Children in uatemala
In 2001 the World Bank estimated that two thirds of Guatemalan children were living in poverty. Illiteracy, infant mortality and malnutrition are among the highest in the region, life expectancy is among the lowest and the country is one of the most violent in Latin America.
- Some 60 per cent of the school age population live in rural areas, but only 24.5 per cent of the schools are in the rural areas.
- Eight municipalities do not have a middle school and only 58 per cent have a secondary school.
- More children at younger ages are entering the labour force, and the child labour rate is the highest in Central America at 26%.
Our Children's Villages in Guatemala
We began working in Guatemala in 1976 following an earthquake which totally destroyed the town of San Juan Sacatepéquez, 30 km from Guatemala City. Five wooden houses were built to provide homes for children who had been orphaned. We now have five SOS Children’s Villages in Guatemala.
SOS Children's Village Quetzaltenango was built in 1979 on the outskirts of the city of Quetzaltenango, 200 km north-west of Guatamela City at an altitude of 2,400 metres. The Village has a number of family houses and three youth houses.
We opened a Village at Retalhuleu in 1980. Retalhuleu, a provincial capital with around 60,000 inhabitants, is 230 km west of Guatemala City. The Village is in a residential area about two kilometres from the city centre and has a number of family houses and youth houses and an SOS Nursery which is also open to children in the neighbourhood. A workshop provides training in tailoring and dressmaking for the young people.
SOS Children's Villages Jocotán opened in 1983. Jocotán is a small village, 26 km from the nearest large city Chiquimula where there is an SOS Youth House for the older children. On the side of a river, the Village has a number of family houses and an SOS Nursery which is also used by children and families in Jocotán. An SOS Primary School was built in 1993 for both local and SOS children.
Guatemala's fifth community opened in 2001. SOS Children's Village San Jerónimo is in the province of Baja Verapaz, an area that was badly affected by the civil war and whose inhabitants (mostly American Indians from the Quiché tribe) are still suffering the consequences. The Village has ten family houses and runs its own nursery for both the SOS and local children.
Santa Cruz del Quiché
Our newest Children's Village in Guatemala is under construction in Quiché to provide orphaned and abandoned children with a new family home. SOS Children's Village Santa Cruz del Quiché will be in the city of the same name, the capital of the Quiché region.
Asociación Aldeas Infantiles SOS de Guatemala
Apartado postal 2908
2908 Ciudad de Guatemala
Tel: +502 – 2419 1500
Fax: +502 – 2419 1512


Ken and I have become quite interested in Fire agates after finding them at Saddle mountain and near Oatman, Arizona. One might say we have become obsessed……
I should note here that we did not find our treasures in precisely the place the book outlined that we would. Perhaps we were….. thinking outside the box. Turning left instead of right, on one side of the road instead of the other….
It has been hard to envision how the rough form of Fire agate becomes the gems seen in many booths at quartzsite.
rough one of mine… thin layers will need to be removed.
rough of mine
gems at quartzsite
Just google ” fire agates” to see much better photos of them. I HAVE tried stealing pictures off the internet, but am not computer savvy enough to figure out how to do it.
What we have discovered is that there is a little more work involved in getting the rough stone down to the fire agate gem.
The following is an excerpt from an article by Edgar B. Heylmun, PhD 2002 (of course I HAVE corrected his spelling of the word colour) 🙂
“Agate nodules are created when silica, in solution, enters and slowly fills a gas cavity in volcanic rocks. Agate and volcanic rocks have more porosity and permeability than what meets the eye, and layer upon layer of silica is deposited in the cavity until it is filled. Agate may also be deposited in seams and fractures in volcanic rocks. The mineralized solutions were probably formed during the cooling of the volcanic rocks, though considerable silica could be deposited over the years by cold circulating ground water. The porosity of agate is demonstrated by the ease in which agate can be artifically coloured.
Fire agate is a challenge to cut and polish in such a way as to preserve the fire, so it is popular with lapidary artists. The fire is caused by a thin layer of iridescent iron oxide that was deposited in a botryoidal (bubbly) manner. The bubbly nature of the layer was probably caused by small gas bubbles that were later filled with silica and water. It is imperative that the layer of silica covering the iron oxide be clear. Otherwise, the fire would not be discovered. When grinding, a lot of delicate work is required, aided by microscopic examination. There may be several thin layers of iron oxide, each with fire of a different colour, so it is quite a challenge to cut and polish such material en cabochon. The principal flashes of fire are golden yellow to green, but some valuable specimens exhibit a brilliant red. Sometimes, fire is evident in specimens before any cutting is done. The iron oxide is hydrous, so water in the thin layer adds to the fire, as does water in inter-layered silica which may, in fact, be fire opal. One of the lapidary rules is to wet grind fire agate, not saw it.”
There is a “fire” that exists deep in the stone that you must grind/Dremel….. your way into without destroying the stone within. You must use diamond blades and Dremel tools …. but bearing in mind that diamonds are harder than agates, so if you go too far you destroy the “fire agate”.
This is one that I have found that has very little chalcedony covering the fire. I guess it was with this one that we began to understand the process.
I am thinking the process will be great fun, sort of like cleaning the garlic, you peel away the outside layers of the garlic to reveal the colours within. I LOVE that part of being a garlic grower.
… and flowers on the cactus…
Tucker pretending to be a coyote.
and Mr RV repairman KEN…. Kitchen sink was leaking yesterday, now we need to get a new drain. Piece by piece we are buying ourself a brand new RV…….. 🙂
I have struggled writing this Blog, because I did it 2 days ago, and went to post it and it disappeared Hard to write the same thing twice.
MUCH love to all


Vesicles are small, fluid-filled sacs that can appear on your skin. The fluid inside these vesicles may be clear, white, yellow, or mixed with blood.
Vesicles are also sometimes referred to as blisters or bullae, though there are slight size differences among them. Vesicles are typically about five to 10 millimeters in diameter. If the sacs become larger than that, they’re classified as blisters. If they have a diameter of at least half a centimeter, they’re known as bullae.
Vesicles develop when fluid becomes trapped under the epidermis, the top layer of your skin. A number of different health conditions can cause them. Some of these conditions are minor and don’t require medical attention. Others are more serious and can signal a complicated medical issue that needs ongoing treatment.
Minor causes of vesicles include:
- allergic reactions that cause skin irritation
- dermatitis or eczema
- contact dermatitis, such as from poison ivy or poison oak
- cold sores
You should see a doctor if your vesicles are a result of:
- autoimmune disorders, such as bullous pemphigoid
- chickenpox or shingles
- skin diseases that cause blistering, such as porphyria cutanea tarda
- impetigo, a skin condition caused by infection with strep or staph bacteria
What are the
Vesicles are often easy to recognize. Most develop on the surface of the skin and cause it to swell with fluid. The skin around the vesicle keeps the fluid contained.
Most vesicles rupture easily and release the fluid onto the skin. When the fluid dries, it may turn yellow or crusty.
Conditions that produce symptoms similar to vesicles can include:
- staph infections
- skin nodules
- neurofibromas, or tumors that develop on the nerves
- infected hair follicles
When a rash appears in the same place as multiple vesicles, it’s known as a vesicular rash. Heat rashes are one type of vesicular rash, occurring mainly in folds of the skin or wherever clothing can cause friction. Infections, such as staph infections that have spread, can also cause vesicular rashes. Contact dermatitis is an extremely common cause of vesicular rash.
Vesicular rashes may spread quickly. In the case of bacterial infections, keep the rash clean to prevent it from spreading to other parts of the body.
You should always make an appointment with your doctor if you develop unexplained vesicles on your skin. During the visit, they’ll ask you about your recent health history and about any medical conditions that might be causing the vesicles.
They’ll also examine your skin. Your doctor may be able to diagnose the cause of your vesicles based on this information alone.
