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Young People in the Informal Economy and among the Working Poor
Most young workers in developing countries are in the informal economy, which includes unpaid family work to which young people often contribute (International Labour Organization, 2010, p. 3). Work in the informal economy does not provide access to entitlements such as health insurance, social security and other social protection measures.
An emerging picture: the increasing length of youth job searches
Recent statistics on youth employment present a gloomy state of affairs for today's young people. In most developed economies, the long-term unemployment rates of youth significantly surpass those of adults. For example, in Italy, the gap between the youth and adult long-term unemployment rates is shocking: youth are three times more likely than adults to be unemployed for at least one year(International Labour Organization, 2011b, pp. 2-3).


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Over New Year's, Demi Moore went to a retreat in Tulum, Mexico, which, incidentally, if you can ever go to Tulum, Mexico, you should definitely go to Tulum, Mexico, it's the very best. I'm guessing. How would I know? Who has time to go to Tulum, Mexico, when there is so much blogging to be blogged?! Anyway: Demi Moore went to Tulum, and it sounds like everything went just great. So fun and healthy. I bet she was glowing when she got back from all of the SANITY. From Celebitchy:
Eyewitnesses added that the soon-to-be ex-wife of Kutcher was seen retreating to her room with younger men more than once; and that the resort fielded a call from a guest grousing that Demi's "very, very loud sex" had been keeping them awake.
"Demi was clearly after younger men on this trip; they were all about 28 to 33," a guest told Star. "There were three or four older guys staying at the resort, fifty-plus, and I don't think she talked to them at all."
Another source said that in an odd twist, Demi wanted to be addressed by the name "Topper," an esoteric reference to a 1937 Cary Grant film in which a man lives his life to the fullest.
"Demi almost came across as, I wouldn't go as far as to say bipolar, but up and down," one source said, while another said that Demi's "back-and-forth behavior just kind of killed the mood."
HE WOULDN'T GO SO FAR AS TO SAY BIPOLAR. Phew. Close call. I also love the guest who made a careful count of how many fifty-plus men were staying at the resort and whether or not they were going into TOPPER's bedroom. "Everyone stay calm, the age-obsessed Fuck Police are on the case." Like I said: Tulum, Mexico. So fun. Everyone will be all up in your business and you will have your world ROCKED by a borderline-bipolar sex monster. You're gonna love it!

subset: commoncrawl


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Stand Against The RIAA
Welcome...Thanks to our good friend xmaddness, We have a forum to speak out against the RIAA. Here you can voice your opinions, organize rallys, protests (Online and Offline). This will be a great chance to have a voice amung others, known to big business as the little people. Show them your right to trade music online should be legal. You can also discuss here ways to avoid being caught. Suggest Networks for file trading. Below, is the site run by xmaddness.
I Highly suggest that If you at all involved in music trading online, or just have an opinion on it and/or the RIAA, To stop by, register and chat it up.
Please Visit:
Thank you for your time for reading this post, I hope you take advantage of this chance to possibly help make a differance.
Also please make sure to check out AntiOnline Founder, JP's new Personal Website:
JP's new site is sure to be run better then the 'New' AntiOnline. Because you can be sure to trust him...altho he made the bad judgement of selling AntiOnline to a bunch or morons... =P
With your help, YoursInCyberSpace could become such a success as AntiOnline has over the years. Please show your support for John as he has provided you with this site, AntiOnline. For Computer Discussion. Im sure it has helped plenty of people.


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Office 2.58 MVB
Merchant Venturers Building,
Woodland Road, Clifton BS8 1UB
(See a map)
Fax. +44 (0) 117 331 5606
Tel. +44 (0) 117 331 5643
. Understanding complicated dynamics (e.g. chaos) in physical systems governed by ordinary or partial differential equations in terms of bifurcation theory. Global bifurcations (homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits). Bifurcations (grazing and sliding) unique to piecewise-smooth systems. Parametric resonance; the `Indian Rope trick'. Application across engineering to aircraft and structural dynamics, power electronics, fluid-structure interaction.
. Path-following; use of the codes AUTO and CONTENT. Numerical analysis of homoclinic and heteroclinic bifurcations, including homoclinic orbits to periodic orbits, numerical branch-switching and stability calculations. Algorithms for periodic orbits of large systems.
. Existence theories for multiplicities of homoclinic ...
View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system
Edit this profile If you are Professor Alan Champneys, you can edit this page. Login required.
All details on one page > for printing etc.


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Director of Team Operations
Brandy Lay joined the Rapids during the 2012 preseason, and brings extensive sports experience in the state of Colorado to his position as Director of Team Operations. In the role, Lay supervises and organizes the distribution, maintenance and inventory of game uniforms, practice gear and training equipment for the Rapids players and coaches, making sure the team is ready for all conditions, both in Denver and on the road. In addition, he also serves as a consultant on all travel and team administration pieces.
Lay has assisted many different Colorado teams in recent years, working in-game production roles for the Denver Broncos, CU Buffaloes, AFA Falcons, CSU Rams and Colorado Rapids. From 1999-2001, Lay was the Director of Team Travel for the Colorado Rockies, where he arranged all aspects of team travel for the club during both the seven-week spring training and six-month regular season, managing a budget of approximately $2.5 million for the baseball operations department. Lay also previously served for two and a half years as the Rockies' Assistant Director of Public Relations.
A Colorado native, Lay grew up in Loveland and attended Thompson Valley High School before moving on to Bethany College (Kan.) where he played defensive back on the school's NAIA nationally ranked football team. A diehard Liverpool F.C. fan.


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Hi everyone
I have to amplify a T-DNA of 11700 bp that was inserted in a genomic DNA plant. This T-DNA has a silencing box that is formed by two sequences of 1214 bp completely complementary (sense and antisense) and these latter are spaced by a specific sequence (732 bp) that form a hairpin.
sense ------------------antisense
When I do a PCR I can't amplify the entire box because of sequence complementarity between the two arms. Obviously during the denaturation at 95°C the double strand is open but when the temperature go down to 62°C (to permit the annealling of primers) it happens that the specificity and the length of the two sequence is grater than my primers.
I mean, if a used a forward primer designed on the sense arm and the reverse on the antisense arm I can't amplify.
But strangely if I use as forward primer a primer designed on the hairpin the PCR work well. So it seams that a primer on the hairpin stabilize and linearizes the strand.
Primers are not the problem because a tested a lot of different primers.
Any suggestion?
How can I solve my problem? What kind of technique can I use?
Thanks in advance
Submit your paper to J Biol Methods today!
silincing box, no amplification
Started by cece23, Sep 16 2011 03:12 AM
3 replies to this topic
Posted 16 September 2011 - 03:12 AM
Posted 16 September 2011 - 04:37 AM
Do you need to detect this sequence, or do you need to copy the sequence and use it in another construct? Detecting it could be done with one primer outside the hairpin and another in the loop. Amplifying will probably require doing the amplification in two pieces, then using ligation to put the pieces together.
Posted 18 September 2011 - 11:20 PM
I need to detect and sequencing the entire sequence, from left to right border. The problem is that I think (I am pretty sure) I have more than one T-DNA copy, probably inserted in tandem within the plant genome. For this reason I can't amplify the entire sequence in more than two pieces, because then I don't know how assembling the different pieces. I mean which piece come before? And if there are two identical sequences I will amplify it just like one.
Posted 19 September 2011 - 05:00 AM
You should be able to determine whether there are tandem repeats by doing a PCR with outward directed primers on the left and the right of the hairpin region, which will amplify only if there is a repeat. If the repeat is longer than about 1000 bp, you won't be able to easily use sequencing to determine the sequence in any case.


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Double standard for liberals and Lefebvrites
Monday I blogged [1] about an online petition calling for the SSPX to fully accept the teachings of the Second Vatican Council before being readmitted to the full communion of the Catholic Church. Today, it seems, that petition has gotten three German Catholic theologians in trouble with their bishop. Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller of Regensburg, Germany, ordered three professors on the faculty at the local diocesan Catholic university to retract their signatures from the petition and apologize to the pope or face sanctions, according to Deutsche Welle [2].
On the other side of the controversy, SSPX Bishop Bernard Fellay expressed pleasure that the pope seemed to share the SSPX's view of the liturgy (!!), though the pope evidently still "is deeply attached to the new things of Vatican II," reports the Associated Press [3]. Not exactly what I call conciliatory.
So just who is calling the shots here? The pope is not only diminishing his own authority but jeopardizing that of Vatican II by pandering to Fellay and the SSPX, while at the same time theologians are being scolded for legitimately criticizing the pope's action toward them, which was basically political and in no way infallible. What gives?


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Hi..Selamat Pagi.. Any idea where is the best place in msia to get perfume? somewhere in kl. Have you ever come across D&G Pour Homme in msia recently? i can't seem to find it.
Basenotes is an online guide to perfume and fragrance, featuring news, a database of fragrances, perfume glossary, fragrance forums, user reviews and more.


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There's no doubt that the 2012 Presidential election cycle is going to be fierce. But did you know that a single person's political affiliation speaks volumes in regard to their views on sex and love? Match.com's "Singles in America" study has uncovered which political party's constituents are doing it more, who's doing it less, and which ones do it best. Tune in to this site tomorrow, February 2nd when we share our jaw-dropping data. In the meantime, we asked a few of YOU to share your thoughts with us in the video above.
Do you think how someone votes is a reflection of what goes on in the bedroom? Leave your comments below.


