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One Direction and Celine Dion rule Bambi Awards
Pop sensations ONE DIRECTION and singer CELINE DION were the big winners at the 2012 Bambi Awards in Germany on Thursday night (22Nov12).
The boyband triumphed in the Pop International category, and the fivepiece thrilled the crowd at the ceremony in Dusseldorf by performing their hit Live While We're Young.
Singer Harry Styles later took to Twitter.com to tell fans, "Thank you so much Germany for the Bambi award! It means a lot... We had fun tonight," and he also shared a photo of his trophy going through an X-ray scanner at an airport before a flight back home.
Dion collected the Entertainment award, her third ever Bambi, and also sang River Deep - Mountain High, while actress Salma Hayek won a Bambi in the Film International category.
Other big winners at the event, which honours stars who have "affected and inspired the German public", included daring Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner and German rapper Cro.


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George Edgar Vincent, 1911-1917
Like his predecessor Cyrus Northrop, George Edgar Vincent was a Yale graduate. He came to Minnesota from the University of Chicago, where he had been a faculty member and dean of its College of Art, Literature and Sciences. "It was not easy to persuade Vincent, or anyone else, to become Northrop's successor," wrote Historian of the University James Gray. "The rumor had got about in the academic world that the Minnesota regents planned to make [Northrop] one of their number for life." John Lind, president of the Board of Regents and former governor of Minnesota, eventually persuaded Vincent to come to Minnesota.
Initially skeptical of the new president, students graduating in June 1911 became more comfortable with Vincent when he tactfully arranged that both he and his predecessor Cyrus Northrop would sign their diplomas. Thirty years younger than Northrop, Vincent brought new energy to the campus, which led to "plays, games, fairs, and bouts of public speaking." In a spring fete, Vincent's wife appeared as Queen Elizabeth I.
There was more to Vincent's administration, however, than fetes and ceremonies. He was, according to Gray, "a professor's ideal of a president." He recruited gifted scholars and educators, encouraged research, and created faculty representation in the Senate. Influenced by his father's role as an innovator in adult education and founder of the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York, Vincent established the General Extension Division (later known as the College of Continuing Education) to provide access for adults to University classes. Also, during his administration connections were established between the Mayo Foundation and the Graduate School. Two of the deans he appointed, Lotus Delta Coffman and Guy Stanton Ford, were future presidents of the University.
Vincent had the reputation of being an oratorical prodigy. E.B. Pierce described him as "a brilliant platform speaker [with] a remarkable rapid fire delivery. He could say more in 20 minutes than the average speaker could in an hour, and with such marvelous phraseology that his audiences were virtually hypnotized. Stenographers at times would try to take down his speeches, but after five minutes would give up in despair." Students grew to appreciate the University's shift away from the paternalism of its first two presidents to a more independent environment for students. Vincent's tenure saw the creation of the All-University Student Council and a men's student union to match the women's student union.
Vincent particularly enjoyed traveling throughout the state giving talks and lectures. In addition to a passion for outreach and service, he also emphasized scholarly inquiry, helping build the University's reputation as one of the country's premier research universities. In 1917, he left to become president of the Rockefeller Foundation. Under his leadership the foundation played a key role in spreading scientific-based research and information to India, China, and South America.
Sources: James Gray, The University of Minnesota: 1851–1951 (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1951), 147-239, and E. B. Pierce, Alumni Magazine (April, 1946): 222-223.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Poison ivy is a very common plant found in most parts of the United States. It has 2 forms. One form grows low to the ground. It is usually found in groups of many plants and looks like weeds growing from 6 inches to 30 inches high. The other form is a "hairy" vine that grows up a tree. Both have stems with 3 leaves. You may have heard the old saying, "Leaflets three, let it be." This is because most people are allergic to poison ivy.


text: Victor Farinelli: Ink Master Review (Episodes 1 & 2) By Victor Farinelli Let the madness begin! The second season of Ink Masters is upon us. Spike TV aired two episodes this last week for our viewing pleasure. Episode One: Tattooing the Dead Let's start off with the season premiere titled "Tattooing the Dead" or "How bad can I fuck up a snake and dagger tattoo." They start off with what they call the "flash" challenge. It's usually a non-tattoo related challenge where the winner of the contest gets an advantage in the actual tattoo challenge... In this challenge they visited a morgue, but instead of using real skin from a dead body, they were instructed to tattoo a snake and dagger on a fake arm or leg. The tattoos were all pretty much skin turds. Maybe it is because half the contestants are emotionally unstable. Now I know why Dave Waugh was not picked to be one of the contestants on this season of Ink Master. He would have either won the whole shebang or gone insane from the other contestants' lack of prozac. It is like a bunch of kids going through puberty. Watching, right from the start, it was an emotional rollercoaster. Not for me. I'm fine. I mean the contestants. Clint Cummings, A.K.A. angry mohawk guy, needs to seriously chill the fuck out. You are not in high school, baggy-pants. You are going to get tons of business from this even if you don't win. Well, not from me, but you will from some goober, nonetheless. (Does he have enough tattoos to warrant getting his face tattooed? Or is it just to make him look even angrier! grrrrrrrr... I am mean and I have my face tattooed and I have a mohawk that I have spent too much money for hair products to maintain. GRRRRR!) Anyhow, the winner of the challenge is Jesse Smith. His advantage in the tattoo challenge is that he gets to pick the tattoo he wants to do and also pick which contestant tattoos each client. It could be a good strategy, especially if the tattooist cannot execute the tattoo that the client wants. The tattoo challenge was called "Virgin Skin," or "I want to get my first tattoo on my ribs or somewhere else that is fucking super painful, and I am going to move around a lot while you do it so the tattoo looks like warmed over shit when you are done. Oh yeah, and throw up on you too. Thanks for the TAT, man." Rule number one: Don't tell the customer the tattoo doesn't look good. That is what one of the contestants said to her client. I am not going to go into the banter back and forth between the "artists." It basically comes down to telling each other their tattoos were great and then saying on the interview camera that it looks like shit. I would hate to be the client who is watching the show now. So let's just get down to it. The top two contestants were Steve "I love Satanic shit" Tefft and Sebastian Murphy. Steve did gears ripping out of the skin ala 1989. It is not a bad tattoo but it could have been better. It is lopsided in some places but the lines are fairly clean. Murphy did a funky King ov Hearts (noticed what I did there: I went all metal with the non-metal tattoo.) It is a good tattoo. Definitely above average. The color is nice and solid. Great image too. The other ones are SO BAD, this looks spectacular by comparison, but that's not saying much. Alas, the gears were king on this episode and the judges picked Tefft over Murphy. At first I thought Tatu Baby was going to go home since Oliver said, "I don't know where you got that face but it should never come back again." But she was safe this week. She has stated that she has used "her sexuality" in the past to get what she wants. I wonder what kinda action Dave has got going on off-camera. Ron Givens cut the shit out of his client with a bad needle. You can even see it in the picture. Mmmmmm, tasty. The bottom two were Cee Jay Jones and Kay "I don't like outlines" Kutta. Cee Jay did an angel with a banner on her client's back. The boobs on the angel are wonky. The neck on the angel is reaching giraffe-like proportions! However, that is not the worst part. The worst part is spelling the bible verse in the banner incorrectly. She spelled Corinthians "Cortnthians." Ooops. Kutta's tattoo is not even worth discussing. Needless to say, Cee Jay was the first to go home for her spelling error. Too bad skin does not have spell check. Episode Two: Semi Nude Episode two's flash challenge tested the artists' abilities in another medium: airbrush. They had to airbrush scantily clad models so that they would blend into the background of a graffiti-strung, dilapidated building. The producers have some crazy artsy-fartsy ideas. "Let's paint people to blend into the scenery like that internet meme BORING. Nothing to see here, move along. It was so boring I didn't even bother to pay attention to who won. Every reality TV show has to have its drama. Military veteran TJ Halvorsen got seriously injured in combat and has slipped discs in his back. During the flash challenge he twisted wrong and later went to the ER. The doctor said he would need surgery. He was contemplating whether he should call it quits or keep going. Of course, Angry Mohawk Guy (AMG for short) had to put his two cents in and told him to suck it up. Fuck that. I would not want to go through the crap they have to go through on this show if it meant maybe not walking again. I'm not that tough. For the tattoo du jour, the contestants had to do a cover-up. Holy Scratcher batman! These are some of the shittiest tattoos I have ever seen. Not "WTF Tattoo" shitty, but close. AMG did a dragon that was shitting out some kinda celtic knot thing. Seriously, the dragon looks like it is defecating something out of Braveheart. Sarah Miller's piece is a woman's face with a hand doing that one finger in the mouth/pouty lip thing that you see a lot of girls on Facebook doing these days. "Look I am sexy and I like to take pictures of myself with my dirty fingers in my mouths. Oopsy, I wause wittle naughty girwal, heeheeheehee." Sorry, I digress. The face on Sarah's tattoo is good but the hand is all fucked up. It looks like something out of the Flintstones. Not Wilma or Betty's hand. I'm talking Fred or Barney. She is afraid of black shading too. Satanic Steve did a bird of paradise for his cover-up. The proportions are so confuckulated that I can only make out the head and flowers. The rest of the bird's body is this bulbous mess. The judge's pick of this week was Jesse Smith's piece. He did this weird new-school monster that was quite good. However, the judges were a little concerned that he might be a one trick pony and want to see what else he can do. I think he can pull off something other than new-school if he really wanted to. It was not resident little person, Little Mike's, lucky day. His cover up was a pitbull head. I feel bad because there were a few tattoos that were way worse than his. He definitely got the short end of the stick. Well, at least he can stand up tall and say he gave it every inch. What? Too soon? And then there were 13. I was hoping for some better artwork out of this group. Spike is starting another show called Tattoo Nightmares. I have a feeling that it will just be a rerun of Ink Masters. Until next week. Victor is a blogger for Tattoo Artist Magazine and can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/victhortheviking. Tattoo Artist Magazine: The Ink Master Interview (VIDEO) Read more from Victor: Victor Farinelli: 'Ink Master' Prologue Victor Farinelli: Dave Lum Artist Profile Related TAM Blogs: Ink Master Season 2 Sneak Peak Oliver Peck: Haters Gonna Hate Dan Henk: Ink Master