If your doctor is uncertain about the cause of your vesicles, they may recommend more tests. They may also take a sample of fluid or a biopsy of the skin tissue from the vesicle to send to a lab. The analysis of the sample will help them to confirm your diagnosis.
You should always talk with your doctor about the best treatment options to reduce your symptoms.
Treatment for your vesicles depends on the cause. Over-the-counter remedies may be enough to treat vesicles caused by allergic reaction, dermatitis, poison ivy, or cold sores. Many of these remedies are topical ointments that can soothe the skin. Antihistamines may be able to reduce allergy-related causes.
Vesicles can be accompanied by other serious symptoms, such as inflammation or infection. In these cases, your doctor may prescribe medications to treat the underlying causes.
For example, bullous pemphigoid — a type of autoimmune disorder that affects older adults — is typically treated with corticosteroids to help reduce inflammation and antibiotics to help prevent infection.
Bacterial infections are typically treated with oral antibiotics so as not to aggravate the vesicles.
Vesicles caused by eczema are often treated with topical medications, including retinoids and glucocorticoids.
Blisters or vesicles caused by burns will be treated with prescription burn creams. You may also be prescribed oral antibiotics to reduce the chance of infection.
What home treatments
are effective against vesicles?
Home treatments including alternative remedies can often be effective for treating vesicles or blisters.
To care for an open or torn vesicle, wash the area with soap and water or use hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound. You can use over-the-counter antibiotic ointment to prevent infection. Cover the area with a clean bandage to protect it.
Natural treatments for vesicles that haven’t been torn or drained include:
- aloe vera, which is soothing and has anti-inflammatory properties
- apple cider vinegar, which has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties to reduce swelling and help dry the vesicle out
- tea tree oil, which has antibacterial and astringent properties
Popping a vesicle isn’t typically advised. It can leave the area open to infection and make it take longer to heal. Unless the vesicle becomes large and exceptionally painful, leaving it alone is best.
What is the
prognosis for someone with this condition?
Your outlook depends on the underlying cause. If your vesicles are caused by an allergic reaction or contact dermatitis, you will typically make a full recovery after treatment.
More serious cases of vesicles can be a result of your genetics or an infection with a virus, so the vesicles may reoccur throughout your life. Proper treatment may relieve your symptoms. However, if you have a chronic condition, the vesicles are likely to return.
How can you
If you know you have allergies, you can help prevent vesicles by avoiding your allergens. You should also take care not to share cups, straws, or lip products.
You can also avoid wearing tight-fitting clothing that rubs uncomfortably on the skin, especially in hot or damp weather. You should wear proper attire for sports or physical activity, such as socks with extra padding. Moisture-wicking clothing can also be helpful.
Keep your skin clean, maintain good hygiene, and avoid irritants that could aggravate your skin. Antibacterial soaps can help prevent vesicles from becoming infected (and infections from causing vesicles). Shower immediately after working out or coming into contact with a potential skin irritant.
In some instances, it may not be possible to prevent vesicles.
you call your doctor?
Most vesicles, blisters, and bullae can be treated with over-the-counter treatments and home remedies. In some cases, however, it’s a good idea to call your doctor.
See your doctor if…
- you’re experiencing signs of an infection, including swelling, increased redness, streaks from the vesicle, and warmth at the site of the vesicle
- you’re getting vesicles or blisters often or have a large number of blisters and don’t know why
- you have a band of painful vesicles on one side of your body or face, which could indicate shingles
- you have diabetes and get vesicles or blisters on your hands, feet, or legs
If you experience a rapid spread of vesicles, especially with a rash, and symptoms such as shortness of breath, pain, or dizziness, you may be having an allergic reaction to medications. In these cases, you should seek immediate medical attention.


means to “carry to one's mouth” “to kiss” (ad-os, ad-orare). The Romans performed adoration by placing their right hand on their mouth and bowing. The Greeks paid adoration to kings by putting the royal robe to their lips. The Jews kissed in homage: thus God said to Elijah he had 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed unto Baal, “every mouth which hath not kissed him” (1 Kings xix, 18; see also Hosea xiii.
“Kiss the Son lest He be angry” (Psalm ii. 12), means worship, reverence the Son. Even in England we do homage by kissing the hand of the sovereign.


When animal rescuers from the RSPCA stepped onto a field in Cambridgeshire, England, they were shocked to see a “sea of yellow.” Over 1,000 baby chicks had been cruelly abandoned and left to die.
It’s believed that the chicks were purchased from a breeder, then abandoned in a field for reasons unknown. After being discovered by a member of the public, they were collected by the RSPCA and returned to their unit.
The chicks were only about a day old and very delicate. Most were in good health, but some had already died or needed to be put down humanely.
What in the world would cause someone to purchase so many chicks, only to abandon them hours later? Be sure to share this bizarre case with your friends and family. Hopefully, authorities will be able to find some answers.
Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/abandoned-chicks/


Verses with the word sackcloth in the Apocrypha (12 verses):
Both they, and their wives and their children, and their cattle, and every stranger and hireling, and their servants bought with money, put sackcloth upon their loins.
Thus every man and women, and the little children, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, fell before the temple, and cast ashes upon their heads, and spread out their sackcloth before the face of the Lord: also they put sackcloth about the altar,
And Joacim the high priest, and all the priests that stood before the Lord, and they which ministered unto the Lord, had their loins girt with sackcloth, and offered the daily burnt offerings, with the vows and free gifts of the people,
And she made her a tent upon the top of her house, and put on sackcloth upon her loins and ware her widow's apparel.
Judith fell upon her face, and put ashes upon her head, and uncovered the sackcloth wherewith she was clothed; and about the time that the incense of that evening was offered in Jerusalem in the house of the Lord Judith cried with a loud voice, and said,
And pulled off the sackcloth which she had on, and put off the garments of her widowhood, and washed her body all over with water, and anointed herself with precious ointment, and braided the hair of her head, and put on a tire upon it, and put on her garments of gladness, wherewith she was clad during the life of Manasses her husband.
The wickedness of a woman changeth her face, and darkeneth her countenance like sackcloth.
I have put off the clothing of peace, and put upon me the sackcloth of my prayer: I will cry unto the Everlasting in my days.
1 Maccabees 2:14
Then Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourned very sore.
1 Maccabees 3:47
Then they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes,
2 Maccabees 3:19
And the women, girt with sackcloth under their breasts, abounded in the streets, and the virgins that were kept in ran, some to the gates, and some to the walls, and others looked out of the windows.
2 Maccabees 10:25
But when he drew near, they that were with Maccabeus turned themselves to pray unto God, and sprinkled earth upon their heads, and girded their loins with sackcloth,


An Ancient Universe: How Astronomers Know the Vast Scale of Cosmic Time
THE UNIVERSE: AN OVERVIEW
We live in a wonderful universe. It has inspired artists and poets through the ages, from ancient Greece to today's Star Trek television series. Astronomy, the study of the universe, reveals a cosmos that is vast, varied, and beautiful. The sky is our window on this universe. The universe is there for all to see on any clear night, and it is all around us.
When astronomers talk about the universe, they mean everything that is accessible to our observations. The universe includes all that we can survey or experiment on, from the moon that orbits our own planet out to the most distant islands of stars in the vastness of space. Since we cannot visit most of the universe, we rely on the information it can send to us. Fortunately, we receive an enormous amount of cosmic information all the time, coded into the waves of light and other forms of energy that come to us from objects at all distances. The main task of astronomy is to decode that information and assemble a coherent picture of the cosmos.
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An Ancient Universe - Table of Contents
Home | Introduction | The Universe: An Overview | The Process of Science | The Ancient Universe - The Age of the Expanding Universe - The Age of the Oldest Stars - The Age of Light From Distant Galaxies - The Age of the Chemical Elements | The Changing Universe - Changes in the Solar System - Changes in Stars - Changes in the Universe | Science and Religion | Resource Guide | Activities
© Copyright 2001, American Astronomical Society. Permission to reproduce in its entirety for any non-profit, educational purpose is hereby granted. For all other uses contact the publisher: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 390 Ashton Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112.