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All In The Family...
(Charlotte, brace yourself. I tried to telephone you this evening, but I didn't reach you.)
Dennis had a bad bicycle accident this morning. He was hit from the back by a car while he was pedaling up a hill. He and his bicycle were knocked into the ditch and the driver of the car didn't even stop to see if Dennis was dead or alive.
Dennis crawled up to the side of the highway where a neighbor lady spotted him as she drove to work. She called 911 and then called me. I was just leaving to take Isaac to school when I got her call.
Both bones in his left forearm are broken in several places. He also has several fractured ribs on his left side. His spleen has two deep cracks in it.
The doctor said that most spleen injuries like this will heal, but sometimes there are complications. Tonight Dennis is in ICU so they can monitor his condition. He is hooked to IV's, catheter, heart and blood pressure monitor, and a morphine administrator.
Tomorrow morning, they will set the bones in his arm. Plates will be put in the broken places. The orthopedic surgeon said it is a procedure they do fairly often.
Dennis will heal because he's a tough old bird, but it's going to take a while.
He did not see the car that hit him. He heard it approaching from behind, and he moved over to the very edge of the road. There's no shoulder on the road in this area. Apparently, the car hit Dennis' left side, but did not hit the bike itself because it's not badly damaged.
We are very thankful that Dennis is alive, but can't help wondering who hit him and why they didn't stop. That's very cold.


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Olympian Sasha Cohen Talks Russia & LGBT Rights In Reddit Interview
Two-time Olympic figure skater Sasha Cohen (we almost added a Baron in there!) participated in an Ask-Me-Anything interview on Reddit yesterday and got a question on the LGBT situation in Russia and its potential impact on the Olympics.
Reddit user, okiedokie17 asked:
Given skating's reputation with sexuality, what do you make of the situation going on in Russia right now with gay rights? How do you think the sport will respond given its popularity there?
To which Sasha responded:
I honestly think that social issues should really not be a part of the Games. People should have their rights to be who they want to be and love who they want to love.
The Olympics is about showing what you've done with your life, your dream as an athlete and sharing that with the World. The choices that are being made right now with the Sochi games are really sad and disrespectful to the athletes.
We're all athletes, there should be no one who has to hide who they are. It's kind of unfortunate that it's popped up now and I hope it gets resolved so all athletes regardless of sexual orientation feel welcomed at the Games.
What do you think of her response, Instincters?
Image Source


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We're getting ready early for Valentine's Day with a series of four projects in the brand new Kissing Booth by BasicGrey for Moda Fabrics. We're big BasicGrey fans here at S4H, and so were anxious to work with their latest collection. The colors are traditional Valentine's favorites: plenty of reds, pinks, creams and browns, but we loved how the tones were richer and warmer than usual, and they sound so delicious: Cherry Cordial, Candy Pink, Crème Brûlée and Chocolate. The motifs have a softly vintage feel, as if you've discovered a treasure box of love letters tucked inside an ancient trunk. Yet there's nothing old-fashioned; the lines are clean and fresh. Today's elegant half apron features Dozen Roses in Cherry Cordial, a dense crush of watercolor roses with a textured lace overlay. We added jaunty oval pockets, pretty tucks and a rick rack hem. Pretty sweet style, don't you think?
Our thanks to Moda Fabrics for sponsoring our wonderful Winter series. We've brought you over three weeks of projects and how-to tutorials that helped you through the holidays and now have you thinking about your 2013 sewing resolutions. Stay tuned for a Great Giveaway this Friday, featuring pre-cuts from some of the collections you've seen.
Kissing Booth is available now at in-store and online retailers. We found a good selection at these Sew4Home Marketplace Vendors: Fat Quarter Shop, Fabric.com, and The Ribbon Retreat.
There are two ways to attach the pockets - before gathering or after gathering and adding the waistband. We chose the second option. We always recommend reading through the instructions a couple of times before your jump in, but in this case, it is really necessary to determine the pocket option you want to use.
Sewing Tools You Need
- Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 8200)
- Quarter Inch Seam foot (optional)
- Zipper foot
Fabric and Other Supplies
- 1½ yards of 44-45" wide cotton fabric for skirt's top layer, the ties and the pockets; we used Dozen Roses in Cherry Cordial from the Kissing Booth collection by BasicGrey for Moda Fabrics
- 1 yard of 44-45" wide cotton fabric for skirt's bottom layer, bottom facing and waistband; we used Sweet Nothings in Chocolate from the Kissing Booth collection by BasicGrey for Moda Fabrics
- 1 yard of 45" medium-weight fusible interfacing for the waistband and pockets; we used Décor Bond by Pellon
- One 2½ yard package of jumbo rick rack; we used Wright's Jumbo Rick Rack in Bark
- One 2½ yard package of piping; we used Wright's Maxi Piping in Bark
- Two 1" buttons; we used two-hole wooden buttons purchased locally
- All purpose thread to coordinate with fabrics
- See-through ruler
- Iron and ironing board
- Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
- Fabric pen or pencil
- Seam gauge
- Seam ripper
- Straight pins
- Hand sewing needle
Getting Started
Click the Buy Pattern button below to get the pattern sheet(s) required for this tutorial. The pattern, which includes instructions, is $1.99.
(buy pattern button)
IMPORTANT: Our patterns are sized to print on standard 8½" x 11" paper. You must print the PDF file(s) at 100%. DO NOT SCALE to fit the page. There is a guide rule on each sheet so you can confirm your final printout is to scale.
- Cut out the pattern piece along the solid line.
- From the fabric for the skirt's top layer, the ties and the pockets (Dozen Roses in Cherry Cordial in our sample), cut the following:
ONE 36" wide x 19" high rectangle for the top skirt layer
TWO 8" x 31" strips for the ties
Using the pattern, cut FOUR pocket pieces
- From the fabric for the skirt's bottom layer, bottom facing and waistband (Sweet Nothings in Chocolate in our sample), cut the following:
ONE 36" wide x 18" high rectangle for the bottom skirt layer
ONE 36" wide x 3" high rectangle for the bottom facing
ONE 22" x 5" strip for the waistband
- From the interfacing, cut the following:
ONE 2" x 21" strip
Using the pattern, cut TWO pocket pieces
At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board
Top skirt layer
- Find the top skirt panel.
- Finish the sides and bottom edge of the skirt panel with a narrow ¼" double turn hem. To do this, fold the raw edge in ¼" and press, then turn under an additional ¼" and press again. Stitch in place, staying close to the inside folded edge. We used our Janome Quarter Inch Seam foot.
- Create a crisp fold at each corner.
NOTE: For more information on this type of narrow hem and the steps to create a pretty corner, see our tutorial: ¼" Double-Turn Clean Finished Corners.
Stitched down tucks
- We used pins for our marking. You can use the same or draw your marks with a fabric pen or pencil. If you use a marking pen or pencil, make sure it is one that will wipe away easily or vanish with exposure to the air - you are working on the right side of the fabric.
- From the bottom hemmed edge of the skirt panel, measure up 1½" and mark. Measure ½" up from this first mark and place a second mark.
- Measure 1½" up from the second mark and place a third mark. Measure ½" up from the third mark and place a fourth mark.
- Measure 1½" up from the fourth mark and place a fifth mark. Measure ½" up from the fifth mark and place a sixth mark.
- Repeat these six marks horizontally across the apron panel, spacing the sets of marks about every 5-6".
- Starting with the markings closest to the bottom of the skirt, fold the fabric wrong sides together, aligning the two marks to create a ½" tuck. Slide out one horizontal pin and replace it vertically to hold the fold together. Press in place.
- Using a ½" seam allowance, stitch the tuck in place across the entire width of the skirt.
- Press the tuck down towards the bottom of the skirt.
- Repeat to create a second tuck at the second pair of pins.
- And, again at the third pair of pins.
Bottom skirt layer
- Find the bottom skirt panel. Press up the bottom raw edge ½".
- Cut a 35" length of rick rack.
- Pin the rick rack along the bottom edge so the fold runs through the center of the rick rack "waves."
- The rick rack should end ½" from each side.
- Finish the sides of the skirt panel with a narrow ¼" double turn hem. As above, to do this, fold the raw edge in ¼" and press, then turn under an additional ¼" and press again. You will encase the raw ends of the rick rack within the double fold. Just pin in place; do not stitch the sides yet.
Bottom facing
- Find the 36" x 3" facing strip. Fold back all the raw edges ½". Press well.
- Place the bottom skirt panel wrong side up on your work surface. Place the pressed facing right side up along the bottom edge of the skirt panel, aligning the facing's folded edges with the bottom and sides of the skirt panel. Pin in place around all four sides of the facing.
- Flip over the skirt panel.
- Topstitch along the bottom, staying ¼" from the folded edge. This seam secures the rick rack and the bottom edge of the facing.
- Stitch down each side of the skirt panel, securing the side hems as well as the side edges of the facing.
- The top edge of the facing remains lightly pinned in place.
Gather the skirt panels
NOTE: As mentioned above, You can either put pockets on now before you gather or way down the line after gathering and attaching the waistband. We chose to put the pockets on after we attached the skirt to the waistband so we could be a bit fussier about their angled placement. If you want to put them on before gathering, here are the measurements: the pockets sit at a slight angle with the bottom of the pocket 2" from the bottom of the first pleat. The outer edges are 6⅜" from the side hems and the inner edges are 5½" from the center of the skirt. Pin each pocket in place, starting and stopping at the "dots" shown on the pattern piece. The pockets are pinned and sewn just to the top skirt layer - do not sew through both layers. Use a zipper foot to stitch each pocket in place
- Place the bottom skirt layer right side up on your work surface.
- Place the top skirt layer, also right side up, on top of the bottom, aligning the top raw edges of both panels. Pin in place.
- To gather the top edge of the panels, run one or two lines of basting across the panels, keeping the the basting within the ½" seam allowance. Remember, don't lock either end of your seam.
- Pull the basting to gather to approximately 21".
NOTE: If you are new to this technique, take a look at our article: How to Make Gathers by Machine
Waist ties
- Find the two 8" x 31" strips for the ties.
- Fold each tie in half, right sides together, so they are now 4" x 31".
- With a see-through ruler and rotary cutter, trim one end of each folded tie at a slight angle.
- Pin the long side and across the angled end of each tie.
- Using a ½" seam allowance, stitch the side and across the angled end, pivoting at the corner. Leave opposite end open for turning.
- Clip the corners.
- Turn both ties right side out and press flat.
- Set the ties aside.
- Find the 22" x 5" waistband strip and the 2" x 21" interfacing strip.
- Fold the waistband strip in half wrong sides together (2½" x 22") and press to set a center crease.
- Unfold, wrong side up, so the crease line is visible.
- Place the interfacing strip on the bottom half, aligning one edge along the center crease. This will leave ½" of fabric visible on both sides and along the bottom edge. Following manufacturer's directions, fuse the interfacing in place.
- Along the the top half, fold back the 22" raw edge ½" and press.
- Flip over the waistband so it is right side up and flat on your work surface.
- Find the waist ties.
- Place the raw end of one tie right sides together with the raw sides of the waistband. The ties should be pleated slightly to narrow their ends to fit the waistband.
- Align one folded edge of the tie against the waistband's center crease. Place the opposite folded edge ½" from the waistband's raw edge. Pin each folded edge in place on the waistband.
- Pinch the excess tie fabric and fold it down towards the waistband's raw edge.
- Fold the waistband right sides together, encasing the ties between the layers. The folded edge of the waistband should now be aligned with the bottom folded edge of the tie. Pin in place.
- Using a ½" seam allowance stitch each side of the waistband, securing the ties.
- Turn the waistband right side out. Pull the ties out into position on either side. There should be a ½" free raw edge along the waistband.
- Find the gathered skirt panels.
- Place the waistband right sides together against the skirt panels, aligning the remaining raw edge of the waistband with the top raw edges of the skirt panels. Adjust the gathers as needed to fit the waistband. Pin in place.
- Using a ½" seam allowance, stitch across the top of the skirt through all the layers.
- Press the seam allowance up towards the waistband.
- Bring the folded edge of the waistband down into place, covering the seam you just made. Pin in place.
- Hand stitch the folded edge of the waistband into place. We used a whip stitch.
- Find the four pocket pieces and the two pocket interfacing pieces.
- Following manufacturer's instructions, fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of two of the pocket pieces.
- Cut two 30" lengths of piping.
- Pin a length of piping to the right side of the two remaining, non-interfaced pocket pieces.
- To connect the piping ends, use a seam ripper to open up the piping fabric on one end.
- Trim back this end so it butts together perfectly with the opposite end.
- Fold back the piping fabric and overlap the ends.
- Pin in place.
- Using a Zipper foot, baste the piping in place.
- Place a interfaced pocket piece and a piped pocket piece right sides together. Pin in place, leaving a 2" opening along one side. Repeat with the two remaining pocket pieces.
- Using a Zipper foot, stitch the layers together, staying as close to the piping as possible. Lock your seam on either side of the 2" opening left for turning.
- Turn the pocket right side out through the 2" opening.
- Press well, pressing in the raw edges of the opening so they are flush with sewn seam.
- Hand stitch the opening closed, concealing your stitches next to the piping.
- Repeat to complete the second pocket.
- Lay the pattern on top of each pocket. There are dots indicating where you will stop and start when sewing the pocket to the skirt. Place a pin at these dots on each pocket.
Attaching the pockets to the skirt
NOTE: If you've been reading along, you know we chose to put on our pockets at this point in order to very precisely center and angle each against the finished skirt panels. The pre-gathering measurements are given above should you chose the alternate method.
- The measurements are essentially the same a noted above: the pockets sit at a slight angle with the bottom of the pocket 2" from the bottom of the first pleat. The outer edges are 6⅜" from the side hems and the inner edges are 5½" from the center of the skirt. However, by placing the pockets in position at this point, you can adjust them to look their very best against the finished gathers.
- Pin each pocket in place, starting and stopping at the "dots" shown on the pattern piece. The pockets are pinned and sewn just to the top skirt layer - do not sew through both layers.
- Use a Zipper foot to stitch each pocket in place, staying right along the piping. Remember to start and stop at the pin points.
- Fold the loose top of the pocket down into position. Place the pattern piece over the folded edge and mark the position of the button.
- Transfer the mark to the pocket.
- Hand stitch the button in place through all the layers of the pocket. This stitched button is what holds the folded top of the pocket in place.
Final hem
- Thread your hand sewing needle with thread to match the bottom layer of the skirt and hand stitch the top edge of the facing in place.
Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation and Instructions: Debbie Guild


