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Cataracts are a clouding of the natural lens of the eye, which occurs in everyone at some point in their lives. When this clouding interferes with the quality of vision and begins to affect your daily activities, cataract removal is indicated.
When the cataract is removed we are removing the lens of your eye. We always replace the cloudy lens with a new lens implant known as an intraocular lens (IOL). There are now more choices in lens implant options, and these new IOLs can greatly decrease dependency on the need for glasses after surgery. In some cases, the premium IOL will eliminate the need for glasses all together.
Following surgery with a traditional IOL, patients often still need to use their reading glasses, bifocals, trifocals, or progressives lenses to be able to read objects at close range. This is because traditional IOLs implanted during cataract surgery typically only correct for distance vision. There are a variety of IOLs that can be used in cataract surgery, and they each have their own set of advantages. No single IOL works best for everyone, and only your ophthalmologist can determine the most appropriate IOL for your visual needs. The most effective lens depends on each patient's individual preferences and goals for their vision.
Dr. Allaman is the first surgeon in the Monterey Bay area to implement the Tecnis Symfony® IOL into his repertoire of lens choices. The Symfony is the first lens of its kind to combine two unique technologies for outstanding visual performance. This is done by elongating the focus of the eye to provide continuous, high-quality vision and by correcting chromatic aberration (color distortion) to provide sharp vision in all lighting conditions. Monofocal IOLS are used to restore vision in one area of focus – usually distance. Glasses may still be needed for near and intermediate distance activities. Extended Depth of Focus IOL, such as the Tecnis Symfony IOL, provides continuous range of high-quality vision – from near to far and points in between – and may reduce the frequency of wearing glasses. The Tecnis Symfony improves your vision for low-light activities as well, such as taking a walk at dusk, going to the movies, or even driving at night. The Symfony IOL is available in both a Non-Toric version and a Toric version for patients with astigmatism.
In the past, intraocular lenses were only able to correct distance vision, often leaving patients with the need for reading glasses. Multifocal IOLs offer patients a decrease in dependency from glasses after cataract surgery by improving vision at all distances. These lenses can change focus to accommodate your vision needs. Up to 80 percent of patients do not need to rely on glasses after multifocal IOL implantation. The AcrySof ReSTOR IOL utilizes diffraction optics to provide excellent visual acuity at near and distance. The Tecnis Multifocal lens has multifocal zones that provide a range of visual correction and thus provide good vision over varying distances.
Many people experience a loss of near vision with age and often need to rely on glasses after cataract surgery. Accommodative IOLs such as Crystalens replace the eye's natural lens and mimics its accommodation capabilities, allowing you to see clearly across a wide range of distances. The Bausch and Lomb Crystalens has the ability to accommodate or alter shapes, thus allowing your eye to focus on both distance or near objects. Like the natural lens, it is a lens implant that uses the eye muscle to flex and accommodate in order to focus on objects in the environment at all distances. Crystalens dynamically adjusts to your visual needs. Many patients will have greater freedom from glasses after surgery, but you may still need reading glasses for small print or other near vision tasks.
Toric IOLs are specifically designed for patients with astigmatism. In the past, patients with astigmatism would need eyeglasses or contact lenses even after cataract surgery in order to see clearly for distance vision. Toric IOLs, such as Tecnis Toric, correct cataracts and astigmatism with just one lens, providing a more convenient and affordable solution to your vision needs. This unique lens allows us to reduce or eliminate corneal astigmatism, thus reducing the need for eyeglass correction for best distance vision after surgery. Although you may have less dependence on glasses or contacts for distance vision, you may still need glasses for near vision after surgery. If you have a history of astigmatism Dr. Allaman may recommend this new surgical product. 97% of patients say they would choose to have the Tecnis Toric again.
Dr. Allaman and his staff will be happy to discuss any of the new lens implant products available.
Please contact our office directly at (831) 476-1298 to schedule an appointment, or for more information about our services click here.


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All posts tagged The New York Times
Bernie Sanders' Unconventional Leadership: What the Democratic Party Needs Now
From The New York Times, May 29, 2016:
"Early optimism that this would be an easy race is evaporating…. While [Hillary Clinton] enjoys many demographic advantages heading into the fall, key Democrats say they are growing worried that her campaign has not determined how to combat her unpredictable, often wily Republican rival, to whom criticism seldom sticks and rules of decorum seem not to apply.
"Mrs. Clinton is pressing ahead with a conventional campaign, echoing the 2012 themes used against the Republican nominee that year, Mitt Romney. But Mr. Trump is running a jarringly different crusade: accusing her husband, former President Bill Clinton, of rape; proposing that the country conduct brutal methods of torture; and suggesting that South Korea and Japan be permitted to develop nuclear arms. Prominent Democrats say a more provocative approach is needed."
A provocative approach…like that of Bernie Sanders, perhaps?
Sanders is as "jarringly different" as Clinton is boringly conventional. But the Times is too locked into business as usual to recognize visionary leadership and revolutionary change, even when it's staring them in the face.
The rest of this article is all about what Hillary should do to up her game—ignoring the fact that between them, Sanders and Trump have already changed the rules of game beyond anything the mainstream Democrats could have imagined.
This is shaping up to be as bizarre a presidential race as the Gore/Bush contest in 2000, with its hanging chads and sleazy strong-arm banana republic tactics. The intervening years have only made it more apparent how important US politics is to the fate of the entire world.
But what has changed since 2000 is the strengthening of grassroots political awareness and engagement by virtue of the World Wide Web. We are not as easily manipulated anymore by the party lines as touted by their mainstream media outlets (for example, the New York Times for the Democrats, Fox News for the Republicans).
The obverse of the surveillance state that the established authorities have been building up is the people's surveillance of the state. What began with the horrifying release of the Abu Ghraib torture photos has continued not just with big sting operations like Wikileaks, but also with an army of ordinary citizens wielding smartphones.
From police brutality to sexual assault to chemical leaks and abuse of animals, it is getting more and more difficult for people in power to get away with crimes. Victims have become survivors, and survivors have become testifiers and avengers, crusaders who lead the charge for truth and justice.
Trump and Sanders recognize the power of the sleeping giant of the American public, amplified through social media. HRC and the NYT still don't seem to get it.
Donald Trump and his followers are off in their own reality-TV parallel universe, using the same media-driven tools and tactics to accomplish their bigoted, dangerous, hateful agenda. In their own echo-chambers, they loom large enough to take themselves seriously, and those of us on the side of the real American dream of "liberty and justice for all" must not underestimate the potential might of the Trump mob.
However, there are more of us than there are of them. The slumbering, lumbering American public just needs to get aroused, and it will defeat the thin ranks of bigots and the fascists among us.
I ask you: where do you see the most political excitement among the opponents of Donald Trump?
Not among the grim defensive ranks of the Hillary-ites.
Only in the youthful, idealistic, enthusiastic crowds pouring into stadiums across the country to cheer on Bernie Sanders.
The New York Times is right about this much. To win this race, the Democratic Party must abandon convention and embrace the brave new world we find ourselves in now. The Clinton dynasty, like the Bushes and the singular Mr. Trump, are 20th century leftovers.
If the Democratic Party is to survive the turbulent 21st century, it must support forward-looking politicians with new ideas. It must support Bernie Sanders. And so must we.
by Jennifer Browdy, Ph.D. on May 29, 2016 • Permalink
Posted in Alternative Futures, Media analysis, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged American Dream, American electoral politics, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, politics, The New York Times
Posted by Jennifer Browdy, Ph.D. on May 29, 2016
https://bethechange2012.com/2016/05/29/bernie-sanders-unconventional-leadership-what-the-democratic-party-needs-now/
A Pipeline for Mr. Nocera
Joe Nocera is one of my least favorite of the regular New York Times columnists. I almost always disagree with him; I like to read his columns just to see what kind of inane argument he's going to concoct this time for an untenable position.
This time, he's giving the finger to "environmentalists," who are still embracing the "pipe dream" that it's possible to stop the oil industry from mining the boreal forests of Canada in search of dirty shale oil. His column points out, gloatingly, that whether any of us like it or not, Canada tar sands oil will be coming into the U.S. and making their long, expensive, dangerous way down to the Texas refineries and ports—if not by pipeline, then by rail.
And, he implies, there's not a damned thing the President, with his veto pen, or the public, with our outrage, can do about it.
How convenient that Nocera overlooked the big news this week when he sat down to write his column. It was more important to him to poke the hornet's nest of environmentalists than to actually give his readers some meaningful content to thin about.
This week's real news came in the form of two new studies produced by teams of scientists who concluded that a) 2014 was tied with 2010 as the hottest year on record; and b) anthropogenic climate disruption combined with human predation is causing unprecedented species extinctions in the oceans.
The truth is, Joe Nocera, that unless human beings get out of our "business-as-usual" mindsets and get serious about slowing the rate of carbon emissions and taking seriously our role as stewards of the planet, those pipelines will soon be rusting silently like the rest of the junk of our civilization, from skyscrapers to factories, abandoned in the wake of the storms and food crises that will push human populations into collapse—just as we've pushed so many other species past the point of stability.
