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Language Arts
Performing Arts
Social Studies
U.S. Government
World Civilizations
World Cultures
World Religion
Lesson Plans pertaining to Economics
The Great Migration
Entrepreneurs and the African-American Dream Lesson Plan
Grade levels:
Middle and high school, grades 6-12
Concentration area:
History, Economics
The narrative
The Great Migration
discusses how individuals and industries forged opportunities for themselves and African-American workers outside the South. The lesson Entrepreneurs and the African-American Dream should be used as a follow-up activity to or in conjunction with the narrative in either history or economics classes. Students will make a simple graph of labor supply and labor demand in the North and South in the early twentieth century. They then will conduct research using business journals, corporate reports, and the Internet to identify top contemporary African-American entrepreneurs.
What Does It Cost? Wages and Expenses in Historical Context Lesson Plan
Grade levels:
Middle and high school, grades 6-12
Concentration area:
History, Economics
The segment "A New Industrial Landscape" of the narrative
The Great Migration
recounts how the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated in 1919 that $43 was the minimum weekly wage for a family of five. Students are often curious about how anyone can live on $43 per day, let alone a family of five for a week. So, this lesson, What Does It Cost?, is designed to help students understand the relative value of a historical dollar. Students will research through old newspaper ads to find prices for food, housing, clothing, transportation, and recreation. Then, they should calculate how many minutes, hours, or days a worker being paid about 91 cents an hour for a 47-hour workweek would have to work to purchase the five items they have priced and to rent an apartment.
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Mototek1 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 34 diseños de 3 diseñadores freelance.
We are a small startup computer service company. The name "MotoTecnologies" comes from also being motorcycle enthusiasts and generally using bikes on service calls whenever possible. Choosing the co. name was risky as it does not really lend itself to IT consulting. Need some type of branding to tie the 2 together. We are a small informal Co. dealing mostly with home computer users and small (under 50) businesses. Trustworthy, Fair Honest and dependable, yet with an edge. Sort of a Metallica meets Pat Boone type thing.
My Ideal market would be the home computer user who does not know where to go for help when their computer goes whack. Also the small business owner that is looking for a computer guru to become long term trusted advisor. I have also done quite a bit of work for doctors and dentists and will target them specifically in my marketing.
I really do not know what I want . Thats why I hired you guys. I want a logo to use on website, bus cards, and letterhead that will convey all the above info. Colors- would prefer blue/black/green but will consider anything. Again sort of a "Ghostrider" meets "IBM".
Possibly using 2 o's in MotoTechnologies as MC wheels ?
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.

subset: commoncrawl


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Reagle Music Theatre taps into talent for entertaining '42nd Street'
Stage and television actor Tom Wopat was set to star in the current Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston production of "42nd Street," but after being arrested by Waltham Police on charges of indecent assault and battery against a fellow cast member and cocaine possession the night before last Thursday's opening performance, it was clear that "The Dukes of Hazzard" star would not be taking the stage at Waltham's Robinson Theatre.
And so, while Wopat was being arraigned at Waltham District Court on Thursday morning, Reagle was proving that "the show must go on" – moving understudies up and shifting other cast members around. By last Friday's press performance, the production was in fine fettle and glittering in every good way.
Anchored at Reagle by Broadway favorite Rachel York as temperamental leading lady Dorothy Brock, youthful Mara Cecilia as wide-eyed ingénue Peggy Sawyer, and quick study Rich Allegretto – who was set to play the smaller role of Brock's longtime love interest, Pat Denning, but stepped up overnight to replace Wopat in the lead as mercurial director Julian Marsh – "42nd Street" offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a Broadway musical.
Based on the 1933 movie of the same name, the 1980 show – with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, the movie music of Harry Warren, Al Dubin, and Johnny Mercer, and direction and choreography by the legendary Gower Champion – brought to Broadway what would become some of its most iconic musical numbers, beginning when the curtain rises slowly to reveal lines of tap-dancing legs.
That's just the first peak at Champion's Tony Award-winning choreography, faithfully recreated at Reagle by director and choreographer Eileen Grace – who, as a performer, has appeared in "42nd Street" on tour – and co-choreographer Susan M. Chebookjian.
Fueled by a score that includes "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me," "We're in the Money," "The Lullaby of Broadway," "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," and the title number, Grace and Chebookjian move the large and admirably resilient cast briskly through a series of dazzling dance numbers.
In the story, a naïve Peggy Sawyer arrives in New York from Allentown, Pennsylvania, to audition for "Pretty Lady," the new Julian Marsh show set to open on Broadway with a past-her-prime Dorothy Brock in the starring role. On the eve of the New York opening, Brock suffers an injury and must withdraw from the show.
"No star, no show," declares the disappointed director, leaving "Pretty Lady" dead on arrival. In a bit of irony demonstrating that art does imitate life, however, Marsh quickly changes his mind when he is persuaded to replace Brock with Sawyer and let the show go on.
A wise decision not only in the script but also for this production, which is eminently worthwhile even without its intended star. Indeed, Allegretto displays commanding presence as Marsh, a role originated on Broadway by Jerry Orbach.
Seen on Broadway last season in the musical comedy "Disaster!" and now returning to Reagle, where she won IRNE awards for her starring roles in "Hello, Dolly!" and "Into the Woods," York brings gown-worthy glamor to Brock, a part first played in New York by Tammy Grimes. York is smooth-as-silk on her solo, "I Know Now," and lends a lovely lilt to "About a Quarter to Nine," her act-two duet with the rich-voiced Cecilia.
As Billy Lawlor, juvenile male lead of the show-within-the show, talented song-and-dance man James Darrah – who played Ambrose Kemper in the 1995 revival of "Hello, Dolly!" directed by Lee Roy Reams, Broadway's first Billy Lawlor – moves so rapidly and taps so furiously that you won't be able to take your eyes off of him.
Also doing fine supporting work are Reagle regulars Beth Martin Pierce and Harold "Jerry" Walker, as the veteran songwriting and producing team of Maggie Jones and Bert Barry, and Charley Borden as choreographer Andy Lee. Paul Reynolds, who came in very last-minute to replace Allegretto in his original role of Pat Denning, deserves a nod, too.
Unexpected headlines aside, this "42nd Street" is a perfect closer for Reagle's 49th season.
"42nd Street"
WHEN: Through Aug. 13
WHERE: Robinson Theatre, 617 Lexington St., Waltham
INFO: 781-891-5600; reaglemusictheatre.com


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Key growth factor identified in T cell leukemia
Blocking a growth factor receptor cripples cancer growth in a form of T cell leukemia, according to a study published online on August 1 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Approximately half of the cases of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) carry genetic mutations in a cellular signaling pathway called Notch, which result in aberrant activation of the cell. A study by Andrew Weng and colleagues at the British Columbia Cancer Agency now shows that activation of the Notch pathway promotes the expression of a receptor for insulin growth factor (IGF-1), which drives the growth and survival of the cancer cells.
Cancer cells with an activated Notch pathway but lacking the IGF-1 receptor had reduced growth in mice, and blocking the receptor with drugs improved their survival. Simply reducing the amount of receptor resulted in the loss of cancer stem cellsthe cells responsible for originating and perpetuating the disease. Human T-ALL cells were also found to express IGF-1 receptor, suggesting that blocking the receptor in combination with standard treatment may reduce the risk of disease relapse.
Explore further


