a good place, going to a great school and pursuing a great future," he said. "It wasn't easy. But it can be done. All it takes is some help."
The University of North Florida is a judgment-free zone.
That culture of tolerance and acceptance even extends to a student's educational send-off, as evidenced by the recent Lavender Graduation.
The fourth annual event, sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center, honored eight recent and soon-to-be graduates for their academic accomplishments. Each of the graduates was acknowledged for their success in the classroom while overcoming the social and political stresses of being a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender college student or for being a dedicated ally of the LGBT community. Each graduate received a rainbow tassel for their cap and a certificate to symbolize their success.
Natalie Nguyen, program assistant for the Resource Office, said the event carries a special importance for UNF's LGBT community members, who are able to share their special memories from UNF with family, friends and other allies in a relaxed, stress-free environment.
"It's truly a celebration of all the good things about their time here at UNF," Nguyen said.
Ceremony attendees were treated to a banquet-style meal and a program that involved a brief history of the Lavender Graduation.
The first Lavender Graduation ceremony, which was created by UNF alumni Ronnie Sanlo, took place at the University of Michigan in 1995. Sanlo, who was then LGBT Campus Resource Center director at the college, used her own experiences as an LGBT graduate as a frame of reference for other similar students. She wanted to provide recognition for scholars who not only accomplished their academic goals but persevered through their collegiate years at a time when many academic environments weren't as accepting of LGBT students.
Sanlo, who is now director at the University of California, Los Angeles LGBT Resource Center, has helped introduce the Lavender Graduation at 59 different colleges, all of which are included on a list of the top 100 LGBT Friendly Colleges and Universities by The Advocate, an American LGBT-focused magazine.
The ceremony is wrapped in symbolism, even down to its name. Lavender, a combination of pink and purple, mixes symbols that were historically used against LGBT individuals.
It unifies the pink triangle that gay men were forced to wear in concentration camps and the black triangle forced onto lesbian political prisoners in Nazi Germany.
"It's yet another way of taking back symbols that were used to portray people from the LGBT community in a negative light," Nguyen said. "The Lavender Graduation is a way of creating another positive experience for students who in past years might not have received such support."
It's also another example of how UNF values and nurtures the diversity of its campus community.
For example, the majority of faculty, staff and students at UNF who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender report that the overall campus environment is accepting of them, according to a campus climate survey conducted in 2010.
The original survey, conducted in 2005, indicated only 16 percent of LGBT faculty and staff and 29 percent of LGBT students felt the campus environment was accepting. That survey was just one step in an overarching plan to promote on-campus acceptance through the establishment of an on-campus LGBT Resource Center. Two members of the Committee on Equity and Civility worked with a panel of 17 faculty, staff and students who identified as LGBT to make more than a dozen specific recommendations to improve the campus climate. Among them was to provide a full-time coordinator for the on-campus LGBT resource center, to increase the number of safe or welcoming places for LGBT students and to open UNF's curriculum to discussion and acknowledgment of sexual orientation.
Nguyen said the campus climate has evolved to the point that prospective LGBT scholars have begun to choose UNF specifically for its reputation for tolerance and acceptance.
"Just last week I was speaking with a student who choose UNF over any other state school because we have the LGBT Resource Center," Nguyen said. "That says a lot about the campus, and UNF as a whole."
University of North Florida staff members literally wrote the book on student affairs.
"Student Affairs for All Seasons and Reasons: Leadership by Example" is a collection of essays penned by about two-dozen directors from UNF's Division of Student Affairs. Published earlier this year by Administrator's Bookshelf, the text lists departmental best practices from UNF's wide-ranging Student Affairs program that can help enhance the college experience for students and other student affairs practitioners from other colleges.
Dr. Mauricio Gonzalez, vice president for Student and International Affairs, said the book was a labor of love put together by his staff during the past 2 1/2 years.
Gonzalez said he's carried with him the idea for a student affairs best practice book for years. It's even followed him through two stops at different colleges.
"I've thought about putting together a book dealing with best practices and future trends and changes in the world of student affairs, but it never quite came together at my previous universities," he said. "I believe it came down to personnel. But at UNF, our staff had the skill and desire to get it done. It was a tremendous group undertaking, and the idea truly worked here at UNF."
Gonzalez credited Dr. Annabel Brooks, director of the Institute for Values, Community and Leadership, with leading the charge to put together the text.
Brooks said she approached the book as a way to get better about pedagogy, or teaching how UNF Student Affairs operates. The main push to work on the book came around the same time as an accreditation analysis of the department, she said.
"Dr. Gonzalez and I both thought that was a good time to commit to writing our best practices, seeing as how we would be a major focus of that accreditation period," she said. "The experience clearly made us, as student affairs practitioners, more rigorous and more intentional about how we lead our departments."
The book is available online here or in the UNF Bookstore for $39.50. Sales go toward a Student Affairs scholarship fund for students.
Campus departments that want to enhance their social media presence should attend a discussion later this month led by an international expert.
Lida Citroën, an international reputation management expert, will present "Social Media: Hurt or Help?" to the University of North Florida community at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 17 in the Student Union Auditorium.
In this hour-long program, Citroën will delve into the power of social media to create, enhance and advance the professional reputation of the University, its work and the students and communities it supports.
"A member of the UNF Board of Trustees is bringing Citroën to Jacksonville to spend some time with his company," said Tom Serwatka, UNF vice president and chief of staff. "Thanks to his generosity, we are able to have this expert of national caliber join us on our campus to share her intellect and insight with us, all free-of-charge to UNF."
An accomplished speaker, author and adviser to CEOs, executives and businesses, Citroën captivates audiences with her empowering message about intentionally managing your brand and reputation to attract opportunities. For more than 20 years, Citroën has brought her unique, engaging and actionable techniques to clients, earning her international acclaim as an expert in reputation management and personal branding.
She is the author of the best selling book, Reputation 360: Creating power through personal branding, available in print and e-book format.
At UNF, she will discuss how to build a brand online, engage audiences online and manage the landmines that exist in social media. She will also talk about who should oversee the social media efforts of UNF and its various stakeholders.
The discussion is open to the whole of the University community, and there will be a time for questions from the audiences. Come ready to learn and ask questions of this world-renowned expert. If you'd like to attend, RSVP to Linda Mobley at extension 2125.
Four years ago, Clark and Jan Lindley didn't even know the University of North Florida existed. Today, they are two of UNF's biggest fans and are also enthusiastic supporters of the University's newest sport — women's golf.
In the process, they are illustrating how The Power of Transformation campaign changes the lives of students.
The Lindleys own and operate StoneField Bison Ranch, a small buffalo breeding operation in New Hampshire, as well as several insurance companies.
About five years ago, Clark introduced his wife to the game of golf while they were on a vacation to Ponte Vedra Beach. The couple played at the Sawgrass Country Club. The following year, the snowbirds returned to the area and Clark participated in the pro-am practice round of the John Hayt Golf Tournament hosted at Sawgrass.
"We were impressed with the professionalism and demeanor of the UNF students on the men's golf team," Clark said. "That piqued our interest in the University."
Men's Golf Coach Scott Schroeder made arrangements for the Lindleys to visit UNF.
In the intervening years, they became more and more familiar with UNF and were impressed with what they saw. During a campus tour, they became aware of the University's plan to launch a NCAA Division I women's golf program in the 2012-13 season.
"We've always been interested in getting involved in the early stages of new programs," Clark said. "In this case, we fell in love with the University and the students."
The love affair was larger than the golf program or even Athletics. Jan explained they immediately noticed a difference on the UNF campus. "It was a combination of factors," she said. "The campus was attractive and free of graffiti, and we really enjoyed the interaction with students. The students greeted us warmly, and there was a sense of hospitality. We are alumni of four different colleges, and we found ourselves deciding to support UNF."
The Lindleys were so enthusiastic they decided to begin a scholarship for the golf team with a special emphasis on endeavoring to bring students from the New England area to play golf at UNF.
With out-of-state tuition rates significantly higher, Joanne Steele, the coach of UNF's new women's golf team, is very appreciative of the assistance. Steele has been actively involved in recruiting players for the first team, which begins tournament competition in October. Steele has already recruited her first class of six students-athletes who she'll lead into the inaugural season.
"Whenever you are starting a new Division I team, it is essential to have a core of strong supporters who can help with the myriad expenses," Steele said. "The Lindleys are among the earliest supporters of our team. Their financial assistance is greatly appreciated."
Although the Lindley's donation of $20,000 is primarily for scholarships, the gift gives UNF Athletics the opportunity to reallocate other funds for a campus renovation project. Specifically, two rooms in the Hayt Golf Learning Center, which had been used for biology projects, will be renovated for a locker room and meeting room for the women's team. The biology lab has since moved to the new Biological Sciences Building. The goal is to have at least the locker room renovated in time for the start of the new golf season this fall.
The Lindleys are also lending their support for the women's golf program while wintering in Florida. They have met with several community leaders who share their interest in developing the program as well as a few LPGA Tour participants.
"We believe in strong academic standards," Clark said. "And UNF students exhibit the strong traditional values we believe in. We also know that golf is a wonderful way to round out a college education so these young people can be good stewards for the future of our country."