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IRDP's initial strategy for fostering development activities is the establishment of internal and external linkages and partnerships at each site, with an attention to the policies and priorities of the respective governments in the region. At each site, a respected community member, called a District Facilitator (DF), facilitates programme activities. A Regional Coordinating Intermediary (RCI) based at the University of Pretoria coordinates programme activities. Proposals are submitted for donor funding.
Examples of activities conducted at specific sites include:
- fostering the generation of income through agricultural and other projects like brick moulding (Swaziland - Tikhuba R.D.A.)
- establishing a district governing board to help develop a programme in which service providers conduct capacity building activities (South Africa - Nyandeni, Eastern Cape)
- implementing women-oriented animal foment/restocking in Sussundenga (Mozambique - Chimoio District)
- establishing a council to design a community-owned strategic development plan (Zimbabwe - Chimanimani District)
In order to mobilise all community capacities and help build equitable societies, IRDP focuses on empowering women and youth in all of its activities. In addition, activities emphasise the role of physical and mental health in building economic self-sustainability and social well-being. For this reason, IRDP emphasises the importance of community understanding of issues impacting their health and the development of preventive health care. Skill development is also central; it is structured to build both confidence and capacity in terms of income-generating skills. This training is designed to help community members maintain respect for traditional values, while at the same time working to change disabling mindsets and practices that might otherwise serve as obstacles to development.
Agriculture, Economic Development, Women, Youth.
Programme organisers note that in sub-Saharan Africa, 292 million people live on less than US$1 a day. 66% of people in sub-Saharan Africa - and the vast majority of the poor - are in rural areas.
The pilot phase of the IRDP, the Initiative for Integrated District Development Program (IIDDP), has been ongoing since 1998. A central component of that phase was selecting sites on the basis of criteria that included community poverty levels; demographics; existing development activities; infrastructure development; natural resources; economic activity; governance structures and community leadership; cooperation between role players; community commitment to self-development; the political environment; and the potential to expand work current WKKF Africa programmes in these areas.
Postgraduate School for Agriculture and Rural Development at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, Center for Applied Social Sciences (CASS) at the University of Zimbabwe, WKKF Africa, The Initiative for Development and Equity in African Agriculture (IDEAA), and Leadership Regional Network (LeaRN).


The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914/Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore, thirteenth president of the United States, born in the township of Locke (now Summerhill), Cayuga County, N. Y., January 7, 1800; died in Buffalo, N. Y., March 7, 1874. The name of Fillmore is of English origin, and at different periods has been variously written. Including the son of the ex-president, the family can be traced through six generations, and, as has been said of that of Washington, its history gives proof “of the lineal and enduring worth of race.” The first of the family to appear in the New World was a certain John Fillmore, who, in a conveyance of two acres of land dated November 24, 1704, is described as a “mariner of Ipswich,” Mass. His eldest son, of the same name, born two years before the purchase of the real estate in Beverly, also became a sea-faring man, and while on a voyage in the sloop “Dolphin,” of Cape Ann, was captured with all on board by the pirate Capt. John Phillips. For nearly nine months Fillmore and his three companions in captivity were compelled to serve on the pirate ship and to submit, during that long period, to many hardships and much cruel treatment. After watching and waiting for an opportunity to obtain their freedom, their hour at length came. While Fillmore sent an axe crashing through the skull of Burrall, the boatswain, the captain and other officers were despatched by his companions, and the ship was won. They sailed her into Boston harbor, and the same court which condemned the brigands of the sea presented John Fillmore with the captain's silver-hilted sword and other articles, which are preserved to this day by his descendants. The sword was inherited by his son, Nathaniel, and was made good use of in both the French and Revolutionary wars. Lieut. Fillmore's second son, who also bore the name Nathaniel, and who was the father of the president, went with his young wife, Phebe Millard, to what at the close of the past century was the “far west,” where he and a younger brother built a log cabin in the wilderness, and there his second son, Millard, was born. Nathaniel Fillmore was one of “God Almighty's gentlemen,” whose creed was contained in two words, “do right,” and who lived to see his son elevated to the highest position in his native land. Of the president's mother, who died in the summer of 1831, little is known beyond the fact that she was a sensible and, in her later years, a sickly woman; with a sunny nature that enabled her to endure uncomplainingly the many hardships of a frontier life, and that her closing days were gladdened by the frequent visits of her son, who was then in public life, with every prospect of a successful professional and political career.
From a photograph by Baker, Buffalo, N. Y.
From a brief manuscript autobiography prepared by “worthy Mr. Fillmore,” as Washington Irving described him, we learn that, owing to a defective title, his father lost his property on what was called the “military tract,” and removed to another part of the same county, now known as Niles, where he took a perpetual lease of 130 acres, wholly unimproved and covered with heavy timber. It was here that the future president first knew anything of life. Working for nine months on the farm, and attending such primitive schools as then existed in that neighborhood for the other three months of the year, he had an opportunity of forgetting during the summer what he acquired in the winter, for in those days there were no newspapers and magazines to be found in pioneers cabins, and his father's library consisted of but two books — the Bible and a collection of hymns. He never saw a copy of “Shakespeare” or “Robinson Crusoe,” a history of the United States, or even a map of his own country, till he was nineteen years of age! Nathaniel Fillmore's misfortunes in losing his land through a defective title, and again in taking another tract of exceedingly poor soil, gave him a distaste for farming, and made him desirous that his sons should follow other occupations. As his means did not justify him or them in aspiring to any profession, he wished them to learn trades, and accordingly Millard, then a sturdy youth of fourteen, was apprenticed for a few months on trial to the business of carding wool and dressing cloth. During his apprenticeship he was, as the youngest, treated with great injustice, and on one occasion his employer, for some expression of righteous resentment, threatened to chastise him, when the young woodsman, burning with indignation, raised the axe with which he was at work, and told him the attempt would cost him his life. Most fortunate for both, the attempt was not made, and at the close of his term he shouldered his knapsack, containing a few clothes and a supply of bread and dried venison, and set out on foot and alone for his father's house, a distance of something more than a hundred miles through the primeval forests. Mr. Fillmore in his autobiography remarks: “I think that this injustice — which was no more than other apprentices have suffered and will suffer — had a marked effect on my character. It made me feel for the weak and unprotected, and to hate the insolent tyrant in every station of life.”
In 1815 the youth again began the business of carding and cloth-dressing, which was carried on from June to December of each year. The first book that he purchased or owned was a small English dictionary, which he diligently studied while attending the carding machine. In 1819 he conceived the design of becoming a lawyer. Fillmore, who had yet two years of his apprenticeship to serve, agreed with his employer to relinquish his wages for the last year's services, and promised to pay thirty dollars for his time. Making an arrangement with a retired country lawyer, by which he was to receive his board in payment for his services in the office, he began the study of law, a part of the time teaching school, and so struggling on, overcoming almost insurmountable difficulties, till at length, in the spring of 1823, he was, at the intercession of several leading members of the Buffalo bar, whose confidence he had won, admitted as an attorney by the court of common pleas of Erie County, although he had not completed the course of study usually required. The writer has recently seen the dilapidated one-story building in Buffalo where Mr. Fillmore closed his career as a school-master, and has also conversed with one of his pupils of four-score years ago. The wisdom of his youth and early manhood gave presage of all that was witnessed and admired in the maturity of his character. Nature laid on him, in the kindly phrase of Wordsworth, “the strong hand of her purity,” and even then he was remarked for that sweet courtesy of manner which accompanied him through life. Millard Fillmore began practice at Aurora, where his father then resided, and fortunately won his first case and a fee of four dollars. In 1827 he was admitted as an attorney, and two years later as counsellor of the supreme court of the state. In 1830 he removed to Buffalo, and after a brief period formed a partnership with Nathan K. Hall, to which Solomon G. Haven was soon afterward admitted.
