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Buying into Big Brother
Whatever high crimes and misdemeanors the National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden may or may not have perpetrated, he has at least in one regard done us all a favor. He has reminded us that we are all victims of unwarranted and inexcusable invasions of privacy by companies who collect our data as they do business with us.
Some, like Google and Facebook, pose primarily as software companies when their main revenue source, and their main business, is to mine data and sell advertisers access to customers. We knew this already, of course, though it seems many of us would prefer to forget the true nature of the technology firms that have boomed in the last decade. Seduced by their dazzling baubles, we have bought in to Big Brother without truly understanding the true price we are paying and will continue to pay for access to their brave new world.
We may take pity on the idiot schoolboy who uses expletives on Twitter or posts a picture of himself holding a joint at a party only to discover when he looks for a job that a trawl by an HR department has made him unemployable. But even smart people — like the New York mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner, who sent lewd pictures to strangers — can remember too late that in this wired world we are all being recorded all the time. Yet there is little legal protection from abuse by the companies who collate our personal data and store it for eternity.
One likely outcome of Snowden's leak will be that the federal government has to justify its intrusions and maybe even show a prima facie case against an individual or groups before it gathers their data. There is no such move to ensure that pernicious data mining for commercial or private purposes will be similarly controlled. Primitive tribesmen, on seeing a camera for the first time, often balked at having their picture taken for fear it may steal their souls. Using the Internet is the same, except we know for certain that the price of going online is to lose all shred of confidentiality.
The record of internet companies who ruthlessly peddle our private concerns and personal details to advertisers is hardly encouraging. Every time a social network changes its inaptly named "privacy" policies, always by way of "explanation" in the finest of fine print littered with incomprehensible Orwellian "Newspeak," it compromises our private lives even more aggressively.
The law appears to have little to say about such intrusion, though the mere act of owning a phone or a laptop is to invite an anonymous snooper into our homes to log in detail what books we are reading, what music we are listening to, what movies we are watching, what friends we are meeting, what thoughts we are thinking, the better to sell information about our domestic habits. What legal guarantees are there that details gleaned from our online purchases by audacious demands for extraneous personal information, including age, gender, and sometimes even race, will not be sold to a company we dislike, a political movement we disagree with, or a foreign country we once fled? Where are the laws that extend the principles of privacy of the home to the privacy of our domestic lives lived on the Internet?
The common wisdom emerging from the Snowden and NSA saga is that public good should generally be disparaged, even when defending us from terrorism, while private interest should always be lauded. It is interesting to learn from Snowden that his political hero is Ron Paul, once the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate and the crabby libertarian outlier in the 2012 Republican primaries. Paul was quick to praise Snowden's betrayal of NSA secrets, saying he was "heroic" and had "done [Americans] a great service."
Paul's son Senator Rand Paul betrays a similar devotion to conservative/libertarian theorists such as Ayn Rand, Ludwig von Mises, and Friedrich Hayek. It was amusing, then, to hear the libertarian Rand Paul, in condemning the NSA's overreach, invoking the name of George Orwell, a democratic socialist whose works exposing the mundane horrors of authoritarianism such as Animal Farm and 1984, have lifted him into the western pantheon. In 1944, Orwell reviewed Hayek's The Road to Serfdom, the tome that has been adopted as a sacred text by libertarians for suggesting that the larger the state the more likely tyranny will emerge.
"Collectivism is not inherently democratic, but, on the contrary, gives to a tyrannical minority such powers as the Spanish Inquisition never dreamed of," Orwell wrote. But, he added, "Hayek … does not see, or will not admit, that a return to 'free' competition means for the great mass of people a tyranny probably worse, because more irresponsible, than that of the State." Seventy years ago, Orwell grasped that, while state power can and should be tempered by democracy, private companies are too often let off the hook.
"Hayek denies that free capitalism necessarily leads to monopoly," Orwell continued, "but in practice that is where it has led, and since the vast majority of people would far rather have State regimentation than slumps and unemployment, the drift towards collectivism is bound to continue if popular opinion has any say in the matter." Orwell was on to something.
Missing from the debate about the size of government that grips the dominant, libertarian wing of the Republican Party is the tendency in private industry to treat its workers and customers tyrannically. Anyone who has dealt with a bank, or a mortgage company, or a cable business, or a health insurance company, or tried to complain to any "service" department — "Can I leave you on hold . . . indefinitely?" — will know that too many companies have contempt for those who provide them with profits.
Anyone who has worked for a corporation has witnessed the petty tyrannies imposed by bullying managers, the ritual humiliation or sexual exploitation of workers, the reneging on promises and denial of the fulfillment of employment contracts, and all the tricks played by despotic companies through their legal departments. Again, the law has little to say about such excesses and proves hard to implement even when, as in sexual harassment and racial discrimination cases, evidence of abuse is clear. Whistleblowers who call out public sector wrongs are often hailed as heroes; those who point out private excesses are invariably traduced and fired.
There are a myriad examples of such private sector wrongdoing, but let me cite one in the current headlines. In Britain, banks have been prosecuted for illegally selling expensive unnecessary "payment protection insurance" to unwitting customers in that tried-and-tested inertia-selling scam whereby a tiny box has to be ticked, or not ticked, to avoid payments being automatically added to the monthly charges.
Lloyds employed the respectable accountants Deloitte to refund money to those who had not asked for such a service — the compensation to customers at Lloyds alone has so far reached $10.4 billion — but Deloitte taught its staff to resist legitimate claims by obfuscation, based on the assumption that if a repayment is too troublesome or complex to claim, customers soon give up. We have all been there.
Public companies are meant by law to be democratically run, with shareholders holding directors to account. In practice, however, they are all too often private fiefdoms. Even opinion formers, such as the New York Times, News Corporation, and Koch Industries, are structured to be privately run by tight-knit families who have little concern for the views of shareholders or anyone else.
We all use Orwell's phrase "Big Brother" to describe an overweening state. Just as telling about the way big government and big business treat small people, however, is Orwell's satire on fake democratic slogans: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
Nicholas Wapshott is the author of Keynes Hayek: The Clash That Defined Modern Economics. Read extracts here.
PHOTO: Laura Wood of Skoob Books poses for a photograph with a copy of George Orwell's '1984' in central London June 9, 2013. REUTERS/Toby Melville
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
which animal is the press, doj came knowing on your door..oppos the back door. that makes us THE SAME?
Well said. In the end there has to be a balance. There must be some reach. However, where it has gone now is clearly 'overreach'.
Excellent observations, Mr. Wapshott.
Great post. I especially appreciate the reminder that there's a hidden cost to all that cool "free" stuff we get from Google, Facebook, and other advertising companies. Over 90% of Google's revenue comes from ads and advertising is Facebook's only real product.


