This mom-to-be may have been laughing about her belly button at first, but not after her husband posted about it online.
In general, turning to the web to diagnose a health condition isn't advisable, especially when you're pregnant. But when one mom-to-be shared an odd symptom she was experiencing, it was the best decision she could have made.
It was her husband who posted the video to Reddit, and the pair were laughing about how their baby moving inside her caused her belly button to pop out several inches intermittently. Luckily, some viewers quickly realized something definitely wasn't right.
"That actually looks like a hernia," one commenter noted. "If that's your wife please get it looked at asap. Today."
Although the husband initially insisted his wife was a doctor and the symptom was completely normal, he soon posted, "You're right! She said it is an umbilical hernia!" Adding, "Reddit should just be my doctor."
Um, maybe that's not the best plan.But in this case, it's a good thing a random stranger pointed out what was actually going on with this woman's belly button. According to the Mayo Clinic, an umbilical hernia is most common in women who have weakened abdominal muscles due to multiple pregnancies. Although rare, sometimes protruding abdominal tissue can get stuck, cutting off its blood supply, and causing tissue damage and even gangrene. Surgery is typically recommended to prevent complications.
We don't know if this mom underwent surgery, but we do know she probably isn't laughing when her belly button pops out anymore. Here's hoping both she and her soon-to-be-born baby are OK. Possible baby name suggestion: Reddit?


text:
#ifndef FIRESTORE_CORE_TEST_UNIT_LOCAL_PERSISTENCE_TESTING_H_
#define FIRESTORE_CORE_TEST_UNIT_LOCAL_PERSISTENCE_TESTING_H_

#include <memory>

#include "Firestore/core/src/local/local_serializer.h"

namespace firebase {
namespace firestore {
namespace util {

class Path;

}  // namespace util

namespace local {

class LevelDbPersistence;
struct LruParams;
class MemoryPersistence;

/**
 * Returns a new instance of local serializer using the default testing
 * database.
 */
local::LocalSerializer MakeLocalSerializer();

/**
 * Returns the directory where a LevelDB instance can store data files during
 * testing. Any files that existed there will be deleted first.
 */
util::Path LevelDbDir();

/**
 * Creates and starts a new LevelDbPersistence instance for testing, destroying
 * any previous contents if they existed.
 *
 * Note that in order to avoid generating a bunch of garbage on the filesystem,
 * the path of the database is reused. This prevents concurrent running of tests
 * using this database. We may need to revisit this if we want to parallelize
 * the tests.
 */
std::unique_ptr<LevelDbPersistence> LevelDbPersistenceForTesting();

/**
 * Creates and starts a new LevelDbPersistence instance for testing. Does not
 * delete any data present in the given directory. As a consequence, the
 * resulting database is not guaranteed to be empty.
 */
std::unique_ptr<LevelDbPersistence> LevelDbPersistenceForTesting(
    util::Path dir);

/**
 * Creates and starts a new LevelDbPersistence instance for testing, destroying
 * any previous contents if they existed.
 *
 * Sets up the LRU garbage collection to use the provided params.
 */
std::unique_ptr<LevelDbPersistence> LevelDbPersistenceForTesting(
    LruParams lru_params);

/** Creates and starts a new MemoryPersistence instance for testing. */
std::unique_ptr<MemoryPersistence> MemoryPersistenceWithEagerGcForTesting();

std::unique_ptr<MemoryPersistence> MemoryPersistenceWithLruGcForTesting();

std::unique_ptr<MemoryPersistence> MemoryPersistenceWithLruGcForTesting(
    LruParams lru_params);

}  // namespace local
}  // namespace firestore
}  // namespace firebase

#endif  // FIRESTORE_CORE_TEST_UNIT_LOCAL_PERSISTENCE_TESTING_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Skip directly to search Skip directly to A to Z list Skip directly to navigation Skip directly to page options Skip directly to site content
HIV by Group
Gay and Bisexual Men
African American Gay and Bisexual Men
Highlighted Activities Concerning Black Gay/Bi Men
Hispanic/Latino Gay and Bisexual Men
Pregnant Women, Infants and Children
Elimination of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission
An Opt-Out Approach to HIV Screening
Developing a Prevention Program
American Indians and Alaska Natives
Hispanics/Latinos
Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders
People Aged 50 and Older
People Who Inject Drugs
HIV Risk and Prevention
Injection Drug Use and HIV Risk
HIV Risk and Prevention Estimates
HIV Risk Behaviors
Effectiveness of Prevention Strategies to Reduce the Risk of Acquiring or Transmitting HIV
Factors Increasing the Risk of Acquiring or Transmitting HIV
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)
HIV Treatment as Prevention
HIV in the Workplace
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Rapid HIV Testing of Women in Labor and Delivery
Intervention Research
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Replicating Effective Programs (REP)
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Compendium of Evidence-Based Interventions and Best Practices for HIV Prevention
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Project PrIDE
Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Planning (ECHPP)
Overview of ECHPP Evaluation Activities
The Care and Prevention in the United States (CAPUS) Demonstration Project
CAPUS Grantee Executive Summaries
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Policy, Planning, and Strategic Communication
Expanded Testing Initiative
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Populations at Greatest Risk
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Components of High-Impact Prevention
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Perinatal HIV Testing
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Dear Colleague Letters
CBA Request Information System (CRIS)s
HIP Training Calendar
Program Guidance
Comprehensive Risk Counseling and Services (CRCS)
Condom Distribution as a Structural Level Intervention
HIV Cost-effectiveness
HIV Cluster and Outbreak Detection and Response
HIV Molecular Surveillance: Questions and Answers
Fact Sheet: HIV Molecular Cluster Detection and Response
Comprehensive Prevention Programs for Health Departments
Supported Activities: Prioritizing High Impact HIV Prevention
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HIV in the United States: At A Glance
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Elimination of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission (EMCT) in the United States
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In collaboration with national experts and federal partners, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a new framework directed at the goal of eliminating mother-to-child (perinatal) HIV transmission (EMCT) in the United States. The framework is illustrated in Figure 1 [the numbers in superscript below refer to the corresponding numbered activities in the figure] and differs from the previous approach to PMTCT in its consistent use of public health personnel to 1) assure that HIV care includes comprehensive reproductive health, family planning services and preconception care and that women of childbearing age are HIV tested according to CDC recommendations1; and 2) conduct comprehensive, real-time case finding2 of all HIV-infected pregnant women and their exposed infants. These two large tasks are conducted under the concept of Perinatal HIV Services Coordination (PHSC). PHSC in each state (or jurisdiction) could assure comprehensive, real-time case finding. It may be helpful to have these functions combined with other related activities, such as the prevention of other perinatally acquired infections. With the financial realities facing all levels of government, and the fact that most HIV-infected pregnant women are, in fact, in care, it will not be possible—and may not be necessary—for PHSC to actively monitor each woman, once it has been determined that the woman is in care. On the other hand, for those women recognized as not in care, finding cases in real time would enable the conduct and coordination of the following components of the EMCT framework:
Comprehensive Care (facilitation of comprehensive clinical and psychosocial HIV services for women and infants3; )
Case Review and Community Action (FIMR-HIV) to identify and address missed prevention opportunities and local systems issues through continuous quality improvement4;
Research and long-term monitoring to develop and ensure safe and efficacious PMCT interventions5; and Data reporting for HIV surveillance and EMCT evaluation6.
Reproductive Health, Family Planning Services and Preconception Care
Increased identification of HIV infection prior to pregnancy, and maintenance of more women in care would result in more opportunities to optimize HIV-infected women's health prior to and between pregnancies, particularly with new guidelines recommending early antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. Proper attention to women's HIV care inclusive of reproductive health and family planning will support women prevent unintended pregnancy.
Comprehensive real-time case finding
A "case" is a pregnancy in an HIV-infected woman. Case-finding requires both universal HIV testing of pregnant women and a mechanism for detecting pregnancy among women with diagnosed HIV infection and is distinct from traditional HIV surveillance because cases must be identified in real time.
Comprehensive Care
Clinical management for HIV-infected pregnant women and their infants is credited with much of the documented reduction in MCT. Local expertise in clinical care has been nurtured by the support for clinical activities provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Assuring linkages to these clinical providers is a key function of the PHSC. Under the financial restraints of recent years, jurisdictions will need to determine the degree of their involvement with individual HIV-infected pregnant women. Recent national health-care reform may enhance EMCT through reimbursement for preventive care and by facilitating access to care.
Because MCT is frequently the result of failures of local health systems, CDC has worked with partners to develop a community-based, continuous quality improvement methodology. This methodology is modeled after the HRSA-funded Fetal-Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) program. CDC funds the FIMR-HIV Prevention Methodology (FHPM) National Resource Center to support scale-up of this methodology in new sites such as health departments funded through CDC's HIV Prevention cooperative agreements. With consent, FHPM summarizes the experience from the mother's perspective through an interview and medical records abstraction. This de-identified information is presented to a multidisciplinary case review team to assess missed opportunities related to MCT and to develop recommendations for local system improvements. These recommendations are presented to community action teams of locally recognized persons who are in a position to implement the suggested system improvements. Cases of MCT occur in diverse and ever-changing environments, so utilizing a proven methodology to assess and improve local systems is particularly important. Such systems improvements could also affect other perinatal infections (e.g., hepatitis B infection and syphilis) and maternal and child health services overall.
Research and Long-term Monitoring
The prevention regimens used are evolving and expose thousands of children to antiretroviral medications every year. Research to monitor the long-term safety and efficacy of interventions for both women and ARV-exposed children needs a long-term plan and sustained action.
Data Reporting
Accurate data reporting is necessary to direct the activities described above, and should include surveillance of all infants born to HIV-infected women ("perinatal HIV exposure"). Without exposure reporting, it is challenging if not impossible to understand progress or lack thereof toward the goal of EMCT.
This framework describes how health care and public health systems may interact to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission in the United States. Considering the multifaceted approach of the framework, as well as the current strain on resources, reaching elimination will require coordination and active collaboration across multiple agencies at the national, state and local level. However, preventing perinatal transmission at the individual level includes a series of clinical interventions. These interventions are outlined in the Perinatal HIV Prevention Cascade (Figure 2) adapted from the Institute of Medicine 1998 report, Reducing the odds: Preventing perinatal transmission of HIV in the United States.
Figure 1 – Framework to Eliminate Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission (EMCT)
Figure 2 – Perinatal HIV Prevention Cascade
Source Report: Institute of Medicine, 1998
1 Reproductive health and family planning services, preconception care, and universal HIV testing are essential components of EMCT and facilitate 2 comprehensive real-time case finding of all HIV-infected pregnant women. Real-time case finding enables: 3 comprehensive clinical care and social services for women and infants; 4 detailed review of select cases to identify and address missed prevention opportunities and local systems issues through continuous quality improvement; 5 research and long-term follow-up to develop and ensure safe, efficacious interventions for EMCT; 6 thorough data reporting for HIV surveillance and EMCT evaluation.
RIS file
Page last reviewed: August 28, 2017
Page last updated: August 28, 2017
Content source: Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road Atlanta, GA 30329-4027 USA
800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636), TTY: 888-232-6348
HHS/Open