By hard study and the closest application, combined with honesty and fidelity, Mr. Fillmore soon became a sound and successful lawyer, attaining a highly honorable position in the profession. The law-firm of Fillmore, Hall & Haven, which continued till 1847, was perhaps the most prominent in western New York, and was usually engaged in every important suit occurring in that portion of the state. In 1853, while still in Washington, Mr. Fillmore made an arrangement with Henry E. Davies to renew, on retiring from the presidency, the practice of his profession in New York, in partnership with that gentleman, who, after occupying a judge's seat in the court of appeals, returned to the bar. Family afflictions, however, combined with other causes, induced the ex-president to abandon his purpose. There were doubtless at that time men of more genius and greater eloquence at the bar of the great city; but we cannot doubt that Mr. Fillmore's solid legal learning, and the weight of his personal character, would have won for him the highest professional honors in the new field of action.
Mr. Fillmore's political career began and ended with the birth and extinction of the great Whig party. In 1828 he was elected by Erie County to the state legislature of New York, serving for three terms, and retiring with a reputation for ability, integrity, and a conscientious performance of his public duties. He distinguished himself by his advocacy of the act to abolish imprisonment for debt, which was passed in 1831. The bill was drafted by Fillmore, excepting the portion relative to proceedings in courts of record, which was drawn by John C. Spencer. In 1832 he was elected to congress, and, after serving for one term, retired until 1836, when he was re-elected, and again returned in 1838 and 1840, declining a renomination in 1842. In the 27th congress Mr. Fillmore, as chairman of the committee on ways and means — a committee performing at that period not only the duties now devolving upon it, but those also which belong to the committee on appropriations — had herculean labors to perform. Day after day, for weeks and months, Fillmore had to encounter many of the ablest debaters of the house, but on all occasions he proved himself equal to the emergency. It should not be forgotten that, in the opinion of John Quincy Adams, there were more men of talent and a larger aggregate of ability in that congress than he had ever known. Although Mr. Fillmore did not claim to have discovered any original system of revenue, still the tariff of 1842 was a new creation, and he is most justly entitled to the distinction of being its author. It operated successfully, giving immediate life to our languishing industries and national credit. At the same time Mr. Fillmore, with great labor, prepared a digest of the laws authorizing all appropriations reported by him to the house as chairman of the committee on ways and means, so that on the instant he could produce the legal authority for every expenditure which he recommended. Sensible that this was a great safeguard against improper expenditures, he procured the passage of a resolution requiring the departments, when they submitted estimates of expenses, to accompany them with a reference to the laws authorizing them in each and every instance. This has ever since been the practice of the United States government.
Mr. Fillmore retired from congress in 1843, and was a candidate for the office of vice-president, supported by his own and several of the western states, in the Whig convention that met at Baltimore in May, 1844. In the following September he was nominated by acclamation for governor, but was defeated by Silas Wright, his illustrious contemporary, Henry Clay being vanquished at the same time in the presidential contest by James K. Polk. In 1847 Fillmore was elected comptroller of the state of New York, an office which then included many duties now distributed among other departments. In his report of January 1, 1849, he suggested that a national bank, with the stocks of the United States as the sole basis upon which to issue its currency, might be established and carried on, so as to prove a great convenience to the government, with perfect safety to the people. This idea involves the essential principle of our present system of national banks.
In June, 1848, Millard Fillmore was nominated by the Whig national convention for vice-president, with Gen. Taylor, who had recently won military renown in Mexico, as president, and was in the following November elected, making, with the late occupant of the office, seven vice-presidents of the United States from New York, a greater number than has been yet furnished by any other state. In February, 1849, Fillmore resigned the comptrollership, and on March 5 he was inaugurated as vice-president. In 1826 Calhoun, of South Carolina, then vice-president, established the rule that that officer had no authority to call senators to order. During the heated controversies in the session of 1849-50, occasioned by the application of California for admission into the Union, the vexed question of slavery in the new territories, and that of the rendition of fugitive slaves, in which the most acrimonious language was used, Mr. Fillmore, in a forcible speech to the senate, announced his determination to maintain order, and that, should occasion require, he should resume the usage of his predecessors upon that point. This announcement met with unanimous approval of the senate, which directed the vice-president's remarks to be entered in full on its journal. He presided during the exciting controversy on Clay's “omnibus bill” with his usual impartiality, and so perfectly even did he hold the scales that no one knew which policy he approved excepting the president, to whom he privately stated that, should he be required to deposit a casting vote, it would be in favor of Henry Clay's bill. More than seven months of the session had been exhausted in angry controversy, when, on July 9, 1850, the country was startled by the news of President Taylor's death. He passed away in the second year of his presidency, suddenly and most unexpectedly, of a violent fever, which was brought on by long exposure to the excessive heat of a fourth of July sun, while he was attending the public ceremonies of the day.
It was a critical moment in the history of our country when Millard Fillmore was on Wednesday, July 10, 1850, made president of the United States. With great propriety he reduced the ceremony of his inauguration to an official act to be marked by solemnity without joy; and so, with an absence of the usual heralding of trumpet and shawm, he was unostentatiously sworn into his great office in the hall of representatives, in the presence of both houses. The chief justice of the circuit court of the District of Columbia — the venerable William Cranch, appointed fifty years before by President John Adams — administered the oath, which being done, the new president bowed and retired, and the ceremony was at an end. Mr. Fillmore was then in the prime of life, possessing that which to the heathen philosopher seemed the greatest of all blessings — a sound mind in a sound body. The portrait which appears in this work is after a photograph taken in Buffalo some twenty years later. Of Fillmore's keen appreciation of the responsibility devolving on him we have the evidence of letters written at that time, in which he says he should despair but for his humble reliance on God to help him in the honest, fearless, and faithful discharge of his great duties. President Taylor's cabinet immediately resigned, and a new and exceedingly able one was selected by Mr. Fillmore, with Daniel Webster as secretary of state; Thomas Corwin, secretary of the treasury; William A. Graham, secretary of the navy; Charles M. Conrad, secretary of war; Alexander H. H. Stuart, secretary of the interior; John J. Crittenden, attorney-general; and Nathan K. Hall, postmaster-general. Of these, Mr. Webster died, and Messrs. Graham and Hall retired in 1852, and were respectively replaced by Edward Everett, John P. Kennedy, and Samuel D. Hubbard. Stuart, of Virginia, who died February 13, 1891, was the last survivor of the illustrious men who aided Mr. Fillmore in guiding the ship of state during the most appalling political tempest, save one, which ever visited this fair land. It is certainly not the writer's wish to reawaken party feelings or party prejudice or to recall those great questions of pith and moment which so seriously disturbed congress and the country in the first days of Fillmore's administration, but yet, even in so cursory a glance as we are now taking of his career, some comment would seem to be called for in respect to those public acts connected with slavery which appear to have most unreasonably and unjustly lost him the support of a large proportion of his party in the northern states. Whatever the wisdom of Mr. Fillmore's course may have been, it is impossible to doubt his patriotism or his honest belief that he was acting in accordance with his oath to obey the constitution of his country. The president's dream was peace — to preserve without hatred and without war tranquillity throughout the length and breadth of our broad land, and if in indulging this delusive dream he erred, it was surely an error that leaned to virtue's side. There is a legend that “he serves his party best who serves his country best.” In Mr. Fillmore's action it is confidently believed that he thought not of party or of personal interests, but only of his bounden duty to his country and her sacred constitution.
