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Computer Science Programs; Questions to Ask on Campus Tours Thursday, March 19, 2020
Computer Science Programs; Questions to Ask on Campus Tours
Hosted by Elizabeth Heaton
Zaragoza Guerra Sara Calvert-Kubrom Laurie Peltier
Computer science programs and majors grow in popularity every year. We'll explain what they are, who they are for, and what they look for in applicants. In Office Hours, we're talking through questions to ask on campus tours, whether you're collecting information to determine which schools should end up on your college list or to figure out how you can afford to pay for them.
Getting In: A College Coach Conversation
Thursday at 1 PM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel
Planning for college? Tune into Getting In: A College Coach Conversation for tips, techniques, and insider perspectives. Hosted by Elizabeth Heaton, a former admissions officer at the University of Pennsylvania, and featuring her fellow admissions and college finance experts from Bright Horizons College Coach, the show shares what colleges are really looking for and how to highlight your hard-won achievements for the best chance at success. New episodes air every Thursday at 4 PM Eastern Time, 1 PM Pacific Time on the VoiceAmerica Variety channel.
Elizabeth Heaton
Elizabeth Heaton is the senior director of educational consulting and strategic marketing at College Coach, the nation's leading provider of educational advisory services. Ms. Heaton began her admissions career at the University of Pennsylvania, where she chaired university selection committees, evaluated potential athletic recruits as one of the school's athletics liaisons, and oversaw the university's portfolio of admissions publications. She also served as second chair in the selection committee for the school's flagship interdisciplinary Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology. A graduate of Cornell University, Ms. Heaton brings exceptional skills to the craft of essay writing paired with experience reading and evaluating thousands of Penn admissions applications. She is featured regularly in news outlets including Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, Time, US News and World Report, Boston Globe, and ABC News, among others, and can offer expert advice on a wide range of college admissions topics, from colleges' expectations for high school curriculum choices and standardized test scores to choosing the right extracurricular activities and essay topics. Prior to joining Penn, Ms. Heaton worked as a public relations professional and served for a decade as a member of the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network.
College Coach Website
College Coach Blog


Do you want to make someone really happy? Why not offer them a Just For Laughs gift certificate! Available in various denominations so as to fit any budget, the Just For Laughs certificates are exchangeable for any products and comedy shows sold by the Just For Laughs Box Office. Give the gift of laughter!


The 'Chef' in question happened to be hosting that night. She overheard the dinner guest and laughed to herself. Yes. Chiuho Duval cooks! When it comes to creating the weekly dinner special, she really cooks.
Chiuho gets her inspiration for weekly dinner specials from the seasonal produce she finds at local farmers markets and from local stores like City Market, where she recently got busted for dancing in front of the heirloom tomatoes. Hmm…You say. Dancing tomatoes does not sound like Chinese food. But you'd be wrong.
Tomatoes are indeed part of the palette. In fact there is a stir-fried egg and tomato dish that is the cultural equivalent of our grilled cheese sandwich. It is a comfort food that is often the first thing little kids learn to cook.
Dancing in the produce department is a little bit harder to explain. Chef Chiuho Duval gets her inspiration from many things, foremost on this list is the availability of fresh, local foods, like Heirloom tomatoes. She also gets inspiration from color and music. When the three come together, something magical is bound to happen, including dancing.
The song list below and the heirloom tomatoes above inspired a succulent scallop dish. She was going to reduce the tomatoes into a coulis, but their texture, taste and vibrant color inspired her to keep them fresh. The scallops were lightly battered and crisp; she combined the tomatoes with plum and seasoned them with basil, lemon, salt and pepper and poured them over the scallops.
You wont hear these songs at the restaurant, but you might taste their influence on your plate.


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Duluth School Dist. Plans For Full Elementary In-Person Learning By Feb. 8
Dan Hanger,
DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth School District is moving forward with plans to bring back elementary students for in-person learning next year.
The Duluth School Board will discuss those plans at their committee of the whole meeting Monday night.
The plans include full in-person learning for kindergarten through second grade to begin Monday, Jan. 25.
Grades three through five will go full in-person learning Monday, Feb. 8.
The district says this decision was made at the guidance of Gov. Walz who announced last week the prioritizing of in-person learning for elementary students.
The district released the following information Monday as a press release:
There will be an informational item on the Monday December 21 Committee of the Whole Duluth School Board meeting related to Governor Walz's announcement on Thursday prioritizing in-person learning for elementary students.
The Board and district administrators will review the announcement and the planning necessary to restart full in-person classes for kindergarten through second grade on Monday, January 25, and grades three through five on Monday, February 8. Families may choose to remain in distance learning if they wish
According to the new state guidelines, returning to full in-person learning at elementary requires a rolling start, with no more than 3 grade level bands added during a two-week period.
Minnesota's Safe Learning Plan requires 2 to 5 days for preparation and transition to a less restrictive model change. Duluth schools would use three days, beginning after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday January 18. Friday January 22 is semester break.
As per the state's Safe Learning Plan, ISD 709 middle school and high school students must continue with distance learning, with exploration and planning for returning to in-person learning as conditions and guidance allow.
The new state guidance is designed to prioritize in-person learning for the state's youngest students. Per the Governor's announcement:
Schools play a critical role in the health, well-being, and education of Minnesota's children.
Youngest kids are less susceptible to serious complications from COVID-19.
We have learned how to reduce spread in schools from success in other settings.
Recent research shared by the CDC indicates that children who tested positive for COVID 19 were more likely to have attended gatherings such as weddings, parties and playdates and not as likely to have attended child care or school in-person.
Categories: Coronavirus, Education, Minnesota, News, News – Latest News
Superior School Board Gives School Nurses A Pay Raise
UWS Awards 400 Students With About $150,000 In Grant Funding
Deadline Looms to Apply for 'FOX 21 Strength in the Community Scholarship'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Medinila (Medinilla) je rod rostlin z čeledi melastomovité. Zahrnuje přes 300 druhů a je rozšířen v tropech Starého světa. Medinily jsou pozemní nebo epifytní dřeviny s jednoduchými vstřícnými listy s charakteristickou žilnatinou a s květy v nápadných květenstvích. Některé druhy se pěstují jako okrasné rostliny, nejznámější je Medinilla magnifica, pocházející z Filipín.