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S.F. tech jobs climb near level of dot-com peak
ECONOMY But firms' use of office space just a fraction of dot-com peak
As technology companies' soaring valuations draw comparisons to the dot-com days, a new analysis highlights another similarity: The number of tech workers in San Francisco today is nearing its peak in 2000.
The city had an estimated 32,180 tech jobs last year, compared with 34,116 in 2000, according to an analysis of state employment data by real estate consultant Jones Lang LaSalle. In 2004, the number of tech jobs had fallen to 18,210.
The percentage of nongovernment office workers in San Francisco employed in the tech sector is also higher: 17.4 percent in 2010, compared with 14.4 percent in 2000, according to the analysis.
While part of tech's growing share of the job market is due to job losses at financial and legal firms, it also reflects a growing desire by companies wanting to make San Francisco their home.
And with tech companies large and small ramping up their hiring efforts this year, the city may soon see the total number of tech jobs eclipse their dot-com era peak.
"A lot more growth will be coming down the line," said Colin Yasukochi, vice president of research at Jones Lang LaSalle, who performed the data analysis.
Pointing to the planned expansion of Twitter, Zynga and other fast-growing startups, Yasukochi said San Francisco's tech sector is likely only one year into a significant growth cycle.
But as tech jobs have multiplied, their real estate footprint has fallen. Where tech companies occupied 18.3 percent of San Francisco office space in 2000, they occupy just 9.3 percent today, according to Yasukochi, who based his estimates on data from the California Economic Development Department, Moody's Economy.com and his firm.
That's one reason so many offices in San Francisco remain vacant. At the end of 2010, 17.1 percent of the city's office space sat vacant, according to Jones Lang LaSalle, up from 14.7 percent in the first quarter of 2009.
In the dot-com era, companies were more likely to rent more space than they needed under the assumption they would soon fill them with employees. Today's startups seem more cautious.
In 2000, tech companies leased an average of 325 square feet per employee. Today that number has fallen to 175.
"They are far more efficient in their space utilization in the current time than they were back in 2000, when tech firms were leasing speculatively, and had a lot of space for employees that were not yet hired," Yasukochi said.
Twitter, which is considering leasing 400,000 square feet in the Mid-Market area, and Zynga, which leased 267,000 square feet in SoMa last year, are perhaps the most visible examples of the city's expanding tech workforce.
But most of the job growth has been driven by smaller expansions: companies like Kabam, a gaming company that leased 25,000 square feet; Autodesk, which announced a 16,000-square-foot expansion; and Viadeo S.A., a social networking site for professionals, which moved from Paris into 3,300 square feet at 160 Spear St.
All three announced their expansion plans this year.
Why S.F.?
PeopleBrowsr, which helps companies analyze social media networks for marketing and business development purposes, began life in 2006 in Palo Alto. Last year, after growing to 10 people, executives decided to move the company to San Francisco.
In February, PeopleBrowsr moved into new offices at 474 Bryant St., drawn in part by the growing number of social-media businesses in San Francisco.
"It's an awesome time to be in San Francisco right now, in social media and in SoMa," said Jen Charlton, the company's marketing director. "Nothing else compares to the energy you find here. ... Everyone's nearby, and we always run into friends from neighboring startups."
Soon there could be more startup employees to run into. In the last quarter of 2010, real estate services firm CB Richard Ellis found demand for up to 6.4 million square feet - and estimated that 28 percent of it would be absorbed by technology firms, the largest share of any business sector.
But why San Francisco - and why now?
Aside from the lifestyle and cultural attractions of San Francisco, another draw for companies is a workforce that historically has excelled in design and creative work. Those skills are well suited for the kinds of jobs required by startups in social media and gaming.
Then there's the virtuous-circle effect: successful companies attract other successful companies. Businesses that analyze social media traffic, like PeopleBrowsr, have an interest in being close to a social-networking giant like Twitter.
"San Francisco is home to top technology clusters in gaming, in social media and in software as a service, to name a few," said Todd Rufo, director of business development for the city's Office of Economic and Workforce Development. "The presence of these industry heavyweights, as well as the clusters around them, create their own momentum and interest."
What's ahead
The question for city officials is how long the growth will last.
Although the debate continues over whether another bubble is forming, Ted Egan, San Francisco's chief economist, said the tech scene today differs significantly from 2000.
Investments by venture capitalists last quarter were less than one-fourth the value of investments made at the peak of the boom, according to data from PricewaterhouseCoopers. And the highest-valued companies have yet to file for initial public offerings.
That means the risk of a collapse is spread among a relatively small number of institutional investors, rather than the stock market at large.
"People are saying, 'Oh, Zynga and Twitter are like (the old) dot-coms - but it's nothing like that," Egan said.
And even if hiring in some parts of the tech sector drops off, it remains a small part of San Francisco's overall workforce - between 5 and 6 percent of the total jobs in the city. The city's tech sector is also more diverse than it was in 2001, and could therefore be more resistant to a crash.
Over the past decade, San Francisco has gone from two biotech companies to 74, according to the city, and from zero clean-energy companies to more than 200.
But with job growth still accelerating, it may still be too early to guess how it will end.
"This leg of job growth is in its early stages," Yasukochi said. "The whole dot-com revolution started in 1995, and it took five years to reach its crescendo."
E-mail Casey Newton at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Home » Our Work » Research » Research Grants » Smoking and Suicide: Changes in State Tobacco Policies as Natural Experiments
Smoking and Suicide: Changes in State Tobacco Policies as Natural Experiments
Richard Grucza, Ph.D., M.P.E., Washington University School of Medicine
2011 Standard Research Grant
Inside the Research
Bio: Dr. Grucza received his doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, in 2000 and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine. He is a current recipient of an NIH grant and has published widely on the subject of substance use disorders.
Research Categories: Epidemiology, governmental policy, tobacco.
Abstract: While smoking and suicide are strongly related, the nature and direction of that relationship is unclear: We don't know whether smoking increases the risk for suicide or whether it serves as "self-medication" for individuals already at risk. Using several population-based data sets, Dr. Grucza aims to determine whether policies at the state level intended to lower the smoking rate, such as taxes on cigarettes or limiting access for youth, are related to changes in suicide rates. Residents in states with anti-smoking policies will be compared with residents in states without such policies. Dr. Grucza will also study the impact of smoking policies by examining the suicide rates of policy-holding states before and after the policy was implemented. These natural experiments may help to increase our understanding of the relationship between smoking and suicide.
Impact: To clarify how physicians should approach smoking cessation for patients with a high suicide risk, and to understand how state policies can influence suicide rates.


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Have you heard about makeover? No! Don't you want to rejuvenate your personality? Yes, Great! Black Hair Salons Frisco Tx in Bryanston there are numerous beauty salons established in Miami to take care of individuals' appearances. Hair Stylist For Black Hair some of these are sophisticated and high-quality. Beauty salons are now going out of their ways to focus on customized solutions to enhance individuals' looks.
You want to rejuvenate your personality? If your answer is yes then here is a list of Top 10 of Beauty Salons in Austin TX. African American Hair Stylists this list will guide you to find the best Beauty Salons in Austin TX compiled on the basis that how frequently the Beauty Salons are used by beauty conscious customers. The No.1 Beauty Salons on this list has been stored the most amount of times by Austin, TX area. Generally, people only store a business' information in their address books if they are satisfied with the provider's service and wish to engage in repeat business.
The Top 10 Beauty Salons - Austin City
Since makeup is about renovating your own personality, find the best Beauty Salon to rejuvenate your personality. This Top 10 List will help you finding the best quality Beauty Salon of Austin, TX. So, visit the best beauty salon in your neighborhood in Austin, TX, the unexpected change in your look as well as personality!
Black Hair Salons Frisco Tx in Bryanston?
It can be difficult to find a hair extension stylist near you, and you don't always have the time to drive hours to get your hair done. Luckily, several online resources are available to help.
Here is a helpful, condensed list:
The Hair Extension Salon Locator
This site lists hair extension salons by state. It also features articles on the care of hair extensions and hair loss information. Additionally, they have supplies and training resources.
This is the website for the HairBonz hair extension system. You can call 1-888-693-HAIR to find a listing of hair extension salons using the HairBonz system.
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The Top 10 Beauty Salons - Austin City
The hair of women with African American descent is unique in characteristic. Any woman who wishes their hair to look at its best will admit to spending endless hours experimenting with their hair and possibly trying out many salons to identify the look and style that best suits them.
Until recently, that process has been even more difficult for an African American - due to the complexity of their hair and a limited amount of styles that can be carried out with ease.
It was of no help either that the products produced specifically for Afro hair were few and far between. You may remember having your hair braided by a relative or friend - a procedure that took some time but kept the hair neat and under control. This is still hugely popular between African Americans, but the time has finally come that they can opt for those styles that were once deemed an impossible.
The Pixie. The pixie cut is super short and easy to maintain. Give it an ultramodern twist by choosing asymmetrical lines. Halle Berry made this style popular among black women, and it will be a style that continues to be a classic.
Braids. Yes - it is the staple cut for African American women. Your hair will stay as close to its natural state with this style and is one of the easier ones to maintain without overdoing it on styling products. Check out images of Alicia Keys and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Sleek and Straight. Thanks to straightening irons strong enough to tame any Afro, the days of using chemicals to straighten the hair are long gone. Black celebrities such as Beyonce and Mary J Blige look stunning with their sleek looks.


