text:
Home Money, Politics and Power Unions Fighting Two-Front War on California Ballots
Unions Fighting Two-Front War on California Ballots
by Blair Stenvick
This is the eighth in the Prospect's series on the 174 measures on state ballots this year.
It's been a bad year for California unions. Republicans have never been fans of the labor movement, and now state Democratic support is waning. In September, Democratic Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a pension reform plan that will force union members to work longer for fewer benefits, and vetoed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, an AFL-CIO-backed bill that would have given labor rights to domestic workers. And earlier this month, Brown vetoed a bill that would have allowed child care workers to
. In cities like San Jose and Los Angeles-both Democrat-leaning cities with Democratic mayors-unions are fighting more losing battles against pension reform.
In this election, state unions were forced to open a new front-at the ballot box. California ballot Proposition 32 puts labor in even deeper trouble, and could leave the movement effectively silenced. And even if labor kills the measure, it will still come with huge costs to other campaigns in the state.
The language of Proposition 32 reads like even-handed, across-the-board election spending reform: "Notwithstanding any other provision of law and this title, no corporation, labor union, public employee labor union, government contractor, or government employer shall deduct from an employee's wages, earnings, or compensation any amount of money to be used for political purposes."
Based on that wording, you might never know this measure gives corporations more power, by taking unions out of the game while leaving businesses to spend freely.
Deducting wages from members' payrolls to support political causes is a common and long-standing practice with labor unions. It's the only thing that gives them a chance when fighting against mammoth corporate power and political party machines. Corporations, on the other hand, don't need to deduct from payrolls-it's estimated that only about one percent of them do. The way the proposition is written, the corporate powers that be-investment funds, hedge firms, and real estate developers-would be exempt from the new policy, where unions would be cut off from one of their most valuable tools of influence, unable to counter the money spent by corporate and super PACs. This measure would do almost nothing to get money out of politics-it would only take money away from one side.
This isn't the first attack on unions' political spending to appear on a California ballot. Failed propositions 226 and 75, in 1998 and 2005, respectively, both sought to ban payroll deductions, and other states have passed bans on payroll deductions. But this is the first time the language has been so misleading; by adding corporations into the language, the measure might seem like nonpartisan campaign spending reform.
The Yes on 32 campaign has indeed represented itself as a pro-worker operation, promising to keep employers' hands out of their pockets. "What Prop 32 does, is ensure that every worker, whether they are a teacher, state employee or work in the private sector, has control over how and whether their money is spent for politics," wrote Yes on 32 spokesperson Jake Suski in an email.
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But the Prop 32 supporters are hardly a mom-and-pop outfit. The Sacramento Bee recently reported that the Small Business Action Committee PAC, which supports 32, received $11 million from Arizona-based PAC Americans for Responsible Leadership, which is notoriously secretive about its donors. Another supporter, the California Future Fund, has ties to the Koch Brothers, and has put about $4 million into the campaign.
Meanwhile, the opposition to the measure has raised a total of over $66 million, mostly from unions-unions that, if the proposition passes, will have to find a way other than payroll deductions to compete with such powerful PACs. The Sacramento Bee, the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle have all endorsed No on 32, and the Democratic Party also supports No on 32.
The Public Policy Institute of California's most recent poll puts support for Proposition 32 at 39 percent, with 53 percent against and 7 percent undecided. Even if the proposition did pass though, there is still a huge question of whether it could be enacted legally. While Suski insists that "everything in Prop 32 has been tested and is Constitutional," a document from the California Attorney General found on the Yes on 32 website notes that "It is possible that a federal or state court would prevent this measure from going into effect because it infringes upon various parties' constitutionally protected freedom of speech."
But whether or not the measure is enacted may not be the point. The effort to kill Prop 32 has forced most unions to limit their involvement with another crucial fight-funding education. The California Teachers Association (CTA) has led the way in donations to kill the anti-union measure, giving over $20 million to the cause. That's double what the CTA has contributed to Prop 30, another crucial ballot measure in California that would enact a tax hike to ensure the state's already-underfunded public schools don't face more cuts. Unions are support that effort, but their funds and energy are dedicated first and foremost to defeating Prop 32-a dilemma that might just be an unhappy coincidence, but is probably one of the most clever strokes of conservative politics California has ever seen.
The anti-union and anti-tax campaigns have very close ties, and they're both heavily funded by conservative billionaire Charles Munger. Munger's support of the flailing Proposition 32 outs it as what it is-a very dangerous decoy. Munger and his supporters are betting on unions being so tied up with Prop 32 that they can defeat the tax measure-which is slipping in the polls-without a much of a fight.
In any other election cycle, the move to raise taxes specifically for school funding would get the wholehearted attention of state unions. However, thanks to Proposition 32, that campaign has had to get by with $10 million from the CTA, instead of the $30 million that would have conceivably been donated had Prop 32 not been in the way to suck up funds.
That means, regardless of which propositions pass or fail in November, California unions-and students-are losing big time in this election at the hands of corporate spending. Whether it's by law or by billionaire's red herring, this election could be remembered as the time unions were silenced in the Golden State.
Blog: Vox Pop Abby Rapoport Politics Election 2012 Education in America
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text:
package simplebouncingball.views;

import java.awt.Font;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Rectangle;

import simplebouncingball.GameState;
import simplebouncingball.GameView;
import simplebouncingball.ball.Ball;
import simplebouncingball.button.BorderedBackground;
import simplebouncingball.button.HoverableButton;
import simplebouncingball.button.TextElement;
import simplebouncingball.button.hover.OverlayColorEffect;
import simplebouncingball.config.Config;
import simplebouncingball.input.InputListener;
import simplebouncingball.input.InputType;

public class MainView implements GameView {

	private Config config;
	private Ball ball;
	private HoverableButton closeButton;

	public MainView(Config config) {
		this.config = config;
		ball = new Ball(config);
		Rectangle buttonPosition = new Rectangle(-2, -2, config.width / 20, config.ballSize / 2);
		TextElement text = new TextElement(config.textColor, "X", new Font(config.font, Font.BOLD, config.textSize));
		OverlayColorEffect effect = new OverlayColorEffect(buttonPosition, config.textColor);
		effect.setText(text);
		closeButton = new HoverableButton(buttonPosition, effect,
				new BorderedBackground(buttonPosition, config.background, config.shadow));
		closeButton.setText(text.clone(config.shadow));
	}

	@Override
	public void render(Graphics2D g2d) {
		g2d.setColor(config.background);
		g2d.fillRect(0, 0, config.width, config.height);
		closeButton.render(g2d);
		ball.render(g2d);
	}

	@Override
	public GameState update(InputListener input) {
		if (input.hasTypedInput()) {
			InputType last = input.getLastTyped();
			if (last == InputType.ESC) {
				return GameState.MENU;
			}
		}
		if (input.hasMouseInput()) {
			if (closeButton.isSelected(input.getLastClick())) {
				return GameState.MENU;
			}
		}
		closeButton.checkForHovered(input.mouseLocation);
		ball.update(input);
		return GameState.MAIN;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Home > Recycling plant in a sentence
Recycling plant in a sentence
Similar words: recycling, recycling bin, working plan, cycling, marketing plan, bicycling, polling place, recycle. Meaning: n. a plant for reprocessing used or abandoned materials.
1. It then bought the trash recycling plant from its private owner.
2. Roof platform recycling plant cultivation in large containers or small plastic juice containers, equipment degradable shaded from the pure natural fibre and renewable wood produced.
3. When equipping with magnetic roller: proper for recycling plant to separate ferrous metal, remove metal on waste tires and scraps from general manufacturing process.
4. A multi-million-dollar paper recycling plant needs an unvarying stream of constant quality old paper to operate; it cannot afford to be down a day if volunteers tire of bundling their used newspapers.
5. In this large recycling plant alone, the plastic waste from millions of batteries amounts to 14,000 tonnes a year.
6. This recycling plant is breathing new life into old equipment.
7. But during a trip to Murph's recycling plant, the toy soldier she needs to get into the theater accidentally becomes a plastic pellet!
8. Crushed aluminum cans at a recycling plant near Laval, France, on October 20, 2011.
9. Finally, an economic evaluation of the reclaimed-water recycling plant is made.
10. In an age of increasing environmental awareness, the new £250,000 plant in Bolney, West Sussex is the ultimate recycling plant.
11. The same can not be said for the San Marcos recycling plant, which could be considered more of a liability.
12. It trains carrying 11 steel containers, loading 123 tons of nuclear waste, nuclear power companies from France 5, Areva, a nuclear fuel recycling plant under the departure.
13. It is the first time that a private company has been allowed to build a water recycling plant in Australia, he says.
14. "That was our life," she says of the paper recycling plant on the banks of the Willamette River.
15. To build return laden VRP model for a pharmaceutical factory, a recycling plant, a number of pharmacies, and analysis it by a case.
15. Sentencedict.com is a sentence dictionary, on which you can find good sentences for a large number of words.
16. The Hong Kong Jockey Club says 100 per cent of the Olympic waste will be sent to the recycling plant.
17. In view of similar external and internal environment, Hong Kong poses the potential and plans to implement the 1st automatic, efficient and FDA approved plastic bottle recycling plant in Asia.
18. "We've literally discovered gold in cellphones," said Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, a former land minister and now opposition party member, who visited here recently to survey Kosaka's recycling plant.
19. This method could be applied in the smelting industry based on the testing results from the mercury disposal and recycling plant.
20. Auto shredder residue will be the major feedstock for the recycling plant.
21. During the trials, each day 10 tons of waste from the stables was sent to the recycling plant.
22. The container's shape, color, and your location are also key factors in indicating whether that bottle or tub is destined for a recycling plant or the dump.
23. Now, portions of the old red-brick ore processing factories serve as part of Dowa's recycling plant, which started fully operating two years ago.
More similar words: recycling, recycling bin, working plan, cycling, marketing plan, bicycling, polling place, recycle, motorcycling, recyclable, gangplank, eggplant, tetracycline, hiding place, meeting place, life cycle, lifecycle, inclined plane, cyclic, cyclist, acyclic, self-fulfilling prophecy, product life cycle, cyclical, bicyclist, cyclicity, encyclical, reclining, planting, reclining chair.
forage (130+2)
vigorously (161+13)
vigor (138+3)
precedence (172+5)
privatisation (128)
adherence (131+4)
powerfully (131+2)
wadding (18)
contemplated (116+7)
push out (43)
inclined (248+14)
dwindling (88+2)
dab (87+8)
coolant (120)
on the wane (31)
admirable (139+9)
out of keeping with (15)
small boat (54+5)
distillation (297+1)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Šeril Sandberg (, 28. avgust 1969) je američka aktivistkinja, autorka i direktorka poslovanja (Chief Operating Officer) kompanije Fejsbuk. U junu 2012-te godine je izabrana u bord direktora kompanije Fejsbuk od strane postojećih članova borda postavši tako prva žena u Fejsbukovom bordu. Pre nego što se zaposlila u Fejsbuku bila je potpredsednica globalne online prodaje i poslovanja u kompaniji Gugl.

