text: +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | TPWD News Releases Dated 2006-05-22 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | This page contains only plain text, no HTML formatting codes. | | It is not designed for display in a browser but for copying | | and editing in whatever software you use to lay out pages. | | To copy the text into an editing program: | | --Display this page in your browser. | | --Select all. | | --Copy. | | --Paste in a document in your editing program. | | If you have any suggestions for improving these pages, send | | an e-mail to email@example.com and mention Plain Text Pages. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [ Note: This item is more than 11 years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ] [ Media Contact: TPWD News, firstname.lastname@example.com, 512-389-8030 ] [TH] May 22, 2006 'Life's Better Outside' for Texas Young People, Families AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wants to lure you and your kids away from TV, computers, gaming consoles, traffic, and the urban rat race and get you into soul-satisfying natural settings where you'll relax and have fun. The agency has partnered with a top ad firm to launch a new public awareness effort called Life's Better Outside. The idea grew out of the Education and Outreach Advisory Committee appointed by TPW Commission Chairman Joseph Fitzsimons. There's a lot of research showing this would be good for you and your kids. But like all great truths, the idea is self-evident in its simplicity. "State parks and the great outdoors are healthy, fun, educational--these things are all true," said Lydia Saldaña TPWD communications director. "But research has also shown that the natural world is ideally conducive to provide something important that is missing for most modern families-- the opportunity for quality time spent together." The new public awareness initiative owes its spark in large part to GSD&M, the Austin-based advertising firm that created "Don't Mess With Texas," the anti-litter public education campaign that set the gold standard for such efforts years ago. In this case, GSD&M donated its services pro bono, seeing a cause worth supporting. "We served on the advisory committee looking at this problem, went back and worked on it and came up with the tagline "life's better outside," donating our creative time and talent," said David Rockwood, GSD&M community relations director. "We're a Texas-based company with Texas roots, so this stuff is part of our DNA, you might say. We're trying to evoke childhood memories and encourage people to get outdoors more." The Life's Better Outside print materials show a video game controller hanging from a string before a tree-lined river in a state park. The headline reads "Do whatever it takes to get your kids outside." A smaller subhead reads "Keep score by counting time spent together." Print ads will run this summer in Texas Monthly and Texas Parks & Wildlife magazines. Radio public service announcements titled "Home on the Couch" and "Click the Remote" impart a similar message with a different approach, making entertaining parodies of well-known children's songs. The PSAs shipped this month to more than 150 Texas radio stations that expressed interest in airing the spots. Donated billboards will also go up this month in many Texas cities, including major urban areas. The timing is intended to engage families as they plan summer vacation activities Some careful thought went into Life's Better Outside. GSD&M did phone interviews with families, visited an urban Austin youth center, and held a mini focus group session with parents of young children. They asked several urban families to visit state parks and keep journals about their experiences. They also reviewed secondary research already done by national organizations, including the Outdoor Industry Association of America, Roper RSW, and the University of Michigan. A key finding was that free time is fading away, with unstructured leisure time for families declining, not just among parents but, incredibly, among our youngest Americans. Among 3-to-12 year olds, discretionary time is down 12 percent and play time down 16 percent in the past two decades, while participation in structured hobbies such as organized sports is up 150 percent. Not surprisingly, they also found parents wish they had more opportunities for things like uninterrupted family time, sleeping and relaxing, and getting away from home for fun and vacations. In spite of these dreams, GSD&M found that modern families are creatures of the indoors for the most part, spending 50-to-80 percent of their waking hours outside work or school doing indoor things like video games and computer surfing. "We've become way too captivated by appliances" said Robert, a parent from Houston. "Inside it gets easy to be in your own little world by yourself" said Norah of Austin. Some parents told researchers that time in the outdoors can make memories that stick with the family forever, the kinds of experiences they felt could not be had elsewhere. Some could vividly recount childhood stories of fishing or going on camping trips in state parks with family. So what's stopping them? GSD&M found that unfamiliarity breeds uncertainty. Parents who were less familiar with the outdoors worried about things like "What do we wear?" and "Do we need to bring a lot of gear?" and "Will the kids get bored?" They also thought that the closest state parks were three to five hours away. (In fact, every major urban area in Texas has a state park within an hours drive.) Life's Better Outside aims to make it easier and more inviting for families to find new adventures and break from the everyday routine, enabling them to discover a depth of family connections that can be difficult to make indoors. The lifesbetteroutside.org Web site is one way to make it easy for families who are less experienced enjoying the outdoors. The site offers links to Texas state parks, fishing, paddling, and maps showing state parks within 60 miles of Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Toyota has signed as a corporate sponsor of the Life's Better Outside initiative, providing funding for paid advertising to reach urban parents in Texas. The department is seeking additional sponsors. For more information, contact Darcy Bontempo at email@example.com or at (512) 389-4574. --- On the Net: http://www.lifesbetteroutside.org/ -30- [ Note: This item is more than 11 years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ] [ Media Contact: TPWD News, email@example.com, 512-389-8030 ] [AR] May 22, 2006 Public Meetings Slated for Spotted Seatrout Management in South Texas BROWNSVILLE, Texas -- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Fisheries biologists will host three public meetings in June to discuss the Lower Laguna Madre spotted seatrout fishery and to receive public input on the topic. Meetings are slated for: --June 5, Laguna Madre Learning Center, Hwy. 100, Port Isabel --June 7, Chamber of Commerce Pavilion, 101 East Port Drive, Port Mansfield --June 8, Marine Military Academy Cadet Activity Center, 320 Iwo Jima Blvd., Harlingen All meetings begin at 7 p.m. and are open to anyone interested in spotted seatrout management. A coast-wide spotted seatrout stock assessment completed by TPWD in April delivered mostly good news about the ever-popular game fish. Stocks overall are doing extremely well in Texas; however, in the Lower Laguna Madre, sampling data and models show a clear downward trend in both the size and numbers of spotted seatrout. The bay still boasts catch rates as high as or higher than any other bays on the Texas coast. "This is not a fishery in crisis," said Randy Blankinship, TPWD ecosystem leader for the Lower Laguna Madre. "There is no danger of spotted seatrout stocks collapsing; it's more a question of reversing these trends and getting a high quality fishery back to the very high quality fishery we have historically known." Coastal Fisheries biologists said several options are under consideration. They include changes in bag and size limits and the possibility of regional management measures that could address the unique spotted seatrout trends observed in the Lower Laguna Madre. For more information about the meetings, call the TPWD Brownsville Field Station at (956) 350-4490. --- On the Net: http://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20060508b -30- [ Note: This item is more than 11 years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ] [ Media Contact: TPWD News, firstname.lastname@example.com, 512-389-8030 ] [AR] May 22, 2006 Boating Season Kicks-Off With Good News, Bad News AUSTIN, Texas -- National Safe Boating Week kicked-off May 19 with a mixed message from the previous year. Overall, boating accidents, injuries and fatalities continued to decrease; however, with about half of the accidents involving alcohol and 85 percent of boating fatalities recovered not wearing life jackets, many of the incidents were preventable. There are approximately 620,000 registered boats in Texas, ranking it fifth in the country. In 2005, there were 204 reported boating accidents, 100 injuries and 30 fatalities. That's down from 258 accidents, 222 injuries and 69 fatalities in 1997. "While the numbers look like an improvement, that's still 30 lives that were lost, and many of those could have been saved by simply wearing a life jacket and operating responsibly. " said Maj. Alfonso Campos, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Chief of Marine Enforcement. Many boaters who reflexively latch their seatbelts and wouldn't think of driving drunk in their cars or trucks apply a different set of standards on the water, Campos said. "When you're in a boat, that life jacket or personal flotation device can save your life just like your seat belt," he said. "And operating a motorboat or personal watercraft under the influence of alcohol is just as dangerous as -- or even more dangerous than -- driving your car drunk. We want people to have a good time on the water, but wear the life jacket and operate responsibly." The Boating While Intoxicated law is strictly enforced by TPWD game wardens and other law enforcement agencies. A person arrested for BWI may be jailed for up to 180 days, be fined as much as $2,000 or both. A law that took effect in 2001 includes possible suspension of an automobile driver's license for failing to submit to alcohol testing when suspected of operating a vessel while intoxicated. The blood-alcohol level for legal intoxication while boating is .08 percent, the same as for drivers on land. "It's that time of year when the lakes will be extremely busy and we want people to enjoy the Texas lakes," Campos said. "But it can also be dangerous. Prepare yourself, and use some common sense so you don't become a statistic. That's all we're asking." Editors: Game wardens will be conducting media ride-alongs all summer. For more information, contact your local game warden office. Also, TPWD boater education courses are available in a traditional classroom setting, online and through a home video course. Call (800) 792-1112 for more details. Boating Safety Tips --Always wear a life jacket. --Avoid alcohol or designate a vessel operator. --Be especially careful on personal watercrafts. --Children younger than age 13 must wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket while underway. --Enroll in a boater education class. --Don't overload your boat. --Operate at a safe speed. --Always have a passenger serve as a lookout in addition to the operator. --Watch out for low water areas or submerged objects. Always Wear a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) or Life Jacket --Most boating fatality victims were found (recovered) NOT wearing a PFD. --Always carry extra PFDs in both adult and child sizes. --Children younger than 13 years old must wear a PFD while underway. Avoid Alcohol --The probability of being killed in a boating accident doubles when alcohol is involved. --Operating a boat under the influence is just as dangerous as driving a car after you have been drinking. --Boating while intoxicated (BWI) is strictly enforced and carries penalties similar to driving while intoxicated penalties, including possible Driver's License suspension. Enroll in a Boater Education Course -- Regardless of Age --It's a good idea for the whole family to enroll in a boater education course. --A majority (52 percent) vessels involved in boating accidents are operated by persons 26-50 years of age. --For information about classroom, home video and on-line course options, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Web site at http://tpwd.texas.gov/ or call (800) 792-1112. Be Especially Careful On Personal Watercraft (PWC) --PWC operators and passengers must wear a life jacket. --Before you borrow or rent a PWC, take the time to learn how to operate the vessel and familiarize yourself with the rules of the road. --Obey the 50-foot rule! Maintain a 50-foot distance from other PWCs, vessels, persons, shore, stationary platform or other object unless operating at headway (idle) speed. Operate at a Safe Speed --Although there are no numerical speed limits on the water, citations may be issued for excessive speed or reckless operation. Use common sense, and operate at a safe speed at all times -- especially in crowded areas. --Excessive speed is a rate of speed greater than is reasonable or prudent without regard for conditions and hazards or greater than will permit a person to bring the boat to a stop within the assured clear distance ahead. Any other questions can be directed to (512) 389-4627. --- On the Net: http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/ http://www.safeboatingcampaign.org/ -30-


