text:
Thank you for the complimentary copies of the Times News article you gave the high school students from our sister city of Gwacheon, Korea. They enjoyed meeting the officials of the city. The morning in class when they saw their picture in the paper, they covered their mouths with their hands in surprise and called out to each other, laughing, pointing at each face in the picture and commenting. It was a moment for us to remember.
Gwacheon and Burlington have roughly the same population, but they thought that Burlington was huge. That�s because Burlington grows out sideways while Gwacheon grows up vertically. In Korea, all those 20 students live in apartments. They were most taken with how friendly the people in Burlington are. Everywhere they went, they were greeted them and welcomed. Also, in winter, Gwacheon is frozen solid with snow. They loved our warm 70-degree weather as well as their host families� reactions to our sudden dump of snowfall.
We are getting emails and Facebook postings from them now about how much they miss Burlington.
MARJORIE McNAMARA
and JOHN STALEY
This letter was submitted via the Burlington-Alamance Sister Cities program.


text:
See also: IRC log
-> http://www.w3.org/XML/XProc/2008/03/20-agenda
-> http://www.w3.org/XML/XProc/2008/03/06-minutes
No regrets given.
-> http://www.w3.org/XML/XProc/docs/langspec.html
Norm attempts to summarize the alternate draft.
Henry: I think the new draft is a definite step forward.
Alex: I agree too.
Norm: I also added multi-step container
Mohamed: The p:variable looks
like a step too.
... Between steps we can have p:variable, which means we can have a change in step dependencies
Henry: I don't think it changes step dependencies.
Norm: Mohamed is right. Because p:variable can contain p:pipe.
Henry: We could say, you can't do
... Or we could say that the context document must be empty.
Mohamed: I think we can just say that p:variable is a step that exposes values.
Henry: I think that makes the
scoping rules impossible to write.
... There seem to be two ways to think of this. One as a limited kind of step and one like XSLT variables.
... So we could say that variables can only depend on lexically preceding ports.
... but that doesn't work, because _steps_ don't have to refer in lexical order.
... Very little is lost, and we still get almost all the intended benefit if we push variables back into the prologue.
... We can leave them where they are, but they can't see sibling output ports.
... This puts option and variable in complementary distributions.
... So you can have options or variables and perhaps only in pipeline declarations can have both.
Basically, variables need more work.
Mohamed: General opinion is that we've improved things, the alternate draft is definitely an improvement.
Proposed: We'll take the current altnerate draft as the starting point for further development.
Norm: We need to resolve variable first, so let's skip the second item on the technical agenda for now.
Norm: As it stands, I think, an implementor can provide a new compound step, but that pipeline just won't run in any other processor.
Henry: I'm against p:fallback. In
XSLT, p:fallback is restricted to instruction elements, the
interior of templates. You cannot extend XSLT by defining a new
kind of template element. You can't add my:supertemplate.
There's no way to do that.
... For my money, the compound steps and multi-containers are like that for us. There's just no way to do it that's backward compatible or interoperable.
... The chances that you can define a workaround that are so small, that adding a whole bunch of mechanism to the language, just in case someone can is all out of proportion.
... I'd like to go less far, I don't think we need to say anything at all about extension compound steps.
Norm: I'm sorry that we're forever closing the door, but I tend to agree with Henry.
Mohamed: We say that we're going to provide a file that contains the atomic step declarations. Can we also provide a small signature for compound steps?
Norm: I don't think so; you need to know the inputs and outputs in order to build the graph.
Henry concurs.
Henry: There is one more question: what is the answer to p:step-available(p:for-each)
Norm: I think it should be yes
Henry: I agree.
... What about step-available for a pipeline that you've declared in scope.
Norm: I think that should be 'true' too.
Proposed: We won't make any attempt to provide interoperable extension compound steps.
Mohamed: Can't we try to make something possible from inside a when or a try-catch?
Norm: I don't think so, because you wouldn't know the bindings if it occured, for example, as the last step in a p:when subpipeline.
Returning to the proposal: accepted.
Norm: I think we need to consider which steps need to have names.
<ht> http://www.w3.org/XML/XProc/docs/langspec.html#step-names
Henry: In section 2.1.1, do we
want to endorse the idea of default names, and if so, what gets
a name.
... At the moment, all steps and all containers get names. I think that's fine as long as the odd containers aren't steps.
Norm: They used to need names, but they don't anymore.
Henry: Right, the rule that applies now is the Dan Connolloy rule that important things ought to have names.
Norm: The XProc Media Type comes into play here.
<scribe> ACTION: Henry to consider the issue of names and the media type in general and come back with a proposal. [recorded in http://www.w3.org/2008/03/20-xproc-minutes.html#action01]
Norm: Nokolai asks if we're content with a story that means a pipeline might succeed in parallel and fail in serial.
Henry: Yes, and we should provide
an example.
... Branch 1 computes a stylesheet and branch 2 uses it.
... You should plumb them together.
Norm: You can use a variable or option to achieve serial execution.
Richard: One thing that wouldn't work would be to have an output that went from the first to the second but not consumed by the step.
Scribe isn't sure he got this right.
Henry: I don't want to have to dive into the details of the fine structure of step invocation.
Richard: I think there are some things that ensure it, but it isn't simply connecting a pipe.
Henry: I don't think there's anything you can do that will work for every plausible implementation strategy.
Some discussion of an implementation that prefetches all URLs, in order to acheive the XSLT gaurantee.
Murray: If you prefetch, you might get yesterday's answer.
Henry: That was my goal; to make sure that nothing the pipe did could change what I got.
Murray: We can say that when things are moving through the pipeline, they're in your control. Anytime you put them on the filesystem, you can get arbitrary results.
Richard: Provided I can constrain the outer environment, I can be sure the C runtime won't mess up the files. Are we going to say the same thing about pipelines.
Henry: No, I don't want to attempt to provide gaurantees about execution order.
Richard: I'm not disagreeing, I'm
just exploring the possibilities.
... There are some things that do gaurantee an order. A step inside a when can't start until the conditional has been evaluated.
... The steps in a catch can't be started until after the try has failed.
Henry: I note that this is a
counter example to my original claim, that the following is a
perfectly acceptable implementation strategy: put all the steps
in a separate thread and start them all.
... In fact, this proposal has always been wrong.
... Consider the following case: my XSLT step implementation says the minute you get started, look at the pipeline XSLT stylesheet cache and use it or start building an entry in the cache.
... That's perfectly reasonable. That's sufficient to say that nothing you do that doesn't involve a choose or a try catch can prevent yesterday's stylesheet from being used.
Richard: Let's consider another
example: we've got p:store and it writes to a URI and produces
a result that contains that URI.
... Do we expect that there will be any gaurantee that the result will not appear on the output port until the document has been written.
Norm: We probably want to fix p:store
<scribe> ACTION: Editor to write a chapter or appendix on parallelism. [recorded in http://www.w3.org/2008/03/20-xproc-minutes.html#action02]
Henry: I thought something about non-side-effects might usefully go in p:pipeinfo, but I'm not sure anymore.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The research training program, Developmental Neuroscience and Behavior (formerly known as Research Training in Psychobiological Sciences), is an NIMH-funded postdoctoral program for MDs and PhDs that focuses on the interplay of psychological and biological processes as these contribute to new knowledge about the etiology of clinical disease. The emphasis is on an experimental approach to an understanding of physiological and behavioral processes in early development and in stress-related syndromes in adulthood. Questions are pursued both in humans and in animal models in the belief that each of these levels of inquiry contributes to the other and that trainees benefit from ongoing interchanges between researchers working within these two different approaches. This interaction is sustained by the involvement of several of the core faculty in both laboratory research with animals and in studies of human infants and adults. Close collaborative arrangements with the Division of Perinatology, Department of Pediatrics at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, as well as participation in the training program of a number of resource faculty from the Department of Psychiatry who are engaged full-time in clinical and in laboratory research provide an unusual breadth of research training opportunities. Training is centered on the initiation and conduct of the research Fellow's own project, under close faculty preceptorship. In weekly seminars, the process of research design is intensively discussed using each Fellow's project on a case by case basis, starting with the derivation of a researchable question and culminating in the writing of scientific articles and grant proposals. The advantages and pitfalls of a wide variety of research methodologies, including statistical procedures, are evaluated in seminar discussions. A program of outside speakers, with informal discussion in small groups limited to research Fellows and their mentors, is an important part of the program.
Selection of trainees is based on their potential for developing the capacity for independent research and becoming leaders in academic and research institutions. Stipends are those set by NIMH and vary, depending on years of postdoctoral experience. Federal law requires that all fellows be US citizens or in the United States on a permanent visa. To apply, write a letter describing in 2-3 pages the research question you would like to pursue, the faculty member(s) with whom you would like to work, and what further training you need for your research career. Send this letter, a copy of your CV, and three letters of recommendation to the Director Dr. Michael Myers.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact any faculty member with whom they may be interested in working prior to submission of their application. After review, selected applicants will be invited for interviews with prospective preceptors and faculty members and to give an informal talk at our weekly meeting. These interviews will assist us in our decisions for final acceptance. Columbia University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
Core Faculty:
Peter Balsam, PhD; Champagne, Frances, PhD; Doetsch, Fiona, PhD; Dranovsky, Alex, MD, PhD; Fifer, William P., PhD; Gingrich, Jay A., MD, PhD; Gordon, Joshua, MD, PhD; Hen, Rene, PhD; Henderson, Christopher, PhD; Karayiorgou, Maria, MD; Kellendonk, Christoph, PhD; Leonardo, Eduardo, MD, PhD; Mason, Carol, PhD; Moore, Holly, PhD; Monk, Catherine, PhD; Myers, Michael M., PhD; Peterson, Bradley S., MD; Shair, Harry, PhD; Simpson, Blair, MD, PhD; Walsh, B. Timothy, MD; Weissman, Myrna M., PhD; Yuste, Rafael, PhD
Contact Information:
Michael M. Myers, PhD
Program Director
Developmental Neuroscience and Behavior Training Program
Columbia University/NYSPI
Unit #40
1051 Riverside Drive
New York, New York 10032
Phone: 212 543 5697