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The new filters with the patended shape use their little teeth on the side and "bite" inside the UV-filter�s thread. If necessary you can press or screw them in a little. For removal simply tear the little hook onto which the filter type and exposure factor is printed.
ADOX gelatine filters are made from the world famous Cibachrome(R) dyes which are light stable and will almost not fade out. The modern ADOX coating facilities in Switzerland and the coating know how of the Swiss enable us to manufacture these filters water protected so that they can be wiped with a wet cloth shortly to clean them. You can also wipe off rain drops.
Filter 85B (full tungsten conversion)
2300�K correction blue to yellow-orange
Exposure prolonging factor: 2X
The camera shown is for illustration purposes and obviously not included in the filter�s price.


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This spring break, March 5 – 15, a total of 41 Geneva College students will participate in mission trips coordinated by the Office of Campus Ministries′ Quest Program. Focused on education and holistic service, these trips open students′ eyes and work to foster sustainable, long-term change.
"We hope to encourage students to think more critically about what it means to love our neighbors as we learn more about different places, cultures, and how we can serve them thoughtfully and faithfully," says Missy Davis, assistant director of campus ministries. "We are seeking to create partnerships with organizations that promote growth in student leaders and participants, are educational, can be sustained through on-going relationships, and come alongside the service of the host organization."
New Orleans, Louisiana
Eleven students will partner with Trinity Christian Community to meet the needs of the surrounding community through a youth program and home repair.
Washington, D.C.
Four students will work with several different organizations to learn about social justice issues and how to engage with impoverished and marginalized communities.
San Luis, Mexico
Partnering with Caring Hearts Ministry, this team of 11 students will work with children in a orphanage and a boys′ home, as well as the poor living in the city dump.
Los Angeles, California
As they learn about and work with a variety of cultures, these seven students will serve at soup kitchens, help with World Vision activities and minister to the homeless.
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Eight students will work with Australian missionary John Stanley at the UnCommon Grounds Café while gaining a better understanding of the diverse community in Aliquippa.
Geneva College is a comprehensive Christian college of the arts, sciences and professional studies. Founded in the tradition of the Reformed Christian faith, Geneva prepares students to serve Christ in all areas of society: work, family and the church. Geneva College′s philosophy of education is based on the Foundational Concepts of Christian Higher Education. Geneva is a founding member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).
© Geneva College | All rights reserved


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What is the time difference between Alabama and California?
When it is noon in Alabama (CST) it is 10 AM in California (PST).
there a two hour difference Alabama is ahead
What should I know about coronavirus?
What is a bear market?
Who writes the fortunes in fortune cookies?
What's something you used to like but don't anymore?
What do you call a single spaghetti noodle?
Does chocolate cause acne?
If you could witness one event past, present, or future, what would it be?
What got inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2020?
Lugar sa pilipinas na nagsisimula sa letter C
What is the meaning of Malayalam word padheyam
What is the figure of speech of time flies
Why a maths teacher call a thief as 420
How many people die in california each day
How did pipa Gordon from qvc die
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When it is noon in Alabama (CST) it is 10 AM in California (PST).
there a two hour difference Alabama is ahead
What's a song that everyone likes, but no one will admit to?
What's something you've always wanted to learn?
Do mother birds really abandon their chicks if a human touches them?
What's the longest anyone has ever held a plank?
Do people on SSI get a Stimulus check?
What type fungus given to the Chinese athletes in the Olympics to reduce stress?
What metric unit would you measure the capacity of a teacup?
In what month do Americans drink the least milk?
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Nestled in the little village area of Atwater sits the Atwater Theatre which from June 8- June 30 presents the Echo Theater Company's comedy, "Bob." Mixing mythology with episodic storytelling, the play spans the entire life of the main character.
Born and abandoned on Valentine's Day, in the bathroom of a fast food restaurant by his mother, Helen, Bob (Jeff Galfer) travels across America with his adoptive mom, Jeanine. He finds himself on his own when she suddenly dies and somehow manages to fend for himself. Coincidentally, he comes across his biological mother at an inopportune time and later across his biological father. He experiences love, generosity, and crushing hardships and loss. Despite all that, he remains optimistic as he goes on his quest to become "a great man." And maybe that's a lesson for all of us to learn =- That we are each all great in our own ways, we just don't always know it.
Telling Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's comedic story is director Chris Fields. Kathryn Poppen did costume design, Drew Dalzell did sound design, and scenic design was by Angel Hererra. Julie Ann Harris was production stage manager. Producers are Chris Fields and Lauren Bass.
Originally commissioned by South Coast Repertory, Bob received the 2010 Barrie and Bernice Stavis Award from the National Theatre Conference.
I don't know how to begin to describe this unusual play. It's a comedy and yet it's not. It had moments of hilarity and yet many moments of "what is this doing here?" Nachtrieb writes with throwing everything including the kitchen sink in his story.
The 30 speaking parts were played by just four main actors, which was an amazing feat in of itself. The acting was great - staring Ahmed Best, Alana Dietze, Jeff Galfer, Hutchi Hancock, Tara Karsian, Rich Liccardo, Michael McColl, Jud Williford and Jacqueline Wright --and the audience seemed to enjoy themselves, yet somehow the dialogue seemed stilted and the story line stitched together with coincidences that, while they added to the humor, would not have been funny anywhere else.
If you want an out of the ordinary play experience, you might like Bob.
Bob: A Life In Five Acts runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm General admission is $25. The Atwater Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave, in Los Angeles. There is free on site parking . For reservations and information call 877 369 9112 or go to www.EchoTheaterCompany.com


text: The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) is a federally owned organisation. They work worldwide in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. Their mandate is to support the German Government in achieving its development objectives. They provide viable, forward-looking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world. Sometimes working under difficult conditions, we promote complex reforms and change processes. Their corporate objective is to improve people's lives on a sustainable basis.


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Leeward Community College's 13th Annual International Education Festival celebrates the Philippines
Annual event honors the Hawaii Filipino Centennial CelebrationLeeward Community College
Pat Neils, (808) 455-0357
Leeward Community College
PEARL CITY, Oʻahu — The community is invited to the Leeward Community College (LCC) campus to learn about the Philippines through music, dance, food, lectures and exhibits during the weeklong International Education Festival, March 20-24. In its thirteenth year, the LCC International Education Festival celebrates the Philippines and Filipino migration to Hawaiʻi in honor of the Hawaiʻi Filipino Centennial Celebration.
Special lectures and panel discussions about the Philippines, how it relates to the Asia Pacific region, and Filipino life in Hawaiʻi are scheduled for Monday, March 20, and Tuesday, March 21. Gov. Linda Lingle, the honorary chair of the Filipino Centennial Celebration Commission, will present the keynote speech, a reflection on her recent trip to the Philippines, on Monday, March 20, at 11 a.m.
Throughout the week, an interactive, multimedia historical exhibit produced by LCC Philippines Studies students will be on display in the library highlighting the migration of Filipinos in the United States, and a special photo exhibit, "Sulyap" by photographer Tim Llena, will be displayed in the foyer of the Administration Building, offering a glimpse of contemporary Filipino life in Hawaiʻi..
The festival will be in full swing on Wednesday, March 22, with "Pista sa Leeward," a full day of entertainment and performances featuring American Idol finalist Jordan Segundo, LCC's Kanikapila Singers, pianist and banduria player Chris Cerna, renowned sax player Fani Tedios, and kundiman vocalist Donnabelle Pascual. The Pedoy Escrima School will also render a demonstration of Filipino traditional martial arts, and Elias Beniga, chair of the Filipino Centennial Celebration Commission, will address the crowd.
The LCC celebration is made possible with funding support from the Filipino Centennial Celebration Commission, Pacific and Asian Affairs Council, UH Diversity Funds, and Women's Campus Club.
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact LCC International Education Committee co-chairs Raymund Liongson, 455-0224, or Pat Neils, 455-0357.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTSMonday, March 20
All lecture presentations will take place in the LCC Theatre.9 a.m.
Opening Remarks
LCC Interim Chancellor Peter Quigley9:10 a.m.
"Philippines and the Asia Pacific/Filipino Migration to Hawaiʻi"
Dr. Belinda Aquino, Director, UH Mānoa Center for Philippine Studies10 a.m.
"ʻSinggalot' (Ties that Bind): From Colonial Subjects and Nationals to Filipino Americans in the United States"
Dr. Dean Alegado, Chair, UH Mānoa Ethnic Studies Program11 a.m.
Gov. Linda Lingle
Honorary Chair, Filipino Centennial Celebration CommissionNoon
"Filipino-American Youth: Performing Filipinicity, Cultural Identity and Performing Arts in the United States"
Dr. Ricardo Trimillos, Interim Dean, UH Mānoa School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies (SHAPS)
1 p.m.
Ramon Obusan Ballet Folklorico de Philipinas lecture and mini-performance
Tuesday, March 21
All lecture presentations will take place in the LCC Theatre.
9 a.m.
"Growing up Filipino"
Student panel presentation moderated by Pat Ramos, LCC Tagalog instructor
10:30 a.m.
"Filipinos in Hawaiʻi, Today and Beyond"
Video presentation by producer Emme Tomimbang, and panel discussion including Robin Campaniano, Roland Casamina, Katrina Guerrero, and Clevan Cabuhat; moderated by Abelina Madrid Shaw
Wednesday, March 22
9 a.m. — 1 p.m.
"Pista sa Leeward"
Outdoor stage performances and presentations
Friday, March 24
10 a.m.
Filipino-American Trivia Game (Room GT-105)