One of the president's earliest official acts was to send a military force to New Mexico to protect that territory from invasion by Texas on account of its disputed boundary. Then followed the passage by a large majority of the celebrated compromise measures, including the fugitive-slave law. The president referred to the attorney-general the question of its constitutionality, and that officer in a written opinion decided that it was constitutional. Fillmore and the strong cabinet that he had called around him concurred unanimously in this opinion, and the act was signed, together with the other compromise measures. The fugitive-slave law was exceedingly obnoxious to a large portion of the Whig party of the north, as well as to the anti-slavery men, and its execution was resisted. Slaves in several instances were rescued from the custody of the United States marshals, and a few citizens of Christiana, in Pennsylvania, were killed. Although it was admitted that Fillmore's administration as a whole was able, useful, and patriotic, although his purity as a public man was above suspicion, and no other act of his administration could be called unpopular, still, by the signing and attempted enforcement of the fugitive-slave law and some of its unfortunate provisions, of which even Mr. Webster did not approve, the president, as has been already stated, lost the friendship and support of a large portion of his party in the north. Mr. Fillmore's administration being in a political minority in both houses of congress, many wise and admirable measures recommended by him failed of adoption; nevertheless we are indebted to him for cheap postage; for the extension of the national capitol, the corner-stone of which he laid July 4, 1851; for the Perry treaty, opening the ports of Japan, and for various valuable exploring expeditions. When South Carolina in one of her indignant utterances took Mr. Fillmore to task for sending a fleet to Charleston harbor, and he was officially questioned as to his object and authority, the answer came promptly and to the purpose, “By authority of the constitution of the United States, which has made the president commander-in-chief of the army and navy, and who recognizes no responsibility for his official action to the governor of South Carolina.” With stern measures he repressed filibustering, and with equal firmness exacted from other countries respect for our flag. Mr. Fillmore carried out strictly the doctrine of non-intervention in the affairs of foreign nations, and frankly stated his policy to the highly gifted Kossuth, who won all hearts by his surpassing eloquence. At the same time, however, it was clearly shown how little the administration sympathized with Austria by the celebrated letter addressed to her ambassador, Hülsemann, by Daniel Webster, who died soon after. His successor as secretary of state was Edward Everett, whose brief term of office was distinguished by his letter declining the proposition for a treaty by which England, France, and the United States were to disclaim then and for the future all intention to obtain possession of Cuba. In his last message, however, the president expressed an opinion against the incorporation of the island with this Union.
Nothing in Mr. Fillmore's presidential career was, during the closing years of his life, regarded by himself with greater satisfaction than the suppressed portion of his last message of December 6, 1852. It was suppressed by the advice of the cabinet, all of whom concurred in the belief that, if sent in, it would precipitate an armed collision, and he readily acquiesced in their views. It related to the great political problem of the period the balance of power between the free and the slave states. He fully and clearly appreciated the magnitude of the then approaching crisis, and in the document now under consideration proposed a judicious scheme of rescuing the country from the horrors of a civil war, which soon after desolated so large a portion of the land. His perfectable plan was one of African colonization, somewhat similar to one seriously entertained by his successor, Mr. Lincoln. Had President Fillmore's scheme been adopted, there are some who think that it would have been successful, and that our country might have been blessed with peace and prosperity, in lieu of the late war with its loss of half a million of precious lives and a debt of more than double the amount of the estimated cost of his plan of colonization. Mr. Fillmore retired from the presidency March 4, 1853, leaving the country at peace with other lands and within her own borders, and in the enjoyment of a high degree of prosperity in all the various departments of industry. In his cabinet there had never been a dissenting voice in regard to any important measure of his administration, and, upon his retiring from office, a letter was addressed to him by all its members, expressing their united appreciation of his ability, his integrity, and his single-hearted and sincere devotion to the public service.
The last surviving member of Fillmore's cabinet, who also sat in the 27th congress with him, in a communication, with which he favored the writer, says: “Mr. Fillmore was a man of decided opinions, but he was always open to conviction. His aim was truth, and whenever he was convinced by reasoning that his first impressions were wrong, he had the moral courage to surrender them. But, when he had carefully examined a question and had satisfied himself that he was right, no power on earth could induce him to swerve from what he believed to be the line of duty. . . . There were many things about Mr. Fillmore, aside from his public character, which often filled me with surprise. While he enjoyed none of the advantages of early association with cultivated society, he possessed a grace and polish of manner which fitted him for the most refined circles of the metropolis. You saw, too, at a glance, that there was nothing in it which was assumed, but that it was the natural outward expression of inward refinement and dignity of character. I have witnessed, on several occasions, the display by him of attributes apparently of the most opposite character. When assailed in congress he exhibited a manly self-reliance and a lofty courage which commanded the admiration of every spectator, and yet no one ever manifested deeper sensibility, or more tender sympathy, with a friend in affliction. . . . He seemed to have the peculiar faculty of adapting himself to every position in which he was called to serve his country. When he was chairman of the committee of ways and means, members of congress expressed their sense of his fitness by declaring that he was born to fill it. When he was elected vice-president, it was predicted that he would fail as the presiding officer of the senate, yet he acquitted himself in this new and untried position in such a manner as to command the applause of senators. And when advanced to the highest office of our country, he so fulfilled his duties as to draw forth the commendation of the ablest men of the opposite party. . . . For the last two years of my official association with Mr. Fillmore,” adds Mr. Stuart, “our relations, both personal and political, were of an intimate and confidential character. He knew that I was his steadfast friend, and he reciprocated the feeling. He talked with me freely and without reserve about men and measures, and I take pleasure in saying that in all my intercourse with him I never knew him to utter a sentiment or do an act which, in my judgment, would have been unworthy of Washington.”
[ Fac-simile letter from Millard Fillmore to James Grant Wilson ]
His gifted contemporary, Henry Clay, thought highly of Fillmore's moderation and wisdom, said his administration was an able and honorable one, and on his death-bed recommended his nomination for the presidency (by the Baltimore convention of 1852), as being a statesman of large civil experience, and one in whose career there was nothing inconsistent with the highest purity and patriotism. After leaving Washington for the last time, Webster said to a friend that Fillmore's administration leaving out of the question his own share of its work was no doubt the ablest the country had possessed for many years. The same great statesman, in his speech at the laying of the corner-stone of the capitol extension, said: “President Fillmore, it is your singularly good fortune to perform an act such as that which the earliest of your predecessors performed fifty-eight years ago. You stand where he stood; you lay your hand on the cornerstone he laid. Changed, changed is everything around. The same sun, indeed, shone upon his head which shines upon yours. The same broad river rolled at his feet, and now bathes his last resting-place, which now rolls at yours. But the site of this city was then mainly an open field. Streets and avenues have since been laid out and completed, squares and public grounds inclosed and ornamented, until the city, which bears his name, although comparatively inconsiderable in numbers and wealth, has become quite fit to be the seat of government of a great and united people. Sir, may the consequences of the duty which you perform so auspiciously to-day equal those which flowed from his act. Nor this only; may the principles of your administration and the wisdom of your political conduct be such that the world of the present day and all history hereafter may be at no loss to perceive what example you made your study.”
It should be stated as a part of Mr. Fillmore's public record that he was a candidate for nomination as president at the Whig convention of 1852; but although his policy, the fugitive-slave law included, was approved by a vote of 227 against 60, he could not command 20 votes from the free states. Four years later, while at Rome, he received the news of his nomination for the presidency by the American party. He accepted the nomination, but before the close of the campaign it became evident that the real struggle was between the Republicans and Democrats. Many, with whom Fillmore was the first choice for president, cast their votes for Gen. Frémont or James Buchanan, believing that there was no hope of his election, and, although he received the support of large numbers in all the states, Maryland alone gave him her electoral vote. In the summer of 1864 Col. Ogle Tayloe, of Washington, wrote to Mr. Fillmore on the subject of the presidential nomination, and his response was: “I can assure you in all sincerity that I have no desire ever to occupy that exalted station again, and more especially at a time like this.” Apropos of letters, the writer had the privilege of perusing a collection of confidential correspondence written by President Fillmore during a score of years while in public life; and, after a most careful examination, failed to find a single passage that would not stand the light of day, not a word of ignoble office-seeking, no paltry tricks to gain notoriety, no base designs of fattening upon public plunder.