text: Korean Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - NK: Human Traffickers and the Chinese Market for Brides Speak Korean Now! Korean Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in NK: Human Traffickers and the Chinese Market for Brides Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Current Events Forum View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message ajosshiJoined: 17 Jan 2011Location: ajosshi.com Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 12:29 pm Post subject: NK: Human Traffickers and the Chinese Market for Brides North Korea: Human Traffickers and the Chinese Market for Brides How human traffickers are cashing in on the Chinese market for North Korean women�and how some victims escape. Steven Kim, an American businessman from Long Island, New York, may be the world�s leading expert on the market for North Korean brides. He acquired this expertise accidentally. He likes to say it was God�s plan. A decade or so ago he was living in China, overseeing the manufacture of chairs he sold to retail clients in the United States, when he heard about a secret church that catered to the South Korean businessmen who worked in the Shenzhen industrial zone, not far from his apartment. It wasn�t registered with the Chinese government, as required by law, so it operated underground, billing itself as a cultural association. There was no sign on the door and no cross on the roof. The 100 or so congregants had learned about the church as Kim had, by word of mouth. Kim, a practicing Christian, became a regular attendee. One Sunday he noticed two shabbily dressed men seated in a corner of the room. After worship, he went up to them, said hello, and learned to his astonishment that they were from North Korea. They had escaped across the Tumen River to northeast China and traveled 2,000 miles south to Guangdong province, a journey that took two months. They hoped to find a way to slip across the border into Hong Kong. �They came to church asking for help,� he says. �But the church would only feed them, give them a few dollars, and let them go.� Kim was outraged. �I asked the pastor, �Why do you let them go?�� �Because we�re afraid,� the pastor replied. �If we�re caught helping North Koreans, the church will be shut down.� Kim took the two men home. That was the start. Kim began to assist North Korean refugees clandestinely. He provided safe houses, food, clothing, and money; eventually he organized secret passage across China to third countries. Before long, he gained a reputation along the new underground railroad as someone North Koreans could count on for assistance. Many of them turned out to be women fleeing from the Chinese men who had purchased them as brides. Today he runs 318 Partners, a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to rescuing trafficked women in China. It�s named after Article 318 of the Chinese criminal code, the law under which Kim was arrested in September 2003 as he led nine North Koreans in a prayer meeting at his apartment. Convicted of helping illegal migrants, he spent four years in a Chinese prison. His home office now, on a quiet street on suburban Long Island, is a luxurious contrast to the Chinese prison cell he shared with a dozen felons. On the morning of my visit, his cellphone rings repeatedly with calls from South Korea, China, and Southeast Asia regarding a rescue operation in the works. It is not until lunchtime, when most of Asia is asleep, that his phone finally goes quiet. Kim clearly has his hands full. The only practical escape route for fugitives from North Korea is through China, and human-rights groups say roughly 80 percent of those thousands of refugees are women and girls who have become �commodities for purchase,� in Kim�s words. The most popular marketplaces are in the three Chinese provinces closest to the North Korean border�Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang�but North Korean brides are sold to men throughout China. Many of the buyers are farmers. Some have physical or mental disabilities that make them unsuitable as husbands in the eyes of Chinese women. In almost every case, the men are buying the one thing they want most in life: a wife. But why import brides from North Korea? The answer is China�s family-planning laws. Ever since the one-child policy went into effect in 1979, Beijing has enforced it through fines, imprisonment, forced abortion, sterilization, and even, human-rights groups charge, infanticide. The policy has had its intended effect of slowing the rate of expansion of China�s population. But there has been an unwelcome side effect: an unnaturally high male-to-female ratio. Women may hold up half the sky, in Mao Zedong�s famous phrase, but they are treated as second-class citizens in much of modern China. Many couples still favor sons, both to carry on the family name and support them in their old age. In rural areas the birth of a son heralds the arrival of an extra farmhand as soon as the boy is old enough to hold a hoe. Not so long ago in China, an unwanted baby girl might be drowned in a bucket at birth or left unattended to die. These days abortion is the preferred method, and ultrasound tests let couples find out the baby�s sex early in the pregnancy for about $12, well within the means of most couples. There are laws against using ultrasound this way, but they�re widely ignored. �Sex-selection abortion accounts for almost all the excess males,� says the British medical journal BMJ. The result is an epic surplus of bachelors. The Chinese have a euphemism for permanently unmarried men: guang gun��bare branches� on the family tree. The unmarried men are often desperate�for companionship, for sex, for household help. In rural areas the bride shortage is exacerbated by young Chinese women�s preference for urban life and modern-minded husbands. Young women are fleeing the farm in droves, attracted by well-paying factory jobs and more comfortable urban lifestyles. In the three provinces closest to North Korea, the ratio of young men to young women is a staggering 14 to 1, according to an estimate from the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. The situation was all but made for flesh traffickers. As Kim explains, a chain of �suppliers,� �wholesale providers,� and �retail sellers� has developed. Stage one, as he calls it, takes place inside North Korea, where the suppliers lure women from their homes with promises of a lucrative trip to China. These recruiters�either North Korean nationals or Korean-Chinese, and usually male�typically hang out around urban train stations in the border regions and chat up attractive young women who pass by. Their marks are often rural women who have come to the city to sell crops grown on an illegal private plot or scavenged from the forest. They make a tempting promise: you can come home after a few months with more money than you could make in a year here. For an impoverished young woman with no job prospects, it can be an irresistible offer. Other recruiters travel from village to village, keeping an eye out for potential brides. They spot a pretty young woman and follow her home. Kim explains what happens next. �When they see a widow with a beautiful daughter, they say: �Why do you leave your daughter like that? If you send her to China, then she can get money and have an education. Why don�t you send her?� They keep talking and gain trust, and then��OK,� the mother says, �I trust you. Take her.� Then he takes the girl into China and sells her. This is one of the tricks.� Kim shudders. �Horrible.� Stories abound of girls who have gone to China and never returned. But many women are young enough, inexperienced enough, or desperate enough to believe �it won�t happen to me.� One former bride I interviewed�she called herself Naomi�described how she was befriended by a traveling salesman from China who offered to guide her to where relatives of her father lived on the other side of the border. She left home in the middle of the night. �I didn�t want my parents to know I was leaving,� Naomi told me. She knew she was taking a risk and didn�t want them to dissuade her. �I thought I would go for a few days and come back.� Only when she was delivered to a Chinese farmer did she realize that the salesman�s �wares� were human, and female. If trickery fails, recruiters have been known to resort to kidnapping. Hannah, another former bride, was a teacher in Pyongyang until she accompanied the mother of one of her pupils to the border region, hoping to make a little extra money. The friend was planning to purchase fashionable Chinese-made clothing from a Chinese salesman for resale in the capital. After they concluded the deal, the Chinese salesman invited the two women to dinner. The food was drugged. The two women woke up in a dark room, hands and feet bound, groggy from the narcotic. As Hannah struggled to come to, she heard her friend cry out: �Teacher, I think we�ve been sold!� They were inside China, destined for forced marriages. They never saw each other again. �I never knew such things happened,� Hannah told me. The supplier�s job ends when he delivers the woman to the Chinese side of the Tumen or Yalu River. His fee, Steve Kim says, runs between $80 and $300 per woman, depending upon the quality of the �product� and the difficulty of the crossing. Out of that sum, the supplier is expected to cover any bribes he must pay to North Korean border guards for information about safe crossing points or an agreement that they�ll look the other way at a prearranged time. Stage two begins there, where wholesaler providers are waiting to receive the women. The wholesaler�s job is to escort the women past Chinese ID checks to a safer place farther from the border. That is typically somewhere in the Yanbian area of Jilin province. The area�s full name is Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, and it is home to a large number of ethnic Koreans, making it a good place for North Koreans to hide in plain sight�or in the case of the North Korean brides, to be hidden. Some of the women are sold directly to Korean-Chinese men who live in the region. From the woman�s point of view, this is usually the better option. Life with a Korean-Chinese man, in a community where the Korean language is spoken, is preferable to life with a Han Chinese man who speaks only Mandarin and whose culture and food will be unfamiliar. Other brides move on to stage three and are resold to retailers for between $500 and $800 each. The retailers in turn sell the women to their clients, usually Han Chinese in other parts of the country, for between $1,200 and $1,500 per woman, depending upon her age and appearance. At some point the woman realizes what is happening to her. She then has two choices: go through with the marriage or try to escape. This is not really a choice. The woman is on her own in a strange country. She knows no one. She doesn�t speak the language. As she quickly finds out, in escaping to China from North Korea, she has exchanged one form of bondage for another. Most accept the inevitable and agree to be sold. They reason, not illogically, that life with a Chinese husband, even an abusive one, is preferable to arrest, repatriation, and automatic imprisonment in a North Korean labor camp for illegally leaving the country. Nevertheless, the couple�s living arrangement will have no standing under Chinese law. Because the woman has no official identity papers, the marriage cannot be legally registered. Such pseudomarriages may be voluntary�at least in the sense that the woman has the theoretical option of turning down a man�s offer. But it is wrong to consider it a true choice. It is �a means of survival or livelihood,� says Lee Keum-soon, a senior researcher with the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. Lee has interviewed hundreds of North Korean women who have settled in the South. In many cases, she says, a voluntary marriage is indistinguishable from a forced marriage. The woman�s few alternatives may include prostitution or online stripping. A woman who cannot speak Chinese would not be able to work in a restaurant or a store. The North Korean woman �would quickly realize that there was no alternative but to establish a live-in relationship with a Chinese man to avoid a police roundup,� Lee observes. �She would have to choose to live-in as a relatively safe means of staying in China.� The rule of law�to the extent that it prevails in China and to the extent that a North Korean with no exposure to such a concept is capable of understanding it�doesn�t apply to North Korean refugees. If a woman has relatives in China, they often urge her, not without reason, to strike a bargain with a Chinese man who will feed and house her in exchange for her labor and sexual favors. If she contacts the police or other Chinese officials, she can expect worse treatment. If the police abide by the law, they will arrest her and send her back to North Korea. If they are corrupt, they will sell her to another bride broker. North Korean brides are �thrice victimized,� says Ambassador Mark Lagon, former director of the U.S. State Department�s human-trafficking office. �They have fled starvation and human-rights abuses in North Korea,� he notes. �They are subject to abuse as undocumented migrants in China. And if they are sent back to North Korea, they face severe punishment, even execution in some cases.� How bad can it get? Ask Bang Mi-sun. She crossed the Tumen River, motivated, she later said, by one thought: �I might find refuge in China.� Her husband had died of starvation in North Korea. Her elder daughter had disappeared, and her two younger children needed her help. She hoped to find work in China. Instead, she found Chinese police waiting for her, ready to send her back to North Korea unless she agreed to be sold. Speaking at a press conference in Washington, D.C., she described what happened next: �My first buyer sold me to another buyer, and then that buyer sold me in turn to another buyer, each buyer for additional profit.� �I was being sold like a beast,� she said. �I remember these Chinese brokers would call us, those who were being sold, pigs. Well, I was the best pig they had. I was sold at top price.� Her first husband told her he had paid 7,000 yuan for her�then the equivalent of about $850. �He told me he would kill me if I did not listen to him.� But she soon got a reprieve of sorts: she was abducted and sold her to another man. �I found out that there are brokers who would take the people who had been sold and take them away and sell them again to a third party. I never knew that this buying and selling of people existed,� she said. �I was sold again and again.� Eventually she was arrested and deported to North Korea, where she was beaten and sent to a labor reeducation camp. She finally escaped again to China and made her way to South Korea. At the Washington press conference, she stood on a chair, lifted up her skirt, and displayed the deep furrows in her thighs, scars where she�d been tortured. She asked, �Why do North Korean women have to be treated like pigs and sold like pigs and suffer these things?� Many North Korean brides have asked themselves the same thing, and some have made it to freedom. Kim relies on them to tell the friends they left behind in China. After brides escape, �they tell us there are 10, 15 more women like them in their village,� he says. �And then they call them.� He lifts his hand to his ear, playing the part of a rescued North Korean woman calling from Seoul to a friend in China. ��Yeah, I�m here. It�s so-o-o good. Why don�t you come?�� The bride who has escaped then gives Kim�s phone number or that of a colleague in Seoul to her friends. �If they want, they contact us,� he says. �That�s how it happens.� The next step is a phone interview with Kim. Does the woman fully understand the risks of escape? Is she willing to take the chance that she could be arrested and repatriated? If she has children with her Chinese husband, is she prepared to leave them behind? Some women decide not to leave. �Many women have adjusted to their new lives even though they were trafficked,� he says. They have enough to eat. Their living conditions are far better than anything they experienced in North Korea. Their neighbors help shield them from arrest when security officials come snooping. �The husband is happy, and they�re not complaining,� Kim says. �They�re taking it as destiny. They tell me, �Don�t bother our family.� They are living peacefully.� If a woman asks for help and Kim agrees, he goes to work quickly. He figures out how much the rescue will cost and begins to organize his network on the new underground railroad. If the woman is still living with her Chinese husband, the first step will be to arrange for her to get to a secure location from which she can begin her journey. Then he sends out a plea for money to his email list of supporters. Typical is an appeal from a January 2010 newsletter: �We have received another call for help from three trafficked North Korean women in China,� the newsletter states. �They are all from the same hometown in North Korea. According to the older woman named Choi, they have escaped from the captors [and are] hiding in a northern city of Jilin province. We ask your support in prayers and financially.� The basement price of one of 318 Partners� rescues is $1,300. Most cost much more�$3,000 or above. Money is so tight that Kim sometimes asks the rescued women to pledge to pay back $1,000 of the costs once they get to Seoul and receive financial help from the South Korean government. There is a rough symmetry in that figure. After all, $1,000 is roughly what a Chinese man will pay for a North Korean bride. http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/08/19/north-korea-human-traffickers-and-the-chinese-market-for-brides.html Back to top ZackbackJoined: 05 Nov 2010Location: Kyungbuk Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 2:32 pm Post subject: What a mess. A 14 to 1 ratio between men and women is going to create huge societal problems. I think it will only get worse. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Current Events Forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Forums:----------------FAQJob-related Discussion ForumGeneral Discussion ForumOff-Topic ForumTravel ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumBuy/Sell/Trade Forum You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Contact Dave's ESL Cafe Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved. Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group TEFL International Supports Dave's ESL Cafe