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The only problem I had is the surface of nian gao is not smooth after steamed look so wrinkle..Why? wondering what happened? check out my first posting HERE!!
600 gm sugar
600 ml water
600 gm glutinous rice flour (sifted)
300 gm palm sugar
1: Dissolve 300 gm sugar in a dry pot over low heat till it caramelizes.( Do not stir)add 300 ml of water and mix well.
2: Add the remaining sugar,palm sugar into the mixture,stir constantly till the sugar dissolves.Set aside to cool completely. Prepare large pot or steamer with water for steaming at high heat.
3:Combine glutinous rice flour and the remaining water.Add caramel on glutinous rice flour mixture together in a large bowl to incorporate until smooth.Whisk the mixture if possible.If it's too dry add in extra 50 ml water.Sieve the mixture ,to remove lump and bubble build up.
4: Pour batter into cups to 3/4 full.( Do not fill to the rim as the batter might overflow when steaming)
5:Place aluminium baking dish on a steamer when water has boiled.Steam over high heat for 30 minutes .Then reduce heat to medium and steam for another 30 minutes. Increase time for steaming if the container is bigger.
Yield 5 small 7 inch aluminium baking dish
ready for steaming
steamed in steamer
not really bad looking...eh?
did any one a better way to steam shortcut nian gao? please share...


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BC Flag
British Columbia's provincial flag
was officially adopted in 1960. It duplicates the design on the Coat of Arms and Britain's flag, the Union Jack, represents our colonial ties to the Crown and to England. BC's geographic location between the Pacific Ocean and Rocky Mountains is symbolized by the blue waves and silver bars across the centre of the flag, and also by the setting sun, symbolizing BC as Canada's westernmost province.
Coat of Arms
The Provincial Coat of Arms
consists of four major parts; each a symbol of British Columbia. The Union Jack and the Provincial Flag both appear on the shield, signifying both our British colonial ties, and our independence. The supporters, the ram and the stag, also represent the former colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island. The Royal Crest (the crowned red lion standing on crown) sits atop the Golden Helmet of Sovereignty, which is a symbol of British Columbia's autonomy, but also of the link to England and the Crown. Lastly, British Columbia's motto appears at the bottom, entwined with the provincial flower, the Dogwood. Rev. Arthur Beanlands originally designed the Coat of Arms in 1895. King Edward VII first granted the Coat of Arms in 1906, but Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II also granted elements of it on October 15th, 1987.
Provincial Motto
Splendor Sine Occasu
Meaning "Splendour Without Diminishment" in Latin, British Columbia's provincial motto was designed by Rev. Arthur Beanlands and was first adopted in 1895.
Provincial Flower
The Pacific Dogwood
(Cornus Nuttallii) was adopted as British Columbia's provincial flower in 1956. Actually a flowering tree, the Pacific Dogwood is known for its white blooms, brilliant red berries and bright foliage in the fall. It stands about eight to ten metres high, and blossoms in April and May.
Provincial Mammal
The Spirit Bear
(also known as the Kermode Bear) was adopted by the province of British Columbia as the provincial mammal in 2006. The Kermode or Spirit Bear is a black bear that has white fur due to a rare genetic trait. The bear is not albino, as it typically has a brown nose and eyes. The greatest concentrations of Spirit Bears are found on the Central Coast and North Coast of British Columbia, but have also been documented in northeast British Columbia.
Provincial Bird
The Steller's Blue Jay
was adopted by the people of British Columbia as the provincial bird in 1987. It is identified by its vibrant blue and black tones, and is notorious for being exceptionally smart and lively. The Steller's Jay is quite common to British Columbia, and can be found all over the province.
Provincial Gemstone
Provincial Tartan
Provincial Tree
The Western Red Cedar
(Thuja Plicata Donn) became British Columbia's provincial tree in 1988. The Red Cedar is a cone-bearing tree, and can be identified by its stringy bark, strong aroma and twigs spread out in a fan-like fashion. Traditionally, the tree was widely used by the West Coast Aboriginal people, but today it also has become a significant resource to British Columbia's forest industry.