Delo

Lean In
Sandberg je izdala svoju prvu knjigu, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, zajedno sa koautorkom Nel Skovel (Nell Scovell) 11-og marta 2013-te godine. Knjiga se bavi liderstvom, razvojem, feminizmom i pitanjem nedostatka žena na rukovodećim pozicijama u državnoj upravi i poslovnom okruženju.  Od jeseni 2013-te kada je knjiga izdata, prodata je u više od milion primeraka i na vrhu je liste bestselera.

Knjiga Lean In je namenjena poslovnim ženama da bi im pomogla da postignu svoje ciljeve u karijeri i muškarcima koji žele da doprinesu jednakijem društvu. Knjiga se bavi preprekama koje sprečavaju žene da preuzmu liderske uloge na radnom mestu, preprekama kao što su diskriminacija, seksizam i seksualno uznemiravanje. Ona takođe ispituje društvene barijere. Sandberg naglašava da žene težnjom ka liderskim pozicijama i postizanjem istih moraju da ruše lične i društvene barijere da bi se promene desile. Krajnji cilj Šerilove knjige je da osnaži žene da preuzmu liderske pozicije.

Reference

Literatura

Рођени 1969.
Амерички милијардери
Америчке књижевнице

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Scientists have found a way to remove the HIV virus from the DNA in mouse cells using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. According to the journal, Molecular Therapy, use of the technique has led to the complete elimination of infection in mouse organs and tissue after just one treatment. Now, that's the kind of international tech news that really gets us excited around here!
And, yes! The team at the African Tech Round-up is back from a much-needed break, and we're super-stoked to catch up on news like this CRISPR HIV breathrough, as well as itching to dive into some of the other significant headlines that dropped while we were away.
We're pleased to announce that Musa Kalenga will be joining Andile Masuku as a guest co-host on the show every fortnight starting this week to chat about the most important stories and to unpack major trends impacting Africa's tech ecosystem.


Cobble & Hyde's Kenton Jodhpur Boot is a modern take on the classic sporting boot. Handcrafted from full-grain calfskin, the boot features a full leather-lined insole, leather outsole with a split rubber/leather heel and Blake-Rapid construction. With leather paneled gussets & monk strap, and hand brushing for a unique patina, the details are what make this boot a standout.


On this day, March 14, 2018, Professor Stephen Hawking died at age 76. It was ironically the same month and day as Albert Einstein's birth. Professor Hawking was diagnosed at age 21 with ALS, commonly know as Lou Gehrig's disease, but amazingly he lived more than half a century longer with that degenerative motor-neuron disease. His search for understanding the physics of Black Holes—a window into the long-sought union of quantum physics and general relativity—has led to ideas about cosmology that will be explored and debated for many years.
My only opportunity to meet Professor Hawking took place just outside his office some twenty years ago at Cambridge University's Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. The foreboding office was perhaps the most famous in academia globally in that whoever occupied it was the designated Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, an endowed professorship first held by Sir Isaac Newton.
I assumed Professor Hawking's only reason for wanting to meet with me at tea was what I had shared with his nurse: I was a physicist and the business card I handed her was highlighted with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During my time with him he spoke through his speech-generator and indeed wanted to know "what a physicist was doing at the CDC." I pointed out in my nervousness that one thing "the few of us there are confined to do is work in real rather than imaginary time!" I can still picture that one tiny smile my naïve comment drew out of him. I quickly admitted how, even as a physicist, I was far outside his field and was still struggling with absorbing all that a Brief History of Time had to offer.
My one-on-one meeting with Stephen Hawking only lasted a few minutes, but my memory of it is engraved in my mind. Professor Hawking was not only curious about the Universe and "the mind of God," but even about individuals who inhabited one miniscule part of the vastness of space-time.
Each time I look up at the stars now, I'll remember Stephen Hawking and that brief encounter that crammed me with enough inspiration to last at least a lifetime.
Thank you, Jim, for sharing this memory! What an opportunity to meet such genius.
Thanks for commenting, Armin! Certainly one of the highlights of my career as a physicist.


Having started as an idea for a cabin that floats on water ever so gently, the Nisser Micro Cabin ended up as a cabin on stilts that still allows its owner to enjoy live on a lake without breaking the local building codes. Moving away from the more expansive lakeside cabin designs that one can find across the gorgeous Norwegian landscape, this minimal and modern cabin is draped in pinewood and glass. Designed by Feste Landscape / Architecture, the 26-sqaure meter cabin has a small mezzanine level and a stylish deck that allows its denizens to relax outdoors and enjoy a stunning view of the lake and the landscape beyond.
Despite its warm and inviting appeal, clean lines and modern silhouettes ensure that the exterior of the cabin presents a private and distinctly contemporary appeal. All the drainage and electrical pipes have been carefully concealed while a wall of glass opens up the interior to the lake and the scenery outside. A small kitchen, dining and living area occupy the lower level with a mezzanine floor bedroom.
RELATED: 8 Fabulous Floating Homes That Will Make You Want to Live on Water!