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A two ton utility tractor was tossed nearly a mile away when a very strong and violent EF-4 tornado touched down near Maple Street in Cordova. This storm which killed at least seven people extended for nine miles, and caused destruction in Cullman, Blount, Pickens, Fayette, Walker and Tuscaloosa Counties.
The destructive tornado began tracking at 3:59 p.m. four miles east of Reform. It moved southeast of Berry and into Cordova across Burton Chapel Loop Road and the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River.
From there it tracked into Sipsey, then northeast into Cullman County. It traveled back into Blount County near Sulphur Springs into Blountsville where it crossed Highway 431. All the while the storm brought down trees, tossed mobile homes and ripped homes from their foundations.
Even as Cordova's downtown was torn to shreds, Mayor Jack Scott told Fox 6's Emily Luxen that the storm could not take the city's hope for the future. Video: Cordova will be back
"We're a strong bunch of people. People know Walker County. We're going to be alright and that's all I can say," Scott said.
Residents echoed this sentiment as they rolled up their sleeves at Cordova High School to pitch in with the relief effort, and what happened was remarkable. The school transformed into a grocery store packed with anything a person could need. Video: Cordova pulls together after heavy storms
"I can't stop smiling. Either I'm smiling from ear to ear or I'm curled up in a ball crying my eyes out, just unbelievably moved by what's taking place here," Cordova High School Principal Kathy Vinston said. "We've actually accomplished something here I never would've dreamed we would've accomplished with just a group of small town people coming together with one purpose."
A few days after the tornado, volunteer crews moved in bring food and water to the victims, and city workers put up new power poles, trying to get electricity restored in the area. Video: Cordova slowly moving toward rebuilding
The day after the storm, Fox 6 News reporter Jonathan Hardison went up in Chopper 6 to get an aerial view of the damage in Cordova. From that view, Hardison reported that he was able to get a feel for the "strength, the fury and the violence" of the storm that ravaged the area. Video: Aerial Tour of Cullman
In nearby Argo, the damage was just as devastating. Mountain View Lane was one of the hardest hit areas of Argo, where the storm wiped out entire streets and flattened houses. After the storm, residents are working together to help each other clean up and find missing possessions.
The Argo Area Volunteer Fire Department is now home to more clothes, food and ice than fire equipment. Volunteers like Kayla Light have turned the building into a place where storm victims can get help. Video: Argo Fire Department becomes a beacon for tornado victims
"It's just like everyone's house is open, everyone's wallets are open, everyone's gas tanks are running on empty running each other back and forth, but that's just how we do. That's Argo," Light said.
More Video
The Day After in Cordova
Copyright 2011 WBRC. All rights reserved.


