A striking memory I retain from my experience studying abroad in Austria during the academic year 2008-2009 is the purity of nature throughout the country. I recall deep rivers that were literally crystal clear, as if poured from a tap. I was impressed by the emphasis placed on recycling in the dorm and at the university, and the way my fellow Austrian students reused items. I recall a claim on an advertisement stating that the bus fleet in Vienna was (paraphrased and translated) "the most environmentally friendly in the world", before I recall being aware of a high emphasis being placed on green campaigns for transportation systems in my area of the United States. Being exposed in Europe to much environmental rhetoric, I was also sometimes exposed to accusations from Europeans about America's reputation for not practicing environmentally friendly techniques. Hearing emphasis regularly placed on being environmentally friendly, and the promotion of this as a highly esteemed value, I thus came home with an impression, and a bit of uncomfortable embarrassment, that Americans might not be as concerned with the environment as our European colleagues. At a local level in the United States, I saw this understanding emphasized by the large cars on American roads, the lack of convenient recycling programs in many localities, and the glaring lack of crystal clear streams. Yet after a stimulating presentation on October 7, 2011 by Professor Robert Pahre in the EU Center's EURO 596 course, it seems I too may have adopted a stereotypical and polarized view of the United States and the European Union. In the end, through listening to Professor Pahre, I gained reinforcement of a broad life lesson beyond a better understanding of environmental policies in Europe and America.
In Professor Pahre's lecture, and as discussed by Alberta Sbragia in "Environmental Policy: Economic Constraints and External Pressures"—a chapter in Policy-Making in the European Union, edited by Helen Wallace and William Wallace and published by Oxford University Press—it became clear that environmental policies differ between the local levels and the central government level. I also learned that local interest in environmental concerns does not always translate into strong and clear measures on environmental policy by the central government, and strong interest in environmental policy within the central government does not always mean that it will be important at a local level. While Professor Pahre described the US system as delivering long term, positive success in environmental policies, such as preserving national parks, he also explained that emphasis on the environment was not an initial goal of the EU and thus the EU often lacks a central agency by which to control environmental policies. In the European Union today, it apparently is often unclear which branch should decide or oversee environmental decisions and when these decisions should be made (Pahre, lecture), and different environmental goals among member states often muddle implementation of policies made in Brussels (Sbragia, 305). Having held the view that environmental issues were important in Europe, this confusion and disagreement that apparently accompanies environmental policies in the EU surprised me. During my time abroad, I had assumed that if environmental factors were so important at a local level in European nations, they would surely be strongly supported and accepted within the EU level as well. What I learned instead, from Pahre's lecture, was that the image and separation that I had clearly outlined in my head, could actually be a dangerous stereotype of all of Europe and America as two clearly separate groups.
I realized that I had only seen part of the European picture in my Austrian experiences. As Sbragia mentions, Austria is a country known for its "high environmental standards" (p. 297), as I saw manifested in my personal experiences in the country. Considering images I saw, such as that pictured above, it is clear why Austrians would want to preserve the beautiful natural landscape entrusted to them. But judging from examples presented in Professor Pahre's lecture and the Sbragia chapter, it appears that not all member states of the EU have these same environmental standards. Pondering this fact, I then began considering my experiences in the Untied States. Upon asking Professor Pahre about the differences I noticed between the United States and Europe, I gained an answer that caused me more thought. Professor Pahre's answer was that, as Americans, we do also experience a similar variation of emphasis on environmental policy among areas in the United States, with perhaps more national policy being directed and emphasized in the Western states, due to the larger areas of land there. With our stronger central policies, as discussed by Sbragia and also by Pahre, it becomes clear that Americans do have some clear standards in place for environmental work. Pahre continued by adding that we in the Midwest may not have a clear sense of the strong role that environmental policies play in these Western states, because so much of our news is written from the view of those in the Eastern states, where environmental policies may not be as numerous, due to the smaller land mass in the Eastern states (Pahre, lecture). Thus, it appears that my understanding of American environmental policy again was strongly affected by my judgment based on experiences in one particular place, among one particular group of people.
Whether or not the environmental policies in one part of the world or another are correct or better than the other, I was reminded that day, perhaps more importantly, of an even broader lesson that is crucial in the study of any group of people. In class I was reminded again of the danger of stereotyping a group of people into one definition, and that neither the people and governments residing in the member states of the European Union, nor those in the states of the United States can be considered to be identical in opinion. I was reminded again that, though enjoying similarities, the European Union and the United States are not identical to each other, and cannot always be compared. Instead one should enjoy proudly the varied historic, geographic and demographic processes that have created both the United States and European Union to be what they are today. Finally, I was reminded that, ironically, when considering human relations, it might actually be best to avoid that "crystal clear" stereotypical grouping of people and instead accept the beautiful, muddied waters of individual variation.
Listen to the latest Illinois International Podcast, in which Northwestern Postdoctoral Researcher and Middle East Historian Claudia Gazzini, on campus earlier this month for a panel on the Libyan Revolution, discusses the future of the North African nation after the death of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. Gazzini also talks about the impact of the Libyan Revolution on the African continent as a whole with moderator Nicole Tami.
You can listen to the podcast here, or you can visit the Illinois International podcasts page.
The European Union and the United States are two of the most important players on the global scene, representing one of the most significant bilateral relationships in the world. Together, they encompass over 800 million people, which is 12% of the global population. Close transatlantic relations between Europe and America go back a long way, and still today they share common values and maintain close cultural, economic, social and political ties.
This web-documentary investigates the three main pillars of EU US relations: economic ties, joint foreign and security actions and global challenges. It has been designed as a one-stop shop where you can find all the necessary information to gain an insight into the sheer breadth and depth of EU US relation.
View the documentary, available from the EU Delegation.
On November 4, 2011, University of Illinois Professor Zsuzsanna Fagyal gave a talk about multilingual policy in Europe. This topic has caught my attention as of late, fascinated as I am with the extreme plurality of languages currently represented in the EU. Dr. Fagyal—herself multilingual with native or near-native proficiency in French, Hungarian, and English, and fluency or reading knowledge of Russian, German, Italian, Latin, and Romanian—covered the basics of European multilingualism well.
Twenty-seven EU member states with twenty-three "official" languages, along with dozens of regional, minority and migrant languages: how does Europe do it?
In the States, we tend to take for granted that we can travel 3,000 miles from New York to L.A. without any serious communication problems. Every road sign along the way is in English, every gas station sells food and drinks with English labels, and every restaurant has menus printed in English (or, if you've chosen a "high society" establishment, the waiters politely let you know in English why your 10-year old son may want to re-consider that escargot he ordered…).
Now, I may be making some assumptions here, as I've never actually realized the cross-country road trip of my high school dreams. But the fact remains: in America, English is the lingua franca ad infinitum. However, in the summer of 2010, I took a comparable trip through Western Europe. The story across the pond was quite different.
One Friday afternoon, after Portuguese classes at the Universidade de Lisboa, I boarded a Ryan Air flight and said "adeus" to Lisbon for the weekend. One suco and a bag of peanuts later, I touched down in [beautiful] London Heathrow. Once I figured out what "WC" meant, I passed through customs and headed to grab dinner with my friend for the evening. Early the next morning, we boarded the Chunnel train to Paris. Arriving that afternoon tired and hungry with only a few hours to spend in la Ville-Lumière, we decided to forego the traditional trip to la Tour Eiffel in favor of some local hors-d'œuvres and a fresh baguette. Our 6 pm train would reach Barcelona, the Català-speaking capital of the world, in the morning.
Finally feeling ready to dust off some of my rusty Castellano Spanish with the mostly bilingual natives, we spent the next morning on Las Ramblas watching the dressed-up callejeros perform for spare change. After a quick walk to the platja to smell the warm Mediterrànea, we were off to Madrid. By this point, my monolingual friend was happily lost in a sea of languages, his English almost completely useless for the last 48 hours. Our last stop would take us back to Lisbon in the morning, La Cidade de Sete Colinas—four days, four nations and five tongues later.
The trip from London to Lisbon was approximately 1,700 miles, the same distance from Chicago to Phoenix. With this in mind, I return to my question: How does Europe do it? In the face of so many languages, and the basic need to communicate in a globalizing continent with disappearing borders, how can Europeans address the very real challenge of linguistic diversity?
So far, efforts by the EU and the Council of Europe have been ambitious. Brussels' "Barcelona objective" has as its goal every European speaking two other languages in addition to his or her mother tongue ("M+2"), to help reach economic, social and political objectives in an increasingly borderless EU. Both the EU and CoE believe not only in the inherent value of multilingualism, but its importance for cross-border administrative cooperation, as well as job opportunity and mobility in the Single Market.
Thus, these supranational bodies have taken steps to protect and promote Europe's rich linguistic heritage, built mostly on the ideas within the CoE's European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Diversity is seen as both a challenge and an asset, and the growing dominance of English as the foreign language has led policymakers to encourage multilingualism in an intentional way. While decisions on language use in schools and public institutions still rest with the state, supranational bodies have done what they do best: provide frameworks, encourage dialogue, and develop resources to reach the goal of "M+2".
While Europe's linguistic future remains unsure, one thing is certain: a borderless EU does not have to mean a monolingual EU. Indeed, those of us who appreciate the richness that language inherently adds to culture should hope not.
Adam Heinz is a second year student in the Master of Arts in European Union Studies program at the University of Illinois. He received his Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Illinois in 2010. He has studied abroad in Granada, Spain and Lisbon, Portugal. In 2010-2011 Adam received a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship to study Portuguese. He also was a 2009-2010 Illinois General Assembly General Scholarship recipient. Currently, Adam is working as a Graduate Assistant for the European Union Center. His research interests include the linguistic-economic relationship at the border of Spain and Portugal as a result of EU initiatives. Besides an interest in travel and languages, Adam spends his free time reading, camping and writing music.
Is Social Media the Missing Key in Urban Sustainability?
Urban sustainability examines the role of cities in helping or achieving global environmental initiatives. On October 21, 2011, Julie Cidell, a Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, discussed urban sustainability and the European Union. Cidell stressed that what drives cities to commit to charters involving sustainable development, such as the Aalborg Charter or Agenda 21, comes from internal sources such as local politics, private industries, economic resources, and personal interactions between people and their neighbors. While politics and economics play a large role in sustainable development, it seems as though the power of social media is sometimes discounted as a necessary vehicle in achieving local or even national environmental goals.
Some of the best results in environmental social media come from crowdsourcing where large groups of undefined people are contacted to perform a specific task or collect information. For instance, in March 2011, the Smithsonian utilized crowdsourcing by posting a request on their Facebook page for specialists to identify 5,000 freshly collected fish specimens from Guyana for export paperwork. In 24 hours, 90% were partially or completely answered by ichthyologists. Although this is a very specific example for a specific purpose, it just shows how companies, organizations, and individuals can call upon people using social media tools to solve problems, provide information, or complete tasks.
Beyond crowdsourcing, social media can effectively provide information to the public. Meatless Monday is a campaign that has provided information about the effects on personal health and environmental sustainability when a person has a meat free Monday. Simply informing a person that if they eat meat one less day a week they would reduce their carbon footprint, minimize water usage, and help reduce fossil fuel dependence, has helped people make more informed decisions in their daily life. The US division of Meatless Monday on Twitter has 12,314 followers. On Facebook, 21,532 "like" Meatless Monday.
Providing the public with simple, doable tasks they can accomplish in their everyday life while contributing something to society has the opportunity to create change in not only locally, but also globally. The local-to-global impact is most successfully achieved through social media. For instance, Greenpeace, the largest independent direct-action environmental organization in the world, took to their Twitter and Facebook sites to expose Mattel's sourcing of packaging materials from endangered Indonesian rainforests. The effect?
"The resulting influx of hundreds comments [sic.] on Barbie's Facebook page caused Mattel to shut off comments for days and delete any mention of rainforests. Within days, almost 200,000 e-mails complaining about producing toy packaging from rainforest materials were sent to Mattel's offices, according to Greenpeace…After initially referring to Greenpeace's campaign as 'an inflammatory approach', Mattel published a press release stating that the toy company has instructed its suppliers to no longer source from APP. Mattel also publicised that it will develop a sustainability policy which will require suppliers to commit to sustainable forestry management practices" (Source).
By simply providing information, Greenpeace allowed individuals to voice their concern and take action, which resulted in change. Social media is a critical aspect of urban sustainability through which cities can not only reexamine, but implement and change global environmental initiatives.
GreenpeaceEU – Challenges and exposes EU policies and promotes solutions on the environment, climate change, energy, fisheries, agriculture, chemicals, forests, transparency, etc.
GreensEP – The Green political family in the European Parliament.
EPAIreland – The Environmental Protection Agency Ireland protects the environment through its licensing, enforcement and monitoring activities.
LIFE_Programme – The LIFE programme is the EU's funding instrument for the environment.
CHedegaardEU – Connie Hedegaard is the EU Commissioner for Climate Action.
IUCN – The world's oldest and largest global environmental network – a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member organizations.
Green_Europe – The European Environmental Bureau: Europe's largest federation of green NGOs.