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Summerland council making changes to procedure bylaw
Proposed changes intended to improve clarity and follow best practices
Dec. 1, 2018 12:30 p.m.
Summerland's municipal council is making changes to its procedure bylaw.
At the regular council meeting on Nov. 26, council passed the first three readings of the bylaw.
The procedure bylaw was considered earlier in November, after the new council had been inaugurated.
"We're not changing anything as far as the process goes," said Linda Tynan, chief administrative officer for the municipality.
The changes in the bylaw are intended to improve clarity and follow best practices.
These include more accurate definitions and more consistent use of terms, more flexible references to documents and sections, removing overly restrictive or limiting statements and adjusting the bylaw to align with current administrative practices.
One of the changes is to set the publishing deadline for the agenda at 4 p.m. on the Thursday prior to the meeting.
Other changes govern the order of the meetings.
The public comment opportunity, which was added under former mayor Peter Waterman, will remain in place with the same restrictions. However, the items which qualify for this comment opportunity will not be highlighted in the agenda.
If the proposed changes are adopted, municipal staff will begin a more thorough review of the bylaw.
Because of the number of previous amendments and the number of proposed changes, municipal staff are recommending repealing the old bylaw and replacing it with a new procedure bylaw.
Canada Post says protests at facilities in some provinces violates court orders
B.C. nurse practitioner heading to Africa to help combat Ebola crisis


text:
The Trump Sunk Cost Is Driving People Mad
Trump Supporters Have Now Turned to Dangerous Delusion to Justify Staying the Course
CNN's Jim Acosta captured video of the aggressive, anti-media behavior at last night's rally in Florida.
By Jack Holmes Published: Aug 1, 2018
Joe Raedle//Getty Images
It has been clear for some time that prolonged support for Donald Trump, American president, has an impact on one's psyche. Sticking with him through all the tawdry, disgraceful displays has led to a kind of psychological sunk cost, where people are willing to go to basically any lengths to justify their investment. That includes, most directly, surrendering their reasoning faculties to The Leader, accepting his word as The Truth and rejecting any dissenting information from independent sources—like, say, The Mainstream Media—as biased Fake News.
We saw this manifest Tuesday in a poll in which 91 percent of strong Trump supporters suggested they trust him for accurate information, while just 11 percent trust the press. As if to drive home the point, the president held another unhinged rant-a-thon in Tampa last night, just Saying Things that came to mind—like suggesting you have to show ID to buy groceries—as the crowd cheered raucously. And after he got done saying Democrats would have "gotten rid of law enforcement" if they'd won the election, his supporters greeted the media in attendance:
Just a sample of the sad scene we faced at the Trump rally in Tampa. I'm very worried that the hostility whipped up by Trump and some in conservative media will result in somebody getting hurt. We should not treat our fellow Americans this way. The press is not the enemy. pic.twitter.com/IhSRw5Ui3R
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 1, 2018
Sweet Jesus.
These people were indeed just lied to—but not by the media. Wednesday morning brought an update from The Washington Post Trump Fact-Checking Team, who assessed that Trump has made 4,229 false claims in 558 days. That's 7.6 a day, and he has actually upped his rate of fabrication in recent weeks. He started out his tenure at 4.9 per day, but in the last two months alone, he's added a staggering 978. It's getting much, much worse, if you couldn't tell when the president said the Democrats want to get rid of all police officers.
But what good is telling any of that to people who hold up signs and wear shirts trumpeting QAnon? That's the fully insane conspiracy theory that grew out of Pizzagate based on the word of some anonymous Internet commenter and has taken hold in the far-out precincts of Trump servitude. Here's a brief survey of "Q," via the Post:
But viewing their message boards, it's clear that QAnon crosses a new frontier. In the black hole of conspiracy in which "Q" has plunged its followers, Trump only feigned collusion to create a pretense for the hiring of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is actually working to expose the Democrats. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and George Soros are planning a coup — and traffic children in their spare time. J.P. Morgan, the American financier, sunk the Titanic.
This, of course, is another manifestation of the Trump Sunk Cost: some have turned to paranoid, delusional fantasy and utter nonsense to shore up their continually eroding position. Even supporters more tethered to reality would waive away evidence that their Chosen One is perhaps the most prodigious liar in modern history, saying that Obama Lied Too, or Hillary Would Be Worse, or The Amazon Washington Post Is Fake News.
SIGNS:
Trump Tampa Tuesday .. pic.twitter.com/WmVOGn89uV
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) August 1, 2018
You hesitate to give up on your fellow citizens, but what could you say to these people that would change their mind? They are truly down the rabbit hole now—just where The Leader likes them.
As CNN's Jim Acosta alluded to in his tweet posting the video, however, all this has potentially dangerous consequences. As my colleague Charles P. Pierce has often put it, there is a wildness in the country and in its politics now, and it may be too late to stop it. The wildness has only grown and metastasized, as things have become increasingly unmoored from reality.
If you truly believe there is a Deep State plot to unseat the president you love so dearly, and in whom you have invested so much of yourself, and that The Liberal Media is complicit in this effort, how long until you take drastic action? After all, Pizzagate led a gunman to open fire at a DC pizzeria last year. And as the president said last night while discussing The Wall, "We may have to do some pretty drastic things."
Trump Controls the Truth to His Supporters
Jack Holmes
Jack Holmes is a senior staff writer at Esquire, where he covers politics and sports. He also hosts Useful Context, a video series.
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"A Failing of Basic Humanity"
The Probe of the Hoax Was a Hoax of a Probe
Lawmakers Are Scared of Men in Dresses
The 14th Amendment's Time to Shine Has Come
Santos Even Lied to Alleged Ponzi Schemers
When a Conspiracy Theory Can Issue Subpoenas
Biden Needs to Close Down Guantanamo
McCarthy May Not Have the Power for his Power Play
Nuclear Power? Have No Fear.
Remember When Tech CEOs Were Cool?


Garden Lodges is one of the most highly experienced builders of structurally insulated panel technology. In response to our remarkable success in 2015, we have an exciting opportunity to join our fast moving business. As a Surveyor you will be required to attend appointments booked by the head office to sell and represent all of our brands; due to the nature of our products sales opportunities will be presented at the customer's home.
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These 2001 scans show the names of John Wilson Korns and Nevin Korns in an 1857 arithmetic book that is presently in the possession of a descendant of Allen Korns who would have obtained it from the Allen Korns Somerset County PA family residence in Southampton Township. It appears that John Wilson Korns presented the book to Nevin Korns.
"J.W. Korns" is written on the title page, but it is hard to see in the scan.


Always look your best in the CARLOS by Carlos Santana(R0 California Tassel loafer. Upper is constru..
Schnäppchen Minimal Cost CARLOS von Carlos Santana Calavera Schwarzes Kalbsleder mit Vollnarbenleder - Herrenstiefel aus Lammfellstyle Sparen Sie 90%!
Wonderfully crafted with a sophisticated vibe, the Woodstock from CARLOS by Carlos Santana® won't d..