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(63) Customer Reviews
Price Range: USD $134.71 to $502.77
Light Truck and SUVs
All Season
Mud Terrain
Extraordinary Off-Road Performance. What it is: A combination of outstanding off-road traction, robust construction and aggressive aesthetics that provide race-proven performance. Who it's for: 4WD enthusiasts who want the latest in top off-road performance
Krawler-inspired tread design with great looks and dual grooving pattern for incredible on-off road performance More transverse and linear flex zones across tread improves off-road traction Large sidewall lugs add muscle to the sidewall and improve traction in soft soil conditionsLarge and thick sidewall lugs increases sidewall strength New sidewall rubber compound is more resistant to cutting and tearing BFGoodrich Tires' TriGard, 3-ply construction has cords that are up to 33% stronger that increase sidewall strength
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Awesome tyre in the mud. Sounded great for the first 20k. Then wore unevenly, and sounded like a helicopter coming up the road. Rotated every 10k, balanced etc. But couldn't rectify the uneven wearing and noise. Even tried running different psi in the tyres to get them to wear differently. These tyres are hopeless on bitumen, and hate long bitumen trips. 3000km roadtrip in 1 week led me to replace them after due to noise/vibrations and safety concerns. Dont expect anything more than 60 000kms from these $350 AUD per tyre
Size: 265/70R17
Vehicle: 2013 Ford Explorer 4 Dr Sport Utility XLT with 60000 KM of Tire Wear
made this review on 11/10/2018 and is a
Confident, Experienced Driver
I've been running strictly BFG Mud Terrains on all my 4x4's since 1980. I don't even want to think about all the thousands of $ I've spent on all those sets of BFG MT's. For decades, I've recommended the BFG MT's to anyone that actually used their 4x4. They were all great until the KM2's. The KM2's suck!
On my first set of the KM2's, I had three tread separations within 1,000 miles, with the tires only having 12,000 miles on them. The tires still had 60 - 70% usable tread left on them. Two of the tread separations were catastrophic failures. One of the catastrophic failures happened at highway speeds and caused $3,000 worth of damage to my vehicle. That damage was not from an accident. It was just from the loose tread smashing into my vehicle, while decelerating from 75 to zero. BFG claimed there was no defect with their tires and refused to compensate me for the damage their tires caused to my vehicle. The tires have always been balanced and rotated at 4k - 5k miles. I am meticulous about keeping the proper tire inflation. The vehicle was properly aligned and the tires were evenly worn. These are 10-ply rated tires on a 4,000 lb SUV. Certainly no overloading issues.
After the third tread separation, I didn't trust the remaining 2 tires, of the original set of 5. Therefore, when I replaced tire #3, I replaced tires #4 and #5, as well. Now I had a complete new set of KM2's.
After a couple of years with the second set of KM2's, the tires started developing weather checking cracks. I just had my first tread separation on one of the tires from my second set. The second set still has over 50% tread left.
Conclusion: After all these decades of being a loyal BFG customer, it's time to find a different brand of Mud Terrain Tire. The fact that BFG was not willing to stand up to their obviously defective tires, is deeply disturbing.
Size: 265/75R16
made this review on 4/4/2017 and is a
Aggressive Driver (Hard Cornering)
Cannot complain. 51,000 miles on first set just installed 2nd set this weekend and I love these tires.
Size: 285/70R17
made this review on 9/11/2016 and is a
Aggressive Driver (Hard Cornering)
To see all 63 reviews on tire reviews page
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| 5.5°C Belfast
Almost half of the public do not understand plans for sharing their medical records while 80% of GPs are unclear how the data will be used, surveys have shown.
Two polls for the Medical Protection Society (MPS) show most patients have not yet received leaflets explaining the system and GPs fear patients will not be informed enough to decide whether to opt out.
Last week, the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) warned of a "crisis of public confidence" in the new Care.data system. While it supports the plan in principle, it said it was "very worried" the public had not been properly informed.
There has been huge criticism of Care.data, which is being established to aid medical research and monitor NHS performance more closely.
The idea is to link data from GP records with information from hospitals to give an idea of what happens to patients along the way.
The data being extracted from GP systems includes things such as family history, vaccinations, referrals for treatment, diagnoses and information about prescriptions.
It can also include biological values such as a patient's blood pressure, body mass index and cholesterol levels.
Personal confidential data (PCD) identifiers will also be included such as date of birth, postcode, NHS number and gender. The written notes a GP makes during a consultation will not be included in the information, which will then be anonymised and held centrally by the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).
Today's YouGov survey of more than 1,400 members of the public showed 67% have not received the leaflet from NHS England explaining the new system.
Furthermore, 45% do not understand Care.data from what they have read or heard.
However, half of those surveyed said they were not concerned about their data being shared outside their GP practice.
A separate MPS survey of more than 600 GP members showed 77% do not think NHS England has given them enough information to properly inform patients about Care.data.
Some 80% of GPs said they themselves do not have a good understanding of how the patient data will be used while 55% had concerns about the overall system.
Of those GPs that had concerns, 67% think patients will not have enough information to make an informed decision on what happens to their records.
However, 28% believe the system will join up medical records while 32% think it will help inform decisions about improving care in local communities.
Nevertheless, 80% said the system could undermine public confidence in the principle of medical confidentiality.
NHS England has given assurances that insurance companies will not be sold data for insurance purposes. But the plans mean that private health companies that happen to have an insurance arm could be allowed access.
There is also a proposal, being discussed next month, which could give non-NHS bodies, including pharmaceutical companies, access to the data.
Dr Pallavi Bradshaw, medico-legal adviser at MPS, said: "While we recognise that sharing information about patients could transform the way the NHS cares for and treats people, it is worrying that GPs feel that there is a lack of information for patients to make an informed decision about their personal data.
"This is a huge step in modernising health services, which most people will only find out about in a mail-drop to households, and that may get lost or discarded along with take-away menus and supermarket offers."
Dr Bradshaw said technology could offer enormous opportunities "but we do not want this to be at the cost of trust between the doctor and patient".
He added: "Although the results tell us that half of patients are not concerned about their medical records leaving the GP practice, we worry that this is because, historically, patients have had confidence in their GP to look after their personal data.
"Some patients may see the scheme as an unwelcome intrusion into their personal lives which could irreversibly damage the relationship with their family doctor."
A spokeswoman for NHS England said: "We are absolutely committed to ensuring the public understand the benefits of this important initiative and also the choices available to them.
"This is why we provided leaflets and posters to every GP practice in August 2013, have produced a video animation, and have established an information line - 0300 456 3531 - mfor patients to call if they have any questions or concerns. Information is also available on NHS choices.
"We contracted Royal Mail to deliver a leaflet to every possible household in England during January.
"We are concerned by reports that some households have not received a leaflet and are following this up with Royal Mail as a matter of urgency."


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Consensus Report
Enhancing the Value and Sustainability of Field Stations and Marine Laboratories in the 21st Century (2014)Board on Life Sciences
Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review; while the reports represent views of the committee, they also are endorsed by the Academy. Learn more on our expert consensus reports.
Amid rapid environmental change, a strong understanding of the natural world is more important than ever. Field stations and marine laboratories place scientists on the front lines of our changing Earth, helping them gather the data needed to better understand shifting climate and ecosystems and make robust projections of future conditions. Field stations are a critical component of our scientific infrastructure that bring the basic tools of science into the field and connect scientists, educators, and communities to the environment. But to fulfill their vital role, field stations must evolve. This report explores strategies to harness the power and potential of field stations to address complex challenges in science and society.