தஙகளது மேலான பதிவிற்கு மிக்க நன்றி. மேலும் எங்களது தினந்தோறும் ரிலீஸ் புதிய வீடியோக்களை காண எங்களது யூடூப் சேனலை சப்ஸ் கிரைப் செய்து கொள்ளவும் மிக பிடித்திருந்தால் எங்களது வீடியோக்களை பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளவும். எங்களது சேனலையும் பகிர்ந்துரையுங்கள். மிக்க நன்றி. மேலும் நீங்கள் உங்களுக்கு பிடித்த தமிழ் படங்களை மற்றும் இதுவரை பார்த்திடாத காமெடி படங்களை,காமெடி சீன்கள், விடுபட்ட காமெடி சீன்களின் படங்களின் பெயரை இங்கே குறிப்பிடவும். அது எங்களை சிறப்பாக செயல்பட உதவும் நன்றி .
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Sathiyamaa solre innikkithu aamblainga ippadi oru manaivi amaiyanoonu dhaa nenaikuraanga.
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+Balz_G MUSIZ kilipeenga. Lakshminu oru short film vanthuche! Athula oru ponnu pombala porukiya irukra purushana Pali vangurathukaha thanum innoruthan kuda kalla thodarbu vachupa. Antha padathoda cmt sectionla antha actressa kaluvi kaluvi oothirupanunga.ava kalacharatha seeralikiralam. Athu verum cinimathane? Rasichitu poha vendiyathuthane? Athum purushanum uthama puthiran illa.reala irunthalum sari, reala irunthalum sari,aangal epdi venalum irukalam. Pombalainga ipdi than irukanumnu rules pesuvinga.
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text:
Théâtre du Soleil's epic Jules Verne-inspired 2012 Edinburgh Festival show
Serge Nicolaï on Les Naufragés du Fol Espoir (Aurores)
Multi-talented actor Serge Nicolaï tells Mark Fisher why four hours is positively speedy in the egalitarian and epic world of Ariane Mnouchkine and Théâtre du Soleil
Imagine you've come to one of those post-industrial arts spaces like Glasgow's Tramway or London's Tate Modern. Imagine, though, this one is in the middle of a forest, the Bois de Vincennes on the outskirts of Paris. Then imagine the woman showing you to your seats is not just any old usher, but Ariane Mnouchkine, artistic director of Théâtre du Soleil. Hers is a name whispered in theatre circles with the same reverence afforded Peter Brook, Peter Stein and Robert Lepage, none of whom, to my knowledge, make a habit of tearing your tickets.
Not only that, but here in the Cartoucherie, a former army munitions warehouse, the actors are the same people preparing and serving the interval food. They're still in their make-up as they dish out the aubergine salad. They make their own props and, before the show, you can see them in the wings doing their warm-up exercises. These are not the elusive gods of the West End stage, but people like you and me, visible, accessible, one of us.
It is in this atmosphere of community, collective effort and honest communication that 73-year-old Mnouchkine creates her astonishing productions. On one hand, they are actor-centred, built on the resourcefulness of her large ensemble. On the other hand, they are epic in scope, telling stories of long journeys and great quests. That was true, for example, of Le Dernier Caravansérail, a collage of real-life stories told by refugees from around the world. And it is true of Les Naufragés du Fol Espoir (Aurores), the tale of a group of European exiles voyaging to the southern hemisphere to make a new life for themselves.
It is the latter – loosely based on a posthumously published novel by Jules Verne – that will play in the specially adapted three-theatre space in the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston, running back to back with Grzegorz Jarzyna's 2008: Macbeth and Christoph Marthaler's Meine faire Dame: ein Sprachlabor (an oddball music-theatre deconstruction of My Fair Lady). The set for Les Naufragés du Fol Espoir (Aurores) is being reproduced exactly as it is in the Cartoucherie, right down to the walls, and will take 15 containers to transport.
Serge Nicolaï is one of the show's stars, if 'star' is not too gauche a word for this egalitarian company. It says a lot about the kind of fully-rounded artists with whom Mnouchkine collaborates that Nicolaï is a whole lot more than just an actor. On this show, translated as The Castaways of the Mad Hope (Sunrises), he is also the designer and part of the script-writing team. When I speak to him, he's in the middle of directing a production of Sartre's No Exit in Buenos Aires. Like his fellow performers, he is as much a creator of this four-hour show as director Mnouchkine or writer Hélène Cixous. 'It's my job to be an actor and to make the set,' he says. 'It's industry. It's a factory of theatre. There is no star system. Because it's a collective creation, it is always talking about groups, the story of people, not three or four people, but many.'
In a company where actors are on the same salary regardless of experience, Mnouchkine focuses the group's creativity by suggesting a starting point and, over a lengthy rehearsal and improvisation process, shaping the work as it emerges. 'The genius of Ariane is that sometimes I think she knows everything from the beginning,' says Nicolaï. 'We improvised every day for almost one year. She is the eye, receiving everything we're doing and managing it. She's like the conductor of an orchestra. At the beginning, she is like a blank sheet of paper, saying, "ok, let's go to work and see what happens". She is absolutely open and, at the end, she keeps what is absolutely necessary for the story.'
Set in July 1914, that story follows the journey of the Fol Espoir passengers who want to set up a community in Cape Hope while the rest of the world hurtles towards war. In this production, we watch a film crew attempting to tell this tale of thwarted idealism using restaurant staff as actors. 'This is the story of a group of people who are trying to do something almost anarchic in the original sense of the word,' Nicolaï adds. 'They are all pacifists. This is something they need to do as a way of fighting against the war which is growing in Europe. It's a big story of politics and the last possibility of freedom in the world, for socialism.'
In Mnouchkine's theatre, the grand communal themes she explores on stage are consistent with the way she treats the audience. These are plays about society for society. Because of that, the audience must play its part. 'The public all the time need to be educated,' says Nicolaï. 'It's necessary not to enter the theatre with all the baggage of the day. Even in Paris, we are not in the centre, we are in the wood; you don't have the Metro, you have to take the bus and then you have to find the theatre. It is a crusade for people. When you get your ticket, there are no numbers; to get the best place, you have to be the first one. The show starts with Ariane at the entrance. We open the theatre one hour before and Ariane almost all the time opens the theatre.'
The four-hour running time of Les Naufragés du Fol Espoir (Aurores) is part of the same philosophy even if, in Mnouchkine's hands, the hours fly by. 'In our society, time passes so quickly,' says Nicolaï. 'But we can't make theatre with speed. It's not graffiti sprayed quickly on a wall. It's not fast-food art. Four hours is a short show for Théâtre du Soleil. For us it's very easy. You're lucky it's not eight.'
Les Naufragés du Fol Espoir (Aurores), Lowland Hall, Royal Highland Centre, 0131 473 2000, 23–28 Aug (not 26), 6pm, £30–£35.
Les Naufragés du Fol Espoir (Aurores) / The Castaways of the Fol Espoir (Sunrises)
Les Naufragés du Fol Espoir (Aurores)
In a dance hall in the spring before the First World War, a socialist visionary is shooting a silent film adapted from a Jules Verne adventure, using cooks and waiters as his cast. Long before the ship the Fol Espoir runs aground on Cape Horn, high idealism and base motives are vying for the souls of all on board. Ariane…


text:
Lea E. Widdice, MD
Director, Adolescent Medicine Fellowship
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
lea.widdice@cchmc.org
Burnet Campus
New Patients Schedule Online
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Call Us to Schedule Appointments 513-636-4681 Appointments
Lea E. Widdice, MD About Education and Training Locations Insurance Information Publications Patient Ratings and Comments
I'm a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine and a researcher who focuses on understanding, preventing, detecting and treating infectious diseases.
I was motivated to help patients achieve reproductive health after learning how many women died from sepsis prior to the 1970s because they could not access safe medical care, and after finding out that many teenage boys aren't educated about birth control or sexually transmitted infections (STIs). I am committed to ensuring adolescents have access to high-quality medical care, including sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Working with adolescents inspires me. My curiosity and compassion allow me to listen to teens and their parents and to take the time to hear what they have to say and discuss how they can stay or become healthy. Additionally, my experience living on four continents and in many different cultures allows me to bring an openness and understanding to my communication with my patients, their families and our medical trainees.
Since 2011 I have served as director of the Adolescent Medicine Fellowship Program. Together with the excellent faculty in the Divisions of Adolescent and Transition Medicine, Psychiatry, Pediatric Adolescent Gynecology, Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology — as well as our advanced practice nurses, clinical staff and social workers — I help train fellows to become leaders in the field. Many of our trainees have gone on to oversee clinical programs, lead advocacy work and educational programs, and conduct research that informs current standards of clinical care.
My current research program includes projects examining the prevention and diagnosis of STIs, as well as developing and implementing point-of-care diagnostic tests that can rapidly and inexpensively detect STIs. I have been a principal investigator and co-investigator on clinical trials to assess vaccines and treatments for bacterial vaginosis; epidemiological studies to assess the impact of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the community and transmission of HPV among sexual partners; and evaluation of novel diagnostic tests for Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea and herpes simplex virus.
I'm honored to have received several awards and appointments throughout my career. These include a Cincinnati Children's Faculty Award in Team Science (2018); a Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco (2003); and an Oliver Smith Award at Boston Floating Hospital (2002). The Oliver Smith Award is bestowed upon hospital employees by their patients, to honor their compassion to those in need.
Education and Training Clinical Focus Research Focus
MD: University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 2000.
Residency: Pediatrics, Boston Floating Hospital, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA, 2003.
Fellowship: Adolescent Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 2006.
Reproductive health for young men and women; eating disorders; chronic pain; HPV
Services and Specialties
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3050 Mack Rd
Cincinnati Children's strives to accept a wide variety of health plans. Please contact your health insurance carrier to verify coverage for your specific benefit plan.
The Clinical Review Committee: Impact of the Development of In Vitro Diagnostic Tests for SARS-CoV-2 Within RADx Tech. Robinson, M; Gaydos, C; Van Der Pol, B; McFall, S; Hsieh, YH; Clarke, W; Murphy, R; Widdice, L; Hirschhorn, L; Rothman, R; et al. IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology. 2021; 2:138-141.
Five Percent Monolaurin Vaginal Gel for the Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Mancuso, AC; Widdice, LE; Hughes, BL; Schlievert, P; Swamy, GK; Stockdale, CK; Bernstein, DI; Winokur, PL. Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease. 2020; 24:277-283.
Adolescent Depression Curriculum Impact on Pediatric Residents' Knowledge and Confidence to Diagnose and Manage Depression. Colburn, MD; Harris, E; Lehmann, C; Widdice, LE; Klein, MD. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2020; 66:240-246.
Decline in vaccine-type human papillomavirus prevalence in young men from a Midwest metropolitan area of the United States over the six years after vaccine introduction. Widdice, LE; Bernstein, DI; Franco, EL; Ding, L; Brown, DR; Ermel, AC; Higgins, L; Kahn, JA. Vaccine. 2019; 37:6832-6841.
Performance of the Atlas Genetics Rapid Test for Chlamydia trachomatis and Women's Attitudes Toward Point-Of-Care Testing. Widdice, LE; Hsieh, Y; Silver, B; Barnes, M; Barnes, P; Gaydos, CA. Sexually Transmitted Diseases. 2018; 45:723-727.
Author Response to Letter: Will increasing dosing intervals decrease the loss of anti-HPV seropositivity over time?. Widdice, LE; Bernstein, DI. Vaccine. 2018; 36.
Factors Associated With HPV Vaccine Initiation, Vaccine Completion, and Accuracy of Self-Reported Vaccination Status Among 13- to 26-Year-Old Men. Thomas, R; Higgins, L; Ding, L; Widdice, LE; Chandler, E; Kahn, JA. American Journal of Men's Health. 2018; 12:819-827.
Patterns of point-of-care test use among obstetricians and gynaecologists in the US. Rompalo, AM; Castleberry, N; Widdice, L; Schulkin, J; Gaydos, CA. Sexual Health. 2018; 15:318-324.
Epidemiology of Any and Vaccine-Type Anogenital Human Papillomavirus Among 13-26-Year-Old Young Men After HPV Vaccine Introduction. Chandler, E; Ding, L; Gorbach, P; Franco, EL; Brown, DA; Widdice, LE; Bernstein, DI; Kahn, JA. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2018; 63:43-49.
Acceptability and feasibility of self-sampling for the screening of sexually transmitted infections in cabana privacy shelters. Pittman, E; Purcell, H; Dize, L; Gaydos, C; Patterson-Rose, S; Biro, F; Owens, D; Widdice, LE. International Journal of STD and AIDS. 2018; 29:461-465.
All patient satisfaction ratings and comments are submitted by actual patients and verified by a leading independent patient satisfaction company, NRC Health. Patient identities are withheld to ensure confidentiality and privacy. Only those providers whose satisfaction surveys are administered through Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center are displayed. Click here to learn more about our survey
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Consultation Visit for Adolescent Medicine Patients, Ages 12 to 24
Consultation for patients with concerns for sexual health and birth control, painful or irregular periods, acne, mental health, substance use, attentional issues, school performance, and other complicated medical problems or chronic illness
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The parish priest chooses parishioners to train as extraordinary ministers as the need arises. Their role is to assist the ordinary ministers (priests) to distribute Holy Communion during Mass as well as to the sick and housebound. They are also able to lead Liturgies of the Word and Holy Communion when a priest is not available to say Mass.
The extraordinary ministers' training takes place during an intensive Formation and Training Weekend at The Briars Diocesan Youth Centre at Crich in Derbyshire. Each minister is expected to continue this formation by attending a Day of Renewal once a year and to renew their commitment during Mass in front of the parish congregation on the feast of Corpus Christi.
The Days of Renewal and other activities are organised by county. Meetings for the extraordinary ministers occur when called by the Parish Priest.