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If you want to rag on BTBAM'S pretentious fret wanking and cohesion, your barking up the wrong album. Not saying that they dont because they def can do both of those things.
But Melting City
Album Rating: 2.5only thing i listen to from this is telos
Album Rating: 2.5
If you want to rag on BTBAM'S pretentious fret wanking and cohesion, your barking up the wrong album. Not saying that they dont because they def can do both of those things.
It's the same fret-wanking, pretentious bollacks it's always been. It's Parallax part 2 for christ sake.
Digging: Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun
It has more accessibility than ever, and the transitions/songwriting is much more put together.
Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound OffGonna listen to this wankfest again.
Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Offhttp://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/image.php?u=709090&dateline=1379170872
Album Rating: 2.0Astral Body is the most directionless and pointless song I have ever heard.
You seem to not know the difference between "of" and "off."
this is better
Album Rating: 4.0melting city is probably their most conventionally structured song. conventional for them at least
Digging: Protest the Hero - Pacific Myth
Album Rating: 2.5sell outs
Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound OffIt rules. So much love and hate.
Album Rating: 3.0This album just tries to be way too long. SO much useless shit surrounded by pretty awesome stuff
Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound OffI can't disagree there.
Album Rating: 3.0But both the useless shit and awesome parts here are better then the respective parts on most of their other albums imo
Album Rating: 3.0it's a very solid album, but Alaska and Colors are better.
Nah Ins, their old shit is more logically structured. Like all of Alaska besides Selkies maybe
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

subset: commoncrawl


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This is the first article in a series of three instalments, comprising of the reflections of the author's three month stay in Lakemba, Sydney.
It was almost thirty-eight degrees when I had landed. As soon as my face was exposed to the might of the sun, my skin began to peel. The pain was excruciating, yet it was offset by a surge of pure joy. I had arrived in Sydney.
It is just under a year ago that I was here, invited by the Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA) to speak at its Contextualising Australian Muslims summit. Then, I had spent five days in the Lakemba area, speaking to and meeting young Australian Muslims. In that short time, I was able to familiarize myself as best as I could with their concerns, hopes and fears. A short article that I wrote attempted to shed some light on that experience.
I guess, intrigued by my British demeanour, candour and - what I would hope - conversational wit, I was once again invited by the LMA to return to Sydney, not for a week or several in fact, but to spend three months, embedding myself in the Muslim community of Sydney. It was an invitation that I could hardly refuse (especially because it was a horrid winter in the UK and I needed a good dose of vitamin D).
Welcome to Lakemba
My fixed residence was Lakemba (or "Lakembatron," as I later lovingly called it). I had deluded myself into thinking that I would be staying somewhere a little more "plush" - say, Coogee Beach. But the point of me returning to Sydney was to live among the community and not necessarily go surfing daily.
Lakemba was intriguing. The first thing that I noticed was just how many Muslims there were, and how diverse the community was. There were Lebanese, Moroccan, Turkish, Pakistani and Egyptian Muslims, all living together. As someone who hails from the UK, most of the Muslims that I would typically come across would originate from India or Pakistan. So to meet a diverse grouping of essentially Arab Muslims was somewhat of a novelty for me.
The diverse makeup of the community was reflected in the variety of cuisine on offer and shops scattered around. However, true to my British-Pakistani sensibilities, the first meal that I sought out was a curry. Later during my stay, the very same curry house shot to notoriety when the chef allegedly stabbed a customer with a metal skewer when he complained about the service. It was a good thing that when the opportunity presented itself to me, I did not complain!
Despite my natural bias to all things culinary Pakistani, it didn't take me long to succumb to the delicacies on offer by the Lebanese. I recall a few days into my stay of writing a Facebook status, that I had "gone native," which is code for: I had fallen in love with Kibbeh nayyeh, Imtabal, Manaeesh, Ackawi, Mulukhiyah, Narouma and other mouth-watering Lebanese dishes and ingredients. Forget "walk[ing] like an Egyptian" - I was eating like a Lebanese.
Food matters
Food is important. Who are we kidding? After all, was it not around a meal that the Prophet Muhammad had first gathered his kith and kin to announce his Prophet-hood and message? Did he not reply to the question, "Which are the best [practices of Islam]?" by saying, "Giving food and greeting people you know and those you do not know?" Was it not a delicious spread that would miraculously appear before the blessed Mary, the mother of Jesus (upon whom be peace)? Isn't there an entire chapter in the Qur'an called "The Table Spread" (surat al-Ma'ida)?
It was precisely around and through food that I had many conversations and forged new friendships. Whether it was dabbling in breakfast at al-Aseel restaurant in Greenacre, or munching on brunch somewhere on Haldon Street, or tucking into an evening meal at the Flame Steakhouse grill, there was always someone to talk to. Many of the conversations that I had often were follow-on discussions from lectures or the classes that I had delivered. One particular incident, however, broke from the norm.
A few hours before class, a friend and I decided to go and get some pizza. As we discussed what was on the menu, the waiter took an instant interest in me. Seeing from the corner of my eye that he was staring at me, I turned to him and smiled. "Brother," he said. "I think I know you. I have seen you somewhere." I naively assumed that perhaps he had attended one of my lectures, and remarked, "Really? From where?" "Brother," he said once again, "Have you been in jail?" That was my welcome to Bankstown.
While some of the discussions would touch upon the usual topics (Is music legally permitted/prohibited according to Islamic law? Should we sight the moon or calculate its birth to determine Ramadan? Do I need to wear the hijab/niqab? Am I less of a Muslim if I don't grow a beard? Should I go study at university or travel to Muslim lands to study Islam? Is the chicken that we are eating halal?), the meals also served as a medium to gain deep insights into the life and struggles that some of these young Muslims were going through.
After listening to a number of personal stories, what surprised me was the sheer integrity and strength of these young Aussie Muslims. They never showed any outward signs of the tribulations that they were going through. They would always smile and act graciously and courteously. Rather, they would say, "Alhamdulillah" or "All praise is to God." I was humbled in their presence and suddenly, the virtue of patience took on an entirely deeper meaning for me.
The meals also allowed me to have some insight into when couples from two different ethnicities and cultures came together to plan their big day, and the arduous drain that was caused by having to navigate through, and balance out, cultural customs with religious etiquette. To dance or not to dance? Mixed gatherings or strictly segregated? Music or no music? Nasheed accompanied with musical instruments, or none? Then there was the issue of food: who determined the balance that had to be struck between serving either of the couple's traditional dishes? I didn't realise just how much stress and tension this caused until I heard the logistics of it all. It was intense.
Of course, even to get that far, one had to have enough money to pay for the mahr, often translated as "dowry" (although technically, that isn't quite what it is).
Custom, culture and Islamic law
An apparent wisdom behind the mahr (which is paid by the groom and not the bride as some cultural practices have it) is that coming into a marriage, the wife already has some financial independence. While the mahr doesn't strictly have to be money (it could be anything acceptable to the bride, ranging from the recitation/teaching of some verses of the Qur'an, to jewellery), it normally is. The mahr is actually stipulated by the bride and she uses her discretion entirely as to how it is spent.
Tradition has it that the second righteous Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab (d. 644), tried to cap the payment of the mahr, and was almost rebuked for doing so by an old lady. Upon hearing the reminder, that the Prophet Muhammad had not done such a thing, Umar humbly replied: "The old woman is correct and Umar is wrong."
I heard heart-breaking stories of how some young bachelors were being asked to pay large amounts of money to marry the daughters of concerned fathers that few could afford. I was told that this mahr payment was not a "lump sum," but rather, most of the money went to furnish the couple's home (should they have one) and to cover the costs for the actual wedding. On the one side, I can sympathise that fathers are trying to ensure that their daughters have financial security, but at the same time, it seemed as though the mahr was actually preventing some marriages from taking place. There needs to be a fine balance as to what can reasonably be expected to be paid in our time, place and context, and the recognition by young men, that in addition to (dare I say it) falling in love and moral commitment, marriage also requires economic commitment/security.
While cross-cultural marriages were clearly happening, they weren't without challenges. There just appeared to be a lot of pressure to marry from within the same culture, and then, preferably, from the same village "back home." For the suitor that was non-native, good luck! It required a considerable amount of patience and fortitude. Often enough, I found that any hesitation to marry outside of one's own culture was simply down to misconceptions concerning the "other" culture.
These exchanges and others highlighted fault lines that existed between custom, culture and Islamic law. I met some Muslims who rejected custom and culture outright, thinking that there was no scope for either in Islamic law, and they would pour scorn on any Muslim who showed some sympathy to the cultural and customary practices from "back home." Others were confused and weren't too sure what aspects of their culture was "Islamically acceptable," and so remained in limbo.
The fact is that Islamic law is not "culturally predatory." In other words, Islam does not impose "Islamic culture" (a thing that does not really exist) upon indigenous cultures. Rather, the Prophetic paradigm is one that celebrates the distinctiveness of a people, instead of obliterating it. In the modern world, some Muslims have made Islam so depressing and rigid, that there is no scope to enjoy the finer things related to one's culture or custom. Of course, that is not to say that Islamic law accepts culture and custom without scrutiny or exception. Rather, Islamic law seeks only to prune, alter, or remove aspects of what it considers detrimental and antithetical to the spirit of the Prophetic practise - so "honour killings," for example, find no sanctity in Islamic law.
The challenges for Muslim migrants
Many of these struggles I spoke about publicly, but I tried to focus on the issues rather than individuals - issues such as: the stress and pressure from both Muslim and non-Muslims for wearing the hijab (that is, family members unhappy that their daughter has decided wear the hijab, and then the stress and challenges of wearing it in a professional work environment); limited and reducing sacred and public spaces available to women; a patriarchal worldview (and by extension, dealing with unfair criticisms that stem from such a view); balancing the pressures of study and work while raising a large number siblings; and the concept of honour.
Initially, I thought that these issues were particular to the Arab Muslim community, but after a little reflection, I later realised that similar issues appeared in the Pakistani Muslim community back in the UK, and so the Muslim community in Sydney was by no means exceptional in this regard. Specifically, that the Lebanese Muslim community is a relatively new community in Australia, migrating there during the mid-late 1970s, as compared to the Muslims of Britain who arrived in fairly significant numbers following the end of World War II. This naturally meant that many of the challenges that the Lebanese were now facing were the same challenges that the Pakistani community was going through when they arrived on the shores of Britain - namely, that of a migrant community adjusting to a new environment.
Like the Lebanese Muslim community, the Pakistani immigrants arrived with limited education and was a community that experienced low income, poor health and housing conditions, relatively high unemployment for men, and limited participation in the labour market for women. They strove to keep traditional customs alive (thus ensuring a link "back home") while cautiously trying to strike a fair balance with the cultural reality of their new homeland, with varying degrees of success. In most cases, "traditional custom" was synonymous with religion, something that was to be later challenged by an increasingly stricter religious conscientious second and third generation of Muslims.
The immigrants established makeshift mosques at first, and then started to build permanent mosques, calling upon imams from "back home" to ensure religious rituals were met and a basic religious education was available for their children. They ensured suitors for their daughters could stand on their own feet and not struggle financially as they had. Like the first wave of Pakistani immigrants, the parents of the second generation Australian Muslims had worked hard to establish themselves; they had worked long hours and did the jobs that no one wanted to ensure that their children could succeed and have a better life than they did. Now it was the turn of their children to integrate, participate and prosper.
Second generation challenges
However, integration, participation and prosperity weren't things that would come easy. On top of negotiating with internal dynamics (such as those mentioned above), this second generation of young Australian Muslims that I met also faced external challenges, not least from the increasingly anti-Muslim sentiment that has been steadily growing in Australia following the 9/11 terror attacks and which some of them felt as though their "Australian-ness" was being called into question. Then there was the task of repairing damage done when disgruntled young Muslim men are regularly shown on television and seem to confirm the worst fears of ordinary Australians about Muslims and Islam. These depictions effectively typecast the "typical Muslim man" as angry, foreboding and sinister - the "archetypal outsiders within."
As in the UK, some had probing questions around identity. Were they Australian first or Muslim? Are the two mutually exclusive? How far could they "integrate" within Australian society? Should they even integrate? Does integration mean assimilation and the loss of any religious or cultural connection? For women: how far could they progress professionally, wearing the hijab? However, unlike the Pakistani community in the UK who had primarily migrated for economic reasons, most in the Muslim-Lebanese community had fled their country due to civil war. That said, the physical scars that war-torn Lebanon had inflicted upon many of the families had left mental scars on the new migrant community. Thus, while having to navigate through the challenges of migrating to a new country with a different culture than their own, the second generation still had to deal and live with the horrors and consequences of war that their parents had fled.
Despite such challenges, overwhelmingly, the young Muslims that I spoke to were second generation. They were incredibly optimistic and resourceful. While they relished in their native culture, most were perfectly at home within the suburban context of Sydney. My audience was typically educated. It comprised of university students and young professionals: entrepreneurs, doctors, aspiring fashion designers, poets, journalists, teachers and lawyers. Whatever their backgrounds, I found them thirsty "to know," eager to ask questions, but equally eager to listen. There was always robust debate and discussion on politics, identity and religion.
The overwhelming interest was in how they could live faithfully as Muslims in Australia and how doing so would not call into question their commitment to their faith. Perhaps their root concern was: where could they go to learn about their faith which was taught in a relevant and meaningful manner? In other words, who was teaching Islam in a manner that made sense to them living as Muslims in Australia in the twenty-first century? This was a question that I was asked time and time again. The underlying messages that I delivered throughout my three month stay revolved around the following fundamentals:
- Muslims need to be merciful to themselves and others.
- Knowledge about Islam had to be taken from authoritative individuals and not autodidacts.
- Shariah ("Islamic law") is not a static force, but something that is fluid and dynamic as those interpreting it.
- Religious extremism (or zealotry) has no place in the faith, and it needed to be rejected.
However, as I'll explain in my next instalment, delivering these messages wasn't always easy.
Aftab A. Malik is a UN Alliance of Civilizations Global Expert on Muslim Affairs and a Board Advisory member of the British Council's "Our Shared Future" project based in Washington D.C., which aims to improve the public conversation about Muslims and intercultural relations in the United States and Europe.