text:
The wedding is off for good. After a two-year engagement, Alison Pill and Jay Baruchel have broken up. The Canadian stars have called off their engagement and gone their separate ways, Us Weekly confirms.
The This Is the End actor hinted about their split on Twitter Feb. 16. "Alone again, naturally. Heartbroken," he wrote in a message that he later deleted. "I won't be on twitter for awhile gang. Getting dumped rules."
Baruchel, 30, and Pill, 27, became engaged in December 2010 after meeting on the set of hockey flick Goon. The twosome had plans to wed in September 2012 in Quebec.
"We're getting married at an ice wine vineyard. Me and the groomsmen will all be wearing kilts!" the Tropic Thunder actor told Us in February 2012. "We'll be welcomed in by uilleann pipers. It will be a very small, 70 person wedding, just friends and family."
But in an interview with Victoria's Times Colonist last month, Baruchel explained why the wedding never happened. "Unfortunately, we're two busy people who are intrinsically lazy," he said. "So in our free time, the last thing we want to do is book flights and organize hotel rooms for people." He added, "But it'll happen at some point."
Or not at all, as it turns out. On Sunday, March 3, a solo Pill attended the 30th annual PaleyFest for The Newsroom at Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Smiling on the carpet, the HBO actress was missing one conspicuous accessory for her photo op: her engagement ring.
Why did the pair decide to split for good? A source tells Us that their long distance relationship became too difficult to manage.
"Working and living in Canada is something that [Baruchel] is very passionate about. He wanted her up there more often, but she really likes Newsroom and the opportunities that are there for her," the insider explains. "They were doing the long distance [thing] a lot."
Baruchel's rep did not respond for comment.
Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox!
Want stories like these delivered straight to your phone? Download the Us Weekly iPhone app now!


text:
In the small downtown Aiken, South Carolina shop Elk Eagle Originals, visitors can find authentic, hand-made American Indian works of art and jewelry, representing the diversity of Native cultures—from Mi'kmaq to Zuni, reported aikenstandard.com.
Co-owner Ron Colombe (Sicangu Lakota/Rosebud Sioux) is happy to tell the history behind each piece—verified by a certificate of authenticity attached to it.
"I'm always eager to talk," Colombe told the local newspaper, smiling. "It's a passion of mine for people to learn about Native American things because there are people out there who think Native Americans don't exist anymore, that we're a people of the past."
Colombe himself hand-crafted several of the large Dream Catchers hanging from the ceilings. Real bow and arrows adorn the walls.
Colombe's artwork reflects the style of his Lakota heritage—from intricate bead jewelry to images created from the feathers of various birds, glued to leather and framed. He additionally makes candles and oil lamps.
The shop owner is also a spoken word artist, narrator poet and published author. He was born Ronald Keith Eagle Feather, son of Vernon Eagle Feather and Betty Thin Elk (Sicangu Lakota), on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. Taken from his parents at age 2 for undisclosed reasons, he was raised by John and Sarah Colombe. He calls his birth mother the inspiration for his book of poetry Silent Shouting, Quiet War (October 2004).
Colombe co-founded the store with his wife Kit, on November 1, 2010, originally inside the Aiken Mall. Recently, Colombe relocated his store to the downtown district, where local small businesses support one another, he said. Business has been strong since he opened his doors on Laurens Street in downtown Aiken on July 6.
Visit Elk Eagle Originals at 127 Laurens St. N.W., Aiken, South Carolina. The store's current hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed on Sundays.


text:
Patient Presentation
A 4-month-old female came to clinic for well child care. The mother reported using a bassinet-style co-sleeper next to her bed for the infant to sleep in. She liked this because she could roll over at night and take the infant into her bed to breastfeed and return the infant to the co-sleeper easily. The mother was a non-smoker and non-drinker. The past medical history showed a full-term infant without prenatal or natal problems. The pertinent physical exam showed a smiling infant with growth parameters between 75-90%. The physical examination was unremarkable.
The diagnosis of a healthy infant was made. The resident physician was not sure how she should counsel the mother about the co-sleeping arrangement. The attending physician tried to quickly look up the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations but could not find the relevant information during clinic. The attending did say that he himself did not recommend co-sleepers because he was afraid of entrapment in the area between the bassinet and the adult bed, in addition to having loose adult bedding around the infant. He did note that there were some co-sleeping products that wall off an area of the adult bed to make a separate sleeping area for the infant in the adult bed. This he did not recommend and knew that the AAP also did not recommend it. The following day, the attending had more time to review the AAP guidelines which does not make a recommendation for or against bedside co-sleepers.
Infant sleeping practices are different around the world, but need to provide a warm, safe sleeping environment with as little inconvenience and cost for the family. The AAP recommends that infants use a crib, bassinet, playpen, portable crib, or play yard with a firm mattress with no loose bedding (including pillows, stuffed animals, sleep positioners such as wedges, etc.). "Room-sharing without bed-sharing is recommended" by the AAP to prevent suffocation, strangulation, and entrapment of the infant in an adult bed. The AAP's extensive technical report with specific recommendations for safe infant sleeping environments are available (see To Learn More below).
Learning Point
Co-sleepers that are located in the adult bed are not recommended by the AAP. Bedside co-sleepers that are located separate from the adult bed but next to it are neither recommended or not recommended by the AAP on the basis that there is not enough data to make a recommendation. The AAP also does not recommend bed rails for infants. Bedrails are placed along the side of the bed and are intended to prevent a larger child such as an older toddler, preschooler or school age child from falling off the side of the bed. Car seats and other sitting devices are also not recommended as places for infants to sleep.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and ASTM International are currently working on standards for bedside co-sleepers but these recommendations have not been published. Consumer Reports, an independent, non-profit consumer advocacy organization, does not recommend either co-sleepers that are located in the adult bed or beside the adult bed. They recommend a separate crib for infants and children up to ~4 years of age.
Questions for Further Discussion
1. What are some common sleeping arrangements in your practice location?
2. What parent recommendations do you offer for different sleeping arrangements?
3. How common is sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and/or deaths from sleeping environment in your practice location?
Related Cases
- Symptom/Presentation: Health Maintenance and Disease Prevention
- Specialty: General Pediatrics
- Age:
To Learn More
To view pediatric review articles on this topic from the past year check PubMed.
Evidence-based medicine information on this topic can be found at SearchingPediatrics.com, the National Guideline Clearinghouse and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Information prescriptions for patients can be found at MedlinePlus for these topics: SIDS and Infant and Newborn Care..
To view current news articles on this topic check Google News.
To view images related to this topic check Google Images.
Arm's Reach Concepts Recalls Infant Bed-Side Sleepers Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Available from the Internet at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11187.html (rev. 4/5/2011, cited 3/2/2012).
American Academy of Pediatrics Technical Report. SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Expansion of Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment. Pediatrics. 2011:128;e1341-e1367.
Bassinet Buying Guide. Consumer Reports. Available from the Internet at http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/baby-toddler/bassinets/bassinet-buying-advice/index.htm (rev. 1/2012, cited 3/2/12).
ACGME Competencies Highlighted by Case
1. When interacting with patients and their families, the health care professional communicates effectively and demonstrates caring and respectful behaviors.
2. Essential and accurate information about the patients' is gathered.
3. Informed decisions about diagnostic and therapeutic interventions based on patient information and preferences, up-to-date scientific evidence, and clinical judgment is made.
4. Patient management plans are developed and carried out.
5. Patients and their families are counseled and educated.
6. Information technology to support patient care decisions and patient education is used.
8. Health care services aimed at preventing health problems or maintaining health are provided.
10. An investigatory and analytic thinking approach to the clinical situation is demonstrated.
11. Basic and clinically supportive sciences appropriate to their discipline are known and applied.
12. Evidence from scientific studies related to the patients' health problems is located, appraised and assimilated.
13. Information about other populations of patients, especially the larger population from which this patient is drawn, is obtained and used.
14. Knowledge of study designs and statistical methods to appraisal clinical studies and other information on diagnostic and therapeutic effectiveness is applied.
15. Information technology to manage information, access on-line medical information and support the healthcare professional's own education is used.
16. Learning of students and other health care professionals is facilitated.
19. The health professional works effectively with others as a member or leader of a health care team or other professional group.
23. Differing types of medical practice and delivery systems including methods of controlling health care costs and allocating resources are known.
24. Cost-effective health care and resource allocation that does not compromise quality of care is practiced.
Donna M. D'Alessandro, MD
Professor of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Children's Hospital