text:
"""Speak the time."""

__author__ = 'T.V. Raman <raman@google.com>'
__copyright__ = 'Copyright (c) 2009, Google Inc.'
__license__ = 'Apache License, Version 2.0'

import android
import time

droid = android.Android()
droid.ttsSpeak(time.strftime("%I %M %p on %A, %B %e, %Y"))


You are at:HomeUncategorizedWhy is SHE parking there? One girl's story of judgment and multiple sclerosis.
Why is SHE parking there? One girl's story of judgment and multiple sclerosis.
It's 1993. As you head to your college class, you see that funny brown-headed girl trip going up the stairs. You giggle to yourself and are thankful you are not as clumsy as her. You saw her tripping earlier that day. You say something to her about watching her step. She just smiles and laughs and says something about not trying out for the dance team anytime soon.
It's 2009. As you make your weekly trek to Target, you see that girl from college again. She is in her mid-thirties now and you are surprised to see her get out of the car in the handicapped parking spot. She doesn't look handicapped to you. You remember her being a little clumsy, but handicapped? Please. You are wondering where she was lucky enough to snag one of those handicapped parking placards. You ask her because you are feeling cantankerous and grumpy. She just smiles and laughs and says something about finding it on sale at the dollar store.
It's 2011. At lunch, you see the same girl again. This time she is eating with her teenage son. As you head toward the ladies room, you see that she is doing the same. She is swaying a bit, though, and you shake your head in disbelief. What type of girl gets drunk with her teenage son at lunch? Because you are still cantankerous and grumpy while the two of you are washing your hands, you ask her if she always gets drunk with minors. She just smiles and laughs and says something about it being one of her favorite hobbies.
You never see the girl again. She comes to your mind on occasion when you see other seemingly able bodied people emerge from handicapped parking spots or drunks. You are sooooo glad you are not like them.
That girl is my friend.
From the National MS Society: Multiple sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease.
She noticed problems when she was in college on a scholarship. At 18, she lost the feeling in her feet but gradually regained the ability to walk. She married that same year. For 3 years, she was symptom-free until she gave birth to her beautiful son. In October 1, 1996, the "most horrible day" in her life, she was formally diagnosed with MS while alone with a cold physician who carelessly dropped the heartbreaking news on her. Just prior to receiving the news, her husband had to step out with their infant son. Since that time, she has dealt with blurry vision, blindness, difficulty walking, excruciating pain ("Imagine your worst day of pain. That is my best day"), chemotherapy treatments, the inability to take effective pain medication, double vision, inability to be out in the hot sun for long, fatigue, not being able to jump, ride a bike, hike, and rock climb, loss of independence, loss of a dear friend with MS who took her own life and ridicule from others.
Yet she still smiles and laughs.
She does not take all the credit for her outlook on life. The spotlight is often diverted to her husband, her best friend and constant supporter. Because he "does not believe in people wasting their lives", he often gives her a set amount of time to "whine and complain" about her day and then they move on. "If he allowed me to keep complaining, I would fall into a deep depression". She also gives much credit to the support and love she receives from her son, her parents and her friends.
She actually feels that MS has been a blessing in her life. Although her life took a dramatic turn at such a young age, she is not bitter about it. Instead she encourages all of us to not take life for granted. "Don't say you will do something tomorrow because tomorrow may not come. Don't wait until later to say you're sorry . Don't wait to hug. Don't go to bed angry because you may not wake up." She radiates beauty, love and light. It is no wonder that her teenage son loves being around his parents. He is a very responsible and giving young man who is also a very successful musician, rock climber and in the top 8% of his class.
Since this blog is dedicated to humor, I thought my friend was the perfect source for understanding the importance of smiling and laughter in the midst of a hurting world full of pain, loss and regret. I see her time and time again enjoying life, encouraging others, hugging her son, laughing with her husband, making jokes and I wonder how she smiles through it all. She loves people. She wants to be around them and she feels if she were to become gloomy and succumb to how she feels inside, people would not want to be around her. She never wants pity. She says she is as happy as anyone else. Somehow, she pushes the pain out of her mind. She ignores it and she focuses on you and the things that you are dealing with in your life.
And I thought you would want to meet her.


ThemeParkMama: Groovy Gravy Giveaway End Dec 19th!
Groovy Gravy incorporates ultra-pure, highly absorbable, health-promoting Omega-3s into delicious gravy, giving responsible pet parents a great way to enhance their pets' dining experience … every day! Groovy Gravy uses nano-technology that allows the Omega-3s, which our bodies cannot make on their own, to be absorbed at higher rates. This "pet trendsetting" brand is making pets hipper, healthier and happier. Groovy Gravy comes in multiple flavors and is available for both dogs and cats! Groovy Gravy is a great gift for your pets this holiday season because it's a treat they will love with many benefits for them, too! Plus, Groovy Gravy gives back, so not only are you giving your pets a wonderful gift, a portion of Groovy Gravy's Proceeds go to the Onyx & Breezy Foundation!
For more, check out the full Groovy Gravy Review on Pea of Sweetness.
About the prize: Two lucky winners will each receive a Groovy Gravy Product and a promotional item!
About the giveaway: This giveaway begins on 12/5 and ends on 12/19 at 11:00pm (times are Central) and is open to US residents ages 18+. Please refer to the full terms and conditions in the Giveaway Tools.


The Japanese concept of "Shinobu" meaning endurance, perseverance, and patience is of constant inspiration to the whisky makers of The Shinobu Distillery in Niigata. Where pristine streams fed by pure mountain snow reach the Sea of Japan. Shinobu Japanese Whisky requires just this patience and self-control for the master distiller to age each barrel for the right amount of time before meticulously blended to perfect flavor. Finished in Japanese white Mizunura Oak, each bottle of Shinobu Blended and Shinobu Pure Malt Whisky carry on the history and tradition of endurance and perseverance of the Japanese Warrior class.


There are essential items that no household can live without: we're talking gas for the car, groceries and the five cups of coffee that you simply cannot function without throughout the day.
Whenever we're looking at areas to cut costs, essential items seem to be ringfenced. It's almost like we can't dare look at ways to save on items that we can't do without. Instead, it's the luxury activities such as meals out and the trips to movies that are the first to go to help save on spending.
It doesn't have to be this way. While nobody would advocate trying to live without toilet paper or eating, there are some simple ways in which you can reduce just how much you are spending on items that you cannot live without.
Below are some of the ways of saving money on essential items today.
One way to save money on your grocery shop is by taking real advantage of offers when they are on. You might see a "two for $5" offer on some candy you regularly buy for the kids and get two packs rather the one, but why stop there? Don't just buy two; buy 20!
If it is something that you know you'll be buying on your next grocery shop, then stock up on it while it is cheap. You'll be saving money in the long run as these deals tend to last no more than a month, and it means you won't have to buy the item again for some time. If it's perishables, you can freeze half of what you purchase to enjoy later.
Before you head off to the grocery store, take the time to look through newspapers and magazines in order to find coupons for items that you know you are going to buy.
You might think it's a waste of time for the sake of saving a couple of dollars, but if you can knock $10 off every grocery trip, that soon builds up over time to be a significant saving.
Buying gas isn't cheap. Between January and May this year alone, the price of gas spiked 41 cents. Fuel companies have us over a barrel as they know that everybody who relies on a car has to pay whatever is required to keep that car moving.
You can look to save a little bit of money at the pumps though by filling up at the cheapest gas station in your area. There are a number of apps and websites out there that can point you in the direction of the gas station nearest to you which currently offers the lowest price per gallon.
Failing that, cleaning out your car can also reduce the amount of gas you burn through. Every 250 pounds on top of your car's base weight can cost you an extra mile per gallon of gas. For more on how to make your car more economical, have a look at these 20 useful tips to improve your gas mileage.
When you get sick, you need medicines to make you feel better. That's an inescapable fact of life. Unfortunately, medical treatment can cost a lot of money, and you probably think that your health is one area that you shouldn't compromise in order to try and make savings.
You can, however, look to reduce the cost of medication by using a free drugs comparison service. There are a number of places online such as this site called eDrugSearch which allow you to compare prices on top selling medications, potentially saving up to 90% on prescription drugs in the process.
We live in an online world now to the point where about a quarter of American adults say they are almost constantly online. That can be good news when it comes to saving money in areas like printing and postage.
Instead of paying your credit card, utility, cell phone or cable bills via the mail, do it all online. It saves you splashing the cash on stamps and envelopes, and it is much less time consuming as well! The same is true when it comes to printing out documents needed to collect a parcel or tickets for a show. Most venues and businesses will accept a scannable code on a smart phone, which can save you money on ink and paper.
We've already touched upon bulk buying groceries when offers come up, and you can take a similar approach to toilet paper without needing to rely on offers. Toilet paper come in monstrous pack sizes these days; you can buy anything up to a pack of 24 in one hit.
Not only will buying in such bulk save you money, but it can also help avoid the nightmare situation of having to run to the convenience store at the last minute because you've run out.
There aren't many people out there who can get through the day without coffee. Whether it's one in the morning as a pick-me-up, one at 10 am as part of a mid-morning ritual, one just after lunch to get through the afternoon or one in the evening to stop you falling asleep by 7 pm, we're a nation of coffee lovers.
Spending $3 a day on a cup of coffee (presuming you can survive on just the one!) might not seem like much, but it all adds up over the course of the year. You can eliminate this expenditure by making coffee at home rather than buying from a shop. If you invest in a coffee maker, you can produce a taste as good as your favorite barista at a fraction of the long-term cost, and it will save you time as there'll be no more morning runs to the coffee shop.