Popis
Medinily jsou nejčastěji keře nebo malé stromy, řidčeji i liány. Rostou na zemi nebo jako epifyty. Stonky jsou čtyřhranné nebo oblé, u některých zástupců mohou být sukulentní nebo korkovité. Listy jsou vstřícné nebo přeslenité, řapíkaté nebo přisedlé, celokrajné nebo na okraji zubaté, obvykle lysé. Žilnatina listů je charakteristická, hlavní střední žilka se větví na několik nápadných souběžných žilek směřujících k vrcholu listu a propojených většinou málo zřetelnými postranními žilkami. Květy jsou uspořádané ve vrcholících nebo vrcholičnatých latách, květenství jsou vrcholová nebo postranní, někdy vyrůstají ze starších holých stonků nebo dokonce z uzlin oddenku. Květy jsou čtyřčetné nebo řidčeji až šestičetné, stopkaté, s miskovitou, nálevkovitou, zvonkovitou nebo trubkovitou češulí. Kalich je srostlý, laloky jsou zřetelné nebo nezřetelné. Korunní lístky jsou vejčité, obvejčité až téměř okrouhlé. Tyčinek je dvojnásobný počet oproti počtu korunních lístků a jsou obdobného nebo lehce rozdílného tvaru a velikosti. Prašníky jsou čárkovité, kopinaté až podlouhlé, na bázi s hrbolky až přívěsky, na vrcholu zobanité. Spojidlo prašníků tvoří ostruhu. Semeník je spodní. Plodem je kulovitá nebo vejcovitá bobule obsahující mnoho drobných semen.

Rozšíření
Rod medinila zahrnuje asi 300 až 400 druhů. Je rozšířen v tropické Africe, Madagaskaru, Asii, Tichomoří a severovýchodní Austrálii. Nejvíce druhů se vyskytuje v jihovýchodní Asii (asi 85 druhů, zejména na Filipínách a Borneu) a na Madagaskaru (70 druhů). Z kontinentální Afriky jsou uváděny jen 2 druhy, z australského Queenslandu jeden.

Význam
Nejznámějším druhem je Medinilla magnifica, pocházející z Filipín. Rostlina je nápadná bizarním květenstvím s velkými narůžovělými listeny. Je pěstována jako botanická zvláštnost zejména v botanických zahradách. Z dalších druhů jsou pěstovány např. Medinilla miniata, M. myriantha a M. scortechinii, pocházející vesměs rovněž z oblasti jihovýchodní Asie. Ze sbírek českých botanických zahrad je uváděna celá řada dalších druhů.

Reference

Externí odkazy

Melastomovité
Flóra východní tropické Afriky
Flóra západní tropické Afriky
Flóra středozápadní tropické Afriky
Flóra západního Indického oceánu
Flóra Austrálie
Flóra Číny
Flóra východní Asie
Flóra Tichomoří
Flóra Indického subkontinentu
Flóra Indočíny
Flóra jihovýchodní Asie
Flóra Papuasie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


FastIraq has launched expanded network capabilities in the Basra region with locations in Basra, Zubair and Qurna. FastIraq has connected these Points of Presence (POP) using the ITPC SDH domestic backbone to provide SDH & MPLS services to domestic and international enterprise customers operating in and around the oil fields within Southern Iraq.
FastIraq's staff maintain access to all major oilfields and comply with all international Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) standards.


We represent some of the most beautiful communities in the world. Our team knows these areas like the back of their hand – from schools to hidden trails to local dining hot spots. Click to explore one of the communities we serve and you'll quickly understand why living in San Diego is like living a permanent vacation.


Located on the fringes of Nagarhole National Park, here is a list of upscale resorts with Nature and wildlife as core theme.
Jungle Lodges (JLR) : One of its kind with the charm of the bygone era still in the air, JLR was once the private hunting lodges for the Maharajs's of Mysore. JRL is located by the Kabini backwaters on the southeast fringes, of Nagarhole.
Orange County Kabini: If Orange County Coorg is all about plantation experience at its authentic best, Orange County Kabini is all about wildlife with an eerie remoteness hanging in the air. Located on the banks of Kabini backwaters, Orange Country is rather closer to the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary than Nagarhole, all of which are contiguous forest ranges.
The Serai Kabini: An outstanding upscale resort of international repute. The Serai is located near to JLR by the banks of Kabini backwaters.
The King's Sanctuary: Located very next to the northern entrance of Nagathole National Park. This ecco-resort is at an exotic location.
Water Woods: Waterwoods is located between JLR and Orange County Kabini.
Bison Valley : Another popular resort by the park's southeastern boarder.
KAAV : Kaav almost shares the boarder with the national park. This too is near Karapura village on the southeast fringes of the park.


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Former, current Michigan players jacked for Michael Jordan appearance
Lev Facher
Special to Detroit Free Press
Former Michigan defensive end Mike Martin witnessed dozens of pre-kickoff coin flips during his four years in Ann Arbor, but none involved Michael Jordan.
Michigan's current roster, odd as it might sound, will witness exactly that before the Sept. 3 opener against Hawaii at Michigan Stadium.
Jim Harbaugh told the NFL Network last week that, as part of the school's transition to using Nike as its official merchandise and apparel provider, Jordan will serve as Michigan's honorary captain for that game. The prospect is generating excitement from current and former players.
"It's nice," said current Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton on Sunday at Martin's youth football camp at Pioneer High School. "He's a legend, he's an icon. You go anywhere in the world, everybody knows who Michael Jordan is. It's fun to be the first Jordan football team, and to have him be the honorary captain and showing some love to Michigan sports even though he's a North Carolina guy."
• Projected starters: 2016 Michigan football team
Michigan always has been a national brand, Martin said, but there's something special about becoming the first nonbasketball entity to affiliate with Jordan's iconic Jumpman label.
Besides, Michigan football alumni currently in the NFL still get U-M gear, so they can stay current as they represent their alma mater. Martin said he has never been this excited to receive a shipment from Michigan's equipment staff.
Charlton, too, said he and his teammates have been waiting on the gear for months.
"We're loving it, and we're definitely going to love the gear that we get from it," Charlton said. "We're going to love the relationship we have with the Jordan family."
The move played into the persona Harbaugh has created for himself at Michigan, according to Martin: Every move brings attention, and attention brings recruiting benefits.
"You're put under more of a microscope because of brands we're attached to," Martin said. "You see Harbaugh, he's with everyone, going everywhere. He took a picture with Jerry Springer at Disneyland a couple days ago."
In that interview, Harbaugh mentioned that along with Jordan and NFL Network host Rich Eisen, a Michigan alumnus, he had extended invitations to Michelle Obama and Donald Trump to serve as honorary Michigan captains.
Those invitations came as news to Charlton, who could only smile when asked to consider the spectacle of an Obama or Trump in the Big House just before kickoff.
"I have no clue," Charlton said. "Our job is to play football and win games. Everything else, we'll leave to Coach Harbaugh."
How Brock Mealer landed a spot at Republican convention
Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!