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Here Are Two Fun Upbeat Songs To Get Your Day Started [VIDEOS]
T.G.I.F. Are you ready for the weekend? Did the '7am Sweat' get you pumped up, just a little bit? Oh, you missed it? Well, let's enjoy this mornings Feelin' Good Finally Friday Tunes via you tube, as heard on the most music morning show with Mark Richards.
First up this morning was 'Working My Way Back To You Girl' by The Spinners.
Subscribe to Lite 98.7 on
Next was Nicki French and her re-make of the Bonnie Tyler hit 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'.
Subscribe to Lite 98.7 on


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LB Orakpo gets $20M deal for his birthday
ASHBURN, Va. - Brian Orakpo was enjoying a late-night, day-early birthday dinner in Austin, Texas, when he got the word: A five-year, $20 million deal with the Washington Redskins was ready for his signature. "I was actually celebrating it with my fiance in a sushi joint," the linebacker said. "It's one of my favorite foods. I got the call and couldn't even enjoy it no more." Although the contract includes $12.1 million in guaranteed money, the fiance picked up the check - even a suddenly wealthy beau doesn't get to pay for his own birthday meal. The distracted No. 13 overall draft pick from the University of Texas then headed home, packed his bags and caught an early flight to arrive in time to join his teammates on the field for Friday morning's practice, ending a one-day holdout on the day he turned 23. "Got the deal done. My pocket's a little bigger. On your birthday, it's always a good thing," Orakpo said.Sporting a burgundy and black skullcap, Orakpo took part in a few drills before removing his helmet about halfway through the two-hour workout. Coach Jim Zorn said there was still some paperwork to sort out and that Orakpo's first official practice would take place during the afternoon session. "He's just overexcited," Zorn said. "He's just fired up about being here." COLTS: Longtime Colts assistant coaches Tom Moore and Howard Mudd are returning from retirement. Coach Jim Caldwell announced Moore, the offensive coordinator, and Mudd, the offensive line coach, would be back with the team after saying they would retire because of changes to the NFL pension plan. DOLPHINS: First-round pick Vontae Davis has agreed to terms. Agent Todd France confirmed the deal for Davis, the cornerback who played at Illinois and was the 25th pick in the first round. FALCONS: Signed first-round draft pick Peria Jerry, an All-America defensive tackle from Mississippi, to a five-year contract. Terms were not released. LEGAL: Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce finished two days of testimony Friday before a grand jury in New York investigating a gun charge against former teammate Plaxico Burress. Pierce emerged from a Manhattan courthouse after about two hours of testimony and did not speak to reporters. His attorney Michael Bachner said the grand jury asked Pierce a lot of questions and that his statements were "clear, coherent and consistent." SEAHAWKS: Two-time Pro Bowl offensive guard Mike Wahle was released before their first practice of training camp Friday afternoon, then retired. VICK: Patriots coach Bill Belichick won't rule out the chance the team will sign quarterback Michael Vick. But he won't rule it in, either, at least not publicly. Asked again about Vick on Friday, Belichick repeated his Thursday comment. He said he's concerned about the players the Patriots have in camp, not ones they might acquire. VIKINGS: First-round draft choice Percy Harvin (Florida) was a no-show at the team's first practice of training camp. The Vikings opened practice early Friday, but the 22nd overall pick was still in negotiations with the team on a contract.
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Alejandro Villanueva, Steelers player and Army vet who stood alone, now has the NFL's top-selling jersey