text:
The United States Professional Tennis Association has announced honors for several of its top teachers, coaches, players and volunteers, including Jorge Capestany, manager of the DeWitt Tennis Center at Hope College, who has been inducted to the 2012 Hall of Fame for the Midwest division.
Capestany is a 5-time USPTA Michigan Pro of the Year and 2-time Midwest Pro of the Year. Jorge has been published in several industry publications and has been a frequent speaker at the PTR International Symposium, the USPTA World Conference on tennis, the USTA Tennis Teachers Workshop in New York and many other conventions. In his 30 years in the industry, he has created and directed lesson programs that have generated over one million dollars in revenue a year.
As a coach, Capestany has developed many nationally ranked juniors including three national champions. In his career, his lesson programs have developed more than 180 HS state Champions in Michigan.
An internationally recognized speaker, Capestany traveled to Shanghai China to train several Chinese tennis professional and coaches. His speaking requests number more than 50 per year and he tries to keep it to only 15 events per year.
Capestany has consulted many clubs and professionals on improving their tennis programs with innovative ideas that generate new interest in tennis. In 1998 he authored the booklet entitled Strategy – How to beat every style of player. His second book titled Mental Toughness – workbook for tennis was released in 2008.
Capestany also serves as an Elite Speaker on the Cardio Tennis Speakers team for the TIA and visits many locations in the US to help with the roll out of the new Cardio Tennis program. He also is a member of the Wilson speaker's team and travels to many conferences educating coaches all over the world.
Capestany is well-known for developing the website – www.tennisdrills.tv – which is a video based website with more than 800 videos of tennis drills and tips. The site has become very popular with tennis teaching professionals and coaches and has subscribers in more than 20 countries.
Capestany is married to wife Martha Capestany, who is also a 25 year member of the USPTA and teaches tennis at the Dewitt Tennis Center with her husband. Their daughter, Carli Capestany, is a 2-time qualifier for the Midwest Closed Championship in USTA play and a freshman at Hope College in Holland, MI.
The induction ceremony into the USPTA Midwest Hall of Fame will take place in August of 2012, at the Western & Southern Masters tennis tournament in Cincinnati Ohio. The exact dates and times are still TBD.
USPTA, the world's oldest and largest association of tennis-teaching professionals, has more than 11.000 members, including 1.500 internationally. Founded in 1927, the nonprofit association strives to raise the standards of the teaching profession while promoting greater awareness of the sport. USPTA offers more than 30 professional benefits, including certification and extensive educational opportunities.


text:
What is RSS?
RSS Stands for 'Really Simple Syndication', it allows information to be sent to a user instead of the user having to search for the information. This means you can be informed of the latest news from your favourite websites without having to visit them to check for updates. It's like getting a postal subscription to your favourite magazine.
How can you use RSS?
In order to use RSS there are two conditions that must be met.
- The first is that users must have an 'RSS news reader'. This program collects information from RSS websites and turns it into text and links, which the user is able to browse in their own time.
- The second is that a website must have an RSS feed specifically set up to work with the RSS news reader. The majority of big news websites now have such systems and are identified by having an orange box reading RSS or XML like the one at the top of this page.
Once you have got your RSS viewer, simply click the orange box to access the RSS page.
Where can you get an RSS viewer?
There are many different types of RSS news readers which are free for use, some of which are listed below:
(All links are to external sites)
- Web-based RSS readers: Bloglines, Google Reader
- Downloadable Windows RSS readers: SharpReader
- Downloadable Mac OS X RSS readers: Shrook
There are many others available, try entering a search for 'Free RSS readers' in your favourite search engine.


text:
It should relate to KDE software, directly or indirectly. We define it like this:
|It's important to be consistent, particularly in Manuals, so here are some general rules:
|If a page is completely superceeded and should be deleted, please list it on Pages for Deletion where an Admin will deal with it.
Some Preferences that will help -


text:
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Listen to my album!
While I'm waiting for YouTube to finally upload this week's vlog (grrr), I thought you might like a bit of a treat...
So, here, for your listening pleasure, is my album, About Time, which will available soon on iTunes and my website. All the tracks are here in full - hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think, lovelies!
p.s. Make sure you scroll to the bottom (use the slider on the right-hand side of the box) to hear all 15 tracks!
6 comments:
- Suzy Turner said...
You know it's not fair for someone to be THIS talented! Not only are you a fantastic author but you have the voice of an angel!
I have GOT to get this album... it's exactly my kind of music. Stunning, absolutely stunning!
- March 31, 2011 at 3:45 PM
- Kirsty said...
Such a gorgeous voice. And a talented songwriter to boot! I can imaging some of these in films.
- April 1, 2011 at 12:29 PM
- Glynis said...
Envy your talent!
- April 1, 2011 at 3:35 PM
- Kath said...
I've played your album so much since buying it at your launch in November. You have such a beautiful, clear voice and I absolutely love that you covered Let Go - you saved me from having to buy the soundtrack of The Holiday which would have been embarrassing to have in my CD collection, so I am eternally grateful for that!
- April 2, 2011 at 10:38 PM
- Donna said...
I only meant to have a quick listen...and ended up listening to the whole album! Love it - where do I buy it?! x
- April 3, 2011 at 12:02 AM
- Rin said...
Wow, love it Miranda, you have an awesome voice. Did you write the songs too? Definitely going to have to buy the album.
- April 6, 2011 at 10:55 AM


text:
Major Section: RELEASE-NOTES
Important changes:
A bug was fixed in the compile command,
:comp. The compiled code
produced by
:comp in previous versions could be wildly incorrect
because of a confusion between the printer and the reader regarding
what was the current Lisp
*package*. This bug could manifest itself
only if you used the
:comp command to compile previously uncompiled
functions while the current package was different from
What happened in that situation depended upon what symbols were
imported into your current package. The most likely behavior is
that the compiler would break or complain or the resulting compiled
code would call functions that did not exist.
There have been no other important changes to the code.
However, this release contains some useful new books, notably those on
books subdirectories
cli-misc and
ihs. Both have
README files. The
ihs books provide support for integer
hardware specifications. These books were crucial to Bishop Brock's
successful modeling of the Motorola CAP. We thank Bishop for producing
them and we thank all those who worked so hard to get these books released.
We highly recommend the
ihs books to those modeling ALUs and other
arithmetic components of microprocessors or programming languages.
In previous versions of ACL2, the arithmetic books, found on
books/arithmetic/, included the addition of several unproved axioms
stating properties of the rationals that we believed could be derived from
our ``official'' axioms but which we had not mechanically proved. The axioms
were found in the book
which was then used in the uppermost arithmetic books
top.lisp and
top-with-meta.lisp. John Cowles has now provided us with ACL2 proofs
of those ``axioms'' and so in this release you will find both
rationals-with-axioms.lisp and
The former is provided for compatibility's sake. The latter is identical
but contains
defthms where the former contains
The top-most books have been rebuilt using ``
-axioms-proved'' book.
Thanks John.
Less important notes:
Bishop Brock found a bug in
Jun Sawada reported a bug in linear arithmetic that caused us not to
prove certain trivial theorems concluding with
(not (equal i j)).
We have fixed both.
We now prohibit definitions that call certain event commands
such as
DEFTHM and
TABLE because our Common Lisp implementations
of them differ from their ACL2 meanings (so that compiled books
can be loaded correctly and efficiently).
Minor bugs in the documentation were fixed.


text:
|Joseph McGinnis' brother Hugh McGinnis
What an interesting thought! Which ancestor would I like to walk back into my life....
I was torn between three ancestors - Ots-Toch, my Mohawk ancestor born ca 1634 in New York, Joseph McGinnis my Irish great-great grandfather, and my 4th great-grandpa Jacob Peer whose origins and whereabouts before 1786 in New Jersey are a mystery.
One thought that came to me was - would I even like my ancestor when I met him or her? I suspect Ots-Toch would be a little rough around the edges for me, and she might not want to talk or share her stories. It's kind of odd to really think about your ancestors because I suspect we all naively expect that they'd be refined and gracious and lovely people and we'd adore them. But I think the reality is that it's just as likely they could be uncouth, unpleasant and perhaps not up to our standards of personal cleanliness!
Ignoring those extraneous thoughts, I'm going to ask Joseph McGinnis to come pay me a visit. Because my father inspired me to start searching, because he wanted to know about his Irish ancestry so badly, and because he died when I was just barely 14 years old, I am choosing Joseph. Joseph was my dad's great grandfather and I dont' know much more about him than I did 30 years ago.
I don't have a photo of Joseph but the photo on this post is of his brother Hugh. All I know of Joseph is that he was born in Co. Down Ireland, probably near Belfast and that he married Frances (Fanny) Downey ca 1845 and had a daughter Bridget (aka Delia) born 1846 in Co. Down. Shortly after Bridget's birth he brought his family to Ontario Canada and settled in Puslinch Township near Guelph Ontario. I do not know for sure who his parents were. So Joseph please do drop by for a chat. I'll even offer you a drop of good Irish whiskey!
I want to hear about the place where you grew up, about your voyage from Ireland during the Famine years to the wilds of Canada and how you coped once you were here. I hope you have a few hours to spend because I want to listen to your Irish lilt and hear you talk about Ireland.