Foeeurope – Friends of the Earth folk in Brussels, representing people and planet, and campaigning for sustainable and just societies and the protection of the environment.
Alexandra Lively is a first-year MA student in European Union Studies and an EU Center FLAS fellow. She received her Bachelor's degree in Advertising at UIUC, with a double minor in Business and Communications. She graduated with High Honors and as an Edmund J. James Scholar. Her research interests include telecommunications, consumerism and trade within the EU.
On November 11, Professor David Bullock delivered a lecture entitled "Comparing Agricultural Policy in the EU and US" as part of the EUC's Fall Lecture Series. You can watch his full lecture below or by clicking here.
David S. Bullock is a professor of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences and European Union Center affiliated faculty member at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include political economy of agricultural policy, applied welfare economics, and the economics of technological change.
On October 28, as part of the Austria-Illinois Exchange Program's Change Through Exchange Conference, noted Austrian author Josef Haslinger delivered a lecture entitled "Narrating Integration: One Story at a Time." After an introduction by Carl Niekerk, Head of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Illinois, the presentation included a documentary film by Haslinger entitled "Nachtasyl: Heimat der Heimatlosen" (Night Asylum: Home for the Homeless), followed by Haslinger's lecture.
You can view the lecture below or by clicking here. Don't forget to check out Haslinger's documentary (in German, only!) at the link provided below.
Watch Nachtasyl: Heimat der Heimatlosen.
The European Union and NATO are the most important international organizations to emerge in Europe after World War II. Established barely two years apart, both endeavored to prevent another war, but went about that goal in different ways. While the European Coal and Steel Community, the foundation of the EU, focused on economic integration, NATO concentrated on integrating American and European militaries to better defend against the Soviet threat.
As the EU has grown far beyond a simple coal and steel regulator, the areas of responsibility of these organizations have increasingly begun to overlap. As Professor Paul F. Diehl noted, 50 years ago the idea that the EU would be playing any significant role in the security field would have been quite hard to believe. Yet, in a study of all peace operations between 1947 and 2009, Alexandru Balas (p. 407) found that the EU has in fact carried out nearly double the missions of NATO (23 vs 12). Moreover, Balas notes that the EU rarely works in tandem with NATO—and often when it does, "cooperation" amounts to the EU taking over a formerly NATO-led operation (for instance, the EU replacing NATO-led forces in Bosnia in December 2004).
This lack of cooperation seems quite surprising. After all, the membership of the two organizations overlaps considerably: 21 of the 27 EU member-states are NATO members (including the 13 largest EU member-states), and, other than the US, Canada, and Norway, all NATO members are either EU member-states, candidates for EU accession, or on the EU enlargement agenda.
The most often cited explanation for EU-NATO deadlock is Greece and Turkey's longstanding rivalry, particularly over the divided island of Cyprus. Both are members of NATO, but only Greece is an EU member-state. Following the EU's admittance of the Republic of Cyprus in 2004, Turkey, which occupies northern Cyprus, has prevented high-level formal meetings between NATO and the EU.
Clearly, the division of Cyprus is a major problem, but is the primary obstacle to EU-NATO cooperation really a dispute over a Mediterranean island?
A 2008 Congressional Research Service report on EU-NATO relations suggested that problematic EU-NATO relations comes in part from questions about the future of the European Security and Defense Policy (p. 23). While the report notes that successive US Administrations have supported the ESDP, whose development might allow America's allies to operate more effectively with US forces and shoulder a greater proportion of the mutual security burden, there are those who remain concerned that some EU member-states might press for more autonomous EU institutions that would rival NATO's structures, leading to EU-NATO competition and weakening the transatlantic security guarantee (p. 23).
In other words, for all the bluster Cyprus is not the core problem. As such, while I think Professor Diehl is absolutely right that EU-NATO synergy in peacekeeping would work rather well, I doubt that we will see much effective cooperation until we have resolved the fundamental question of what sort of role NATO should play beside an increasingly state-like EU.
Michael Slana is a political science graduate student in the Civic Leadership Program at the University of Illinois. He completed his bachelor's degree with a major in political science and a minor in history. During his freshman, sophomore, and junior years he interned for Champaign County State Senator Michael Frerichs, with responsibilities including constituent service and correspondence. In spring 2009 Michael studied in Austria as a participant in the Vienna Diplomatic Program, where he developed a strong interest in European and Transatlantic politics. During his junior year Michael began contributing to research on the impact of natural disasters on societal stability through a class at the Cline Center, and has continued this work first as an hourly research employee and later as part of a graduate assistantship. To fulfill his Civic Leadership Program residency requirement, Michael completed an internship in spring 2011 with the US State Department's Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium.
On November 1, Dr. Vedran Dzihic delivered a lecture entitled "Looming Crisis of Democracy: Lessons from Two Decades of Post-Yugoslav Democratization" as part of the EU Center Jean Monnet Module on "Europe and the Mediterranean: Transnational Spaces and Integration", funded by the European Union. The talk focused on the past and the present of democracy in the countries of the Former Yugoslavia. It began with the history of the democratic idea in the Socialist Yugoslavia; continued with a brief discussion of the impact of ethno-nationalist mass mobilization, authoritarian regimes and the wars in the 90s on the notion of democracy; and concluded with an analysis of the post-conflict democratization processes and the recently emerging phenomenon of post-democratic tendencies and democracy fatigue in the region, even before democracy has become "the only game in town."
To listen to a podcast of the lecture, click the link below, courtesy of Daniel Antonacci.
Listen to Vedran Dzihic's lecture, "Looming Crisis of Democracy: Lessons from Two Decades of Post-Yugoslav Democratization."
Dr. Vedran Dzihic is an Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, School of Advanced International Studies, John Hopkins University. His research project focuses on Limits of Democratization and Europeanization posed by ethno-national politics in the case of the Western Balkans. In addition to authoring 4 monographs, Dr. Dzihic has been senior researcher and Chief of Party of the project Transformation and Democratization of the Balkans POTREBA" (www.univie.ac.at/potreba) since 2008. He is co-leader of a project funded by the Austrian National Bank dealing with the state of democracy in Serbia. Since 2005, he has been the Director of European Think-Tank CEIS (Center for European Integration Strategies), Geneva-Sarajevo-Vienna.
Different cultures have different peacekeeping approaches and traditions. This becomes particularly relevant and obvious in an analysis of the EU and their peacekeeping activities within the frameworks of multiple organizations concerned with the matter—OSCE, NATO, EU, UN, AU, OIC, just to mention a few out of the acronym jungle—that all have a more or less longstanding and successful tradition in conflict management and peacebuilding activities. (John S. Duffield provides in his chapter on "regional conflict management in Europe" an excellent introductory overview on these organizations, their history, and tasks).
Although being a "newbie" in the peacekeeping game, the EU has already become a major player in the field and will continue in that status. While NATO is better equipped for military actions, the EU excels in diplomatic actions and in dealing with regional governments. Meanwhile, the UN is a leading player in peace operations due to its elaborate infrastructure and historically rooted traditions. But the EU has even more missions than NATO, which seems surprising given NATO's military strength and power.
However, the level of cooperation among these organizations varies for different reasons. Paul F. Diehl mentioned one very interesting example in his lecture "EU and Peacekeeping" delivered on 30 September 2011 for the European Union Center at the University of Illinois. Referring to Alexandru Balas, who examined the concept of these multiple simultaneous peace operations, Diehl concluded that the EU shows the greatest level of cooperation with the UN whereas the level of cooperation with NATO and the OSCE is not as high as one would expect. Often enough, there are diplomatic reasons due to the distribution of member states of the respective organizations. Since the EU only includes Greece, and NATO includes Greece and Turkey, a consensus on cooperation decisions is difficult to achieve, for example.
But I also assume other reasons influence the participation and cooperation of the EU in peacekeeping activities. As mentioned in my introduction, there are different cultural traditions and approaches to peacekeeping. One very important difference in European and US perceptions of conflict and war might be the different experiences of the respective populations during the world wars of the twentieth century. Public opinion on peacekeeping and/or military actions has always influenced decision-makers. While Europeans were directly exposed to WWI and WWII on their native soil, the population of the US was mainly spared the fighting within its own borders. The images of fights in their homelands and cities in ruins naturally left marks in the European collective memory. Consequently, public support for military action is also more difficult to guarantee on a large scale.
At the end of the day, the close collaboration between different organizations concerned with maintaining international peace and security seems more important than ever. Conflict potential is increasing and for political, economic, but most of all humanitarian reasons, we need to benefit from each organization`s specific strengths and its related cultural assets during this process. Diplomatic know-how, institutional and military resources all have to be combined to achieve the common goal of peace.
On October 13, 2011, the Graduate College at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, hosted the Clean Energy Education workshop, co-sponsored by the European Union Center. The workshop strove to answer the question, "What are the crucial elements in a national program of clean energy education, and what are the best practices that such a program should adopt?" Bringing together key perspectives on the transition to clean energy, the day-long event strove to provide information to decision-makers about the education programs that would provide the most added-value to the progress of the nation.
Among the discussions comprising the workshop was a talk entitled "EU Perspectives," by Juergen Scheffran, Professor of Climate Change and Security, Institute of Geography and KlimaCampus, University of Hamburg, Germany. You can view the discussion below, or by clicking here.
Interested in learning more? Eight more talks are available on the Clean Energy Education website.
William Bernhard, an EUC-affiliated faculty member, discusses the EU's economic crisis, contrasting the situation in Europe with that in the United States and exploring the implications of the crisis on EU politics and strength. The full interview is posted below.
Editor's note: Every day seems to bring new headlines in the European Union's sovereign debt crisis. A potential default by Greece had put that country at center stage, but the spotlight recently shifted quickly to Italy. Both countries' leaders are in the process of stepping down as a result. EU leaders have developed plans for a financial 'firewall' to contain the problem, but details and funding have remained uncertain. William Bernhard is the head of the political science department at the University of Illinois and is an expert on central banking and the link between politics and markets in the European Union. Bernhard was interviewed by News Bureau social sciences editor Craig Chamberlain.
Of the 27 EU countries, 17 use the euro as common currency and so are tied together in the eurozone. News reports suggest that a default by Greece ' and even more so Italy ' could bring down the entire eurozone system. Why and how would this happen? How does a relatively small nation like Greece pose such a threat?
Global financial markets are so integrated that a Greek default would spill over to other countries ' what financial economists call 'contagion.' Banks from across Europe hold Greek debt. That debt represents part of the banks' assets ' returns that the banks have been counting on. In the most recent bailout agreement, the banks accepted that they would have to take a significant loss on those assets, a 'haircut' in financial jargon. That leaves the banks in a precarious position, making it more difficult for them to lend to the private sector or to purchase government debt from other countries.
As a result, other countries will be affected. Less lending will prolong the economic slump in Europe and the world. Governments in high-deficit countries, such as Italy, which count on borrowing to pay their bills, will have a more difficult time finding banks to purchase their debt. In a worst-case scenario, some of these large banks may go under, which could precipitate a significant banking crisis and even the collapse of the single currency.
Austerity measures in Greece, required for it to obtain bailout funds, have produced massive street protests, along with complaints these measures are destroying the Greek economy. Just how severe are these measures? And is there no alternative?
The austerity measures require cutting social spending, chopping public employment and raising taxes. These are significant policy changes that require Greeks to rethink their relationship between the market, government and citizens. For a long time, the Greek government has provided for many citizens, insulating them from the risk and volatility of global markets. The government will no longer be able to do that.
The response of the Greek people is not surprising ' they had been counting on those policies for their quality of life. Here at home, think about the controversies generated by proposals to change social security or the pension system in Illinois ' the beneficiaries of those policies have made plans assuming certain policies would be in place. It would be traumatic to pull the rug out from them.
Interestingly, polls suggest that Greek citizens detest the austerity requirements of the recent bailout agreement, but want to remain within the eurozone ' a very difficult circle to square. These conflicting attitudes create credibility issues with markets, which question whether the Greek government will actually have the will to follow through on their commitments. In turn, Greek politicians have been searching for ways to convince markets and other EU leaders that they are serious.
Comparing the U.S. and the EU, what makes the situation in Europe so difficult?
In the U.S., we have a strong federal government with relatively clear political accountability. It doesn't seem like it sometimes, but we know who's in charge. We've got a nationally elected president, who's presumably concerned with the welfare of the country as a whole. We've got two parties that span all 50 states. Between the president and the parties, there are incentives for politicians to think about the economy as a whole. Moreover, the federal government has an authority and an ability to act.
In the EU, the policymaking process is more diffuse. It's not entirely clear who's in charge, who's accountable for the economic performance of Europe as a whole. The Council of Ministers, which includes representatives from each of the member states, is the main policy body. But think about if the 50 state governors in the U.S. got together to negotiate over national policy. What would that be like? It would be a mess, because each one would be concerned about what's going on in their state rather than what's going on with the whole.
In the EU, there's more of a collective-action problem when it comes to thinking about the crisis. You see this in Germany. It's going to have to come through in some way financially as part of the solution to this crisis, and a lot of German politicians say, 'not our problem, it's not good for us, we've taken care of ourselves.' The EU doesn't have the institutional accountability or ability to think about the whole ' that's a big difference.
Are there other factors at work?