Think I'm over-reacting? Think I'm getting hysterical? Check out this round-up of recent reports and studies on climate change impacts by Dahr Jamail and then let's talk. If you're not seriously frightened by what's happening to our planet, maybe you should consider lowering the dose of your anti-anxiety medication.
Meanwhile, funny, isn't it, that the price of oil is going down down down. I've read a few attempts at explaining this phenomenon, which is having the positive effect (for the planet) of getting the oil industry to slow down its relentless drilling. The most plausible explanation seems to be that the Saudis are trying to put pressure on the U.S. shale gas industry, which is growing way too fast for the liking of the OPEC producers.
I say, a pox on all their heads! We don't want natural gas fracking any more than we want Saudi oil or Alberta tar sands.
Solar and wind power may not be perfect, but they're a hell of a lot better than fossil fuels. If we took some of the billions currently being poured into fracking, mining and pipelines and put them into developing good ways to store and distribute renewable energy, our children and grandchildren just might stand a chance of having the kind of normal lives we have enjoyed ourselves over the past century.
Joe Nocera doesn't get this, of course, or maybe he just doesn't care what happens to his own kids and grandkids.
When the United States turns into a dust bowl and the coastal cities are swept away by fierce storms and rising seas, maybe he'll climb into one of those pipelines he's advocating for and make himself cozy.
by Jennifer Browdy, Ph.D. on January 17, 2015 • Permalink
Posted in Activism, Climate Change, Energy Sustainability, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Global warming, Media analysis
Tagged Alberta tar sands, alternative energy, anthropogenic climate disruption, Bill McKibben, climate change, Environment, global warming, Keystone XL pipeline, The New York Times
Posted by Jennifer Browdy, Ph.D. on January 17, 2015
https://bethechange2012.com/2015/01/17/a-pipeline-for-mr-nocera/
The Radioactive Imprudence of The New York Times Editorial Board
Why am I surprised each time The New York Times editorial board comes out with an opinion that demonstrates yet again how deeply indoctrinated the whole gang of them are into the logic of our industrial growth, more-energy-at-any-cost society?
I grew up reading The Times daily, poring over the Sunday edition, and believing its worldview to be objective, level-headed and virtually infallible. I believed that The Times was a watchdog over government that looked out for the good of ordinary people, the ones like me without any public power. I believed that when The Times issued an opinion, it was always going to be well-considered and trustworthy.
It's only in the last few years that a veil has fallen from my eyes to reveal the extent to which The Times is simply a creature of the reckless, short-sighted, greedy elites that it serves. I grew up among those elites. But now, like many others, I have come to understand that the model of American society that I grew up with is not only unjust, it's also deadly dangerous. Will The New York Times be playing its tune resolutely on deck as the whole global civilization built on extraction, exploitation and bottom-line myopia crashes, burns and sinks?
These reflections are prompted by a recent lead editorial, signed "The Editorial Board," urging American policymakers to expand the use of nuclear power. The Board lauds the construction of a huge, and hugely expensive concrete shield over the leaking radioactive core of the Chernobyl power plant. The shield, The Times says blandly, will be good for 100 years.
No where does the editorial mention that radioactive waste associated with nuclear power plants can take tens of thousands of years to decay. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, surely no tree-hugger, puts it this way in its public fact sheet:
"The splitting of relatively heavy uranium atoms during reactor operation creates radioactive isotopes of several lighter elements, such as cesium-137 and strontium-90, called "fission products," that account for most of the heat and penetrating radiation in high-level waste. Some uranium atoms also capture neutrons from fissioning uranium atoms nearby to form heavier elements like plutonium. These heavier-than-uranium, or "transuranic," elements do not produce nearly the amount of heat or penetrating radiation that fission products do, but they take much longer to decay. Transuranic wastes, also called "TRU," therefore account for most of the radioactive hazard remaining in high-level waste after a thousand years.
"Radioactive isotopes will eventually decay, or disintegrate, to harmless materials. However, while they are decaying, they emit radiation. Some isotopes decay in hours or even minutes, but others decay very slowly. Strontium-90 and cesium-137 have half-lives of about 30 years (that means that half the radioactivity of a given quantity of strontium-90, for example, will decay in 30 years). Plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24,000 years.
"High-level wastes are hazardous to humans and other life forms because of their high radiation levels that are capable of producing fatal doses during short periods of direct exposure. For example, ten years after removal from a reactor, the surface dose rate for a typical spent fuel assembly exceeds 10,000 rem/hour, whereas a fatal whole-body dose for humans is about 500 rem (if received all at one time). Furthermore, if constituents of these high-level wastes were to get into ground water or rivers, they could enter into food chains. Although the dose produced through this indirect exposure is much smaller than a direct exposure dose, there is a greater potential for a larger population to be exposed."
Nevertheless, The Times Editorial Board chides Germany for "succumbing to panic" in aggressively phasing out its nuclear reactors after the Fukushima disaster "in favor of huge investments in renewable sources like wind and sun."
The editorial concedes that "the world must do what it can to increase energy efficiency and harness sun, wind, ocean currents and other renewable sources to meet our ever-expanding needs for energy. But the time when these can replace all fossil and nuclear fuels is still far off, and in the meantime nuclear energy remains an important means of generating electricity without adding to the steadily increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere."
Therefore, the Editorial Board concludes, America should "pay attention to the withering away of America's fleet of 100 nuclear reactors," and keep that nuclear energy burning brightly, exercising "Prudence in the design, maintenance and operation of all nuclear facilities. Prudence also in the sense that policy makers not be spooked into shutting down a vital source of clean energy in a warming world. The great shield over Chernobyl should also entomb unfounded fears of using nuclear power in the future."
Given the incredibly unstable sociopolitical situation in the Ukraine, the "great shield" stands a good chance of never being completed. And even if it were to be finished, what is 100 years in the timeline of radiation, or of our planet? Can we really consider nuclear energy to be "clean energy" given its deadly potential?
This editorial should be rewritten to make Germany's remarkable achievement in shifting quickly to renewables the central point, a rallying cry for other nations to swiftly follow suit.
Nuclear energy is part of our dark 20th century past. It has no more of a place in our future than its evil twin, nuclear bombs. Human beings have shown that we are still far too immature and imprudent to play with this kind of fire.
We need to let the sun take care of the fusion, and simply bask, like the other living beings with whom we share the planet, in the vast quantities of solar energy that bathe our planet every day.
by Jennifer Browdy, Ph.D. on May 2, 2014 • Permalink
Posted in Activism, Alternative Futures, Environment, Media analysis, Renewable energy
Tagged Chernobyl, Fukushima disaster, nuclear energy, renewable energy, solar energy, The New York Times, The New York Times Editorial Board, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Posted by Jennifer Browdy, Ph.D. on May 2, 2014
https://bethechange2012.com/2014/05/02/the-radioactive-imprudence-of-the-new-york-times-editorial-board/
Which Side Are You On?
So here we sit on the eve of May Day 2012, and there is an eerie calm-before-the-storm kind of feeling.
The mainstream media is still doing its best to pretend that nothing out of the ordinary is going on.
The only May-Day related event reported in the NY Times today was that a lawsuit was filed in federal court to keep police from using "pen" barricades to hold demonstrators against their will.
Apparently news of the remarkable energy, creativity and defiant spirit showed by the Occupy movement in the countdown to May Day is not fit to print, ie, not important to the intended audience of The Times.
But if you move over to Twitter and search #Occupy, #OccupyWallSt, or #MayDay, you get a whole different picture of what's going on.
Instead of the nose-in-the-air ho-hum of the fat-cat NY Times, suddenly you're plunged into a hum of activity, down on the ground with a million twittering mice running around energetically, purposefully and thoughtfully.
There is @OccupyColleges calling for a student strike to protest the debt-bondage of student loans.
#OWS is trumpeting the latest total of 135 U.S. cities where general strikes have been organized for tomorrow.
The Nation, Democracy Now, and Truthout are publishing advance stories preparing for what's coming.
The media landscape itself bears evidence of the huge and widening gap between the 1%-dominated old guard, napping on its laurels, and the feisty up-and-at-'em new media webizens, who are vigilant and unafraid to welcome in something new and different.
For make no mistake, the General Strike planned for tomorrow is something new.
International Workers Day has not been celebrated in the U.S. for a long time. In fact, during most of my lifetime it was demonized as a Communist holiday, which you'd be unpatriotic–unAmerican!–to take seriously.
We've come a long way in a very short time.
Thanks to the Occupy movement, being a worker, rather than a boss, is no longer a sign of personal shortcomings, as in: what's wrong with you, that you're still only earning minimum wage, bub? You dumb or something?
Likewise, the Occupy Foreclosures movement has taught us that it's not that we were stupid to apply for that tempting mortgage, it's that the banks were predatory and sleazy to talk us into it.
Thanks to the Occupy movement, the onus has shifted to the 1% to prove that what they're doing is responsible and for the good of all, rather than motivated by naked greed and self-interest.
The rapacious vulture Capitalism that has dominated the U.S., and hence the world, since the end of World War II has been exposed, and there is no going back.