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There was extraordinary excitement surrounding this year's Kentucky Derby. This anticipation was well rewarded by a dramatic and electrifying contest. The favorite, California Chrome, took the lead roughly halfway through the race and never looked back, winning by almost two lengths.
The same horse's victory in the Preakness Stakes two weeks later was, if anything, even more decisive. This set up the tantalizing possibility of a Triple Crown winner, the first since Affirmed took the prize more than 35 years ago in 1978. (At the time we managed but a single mutual fund.)
Indeed, as the date of the Belmont Stakes crept closer, more and more people began to talk as if the coveted and rarely won Triple Crown was in the bag. California Chrome's dominance seemed to increase with each win.
His ability to pick up speed as the race progressed was commonly cited as the likely key to victory because the Belmont boasts the longest track of the three legs that constitute the Triple Crown.
Then a funny thing happened. California Chrome, the "sure thing," ran a solid race but failed to secure victory, finishing fourth. The winning horse, Tonalist, had not run in either the Derby or the Preakness, making him a dark horse in at least the figural sense.
The wake of the upset led us to reexamine the vagaries of performance-based contests. Thinking through the implications of what occurred, we made a rough count of the numerous times when other sure things had failed to achieve the ultimate prize and an upset winner was crowned instead.
Interestingly, this happens quite often and occurs in numerous endeavors, including sports, popular culture, the arts, and even asset management.
More important, it gave us an opportunity to reflect on our own experiences investing in small-cap stocks and managing mutual funds.
There have been times during our 40+ years of history when value-rooted small-cap approaches have been the barely acknowledged underdog as well as the prohibitive favorite. There have also been long stretches where our methodology and our asset class were thought of, if we were thought of at all, as being among the middle of the pack.
In this business, every asset manager must live with the reality of the scorecard. Here at Royce we measure our performance against appropriate benchmarks, competitors, and—most crucially—our own absolute standard. We take these measurements over market-cycle and other long-term periods.
We make strenuous efforts to learn from our mistakes in several dimensions—at the most critical level individual stocks, of course, but also in terms of sector and industry weightings, country exposure, risk tolerance, and overall portfolio performance.
We are also aware that there are influential sources that rate, grade, and rank both fund and portfolio management records.
Indeed, the various methods of evaluating portfolio performance, and the sheer number of people willing to do that for us, make our own internal standards that much more significant.
When buying stocks, we attempt to tune out the Wall Street noise and come to our own independent conclusions regarding the companies we are considering for inclusion in our portfolios.
We attempt to do the same when it comes to evaluating portfolio performance. That is, we focus on the job that we need to do successfully to help our shareholders (and ourselves, since we are among the largest individual shareholders in the Funds we manage) build wealth over the long run.
As Chuck Royce (Trades, Portfolio) has often said, you can only eat from the table of absolute performance.
Sometimes approaches like ours are considered in vogue, other times out of favor, and still other times somewhere in between.
Our task is to run the best race we can, always trying to improve, and focus on what is important. And as we think about it, that's how we started out, not long before another horse, Secretariat, broke records and won the Triple Crown in 1973.
Important Disclosure Information
The thoughts and opinions expressed in the piece are solely those of Royce & Associates, LLC, investment adviser to The Royce Funds. There can be no assurance that Royce will be successful in attaining its investment goals, and there is no assurance with regard to future market movements.
This material is not authorized for distribution unless preceded or accompanied by a currentprospectus. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing or sending money. Investments in securities of small-cap stocks may involve considerably more risk than investments in securities of larger-cap companies. (Please see "Primary Risks for Fund Investors" in the prospectus.)


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In 1779, George BURKHART was indebted to Casper KELLER for 482 pounds current money. Burkhart lent Samuel SIMMONS 130 pounds and Simmons sold mill and land resulting in these monies being in dispute as to who was to be paid. Burkhart filed an injunction against Keller and placed a judgement against Adam FISCHER, sheriff of Frederick County. On 3 May 1785, the court ruled to stay the injunction and judgment until the High Court of Chancery could hear the cases. (not recorded)
website by Dorinda Davis Shepley
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ALBANY, N.Y. – Officials are trying to get more homeowners to register for New York's STAR property tax break before the end-of-year deadline.
The School Tax Relief, or STAR, exemption program applies to homeowners with a combined income of less than $500,000. The first $30,000 of the value of your home will see no school taxes.
State tax officials have been providing direct assistance to homeowners in seven STAR registration locations, one in Albany, for Capital Region residents, but that tax help ends Friday.
All homeowners have to reapply for the STAR benefit, even if they have previously applied.
This is part of an effort to weed out waste and abuse. State officials say 800,000 people still haven't registered with the December 31st deadline looming.
Joel Blumenthal a Master Tax Advisor at H&R Block explains state tax officials are urging the more than 800,000 homeowners who haven't already, to register or re-register for STAR as soon as possible.
"The longer you wait the harder it is, and there are frankly a lot of people off the week between Christmas and new year's, so there will be fewer people available to process these applications," said Blumenthal.
To help register, the Tax Department is holding week-long registration events across the state. In Albany, you can find help at the Empire State Plaza Concourse where experts will be set up in front of the McDonalds through Friday.
Eligible homeowners can register one of three ways:
- In person one of the events
- Go online to www.taxny.gov
- Or by calling 457-2036.


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Messi and Balotelli miss friendly
Lionel Messi and Mario Balotelli have been ruled out of Italy's friendly against Argentina on Wednesday.
Barcelona confirmed on their official website that Messi had returned to Catalonia as a result of a muscle injury.
A club statement read: "Leo Messi will not feature in the international friendly between Argentina and Italy in Rome this Wednesday. After undergoing tests conducted by the Argentina national team doctors, it was decided that Messi should return to Barcelona and focus on recovering from his muscle injury. The injury forced the forward miss out on Barça's last match of the Asia Tour."
Balotelli, meanwhile, had been a doubt for the match after suffering a knee injury in training and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has confirmed he will play no part at the Stadio Olimpico.
A statement published on FIGC.com read: "No Italy-Argentina for Mario Balotelli. The Azzurro striker, who suffered a heavy knock to his knee in training yesterday, has not recovered and will return home.
"Balotelli left the Roman retreat after we had an audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican."
Information from the Press Association was used in this report.
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John P. Kotter; Dan S. Cohen
|Format: Hardcopy Black & White
|Also Available In:
|English PDF
|List Price: $7.46
|Source: Harvard Business Press Chapters
|Publication Date: Jun 17, 2002
|Product #: 4675BC-HCB-ENG
|Discipline: General Management
|Length: 24 p, English Hardcopy Black & White
Large-scale change can occur only when organizations have a clear, compelling vision of the future. This chapter guides you through the process of creating the right vision and strategies to guide action in all the remaining stages of change, providing several examples from real organizations.
This chapter is excerpted from "The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations."
To help you formulate vibrant business strategies and understand how to maintain service-oriented visions while reducing unnecessary expenses.
Corporate vision; Implementing strategy; Leadership; Organizational change; Organizational management


text: CyanogenMod Mirror Network - Powered by TDRevolution Though you can expect a few bugs since it is the first version, Cyanogenmod as been released for the G2X!! I will be waiting for just a bit to make sure most of the bad bugs are stomped out! Will keep you guys updated.