In the U.S. there are some adjustment mechanisms that kick in that help level out some of the differences in economic performance between different regions. One of those involves the transfer of funds through the federal government. If Texas is booming, it's going to send more tax receipts to Washington (D.C.). Then Washington, almost automatically ' through unemployment insurance, welfare spending and a variety of different things ' is going to spend that money in Michigan, where the economy is struggling.
In the EU, there is no equivalent mechanism. When the EU countries need to think about how to pick up Greece, they have to come up with an explicit agreement to make these transfers. Because it happens automatically here in the U.S., it eases the adjustment.
A second means of adjustment that we have in the U.S. is labor migration. When the economy is bad in California, for instance, you can pick up and move to North Dakota, where the economy is going pretty well. There are minimal barriers to doing that. It's very easy to move. In Europe, they don't have that same sort of labor mobility. Someone in Greece cannot pick up and easily go work in Finland, because they don't speak the language, and the cultural differences are larger as well.
Some have talked over the years about the EU moving toward becoming more of a 'United States of Europe,' with greater integration of financial and tax policies. Could that happen as a result of this crisis?
With the establishment of the euro, people talked about the very scenario that we're seeing. Member states with more balanced fiscal positions, such as Germany and the Netherlands, were concerned that they would get stuck paying the bills of the high-debt countries. Things had gone smoothly, however, until the global financial crisis brought it to the fore.
How could this crisis result in a stronger Europe? Member states may agree that the EU needs more authority over national-level fiscal policies ' that is, taxing and spending ' to prevent this sort of crisis from ever happening again. That would be a big step toward political integration, as decisions about taxation, government spending, and representation are at the heart of any democratic government.
On the other hand, this crisis could still end with some countries leaving the eurozone and returning to a national-level currency. That scenario would mean a very different future for European integration, perhaps one involving different levels of membership in the European Union.
Editor's note: To contact William Bernhard, call 217-333-2602; e-mail bernhard@illinois.edu.
"Agenda 21: Culture, Today, Tomorrow"
The encouraged participation of women, youth, NGOs, farmers, and businesses in aspects of European Union policy making seems unheard of in many areas of politics. The situation with environmental initiatives, however, is a different one.
Agenda 21 is the United Nations' plan for sustainable development. Subsections of Agenda 21 are devoted to changing consumption patterns, promoting health, protecting the environment, and increasing participation of individuals in environmental decision making. European Union countries a a re signatories of the action plan and play a key role in insuring its policies are enacted at the national and local levels.
In scientific and political debates, sustainable development has emerged as a policy area that cannot be imposed at the supranational level of government. Instead, scholars argue, polluters need "to pay", seeing themselves as both the problem and solution (Annika Agger, "Involving citizens in sustainable development: evidence of new forms of participation in the Danish Agenda 21 schemes," Local Environment, 2010:15(6), 541-552). With the creation of Agenda 21 in 1992, policy makers strived to be inclusive, incorporating a more innovative and participatory approach to sustainable development. Sustainability is not just for elites. Despite fundamental differences in the GDP of European Union countries, conservation can and must be practiced by all.
Historically, Scandinavian countries have taken the lead in implementing Agenda 21 initiatives as they posses the required administrative capacity at the local and regional levels (Agger, 2010). When analyzing the different sections of Agenda 21, it is evident that the plan encourages a wide variety of governmental and local activities involving an abundance of research and technology. Scandinavian countries not only have greater institutional capability than, say, their southern European counterparts; they also have better financial resources to build on policies in place. How are Mediterranean countries, with a lower GDP and fewer funds for research, able to comply with the requirements?
In this situation, the role of the community becomes increasingly important. Despite a county's financial situation, the wide variety of initiatives proposed by Agenda 21 allows governments to capitalize on their current strengths. For instance, Italy's devotion to Agenda 21 initiatives has been recognized at the European level. While Italy has more financial resources at the provincial rather than the local level, local community officials have utilized existing management tools and the involvement of local environmental stakeholders. In a study of Italy's participation in Agenda 21, 82% of participants said the main achievement of Agenda 21 was greater information sharing pertaining to environmental initiatives a nd 31% reported greater participation in the decision making process (Walter Sancassiani, "Local Agenda 21 in Italy: an effective governance tool for facilitating local communities' participation and promoting capacity building for sustainability," Local Environment, 2005:10(2), 189-200). Participatory techniques such as European Awareness and Scenario Workshops (EASW) encourage dialog and promote awareness of the world's most pressing environmental issues and corresponding solutions. Programs aimed at increasing youth involvement in decision making, such as the Child Friendly Cities (CFC) initiative, have received positive feedback as well. When surveyed about their experience, Italian children across 12 cities reported gratification in demonstrating their autonomy in environmental planning initiatives, exercising their rights, and involvement in the decision making process (Marco Corsi, "The child friendly cities initiative in Italy," Environment and Urbanization, 2002:14(2), 169-180).
Although some politicians feel Agenda 21 impinges on sovereignty by controlling too many aspects of everyday life, its impact on environmental discourse within communities is noteworthy. Clearly, this initiative has something to offer to everyone. Whether it consists of prestigious research projects to further technological advancement or local level dialogs about waste conservation, the future for local participation in Agenda 21 initiatives seems bright.
Allyce Husband is a first-year student in the Master of Arts in European Union Studies program at the University of Illinois. She received her Bachelor's degree in Communication and Psychology from the University of Illinois in 2011. As an undergraduate, Allyce studied abroad in Florence, Italy. She was awarded a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship for 2011-2012 to continue studying Italian as a graduate student. She plans to research immigration issues in the European Union.
On October 11th, 2011, Professor Gilles Cuniberti from the University of Luxembourg gave a talk on the controversial French legislation prohibiting the public use of the burqa, the full-body covering used by some Muslim women that also hides the face.
The lecture, "The French Law against Face Covering and the Burqa", drew a very straightforward picture of a decidedly complicated issue. This is not to say that it was not a worthwhile talk—Cuniberti did an excellent job describing the French case and the rationale behind it.
Both sides of the argument are interesting, to say the least. On one hand are the law's opponents, labeling the ban an infringement upon civil rights and a direct affront to the Muslim religion. On the other are those who call the full concealment offered by the burqa a threat to public security.
It is noteworthy that the same reasoning is employed to support both sides of the debate. For instance, in support of the ban, Dutch Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk claimed, "It is very important that we can see each other and can communicate with each other. Because we are so tolerant we want to respect each other". However, in the midst of the French parliament's attempt to pass the bill, British Immigration Minister Damian Green used the exact same rationale to oppose the ban. He declared that trying to pass such a law in the UK would be directly in conflict to the UK's "tolerant and mutually respectful society". When glancing through the headlines, it is clear that different decisionmakers espouse different reasons to support or reject such a law.
Therefore, the most intriguing part of Cuniberti's lecture was when he described the French rationale behind the ban, which was very different from the Dutch and British logic. In secular France, people are expected to be French citizens first, and members of any given community—be it religious, cultural, racial, or otherwise—only second.
This stands in almost complete contrast to the U.S. tradition, where it is presupposed that the communities with which you align become your defining feature: "I'm a Republican", "an African American", "a Catholic", etc. In America, few identify themselves first as "Americans". Even with the simplest questions, such as, "What are you?", I'll typically respond, "Well, I'm 25% German, 25% Italian, some Polish, Irish, a little Native American on my mom's side…". I don't know that I've ever identified myself as an "American citizen", unless I was outside of the country.
So I wonder whether the French tradition can be maintained in Europe's present state. Does what is stated in French law accurately describe what occurs in practice on the streets of Paris? Yes, school-age students of La Republique may be encouraged to be citizens first, but I doubt whether that is the case for many today. The Single Market has done much to spread different religious, ethnic and cultural groups around the EU, bringing many to France. As these immigrants continue to settle in and have children, it would appear to be more and more difficult to identify oneself as "French" above all: much like in the U.S., one would expect that the heritage and political communities to which people belong will become their most salient features.
The European Union's peacebuilding operations have grown substantially in the past 20 years. Historically addressed by the United Nations, peacekeeping limits the potential of armed conflict and promotes an environment for negotiation. The collaborative and purposeful implementation of multiple simultaneous peace operations (MSPOs) by the EU with other intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) ensures stronger cooperation and complementary activities that more efficiently lead to the stabilization of a particular region.
Dr. Paul F. Diehl, a Professor in Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, argues that the EU is relatively new to peacekeeping, but already a strong player. The EU will continue to participate in this new role of collaboration with other IGOs, rather than going off on its own. Diehl asserts that without peace you cannot further integrate and have growing economic commitment. Moving ahead is impossible without some type of security features.
Currently, the EU concentrates peace operations in Africa and the Middle East. This is not only because more conflict exists in these areas, but also because logistically it is closer to home where there are more colonial ties. Diehl argues that possible explanations for collaboration with other IGOs are the need to share resources and burdens, comparative advantages gained through cooperation, and desire to spread the reputational costs of failure. Comparative advantages allow IGOs to do tasks that they specialize in, while the spread of the reputational costs of failure allow multiple actors to share the political risks and blame when aspects of the mission do not go well.
Of the MSPOs in which it has engaged, the EU has cooperated with the UN more than any other IGO. Some factors explaining this depth of coordination come from the aspects of learning, common security cultures, and personal staff connections. Once the EU has worked with an organization, such as the UN, it makes cooperation and collaboration easier the next time around. Also, Diehl states that IGOs cooperate with those "like them." This is also reflected in greater cooperation of staff not necessarily on the macro level, but on the ground level. Further information about the peacekeeping alliance of the EU with the UN can be found at EU@UN.
However, it is interesting to note that the EU has little MSPOs with the African Union (AU) and NATO. Peace operations in Africa are generally done in cooperation with the UN and very little with the AU. Diehl asserts that little cooperation with NATO occurs because of the Greece-Turkey rivalry and inter-organizational competition.
Regardless of competition and rivalry, it is beneficial for the EU to work in collaboration with other peacekeeping agencies due to the same factors cited above – sharing of resources and burdens, comparative advantages gained through cooperation, and desire to spread the reputational costs of failure. It is common for multiple agencies to deploy peace operations in the same conflicts, at the same time, with no collaboration. This situation is counterproductive to achieving the best possible outcome. The European Union would benefit from the continued growth of multiple simultaneous peace operations to stabilize war-torn regions more effectively by limiting armed conflict and promoting an environment for negotiation.
Despite economic concerns that are resonating throughout the world, the European Union continues to represent itself as a power on the world stage and has proved that cooperation in policy coordination can produce significant benefits. When countries are compelled to unite to fix problems with global implications, the model of the EU demonstrates that cooperation and coordination centered on a common goal is not an impossible feat.
Although social policies might be better coordinated at the national level, environmental policy, specifically initiatives pertaining to climate change and the atmosphere, are global problems that can and need to be addressed collectively. The Kyoto Protocol, ratified by the European Union in 2002, is an attempt at global coordination to strengthen the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that sets legally binding objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Factories, automobiles, and the sheer number of individuals (over a half-billion people) make the EU a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and a part of the problem.
There are clear benefits for countries that have ratified this treaty. In addition to representing a collective global response in support of climate control, the agreement encourages cross-cultural cooperation and fosters a sense of responsibility between the ratifying countries and their counterparts. It only makes sense that the United States should want to be a part of this global opportunity, given its apparent concern about the environment, commitment to cooperation, and efforts to spearhead research and technology.
Critics of the United States' lack of commitment to the protocol say the US is irresponsible for revoking its participation (the US signed the agreement but never ratified it). Although US hesitation is rooted in the potential for negative economic effects as well as the absence of compliance from developing countries, making polluters "pay" by cooperating with global emission regulations would silence critics who claim the US is not bearing its share of the burden. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) performs comparative assessments of environmental impact. According to the EIA, the United States has the highest per capita emission in the world of carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas that the Kyoto Protocol aims to decrease. If the US is an environmental liability, then why doesn't it join in the initiative?
From 2008-2009, the US was successful in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by 7%. EU member states also experienced decreases under Kyoto Protocol regulations. Are US policies sustainable enough to merit its lack of cooperation with the EU and rest of the world?
Although international actors, institutions, and individuals are focused on the United States' "failure", critics of Kyoto might point to what the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the US Government can currently do independent of the internationally binding agreement. Following its withdrawal of commitment from Kyoto, the United States pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions using their own approach.
In a time when it's essential to understand the effects of globalization and to cooperate in the management of the use of the world's resources, it is imperative for the US to collaborate on a much larger scale rather than place confidence in national level policies that could easily change with new leadership.
From the EU and US perspective, the protocol has both positive and negative aspects. The answer might not be Kyoto; however, global cooperation is key in environmental protection.