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Love that dress..and the price!
I seriously love her style, she's always on point! Thanks for sharing a cheaper version of her outfit. Love the dress!
I love this post, Kristin! Lauren Conrad is my favorite! She is such a style icon. She is always dressed to perfection and so chic!
Gotta love good ol' Forever 21. I don't care if I'm 32 years old and likely NOT in their demographic; I'll shop there until the clothes don't fit me. Also - LOVE Lauren Conrad's style SO much.
I'm obsessed with Lauren Conrad and her style. So cute!
I love that dress! I've always loved Lauren's style too.
I was just in Forever 21 yesterday and I love that store!! So many amazing items for cheap!
I've been eyeing those pumps for so ling now! She is so stunning!


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Adult Virgins Anonymous by Amber Crewe
Are you still a virgin? Want to talk about it in a safe space?Meetings every other Tuesday. You're not alone.
Kate Mundy's life is not going to plan. Nearing thirty, she's been made redundant from her job, her oldest friends have quietly left her behind, and she can barely admit her biggest secret: she's never even been on a date, let alone taken her underwear off with a member of the opposite sex. Freddie Weir has spent most of his twenties struggling severe OCD and anxiety, and now his only social interactions consist of comic book signings and fending off intrusive questions from his weird flatmate Damien.
There's no way Freddie could ever ask a girl out and now he's wondering if this is the way it might be forever. When Freddie and Kate meet at a self-help group for adult virgins, they think they might just be able to help each other out so they can both get on with finding their real romantic destinies. But might these two have more in common than just their lack of experience?


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Home NEWS Energy Oil and Gas Companies back global agreement to curb carbon emissions
Oil and Gas Companies back global agreement to curb carbon emissions
Christy Gren , June 4, 2015	 / 1834 0
As a global agreement to back climate-warming, carbon emissions draw closer and oil and gas companies are talking about coal as a crucial part of the solution, altogether with renewable energy source like, solar power and wind.
In December, Six European oil and gas companies including BP and Royal Dutch Shell wrote a letter to U.N. climate officials working on a climate deal in Paris were they stated they stand ready to play their part in climate change, as they saw that their part includes consumption of coal's market share in power generation.
Natural gas plants and many oil companies produce gas that releases about half the CO2 emissions of lower levels of air pollution and coal-fired plants.
On Tuesday, Shell CEO - Ben van Beurden told an energy conference that was held in Paris that a coal-to-gas shift therefore saves lives today and ensures a sustainable energy for a better tomorrow. He called natural gas as - clean-burning ally - to renewables sources like, wind and solar.
BP Chief Executive - Bob Dudley had a similar message saying that they need to describe more evidently that gas is not so much part of the problem as part of the solution.
The World Coal Association said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press that the coal industry has opposed against fossil fuels, opting instead to highlight new technologies, which improve the efficiency of coal-fired power plants, and without such coal technologies, goals to curb carbon emissions is unable to reach at a satisfactory level.
The group stated that growing renewable energy demand means - coal is a central part of the energy source, with demand forecast to increase. It was estimated that about 40 per cent of the world's electricity is generated from coal-fired power plants. Many countries have participated in energy-hungry economies like, India and China, where coal is a reliable and affordable option.
However, many environmental advocacy groups are suspicious of the motives behind the oil-and-gas industry's attacks on coal and want to eliminate it, to protect it against influence climate policy. They noted that despite of heeding calls to let fossil fuels remain in the ground, oil and gas companies are driving into new areas of exploration like the remote and ecologically sensitive Arctic.
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Anti-Terrorism Laws
Muslims in Australia
Senate Inquiry into Anti-Terrorism Bill (No. 2) 2005
The Government's 12-point proposal to introduce control orders, preventative detention powers and to update sedition offences culminated in the Anti-Terrorism Bill (No. 2) 2005. On 3 November 2005, the Senate referred the Bill to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 28 November 2005.
Despite the fact that only 8 days were allowed for discussion of the Bill, the Senate Committee received over 400 submissions, plus many more in pro forma format from members of AMCRAN, Civil Rights Network and other organization. AMCRAN extends its thanks to members who sent in submissions to the Senate Committee Inquiry at the time. You may view these submissions from here.
AMCRAN members also made contributions to the Laws for Insecurity? A Report into the Federal Government's Proposed Counter-Terrorism Measures (Submission 81 to the Inquiry). AMCRAN's submission is listed as submission number 157.
Commencing the submission by objecting to the short timeframe within which submissions were solicited, AMCRAN made 14 key recommendations:
Recommendation 1: The Bill should not be considered for passage until after the review of the Security Legislation Amendment (Terrorism) Act 2002 (Cth) is completed in 2006.
Recommendation 2(a): In view of changes that are both serious and have been introduced urgently, a 3-year sunset clause should be applicable to all provisions of the Bill.
Recommendation 2(b): If Recommendation 2(a) is not accepted, the review of the legislation should be brought forward to three years rather than 5.
Recommendation 3(a): "Advocating terrorism" should be removed as a ground for proscription of an organisation.
Recommendation 3(b): If Recommendation 3(a) is not accepted, and if "advocating terrorism" must be an offence, it should be made a personal offence and not an offence relating to an organisation. In this way, the impact of a person's action is limited to just that person. This would be similar to a more narrowly defined version of the sedition offence.
Recommendation 3(c): If Recommendations 3(a) and 3(b) are not accepted, then at the very least the criteria for "advocating" on behalf of an organisation must be clarified. For example, possible criteria may be:
(i) the statements are made by the acknowledged leader of the organisation; and
(ii) the statements are made on official material distributed or speeches given by the leader; and
(iii) the statements are made in public conversation; and
(iv) the statements are made on more than 5 occasions.
Recommendation 4 (a): In view of the very real possibility that many innocent people could be affected, and that such laws would reduce charity and support for people in need, Sch 3 Item 1 relating to Financing of Terrorism should be removed.
Recommendation 4 (b): If Recommendation 4 (a) is not accepted, the punishment for recklessly collecting funds should be reduced to 5 years imprisonment, rather than 15 years imprisonment.
Recommendation 5: Since the measures available under 'control orders' are punitive and not security-related, the test should be changed from one of "balance of probabilities" to one of "beyond reasonable doubt".
Recommendation 6 (a): That control orders only apply on a single occasion (similar to preventative detention measures), and can not be rolled over unless there is compelling fresh evidence of a different type of threat or further training with a terrorist organisation.
Recommendation 6 (b): If Recommendation 5(b) is not accepted, that control orders be limited to a certain number of re-applications, for example, 3 occasions.
Recommendation 7 (a): That the grounds for having trained with a terrorist organisation be removed as a reason for granting a control order.
Recommendation 7 (b): That the grounds of having trained with a terrorist organisation for seeking a control order not apply retrospectively, but only to people who train with a terrorist organisation after the commencement of the act.
Recommendation 8: That in a manner similar to questioning warrants, ex parte processes only be used where there are reasonable grounds to believe that the subject of a control order will fail to be present or disclose the existence of the control warrant. In normal circumstances, a person is ordered to appear at a particular place and time but is not subject to the control order until the hearing is complete. If this is not the case, then the police may request ex parte proceedings.
Recommendation 9 (a): That the preventative detention regime be removed from the Bill.
Recommendation 9 (b): If recommendation (a) is not accepted, then substantial other safeguards must be present, including:
(i) that a parent can advise another parent about their child's detention;
(ii) that a detained person is able to speak to his lawyer without monitoring; and
(iii) in deciding whether to grant a prohibited contact order the judge must consider if it will impede a person's ability to get access to appropriate legal advice and/or other support services.
Recommendation 10 (a): In view of the risks it carries and the potential for abuse in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, that the capability to detain innocent people not suspected of being involved in a crime be removed from the preventative detention regime.
Recommendation 10 (b): If recommendation (a) is not accepted, that additional safeguards be introduced to minimise the risk of innocent people from being detained. These measures may include:
(i) Requiring approval from the Commissioner of Police and Attorney General for a Section 104.4(6) preventative detention warrant.
(ii) The issuing authority must be satisfied that all other means to protecting the evidence have been explored and are not achievable.
(iii) Detention in such periods should last until the particular evidence required has been adduced or seven days at most, whichever comes first.
Recommendation 11: In view of existing powers available to Federal and State police, Sch 5 of the Bill granting police additional 'stop and search powers' should be removed.
Recommendation 12: That a limit be placed on the size of an area declared as a "prescribed security zone," within which police may exercise carte blanche stop and search powers.
Recommendation 13: Given that the sedition laws have been roundly condemned by many groups, and that it is likely to be amended shortly, the sedition offences should be removed from the Act. An amended version which includes "advocating terrorism" but with tighter definitions could be added as a separate act once the new offences are introduced.
Recommendation 14: That the measures in Schedule 10 that weaken existing safeguards on ASIO powers by extending the duration of warrants (i.e. search warrants; postal warrant; delivery warrants) be excised from the Bill.
AMCRAN appears before Senate Inquiry
The Senate Committee held public hearings in Sydney over 3 days, and heard from many organizations including Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, Law Council of Australia, HREOC, and PIAC. AMCRAN's appearance was on 17 November 2005.
The transcripts of the hearings are available here.
Supplementary Submission
AMCRAN took a number of questions on notice, and made a supplementary submission available as Submission 157A . The questions related to:
Question 1: [Senator Kerry Nettle] The meaning of 'advocating terrorism,' and how the proscription of an organization for advocating terrorism may affect the organization's members
Question 2 [Senator Joe Ludwig] The impact on the Muslim community of financing offences, and the effect of informal transfer through 'Hawallah' networks.
Senate Committee Report
On 28 November 2005 the report of the Inquiry was tabled before Parliament. It included over 50 recommendations for amendment to improve the Bill. The Report talks about the specific concerns of the Muslim community at paragraphs 2.16 to 2.18.
A copy of the report may be viewed here.
Anti-Terrorism Act (No.2) 2005
The Anti-terrorism Bill (No 2) passed through the House of Representatives on 29 November 2005, and through the Senate on 6 December 2005. Now enacted, the legislation affects major changes to the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) and other key Federal legislation.
Correspondence with Attorney-General Mr Philip Ruddock on how an organisation "advocates" terrorism and other matters
One of the more controversial new amendments to the anti-terror laws in the Bill was the new criteria for proscribing, or banning, an organisation as a terrorist organisation, if that organisation "advocates" terrorism. But the new laws do not specify what factors will be taken into account when proscribing an organisation under the new criteria.
AMCRAN and a number of other organisations have questioned how this new criteria will be interpreted and applied. For example, would an organisation "advocate" terrorism if one member of the organisation made a comment and thus making the organisation liable for proscription? Or does it have to do with the stated position of the organisation? How exactly does an organisation "advocate" terrorism?
Before the Anti-Terrorism Bill (No. 2) passed both Houses of Parliament, AMCRAN wrote to the Attorney-General enclosing a copy of our submission to the Senate Inquiry about the Bill. Citing the vagueness of the term "advocate terrorism", we asked the Attorney-General for guidelines as to how it would be interpreted; we sought clarification in the Bill as to how "organisation" will be defined as a single entity that "advocates" terorrism; and lastly, we sought reassurance that the provisions would not allow for discrimination or arbitrary application.
AMCRAN's first letter to the Attorney-General
In our submission to the Senate Committee conducting the Inquiry into the Bill, we made a number of suggestions as to what appropriate factors should be taken into account when an organisation is to be proscribed. A number of these recommendations were picked up by the Senate Committee and they were included in the final report.
Even though the Government accepted a number of recommendations from the Senate Committee report, their specific recommendations as to how an organisation "advocates" terrorism were not. We wrote again to the Attorney-General seeking further claification.
AMCRAN's second letter to the Attorney-General
On 15 December 2005, the Attorney-General provided the following response:
Page 1 and Page 2
AMCRAN conducts Information Seminar on the Effect of the new laws
In December 2005, AMCRAN co-ordinated a community education seminar to discuss the effects of the amendments to the anti-terror laws.
AMCRAN invited Dr Ben Saul from UNSW and Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law to address the public seminar about these issues.
The seminar discussed the following questions, among others:
What are the implications of these new anti-terror laws for the Muslim community?
What do the new sedition offences mean?
Will we still be allowed to say Iraqis have the right to resist occupation?
Will we be allowed to comment on and criticise government policy?
What impact do the new charity related offences have for people who may inadvertently give
money to the wrong people, and what does it mean for my organisation?
What about the new ability for the Government to ban organisations on the basis that they
"advocate" terrorism?