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Request Literature
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From this page, you can order hard copies of literature (as well as CDs and DVDs), for delivery via postal mail. Choose the items you need from the selection boxes. Then fill out the form at the right of the page and click "Request". We'll do the rest.
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The ultimate test of learning is quality of thinking
Once attitudes and motivation have been understood and are being inculcated, and your child is learning through cognitive strategies and metacognition, then it is time to look at the intellectual standards you will expect when she solves a problem, prepares an essay, answers questions about what is being learned, etc. We can think of them as values or principles about what is quality thinking.
The general concept of standards should be clear, but can often be confusing. In its basic form, standards are values or principles set up and established by authority as a rule for the measure of quantity, weight, extent, value, or quality. They are criteria, a word which comes from the Greek and means judging or deciding.
Intellectual standards
Intellectual standards are benchmarks or goalposts against which you and your child can measure his or her progress in thinking. In your efforts to help your children learn to think critically, you will want to adopt standards that are directly related to the quality of thinking and the expression of the results.
Good quality thinking is the examination and test of suggestions which are offered for acceptance, to find out if they adequately match reality. Critical thinking is a mental habit and a developed power. It is a safeguard against delusion, deception, and superstition. By our nature as humans, we are subject to uncertainty, in the form of:
1) Our mind does not always naturally grasp the truth,
2) We do not always naturally see things completely as they are,
3) Do not always automatically know what is reasonable or unreasonable,
4) We frequently see things as we want them to be, not as they are (confirmation bias),
5) We unconsciously twist reality to fit our preconceived ideas.
In order to reduce errors and particularly in order to teach our children how they can reduce errors in thinking, we should take rational control of our thinking processes to help to determine what to accept and what to reject and what to be dubious about or more willing to trust. That means we (and our children) need standards, principles, guidelines that direct us to consistently excellent thinking.
So, what are such standards?
1) Clarity: How to ensure your child is thinking clearly
Clarity is the condition of being clear, lucid, sharp and apparent. It is the opposite of cloudiness, opacity, or obscure. This is a major standard: the biggest goal post for your children to achieve. It means that what is said or written is easily understandable, can be grasped free from ambiguity, is not obscure or vague. When a child makes a statement at home or in class, when he or she answers a question, the response should be clear, the concepts used should be appropriate.
Development of clarity should begin very early. Parents must place emphasis on clarity, in a guiding fashion and through use of clear examples, modeling what are clear statements.
Developing clarity is done by two basic actions: pointing out when something is not clear and demonstrating how to make it clearer. The first step is easy but requires vigilance.
Questions that encourage clarity:
- Excuse me that was not very clear.
- Can you repeat that more clearly, please.
- What did you mean by ….?
- Would you say more about_____?
- Can you give an example of what you are talking about?
- That was vague. Can you restate it more clearly?
- Can you be more explicit?
- If I understand, you mean _____. Is that right?
- Do you know what that word means? Can you tell me using a different word?
- Would this be an example? Can you give another example?
2) Accuracy: How to ensure your child does not commit errors
Accuracy means free from error especially as the result of care, such as an accurate diagnosis. It means conforming exactly to truth or to a standard or being able to give an accurate result. For example, when you weigh yourself you want the devices to give you answers that are free from error.
This standard means that what is presented does not contain errors, mistakes or distortions. How can your child check to see if her ideas and thoughts and statements are true? How can parents teach our children to verify the alleged facts?
Questions that encourage accuracy:
- Can you be more specific?
- How many kids were in the park?
- Are you sure that number is correct?
- When did that happen? What date?
- Who said what to whom?
- Are you sure that is correct?
3) Precision: You can be clear and accurate but are you precise as well?
To be precise means to be exact to the necessary level of detail, to be specific. It requires exactitude, fineness, preciseness, rigor, and veracity. A statement can be clear and accurate but not precise (Jack is overweight). What do we mean by overweight? How does it differ from obesity? Thinking and speaking should be as precise as possible.
At the primary school level, and at home, precision is taught first through spelling and math. The words your child learns must be spelled correctly and pronounced correctly. The math answers must be precise: two plus two cannot be five.
If you wish to teach quality standards to your child you will help them to learn about the importance of precision, when it is necessary and how to avoid exaggeration.
Questions that encourage precision:
- Can you give me more details about that?
- Could you be more specific
- Could you express your claims more fully?
- Have you exaggerated any aspect of your position?
Have you used questions most relevant to your current situation? Teach your child to answer with the core ideas and concepts first, then provide more details.
4) Logic
The fourth pillar is logic, i.e., do the parts and how they are arranged make sense, do they make for sound judgment and reasoning. Obviously, thinking can vary in its degree of logic. The main point is to lead them to think in an orderly way that closely resembles reality and is "logical."
When we teach our children to be logical we ask them if what they are saying or thinking is consistent and integrated. Does the whole thought or the components of the thought fit together sensibly and plausibly? Does the answer demonstrate the correct structure? Does it fit into a recognizable pattern?
One of the main tests of logic to answer is if what your child says follows from the evidence. Can your child identify and provide examples which help to establish the veracity of what has been said?
And there is always the test of: "does this really make sense?"
Questions that encourage logical thinking
- Does the solution make sense?
- Do the pieces of the solution fit together tightly?
- What is the line of reasoning that brought you to this point?
- Can you explain the process you have used to come to this conclusion?
- Can you show how this answer fits into the overall structure of the domain?
So, these are the Big Four: Clarity, Precision, Accuracy and Logic form a group of very important standards, call them "The Big Four." They are the fundamental standards which children must learn. As a parent, you should pay close attention to them and encourage your children to develop respect for them. They should have a strong grasp of the significance of these standards and most of their learning behaviour should be guided by the big four.
Summarising intellectual standards
Your child is learning to think critically. He or she has developed a general grasp of what it means to learn and with your help has learned cognitive learning strategies which notably increase the effectiveness and durability of learning.
He or she has learned to use mindfulness, metacognition, to facilitate learning and problem solving and to help provide personal feedback on progress and adequacy of learning. You have paid attention to, and have understood, the importance of developing dispositions and managing their interactions with emotions. You know that self-efficacy is the key to motivation and successful learning and application.
Fact Box
The importance of Relevance, Significance and Meaningfulness
Something is relevant when it bears upon or relates to the matter at hand. It is pertinent, appropriate, apt and fit. Normally we look for a close logical relationship with the matter under consideration. This is part of the development of the underlying structure of the subject at hand. When your child is responding to questions related to problems being solved you will want them to give relevant responses.
When your child is asked to work on solving a problem, then the relevance and coherence of original learning become apparent. If she can make relevant responses, it is evidence that during original learning, she was able to relate pieces of learning in a articulate structure.
Keep bringing your child back to respecting the importance of relevanve.
Questions that emphasise relevance
• How does this fact bear upon the issue?
• How does this idea relate to this other idea?
• Can you explain how your example, statement or story is connected to the current issue?
• How does your question relate to the issue?
• How can that idea or concept be applied in practice.
• Can your idea be related to an everyday application?
• How is it relevant? What is its relationship to the issue at hand?
It means having importance, being of consequence, having substantial meaning (meaningfulness). Though many ideas may be relevant, they often are not be equally important so we want our children to be able to identify the most significant information they need to deal with a particular issue? They should be able to identify which of a given group of ideas is the most important, which of these questions is the most significant?
Questions that emphasise significance
Which of these ideas is the most decisive in formulating your answer?
Which of these elements is the most essential?
Does one of these components have more strategic importance than the others?
Is there an element in this explanation or solution that appears to be more crucial or distinctive than others?
Is there an idea here that is exceptional or impressive in terms of the solution to the problem?
What part of this idea most likely has great meaning or lasting effect?
Meaningfulness: Depth of Thinking
When we talk about depth of thinking we mean that the person knows more than a little, has a more profound knowledge of the subject. In the case of literature a person who has read ten major works of classic literature has a good start but cannot be compared to a person who has read over one hundred works. Depth means containing complexities and multiple interrelationships, with thoroughness of thinking that probes beneath the surface, goes deeper, ask is this question simple or complex? Depth includes information: how well does the child know the subject? How much time and information has he acquired in relation to the subject? Depth means complexity, thoroughness, an understanding of intricate details about a subject. It typically involves engaging students' imaginations and emotions in learning and it builds confidence and pride in their knowledge.
Questions to stimulate depth as well as to ascertain your child's depth are:
What makes this concept so complex?
What are the components of the concept that must come together?
Can you provide further details of the subject, idea or concept?
In thinking, depth also means to use reasoning processes that are not superficial but truly deal logically with the complexities inherent in the question.


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County considers expansion of overweight haul permits
May 27, 2014
Garfield County is willing to consider a request from oil and gas haulers to amend its overweight and oversize road permit regulations to allow permits for certain types of loads that now must be divided into separate, smaller loads.
However, county commissioners also want to find out how much that could cost taxpayers over time to upgrade some county roads to meet new standards and to fix roads and bridges that could become damaged by the heavier trucks.
Commissioners voted 2-1 at a special meeting Tuesday to prepare and formally consider at a later time an amendment to county road regulations allowing permits to be issued for so-called overweight divisible loads that exceed the county's current 54,000-pound load limit.
Heeding the concerns of county road and bridge department officials over the likely wear and tear on roads, and cautions that permit fees wouldn't be enough to cover the cost of repairs, maintenance and new road construction, commissioners first want to get a handle on the numbers involved.
"I don't want to be sitting here three years from now stuck with a $25 million bill to fix roads because we allowed this," Commissioner Mike Samson said.
At the same time, "We want to govern in a way that is thinking of the future," he said. "And it seems that this particular kind of truck and this type of transportation is the wave of the future."
Recommended Stories For You
Currently, any type of load that can be divided into smaller parts, such as water, sand, gravel, logs and even trash, is required to come in under the county's load limit and may not apply for an oversize or overweight permit.
Only oversized trucks that can't be separated out, such as drill rigs or the hauling of heavy earth-moving equipment, can apply for such a permit.
Recently, trucking contractors working for energy companies have begun using a new type of four-axle tanker truck to haul larger amounts of water to and from well pads. The trucks require fewer trips, but they exceed Garfield County's load limit and do not qualify for overweight permitting.
Such permitting is allowed in other gas-producing counties, including Mesa and Rio Blanco, but not in Garfield.
David Ludlam, executive director of the West Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association, noted that mitigation money from oil and gas development in the county does help to pay for road improvements. New hauling methods are just another industry advancement, he said.
"You don't typically get constituent complaints about the investments you're making into roads and other infrastructure," Ludlam said. "This is a change that will result in reduced truck traffic and emissions and fewer odor and dust complaints, and that should weigh into this decision."
Commissioner Tom Jankovsky opposed proceeding with changes to the permit rules until the county can address its road standards to reflect recently adopted new state standards that allow loads up to 62,000 pounds, rather than the county's 54,000 pounds.