The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, a cultural resource of the University of North Florida, explores one of the grooviest decades in contemporary art with its latest exhibition, ReFocus: Art of the 1970s, on display until Sunday, Aug. 26.
MOCA will examine the "Me Decade" that gave rise to photorealism, earthworks and conceptual art and expanded the boundaries of abstract painting, video, performance and installation Art.
As the 1970s dawned, American society was still reeling from the political and social upheavals of the 1960s and the artistic explosions that accompanied them. Artists and their public alike were experiencing a period of freedom and taboo-breaking unprecedented in American history. When the smoke cleared, there seemed to be little left that artists hadn't tried and audiences hadn't seen.
"Art during the 1970s became defined by fragmentation of artists and their audiences, the retreat from collective movements in favor of personal statements, and the desire to create new art forms by fusing existing forms, as well as stepping outside the confines of museums or galleries," said Dr. Marcelle Polednik, director of MOCA.
In the wake of the artistic innovations of the 1960s, movements and art forms that had seemed groundbreaking or revolutionary played themselves out. Exhausted by the revolutionary changes of the 1960s and disillusioned by the implosion of their Utopian ideals, artists rejected statements as irrelevant and instead concentrated on personal artistic goals. Still others, and much of the art audience at large, took refuge in nostalgia, seeking comfort in images that reflected the lost innocence of a pre-1960s America, she said.
Whatever they embraced, many artists sensed that reaching a single mass audience was increasingly unlikely — or even undesirable — and that their commercial appeal, especially in the face of the nation's economic setbacks, was limited.
The age of the artist as superstar seemed over. Unlike the 1950s and 1960s, which produced many celebrities in art, the 1970s progressed with the majority of its biggest talents working far from the mainstream and appreciated by a select — usually underground — audience.
In addition to the exhibition, ReFocus: Art of the 1970s includes substantial public programs that further the educational goals of the project. From lectures about art, history and culture to in-gallery tours; from free brochures to on-line content and audio guides, visitors to MOCA will have numerous opportunities to explore this significant period in greater depth and richness. The public program schedule includes:
LECTURE: "Picture This: The Art of Photorealism"
7 p.m., Thursday, May 17
Join MOCA Director Dr. Marcelle Polednik for a discussion of the history, process and context of photorealism, including emphasis on prominent artists such as Richard Estes, Chuck Close and Robert Bechtle.
FILM: !Women Art Revolution
7 p.m., Thursday, June 21
The film details major developments in women's art of the 1970s, including the first feminist art education programs, political organizations and protests, alternative art spaces and exhibitions.
FILM: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
8 p.m. and midnight, Saturday, July 28
Join us for one of the defining cultural experiences of the 1970s — a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, accompanied by an on-stage re-enactment by The 5 & Dime Players. Audience participation is welcomed.
FILM: "Running Fence"
7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 16
Running Fence depicts the long struggle by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude to build a 24-mile fence of white fabric over the hills of California disappearing into the Pacific.
MOCA is expanding the exhibition experience beyond the art through a special partnership with the Jacksonville Public Library. From books by Tom Wolfe to music by The Ramones, plus films and other materials, the art, artists and culture from the '70s come to life. Check out the Pop Culture Universe database, special monthly programming, a selection of books, music and movies by decade and more at www.jaxpubliclibrary.org/moca.
For more information about ReFocus: Art of the 1970s and its related activities, visit mocajacksonville.unf.edu or call MOCA at (904) 366-6911.
Wellness is a serious focus for the students and faculty of the University of North Florida's Brooks College of Health.
To test that dedication to health, the college recently organized an Olympics-style competition pitting academic programs against each other.
Students and faculty competed in the college's own versions of Olympics events that ranged from the fun — cornhole, water balloon tossing, Frisbee and an obstacle course — to the more intense — push-up contests and sprints. The teams also competed in a few soccer matches.
Dr. Pam Chally, dean of the Brooks College of Health, said the event was a way to put action behind the college's academic focus on overall wellness.
"We teach our students in the classroom the fundamentals of healthy living," Chally said. "So it only makes sense to put that into action in the real world."
The athletic training program team took home the Brooks Olympics gold medal, followed by physical therapy with silver and exercise science with bronze.
And as noted in a follow-up e-mail from the college, no one was injured and no bones were broken, not even among the faculty participants.
Department: Small Business Development Center
Job title: Director of Marketing
What do you do?
I oversee all marketing for the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which covers 18 counties in Northeast Florida. It is my job to make sure everyone knows the SBDC provides potential and existing business owners with consulting and training in all aspects of business management and growth and that we are located here at UNF.
Years at UNF: Eight
What is the proudest/happiest moment of your life?
I'm actually proud of the fact that I have lived on my own since I was 18. I paid for my entire undergrad education and living expenses. I had two concurrent jobs, and I still finished in four years with a high GPA. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, and I was thrilled when it was over!
Tell us about your family. My husband, Jeff, and I have been married for 12 years. We have two children — Grace, 10, and Matthew, 6. We are constantly on the go, attending dance competitions, soccer games, Cub Scout meetings and piano practice. We enjoy trips down to Disney World as often as possible.
What is your favorite thing about working at UNF?
I love those with whom I work with and the part we are playing in strengthening the economy through small business.
If you could choose any other career, what would it be and why?
I have always wanted to be a librarian.
What would you like to do when you retire?
Travel in the summers and work part-time the rest of the year in Disney World.
What is the best thing you ever won?
Bingo and a slot machine jackpot on the same night on a cruise.
If you won the lottery, what would do with the money?
Invest, invest, invest! I would also welcome the opportunity to financially support the arts and conservation efforts.
If you were not working at UNF, what would you be doing? Working for Disney. See any patterns here?
What is your favorite way to blow an hour?
Reading in the hammock in my backyard.
What was the best money you ever spent?
Annual passes to Disney World. We've had them for 10 years and my family loves every minute we spend there.
Tell us something that would surprise people to know about you: I minored in piano performance and sang in a vocal jazz group in college.
What was the first concert you ever attended, and what was the most recent concert you attended?
For my first concert, I went to see Debbie Gibson at Metro Park. Last fall, I saw Richard Marx, and I just bought tickets to see Dave Matthews in July!
What person had the greatest impact on your life?
My husband. Just because he makes me happy.
What are you most passionate about? My family.
Who is the most famous person you ever met?
I've met four different Miss Americas.
What do you hope to accomplish that you have not done yet?
I am a horrible cook. It might be nice to learn how to make more than spaghetti and crockpot dishes!
Last book read: The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
Brooks College of Health
Clinical and Applied Movement Sciences: Dr. James Churilla had a manuscript titled "An Evidence-Based Review of Exercise and Metabolic Syndrome" published in the Journal of Clinical Exercise Physiology.
Beth Dibble, assistant director for Admissions for Nursing and Physical Therapy, graduated April 27 from UNF with a master's degree in criminal justice and 4.00 GPA. She will begin her Ph.D in Public Safety with Capella University in July.
Public Health: In March 2012, Drs. Michelle Moore, Elissa Barr and Tammie Johnson presented "The relationship between middle school student sexual behaviors and alcohol and tobacco use" at the American Academy of Health Behavior Annual Meeting in Austin.
BCH Academic Advisers: Dwayne Peterson, Miwa Nguyen and Debbie Kochanowski presented at the regional conference for the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) in Miami this past March. Their presentation addressed limited access programs and supporting students who are denied admission by examining the paradox between retention goals and demand for academic programs with limited availability.
Awards: Dr. Pamela Chally, dean of the Brooks College of Health, announced that three faculty members from BCH have won University Awards. Dr. Tes Tuason won an Outstanding Faculty Scholarship, Dr. Michelle Boling won an Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award and Dr. Barbara Olinzock won Outstanding Faculty Service.
Also, Drs. Shana Harrington, assistant professor of Physical Therapy and Julie Merten, instructor and Internship Director in the Department of Public Health, were both recognized in April 2012 by Jacksonville Business Journal as two of the "Top 40 Leaders under the Age of 40" for their individual efforts, determination and successes.
Coggin College of Business
Economics and Geography: Drs. Sharon Cobb and Christopher Johnson received the 2011-2012 Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award. The awards will be formally presented at the 2012 Fall Convocation.
Management: Diane Denslow co-authored anarticle titled, "Purchasing and Supply Management Sustainability: Drivers and Barriers" that was accepted for publication in the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management.
Dr. Steve Paulson is co-author on a paper that was accepted for publication by the Global Business and Economics Review titled, "The Globalization of Business Activity: Structures, Processes and Prospects for the Demise of Postmodernism."
Dr. Jay Coleman was awarded the 2011-2012 Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award and Dr. Paul Fadil was awarded the 2011-2012 Outstanding Faculty Scholarship Award. Both awards will be formally presented at the 2012 Fall Convocation.
Marketing & Logistics:
Dr. A.C. "Josh" Samli is presenting his paper titled, "Marketing of Marketing in a Marketing Economy" at the American Marketing Society Conference. The conference is called "Marketing Controversy" and was organized by Samli. It will take place in New Orleans in mid-May.