On Saturday afternoons, savour a host of exquisite epicurean creations at Bon Appétit Singapura, where Singaporean and French culinary techniques and flavours meet. Featuring decadent spreads, exciting live stations, and à la minute main course options, indulge in a gastronomic experience that celebrates the richness of both cuisines.
Indulge in the lavish spread of scones and hand-made waffles and crêpes prepared à la minute. Enjoy classic sandwiches served in a two-tiered silver stand, followed by an array of tantalising desserts and pastries. As the ivories tinkle, luxuriate in a gourmet experience of exquisite culinary offering amidst a captivating live performance by our resident pianist.
Enjoy a spread of hors d'oeuvres, relish in one main course from our special set menu, and complete your afternoon with delectable desserts during the Lunch Experience. Exquisite à la carte selections, specially curated with the culinary finesse of our St. Regis MasterChef's are also available.
Dine amidst grand opulence and be enthralled by a live performance by our resident pianist. Savour a decadent experience with a choice of main course when you revel in The St. Regis Connoisseur Dinner. An à la carte menu is also available for the discerning gastronomes to savour an extensive spread of delectable French cuisine.


Dinosaurs are often depicted as large, lumbering sorts, but science suggests there were males that had some smooth moves and used them to impress the ladies.
Booster mate inside SpaceX's hangar at LC-39A ahead of Falcon Heavy's static fire. Courtesy SpaceX.
Three Pinellas County men floating in a life raft were rescued by the Coast Guard early Monday morning.