Reactive magnesia (MgO)-activated ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS), with fixed GGBS dosages but varying MgO/GGBS ratios, was used for stabilization of two soils and compared with brucite (Mg(OH)2)-activated GGBS and hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2)-activated GGBS. A range of tests, including unconfined compressive strength testing, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy, was conducted to study the mechanical, chemical, and microstructural properties of the stabilized soils, and then to investigate the mechanism of MgO–GGBS soil stabilization. Results indicate that the Mg(OH)2 had a minimal activating efficacy for GGBS-stabilized soil, while the reactive MgO yielded a higher activating efficacy than the Ca(OH)2. The activator–soil reactions in the stabilized soil slowed down the activating reaction rate for GGBS; this effect was less significant in MgO–GGBS-stabilized soil than in Ca(OH)2–GGBS-stabilized soil, and hence the GGBS hydration rate in the former was less reduced by the soil than the latter. The Mg2+ and OH− ions produced from MgO dissolution participated in the GGBS hydration reactions without precipitating Mg(OH)2. The common hydration products in all GGBS-stabilized soils were calcium silicate hydrate–like compounds. Additionally, hydrotalcite and calcite could be produced in MgO–GGBS- and Ca(OH)2–GGBS-stabilized soils, respectively, especially with a high activator/GGBS ratio.
Yi, Y., Liska, M., Jin, F., and Al-Tabbaa, A.


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Q: Is there a way to disable PageView clipping effect? Let say I have a PageView sized {100x100} with 4 children, so there will be only 1 child visible at the time, until I scroll to the second child. What I want is to make all 4 children are visible on the screen. Is there a way to achieve this?

A: Answering my own question is kind of funny, but I'm doing it anyway, thought that someone might need this.
Thanks to this post: Non-center alignment for PageView with viewportFraction < 1.0
Now I can apply PageScrollPhysics() to a ListView to achieve this effect.
Like this:
var _listView = ListView(physics: PageScrollPhysics());

As @Ferdi said, PageView is not designed for this. So just go with ListView or SingleChildScrollView() and apply the PageScrollPhysics(), it will do the trick!

A: You're question seems a bit unclear indeed. I assume what you want is to see all our PageView in a single screen.
Well in not why PageView was created for.
Here a brief description of PageView:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1gE9xvph-A
And here's the official doc for PageView
Also if you still want the effect I would suggest you to encapsulate your four PageView (actually change to Container) into a row with a global gestureDetector.
Hope it's help !!

A: There is a way you can achieve this with the PageView. Define a PageController with a view port fraction you need.
Example:
final PageController _controller = PageController(viewportFraction: 0.3333);
//(0.3333 i.e 1/3 indicates to fit 3 tiles on view port, for 4 use `0.25` i.e `1/4`)

then pass the controller to the PageView
PageView(
  controller: _controller,
  children: [...] // your page widgets
)

Hope this helps!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Q: is there any way to reduce PNG size? as
bm.compress(Bitmap.CompressFormat.PNG, 50, out);
//here 50 will not work as PNG is lossless
how to reduce .png image size?
also just coping to external location from drawable make file size increase by 5 to 10 times?
Bitmap bm=BitmapFactory.decodeResource(getResources(),R.drawable.ic_launcher);

String extStorageDirectory = Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().toString();

File file = new File(extStorageDirectory, "ic_launcher.PNG");
outStream = new FileOutputStream(file);
bm.compress(Bitmap.CompressFormat.PNG, 100, outStream);
outStream.flush();
outStream.close();

A: 1)If your pngs are pre defined you can use tiny png service to have very small pngs. The service is reducing png size about 60 percents, without any noticable change.
2)If your pngs are created/get during runtime, try to use Bitmap.createScaledBitmap() method. With this method you can create small size pngs.
In the method
bm.compress(Bitmap.CompressFormat.PNG, 100, outStream);
100 is ignored in case of PNG. Because it's lossless. Instead you can use
bm.compress(Bitmap.CompressFormat.JPEG, 80, outStream);

This one will give you small size and will compress faster.

A: I know this is old, but I will still answer for any future seekers.
Android's Bitmap class is pretty limited in compressing PNG. It only creates PNG-32 with limited optimization. The aapt program, that packages your apk file, does optimize the PNG file. Therefore when you are uncompressing and reading your PNG file into a bitmap, and then compressing it with the the bitmap class, you are getting a much larger file.
You can use the pngj library, which supports much better compression of PNG files.
But based on your description you don't seem to edit the files in the app, you just copy from the resources to the card, so all you need to do is include the PNG file in the raw folder, and retrieve a stream to it by calling openRawResource(), and copying it directly to card. You may further optimize the original PNG file, by using TinyPNG before including it in your app.

A: Do you want to stick strictly to PNG? Bitmap.compressFormat.JPEG would be able to compress much more.
The only way to reduce PNG file size is to reduce the PNG image dimensions to something smaller. I don't think that's straight forward with pure Android, but there are image libraries you can use for this.
You can also write it yourself by creating a new Bitmap object and manually reading from original using getPixels(...), pocessing them to downscale, and writing the new one. But I would not recommend that, resizing can be tricky to get working properly with anti-aliasing.