It may be true that many of the strikers are motivated by self-interest rather than pure altruism. They want jobs, along with affordable housing, education and health care.
But it's also true that the Capitalist masters of the universe have lost control of the ship and can no longer pull levers to make jobs and other social benefits magically appear.
Unless, that is, the ultra-rich 1% can be persuaded to part with a fair portion of their loot.
History shows that when the gap between the haves and have-nots widens too far, something snaps and the mob takes over to reset the balance. Think the American, French and Haitian Revolutions. Think the Communist takeovers of Russia and China.
When it happens, it isn't pretty. Haven't those in power learned their lesson? Don't they realize that they can only push the 99% so far before all the police barricades in the world won't be able to hold us back?
I don't think we've hit that snapping point yet. But May Day 2012 is going to be something to watch, and something to participate in, too, if the spirit moves you.
Me, I'll be teaching my classes this May Day, but with a tip of my hat to what's going on down at the barricades in New York and all across the country.
And you? Where will you be on this historic International Worker's Day?
"Which side are you on, boys, which side are you on?"
(AP Photo/John Minchillo)
by Jennifer Browdy, Ph.D. on April 30, 2012 • Permalink
Posted in Activism, Alternative Futures, Economy, Occupy, Politics
Tagged 99%, International Workers Day, May Day 2012, media, Occupy Colleges, Occupy Wall Street, politics, The New York Times, Twitter
Posted by Jennifer Browdy, Ph.D. on April 30, 2012
https://bethechange2012.com/2012/04/30/which-side-are-you-on/
Watch out, Grey Lady! We're watching you….
Maybe I should just do the right thing and swear off reading The New York Times.
I've been reading The Times more or less every day since the time I could read–going on forty years now, give or take.
Never have I felt less confident that I can rely on the editors there for solid, unbiased information. Never has it been more obvious to me that The Times represents the viewpoint of the 1%. The liberal 1%, perhaps, but the 1% after all.
Why am I ranting about this today? I just got around to reading a piece from the Sunday Magazine section, "It's Not Just About the Millionaires," in which author Adam Davidson, co-founder of NPR's Planet Money show, argues that to solve our financial crisis in this country, "we have to go to where the money is — the middle class."
Davidson constructs a cockamamie story about how it makes more financial sense to raise taxes on the middle class–families earning less than $68,000 a year–as well as close "despised loopholes (or beloved incentives)" for these middle class folks (we're talking about the mortgage interest deduction, for example) than to raise taxes and close loopholes for corporations and those making more than $1 million a year.
Has Mr. Davidson and his family ever tried to live on $68,000 a year?
As someone who is struggling as a single mom in this tax bracket right now myself–in a home that is now worth less than its mortgage–I can say with personal conviction that raising my taxes would have a huge impact on my life. For most people in my position, it would mean the difference between starting a life of permanent credit card debt bondage, or staying very precariously in the black.
But that's not all. Mr. Davidson proposes that the middle class should also "give up some benefits (Social Security, Medicare)."
So not only are you proposing to raise my taxes, Mr. Planet Money, you're also going to shrink the paltry benefits I may receive when I'm old and worn out and expecting at least some support from the society to which I've given all the best years of my life?
In Mr. Davidson's scenario, a middle-class worker like me works hard every day, both in the public arena and at home (and remember, no benefits accrue for the years and years of unpaid home labor I've put in since I married and had children), and because of a downturn that I had nothing to do with, I am now going to be squeezed harder through taxes, and then hung out to dry in my old age with reduced Social Security and Medicare benefits.
This kind of attitude is EXACTLY what the Occupy America movements are protesting.
Hell no, we are not going to take this kind of B.S. anymore.
If you want to raise taxes, Mr. Planet Money, it will have to be on the wealthy and the corporations who are making out like bandits while the rest of us tighten our belts and do the best we can.
If that's not enough money to make our national ends meet, then how about reducing the military budget? How about reducing the billions we spent on the nuclear arms program? How about directing more taxpayer funds into programs that actually benefit taxpayers?
I am beyond frustrated with the one-sided reporting of The New York Times.
I know statistics can be manipulated to support any side of an argument. But I expect the most respected source of news on the planet to do a better job at being truly even-handed. Sure, give Mr. Davidson and his monied folks some space. But his should not be the only voice we hear.
Fortunately, in the internet age, there are plenty of alternatives to The New York Times.
Watch out, Grey Lady, or even longterm devoted readers like me may be simply switching the channel.
Posted in Activism, Economy, Media analysis, Politics, Social change
Tagged alternative media, economy, middle class, millionaires, Occupy America, Planet Money, tax loopholes, The New York Times
https://bethechange2012.com/2011/11/14/716/
Resisting the Energy Vultures
Today's New York Times Sunday Review piece by White House correspondent Mark Landler, "A New Era of Gunboat Diplomacy," gives disturbing insight into the mindset not only of the men and women who preside over national foreign policies, but also into the media lapdogs who cover them.
Landler reports that China and the U.S., along with practically every other country in possession of a serviceable Navy fleet, are entering into "a new type of maritime conflict — one that is playing out from the Mediterranean Sea to the Arctic Ocean, where fuel-hungry economic powers, newly accessible undersea energy riches and even changes in the earth's climate are conspiring to create a 21st-century contest for the seas."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, one of Landler's sources, explains blandly that "This hunt for resources is going to consume large bodies of water around the world for at least the next couple of decades."
Clinton has got the right metaphor there. What Landler describes all too flippantly as "a watery Great Game" could well indeed "consume large bodies of water around the world."
What neither Clinton nor anyone else interviewed for Landler's article bring up is the cardinal question: When the game is over, what will be left of the living beings that used to populate those waters in unimaginably vast numbers?
Landler describes the navies and drill ships of countries from China and the U.S. to Turkey and Israel jockeying for control of huge troves of oil and natural gas deposits that have been discovered beneath the sea.
Of especial interest to these circling energy vultures are the deposits beneath the Arctic ice. Landler reports that "melting ice has opened up the fabled Northwest Passage," making resource extraction in the Arctic more viable than before.
This offhand and veiled reference to climate change provides a window into the sociopathic mindsets of the men who rule the Energy Kingdoms. The cowboys of global fossil fuel extraction are essentially warlords, relying on the national armies of their nominal countries of origin to clear the way of opposition to their reckless drilling.
From their warped point of view, global warming can be seen as a bonus.
If the Arctic ice melts, so much the better–it'll make it easier to get those billions of barrels of oil out of the sea and into the global market.
No matter that deep sea drilling has been proven to be highly risky and lethal to the environment. Hello, does anyone remember BP in the Gulf of Mexico?
Imagine a spill like that going on in frigid northern waters.
Imagine billions of barrels worth of oil or gas gushing into the Arctic Ocean, to be picked up by the currents and spread all over the world.
Imagine the destruction of marine wildlife, and indeed the entire marine food chain, that this would entail.
NY Times reporter Landler doesn't waste time contemplating such grim scenarios. The focus of his article is "gunboat diplomacy," a glamorous new competition among national navies to dominate the oceans, seen strictly in utilitarian terms. His only mention of fish, or indeed any maritime creature, is a brief aside that icebreakers are being sent into the Arctic circle by countries like China and Korea, "to explore weather patterns and fish migration."
Landler's article, which is billed as "news analysis," reveals the extent to which the chillingly disturbing values of the Energy Kings have permeated not only the governments who are supposed to be regulating their industry and safeguarding the natural world, but also the media "watchdogs," who are obviously sitting cozily in the laps of Big Oil.
Questions of environmental sustainability and health are simply outside the picture for these folks. It's not relevant to them whether or not the polar bears survive. They don't care about the coral reefs, or the plankton. They don't care about whales. Their only concern is the bottom line.
What is the most effective opposition to such monomania?
Trying to think of persuasive strategies gives me a touch of hysteria. We could appeal to their love of seafood! Wouldn't they miss their caviar and oysters?
They will figure out how to grow these in tanks.
We could appeal to them as property owners: what's going to happen to their beachfront homes, not to mention their office towers in coastal cities around the world, when the waters begin to rise?
They will have armies of lawyers figuring out ways to make the taxpayers bear the burden of their lost properties.
We could appeal to their brand image. Does Exxon-Mobil really want to go down in history as the biggest perpetrator of maritime omnicide in world history?
They will throw this back at us, and rightly so: they were just doing their job of giving the consumer what she wants, a steady supply of affordable energy.
It's true that we all share the blame for this tragedy unfolding in front of our eyes. It's also true that we have the power to stop it.
How? We need to demand that the rights of the denizens of the natural world be respected. A new Declaration of the Rights of Nature has been written–it needs to be circulated, popularized and upheld.
We need to insist that our politicians report to the people, the taxpayers, not to the corporations. Yes, people want energy; we want cars, we want electricity. But we want to direct our tax dollars into R&D of renewable sources of energy–solar, geothermal, wind–not into dangerous oil and gas extraction or nuclear fission, and not into dirty coal mining either.