Read the Key Verse with your class. Ask your students if they have ever known someone who did something wrong (or just plain stupid) on purpose? (i.e.: eat a worm, jump from the top of something dangerously high, hit someone back, sneak gum in school, copy someone else's homework, etc.). Did it really hurt them at the time? (Probably not.) That person thought it was OK at the time, "right in their own eyes." But, just because it seems OK, that doesn't make it right. We see in this verse that someone like that is called a "fool" (means: silly; perverted; foolish) because they are setting a course for their life (way) that is not right according to God's Word. But, notice that one who "hearkeneth" (means: to perceive a message; or hear with attention or obedience) to "counsel" (means: advice or wisdom) is "wise" (means: intelligent or clever).
Summary: Today we begin our second lesson in the book of Proverbs. We continue learning the importance of God's Word by searching Proverbs, the third Personal book for more words of wisdom. Remember that the wisest man, Solomon (whose wisdom was a gift from God – I Kings 3:12), wrote many of these words. We must learn the importance of practicing the practical portions of the right way to live a life of wisdom that pleases God. We found last week that we must begin to live that way early in life.
Proverbs is a listing comparing wisdom to foolishness, wise to unwise, right and wrong, and even good and evil. Since it appears to have no organized thought pattern, just continual words of wisdom, we will look at some individual comparisons.
As we learned last week, many of the words of wisdom found in Proverbs were written from a loving father as a warning to his only son. These words are important truths to be learned. We should encourage our students to not only memorize these pearls of wisdom, but apply these truths to their lives. Remember that these words were written to help us live our daily lives wisely.
Emphasis: Teach your students the necessity of wisdom. God gave us the words of the Proverbs to help us see the difference between the "foolish" and the "wise." Encourage them to learn to be wise, not in the wisdom of the world, but in the wisdom God's Word teaches us. Help them see the importance of keeping their lives right (living upright and perfect – as Job, Noah, etc.) before God. Remind them that it begins at home by listening to the wise words of their parents who love them – just as God loves His people.
One idea for today's lesson: (See picture below). For today's lesson I had journals for them to put together. We put stickers of a castle, a shield with swords, and a crown (since King Solomon wrote Proverbs) on the front. We also put a sticker with a verse (Psalm 86:11) on the front. Inside we glued some preprinted verses from Proverbs. We also took time to write a few more verses from Proverbs as we looked at that book over the next couple of weeks. I encouraged them to read Proverbs and continue writing verses in their journals that spoke to them as they read. One of the best ways to remember averse is to write it down!