A: You are keeping the quality of bitmap as it is. is it necessary for you? if not so, you can reduce size as bm.compress(Bitmap.CompressFormat.PNG, 50, outStream); . here the 50 is the quality of bitmap being compressed. another option is to use Bitmap.Option Before Loading the Bitmap into Memory.
BitmapFactory.Options options = new BitmapFactory.Options();
    options.inJustDecodeBounds = false;
    options.inSampleSize = 3;
    try{
        mBitmapImage = BitmapFactory.decodeFile(mPhotoPath.replace("file://" , ""), options);
    }catch(Exception e){
        e.printStackTrace();
        throw new OutOfMemoryError("Device Out of Memory, can't obtain Bitmap");
    }

if you just want to get the size of Bitmap, make options.inJustDecodeBounds = true. it's helpful to prevent runtime crashes of application
for more information on Bitmap loading and compression refer to the developer docs https://developer.android.com/topic/performance/graphics/load-bitmap
Bitmap class is not that much helpful compressing PNG. It only creates PNG-32 with limited optimization. The aapt, does optimize the PNG file. hence, when you are uncompressing and reading your PNG file into a bitmap, and then compressing it with the bitmap class, you are getting a much larger file.
You can use the pngj library, which supports better compression and optimization of PNG files.
According to your description you don't seem to edit the files in the app, you may just copy from the resources to the card, so all you need to do is include the PNG file in the raw folder, and retrieve a stream to it by calling openRawResource() method, and copying it directly to card. You may further optimize the original PNG file using TinyPNG before including it in your app.


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Optimistic plans for Broadway's return to Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced the eight-time Tony Award-winning "Hadestown" will launch the 2021 return of the PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series next Sept. 7-12.
"Given the state of the virus, positive news regarding a vaccine and reports from Broadway touring industry," the Trust believes it will be all systems go by then, announcing a revised seven-show series also featuring:
• "Pretty Woman: The Musical," Oct. 26-31.
• "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical," Nov. 16-21.
• "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!" Jan. 4-9, 2022.
• "Hamilton," Feb. 22 to March 13, 2022.
• "To Kill A Mockingbird," April 19-24, 2022.
• "Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations," May 17-22, 2022.
"We are very optimistic about the return of touring Broadway productions to Pittsburgh in 2021," said Marc Fleming, vice president of marketing, communications and Broadway programming for the Cultural Trust. "We have been using our 'intermission' to keep in contact with producers, booking agents and national tours and stay up to date with the news of the industry. I think our Pittsburgh Broadway family will be very happy with what we have coming up in 2021."
Subscriptions for the new seven-show package are on sale now for new ticket buyers at TrustArts.org/Broadway.
Current season ticket-holders will be given priority and their seats automatically will be moved into the new show dates. In a press release, the Trust said services members will contact season ticket-holders in the coming weeks to make this shift seamless.


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Il Sonderkommando Elba è un'unità speciale della Luftwaffe creata nel 1945 su consiglio del colonnello Hans-Joachim Herrman con l'obbiettivo di interrompere per un periodo di almeno sei settimane i bombardamenti alleati sulla Germania. Tale periodo era infatti necessario all'alto comando tedesco per schierare i nuovi caccia a reazione Messerschmitt Me 262, essenziali per riottenere la supremazia aerea sui cieli tedeschi.

Descrizione
La particolarità di quest'unità speciale risiedeva nel fatto che i piloti, dotati di versioni speciali alleggerite del Messerschmitt Bf 109 a cui erano state eliminate le mitragliatrici e la corazzatura, dovessero speronare gli aerei alleati, e non tentare di abbatterli con le mitragliatrici. Questa tattica derivava dal fatto che i caccia tedeschi, più leggeri e veloci rispetto ai pesanti bombardieri alleati, potevano evitare il fuoco di sbarramento proveniente dalle torrette antiaeree e abbattersi sugli obbiettivi senza dover fare da bersaglio mentre mitragliavano i velivoli avversari.

Quest'unità, composta da volontari, è dissimile però dalle "unità suicide", come i kamikaze nipponici (che imbarcavano anche esplosivo), in quanto i piloti, una volta speronato con il proprio aereo l'obbiettivo, dovevano lanciarsi con il paracadute e rientrare, se possibile, alla base per partecipare a nuove sortite.

I piloti di quest'unità erano stati addestrati ad adottare diverse tattiche di speronamento. Le principali erano di tentare di falciare la coda o le ali dei velivoli alleati oppure di colpire frontalmente la cabina di pilotaggio. Il punto nevralgico a cui puntare era però posizionato tra le ali e la sezione di coda, in quanto un colpo diretto in quella zona avrebbe potuto spezzare in due parti il bombardiere.

Operazioni
L'unico combattimento di quest'unità avvenne il 7 aprile 1945. 180 Bf 109 pilotati da volontari attaccarono a più riprese varie formazioni di bombardieri americani Consolidated B-24 Liberator e Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. 15 di essi vennero colpiti da queste azioni di attacco, e otto andarono distrutti.

L'attacco che ebbe maggior rilievo fu portato dal pilota Heinrich Rosner contro un B24 del 389º gruppo da bombardamento denominato Palace of Dallas. Dopo aver girato attorno alla formazione dei Liberator, i quali non potevano aprire il fuoco per non rischiare di incorrere in fuoco amico, Rosner puntò sul bombardiere in testa e si lanciò poco prima che il suo Bf 109 tranciasse di netto con la propria ala la cabina del Palace, per poi rimbalzare su di un altro B24 che si trovava lì accanto, provocandone la distruzione.