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Hello Dolly! Local Artists Fashionable Legacy
(LE MARS, IA) A Siouxland man who has since passed is leaving a very special artistic legacy.
Robert Smith was a farmer in Battle Creek, Iowa, who hand crafted wooden dolls in his spare time.
But these dolls aren't just ordinary dolls.
The official name for these wooden creations is Dollies. At least that's what their creator called them. He was a farmer from Battle Creek, Iowa, and in the mid-70's, Robert Smith got a little inspiration.
"He said he had seen some Italian dolls and he was inspired by these little dolls. I don't think that they were very large but they were very beautiful and he decided to try his hand," says Judy Bowman, the Administrator for the Plymouth County Historical Museum.
It led to a hobby that would last the rest of his life and now the Plymouth County Historical Museum in Le Mars displays them all.
There's a total of 81 dollies in the museum. Each one was hand carved from wood that Smith found on his farm. And each one of the dollies has its own set of characteristics and its own personality.
"What is unique about the dollies is that they are three-quarter the size of a human, and they are all jointed, everywhere we bend they bend. And they also are anatomically correct and the clothing on them was made, they were all fashioned by Mr. Smith," says Bowman.
The dollies sat for years on Smith's Battle Creek farm. The family set up their own museum just for the dolls but after Smith and his wife passed away and their daughter Isabella became ill, Isabella donated them to Bowman and the museum.
"I was overwhelmed. We were good friends," says Bowman.
The dolls original estimated worth is more than $100,000, but Bowman says the official appraisal will happen next week.
"It's very special to have these, because again we've really known the dollies since 1975, so that's a long time to be acquainted," she says.
If you're interested in seeing this almost life-sized dollies for yourself, the museum is holding a "Tea with the Dollies" event. It will be held at the Plymouth County Historical Museum Saturday, May 11th. The museum opens at 1 PM and closes at 5 PM. The event is free to the public.


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Electoral systems based on single member electorates traditionally favour minor parties with geographically concentrated support.
That is why with 10% of the vote the National Party can win many seats in Parliament while the Australian Democrats and the Greens always struggle to win seats.The National Party wins seats because its support is concentrated in rural and regional areas. Despite sometimes polling more votes than the National Party, the Australian Democrats could never win seats because their support was more evenly distributed across the nation.
As the Greens have grown, their support has shown a very different pattern to that of the Australian Democrats, displaying strong pockets of local support. Like the Australian Democrats the Greens have a significant but even spread of double digit support in safe Liberal electorates. But the Greens have generated strong pockets of support in inner-city areas where the Democrats did not do well.
At the 2011 NSW election the Greens won their first NSW lower house seat in Balmain, and came close to victory in the neighbouring seat of Marrickville. With the collapse in Labor support, the Greens also finished second to the Liberal Party in nine seats covering all of Sydney's North Shore plus Vaucluse, and also finished ahead of Labor in three North Coast seats, Ballina, Lismore and Oxley.
When you break down Green support by polling place, two distinct areas of support are revealed. The first is small towns, particularly on the state's far north coast, where there was a strong presence of what can be described as alternative life style communities. The second is a collection of polling places within a few kilometres of the Sydney CBD, particluarly in the inner-west.
(There would be even more inner-city booths listed were it not for the success of Independent Clover Moore in the seat of Sydney.)
The Greens polled more than 50% of the first preference vote in six polling places, one in the inner-western suburb of Newtown, the other five in alternative life style communities in the electorate of Lismore.
The table below shows all polling places at the 2011 NSW election where the Greens polled more than 30% of the first preference vote.
For anyone who likes doing pop sociology, it is a list of exactly the sorts of places you would expect the Greens to poll well.
Continue reading "Green Support by Polling Place at the 2011 NSW Election" »


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Wednesday, May 5, 2004
Pasadena Angels Invests In GlobalTouch Telecom
The Pasadena Angels, an early stage angel investment group, announced it has closed $400K of convertible debt financing for GlobalTouch Telecom in West Los Angeles. GlobalTouch is providing international telecommunications services to expatriate communities in Northern America. Ten members of the Pasadena Angels invested in the round. The Pasadena Angels have invested $4.5M in 17 ventures in the last three years.


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Reader's comments »
By adding a comment on the site, you accept our terms and conditions.
Zane Jones, it would appear, has an unfair advantage.
The Calgary Hitmen are embroiled in a month-long moustache-growing competition, but Jones certainly has a genetic edge as he attempts to win the club's Movember campaign.
After all, his uncle has one of the most famous dusters in the country.
"I don't know about that," Jones said when asked if uncle Lanny — McDonald, that is — gave him any tips.
"I can see why the guys are saying that.
"But it's been a hard road to get it this good-looking."
Fans will determine the winner of the team's Mo Bro challenge by voting online.
Last year's champion, Spencer Humphries, and challengers Brady Brassart and Greg Chase have taken to the Jumbotron for in-game, U.S. political-style campaign messages to boost their chances.
There's also been behind-the-scenes trash-talk.
"The worst moustache has to go to Brady Brassart," Humphries said. "It looks pretty greasy. I know he's been doing a lot of work trying to get votes. But at the end of it, everyone's going to see how good my moustache is."
Brassart brushed off the insults.
"Coming from him, I don't know if I pose that as a real threat or not," Brassart said.
"I don't know how he won last year, but this year's a whole other story."
While Humphries and Brassart do battle, Jones is hoping they split the vote and he can come up the middle.
"In my mind, I'm the clear leader," Jones said. "Some guys just aren't blessed with having a great moustache, I guess.
"I tried to grow one last year, but it was nothing like this."
Brassart said he's a little skeptical of Jones' facial hair.
"I don't know what happened there," Brassart said. "Maybe he cut some of Lanny's off and glued it on.
"I haven't seen him with a shaved lip since he got here, so he had a head-start — probably two years."
Jones insisted he was clean shaven Nov. 1 for the annual challenge. The Hitmen Movember campaign has raised $45,950 since 2009.
By adding a comment on the site, you accept our terms and conditions.


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Linfield are closing in on their search for a new manager – with former Northern Ireland striker Warren Feeney expected to be named as David Jeffrey's successor.
The Windsor Park club's board is due to meet on Tuesday night to rubber-stamp the deal.
It is believed the club could confirm Feeney as their new manager within the next week.
A number of high-profile names have been linked with the Windsor Park hotseat since Jeffrey announced his intention to stand down.
Former Hibs boss Pat Fenlon had been favourite for the post, but it was reported last week that the Dubliner had failed to agree terms with the Blues.
Now 33-year-old boyhood fan Feeney looks set for a dream move to Windsor.
Feeney – who won 46 caps for Northern Ireland between 2002 and 2011 – is currently assistant boss with Salisbury City in the English Conference.
Linfield sit second in the Danske Bank Premiership following Saturday's defeat to champions Cliftonville.
The Blues have a two-week break before their next league fixture – away to Crusaders on April 12.
It is believed Linfield's management board will use the time to finalise plans for their new manager.
Jeffrey announced on February 15 that he will stand down after 17 years at the Linfield helm.
The 51-year-old is the longest-serving Linfield manager, and has won 31 trophies to date – equalling Roy Coyle's club record.


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This property has been removed by the agent. It may be sold or temporarily removed from the market
2 bedroom detached bungalow for saleHIGHCLIFFE ON SEA
Sold STC £469,950
Property Description
Key features
- Quality detached bungalow in an exclusive location
- Extremely well maintained but now in need of some modernisation
- Spacious room sizes includng a large sitting room & separate dining room
- Two double bedrooms and bathroom with WC
- Gas fired central heating and double glazing
- Detached garage with plenty of off-road parking to the front
- Fabulous large rear garden being one of the largest on this development
- Huge scope and potential for extension/improvement
- Fabulous location in this highly sought after area
- Council Tax 'E' £1935.10
Full description
Enviably located in this highly sought after area in close proximity to Chewton Bunny Nature Reserve through which there is a picturesque walk down to the beach. This delightful high quality bungalow has been well maintained and was originally built to traditional standards by well renowned local builders Drews of New Milton. The property stands on one of the largest plots we have seen on this development and offers a high degree of privacy and seclusion.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)
To view this media, please visit the on-line version of this page at www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-23862978.html?premiumA=true
Listing History
Map & Street View
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Market Info
Disclaimer - Property reference 100327000488. The information displayed about this property comprises a property advertisement. Rightmove.co.uk makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the advertisement or any linked or associated information, and Rightmove has no control over the content. This property advertisement does not constitute property particulars. The information is provided and maintained by Mitchells Estate Agents, Highcliffe. Please contact the selling agent or developer directly to obtain any information which may be available under the terms of The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 or the Home Report if in relation to a residential property in Scotland.
Map data ©OpenStreetMap contributors.