Description: Photograph used for a newspaper owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. Caption: "Chart shows how the number of American troops in Vietnam has grown from less than 1,00 in 1960 to more than 70,000 today."
Description: Photograph used for a newspaper owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. Caption: "Targets for Thursdays air strike in North based jets struck, and at Chap Le (B) raided by South Vietnamese land-based planes."
Description: Photograph used for a newspaper owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. Caption: "The U.S. today called for economic and military reinforcements for South Vietnam, shaded area."
Description: Photograph used for a story in the Oklahoma Times newspaper. Caption: "Broken lines traces route of the Ho Chi Minh trail from Vinh in Norht Vietnam and through Laos to Attopu."
Description: Photograph used for a newspaper owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. Caption: "A jet fuel storage complex at Da Nang Bay, was attacked early thursday morning and four of the nine tanks were destroyed."
Description: Photograph used for a story in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper. Caption: "Plane symbol shows where planes from three U.S. carriers hit Dong Hoi in North Vietnam."
Description: Photograph used for a newspaper owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. Caption: "Map locates town of Tan An, 45 miles southwest of Saigon."
Description: Photograph used for a story in the Oklahoma Times newspaper. Caption: "U.S. Troops in Vietnam took a dramatic jump during the last year."
Description: Photograph used for a story in the Oklahoma Times newspaper. Caption: "This radiophoto from Hanoi, monitored in Tokyo, carries the following caption: "The 3rd Company of the Vienam People's Air Force is decorated hero for the second time."
Description: Photograph used for a newspaper owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. Caption: "U.S. b52 bombers from Guam made thier senenth reported atrike in South Vietnam."
Description: Photograph used for a newspaper owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. Caption: "Vietnam"
Description: Photograph used for a newspaper owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. Caption: "South Vietnamese boy paddles his pupil wooden boat through deep rice paddies recently in Phong Dinh province, in the Mekong Delta."
Description: Photograph used for a story in the Oklahoma Times newspaper. Caption: "Map shows where communist forces made a pre-dawn attack."


TEDx Fenway seeks to get at the heart of the complex process of moving past the status quo to address the changes needed to promote progress. Rather than highlighting results or products, we'll take a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes actions of problem-solving, consensus-building, back-tracking/losing ground, and reassessment of past progress that leads to true evolution to support and grow social movements, the arts and technological disciplines.
We encourage you to share ideas worth spreading! How have you agitated and innovated to evolve toward something new? What is the meaning, and, or, consequence of success? What can you do to contribute to the dialogue on pushing our boundaries? We hope TEDx Fenway inspires you to act on those answers!


The REAL meaning of "Organic" – EAT better, LOOK better & LIVE better!
2. Using or produced with fertilizers of animal or vegetable matter, using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
3. Free from chemical injections or additives, such as antibiotics or hormones.
If you have any products with patented formulas…that means it is not organic. You can not patent a natural occurring substance! You have to genetically modify a natural substance in order to patent it.


text:
To recognize Mrs. Lam Yu Lai Ling, Teresa's spirit and dedication to serve for the betterment of our society as well as to honour her significant contribution in the social work field, The Big Fish Award is established.
Teresa graduated in 1973 from The Chinese University of Hong Kong's Bachelor of Social Science Programme in Social Work. She devoted the next 19 years of her life to Caritas-Hong Kong upon graduation and strengthened their services, particularly in youth and community development. She then held various leadership positions in Caritas. Moreover, Teresa co-founded Club O in 2004 to promote green living, encouraging people in Hong Kong to live positively, healthily and with a deeper connection to life. In 2011, Teresa became a Dame of Magistral Grace of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to serve underprivileged families in Hong Kong and also overseas to take care of the sick. Teresa also prioritised cultivating a loving family, nurturing the next generation with creativity and independence, and being the best listener and friend to anyone in need.
Her selfless generosity, optimistic encouragement, wise forgivingness, resilient capability and loving warmth left a deep impression on many of the people she served, co-workers, friends and family. Having lived a giving, caring and passionate life, she passed away peacefully and gracefully in August 2019.
The award title carries two meanings. Firstly, in memory of Teresa, the award is named after her nickname from the social work field – "大余". Secondly, in English, "big fish" refers to an important and influential person in a company or an organisation. The Award aims to nurture dedicated social work students who are able to embrace, practise and pass on Teresa's vision, compassion, and spirit.
The Big Fish Award for BSSc and MSSc Students
Every year, two students from the Bachelor of Social Science Programme in Social Work (BSSc) and two students from the Master of Social Science Programme in Social Work (MSSc) will receive the Big Fish Award. The scholarship value is HK$40,000 and HK$60,000 per BSSc and MSSc student respectively.
The Big Fish Award for Students Taking Part in Non-local Placements
A total amount of HK$50,000 per annum will be awarded to several students who will undertake non-local placements to be held in overseas regions such as Taiwan, Singapore, Australia and Canada.


The elongated format of the sculptures Stretch #1 and Stretch #2 refers to a Photoshop derived distortion. However, the character itself was not produced from a pre-existing photoshopped image. Rather, it is a fictitious character, conceived in its stretched form, entirely during the sculpting process.


Whether you've recently purchased your new dream home, or you're making plans to buy soon, take a look at our comprehensive "Timeline to Moving" checklist, full of items you'll need to remember before, during and after your move.
Create an inventory of valuable items for insurance purposes. If anything gets lost or damaged, you'll need proof of ownership and condition when you make a claim with the insurance company.
Make sure your new home construction is on schedule. Stay in touch with your homebuilder to ensure that your new home will be ready on time. Your builder should be communicating any hiccups or delays that may occur during the building process but taking initiative is going to give you peace of mind.
Print your floorplan. Have an idea where everything will go once you get to your new home. It will be helpful when it comes to packing and unpacking, plus it's a fun way to think about your new spaces.
Cover your medical needs. Get your medical and dental records to give to future providers. Don't forget the vet records for your pets! You'll also want to research doctors, dentists, vets and pet sitters in your new neighborhood.
Contact your insurance agent. Establish an insurance policy for your new home. Get in touch with your current agent or do some research and find a new one.
Check in with your lender. Make sure your mortgage is on track for the closing date. It's better to get any issues addressed now rather than later.
Cancel services you won't need. If you use a lawn care company and/or a cleaning service, cancel them before you move so you're not wasting any money.
Return your library books. Returning content to your public library from miles away isn't easy, so take care of this beforehand.
Clean up. Dispose of all cleaning solutions or flammable items that can't be moved, including bleach, ammonia, charcoal, gasoline, fireworks, etc. Check with your moving company to get a list of prohibited items.
Get confirmation from your movers. Ensure that your reservation with your moving company is set and get your payment and tip ready so there will be less to worry about on moving day.
Arrange for child/pet care. You're going to be very busy on moving day so reduce the stress by getting someone to look after your children and pets.
Watch the movers. Although most moving companies do their best to take care of your stuff, it never hurts to be diligent to ensure that everything is handled properly.
Leave a note. On the off chance that you leave something important behind, leave a note with your new address for the residents moving into your old home. It will increase your chances of getting your possessions returned.
Turn off the lights and lock the doors. Although your home is now empty, lock it and conserve energy as you normally would. It's a safety precaution and a courtesy to the next tenants.
Moving is a big deal for everyone involved, but it's a lot easier to tackle it in steps. Be sure to take a look at our in-depth moving checklist to help you break down your move—it'll be less stressful, and you'll find yourself getting more excited to move into a brand new home!