Note

Unità militari aeree
Germania nella seconda guerra mondiale
Aviazione militare tedesca


Who Benefits Most from Targeted Corporate Tax Incentives?
An update to this study is available here.
Taking advantage of the tragic Gulf oil spill, some legislators are attempting to turn the energy bill being debated in Congress into a vehicle to repeal the tax code's "subsidies" to the oil and gas industry.
A White House proposal to eliminate tax expenditures that benefit oil and gas companies would, according to FY 2011 Budget, collect an additional $36 billion over ten years. However, this includes several provisions that benefit a broad cross-section of industries. Some interest groups have piled on, claiming even bigger tax collections are possible.
These charges invite the larger question: How valuable are tax provisions that benefit particular industries or groups of people?
We can find these answers within President Obama's 2011 budget published last February, in a volume titled Analytical Perspectives. This volume contains estimates produced by the Treasury's Office of Tax Analysis of the budgetary costs of all of the tax preferences benefiting both corporate and individual taxpayers. In budgetary parlance, these preferences are called tax expenditures.
When we add up all of the tax expenditures available to corporations in 2011, they total $102 billion. While this is a lot of money to be sure, these preferences taken together are still less than the budgetary cost of popular individual tax breaks such as the mortgage interest deduction ($104 billion), individual tax breaks benefiting state and local government ($96 billion), and the exclusion for employer-provided health insurance ($174 billion).
• Changes to depreciation rules.
As Figure 1 shows, the largest category of corporate tax expenditures, with a budgetary cost of $54.4 billion in 2011, is the collection of provisions that are generally available to all firms regardless of industry. Some of the tax provisions in this category—such as the deferral of taxes on active income earned abroad and the domestic manufacturing deduction—are the same provisions that the administration wrongly ascribed as unjustly benefiting the oil and gas industry.
For the administration to argue that it is unjust for oil companies to benefit from a generally available tax provision is no more valid than to argue that because people don't like lawyers, it is somehow "unjust" when a lawyer takes advantage of the mortgage interest deduction. When these generally available provisions are subtracted from the administration's figures, their estimate of the "tax subsidies" benefiting the oil industry is cut by roughly half.
The next largest category is "Industry-Specific Preferences" with a budgetary cost of $19.6 billion in 2011. The majority of these industry-specific provisions, some $11 billion in total, benefit companies engaged in renewable energy activities—the biggest of which is the alcohol fuel credit ($8.85 billion)—and energy production activities—such as the energy production credit ($1 billion). These large tax benefits renewable energy firms are actually tax penalties on the oil and gas industry because wind and solar energy are substitutes for oil and gas.
So where are the "subsidies" to the oil and gas industry? They are to be found in the category "Changes to Depreciation Rules." Over the years, lawmakers have enacted numerous changes to the standard depreciation rules—which require firms to write down an investment over time—in order to persuade firms to invest in activities that Congress thought were not receiving enough investment capital.
The majority of these provisions benefit companies engaged in oil, gas, minerals, and renewable resource activities. The total value of benefits available to oil and gas firms is about $2.8 billion while those available to mining and timber firms is less than $1 billion.
Figure 2 compares the budgetary cost of the different types of corporate tax expenditures that benefit specific industries with those that benefit specific sectors such as state and local governments, charities, and even the "manufacturing" sector.
It turns out that in 2011, state and local governments will benefit more from "corporate" tax expenditures—due to the tax exclusion for municipal bonds—than will any other targeted industry or sector, nearly five times as much as the oil and gas industry alone. However, other types of energy firms, such as those engaged in renewable and energy-efficient activities, will benefit from more than $11 billion in tax expenditures—more than the $10 billion that all domestic manufacturers will benefit from.
The low-income housing industry will benefit from nearly $6 billion in tax expenditures, twice what the oil and gas industry will benefit from. And as the chart clearly shows, the tax benefits available to oil and gas are roughly on-par with the budgetary costs of the tax benefits for the insurance industry and charities.
Not surprisingly, there has been a lot of rhetoric about how much certain industries—such as the oil and gas industry—are being "subsidized" by the tax code. What should surprise people is that all of the corporate tax preferences taken together are still less than the budgetary costs of the preferences available to individuals such as the mortgage interest deduction and the exclusion for employer-provided health insurance.
More surprising still, state and local governments are the biggest beneficiaries of corporate tax expenditures. And among energy firms, producers of renewable energy receive more than four times as much in tax benefits as the oil and gas industry.
 Sima J. Gandhi, "Eliminating Tax Subsidies for Oil Companies," Center for American Progress, May 13, 2010.
 Budget of the United States, Fiscal Year 2011, Analytical Perspectives, p. 207.
 Tax expenditures are interactive, so the official estimates only apply to eliminating any one of them.


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Street Sweepers will follow the schedule below for 2018. The goal of this schedule is to sweep every street in Hamilton every two weeks. Once the following two week routes have been completed, the sweepers will start over at the beginning of the schedule. All three street sweepers will be on the same route, on the same day. Street sweeping is expected to start on April 30th and continue on this rotation until November 30th (weather dependent) this year.
To help us keep our streets clean, residents should park their cars off of the street (if possible) on the day that the sweepers are going to be in their neighborhood. Residents can also help out by making sure that their trees and bushes are trimmed away from the curb and tree branches are at least 15 feet above the street level. If tree limbs are hanging lower than 15 feet above the street, the sweepers will not be able to get close enough to the curb to sweep up all of the debris.
Route 5 – An area bounded on the north by High Street and Princeton Road; on the east by the corporation line; on the south by the corporation line; and on the west by Dixie Highway and the CSX Railroad.
Route 4 – An area bounded on the north by the Hamilton Hydraulic Canal; on the east by the corporation line; on the south by Princeton Road and High Street; and on the west by the CSX Railroad.
Route 3 – An area bounded on the north by the Hamilton Hydraulic Canal; on the east by the CSX Railroad; on the south by Knightsbridge Drive and including all Knightsbridge Drive addresses; and on the west by the Great Miami River.
Route 2 – An area bounded on the north by Knightsbridge Drive but not including Knightsbridge addresses; on the east by the CSX Railroad and Pleasant Avenue but not including Pleasant Avenue addresses; on the south by the corporation line and Symmes Road; and on the west by the Great Miami River.
Route 1 – An area bounded on the north by Dixie Highway to the intersection of Dixie and Central; on the east by Central Avenue and Dixie Highway and including all Dixie Highway addresses; on the west by Pleasant Avenue and including all Pleasant Avenue addresses; and on the south by the corporation line and Symmes Road.
Route 6 – An area bounded on the north by the corporation line; on the east by the Great Miami River; on the south by Rhea Avenue but not including Rhea Avenue addresses; and on the west by Eaton Avenue but not including Eaton Avenue addresses.
Route 7 – An area bounded on the north by the corporation line and by Rhea Avenue including all Rhea Avenue addresses; on the east by Eaton Avenue and including all Eaton Avenue addresses and by the Great Miami River; on the south by Main Street but not including Main Street addresses; and on the west by the corporation line.
Route 8 – An area bounded on the north by the corporation line; on the east by Main Street and including all Main Street addresses; on the south by the CSX Railroad and Millville Avenue but not including Millville Avenue addresses; and on the west by the corporation line.
Route 9 – An area bounded on the north by the CSX Railroad, Millville Avenue and Main Street and including addresses on Millville Avenue and Main Street; on the east by the Great Miami River; on the south by New London Road and Ross-Hanover Road; and on the west by the corporation line.
Route 10 – An area bounded on the north by Ross-Hanover Road and New London Road and including all addresses on Ross-Hanover Road and New London Road; on the east by the Great Miami River; on the south by the corporation line; and on the west by the corporation line.