College of Arts & Sciences
Chemisty: Dr. Michael W. Lufaso, in collaboration with undergraduate student Kathryn Mince and others, published "Relaxations in Ba2BiTaO6 ceramics investigated by impedance and electric modulus spectroscopies" in Materials Research Bulletin.
In March Dr. Christos Lampropoulos and his student, Chad A. McDaniel, presented the poster "Single-Molecule Magnets: An Investigation of the Dimensionality-Structure Relationship" at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference at Stetson. He also presented, with students Hunter Douglas and Christopher D. Haun, the poster "Single-Molecule Magnets: A Playground for Magnetochemists, Physicists, and Spectroscopists" at the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry in Orlando. He was invited to speak on integrating technology into educational practices at the Mastering Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Criminology and Criminal Justice: Drs. Michael Hallett and Daniel Pontzer, published "No Peace Dividend for Duval? Posing Questions about Jacksonville's Punitive Civic Infrastructure" in the Smart Justice Journal. It's online here.
Mark Ari gave a talk, "The Wink of Immediacy," in a workshop on Flash Fiction at the Douglas Anderson Writers' Festival at UNF. He also conducted an interview with Margaret Atwood.
Nicholas de Villiers presented a paper, "RuPaul's Drag Race as Meta-Reality Television" at the Northeast Modern Language Association conference in Rochester, NY.
Dr. Chris Gabbard presented a paper, "A Race of Changelings: Swift's Yahoos as Mentally Disabled Other," as part of "Literary and Artistic Representations of the 'Other' in France and England" at the Southeastern American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies annual conference in Atlanta.
Linda Howell presented a paper, "Crack in the Classroom: Absurd Fan Productions, Hybridity, and an Ethics of Anti-Process," at 4Cs, the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication in St. Louis, Mo.
Sam Kimball presented a paper, "Evolutionary Psychology (Deconstructed) and the Constitutive Limits of What can be Taught about Writing," at 4Cs, the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication" in St. Louis, Mo.
Dr. Clark Lunberry gave a paper titled "Suspicious Silence: Walking Out on John Cage," at the conference, "(An) Aesthetics of Absence," at the University of Toronto. He also installed his "Writing on Air" artwork at the conference.
Languages, Literatures and Cultures: Dr. Renee S. Scott presented the paper "Food and Identity in Latino Literature in the United States" at the International Conference on Hispanic Literatures in Cuzco, Peru in March.
Dr. Gregory Helmick presented a paper — "Representación del músico afroboricua y versiones de negritud en Maldito amor (Ferré) y_El entierro de Cortijo (Rodríguez-Juliá)"— in San Juan, Puerto Rico in March at the Negritud: International Conference of Afro-Latin American Studies.
Dr. Nuria Ibáñez-Quintana gave a presentation "Sabina Berman, Águila o sol: A propósito de Malinche" at the International Symposium of Hispanic Literature at California State University at Dominguez Hills in Los Angeles in March.
Dennis Marks played a three-city tour with Grammy award winner Arturo Sandoval throughout Ontario, Canada March 2–4.
Dr. Nick Curry played as a featured soloist with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in the Jacksonville Arena in December and joined the group again in March for a concert in Tallahassee. He presented on "Practicing Intonation on a String Instrument" at the College Music Society's regional conference in February and presented on "Recruiting Basics for College Educators" at the American String Teachers Associations national conference in March. He was invited to play the cello for the filming of the finale of Oprah Winfrey's TV show.
Philosophy and Religion: Dr. Julie Ingersoll presented a paper, "Christian Reconstructionism: Biblical Law in Contemporary America," at The College of Charleston in Charleston in March.
Dr. Sarah Mattice published "Drinking to Get Drunk: Pleasure, Creativity, and Social Harmony in Ancient Greece and China," in Comparative and Continental Philosophy Journal. She also published "Confucian Ethics in the 21st Century: A Comment on Roger Ames' Confucian Role Ethics," in Frontiers of Philosophy in China. She presented a paper, "On the Possibility of Non-Combative Oppositionality: Chinese Philosophy of War, Dharma Combat, and Compassionate Conversations," at the Comparative and Continental Philosophy Circle conference in San Diego in March.
Physics: Dr. Lev Gasparov received $7,500 from the National Science Foundation for his ongoing NSF grant "RUI: Optical Studies of Magnetic, Charge, and Orbital Ordering in Lone-Pair Compounds and Magnetite."
Political Science and Public Administration: Dr. Georgette Dumont presented a paper on "Nonprofits and Social Media: Applying SROI to New Technologies" at the American Society for Public Administration annual conference in Las Vegas in March. She presented a paper, "Understanding the Relationship Between Nonprofits and Social Media in Duval County, FL" at the Florida Political Science Association annual conference in Tampa Bay in March.
Dr. George Candler presented, "O estudo da ciência administrativa fora do 'centro': a luta universal contra a colonizaçao epistemológica, e para a assimilação crítica" at the II Colóquio de Epistemologia e Sociologia da Ciência da Administração in Brazil in March.
Dr. Natasha Christie presented a paper "Felon-Collateral Consequences: An Old Tool with a New Name," at the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.
Dr. Matthew Corrigan presented the paper: "Jeb Bush and the Conservative Movement in America" at the Symposium of Southern Politics in Charleston in March.
Sociology and Anthropology: Dr. Ronald Lukens-Bull presented his paper, "The Politicization of the 'Apolitical:' Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia" as part of the panel he organized, Indonesian Politics by Other Means: The Distribution and Manipulation of Power Outside Elections at the Association of Asian Studies annual meetings in Toronto in March.
Dr. Jenny Stuber was invited by the DePauw University sociology faculty to talk with advanced sociology and women's studies students about her book, Inside the College Gates, and its findings concerning gender and social class inequalities within higher education.
Dr. Aleksandra Millicevic made a presentation entitled "Occupy Movement and Social Inequalities" at the 12th Annual International Business Research Conference, organized by the Coggin College of Business from UNF, and The School of Management from Warsaw University. He was a member of the panel on economic inequality and its impact on business.
College of Computing, Engineering & Construction
Computing: Dr. Ching-Hua Chuan served as a reviewer for the 50th ACM Southeast Conference in Tuscaloosa, Ala. from March 29 though 31. Also, SoC students Erick Douglas, Marc Mazour and Nihar Goswami, advised Chuan, presented their project "Osprey Flight Path: A Mobile Guiding Application on Campus," in the 2nd Annual Florida Undergraduate Research Conference at Stetson University March 16 and 17.
Dr. Bob Roggio was elected to a five-year term on the executive council of Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the international computing sciences honor society. He was also selected to participate as an accreditation team member for the Distance Education Training Council in Washington, D.C.
Construction Management: Dr. David Lambert was appointed to the "Green Infrastructure" Planning Committee of the Northeast Florida Regional Council, the primary regional planning agency. Lambert will lead an effort to map out green infrastructure and coordinate cooperation between this effort and the ongoing project, "Jacksonville Green Map," which is sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Chapter and funded by the JEA Conservation Office. Lambert also serves on the Emergency Preparation Planning Committee. These committees provide citizen input to the First Coast Vision, long-term regional planning process involving seven NE Florida counties.
College of Education & Human Services
Childhood Education: Dr. Christine Weber has served as a guest editor for the January 2012 issue of Gifted Child Today. She has also published two articles in the journal, "Teacher professionalism" and "A lack of awareness and emphasis in pre-service teacher training experiences: Preconceived beliefs about the gifted and talented."
Dr. Nile Stanley and Yue Meng, a Chinese graduate technology education exchange student, have published an article titled, "Recognizing the Learner: the Effect of Culture on the Learning Process" in the March issue of Language Magazine. It can be viewed online here.Also, Nilehas been invited as a visiting scholar to teach a graduate seminar on learning theory this summer at Shaanxi Normal University, X'ian, in China.
Dr. John Ouyang presented, "Development and Issues of Open Universities in China: A statistical perspective" at the 23rd International Annual Conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education conference in Austin March 5-9.
In March, Dr. Katie Monnin's "Katie's Korner" on Action News focused on summer beach reading and writing for you and your family. The video clip is online here. Also on Action News, Monnin talked about the reading phenomenon "The Hunger Games." The video clip is online here. She also presented to a university-wide audience at the UNF's Carpenter Library on "Why all Educators Should Care About Teaching Comics and Graphic Novels." In June, Monnin will lead an elementary-based summer camp about the values of teaching and reading with graphic novels at the Discovery Montessori school. She is also helping to form an after-school reading group with comics and graphic novels at Discovery, as well.
Leadership, School Counseling & Sport Management: "Sport Branding: From Linsanity to The PGA Tour" was presented by Drs. Jason Lee and Kristi Sweeney from the UNF Sport Management program along with Ric Clarson, vice president of marketing development for the PGA TOUR at the Sport Management and Medicine Conference at Jacksonville University April 11. Drs. Lee and Sweeney will also be presenting two sessions at the 2012 Alabama State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance Spring Conference. The sessions are titled: "Movies as Motivators: Facilitating Learning through Film" and "Made You Look — ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue: Diversity, Body Image and Beyond."