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bob wachter on Do You Have Your Surfboard Permit?
Lisa Pearl on Do You Have Your Surfboard Permit?


Rusty Humphries visits TRS about his Mosque visit!
Rusty joins Joe to discuss his visit to a Phoenix Mosque before a planned protest. Rusty talks about the changes in radio and delivery of information. AND are you a Jihad Boy?


Defect: On certain motorcycles, the sidestand spring and/or the pin used to attach the spring to the frame may be damaged, allowing unintended deployment of the sidestand, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sidestand spring and frame rail bracket. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule for this campaign. Owners may contact Polaris/Victory at 1-763-417-8650.
[NHTSA Recall No. 03V336/Polaris/Victory Recall No. V-03-05].


text:
#pragma once

#include "il2cpp-config.h"

#ifndef _MSC_VER
# include <alloca.h>
#else
# include <malloc.h>
#endif

#include <stdint.h>

// UnityEngine.Transform
struct Transform_t1659122786;

#include "UnityEngine_UnityEngine_MonoBehaviour667441552.h"
#include "UnityEngine_UnityEngine_Vector34282066566.h"

#ifdef __clang__
#pragma clang diagnostic push
#pragma clang diagnostic ignored "-Winvalid-offsetof"
#pragma clang diagnostic ignored "-Wunused-variable"
#endif

// UnityStandardAssets.Utility.FollowTarget
struct  FollowTarget_t260499262  : public MonoBehaviour_t667441552
{
public:
	// UnityEngine.Transform UnityStandardAssets.Utility.FollowTarget::target
	Transform_t1659122786 * ___target_2;
	// UnityEngine.Vector3 UnityStandardAssets.Utility.FollowTarget::offset
	Vector3_t4282066566  ___offset_3;

public:
	inline static int32_t get_offset_of_target_2() { return static_cast<int32_t>(offsetof(FollowTarget_t260499262, ___target_2)); }
	inline Transform_t1659122786 * get_target_2() const { return ___target_2; }
	inline Transform_t1659122786 ** get_address_of_target_2() { return &___target_2; }
	inline void set_target_2(Transform_t1659122786 * value)
	{
		___target_2 = value;
		Il2CppCodeGenWriteBarrier(&___target_2, value);
	}

	inline static int32_t get_offset_of_offset_3() { return static_cast<int32_t>(offsetof(FollowTarget_t260499262, ___offset_3)); }
	inline Vector3_t4282066566  get_offset_3() const { return ___offset_3; }
	inline Vector3_t4282066566 * get_address_of_offset_3() { return &___offset_3; }
	inline void set_offset_3(Vector3_t4282066566  value)
	{
		___offset_3 = value;
	}
};

#ifdef __clang__
#pragma clang diagnostic pop
#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Anne Hathaway has has an incredible week promoting her new film Les Miserables across the globe, but has today revealed her "devastation" over pictures of her going commando were published online.
Poor Anne was emerging from her car in a tight black Tom Ford dress for the New York premiere of Les Miserables on Monday when she accidentally flashed the photographers – and she wasn't wearing any underwear – eek!
The poor love. It happens to the best of us. A number of stars have been caught out when emerging from their car, and we can't imagine how tricky it is to glide out of your seat in a tight dress with a bunch of photographers snapping away.
Anne wore opted for the black Tom Ford dress which was slit at the sides, and teamed it with black patent thigh-high boots.


text:
Well, That Worked Out Better Than Expected
My style of writing is a bit more action-oriented than, say, literary-oriented. Those aren't technically opposite ends of the writing spectrum but, as my neuroscientist friend, Ben, said, "They are negatively correlated."
The more prestigious speculative fiction magazines tend to lean literary. They like the ethereal, the non-literal, they like when a story is more an analogy for the character's emotional journey. I write about shit that actually happens. I've read a ton of literary stuff that I loved, much of it made me jealous, wishing I could write like these brilliant authors. Ultimately, I've had to be honest with myself and realize that's just not who I am, not what I write.
It makes it hard to get published in monthly magazines. But, fortunately for me, there is a type of periodical out there that leans more toward action stories, and that's anthologies.
Wait, does something have to come out periodically for it to be a periodical? Because many of these anthologies come out randomly/
Okay, just checked the online dictionary, it says that "at regularly occurring intervals" is one definition of periodically, but another is "from time to time; occasionally."
Now that we're done with today's vocabulary lesson...
I saw a military horror anthology had an open call, titled Last Stand. They wanted military guys (and gals) making an Alamo-style last stand against some sort of monsters. I wrote a story about special forces in space who are called Star Jumpers who find an abandoned spaceship on a course for Earth and quickly realize it's abandoned because monstrous aliens killed the crew and if they get to Earth, they're going to kill everyone there. The marines have to make a last stand against them to save Earth. I aimed for 5,000 words, but it got away from me and wound up being 9,000.
I sent it off. A month later I got a kindly worded email saying they liked it, but no sale.
There are almost no magazines out there that take 9,000 word stories. Of those that do, none of them are interested in straight-up soldiers vs. alien monsters action. I had no where else to try to sell the story. I moved it to my trunked stories folder, ready to forget about it.
The next day I see that Black Infinity magazine has an open call: the editor is looking for one more story to fill out the next issue. It has to be a science fiction story dealing with abandoned spacecraft.
Huh. Sure, okay, I might as well throw Star Jumpers at them.
And the editor liked it. So, "Star Jumpers" will be appearing in the next issue of Black Infinity magazine.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In October, the Vitality Institute hosted a roundtable event, "Catalyzing a Healthier Chicago: Innovative Metrics for Measurable Impact" for a diverse group of change-makers in Chicago. The guest list included leaders from key stakeholder groups – business, government, academia and health promotion advocacy – and was designed to bring everyone's ideas together to discuss the importance of building workplace cultures of health in the nation's third largest city and across the country.
In attendance was the Managing Deputy Commissioner, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, for the City of Chicago, Jay D. Bhatt; Medical Director, Chronic Disease and Mental Health, City of Chicago, Arlene L Hankinson; business leaders representing Unilever and PepsiCo; a representative of the Midwest Business Group on Health; and Arnav Dalmia, entrepreneur and the inventor of Cubii: an under-desk elliptical trainer which was the highest-funded Kickstarter campaign in the design category for Chicago in 2014.
Derek Yach, Executive Director of the Vitality Institute, led the discussion, building on the findings from the Commission on Health Promotion and the Prevention of Chronic Disease in Working-Age Americans. The insights centered on the Institute's recommendationssurrounding the integration of health metrics into corporate reporting. Derek's view is that health should be embraced "as a strategic imperative across sectors and as a core value in society." He encouraged those in attendance to include health metrics as an integrated piece of corporate reporting by 2020. Companies such as Pepsico, Qualcomm, Humana, IBM and Vitality's parent company, Discovery, have already committed to this pledge.
A similar event, "Investing in a Culture of Health: Innovations and the Workplace," was held this summer with Dallas community leaders discussing new and innovative opportunities to address health in America's workforce.
For more perspective on the impact of incorporating health metrics into corporate reporting, download the latest infographic from the Vitality Institute.


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Study of Architecture at University of Karlsruhe and University of Brunswick. Diploma 1981. Since 1996 Professor University of Applied Sciences Muenster, MSA, Dep. for Building Construction.
Study of Architecture at University of Applied Sciences Muenster and Bochum. Diploma 2002. Since 2001 team member of Reichardt Architects BDA, since 2009 partner RMA, Essen.
Study of Architecture at University of Brunswick. Diploma 1988. Since 1991 team member of Reichardt Architects BDA, since 2009 partner / managing director RMA, Essen.