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Berlin Downtown Style, 70er Design 7
Size75 m²
Floor No.
- Family/child friendly
- Kitchen
- Washer/dryer
- Parking available
- Lockable room
- Balcony/terrace
- Internet/WiFi
Accommodation summary
This 70 square meter apartment is quiet, well-lit and on the ground floor. It has a south-west facing balcony from which you can enjoy the sun and the beautiful view of the surrounding area. The apartment is decorated with elements from the 70s- a relaxing retreat with a flair of art and kitsch. It is functionally furnished and we take pride in cleanliness. This holiday apartment has two separate bedrooms: one with a double-bed measuring 2 x 90 x 200, and the other with two beds measuring 90 x 200. The living room contains a comfortable sleeper sofa with a large table for all guests. The kitchen is well equipped with a dishwasher, a coffee maker, water boiler, a microwave, etc. and also has a small table with chairs. Each room has plenty of storage and cupboards. There is a bathtub with shower curtain in the bathroom. For the little ones, a childrens bed or child seat can easily be provided upon request.
Sleep accommodations: One double bed 2 x 90 x 200, two quality beds 90 x 200, one sleeper sofa
Kitchen: Four-range stove, oven, microwave, refrigerator with freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, plenty of dishes.
Entertainment: DVD player, stereo, CD player, radio, TV
Quiet but centrally located in the lively Bezirk Mitte at Ruppiner Str., Berlin 13355. There are many convenient transportation options near this vacation apartment. The Bernauer Str. subway station, the tram, as well as various busses are all located within 150 meters. The area is easily reached via the A100 Autobahn. From here you can therefore easily reach a number of sight-seeing attractions like the Hackeschen Höfen (approx. 1.8 km), Alexanderplatz (approx. 2.3 km), or Hauptbahnhof (approx. 2.6 km.)
Additional Info:
Kids are welcome, appropriate for seniors but there is no elevator, no pets allowed, smoking allowed only on the balcony, free street parking in front of the house.
Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions.
House rulesChildren welcome, suitable for seniors but not no elevator, pets allowed, smoking only on the balcony, in front of the house there is free public parking.
No parties or visitors, no loud music in the night´s rest from 22.00 till 6.00.
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Reviews for this host's other properties
Nice and spatious appartment. We were there with three people. Good location. Free parking, subway nearby, also some good supermarkets in the neighbourhood.
Short: good price/quality.
Good accommodation in (almost) everything met our needs: Conveniently located with easy access to public transportation, car park, WIFI and comfortable beds. The kitchen and the bathroom was not really clean. That was unfortunate.
Goede accomodatie die in (bijna) alles voldeed aan onze wensen: gunstig gelegen met gemakkelijke verbinding met openbaar vervoer, parkeerplaats voor auto, WIFI en heerlijke bedden. De keuken en de badkamer waren echter niet echt schoon. Dat was jammer.
Marc is a very attentive and welcoming host ...
Marc est un hôte très attentif et accueillant...
Apartment was very central, bus stop right outside the door, Baker directly underneath. Unfortunately, a lot of stairs to climb, but was not really a problem for us. Apartment overall was very neat. This weekend can be drying for a short trip to Berlin recommend your
Wohnung war sehr zentral, Bushaltestelle direkt vor der Tür, Bäcker direkt unten drunter.
Leider viele Treppen zusteigen, aber war für uns eigentlich kein Problem.
Wohnung war insgesamt sehr ordentlich.
Diese Wochnung kann man für einen Kurztrip nach Berlin gerne weiterempfehlen
Lovely large and bright apartment. We were 4 adults and 3 children - absolutely perfect, without extra bed in the living room. Good location with plenty of transport options. It took 20 min. by bus from Tegel and quickly by bus and U-bahn to the city. Supermarket open till 23.30 opposite.
Dejlig stor og lys lejlighed. Vi var 4 voksne og 3 børn - helt perfekt, uden opredning i stuen. God beliggenhed med masser af transportmuligheder. Det tog 20 min. med bus fra Tegel, og hurtigt med bus og U-bahn til city. Supermarked åbent til 23.30 lige overfor.
Apartment was great - clean, well equipped and many sleeps. Everything was working. Organization was impeccable. The only small drawback: Something a lot of stairs.
Wohnung war super - Sauber, gut ausgestattet und viele Schlafmöglichkeiten. Alles funktionierte.
Organisation war tadellos.
Einziges kleines Manko: Etwas viele Treppen.
We were very satisfied with the apartment, large, spacious, comfortably accommodate 3 couples. From here we could achieve all of our great attractions and have 4 wonderful days spent.
Wir waren mit dem Appartement sehr zufrieden, groß, geräumig, bequem Platz für 3 Paare.
Wir konnten von hier aus alle unsere Ausflugsziele super erreichen und haben 4 schöne Tage verbracht.
Central apartment. Was neat and clean.
Zentrales Appartment. War gepflegt und sauber.
Unfortunately had to cancel at short notice, so no info on Wohnng, but very understanding hosts.
Mußte leider sehr kurzfristig absagen, daher keine Info zur Wohnng, aber sehr verständnisvoller Gastgeber.
The apartment is fully in the descriptions on Wimdu and we all felt - THANKS
Die Wohnung entspricht absolut den Beschreibungen bei Wimdu und wir haben uns alle wohl gefühlt - DANKE
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text: On Aug 28 2005, Rick Thomas wrote: > The best way to handle multiple hard disks is to get a good cheap IDE > PCI card. Which would be a cheap IDE PCI card that can work with older PMac's (more especifically a PowerMac 9500)? Any one that can boot from Open Firmware? Unfortunately, it seems that I can't find one here where I live. I am also having problems trying to find memory for the PMac since every place where I go they say that it is out of production. :-( Ordering from online sources isn't, unfortunately, an option (since the Brazilian government places taxes of 60% over the cost of the product---and by "cost of product" they even include shipping rates). :-( Thanks for any information regarding IDE cards, Rogério. P.S.: On the other hand, if anybody has memory for PMac's and it is not being used anymore, I would gladly accept a donation. :-) -- Rogério Brito : firstname.lastname@example.com : http://www.ime.usp.br/~rbrito Homepage of the algorithms package : http://algorithms.berlios.de Homepage on freshmeat: http://freshmeat.net/projects/algorithms/