Office of Educational Field Experiences: In March, Drs. Susan Syverud, Gina Gannon and Debbie Reed from the Department of Exceptional, Deaf and Interpreter Education,along withDr. Stacy (Keller) Boote from the Department of Childhood Education, Literacy, and TESOL, and Maria Ramdas and Christie Stevenson from the Office of Educational Field Experiences went to Las Vegas to present at the National Association of Professional Development Schools Conference. Their presentation was titled, "A Continuum of Clinical Preparation: The Urban Professional Development School Model of the University of North Florida." Dr. Susan Syverud and graduate researcher Gina Gannon also gave a presentation at the same conference titled, "Urban Professional Development School Partners Impacting Early Literacy Achievement."
Milestone anniversaries
Congratulations to the following employees who will celebrate a milestone anniversary at UNF in May:
30 years
Shawn Brayton, Director of Academic Support Services, Academic Affairs
25 years
Mary Bowen, Admissions Evaluator, Enrollment Services Processing Office
William McSherry, Director IT Enterprise Systems, Enterprise Systems
Karen Reedy, Director of Academic Support Services, Academic Center for Excellence
20 years
Nancy Boyle, Assistant Director of Research Program Services, Small Business Development Center
15 years
Angela Lee, Senior Accounts Payable Receiving Representative, Controller
Keith Martin, Associate Director, College of Arts and Sciences Advising
Laurel Kendall, Director of Student Government, Student Life10 years Heather Moore, Coordinator of Academic Support Services, Office of Academic Testing
Five years
Andrew Davis, Senior Store/Receiving Clerk, Purchasing
Probyn Inniss, Coordinator of Admissions, Enrollment Services
Cedric Lewis, Adjunct, Accounting & Finance
Nina Smith, Instructor, Nursing
April Grayson, Accounts Payable Receiving Associate, Controller
Tracey Luke, Office Assistant, Admissions
Martina Perry, Coordinator of Academic Support Services, Undergraduate Studies
Corey Wright, Custodial Worker, University Housing
Larry Miller, IT Support Tech, Training & Services Institute
Lauren Newton, Assistant University Librarian, Library
Cherisse Sumner, Human Resources Specialist, Human Resources
Marlene Tokpa, Recycle Refuse Worker, Physical FacilitiesWelcome The following employees were either hired by UNF or were promoted from OPS positions since March 15:Cynthia Bennett, Administrative Secretary, SG Business & Accounting Office
Margaret Clements, Senior Adviser, Academic Center for Excellence
Lori Frederick, Coordinator, Continuing Education Non-Credit
Cristina Helbling, Coordinator, Academic Support Services, Honors Program
Kevin Hulen, Coordinator, Instructional Design, Center For Instruction & Research
Caitlin Jaeger, Coordinator of Academic Support, Undergraduate and International Programs
Eva Skipper, Technical Support Specialist, Enrollment Services
Iryna Tsimokh, Grants Assistant, Continuing Education Non-Credit
Corey Williams, Academic Adviser, Academic Center for Excellence
Great job
The following employees were promoted in late-March or early-April.Jeffrey Rommel, Psychologist, Counseling Center
Jessica Soto, Program Assistant, University Housing
Wendy Zongker, Assistant Director, Academic Support Services, One-Stop Student ServicesGoodbye Heartfelt well wishes in their new endeavors for the following employees, who left UNF from mid-March to late-March: Elizabeth Brown, Office Manager, Sociology and Anthropology
Karna Gurung, Senior Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities
Sungho Kim, Research Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering
Lordver Nunez, Custodial Worker, Custodial Services
Victoria Stanton, University Librarian, Library
Lauren Tallier, who works in Student Financial Aid, and her husband, Richard, welcomed their daughter, Clara Doris Tallier, Dec. 25, 2011.
Monitored measurements are a key to exercising effectively. These measurements allow you to keep an eye on your performance, so you can make adjustments if needed.
Measurements are everywhere — from grades on school assignments, to annual performance evaluations at work — so it makes sense to keep tabs on your exercises. To get the results you want, you need to know how hard you are working and if you are training at the right intensity. If you're training your cardiovascular system, it is best to measure your heart rate. The faster your heart is beating, the greater the intensity of the activity. Advances in technology have made heart-rate monitors easy to find and far more affordable than they were 10 years ago. Use a heart rate-monitor to help ensure you are exercising at an adequate pace. Measuring your heart rate provides you with a window into your cardiovascular system, so you can see how it is responding. Don't waste your time training at an inappropriate intensity. Measure your heart rate during any form of cardiovascular training to assure your training gets an A+ each time.
To read more about how to stay healthy on campus, click here.
Healthy Osprey is designed to provide solid advice on how to become more healthy at work and at home. Shelly Purser, director of Health Promotions, and Mike Kennedy, assistant director of Health Promotions, will write a different article each month that will focus on some aspect of health and wellness.
Healthy Osprey is a collaboration of students, faculty and staff working together to foster a University community that embraces the development of a healthy body, mind and spirit. The purpose of the Healthy Osprey initiative is to assess and respond to the needs of the UNF community to create and maintain a healthy environment, which will enhance the holistic student experience. For more information, contact Shelly Purser at email@example.com.
Barley is one of the world's major grains. Dr. Judith Rodriguez, registered dietitian and chair of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program, discusses barley, a good source of fiber that is also low in fat and cholesterol free. Barley is most often used in soups and stews, but it can also be used to make barley bread and be added to many dishes. To help you use it in your diet, a recipe is provided.
Barley is only good food for horses and cows.
Fact: Barley is a cereal grain that serves as food for both humans as well as animal feed and is also used to make malt (for beer). In the U.S., it's more commonly used as feed, but barley can still be a valuable component to a healthy diet. Barley is a staple in some Europeans and Middle Eastern cuisines and has a slightly sweet earthy flavor and chewy texture.
Barley is gluten-free.
Fact: Although barley is lower in gluten than wheat, it does contain gluten — about 5 to 8 percent. Persons who are concerned about gluten or allergic to gluten should consult their physician and Registered Dietitian.
Pearl barley is a whole grain.
Fact: Barley that has only had the outer husk removed and has been minimally processed is considered the whole grain barley. It's also known as hulled barley and it contains the endosperm, germ and bran. Pearl barley is not "whole grain barley." Pearl barley has had the inedible outer hull and bran removed and has been polished. Pearl barley is available as medium, fine or baby pearl kernels, flaked, cut (grits) or cut or ground (flour).
Barley isn't as good a source of fiber as wheat.
Fact: Pearl barley is a great source of fiber and contains more fiber than wheat.
Barley isn't an important grain.
Fact: Barley is one of the major and most ancient cereals — wheat, barley, rice and maize have been used by humans for many years, and barley has had great significance in Middle Eastern and European cuisine. Barley has been found in the remains of Stone Age cakes and was part of the food of gladiators.
Barley Salad
2 cups chopped raw broccoli flowerets
1 cup barley, pearled, cooked
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons walnut or olive oil
1 tsp. fresh dill or ½ tsp. dried dill (optional)
Salt to taste
Sauté all ingredients in a pan. Serve hot or cold. For a lower-calorie dish, decrease walnuts and oil by half. You may also use cooked hulled or quick-cooking barley instead of pearl barley. Serves 8.
½ cup serving: calories per person 170; CHO 9 grams; Fiber 2 grams; Fat 14 grams; Protein 3 grams
The Goods is a monthly column about food myths and facts by faculty members in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program and runs in The Florida Times-Union's "Taste" section. Have a question about barley? Contact Dr. Rodriguez at


text:
Pro 1000 Hi Viz Wheel Light Charging KitNow includes LunaGLO Rim Tape + Tape Applicator Tool! Whether you want a unique cutting edge visual effect for your ride, or you want th...$124.99 to $179.99
LunaGLO Tape Applicator ToolHandy LunaGLO Tape Applicator Tool provides a quicker and more consistent application of LunaGLO Tape. While the LERtape can be ap...$4.95

subset: commoncrawl


text:
12 Dead In Shooting At Paris Offices Of Satirical Magazine
#1 clutch
- Senior Members
- 4,705 posts
- Gender:Male
Posted 07 January 2015 - 11:51 PM
PARIS: Hooded gunmen stormed the Paris offices of a weekly satirical magazine, killing at least 12 people, including two police officers in the worst militant attack on French soil in recent decades.
Charlie Hebdo (Charlie Weekly) is well known for courting controversy with satirical attacks on political and religious leaders.
Two assailants were captured on video calmly leaving the scene after the shooting. A police union official said the assailants remained at liberty and there were fears of further attacks.
France Info radio said police had confirmed 10 injured. Police informed Reuters that of the 10 wounded, five were injured critically. The news channel quoted a witness as saying he saw the incident from a building nearby in the heart of the French capital.
Some of the best-known cartoonists in France were among the 12 killed when gunmen stormed the office, AFP reported a judicial source as saying.
Editor-in-chief Stephane Charbonnier, known as Charb, and the cartoonists known as Cabu, Tignous and Wolinski were among those killed.