Having thus glanced at the professional and political career of Mr. Fillmore, it now only remains to allude very briefly to his private life from 1853 onward. “The circles of our felicities make short arches.” Who shall question the wise axiom of Sir Thomas Browne, the brave old knight of Norwich, a favorite author with the president? Three weeks after the close of his administration he sustained a severe affliction in the loss of his wife, Abigail Powers, the daughter of a clergyman, whom he married February 5, 1826, and who was emphatically her husband's “right-hand.” She had long been a sufferer from ill health and was looking forward most eagerly to a return to her old home, when she was taken away to those temples not made with hands. Irving says that she received her death-warrant while standing by his side on the cold marble terrace of the capitol, listening to the inaugural address of Mr. Fillmore's successor. To this Christian lady the White House is indebted for the books which to-day make the library one of the most attractive rooms in the presidential mansion. In the following year their only daughter, who had grown to womanhood, also passed away, leaving a memory precious to all who had the privilege of her acquaintance. His home, now lonely from the loss of those who spread around it sunshine and happiness, induced Mr. Fillmore to carry out a long-cherished project of visiting the Old World, and in May, 1855, he sailed in the steamer “Atlantic.” During his visit to England he received numerous and gratifying attentions from the queen and her cabinet ministers, and was proffered the degree of D.C.L. by the University of Oxford, through its chancellor, the Earl of Derby, the gifted orator who was known as the “Rupert of debate.” This honor he however declined, as did Charles Francis Adams a few years later while American minister to the court of St. James. They were alike indisposed to submit to the scenes usual on such occasions.
We can not dwell as we could wish on Mr. Fillmore's patriotic attitude during the early years of the late war; of his warm interest in all the charitable Christian work of the city in which he passed nearly half a century; of his establishing the Buffalo historical society; how, as the first citizen of Buffalo, he was called upon to welcome distinguished visitors, including Mr. Lincoln, when on his way to Washington in 1861, and frequently to preside over conventions and other public gatherings, for the control of which he was so admirably qualified by his thorough parliamentary abilities, his widely extended knowledge, his broad views, and a personal urbanity which nothing could disturb; of the method and exactness, the precision and punctuality, with which he conducted his private affairs, as in earlier years he had performed his professional and public duties; of another visit to Europe in 1866, accompanied by his second wife, Caroline C. McIntosh, who survived him for seven years; of his manner of life in dignified retirement, surrounded by all the comfort and luxuries of a beautiful and well-appointed mansion, including a large library, and with an attached wife to share his happy home. In a letter written to his friend Mr. Corcoran, of Washington, but a few weeks be fore the inevitable hour came, he remarks: “I am happy to say that my health is perfect. I eat, drink, and sleep as well as ever, and take a deep but silent interest in public affairs, and if Mrs. Fillmore's health can be restored, I should feel that I was in the enjoyment of an earthly paradise.”
The ex-president accepted an invitation to meet the surviving members of his cabinet and a few other valued friends at the residence of Mr. Corcoran. The month of January, 1874, was designated as the date of the meeting, but was afterward changed to April, by Mr. Fillmore's request. Before that time he was no longer among the living. After a short illness, at ten minutes past eleven o'clock, on Sunday evening, March 8, Millard Fillmore
|“||Gave his honors to the world again,|
His blessed part to heaven, and slept in peace.”
He was gathered to his fathers at the ripe age of seventy-four years, and passed away without the knowledge that his former partner, Judge Hall, with whom he had been so long and so closely united in the bonds of friendship, as well as in professional and political life, had also, a few days previous, rested from his labors, and was then lying in the Forest Lawn cemetery, where the ex-president now sleeps by his side.
|HOME OF MILLARD FILLMORE, NIAGARA SQUARE, BUFFALO, N. Y., AS IT APPEARS AT THE PRESENT TIME|
A phenomenal instance of literary vandalism occurred in the city of Buffalo, early in 1891, when all the valuable letters and documents relating to the administration of Millard Fillmore were destroyed by the executor of the ex-president's only son, Millard Powers Fillmore (he died November 15, 1889), whose will contained a mandate to that effect. Why he should have wished in this way to destroy an important part of the history of his country, as well as of his father's honorable career, or why any intelligent lawyer should have consigned to the flames thousands of papers by Webster and other illustrious men without at least causing copies of the most valuable of them to be made, is entirely beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals. To the writer, in pointing out his carefully preserved papers, contained in the library of his beautiful home in Buffalo, the ex-president said: “In those cases can be found every important letter and document which I received during my administration, and which will enable the future historian or biographer to prepare an authentic account of that period of our country's history.” The only opportunity probably that ever would present itself for properly defending and explaining the signing of the fugitive-slave bill; the existence of an unquestioned and strong public sentiment in favor of the president's doing so; the recommendations that the act be done, made by Mr. Fillmore's most eminent advisers — the proof of all these things unquestionably would have been presented by the letters and documents referred to; and now every one of these is gone.
Among the chief magistrates of our country there appear more brilliant names than Fillmore's, yet none who more wisely led on the nation to progress and prosperity, making her name great and preserving peace in most perilous times, without invoking the power of the sword, or one who could more truthfully say, “These hands are clean.” Without being a genius like Webster or Hamilton, he was a safe and sagacious statesman. He possessed a mind so nicely adjusted and well balanced that he was fitted for the fulfilment of any duty which he was called to perform. He was always ready to give up everything but conviction when once convinced. A single public act honestly and unflinchingly performed cost him his popularity. Posterity, looking from a distance, will perhaps be more just. All his acts, whether daily and common or deliberate and well considered, were marked with modesty, justice, and sincerity. What Speaker Onslow said of Sir Robert Walpole was equally true of President Fillmore: “He was the best man from the goodness of his heart, to live with and under, of any great man I ever knew.” His was an eminently kindly nature, and the last time the writer saw him, in 1873, he was relieving, with a liberal hand, the necessities of an old and unfortunate friend. He was a sound, practical Christian “without knowing it,” as Pope remarked of a contemporary. His temper was perfect, and it is doubtful if he left an enemy on earth. Frederick the Great announced with energy that “Peter the First of Russia, to govern his nation, worked upon it like aquafortis upon iron.” Fillmore, to win his way, like Lincoln and Garfield, from almost hopeless poverty to one of the most eminent positions of the world, showed equal determination, often times working, for weeks and months together, till long past midnight, which happily his powers of physical endurance permitted him to do with impunity, and affording a fine illustration of the proud boast of our country, that its loftiest honors are the legitimate objects of ambition to the humblest in the land, as well as to those favored by the gifts of fortune and high birth. See Chamberlain's “Biography of Millard Fillmore” (Buffalo, 1856); Benton's “Abridgment of the Debates of Congress from 1789 to 1856,” vol. xvi. (New York, 1861); Thompson's “The Presidents and their Administrations” (Indianapolis, 1873); Address before the Buffalo Historical Society, by James Grant Wilson (Buffalo, 1878); Von Holst's “Constitutional and Political History of the United States,” vol. iv. (Chicago, 1885), and “Millard Fillmore Papers,” edited by Frank H. Severance, 2 vols., Buffalo Historical Society, 1907.
- Buffalo enjoys the distinction of having given the country two presidents. It is a singular coincidence that both these chief magistrates should appoint their former law partners to the office of postmaster-general. Mr. Fillmore selected his partner, Judge Nathan Kelsey Hall, for that office. Judge Hall studied law in the office of Mr. Fillmore at Aurora. He was admitted to the bar in 1832, and became a copartner with his preceptor, who in the meantime had removed to Buffalo. For postmaster-general in his second administration, Mr. Cleveland selected Wilson Shannon Bissell, for many years his law partner in Buffalo.