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Saint Jonas of Muchon
Fourth century monk at Demeskenyanos, Egypt. Spiritual student of Saint Pachomius of Tabenna. A gardener by day, a rope plaiter by night, he worked for his monastic community for 84 years.
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Catholic Online
- Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints
- "Saint Jonas of Muchon". CatholicSaints.Info. 10 February 2010. Web. 18 June 2019. <>


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Logitech CD-i controllers
>> Monday, July 9, 2007
While I just figured out the Tecno Plus and Gamester CD-i peripherals including official third party controllers for CD-i, we got some pictures of another CD-i prototype controller by Logitech. Logitech is known by the CD-i community thanks to the designs of the CD-i touchpad and CD-i gamepad (pictures in this article). Both Philips products but they were built by Logitech. On the other hand, the trackball, mouse and roller controller were Philips products made by Kun Ying Enterprises (Genius). Now Logitech also produced a trackball for CD-i which never hit the retail market (at least, not in my neighbourhood ;)). CD-i member Erronous got his hands on an original prototype. According to Erronous this was actually in production, let me know if you have ever seen one.
Thanks to Erronous


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URL Shortener
In January 2010, the University of Missouri System launched its own URL shortener, UMURL.us.
What is UMURL.us used for?
UMURL.us and AdvMO.us were created to direct users to longer URLs using a short link that fits better in email messages and social media services where character counts are limited. Entering a UMURL.us or AdvMO.us URL into your browser will automatically direct you to the content designated by the person who created the short URL.
How can I create my own UMURL.us link?
If you're looking for a public URL shortener to create your own short links, try bit.ly, SnipURL or TinyURL.
While all links generated by UMURL.us are available to the public, the ability to create links is restricted to authorized University of Missouri System staff members. This is done to protect the integrity of the domain and ensure the service remains reliable. To request a shortened URL, please send your request to email@example.com.
One of your URLs isn't working. What can I do?
First recheck to make sure you've entered the URL exactly as displayed. Our URLs are case sensitive, meaning a capital "A" must be entered as a capital letter and not "a" and vice-versa. Also make sure you're not substituting similar-looking letters and numbers (such as "1" and the lowercase "L").
If you're still having problems, there is a chance the link you've entered as been removed. Links are removed for a variety of reasons and we are unable to retrieve deleted URLs once they have been removed from the database. Contact the referring site for more information.
What is this random string of letters and numbers?
Our system dynamically generates a unique, random string of letters and numbers for each URL it shortens. These links are determined at random and, unless they have been specially created, don't stand for anything or have any significance.
What is this ".us" part?
UMURL.us uses an alternate domain extension, .us, for its URLs. The ".us" was originally intended to stand for "United States" but .us domain holders aren't limited to U.S. organizations or individuals. We selected .us because it allowed us to eliminate one character from our URLs (for example, ".edu" has three characters while ".us" has only two). On sites such as Twitter that restrict your character count, saving even one character can be a big help.
What if I find an offensive UMURL.us link?
We take the integrity of our URL shortener seriously. If you find inappropriate or offensive content that is being linked to using a UMURL.us or AdvMO.us URL, please email firstname.lastname@example.com with the URL in question. We'll investigate and take appropriate action.
Reviewed 2018-03-15.
Can't find what you are looking for?
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Nemo: Will pols get it right this time?
It's not just millions of Northeasterners bracing themselves as the latest superstorm bears down — elected officials in the eye of Nemo face a potential make-or-break moment for their public image.
They can come out with their reputation enhanced like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie after Hurricane Sandy — the picture of a leader in command, directing resources to storm-ravaged families — or battered like George W. Bush after Hurricane Katrina, who was seen as distant and disengaged while New Orleans flooded and paid a price politically for the rest of his term.
Story Continued Below
( Also on POLITICO: Northeast blizzard: Nemo has residents scrambling)
Winter storm Nemo already dumped two feet-plus of snow on the Northeast, a real-time test for mayors and governors expected to handle preparation and response with aplomb.
"For executive politicians — the president and governors in the case of truly massive crises, like Katrina and Sandy, and mayors for disruptive events of any size — there's no more important test of competence in voters' minds," said Democratic strategist Jonathan Prince. "There's obviously a huge range of opinion when it comes to the size and role of government in America, but the one expectation people from the tea party to the socialist party share is effective disaster response. If elected leaders can't handle that, voters are apt to write them off pretty darn quick."
( Also on POLITICO: New England braces for snow)
In Newark, prolific tweeter Mayor Cory Booker posted almost 50 storm-related tweets on Friday alone responding to residents' questions and concerns.
"Visiting w/truck drivers & surveying roads," he wrote in one post. "Conditions will deteriorate as day continues. Please prepare to stay in for storm." As he has before, Booker plans to personally help people shovel out after the storm. "I hope all who are able lend a hand tomorrow," he tweeted.
( PHOTOS: Northeast blizzard hits New England)
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who's been through this drill several times before, held a press conference Friday outlining the city's plans for snow removal and encouraging city residents to stay safe.
"You can't take nature too lightly," he said. "Hopefully it won't be anything drastic and certainly it's not going to be a Hurricane Sandy, but that doesn't mean you can't get badly hurt or killed if you're not careful."
Christie, too, has been actively outlining storm preparations in his state. The governor has been posting safety information to his Twitter feed and gave a press conference Friday to discuss storm conditions.
"We're mobilizing & preparing for a major statewide storm w/ 1,400 snow plows & 650 salt-spreader trucks at the ready," one tweet said.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, whose state is expected to get some of the biggest snow totals, declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts and announced that cars would be banned from the road after 4 p.m.