Having won the reverse fixture by a goal to nil last week, Getafe continued to move in the right direction when they delivered a smash and grab performance away at Estadio de la Cerámica on Saturday evening, beating Villarreal by two goals to one. Valladolid also secured a pleasing result at the weekend, so they may fancy themselves to get the desired result here. If Valladolid are to turn things around on Tuesday evening, then they'll need to do much better than they did at Coliseum Alfonso Pérez last week. The score-line on that occasion suggested that it was a tight game, though Pucela failed to compete, as they mustered just two shots, which unsurprisingly resulted in them finishing the game with an expected-goals for count of just 0.18. At the other end, they shipped 1.84. A repeat of that showing in this second leg would mean elimination. Now back on their own patch, Sergio's men may be hopeful of doing better, though it's not like they go into this game with excellent home form to draw upon. Valladolid have won just twice at home during the current La Liga campaign, while they're now without a win in five in front of their own fans. What's more, their performances have been none too clever either. Tuesday's hosts have failed to be consistent going forward; they've failed to score in five out of nine at Estadio José Zorrilla, while they're averaging just 0.91 expected goals for. Getafe also boast a poor average (0.97) on the road, but it is they who hold all the cards at present. Moreover, the visitors have now faced Valladolid twice this season and at no point have they come under much pressure. In both of their previous matches against Tuesday's opponents, Getafe have created the better opportunities, while they've managed to nullify Valladolid's threat without too much of a fuss, as the fact that they've shut them out twice suggests. Neither Valladolid nor Getafe are that creative, though the visitors aren't likely to be too bothered about that. Getafe will go to Estadio José Zorrilla knowing that a clean sheet gets them through and given that they've already shut the hosts out twice this season, they'll fancy themselves to keep things tight. Couple this with the fact that Valladolid are averaging just 0.91 expected goals for at home and it's reasonably easy to think chances could be few and far between on Tuesday. With a lack of creativity and game-plan (at least as far as the visitors are concerned) in mind, both 'Under 1.5 Goals' and 'Both Teams to Score – NO' catch the eye.


Banned, because banning an ice fairy is sooooo eighties.
Hey! Wait! I got a new banning post.
Banned because Ice Mothe are not Butterflies..
My banhammer says: "have a safe trip to the banana islands" ... for no particular reason.


Hello! I'm just wondering, my sister tried to tipped me 70 BAT and a friend tipped me 40 BAT, but I only got 76.24 BAT in my account. Why is that?
You should be receiving everything; perhaps it's just a slight delay. (Can you check your dashboard again?) Can you get your friend to provide a screenshot of their tipping history in brave://rewards)?
I've checked my dashboard again and my balance is still the same. I've checked my friend's history and i saw the total tip with the date.
When you press "recurring" on a tip, it actually does not tip the BAT instantly and then add a recurrence. Instead, it sets aside a tip that will send later (e.g., on the date of Auto-Contribute) and will recur monthly from that point forward. I see 2 tips marked as "recurring", so that is probably what happened with at least 20 of the BAT.
I understand that this behavior is quite counter-intuitive. I will discuss this further with the team.
In the screenshot, you will see that there are 6 transactions. 4 of them are successful. My friend's balance is only 40 BAT. I think that the 2 recurring transactions have been sent. My problem is that my sister tipped me 70 BAT, so I should have 110 BAT in my dashboard but I only got 76.24 BAT.
Do you mind having your sister also share a screenshot as well?
We'll also check the back-end, but front-end screenshots are very very helpful as well since you know who tipped you.
this is my sister's tip history. Her balance was 70 BAT.
Thanks. I've forwarded this to the publishers back-end team so they can check the ledger server/database. That said, is there anything in this area of brave://rewards?
Note the "You've designated 26.3 BAT for creators who haven't yet …" warning. I am wondering if there is some amount there in your friend's and sister's browsers that could explain the difference.
No, there's nothing like that in the dashboard.
Thanks Ronalddd. Your case has been raised internally, and we are having back-end engineers look at it. It is currently the weekend, but we will see what is going on. Thanks for your patience!
I think I'm having the same issue with BAT not arriving to my creator account. I'll try waiting a week or so but I think it just got "lost". The people who donated don't have the BAT they sent to my channel anymore and there's a tipping history that says it pretty clearly.
I have the same problem. I have been tipped 6x 30 BAT and 5x 25 BAT, but received only 200 BAT on my pending account. It is several days I've received last BATs.
Why have I only received a portion of my tip?
This can occur when a user sends a tip but closes their browser too quickly, halting the tipping process before it can complete. After a period of time, the remaining undelivered portion of the tip should be returned to the sender's wallet and be reflected in the wallet balance accordingly. Given our privacy protocol for tips, there is not much we can do at the moment apart from wait and see.
I don't know how fast they closed their browser. But majority of them are now using Brave instead of their old browser. I ask them whether they got their tipped BATs back.
btw, how long approximately does it take to those undelivered tips are returned back?
I am not sure, but I imagine it could take up to a month for everything that is touched by this issue to be updated and rebalanced (like settlement amounts to publishers, etc.).


text:
/*!
 * \file  Application.h
 * \brief Ce fichier contient la déclaration de la classe Application. C'est la classe qui permet d'initialiser le logiciel en partie en gérant les aspecs graphiques et évènement
*/
#ifndef __APPLICATION_H__
#define __APPLICATION_H__

#ifndef DOXYGEN_SKIP
#include <Ogre.h>
#endif

#include "Core/ClassRootSingleton.h"
#include "Scene/InitSceneGraph.h"
#include "Listener/InitListener.h"
#include "Viewport/InitViewport.h"
#include "Controls/InitControls.h"
#include "Menus/InitMenus.h"
#include "Camera/InitCamera.h"
#include "Tools/StatsOverlay.h"
#include "GestInteraction.h"

/*!
* \class Application
* \brief Class principale qui permet de démarrer le programme, d'afficher la fenêtre et de réagir aux évènements (ceux-ci sont ensuite dirigé vers les classes adaptés)
*/
class Application : public ClassRootSingleton<Application>
{
	private:
		/*!
		* \brief Chemin du fichier resources.cfg
		*/
		Ogre::String resourcesCfg;

    public:
        /*!
         * \brief Constructeur
        */
        Application();
        /*!
         * \brief Destructeur
        */
        ~Application();

    public:
        /*!
         * \brief demarrage du programme
        */
        bool start();

        /*!
         * \brief charge les ressources du projet (mesh, material...)
        */
        void loadRessources();
};