Soon after the death of Mr. Charles D. Marshall, of Buffalo,
April 22, 1908, executor of the will of Millard Powers Fillmore, who
was supposed to have destroyed all President Fillmore's valuable
papers relating to his administration as directed by his son's will,
the manuscript letters and documents were discovered uninjured and
complete in the garret of Mr. Marshall's house. He had wisely
disregarded the mandate to burn the valuable records which are now
deposited among the archives of the Buffalo Historical Society, and
it is believed a portion of them will be published at no very distant
day. It may be added that the correspondence consisting of 8436
letters received by Mr. Fillmore as vice-president and president from
March 4, 1849, to March 4, 1853, include many from Daniel Webster,
Edward Everett and other of the most distinguished Americans of
The writer of the accompanying letter when a citizen of Buffalo
and before he became president was the younger Fillmore's most
816 Madison Avenue [New York], February 3, 1891.
My Dear Sir: Powers Fillmore was a man of the kindliest impulses and disposition, but very odd in many ways. I do not know of anybody with whom he was at all confidential regarding personal or family affairs. It was plain to see that he loved his father and fondly cherished his memory though even that could not be gathered from any frequent communication he indulged in concerning him. But he was exceedingly shy, and, above all things, seemed to desire to avoid notice or publicity. You may not see that anything I have written accounts for his conduct in relation to his father's papers, but, knowing him as I did, I can imagine a connection.
And still I am bound to say that he has acted strangely in the matter.
Gen. Jas. Grant Wilson.


History Of Kuala Lumpur Landmarks
Kuala Lumpur in the Malay language means Muddy Estuary and was founded in 1857 by the tin miners. As the mining and trading of tin prospered, the town began to develop and since then Kuala Lumpur landmarks have constantly being changed to cater for the growing needs of the city folks. The city was declared a Federal Capital on February 1 1974 and since then the first day of February has always been a holidays for the city dwellers.
Despite the fast pace development of the city, Kuala Lumpur has been able to balance the demands of land for development. The historical site such as the Sultan Abdul Samad building has being kept and preserved as a national heritage. Greenery are also planned in the city with potted plants, flowers and green trees co exist together with the modern skyscrapers.
For those who need a break from the hectic pace of the city, there are the KL Lake Gardens, KL Butterfly Park, KL Deer Park, Orchid and Hibiscus Gardens and KL Bird Park for you to explore and break free from the routine of working life.
Find out in greater details the various Kuala Lumpur Landmarks and beyond below.
Visit this historical Independence Square of Malaysia. It is located in front of Sultan Abdul Samad Building.
Menara Dayabumi used to be the tallest building in 1984. It is still one of the Kuala Lumpur landmarks that you can visit. Pos Malaysia head office is located here.
Kuala Lumpur Tower
Go up the fifth tallest tower in the world at 421 metres and see the beautiful city of Kuala Lumpur. Dine at the revolving restaurant while enjoying the city life..
The century old Masjid Jamek is the oldest mosque in Kuala Lumpur with a Moghul style architecture designed by A.B. Hubback.
Petronas Twin Towers
It has a height of 451.9 m and each tower has a total of 88 floors serviced by 78 high speed elevators. One will be able to observe that the structure is made from steel and glass and is a stark contrast to many other high tower buildings in the city.
Sultan Abdul Samad Moorish Architecture
See this old heritage building in Kuala Lumpur built in the year 1897. It is located in front of Merdeka Square.
Kuala Lumpur Railway Station
See this Moorish architecture building in Kuala Lumpur built in the year 1910.
Royal Selangor Club
The Royal Selangor Club near Merdeka Square was founded in 1884. Today, it still remains as one of the mock-Tudor style architecture that attracts many visitors who came to Merdeka Square.
Beyond the city of Kuala Lumpur, you will be able to see other landmarks...
Cyberjaya is the modern intelligent city of Malaysia which is located to the west of Putrajaya. There is a big park that one can go to for recreation. Many multi-national companies have re-locate their operation here.
If you are in Malaysia, drop by and visit this ultra modern city of Putrajaya, the new Federal Government Administrative Centre.
Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan
Visit the 1885 leaning tower of Teluk Intan in the state of Perak. It is 25.5m tall and made of bricks and wood.
The Blue Mosque of Shah Alam
The Blue Mosque of Shah Alam is one of the biggest in South East Asia with minarets up to a height of 142.3m.
Historical Royal Town of Jugra
Located about 80km from Klang, you will be able to see Bandar Palace and Sultan Alaeddin Mosque, built in 1905 and 1935 respectively.
This capital city of Terengganu has many places of attractions such as Pasar Payang, Floating Mosque, Chinatown, State Museum and is the gateway to islands of Redang, Perhentian and Lang Tengah.
Go for a heritage walk in this royal town of Selangor and try the food as well.


Print version ISSN 0213-9111
CLERIES, Ramon et al. Automatic calculation of relative survival through the web: The WAERS project of the Catalan Institute of Oncology. Gac Sanit [online]. 2005, vol.19, n.1, pp. 71-75. ISSN 0213-9111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0213-91112005000100014.
The most commonly used measure to estimate cancer survival is relative survival, defined as the ratio between observed and expected survival. Expected survival is computed on the basis of the mortality of a reference population. Mortality tables for the general population are not always available and their calculation requires specific software. For that purpose, the Catalan Institute of Oncology developed WAERS (Web-Assisted Estimation of Relative Survival), a web-based application that estimates the relative survival for a cohort of patients. The user prepares data in a specific format and sends them to a remote server located at the Catalan Institute of Oncology. This server computes relative survival and returns a file with the results to the electronic address supplied by the user. By means of this application, hospital- and population-based Spanish cancer registries and registries of other diseases can estimate relative survival of their cohorts using their reference population (province or autonomous community). This application could also be useful for cohort mortality studies.
Keywords : Cancer; Relative survival; Web application; Cancer registry.


Government is saddened and outraged at the brutal killing of Duduzile Zozo in Thokoza which was reportedly based on her sexual orientation, and conveys its deepest condolences to her family. Government urges South Africans to, in their everyday conduct give expression to the Constitution.
The Bill of Rights of our Constitution recognises and guarantees equality. This fundamental right enjoins South Africans not to discriminate against anyone on several grounds, including gender, sex and sexual orientation.
Government appeals to communities to work together with law enforcement agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to book. South Africans and civil society organisations are encouraged to partner with government in creating a safer and healthier environment for our communities to thrive.
"Every South African has a duty to act against perpetrators of violence within the ambit of the law. Violent acts such as this reinforce the existing social inequalities, based on gender and sexuality and cannot go unchallenged," said Acting GCIS Chief Executive Officer Phumla Williams.
Government will continue to strive to ensure that all citizens are and feel safe in their homes and places of work. As we enter Mandela Month, let us not forget what the father of the nation fought for - a democratic country governed by a Constitution that is anchored on a vision that promotes human dignity, human rights and freedom, non-racialism and non-sexism.
Let us work together to keep the legacy of Nelson Mandela alive.
Issued by: Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)


If you are a parent, then you probably already know about the potential danger of Dot Fta Drug & Alcohol Testing at home. This is because there are a lot of drugs and alcohol that can easily be used even by minor children. This is one reason why this system is widely adopted in schools, probation departments, and many other areas of the society. A lot of drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers have been set up to make sure that people with substance abuse problems will not be able to commit more crimes in the future.
The most common type of examination used in drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers deals with the urine or saliva drug test. This type of test works by using special equipment to collect samples of your own urine or the sample of your own saliva. After that, the medical staff will analyze the samples under the proper conditions to come up with a reliable evaluation of your health condition. Dot Fta usually uses a skin test kit to determine the presence of controlled substances in your body while performing the test.
In addition to urine and saliva tests, there are also blood tests that are often performed by experts in order to get an accurate evaluation of the drug and alcohol abuse in a person’s system. There are two methods commonly used in performing this type of analysis, one is through the use of a classic closed system needle drug test while the other one is through the use of a diluted solution. The classic closed system needle drug test uses a needle attached to a particular liquid which must be injected into the person for the results to be gotten. The second method requires using distilled water instead of water which is usually used by the professionals. The professionals prefer this type because it is easier to distinguish between the amount of drug present in your system.