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Consensus Report
Frontiers in Agricultural Research: Food, Health, Environment, and Communities (2002)Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources
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.
The focus of the report is on the U.S. Department of Agriculture and how it should refocus its $2 billion annual research budget to reflect changing public values and needs. It's emphasis should shift from increasing food and fiber production to frontier issues such as the impact of globalization on U.S. agriculture, diet and health, food safety, environmentally sound farming alternatives and the quality of life in rural communities. It goes on to discuss the need for high-level leadership to support new directions in food and agricultural research.
Key Messages
- Agricultural research will be anticipatory, strategic, collaborative, cost-effective, and accountable to a broad client base. Agricultural research will engage relevant biophysical and socioeconomic disciplines in a systems approach to address new priorities.
- Agricultural research will support agriculture as a positive economic, social, and environmental force and will help the sector to fulfill ever-evolving demands. These include further gains in food and fiber production and such other benefits as enhanced public health, environmental services, rural amenities, and community wellbeing. USDA's REE agencies will provide leadership in fostering this concept.
- Challenge 1. Globalization of the food economy. The research frontiers: (1) Evaluate the implications of globalization for US agriculture and agricultural-research priorities; (2) Improve agricultural productivity and product quality while optimizing resource use; (3) Evaluate the economic, social, health, and environmental effects of agricultural technologies and practices.
- Challenge 2. Emerging pathogens and other hazards in the food-supply chain. The research frontiers: (1) Reduce the risks of bioterrorism; (2) Improve microbiologic food safety; (3) Understand and minimize the hazards of food allergens and toxicants; and (4) Improve understanding and management of plant and animal diseases.
- Challenge 3. Enhancing human health through nutrition. The research frontiers: (1) Advance research on bioactive food compounds; (2) Elucidate genetic mechanisms of human health and nutrition; (3) Improve understanding of food-consumption behavior and its links to health; and (4) Improve the nutrient content of foods.
- Challenge 4. Improving environmental stewardship. The research frontiers: (1) Reduce pollution and conserve natural resources; (2) Advance environmentally sound alternatives; (3) Deliver new environmental benefits; and (4) Integrate leading-edge environmental-science concepts and technologies.
- Challenge 5. Improving quality of life in rural communities. The research frontiers: (1) Evaluate the effects of changes in agricultural market structure; and (2) Meet the challenge of rural development's changing context.
- Five challenges provide opportunities for public agricultural research to serve the expanded customer base.
- The committee found evidence that REE scientists produce research of high quality.
- The committee found that REE agencies face a number of recruitment and retention challenges, including stiff competition from the private sector, other federal agencies, and academe, complex and constraining hiring rules under the Office of Personnel Management, and an increasing number of non-US citizens with PhDs in agricultural sciences who are not eligible for employment in US government agencies.
- In benchmarking REE against other federal intramural research programs, the committee found that unsatisfactory performance has very little consequence in the REE intramural system, whereas in some other federal intramural research programs, reduction or complete loss of research support or ineligibility for tenure was a consequence of unsatisfactory research performance.


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Fab Abs
20 mins
Introducing TOGA: an exhilarating fusion of yoga and strength training - perfect to help build both flexibility and power.
In this short class Radha focuses on the abdominal muscles to help us strengthen and tone using interval training and yoga poses. Be warned - it's a strong session! So, please do take care if you have back problems or if you're not used to working the abs hard. Remember, you may need to build up slowly by doing less repetitions or modifying the exercises.
- Earth Sequence breath
- Jogging
- Dynamic twist
- Hamstring stretch
- Squat with arm circles
Fab Abs:
- Tummy cruches
- Bridge - Setubandasana
- Scissor kicks
- Ab twist
- Maltese Cross - Sharva udara-karshan-asana
- Russian twist
- Sitting twist - Ardhamatsyendrasana
- Plank & dynamic plank
- Cobra - Bhujangasana
- Crocodile - Makrasana
Leave a comment
Members' comments:
20 Jun, 2017
Thanks so much to everyone for the feedback, I am so happy to share this with you! Looking forward to getting more classes out there and sharing my passion for yoga and fitness even more!
7 Apr, 2017
Thank you Radha, loving this morning workout x
5 Apr, 2017
Hi Radha! Tried this for the first time today, really enjoyed the class, it was a challenge and I am interested to see if I find it easier after a few days of practice! Xx
20 Mar, 2017
Hiya Kay, Thanks so much for your reflection. Toga is a fusion of yoga and strength training, combining elements of Dru Yoga and gym type exercises to respond to the requests from some of our students for a stronger work out. Mona's session called Dru Core Strength, is an alternative class you may enjoy to tone the abs :-) please find link below. https://druyoga.com/yoga-online/video/dru-core-strength
15 Jan, 2017
Kay Bennett
This was not so much a yoga class as a keep fit class for 20 somethings delivered at break neck speed. Didn't like the use of a stop clock - against basic yoga principles. No lead in to the harder exercises just advanced level from the off. will not be doing it again. There are plenty of yoga asana which work the abs. I will go to the local gym if I want this sort of thing.
11 Jan, 2017
Really enjoyed the class, almost kept up, not bad for a 50 yr old. Lovely engaging smile. I look forward to more sunshine classes.x
10 Jan, 2017
Nice class. Need to watch a few more times, so as to work out which bits I could modify for my oldies in my classes
10 Jan, 2017
This fusion of yoga and strength training is great! More of these strong classes please!
5 Jan, 2017
Loving this unique approach, found the class refreshingly simple and effective. Thank you Radha!
4 Jan, 2017
Toga is fab!! Great idea. Good luck with new ideas!


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The last time I tried out Syllable was somewhere in the 0.5 release. The installation was terrible (but somewhat better than the original atheos install which required manual copying of files). Unfortunately, I never got the system to run on any "real" hardware that I have access to, which most includes Dell Optiplex systems of varying antiquity. I was finally able to use the system under VMware Player, and so that's what I've stayed with.
The project makes it insanely easy to get the VMware image: its one of the standard distribution types for the project. I appreciated the effort that they went through to make it easy to try Syllable.
The pros of using the VMware image include not actually having to install anything. The system just comes right up. In theory you shouldn't have hardware issues either, since the system uses the VMware normalized hardware interface. On the downside, it's somewhat slower than it would be on real hardware.
What I Liked
The boot was pretty fast. I like all the kernel messages and initial programs spilling to the console: it gives me some idea what's actually going on.
The GUI appears fully skinnable, and the default skin for my install was Photon, a QNX Photon-like appearance. I personally find this skin very agreeable. The rounded rectangle highlighting of selected items was also a nice touch. The GUI mostly seems to have a clean look to it, and uses attractive icons that seem to go well together.
Everything you need to use is available right from the desktop - which is good for newbies, even though I wouldn't prefer that layout full-time. You don't have to hunt for stuff.
The preferences menu is nicely laid out, and gives quick access to all the settings you need. The individual configuration applets still need some sprucing up, but they all seem straightforward enough.
The terminal is very friendly, has a good default color scheme, and supports everything I would expect in a modern console (like command history, command editing, backbuffer, etc.).
What I Didn't Like
The interface feels clunky. I wish I could be less vague, but it's just how it feels to me. In addition, the version I tested seems to have serious redraw problems that likely contributed to this feeling. While windows didn't leave bits and pieces of themselves all over, windows that were under another window and were then raised did not refresh themselves. That left the interface in a strange state. Moving the mouse over the affected areas caused it to be redrawn correctly. In other cases, a brand new window (like the shutdown, restart, etc. windows) didn't draw itself correctly in the first place.
The redraw problems may be related to the driver for VMware, since I noticed that sometimes minimizing the window and bringing it back up would cause a correct redraw to occur. I also suspect this to be the case since I experienced mouse issues, where I would click on some button, but nothing would happen. Several clicks later, it would work fine again for a while.
- "Syllable 0.6.1, page 1/2"
- "Syllable 0.6.1, page 2/2"