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Falling Out of Care and Black Women's Access to HIV/AIDS Treatment
The second in a series examining the reports of a pediatric "functional cure" and its implications across Black America. In Part 1 we asked whether a Mississippi infant supposedly cured of HIV actually had the virus at all.
Reports of an almost 20-month-old Mississippi infant who had been "cured" of HIV dominated news coverage during early March 2013. But much of the coverage around the case lacked context.
"This mother did not receive any prenatal care and learned that she was HIV positive during delivery," says Vanessa Mills, executive director of Empower "U," one of the first Black HIV/AIDS community-based organizations in Miami. "The mother and infant received regular care and treatment for 18 months -- but then they dropped out of care and treatment for 10 months."
Making and Keeping the Connection
Connecting people living with HIV/AIDS to appropriate medical care and treatment as soon as possible -- a concept known as "treatment as prevention" -- has become a key strategy in ending the epidemic. The Mississippi case has become a cautionary tale about access to care and treatment for Black women -- especially in the South, which has seen the largest increase (pdf) in new infections in the United States.
Blacks represent only 13 percent of the nation's population but account for about 44 percent of all new seroconversions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. Almost 40 percent of Mississippians are Black, as are more than three-fourths of the state's new HIV infections.
"So it's very likely the mother and newborn were Black," notes Bambi W. Gaddist, Dr.P.H., founder and executive director of the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council.
But connecting the newly diagnosed to care is just one step. As the Mississippi case demonstrates, keeping them in care can often become a difficult challenge. A new model known as the "HIV treatment cascade" illustrates how many people in one community, country or group are actually receiving the full benefits of the medical care and treatment they need and are thus suppressing not only their viral load but also the overall community viral load.
"Only 25 percent" of the more than 1 million individuals in the U.S. "who are living with HIV/AIDS are making it all the way through the HIV treatment cascade and achieving viral suppression," the CDC reports. "African Americans and younger people are the least likely to be in ongoing care and have their virus under control."
Why Testing During Pregnancy Is Vital
"This case is the intersection of sexual and reproductive health -- as well as race, gender, health and economic disparities," says Kimberly A. Parker, Ph.D., assistant professor of health studies at Texas Woman's University.
Infection rates among Black women are nearly 20 times higher (pdf) than those among White women; however, new HIV infections among Black women decreased by 21 percent between 2008 and 2010.
Because mothers are generally HIV tested and treated during their pregnancies, mother-to-child transmission is extremely rare in the United States -- there were only 162 cases in 2010. But of those cases, more than 60 percent occurred among Black women.
These data underscore "the importance of testing during pregnancy, especially for Black women," says Mills. "It also demonstrates the critical role of prenatal care to Black women. Low birth weight and increased infant mortality rates are very prevalent in our communities."
"Black women have the highest unintended-pregnancy rate of any demographic," the Guttmacher Institute has reported. Women whose pregnancies are unintended often delay prenatal care, affecting the health of both the mom and the fetus -- and increasing the risk of mother-to-child transmission if the mother turns out to be HIV positive.
Blacks are also more likely to be "late testers" and to be diagnosed with HIV far into its progression, as was the Mississippi mother. Less than two-thirds of HIV-positive people in the United States begin care for their infection within a year after diagnosis, according to the CDC. Black men and women are also more likely to "drop out of care" after an HIV diagnosis. Again -- just like the Mississippi mother.
"Many people have blamed the mother for her child being placed in that position. We need to ask, 'What could we have done differently to ensure the mother had prenatal care?' " says Dr. Gaddist. "We don't know if the mother had access to care. Access doesn't necessarily mean 'if' care was available. Access means, 'Did she have a ride to her appointment?' Since the mother lived in a rural area, the answer could be no."
Blacks account for 50 percent of HIV infections in rural counties, according to the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention (pdf). "That makes it more likely that the mother could be lost to care," says Dr. Parker. "There are fewer hospital and clinics, as well as poverty and transportation challenges."
"There is also the stigma of being HIV positive and attempting to access care -- especially in a small town," Dr. Parker continues. "Many positive women feel uncomfortable going to these clinics or hospitals. They may have to worry about gossip and could become victims of domestic violence."
Rod McCullom has written and produced for ABC News, NBC and Fox, and his writing has appeared in Ebony, The Advocate, the Los Angeles Times and many others. Rod blogs on politics, pop culture and Black gay news at rod20.com.


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The above is Round 8 of Bear Vs. Colt. I've been waiting all day for a last update, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Maybe they're waiting until after the game, I don't know. But if we're heading into XLI with things as they stand, our lasting image of Bear Vs. Colt will be Bear with an emergency case of the runs, allowing Colt to claim victory.
The final tally was Colt 4, Bear 3, Girl 1. If this is any sort of indication as to how they game itself will unfold, expect the Colts to win a close one by playing dirty and cheating. Also, expect both Rex Grossman and Peyton Manning to be distracted at some point during the game by an attractive woman (or country music superstar) on a treadmill, costing them both points.
(Also, sorry for the technical difficulties earlier... I have absolutely no explanation for it. Perhaps the hamsters are upset about having to work on Super Bowl Sunday. It looks to be at least partially worked out. At least this didn't happen on a particularly inconvenient day. Super Bowl Pregame liveblog begins soon...)


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The author captured the story of Loyabi, in Chhaor Union Parishad. This is her story of how she provided her family with access to better sanitation and improved their futures.
"I will teach my children how to read and write regardless of my difficulties in doing so."
My name is Loyabi and I come from a very poor family of Mahadanga village in Chhaor Union Parishad. I was married to Abul Hassan, a man from my own village, at the age of 15. For several years our poverty did not prevent us from being happy. We were blessed with two daughters and two sons. However, when my husband was diagnosed with gallstones, I found I had to raise Taka 50,000/- ($630) for his operation.
We had no land of our own and lived on common land. I was able to collect some money by asking for assistance in different villages. I worked as a mid-wife for humans as well as cattle, bathed dead bodies before their burial and somehow put together the required amount of money to get my husband's operation done.
Hygiene and modesty at stake: The lack of any kind of toilet facility within the house was proving very vexing for us, especially my elder daughter Mariam who studies in Class IX. She would get very embarrassed at having to go into the fields or behind bushes to answer nature's call. There is always a fear of someone being able to see you.
With both hygiene and modesty at stake, she would often wish she did not need to go to the toilet after returning from school. Mariam keenly desired that we had our own private sanitary facility within the house. She spoke in glowing terms of the cleanliness of her school's toilet where she claimed you could even dine!
One day Mariam returned from school — Mahadanga Uchcho Vidyalaya — and informed me excitedly that a sanitation committee has been organized in the village to help the ultra-poor and the impoverished to build hygienic water systems like protected hand pumps and sanitary toilets in their homes. This was part of initiative of Union Parishad with support from an NGO.
Fortune favors the brave: Upon enquiry I found that the committee's chairman is Mr. Mohammad Kausar. I met him to request that a hygienic toilet be installed in my home. He told me that I would need to deposit Taka 692 ($9) with the Union Parishad after which I would be sanctioned a sanitary system in the house. Accordingly, I filed a petition and deposited the requisite money which I had saved from my earnings from deliveries.
There were many job's comforters who assured me that my money would be swindled and that nothing would come of my efforts. However, work on the sanitary system began after 10 days with workers first digging the pit and other materials arriving at my house. The construction of a simple latrine was completed in four days. However, the children felt that it would be better if it was a ceramic squatting pan instead of plastic pan. It was a serious concern as to where I would be able to find that much money.
As luck would have it, I was called for a delivery that very day. After the delivery, the family wanted to give me an expensive saree. I requested that they give me money instead. They gave me Taka 500/- ($6.30) cheerfully. I added Taka 100/- ($1.26) to that and brought home a ceramic squatting pan. I asked the workers to utilize the remaining rubble and concrete to make the slab for the pan. They did so happily after getting the sanction for it from the contractor Janab Moti-ur-Rahman.
All's well that ends well: Now, my daughter Mariam cleans the toilet regularly and keeps it sparkling. The new toilet in my house has become the talking point of my neighbors who enviously wish they too had a similar facility. Some of them have taken steps to install a sanitary system in their households too.
I could not study due to the poverty of my family. This lack of training often poses challenges for me during complications in deliveries. I am unable to get any kind of training to make my midwifery more scientific and safer. I am determined that my children be properly educated, no matter what the difficulties.
Author's Note: This might have been a small step, but it was a step in the right direction in ensuring a hygienic latrine for every household in Bangladesh, reinforcing the principle of peer learning. The World Bank Water and Sanitation Program with other partners support an initiative led by Union Parishads and launched by the Local Government Division (LGD) of Government of Bangladesh (GoB), called the Horizontal Learning Program. It aims at inspiring everyone to share their good practices with others to build development. In Loyabi's case, one lady's success inspired her peers to install hygienic sanitary systems in their households. It is a classic case of people adding their own resources to those of projects which can ensure the sustainability of these projects in the long run.
Join the Conversation
Neat blog Santanu!
It is a simple story, and one that is hopefully being repeated in hundreds of thousands of villages around the world.
It is good to remind ourselves of this image of disadvantaged folks who are doing their best and making sacrifices for a better future!
Good Job!
Thanks Juan for your appreciation and comments.
I wish soon in many parts of the south east Asia there will be a revolutionary provision for sanitation and hygiene and usher an era of availability of minimum such facility to the poor.
The Loyabi's Story is from the project "Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Vulnerable Barind Tract Communities in Naogaon Districts of Bangladesh implemented by DASCOH through Union Parishad and supported by Swiss Red Cross to contribute to improved health and wellbeing of the people in the project area by increasing their access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene promotion. Many thanks to Mr. Shantanu Lahiri for capturing the story and disseminating through this popular blog maintain by the South Asia Region of the World Bank group.
Thanks Akram for sharing the background of the story.
This is how Bangladesh is moving. This explains how Bangladesh is achieving scores in "human development index". Excitingly women are playing the leading role and Loyabi's story is confirming how women are breaking barriers. Thanks to Akram Bhai, Habib Bhai, Mothalesar Bhai, Santanu Da and Mirva for sharing the very inspiring story. Anowarul Haq, Director - Extreme Rural Poverty Program, CARE Bangladesh
Dear Santanu,
This is sure an inspring story once more and a great read to start off the day.
In your note at the end of the story, you add that this may be a small step and although you go on to explain why it isn't and I find your analysis great.
This is the story of a woman who doesn't want to be limited by her own circumstances, a woman who wants to be empowered, who wants her children empowered and of course who wants the best for her family.
Last year, we all celebrated World Toilet Day and we would do so again this year. But it is stories like this which will make those celebrations all the more meaningful.
Cheers, Marie from Brussels :)
Dear Marie,
Thanks for your appreciation for the story. Your suggestion to include such a story for the World Toilet Day is quite interesting. We may try to do that in up-coming Sanitation Month (October month in Bangladesh) and also on 19 November on World Toilet Day.
Ya.. an outstanding story indeed.
Thanks to Md. Akramul Haque, CEO of DASCOH; Mr. Habib-ur-Rahman, member Union Parishad, Chhaor; Mr. Mothalesar Rahman, DASCOH; and Mirva Tuulia Moilanen of WSP for their support in preparing this story - Santanu Lahiri
Very nice story. Brings home the importance of the work being done, one small step at a time. Thanks for doing this!
I read this and felt sad. Why does she need to pay when access to sanitation is a human right. When the NGO got funding why not give it free. Just asking.
Please help me track this woman down. We will try to help her fund a midwifery skills course.
And please google Lovedesh and Amcariza Foundation. New voices in poverty alleviation for 'Third World'. Experts have been at it for decades now but I cannot see success. Just heavily bureaucratic organisation posturing and talking and objectifying poor folk as victims. In her picture she looks so sad. Why? And hopefully she was paid for this case study? It is time to change the narrative.
Finally World Bank SE Asia. Do get in touch with me? If you want. We need to work together? You need to hear what my r&d in Bangladesh taught us.
Yasmin C.
Founder of Lovedesh & Amcariza Foundation.
Hi Yasmin,
You raise a good point. If something is a 'human right' does that mean it should be free? Ultimately, someone has to pay and the question is 'who is best placed to pay' for an item like a personal latrine?
I am personally of the opinion that sharing the expertise of the poor (so that we can learn from their experience) is already changing the narrative ... as it does not objectify what they lack and what they need from us. This sharing of local expertise enables local proponents to learn from each to replicate and inform policy change, which is something that is already being supported in Bangladesh through the Horizontal Learning Program (see www.horizontallearning.net). Please take a look and feel free to contact me or any of the various partners to learn more about it.
Very inspiring story. It just proves the fact that any system can be made better if there is willpower, courage and determination to achieve a change. Thanks for sharing this story !
Dear All,
Thank you for your appreciation. I will try to convey your attention and appreciation to Loyabi and her family. Thanks again to Akramul Haque, Habib-ur-Rahman, Mothalesar Rahman, Mirva Tuulia Moilanen, Naomi Ahmad, Mark Ellery and others for their support to me while blogging this story.