text:
Transatlantic Left Voices
History from Below
© Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung
Urban Convergences
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Housing Justice, Left Governments, and Lessons from the Global South
For photos from this event, go to our Flickr page!
Following hard-won liberation struggles against various forms of colonialism, India, Brazil, and South Africa have now emerged as power players on the global stage. While their governments are imbued with the history and rhetoric of past left movements, these countries' major cities are spaces of contestation, pitting the need for universal housing, water and electricity access and employment against the realities of global austerity in the neoliberal age.
This tension is brought closer to home through mega events such as Brazil's upcoming World Cup (2014) and Olympics (2016), as well as South Africa's World Cup (2010) and India's Commonwealth Games (2010). These events seek to transform urban centers of the Global South into cosmopolitan world cities, at the expense of retracting public spaces and services, displacing hundreds of thousands, and further marginalizing the urban poor. How do left governments in these countries address the contradiction of fighting for social justice in a neoliberal world?
Urban Convergences will take this framework as an opening for a series of discussions on how activists, government actors, and academics are confronting these new realities for a vision of a socially just city in the 21st century.
Convened by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office in conjunction with "Parsons The New School Graduate Program in Design & Urban Ecologies."
The Registration is now closed. There will be a standby line at the event.
Download the program of this event.
Friday, 9/27
6:00-6:30pm Registration at The New School
6:30-6:40pm Welcoming Remarks
Stefanie Ehmsen, Co-director, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office
6:40-8:00pm Keynote Addresses
Leda Paulani, Municipal Secretary for Planning, São Paulo, Brazil
Miloon Kothari, Former UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, India
8:00-9:00pm Opening Reception
Saturday, 9/28
9:15-9:30am Welcoming Remarks
Miguel Robles-Durán, Director, Design & Urban Ecologies Department, Parsons The New School for Design
9:30-11:00am The World Cup, Spectacle Capitalism, and the Attack on Fair Housing
The upcoming Brazil World Cup has drawn much attention of late. Billions in taxpayer money have been spent, while the rights and needs of the urban poor have been ignored, leading to mass protests around the country. Indeed, with the World Cup shortly followed by the 2016 Olympics, Brazilians must grapple with a form of spectacle capitalism that privatizes the gains and socializes the costs of mega events – at the expense of the poor and the working class. In this context, what lessons can be learned from South Africa's 2010 World Cup, as well as India's 2010 Commonwealth Games, both in terms of what to expect and how we can fight?
Paul Divakar, General Secretary, Dalit Human Rights/NCDHR, New Delhi, India
Aly Karam, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Eloisa Varela, Joint People's Committees of the World Cup, Brazil
Moderated by Ayşe Çavdar, Istanbul, Turkey
11:00-11:30am Coffee Break
11:30am-1:00pm Focus on Brazil
Brazil's favelas are known the world over. Painful reminders of the human cost of capitalist exploitation, these shanty towns are nonetheless vibrant with culture, economic activity, and political power. The militarized state treatment of favelas, combined with the retraction of basic services and displacement of its population, threatens to quash this character and further isolate and marginalize the country's urban poor. What should we know about the struggles in Brazil's favelas and how they connect to other battles over housing justice and the right to the city?
Samuel Queiroz, People's Committee of the World Cup, Fortaleza
Cosme Felippsen, Community Forum of Porto, Rio de Janeiro
Joana Barros, Federation of Organizations for Social and Educational Assistance, Rio de Janeiro
Moderated by Gerhard Dilger, Director, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—São Paulo Office
1:00-2:00pm Lunch
2:00-3:30pm Focus on India
India has a greater population than the whole of the Americas; it has more distinctive cultures and living languages than Europe. Amidst this great size and diversity is a proud left tradition; there is a variety of socialist and communist parties, some of which have governed whole municipalities or regions for decades. India also has some of the world's largest housing challenges, with slums like Dharavi, in Mumbai, housing close to a million people on less than one square mile. How have different municipal governments dealt with the multiple housing crises of the urban poor? What can we learn particularly from the actions of left municipal governments?
Manisha Verma, Joint Secretary, National Advisory Council of India, New Delhi
Amita Bhide, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
Jayshree Satpute, Director, Nazdeek Alliance for Socio-Economic Rights in South Asia, New Delhi
Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT
Moderated by Ethan Earle, Project Manager, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office
Sunday, 9/29
10:45-11:00am Welcoming Remarks
Rachel Laforest, Executive Director, Right to the City Alliance, New York
11:00am-12:30pm Focus on South Africa
The African National Congress broke South Africa's apartheid, brought democracy to the country, and became an international symbol of proud, successful resistance to colonialism. Today, the ANC retains much of its power but little of its original revolutionary anti-colonialism, instead actively dispensing austerity policies. Nonetheless, the ANC continues to employ leftist rhetoric, and many open socialists work actively within its ranks. How do social movement groups seeking transformative change in today's South Africa relate to the ANC? In what ways does the party's left-wing past create opportunities as well as obstacles in the quest for greater housing justice?
Patrick Bond, Director, Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban
David Ntseng, Church Land Programme, Durban
Najuwa Gallant, Tafelsig People's Association, Cape Town
Muziwakhe Gerald Ndlalose, President, Abahlali baseMjondolo, Durban
Moderated by Rachel Laforest, Executive Director, Right to the City Alliance, New York
12:30-1:30pm Lunch
1:30-3:00pm Workshops
Gentrification in the Global North: New York and Berlin
Peter Marcuse, School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University, New York
Kendall Jackman, Picture the Homeless, New York
Ingo Bader, Alliance Against Rents for Profits, Berlin
Moderated by Katharina Weise, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Berlin
Water & Food: Organizing for Access to Basic Human Rights
Moderated by Sanjay Bharti, Dalit Human Rights/NCDHR, New Delhi
Theory on the Streets: Toward a Theoretical Framework for 21st Century Housing Justice
Moderated by Monami Maulik, Director, Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), New York
3:00-3:30pm Coffee Break
3:30-5:00pm Housing Justice and Left Governments: Opportunities and Obstacles
In this concluding session, panelists will reflect on the previous days' conversations, with a specific focus on the chances and limits of left governments. Which characteristics are shared between Indian, Brazilian, and South African housing conditions and the movements that struggle to improve them? How can the Left come to terms with the contradictory nature of governing in a neoliberal environment?
Josette Cole, Director, Development Action Group, Cape Town, South Africa
Moderated by Albert Scharenberg, Co-director, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office
Location: The New School
Friday: 55 West 13th Street, Arnhold Hall (2nd Floor), The New School
Saturday: 65 West 11th Street (enter at 66 West 12th Street), Wollman Hall (5th Floor), The New School
Sunday: 55 West 13th Street, Arnhold Hall (2nd Floor), The New School
How to Design and Pay for a Green New Deal
Fadhel Kaboub
Global Solidarity, United Nations
Biden's Nuclear Agenda
Joseph Gerson
Bidenfreude: COVID-19 in the Post-Trump U.S.
On the Precipice: A Progressive Agenda in the Biden Era
Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung - New York
Rosa Luxemburg was a radical leftist—a crime punishable by death in her occupied Polish homeland and cause for constant persecution in her adopted home of Germany. She left and continues to leave no room for indifference. She lived out her convictions loudly and without compromise. With human warmth and an intoxicating temperament, she was able to win over many people who accepted her without prejudice. Those who did not see her as an equal, however, responded with fear.
Tweets by rosaluxnyc
275 Madison Ave., #2114
info.nyc@rosalux.org ©2020 Rosa Luxemburg


text:
2020 Record Book
2019 Auction Info
Match Day Central
Volleyball Recruiting Class Ranked Eighth Best in the Nation
The Georgia Tech volleyball team had its 2005 recruiting class named the eighth-best in the nation by prepvolleyball.com. It marks the second time in the last three seasons that Tech has had its recruiting class ranked in the Top 20 as the 2002 class was ranked No. 19.
This year's class consists of Laura DeMichelis, Michelle Kandell, Talisa Kellogg, Callie Miller and Allie Niekamp. Each one was ranked in the top 250 of prepvolleyball.com "Senior Aces" list and four of the five were listed in the top 60.
"We're very proud of our incoming recruiting class and think that they are going to add a tremendous amount of capability and firepower to our program," said head coach Bond Shymansky. "We feel that our recruiting class's ranking is an indication of the direction of our program and is certainly an exciting result as a staff to see that our hard work is paying off and that our program continues to climb. Our two assistants, Ben and Sally, have been an integral part of getting the attention and capturing the hearts of great recruits all over the country."
DeMichelis is a 5-10 outside hitter who enrolled at Tech in January and went through practice with the Yellow Jackets this spring. She was the No. 57 ranked high school senior on prepvolleyball.com on the Senior Aces list and was a member of the USA Youth National Team in 2002 and 2003.
Kandell is a 5-6 libero who was a member of the USA Junior National team in 2004 and plays for the prestigious Mizuno Beach Volleyball Club. She helped her team to a third place finish in the Open Division at last year's Junior Olympics, earning all-tournament honors for her performance.
Kellogg is a 6-1 outside hitter who has been listed by prepvolleybal.com as the No. 19 prospect on the Senior Aces list, as well as the No. 10 outside hitter in her class by the same organization. Kellogg was a member of the USA Junior National team in 2004 and also helped the Central Ohio Volleyball Club to a seventh place finish at the Junior Olympics in 2004.
Miller is a 6-1 middle hitter who was a member of the 2003 and 2004 USA Volleyball Junior National A-2 team and has been listed by prepvolleyball.com as the No. 37 prospect on the Senior Aces list.
Niekamp is a 6-0 setter who has been listed by prepvolleyball.com as the No. 46 prospect on the Senior Aces list as well as the No. 6 setter in her class. In addition, she has been a member of the USA Volleyball Junior National A-2 team in 2003 and 2004.
Player Pos. Ht. Hometown (High School) prepvolleyball.com Ranking Laura DeMichelis OH 5-10 Aurora, Colo. (Overland) No. 57 Michelle Kandell LIB Manhattan Beach, Calif. (Mira Costa) Senior Aces list Talisa Kellogg OH 6-1 Westerville, Ohio (St. Francis de Sales) No. 19 Callie Miller MH 6-1 Whitehouse, Ohio (Anthony Wayne) No. 37 Allie Niekamp S 6-0 Findlay, Ohio (Findlay) No. 46
Prepvolleyball.com Top 10 Recruiting Classes
1. Stanford
2. Penn State
3. Nebraska
5. California
6. Purdue
7. UCLA
8. Georgia Tech
9. Long Beach State
10. Florida
Comments on Georgia Tech recruiting class according to prepvolleyball.com
"The Ramblin Wreck has big holes to fill with the graduation of a substantial portion of its offense, which makes the signings of DeMichelis, Kellogg and Miller key to this class. DeMichelis and Kellogg are both high flyers who should thrive in Georgia Tech's fast offense, while Miller, if healthy, should contend for the M2 position or even move right when setter Lindsey Laband is in the back row. Speaking of back row, Kandell is a vocal leader whose passing prowess should benefit the offense immediately. Niekamp is a highly regarded setter who will get a year to learn from Laband, an honorable mention All American in 2004."
January 7, 2021 Jackets Ranked 18th Nationally in AVCA Coaches Poll
Tech slotted as third-highest ACC team ahead of spring season
Jackets Ranked 18th Nationally in AVCA Coaches Poll
December 17, 2020 Around the Net with Dominique Washington
A Q&A with the senior outside hitter
Around the Net with Dominique Washington


Following up on the earlier launch of Developer Preview of Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 about two months ago, Microsoft today launched a Release Preview of IE 11 browser for Windows 7. Believed to be the last of the update releases before the final version of Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 is out later this fall, it promises to be 30% faster than the other browsers with developer tools improvements and updates to support latest web standards.
According to Microsoft, the new IE 11 release preview for Windows 7 would bring following added benefits to its users.
The new IE Release Preview now supports an un-prefixed version of the emerging standard and With Pointer Events support across the full range of Windows devices (and soon to other browsers), Web sites can easily build experiences that work equally well with the mouse, keyboard, pen, and touch.
As Microsoft claims, IE11 is not only 30% faster than any other browser but it also provides the best Web experience across the full range of Windows devices and screen sizes with mouse, keyboard, and especially touch. IE 11 Release Preview for Windows 7 and Windows 7 64 bit Edition and Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit is already available at the download center.
Based on the feedback of many, Microsoft has included several tools enhancements to increase developer productivity. These include improvements in Console, Debugger, DOM Explorer, Memory and Networking.
Microsoft has found a unique way to embrace the new launch by adding more to its "Browser You Loved to Hate Campaign". Branded under the theme "Rethink Your Relationship with Internet Explore", don't forget to check out the video.
Thanks for the share. When do IE 11 comes live ???
It is expected to be released sometime fall.