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A dozen smugglers were squatting next to their mules. We should have left hours earlier. The four of us in the BBC team worried that if we didn't go soon it would be dawn before we reached Lebanon. A Syrian patrol might spot us on the bare hillside. We were on the edge of the mountains that run along Syria's border with Lebanon, falling away into the Bekaa Valley, and not all that far from the official border crossing on the Damascus-Beirut highway. There had been a gunfight in the next village, they told us, a battle for control of the smuggling routes (and for the big profits from selling weapons to the rebels). Three men had been killed. The mules' owner was on the winning side. But he'd be late.
When he did arrive, we set off up a steep hill, the rocky ground luminous white under the full moon. Some of the mules were loaded with rocket-propelled grenades and a heavy machine gun for a village on the way. The others, we rode. The smugglers were "the scum of the earth," said one of those in our group. It was Ramadan, but they weren't fasting. They swore. When we parted ways 12 hours later, one got very aggressive as we checked the mules' panniers for anything left behind. "Back off or I shoot," he snarled from atop a black horse. "F--- you and f--- your sister." He had stolen a flak jacket, we discovered later.
We were using this criminal gang because rebel fighters were unable to take us back the way we had come, through the town of Zabadani. There was too much shelling. We could hear it in the distance as the sun came up, volleys of far off thunder from the tanks and artillery pieces we had seen ringing the town two weeks earlier. That crossing, into Syria, hadn't been easy, either. It was too steep for mules so we walked for three nights, legs aching, lungs burning, stopping to rest before we edged around Syrian army posts as quietly as we could in the dark.
That journey was in August 2012, one of a half-dozen covert trips across the border that we made for the BBC over the past year. The crew consisted of a cameraman, Fred Scott; a medic, Kevin Sweeney; our translator, Ghassan (who was not using his real name); and me. We did this to be able to cover the insurgency from the inside. But, mostly, we had to sneak in because the regime was not granting visas. Despite the government's promise to the United Nations that foreign reporters would be given access, visas were often impossible to obtain. A hard slog with low-life smugglers was a small price for avoiding the Syrian security forces. "Seven years for crossing the border illegally. Another 10 for having a sat phone," an activist warned when we were setting up our first trip, in November 2011. "Do you really want to do this?"
The regime's grip was still strong everywhere on those first covert trips in 2011. We'd spend days or even weeks hiding out in safe houses. Activists and Free Syrian Army fighters risked their lives to look after us. Getting caught was a real risk. There was always a government checkpoint nearby. Informers, we were warned, were everywhere. An activist told me that a Lebanese reporter for an international news agency had been arrested and tortured for a month with electric shocks. A Western journalist was detained and badly beaten, her captors urinating on her as she lay on the cell floor, he said. As anyone reporting from Syria will tell you, the activists sometimes exaggerate, but such stories seemed alarmingly plausible. They were in line with what we'd heard about others who had run into trouble in Syria. The uprising was still quite new and it seemed the authorities were trying to scoop up activists' networks by arresting journalists. The reporters who were detained for meeting with opponents of the regime were in the country legally. At the very least, we thought, we would be jailed as spies if caught. Our interpreter expected he would be killed.
The official media blamed Syria's troubles on "foreign infiltrators" and "agents of Israel." In Homs last February, my host came in to say he had seen me on Dounia, a private channel known for putting out pro-regime propaganda even more virulent than that of state television. He told me that Dounia showed one of my pieces on camera while the anchor accused me of using certain words and gestures to send coded messages to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. I found this too ridiculous to believe, even for Dounia. Why wouldn't I just phone Mossad? But other Syrians told me later that they had seen the broadcast, too.
Later, as Syria became more a civil war and less an uprising, there was an identifiable front line and rebel-held territory. Still, we got the same warning from activists as at the beginning: It's more dangerous to go out with a camera, they said, than with a Kalashnikov. Mika Yamamoto, an experienced Japanese correspondent, was shot dead in Aleppo in August. The commander of the Free Syrian Army unit with which Yamamoto was traveling told me he had no doubt she was killed deliberately. The FSA said a captured government sniper admitted carrying out orders to target foreign reporters. It is hard to know if that is true, but Syria's citizen journalists believe the regime is out to get them--and foreign journalists, too.
The highest-profile media casualty was Marie Colvin, one of the best and bravest correspondents of her generation. An American working for the U.K.'s Sunday Times, she went to the Baba Amr district in Homs when it came under bombardment in February. She died, along with the French photographer Rémi Ochlik, as shells or rockets hit a makeshift media center in Baba Amr. We had stayed there only the week before. It was really just an activist's apartment with a generator, hot water, and Internet. Between the members of the BBC team, we had been to two dozen wars, but the shelling there was the worst we had ever seen. Government tanks were already at the edges of Baba Amr. After only four days, we decided to leave.
Marie came to see me before she went in. She thought the regime might do anything to prevent stories and pictures from getting out that could make foreign intervention more likely. Although citizen journalists sent out shaky pictures of the shelling day after day, the presence of international correspondents did focus attention on Baba Amr. Marie was all over the BBC, CNN, and Sky with a gut-wrenching account of a baby that had been hit by shrapnel dying in an ill-equipped field clinic. "The doctor said 'I can't do anything,'" she told the BBC. "His little tummy just kept heaving until he died." She was killed less than 24 hours later. If the regime was trying to suppress coverage of Baba Amr before its ground offensive, it failed. An editor in London stated a fact when he said of Marie's death: "This has put rocket boosters under the story."
Did the regime deliberately attack the media center? After Baba Amr's fall, I visited Marie's photographer, Paul Conroy, who was recovering in a London hospital with a fist-sized hole in his thigh. He had been a soldier in the British Royal Artillery before he became a journalist and thought that Katyusha rockets were carefully aimed at them. "There were two [impacts] happening and they appeared to be bracketed in on our location," he said. "They got a fix and then four [more] hit. As an artilleryman, I think that was a good day's work for a well-trained team. Nothing smacked of randomness." He told me how, using an Ethernet cable as a makeshift tourniquet for his leg, he stumbled out through thick black smoke and tripped over a body half buried in the rubble. It was Marie.
There were five days of agonizing uncertainty over whether he would be able to leave, along with other foreign journalists caught in the attack. One of the leaders of the Farouq Brigade, the main FSA group in Homs, was accused of keeping the journalists there so the world would not ignore Baba Amr's fate. The commander, Abu Jasim, denied it when I met him later, saying his men had died trying to get the journalists out of Homs. Still, such was the mistrust and recrimination amid Baba Amr's fall that another group of FSA fighters we were staying with nearby insisted on escorting us in case we were kidnapped by the Farouq Brigade.
Paul Conroy did not believe the regime's promises of safe passage and so, despite his grave wounds, he chose to leave using the tunnel that was Baba Amr's only, tenuous link to the outside world. He was being taken through by an FSA fighter when they found a man carrying a 10-year-old boy whose legs had been stripped of their flesh by an explosion. A shell had collapsed the tunnel at one point. There was just a small crawl space at the top of a pile of rubble. Paul helped the boy pull himself through the hole, bare bone scraping across jagged concrete. Paul got out, but those following had to turn back when the tunnel was attacked. They included the Spanish correspondent Javier Espinosa, the French photographer William Daniels, and the French writer Edith Bouvier, who, with a shattered femur, was taped to a stretcher. All of the foreign journalists did eventually escape Baba Amr. Remaining behind were the local reporters who had been there throughout 25 days of shelling.
Among them was "Jeddi" ("grandfather" in Arabic, though he was only 34). Jeddi had been a vegetable seller before taking up a camera in the revolution. Often brave to the point of recklessness, he stayed as the FSA pulled out--to spare Baba Amr further bombardment, the rebels said. Most of the activist-reporters in Baba Amr I spoke to thought the fighters had made a mistake. One told me by phone: "The FSA are sitting in Qusayr, drinking tea and chit-chatting while Baba Amr is destroyed. They are cowards." Jeddi told me he had dug a hole in the garden behind his house. He would hide in it when the army arrived.
We heard nothing more of Jeddi, whose real name was Ali Othman, until a few weeks later when he was arrested in Aleppo. Other activists said he was tortured, giving up dozens of names. The following month, he appeared in a bizarre and disturbing special program on Dounia, giving a two-hour interview, or "confession" as the show's anchor described it. In the lurid title sequence, the camera moves down a darkened corridor as dramatic music blares out. A cell door swings open to reveal Jeddi sitting in the corner, head bowed, in a pool of blue blue light.
The pendulum swung back and forth. Jeddi did not denounce the revolution. Nor did he throw the questions back in the interviewer's face. It was a skilled performance and courageous, given the enormous pressure to say what was expected of him. The FSA was still furious. One commander called him a traitor. The reaction was unfair but explained by the fact that the FSA would previously have seen Jeddi as "their" journalist and the Baba Amr media center's function to put out propaganda for the armed uprising.
Some citizen journalists saw themselves this way, too. Most had taken to reporting to help the revolution. Some were, literally, spokesmen for the FSA, and a few were armed themselves. People, including those in the FSA ranks, expected their media to be on their side. Many, probably most, of the Arabic TV stations or newspapers seen by the average Syrian were highly partisan. People reacted to them as such.
One afternoon in November 2011 in Baba Amr, we heard shouting outside in the street. A small crowd surrounded a car. A reporter and cameraman had just driven in. They were recognized as being from Lebanese Al-Manar TV. Al Manar is a Shia channel affiliated with Hezbollah, and therefore the Syrian regime; Baba Amr, stronghold of the uprising, was mostly Sunni, like the revolution itself. The reporter had been given the blessing of a Sunni religious sheik to come into Baba Amr. He had miscalculated.
The reporter--a Lebanese Shia, we learned later--took off at a sprint and reached the government checkpoint a couple of hundred yards away. His cameraman, a Syrian Sunni, was grabbed and hustled away. There was a debate over what to do with him. Our host, Abu Sufian, a leading figure in Baba Amr, had lost three members of his family in the uprising and was enraged. "I lost my brother. My brother. They killed my brother," he screamed.
Another man tried to calm him. "We can't harm him," he said. "That is not our religion."
The cameraman was taken to see the body of a 6-year-old boy shot dead as he played on his doorstep. Male relatives, tears running down their faces, were standing silently over the boy, laid out in the nearby mosque. Our hosts informed us that the cameraman was shocked and said he'd been wrong to support the regime. They asked if we would film his statement to show he hadn't been harmed. We refused. They tried to use the cameraman in a prisoner swap. That failed, but he was released that night in exchange for the return of two bodies, we were told. The next day we laughed as state television announced that two kidnapped journalists from Al-Manar had been freed in a "special forces raid" on Baba Amr.
I wondered if he would have been killed if we hadn't been there. The unspoken attitude of the fighters toward reporters was: You're either with us or against us. FSA officers would nod and agree when we told them we were not there to put out propaganda. But there was little real understanding of objective journalism. At the beginning, the rebels thought foreign reporters would bring Western planes to bomb the regime, as in Libya. By late 2012, they told us there's no point in helping journalists--they know they are on their own. But, though they are bitter about the outside world's failure to help, fighters and activists have continued to welcome us to their homes, feeding us, moving us around the checkpoints.
Syrian state TV accused the rebels of killing Gilles Jacquier, the first Western correspondent to die in Syria's civil war. He was hit by a mortar shell or rocket-propelled grenade in January 2012 while on a government-sponsored trip to Homs. He was in a neighborhood of Alawites and affluent Sunnis loyal to the regime. But two Swiss journalists with him thought it was a setup, a government attack made to look like the work of rebels. Jacquier's wife, Caroline Poiron, was also there, on assignment for Paris Match. "Everything was orchestrated--it was like theater," she told me. "Gilles and the 12 other journalists were targeted by the regime to show the world that there are terrorists in Syria." A French judge is now investigating.
Alex Thompson of Britain's Channel 4 made another accusation against the rebels. He believes that FSA fighters pointed his crew down a road where they knew the regime's forces would fire on any approaching vehicle. "The rebels deliberately set us up to be shot by the Syrian Army," he wrote on his blog. "Dead journos are bad for Damascus." Thompson said that the rebels he met didn't trust anyone coming from Damascus on an official visa. We traveled with activists or fighters from start to finish. But I never felt, as he did, that the rebels might get you killed just so they could blame it on the government. We still had problems: hostile questions about stories that, it turned out, the rebels had not actually seen, or about the actions of "BBC journalists" when we knew there had been no one from the BBC present.
An FSA spokesman in northern Lebanon, for example, began telling armed groups inside Syria that I was a spy. How did he know? A source inside the regime, he said. Had he spoken to this informer? No, others had. What had been said exactly? He wasn't sure. This might have been a lie by the regime to discredit us, we said. Had he thought of that? We began to suspect that this was fallout from emails written by Nir Rosen, the controversial American journalist and commentator. Among the thousands of emails uncovered when activists hacked into President Bashar al-Assad's private account in February 2012 were forwarded messages from Rosen. He had written to officials to inform them that reporters were sneaking into Homs. He did this to help his own visa application. He named me. This was not helpful. We assumed the regime knew we had been in Homs--we had broadcast from there--but Assad was apparently not aware himself. We worried that if he were to take a personal interest, the security services would really start looking for us.
Rosen mounted a vigorous defense, writing articles and enlisting activists to deny that he was a regime stooge or a spy. I suspected that upon seeing my name and the word "spy" in the same article, the FSA spokesman and others had simply gotten things backward. Other journalists faced similar, flimsy accusations, often just the result of muddle on the part of the FSA. "What made you think he was a spy?" one reporter asked when a colleague came under suspicion. "He asked what weapons we were using," a fighter replied. A French reporter found herself the subject of a tense discussion in Homs. "They thought you were a spy and were debating whether to execute you," an activist told her when she got back to Lebanon.
All of this might be the product of 40 years of state-sponsored paranoia about outsiders, especially Westerners, and the fact that the Free Syrian Army is not one organization but a brand name for hundreds of local militias. The chaos has also allowed jihadist groups to join the fight, a dangerous development for Western journalists in Syria. The British photographer John Cantlie and a Dutch colleague, Jeroen Oerlemans, stumbled into a foreign jihadists' camp in the north in July. There were 40 fighters, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Chechnya, and Turkey and 10 to 15 speaking with southern English accents. The journalists were blindfolded, handcuffed, kicked around, and put in stress positions. Some of the worst treatment was from the Britons, Cantlie said. They were young, on their first jihad and "very excited" to have Western hostages. They were calling us "Christian filth," and saying "die, kafir" (infidel), he recalls. A knife was sharpened, to behead them, they were told. They ran for their lives across the plain leading away from the camp. The jihadists sprayed automatic fire in their direction. Both were wounded and dragged back.
They were patched up and prepared for transfer to a "more serious" Al-Qaeda-affiliated group. Cantlie said they would have been killed if the FSA had not arrived to rescue them. "The implications are that the longer this goes on, the more complicated it will become," he said. "And the longer this goes on, the nastier it will get, for all of us." They were both lucky not to join the list of those who have died covering Syria's civil war, some foreign correspondents, many more local reporters. Whether it is the presence of jihadist groups or the regime's use of aerial bombing, new risks are being added to those that journalists faced at the beginning. As Syria endures its second winter of war, the dangers for journalists are multiplying.
Paul Wood is a BBC Middle East correspondent covering Syria. He has reported on more than a dozen conflicts, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Darfur, the Balkans, and Chechnya.