We need to call the mainstream media on its dereliction of duty when it presents one-sided reports like Landler's industry white paper today.
Extracting those billions of barrels of oil buried below the earth's surface miles beneath the sea would not just be a death sentence for marine life. It would drive the nails on the human coffin as well, along with all the other species on this planet who will not be able to adapt to the erratic climate extremes of floods, droughts and storms that will inevitably ramp up once the planet heats beyond the point of no return.
Under these circumstances, if the governments won't listen, radical action may prove a necessity. The French Resistance to the Nazis were considered criminals in their own time and place, but look like heroes to us today, with the power of hindsight.
We are in the midst of a new, much larger Holocaust now, one that threatens not just one group of people, but all of us, and our natural world as well.
Each of us has a choice to make. You can go along with the crowd, watching impassively as the train leaves the station for the gas chambers, or you can dare to raise your voice in opposition, and maybe even to throw a wrench in the gears of power.
Each of us is going to die sooner or later. Wouldn't you rather die knowing you had done your utmost to make a difference, to safeguard the world for your children and all life on this planet?
Posted in Activism, Alternative Futures, Eco-terrorism, Environment, Health, Human Rights, Media analysis, Politics, Social change
Tagged alternative energy, Deep Green Resistance, deep sea drilling, Environment, environmental activism, Media analysis, oil extraction, sustainable energy, The New York Times
https://bethechange2012.com/2011/11/13/resisting-the-energy-vultures-a-choice-of-life-or-death/
Never underestimate the value of JUST SHOWING UP
In response to "Beyond Occupy" in today's NY Times:
Dear Bill Keller,
I was surprised and pleased to see that on your recent trip to India, you made time to talk with the social activist Anna Hazare–or at least, with a member of his team, since the great man himself, "exhausted by his latest hunger strike and weary of the media melodramas that have bedeviled his team," had just "announced that he had taken an indefinite 'vow of silence.'"
Obviously you didn't think much of this as a tactic for activism, but you went ahead and talked to his associate, a woman, "Kiran Bedi, who battled for reforms as India's first policewoman before joining Hazare."
Despite this conversation, and despite the name of Hazare's organization, Team Anna, you came away from this encounter with the impression that the movement is dependent on the personal charismatic leadership of Mr. Hazare. You also noted approvingly that Hazare is "always very explicit about his objectives"–he makes specific, winnable demands.
You used this information to criticize the American Occupy movement for its "consensus-oriented and resolutely leaderless" character, and its stance as a "composite of idealistic causes, many of them vague."
You also took the occasion to contrast the Occupy Wall Street movement, which you say is "scornful of both parties and generally disdainful of electoral politics," with Team Anna, which "uses Indian democracy shrewdly" to advance its aims. And while you say that the Occupy movement "has at least a strong undercurrent of anticapitalism," the Indian movement of Hazare is, according to spokeswoman Bedi, "not anticapitalist," but rather "pro-integrity."
You ended your column by sticking it to the Occupy Wall Street crowd with a pithy zinger that I'm sure had you chuckling to yourself:
"I'm prepared to celebrate when the Occupiers…accomplish something more than organizing their own campsite cleanup, demonstrating their tolerance for tear gas, and distracting the conversation a little from the Tea Party. So far, the main achievement of Occupy Wall Street is showing up."
Well, Mr. Former Executive Editor of the New York Times, I think you need to get over yourself and wipe that self-congratulatory smirk from your face.
You are among the 1% who "showed up" to be crucial cogs in the capitalist and electoral wheel that cranked us inexorably to where we are now, mired in an economic and political system so corrupt and so destructive that it has effectively locked out the millions of young people in this country who might have wanted to give American-style democracy and capitalism a chance.
Despite having covered the news for the past thirty years or so, you don't seem to have realized that there are very few American dissenters today who can evade capture and imprisonment or even worse, assassination. Noam Chomsky and the late Howard Zinn got away with it. Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Mumia, Peltier and even Tim DeChristopher have not.
The strength of the Occupy movement is precisely in its "resolutely leaderless" quality. It's also, as Slavoj Zizek perceptively noted recently, being strategic in not coming up with a unified "platform," with planks that can be shot down by snipers from all sides.
Yes, the Occupy movement is suspicious of electoral politics. That's because it's smart enough to figure out that if even someone as apparently idealistic and populist as Barack Obama enters the maw of American "democracy" and comes out zombified, the system itself is not worth trying to win. It has to be changed from the ground up.
And that's what those resolute, leaderless people on the ground at Liberty Parks all over the country are out to do. By just showing up, day after day, they slowly pull the Bill Kellers of the world out of their insulated comfort zones and into the conversation.
I may not like what Keller has to say, but I'm glad he's talking about these issues, and I'm glad to have the opportunity to engage him in dialogue about what's wrong with our society, and how we might go about making it better.
Never underestimate the power of a company of dedicated activists who JUST SHOW UP, day after day, to change the world. They just might be able to do it.
Let's give them credit, let's give them a chance, and let's give them a hand!
Posted in Activism, Alternative Futures, Community, Economy, Media analysis, Politics, Social change
Tagged Bill Keller, electoral politics, Noam Chomsky, Occupy Wall Street, Slavoj Zizek, social change, Team Anna, The New York Times, Tim DeChristopher
https://bethechange2012.com/2011/10/31/never-underestimate-the-value-of-just-showing-up/
Occupy Wall Street: Finally, the New York Times Gets It!! Now, how about Obama?
Protesters Against Wall Street – NYTimes.com.
This is a big victory for the Occupy Wall Street movement. To move the staid NY Times from complete indifference to disdainful incomprehension to vigorous approval in the space of just three weeks is truly remarkable!
Haven't I been saying that the young people today are the sleeping giant that needs to awaken, stretch and roar? Any subordinate class (and make no mistake, the young ARE a subordinate class) is only kept down through ignorance of the true extent of their power.
In the past, it's usually been a charismatic leader who has seized the microphone and shaken the masses out of their beaten-down stupor. Think Frederick Douglass or Martin Luther King Jr., for example.
With Occupy Wall Street, we're onto something new: a "leaderless movement," without microphones, but with the extraordinary amplifying power of the World Wide Web.
Social media couldn't have done it alone–we need the resolute presence of those flesh and blood people down at Liberty Square and in parks and street corners all across America. But their resistance is exponentially strengthened by the social network around them, spreading like wildfire throughout the country and the world.
President Obama responded at least obliquely in last week's press conference, showing at least a glimmer of understanding of what the movement is about.
If he had a shred of political sense, he'd be looking for ways to harness the intelligence, social commitment and determination of these young people to stand up to the Tea Party crowd and the drill-and-kill Republicans who have shown themselves again and again to be against social equality in any way, shape or form.
This could turn into the political juggernaut needed to push the Republicans back into their holes, and give the Democrats some much-needed backbone.
One thing is certain: these kids are not backing down, and they're not going to be fobbed off with half-hearted gestures of appeasement. They are after real social change, from the ground up.
What was it Arundhati Roy used to say? "Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing."
Posted in Activism, Alternative Futures, Community, Economy, Media analysis, Politics
Tagged Occupy Wall Street, President Obama, Tea Party, The New York Times, Wall Street protests
https://bethechange2012.com/2011/10/09/occupy-wall-street-finally-the-new-york-times-gets-it-now-how-about-obama/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Eastern member states to hold own mini-summit
Poland has called for a mini-summit of eastern European states. (Photo: EUobserver)
By Leigh Phillips
The European Union's eastern members are to hold their own separate mini-summit ahead of an emergency summit of all EU premiers and presidents in order to co-ordinate their approach to the crisis.
Poland called the meeting in response to the larger, wealthier nations retreating into protectionist positions, particularly regarding their car sectors. It will take place in Brussels on 1 March on the morning of the wider summit to build a common front in defence of the single market.
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"We want to send a clear message that we support the European Union's position in favour of defending the common market and that we are against protectionism," Poland's Europe minister, Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, told Poland's PAP new agency.
France, Italy and Spain have in recent weeks each announced packages of billions of euros in public funds for their domestic auto industries.
The European Commission, normally quick to jump on such measures as market distortions, has said relatively little, although it is currently investigating Paris' €6 billion support measures for Renault and Peugeot-Citroen. Similar packages of public monies to support car companies in Italy and Spain are also under scrutiny.
The scrum of eastern nations will also consider the region's tottering banks, which have not been supplied with the re-capitalisation or loan guarantees that their western counterparts have been, as their governments have not been able to afford such moves.
Exacerbating the crunch in the east, the western parent banks of subsidiaries in the region have substantially reduced the credit available.
Western European banks have a financial engagement of some €1.1 trillion in the region, with Austria's financial institutions particularly exposed, being owed €220 billion - equivalent to around three quarters of the country's GDP.
Over the last fortnight, Vienna has been calling for a co-ordinated EU-level bail-out of the east out of fear its loans may not be able to be paid back.
Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, France and Belgium are also among western Europe's big lenders to the east.
However, outside Hungary and the Polish Chamber of Commerce, Austria's request has fallen on deaf ears, and Germany, likely to get stuck with much of the tab for such action, has publicly said it is opposed to an eastern bail-out.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin on Sunday, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek hinted at a growing rift between the west and the east.