When is it time to stop learning?
When do you stop trying to get better?
How do you know you're there?
How do you decide that you don't need to know something?
How do you look at competition? Are you afraid of it? Do you try to keep the competition down or do you make yourself better? Do you help competitors? Do you ever refer people to your competitors? Are you the best or are your competitors just worse than you are?
When is an exclusive relationship warranted? Some networking groups will only allow one member from any particular occupation. I.E., one lawyer, one doctor, one CPA. Is that wise. Who do you want in your group, the best doctor so you can refer them to your friends and they can get healed or the best connected doctor who knows everybody and can refer you to many potential clients? Do you make exclusive relationships with your vendors or customers? Is it two way. Are they the only one in their industry that you sell to? Are you the only one that they buy from? Do you have any "one way streets"?
Even if you've never commented before, now's a good time. Incidentally, if you'd like to comment anonymously, use the link at the top of the page to send me an email. I'll copy the text of your comment without disclosing your identity.
Do you watch movies? Do you ever get lessons from them? If you saw Crocodile Dundee in 1986, you may remember this part of the movie.
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: [chuckling] That's not a knife.
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: *That's* a knife.
How about the Untouchables in 1987? Do you remember this advice from Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery)?
I love movies with a message.


Not less than nine persons slumped at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano while the rally of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is ongoing.
A massive crowd flooded the stadium, making it difficult for movement within the facility.
Newsmen at the venue of the rally said he counted eight persons lying on the ground while security operatives made arrangement for them to be taken to the hospital.
From about 11 am when Atiku arrived Kano, he was only able to reach the venue of the rally at 6 pm as the mammoth crowd lined the streets obstructing traffic following him to all the places he visited.
A former governor of Kano, Rabiu Kwankwao led the crowd as the PDP leaders moved from one place to the other.


text:
O'Brien calls on Minister to lift preconditions to teacher talks and produce the evidence to back her claims
3 December, 2014 - by Jonathan O'Brien TD
Speaking following this week's teachers' strike, Sinn Féin Education Spokesperson Deputy Jonathan O'Brien called on Minister Jan O'Sullivan to drop her preconditions for talks with teachers in order to resolve this dispute.
The Cork North Central TD said:
"I welcome the fact that the Minister is willing to discuss this dispute with the teachers.
"However, placing preconditions on the unions before they even enter the room is not helpful to anybody.
"It is certainly no incentive to engage with the Minister on the matter.
"The TUI and the ASTI have made their position very clear on the matter of internal assessment and the Minister cannot railroad through this policy without their cooperation.
"They have very real concerns about this and deserve to have the Minister listen to them.
"The Minister also said that she has evidence to back up her claims regarding internal assessment, and I have called on her repeatedly to produce this.
"I am further calling on the Minister to lift her preconditions on talks with the unions in order to move past this impasse."


text:
package org.assertj.core.internal.integers;

import static org.assertj.core.test.TestData.someInfo;

import org.assertj.core.api.AssertionInfo;
import org.assertj.core.internal.Integers;
import org.assertj.core.internal.IntegersBaseTest;
import org.junit.Test;

/**
 * Tests for <code>{@link Integers#assertIsNegative(AssertionInfo, Integer)}</code>.
 *
 * @author Alex Ruiz
 * @author Joel Costigliola
 */
public class Integers_assertIsZero_Test extends IntegersBaseTest {

  @Test
  public void should_succeed_since_actual_is_zero() {
    integers.assertIsZero(someInfo(), 0);
  }

  @Test
  public void should_fail_since_actual_is_not_zero() {
    thrown.expectAssertionError("expected:<[0]> but was:<[2]>");
    integers.assertIsZero(someInfo(), 2);
  }

  @Test
  public void should_succeed_since_actual_is_zero_whatever_custom_comparison_strategy_is() {
    integersWithAbsValueComparisonStrategy.assertIsZero(someInfo(), 0);
  }

  @Test
  public void should_fail_since_actual_is_not_zero_whatever_custom_comparison_strategy_is() {
    thrown.expectAssertionError("expected:<[0]> but was:<[1]>");
    integersWithAbsValueComparisonStrategy.assertIsZero(someInfo(), 1);
  }

}


GL events has launched a new seating product for use at major sporting events.
The new product builds on the comfort and design developed by the brand, but now includes roofing and an overhang that protects spectators from the elements.
The new product was deployed for the first time this summer, during the Glasgow 2018 European Championship, and received outstanding spectator feedback. The new design also underlines the increasing consumer trend within sporting events, with consumers looking for more premium quality and comfort.
GL events was the official overlay supporter and also sponsor to the European Championships 2018 in Glasgow, as part of a joint venture with Glasgow-based Field & Lawn. The new roof design was used in the rowing competitions at Strathclyde Country Park in August.


JJ Inns - Harbin Convention & Exhibition Center hotel | Low rates. No booking fees.
Book a room at JJ Inns - Harbin Convention & Exhibition Center hotel online and save money. Best price guaranteed!
JJ Inns - Harbin Convention & Exhibition Center hotel: low rates, no booking fees.
The hotel is located at No.139 Hongqi Street, Xiangfang District in Harbin, Harbin Shi, Heilongjiang, China – see Harbin map ».
Hotels in the neighbourhood of the JJ Inns - Harbin Convention & Exhibition Center hotel are sorted by the distance from this hotel.
In the following list, large airports nearest to JJ Inns - Harbin Convention & Exhibition Center hotel are sorted by the approximate distance from the hotel to the airport.
Airports near to JJ Inns - Harbin Convention & Exhibition Center hotel, not listed above.
In the following list, car rental offices nearest to JJ Inns - Harbin Convention & Exhibition Center hotel are sorted by the approximate distance from the hotel.
The following list shows places and landmarks nearest to JJ Inns - Harbin Convention & Exhibition Center hotel sorted by the distance from the hotel to the centre of the listed place.


When we collaborate on a custom piece of jewelry, my goal is to create a quality and exceptional piece of jewelry that is truly yours, truly personal.
I am honored and excited to work with you, and the journey to the final piece is a labor of love.
If you are interested in getting started on a special piece for yourself or a loved one, or just want to find out more about the process, please fill out the Custom Jewelry Design Form, and I will be in touch with you right away.


text:
UK: HANDY'S VIEW - THE LESSONS OF A SUMMER NIGHT.
UK: HANDY'S VIEW - THE LESSONS OF A SUMMER NIGHT. - Charles Handy, at a musical festival in Italy, discovers in the work of Mahler a message which has as much relevance to organisations as to the individual listener.
Last Updated: 31 Aug 2010
Charles Handy, at a musical festival in Italy, discovers in the work of Mahler a message which has as much relevance to organisations as to the individual listener.
One of the delights of summer is the sound of music in unusual places. To each town and city its festival. Country houses turn into opera venues, parks become the arenas for concerts and stately halls resound to the music of Mozart or Handel. If you want, however, to enjoy one of the more special of these things, then go to Spoleto. Forty years ago, Gian Carlo Menotti, looking for a small town in which to stage a festival of music and theatre in his native Italy, settled on this beautiful but previously unnoticed place in southern Umbria. The three weeks of the Spoleto Festival attract distinguished musicians and performers from all over the world, and the little town hums with music and the arts under the summer sun.
The climax is the final Concerto in Piazza, staged in front of the magnificent cathedral with an audience of some 6,000 seated in the piazza and stretching away up the long flight of steps behind. This year, they performed Mahler's Resurrection symphony, all one and a half hours of it, complete with choir and trumpeters on the balcony, on a balmy night with Menotti, now 85, there to introduce it. Magic, of a sort, even if the gold-bedangled part of the audience had clearly come from Rome more to be seen than to listen.
But there was, to this listener anyway, a message behind the magic.
Writing about this symphony, Mahler observed that each of us must, at some time, question what it is all for. Is life more than a scherzo, he asked, to be rattled through as quickly and harmoniously as possible? Or is there more to it? I will answer that question, he said, in the final movement. That movement is one of the more exciting, upsetting and at the same time uplifting pieces of music one is likely to hear. I listened to it once on my headphones on a plane coming back to Britain over the Atlantic, as dawn was breaking above the clouds, when nature and the music seemed in complete harmony. It was even more powerful in Spoleto.
Everyone, of course, must make their own interpretation of what Mahler was trying to say in that last movement. For me, it was a declaration that, for all its ups and downs, life was about more than surviving, that there could be something glorious about it, that it could contribute to a better world.
That leaves one with a personal challenge, but it may go beyond that.
It is, I believe, a challenge for every organisation and every business that has in effect bought large chunks of other peoples' lives. It is not enough to offer them a scherzo. The survival of the business is not enough to justify their lives.
Business is wont to say that it is all about profit and that the bottom line is, more grandiosely, about increasing shareholder value. That is survival, and survival is, indeed, the bottom line for all of us including every business. But that answer still begs the question, Mahler's question, survival for what? If a business cannot answer that question, it will seem to outsiders to be interested only in itself or its owners and managers, to have no confidence in its raison d'etre, to be mean-spirited and selfish.
If business in the past had a tawdry image among the British, if it was seen as an unworthy profession by those who aspired to a worthwhile life, then it may have been because it was seen to have no proper answer to that question - 'survival for what?' - other than self-enrichment, a scherzo for the fortunate. I have used the past tense because things have changed of recent years. There is more talk now of working for the customers, not just the shareholders, of quality and excellence and pride in one's product.
Great businesses, if one reflects on them, have always been known for the things which they have given to the world rather than the amount that they have taken from the world. Of course, the two go together; satisfied customers come back for more and great products generate great profits. For once virtue does not have to be its own reward.
But it is a question of which comes first. Are the products and the customers there as the means to ever greater profits for the owners, or are the profits the essential ingredient for new growth, better products and life everlasting?
Life everlasting? It is not impossible. Businesses and other organisations have a privilege denied to ordinary mortals - they don't have to die.
They can live beyond our graves and can truly aim for indefinite, if not everlasting, life. The Mitsui corporation and Bologna University are both more than 600 years old and still going strong. The Catholic Church is older still.
To live that long, however, you have to deserve it. Most don't, and quite properly die or are absorbed into something bigger and better. Because to live that long you have to be special, you have constantly to change what you do and how you do it, to grow better although not necessarily bigger, and to have a continuing passion for your work, all exactly as documented by the research into long-lasting companies.
Maybe, I reflected in that piazza, Mahler was hinting at something like that. That if we are to deserve some sort of immortality, even the notion that we have left an indelible mark on time, then we have to aspire to be something special, and to change and to grow forever.
That's a tough challenge, of course, but if that night in Spoleto is anything to go by, it's well worth making the effort.
Revealed: The best job in the UK, a record year for start-ups, the boozer is back