text: You want Anna Sui cosmetics? We know where you can find them. ASOS, one of our fave shopping sites, has exclusively launched Anna Sui's new beauty products, and we're so excited for the the fun and playful line. And, the collection features an extra special touch. Specifically for the holidays, Sui has based the line around one of Disney's most adorable characters, Minnie Mouse! We agree when Sui says "it's almost too cute to use!" Also available are her Signature and fragrance collections. Check out the entire line here!


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Art and time have much in common including the fact that they are both very hard to pin down. Art seems to have the ability to freeze or stretch time; it is a medium for imagining future scenarios and retrieving the past. Philosophical notions of time such as the non-specific dimension of Aboriginal Dreamtime are explored by Ian McLean and teleportation by Melentie Pandilowski. In a special section commissioned by Ben Eltham, authors investigate microtime, deep time, duration itself as a subject of art, together with things that decay over time or relate to memory or death. Ulanda Blair surveys the Yokohama Triennial and its theme Time Crevasse. A major essay by Laurence Simmons places the moving image 'time slice' work of Daniel Crooks in the context of the 19th Century science which first captured movement on film. Adrian Martin explores the parallel careers of filmmakers Victor Erice (Spain) and Abbas Kiarostami (Iran). Other features include Stephanie Radok on the currency of Aboriginal art, Djon Mundine on ethical dilemmas for prize judges and curators and Lucas Ihlein on Donald Brooks new book The Awful Truth about What Art Is.
Melentie Pandilovski's article is adapted from a paper he gave at the ISEA conference in Singapore in 2008. He writes about interactions between the arts, science and technology through looking at the work of British artist Lei Cox's work Teleportation Experiment.
Published March 2009
Published March 2009
The responses of digital artists David Haines, Jon Hunter and Pete Newman to the molecular scale on which our world is now micromanaged are contrasted with the work of the late Jon Wah whose work stopped time with a saddhu-like discipline of the will. Jon Wah died in August 2008, aged 27. A posthumous retrospective was held for him at Serial Space, Chippendale, Sydney, 8-18 December 2008.
Published March 2009
Published March 2009
In Audrey Lams Under Development (2007), two detectives investigating a murder seek answers in an ominous, half-built structure. Close attention to the lush, inky compositions reveals the frozen temporality of a Brisbane landmark: the film records the historic erection of the Gallery of Modern Art.
Published March 2009
An edited version of a lecture by Laurence Simmons, Associate Professor in the Department of Film, Television and Media Studies at the University of Auckland, given in association with Daniel Crooks' exhibition everywhere instantly curated by Justin Paton at the Christchurch Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu in 2008. Simmons links Crooks' work to Walter Benjamin's Angel of History and the experiments of Etienne-Jules Marey, the inventor of chronophotography.
Published March 2009
An analysis of Aboriginal conceptions of time and its similarity to the ideas of modern physics, science fiction, and those of artists such as Monet, Cézanne, Picasso, Breton, Klein and Richter, and philosophers such as Nietzsche, Heidegger, Benjamin, Deleuze and Derrida. They too have sought to feel and know spacetime in the pressing and intimate way that Aborigines do.
Published March 2009
Two video artists William Mansfield and William Lamson whose recent works pay homage to the 'poetics of the banal' and the history of durational practice.
Published March 2009
Using the work of two current Antipodean artists, Amy-Jo Jory and David Pledger, Melbourne-based Kate Sandford explores the place of suburbia in our consciousness and the way that even though real suburbia has changed, some representations of it have stayed the same.
Published March 2009
Joe Felber's art practice is interdisciplinary and acquisitive, absorbing, assembling, composing and de-composing, playing and re-playing elements from a vast collection of fragments collected across the world in cities and art galleries.
Published March 2009
Life. Death. Thereafter was at Silvershot Gallery in Melbourne from 16 September 29 November 2008. Melbourne-based curator Mark Feary produced a relatively new exhibition model, three separate, distinct, but thematically entwined shows, running end to end for eighteen days each showing the work of Kate Just, Steve Carr, Patricia Piccinini, Paolo Canevari, Rob McLeish, Ronnie van Hout, Jesper Just, Jason Greig, Sally Blenheim and Blair Trethowan.
Published March 2009
Susan Milne, Izabela Pluta, Annie Hogan and Hannah Bertram work with the idea of the theatre of decline set within the grounds of the domestic environment.
Published March 2009
Recent sound and electronic media work by two Tasmanian artists Scot Cotterell and Matt Warren remaster images and sounds from older technology to make a past-present present.
Published March 2009
Darren Jorgensen tackles the topic of nuclear waste and the possible plan to make Australia the dump site. If this were to occur the affect it would have on the Australian land as well as the Aboriginal communities that inhabit it would be quiet destructive and detrimental. Jorgensen explains the situation whereby foreign countries seek to dump their nuclear waste in Australian land by bribing its inhabitants for the right to do so.
In addition to this Jorgensen also explains the nature of monuments and its significance towards portraying an indexical symbol of, in this situation, danger by exploring the involvement of aboriginal artists in relation to the creation of such monuments.
Published March 2009
Gabriella and Silvana Mangano undertake their art as a shared style of communication between siblings. Now showing at MUMA (Monash University Museum of Art) their collaborative work embraces intimacy and repetition in performance, drawing, video, sound and installation.
Published March 2009
The Awful Truth About What Art Is
by Donald Brook,
published by Artlink 2008
Reviewed by Lucas Ihlein
The Awful Truth About What Art Is can be ordered online at www.artlink.com.au
Published March 2009
avoiding myth and message: Australia artist and the literary world,
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
7 April 12 July 2009, curator: Glenn Barkley.
Published March 2009
Jeffrey Smart: the question of portraiture, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, 4 March - 13 April, 2009.
Published March 2009
Better Places
Curator: Melissa Keys
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA)
4 December 2008 1 February 2009
Published March 2009
Contemporary Australia: Optimism
Curatorial Manager: Julie Ewington
Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), Brisbane
15 November 2008 22 February 2009
Published March 2009
Discord: Art from MONA
Curator: Nicole Durling
9 January 1 February 2009
Salamanca Arts Centre and various locations
Published March 2009
Girls, Girls, Girls
Carlton Hotel, Melbourne
Curators: Lyndal Walker, Nat Thomas
23 October 8 November 2008
Published March 2009
Goochs Utopia: collected works from the Central Desert
Curator: Fiona Salmon
Flinders University Art Museum
3 October 23 November 2008
Riddoch Art Gallery
5 December 2008 8 February 2009
Published March 2009
Lockhart River Old Girls
Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane
26 November 20 December 2008
Published March 2009
Open Air: Portraits in the landscape
Curators: Wally Caruana, Michael Desmond, Andrew Sayers
National Portrait Gallery (NPG)
4 December 2008 1 March 2009
Published March 2009
Sara Maher
Moonah Arts Centre, Hobart
10 23 December 2008
Published March 2009
Patricia Piccinini: Related Individuals
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
12 November 6 December 2008
Published March 2009
Rosalie Gascoigne
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
19 December 2008 15 March 2009
Curator: Kelly Gelatly
Published March 2009
Silver Artrage 25
Curators: Andrew Gaynor, Marcus Canning
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA)
18 October 21 November 2008
Published March 2009
The Christmas Tree Bucket:
Trent Parkes Family Album
Australian Centre for Photography
21 November 2008 24 January 2009
Published March 2009