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One by one, in something approximating inverse order of desirability, the names of NBA free agents have come off the proverbial big board. What began with the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Pau Gasol has dwindled now to fellows such as Andray Blatche, Dante Cunningham and Ekpe Udoh.
This game of offseason musical chairs is played for even more blood among coaches. There are fewer jobs to be had in the first place (five or six per team vs. 15 player positions), and it's not nearly the meritocracy that it is for players. Abilities, work ethic and results matter less than connections or change for its own sake.
There are a lot of coaching free agents still on the board, both former head coaches and notable assistants. Among the former, we have George Karl, Jeff Van Gundy, Scott Skiles, Mike Woodson, Doug Collins, Vinny Del Negro, Mike Brown, Mike D'Antoni, Keith Smart, Avery Johnson, P.J. Carlesimo, Lawrence Frank and Maurice Cheeks.
The latter group, even bigger, includes Jack Sikma, Mario Elie, Terry Porter, T.R. Dunn, Igor Kokoskov, Scott Williams, Bill Peterson, Bernie Bickerstaff, Brian Hill, Bob Ociepka and, hey, Rasheed Wallace. Actually, you could go dozens deep with solid coaching pros who once were in but now are out, the one place few of them want to be.
"There's an old expression in the NBA, 'Never get off the bus. Stay on the bus!' " said Jim Boylan, an NBA assistant for most of his 22 years in the league who survived a coaching change in Cleveland this offseason. "We all realize it too — it's a privilege for us to be involved in the NBA and to coach athletes at this level."
But it's fleeting. Coaches face more scrutiny and grab more headlines when they're fired, but their landings are often cushioned by seven-figure paychecks. Assistant coaches get flushed, and that six-figure salary — while comfy by most folks' standards — doesn't go quite so far when you account for the costs of multiple residences or constant moves.
Ociepka, who entered the league in the 1980s as a part-time volunteer scout after a storied career as a high school coach in the Chicago area, scrambled through five NBA teams in five years in the '90s. Boylan and his wife, Jane, counted recently and realized they have owned or lived in 25 homes during his basketball career.
"It's not a surprise when you're an assistant coach in the NBA," Sikma, the former Seattle and Milwaukee center, said recently. "You look at the number of staffs that have turned over in the last few years — it's more of a constant than not. You know you're probably going to have to bounce around a little bit."
There are a multitude of factors for the turnover, most obvious the turnover at the top. When a coach gets fired, some or all of his staff typically gets shown the door with him. And there has been a LOT of turnover lately — nine new NBA coaches this summer, 13 such changes a year ago. Going back just five years, to the start of the 2009-10 season, only San Antonio (Gregg Popovich), Miami (Erik Spoelstra) and Dallas (Rick Carlisle) now have the same coaches. And both the Spurs' and Mavericks' staffs have changed considerably.
"Most people who are making the decisions probably have a narrow list going on, from relationships or what they're looking for," Sikma said. "It's a transient line of work for sure. So you have to be quick on your feet."
Here are glimpses of three assistant coaches whose dance cards are filled to varying degrees. Sikma would like very much to get back in after spending the past seven seasons working with now-retired Rick Adelman. Boylan beat the odds by surviving a coaching change in Cleveland, then beat them again when LeBron James' yearning for home rocked the Cavaliers' landscape. And Ociepka is at the point, after so many hirings and firings, where he might prefer more stable options. (more…)


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"I go to Spain frequently, and I've tried many kinds of paella there," says Bruce Cummings of Baltimore, Maryland. "Recently, though, I discovered an outstanding one right here in Baltimore, at Tio Pepe Restaurante."
- Yield
- 6 to 8 servings
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 bacon slices, chopped
- 1 3 1/2-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 2 cups chopped onions (about 2 medium)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 1 7-ounce jar roasted sliced pimientos with juice
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
- 2 cups bottled clam juice
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
- 1 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined
- 1 pound cleaned squid, bodies cut into 1/2-inch rings
- 1 dozen clams, scrubbed
- 1 dozen mussels, scrubbed, debearded
- 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
- Lemon wedges
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped bacon and cook until fat is rendered, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Set aside.
- Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add chicken to bacon drippings in pot and cook over medium heat until brown, about 7 minutes per side. Using tongs, remove chicken from pot.
- Add chopped onions and garlic to pot and saut until beginning to brown, scraping up any browned bits, about 10 minutes. Stir in rice, roasted pimientos with juices and saffron. Add clam juice and chicken stock to pot and bring mixture to simmer. Remove from heat.
- Pour rice mixture into 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange chicken, shrimp, squid, clams and mussels in rice mixture. Sprinkle with chopped bacon and peas. Cover with foil.
- Bake paella until chicken is cooked through, clams and mussels open and rice is tender, about 45 minutes (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Remove foil from baking dish. Let paella stand 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
Related Video
Nutritional Info
- Calories752
- Carbohydrates51 g(17%)
- Fat32 g(50%)
- Protein59 g(119%)
- Saturated Fat9 g(46%)
- Sodium1200 mg(50%)
- Polyunsaturated Fat7 g
- Fiber2 g(7%)
- Monounsaturated Fat13 g
- Cholesterol331 mg(110%)


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This printer uses the following ink cartridges: PGI-650BK Black and CLI-651 Black Cyan, Magenta and Yellow or PGI-650XLBK Black and CLI-651XL Black Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.
When can You expect delivery of your Canon Pixma MG5660 Ink Cartridges?
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Looking for a Baseball or Softball Coach in Plymouth?The Baseball Lab provides individuals of any age and any skill level the opportunity to work with knowledgeable and experienced instructors who offer the most thorough and proven performance training available. Our skilled instructors assist players with pitching, swinging, and hitting. With our state-of-the-art technology, we can measure a your hitting and pitching velocities to determine your skill level. Our baseball and softball instructors understand that every player is different, which is why we pride ourselves in our ability to tailor our instruction to a player's unique needs. Contact us today and get your first lesson free!
The Baseball Lab is the premier baseball and softball training facility of Plymouth MI. We specialize in providing players, parents, and coaches of the Plymouth area with the best methods possible to develop, train, and impress hitting, pitching and throwing fundamentals modeled after the motions and techniques of Major League Baseball players.
We utilize the most advanced baseball and softball technology in the Plymouth area to evaluate a player's current ability, demonstrate the results of training at Baseball Lab, and to capture every facet of a player's performance when facing live pitching or hitting.
Baseball and Softball Specific Training and Technology in PlymouthAt Baseball Lab, we give you more for your money and measurable results of your pitching coach. ?This combined technology gives us real time video and data metrics to train players more efficiently than traditional private lessons.
Parties and Events
Make your next event an experience to remember with a full facility rental at Baseball Lab in Plymouth! We provide activities like homerun derby, hitting contests, and batting practice. Make it a night you'll never forget!
At Baseball Lab in Plymouth, you will receive advanced individualized data and analytics - just like a professional player! And your first visit with us is free! Schedule your free Baseline Assessment Report after your first session!


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When trying to catch one of these, if you don't see any start killing the Infested Bears. When they respawn they have a chance of being "momma bears." That is, they'll have a cub following them. If you're hunting for a rare quality cub keep the momma bears alive, the cubs will keep respawning next to that bear.
Also, it doesn't show in the pet journal but the bear cubs have spider eggs growing on their back just like the Infested Bears.


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Magical New York City Street Photography by Shane Gray
Although NYC-based English photographer Shane Gray's photographs, which we recently spotted over at Booooooom, are shot in broad daylight and without special effects, there's something magical, often almost surreal about the scenes he captures. "Through the lens," Gray writes, "I continue to witness our changing world amidst the enlightening, bland and random across the gamut of our existence with a continuing fascination fo the human predicament and different environs." Sure, but he also has a knack for color and, it seems, a habit of being in the right place at the right time, which always helps. Click through to see a few of our favorite snaps from Gray's New York photographs, and then be sure to head over to his website to check out a vast wealth of his work.
Image credit: Shane Gray


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The Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) is an independent body advising the Government on integrated transport policy. CfIT takes a broad view of integrated transport policy and its interface with wider Government objectives for economic prosperity, environmental protection, health and social inclusion. Physical integration - the principle of ensuring transport modes operate in conjunction with one another, is just one vital element of the bigger transport picture. The Commission provides expert advice supported by independent research.
CfIT was established in the 1998 Integrated Transport White Paper 'to provide independent advice to Government on the implementation of integrated transport policy, to monitor developments across transport, environment, health and other sectors and to review progress towards meeting our objectives'.
Following an independent review of CfIT in 2003, the Commission's remit is as follows:
Providing policy advice via evidence based reports on:
- Future policy options, so-called 'blue-sky thinking' on future strategic issues.
- Policy issues spanning departmental boundaries (i.e. environment, social, etc.).
- Best practice amongst local authorities/delivery agencies to encourage improved performance and to highlight barriers to best practice.
- Comparisons with European/International policy initiatives and dissemination of best practice.
- The impact of new technology on future policy options.
- Specific issues as requested by the Department for Transport (DfT).
Refreshing the transport debate, based on published reports and with a view to raising the overall level of 'The Transport Debate' and where possible to build consensus among stakeholders.


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David Sayler Resigns as USD Athletic Director
VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) - The athletic director at the University of South Dakota has resigned to take a position at a college in Ohio.
The school announced Thursday that David Sayler resigned to accept a position at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Sayler, who is from Ohio, says it has been a goal of his for a while to return, but it became even more of a priority when his wife's mother passed away recently.
USD President James Abbott says that while the school hates to see Sayler leave, he understand the situation.
Sayler was named USD's 12th athletic director in June 2010 and oversaw the University's final stages of transition to NCAA Division I athletics.
Senior Associate Athletic Director David Herbster will act as interim athletic director.