"Central and Eastern European countries [have] concerns about certain discrimination regarding for instance their access to financing by means of the European Central Bank," he said.
"There is certain fear that Europe - the old EU members and eurozone countries - may create a situation that will somehow secondarily affect Central and Eastern Europe," he continued, according to AFP.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is also to attend the eastern nations' mini-summit.
Separately, on Friday, the World Bank warned western EU member states not to deploy domestic counter-crisis measures that would hurt the economies of their neighbours to the east.
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Poland and Hungary challenge rule-of-law tool at EU court
12. Mar 2021, 07:05
MEPs pledged that the parliament will request an expedited procedure at the European Court of Justice, to speed up deliberations, and urged the EU Commission not to wait for the ruling and take action.
MEPs to declare EU an LGBTI 'freedom zone'
The symbolic move is an attempt to buttress against right-wing governments' increased scapegoating of LGBTI people, particularly in Poland and Hungary.
EU fears death of free media in eastern Europe
Efforts to shut down government-critical media go beyond Hungary and Poland, but current EU law means there is little the European Commission can do about it.
EU wants large firms to report on gender pay-gap or face fines
5. Mar 2021, 07:03
In the EU, women earn 14.1 percent less than men across the bloc - even though they have had the right to equal pay since 1957. The gender pension gap is at 30 percent.
Relief in EPP group, as Orbán's party finally leaves
The debate over Fidesz had become an unbearable political burden on EPP - but it also represented a core dilemma for many centre-right, mainstream parties struggling to deal with their populist challengers.
EPP group moves forward to suspend Orban's Fidesz
MEPs are scheduled to vote on Wednesday to change the rules of procedure of the centre-right European People's Party parliamentary group to allow the suspension of a member party.
Too few central and eastern Europeans at top of EU
European Democracy Consulting study said continued low numbers, or "even just a feeling of lasting under-representation", will lead to frustration and impact EU governance.
EU adds new 'dark red' zone to travel-restrictions map
The European Commission has proposed additional measures to limit non-essential travel within and to the European Union - amid fears over more transmissible mutations triggering a new surge in cases across the bloc.


text:
69-я параллель — воображаемая линия на поверхности Земли:
 69-я параллель северной широты
 69-я параллель южной широты

См. также
 69 параллель (фильм)
 69-й меридиан восточной долготы
 69-й меридиан западной долготы

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


based on mutual interest and mutual respect. from the supercomputers you build to the Indian flag that you put on the moon.) It's the diversity represented in this chamber today. Of course.a strong and growing economy in an open international economic system. Instead of slipping into starvation.the very idea of India -. (Applause. It's the richness of faiths celebrated by a visitor to my hometown of Chicago more than a century ago -. He said that.the same revolutionary words -. two successive governments led by different parties have recognized that deeper partnership with America is both natural and necessary.one a Democrat." And instead of being lured by the false notion that progress must come at the expense of freedom. too often. which allows people to address their grievances.free and fair elections. India advanced its interests as a proud leader of the nonaligned movement. (Applause. and a thriving free press and vibrant civil society which allows every voice to be heard. In the decades after independence. We seek prosperity -. Yet. not in spite of democracy. only Indians can determine India's national interests and how to advance them on the world stage. you built the institutions upon which true democracy depends -. I believe that. And we seek a just and sustainable international order that promotes peace and security by meeting global challenges through stronger global cooperation." We are two great republics dedicated to the liberty and justice and equality of all people. I have committed the United States to comprehensive engagement with the world. to advance these interests. but across many. and why I believe that India is indispensable to this vision.reforming the licensing raj and unleashing an economic marvel that has lifted tens of millions of people from poverty and created one of the world's largest middle classes. Instead of becoming dependent on commodities and exports. And a central pillar of this engagement is forging deeper cooperation with 21st century centers of influence -.) And despite the skeptics who said this country was simply too poor. as India marks 60 years with a strong and democratic constitution. or too vast.the Indian people. But I stand before you today because I am convinced that the interests of the United States -.not just in one or two areas.and that must necessarily include India. both of my predecessors -. all castes. you launched a Green Revolution that fed millions. We seek respect for universal values.the renowned Swami Vivekananda. Now.an independent judiciary and the rule of law. but for the benefit of the world. how we can forge a truly global partnership -. And that's why I believe that India and America are indispensable partners in meeting the challenges of our time. the United States and India found ourselves on opposite sides of a North-`South divide. But relationships between our countries is unique. you have shown that the strength of India -. For we are two strong democracies whose constitutions begin with the same revolutionary words -. our allies and partners. India has succeeded because of democracy. has the relationship between our two nations.is its embrace of all colors. And in the United States.) The United States seeks security -."We the people. And we are two free market economies where people have the freedom to pursue ideas and innovation that can change the world. so.and the interests we share with India -—are best advanced in partnership. And the world sees the results. the lesson is clear: India has succeeded. all creeds. just as India has changed. Instead of resisting the global economy.the security of our country.independent India.) Now. Here in India. you invested in science and technology and in your greatest resource -.) . people in both our countries have asked: What's next? How can we build on this progress and realize the full potential of our partnership? That's what I want to address today -. purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world. Those days are over. or too diverse to succeed.worked to bring us closer. (Applause. too. which enable citizens to choose their own leaders without recourse to arms -.(applause) -. This year. not just for our mutual benefit. "holiness. you became one of its engines -. (Applause. India is not the only emerging power in the world. leading to increased trade and a landmark civil nuclear agreement. estranged by a long Cold War.the future that the United States seeks in an interconnected world. (Applause. one a Republican -. and that every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character. Now.) So since that time. Instead of succumbing to division. (Applause. you surmounted overwhelming odds and became a model to the world.
we'll work together to spark a second. And the United States is a leader in agricultural productivity and research. (Applause. We've increased the role of emerging economies like India at international financial institutions. we have made the G20 the premier forum for international economic cooperation. which are among the best in the world. We salute India's long history as a leading contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions. therefore.farming households save water and increase productivity.and that is our shared security.with the courage to make the compromises that are necessary so global trade works for all economies. First. including American citizens on 26/11 and Indian citizens on 9/11. Together. India can realize its full economic potential as well. The United States remains -. Now. And by opening markets and reducing barriers to foreign investment. meet the commitments we made at Copenhagen. Today. In Mumbai. we're going to share India's expertise with farmers in Africa. And together. I've. Because the wealth of a nation also depends on the health of its people. And as part of our food security initiative. (Applause. And because knowledge is the currency of the 21st century. we can make sure the global economic recovery is strong and is durable. we are now ready to begin implementing our civil nuclear agreement. we have an historic opportunity to make the relationship between our two countries a defining partnership of the century ahead. It's another powerful example of how American and Indian partnership can address an urgent global challenge. And here in Parliament. high-wage jobs of the future. we'll work to improve global health by preventing the spread of pandemic flu. improve food processing so crops don't spoil on the way to market. where. let me say it as clearly as I can: The United States not only welcomes India as a rising global power. This will help meet India's growing energy needs and create thousands of jobs in both of our countries. our governments are working together across the whole range of common challenges that we face. With my visit. Together with our partners. We valued India's important role at Copenhagen. So we've removed Indian organizations from our so-called "entity list. Together. And we welcome India as it prepares to take its seat on the United Nations Security Council. made our relationship a priority. we can create the high-tech. affordable energy. as farmers and rural areas face the effects of climate change and drought.) In short. for the first time.) We can pursue joint research and development to create green jobs. And we can keep striving for a Doha Round that is ambitious and is balanced -.that we can now export hard-earned expertise to countries that see India as a model for agricultural development. we're improving Indian weather forecasting systems before the next monsoon season. Now. which was itself targeted because of the democracy it represents.) We need to forge partnerships in high-tech sectors like defense and civil space. give India more access to cleaner. we fervently support it.one of the most open economies in the world. I met with the courageous families and survivors of that barbaric attack. (Applause. with India assuming its rightful place in the world. like those I met yesterday who get free updates on market and weather conditions on their cell phones.and reform our controls on exports. bringing more voices to the table of global economic decision-making. we can partner to address a second priority -. Together.and will continue to remain -. as global partners we can promote prosperity in both our countries. I was proud to welcome Prime Minister Singh for the first official state visit of my presidency. our colleges and our universities. all major economies committed to take action to confront climate change -and to stand by those actions. As G20 partners. we'll continue to support India's effort against diseases like tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. more sustainable Evergreen Revolution. and enhance climate and crop forecasting to avoid losses that cripple communities and drive up food prices. And I believe we can do so by working together in three important areas. and show the possibilities of low-carbon growth. Cooperation between Indian and American researchers and scientists sparked the Green Revolution. . and that has included India." And we'll work to remove -. (Applause. India is a leader in using technology to empower farmers.Since taking office. and as global partners. We aim to help millions of Indian farmers -. we can strengthen agriculture.) For the first time ever. we can resist the protectionism that stifles growth and innovation. Both of these steps will ensure that Indian companies seeking high-tech trade and technologies from America are treated the same as our very closest allies and partners. we will increase exchanges between our students. And this is an indication of India's rise -. we honor the memory of all those who have been taken from us. As we work to advance our shared prosperity. and we have worked to help make it a reality.