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Saban Brands is partnering with the Center for Childhood Creativity for its animated preschool series, Julius Jr. The Center for Childhood Creativity has been working closely with Saban Brands to produce a series of "Inventing Time" activities designed for parents and caregivers to use at home, and for teachers to use in a preschool setting.
The Julius Jr. discussion guides encourage kids to take everyday objects they find around the house and turn them into extraordinary things, such as bridges, musical instruments, shadow puppets, and more. The activities come with a list of open-ended questions for adults to ask children while they are working on the various projects, enabling original thought and problem solving.
These materials are available at the Center for Childhood Creativity's website, as well as for pick-up at San Francisco's Bay Area Discovery Museum.


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If I could have all the hours I invested in Twisted Metal 2 on Playstation back I'd probably be able to finish War & Peace, but I wouldn't do it. Those were great hours. So the sight of Sweet Tooth from TM2 rendered in real metal is both heart-warming and stomach-sinking, which I think is the point.
This is too specific too be a QOTD, but I'm curious: what's your favorite TM character? I was a big fan of Outlaw, specifically the sexy Outlaw 2 in her two-door LAPD squad car. DON'T TASE ME BRO.
Photo: Imgur via Reddit


text:
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text:
Oracle Delivers a Solid Q2
The results were better than expected. Earnings on a per-share basis were 64 cents, three cents above the consensus of 61 cents. Sales were $9.11 billion, beating the consensus estimate of $9.03 billion.
As usual, we'll be listening for hints from Oracle on the state of overall IT spending, which could have important implications for other companies, including Hewlett-Packard, SAP and IBM.
Also, though much of Oracle's corporate legal dramas with HP and Google have quieted for now, it's possible that CEO Larry Ellison will have some colorful words about his various competitors.
Update: The call is now over and you can read my abbreviated transcript below. (Sorry, I joined late.) A few highlights: President Mark Hurd declared that Oracle plans to hire more sales people, and to do so fairly aggressively. Ellison reminded the analysts on the call that the surge in hiring has been done without adding much to the expenses. CFO Safra Catz said that sales to federal customers are healthy despite the worries about the federal budget's "fiscal cliff" that is looming at the end of the year.
2:18 pm: Joining late after a technical foul-up. The Q&A session has already started.
2:19 pm: Question from Merrill Lynch about growth rates of Exadata. Are you tracking closer to the billion-dollar run rate? Also, any changes in customer behavior in regards to the fiscal cliff?
President Mark Hurd: We're changing nothing. Generally speaking, that's the trajectory we're on.
CFO Safra Catz: We're having a wonderful December so far. People are wanting to spend their budgets. I can tell you our federal customers have been spending money with us even in December.
Question from Wells Fargo: Sales performance and productivity. There were changes in headcount and software licensing. Curious about productivity ramping for net new hires and heading into Q4.
Hurd: Without making too many forward-looking statements, in general we feel great. We're hiring the best people in the industry and getting them ramped and oriented to sell and beat competition. We've lined up our sales force against the secular competitors and trained them to be experts in their products. We don't expect them to be very productive for the first twelve months. If they are productive, that's gravy. We feel great about the talent we're attracting and we feel great about getting them inside. And we're still hiring.
CEO Larry Ellison pipes up: We're also hiring in BI (Business Intelligence).
Ellison: Mark and his team have done an extraordinary job of ramping the sales force without increasing the cost. We've kept expenses pretty close to flat. We're going to keep doing that for the next 18 months. We're going to add to capacity without adding expense.
Question from Goldman Sachs: Given all the enhancements you've made with Fusion, can you speak to attach rates of add-ons? Also, given successes you're seeing in the cloud subscription line, how does that affect the growth rates?
Hurd: Our attach rate, we look at it over a number of years. In the quarter, we had a significant number of logos where we closed a module. It's a core part of our strategy. (He's talking about selling additional software modules that work with different software apps.)
Here's one key bit of news that occurred before I joined the call: "Oracle said it expects new license software revenue growth in the range of 4 percent to 14 percent on constant currency basis and 3 percent to 13 percent in reported dollars. Hardware product revenue growth is expected to range from a negative 10 percent to flat in constant and reported dollars."
Question about a year-end budget flush.
Catz: Folks wanted to close deals in November and they want to close deals in December. No impact on pricing.
2:30 pm: Ellison is speaking a bit about Oracle 12c and the cloud. He mentioned Salesforce.com as a customer. He says it's also appropriate for customers building private clouds. The key feature he says is that 12c moves multi-tenancy into the database layer.
Catz: Our customers who are paying for license updates are entitled to the product. Over time they will update to it over a number of years. It will make us more competitive.
Hurd: We had good solid growth in every region in the database business.
Final question from Stifel Nicolaus: Give us some color on increases in coverage in vertical businesses.
Hurd: We put a lot of effort into our verticals. Those are discussions we're having at the CEO level. The implications are huge. We've invested a lot of R&D. We feel great about our position in communications, and in retail. We've made big investments in financial services, not just in product, but scaling out the sales force.
And that wraps up the call.


text: "Hal in 2001: 'I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that [open the pod bay doors].' Kinect in 2011: 'I'm sorry, Dave Jr. I'm afraid I can't do that [tune in to the Spice Channel].' A Microsoft patent filing made public this week proposes to restrict access to TV, movies and video games by using a 3D depth camera to estimate viewers' ages based upon the dimensions and proportions of a person's body, such as head width to shoulder width, and torso length to overall height. For adults with short arms or other seemingly childlike proportions, settings can be overridden by someone with an administrator password."


text:
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