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This one's got legs.
Judge Eduardo Robreno refused Monday to dismiss a law suit against Oprah Winfrey brought by a headmistress for the school she supports in South Africa.
He ruled that former headmistress Nomvuyo Mzamane has enough evidence to pursue her defamation claims against the media mogul. Winfrey made the remarks in 2007 after the complaints surfaced at the $40 million Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, near Johannesburg.
A dorm matron who worked under Mzamane was later charged with abusing six students.
Mzamane accused Winfrey of suggesting she was not trustworthy through comments about the need for new leadership and remarks such as "I thought she cared about the girls of South Africa," according to the October 2008 lawsuit.
Winfrey's lawyers argued the remarks, made at an Oct. 20, 2007 meeting with parents and at a Nov. 5, 2007 press conference, reflected Winfrey's opinions.
But the judge agreed they were potentially defamatory.
"The implication that (Mzamane) was aware of abuse by the dorm parents and did not react accordingly is capable of defamatory meaning as it ascribes conduct which would render her unfit for her profession as an educator," Robreno wrote in the 128-page opinion.
Winfrey's lawyer, William Hangley, declined comment Tuesday on the judge's decision.
Mzamane's lawyer did not immediately return a call for comment.
Mzamane, a native of Lesotho, previously held a leadership post at the Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia and returned to the area after her contract was not renewed at Winfrey's school. Mzamane has said she was unable to find work because of Winfrey's comments.
The case is now set for trial on March 29 in Philadelphia.

subset: commoncrawl


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AfriGeneas Genealogy and History Forum
Photo you took 2001, Benita
In Response To: Re: Amaya Portland King 1934-2012 ()
Thanx so very much for reminding me of the many pictures you did at the 2001 event in Albany.
There will be a final service on this Saturday at St. Teresa in Albany at 1PM.
Messages In This Thread


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An effective presentation of this news item must make any parent think that there is a high probability that their children can get molested or that they have already been molested. Once they see a news item on child abuse/molestation - parents should be able to clearly identify the amount of situations they have left open that is conducive for someone to molest their own children. A child molestor rarely creates opportunities to go after children. Mostly because he does not have to. Parents give their children to him on a platter. He just takes advantage of the situation. And most parents help him do so all the time. The amount of child molestation that surface up to parent's knowledge is probably 1/1000th of what actually happens. And those that surface to the news is 1/1000th of what actually gets to parent level awareness.
Good parents who are aware of this 'angle' have a growing list of potential suspects. They are conscious of people who can potentially get the privacy and opportunity to molest their children. In Madras, during 80s and 90s it was common to send children via rickshaws (not autos) to school. Parents rely on rickshawman to pick up the child from school and bring them home. Many schools have classes that end at different times (for e.g. 3rd standard ends at 3PM whereas 5th standard ends at 3:45). The first child that rickshaw man picks up could have had their school day end at 3PM. The last child that the rickshawman picks up could have their school day ending at 3;45 PM. That is a solid 45 mins of time spent with a child in a rickshaw in a private space under pretext of parking rickshaw in the shade of a tree. This is the 'exclusive time' that the parent has gifted to the rickshawman. And like most molestors, I am sure he looked very trustworthy in the eyes of the parents. Today parents trust a van driver, autorickshaw driver, their own car driver with at least 45 minutes - 1 hour of private time with children. They hand over their children on a platter like father of the bride setting up a wedding night bed. Why? because these parents trust that such things will never happen to them.
This is just the beginning. Good parents also will never leave their children in a relative's house, an uncle house, or a friend's house. Essentially any place where a person - who is 3 years or more older than the child - can have private time with the child. This could be anyone. Most commonly, I suspect the person who gets most private time is the 'anna upstairs'. The college going or Xth standard boy who is your house owner's kid or is the 'trust worthy boy' who lives downstairs. Your child wanders out from your house and is frequently seen going to neighboring door in same apartment floor. Sometimes the child wanders and goes near the gate of the apartment where the watchman is playing with it. Ofcourse, the neighbor's boy or your watchman has a trustable face. You have never seen him mastrubate or fantasise about other aunties. So obviously he has to be trustworthy. And while this boy who lives downstairs or watchman is 'taking care' of your child - you could get valuable housework done. Your child is not around to cry and nag you. So you were able to cook, clean the house, and arrange that furniture. Chores that would have taken 2 hours actually got done in 1 hour. Yay!
That the 1 hour you saved got tranfered as 1 hour of 'private time' for the watchman in the parking garage with your child or for the downstairs boy in his empty house never crosses your mind. Because such things never happen to you. You would have obviously seen some signs if it did. I suspect most child molestation instances is never known to the child themselves. A memory formed when a child is 3-6 years old is rarely a persistent one. Unless via some fluke it resides in subconcious and it comes out at a later stage - it is silent evidence. Dead and buried.
I had an opportunity to meet some good parents during this trip to India. They would never allow their driver to pick their daughter up alone. No matter how tired they were or how much office work or household work they had to do. No matter how personally they knew their driver or friend's father - they'd never let anyone else pick up their kid. They'd go in the car or drive in 2-wheeler to pick up the kid themselves. Parents and grandparents are the only trustworthy people around a kid. Until the child is 17 they should never for a moment be out of their own supervision. They'd never let kids stay in someone else's house. Even if it was an emergency. They kept a constant vigil. It was almost paranoid and unrelenting.
I also saw some parents who said "adhellam summa newsla varuudhu. You cant be doing this all the time. If you look at it with this angle you will never have peace of mind. You just need to have some trust in life. If you are good only good things will happen to you". The casual ones. Ones who took life as it comes and ones who didnt take life too seriously. The happy-go-lucky kind. I saw them handing their children over to complete strangers for close to 2 hours of 'private time'. I suppose nothing bad will happen to the child. The stranger's face had that trustworthy look. I suppose that is enough, no?


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Website: www.puc.idaho.gov
Idaho Power seeks approval for four wind projects
Idaho Power Co. is asking state regulators to approve 20-year purchase contracts with the developer of four wind parks scheduled to be built in south-central and eastern Idaho.
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is taking public comment on the proposed contracts through Nov. 28. The developer of all four projects is James Carkulis of the Montana-based Exergy Development Group. All four projects, if approved, would start producing energy in November 2006, and be in full operation by May 2007.
The four projects, all of which will be paid for delivery of 10 average-megawatts a month to Idaho Power, include:
Milner Dam Wind Park (IPC-E-05-30) – Located about a mile west of Milner Dam (west of Burley) in Cassia County, this project includes 12, 1.5-megawatt turbines.
Lava Beds Wind Park (IPC-E-05-31) – Located between Blackfoot and Arco, this project is also 12, 1.5-MW turbines.
Notch Butte Wind Park (IPC-E-05-32) – Located between Twin Falls and Shoshone, this project is also 12, 1.5-MW turbines.
Salmon Falls Wind Park (IPC-E-05-33) – Located near Hagerman and south of Bell Rapids, this project includes 14, 1.5-MW turbines.
Idaho Power claims the projects were sufficiently far enough along in development that they should be grandfathered from a commission order in August that temporarily reduced – from 10 average megawatts to 100 kilowatts – the size of projects that could qualify for a rate published by the commission for renewable projects under provisions of federal PURPA provisions.
Congress passed PURPA, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, during the energy crisis of the late 1970s. Its purpose is to encourage development of renewable energy technologies as alternatives to burning fossil fuels or constructing new power plants. The federal act requires that electric utilities offer to buy power produced by small power producers or co-generators who obtain Qualifying Facility (QF) status. The published rate to be paid project developers is set by state commissions and is to be equal to the cost the electric utility avoids if it would have had to generate the power itself or purchase it from another source.
The commission will proceed under a modified procedure that allows the case to be handled through written public comments rather than by public hearing. However, comments may request a public hearing.
Those wishing to submit comments must do so by no later than Nov. 28. Comments are accepted via e-mail by accessing the commission's homepage at www.puc.idaho.gov and clicking on "Comments & Questions." Fill in the case number (IPC-E-05-30, -31, -32, -33) and enter your comments. Comments can also be mailed to P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0074 or faxed to (208) 334-3762.
A full text of the commission's order, along with other documents related to this case, are available on the commission's Web site. Click on "File Room" and then on "Electric Cases" and scroll down to the above case number.