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What to expect when she's expecting
What do you get for the potential presidential candidate who has everything?
If that candidate is Hillary Clinton — and you happen to be her daughter — the answer is a grandchild.
Story Continued Below
Chelsea Clinton's announcement that she is expecting her first baby sent ripples Thursday through the nation's political and media community, which has come to scrutinize the Clinton family's every move with the rapt enthusiasm of a British tabloid photographer stalking the perimeter of Buckingham Palace.
( PHOTOS: Chelsea Clinton's life)
By those standards, the youngest Clinton's declaration was a politico-obstetric earthquake, a doozy of a story that highlighted both Chelsea Clinton's growing personal prominence and Washington's total fixation with the woman who could be the country's first female president.
The announcement came almost as an afterthought at the end of a Clinton Foundation-sponsored event in Manhattan. Chelsea Clinton dropped in the news at the end, mentioning that she and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, "are very excited that we have our first child arriving later this year."
"I certainly feel all the better – whether it's a girl or a boy – that she or he will grow up in a world so full of so many strong young female leaders," she said. "I just hope that I will be as good a mom to my child, and hopefully children, as my mom was to me."
( Also on POLITICO: Chelsea Clinton announces pregnancy)
For Hillary Clinton, the political implications are less obvious — and less consequential — than the personal ones. The former secretary of state has made no secret of her desire to become a grandmother. Nor has her husband, former President Bill Clinton, downplayed his — and his wife's — determination to bring another baby into the family.
"I'd like to be a grandfather," the 42nd president told a Davos audience in 2011. "I would like to have a happy wife, and she won't be unless she's a grandmother. It's something she wants more than she wanted to be president."
But then, who says this 21st-century woman can't have it all?
Hillary Clinton has now lived the majority of her life as a public figure — as the first lady of Arkansas, the wife of a presidential candidate, the president's spouse, a U.S. senator, a trailblazing national candidate and the country's chief diplomat.
( Also on POLITICO: The Clintons' dream comes true)
She has faced the voters as a divisive target in the culture wars, a high-powered female lawyer who dismissed the notion that she could have "stayed home and baked cookies and had teas"; as a betrayed wife who alleged her husband's infidelity was the invention of a "vast, right-wing conspiracy"; and as a startlingly resilient campaigner who swept past two credible opponents to claim a Senate seat and then battled a once-in-a-generation political talent for the Democratic presidential nomination.
After her 2008 campaign, Clinton appeared at least for a time to transcend even the normal partisan and political boundaries, soaking up compliments from Republicans who viewed her as a person of more depth than Barack Obama and attaining a level of pop-culture adulation (remember "Texts from Hillary?") that eluded Clinton in her earlier incarnation as a politician who was at best — in Obama's memorable phrase — "likable enough."
Now, Clinton will be something else entirely: the most prominent American politician ever to become a grandmother.
As far as sympathetic roles go, it doesn't get much better than that.
"My most exciting title yet: Grandmother-To-Be!," Clinton's Twitter account wrote this afternoon. "@billclinton and I are thrilled that Chelsea and Marc are expecting their first child!"
Clinton friends and allies were loath to speculate Thursday on whether her family news might affect her thinking on 2016. That would be crass and inappropriate under the circumstances, even more so than the usual will-she-or-won't-she punditry doled out regularly by a vast constellation of Democratic operatives and Clinton administration alumni.


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State Historical Society of Missouri
1020 Lowry St.
Columbia, MO 65201
Located in the Ellis Library, University of Missouri'Columbia, this is a public institution that holds federal population censuses, newspapers, county histories, genealogies, city directories and county atlases in its wide collection. A former print publication of the society entitled Directory of Local Historical Societies, Museums, and Genealogical Societies in Missouri is now being maintained online at www.system.missouri.edu/shs/DirectoryMap.htm. The directory lists addresses, hours, special collections, and publications of these various organizations, most of which exist on a county level and publish their own materials.


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In 2010, 439,678 motorcycles were sold in the United States. In that same year, 82,000 motorcyclists were injured in motorcycle crashes, and 4,502 were killed. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the direct cost of these motorcycle crashes was $16 billion or more. Thirty-times more likely to die in a vehicle accident, the typical fatal motorcycle crash costs an estimated $1.2 million according to the report, while non-fatal crashes range from $2,500 to $1.4 million depending upon the severity of the injuries and incidents.
In making its recommendations to curtail the costs associated with motorcycle crashes, the GAO says that only effective measure is the mandatory use of a motorcycle helmet. Citing several studies that say motorcycle helmets reduce the fatality rate of motorcycle crashes by 39%, the GAO also cites the NHTSA, which says that motorcycle helmets prevented 1,550 deaths in 2010. The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) says helmets saved the economy $3 billion in those 1,550 instances.
This information seems to confound Jeff Hennie, Vice President of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF), who told the Associated Press that his group is "100% pro-helmet, and 100% anti-helmet law," and went on to state that "putting a helmet law in place does not reduce motorcycle fatalities." The MRF has the stated goal of promoting motorcycle education and training, but a track record of ignoring the prior, while failing to achieve the latter.