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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 18, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:MNTA), a biotechnology company specializing in the characterization and engineering of complex drugs, will release its financial results for third quarter ended September 30, 2012 before the U.S. financial markets open on Wednesday, November 7, 2012.
Management will host a conference call on that date at 10:00 a.m. ET to discuss these results and provide an update on the company. To access the call, please dial (877) 224-9084 (domestic) or (720) 545-0022(international) prior to the scheduled conference call time and provide the access code 49562998. A live webcast of the call will be available on the "Investors" section of the company's website, www.momentapharma.com. Please go to the site at least 15 minutes prior to the call in order to register, download, and install any necessary software. An archived version of the webcast will be posted on the Momenta website approximately two hours after the call.
About Momenta
Momenta Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, specializing in the detailed structural analysis of complex mixture drugs. Momenta is applying its technology to the development of generic versions of complex drug products, as well as to the discovery and development of novel drugs.
To receive additional information about Momenta, please visit the website at www.momentapharma.com, which does not form a part of this press release. The company's logo, trademarks, and service marks are the property of Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All other trade names, trademarks, or service marks are property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Lora Pike Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. email@example.com:Momenta Pharmaceuticals


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Lebanese Broiled Fish
Samak Mashwi
Clean a large, nicely formed fish well, leaving on the head but removing the eyes. Salt and chill, as in previous recipe. Sprinkle it with olive oil and rub it well into the flesh. Wrap the fish completely in unglazed paper. Bake in a hot oven until the flesh is white. Remove paper and transfer to serving platter. Garnish lavishly with green pickles cut in fan shapes, mayonaise, sliced green and black olives, parsley, and bits of pimento. Accompany with bowls of taratour sauce or mayonnaise and slices of lemon.


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Boatbuilders Move Show to Kentucky Expo
September 1, 2010 by RVBusiness · Comments Off on Boatbuilders Move Show to Kentucky Expo
"New" is the operative word in describing this year's 20th anniversary International BoatBuilders' Exhibition & Conference (IBEX), according to Soundings Trade Only.
New venue. New city. New aftermarket pavilion. New seminars. New events.
For the first time, IBEX moves out of South Florida and into the Midwest Sept. 28-30, taking over much of the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky., longtime venue of the RVIA's National RV Trade Show. The other major change this year is the MAATS Aftermarket Pavilion, which was added after the demise of the Marine Aftermarket Accessories Trade Show.
"I think we'll have a good show," says Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), which produces IBEX, along with Professional BoatBuilder magazine. "Will it be an all-time high? Probably not, because the industry is still in the doldrums a bit, but I think it will be better than last year."
Schedule of Events
- IBEX runs Tuesday, Sept. 28, through Thursday, Sept. 30.
- IBEX All-Industry Breakfast: Tuesday, 7:30-9:30 a.m.
- Opening-night party: Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., downtown at Fourth Street Live.
- NMMA Using Market Intelligence for Market Growth: Wednesday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Exhibit Hall open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Exhibitors' Workshops: Tuesday and Wednesday, 1-2 p.m.
- Seminar hours: Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30-10 a.m.; 3:30-5 p.m.; Thursday, 8:30-10 a.m.; 2:30-4 p.m.
Attendance at last year's IBEX was down an estimated 31% from 2008, reflecting the challenging economic environment.
This year, even when there were months to go before the show opened, registrations, the number of exhibitors and the amount of exhibition space were up from 2009, Dammrich notes.
Carl Cramer, publisher of Professional BoatBuilder, says there's a lot of excitement about the new location. Louisville, which boasts one of the largest convention venues in the country, offers less expensive hotels and restaurants than South Florida and is within a day's driving distance of about half of the U.S. population, as well as a large number of boat manufacturers, Cramer notes.
The show has a contract to be in Louisville for at least three years.
"That's not to say there aren't some people who would prefer that we were going to be in South Florida, but we're not going to be," Cramer says, "We're feeling good about where we are at the moment and can't wait to get it open and get going."
Larry Vandiver, director of marketing for exhibitor Suzuki, says the change in location is largely positive, providing new prospects for his company.
"We feel that the change in venue will give us an opportunity to see some Midwest builders in those areas that we haven't seen in the past when it's been in Florida," he says. "At the same time, in talking to some of our Southern builders, they've already indicated to us they're not going to make the trip up there. So we're going to lose some and gain some."
Tim Kent, marketing manager for Marinco Electrical Group, says everyone his company hopes to meet with has said they will be there.
"The people who normally go are going, even though there was a little bit of grousing last year because I think people like going to Miami," he says. "What I think is going to happen is we're going to see people that we don't normally see, in addition to the people that we do normally see."
As of mid-July, about 500 exhibitors had signed up for IBEX, which put it on par with the 2009 event with more than two months to go until the show opens, Cramer says. About 120 aftermarket companies will be at the show, Dammrich says, and about 45 to 50 of those are expected to be part of the MAATS pavilion, which is being sponsored by Soundings Trade Only.
"Louisville is in the heart of boatbuilding country, with about 80% of the boats built in this country being built within a 750-mile radius of Louisville," Dammrich says. "We're expecting a strong crowd, but particularly strong from the Midwest."
MAATS Pavilion
With attendance at MAATS decreasing during the last few years, organizers decided that rolling it into IBEX as a component would be the best way to provide a venue for the aftermarket segment to exhibit its products.
In 2009, MAATS drew 211 exhibitors and 1,345 badge holders. That was down from 1,780 badge holders in 2008, according to the NMMA.
"To improve the efficiency of marine trade shows, the scope of IBEX needed to change," Cramer previously said. "One trade event for OEM and aftermarket parts and accessories will create a more productive environment, reduce exhibitor costs and time and attract a broader base of attendees."
Dammrich acknowledges that IBEX's time frame may not be ideal for many former MAATS exhibitors, who were used to a mid-summer event.
"They may not be in the prime buying season for next year, but it's an opportunity to make contacts, strengthen relationships, build new relationships and introduce products," he says. "Today, with the Internet, people don't rely solely on a twice-a-year catalog. If someone finds a new aftermarket product at IBEX, they can get it out immediately using the Internet."
Another change that comes with the joining of MAATS and IBEX is that the National Marine Distributors Association's S.T.E.P. purchasing event is no longer held in conjunction with MAATS. Instead, this year S.T.E.P. was held in late July outside Chicago. Nearly 300 people attended the four-day event and about 125 companies attended.
"We expect that there will be NMDA members both walking the show floor and exhibiting at IBEX, as they have done in the past. With our S.T.E.P. purchasing event just finishing, we are not sure how many distributors will actually be doing buying meetings as part of the MAATS pavilion," says NMDA executive director Nancy Cueroni. "We have worked with the NMMA the past few months to make sure our members are aware of the availability of buyer/supplier meetings in Louisville."
Amber McCrocklin, president of Paws Aboard, says her company used to exhibit at MAATS and will be a part of the MAATS pavilion at IBEX.
"It is important for us to attend the industry shows to allow us time to spend with current customers, as well as meeting new, future customers," she says. "I certainly hope there will be higher attendance this year. From what I understand, they chose Louisville due to its proximity to the majority of the customer base."
Doug Curtis, director of marketing for Dometic Marine, says the integration of the two shows is a positive step.
"It brings two segments of the industry together in one place at one time," he says. "I am confident that IBEX in Louisville will provide a great platform from which to launch our innovative new product range to an industry that we feel is recovering."


text:
From Williams Baptist College
The Williams Baptist College Lady Eagles soccer squad ended its season in spectacular fashion with an impressive 6-0 rout against Stephens College on Friday in Walnut Ridge.
The victory against Stephens will go down in the WBC record books as the first win in school history for the team. The game will also be remembered for impressive team and individual performances.
Williams held an early 1-0 lead in the first half on a goal from freshman Marlo Stacy. The squad would seize momentum in the second half, however,by scoring five goals to put the contest well out of reach for Stephens.
As a team, Williams outshot the Stars 23-3 in the contest. Stacy, a Greenbrier nativeset the women's school record of four goals in a single contest. Presley Owen, a junior from Jonesboro, also contributed with a goal and a school record two assists. Reagan Raper added the other goal for WBC, and Hailey Norris contributed with an assist on the last Stacy goal of the match.
"Marlo has been one of the best players in the conference this season. Despite being a freshman, she has been a fantastic leader on and off the field for our team. But this victory was a total team win. I am extremely proud of each and every girl on this squad," said Head Coach Shane Stolz.
The Lady Eagles honored senior and captain Carolina Vela before the start of the contest. This game was not only the final home game, but also the final game for Williams this season. With a young squad returning most of its starters next season, the future looks bright for the Williams Baptist College Lady Eagles soccer team.


text:
9:30 pm
Death In Paradise With a hurricane approaching, the team is called to investigate the murder of a young meteorologist. Suspects conveniently have photographic data to back up their alibis. A rubber duck at the scene, no evidence of the scientist's work, and the timed photographs are the only clues.G
10:30 pm
Call The Midwife "S1 E5" When Nonnatus House cleaner Peggy's brother Frank is diagnosed with cancer, Jenny and the nuns are called upon to care for him. Jenny comes to know the siblings better, learning of their upbringing in a workhouse. Other residents become involved in helping Fred with his latest money-making venture - a pig named Evie. Part 5 of 6G
11:30 pm
Lark Rise to Candleford When the Lark Rise school loses its teacher, Emma steps in and discovers a talent she never knew she had. But Margaret also covets the role of schoolteacher, and the two women become rivals for the job.G


text:
I'd just as soon trust my medical care to Dr. Granny.
At least Dr. Granny on the "Hillbillies" had her rumatiz medicine, aka moon shine, white lightning, mountain dew etc.
She would be able to give you enough medicine, not to get you well at all, you would still die, but at least you wouldn't give a damn.