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11 illegal immigrants arrested in human-smuggling sting
PHOENIX – Authorities in Maricopa County say 11 illegal immigrants have been arrested as part of an ongoing 30-day operation aimed at human smuggling.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio says nine suspects have been booked into jail on human smuggling charges. Two others were turned over to federal authorities.
The arrests were made this week after sheriff's deputies pulled over a pickup truck and found 10 illegal immigrants in the back covered with a tarp. A passenger fled the scene and escaped.
Authorities say the suspects admitted to paying up to $4,000 each to be smuggled into the U.S.
Arpaio says one suspect has an extensive criminal history in the U.S. and has previously been deported four times.
Arpaio says 53 illegal immigrants have been arrested during the 30-day operation.


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Monday Is Andrew Miller Time In Rochester
At the age of 21, in his 6th major league game, Andrew Miller got the final out in a win that clinched the Detroit Tigers' first playoff berth in 19 years. It was three months to the day after Miller made his final start for the University of North Carolina.
"That was pretty cool – to be on the mound and then walk into the clubhouse in Kansas City for the champagne celebration and all," Miller told me. "It doesn't get much better than that."
After selecting Miller with the 6th overall pick in the 2006 draft, Detroit promoted him to the big leagues at the end of August so that he would be eligible for their post-season roster – even thought he had only made three minor league appearances at the Single-A level. As it turned out, Andrew was not on the active roster in October, but he was in the Tigers' dugout during the playoffs and World Series.
"I was on that team for the last month of the season," Miller said. "Unfortunately for me, they ended up playing the Cardinals in the World Series who had only one lefty on their roster and that was Jim Edmonds. It was such a great experience at the time and I had a blast. Unfortunately, the series didn't go our way, but how many people get to sit in the dugout in a World Series and take part in all the festivities? It's something that I'll never forget."
At that point, it appeared that the hard-throwing lefty was on the fast track to major league stardom, but Miller is still looking to reach his outstanding potential.
After two years in the Tigers' organization, Miller was traded to the Marlins in the deal that brought Miguel Cabrera to Detroit. After three years with Florida, Andrew was traded to the Red Sox last November for relief pitcher Dustin Richardson.
"I was excited," Miller said. "I didn't know too much about the Red Sox organization, but I knew that they had a good reputation and the more that I found out, it just got me really excited. It was a new opportunity for me and seemed like such a great fit coming in. So far it has been great. It's met my expectations if not exceeded them."
But Miller almost didn't wind up with the Red Sox.
As WEEI's Alex Speier described in this story about Miller, Boston allowed Andrew to become a free agent with the goal of signing him to a minor league contract.
"Because Miller has now exhausted his options, a team cannot send him from the majors to the minors without exposing him to waivers," writes Speier. "The Sox didn't feel that keeping Miller on the big league roster just for fear of losing him was productive, either for the team (those 25 roster spots are, after all, precious) or for the pitcher's development.
And so, the Sox allowed him to become a free agent, with the idea that they wanted to sign the left-hander to a minor league deal that was based primarily on his long-term development."
Miller could have taken a major league deal with other organizations, but elected to sign a minor league contract with Boston.
"I understood where they were coming from," Miller told me. "I liked it because they were being honest with me and they had a plan for me. I had options to go other places that aren't as deep as Boston– there probably aren't any organizations as deep as Boston– but it just seemed like such a good fit for me. I was willing to come here on a minor league deal and work my way up and I don't regret it so far."
Miller is off to an excellent start with Pawtucket with a 1.32 ERA after three starts and an opponent batting average of .167. He's scheduled to make his fourth start on Monday night at Rochester.
"I think right now that things are going my way and you certainly want to feed off that and keep it going as long as possible," Miller said. "I feel good and I'm just trying to keep it going right now."
Miller has walked 10 batters in 13.2 IP, but 4 of those walks came in a in a game at Syracuse where the umpire's strike zone was the size of a postage stamp (Pawtucket batters walked 11 times in the same game). In Andrew's last start, he only walked 2 batters in 6 innings while allowing 1 run on 4 hits. His fastball velocity sat in the 91-93 range and topped out at 95 mph.
The Red Sox have worked with the 6'7" southpaw on maintaining a compact delivery, but they also don't want his mind cluttered with thoughts about his mechanics.
"I think it's a fine line," Miller said. "There's certainly a place for mechanical work, but it's hard to pitch in a game situation when that's your focus. I feel like that's what I've done the last couple of years and I think that it's held me back a little bit. At this point, I'm just trying to go out there and be athletic and do what comes naturally. So far the results have been pretty good. The organization has just done a great job of handling me and working with me and letting me go out there and compete the way that I want to."
Miller is in Pawtucket's starting rotation, but could eventually be moved to the bullpen like his former college teammate Daniel Bard.
"I would prefer to start in the long run – it's what I know and it's what I've done," Miller said. "But if there's an opportunity to be in the big leagues and do anything, I'll do it. I'll play second base, I'll be the bullpen catcher – I just want to be in the big leagues."
But Andrew says he has no problem being in Triple-A for now.
"I'm definitely patient," Miller said. "Coming here, I could look at the roster and tell what the odds were of being up there. It's a big picture thing for me. My goal is to pitch well here. Being around this game, if things are going well, things will happen and you will get opportunities. Ideally, I'll keep pitching my butt off here and things will happen."
* * * * *
Since the Red Sox have Monday off, you can get your baseball fix and listen to Miller in action as the PawSox conclude their series in Rochester at 7:05. I hope you'll join us for radio coverage beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and pawsox.com.
I'd love to hear from you. The address is firstname.lastname@example.com
If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
And I have finally joined Facebook. Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.