and know how to bring out the best in others.
SoulCentre is recognised as Asia's Premier Personal Development Centre and students from over 37 countries have learnt with us.
Our programs are authentic, professional and effective. The teachings cross borders easily and are effective no matter the language they are taught in. We inspire everyone we meet to be the best that they can be and the results are life changing.
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The SoulKids Mentor training program is extremely transformational and provide you the secrets to inspire and empower your children and family.


Wonk /wäNGk/: n. a person who takes an excessive interest in minor details of political policy.
Whether you're a policy wonk, a happy hour fan, or just want to learn about local San Diego issues, we invite you to join us for Wine & Wonks on Wednesday, November 28 at 5pm.
Join San Diego Taxpayers Educational Foundation, in partnership with the Harvard Kennedy School Community of San Diego, for an informal, no-host happy hour discussion series.


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Joel Perez: Playing With Myself
Step into the mind of Joel Perez as he loops his way through songs and stories about growing up as a queer Puerto Rican ex-Pentecostal. Watch as he humorously inspects the many dumb layers of the human experience. Part cabaret, part stand-up, part storytelling, fully STUPID.
Opener:
Milly Tamarez is a stand-up, and writer based out of Brooklyn, New York. She has written for ABC, E!, WWE, NPR, Buzzfeed, Reductress, and MTV. She has been featured on Thrillist, Vice, BET, Flama, Above Average, Univision, and Comedy Central. She is one of the creators and producers of Flexx (a satire magazine for people of color) and Diverse as Fuck Festival a festival that highlights diversity in comedy. Milly is also one of the founders of the all-women of color improv team Affirmative Action. Her work has been featured in Vulture, Bushwick Daily, The Daily Dot, HelloGiggles, Galore Magazine, Adweek, and CodeBlack Report. Milly can be seen performing at theaters and venues across NYC.
Photo credit: Mindy Tucker
MON 01/31 9:30 PM


As a key method of avoiding illness, we highly encourage our patients and their families to get the flu shot every year. In order to help prepare you for flu season, we have an article that explains the negative impacts of the flu and why it's important to get vaccinated.
With flu season around the corner, it's important to stay ahead of the game and be aware of ways you and your family can stay healthy. Our article aims to teach you about the importance of flu prevention by outlining the causes and symptoms that can be problematic.
The flu, also known as influenza, is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection that impacts the air passages in your lungs.
What causes the flu and how does it spread?
The flu is caused by a virus with multiple strains that continuously change.
The virus spreads through sneezes/coughs in the air or touching your mouth, nose, or eyes after handling an infected object.
The flu and its symptoms can lead to complications! The most common complication of the flu is pneumonia. Significant breathing problems and other severe symptoms may require hospital treatment and can potentially lead to death.
It's simple, get the vaccine! Getting the vaccine every year is important for everyone 6 months and older, especially for those with a higher risk for flu complications.
It's usually administered in a shot but it can also be given in a nasal spray.
It's completely safe and it's your best defense against catching the flu.
The flu shot can't give you the flu. This is because the vaccine is made from non-infectious pieces of dead virus cells, not the live cells that can make you sick.
After receiving the vaccine you may experience some mild, flu-like side effects. These side effects are not the same as having the actual flu.
When you get the flu vaccine, your body reacts and makes antibodies that give you immunity that protects you from getting the flu.
You should get vaccinated every year because the flu virus is constantly mutating and the vaccine changes every year based on the predicted strains.
Wash your hands frequently, especially before eating.
Avoid putting your hands near your face, eyes, nose, and mouth.
Avoid touching surfaces and objects previously handled by sick people.
We can help you and your family stay healthy! If you're interested in getting the flu vaccine or learning more about it, we encourage you to contact your Keystone Primary Care physician and schedule an appointment today!