Other Procedures –
Another common procedure which is done in drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers is through the use of the swab test which is carried out by collecting a small amount of urine or saliva from the suspect in question. The test is conducted with the help of special equipment which is used to collect the substance from the various places which are relevant to the drug or alcohol test. The result is then analyzed by a special machine in order to find out the amount of alcohol or drugs present in the patient’s body.
Finally, the most common type, which is often used by medical institutions is the hair testing process. This test not only detects the presence of drugs and alcohol in the body but also traces of other substances such as blood, hormones, enzymes etc. in the patient’s blood stream. This test is useful especially when analyzing the possible effects of different medications that can alter the chemical balance of the blood.
Dot Drug and Alcohol Testing provides accurate results in less than perfect cases. If you have any doubts regarding your drug and alcohol test results, you can easily request for a further test which may be conducted either by you or by a professional staff of the institution. In any case, it is advised to undergo a test only after getting the consent of the patient. Even though the results of these tests may be reliable, it is highly recommended that you never share your results with anyone at any cost. In case you are arrested for DUI, please contact us for a free consultation now. If you would like to know more about drug testing then you can check the websites such as https://usadrugtesting.org


in reply to
Re^2: What makes an array sorted and a hash unsorted?
in thread What makes an array sorted and a hash unsorted?
Yes, they'd be considered sorted. However, it would be of limited use, which is probably why it isn't built that way. Arrays are designed for things that are sorted. Hashes are designed for lookup by key, with ordering left up to the users as a separate step.
When people think they have a hash in a particular order, it isn't generally ASCIIbetical order, but the order they put the elements into it. Obviously, that's a misconception. Hashes don't preserve order. Arrays, on the other hand, do. Wherever you put an element, it has a position relative to other elements of the array. That's intrinsic to the array.
All the iterators built into the language will walk the array in the same order. That is not the case for hash iterators. The language could have been written to iterate over arrays in random order, or hashes in predefined order, but it was not.
Caution: Contents may have been coded under pressure.


Some animals, like turtles, can live for decades. But most turtle studies only last a few years (one big reason is that many studies are conducted by graduate students and, contrary to popular belief, students do in fact want to graduate quickly). So, because turtles live for decades and most studies are completed after just a couple years, that means that much of what we know about these animals is based on snapshots in time.
Since many of us want to know best how to conserve turtle populations, it is important that we have a better understanding about how they change over time. Knowing how populations naturally fluctuate allows us to better understand how they might respond to conservation threats. Establishing this baseline data is particularly important for undisturbed populations.
|People have been trapping turtles in this swamp for 20 years|
When I heard that researchers and students had been trapping, on and off since 1991, a population of White-lipped Mud Turtles, Kinosternon leucostomum, in a Costa Rica swamp surrounded by old-growth rainforest, I realized that this population represented a unique opportunity. By continuing the trapping myself, and then compiling and examining the data collected by many different people over the last two decades, it would be possible to see how a turtle population has changed over time. And I wouldn't need to conduct a 20-year field study to do it.
So, thanks to the Organization for Tropical Studies, I find myself back at La Selva. I arrived yesterday and will be here, walking amongst the peccaries and listening to the toucans, on and off until April.
Today, the first task was to find the swamp (those familiar with La Selva may know this small forested pond as the Research Swamp). Unlike my previous research here, this work is to take place during the day; I was pleasantly surprised to find that the path to the swamp was well-marked with flagging and easy to follow (when it is light out).
Deep in thought, I stumbled into a herd of collared peccaries, they let me know I was too close by snapping their teeth together; doing so produces a sound meant to warn off potential predators. Collared peccaries are generally thought of as relatively harmless creatures, but I give them my respect. You don’t last long in tropical forests filled with pumas, jaguars, and venomous snakes by being a pushover.
Speaking of venomous snakes, there is no shortage of them here. Perhaps the most infamous is the Fer-de-lance, also known as the Terciopelo, Bothrops asper. These large vipers are most often observed at night, perhaps as they travel across a path or when they are coiled up in an ambush position along a tree trunk, waiting for a rodent or frog to scurry by. Swampy areas are thought to be the preferred habitat of the Terciopelo, so I reminded myself to watch my step when I was mucking through the mud to set my turtle traps. It was good advice.
|Notice the trap in the waterway|
The water level was relatively low, so it was somewhat of a challenge to find areas deep enough to cover the bait containers within the traps. It is important to have the bait underwater so that the scent (in this case, of sardines in tomato sauce) can easily reach any hungry turtles.
Another important thing to consider when trapping turtles, or any wildlife for that matter, is to make it easy for the animal to encounter the trap. Although the bait might entice a turtle to crawl over somewhere where it might not go otherwise, you will probably have better luck putting the traps where the turtles are going anyway. So, with this in mind, I tried to put the traps in areas where small streams ran through the vegetation, I figured these pathways would be how the turtles got around.
|My initial view of the Terciopelo|
As I stumbled through the mud and stepped over large tree roots and downed logs, I caught the familiar shape of a coiled snake. Basking in the sunlight sat the infamous Terciopelo, a relatively small one. If it noticed me as well, there was no indication. I couldn’t help but think about what kind of animal was, for lack of a better word, confident enough to sit on a log where other predatory animals might easily see it. I did not need anyone to tell me not to get too close.
If you read this blog, then you know that I am fond of snakes and I do not fear them. I know that snakes do not represent much of a danger to me because I take a few small precautions (like wearing boots instead of sandals). However, even though I knew there were Terciopelos around me all along, I couldn’t help but start overreacting a bit whenever a branch scraped across my back. I also noticed my steps became a little slower and more deliberate. In any case, if I walked by any more snakes, I did not see them.
|A closer look|
But, we are here to talk about trapping turtles. I am most interested in White-lipped Mud Turtles; I hope some wander into the traps tonight. Of course, there are many animals that like to eat sardines, so we will have to see what shows up tomorrow morning.
|A White-lipped Mud Turtle I noticed at a |
nearby swamp a couple years ago
Much of what I write is based on my experience in the field, however, I also rely on the research of others. Citations to relevant articles are provided below.
Wasko, D., & Sasa, M. (2010). Habitat Selection of the Terciopelo (Serpentes: Viperidae: Bothrops asper) in a Lowland Rainforest in Costa Rica Herpetologica, 66 (2), 148-158 DOI: 10.1655/08-064R2.1
CONGDON, J., DUNHAM, A., & VAN LOBEN SELS, R. (1993). Delayed Sexual Maturity and Demographics of Blanding's Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii): Implications for Conservation and Management of Long-Lived Organisms Conservation Biology, 7 (4), 826-833 DOI: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1993.740826.x


On 25 Jul 1943, the long time Fascist dictator of Italy Benito Mussolini was deposed. He was deposed by his own Grand Council who had come to believe he was no longer able to govern. Italy had suffered a string of military defeats and the war itself was unpopular with large portions of the population. Mussolini himself appeared tired and overwhelmed by the military failures. Power was transferred to the king and Mussolini barely reacted to what was going on. A few tried rallying support on the council for Il Duce (the title he had given himself as fascist leader)but he appeared unable to choose a course of action. When Mussolini attended his routine meeting with King Victor Emmanuel III, he was told that General Pietro Badoglio would become prime minister. He was arrested after leaving the meeting. News of his dismissal was greeted with enthusiasm by most Italians. In public Badoglio said the war would continue but secretly he was negotiating an armistice with the allies which was signed on 3 September 1943. He also dissolved the Fascist Party.
Germany would invade Italy after it signed an armistice with the Allies in September 1943. Mussolini would be freed by German paratroopers, brought to Germany, and then sent back to rule from Lombardy in the newly formed Italian Social Republic. Meanwhile the Badaglio government, which had fled south to Allied controlled Italy, declared war on Germany. Northern Italy would remain under German control until April 1945. Mussolini would later be captured by partisans and executed along with his mistress trying to flee certain Allied capture on 26 April 1945.