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Multiculturalism's failure results from its total failure to acknowledge diversity and that nations have traditional majority cultures. The mandate to 'celebrate diversity' requires that we ignore culture's real impact. Merkel's denunciation of forced marriages recognized that other cultural patterns exist. And indeed levels of crime and government dependency clearly are also higher amongst some immigrant groups than others.
But the depth of harm does not lie in such statistics, but in basic cultural outlooks. Germany has a culture that respects education and discussion. Psychologist Nicolai Sennels, a Danish psychologist, spent time studying Muslims in youth prison. He found that rather than handling conflict via dialogue, Muslim youth consider it proper to settle disputes via "physical revenge."[2]
The cultural tendency toward solving disagreements via violence has manifest in violent mob actions such as burning tens of thousands of cars in Paris, attacking German youth in schools, and worldwide violence over Danish cartoons portraying Muhammad.
Sane immigration policy requires noting cultural differences. It is culturist, not racist, to acknowledge that wherever many Chinese move, they excel in school and set up Chinese areas that become tourist attractions. Wherever Muslims move they make the schools rougher and create no-go zones.
In noting that other cultures have honor killing, violent ways of settling disputes, and antipathy towards free speech, Merkel has come a long ways towards noting that Germany (and the West generally) has a traditional majority culture. An implication of her acknowledging diversity is recognizing that the West alone stands for democracy, freedom of speech, the relative separation of Church and State and the sanctity of the individual.
Now that Merkel acknowledges that culture is important and has implicitly acknowledged that Germany has a majority culture, she must make one last step in achieving culturist awareness. She must recognize that Islam has been aggressively trying to conquer the West for 1400 years. History travels with cultures. Even if Chinese immigrants had the same anti-social patterns as Muslim immigrants, their lack of historical animosity towards the West would render them less of a threat.
Merkel has acknowledged that multiculturalism has failed. As such she may now be willing to discuss cultural dynamics in general. But only when she starts talking of the positive value of culturism, when she takes a western culturist stance, she can really make sound policy. At that point she will know that she must stop Muslim immigration to the West and make sure her laws and schools openly protect and promote German heritage and western values.


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David Ortiz recently blamed the Cubs' consistent inability to win games on the team's penchant for scheduling day games. "When you come down to the Cubs' schedule it's a game-changer, believe it or not," Ortiz said. "They play so many day games at home and then they have to travel to another city and adjust themselves to the night games." This is the sort of thing that desperate Cubs fans would find appealing. So is Ortiz onto something, or is he full of shit?
Testing his theory is simple enough: it's just a matter of tracking Cubs road games since 1988, the year Wrigley Field installed lights and began hosting night games. If what Ortiz says is true, then the Cubs should perform much better on the road after home night games than they should when they play a night game on the road following a day game at home. And if the effect is truly significant, winning road night games that immediately follow home day games should be much more difficult than winning road games in general.
Since 1988, the Cubs have a .457 winning percentage in road night games that immediately follow home day games. In away contests following home night games, they perform better, winning half of the time. This sounds like a great improvement; so far, it seems like Ortiz is on to something.
But... the sample of away contests following home night games is incredibly small, at just 38 games over about 26 and a half seasons. Ortiz could have a point, but there's not enough data to make a substantial claim, largely because the Cubs still play most their home games during the day, and most of their home series end in day games.
It's when looking at a bigger sample that we see that Ortiz is full of shit. Ortiz has heard from his Cubs buddies that it's just really hard for them to win night games on the road after playing home day games. But since 1988, the Cubs have actually won slightly more of these games (.457 winning percentage) than they do all road games (.451).
In all this amounts to there being no significant difference between the Cubs' overall road performance and their performance in games they play at night on the road following home day games. The effect that is in Ortiz's favor, meanwhile—that the Cubs win more road games that follow home night games—comes in a sample so small that it's impossible to take seriously.
Leaving results aside, if the Cubs' scheduling was indeed so different and onerous, this would give them a serious home field advantage since other teams would have to adjust to every time they came to Wrigley. If the adjustment between night and day is really such a pain the ass, the Cubs' home field advantage should, in theory, offset or even be greater than their road disadvantage.
Ortiz's theory seems interesting, because the Cubs have been so awful for so long that it seems like there has to be some systemic explanation for it. But this is no more credible than the curses of the Billy Goat and Steve Bartman, nothing more than another straw to grasp so to avoid the reality that the team just sucks. If anyone wants to know what the problem with the Cubs really is, meanwhile, Clark is right there.


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Monday, April 8. 2019
PhysicsWhen do we use a modem?» When was the CN Tower built?» When was the telescope invented?» When was Braille invented?» When was the first microscope used?»
ChemistryHow do we describe the elements livermorium, tennessine and oganesson? » What qualities make nihonium, flerovium and moscovium special? » What are the element numbers 110, 111 and 112? » What are the features of bohrium, hassium and meitnerium? » What are the characteristics of the elements 104, 105 and 106? »
BiologyWhat are the characteristic features of hippopoptamuses?» Which is the family of the Hippopotamus?» Is there a grazing pig in the Suidae family?» What are the characteristics of a wild boar?» Which is the largest wild member of the pig family?»


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Baltimore is my hometown and there are a few things that have firmly assisted with placing the "charm" in Charm City. Artscape, touted as one of the largest art festivals on the East Coast is one of those things. The festival takes place in Baltimore's Arts District and offers a range of activities from zumba for kids to Grammy nominated artist like Anthony Hamilton who is set to hit the stage on Sunday, July 20th. The people watching is an added bonus to the great art, crafts, performances and culinary delights which make Artscape a cant miss Baltimore event. In addition to the list of official food vendors- there will be a food truck rally near Preston St.
So don your best festival chic ensemble, put on some comfortable shoes and be prepared to by dazzled by the charm that is Artscape.
For more details on performances and activities log into http://www.artscape.org or consider downloading the app from the Google market place or I—phone app store in order to stay up to date on all the festival happenings.
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Fox Searchlight Pictures has lost a key ruling in its long-running legal fight with former interns who worked on 2010's "Black Swan" and other movie productions.
U.S. District Judge William Pauley issued a summary judgment on Tuesday in New York, saying Fox Searchlight violated minimum wage laws by not paying interns. The judge also certified a class action for interns who worked for Fox Entertainment Group, the parent of Fox Searchlight.
The matter stems from a September 2011 lawsuit filed by former interns Eric Glatt and Andrew Footman, who alleged they performed menial tasks -- such as retrieving lunch for other workers -- that should have been assigned to paid employees of Fox Searchlight. The former interns alleged that the internship program violated minimum-wage and overtime laws.
PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments
Pauley wrote in his ruling that Fox Searchlight should have paid the interns, saying: "Considering the totality of the circumstances, Glatt and Footman were classified improperly as unpaid interns and are 'employees'" under New York labor law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
"It's an important ruling because it reinforces the well established principle that you have to get paid when you work," said Justin M. Swartz, an attorney with law firm Outten & Golden LLP who represents the plaintiffs. "There is no internship exception to this country's labor laws. We are happy that the judge recognized that our clients did work to the benefit of the company and the company was responsible for pay for them."
The Fair Labor Standards Act includes six criteria for differentiating between an employee who is entitled to pay and an individual who can be unpaid. Under the criteria, an unpaid intern would need to derive a benefit from the work and not displace a regular employee. The training is meant to be similar to what could be had at a vocational school.
PHOTOS: The 20 best companies for interns
The case is a significant one for the entertainment industry, which is populated by companies that have long relied on internship programs for staffing.
"We are very disappointed with the Court's rulings," 20th Century Fox spokesman Chris Petrikin said in a statement. "We believe they are erroneous, and will seek to have them reversed by the [U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals] as quickly as possible."
After Glatt and Footman filed their lawsuit, two other former Fox interns joined the matter: Eden Antalik, a corporate intern at Fox Entertainment Group; and Kanene Gratts, who worked on Fox Searchlight's 2009 film "(500) Days of Summer."
Antalik sought to include in a class action unpaid interns who worked at various Fox Entertainment Group units from Sept. 28, 2008 to Sept. 1, 2010. Her motion for certification was granted by Pauley.
"Antalik has put forth generalized proof that interns were victims of a common policy to replace paid workers with unpaid interns," Pauley wrote. "Though there are disparate factual and employment settings, the common issues of liability predominate over individual issues and defenses."
ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll
Attorneys for the defendant has argued throughout the case that independent companies hired and managed interns who worked on productions -- and not Fox Searchlight. One such entity was Lake of Tears Inc., which handled production of "Black Swan."
A May 2012 deposition of Glatt, who worked in accounting on the production of "Black Swan," said that his boss made regular reports to Fox Searchlight.
Glatt said Fox personnel were included on "regular daily emails that were sent out to everyone involved" in the production of the movie, directed by Darren Aronofsky.
Pauley wrote in his Tuesday ruling that "Searchlight's power to fire 'Black Swan' production staff was unbridled."
Myspace launches mobile music app
Talent agency CAA mocked in ads by rival WME
Will 'Man of Steel' be strong enough to build a franchise?
INTERACTIVE: TVs highest paid stars
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen
PHOTOS: Hollywood back lot moments