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MassEcon Economic Impact Award winning companies
MassEcon, a promoter of Massachusetts businesses, annually honors businesses in the state with the Economic Impact Award. This recognition acknowledges the businesses that positively affect the state's economy through job growth, facility expansion, and investment. MassEcon sees the following 14 companies as stakeholders in the fabric of the Massachusetts economy as they make significant contributions through their community involvement, and their dedication to benefiting the local job market and economy.
The companies will be honored at a luncheon on Nov. 26 at the Renaissance Waterfront Hotel in Boston.
Greater Boston bronze winner:
Headquarters: Boston
Founded: 2001
Industry: Energy management
Recent expansion: EnerNoc expanded its 82,000-square-foot global headquarters in Boston's Innovation District by 21,000 square feet with a $15 million investment.
Workforce growth: This new space has made room for 100 additional employees to the current 400 that work there, managing and reducing real time energy emissions.
Momenta Pharmaceuticals
Greater Boston silver winner:
Momenta Pharmaceuticals
Headquarters: Cambridge
Founded: 2001
Industry: Pharmaceuticals
Recent expansion: Momenta increased its laboratories and office space by 105,00 square feet to create space for work on developing new drugs.
Workforce growth: Momenta's $9.9 million in facility improvement and equipment is just part of growing its employee numbers to more than 250, all located in Massachusetts.
Greater Boston gold winner:
Athenahealth, Inc.
Headquarters: Watertown
Founded: 1997
Industry: Health care software
Recent expansion: A health care records software company, Athenahealth acquired Harvard University's Arsenal campus on the Charles River for $186 million to expand its headquarters by 51,000 square feet. The company has also announced it will make $200 million in improvements over the next 10 years.
Workforce growth: In addition to expanding their campus, Athenahealth added 458 jobs and plans to add 1,600 in the next few years.
Northeast bronze winner:
Headquarters: Billerica
Founded: 1983
Industry: Bio/pharmaceuticals services
Recent expansion: As the largest employer in Billerica, Parexel expanded its campus with an additional 106,000 square feet for a total of $16.7 million investment.
Workforce growth: The company added 119 jobs in Massachusetts. Its employees participate in a program called Employee Charitable Outreach, which supports a variety of causes.
E Ink
Northeast silver winner: E Ink
Headquarters: Billerica
Founded: 1997
Industry: Digital signage
Recent expansion: E Ink, a producer of electronic paper signage, recently moved to a 140,000-square-foot facility in Billerica.
Workforce growth: The move allowed the company to retain its existing 250 employees and it will hire 100 new employees in the next five years.
Red Hat
Northeast gold winner:
Red Hat, Inc.
Headquarters: Westford
Founded: 1993
Industry: Software
Recent expansion: Red Hat built a 75,000-square-foot facility for its engineering and sales team next to their existing 100,000 square foot research and development location.
Workforce growth: With a new building and a growing cloud software business, Red Hat added 97 employees this year with plans to add 181 jobs by 2016.
Granite Telecommunications
Southeast bronze winner: Granite Telecommunications
Headquarters: Quincy
Founded: 2002
Industry: Communications
Recent expansion: Granite Telecommunications, with locations in Georgia, Florida, Rhode Island, and New York City, has dedicated itself to the community of Quincy by purchasing a 124,000-square-foot building valued at $14 million.
Workforce growth: Over half of Granite's 2,000 employees are based in Quincy, with 179 new jobs added this year.
Pictured: Members of the Granite team presented a check for the money they raised as part of Granite Day, the company's charitable carnival.
Southeast silver winner: LeachGarner
Headquarters: Attleboro
Founded: 2012
Industry: Precious metals
Recent expansion: This newly formed company from mergers and acquisitions has spent over $12 million with Massachusetts suppliers and service providers.
Workforce growth:With over 600 people employed in Massachusetts, LeachGarner has added 87 new jobs since the company's formation in May 2012.
Hamilton Storage Technologies
Southeast gold winner: Hamilton Storage Technologies
Headquarters: Franklin
Founded: 2007
Industry: Life science storage
Recent expansion: Hamilton Storage Technologies specializes in the ultra-low temperature storage of life science processes, such as DNA, forensics, and biobanking. They invested $16 million to build a 52,000-square-foot facility.
Workforce growth: As the sample management division headquarters and East Coast competence center, Hamilton employees 60 people in Massachusetts with plans to hire 20 more in the coming year.
Central bronze winner: Saint-Gobain
Headquarters: Devens
Founded: 1665
Industry: Materials
Recent expansion: As the world's largest building materials company, Saint-Gobain built a 187,000 square-foot expansion on their Devens headquarters.
Workforce growth: The expansion allowed for Saint-Gobain to hire 100 new employees.
Saint Vincent Hospital
Central silver winner: Saint Vincent Hospital
Headquarters: Worcester
Founded: 1893
Industry: Health care
Recent expansion: To accommodate its growing programs in CyberKinfe cancer treatment, cardiac care, and minimally invasive surgery techniques, Saint Vincent Hospital will complete a 65,000-square-foot Cancer and Wellness Center in December 2013.
Workforce growth: The building project created 100 new construction jobs and will hire 30 new faculty upon completion.
Central gold winner: Unum
Headquarters: Worcester
Founded: 1848
Industry: Insurance
Recent expansion: This company's predecessor, Paul Revere Life Insurance, entrusted a long-company history in Massachusetts to a traditionally United Kingdom company. Upon merging, Unum was the first to move into Worcester's CitySquare development, signing a 17-year lease.
Workforce growth: Its investment created 300 construction jobs and allowed 600 jobs to remain in the Commonwealth.
Gulfstream Aerospace
West silver winner: Gulfstream Aerospace
Headquarters: Westfield
Founded: 1978
Industry: Aircraft production
Recent expansion: Gulfstream Aerospace, a subsidary of General Dynamics, invested $24 million in Massachusetts with the construction of an 85,000-square-foot hangar for maintenance, repair, and overhaul of 22 of the company's manufactured business jet aircrafts.
Workforce growth: This new hangar created 100 new product support jobs on site in Westfield.
Lenox Tools
West gold winner: Lenox Tools
Headquarters: East Longmeadow
Founded: 1915
Industry: Tool manufacturing
Recent expansion: Due to customer demand of Lenox's hand tools, accessories and band saw blades, the company expanded by 55,000 square feet across two buildings in East Longmeadow.
Workforce growth: The growing business hired 155 new employees, who joined their current staff to engage in the community through a variety of charitable organizations.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
Pharmacy Supervisor Continually Harassed Female Techs, EEOC Charges
SEATTLE -- Grays Harbor Community Hospital, a private hospital in Aberdeen, Wash., violated federal law when it failed to stop a supervisor's continuous sexual harassment of several female employees, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.
According to the EEOC, employee Jamie Toste repeatedly informed upper-level management that a supervising pharmacist was sexually harassing her and several other pharmacy technicians. He started harassing Toste in 2004 when they were both working the evening shift, the EEOC said. The harassment included offensive sexual comments, unsolicited discussion of his sex life and habits, showing explicit material from the Internet, and physically intrusive behavior such as approaching Toste from behind to whisper in her ear, blocking her pathway, and rubbing her back, legs and arms. The agency's investigation showed that his harassment of Toste escalated during 2006 and 2007, and that she felt compelled to resign after the hospital repeatedly failed to take effective corrective action to address her concerns about her safety.
Sexual harassment violates Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964. After first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through conciliation, the EEOC filed the lawsuit (EEOC v. Grays Harbor Community Hospital, CV-10-05616) in U.S. District Court for the District of Washington at Seattle, and seeks monetary damages for Toste and a class of similarly situated female employees, training on anti-discrimination laws, posting of notices at the work site and other injunctive relief to prevent future discrimination of this kind.
"Grays Harbor violated the law when it repeatedly failed to take action, despite numerous complaints from its employees concerning the conduct of this supervisor," said EEOC San Francisco Regional Attorney William R. Tamayo. "Sweeping this kind of problem under a carpet does not make it disappear, and only makes matters worse. The EEOC will continue to aggressively pursue employers who fail to prevent or promptly correct sexual harassment at their workplaces."
Luis Lucero, director of the EEOC's Seattle Field Office, which is overseeing the case, added, "All workers have the right to work free from sexual harassment. Just having a written policy about workplace harassment isn't enough, unless the words are backed up with actions that enforce that policy. Smart employers train their employees on workplace harassment and how to report it, and train their managers on how to respond appropriately with a prompt investigation and effective corrective measures when harassment is found."
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Additional information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.