text:
No can do, man. Pick up a six pack and spend some time with your girlfriend.
go her her place. brew a 5 gallon extract batch on her stove in the kitchen using 2-3 gallons of water and backfill it to 5 gallons in the primary fermenter. You brew but you included her into something new, you spend an hour and a half or or so brewing and then enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Take the advice of an old horndog; forget about brewing this weekend.
Spend an hour in the morning cleaning up your gear and figuring out what to do to get it working again. Then go see your girlfriend with that 6-pack.
Anyway... Maybe I can take a look at equipment tonight.
Quote from: MrNate on December 16, 2011, 02:41:24 PMAnyway... Maybe I can take a look at equipment tonight.Or maybe wait and let the girlfriend help out with your equipment in the morning?


text: Kid-Friendly Romantic Share Pin Tweet Email View All Hotels in Calangute Castle House 2.0 Calangute, Goa, India Overview Photos (74) Room Rates Amenities Map Check-In Check-Out Rooms/Travelers Show Prices Provider Avg. Nightly Total w/ taxes and fees Please enter your dates above to compare your rates on over 200 booking sites including Expedia, Hotels.com, Booking.com, and others.Oyster searches hard to find you the best price! Photos and Review by Oyster.com Investigators


text:
posted by Thom Holwerda on Mon 25th Jul 2005 20:07 UTC
Yesterday, the Open Sword Group released a beta of Pixen v3. "Pixen is the best program for the pixel artist using Mac OS X. Pixen is specifically for small-scale or pixel art; it shines better there than any other application. Not only that, but Pixen carries no price tag: it's open source under the MIT license and absolutely free." As far as I know, this is the only application of it's kind, with no equivelant on either Mac, Windows or Linux.


text:
Independence police on Tuesday arrested two people who face charges in connection with stealing copper.
It happened at mid-morning in the central part of the city, in the 1200 block of South Osage, near 23rd Street and near the Union Pacific tracks.
Police got a call about suspicious persons at 10:52 a.m. Police found two people and two large spools – about 750 pounds each – of telecommunications wire. That's 13,000 feet of wire, and police spokesman Tom Gentry said that would cost at least $1 a foot.
"It was brand-new stuff," Gentry said.
The two people were stripping the wire. They told the officer who arrived on the scene that they had found the wire. The officer kept asking questions, and then the people confessed and were arrested.
Police have not released the names of those they arrested.