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National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004: report of the Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, on H.R. 1588, together with additional, dissenting, and supplemental views (including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office).
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Legislators target 'renegade' law firm with bill to limit lawsuits
Jim Wilkes has a target on his back.
The Tampa-based trial lawyer whose success at suing nursing homes for neglect and abuse of residents has drawn millions in damages from the industry.
It has also brought their wrath — and they've turned to the Florida Legislature to stop him.
Wilkes' model, which has been successfully employed in Florida and eight states where he has offices, is to not only target the owners and management companies — which can often be shell companies that shield the assets of owners and investors — but to target the investors, vendors and contractors, when he can show they have a role in the company's decision-making. He also seeks large punitive damages.
In Polk County, where a nursing home shut down its management company after Wilkes sued, he won a $1 billion judgment in 2012 when the company didn't put up a defense. In Pinellas County, a jury awarded $200 million to the family of a nursing home patient who died of neglect.
"They keep putting companies in bankruptcy and transferring assets, and we follow the assets and now the courts are able to go up the ladder,'' said Wilkes, 63.
The result, the industry says, is having a chilling effect on investment income into nursing homes in Florida — at a time when older nursing homes want to update and retrofit in preparation for a surge in growth with the aging of baby boomers.
"He's been very effective at stopping the flow of money into Florida. People are scared,'' said J. Emmett Reed, executive director of the Florida Health Care Association, which represents the industry. "With the baby-boomers coming into Florida, we need more money for long term care, not less."
The bills, SB 670 and HB 569, advancing through the House and Senate, would stop Wilkes' strategy in Florida by preventing "passive investors" from being named in a lawsuit unless a court determines they have had an active role.
"It is impossible to completely hide all of your assets,'' Reed said. "This doesn't make it any easier or harder to get sued as a direct care giver. This is simply protection for the passive investor.''
Wilkes contends the bill is written too broadly to describe who is considered a passive investor and restricts discovery in such a way that it will make it more difficult to persuade a judge that there is a link between the investor and the nursing home.
It would seem to be a convincing argument, except few are convinced. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted out its bill 8-1 on Tuesday and the House Civil Justice Subcommittee approved its version 10-3 last week.
The Florida Justice Association — the organization that represents trial lawyers to which Wilkes is not a member — has signed onto the legislation, after fighting similar proposals for the three previous sessions.
In return, it won new language that will make it easier for residents of nursing homes, and their relatives and lawyers, to get documents without having to establish an estate.
Wilkes says the trade-off is for trial lawyers to file more frequent lawsuits that produce smaller settlements, while the industry gets a stronger shield against reporting how it spends its money. The Florida Justice Association denies that is its goal.
"It's commendable that the trial lawyers and the nursing home industry came together and concluded this is something they could agree on," said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, the lone no vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee. But she concluded, "it's a deal and people make deals that benefit them."
Nursing homes in Florida receive more than 90 percent of their revenues from state and federal funds, either through payments from Medicaid and Medicare. Wilkes contends the investment companies have found nursing home management so profitable that they don't want regulators to interfere by forcing greater disclosure of their management structure that relies on real estate leases and a constant churning of ownership.
"If you don't have transparency you can't accurately reimburse,'' he warned. "The ability to contain medical costs will evaporate.''
He also scoffs at the claim that investors are scared away from Florida. One of the largest nursing home investors in the state, Formation Capital, on Monday announced it had sold its health care portfolio — 35 percent of which is in Florida — for $1 billion.
"If all they're doing is investing they don't have any liability,'' he said. "We'd never sue somebody who is just a lender — we'd be thrown out of court. This bill is designed to protect the shady investor."
The AARP of Florida, which represents elders in Florida, sides with the trial lawyers and has agreed to the bill.
Joining Wilkes is Families for Better Care, a non-profit that advocates for senior rights and is heavily funded by Wilkes. With them is the National Organization for Women Florida Chapter, the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, and union groups representing the health care workers in nursing homes.
The nursing home industry, which has been seeking a version of this bill for years, spent $2.4 million on political campaigns in 2012 and has contributed another $903,000 on legislative campaigns so far this cycle.
Wilkes and McHugh, by contrast, have given $18,000 this election cycle to legislative campaigns, including $14,000 in December to the political committee of the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon.
The target of the bill is so well-known that Reed, of the Florioda Health Care Association, told the Associated Press: "What this does is isolate one renegade law firm — Wilkes."
Marie Hagen, a nurse at Brynwood Center nursing home in Monticello, Fla, told a House committee that Wilkes' tactics were harassing her nursing home and "take an emotional toll on staff morale." Hagen's nursing home had never even been sued by Wilkes and McHugh.
Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, said Tuesday he was confident the bill won't hurt anyone, but will add clarity to the law.
"If I thought for one minute this bill was detrimental to anybody in my district who is in a nursing home, I wouldn't vote for it,'' he said.
He noted that Wilkes "is involved in massive, massive litigation" and said that "to suggest that anybody put any pressure on anybody in this room is absolutely incorrect and a misguided statement."
Wilkes believes the courts will have the final say. "I think it would be declared unconstitutional,'' he said.
The inability to do effective discovery will result in denying access to the court, he said, and the treatment of nursing home residents differently than anyone else who is harmed from neglect or abuse will be found to violate the equal protection rights of the Constitution.
"They're not afraid of me,'' said Wilkes. "They're afraid of exposure."


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Seriously, folks, this is not what we do with your tips when you hit Share up there in the masthead. I swear. Well, for most of them, anyway. This is actually a concept trashcan build on a popular meme.
Says designer Burak Kaynak, the 'can was conjoured up after seeing all the Share buttons that populate the Internet these days. Why not apply it trash? And so he did:
Sharing content on social networking sites is as simple as stepping on a foot pedal to open the lid and toss your trash. Share//Trash Can is a smart step-on trash can which includes a LED - live counter that counts the amount of steps that are stepped on the foot pedal.
I guess in the end I really don't see the point. Is it to shame you into wasting less, in this particular trashcan, so that you'll just go down the hall and use the next one? [Burak Kaynak - Thanks, Camila]