This is a terrorist attack, there is no doubt about it, President Francois Hollande told reporters after rushing to the scene of the attack.
An act of indescribable barbarity has just been committed today in Paris, he said.
Measures have been taken to find those responsible, they will be hunted for as long as it takes to catch them and bring them to justice.
His government raised France's security level to the highest notch and scheduled an emergency cabinet meeting.
International condemnation
US President Barack Obama condemned the terrorist attack and pledged US assistance.
We are in touch with French officials and I have directed my administration to provide any assistance needed to help bring these terrorists to justice, he said.
For us to see the kind of cowardly, evil attacks that took place today, I think, reinforces once again why it's so important for us to stand in solidarity with them, just as they stand in solidarity with us.
The fact that this was an attack on journalists, attack on our free press, also underscores the degree to which these terrorists fear freedom, of speech and freedom of the press, he added.
British Prime Minister David Cameron described the attack as sickening.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel also condemned the despicable attack in a condolence letter to President Hollande.
I was shocked to learn of the despicable attack on the newspaper in Paris, the German leader wrote.
It is also an attack on freedom of expression and the press, a key component of our free democratic culture, which cannot be justified, she added.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country condemned all forms of terror, but said terrorism and increasing Islamophobia in Europe were interconnected.
We must fight against increasing racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia in Europe which threaten all our values. We must also fight against any form of terrorism, he said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi condemned the deadly attack and said that it highlighted the need to close ranks against militants, AFP reported.
This terrorist attack (is) condemned by Iraq, which has suffered greatly at the hands of terrorist groups, Abadi said in a statement.
This confirms that terrorism threatens all the countries of the world, and not Iraq alone, he said, calling for concerted efforts of the international community in fighting it.
Qatar also expressed strong condemnation of the attack in Paris.
Such acts that target unarmed civilians contradict all principles and moral and human values, Qatar's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Arab League and Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's most prestigious centre of learning, both condemned the deadly attack as well.
Al-Azhar condemned the criminal attack, saying that Islam denounces any violence, in remarks carried by Egypt's state news agency MENA.
In a separate statement to AFP, Al-Azhar senior official Abbas Shoman said the institution does not approve of using violence even if it was in response to an offence committed against sacred Muslim sentiments.
Eyewitness accounts
The Telegraph quoted a broadcast journalist with Europe1 News as saying, "Several men in black cagoules were heard to shout 'the Prophet has been avenged'."
Earlier on, the Guardian in it its live updates quoted its reporter as saying: "The journalist Martin Boudot, from the Premières Lignes agency, has posted this video from the roof of a building situated close to the Charlie Hebdo building. we can hear gunshots and voices who cry Allahu akbar."
About a half an hour ago two black-hooded men entered the building with Kalashnikovs (guns), Benoit Bringer told the station. A few minutes later we heard lots of shots, he said, adding that the men were then seen fleeing the building.
Everybody is entitled to my opinion!
"Some of you may die, but that's a sacrifice I am willing to make." -- Lord Farquaad, "Shrek"
`Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich.'
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary idea! G.Orwell
#2 platinum786
- +Senior Moderator
- 26,664 posts
- Gender:Male
- Location:UK
Posted 08 January 2015 - 04:31 AM
Having said that when you play with fire you risk getting burnt. Everyone has a right to offend, but nobody should be surprised when that offensive action causes actual offense. To be offensive is not a shortcoming of the persons you are offending but rather a shortcoming in yourself. It shows a lack of respect.
A lot of people today are hiding behind freedom of speech, yet we all know that this is not unlimited. For example you cannot use speech to entice violence (unless hidden behind the cloak of political legitimacy), across most of europe holocaust denial is a crime. There are clearly limits to freedom of speech, they simply don't extend to cover the sensitivities of Muslims, children of a lesser god, people seen on imperial Europe as uncivilised lesser beings.
I won't justify murder as an appropriate reaction to offending Muslims, now let Europe do us the honour of dropping the facade of innocence in this event. This magazine and similar publications deliberately set out to hurt the sentiments of those they don't consider worthy of an equal status in society. They knew that there was nothing that anyone could do about it. Well until someone obviously over reacted.
-=-=-=-=Faith, Unity, Discipline-=-=-=-=
Kashmir is the jugular Vein of Pakistan and no nation
or country would tolerate its jugular vein remains
under the sword of the enemy. -Muhammed Ali Jinnah
These eye's do not wander in lust, for my
queen of hearts has graced them with love.
"We gave our today for your tommorrow ".
#3 butterfly
- Senior Members
- 3,584 posts
- Gender:Male
Posted 08 January 2015 - 06:42 AM
Now 12 dead, 11 injured and countless arrested. For what? The rights of a handfull to offend billions. They talk of democracy. Well in a democracy the rights of the many outweigh the few. Still was it right to kill them. I think not.
#4 warhead
- Full Members
- 726 posts
- Interests:missiles, secret stuff, nasty devices
Posted 08 January 2015 - 11:27 AM
a terror attack was awaited from isis or alquada and now the question is how it was not prevented. It was a gunfight not a sudden kill hard to detect suicide bomb attack. also there are cctv cameras all over the city howcome the terrorists were not detected before and after the attack and get caught immediately if not prevented the attack beforehand. this should be found out to prevent further attacks.
Also if some seats are not lost from whom are responsible to track the cctv cameras etc. then there is more to suspect.
There would be several implications of this one obvious result would be far right against muslims would get more excuses to gain more free hand in western countries.
The other one can be the main reason that usa would benefit. France recently voiced concerns about stopping the sanctions against Russia in ukraine crisis. After this attack france can also take a more aligned position with Russia in Syria case. This would make france a perfect candidate for a new good cop bad cop drama to demand things from Russia to lift the sanctions and everything back to normal like for example in Iran nuclear negotiations which is usa long term strategy for a future nato operation or in similar areas.
-If you have faith and put resistance-hard work to it like defending your people or finding a scientific breakthrough then you channel down blessings the more you put resistance-work. If they believe in lies and covering truth then they put resistance for it work for it and cover truth by darkness and lies. The choice is given to us and thus the responsibility.
- Everything is from Allah. There is no other source of power and all causes are from Allah. This way you don't fall into theist or pantheist fatalism immobilising you.
- Submission, acceptance, let go of the roadblocks that we are sticking to the ego,fears,doubts etc.
We are in a constant war with our nefsh and eventualy we will experience death, the ego what we attach to will inevitably be gone whether we want it or not so do not stick to any result within this process.
- In this process desire everything but dependent on nothing without attaching to any cause but Allah. Everything becomes a tool a window for you. One who loves Allah loves everything from Allah. One who desires Allah desires everything from Allah.
- Take action, resist and be a wider channel for the 99 Forces of Allah. Ibadah is all your life process not snapshots of when you do Salat or dzikhr.
Gradually the false consciousness,the lies will melt away and Truth remains. You will experience what you do is from Allah. Then InshAllah you won't feel alone and disconnected.
If you can be selfless there can be wholeness in your conscioussness. If you can handle the internal battle which is the most important then you remove the blocks within the mind and your mind becomes like a channel. You can crush egos, smash idols, reveal the Truth, always transform and improve. Everything becomes possible. Most importantly it is the ego and lies that we are up against and at the essence the aim is to understand and live fully with the conscioussness of there are no many powers, sources of power like ego or images, only Allah. This fact in turn leads us to the point that it is those lies that makes us and the opponent seperate and prior aim should be on changing the opponent without using violence unless it is inevitable.
SubhanAllahi vel Hamdullillahi ve la ilahe illallahu vAllahu Ekber; vela havle vela kuvvete illa Billahil Aliyyil Azıym
- Full Members
- 632 posts
- Gender:Male
- Location:London
Posted 09 January 2015 - 01:38 PM
It is a classic coincidence that unidentified gunmen stormed the office of French Magazine "Chalie Hebdo" just after french parliament decided to vote to recognize Palestine as a state.
Israel had even warned France of grave consequences, if they voted to recognize Palestine. That Cartoon was published in 2011, there was no attack on magazine that year, Why now? Why after 4 years?
Just Think about it!
"We are a Nation with our own Distinctive Culture and Civilization, Language and Literature, Art and Architecture, Names and Nomenclature, Sense of Values and Proportion, Legal Laws and Moral Code, Customs and Calandar, History and Tradition, Aptitudes and Ambitions; in short, we have our own Distinctive Outlook on Life and of Life. By all Canons of International Law, We are a Nation". (Quaid-e-Azam) Mohammad Ali Jinnah in one of his letters to Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die,
#6 clutch
- Senior Members
- 4,705 posts
- Gender:Male
Posted 09 January 2015 - 10:33 PM
Several training grenades were thrown into the courtyard of a mosque in the French city of Le Mans. One of the grenades exploded, but no injuries were reported.
READ MORE: Fatal shooting at Charlie Hebdo HQ in Paris LIVE UPDATES
Four training grenades were thrown onto the property overnight Thursday, the local French daily Ouest-France reports.Three of the unexploded grenades were discovered by police. Police have cordoned off the mosque and so far no arrests have been made.