to ensure that the Security Council is effective. (Applause. Indeed. let me suggest that with increased power comes increased responsibility. the United States and India can partner for global security -. The United States will not abandon the people of Afghanistan -.or the region -. the just and sustainable international order that America seeks includes a United Nations that is efficient. and advancing human rights. and that terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks must be brought to justice. the United States is once again playing a leadership role in Asia -. even as we recognize that disputes between your two countries can only be resolved by the people of your two countries. deepening relationships.) We must also recognize that all of us have an interest in both an Afghanistan and a Pakistan that is stable and prosperous and democratic -.especially as India serves on the Security Council over the next two years. We have put preventing nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism at the top of our nuclear agenda.and other nations that aspire to Security Council membership -. And that's why we have worked with the Pakistani government to address the threat of terrorist networks in the border region. and we have strengthened the cornerstone of the global non-proliferation regime. And together. we refuse to live in fear. Since I took office. India and the United States can partner in Asia. Together. every nation must also meet its international obligations -. This includes our responsibility to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.) Now. effective.strengthening old alliances. promoting global cooperation. I've also made it clear that America's commitment to the Afghan people will endure. as well. to prevent terrorist attacks and to deepen our cooperation even further. America's fight against al Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates is why we persevere in Afghanistan.they are a threat to the Pakistani people. Like your neighbors in Southeast Asia. And so we look forward to working with India -. which is the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty. These are the responsibilities of all nations. the United States has reduced the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy.a world without nuclear weapons. We're making progress in our mission to break the Taliban's momentum and to train Afghan forces so they can take the lead for their security. We can make it clear that even as every nation has the right to peaceful nuclear energy. that resolutions are implemented.because it will increase the security and prosperity of all our nations. we will continue to welcome dialogue between India and Pakistan. and we will never waver in the defense of our people. And while I have made it clear that American forces will begin the transition to Afghan responsibility next summer. we want India not only to "look East.and India has an interest in that. And it's why.and that includes the Islamic Republic of Iran. we can pursue a vision that Indian leaders have espoused since independence -. That is why I can say today. but especially those that seek to lead in the 21st century. and we're reengaging with regional organizations like ASEAN and joining the East Asia summit -organizations in which India is also a partner. and we've agreed with Russia to reduce our own arsenals. credible and legitimate. where major development assistance from India has improved the lives of the Afghan people." we want India to "engage East" -. as strong and resilient societies. that sanctions are enforced. It's why we're working together. The Pakistani government increasingly recognizes that these networks are not just a threat outside of Pakistan -. as well. They've suffered greatly at the hands of violent extremists over the last several years. Today. women and children. The United Nations exists to fulfill its founding ideals of preserving peace and security. More broadly. as we are doing with China.) . the United States and India can pursue our goal of securing the world's vulnerable nuclear materials. It's why we insist that nothing ever justifies the slaughter of innocent men. in the years ahead. (Applause.This is the bond that we share. And we'll continue to insist to Pakistan's leaders that terrorist safe havens within their borders are unacceptable. As two global leaders. more closely than ever. that we strengthen the international norms which recognize the rights and responsibilities of all nations and all individuals. I look forward to a reformed United Nations Security Council that includes India as a permanent member. Our strategy to disrupt and dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and its affiliates has to succeed on both sides of the border. We will not sacrifice the values and rule of law that defines us. (Applause. In pursuit of regional security.to violent extremists who threaten us all.
(Applause. too. this cannot be a relationship only between presidents and prime ministers. this must be a partnership between our peoples.strengthening the foundations of democratic governance. There is so much that countries transitioning to democracy could learn from India's experience. or in the halls of this Parliament. As you carry on with the hard work ahead. as I saw yesterday when I joined an e-panchayat with villagers in Rajasthan. Now. broke free from colonialism.and to hold officials accountable. I want every Indian citizen to know: The United States of America will not simply be cheering you on from the sidelines. supported Indian independence. identify what works.) Indians know this.and woman. (Applause. so much expertise that India can share with the world. in a new collaboration on open government. We believe that the future is what we make it. And in another example of how American and Indian partnership can address global challenges. In your lives.to condemn it. and develop the next generation of tools to empower citizens. We will be right there with you. though. And that.And this leads me to the final area where our countries can partner -. too. strengthening democratic governance and human rights -. in international fora. delivers for the common man -. And if I can be frank. Ultimately. we must never forget that the price of our own freedom is standing up for the freedom of others. hundreds of thousands of polling centers. Your landmark Right to Information Act is empowering citizens with the ability to get the services to which they're entitled -. Thousands of political parties. not only at home but abroad.(applause) -. Now. In just decades. Gandhi stood up for the rights of Indians in South Africa. And you're delivering education and health care services to rural communities. preserving peace and security. It is unacceptable to hold the aspirations of an entire people hostage to the greed and paranoia of bankrupt regimes. Voters can get information about candidates by text message. is what is possible when the world's largest democracy embraces its role as a global leader.as they have been in Burma. our two countries are going to share our experience. We believe that no . It's not violating the rights of sovereign nations. We're going to show that democracy. when Indians vote. is part of India's greatness. you've been a leader in supporting democratic development and civil society groups around the world. But speaking up for those who cannot do so for themselves is not interfering in the affairs of other countries. And this. So promoting shared prosperity. In the United States. too. Your parents and grandparents imagined this. including the United States.) And along with the United States. No one nation has a monopoly on wisdom. we're going to share these innovations with civil society groups and countries around the world. shoulder to shoulder. Ultimately.these are the responsibilities of leadership. my administration has worked to make government more open and transparent and accountable to people. Here in India. millions of candidates and poll workers -. for example -. You are now assuming your rightful place as a leader among nations. But when peaceful democratic movements are suppressed -. you have overcome odds that might have overwhelmed a lesser country. the whole world watches. more than any other form of government.especially leaders like the United States and India -. Just as others. And as global partners. But only this generation of Indians can seize the possibilities of the moment. for it is the story of your nation.and 700 million voters. you're harnessing technologies to do the same. It is giving meaning to the human rights that we say are universal. It is unacceptable to steal elections. As the world's two largest democracies. Likewise. as I saw yesterday at an expo in Mumbai. It is staying true to our democratic principles. Faced with such gross violations of human rights. (Applause.then the democracies of the world cannot remain silent. Your children and grandchildren will look back on this. India has often shied away from some of these issues.) Because we believe in the promise of India. There's nothing like it on the planet. India championed the self-determination of peoples from Africa to Asia as they. (Applause. And it sustains the progress that in Asia and around the world has helped turn dictatorships into democracies and ultimately increased our security in the world.) So I want to conclude by speaking directly to the people of India who are watching today. Before he ever began his struggle for Indian independence. this is the leadership that the United States and India can offer in the 21st century. we all understand every country will follow its own path. For it is unacceptable to gun down peaceful protestors and incarcerate political prisoners decade after decade. as the regime in Burma has done again for all the world to see. and no nation should ever try to impose its values on another. it is the responsibility of the international community -. you have achieved progress and development that took other nations centuries.
" This is the story of India.M.an old section of Kolkata or a new high-rise in Bangalore -.a global partnership to meet global challenges -.) We believe that no matter where you live -. and work together and succeed together as one proud nation. And it's the spirit of the inscription seen by all who enter this great hall: "That one is mine and the other a stranger is the concept of little minds. to get an education. (Applause. Ambedkar could lift himself up and pen the words of the constitution that protects the rights of all Indians. to find work.then I have no doubt that future generations -. (Applause. to give their children a better future. So. this is the story of America -.that despite their differences. every person can fulfill their God-given potential.will live in a world that is more prosperous and more secure and more just because of the bonds that our generation has forged today. thank you. just as a Dalit like Dr.the Panchtantra. IST Read more: http://www.that even as we honor the histories which in different times kept us apart.matter who you are or where you come from.Indians and Americans -. even as we preserve what makes us unique in a globalized world. It's a simple lesson contained in that collection of stories which has guided Indians for centuries -. But to the large-hearted.7974774. And it can be the spirit of partnership between our nations -.every person deserves the same chance to live in security and dignity. And we believe that when countries and cultures put aside old habits and attitudes that keep people apart.) END 6:17 P. And if we let this simple concept be our guide.html?CP. (Applause.america. the world itself is their family. people can see themselves in one another.) And long live the partnership between India and the United States.whether a village in Punjab or the bylanes of Chandni Chowk -(laughter) -. we can recognize how much we can achieve together. then we can begin to fulfill these aspirations that we share.rss=true#ixzz153AxL32P . and Jai Hind. when we recognize our common humanity. if we pursue the vision I've described today -.gov/st/texttransenglish/2010/November/20101108092808su0.
Capiz NGO/PO Network for Enterprise Development (CapizNED), Inc.