#endif


Add H3K27ac polyclonal antibody - Classic to my shopping cart.
Request a quote for a bulk order for H3K27ac polyclonal antibody - Classic. Please fill out the form here below. Your local sales account manager will get in touch with you shortly and send you a quotation based on your requirements.
Polyclonal antibody raised in rabbit against histone H3, acetylated at lysine 27 (H3K27ac), using a KLH-conjugated synthetic peptide.
ChIP assays were performed using HeLa cells, the Diagenode antibody against H3K27ac (Cat. No. C15410174) and optimized PCR primer sets for qPCR. ChIP was performed with the "Auto Histone ChIP-seq" kit using sheared chromatin from 1 million cells. A titration of the antibody consisting of 1, 2, 5 and 10 μg per ChIP experiment was analysed. IgG (2 μg/IP) was used as negative IP control. Quantitative PCR was performed with primers for the promoter of the active ACTB and EIF4A2 genes, used as positive controls, and for the coding region of the inactive MYT1 and TSH2B genes, used as negative controls. Figure 1 shows the recovery, expressed as a % of input (the relative amount of immunoprecipitated DNA compared to input DNA after qPCR analysis). These results are in accordance with the observation that H3K27 acetylation is enriched at the promoters of active genes.
ChIP was performed on sheared chromatin from 1 million HeLaS3 cells using 2 μg of the Diagenode antibody against H3K27ac (Cat. No. C15410174) as described above. Quantitative PCR was performed with primers for the promoter of the active ACTB and EIF4A2 genes, used as positive controls, and for the coding region of the inactive MYT1 and MB genes, used as negative controls (Figure 2A). The IP'd DNA was subsequently analysed on an Illumina Genome Analyzer. Library preparation, cluster generation and sequencing were performed according to the manufacturer's instructions. The 36 bp tags were aligned to the human genome using the ELAND algorithm. Figure 2B shows the peak distribution along the complete X-chromosome and in two regions surrounding the ACTB and EIF4A2 positive control genes, respectively (figure 2C and D).
To determine the titer of the antibody, an ELISA was performed using a serial dilution of the Diagenode antibody directed against H3K27ac (Cat. No. C15410174) in antigen coated wells. The antigen used was a peptide containing the histone modification of interest. By plotting the absorbance against the antibody dilution (Figure 3), the titer of the antibody was estimated to be 1:4,000.
A Dot Blot analysis was performed to test the cross reactivity of the Diagenode antibody against H3K27ac (Cat. No. C15410174) with peptides containing other histone modifications and the unmodified H3K27 sequence. One hundred to 0.2 pmol of the respective peptides were spotted on a membrane. The antibody was used at a dilution of 1:25,000. Figure 4 shows a high specificity of the antibody for the modification of interest.
Western blot was performed on whole cell (40 μg, lane 1) and histone extracts (15 μg, lane 2) from HeLa cells, and on 1 μg of recombinant histone H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 (lane 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively) using the Diagenode antibody against H3K27ac (Cat. No. C15410174). The antibody was diluted 1:1,000 in TBS-Tween containing 5% skimmed milk. The position of the protein of interest is indicated on the right; the marker (in kDa) is shown on the left.
HeLa cells were stained with the Diagenode antibody against H3K27ac (Cat. No. C15410174) and with DAPI. Cells were fixed with 4% formaldehyde for 10' and blocked with PBS/TX-100 containing 5% normal goat serum and 1% BSA. The cells were immunofluorescently labelled with the H3K27ac antibody (left) diluted 1:500 in blocking solution followed by an anti-rabbit antibody conjugated to Alexa488. The middle panel shows staining of the nuclei with DAPI. A merge of the two stainings is shown on the right.
Diagenode strongly recommends using this:	H3K27ac polyclonal antibody - Classic (Diagenode Cat# C15410174 Lot# A7071-001P). Click here to copy to clipboard.
Sequentially acting SOX proteins orchestrate astrocyte- and oligodendrocyte-specific gene expression.
Histone variant H2A.Z deposition and acetylation directs the canonical Notch signaling response.
HMGB2 Loss upon Senescence Entry Disrupts Genomic Organization and Induces CTCF Clustering across Cell Types.
MLL-AF9 and MLL-AF4 oncofusion proteins bind a distinct enhancer repertoire and target the RUNX1 program in 11q23 acute myeloid leukemia.
Spatiotemporal control of estrogen-responsive transcription in ERα-positive breast cancer cells.
A novel microscopy-based high-throughput screening method to identify proteins that regulate global histone modification levels.


My friend Jonathan Russell took note of the conversations, public discourse, in response to the #blacklivesmatter movement and quickly saw the utilization of the Fallacy of False Equivalency. He wrote a piece for Huffington Post where he attempted to help readers understand the difference between occupations and bodies.
Russell did not question he value of bodies but that when comparing, for instance, #bluelivesmatter to #blacklivesmatter, the core issues are different. On the one had nobody wants to see police officers killed in the same way no one wants to see Black people killed. But, the reference to #bluelives is a reference to a chosen occupation. #Blacklives is a reference to Black bodies. You choose an occupation. You do not choose to be Black.
What is often missed, and I hope unintentionally so, is that when we make false equivalencies we inevitably denigrate one or the other or both. Choosing to compare an occupation with an ethnicity erases not the occupation but the ethnicity.
In this podcast, Jonathan helps us see what it means to live "under erasure." My own personal sense is that no one really wants to erase the other, our neighbor. But, in our quest to be sure that we do not denigrate the bodies of those who choose to serve and protect we elevate the occupation not the bodies.
Yes, if you are white, you may have always known you were White. Jonathan talks about the discomfort he experienced when he learned how his Whiteness often led to the erasure of others, particularly Blacks.
Some want us to ignore difference, and differences. But, we cannot universalize one lived experience as the experience of all. Contexts matter. Rather than ignore difference, and differences, maybe it would be better if we learned appreciation. That is, appreciate for difference.
Jonathan does not write, speak or think from merely a theoretical perspective. As Chaplain on Skid Row in L.A. he sees some of the effects of Whiteness on homelessness. He wrote this piece on the subject last April.
I met Jonnie several years ago. Little did I know then that at one time he was in the band, Cold War Kids. I had hoped he used his mad guitar skills somewhere other than simply riffing on Stryper's, To Hell with the Devil.
Today, Jonathan is a PhD student at Claremont Graduate University, an Adjunct Professor at Chaffey College, a Contributing Fellow at USC Center for Religion & Civic Culture and Chaplain on Skid Row in Los Angeles. His life experiences combine to provide reference points to consider how we understand human bodies, a better way to talk about human beings since most of the time we fear the body. That has led him to consider the differences in those bodies and particularly as they pertain to race. His work on Skid Row brings him in to close proximity to homelessness, addiction and post-incarceration experiences of these human bodies.
On today's podcast Jonnie and I consider his two articles as a jumping off point for our conversation. Jonnie represents the voices I am hoping to include as resources for the Pastor-Theologian. Take time to listen and be open to the observations Jonathan has made. I hope it will help everyone, particularly those who Pastor and are interested in the work of the Pastor-Theologian.


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Approaching Kabob Palace from Crystal City or Jefferson Davis Highway, it's not an impressive sight: it's basically a slightly run-down building with a simple "Kabob Palace" sign and a smaller "Enter here" sign. The reason for this is that if you are approaching from this direction, you are actually coming in the backdoor of Kabob Palace (the real, nicer entrance is on Eads St), but you soon fine yourself in a fairly elaborately decorated dining area, although with a bit of a fast-food vibe. Sitting down and looking at the menu (which seems to follow the general rule of kabob joints in having a lot of minor misspellings, such as "Como" instead of "Combo"), the selection is primarily, well, kabob, with all the usual variations: chicken (bone-in or boneless), lamb, and various ground meat kubidehs, or combinations thereof. They've also got a nice selection of karahi dishes, and some occasional specials like a daily curry special, and a vegetable of the day. Myself, I decided upon a boneless chicken kabob special, which came with rice and a side vegetable, for which I chose spinach.
After a brief 5 minute way, my kabob arrived, and for the $12 I paid for it, this was a very ample portion of chicken kabob, a small mountain of rice, a deep pile of spinach, and a basket of pita bread. I was pleased with the kabob itself: the chicken was very nicely marinated without being over-tenderized, with a nice rich turmeric color and a very nice spicing, and cooked just to the point of crispy perfection, maintaining a moist interior. The spinach was very pleasing as well, a very flavorful mound of spiced wilted greens cooked just to the point of starting to fall apart. Add in some fresh, crispy pita bread and some rice (which was, well, rice, nothing fancy there), and this was a very generous portion for a reasonable price.
In a city with well more than its fair share of kabob places (off the top of my head, I can think of at least a dozen, including Kabob Bazaar up in Clarendon, which I prefer by a slight margin), Kabob Palace holds its own, offering a very pleasant, generous, and afforable alternative to the expensive chains of Crystal City.
For our last full day in Valencia, the weather had cooled off a few degrees to be just "pleasantly warm", so we decided it would be a good day to go check out the beach and go swimming (I had been to the beach twice before, but at night). After a few hours of swimming and relaxing on the sand, we needed a light lunch, so we decided to go walking. The southern end of Malvarossa beach is actually several blocks of restaurants all packed together (including the very nice La Pepica that I had eaten at two nights before), but we ended up instead walking out on the breakwater of the Port of Valencia, where we came across 39º27N, and decided to have a light lunch there.


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Q: How to upload a file in background while iPhone app is doing something else Just want to find out, in Xcode, how to set 2 threads running?
E.g. upload file (size is large like 3-4 MB) to website
and it allows the user to proceed on using the app without having this upload file to prevent him to doing other things.
I know that I can show the network activity icon on the top bar but not sure how to separate the thread.
UIApplication* app = [UIApplication sharedApplication];
app.networkActivityIndicatorVisible = YES;

Any idea?
Thanks

A: Depending on what you use for networking NSURLConnection or other framework like ASIHTTPRequest simply use asynchronous request type. It will be running in the background and your app will not be effected, all other tasks will be running on the main thread.

A: You can check out AFNetworking or ASIHTTPRequest they both have upload file examples   .

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