text:
The rise and fall of John Koelmel
Just three years ago, John R. Koelmel was a rock star. The former accountant with the linebacker presence was transforming the onetime Lockport Savings Bank into one of the nation's fastest-growing banks – First Niagara Financial Group of Buffalo.
The First Niagara chief executive gobbled up other banks, growing its local workforce to more than 2,000 and planting yellow-and-blue First Niagara signs from Buffalo to Pittsburgh to New Haven. Wall Street paid attention. CNBC sought his insights. The American Banker newspaper crowned him "Banker of the Year" in 2009.
Koelmel became a civic and even state leader, serving as chairman of the New York Power Authority and Kaleida Health. His voice boomed on First Niagara's radio ads: "We're rock solid."
It all came crashing down March 19, when the First Niagara board unceremoniously ousted Koelmel.
Some say the thrill of the deal got the best of Koelmel. Some say his community commitments undermined the bank and overfed his ego. As Koelmel orchestrated the purchase of HSBC Bank USA's huge upstate branch network, First Niagara's already-struggling stock plunged. The market value of the company fell by more than $1 billion.
"It's like a snake swallowing an elephant," said a local lawyer with knowledge of banking. "You choke on the thing."
Koelmel declined to be interviewed for this story; the terms of his reported $5 million severance package forbid comment. But The Buffalo News spoke to more than 40 current and former bank employees, colleagues, industry and community leaders to paint a picture of what happened at First Niagara. Many wished to remain anonymous because of their continuing relationships with Koelmel or the bank.
His fans still praise him as inspiring, big-hearted and devoted to the community, but even some of them concede that he could also be tough and insistent, traits that didn't always win him friends.
"It wasn't an easy time working with John. He's very demanding," one employee said. "But he did a lot of good work."
Larger than life
With his towering height and hulking build, Koelmel makes a grand entrance. His confident voice – brimming with determination – draws a crowd.
"John, by nature of his personality and his approach to things, commands a group's attention," said James Kaskie, CEO of Kaleida Health, where Koelmel has been chairman for three years. "He's passionate, he's very insightful, he has his opinions, so he's very engaging. His willingness to address issues and take on challenges engenders a lot of respect from the board."
Koelmel enjoys a Cherry Coke and a chocolate chip cookie. He loves sports analogies. And his sense of humor often leads to self-deprecating pot-shots. In an interview, he once referred to the expanding "girth of the bank's franchise, not the CEO."
Said First Niagara Interim Chief Executive Gary Crosby: "He's a force of nature. He was really loved by the 6,000 people" at the bank. "You just have to see him go into a room. The whole room lights up. People really look to his leadership."
A branch teller in Albany felt comfortable emailing him "all the time" after Koelmel conducted a town hall meeting with staff.
"He'd love it," another employee said. "He'd email people right back."
Koelmel is a local boy; he graduated from Orchard Park High School before earning a degree in economics and accounting from College of the Holy Cross in 1974. His father was a General Electric salesman and World War II veteran; his mother was a kindergarten teacher.
For 26 years, Koelmel worked for accounting and consulting giant KPMG LLP in Buffalo, ending as managing partner who oversaw four upstate offices. But even then, acquaintances say, Koelmel's passion was deal-making and strategic planning.
In 2000, he left KPMG for a former client, Financial Institutions, parent of Five Star Bank in Warsaw, where he became chief administrative officer. During his two years there, the company bought a pair of banks and an employee benefits firm. Former colleagues say Koelmel wanted more, but the acquisition game didn't play well with longtime CEO Peter G. Humphrey, the fourth generation of his family to lead the bank. (Humphrey didn't return phone calls.) When it became clear Koelmel would never get his chance there, he left.
"Pete's conservative nature was not inclined that way," said one source familiar with Five Star. "They just agreed to part ways."
Seizing the moment
In 2004, Koelmel moved to another former client, First Niagara, this time as chief financial officer. Paul Kolkmeyer had just assumed the top job at First Niagara. He and new First Niagara Chairman Robert G. Weber hired Koelmel. Weber had preceded Koelmel as head of KPMG in Buffalo.
First Niagara had started buying banks several years earlier. When Koelmel arrived, the bank had 56 branches from Buffalo to Ithaca and Utica. Kolkmeyer made two deals in Eastern New York that made First Niagara a force at both ends of the Thruway. But price-conscious Kolkmeyer passed up an opportunity to buy 21 Citibank branches in Buffalo and Rochester, which M&T Bank Corp., then and now the top bank in Buffalo, bought instead.
Weber had grander plans for the bank, a former colleague says, and felt Kolkmeyer was unsuited for the task. (Weber didn't return phone calls.) He engineered a buyout of five Kolkmeyer supporters on the bank's board, then ousted Kolkmeyer in December 2006.
Koelmel was installed as chief executive.
Raising a billion in capital
Assuming the helm, Koelmel saw opportunity and went on a buying spree. As the economy turned south in 2008, he beefed up staff and operations to support a bigger bank. From 2007 to the spring of 2011, he raised nearly $1 billion in capital from Wall Street with three stock sales, using the proceeds to buy all or parts of four banks – Greater Buffalo Savings Bank, PNC Financial Services Group of Pittsburgh, Harleysville National Corp. of suburban Philadelphia and NewAlliance Bancshares of New Haven, Conn.
Greater Buffalo proved a cinch, right in First Niagara's home turf and brimming with opportunities to gain more customers without increasing costs.
PNC was a virtual steal, as the federal government forced the bigger bank to unload 57 branches in Western Pennsylvania so it wouldn't have too much power there after buying a struggling Cleveland institution.
Even Harleysville National, while slightly more costly and risky, made both financial and strategic sense.
First Niagara's stock, which peaked in 2003 after a steady four-fold rise, gained little traction in those years. But it still outperformed the rest of the industry during the recession, and industry watchers and national media lauded Koelmel as an astute deal-maker getting good prices.
Investors bought into the bank's story.
"The early deals were absolute home-runs," said Joseph Fenech, a Wall Street bank analyst at Sandler O'Neill & Partners who followed First Niagara.
On top of the world
The bank's growth made Koelmel a big man in town. His total compensation rose from $549,506 in 2005 to $3.78 million in 2012. He led a $500,000 community campaign to bail out the Empire State Games. He became chairman of the Buffalo Arts and Technology Center. He moved the bank's headquarters to Larkinville, providing important support to a local redevelopment.
Howard Zemsky, the driving force behind the Larkin at Exchange Building and nearby revival, said Koelmel frequently asked, "What's next?" as they discussed the district's progress.
"It was a simple way to remind us not to rest on past success," Zemsky said. "If I hesitated too long or tried to change the topic, he'd follow up with, 'No, really, what's next?' He lives for the next challenge; the more aspirational, the better."
But his new public role consumed more and more time. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo asked him to lead the Power Authority, the nation's biggest state public power agency – a job demanding enough that, unlike other state authority appointments, it came with a salary of $90,800. Koelmel turned down the salary. Kaleida, the largest health care provider in Western New York, also named him chairman.
As the bank's stock languished, some grumbled that Koelmel was stretching himself too thin.
"When you have a less-than-successful institution, you should not be taking on other responsibilities like the Power Authority and Kaleida," said an observer familiar with Koelmel and his role at First Niagara.
A new personality
Increasingly, Koelmel's world revolved around mayors, governors and captains of industry. In Buffalo, local leaders praise his commitment.
"The guy is 100 percent behind Western New York," said Dr. Joseph DeVincentis, a friend of Koelmel's for 35 years. "He gives of his time freely because he wants Buffalo to be better."
Said Robert D. Gioia, president of the Oishei Foundation: "If we had more like John, who are willing to step up and step in, we wouldn't be so dependent on such a few."
But a longtime Koelmel acquaintance familiar with First Niagara said the bank struggled to meet all the promises Koelmel was making.
Committing the bank's money – more than $1 million a year – to place its name on the Buffalo Sabres' home arena was the hallmark of Koelmel's hubris, a source familiar with bank operations said.
"I think ego gets the better of a lot of people," he said. "Community giving is for those flush with money, not for a less-than-successful institution."
One local executive described Koelmel's methods as "Wilmers envy," referring to M&T Chairman Robert G. Wilmers, who has a long record of community leadership.
"He wanted the community impact of Bob Wilmers and M&T," he said. "The difference with Wilmers, though, is that he never strayed beyond the bank's core competency and never grew too fast."
Too good to resist
The biggest deal of his career likely led to Koelmel's downfall. On July 31, 2011, just three months after buying 88 New-Alliance offices in New England, First Niagara agreed to purchase 195 HSBC branches across upstate New York and southwestern Connecticut. The price tag: $1 billion in cash.
The deal catapulted the once-sleepy savings bank into the top tier of U.S. banks. With the HSBC operations, First Niagara had 430 branches across four states – 10 times larger by assets than when Koelmel joined the bank. In Buffalo, it made First Niagara a close second to M&T. But $1 billion was a hefty sum, even for capital-rich First Niagara.
Some investors complained. They didn't like the price, didn't like the risk and didn't like the dilution to shareholders. Mostly, they didn't like Koelmel's aggressiveness.
First Niagara's shares were falling even before the HSBC deal was unveiled, but they plunged from $13 to less than $9 a few weeks after the announcement. The timing of the deal was bad; after the announcement, a debt-ceiling fight in Washington and Fed interest-rate policies sent stock prices down. In three months, First Niagara lost $1.2 billion in market value – a 31 percent drop.
Koelmel vowed he was done buying, but Wall Street had had enough.
"First Niagara is a good company that had made some poor decisions at the top, and people wanted to have a scapegoat to be able to wipe it clean and start over," said Bob Ramsey, a bank analyst at FBR & Co.
Said Koelmel in a 2012 interview with The News: "Banks have been rewarded for sitting on the sidelines, playing it safe, being conservative. As a company that continued to play offense, we've been tossed in the penalty box."
The end of the road
While Koelmel's ouster did not surprise many, the timing did. The company had just issued its proxy statement to shareholders, listing Koelmel as chief executive and a candidate for re-election to the board. It also reported his compensation – higher than that of M&T Chief Executive Wilmers.
Crosby, First Niagara's interim chief executive, acknowledges he was tapped for the interim job a week and a half before Koelmel was ousted. Five days after the proxy was released, Koelmel was out.
Some outsiders blame the board as well as Koelmel.
"Perhaps more of the blame was placed on John than rightfully should be," said Gerard Mazurkewicz, a partner at Dopkins & Co. and a former Greater Buffalo director. "It wasn't only his decision to go along with these types of transactions."
Said First Niagara Chairman G. Thomas Bowers: "I think shareholders do hold us responsible, as they should. We're not ducking that in any way. One of the board's primary roles is to engage, monitor, supervise the CEO, and that is our responsibility."
One longtime friend says Koelmel may have tired of the board as much as the board tired of him.
"I don't think that John Koelmel could work for people he has zero confidence in, whom he doesn't think are doing the best thing for Western New York," said DeVincentis, Koelmel's friend for 35 years. "He was frustrated with the whole situation. I don't think he could get things done the way he wanted to."
Koelmel pledged to remain active in the community.
In fact, the day he left First Niagara, he flew to the Power Authority offices in White Plains – for a board meeting.
email: email@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
50 years lead to one last semester of storytelling
He may have technically retired from the James Madison University faculty in 1998, but Dr. Clive R. Hallman Jr., is looking forward to teaching two of his favorite history courses – The Old South and Colonial America – when JMU starts fall semester 2012. Just as he has for 50 years, Hallman will impart his knowledge of and love for American history to filled-to-capacity classrooms in Jackson Hall.
A total of 55 undergraduate students are enrolled in the classes that the professor emeritus of history declares are his final ones in a career that began in Madison College's summer session of 1962. "Dr. (Michael) Galgano and I decided I would teach this semester to take me full circle," Hallman said, referring to the head of JMU's history department.
Hallman's affiliation with the university began when he answered a plea from the director of the Division of the Social Sciences, Dr. Elmer Smith, to teach a survey class in early U.S. history during the summer term in place of a gravely ill professor. Hallman, who was teaching history in the upper school and serving as principal of the junior school at Staunton Military Academy, was one of the few educators in the area holding a master's degree in history, one of Madison's requirements.
Hallman taught that summer and in summer 1963 before leaving his post at SMA, where he had taught for eight years after earning degrees from Appalachian State University (M.A.) and Berry College (A.B.), to join the Madison College faculty in 1964. Two years later, he took leave to complete a doctoral degree program in early American history at the University of Georgia.
Known for calling his students by the name of their home state or city, Hallman says there is a teachable moment even in such an exercise. "If you're a Southerner, when you meet someone, the first thing you do is ask, 'Where are you from?' and if you're a Yankee, the first question is 'What do you do?' and if you're from California, it's, 'What's your sign?"
"We were having fun one first day of class. I told them that story and we started going around and they seemed to get a kick out of it, so it sort of stuck. But I know their names too," said Hallman, who obviously hails from the South, Douglasville, Ga., which is located about 20 miles west of Atlanta, to be exact.
Hallman describes his teaching style as "storytelling to draw the students into conversations about history." His favorite course is one he is teaching this fall semester. "I trace my interest in Colonial American history to the road trips my Dad decided our family needed to take when my brother and I were young. He was interested in history and took us to see historical sites."
Among those treks was a visit to Colonial Williamsburg with its extensive re-creation of late 18th century houses, shops, gardens and dependencies. Hallman's affectionate affiliation with Colonial Williamsburg continues to this day. He has led JMU undergraduate and graduate students to the town as part of May and summer session courses for years to envision daily life in the Colonial era and to consider a specific topic, such as architecture.
The relationships he built with Colonial Williamsburg officials and interpreters led to a spur-of-the-moment invitation for Hallman and his students to cook an authentic Colonial meal in Williamsburg one January. Hallman put out the word to head to Williamsburg on a Friday, traveled on Saturday and got a meal on the table on Sunday.
"They milked the cow, they killed the chicken, they churned butter, and we cooked a meal of chicken, oysters, black-eyed peas and ash cake (a cornmeal-based dish) over the fire," Hallman recalls. "We ate our Sunday dinner about 3 o'clock. It took that long. The students didn't realize how much work it was to get a dinner together. For some of the folks, milking a cow was an experience."
Hallman describes "success" in the classroom as helping students develop an appreciation for history, a goal he says is harder to achieve in more recent years. "Since we went to the SOLs (Standards of Learning), you begin to see students come in that have no idea about the early part of American history," Hallman said. "Now, when you get down into the more recent stuff, politics and all that, they can handle that fairly well."
That's where the storytelling comes in. "If you don't do something like that, they get bored with fact after fact after fact. I try to pull the facts in there but connect them with a story or event. I try to get a conversation going, and fortunately, there's always one (student) that knows what's going on and helps get the ball rolling."
While most of his teaching has occurred in Jackson Hall, the home of JMU's history department, Hallman recalls teaching with Dr. Paul C. Cline, professor emeritus of political science and law, in Burruss Hall, where they taught a government class on closed-circuit television.
"We had four classrooms all hooked up to one studio. We had a full camera crew and communication with the classrooms. We couldn't see them, but we had remote voice. A little light would come on and we would know we had a question from classroom 5. Paul and I had a wonderful time teaching, but the closed-circuit television delivery just didn't catch on."
Hallman's contributions outside the college classroom are numerous. He regularly teaches sessions for the JMU-Lifelong Learning Institute to share his knowledge with adult learners. This fall, he's teaching "Thomas Jefferson: The Virginia Years."
Hallman serves as a member of the board of directors of the American Frontier Culture Foundation. He's the founding faculty advisor for the JMU chapter of Theta Chi, which traces its roots to the late 1960s when men displaced by the closing of Frederick College in Portsmouth transferred to Madison College and brought their fraternity with them. A few years later, wanting to affiliate with the national fraternity, members asked Hallman to be their advisor. In honor of his dedication, Fraternity and Sorority Life at JMU has named one of its top annual honors The Clive Hallman Outstanding Chapter Adviser Award.
"People ask me what I'm going to do after December. I say, 'I don't know; I'll think about that in January." Before then, he has students to teach.
# # #
Aug. 27, 2012
Published: Monday, August 27, 2012
Last Updated: Thursday, October 20, 2016


text:
James Stephens
James Stephens (9 February 1882 - 26 December 1950 / Dublin)
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The Turn Of The Road
I was playing with my hoop along the road
Just where the bushes are, when, suddenly,
There came a shout, -- I ran away and stowed
Myself beneath a bush, and watched to see
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text: Bonhams invites you to meet Emma Sykes who is our regional picture valuer and will be pleased to offer free verbal advice on selling at auction. Alternatively ring up to make an appointment for a home visit, insurance or probate valuation. To make an appointment call 01225 788988 or email firstname.lastname@example.com, we are also happy to receive images.