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One of the greatest things about duck hunting and fishing on the middle Texas coast during the winter months is that you stand a very good chance of getting up close to one of the world's most treasured birds – a whooping crane.
This winter was the best I've ever experienced when it comes to spotting and photographing whooping cranes. My first sighting was in early December while fishing at Port O'Connor with Victor Randazzo. We had caught close to 50 reds and trout in a backwater lagoon. As we neared a point on the way out I looked over and spotted two whooping cranes feeding along the bank. We circled around and I managed to get a couple of quick photos before they took to the air and casually flew out of sight.
About four weeks ago I was in Rockport and came up on a line of cars. Come to find out they were all birdwatchers and were snapping photos of 14 whoopers and five sandhill cranes that were feeding along the edge of a marsh. That's as many cranes as I've ever seen in one area. Later that evening they flew, about 30 feet over our heads as they headed to their roost.
The most unusual thing I've even seen in the world of birdwatching was a pair of whoopers that was feeding along the Intracoastal Waterway with two wild hogs.
According to Steve Lightfoot with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, it's been an unusual year for whooping cranes in Texas, and the endangered species' spring migration is the latest example. Researchers report several whooping crane families initiated their spring migration nearly a month earlier than usual, with some birds having already reached South Dakota.
After a winter distribution that surprised biologists and kept birders enchanted with unprecedented sighting opportunities for one of North America's most ancient bird species, the unusually early start of the migration to nesting grounds in Canada does not surprise Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist Lee Ann Linam.
"This winter seemed to produce a 'perfect storm' of mild winter weather, reduced food sources on the Texas coast, and crowding in an expanding whooping crane population, which led whooping cranes to explore new wintering areas," Linam said. "Those same conditions have likely provided the impetus for an early start of their 1,500-mile spring migration."
Texas provides wintering habitat for the only self-sustaining population of whooping cranes in the world.
"Traditionally, whooping cranes spend December through March in coastal wetlands on and near Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, between Rockport and Port Lavaca," said Lightfoot. "In recent years, whoopers have slowly expanded their winter range — usually using coastal marshlands adjacent to already occupied areas."
Linam says that in 2011-12, whoopers made significant expansions southward and westward of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, and one whooping crane apparently spent the winter with sandhill cranes in upland habitats near El Campo.
"Nine whooping cranes, including six adults and three chicks, spent most of the winter near Granger Lake in Central Texas," said Linam. "One family group of whooping cranes only traveled as far south as Kansas before heading back north to spend most of the winter in Nebraska."
The unprecedented shifts may be indicators of both bad news and good news for the Texas flock, which is thought to now number about 300 birds.
"We are concerned about the health of our coastal estuaries and long-term declines in blue crabs, one of the traditional primary food sources for this population of whooping cranes," said Linam. "At the same time, these cranes seem to be showing adaptability as the increasing population may be causing crowding in traditional habitats and drought may be producing less than ideal habitat conditions. I think it's a good sign that whooping cranes are exploring and thriving in new wintering areas."
This winter, birders and wildlife watchers in Texas have helped the state track some of the movements of whooping cranes, and Linam is asking Texans to be on the lookout for whoopers during the spring migration, which may extend through mid-April in Texas.
As incredible as it may sound, two whooping crane chicks were shot and killed in Louisiana on Oct. 10, 2011. Two alleged shooters have been identified. Tragically, these are the sixth and seventh shooting deaths of reintroduced endangered U.S. whooping cranes in 2011. With only about 430 whooping cranes now in the wild, each bird counts.
[1] http://theexaminer.com/users/robert-sloan
[2] http://theexaminer.com/sites/default/files/blog/sloan329.JPG
[3] http://theexaminer.com/features/outdoors


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Thursday, May 31, 2012, 7:34 PM
Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman says he has closed the case against Kody Brown and his four wives, who are the stars of the TLC show "Sister Wives."
Brown moved his family to the Las Vegas area in January 2011 after Utah authorities launched a bigamy investigation.
Brown has since sued Utah County, claiming Utah's bigamy statute violates his family's constitutional rights.
Buhman is now seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed, claiming it is moot given the case is closed.
He says his office has also adopted a policy that bigamy cases will only be pursued if there is evidence of a victim or fraud.
Utah prosecutor closes case without charging polygamous family, adopts new policy for charges
By Associated Press,
SALT LAKE CITY — Criminal charges will not be pursued against a polygamous family made famous by the reality TV show "Sister Wives," a Utah prosecutor wrote Thursday in federal court filings.
The case against Kody Brown and his four wives — Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn — stars of the TLC show, has been closed, Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman wrote in a motion seeking to have a lawsuit against his county dismissed.
Brown moved his wives and 16 children from Lehi, about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City, to the Las Vegas area in January 2011 after Utah authorities launched a bigamy investigation.
The Browns then sued Utah County along with Utah's governor and attorney general, claiming the state's bigamy statute violates their constitutional rights to due process, equal protection, free exercise of religion, free speech and freedom of association.
A federal judge later dropped the state from the case but allowed it to continue against the county.
U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups said he dismissed Gov. Gary Herbert and Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff because Shurtleff had assured the Browns they wouldn't be prosecuted under his policy that consenting adult polygamists won't be charged as long as they're not committing other crimes.
However, Waddoups noted that the Browns had reason to believe they could still face prosecution in Utah County, and agreed it could have a chilling effect on their ability to practice their constitutional rights in the state.
Buhman wrote in his Thursday motion that his county, too, had adopted the same state policy and would not pursue bigamy cases unless there was evidence of a victim or fraud.
"The criminal case against the Browns is closed and no charges will be filed against them for bigamy unless new evidence is discovered which would comport with the office's new policy," Buhman wrote.
The Browns' attorney Jonathan Turley said he was pleased that charges wouldn't be filed but noted the family didn't plan to drop the lawsuit, claiming state law remained "blatantly unconstitutional."
"I want to express our great relief for the Brown family that this long-standing threat has been finally lifted," Turley said in a statement. "The family has spent years being publicly denounced as felons by prosecutors and had to move to Nevada to protect their family and children."
Your Thoughts?


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Support your team on Sunday with one of these specialty cocktails.
Harbaugh Bloody Sunday
4 ounces Jalapeño-Infused Tequilla
3 ounces Fresh-Squeezed Blood Orange Juice
1 ounce Fresh Lime Juice
2 ounces Orange Liqueur
Directions: In a cocktail shaker, combine jalapeño-infused Camarena Silver Tequila, blood orange juice, lime juice and Cointreau. Fill with ice, shake and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a blood orange peel.
*Jalapeño-Infused Tequila – Slice up a fresh jalapeño pepper and allow it to steep in 1 cup of Camarena Silver Tequila for 2 hours. Remove the slices by pouring the mixture through a mess strainer.
Kaepernick's Keg
1 ounce Spiced Rum
1 ounce Guava Nectar
1 ounce Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
4 ounces Light Beer
Lime Wheel for Garnish
Salted Rim
Directions: Rim beer mug with lime. Dip rim into salt. Fill with ice. Add rum, guava nectar and grapefruit juice. Top with beer. Stir lightly. Garnish with lime wheel.
Recipes from D Magazine
Enjoy the game!


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I know people have been having issues with registration. Either you never get the confirmation/activation email or when you do, the link doesn't work.
Anybody that is able to successfully register without coming across these problems, please post a reply here or send me a PM.
But I think the problem is somethat is a bug in the board software, and I'm hoping it gets fixed with the next update (which might take a few more months). I'll keep looking for a solution in the mean time, but for the time being I'll have to manually activate everyone who registers and has the aforementioned issues. If you've registered and still haven't been activated, drop me a line:
I try to check for new registrations every 24-36 hours, but sometimes I forget and just need a gentle nudge.
Registration issues
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- SmorgasBorgnine
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Re: Registration issues
Just registered. Got the email. Link worked.
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text:
Develop Leadership
Student Council has numerous opportunities for students to gain leadership experience while working in a governing body.
Serve the Students
Student Council offers many services to students and organizations, such as promoting events and student activity funding.
Represent the Students
Student Council listens to the opinions and concerns of the student body and acts on behalf of the students on an administrative level.
Develop Leadership. Serve the Students. Represent the Students.
6:30 Jan. 29th, 2019 in Carver-Turner.


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|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
In article <Bh4a5.41$m26.36587 at news.pacbell.net>, Bracey <tiedenospam at pacbell.net> wrote: > >Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices by Hudson Thomas >Hartmann(Editor), et al (Hardcover ) >Our Price: $105.00 / THis is the real standard textbook, AFAIK. THere have been at least seven editions. You can often find an older one for cheap in used book stores. For home or small scale propagation, the older editions are actually better, as the emphasis in later editions is on automated industrial-scale propagation. Older methods may not be as good for producing thousands of plants as cheaply as possible, but they are often more suited to producing a few or a few dozen plants by hand. Btw, the thing Hartmann & Kester has a lot of, that you won't find in most plant propagation books, is the 'principles' or 'theory', i.e. the anatomy and physiology that make propagation methods work. If you are one of those people who likes to understand what is really going on rather than just following a recipe, this is what you want.