Screenshot from Google Maps
Screenshot from Google Maps
A gunshot was also reported overnight, with the bullet hitting the mosque.
French police have noted several attacks against mosques since Wednesday, when gunmen opened fire on the Paris office of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.
On Thursday morning, an explosion was reported in a kebab shop near a mosque in Villefranche-sur-Saone, eastern France. There are no reports of any injuries and the cause of the blast remains unknown.
READ MORE: Blast hits restaurant near mosque in France's east
The mayor of Villefranche, Perrut Bernard, said he was afraid the blast was linked to the dramatic event that occurred on Wednesday."
Local authorities have told AFP the incident is being investigated.
An assailant also opened fire near a Muslim prayer room in the Port-la-Nouvelle district near Narbonne in southern France on Wednesday night. The door to the room was damaged and a window was broken, but no injuries were reported in the attack. The local prosecutor told AFP the room was empty at the time of the attack.
An investigation into the incident is currently underway.
Everybody is entitled to my opinion!
"Some of you may die, but that's a sacrifice I am willing to make." -- Lord Farquaad, "Shrek"
`Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich.'
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary idea! G.Orwell
#7 clutch
- Senior Members
- 4,705 posts
- Gender:Male
Posted 11 January 2015 - 12:27 PM
Everybody is entitled to my opinion!
"Some of you may die, but that's a sacrifice I am willing to make." -- Lord Farquaad, "Shrek"
`Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich.'
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary idea! G.Orwell
#8 clutch
- Senior Members
- 4,705 posts
- Gender:Male
Posted 19 January 2015 - 11:56 PM
Frances Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly has repeatedly cited the right to free speech for its sacrilegious cartoons, yet a close look at its history reveals that it has failed to live up to the same standard.
Earlier this week, Charlie Hebdo did not hesitate to feature a new cartoon of Islams holy Prophet Muhammad on the cover of its special edition after it came under a deadly shooting attack by two gunmen.
The satirical weekly has on numerous occasions published cartoons insulting Islam and Muslims, tagging them as freedom of speech. However, the magazine has itself in the past failed to abide by this stance.
In 2009, the satirical weekly dismissed Maurice Sinet, a political cartoonist with Charlie Hebdo for 20 years, for his cartoons that allegedly ridiculed the relationship of former French President Nicolas Sarkozys son with a wealthy Jewish woman.
In the column, the 80-year-old cartoonist commented on rumors that Sarkozys son, Jean, intended to convert from Catholicism to Judaism to marry the Jewish woman for financial reasons, saying, Hell go a long way in life, that little lad.
At the time, Charlie Hebdos editor, Philippe Val, found the piece offensive and asked Sinet to apologize, but the cartoonist strictly refused to do so.
Sinet then faced charges of anti-Semitism and inciting racial hatred. He was fired and taken to court by the so-called International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism.
The terror attack on the office of Charlie Hebdo in Paris on January 7 has drawn widespread criticism from Muslims all over the world. The shooting assault claimed the lives of 12 people.
Everybody is entitled to my opinion!
"Some of you may die, but that's a sacrifice I am willing to make." -- Lord Farquaad, "Shrek"
`Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich.'
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary idea! G.Orwell
Reply to this topic
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users
Community Forum Software by IP.Board
Licensed to: PakistaniDefence.Com


text:
I began writing my column for the Chicago Tribune in July 1984, as a local column. In the summer of 1987, it went into syndication as a national column. It is now syndicated in about 150 papers. In 1989, the column won that year's Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. I originally joined the Tribune in 1969, fresh off the campus as a reporter. Six months later I was drafted, part of the last batch of former I-Y's (Student deferment) to get snatched before the lottery went into effect.
I served proudly, guarding this country's western flank from the press office at the 212th Artillery Group, Fort Lewis, Washington.
Back at the Tribune in the fall of 1971, I re-launched my urban journalism career in a variety of beats, including police, rewrite, religion and neighborhood news, with freelance assignments as a rock music critic for Tempo at night.
In my own meandering way, I became a foreign correspondent in Africa in 1976, an assistant city editor upon my return and an investigative Task Force reporter in 1979.
In 1980, I became restless. The glitter of TV beckoned. I joined WBBM-TV, a CBS-owned station, in August 1980 as director of the Community Affairs Department. At various times, I was a documentary producer, reporter and planning editor.
The highlight of those years was to be assigned to the protests in 1982 that evolved into the Harold Washington mayoral campaign. As that history-making story rose in prominence, locally and nationally, so did I. Soon the world was beginning to call me a "political expert." I tried to say nothing that would disabuse them of that notion.
I returned like the prodigal son to dear Mother Tribune in 1984, taking on the role of columnist and member of the editorial board.
As a freelance writer, I have been published in Chicago magazine, the Chicago Reader, Washington Monthly, New Republic, The Wall Street Journal, New York Newsday and Emerge.
My first book, "Showing My Color: Impolite Essays on Race and Identity," was published in 1996 and soared to the middle of the best-seller list in Chicago. Today, like the Energizer bunny, I just keep going and going and going ...
My column, which appears Sundays and Wednesdays on the Chicago Tribune's op-ed page, is syndicated nationally by Tribune Media Services.
In my spare time (As if I had any left!), I am an occasional panelist on "The McLaughlin Group," a regular contributor of essays to "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" and a host of several documentaries on the Public Broadcasting System.
I am also a regular panelist on Black Entertainment Television's weekly "Lead Story" program and an occasional commentator on National Public Radio's "Weekend Edition Sunday."
I started out as a baby. I came into the world on June 2, 1947, in Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. Since then, my life has been one adventure after another. I graduated in 1965 from Middletown High School in Ohio, where I was feature editor in my senior year at the school's biweekly newspaper.
I also won my first award that year from the Southeast Ohio High School Newspaper Association for the year's best feature article. At 17, in the summer of 1965, I earned my first pay as a journalist by selling freelance photos and stories to the Middletown Journal and Cincinnati Enquirer.
At Ohio University, I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism in 1969. Since then, I've received honorary doctorates from Columbia College in Chicago, Lake Forest (Ill.) College, Chicago Theological Seminary and others, including dear Alma Mater, Ohio U.
In 1972, I participated in a Chicago Tribune Task Force series on vote fraud, which won the Pulitzer, followed by the Edward Scott Beck Award for overseas reporting on the changing politics of Southern Africa in 1976. An investigative series I wrote, "The Black Tax," was awarded the 1980 Illinois UPI award for Community Service.
My wife Lisa and I have been married since May 1987. Our son, Grady Jonathan, was born June 3, 1989, the day after my birthday. How about THAT for a birthday present?
And it happened at about the same time that I won the Pulitzer. I always dreamed of winning a Pulitzer in my own right, but never imagined the moment would feel anticlimactic. Thanks to my first-and-only son's arrival, it was.


text:
Last week we began looking at some quilt blocks and learning how to figure patch sizes. You might want to review that post, Simple Math Part 1.
When you're figuring patch sizes, the first thing is to determine how a block is divided. You need to know how many equal divisions there are across the block. Here's an example.
There are five equal sections or "columns" across this block, which you can see by the black lines I've drawn. This is the first piece of information you need: 5 divisions.
If you know the finished size of the block, you will begin to figure the math by dividing the finished size by 5. If this is a 10″ block, that means:
10″ ÷ 5 = 2″
This tells you that each of the divisions is 2″ finished.
Now you can figure out how large to cut the patches. Let's start with the easiest ones first which are the squares.
The larger purple squares take up one column, which we know is 2″ across. A square has equal width and length, so you know the finished size is 2″ x 2″. You'll need to add 1/2″ for seam allowances (that's 1/4″ for each side, times 2 sides, equals 1/2″) so you'll cut the patches 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″. You can see that you'll need 5 of these squares.
It's worth mentioning here that you don't worry about seam allowances until you have a finished patch size. Only then do you add the 1/2″ for seam allowances.
What about the smaller purple squares? You can see above that two of them take up the 2″ width of one column. Again, this is simple math. If you know the column is 2″ wide and there are 2 squares in it, how wide is each one?
2″÷ 2 = 1″
Each small purple square is 1″ x 1″, plus 1/2″ for seam allowances, so the patches are cut
1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″. You'll need 16 of these squares.
Look at the block again and you'll see there are also small yellow squares which are the same size as the small purple squares. You'll need 16 small yellow squares cut
1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″.
Next we'll figure out the rectangles. Look at the diagram above: these are still easy to determine. Two rectangles (outlined in black) cover one square that we know is 2″ wide, and also 2″ long. Logic tells us that the long side of this rectangle must be 2″ finished.
We figure the short side with simple math.
2″÷ 2 = 1″
The short side of the rectangle is 1″, so the finished size is 1″ x 2″. Add 1/2″ for seam allowances and you know to cut the rectangles 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″. You'll need 4 green rectangles and 4 yellow rectangles.
Now—don't panic—we're going to figure out the triangles. There are two simple things to know about figuring triangles for quilting. Today we'll talk about just one of them.
It's called the 7/8′s rule.