Welcome to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary students, staff, and parents believe in the importance of working together to support student success and academic achievement. Establishing effective communication is a priority. Parents are recognized as having a significant role in their child's education. Activities are planned and implemented to support parents in this role.
King students, staff and parents believe in the importance of working together to support student success and academic achievement. Establishing effective communication is a priority. Parents are recognized as having a significant role in their child's education. Activities are planned and implemented to support parents in this role.
We work hard to support your children's learning, both at home and at school. However, we know that in order for you to help them at home, you need to know what's going on at school. The FACE Program will help you become more informed about what's going on at school. The FACE Program will help you become more informed about school while also having fun and spending time with your immediate family, the King School Family, and members of the C-U Community. For more information regarding this program, please visit the FACE Program web page.
Please visit the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School PBIS page to view the complete matrix.
I am the Student, Parent and Community Engagement Coordinator for Dr. King. School. I am now joining the team as the new Kindergarten Transition Teacher for our School as well. I can be contacted at cgoode@usd116.org and at (217) 384-3678 Ext. 136 Room F. I am a graduate of Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville with a B.A. in Communications. This is my first year working in the Urbana district. I look forward to working with and making sure that your child has the best possible experience transitioning to Dr. King School. At Dr. King Jr. School all parents, visitors, volunteers, etc. are welcome and are required to obtain a visitor or volunteer sticker from the office prior to going to their destination. It is the responsibility of all staff members to observe visitors/ volunteers within the building to determine of they are in compliance of this requirement. Please be sure to go to the office first to sign in and get your visitor stickers. We want to always ensure the safety of your children. Again I welcome you to Dr. King Jr. School and anticipate a great year for all the children joining our wonderful school. See you soon.


How Can I See who Has Blocked Me On Instagram: Have you ever before experienced such circumstance when you attempt to watch the articles of any one of your friends, but you are incapable to access his profile on Instagram? It occurs due to 2 reasons. Initially, if he has actually blocked his profile permanently and also second if he has blocked your account. Well! On Instagram, there is no legal way to inspect the blockers, however still there are some choices you could make use of unofficially. You could sign in different methods whether he has actually blocked you or not.
A really easy way is to develop a new account on Instagram then make use of the "Browse" function by placing his username in the Search Bar. If it reveals your preferred person's account, it is for sure that he has actually blocked you. So, you could find out about him without making much effort. You can utilize it if you want to check the profile of any one of your loved ones, yet it could not be applied to check a multitude of people who have blocked you. For this function, you need to use two different manner ins which have been gone over below.
If you are an Android customer, you can download and install InstaFollow for Instagram from Google App. It is a complimentary app that assists you handle your Instagram fans and also un-followers.
It will show you a page that notifies you to Sign in with Instagram. Click on it as well as continue. You should utilize your Instagram Username as well as Password to visit.
The following web page is wherefore you were looking? Below, you will certainly see individuals that have blocked you. If you click on the alternative, it will certainly reveal you the profile of the people that blocked you.
Update: iphone individuals can utilize the below two apps to find who blocked them on Instagram, generally these apps are to Instagram analytics yet they do the job for this query as well.
Note: Just one application need to be set up.
One more very efficient way to find out who blocked you on Instagram is to aim to follow the individual who is presumed to prevent you. If you were already following your desired person, you have to examine if there appears a red flag on his profile? It shows you have to "Adhere to" that person once more. When you touch the choice "Follow", it will not continue. It confirms that he has actually blocked you for certain. This technique is additionally valuable if you intend to examine some specific contacts. It can not be used to check for a high number of blockers or un-followers.
Well people! If you are still unhappy with the methods I have actually reviewed over, there is a paid application too. It is referred to as statusbrew.com.
I have utilized it and it works very well to let you know about the people that have actually blocked you or unfollowed you. If you intend to experience it, simply pay $20 and be its costs member for one month. You could utilize it not only for Instagram, but also for Facebook also. It tells you that has actually unfollowed you and also if you click as well as open up those accounts and also if you don't see any type of "Comply with" switch there, it means the individual has blocked you. It likewise shows your media blog posts and the messages of your fans.
If you are making use of Windows mobile or any other gadget, you can utilize Unfollowgram that is an on-line resource to manage your Instagram account in an appropriate way. It reveals you the profiles of the people that have actually unblocked you or did not follow you back. If you wish to utilize it for your Twitter account as well, proceed as it functions wonders for Twitter too.
On the Home Page, you will see 2 choices where you must click the initial one, "Sign in With Instagram.".
You need to utilize your Instagram "Username" and also "Password" to sign in the site, as well as you would certainly have the ability to see the settings of your accounts. Below, you could see a classification "That Unfollowed Me". Go here to examine the accounts of individuals who have unfollowed or simply blocked you. If there are some un-followers, it will certainly reveal you. Otherwise, it will certainly reveal you the message, "Your history is Empty".
So, you could rapidly inspect your followers, individuals which you did not comply with back as well as the people whom you are adhering to, but they did not follow you back.


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THE farmers are doing it tough and I have maximum sympathy for them. The supermarket who has ravaged all small business should be donating big time to the farmers cause, but this won't happen and we have ourselves to blame. Supermarkets will continue to import their produce. The drought means nothing to them other than increased profits. What a disgraceful bunch of individuals we lazy people are for supporting these multi-national companies. THANK you to the generous donors helping drought affected farmers. But a valid point heard this week has even made me think. While donated goods are commendable, cash donations spent in drought hit towns are absolutely vital. We need to ensure jobs in bush towns also survive this event. Sadly, drought donations spent in Newcastle won't save jobs in Dungog or Manilla. Please remember farmers need their local town to survive. TO COLIN Fordham (Short Takes 9/8), with apologies to 10CC, I don't like cheap power, I love it. Are you suggesting the only one with brains in parliament, Tony Abbott, will be Prime Minister? If Bill gets in we we have a lot in common with our Caribbean brothers: rum, but our rum will be currency. IN REPLY to Adam Griffith about the uni campus (Short Takes 9/8): they beautified the grounds back around 1995 to 1997. When they landscaped it with hills and thick bushes, it made it so dangerous due to many hiding places for somebody to walk along and get ambushed. There's not enough lighting or security, so I don't think it was good common sense. I THINK it's time we started to talk about the desalination project to assist with the drought that is within NSW. REGARDING Wickham interchange, as a frequent rail traveller I recently had to wait an hour there having just missed a train. I discovered that there was plenty of outdoor seating if you could put up with the sharp wind but no waiting room. Millions of dollars have been spent in refurbishing this station, but one essential amenity has been overlooked. What sort of a message does this send to tourists and the traveling public? D ANDREWS (Short Takes 9/8) refers to Emma Husar, with the person allegedly flashed at being Jason Clare. Maybe the lack of reaction is because Mr Clare denied that it ever happened. Generally if both alleged perpetrator and victim say something didn't happen, it's sensible to agree. IF I were to smash a police car window and throw rocks and bottles at police in NSW, I would be arrested. This does not seem to be the case in Melbourne, which now seems to be the crime capital of Australia. I would advise everyone to find somewhere else to visit.
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Short Takes August 13 2018: readers have their say on the day's news
THE farmers are doing it tough and I have maximum sympathy for them. The supermarket who has ravaged all small business should be donating big time to the farmers cause, but this won't happen and we have ourselves to blame. Supermarkets will continue to import their produce. The drought means nothing to them other than increased profits. What a disgraceful bunch of individuals we lazy people are for supporting these multi-national companies.
Brad Hill, Singleton
THANK you to the generous donors helping drought affected farmers. But a valid point heard this week has even made me think. While donated goods are commendable, cash donations spent in drought hit towns are absolutely vital. We need to ensure jobs in bush towns also survive this event. Sadly, drought donations spent in Newcastle won't save jobs in Dungog or Manilla. Please remember farmers need their local town to survive.
Garry Blair, Maitland
TO COLIN Fordham (Short Takes 9/8), with apologies to 10CC, I don't like cheap power, I love it. Are you suggesting the only one with brains in parliament, Tony Abbott, will be Prime Minister? If Bill gets in we we have a lot in common with our Caribbean brothers: rum, but our rum will be currency.
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
IN REPLY to Adam Griffith about the uni campus (Short Takes 9/8): they beautified the grounds back around 1995 to 1997. When they landscaped it with hills and thick bushes, it made it so dangerous due to many hiding places for somebody to walk along and get ambushed. There's not enough lighting or security, so I don't think it was good common sense.
Alan Ackroyd, Hamilton
I THINK it's time we started to talk about the desalination project to assist with the drought that is within NSW.
Gaynor Williams, Hillsborough
REGARDING Wickham interchange, as a frequent rail traveller I recently had to wait an hour there having just missed a train. I discovered that there was plenty of outdoor seating if you could put up with the sharp wind but no waiting room. Millions of dollars have been spent in refurbishing this station, but one essential amenity has been overlooked. What sort of a message does this send to tourists and the traveling public?
Margaret Neale, Bonnells Bay
D ANDREWS (Short Takes 9/8) refers to Emma Husar, with the person allegedly flashed at being Jason Clare. Maybe the lack of reaction is because Mr Clare denied that it ever happened. Generally if both alleged perpetrator and victim say something didn't happen, it's sensible to agree.