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- / World & News
- / Countries of the World
- / Thailand
Facts & Figures
Ruler: King Bhumibol Adulyadej (1946)
Prime Minister: Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha (2014)
Land area: 197,595 sq mi (511,771 sq km); total area: 198,455 sq mi (514,000 sq km)
Population (2014 est.): 67,741,401 (growth rate: 0.35%); birth rate: 11.26/1000; infant mortality rate: 9.86/1000; life expectancy: 74.18
Capital and largest city (2011): Bangkok, 8.426 million
Monetary unit: baht
- Thailand Main Page
- A Military Coup and Government Failure
- Economic Collapse and Subsequent Growth
- The Violent Drug Trade and Insurgency; A Tsunami Devastates
- Fallout from a Corrupt Government
- A New Constitution and the End of Military Rule
- The People's Alliance for Democracy and Protesting Status Quo
- Anti-Government Protests Continue and Turn Deadly
- Party Backed by Thaksin Shinawatra Sweeps 2011 Elections
- Elections Held Despite Anti-Government Protests
- Military Stages a Coup
Thailand occupies the western half of the Indochinese peninsula and the northern two-thirds of the Malay Peninsula in southeast Asia. Its neighbors are Burma (Myanmar) on the north and west, Laos on the north and northeast, Cambodia on the east, and Malaysia on the south. Thailand is about the size of France.
Constitutional monarchy.
The Thais first began settling their present homeland in the 6th century, and by the end of the 13th century ruled most of the western portion. During the next 400 years, they fought sporadically with the Cambodians to the east and the Burmese to the west. Formerly called Siam, Thailand has never experienced foreign colonization. The British gained a colonial foothold in the region in 1824, but by 1896 an Anglo-French accord guaranteed the independence of Thailand. A coup in 1932 demoted the monarchy to titular status and established representative government with universal suffrage.
At the outbreak of World War II, Japanese forces attacked Thailand. After five hours of token resistance Thailand yielded to Japan on Dec. 8, 1941, subsequently becoming a staging area for the Japanese campaign against Malaya. Following the demise of a pro-Japanese puppet government in July 1944, Thailand repudiated the declaration of war it had been forced to make in 1942 against Britain and the U.S.
By the late 1960s the nation's problems largely stemmed from conflicts brewing in neighboring Cambodia and Vietnam. Although Thailand had received $2 billion in U.S. economic and military aid since 1950 and had sent troops (paid by the U.S.) to Vietnam while permitting U.S. bomber bases on its territory, the collapse of South Vietnam and Cambodia in spring 1975 brought rapid changes in the country's diplomatic posture. At the Thai government's insistence, the U.S. agreed to withdraw all 23,000 U.S. military personnel remaining in Thailand by March 1976.
A Military Coup and Government Failure
Three years of civilian government ended with a military coup on Oct. 6, 1976. Political parties, banned after the coup, gained limited freedom in 1980. The same year, the national assembly elected Gen. Prem Tinsulanonda as prime minister. Prem continued as prime minister following the 1983 and 1986 elections.
Fleeing from Laos, Vietnam, and the murderous regime of Cambodia's Pol Pot, refugees flooded into Thailand in 1978 and 1979. Despite efforts by the United States and other Western countries to resettle them, a total of 130,000 Laotians and Vietnamese were living in camps along the Cambodian border in mid-1980.
On April 3, 1981, a military coup against the Prem government failed. Another coup attempt on Sept. 9, 1985, was crushed by loyal troops after ten hours of fighting in Bangkok. In Feb. 1991, yet another coup yielded another junta, which declared a state of emergency and abolished the constitution. A scandal over a land-reform program caused the fall of the government in May 1995. A succession of governments followed.
Economic Collapse and Subsequent Growth
Following several years of unprecedented economic growth, Thailand's economy, once one of the strongest in the region, collapsed under the weight of foreign debt in 1997. The Thai economy's downfall set off a chain reaction in the region, sparking the Asian currency crisis. The Thai government quickly accepted restructuring guidelines as a condition of the International Monetary Fund's $17 billion bailout. Thailand's economy, while far from completely recovered, continued to improve over the next several years.
Thaksin Shinawatra, head of the Thai Rak Thai Party, became prime minister in Jan. 2001. The hugely popular Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications mogul, was indicted in Dec. 2000 on corruption charges but acquitted in Aug. 2001.
The Violent Drug Trade and Insurgency; A Tsunami Devastates
In Feb. 2003, Thaksin announced plans to eliminate the drug trade from Thailand within three months. When the operation concluded at the end of April, nearly 2,300 people had been killed. Government officials claimed responsibility for about 35 of the casualties, blaming drug dealers and gang members for the other deaths. Human rights activists, however, suspected police forces had been overly aggressive in their campaign.
Violence has plagued Thailand's Muslim-dominated southern provinces since the beginning of 2004, with armed insurgents attacking police stations, security stations, and military depots. Nearly 800 people have been killed in the attacks, which officials attribute to Islamic militants. The violence intensified in July 2005, prompting Thaksin to declare a state of emergency in the south. Pattani Province was rocked by attacks in Feb. 2007, when some 30 coordinated bombs exploded at bars, hotels, and electricity transmitters. While the insurgents have been vague in explaining their motivation for such attacks, the most recent bombings suggest they are targeting Buddhists as well as other Muslims.
On Dec. 26, 2004, a tremendously powerful tsunami ravaged 12 Asian countries. Thailand reported about 5,300 casualties.
Fallout from a Corrupt Government
Thaksin made history in the Feb. 2005 elections, becoming the first prime minister to serve two consecutive terms. His Thai Rak Thai Party won in a landslide. He was criticized during his first term for alleged corruption, for failing to control the insurgency in the south, and for an ineffective response to Thailand's avian flu outbreak, but his deft handling of the tsunami crisis increased his popularity in the days leading up to the election. A year later, however, Thaksin faced intense criticism when he sold his family's share of a communications company for nearly $2 billion without paying taxes. About 60,000 demonstrators gathered in Bangkok and called for his resignation. In addition, two of his cabinet members resigned in protest. Facing mounting criticism over the sale, Thaksin dissolved parliament in late February and called for early elections. He announced his resignation in April, just days after his Thai Rak Thai Party won 57% of the vote in national elections. After leaving office for seven weeks, Thaksin again returned to the role of prime minister.
In September 2006, the military, led by Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, staged a bloodless coup and declared martial law while Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was at the meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York. In October, Surayud Chulanont, a respected retired general, was sworn in as prime minister. The military council that installed Chulanont announced that a new general election will be held in late 2007, after a new constitution had been written.
In May 2007, a constitutional court found the political party of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai Rak Thai, guilty of election fraud and banned it from participating in government for five years.
A New Constitution and the End of Military Rule
In the country's first referendum, held in August 2007, Thailand voted in favor of a new constitution, which set the stage for parliamentary elections and a return to democracy after a year of military rule. In December's parliamentary elections, the People Power Party, which supports former prime minister Thaksin, won 233 out of 480 seats in parliamentary elections, a clear rebuke to military rule. Thaksin, who had been in self-imposed exile in London, said he would return to Thailand but not enter politics. Samak Sundaravej, of the People Power Party, was elected prime minister by Parliament in January 2008, thus completing the transition back to democracy. Samak, a controversial and contentious figure, called himself a "proxy" for Thaksin and said he would work to tackle poverty in rural Thailand. In the 1970s and 1990s, Samak supported violent crackdowns on students and pro-democracy campaigners.
Thaksin returned to Thailand in February 2008 after 17 months in exile. He said he was prepared to face corruption charges related to property he acquired from a state agency during his tenure as prime minister. In July, his wife, Pojaman Shinawatra, was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to three years in jail. Thaksin failed to appear for a court appearance in August and fled with his wife to London. He left behind about $2 billion in assets that was frozen by the military when it assumed power in 2006. He said he would not receive a fair trial in Thailand.
In July, Unesco, the cultural arm of the United Nations, designated the Preah Vihear temple, which sits on the Cambodian side of the Cambodian-Thai border, as a UN World Heritage Site. The move stirred nationalist emotions on both sides and fueled the tension between the countries. Both countries moved troops to disputed land near the temple. Squirmishing broke out between Cambodian and Thai troops in October 2008, and two Cambodian soldiers were killed.
The People's Alliance for Democracy and Protesting Status Quo
In August 2008, thousands of protesters, called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), staged a sit-in outside the government buildings in Bangkok, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who they call a proxy for Thaksin. Demonstrators were seeking to change the governing and electoral process that has empowered the rural majority, who PAD members say are "ill educated," at the expense of the elite. The PAD has recommended introducing an appointed, rather than elected, legislature. About a week into the sit-in, pro-government protesters launched a counter-demonstration, which turned violent, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency. The military and police did not enforce the state of emergency, however. In a press conference, army commander Gen. Anupong Paochinda declared neutrality in the conflict. "We are not taking sides," he said. "If the nation is the people, we are the army of the people."
Samak was forced to resign in September when Thailand's Constitutional Court ruled that he violated the constitution, which prohibits working in the private sector while in office, by being paid to appear on the cooking show "Tasting and Complaining." Somchai Wongsawat, the first deputy prime minister, became acting prime minister. Parliament elected him prime minister on September 17, 298 to 163.
The unrest took a dramatic turn on October 7, when two people were killed and more than 400 wounded in fighting between security forces and anti-government protesters. Demonstrators, tyring to prevent the inauguration of Somchai, barricaded lawmakers inside the Parliament building and the army was deployed. PAD protesters were buoyed by an October ruling by Thailand's anticorruption court that found Thaksin guilty of corruption over a land deal. The court sentenced him to two years in prison. On November 25, the protesters shut down Bangkok's Suvarnaabhumi Intnerantional Airport, creating a national crisis and stranding tourists. The next day, Thailand's army chief, General Anupong Paochinda, urged Prime Minister Somchai to resign and call new elections. Somchai refused to heed Anupong's advice and then declared a state of emergency and authorized the police and military to evict the protesters.
Thailand's Constitutional Court disbanded the governing People Power Party on Dec. 2, ruling that it engaged in fraud during the 2007 elections. The decision forced Somchai from power and banned party members from politics for five years. Supporters of Thaksin maintained their parliamentary majority and said they will attempt to continue governing by forming a new party. The ruling prompted protesters to end their blockade of Suvarnaabhumi International Airport. First deputy prime minister, Chaovarat Chanweerakul, became caretaker prime minister. Days later, on Dec. 15, Parliament elected Abhisit Vejjajiva, the head of the Democrat Party, as prime minister. Abhisit drew most of his support from the educated middle class of Thailand.
Anti-Government Protests Continue and Turn Deadly
By April of 2009, mass political unrest had returned to Thailand. Protesters loyal to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, called red shirts, interrupted a meeting of Asian leaders that was being held at a Thai resort. Prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva quickly cancelled the meeting and declared a state of emergency. He then ordered the Thai army to break up the protest in the capital of Bangkok. On April 14th, the protestors surrendered and peace was restored to the streets, but Thaksin and his supporters had proven that they remain a threat to Thailand's political stability.
Pro- and anti-Thaksin demonstrations continued throughout 2009, peaking in December when some 20,000 red shirts gathered in Bangkok to demand new elections. Then, in March 2010, about 100,000 red shirts assembled in Bangkok and demanded that Prime Minister Abhisit dissolve Parliament and call new elections. Abhisit refused, but did agree to meet with opposition leaders. At the meeting in late March, he agreed to call new elections but did not set a timetable. Abhisit declared a state of emergency in early April after protesters broke into the Parliament building, prompting government officials to flee the structure by helicopter. The protests continued into May, with the red shirts taking over central Bangkok and essentially crippling the busy metropolis.
In May, Abhisit offered to hold early elections—one of the key demands of the red shirts—if the protesters called off their demonstrations, but they rejected the gesture. Abhisit withdrew his offer and ordered troops to blockade the protest area. What started as a peaceful protest disintegrated into violence, and the military fired upon the protesters, hitting Khattiya Sawatdiphol, a general who sided with the red shirts. He later died of his injuries. His death sparked further violence, and the protesters retaliated with grenade attacks. The red shirts then offered to negotiate with government, but were rebuffed and engaged in large-scale rioting, looting, and the firebombing of several buildings, including Thailand's stock exchange and largest department store. The government cracked down on the movement, and on May 19, the rioters dispersed and protest leaders surrendered and will face terrorism charges. In the 68 days of the protests, 68 people died. The red shirts gained little from their protracted demonstration. If anything, it deepened the division between pro- and anti-government supporters.
Abhisit introduced a five-point plan in June aimed at reconciliation. The plan, though vague, aimed to bridge the economic and social divide that led to the recent turmoil. In addition, Abhisit said he would move to put controls on the news media, which many believe stoked the unrest, consider constitutional reform, appoint a commission to investigate the violence, and reinforce respect of the monarchy.
Party Backed by Thaksin Shinawatra Sweeps 2011 Elections
Border skirmishes with Cambodia flared in April 2011, killing more than 15 people and displacing 60,000. This was the second incident of bloodshed of the year, and diplomatic efforts through the countries' membership in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) were unsuccessful.
A shift in internal politics occurred in early July 2011 when the Pheu Thai party, backed by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, won a majority in Parliament, securing 265 of the 500 seats—enough to form a single-party government. Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, became prime minister, pledging to overcome the country's Thaksin-based divisions. Sensing the benefits of strength in numbers, Yingluck reached out to several smaller parties to form a coalition. Pheu Thai defeated the Democrats, the party of the educated middle class that had been in power since 2008.
Elections Held Despite Anti-Government Protests
In Feb. 2013, the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra agreed to peace talks with leaders of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), one of the oldest and most formidable rebel insurgent groups operating in the country's south. The provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat are home to ethnic Malays and form a Muslim majority. Resistance to Buddhist rule turned violent in 2004; since then more than 5,400 people have been killed.
In early November 2013, Thailand's lower house passed a bill granting amnesty to those accused of offenses committed after the coup of 2006, during which Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted by the military. Thaksin, facing charges of corruption and abuse of power, would be covered under the amnesty law. More than 10,000 demonstrators took to the streets to protest the bill's passage. The bill, however, failed to pass the Senate. Anti-government protests continued into December, with thousands of people taking to the streets to demand the resignation of Yingluck Shinawatra, who they say is a puppet of her brother, former prime minister Thaksin. On Dec. 9, Yingluck dissolved parliament and called for early elections, scheduled for February 2014. The opposition, which largely represents the urban middle class, feels the rural majority has accumulated too much power and elections would not solve the problem. Instead, it demanded that parliament be replaced with an unelected People's Council and that the king appoint a prime minister.
Despite ongoing protests, elections were held on Feb. 2, 2014. The opposition, which boycotted the vote, disrupted the election by preventing the delivery of ballot boxes to about 11% of the precincts and by preventing some people from registering as candidates. The country's Constitutional Court ruled in March that the election was invalid. A new election was set for July. Few expected there would be marked progress in another election.
Thailand's Constitutional Court ordered Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign in May 2014 after ruling that she abused power in 2011 when she removed a civil servant from his post and replaced him with a relative. It was considered a blatantly political ruling that risked a return to violent protests. Deputy Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan took over as acting prime minister. Both anti- and pro-government protests continued, and the anti-government demonstrators shut down several government buildings and took over the prime minister's office.
Military Stages a Coup
On May 20, 2014, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief, declared martial law throughout the country. He ordered the closure of 12 television stations and more than 1,000 radio stations. He said the move was to restore peace and order and requested that both sides stop protesting. He explicitly said the military was not launching a coup—something it has carried out on numerous occasions. "We urge people not to panic. Please carry on your daily activities as usual. The imposition of martial law is not a coup d'état," Gen. Prayuth said. U.S. officials were skeptical of Prayuth's motives, and the State Department called on the military to "honor its commitment to make this a temporary action to prevent violence, and to not undermine democratic institutions."
Two days later, Gen. Prayuth announced that he had indeed seized power from the interim government in a coup. He said the coup was necessary because "of the violence in Bangkok and many parts of the country that resulted in loss of innocent lives and property." He declared martial law. It was the second military coup in less than 10 years. The military held power for more than a year after the last coup, in 2006.
In Aug. 2014, Gen. Prayuth was elected prime minster by the military-dominated National Legislative Assembly whose members had been handpicked by Gen. Prayuth. The assembly voted to impeach former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in January 2015, claiming rice subsidies she gave farmers amounted to corruption because the farmers were paid more than the market rate. Under terms of the impeachment, Yingluck was banned from politics for five years. The military government formally charged her with corruption and negligence in February 2015. Her trial began in May. The subsidies helped rural farmers, the core of Yingluck's supporters.
On Aug. 17, 2015, a bomb exploded inside Erawan Shrine, a popular site for tourists in Bangkok. The blast killed 20 and injured at least 123 others. No one claimed responsibility for the bombing. It was the worst explosion by far in a series of them since the military took power in the May 2014 coup. A second bomb exploded in Bangkok the following day, but no one was injured. Police arrested a suspect two weeks after the bombing, and on Sept. 1, they arrested a man who they believe planted the bomb. Both are believed to be foreign. Authorities said they don't think the bombing was linked to a terrorist group, but acknowledged that they were reluctant to make that connection over fear of jeopardizing the tourism industry.
See also Encyclopedia: Thailand .
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: Thailand