Whenever you need a triangle that is half of a square, like this:
You take the finished size of the square and add 7/8″ to get the cut size. That's it. No seam allowances, nothing else. Just the finished size of the square plus seven-eighths. Cut a square that size, cut in half diagonally, sew two triangles together and just like magic, you'll have a square the correct size.
We already know that the width of this section is 2″. So it's simple math from there:
2″ + 7/8″ = 2 7/8″
You'd cut squares 2 7/8″ x 2 7/8″, cut them in half diagonally, and sew the resulting triangles to matching triangles of a different fabric to get a half-square triangle, also called a triangle-square.
For this block, you'll need to cut 4 of yellow and 4 of pink/orange. Why only four when you see eight triangles? Because you'll cut them diagonally in half, which gives you 8. Make sense?
Lots more simple math to come in Part 3 next week. Stay tuned!
Do you have any questions so far? Ask away in the comments and I'll do my best to answer.


text:
After a year without any updates, the developers responsible for the popular video transcoder Handbrake have released version 0.9.4 of the open-source software. With such a small change in the version number, it would be easy to assume that there isn't much new in this version, but that assumption couldn't be further from the truth. In total, there have been over 1,000 changes since 0.9.3 and, while they might not all be life-changing, many of them make for a better user experience.
First, and perhaps most importantly, the new version incorporates improved code from the x264 project that, according to the release notes, makes for speedier encoding, smaller files sizes, and better picture quality. Additionally, 0.9.4 brings 64-bit support, which also provides 10 percent faster encodes. Ten percent may not seem like much, but when you are ripping a huge DVD library, it adds up in a hurry. Users can now include subtitles in their rips, which can be turned on and off (prior to this version, it was all or nothing). Live preview is also a very welcome addition to the software, as it allows a user to find out what their video will look like given specific compression settings.
Unfortunately, you can't please all the people all the time. There are some features of the software that have been eliminated, and these may rub some people the wrong way. First, some of the presets have been pulled—namely those for the PSP, PS3, and Xbox. That doesn't mean you wont be able to get video encoded with Handbrake to play on these devices, just that there is no specific preset to do so. According to the release notes, these didn't always work anyway—instead, the "normal" preset should work just fine. If H.264 isn't for you, though, we have bad news: AVI, OGG/OGM, and XviD support have all been stripped from the release.
There aren't many obvious UI enhancements in the Mac OS version; most improvements lie under the hood and, frankly, that's fine with us. While it doesn't offer the most intuitive interface—the simplified preset options help some—we prefer to have a solid foundation before major UI enhancements anyway.
As with version 0.9.3, you still need to have VLC installed to rip video from a DVD. Happy encoding, and hopefully it won't be another year before the next release.


text:
After a few competitive allowance attempts, the colt visited the winner's circle again when a front-running victor at Calder in early August, and has since returned with a second-level allowance triumph at Calder in October and a convincing December win at Gulfstream Park, both of which were achieved while leading throughout.
Megamove, who was last seen finishing second to Grade 2 winner Pants on Fire at Gulfstream in February, will start from post five in the Sumter and will be ridden by Paco Lopez.
Luis Duco Stables, Inc.'s Empire Builder, third-place finisher on the Calder turf in the Grade 3 Miami Mile Handicap on April 20, is scheduled for a return to dirt in Saturday's Sumter, where he will begin his one mile and 70-yard journey from post four under Jesus Rios.
A two-time main-track stakes winner last year, besting subsequent Grade 3 winner Csaba in the $55,000 Mambo Meister Stakes before returning to take the $55,000 American Dreamer by 4 ¾ lengths, Empire Builder enters the Sumter on an uncharacteristic nine-race losing streak, having last gotten his picture taken after a two-length turf triumph in the Naked Greed last August.
Miller Racing, LLC's Canadian Mistress, a 5-year-old mare scheduled to meet male rivals in the Sumter, will start from post three under Edgard Zayas.
Trained by Marty Wolfson, Canadian Mistress is Grade 3-placed, having finished third in the 2012 running of the Rampart at Gulfstream, and hasn't competed since crossing the wire second in last year's running of the $75,000 Nancy's Glitter Handicap.
Other notables in the Sumter include Jacks or Better Farm, Inc.'s Argentine Tango, second in a Calder third-level optional claiming allowance in his last start, and Sandra Brown's Two Is to Many, the winner of that previously mentioned local allowance.
Completing the field is Dr. Derek and Kimberly Paul's Sky Venture, Blackacre Farms, Inc.'s Flatter This, and Emmy Gaffney and Jessica Savin's Rule Number Six.
The Sumter Stakes is scheduled as the seventh race on an eight-race Sunday program at Calder, with an approximate post time of 3:39 p.m.


text:
The search for America's next greatest talent continues in New York.
First up is The Flyte Cru, who I guess you could call basketball stunts-men. They use trampolines to do all sorts of somersaults as they shoot hoops. Their act is pretty entertaining, but I feel like I've seen it before, so I'm not very impressed.
Judge Howie Mandel thinks the same thing and gives them a "no." New judge Howard Stern has been surprisingly kind this season; he continues that streak and says he wants to see Flyte Cru move on to next round. A "yes" from Sharon Osbourne puts the Cru through to Las Vegas.
A 7-year-old named Mir Money takes the stage later. He's just about the cutest little rapper I've ever seen. Howie asks him who his favorite rapper is and Mir Money says "myself." Aww!
He begins to rap and Howard hits his buzzer a few seconds into his song. Sharon hits hers too and Mir Money starts to cry onstage. I'm heartbroken and confused. C'mon, guys! Mir Money was doing the best a 7-year-old could do. At least let him finish the song.
Upon seeing Mir Money cry, Howard is visibly upset and guilty. He goes onstage to give Mir Money a hug and tell him he's better than any rapper who has been on the Howard Stern show.
"This job is too hard, I don't really want to do it anymore," Howard says when Mir Money leaves. "I'm shaking. This isn't for me ... Radio is for me. I can't do this."
Up next, we meet The Olate Dogs. I'm pretty much freaking out in a good way during their entire act. These six dogs do a conga line, somersaults, back flips, jump roping and more. It's so amazing and adorable I can't stand it.
The judges agree the act was spectacular but for some reason there's a power struggle over which judges "owns" the stage and the judges' desk. "Oh, it's your stage?" Howard says to Sharon. "I'm the judge America listens to."
Needless to say, The Olate Dogs make it Vegas without a problem.
A man called Horse is next. This guy has balls. With the helps of three friends, he gets hit in his "special region" with planks of wood, concrete blocks and poles. Nick Cannon even joins the fun and gives Horse two swift kicks. It's just good, cringe-worthy fun.
"[This is] an act I can get behind," says Howard. "I'm a fan of 'The Three Stooges.'"
Next we see a string of bands take the stage. First, a messy, preteen band, and then a really strange gothic-style band. Both are booed off the stage promptly.
I have hope for the third band, Wordspit, The Illest, because the producers of the show gave them a long introduction and some back-story. I was right — these guys are awesome. By the end of their song, I'm ready to buy their first single.
Howie describes their sound as a mix of Jay-Z and Pink Floyd. "It was the best of the best mixed together," he says. "It all came together... and was one of the most glorious moments this season." Three "yeses" all the way.
Next we meet a 77-year-old named Burton Crane, who looks like a skinny version of Colonel Sanders but claims to be the grandfather of rap. I already hate him. And so do the judges when he begins to rap.
But then something strange happens. Burton hits the chorus of his song and suddenly the entire auditorium is cheering for him and singing along. Either his chorus, which comprises of the words "What you gonna do?" repeated over and over again, has hypnotic powers or is just really catchy.
The judges seem to be converted. Even Howard says he thinks that song could be a hit single. I'm not so sure about that, but stranger things have happened.
More people moving on the Vegas: Max, an aerial gymnast who could pose for romance novel covers; the New York Irish Dance company, who does the most awesome river dancing I've ever seen; and Jason, a master child pianist.


text:
Roberto Luongo tickles hockey's funny Strom(bone) — with video
Vancouver Canucks' goalies Roberto Luongo (left) and Cory Schneider take a break during a practice on the first day of training camp in Vancouver on Sunday.
Photograph by: DARRYL DYCK , THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER — It's only natural to get cold feet before stepping to the altar. Happens all the time.
So it makes perfect sense if there are those among Vancouver Canucks fans who are having second thoughts about irrevocably marrying the future of the two-time and defending Presidents' Trophy-winning hockey club to a goaltender, Cory Schneider, with a grand total of 68 appearances in National Hockey League games — and one (1) playoff win.
Especially when the former occupant of the post, an Olympic gold medallist by the name of Roberto Luongo, has just rehabilitated his tattered image among the faithful with a brilliant eight months' worth of self-parody on Twitter ... indeed, whose Q-rating among even the jaded media pack has probably never been higher.
Just as he's about to be shipped elsewhere, he's been revealed as humble, honourable, hilarious. Just as his run is ending as the Canucks' last line of defence, he's rediscovered his comic muse.