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She slid safely across without falling to either side.
All she said on the matter was: "I've heard a lot of concerns about the Grassley Amendment. A big difference exists between the House and Senate and this will be a big area for negotiations."
She then turned to homeland security.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, was less reserved in her remarks.
"The Grassley Amendment is an absolute abomination," she said. "It is horrible."
She said the amendment makes a bad bill even worse. "We see a lot of bad things about the Senate bill," she said. "We'll be trying to make it better this week, and agricultural groups will need to explain the negative effect of this bill."
She said payment limitations in the Grassley amendment pose a serious threat to farm stability. "And it includes a severe marriage penalty. A husband and wife farming together, with separate farms, receive considerably less than if they were not married."
Hutchinson also noted that the Senate bill does not protect state water rights and provides limited access to loan programs. "We'll have a huge war on the water rights issue," she said, "with the South and West against the Midwest."
Hutchinson expects a "real knockdown, drag out in conference. It will be as heated as the confrontation last December," she said, "and this bill is worse than the one we had at year-end."
She hopes most of the provisions in the House bill will prevail when conference completes its work. "If not, we'll have a major filibuster."
Without a new farm bill, "we'll have to ask for another emergency funding program to make the 2002 crop," said James Echols, NCC Chairman.
Echols also expressed optimism that a final farm bill will improve on the Senate version. "I think sanity will prevail and we'll get a law without significant reductions of benefits," he said.
Veneman provided an outline of what the Bush Administration wants to see in a farm bill.
"It has to be generous but affordable," she said. "The $73.5 billion in additional baseline spending for the next decade will remain intact, as agreed by the Senate and House last year."
She cautioned that the funds should be spread out evenly over the entire 10-year period and not "front-loaded in the early years."
She said farm policy should include a "safety net without encouraging over-production. If the loan rate is set too high, acreage increases are more likely.
"We have to strengthen the farm economy over the long term with a market-oriented program that encourages farmer independence. The policy should not hurt producers."
Veneman said international trade would play a huge role in the Administration's program. "We export nearly 50 percent of our cotton and we'll exceed that this year. We must eliminate unfair trade practices."
She also noted that the President "needs fast-track trade negotiation authorization."
Good conservation practices, she said, play a significant role in the Bush program.
Senator Hutchinson also commented on agricultural trade. "We do not have fair trade," she said, "and without fair trade we cannot have free trade. Europe and China subsidize agricultural production and we have to stand up to them. The key is a level playing field and it's not level."
Echols said the strong U.S. dollar and the decline of the U.S. textile industry continue to hinder the cotton industry's recovery.
"Textiles can not be given away in trade negotiations," he said.
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Find Your Perfect Home.
Lowell Real Estate
Lowell is located in Michigan. Lowell, Michigan has a population of 3,906. Lowell is less family-centric than the surrounding county with 15.3% of the households containing married families with children. The county average for households married with children is 33.22%.
The median household income in Lowell, Michigan is $52,065. The median household income for the surrounding county is $52,716 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Lowell is 37.1 years.
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Posted by Olivia on Monday, April 1st, 2013
Need a way to use up all of those colorful Easter eggs? In the spirit of lightening things up and getting fresh for the season, we came up with this delightfully simple yet elegant recipe: Leftover Easter Egg & Hummus Salad.
Hard-boiled eggs and hummus are gently mashed with all sorts of springtime seasonings: fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garden herbs, and our grassy Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
This salad has lots of pep to its step, and it's quite versatile for brunch menus. Use it as a stuffing inside tomato or cucumber cups, or follow our lead and use it as the spread for an open-faced sandwich.
Leftover Easter Egg & Hummus Salad
Serving options:
Crusty bread
Tomatoes, hollowed out
Cucumbers, hollowed out
Baby arugula


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How-to Basics
How to Write a Thank-You Message
"Seriously, people. If you want to thank someone, you already know what deed or thought or way of being you appreciate about them, right? That's the hard part, done. Now comes the easy part — say the thanks *to* them, in the way that you'd want to hear thanks expressed to you. Make the love in your heart known to others, in a sincere, keepsake, handwritten note." =)
When to Write a Note?
A note of thanks should be written for gifts and thoughtfulnesses of all kinds. For example: holiday, wedding, birthday, baby shower, birth, as well as hospitality, dinners, or parties should all be acknowledged.
Most agree that job interviews, referrals, and references also require a proper thank-you, as do condolences and other acts of kindness or generosity. Rule of thumb: If you appreciate the thought behind the action (and the action itself), send a thank you note.
Writing the Note
Invest in simple note cards (as opposed to sheets of stationery, which are traditionally considered more formal and reserved for condolences, recommendations, and business correspondence). The focus is on the writing, not the paper design.
Write in conventional blue or black ink. In an ideal world, send out the thank you note as soon as you can. The longer you wait, the less likely you are to actually write the note. That being said, a late thank-you note is of course better than not sending one at all.
To remind yourself to send a thank you, instill in your mind that you cannot use, wear, eat, or drink the gift until the thank-you note is in the mail. [See helpful hints for more.. helpful hints.]
1. Acknowledge the giver
Aside from beginning your note with a greeting ( "Dear Aunt Jane"), mention how grateful you are for her generosity and thoughtfulness:
"Dear Aunt Jane,
You always seem to get me exactly what I need!"
2. Keep it simple and specific
You don't have to write a novel (unless you want to include it as a thank-you gift). Simply acknowledge a gift directly by saying, "Thank you so much for the ______."
If you were given some money, do not list the exact amount; write, "Thank you for the cheque."
"Thank you so much for the new brown cardigan."
3. Tell them how
Let the giver know how you will use the gift and say something nice about how the gift has made a difference in your life.
This is pretty easy if you like the gift, but if you hate it, then try to find some redeeming attribute that you can mention —- just don't go suspiciously overboard by touting the world-peace-inspiring virtues of homemade fruitcake.
If you were given money, let the giver know how you plan to use it.
"The material is so soft and cozy, it will definitely keep me warm this winter in Winnipeg."
4. Talk about seeing them
End a note with a mention of seeing the giver, either in the past or in anticipation of seeing them again.
Par example, "It was great to see you the other night at dinner. I hope we can do it again soon!"
This will link the giver to you and acknowledge your past, present, and future relationship. Life is all about personal relations.
"I loved seeing you this week and I am looking forward to your visiting us this summer. No need to bring fruitcake; I'm sure we'll still have some left over."
5. Don't give a thorough update on your life
Thank-you notes are simply meant to show your gratitude for someone else's kindness.
They are the applause at the end of the day; short, impactful, expressions of appreciation. They are not the place to dilute your message of thanks nor to discuss what is going on in your life — save that for an e-mail or phone call.
6. Sign your name with affection
Or end with any salutation that you feel comfortable signing off with, but make sure that you do sign the note clearly. There is nothing quite like receiving a note and not knowing whom it's from. (This is where those graphology classes come in handy.)
"With love and best wishes, Me"


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← March 28th, 2007 →
close call there, t-rex!!
The haps: I meant to mention sooner that Dinosaur Comics is now running weekly in the Portland Mercury, CLEARLY the most kickin' paper in Portland! If you are in Portland then you are in luck because you have a rad paper.
Also the Moon shirts have been shipping since last week and should already be arriving! If you ordered one, why not send me a picture so I can put up your beautiful smilin' face on the internet for all to see?
– Ryan