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Smell Your Medicine...!
By Dr. Jean Talleyrand
A pheromone is any chemical an animal produces which changes the behavior or physiology of another animal of the same species (animals include insects). Pheromones are not hormones. The difference is that pheromones act outside the pheromone-producing animal, while hormones act inside the hormone-producing animal. In fact, there is no defined chemical structure to a pheromone. Scientists are not even sure they exist!! Pheromones are supposed to cause behavior changes, like making another animal sexually aroused or warding off others from marked territory. Pheromones don't necessarily have an odor, but they are often described as having an odor or causing its effect through scent. In review of clinical studies on pheromones, often it is the sweat or oil on the skin of a animal that is believed to contain the pheromone.
There exists a group of chemicals that are known for their scent or external effect. They are called terpenes or terpenoids. Terpenes are mostly produced by plants, and sometimes by insects. They have a strong odor and are believed to prevent infection or parasites, or attract beneficial insects to plants. One might consider them the "pheromone" of the plant and insect world. They are defined chemically in groups of five carbon units called the isoprene unit. Terpenes can have one or some multiple of these five carbon units and are often defined by the number of them; hemiterpene (1 isoprene unit), monoterpene (two isoprene units), sesquiterpene (3 isoprene units), triterpene (6 isoprene units). Steroids are terpenes made from the triterpene squalene. The larger (multiple unit) terpenes are found in animals and are an important part of human metabolism. Terpenes include the adrenal hormones, cholesterol, and Vitamins A, E and K.
Aromatherapy is a form of complementary or alternative treatment that uses essential oils, which mostly contain terpenes. Aromatherapists apply essential oils (terpenes) on the skin or through inhalation. (Sound familiar?) Essential oils have been used as medicine at least since ancient civilizations have documented their use and likely before. Dioscorides, physician, pharmacologist, botanist and surgeon to the Roman Army under Nero, described the use of oils from plant as medicine. His writing collected under the title De Materia Medica described six hundred plants and their medicinal uses. The use of oil persisted throughout multiple centuries. The oils were termed "essential" after going through a steam distillation. Aromatherapy was described in 1937 by French chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse in his book Aromathérapie: Les Huiles Essentielles, Hormones Végétales. Outside of medicine, terpenes have uses from agricultural pesticides to perfume. Terpenes are the building block of many organic molecules.
When modern literature described terpenes as having a synergistic or "entourage" effect on the Endocannabinoid system it was no surprise. Apparently, terpenes play a significant role in the medicinal effect of cannabis. Most medical cannabis users and some non-users know that cannabis has an odor. The odor varies from "fuel" to "earthy" to "floral" or "fruity" depending on the strain. Some medical cannabis users associate the odor with symptom relief. The fruity and floral smelling flowers will uplift mood while the earthy or fuel smell reduce pain and make you sleepy. Terpenes are the source of that odor. It may be argued in the future that terpenes, the "pheromone" of the plant and insect world, add to the medicinal effect of cannabis. It might also be argued that aroma alone is the cause of the effect. What's clear is the terpenes and their smell are at least as important as THC and CBD.
Among medical cannabis patients, it's commonly agreed that their are two major effects from cannabis. One effect is more stimulating and euphoric and the second is more sedating and pain relieving. There are studies that have tried to correlate the chemical makeup of the plant with these two effects noted among cannabis users. Out of southern California, Dr. Pearce et al performed an internet survey and was able to verify the distinct effects. However, the conclusion that the effect came from botanically distinct plants was self evident in that the surveyors decided whether the plant was distinct without prior botanical training or knowledge. Another botanical study tried to identify plants as either C. Sativa (a narrow leafed plant) or C. Indica (a wider leafed plant) and ended up distinguishing six different plant types rather than two. So what causes this distinction between stimulating and euphoric ("sativa effect") and sedating and pain relieving ("indica effect")? Dr. John Abrams, founder of the Clinical Endocannabinoid System Consortium (CESC - www.thecesc.org) believes it's the terpenes. The more floral or fruity odor might create the sativa like alertness and euphoria. The sour, fuel like odor of the plant is more likely to produce the indica-like relaxation and somnolence. "Time will tell. We will have to prove that with appropriate research." states Dr. Abrams. Meanwhile, start smelling your medicine.
1McPartland, J. et al, PLOS ONE:Care and Feeding of the Endocannabinoid System: A Systematic Review of Potential Clinical Interventions that Upregulate the Endocannabinoid System, March 12 2014
2Pearce, D et al, Discriminating the Effects of Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica: A Web Survey of Medical Cannabis Users, The Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Vol. 20, No. 10, 2014, pp. 787-789
3Hillig, K. et al, A Chemotaxonomic Analysis of Cannabinoid Variation in Cannabis, American Journal of Botany, 91(6), 2004, pp.966-975


When it comes to purchasing food products or raw materials, always look for quality because it is a matter of consumption which can affect our health if low quality products are consumed. One stop shop where customers would find hygienically processed and packed Milk Products and Ice Cream Ingredients is Vijaya Lakshmi Enterprises. We are one of the most sought after and Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh (India) settled company that makes available only good quality products which are sourced from reliable and certified companies. Our area of specialization lies in bringing forth not only aforesaid products, but also Ice Cream Making Machines.