Just before he drops the keys to Canada's best hockey team in the hands of his still-unproven successor, he turns out to be anything but the monotoned automaton — it was never true, for we have seen him cry in defeat — whose few attempts at humour in his own voice always seemed to backfire on him.
And then @Strombone1 was born, the Twitter handle Luongo has never acknowledged as his own, though he came as close as he ever has in an interview Monday. And from that thin cloak of deniability sprang a personality so engaging, reporters are now reconsidering their haste in endorsing the passing of the goaltending torch — even though the recipient, Schneider, is as bright and articulate as Luongo was intentionally vanilla.
Asked if he has any concept of how dramatically @Strombone1 has altered his perception by those within Twitter's reach, the 33-year-old Luongo started to demur and then came (nearly) clean.
"Uh ... I've heard some things about it, yeah," he said. "It's a bit of a weird situation, just trying to be myself in general, and sometimes it doesn't come off in scrums and interviews. So you try to be politically correct.
"So I'm just trying to handle everything the right way and make sure that I put everybody else, the team, ahead of me and handle things the right way."
"Has that guy got a better sense of humour than Roberto Luongo, or is he just freer to express himself?" your agent asked.
"I think that's a good point — freer to express it, more than anything else," Luongo said. "Obviously everything we say is going to be scrutinized when you're in front of the cameras, so sometimes you just want to hold back and make sure you don't ruffle any feathers."
Luongo ruffled more than a few two springtimes ago in the Stanley Cup final against Boston, when his joking references to Bruins goalie Tim Thomas were miscast and repeated ad infinitum — and were again, when he tried to clarify his original remarks — and it may well be that his fate as a Canuck was sealed by the team's subsequent collapse in that series.
The wounds festered all last season, and the marriage was broken for good when Schneider was handed the start for Game 3 of the Canucks' first-round defeat by the L.A. Kings.
Now, a new, abbreviated season dawns with back-to-back home games against Anaheim and Edmonton this weekend, and you wonder if, behind the excitement of finally getting his shot eight-plus years after being drafted, there is any trepidation in the 27-year-old Schneider.
"I think it's more excitement, and eagerness," he said Monday. "Yeah, there's always a few questions in the back of your mind, but your confidence in your abilities and your preparation are what overrides everything.
"I think it's a little bit of that fear and nervousness that motivate you and make you play up to your potential. You can't have so much that it paralyzes you, but you have to have just a little. I'm expecting myself to be up to the challenge."
Luongo has done his best to inject a light-heartedness into the goaltending situation, easing the pressure on Schneider as much as can be done by cracking wise on Twitter.
When the rumours of his trade to Toronto gained momentum in the fall, he tweeted: "Wow this is so crazy. You could barely fit JVR's name on the back of that jersey" — accompanied by a doctored photo showing a blue Toronto Luongo jersey hanging beside that of newly-acquired Leaf James van Riemsdyk.
When the New York Jets benched starting quarterback Mark Sanchez and passed over backup Tim Tebow to play third-stringer Greg McElroy late in the NFL season, @Strombone1 tweeted "So basically the Jets are starting Lack over Schneider after benching Luongo ... Am I doing this right?"
Near the end of December: "#2012regrets: my 'I heart Gary' tattoo on my inner thigh."
In between tweeting pictures of his toes while getting a pedicure: "I'm thinking if lockout goes any longer breast augmentation is the next logical step for me!"
While braving the lineups upon taking his kids to Disney World: "I've witnessed more meltdowns already today than I've had in my entire NHL career."
Then followed with: "For all 3 people wondering, that's a s--tload of meltdowns!"
When Colin Kaepernick, who took over a while back as San Francisco's starting QB ahead of veteran Alex Smith, was brilliant in a playoff win over Green Bay on Saturday: "Kaepernick looking fantastic, proving you could never go wrong in going with the youngster over the old vet."
But if the purpose of some of Luongo's Twitter content was to open up a rarely glimpsed side of his personality, the larger part was to take the heat out of the goaltending decision in Vancouver, and smooth hard feelings.
It may not have totally eased the undercurrent of worry in Vancouver about the transition, and don't think it also hasn't occurred to the braintrust of the Canucks that in trading Luongo, whenever it might happen, they are taking a leap of faith that — from a distance, at least — looks more than a little risky.
But the least nervous person in the house appears to be Schneider himself.
He said he doesn't know any way to prove he's an everyday starting goaltending than to play every day. He sees no reason he can't play both ends of this weekend's back-to-back test.
And yes, he has seen @Strombone1's Twitter posts, and appreciates them.
"I'm not on it all the time, but that's the Roberto we know, that's the guy we know in the room," he said.
"For whatever reason it's been hot and cold with the public, with the media here, but he's a great guy, and he's got a great sense of humour, which people are finding out just now, I guess.
"But I'm glad the opinion of him is so high right now, because it's something he's deserved, with the way he's played and carried himself in this city."
On Twitter: Twitter.com/rcamcole


text:
FA Insights is a daily newsletter from Business Insider that delivers the top news and commentary for financial advisors.
Financial Advisors That Helped Make ETFs Mainstream Are Finally Feeling Vindicated (The Wall Street Journal)
Financial advisors who helped make ETFs a mainstream investment are feeling vindicated. The first ETF, SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) which is 20-years old, gained 8.4 percent on average every year going into Friday.
While ETFs are popular now, early on advisors were either skeptical of the funds or shied away from them for fear of losing business since ETFs are easier to use. Ric Edelman of Edelman Financial Services told the Wall Street Journal, "We've found that using ETFs as part of a passive portfolio management strategy provides a very effective shield against the deceptive business practices so prevalent in the retail funds industry."
Markets Have Reached A Dangerous Stage Where Lots Of Money Is Looking For Deals (Barron's)
Even as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is near the 14,000 mark, prices of high-yield bonds have fallen from their peaks and yields have gone north from their historic lows. Some have seen this is a sign of the Great Rotation from bonds into stocks, but bond expert Martin Fridson writes that it is because of the "extreme overvaluation" of high yield bonds.
"What appears to have changed is the financial markets' willingness to exploit this cheap source of financing with animal spirits not seen since the onset of the financial crisis of 2007-08. With junk bonds hardly worthy to be called "high yield" at under 6%, they provide easy and cheap financing for deals, such as the proposed leveraged buyout of Dell (ticker: DELL), whose shares trade at a depressed valuation
"...It is apparent markets have reached that dangerous stage where there is lots of money looking for deals. The cache of cash on corporations' balance sheets is huge, resulting in no small part from expansion the balance sheets of central banks. At the same time, all that cash is chasing record-low returns.
"To paraphrase Winston Churchill, never have a few invested so much for so little."
Newsletter Writers Are Recommending The Highest Exposure To Stocks In 13 Years (AllStartCharts)
"The survey of investment newsletter writers from Hulbert Financial Digest is theoretically better than most, since it focuses on actual trading recommendations instead of sometimes-ambiguous opinions. It's a step closer to a real-money indicator than other surveys."
And this survey shows that investment newsletter writers are recommending the highest exposure to stocks in 13 years.
The New Disturbing Signal In This Week's Data On Fund Flows (Business Insider)
The week U.S. Treasury funds saw inflows of $0.5 billion after 10 consecutive weeks of outflows. The lack of outflows this week is evidence of a risk reversal according to Bank of America's Michael Hartnett. Meanwhile, high-yield ETFs recorded their largely weekly outflows on record.
Jim Rogers Says This One Thing Is One Of His Most Bullish Investments For The Next 20 - 30 Years (Business Insider)
In an interview with Business Insider, Jim Rogers said he is extremely bullish on Chinese tourism for the next twenty to thirty years.
"The government is encouraging citizens to travel. There are billion three hundred million, that's billion with a 'B' …you can see the staggering potential there is for Chinese tourism. And they're going to see their own country, they're going to see the world. I mean this is going to overwhelm many many places and it's wonderful. Fortunes will be made."


text:
Former Speechwriter for Ariel Sharon to Speak Jan. 11
The Union Board of Governors at Augustana College today announced that Gregory Levey, an author and former speechwriter for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, will present "The Lighter Side of Diplomacy: A Conversation About the Situation in the Middle East and the U.S. Involvement," at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 11, in the Back Alley, located inside Augustana's Morrison Commons. The event is free and open to the public.
Levey is the author of How to Make Peace in the Middle East in Six Months or Less Without Leaving Your Apartment and Shut Up, I'm Talking: And Other Diplomacy Lessons I Learned in the Israeli Government, both published by Simon and Schuster/Free Press.
He has written for Newsweek, Salon, The New Republic, The New York Post, The Globe and Mail, The Jerusalem Post, The National Post, The New Yorker's Book Bench blog and others.
Interviews of Levy
- Chapters Indigo; November 2010
- Time Magazine; October 2010
- Advertising Age; July 2010
After working as a speechwriter for the Israeli Government and serving as one of its delegates at the United Nations, Levey went on to serve as the senior foreign communications coordinator and English speechwriter for Israeli Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert.
He currently serves as an assistant professor in Professional Communication at Ryerson University in Toronto.
Kelly Sprecher
Director of Communications & Media Relations