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There are no alerts.
Samuel Merritt University recognizes that personal safety within the campus community is of utmost importance and that is why it has taken some new measures to provide for your safety in the event of an emergency. The SMU ALERT system delivers critical information to SMU community members on any communication device (phone, email, SMS text, pager, or fax).
All students, faculty and staff are automatically enrolled in the SMU ALERT system intended to transmit emergency notification (new students are enrolled just prior to orientation). The system has been initially populated with your SMU email address and office phone number. You may store additional numbers for voice messages, text messages, and email addresses for email alerts. It is the responsibility of all students, faculty and staff to update personal information on a regular basis.
Personal contact information can be updated by students, faculty and staff members directly by clicking the button below (SMU login required). Your personal information is protected under federal privacy laws, and shall not be used for marketing or other solicitation activities.
New incoming students will be able to update contact information after new student orientation


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Some footage of the Rock of Love 2 reunion has leaked (via Riki Rachtman's YouTube account), and it shows a little bit more of the big fist fight between Heather (the runner-up from season one) and Daisy (the runner-up from season two). It looks really rough. Heather is one bitch not to be fucked with. She pounds really hard on Daisy's head and then pulls the shit out of her weave. No security guards bothered to break it up (not even Big John!) and Bret and host Riki were left to pry the girls away from each other. Clip above.
Earlier: The Rock Of Love 2 Finale: Who Will Touch Bret's Backstage Pass?


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Stuxnet Called an Israeli-US Joint Project
A report in the New York Times gives evidence that Stuxnet, the computer worm which appears to have done material damage to Iranian nuclear weapons development, was developed by an Israeli-US team at an Israeli facility.
The Dimona complex in the Negev desert has long been the reputed, but unacknowledged center for Israeli nuclear development. The Times cites "intelligence and military experts familiar with [Dimona's] operations" as saying that over the past 2 years Dimona has served as a testing facility for efforts to undermine Iranian nuclear weapons development.
Israel has acquired and tested, at Dimona, using centrifuges "virtually identical" to those used by Iran. This scenario is reasonable in that it explains how such sophisticated attack software worked when it finally reached its intended targets in Iran. Whoever wrote it had to test it, and they needed access to Siemens SCADA systems and centrifuges identical, or nearly so, to those used by Iran.
The Times also says that the vulnerabilities in the Siemens industrial control systems which operate the centrifuges were identified at the Idaho National Laboratory, one of the US Department of Energy's national laboratories. Siemens had provided equipment to the Idaho lab and cooperated with the research which was, says Siemens, intended to help Siemens defend against attacks.
No indications were given in the article about the origins of the 4 zero-day Windows vulnerabilities that helped to get Stuxnet on machines which could be used to attack the Siemens controllers.
The operation was originally authorized by President Bush at the end of his term and speeded up by President Obama.


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Get the Flash Playerto see this player.
|Gloryhole Initiations
Short review: Gloryhole Initiations is living proof that you may not always know who's in the next stall, but when your testicles are aching, does it really matter? Go for the tempting taboo-ness by shoving your shaft through and feel a hot mouth or more wrapping around it. They've got the cameras located perfectly for the most enhanced action shots they could bring to the site, it's very well done.
Content Amount: I can't complain much about the numbers from this site, with 124 sets, which does include not only the episodes/clips/full length feature, but also high resolution pictures included per set, you will be kept busy and updates are done every Monday.


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Much has been made of Washington's "pivot" to Asia since November, when U.S. Secretary of State Clinton announced it in Foreign Policy. We took this largely in stride in the sea services, namely the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. We never left the Pacific. And we've been present in force in the Persian Gulf – an inlet or bay in the Indian Ocean, as Indian geopolitical thinker points out – for over two decades, since the first Gulf War. Indeed, our combat power in Asia has been on the increase for nearly a decade, since the Bush administration decided to realign U.S. forces stationed overseas. One example: the U.S. submarine force started moving units to the Pacific in 2006.
Indeed, the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard formally "pivoted" to Asia in 2007, when they published a Maritime Strategy titled A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower. As the title implies, the Maritime Strategy stresses coalition building for a variety of purposes, from counterpiracy and counterproliferation to humanitarian and disaster relief. These are worthy missions. But the document's drafters tucked away a couple of bloody-minded passages in the text. The first directs the sea services to remain capable of imposing "local sea control" in any navigable body of water on the face of the earth. The United States will do this by itself if necessary. Evidently it's hard to give up the habit of ruling the waves, wherever those waves may be found.
But the second proclaims that the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard have fixed their strategic gaze on maritime Asia. They will stage "credible combat power" in two oceans – the Western Pacific and the greater Indian Ocean – for the foreseeable future. They intend to remain Number One in this grand "Indo-Pacific" theater. What this means is that the U.S. Navy will remain the two-ocean navy it's been since 1940, when Congress passed the Two-Ocean Navy Act – in effect creating one navy for the Atlantic and a second for the Pacific. But the second ocean is now the Indian Ocean. It's more accurate to say the navy is pivoting from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean.Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.
Like any strategy, this one must be backed with forces. Otherwise, ambitious powers like China will set the terms for U.S. policy in Asia. Since the fleet is unlikely to grow in these difficult budgetary times, those forces will come from the Atlantic theater. For example, around 60 percent of the nuclear attack-submarine force now makes its home in the U.S. Pacific Fleet, which holds responsibility for the Pacific and most of the Indian Ocean. That's a rough indicator of how much of the navy will eventually concentrate in the Indo-Pacific.
However…this nautical pivot remains incomplete. As the old saying goes, it takes a while to turn a battleship. Permanently shifting vessels and aircraft is expensive, and it's hard. It requires expanding base infrastructure, improving logistics and repair facilities, and moving families. It engages local and national politics – as anyone who's ever tried to downsize or close a military base will tell you.
But the real impediment is intellectual, not material, or even political. For global powers like the United States, or Great Britain before it, it appears hard to set priorities and act on them. Think about the two passages I mentioned before – local sea control anywhere versus credible combat power in East and South Asia. I'm not sure navy or defense officials truly accept the need to refocus on Asia if it means accepting new risk in traditional theaters like the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. You'd think shedding old burdens would be a welcome thing, but it seems to contradict the logic of power politics. Commanders and their political masters hedge like there's no tomorrow!


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BC is a really finicky, hard to predict school. While it is certainly frustrated to get rejected, I wouldn't take it as any indication of things to come. Taking a look at LSN for this year or years past shows that BC is usually all over the place. I have friends with 170+ and decent GPAs that were rejected by BC. They really are just a crapshoot.
I think BC is heavily into soft factors this cycle. I've found several people who got in who have both lower GPAs and LSATs than me, but most of them are varsity athletes, non-traditionals, or spent time in the military.