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US, UK Wants Saudi To Pump More Oil. Crown Prince Is In A Dilemma
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, has faced sharp Western criticism.
Riyadh:
The United States and Britain are ramping up pressure on Saudi Arabia to pump more oil and join efforts to isolate Russia, while Riyadh has shown little readiness to respond and has revived a threat to ditch dollars in its oil sales to China.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson flew into the world's biggest crude oil exporter on Wednesday, a day after US security advisor Brett McGurk arrived with a U.S. delegation.
Saudi Arabia and its neighbour the United Arab Emirates, which are among just a handful of producers with spare capacity, have snubbed Western calls for more crude to cool red-hot prices and have stuck to an OPEC supply pact with Russia and others.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, has faced sharp Western criticism over the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Riyadh's human rights record and the Yemen war. U.S. President Joe Biden has, so far, refused to deal directly with the prince, who is widely known as MbS.
With U.S-Saudi relations at a low point, MbS has responded by strengthening ties with Russia and China, even though the kingdom still has close security ties with Washington.
McGurk and other U.S. officials met senior Saudi officials on Tuesday, pressing them to pump more oil and find a political solution to end the war in Yemen, where Saudi-led forces are battling the Iran-backed Houthi group, two sources said.
"You would be wrong if you think Washington would give up on these two files," one of the two sources, who is familiar with the discussions, told Reuters.
A senior U.S. administration official said McGurk was in the Middle East "discussing a wide range of issues, including Yemen", but declined to elaborate.
The British prime minister, meanwhile, described Saudi Arabia and the UAE as "key international partners" in the effort to wean the world off Russian hydrocarbons and put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin after Moscow invaded Ukraine.
But Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a prominent Emirati political analyst, said Johnson should not expect much. "Boris will go back empty handed," he wrote on Twitter.
The Saudi government did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the U.S. and British visits.
For now, Saudi Arabia has shown no sign of abandoning an oil supply pact forged between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, including Russia, which has seen the group known as OPEC hiking oil output only gradually.
SHORT SHRIFT
At the last OPEC meeting on March 2 – less than a week after Russia invaded Ukraine and as the West ratcheted up sanctions on Moscow – ministers dodged the Ukraine issue in talks and swiftly agreed to stick to existing policy.
Meanwhile, Riyadh has signalled it wants closer ties with Beijing by inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit this year. The Wall Street Journal said Saudi Arabia was in talks to price some crude it sells to China in yuan.
"If Saudi Arabia does that, it will change the dynamics of the forex market," said a source with knowledge of the matter, adding that such a move – which the source said Beijing had long requested and which Riyadh threatened as far back as 2018 – might prompt other buyers to follow.
The Saudi energy ministry declined to comment, while state oil giant Saudi Aramco did not respond to a request for comment.
One diplomat said Riyadh was turning to "old threats" to push back at the West, although the diplomat and others say any shift to the yuan would face practical challenges, given crude is priced in dollars, the Saudi riyal is pegged to the greenback and the yuan does not boast the same role as a reserve currency.
"It would be reckless, given global oil pricing in dollars and the currency peg, not to mention the amount of Saudi debt priced in dollars, its reserve assets in dollars and their holdings of U.S. equities," said Karen Young, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
"There may be some contracts in yuan between Saudi Arabia and China, but there is no reorientation of Saudi monetary policy," she said.
The Saudi central bank had assets worth $492.8 billion at the end of January, including $119 billion in U.S. Treasuries.
The government had foreign currency debt – mostly in dollars – of $101.1 billion at the end of 2021, while the Saudi sovereign wealth fund held $56 billion in U.S. equities.
Monica Malik, chief economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, said Saudi Arabia could slowly shift some sales to yuan. "A gradual shift would have a limited impact," she said.
And even as U.S. officials were meeting in Riyadh, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that Washington was not asking its allies to choose between the United States and China.
Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney Beat the Heat in Matching Tees
Chirag Paswan On Delhi Bungalow Eviction


Hosted by St Christopher's and King's MND Care and Research Centre – who have been caring for people with MND for over 20 years.
This popular annual one day conference will focus on topics ranging from medical management, updates on clinical trials, ethics, advances in communication and cognition.
The conference is aimed at any professionals involved in the care of people with MND.
Whilst the Mental Capacity Act 2005 can be seen as an aspirational piece of legislation, it remains a challenge for professionals to ensure that the principles and guidance around best practice are followed in a consistent, person-centred way. Challenges to practice abound – with capacity at end of life continuing to be a particular area of challenge due to the combined impact of illness, medication, and prevalence of fluctuating ability to make decisions.
This study day aims to continue the discussion and provide an update of any changes that have happened since 2018. There will be consideration of relevant case law, and the interplay between capacity and other legislative frameworks including the Care Act 2014 (with particular reference to the interface with Adult Safeguarding) and the Mental Health Act 1983.
There will be the opportunity for learning to be applied in reference to a case study, culminating in a plenary session where delegates will come together to share their own thoughts, learning and experience. The day will conclude with a question and answer session, which will continue to support the delegate's ongoing plans regarding their own personal learning needs.


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Gaâfour () est une ville du Nord-Ouest de la Tunisie située à une centaine de kilomètres au sud-ouest de Tunis.

Rattachée au gouvernorat de Siliana, elle constitue une municipalité comptant  habitants en 2014.

À une altitude de 265 mètres, elle a été construite dans la vallée de l'oued Siliana, à l'intérieur du massif montagneux de la dorsale tunisienne.

Polarisant une région essentiellement agricole, la ville bénéficie d'une gare située sur la ligne ferroviaire reliant Tunis à Kalâat Khasba.

Histoire

Le village de Gaâfour est créé de toutes pièces à la fin du  par la Compagnie des chemins de fer Bône-Guelma autour de la gare de la ligne ferroviaire reliant Tunis à Kalâat Khasba. Il est prévu pour y loger les cheminots chargés de l'entretien du matériel roulant de cette ligne vitale pour l'évacuation des minerais extraits des mines de l'ouest du pays.

Certains des habitants sont issus de tribus auparavant installées dans le massif du djebel Ousselat, chassées par le bey de Tunis au  et venues se réfugier dans la région.

Voir aussi
 Église Sainte-Anne de Gaâfour

Références

Ville en Tunisie
Gouvernorat de Siliana


While many seniors struggle to survive, our state has repeatedly cut taxes on billion dollar out-of-state corporations. Meanwhile, West Virginia legislators insist on continuing to tax senior citizens' earned Social Security benefits.
West Virginia is one of only 13 states that taxes Social Security. Ten of those states have partial tax exemptions for Social Security, which means that West Virginia is among only three states (along with Minnesota and NorthDakota) that have no state-level exemptions for Social Security.
If West Virginia joins the other 47 states who have moved to help their seniors, the 320,000 senior West Virginians who rely on Social Security are estimated to save tens of millions of dollars each year.
Most of what our seniors save in taxes will be spent in their home communities, supporting our local economies.
On the other hand, corporate tax breaks (along with massive corporate profits) generally go out of state and don't help our communities.
Our senior citizens, most of whom are on fixed incomes, are facing increasing pressures due to severe problems facing our state. Many don't have their adult children nearby to help them because so many working adults have to move out of state for better job opportunities. Some retirees have also taken on raising their grandchildren because of our addiction epidemic.
Seniors, and all our people, deserve to have their needs put above the profits of billion dollar corporations.
Why is our Legislature putting corporate tax cuts over helping our seniors retain their dignity and independence?
It's time for West Virginia to fully exempt Social Security benefits from state income taxes.


Devi Marine Food Exports Private Limited is a marine products cold storage structures. It handles marine products such as Cutured / Sea Shrimp, Cuttle Fish, Crabs. It has a total freezing capacity of 48 tonnes per day.


Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: Can you imagine an ultra lightweight, super potent anti-aging face oil that contains retinol? Colbert MD did just that with Illumino Face Oil!
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D.G.S.Beauty: Keep your skin nice and soft with the Arganio Argan Soft Skin Lotion.
My Highest Self: What's so great about Whish Coconut Shave Crave? Find out!
Peppermint Lips Beauty Blog: DIY: Quick & Affordable Hair Glossing at Home! Get Shiny Hair Instantly!
Beauty by Miss L: Budget friendly Avon Ideal Flawless Skin Loving Beauty Balm BB cream review.
Icy Nails: Erika reviewed the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette on Icy Nails on Thursday. Click here and grab a cup of coffee, you'll need it.
Never Say Die Beauty: Milani's introducing a new, affordable universal lipliner/primer!
Beauty Professor: The Beauty Professor finally got her hands on the Surratt Beauty Diaphane Loose Compact Powder and sings its praises in a video review!
daydreaming beauty: Amber swatches Urban Decay's Naked 3 palette this week on daydreaming beauty!
Slashed Beauty: Miranda shows us what Crown Brush has in store for 2014!
My Newest Addiction : Laura does a sultry smoky eye using Paul & Joe Spring 2014 Stormy Weather Trio.
Lipgloss Break: Lipgloss Break reviews LAQA & Co.'s Fat Lip Pencils.
Endless Summer: Have you tried konjac sponges yet?