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More than 105 million high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, ranging from 20W to 2,000W in size, are now in use in a broad range of interior and exterior applications in the United States. HID lighting systems currently consume about 12% of all lighting loads in the commercial sector, 31% in the industrial sector, and 87% in all outdoor stationary applications, which averages out to 17% of all electric energy consumed by all lighting systems in the United States.
This base represents a significant opportunity for energy savings, peak demand reduction, and greater flexibility in multi-use spaces through dimming. Dimming can be employed in HID lighting systems to save energy and enable the space to adapt to different uses, ambient conditions, and time of day. A number of technologies can be deployed to enable HID dimming and capture the same benefits that are used for dimming fluorescent and incandescent lamps.
Saving energy. HID lamp dimming can reduce electric utility operating costs through an occupancy-based strategy, daylight harvesting, and scheduled peak demand reduction. Dimming can be achieved manually (switch) or automatically (input from control device). Automatic dimming can be set to respond to a preset schedule or variable ambient conditions, such as occupancy and available daylight.
Occupancy-based. Dimming can be used in spaces that are intermittently occupied but where the lamps need to continue operating for security and safety reasons, such as a warehouse or parking lot.
In outdoor applications like parking lots, dimming has the added bonus of reducing spill light that may affect adjacent properties.
Daylight harvesting. Dimming can be used to adjust light levels based on available daylight via input from a photocell.
Peak demand reduction. Dimming can be scheduled using a time-programmable controller during times of peak loading to shave the facility's peak demand and thereby reduce utility demand charges.
HID lighting systems are fixed-output systems, but some spaces like school gymnasiums or supermarkets may require different light levels because they're used for multiple purposes. Dimming makes both the lighting system and the space more flexible. In the case of a school gym, the lamps can be dimmed to provide suitable lighting for sports, assembly, social events, maintenance, and other purposes. In the case of a supermarket, the lamps can be dimmed during maintenance and stocking operations. Many spaces can be dimmed after hours to provide lighting for safety and security.
Dimming technologies. HID lamps can be dimmed using step-level or continuous-dimming systems.
Step-level dimming. Step-level dimming typically entails using a constant-wattage autotransformer (CWA) magnetic ballast with one or two additional capacitors added to the circuit. Relay switching of the capacitors results in additional system impedance, which reduces the lamp current and the wattage. The capacitor circuit configuration may be parallel (Fig. 1) or series (Fig. 2) connected. That selection is a compatibility issue that will depend on the type of control system you're working with. Any type of HID lamp can be dimmed using this method.
Step-level dimming can be activated based on input from manual switches, scheduling devices, occupancy sensors, and photocells.
When the lamps need to return to full light output, they're brought from their reduced light output to about 80% of light output, followed by a brief warm-up time between 80% and 100% of light output.
The result of the capacitive-switching method is power reduction in stepped increments of two (two-level or bi-level dimming) or three (three-level or tri-level dimming) — usually at 100% and one or two steps between 100% and 50% of rated power.
Bi-level dimming is ideal for saving energy and providing lighting for safety and security during times when the space isn't occupied. Depending on the lamp type and wattage, the low level in a bi-level dimming system may be 15% to 40% of light output and 30% to 60% of wattage. This can result in energy savings as high as 40% to 70% during dimming periods.
Tri-level dimming does the same but offers a greater degree of flexibility that addresses multiple uses of the space.
Step-level dimming is generally less expensive than continuous dimming and is often more cost-effective than HID dimming panels for applications with few light fixtures. It allows for individual fixture control, is suitable for retrofit, and is available in fixtures that have a dedicated occupancy sensor and dimming ballast for direct fixture replacement.
Continuous (line-voltage) dimming. Several technologies are available for smooth, continuous reduction of lamp wattage, including panel-level HID dimming and relatively new electronic HID ballasts.
Continuous dimming is ideally suited for applications where it's advantageous to adapt the lighting system to a wide range of light levels to meet various uses of the space, such as airports, lobbies, classrooms, industrial facilities, sporting arenas, gymnasiums, and auditoriums. Continuous dimming is also well suited for daylight harvesting because it allows the HID lamp output to be tuned to maintain a constant light level in the space.
Panel-level HID dimming is used by control systems installed at the electrical panel that reduces the power supplied to the circuit. These control systems accept inputs from occupancy sensors, photocells, and time-programmable systems.
The control system may be one of three types: variable-step transformer, which typically operates with existing CWA ballasts and can reduce rated power down to 50%; variable-reactor, enabling reduction in rated power down to 30%; and waveform modification, which can reduce rated power down to 50%.
Electronic dimming ballasts for HID lamps (Fig. 3) are available in new fixtures and provide continuous dimming, typically from 100% to 50% light output for metal halide lamps, and 100% to 30% light output for high pressure sodium lamps to preserve lamp life. In addition to dimming, they're designed to operate at a higher efficacy, improved color control, less stroboscopic effect, and harmonic distortion under 20%.
Electronic HID ballasts are generally not cost-effective in a retrofit but can produce significant energy savings in new fixtures. They can operate with occupancy sensors, photocells, and time-programmable controllers. The control signal can be transmitted along the power circuit or via low-voltage wires.
Related performance issues. Important performance issues related to HID lamp dimming include efficacy, lamp life, color, compatibility, and flicker.
Efficacy. The ratio of reduction in wattage to reduction in light output isn't proportional during the operation of panel-level and step-dimming control systems. Light output will be reduced further than the wattage reduction (Table).
In general, light output reductions are about 1.2 to 1.5 times the power reduction for metal halide lighting systems (Fig. 4 below), and about 1.1 to 1.4 times the power reduction for high pressure sodium lighting systems.
Lamp life. When HID lamps are dimmed below 50% of rated power, they may experience degradation in service life, efficacy, color, and lumen output, or they may extinguish. In fact, dimming below 50% of rated power may reduce high pressure sodium and metal halide lamp life by 90%. As a result, dimming below 50% may void lamp warranties.
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) suggests a maximum recommended dimming level of 50% rated lamp wattage for both metal halide and high-pressure sodium lamps. NEMA further recommends that the lamps should be operated at full power for at least 15 minutes prior to dimming (unless the lamp is extinguished from a voltage interruption and the input voltage activates the timer, in which case 30 minutes is recommended before dimming.)
Color. HID lamps can experience a color shift during dimming and also a reduction in color-rendering ability. Metal halide lamps are most susceptible to changes in lamp color characteristics. Coated metal halide lamps experience a much smaller shift and a smaller reduction in CRI than clear lamps. High pressure sodium lamps can also be affected, typically experiencing a 50°K to 200°K reduction in color temperature when they're dimmed, causing them to appear more yellow, while CRI experiences a minimal change.
Compatibility. Some panel-level dimming systems aren't compatible with electronic ballasts. Self-extinguishing lamps aren't recommended for use with dimming systems. Some manufacturers recommend that metal halide lamps be operated base-up to preserve lamp life. Some panel-level dimming systems may introduce harmonic currents into the electrical system.
Flicker. Dimming HID lamps, particularly high pressure sodium lamps, can make flicker more visible.
Increasing emphasis on energy efficiency is going to make it necessary for lighting system designers to find ways to reduce load consumption wherever they can, meaning dimming options for HID lamps may become an attractive alternative.
DiLouie is communications director for the Lighting Controls Association and principal of ZING Communications, Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Sidebar: Overcoming HID Re-Strike Time
Typically, occupancy sensors are used with fluorescent lamps, turning the lights on or off after a determined interval based on detected occupancy in the space. In applications where HID lamps are used, it often isn't practical to switch the lamps based on occupancy if the space must be made usable again quickly.
The reason is that high-pressure sodium lamps can take three to five minutes to warm up; they take less than a minute to hot re-strike but don't reach full light for three to four minutes. Metal halide lamps take two to 10 minutes to warm up and 12 to 20 minutes to hot re-strike, while pulse-start metal halide lamps take only one to two minutes. These delays are unacceptable in many applications. In addition, switching the lamps can also result in shorter-than-rated lamp life, since most lamp manufacturers rate HID lamp life at a minimum of 10 hours per start.
It's impractical to switch HID lamps based on occupancy in a number of applications, but dimming is a viable alternative. The lamps can be dimmed in response to a signal from an occupancy sensor (recommended for spaces where occupation isn't predictable) or timer or other time-programmable controller (for spaces where occupation is highly predictable), which can yield significant energy savings. When the space is occupied again, the lamps will be able to achieve full light output quickly.
Figures 1-3 courtesy of Advance Transformer Company


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Previously I used a damping factor δ for the nonlinear fitting of the modified Veloclinic power-duration model. This resulted in me fitting 28 out of 29 test cases when I set δ = 0.25.
But δ = 0.25 is too small: it means at best 25% of the progress toward the solution is covered with each iteration. That's inefficient when homing in on the result.
The real issue is when the solver isn't homing in on the result: when the solution is still substantially off and the solver it attempting to make a big leap toward the solution. The big leap could easily overshoot the desired solution, or be in a slightly wrong direction in the hyperdimensional parameter space. In such instances, it's better to take smaller steps toward the solution, to home in on the the "zone of quadratic convergence" where the targeting becomes easier.
For that I introduced a dynamic weighting scheme multiplying the primary damping factor by a factor dependent on the step size of the parameters. Since I am solving for the logarithm of the parameters rather than the parameters themselves, what constitutes a "large step" is the same for each one: magnitude 1 is a large step, much less than magnitude 1 is a small step, and much larger than 1 is huge.
So what I decided to do is to use a damping scheme which restricted the maximum step size to 1:
δ = δ0 / (1 + |net undamped step size|)
where δ0 is the damping factor applied to small steps and the step size is the square root of the sum of the squares of the undamped changes in the natural logarithms of each parameter.
With the damping set to 0.25, I'd fit 28 of my 29 datasets. With the dynamic scheme and δ0 = 1, I fit all 29, and in general the solution was much quicker.
Another type of damping is to reduce the coefficient (more damping) if the number of iterations exceeds a certain value. For example, after 32 iterations without convergence to a solution, I can reduced the coefficient using the following formula:
δ → δη δf1-η
This causes δ to transition from its original value (for example, 1) to a final value (for example, δf = 0.25). after 32 iterations. I used η = 0.95, which limits the rate at which the δ is reduced. This may only be needed when the data are relatively poor and don't fit the model well. The problem can be reduced by reducing the weighting factor.


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Biggest Challenge in 2010:
Let me count the ways. God forbid anything untoward occurs at Churchill Downs, or Pimlico, or Belmont Park. And finding more human homes for thoroughbred retirees would give pause to the overzealous wing-nuts of the PETA principals. And, Art Fleming, Iâll take Uphill Battles for $100. Ding, ding, dingâ¦the Daily Double!