Michael Jameson, New Lambton
IF I were to smash a police car window and throw rocks and bottles at police in NSW, I would be arrested. This does not seem to be the case in Melbourne, which now seems to be the crime capital of Australia. I would advise everyone to find somewhere else to visit.
John Hollingsworth, Hamilton
Discuss "Short Takes August 13: readers have their say on the day's news"
Teens put NSW abortion law on the agenda with Newcastle pro-choice rally


Whether you have a big business or a small one, it takes a lot of effort to give your business a real presence. It is vital that you exploit all possible chances for you to showcase your product to the public. One of the best ways to do that is to participate in marketing trade shows.
There are a lot of advantages to showcasing your product in trade shows. Let's take a look at the different factors that lead up to a successful trade show.
Trade shows are one of the most effective ways to generate leads and introduce your product or company to a wider audience. Attending a trade show can provide a huge boost to your company's sales and revenue; attending a show also gives you an opportunity to talk to other people in your industry and find out where they get their news and tips, how they market their brand, and what other shows or mediums they use to reach their audience.
In an effort to keep our customers up-to-date on new products and changing strategies in the trade show industry we are looking at new products such as the Social Media Wall.
Modern branding is about a lot more than a logo, slogan, or a clever advertisement. Your company's brand includes the ways in which you interact with your customers. The Monster Display team has been helping companies with their branding efforts by providing unique and affordable display elements to facilitate customer/company interactions. The recent developments in large scale display screen technology have opened up new avenues of meaningful branding interaction. Large display screens now have the same crystal clear resolution and rich color found on the newest tablet devices and personal computers. Therefore, they are a new avenue to maximize your efforts, incorporating your social media strategy visually with your exhibit.
Trade show marketing is an ever-changing business and sometimes you need more than just a great trade show booth. MonsterDisplays.com is providing information about new products that can help make you next trade show a successful venture.
The digital revolution has brought a whole new dimension to the art of display design. Touch screen technology has reshaped the way that staff members and attendees experience exhibit spaces. The new Aura Multi-Touch Interactive Display solution caught our attention due to its portability and ease of use, making it an ideal addition to any tech-savvy display you want to create. This all-in-one display system includes wireless controls, versatile applications, and easy handling.
Your booth display is one of your most powerful weapons at a trade show, so you'll want to make sure that you wield that weapon wisely. A booth display draws the eye before a trade show attendee even sees the person at the booth. It's not unusual for companies to spend thousands, even millions of dollars on a Modular display, Truss display or Tension fabric display. Before you devote your entire budget to an expensive display, take a few minutes to think of other things you can do to make your booth display more effective at a trade show.
Trade shows are a time for businesses to market themselves, gain new clients, reveal a new product and to just have a good time with like-minded individuals. Not everyone has the same objective in mind when they attend a trade show, but there are a few fundamental ideas that should be kept in mind in order to have a successful trade show no matter what your reasons are for attending.
Digital Out Of Home is an industry term that was coined back in the mid-90's for those big electric LCD walls and billboards used on high rise buildings seen in New York City and Football Stadiums.
Fast forward to 2013 and it's not just for time square anymore. the advancement in digital technology brings new opportunities for advertisers using digital signage, making campaign creation and updates faster than ever before.


"Sophie," she said, giving her old friend a quick kiss on the cheek in the hospital lobby. Sophie was a beautiful woman, with long light blonde hair and sharp, intelligent, deep blue eyes, in her mid-thirties. She'd had a deep, low voice ever since Jo had known her – cigarettes being an addiction that Sophie always said she'd get around to breaking one of these days. They'd been at RAND together and had gone out for several happy hours and pub crawls. Jo had always worked hard and played hard, a mindset that Sophie shared. Sophie had been in the medical side of the house, Jo the behavioral. They'd never been put on any assignment together, but theirs was the kind of relationship where they knew that they could trust the other with her life.
Sophie is Jo's old friend and colleague from RAND, another extremely intelligent woman who chose to pursue medicine instead of strategic intelligence. She is a quick-witted, foul-mouthed friend, ally, and adversary to Jo.
Our artists this week are Diana Nemesu (watercolor artist) and Naveed Anjum (anime).
Which is your favorite? Tell me in the comments!
Jo and Cain share a complicated relationship.
Ben Kinkead shows their adversarial side. Even as lovers, they often find themselves at different ends of all topics. They fight as often as they show love. But they cannot break away from each other, for reasons they cannot understand.
Naveed Anjum captures the wonder both of them feel for the other and the sense of mystery they share. For Jo, Cain looks like a Ginger Jesus and embodies the same sense of faith and mystery that she associates with her Calling. They meet only in the night and they only can see each other.
Diana Nemesu's work brings out the simple joy they have at being together and finding one another. Cain in her work is larger than life, and Jo feels small and unworthy in his presence. Yet she revels in the love they share.
"He was squatting down with his back to one of the houses, his feet on the sidewalk, in the shadows of the streetlight. It looked like he had the same clothes on every time. Light blue jeans, knees torn out, black hoodie with the hood up, black sneakers. Nothing remarkable there. Standard street garb. Once she finally looked him fully in the face, it took most of her self-control to stay motionless and school her face to stay neutral. His eyes drew her in immediately. She couldn't have told you in that moment if they were red or gray, they seemed to flit back and forth between the two colors like fog swirling in a headlight. She wanted to trace the line of his jaw beneath her fingertips, feeling the course texture of his beard and the heat from his skin below it. It was an impulse so outside of her and everything she was that it scared her. He rose from his knees, slowly. Jo went from looking down at him to looking up at him. He slowly removed the hood from his head. His long, red hair spilled out. Oh, he's lovely, she thought. Like a Ginger Jesus. Cain is a vampire who enjoys killing and drinking the blood of the worst sinners: rapists, murderers, child molesters, and torturers. He believes he is Cain from the Bible, cursed to walk the earth and kill bad people forever. Only Jo and his victims can see him. To everyone else, he is invisible. Vampires in this book series are electromagnetic creatures, there can only be one per territory. They have never met another vampires because their magnetic fields repel each other, like two similar ends of a magnet."
Cain is the bad boy you love to cheer on. He's the lead vampire protagonist in both BEACON and CATALYST. The reader perceives Cain mostly from Jo's perspective.
Diana Nemesu, the water color children's artist, captures Cain's sense of openness and desire for love and friendship. This is a quality that Cain does not reveal until he decides not to kill Jo and befriends her instead. This Cain invites you to hug him.
Qzoh captures his wild beauty, wicked heart, and the immortal detachment that comes with being a vampire who has never spoken to another except to kill him or her. Jo wants to touch him instantly, fighting a fierce and inexplicable attraction.
Ben Kinkead captures the brooding nature of the judgment that Cain delivers to his victims. Cain isn't troubled by his purpose, he welcomes the opportunity to ruthlessly murder the worst of sinners. But he weighs their punishment carefully before doling it out.
Naveed Anjum perfectly shows Cain's day-to-day life, a lone creature prowling the streets in the night. When Jo first meets Cain, she cannot even see his face.
This week, we explore Jo.
"She ran her hands through her long black hair one more time. She was one-quarter Cherokee and looked every bit of it, although she often got mistaken for Italian. She had big brown eyes and a high forehead, which she often joked was so big and shiny to accommodate her giant brain. She was short at 5' 2" and very petite, but like with most short people – what God had not given her in height, He more than made up for in attitude. When out in the community, she tended to wear a black business suit, black stiletto boots, and her signature white glasses. She believed that her role as a Nazarene pastor required her to be more formal in dress, and as she considered herself married to Christ, she typically adopted all-black as her look. In the books, she struggles to stay moral and follow God's path while tempted with power, sin, and temptation. Jo is a BEACON, and vampires are drawn to her but they cannot kill her. That is a mystery never explained. Jo wants to show the vampires a better path and try and save their souls. For the most part, they aren't interested but love talking to a human like her."
Jo is a beautiful, complex character. She fears the parts inside of her that crave power and the animal part of all that is human. When she looks at you, she stares into your soul and challenges you to be the best version of yourself that you can be. The first artist, Qzoh, captures this look perfectly in his realistic portrait of the protagonist.
She's also consistently questioning why God put her down the path she's on. This introspective perspective is captured very well by Doan Trang, whose line art matches Jo's black and white perspective on life.
She also has a sharp wit and a wicked sense of humor, a quality shown in Ben Kincaid's comic book sketch. However, despite her intelligence and sarcasm, she remains vulnerable. The pink background captures this sense of innocence.
Diana Nemesu, our 4th artist, shows a departure from Jo's human side and focuses instead on her transformation as a Beacon. While none of my works are anything resembling children's literature (all would be rated R), I really enjoy the whimsical nature of Diana's work.
Finally, Naveed Anjum hits perfectly on the turbulence of Jo's life as she takes on her assignment in Newark, Ohio. Like trying to stand still in a storm, Jo braces herself for whatever comes her way.