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Posts Tagged 'TheLoop21.com'
Gulag Archipelago, Bahrain Archipelago — Systems to Silence Dissent
LET's TALK "ARCHIPELAGO"
I often call the Family Law system an "Archipelago," referring to the networked system that ensnares families.
My other, kind of ridiculous analogy, includes the Giant Squid, lurking in the depths, but with many tentacles, and the nightmare of a ship at sea and sailors' dreams. When you experience multiple tentacles through this system, the only way to mentally/emotionally grasp the whole is by flexible imagery, it's a SENSING.
Just in case, someone missed the reference:
By STEPHEN F. COHEN
THE GULAG ARCHIPELAGO. 1918-1956. An Experiment in Literary Investigation, 1-11.
By Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn.
Translated by Thomas P. Whitney. LETTER TO THE SOVIET LEADERS
Translated by Hilary Sternberg.
ost books about the experience of holocaust, especially those written by survivors, have two purposes. One is to chronicle the full horror of the holocaust, to sear it into the collective consciousness, so that it may never recur. The other is to explain the historical origins and causes of that experience.
The Gulag Archipelago" is a non-fictional account from and about the other great holocaust of our century–the imprisonment, brutalization and very often murder of tens of millions of innocent Soviet citizens by their own Government, mostly during Stalin's rule from 1929 to 1953.
Solzhenitsyn has recreated the history between 1918 and 1956 of "that amazing country of Gulag which, though scattered in an archipelago geographically, was, in the psychological sense, fused into a continent–an almost invisible, almost imperceptible, country inhabited by the zek people [prisoners]". . .Archipelago refers to the far-flung system of forced labor camps run and augmented by the secret police and its institutions, whose prisoner population grew from small numbers after the revolution of 1917 to 12 to 15 million (about half "politicals") at any one time by the 1940's. Gulag is the acronym of the central office that administered the penal camps
By HILTON KRAMER
THE GULAG ARCHIPELAGO:1918-1956. An Experiment in Literary Investigation. Volume III.
Translated from the Russian by Harry Willetts. KOLYMA: The Arctic Death Camps.
By Robert Conquest.
e have known about the Russian purges," Edmund Wilson wrote in 1971, "but we have not really been able to imagine them." The writer who, more than any of his contemporaries, decisively changed this situation, giving the world an epic account of the suffering and destruction Russia has endured under its Communist leaders and giving it in the most concrete, most moving, most classical human terms is Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn.Solzhenitsyn who has restored a human face, a recognizable human substance and spirit, to the swollen, faceless statistics of the Soviet holocaust. If, after "The Gulag Archipelago," we are still unable to imagine what the Soviet reign of terror and death signifies, both for its millions of victims and for us, too, in the precarious comfort of our freedom, it is because we do not want to–because we cannot bring ourselves to face the worst about the politics of our century and the murderous morals of our species.
Solzhenitsyn was one of the many millions in Russia forced by political circumstance into facing the worst as a daily experience. Altogether he has spent 11 yeas of his life in prisons, concentration camps and in exile in the Soviet Union, and now lives in Vermont, in permanent and involuntary exile from his native land. In 1945, at the age of 26 and while serving as a decorated artillery officer in the Red Army, he was arrested for having made some unflattering remarks about Stalin in letters to a friend. It was thus as a zek–a convict in the vast "archipelago" of Russia's concentration camp system–that Solzhenitsyn was confirmed in his literary vocation. "Prison released in me the ability to write," he tells us in this new volume, and even after his release–for Solzhenitsyn was among the lucky ones–the moral fire that ignited his literary endeavors in the first place, giving purpose to a condemned existence, continues to rage in every word he writes.
Under the most extreme and intolerable conditions, Solzhenitsyn made himself into the great rememberer of Russia's terrible ordeal–made of memory itself both a literary medium and an instrument of survival.
You see that "instrument of survival…" — you see this blog, the some of the links on my blogroll, others in this system? This current system doesn't compare — I THINK — but it sure is headed that way, and becoming an ACCEPTED practice in the USA and overseas, Thought Police is no joke, really.
Combining history and anecdote, analysis and polemic, with searing vignettes of so many doomed lives made all the more eloquent by the author's intense empathy, his fiery sarcasm and moral fury, Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag" is the kind of book that permanently alters the way we perceive the world in which we live. No one who reads through its many blood-stained pages can ever be quite the same again–can ever again read a newspaper, listen to a political speech or look upon then political and human circumstances of his own life with quite the same complacency and comfort. It is a book that leaves a permanent scar on the reader's soul.
. . . requires a strong stomach–and something else, too: a moral commitment of the sort that few writers nowadays require of their readers-
You cannot help a situation you can't stomach even being aware of, naming, or seeing. This is how much abuse gets ignored. There's an innate alienation to emotionally protect onesself from the (truth) that the world just ain't fair, AND that "time and chance happen to us all." No, it must have been something about the victim's fault, and the "But that's THEM, and not US" scenarios kicks in, even when it's someone close to the person. I understand this. It's a daily balance from being paralyzed by awareness of what DOES and CAN happen, right here, now (not referring to this historical piece) and from realizing that one's conscience canNOT accept a "back to business as normal," again.
WIKIPEDIA contributes — and would I miss a chance to mention this? Of course not.
He was raised without a father. Must've been at risk of a horrible life because of that (and not wars, political changes, or purges. No, healthy families have two parents. WELL then, with this formula, how does one explain such an author? Or is there ANOTHER reason for this policy in the US, and the Family Court Archipelago here, and overseas?
The Gulag Archipelago has sold over thirty million copies in thirty-five languages. It was based upon Solzhenitsyn's own experience as well as the testimony of 256[29] former prisoners and Solzhenitsyn's own research into the history of the penal system. It discussed the system's origins from the founding of the Communist regime, with Lenin himself having responsibility, detailing interrogation procedures, prisoner transports, prison camp culture, prisoner uprisings and revolts, and the practice of internal exile. T
"In 1918, Taisia became pregnant with Aleksandr. Shortly after her pregnancy was confirmed, Isaakiy was killed in a hunting accident. Aleksandr was then raised by his widowed mother and aunt in lowly circumstances. His earliest years coincided with the Russian Civil War. By 1930 the family property had been turned into a collective farm.