Trio means Three Elephants ! The Painting finished with Acrylic colours on Canvas .
Thunpath Rana ( Trio )- the Mother , Baby & Mother's sister or another female elephant - It is said that when a baby elephant is born another female elephant in the group also begins to lactate as its own mothers milk is insufficient to sustain it.
Ask Nudhi a question regarding "Trio"


In their defense, they said they'd start out paying $12.25, and after 90 days, they'd raise the pay to $15. But still. You've got to admit this is a little ironic. A group that's affiliated with one of the largest unions in the country (AFL-CIO), who campaigns for a $15-per-hour minimum wage, needs to hire someone, and they're paying only $12.25 an hour.
The advertisement was for a job opening at the advocacy group Working America. The group was looking to hire field managers to launch a grassroots effort to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. For his own amusement, McLaughlin asked if it paid $15 an hour.
Not long after, the comment began attracting attention, which prompted the group to delete it, which McLaughlin felt was when it crossed the line. Though his motivation was to be funny, he notes he was open to a serious debate. To him, deleting the comment only served to hurt the dialogue.
If they don't like the unwanted attention, they should stay true to their alleged platform, which is presumably that they want the government to mandate that employers pay their employees at least $15 an hour. If they can't afford to do that themselves, then perhaps they should rethink their platform. Otherwise, they should get used to the ridicule.


text:
LHC Group names Newhouse SVP
Andis Robeznieks
The LHC Group, a Lafayette, La.-based provider of home health and hospice services, named Cathy Newhouse to the new position of senior vice president of clinical program development and innovation. She starts Aug. 15.
Newhouse will oversee LHC clinical information analytics, care transition, telehealth and telemonitoring at more than 300 company locations and oversee clinical relations at 123 LHC-hospital joint ventures, according to an LHC news release.
Newhouse, 49, is a registered nurse and healthcare executive. She served on the CMS' post-acute-care technical expert panel in 2010 and has worked as senior vice president of sales and clinical programs at Almost Family, a Louisville, Ky.-based provider of home health services; and as vice president of specialties with Gentiva Health Services, Melville, N.Y.


text:
Q: Azure Search - hard-code a string value into a field in an index This one is for the MS Azure Search team, unless someone else has run into this and found a resolution for it.
I'm creating an index which is importing data from a SQL Server Database.  I would like to add a field to the index whose value is just "OK" for every document.  This field does not exist in the database and we do not want to add it there.
Is it possible to add a hard-coded field to an Azure Search index which auto-populates with the given string (in this case, "OK") for all documents that get imported?

A: Injecting constant values isn't currently possible with indexers - you would need to add this to the table, or create a SQL query that SELECTs that value, and use that query as your Azure Search datasource.
However, we've seen several customers ask for this, so please vote for this suggestion: Provide field mapping function to inject a constant value into the index. Thanks!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I cleaned up a bit and sculpted a face onto a scan of a cosplayer at one of the ComicCons we had a booth at. I haven't printed her up yet; I just scanned her for fun. Her hair will need supports. I just wanted to leave the curls because I thought they turned out neat.


Padded with a built-in shelf bra to give you support, this Zoggs Monochrome Clipback swimsuit is cut with a high neckline to give you stylish coverage. This is complemented with an open back that offers enhanced freedom of movement. Made from Zoggs' eco-friendly Ecolast™ fabric that's recycled from the ocean, this suit is ultra-chlorine, sun cream and heat resistant and with cleverly designed monochrome panels, this stylish suit flatters your shape.


Vulgar-Death-Grind!? What the hell is that? After I�ve put in the CD I understood what they mean with Vulgar-Death-Grind. These three guys from Palermo Italy are totally out of their mind. I thought Pig Destroyer and Today Is The day is brutal and absolutely unbeatable in noise and insanity, but Balatonizer sets one on top.
Balatonizer takes only the best out of Metal riffing and transfers them into their blend of brutal Grind and sometimes they sound like Slayer on f**ing Speed. These guys also remind me of the good old Impetigo from Chicago, cause they also use a lot of samples from old Italian Gore movies...great stuff. On top you�ll get this nice video of the song Muscular Prevarication...damn cool stuff. One of the best Grind releases I heard in a while and if you dig bands like Pig Destroyer, Cephalic Carnage, Nasum and Today Is The Day.... Occlused In Ottusity is a must.


Description A large group, mostly made up of men, but including a few women, is gathered in front of the Hotel Fontenelle in this black and white photograph. The people in the group are attendees at a federal food administration meeting held in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 11, 1918. The man in the center of the second row, to the right of a woman wearing a large-brimmed hat, may be Gurdon W. Wattles, federal food administrator for Nebraska. The hotel is a brick building with a large awning bearing its name hanging over the door.
Historical Notes The Hotel Fontenelle opened on February 15, 1915. It operated as a hotel until 1971, and the building was razed in 1983. Source: Spencer, Jeffrey S. Building for the Ages: Omaha's Architectural Landmarks. Omaha: Omaha Books, 2003, p. 35.


text:
Furthur Progressions Records evolved from parties thrown across the UK, which brought us in to contact with some of the leading labels and artists in the early 2000's. The basis of experience and wealth of talent we were working with, along with the passion of the team to continue to evolve our experience within the most enlightening medium available to humankind, led us to create a platform for the release of innovative, effective, high-quality music.
The name of Furthur Progressions Records is a combination of two influences. 'Furthur' was the name of the psychedelic bus that carried Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters across the United States, often in the company of bands such as The Grateful Dead and flanked by Hells Angels. The bus was an artistic, sonic experiment that pushed boundaries, carrying some of the maddest and most creative people of the 1960's through their adventures. 'Progressions' refers to the form of music that we love - that which progresses, builds and flows on a path of emotion and joy.
Welcome to Furthur Progressions Records.
Cimi - New Synthesis
Cimi teams up with Furthur Progressions label honcho, Hamish for his latest EP. Paying tribute to Daphne Oram, the original pioneer of electronic music. Oh if only she could hear how far it's come!
Altered State - Command and
Emerging from the dusty trance battlefields, where the armies of the legendary Captain Bass take on the legions of the infamous General Synth in a winner-takes-all clash of psychedelic titans. There can only be one. Command and Conquer.
Caballero - Flora
Caballero has teamed up with Mexican pals, Tap The Flow & Bureleone to bring you this outstanding EP, Flora.
Caballero's signature psy/tech groove shines through in both tracks with their pulsating bass lines. Flora and Loft are driving and powerful with ripping synths and an earthy, psychedelic composure.
Artwork - Miguel Del Lara
Musical Roster
Bedders


Each group is composed by experts, researchers and academics with experience in various disciplines in the field of agriculture, especially for plant production and plant breeding. Experts and academics are engaged in genebank activities, scientific research as well as in teaching programs.
Field Research Group performs activities related to plant genetic resources as collecting, multiplication, regeneration, characterization and evaluation on Cereal crops, Forages crops, Industrial crops, and Medicinal and Aromatic plants. This group also includes Germplasm management section which perform activities about sample processing, germplasm testing, registration and conservation of ex situ germplasm.
Horticulture Research Group performs activities related to plant genetic resources as collecting, multiplication, regeneration, characterization and evaluation on vegetables crops, fruit trees, and grape, subtropical plants, olive and citrus.
Documentation Research Group performs activities related to plant genetic resources documentation, databases, information and publication.