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New EPA regulations aim to cut oil, natural gas emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed new regulations Thursday that it said would dramatically reduce polluting emissions from oil and natural gas operations, with "a net savings to the industry of tens of millions of dollars annually from the value of natural gas that no longer would escape in the air."
The regulations would apply to new wells that are hydraulically fractured to stimulate greater production, as well as older wells that are re-fractured. They would also cover facilities such as natural gas processing plants, gas compressor stations and storage tanks at well sites.
"Reducing these emissions will help cut toxic pollution that can increase cancer risks and smog that can cause asthma attacks and premature death -- all while giving these [oil and gas] operators additional product to bring to market," EPA official Gina McCarthy said in a statement.
The regulations would take effect Feb. 28 after a comment period that would include public hearings "in the Dallas, Denver and Pittsburgh areas," the agency said. Specific dates and locations will be announced later.
The regulations are expected to have considerable impact in North Texas' natural gas-rich Barnett Shale.
A recent in-depth study commissioned by the city of Fort Worth showed that there were no "significant health threats" posed by air pollution from operations in the gas field, but recommended specific measures to further reduce emissions.
The proposed EPA regulations would require "green completions" of wells to capture more emissions and increase the use of equipment such as "low-bleed" pneumatic valves and vapor recovery units to reduce leaks.
The goal is to curb emissions of volatile organic compounds that contribute to formation of harmful ground-level ozone and to reduce leaks of methane, a greenhouse gas and the primary component of natural gas. Emissions of "air toxics," such as cancer-causing benzene, would also be reduced, the EPA said.
To read the complete article, visit www.star-telegram.com.


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Ford applied the Probe name to a series of aerodynamic studies and one production series. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Probe is an odd combination of the two, but is its price more of a study in error-dynamics?
Well, for the 68% of you who voted it down in a Crack Pipe loss, yesterday's rough but ready Ford Maverick proved to have been priced with little horse sense. That's a shame because while there's no value in beating a dead horse, there is in a pony that's a beater, this one just being a poor one owing to its too-high price.
The Maverick and Mustang were intimately related seeing as they both shared a Falcon for a father and Lee Iacocca for a cigar-chomping Mom. Today's 1992 Ford Probe represents a model that, while in no way related to the Mustang other than by their shared brand, was once considered as the pony car's replacement.
By the late '80s the Fox-platform Mustang was already a decade old, and so long in the tooth it could have easily been mistaken for a display at the La Brea Tar Pits. Needing a replacement for the sub-'Stang EXP, Ford turned to partner Mazda and their G-platform to develop a small sporty coupe. At the same time, the Blue Oval was experimenting with aerodynamics, having seen great success in production cars with the slippery Thunderbird reboot and game changing Taurus/Sable twins.
The resulting car was a rounded and sleek mid-sized hatchback with hidden headlights and fared-in side mirrors. The 4 pot and V6-powered cars were determined to be not only suitable for EXP extinction, but also as a modern interpretation of the Mustang personal coupe trope. That was, until Ford showed the car to focus groups made up of then current Mustang owners.
Vitriol was spilled and pitchforks were raised at the notion of a front wheel drive no-V8 Mustang, and so the Fox-based car lived to see another day- and another iteration - while an eleventh hour change was made to the Probe's tooling to eliminate the MUSTANG Probe embossing on the rear bumper. Mustastrophe averted!
The Probe went on to join the elder statesman Mustang on dealer lots, and added another slippery feather in Ford's aerodynamic cap. The builder of today's custom car however has taken that - in the immortal words of Madness - one step beyond.
Featuring an elongated tail for smoothing the airflow coming off the car, this UFO Recovery Bureau-painted custom is claimed to provide a 46% increase in fuel economy from its 198,000-mile (!) 2.2-litre Mazda four. It's also had its nose masked, as well as its mirrors docked, replaced by internal ones that are claimed to work just fine. Not working all that well are the headlamp lifting which needs to be done manually, and a gas leak somewhere that imbues the car with the pungent smell of 87 octane when the tank is full and dribbles the precious fluids on the ground like an excited puppy.
As infuriating as it may seem for someone to put a car on sale without fixing something as seemingly simple and potentially as dangerous as a fuel leak, it's hard to stay mad at so wacky - and efficient - a ride. Hell, if you can figure out how to sell off a C-note's worth of parts, or get the seller down by the same amount, you've got the perfect LeMons ride that comes pre-themed and potentially able to run all weekend on a single tank. Of course the gas leak will probably not pass safety inspection, and as one of the judges tends to smoke, it might also turn the pits into Ruth's Chris.
But what the hell, it's a freaking long-tail Probe in military olive drab with a swirlie on its roof for $600, who wouldn't like to roam the lands in that? You now need to weigh in on whether all that many people might want to actually do that, at least for a sextet of Benjamins. What do you think, does its $600 price make this a Probe someone should gladly stick their ass into? Or, for that much, should the seller do visa-versa?
You decide!
Minneapolis Craigslist or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to SntgXL for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle