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NCSAM: Diversity, Consistency, and Security Intelligence
The security community at Cisco is very diverse. It extends beyond the typical researcher or analyst roles to include customer-facing engineers and marketing, public relations, and legal teams. The community is comprised of individuals with greatly varied backgrounds, skill sets, and charters and contains a wealth of knowledge on just about any topic. This diversity allows Cisco Security Intelligence Operations to understand and react appropriately to today's threats as well as those that we may face in the future.
If we think about security intelligence—which I define as raw information enhanced through correlation, processing or perspective—having an established variety of inputs is key. Our people are certainly one of those inputs.
The trick, however, is utilizing that diversity in such a way that you can create consistent and predictable outputs that can be easily absorbed and acted on.
This Security Blog is Cisco's most informal and unstructured security-specific output. Authors are encouraged to share well-framed opinions, data or tools in a personal way. This is in contrast to our more operationally-focused outputs such as IntelliShield Alerts, Threat Outbreak Alerts, Security Advisories, and Applied Mitigation Bulletins where consistency is absolutely critical.
Grasping unfamiliar security issues can be difficult enough without having to decipher a document's purpose or format. Instead, it is vital that you be able to readily find the information you require. Whether you're looking for a CVSS Score or fixed-software information, you should be able to find it in exactly the same location as you did previously. Without such consistency, the delivery of our operational messages would be slowed, confused or lost entirely.
There will be times, however, where we must update the format of our outputs or even create entirely new outputs. As a customer-focused organization we're constantly working to evolve our work to changes in customer expectations or the security landscape. The release of OVAL and CVRF documents for the recent Cisco IOS Software Security Advisory bundle is an example of us doing exactly that. When we do make changes we will communicate them to you so that you can understand and plan for them going forward.
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). If you regularly follow this blog you'll know that our content is as diverse as the community I've described above. We have asked individuals from around Cisco to share their security views during October here on the blog. Some of these individuals might be familiar to you, but many of them will be unfamiliar. All of this month's NCSAM posts can be found using the "cyber-security-month-2012" tag just as we did in 2011.
I encourage you to comment and share your opinions as you read the posts on this blog. Your perspective and feedback is important to us.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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Resume Writing Seminar -
The Cover Letter
In this segment:
The final segment concludes by reviewing the most common cover letter (i.e. letter of application) in detail - paragraph by paragraph. Several resume writing and cover letter resources are identified, along with available services at LCC's Downtown campus that provide assistance with resume/cover letter writing and effective job search strategies.
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Fernhill House welcomes its first residents
Fernhill House's first resident, Claude Bronckaerts, plans to spend some time every day in the home's own pub!
A Belgian who speaks eight languages, Claude is enjoying a range of Belgian beers bought in especially for him as well as a range of traditional pub meals prepared by the home's award winning chef Chris Williams, who has worked with Heston Blumenthal and Marco Pierre White.
The pub is one of the unusual features of Fernhill House's dementia community village, which also has a 1950s style shop and an indoor potting shed. A beautifully equipped babies' nursery offers powerful and moving doll therapy which can be very effective in helping people with dementia.
Staff dress in 1950s and 60s clothes and offer a range of specialist activities harking back to the residents' younger days. Manager Peta Mandleberg explained: "We wanted to create a place full of vibrancy – somewhere that didn't scream 'care home', but which was a fun and interesting place to live, but at the same time which had highly experienced staff – and people who have passion for their work. So, as well as our team of nurses we have wellbeing ambassadors chosen for their enthusiasm and vivacity.
Instead of a TV room we have an art deco style cinema complete with popcorn cart. Our shop isn't just a place in which to buy things –indeed there is no need to buy anything as everything is included in the fees – but an amazing destination, offering a trip down memory lane for those living with dementia. The pub is exactly like a real pub – the entire dementia floor is more like a themed village than a care home.
"We're also acutely aware of how difficult it can be families to think about their loved ones moving to a home. The daughter of one of our first residents here had been looking at a number of places and was very dispirited – until she came to see us and really felt the passion and fun here. It's very, very different. And our open door policy means families are welcome whenever they wish." She added: "We have events and activities going on every day - gym sessions, arts and crafts, gardening, tea dances, choir therapy, string quartet recitals, bubbles and blinis evenings and morning sherry every day!
"Residents are actively encouraged to invite friends and family to dine with them or share cocktails, tea and cakes as often as they like at no extra charge, as there is a single fee to cover absolutely everything."
• Claude Bronckaerts is the first resident to move into the luxurious and trailblazing Fernhill House near Worcester