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Group's numbers opposed to net neutrality smaller than suggested
American Commitment's 2.4 million letters to Congress came from about 800,000 people
A conservative group that sent 2.4 million letters to the U.S. Congress opposed to net neutrality regulations didn't actually collect signatures from 2.4 million people, although the group's news release says the letters added millions of new voices to the debate.
Instead, American Commitment, an advocacy group with ties to the Republican billionaire Koch brothers, collected about 814,000 signatures on a petition calling on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to stop its supposed government "takeover" of the Internet.
The group then generated three letters to Congress for each person signing the petition, one letter to each of the signer's two senators and one to each signer's representative.
American Commitment's press release this week didn't specifically say the letters were signed by 2.4 million people, instead referring to the letters as "2.4 million constituent letters." The group's press release also included a quote from Representative Greg Walden, an Oregon Republican and net neutrality critic, who said Congress welcomes "the addition of more than 2.4 million voices to the net neutrality debate."
The group's news release didn't note that the number of letters were based a smaller number of people, but it does say that American Commitment delivered 808,000 comments opposed to net neutrality rules to the FCC before the agency's comment deadline in mid-September.
The group did not intend to mislead people about the number of people who signed the petition, said American Commitment President Phil Kerpen. "I thought it was pretty clear that it was the number of letters that we were talking about ... not the number of individuals," he said. "There was definitely no intention to represent the numbers as anything other than what they were."
BattlefortheNet.com, a coalition of groups calling on the FCC to pass strong net neutrality rules, also reported three times the number of emails sent as the number of people who filed comments with the FCC during a symbolic Internet slowdown protest in September.
BattlefortheNet reported that 777,000 people filed comments with the FCC during the protest and participants sent 2.3 million letters to Congress, although the group didn't spell out how the letters were generated. BattlefortheNet participants didn't imply that each email sent was from a separate individual, one participant in the protest said.
American Commitment's petition doesn't mention the words, "net neutrality" or "open Internet," the FCC's term for the proposed rules.Instead, the group urges people to sign and send the FCC the message "that the American people won't stand for a federal takeover of the Internet." The petition also calls on the FCC to not regulate the Internet.
Nothing in the FCC's proposed rules would amount to a federal takeover of Internet content. Net neutrality rules, even if the FCC reclassified broadband as a regulated public utility as some groups have advocated, also wouldn't amount to the U.S. government taking control of broadband networks. Net neutrality rules could allow the FCC to regulate network management practices and under some proposals allow the agency to ban some business arrangements between broadband providers and Web content producers.
The FCC has received more than 3.7 million public comments related to its proposed net neutrality rules, with the vast majority of those comments calling on the agency to enact rules. American Commitment's 800,000-plus comments opposed to a federal "takeover" of the Internet likely represented the bulk the comments opposed to the rules.


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All posts by sustainabilitynews
Climate Impact & Sea-Level Rise, Who's 1st underwater and what can we do about it? Dr. Bill Cooper, UCI & Dr. Jerry Schubel, Aquarium of the Pacific Join Diana Dehm on Sustainability News & Entertainment Radio
June 30, 2014 sustainabilitynews	Leave a comment
Join Diana Dehm for a fascinating conversation with Dr. Bill Cooper, University of California & Dr. Jerry Schubel, Aquarium of the Pacific for a solutionary conversation about Sea-Level Rise & Climate Impact. Join us and learn about a roadmap for the future. How do we strategically retreat from our coastlines, adapt, think boldly, innovate & deploy disruptive thinking. What's in it for each of us?
Sustainability News & Entertainment Radio with Diana Dehm diana@snaeradio.com
http://blog.sustainabilitynewsandentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/SupportTest1.mp3
Diana Dehm interviews Jigar Shah, Author of "Creating Climate Wealth, Unlocking the Impact Economy".
October 28, 2013 sustainabilitynews	Leave a comment
http://blog.sustainabilitynewsandentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Jigar-Shah-on-Sustainability-News-_-Entertainment-with-Diana-Dehm-10-26-2013.mp3
Join Diana Dehm when she interviews Entrepreneur & Visionary Jigar Shah of Jigar Shah Consulting; former CEO of Sir Richard Branson's Carbon War Room & CEO/Founder of Sun Edison, one of the largest solar services companies in the world. Learn directly about how he is obsessed with leveraging the next economy by solving the challenging issues of our time, so much so he wrote a book about it called "Creating Climate Wealth, Unlocking the Impact Economy".
Sustainability News & Entertainment Radio with Diana Dehm (714) 300.8836
K-12 Schools & Businesses Disruptively Innovating Together…Sustainably
http://blog.sustainabilitynewsandentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/GSNN-Verisoda-3M-on-Sustainability-News-_-Entertainment-Radio-with-Diana-Dehm-10-15-2013.mp3
Join Diana Dehm, Host of Sustainability News & Entertainment Radio as she dives into connecting the dots, while looking closely at solutions already in place that are actually creating the nexus between sustainable business and sustainable schools in support of our next generation!
Join her for a fascinating conversation with:
Jim McGrath, CEO of the Green Schools National Network & Conference
Leonard Freeke, President of Climate Neutral VeriSoda
Michelle Whyle, Global Head of Sustainability, 3M
Register for the Green Schools National Conference, March 27-29, 2014 in Sacramento, CA and meet Jim, Leonard, and Michelle and many others! Diana is excited to be 2014's Emcee again! So be ready for alot of learning, sharing, and Fun!
Office Depot, UL & Casbo Focus on Supporting Green Schools National Network Through Sustainable Supply Chains for Schools
October 1, 2013 sustainabilitynews	Leave a comment
http://blog.sustainabilitynewsandentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/GSNN-Office-Depot-UL-Casbo-on-Sustainability-News-_-Entertainment-Radio-with-Diana-Dehm-9-17-2013-Final.mp3
Join Diana Dehm, Host of Sustainability News & Entertainment Talk Radio, for a fascinating conversation about sustainable purchasing in school across the nation, the impact, the business case, and how teachers, students and administrators are choosing to buy sustainable products and why.
Guests include: Jim McGrath, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the Green Schools National Network and home of the Green Schools National Conference, which will be happening March 27-29 2014 in Sacramento CA.
It's an impact-full conference where students, teachers, businesses, the government, policy makers, non profits, administrators, parents and educational leaders, come together from around the world to learn about how we are creating green schools for our next generation! Diana is excited to be the emcee for the conference again this year. Register and join us at greenschoolsnationalnetwork.org.
Dr. Marilyn Black, will be joins us from Atlanta Georgia, she is the Founder of GREENGUARD, Senior Technical Advisor and LEED AP, Underwriters Laboratories, and she's gives us an overview of the UL Green Guard Certification and the impact in schools.
Yalmaz Siddiqui joins us as well, Yalmaz Siddiqui is the Senior Director of Environmental Strategy at Office Depot in West Palm Beach FL, and he is also the Co-Chair of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council he gives us an update on the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council, and how Office Depot is shifting towards sustainable products.
Last but not least we head to Sacramento CA meet with Tatia Davenport, she is the Deputy Executive Director / COO California Association of School Business Officials where we will learn about "Smart Business Smart Schools", and PROP 39 in CA.
Can Sports Change the Way We Think About Saving Energy? Super Bowl Champs the Baltimore Ravens Run for the Energy Touchdown and Orioles Step Up to the Plate for Sustainability Integration
September 30, 2013 sustainabilitynews	Leave a comment
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Join Sustainability News and Entertainment Host, Diana Dehm, as she talks green sports with Matt Kastel, Manager of Baseball Operations and Events for the Maryland Stadium Authority and Jeff Provenzano, Director of Facility Operations for the Camden Yards Sports Complex.
Tune in and share your thoughts!
Diana Dehm, Sustainability News & Entertainment Radio Host & Coorespondent
USGBC and Green Bronx Machine Talk Green Schools with Diana Dehm
This week's show hones in on the importance of green schools and what the USGBC and Green Bronx Machine are doing to support the cause.
Join Diana Dehm as she discusses with Rachel Gutter of the USGBC and Stephen Ritz of the Green Bronx Machine, some exciting developments occuring in greening our nation's schools, AND teaching up and coming genearations the importance of sustainability!
www.sustainabilitynewsandentertainment.com Twitter: @Diana_dehm_snae www.facebook.com/sustainabilitynewsandentertainment
Christine Soboleski, Sustainability News & Entertainment Talk Radio Correspondent
Seattle Mariners, US EPA and Waste Mangement Talk Sustainable Sports at the Green Sports Alliance Conference
http://blog.sustainabilitynewsandentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Diana-Dehm-9-3-2013.mp3
Now, why are we talking with Baseball Stadium Managers?
Major league sports teams are integrating sustainability
as part of their lifestyle and every day business operations…the
positive financial impact…..and fan fun…..all while lowing their
environmental footprint.
Tune in and learn from Scott Jenkins from the Seattle Mariners, Matt
Bogoshian from the US EPA and Tom Carpenter from Waste Management. as Diana Dehm interviews them at the Green
Sports Alliance in Brooklyn, New York.
US EPA and US Navy representatives Discuss Sustainable Manufacturing and Renewable Energy with Diana Dehm
http://blog.sustainabilitynewsandentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Admiral-Len-Hering.mp3
Join Sustainability News and Entertainment's host Diana Dehm in a fascinating talk about transforming America's manufacturing and energy sectors in a sustainable fashion.
First up is Matt Bogoshian, Senior Advisor at the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution and provides advice and analysis on program and policy initiatives involving pollution prevention and sustainability at the United States EPA and for the Obama Administration. Matt shares what his team is doing to "tune-up" America's manufacturing center while considering the three pillars, people, planet and profit, and how helping the environment can help the economy. Additionally, Matt is helping communities to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and create more sustainable manufacturing ecosystems and shares an exciting incentive opportunity to assist communities in achieving their goals!
Next we speak with retired Rear Admiral Leendert R. "Len" Hering, who now serves as the Executive Director for the California Center for Sustainable Energy. Len discusses the ebb and flow of renewable energy developments as well as the California Center for Sustainable Energy's efforts to connect customer, industry, regulator, and legislators and facilitate market adoption of renewable energy and assist customers in understanding renewable energy.
Green Schools National Network, Keep America Beautiful, and Waste Mangement Discuss Zero Waste Programs in K-12 Schools
September 6, 2013 sustainabilitynews	Leave a comment
Join Diana Dehm, host of Sustainability News and Entertainment, along with our guests this week. We'll be traveling around the nation to discuss one of the most important arenas in becoming a Zero Waste Nation … our K-12 schools. Join us as Diana and our guests discuss the "special sauce" when it comes to creating a Zero Waste Nation, and the extreme importance in educating our youth in becoming the next generation of environmental stewards.
First, we head to Michigan where Jim Mcgrath discusses what it takes for schools across the nation to adopt more sustainable practices on their campuses. The Green Schools National Network provides a platform for nationwide information sharing to take place among schools the U.S.
Next, we head to Washington D.C. to speak with Kelley Dennings, Senior Director of the recycling programs for Keep America Beautiful. Kelley discusses the successes of Keep America Beautiful, future goals set forth by the organization, and how to incentivize recycling programs. Kelley really knows how to make zero waste concepts fun, educational, and economically beneficial!
Last but not least, we have Byron Chafin join the show. Byron is the Director of Education for the Northern Region for Waste Management. Waste Management is the largest waste management company in the world, and they are working towards becoming a zero waste organization with a focus on design with intent. Byron discusses the importance of targeting food waste in schools by implementing compost programs, especially since 25% – 30% of a school's waste stream comes form food waste! Waste Management has an entire program for implementing, rolling out, educating and monitoring composting programs.
Collectively, all of these efforts are making one incredible impact when it comes to becoming a Zero Waste Nation, AND educating our youth. As Diana says, "We just need to support them, educate them, love them and get outta the way!"
Christine Soboleski, Sustainability News and Entertainment Talk Radio Correspondent
Green Schools National Network, Honest C-Tea-O & Health Corps Talk Sustainability, Healthy Foods, and Drinks for Students
August 14, 2013 sustainabilitynews	Leave a comment
Diana Dehm, host of Sustainability News and Entertainment, discusses green schools and healthy food options with this week's guests.
First up is Jim McGrath, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Green Schools National Network. The Green Schools National network is responsible for bringing key stakeholders together at the Green Schools National Conference. At this annual conference students, teachers, businesses, government, policy makers, non-profits, administrators, parents and educational leaders come together to learn how we are creating green schools for our next generation by educating and empowering our youth.
Following Jim is Seth Goldman, President and CTO of Honest Tea, the first organic and Fair Trade bottled tea, now owned by Coca-Cola. Seth discusses why the company is dedicated to providing sustainable beverages to school children, as well as Honest Tea's commitment to honesty.
We wrap things up with Dr. Shawn Hayes, Chief Academic Officer and Director of Research and Education of Health Corps. Health Corps is a non-profit that was founded by Dr. Oz in an effort to fight childhood obesity. Health Corps trains recent college graduates to facilitate wellness programs in high schools around the United States in an effort to change the wellness culture of schools. Health Corps activates and empowers students through health education so they are ready and able to tackle issues concerning health and sustainability.