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Story highlights
- The Victorians were open about death; later, it became a topic of discomfort
- These days, people are starting to talk more about dying
- Journalist Kate Sweeney's new book explores customs of mourning in America
- Sometimes those rituals include reefs, roads and roasts
Kate Sweeney first met Oana Hogrefe over coffee at an Atlanta strip mall. They talked about horrible things.
About babies who die in utero and the mother who must go through labor anyway. Or those born with genetic disorders whose parents live through a cruel countdown to the day they will have to disconnect the tubes.
They also spoke about how Hogrefe points her camera at these children and clicks.
As a memorial photographer, she volunteers to take photos in hospitals under the most trying circumstances. Sometimes the images she creates are the only tangible thing parents have left of a child who died at birth or soon after.
Sweeney learned Hogrefe took a photo one time of twin girls -- one born healthy, the other sick. The healthy twin was crying inconsolably so the nurses laid her next to her sister, who had little time to live. Hogrefe took out her camera. Later in life, she thought, the surviving sibling could look at this picture and see: " 'Here we are, close together.' At least that makes it real."
Sweeney, a journalist, had begun researching a book on memorials when she first spoke with Hogrefe. The Atlanta writer had thought of memorial photography as a macabre practice left over from another era when people were obsessed with death. She didn't understand why anyone would want such photos.
But after meeting Hogrefe, Sweeney saw things another way. These photos were often the only evidence of lives lost so young. They said these tender lives mattered.
The memorial photos led Sweeney to ask a deeper question: What is our relationship to death now? Are we, as a society, alienated from something that is inevitable?
The answers are complicated but death, it seems, is starting to come out of its cold, hard shell.
Sweeney's book, "American Afterlife: Encounters in the Customs of Mourning," looks at how certain people process death and why they choose certain rituals and memorials. There is a chapter about green burials or internments that are completely biodegradable. Others examine roadside memorials, a cemetery that was built to be a hang-out, obituary writing and underwater graves.
Like the television show "Six Feet Under" that piqued her curiosity in the first place, Sweeney's book puts death front and center in a form that is digestible, poignant and, at times, entertaining.
"Death is not something we talk about," she tells me, as we, too, meet in an Atlanta coffee shop to talk about horrible things.
Americans, she says, are so obsessed with youth and triumphing over every challenge they face that they become afraid of aging and death, often seen as life's ultimate defeat.
Taboo talk
The Victorians did not speak openly about sex but they were far ahead of us when it came to the much more difficult matter of death.
Perhaps it was because they were accustomed to seeing death all around them. Disease was rampant and life spans shorter -- the average American died at 47, Sweeney writes. Infant mortality was so high that parents did not name their babies until after a first birthday. Most people died at home; bodies were often laid out for viewing in front parlors.
But modern medicine changed all that. Over the years, public displays of grief became unfashionable. "Mourning," writes Sweeney," retreated from public rite to private practice. It went underground."
Over time, death surged ahead of sex in the forbidden quotient. Americans increasingly felt uneasy dealing with the inevitable end of life. Death equaled discomfort.
"We want never to age. We have become a death-denying culture," says Mark LaRocca-Pitts, a chaplain with Crossroad Hospice.
LaRocca-Pitts started the first Death Café in the Southeast. The idea, he says, is to bring strangers together, offer tea and cake and discuss the end of life. About 40 people come and split up into smaller groups and carry on confidential conversations on everything from terminal illness to funerals they've attended and what they might want for their own.
"Now there's a movement to talk more about death, to become more friendly with it," he says.
The Conversation Project, co-founded by columnist Ellen Goodman, aims to get people to share the way they want to live at the end of their lives.
"It's time to transform our culture so we shift from not talking about dying to talking about it," says the Conversation Project website. "It's time to communicate about the kind of care we want and don't want for ourselves."
LaRocca-Pitts credits the growth of palliative care and the hospice movement with making people realize there can be death with dignity. He also chalks it up partly to aging take-control baby boomers who are facing their own mortality.
"If we are able to talk about death, we might be able to live fuller lives," he says. "There's a lot less anxiety because you've befriended death."
Undoubtedly, the conversation has been helped by television -- with shows such as the HBO hit series "Six Feet Under" that inspired Sweeney -- and social media. Last summer, NPR host Scott Simon's tweets from his mother's deathbed went viral.
And now, there's Sweeney's book, which is sure to get people talking about death.
'American Afterlife'
Sweeney has never suffered catastrophic loss, a fact that might strike her readers as rather strange. More often than not, stories about death arise from the pen of someone who has been touched by loss.
"I am still freaked out by the prospect of losing people I love," she says.
The book prompted her to think about how she would memorialize her loved ones -- her mother, for instance, loves gardening and wants her ashes to be turned into mulch. Sweeney discussed with her husband her own wishes, though she wouldn't share what they are.
"Most of the time we don't think about these things until we have to," she says. "I think you should do what feels right."
She brings up a family she encountered who has a weenie roast each year at a green burial cemetery. Yes, a weenie roast.
Traditional funerals are profitable in America. The average cost of a burial in 2012 was $7,045, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. But increasingly, Americans are leaning toward cremation. In 2012, 43.2% of America's dead were cremated. By 2017, that number is expected to rise to almost 50%.
The ways Americans are memorializing loved ones has diversified greatly in the past few years. Many, such as Oana Hogrefe's memorial photography of infants, are helping bringing death and dying back into the public realm.
Reefs, ink and roads
Sweeney went out with Eternal Reefs, a company that mixes ashes with a compound to transforms them into an artificial coral reef. She watched as seven families put the ashes of their loved ones in natural cast concrete and lowered them to into the Atlantic off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina.
"Military veterans, environmentalists, fishermen, sailors, divers and people who have been active all their lives or whose lives has been cut short, are comforted by the thought of being surrounded by all that life and action going on around them," the Eternal Reefs website says.
Their families loved the idea of a living legacy on the ocean floor.
"In a way, these survivors are interacting directly with the bodies of the people they loved in life, although most probably prefer not to think of it that way," Sweeney writes.
On the day she went out with Eternal Reefs, the ashes being memorialized at sea included those of a cat named Mistofeles -- his family had traveled all the way from California.
The reefs are part of a trend to scatter ashes in places of natural beauty. The National Park Service, writes Sweeney, even has an application. The one at the Grand Canyon forbids teeth, bone fragments or parts that are recognizable as human remains.
Others choose to remember the dead in a much more personal way.
There's nothing more permanent than to etch a memorial into your own skin, tattoo artist Sarah Peacock tells Sweeney. She inked a man whose wife died of a fluke illness at 38. When the portrait was finished, the man cried. He told her the tattoo was his last stage of letting go.
Mary Wilsey chose to remember her daughter Brittany, who died in a car accident near Wilmington, North Carolina, with a roadside memorial of a cross and a wreath of fake flowers.
"People drive down the roads," Wilsey tells Sweeney, "and death never even crosses anybody's mind if they don't see one. But when you see one, it brings death to your attention."
But a lot of people think Wilsey's grief shouldn't be their commute. Or they say such memorials are dangerous because they are distracting. Sweeney explores the controversy.
"It comes down to where does grief belong?" Sweeney tells me. "I don't think we are super comfortable with another person's grief."
What happens after someone dies is personal, she says. But it's also a reflection on how we, as a society, handle it.
Ultimately, it's about how we bring death to life.


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|Research Projects Subjects of Investigation at this Location
Each ARS research project has related subjects of investigation. Listed below are the subjects of investigation currently conducted at this location.
Clicking on a subject of investigation will list the research projects within that subject of investigation.
Subjects of Investigation
Grain crops, general/other (includes buckwheat, millet, triticale)
Individuals (as workers, consumers, members of society)
Noncrop plant research
ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Research Projects Subjects of Investigation at this Location


text:
Shifting grains may explain earthquake lightning
Along a fault, movement of earth could induce voltages
DENVER— Beads and flour could help explain a rare and mysterious phenomenon: lightning strikes called earthquake lights that occur before or during major quakes. New results presented March 6 at an American Physical Society meeting demonstrate that shifting granular materials, which simulate earth along a fault, can induce remarkably high electric voltages.
A few years ago, physicist Troy Shinbrot of Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J., developed a simple experiment to determine whether earth under stress could create conditions favorable for lightning above the surface. When he tipped a container of flour, a sensor inside registered an electrical signal on the order of 100 volts (SN: 7/14/12, p. 13).
Two new experiments using glass and plastic beads strengthen the connection between the simple