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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian newspaper says more than 50 people were hospitalized in a southern city where air pollution levels spiked this week.
Tuesday's report by the pro-reform Arman daily quotes the head of provincial health department, Mohammad Hossein Sarmast, as saying that at least 5,000 people rushed to the city hospitals in Ahvaz seeking medical assistance after pollution levels increased following lightning strikes and heavy rains on Sunday.
The paper also cites another health official, Mohammad Alavi, as saying acid rain may have caused symptoms such as shortness of breath among those admitted to hospitals.
Ahvaz is located in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan, which is dotted with oil wells and factories, and is among Iran's most polluted cities.
By The Associated Press
The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.


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Assistant Professor
B.S. Cornell UniversityM.S.W. Fordham UniversityPhD, Fordham University, J.D., Fordham University
Dr. Krase earned her Ph.D. in Social Work, her Juris Doctor and her Master in Social Work from Fordham University. She co-wrote the book, Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect: A Practical Guide for Social Workers with Ken Lau and Dick Morse. She previously served as the Associate Director of Fordham University's Interdisciplinary Center for Family and Child. Dr. Krase also served as the Clinical Social Work Supervisor for the Family Defense Clinic at New York University Law School.
Child Welfare, Reporting of Suspected Child Maltreatment, Interdisciplinary Practice, Social Work Education
Co-Author, "Mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect: A practical guide for social workers."
Author, Community mental health with children and youth. In Rosenberg, J. & Rosenberg, S. (Eds.) Community mental health: New directions in policy and practice (2nd ed.).
Author, Chapter 4: Families and children, In E. Giffords & K. Garber (Eds.) The new reality of poverty: Populations at-risk in the United States. Boston: Pearson Higher Ed.
Co-Author, Social work faculty interest in aging: Impact of education, knowledge, comfort, and experience. Published in Gerontology and Geriatrics Education.
Co-Author, The development of an evidence-based assessment process for intimate partner violence. Published in Journal of Evidence Based Social Work, 8:323–348.
Author, Exploring unsubstantiated reports by educational personnel of suspected child maltreatment in New York State using geographic information system technology: Is there a disproportionate impact on African-American children?, Published in Dissertation Abstracts International.
Author, Dr. Helen Rodriquez-Trias: A warrior in the struggle for reproductive rights. Published in: National Women's Health Network. Network News (January/February 1996), 2.
Author, Sterilization abuse: The policies behind the practice. National Women's Health Network. Network News (January/February 1996), 4.
Author, Educational personnel as reporters of suspected child maltreatment. Accepted for publication in Children and Schools.
Co-Author, Maternal criminal justice and child welfare involvement: Associations between risk exposures and childhood mental health. Accepted for publication in Social Work Research.
Emerging Scholar, Association of Baccalaureate Program Directors in Social Work
Fellow, Summer Research Institute, National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect, Cornell University
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Democrats seek to turn stand on issues into votes
CAMBRIDGE, Md. (AP) — Congressional Democrats held a retreat this week seeking inspiration. But they left as befuddled as ever by an America that arguably likes their issues but not always the party.
This fall's elections seem likely to leave Democrats in the House minority, and may rob them of their Senate majority. Republicans hope to gain six net seats to control the Senate.
At a three-day retreat by the Chesapeake Bay, House Democrats struggled to explain this political landscape while also insisting the public supports their agenda on immigration, income, women's rights and other priorities. Friday pep talks by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden did little to solve the riddle.
President Barack Obama winks as he is welcomed before speaking to the House Democratic Issues Conference in Cambridge, Md., Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. The president said top priorities for Congress should be increasing the minimum wage and reforming immigration. Obama told a House Democratic retreat Friday that the party needs to stand up for the American dream of getting ahead. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Obama said Congress should act on issues "where the American people are on our side." He said those include a higher federal minimum wage and "smart immigration policy" that would bring people "out of the shadows."
Biden, who spoke ahead of the president, went further. "On every major issue," he said, "the American people agree with the Democratic Party."
Biden cited Democratic positions on the minimum wage, debt ceiling, same-sex marriage, early childhood education, infrastructure spending and "pay equity" for women. He said 90 percent of Americans support stricter background checks on gun buyers, an issue that went nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate, let alone the GOP-run House.
"I can't think of a time when the issues that most affect the American people, most affect the middle class, overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly, they support us," Biden said.
Republicans scoff at such sentiments. They note that voters have handed them control of the House and the governorships of swing states such as Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Biden's comments reflect "a 50,000-foot view" rather than political realities on the ground in key states that will determine control of the Senate, said GOP consultant Brian Walsh.
"What's popular in California isn't necessarily popular in Louisiana, Arkansas and North Carolina," he said. Those are among the seven states that Obama lost in 2012 and where Democrats are trying to protect Senate seats this fall.
The Democrats' happy talk in Maryland, Walsh said, ignores the fact that Obama's health care overhaul "is deeply unpopular in those states."
Polls suggest that Americans care more about the health care law — which divides them — and pocketbook issues than some of the topics that dominated the Democrats' retreat.
An AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll on government priorities for 2014 found that, in general, the issues Democrats cite as their strong points -- including the minimum wage, unemployment benefits and immigration -- aren't particularly important to people.
Asked to list the top 10 issues they'd like government to act on this year, 52 percent mentioned the health care overhaul, while just 7 percent named the minimum wage or other wage issues. And 28 percent mentioned immigration.
Unemployment ranked near the top of issues for the government to tackle, at 42 percent. But only one of the 1,141 adults surveyed mentioned extending unemployment benefits, a proposal that seems popular but not highly important.
Some Democrats say the party often does a poor messaging job, which helps explain why supposedly popular issues don't always translate into election wins. Particularly frustrating, they say, is Republicans' ability to portray the pre-Obama health care system as far superior to the nation's new health insurance, when in fact many Americans strongly criticized it in 2008.
Conversations with top Democrats at the retreat also suggested they are better at naming popular issues than devising a coherent strategy for shaping them into winning campaign strategies.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters that most Americans support her party's agenda for women. It includes better childhood education, affordable childcare and "equal pay for equal work." But Pelosi demurred when asked to explain why, in light of that, Democrats aren't on a stronger track in midterm elections.
"This is about policy, this is about people," she said. "We'll leave the third P, politics, to another day."
Democrats disagree on how to discuss the growing divide between high-income earners and middle-class workers whose wages have largely stayed flat for many years. One top Democratic lawmaker, who would discuss the sensitive issue only on condition of anonymity, said he is incensed when his party's candidates denounce "income equality," because many voters see it as contrary to the American dream of advancing and benefiting from hard work.
Yet Biden jumped right in Friday. "They talk about the fact that we shouldn't be talking about income inequality," he told House Democrats. "I think it would be a sin if we didn't talk about income inequality."
When he was elected to the Senate in 1972, Biden said, "a CEO made about 25 times more than the lowest-paid employee." Now, he said, it's 240 times greater.
Democrats also showed divisions on which GOP-blocked initiatives to highlight later this month. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Democrats to start a "discharge petition" to try to force House Republican leaders to bring a Senate-passed immigration bill to a House vote.
But Pelosi announced this week the Democrats' discharge effort will focus on a bid to raise the minimum wage instead.
Any successful discharge petition would require Democrats — who hold 200 of the House's 435 seats — to stay united and to gain nearly two dozen Republican signatures, to reach a majority.
That's a tough goal in a chamber controlled by Republicans, who say they are confident about November's elections, no matter how often Democrats say the public is on their side.
Associated Press Director of Polling Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.
Follow Charles Babington on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbabington.
President Barack Obama pauses while speaking at the House Democratic Issues Conference in Cambridge, Md. Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. Opening a weekend trip to California, the president Barack Obama will offer millions in federal aid for the drought-stricken state, then hold an unusual West Coast meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II, a key U.S. partner in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Barack Obama pauses while speaking at the House Democratic Issues Conference in Cambridge, Md. Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. The president said top priorities for Congress should be increasing the minimum wage and reforming immigration. Obama told a House Democratic retreat Friday that the party needs to stand up for the American dream of getting ahead. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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