Department of Labor regulators Thursday clarified a rule tightening investment advice standards.
Department of Labor regulators Thursday clarified a rule tightening investment advice standards to allow insurance companies to continue to sell life insurance and annuities into retirement accounts under an exemption.
The exemption, known as the Best Interest Contract Exemption, allows certain fiduciaries to receive compensation that may otherwise be barred.
Clarifications, or technical amendments, were included among 48 pages of changes posted to the Federal Register's website.
Changes are expected as part of ongoing adjustments to the DOL's wide-ranging Conflict of Interest rule, a document that lays out how companies and retail distributors sell financial products into the trillion-dollar retirement market.
Among the more important changes issued Thursday were fixes to ensure that insurance companies who chose to sell products under the rule's Best Interest Contract Exemption can do so.
Under the Conflict of Interest rule's final version, issued in April, insurance companies relying on the exemption had to be based in a state requiring that actuarial reviews of reserves be conducted annually by an independent actuarial firm.
But such a condition "inadvertently limited the availability of the exemption with respect to insurance companies," according to the DOL's amendment.
"To ensure that the exemption is available to insurance companies as the Department clearly intended in its original rulemaking, Section VIII(e)(3)(iii) is corrected to delete the phrase 'by an independent firm of actuaries,'" the DOL wrote.
State laws require actuarial reviews to make sure insurance companies can pay claims, but the reviews aren't necessarily required to be performed by an independent firm of actuaries.
Because insurance companies are regulated by the states in which they are based, insurers follow the guidance issued by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the DOL's fix is designed to conform with guidance issued by the NAIC.
The DOL is expected to issue more guidance over the next few weeks as industry representatives meet with regulators to clarify details of the 1,023-page rule, the first clauses of which take effect April 10, 2017.
Other corrections issued Thursday fix typographical errors and clarify regulators' intent in a rule which imposes some of most far-reaching changes to the way retirement accounts are managed in more than 40 years.


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Home » Politics & Government » Why the Electoral College?
Why the Electoral College?
"Do away with the electoral college!" That's the cry that emanated from some Democrats after the 2000 election when Al Gore won the popular vote but George Bush won the electoral vote and the presidency. Some, including Hillary Clinton, called for a change in the Constitution to a simply majority vote nationwide to determine the winner. I believe that would be shortsighted and a detriment to our political system. Why? Let me offer a short history of why the Founders chose this method.
Are you aware that the Constitution says nothing about the people as a whole voting for the president?
Did you know that there was no popular vote for presidential candidates in the first elections, and that it only became widespread in the 1820s?
Further, do you realize that the controversial 2000 election could have been decided constitutionally without counting even one vote in Florida? A riot might have ensued, but it could have been done without violating the rule of law.
The Constitution never uses the term "electoral college," but that's how we describe the method set up there for choosing a president. The choice rests, not with a popular vote, but with electors selected by state legislatures. The Founders gave the people a vote for their representatives in the House, but senators were sent to the nation's capital by state legislatures [another whole blog post would be needed to cover that] and those same legislatures were tasked with picking the official slate of electors who would cast a state's vote for president. Why was this?
The reasoning behind it was that legislatures would choose the most trusted, wisest people in the state to decide among the various candidates. That part of the electoral college system hasn't worked as intended. They apparently didn't foresee the country dividing into a rigid party system. Today, when the legislatures pick their electors, they follow the popular vote total for the state and send the slate of electors for the winning party. So, in practice, all the legislatures are doing is rubber-stamping what the people have decided. That's one reason some say the method should be discarded: it doesn't accomplish the purpose for which it was established.
However, there is another aspect of the electoral college system that works quite well, and the main reason why I want to keep it intact—it provides for a proportional vote for the presidency, allowing every state to have some say in who that next president should be. Let me illustrate with that famous map that was circulating on the internet shortly after Bush was declared the winner in 2000. Look at it carefully:
What you see are all the counties in the nation. Every county in red was one Bush took; the blue counties were won by Gore. There is a pattern in the voting. Gore wins most of the big cities/heavily populated areas [plus Indian reservations], while Bush is victorious in the overwhelming number of those counties. In fact, you could travel from the east coast to the west and never cross a county that went for Gore.
Why is this significant?
If we went to a simple majority vote for the presidency, no candidate would ever find his way to many of the states. The entire mid-section of the nation would never see a presidential contender during a campaign. They would spend all their time in the heavy population areas because that's where they would win the most votes. Gore won the popular vote by taking big majorities from places like New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. That means candidates would have to woo urban voters who have their own priorities and policy preferences. Meanwhile, other segments of the population—rural, small town people—who might have different priorities and views of what the government should be doing, would be ignored. No one would ever visit Oklahoma, for instance, or Wyoming, or North Dakota. It wouldn't be worth the time.
At least with the current system, every state has some proportional weight in determining the winner. Candidates cannot dismiss the interests of the vast middle section of the country. The three electoral votes of Wyoming might sometime play a pivotal role in deciding the victor. No one can be ignored completely.
While no electoral system is perfect, I believe allowing states some proportional say is a vast improvement on a simplistic nationwide majority vote. Why should the desires of New York City and a few select other urban areas overwhelm the wishes of other sectors of the nation? Don't worry, New York; you still have a greater proportional vote in the selection. But the current method is far more representative of all the interests of our nation.
Politics & Government, The Historical Muse Bush, Constitution, electoral college, Founding Fathers, Gore
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