text:
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European Commission
Brussels, 24 October 2012
Justice and Home Affairs Council: 25-26 October 2012
European Union Justice and Home Affairs ministers will meet in Brussels on 25 and 26 October 2012. The Commission will be represented by Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU's Justice Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.
Main agenda items:
Home Affairs
Justice Issues
1. Data protection reform
The European Commission proposed a reform of the EU's data protection rules on 25 January (IP/12/46). The package contains a Regulation setting out a general EU framework for data protection and a Directive on protecting personal data processed for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of criminal offences and related judicial activities.
What is expected at this Council? Discussions will focus on three main issues: administrative burden, delegated and implementing acts and flexibility for the public sector, with a view to reaching a partial general approach on these issues at the next Council meeting in December.
Commission position: Following the last informal Justice Council on 24-25 July where data protection was the main agenda item discussed, the Commission wants to maintain the constructive discussions on the reform package to make substantive progress under the Cypriot Presidency so as to meet the objective set by the Irish EU Presidency to achieve a political deal on the reform by mid-2013. The Commission welcomes the commitment shown by both the Cypriot and Irish Presidencies to making progress as well as support from the European Parliament.
Background: The current patchwork of 27 different and often contradictory data protection rules stands in the way of European businesses wanting to operate cross-border. The Commission's proposal for modernised and uniform data protection legislation will remove barriers to market entry and lead to savings of about €2.3 billion per year.
2. Fighting fraud against the EU budget
Misuse of EU funds for criminal purposes puts the EU's objectives of generating jobs and growth and improving living conditions at stake. With public finances under pressure throughout the EU, every euro counts. The European Commission therefore proposed new rules on 11 July 2012 (IP/12/767) to fight fraud against the EU budget by means of criminal law to better safeguard taxpayers' money.
What is expected at this Council? The Commission will make a first presentation of its proposal to Ministers of Justice.
Commission position: The proposal aims to better equip the EU to fight against fraud. A "federal" budget requires one set of harmonised rules to protect it.
Background: The proposed Directive creates a more harmonised framework for prosecuting and punishing crimes involving the EU budget so that criminals no longer exploit differences between national legal systems. The Directive provides for common definitions of offences against the EU budget and for minimum sanctions, including imprisonment in serious cases, and for a common level playing field for periods within which it is possible to investigate and prosecute offences (known as statutes of limitation). This will help to deter fraudsters, provide for more effective legal action at national level and make it easier to recover lost funds.
3. Tackling market abuse and rate-fixing
In recent years financial markets have become increasingly global, giving rise to new trading platforms and technologies. This has unfortunately also led to new possibilities to manipulate these markets. As part of its work to make financial markets more sound and transparent, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Directive (IP/11/1217) on insider dealing and market manipulation (i.e. market abuse). On 25 July, the Commission amended its proposal to include manipulation of benchmarks such as LIBOR and EURIBOR (IP/12/846).
What is expected at this Council? Ministers will hold an orientation debate on the amended proposal.
Commission position: This proposal is an important element in the EU's efforts to strengthen market integrity in the financial sector. The Commission will work hand in hand with the Cypriot Presidency to reach a political agreement during the Presidency.
Background: In the recent LIBOR scandal, serious concerns have been raised about false submissions of banks' estimated interbank lending rates. Any actual or attempted manipulation of such key benchmarks can have a serious impact on market integrity, and could result in significant losses to consumers and investors, or distort the real economy. The European Commission has acted to address this kind of market manipulation, by adopting amendments to the proposal for a Directive on insider dealing and market manipulation, including criminal sanctions.
Home Affairs Issues
1. Bulgaria and Romania accession to Schengen
What is expected at this Council? The Council will discuss the implementation by Bulgaria and Romania of a set of measures aiming to facilitate the outstanding Council decision on lifting internal border control with the two Member States.
Commission's position: The Commission welcomes the efforts of Bulgaria and Romania in implementing the set of measures that were identified at the European Council's request. It supports the work of the Cyprus Presidency towards a solution increasing mutual trust between all Member States and facilitating the future accession of both countries to the Schengen area.
Background: The Council concluded in June 2011 that both Bulgaria and Romania technically fulfil the Schengen requirements. However the necessary unanimity between Member States for lifting controls at internal borders could so far not be reached. At the request of the March 2012 European Council, a set of measures was identified that should contribute to the successful enlargement of the Schengen Area to Bulgaria and Romania. These measures include: - Frontex joint operations to be continued and/or launched at Romania and Bulgaria land borders and major airports; - measures relating to the fight against false documents and identity fraud; - training programmes; - regular and tailored risk analysis.
2. Post visa liberalisation monitoring in Western Balkans
What is expected at this Council? The Commission will present the third report on the Post-Visa Liberalisation Monitoring for the Western Balkans, adopted in August 2012, and discuss with the ministers the operation of the Western Balkans visa-free regime.
Commission's position: Visa liberalisation is one of the greatest achievements in the process of European integration for the Western Balkan countries. The Commission is committed to upholding the visa liberalisation process, but underlines that the current situation needs to be addressed adequately and calls for the full support and engagement from the Western Balkan countries.
Background: Over the summer, several EU Member States have been confronted by a seasonal surge of asylum applications lodged by Western Balkans citizens, which came after a period of falling asylum applications in the first four months of this year. The vast majority of these applications for international protection are unfounded.
In its third post-visa liberalisation report, the Commission calls on the Western Balkans to implement the following measures: - Step up operational cooperation and information sharing with Member States and the Commission; - Investigate the facilitators of irregular migration, such as transport companies and travel agencies; - Strengthen exit controls in line with citizens' fundamental rights. (The Commission also advises Member States to strengthen their entry controls in line with travellers' fundamental rights); - Organise information campaigns to inform travellers of their rights under the visa-free regime; - Continue to integrate minority populations, particularly the Roma.
Furthermore, in a bid to enhance the post-visa liberalisation monitoring mechanism and prevent the misuse of the visa-free regime, the Commission proposed to establish a safeguard clause in the Visa Regulation (IP/11/629 and MEMO/11/328). Negotiations on that safeguard clause are still ongoing. Once established it would provide a general framework, without being related to specific third countries, and allow, under certain exceptional conditions, for the temporary reintroduction of the visa requirement for citizens of third countries benefiting from a visa waiver with the EU
3. Syria - establishing a Regional Protection Programme
What is expected at this Council? The Commission will report on initiatives to assist Syrian refugees and on the progress made in the preparation of a Regional Protection Programme to help the countries neighbouring Syria (Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan) to cope with the inflows of Syrian refugees, as requested by the Council in July.
Commission's position: The Commission will continue working on the development of a specific Regional Protection Programme in close collaboration with EU States, which, it hopes will show willingness to contribute to financing and implementing its activities.
Background: In response to the Syria crisis, the EU as a whole has mobilised over €230 million so far, more than 53% of the international response. The EU will continue providing humanitarian assistance and support to the hosting communities through durable solution.
During the informal JHA Council in July, ministers discussed specific ways to help the countries neighbouring Syria (Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan) to cope with the inflows of Syrian refugees.
To strengthen international protection in these regions, the Commission has explored the possibility of setting up a tailor made regional protection programme, in cooperation with UNHCR. Taking account of the specificity of the situation, such a programme would contribute to enhancing the reception capacity and improve protection for the refugees, according to international standards.
4. Asylum and migration in Greece
What is expected at this Council? A discussion will take place on the implementation of the Greek Action Plans on Migration Management and Asylum Reform as well as on Border Management and return. Ministers will be informed about the results of a mission by Commissioner Cecilia Malmström to Greece to evaluate improvements on the ground (7-9 October).
Commission's position: The Commission welcomes the progress achieved so far by Greece, but recalls the need to fully deliver on the implementation of the Action plan, to finalise the reforms and to urgently address the most problematic issues, in particular the inadequate level of reception conditions provided to third country nationals detained in the Evros region.
Background: Greece is in the process of implementing a wide-ranging reform of its migration management systems, including its management of the external border and its asylum regime.
A number of positive developments can be identified in the areas of asylum, border management and returns. However, a certain number of issues still remain and should be addressed as a matter of urgency, in particular: improvement of the situation in the Evros region and the islands, clear progress on the asylum procedure, actions to ensure sustainability of border controls, increased capacity on return, and better absorption of financial assistance, as well as implications from the Syrian crisis.
The EU has shown solidarity towards Greece and will continue to assist and support them via its financial instruments, to implement the reform of the relevant policies.
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May is National Stroke Awareness Month
Owen R.
Friday, August 15, 2014
By: Merri Frodsham
Owen William Revay suffered a stroke during cranio surgery, Owen has a twin brother Hudson, they turned 2 June 28th. Stroke has no age limits! Please feel free to read/share his story, https://www.facebook.com/OwenWilliamRevay
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