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|October 18, 2006, 08:13 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 12, 2000
Location: Garland Texas U.S.A.
Posts: 733
Eight shot revolvers
What are the choices in the eight shot revolvers? Brands and models?
NRA Life Member, TSRA Life Member,
C&R 03 FFL, Texas LTC
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|October 18, 2006, 08:53 PM
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Join Date: September 22, 2006
Posts: 454
I had some gun rag recently that had a great big spread on some new S&W .357 snub with a two tone 8 round cylinder. Seemed pretty interesting but a thousand dollars on a .357 snub is just wrong, no matter how much money you like to burn.
I'd say settle for 7 rounds and get a Taurus. This'll be the next snubbie I ever buy, If I can find one.
Taurus 617
|October 18, 2006, 09:08 PM
Junior Member
Join Date: October 16, 2006
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 4
Taurus also makes the model 608, 8 shot in .357. I believe the barrel options are 4" and 8 3/8". I owned one with the longer barrel for awhile. You'd think the trigger pull would be very short, but it isn't.
The 617 is nice too if you're looking for a snubby. I don't like the grips on the 617 as much as my other snubbies, but that's my only complaint.
"Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion of your walks." Thomas Jefferson.
|October 18, 2006, 10:30 PM
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Join Date: June 5, 2004
Posts: 452
Smith and Wesson 327 and 627.
|October 18, 2006, 10:38 PM
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Join Date: June 1, 2006
Posts: 278
Taurus also makes an eight-shot .22 Magnum and .22 LR.
There's also some older eight and nine shot .22 LR revolvers around--OOH, and S&W has a TEN shot .22 LR revolver.
|October 19, 2006, 12:14 AM
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Join Date: March 30, 2001
Posts: 3,604
A thousand dollars on a snub is just wrong? People spend more on Commander and Officer's 1911's which fill the same niche.
The S&W Perfomance Center has nice variations on the 327 and 627.
|October 19, 2006, 02:13 AM
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Join Date: September 22, 2006
Posts: 454
I'm sorry but I feel that a $1,000 1911 to be something worth far more on any scale than a $1,000 snubby. Just my humble opinion.
|October 19, 2006, 06:28 AM
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Join Date: July 26, 2006
Location: Southern Minnesota
Posts: 9,333
I have a Taurus stainless 4" 22 mag 8 shot revolver ( 4-5 years old now )... it's been a great gun, & is now regulated as the wifes bed room gun... the only negitive I can say, is that I haven't found any speed loaders for the 8 shot 22 mag...
BTW... I think Taurus also offers the 17 HMR in an 8 shot revolver as well...
In life you either make dust or eat dust...
|October 19, 2006, 02:22 PM
Join Date: September 22, 2006
Posts: 72
The taurus 608 also comes in 6" and I thik they are all ported.
|October 19, 2006, 03:01 PM
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Join Date: September 9, 2006
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ITEOTWAWKI & croyance
I agree with you guys on the $1000.00 Snub nose issue, it is a bit steep, but I take it that you guys don't shoot revolvers much?
I can see how a revolver fan could spend a Thousand dollars on a good revolver. If you are used to shooting semi-auto's the first thing you'll notice when shooting a high end revolver is the trigger. Man...a good revolver triggers break is seriously like glass, smooth...crisp, man you can't even hardly feel it. Like a customized 1911 trigger, except some revolvers come right out of the box like that. It's amazing...at least I think so.
Then there's the grip, different but comfortable and natural to have your thumb bent down like that. LOL!
Revolvers are different animals for sure, but they have a LOT of features a Semi-Auto shooter can really appreciate.
Just a big fan of guns.
|October 19, 2006, 07:48 PM
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Join Date: May 22, 2006
Location: Missouri
Posts: 294
My bud has a taurus 608. It's a pretty good gun I wouldn't hesitate to buy one.
Just because your paranoid don't mean they aint out to get ya.
|October 19, 2006, 10:53 PM
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Join Date: September 15, 2006
Location: Pueblo, Colorado
Posts: 2,664
the only drawback to an 8 shot .357 (aside from the size but that's not a big issue) is that there is only one speed loader availible and they're jusnk I've heard so the other fast-reload option is full moon clips wich cost about $80 bucks to have the cylinder cut to accept them last I checked. unless you drop $1200 on the S&W 327 TRR8 (the one with the gay tac rails) so if you care about that now you know. personally I like the 7-shot taurus tracker to the 608 overall.
|October 20, 2006, 12:17 AM
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Join Date: March 30, 2001
Posts: 3,604
FS2K, I never said a $1K revolver - snubby or not - was wrong. I pointed out that people will spend $1K and up on a 1911. Quite a few are $2K, $2500, or more.
For what? At the end of the day you are getting a gun that has been tuned to be as accurate as the revolvers out of the '50s - straight out of the box. A trigger that hopes to be as smooth and crisp as many untuned revolvers I've handled. Those old guns were reliable too. Five hundred round break-ins and they still might need to be sent back becaue they are touchy? Certainly not the revolver.
One of my favorite guns is a S&W 19-3. One of my carry guns is a 1911.
|October 20, 2006, 12:45 AM
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Join Date: June 20, 2006
Location: Surprise, Az.
Posts: 418
8 shot
My money is on the Smith & Wesson 627. I've had three and they all have done the job I wanted them to do. Had a few friends try the Taurus for competition but they don't seem to hold up very well. They may be o.k for casual use but not 200 - 300 rounds a week.
|October 20, 2006, 09:38 AM
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Join Date: July 20, 2001
Posts: 627
I have a 8 shot S&W 627 Performance Center with a 3" barrel and removable compensator. The gun has a lot of PC upgrades that would probably cost a thousand dollars to have done to a standard model. It is a nice gun and probably worth 1k, if you wanted all the things that have been done to it. I never pay a thousand dollars for a gun, and only bought it because I got it for a good price. A S&W 686 Plus, with an action job, is the most I will ever need.
|October 21, 2006, 10:55 PM
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Join Date: March 29, 2006
Posts: 444
I've got a Taurus 608, bright stainless with a 4in barrel. I love the thing. It's big and heavy. .357s feel just fine. .38s feel like .22s.
All-Purpose Abrasive
Springfield Mil-spec, XD9
Rock Island 9mm Tactical, Ruger GP100
Marlin 336(.30-30, .35), 1895 .450, Model 60SS
|October 22, 2006, 05:40 AM
Join Date: March 5, 2005
Posts: 90
I have one of the few 8-shot revolver options, the Taurus 608:
It is massive, bad for CCW, but it makes shooting full power mags a proverbial walk in the park. It has proven to be very accurate in SA, but I'm still mastering the DA trigger (my fault, not the guns.)
One bad thing about the 608 (and from what I've read, many Taurus revolvers) is that it seized up the first couple of times at the range. The gap between the forcing cone and the cylinder seems to be to tight, and the powder gunk keeps it from cycling.
It hasn't been a problem for quite some time now, even after firing 100+ rounds of ammo in one sitting without cleaning, so I guess everything has worn in properly and the problem took care of itself.
I'm sure the S&W is a damn fine piece of work, but the role my 608 currently fills just isn't worth that much money to me. Besides, after thoroughly experiencing the 608, I can't imagine how much better the S&W could be. Certainly not $600+ better.
Either way, it's your buck, do what makes you feel good.
Militant Bob says:
"Proud To Be An Infidel!"
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit.
|October 23, 2006, 09:43 AM
Join Date: April 26, 2006
Location: NW Florida
Posts: 48
Got it covered. Iver Johnson Sealed 8.
|October 24, 2006, 03:16 PM
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|December 18, 2006, 06:47 PM
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Posts: 1
To all you "Taurus" guys... does it bother you that you're buying a foreign gun? How about supporting the American company? It seems like people won't be happy until they're all out of business.
And, no, $1000 is not that unreasonable for a Performance Center revolver that will last your lifetime. It's better than sending $500 overseas for something that will need repair in a few years.
|December 18, 2006, 09:47 PM
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Join Date: March 30, 2001
Posts: 3,604
It isn't about putting people out of buisness, though that may be a consequence. People will always want a bargain for the price and are willing to reach it in different ways.
Taurus and S&W do not compete entirely for the same customers, the price difference will see to that.
Like S&W, Taurus has a lifetime warrenty. The truth is, for the great majority of guns, that the lifetime wear will not destroy it. Volume just isn't enough.
This isn't about protectionism, nor do we live in a closed market. We are a capitalist society, this is part of the base assumption of America along with being a Democratic Republic.
Argueably much that went wrong with American industry was from the attitude that people would always buy American, so quality went down. Look at the automobile industry since the '70s. The arrogance of limited choices lead to a decline.
Ask some people and they will say that the S&W product is not the quality it once was. Similarly some will say that Taurus has improved from its beginnings.
This comes from a S&W owner who, having tried a used Taurus revolver, will stick with only S&W (and Colts).
|December 18, 2006, 10:11 PM
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Join Date: May 8, 2005
Posts: 406
Several guys in my IDPA club shoot revolvers at our matches. They switch between Smith & Wesson 625s and 627s.
It's almost beautiful watching them shoot. The 8 shot moon clips are extremely fast, and with them...faster than most change a magazine in an auto. To most who use 1911s, they are only down a round given 8 shot magazines.
Revolver triggers that are smooth are amazing. My 686 was tuned and I cannot describe how great a pull it has.
It is difficult to beat a tuned 8 shot 627. Guns are an investment and you usually get what you pay for.
|December 18, 2006, 10:24 PM
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Posts: 707
the smith and wesson model 327 TRR8 $1,264 before the optics and light
|December 18, 2006, 11:40 PM
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Location: So Cal
Posts: 381
Actually, it "only" costs $900+. That price on the website is MSRP (which no one pays)
If you can kick in the pants the person responsible for your problems, you won't be able to sit for a month.
|December 18, 2006, 11:42 PM
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If you can kick in the pants the person responsible for your problems, you won't be able to sit for a month.
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New Infographic Shows Our "Hyper Consumption"
"Sometimes it can be difficult to visualize just how much we consume. While purchasing 'green this' and 'eco-friendly that' is all well and good, one of the root causes of our environmental problems is hyper consumption. We simply buy too much of what we don't really need." —Visual Loop
In this new infographic, Visual Loop provides a graphical overview of three major topics of consumerism: food, cars, and trash.
On the Web: http://visualoop.tumblr.com/post/6979154074/consumerism-stats-exclusive-infographic


text:
WASHINGTON, DC -- Tonight, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Taxpayer Protection Act (H.R. 6899). Adam Kolton, the National Wildlife Federation's senior director of congressional and federal affairs, said:
"While the House bill takes positive steps on renewable energy and energy efficient buildings, those provisions are outweighed by a last-minute change lifting a longstanding prohibition on commercial oil shale leasing. Much of the public attention around Congressional energy bills has been focused on offshore oil leasing provisions, but oil shale is an unconscionable environmental threat. "Oil shale is a disaster not only for America's western wilderness and water supply but for our climate. Oil shale production also requires five gallons of water to produce one gallon of fuel, and the vast majority of shale is located in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming -- states with limited water resources. Oil shale production also creates five times more global warming pollution than conventional drilling and gasoline production. As the Senate takes up the energy debate, we hope senators will continue the oil shale moratorium while fighting for the most robust package of clean energy alternatives.
"Whether it's oil shale or offshore drilling, Congress must stop chasing the last barrel of oil and start pursuing our clean energy future. Americans deserve better energy choices that are both cheaper and cleaner than fossil fuels. Alternative energy sources and energy-saving technologies will free us from our dependency on expensive fossil fuels, recharge America's economy and solve the climate crisis.
"America is on the verge of an explosion of clean energy jobs. It's time for Congress to light the fuse."
Find much more detail on why oil shale is so disastrous for our land, water and climate in the National Wildlife Federation's oil shale fact sheet:Oil Shale (pdf)
Learn more about the real solutions that would cut our energy costs and ease our addiction to fossil fuels in the National Wildlife Federation's "Don't be Fooled" fact sheet:Don't be Fooled by Big Oil (pdf)
The National Wildlife Federation is America's largest conservation organization inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future.
For Immediate ReleaseSeptember 16, 2008
Contact: Miles Grant, National Wildlife Federation, 703-864-9599 (cell), firstname.lastname@example.com
Oil and Gas Methane Pollution Report


text:
I am one of a few subs that work in both the elementry and high school levels. I have currently excepted a long term as an english treacher at the high school. I have done this class before and it is a diverse class of 9th through 12th grade as well as a drama class. I also sub the K through 8th grades and that is very rewarding to watch the small children learn a new concept.
Areas of Interest:
and Math


text:
WASHINGTON - Don't do drugs, don't smoke, and don't drink. Do get plenty of exercise, mentor a child, and give money to your local charity.
All good advice, all offered in typical television public service announcements. These ads can be effective, but a new study says there aren't very many of them. And those that do make it to television are often broadcast at odd hours when few people are watching.
"There continues to be very little time available for ads on public service, and nearly half of them are aired after midnight," said Vicky Rideout, a co-author of the study. "It's a really challenging environment for nonprofits to get their messages out."
The study, titled "Shouting to be Heard," was released yesterday by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation at a forum attended by three of the five members of the Federal Communications Commission.
Public service announcements are prosocial messages that air for free.
Researchers watched a full week of television on affiliates of 10 of the nation's most popular cable and broadcast networks in seven different markets in late 2005.
Researchers determined the stations they reviewed aired 17 seconds of public service announcements per each hour of programming, or about 0.5 percent of all TV airtime on the channels.
Forty-six percent of the ads were aired between midnight and 6 a.m., the study said. If you consider broadcast stations alone, the total was 60 percent.
"Maybe insomniacs are well informed, but humans are not nocturnal animals," commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, a Democrat, said of the results.
The report updates a study released in 2002. Since then, time allotted to donated public service announcements increased from 7 seconds to 15 seconds per hour on cable networks, but there was no statistically significant change among broadcast channels.