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Smoked squid, silky gowns and social media: Tet Festival blends the old and new
Revelers lead a colorful procession Saturday at the Tet Festival at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. The festival has become a mix of old world, county fair and beach party.
(Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
By Anh DoStaff Writer
In melodic Vietnamese, a bubbly YouTube star in jeans and a conical hat greeted her elders through the din of the crowd. "Con xin chao bac," she said, before politely wishing them a healthy new year.
Then, shrieks interrupted them. Two Vietnamese American tweens spotted her, and turned to one another: "Isn't that, you know, Kayla?!"
They rushed toward a wiggling Kayla Nguyen, the sensation behind the bilingual Vietglish channel, a song and dance variety show. She flashed her novelty sunglasses and leaned into the 10-year-olds from San Diego for a pose.
"Cool," she oozed, switching to English and hugging her fans, sporting traditional ao dai dresses with Converse high-tops. "Thanks for coming by, hope you like exploring out there."
Half a world away in Vietnam, the country is celebrating the Lunar New Year — the year of the pig — with ancient customs passed from generation to generation. But here at the Orange County Fairgrounds, California Tet borrows from the old and the new.
In the nearly 45 years since the Vietnamese influx to the region, the holiday has become a mix of tradition, county fair and beach party.
"This isn't much like your great-grandmother's Tet gathering," said Harry Le, 56, a software analyst who has gone to 15 festivals in the last 24 years and now experiences sticker shock for small $5 sugar cane drinks and sees "youngsters with spiky hair and earrings in different places on their bodies."
The Fullerton resident said "the Vietnamese have lived in the U.S. long enough to make changes and as much as I appreciate the community's growth, I wonder how this evolution will continue."
Le strolled past social media influencers like Nguyen, 26, who graced a "Meet and Greet" booth at the Tet Festival, the nation's largest Lunar New Year celebration, which opened Friday and runs through Sunday in Costa Mesa. Row by row, kids in colorful costumes stood flanked by beaming parents who snapped hundreds of photos and streamed their images on Facebook.
Tyson Tran, 7, right, offers a gift to a dancing lion at the Tet Festival.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Across the way, inside the Cultural Village decked with volunteers dressed as royal guards, scholars and generals, an eager group of players gathered for Vietnamese history Jeopardy, hosted by leaders of Orange County's Vietnamese language schools. Students are slotted by age and after listening to the famous game show's theme song, hit a buzzer to answer questions ranging in categories from animals to legends to traditions.
After addressing "Thay" and "Co," referring to their male and female teachers, their responses must be in full sentences and in Vietnamese.
"What is the meat used in pho tai?" the emcee asked the competitors in the age nine-and-under cluster.
Nervous parents whispered the answer to each other in Vietnamese: eef. But siblings yelled out: "Come on, come on. Go!"
Outside the village, Dit Thi Bui watched the multicultural crowd — which included Middle Easterners, Latinos, African Americans and whites — while munching on crispy pork skewers, reminiscing.
In the old days, she said, family reunions and praying for ancestors took top priority, with children paying respects to the older generation to receive "lucky" money in red envelopes and sitting down for meals before leaving the roost to socialize with friends.
At 69, she is observing her second Tet in America while staying with her Santa Ana relatives before returning to South Vietnam.
Here, "it is about freedom. It's nicer that they have freedom, yet people have to drive so far to get to anywhere" to celebrate, Bui said.
The way the Vietnamese and Vietnamese American worlds connect — or collide — at the annual festival, first held in 1982 in Garden Grove, is a symbol of the adaptation of a community that brought its practices to the U.S. and then customized them to attract emerging generations and the mainstream, participants said.
Daniel Le, 27, left, and Doan Nguyen, 69, play Chinese chess at the Tet Festival.
They pointed to the volunteers offering lessons in calligraphy along with digital photography, the beauty pageant now drawing more contestants from STEM fields, the folk music played side by side with the Goo Goo Dolls, and a bevy of legislators in silk gowns sharing lunar wishes to attract voters.
Near the entrance, a welcome and announcements about the more than $1.5 million dollars that UVSA, the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California operating the festival, has awarded in program grants are broadcast in English, Vietnamese, Spanish and Mandarin.
There is much about the festival that is familiar to the older generation and recent arrivals from Vietnam.
The smell of smoked squid — muc kho — filled the air. Stands sold Vietnamese iced coffee, broken rice and waffles scented with pandan leaves. Thousands of fairgoers wandered the grounds in silky gowns. Boys and girls whizzed through the sky on carnival rides, their shiny polyester ao dais fluttering in the air.
The South Vietnamese flag was everywhere.
But the heart of Orange County's Tet Festival is change.
For an older generation of Americans, Tet has been associated with the 1968 communist offensive that shook the country out of its optimism toward the war in Vietnam. Photos of U.S. soldiers huddled in destroyed cities became some of the enduring images of the conflict.
On Friday night and Saturday morning, tanned recruiters from the U.S. Army and the Marines brought their pull-up bars to challenge festival-goers to flex their muscles for prizes.
Students from the USC School of Pharmacy gave free flu shots, while businesses — from a mortuary and hospitals to insurance agents and construction firms — plied people with swag and brochures and games. Smiling supporters talked to potential donors for the Disabled Veterans and Widows Relief Association and the Museum of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam.
Hanh Nguyen 28, left, and husband Ryan Nguyen, 30, eat grilled lobster and noodles from Cafe 949 at the Tet Festival.
Danny Hoang, owner of Cafe 949, hawked the festival's priciest meal, garlic noodles accompanied by a whole grilled lobster for $30 a plate. He started promoting his dish with his wife's secret sauce at summer night-markets and sold out, prompting him to set up at the area's premier festival. "You must evolve to stay successful," he said.
Benny Huynh, 35, owner of Charade Dance Academy in Garden Grove, said the lobster's amusement-park price tag didn't faze him. "I waited in that long, long line and thought: It's the new year — time to try new things and that should bring us good luck."
Perhaps the biggest change in California Tet is that it's no longer wholly Vietnamese.
Two years ago, festival attendance surpassed 60,000, according to Thinh Nguyen, the event's marketing director. "To be able to grow, we believe the Tet Festival has to be inclusive. It can't be exclusively for the Vietnamese community any more."
Up and down the packed food court, there was a decided Korean flavor and plenty of Korean spoken among the tables, with customers flocking to Korean BBQ bulgogi quesadillas, along with stuffing themselves with Nashville hot chicken and baos bursting with deep-fried paprika soft shell crab.
Lisa Kim, a Korean American, packed her Beauty Folie display table with products including a red ginseng tonic for energy and to protect the immune system. "I've never been to this festival. But everyone said it was big, meaning really big," she said, adding that the Vietnamese have found a way "to continue tradition, mixing in the new with the old. You lose your culture in America" unless you learn how to do that, she added.
The presence of Wells Fargo, the title sponsor who paid $35,000 for top billing, loomed large. "For us, celebrating diversity is most important and this is the biggest local event that gives us a chance to do that," said Linda Nguyen, assistant vice president overseeing community relations in Orange County and Greater L.A. "We really want generations to be connected to one another and at the festival, that's happening naturally."
Dan Thu Pham, 22, an interpreter for the Orange County Department of Education at the festivities, said organizers "really stepped up their marketing this year. The fusion focused on one theme — community building."
Nguyen, the YouTuber who's also a comedian and film producer, said it didn't surprise her to get an invite to the festival. She tours across the country and loves to teach people how to name fruits in Vietnamese or how to act at a Vietnamese party — and she often witnesses non-Vietnamese joining her audience.
"More and more, people not Vietnamese are joining VSAs," she said, citing the rise of chapters of the Vietnamese Student Association on college campuses.
"Culture is relevant in so many areas of our lives and for young people, it's not strange or foreign. We can blend in while having our own style."
anh.do@latimes.com
Twitter: @newsterrier
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Anh Do is a Metro reporter covering Asian American issues and general assignments. A second-generation journalist, she has worked at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times, Orange County Register and Nguoi Viet Daily News, the largest Vietnamese-language newspaper in the U.S.
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PLANET has released the ISW-621/ISW-621S15, an advanced industrial hardened Ethernet Switch with new slim type, IP-30 metal case. Each of them is equipped with 4 10/100Base-TX auto-negotiation ports. The ISW-621 has 2 100Base-FX multi-mode SC interfaces for transmission distance up to 2km, and the ISW-621S15 has 2 100Base-FX single-mode SC interfaces for transmission distance up to 15km, both of them operate reliably in Heavy Industrial demanding environments. Meanwhile, the compact, IP-30 standard metal case allows either DIN rail or wall mounting for efficient use of cabinet space.
The ISW-621 / ISW-621S15 provides a high level of immunity against electromagnetic interference and heavy electrical surges which are usually found on plant floors or in curb side traffic control cabinets. Being able to operate under the temperature range from -10 to 60 degrees C, the ISW-621/ISW-621S15 can be placed in almost any difficult environment. The ISW-621/ISW-621S15 also possesses an integrated power supply source with wide range of voltages (12 to 48V DC) for worldwide high availability applications requiring dual or backup power inputs.
The ISW-621/ISW-621S15 each provides 4 10/100Base-TX Ethernet ports and 2 100Base-FX optic-fiber SC interfaces, and boasts a high performance switch architecture that is capable of providing non-blocking switch fabric and wire-speed throughput as high as 1Gbps. With 2K MAC address table, they offer wire-speed packets transfer performance without risk of packet loss. The flow control function allows the ISW-621/ISW-621S15 to have fast and reliable data transfer.
All of the RJ-45 copper interfaces in the ISW-621/ISW-621S15 support 10/100Mbps auto negotiation for optimal speed detection through RJ-45 Category 3, 4 or 5 cables. The standard auto-MDI/MDI-X support can detect the type of connection to any Ethernet device without requiring special straight or crossover cables.
The ISW-621/ISW-621S15 is equipped with 4 10/100Mbps ports that offer auto MDI / MDIX feature, 2 100Base-FX optic-fiber SC interfaces, 1.2Gps non-blocking switch fabric, and the 2K MAC address table so that they can perform wire-speed packets transfer without risk of packet loss. The ISW-621/ISW-621S15 with the slim type IP 30 metal shape is ideal for most Heavy Industrial demanding environments.


I went to the Trussell Trust food bank round the corner from the Observer's offices just before Christmas. If I hadn't been reading the papers, I would have assumed it represented everything Conservatives admire. As at every other food bank, volunteers who are overwhelmingly churchgoers ran it and organised charitable donations from the public.
What could be closer to Edmund Burke's vision of the best of England that David Cameron says inspired his "big society"?