Later, Solzhenitsyn recalled that his mother had fought for survival and that they had to keep his father's background in the old Imperial Army a secret. His educated mother (who never remarried) encouraged his literary and scientific leanings and raised him in the Russian Orthodox faith;[5] she died in 1944.[6]"
In the BAHRAIN ARCHIPELAGO (physical island chain)
Human Rights Issues in a small island nation:
Yesterday's post blogged a custody case of a woman and child from Arizona trapped in Bahrain in a custody dispute. Bahrain is an "archipelago." I showed the NASA photo, and found multiple Human Rights Watch articles on Woman and Child Abuse there. Portugal and Great Britain had their time in its history, divisions between Shi'ite majority and Sunni minority reverse (from what I can tell) the rest of the world's status, and women only got the vote in 2002. It's considered more liberal than some of it's neighbors, and is home to what will be (is?) the WORLD's longest bridge, from Qatar peninsula to the tiny Bahrain main island. Not the best place for a foreign-born woman to be trapped in a custody dispute!
HERE is an article "Women Don't Need to Accept Polygamy" (currently that doesn't seem true, but it presents issues)
And Amnesty International Documented in 1994-1996, increasing abuse of women and children in suppressing civil unrest:
http://www.amnesty.org
Since 1994, the Government of Bahrain has responded to civil unrest with widespread arbitrary arrests, apparent extrajudicial killings, imprisonment of prisoners of conscience, torture and the death sentence, the first to be carried out in almost 20 years. The government has also continued a policy of forcible exile of its own nationals, sending whole families out of Bahrain, or banning their return if suspected of opposition political activity abroad.
"December 1994, there was an alarming, unprecedented increase in human rights violations in Bahrain following widespread pro-democracy demonstrations. For the first time, women and children as young as nine or ten years old were targeted for arrest and many were reportedly ill-treated in custody. For many women, this was the first time they had engaged in an active and vocal participation in public protests, a shift from their traditional role away from the public arena.
{{Protest – Retaliation. Women and children participating, speaking out, took a real hit: the goal being to quell and suppress, ESPECIALLY if this population was going to mobilize. Even more so if this belies religious traditions. U.S. has its religious influences also, in human rights violations against omwne and children in the courts, and in abuse of children in the penal / juvenile system. We ARE the world's largest jailor, but do things a little differently undert the form of government…}}
Groups of women also wrote petitions to the Amir urging the restoration of democracy, and led demonstrations calling for the release of their menfolk and of all political prisoners. Children also joined the protest movement, staging sit-in strikes in schools and participating in street demonstrations which sometimes developed into clashes with security forces. The government dealt with both these groups by arresting them arbitrarily, holding them for extended periods in incommunicado detention and often ill-treating or torturing them during investigation. International standards addressing the particular vulnerabilities of women and children and rules regarding their detention and trial were consistently violated.
Amnesty International recorded the Bahraini Governments violations of human rights in a report entitled Bahrain: A Human Rights Crisis (AI Index MDE 11/16/95), issued in September 1995. The report detailed a number of cases in which women were held in incommunicado detention for months at a time before their release without charge or trial. As with most other detainees, the women were deprived of their right to contact their relatives or a lawyer during their detention period.
{{they were in islands of their own}}
A number of them were subjected to beatings and threats for allegedly [1] having participated in demonstrations or [2] for attempting to prevent the arrest of their male relatives. Some women were arrested and held as hostages in order [3] to coerce male relatives to hand themselves over to the authorities, while others were detained [4] apparently as a punishment for the opposition activities of their male relatives, who were either detained or had evaded arrest. It would appear that some women were also detained [5] in order to deter other women from joining public protests."
{{Pause to reread the above paragraph — the various PURPOSES for beating and threatening these women. It didn't always even related to anything they personally had done.}
EVERYCULTURE.COM:
National Identity. Bahrainis self-identify as part of the Arab world. There are tensions between the Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims, and religious affiliation is of primary importance in defining one's identity.
Ethnic Relations. Expatriates constitute 20 percent of the population. They come mainly from other Arab nations but also from India, Pakistan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and America. While relations are not unfriendly, foreigners generally are not integrated into Bahraini society. The vast majority are temporary workers and thus constitute a transient population.
Leadership and Political Officials. Political parties are prohibited, but there are several small underground leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups. The main opposition consists of Shi'a Muslim groups that have been active since 1994, protesting unemployment and the dissolution in 1975 of the National Assembly, an elected legislative body.
Social Problems and Control. The legal system is based on a combination of Islamic law and English common law. Most potential laws are discussed by the Shura council before being put into in effect.
G ENDER R OLES AND S TATUSES
Division of Labor by Gender. Women are responsible for all domestic work, and few are employed outside the home (only 15 percent of the workforce is female). This is beginning to change as more girls gain access to an education, and foreign influence has modified traditional views of women's roles. There are no women represented in the government.
Relative Status of Women and Men. In the Islamic tradition, women have a lower status than men and are considered weaker and in need of protection. Bahrain has been more progressive than other Arab nations in its treatment of women. The first school for girls was opened in 1928, nine years after the first boys' school.
What about Here? What about, now, today, the U.S.A. — are we an island in the world, with our Bill of Rights and Constitution, and legislative, judicial, executive branches of government, and just a bit of distance between the states and the feds? (less and less so each administration….). Do we have ROYALTY? Do we have RIGHTS?
Define "we."
TheLoop21.com
Incarcerated Teens testify about abuse in private prisons
Mon, 08/30/2010 – 10:24
Incarcerated youth give testimony of abuse: Private Prisons Part 3
Two teens share their harrowing experiences of sexual assault in juvenile detention facilities
By: Brandale Randolph | TheLoop21 (Add to your loop)
After my last piece on Private Prisons, I got several nerve shattering responses. Inmates from prisons all over the country were sending me direct messages and tweets about the piece but what jarred me the most is that I received several messages from kids who had been housed in juvenile detention centers. Still, nothing could prepare me for the conversations I had with several teens who are currently in juvenile detentions centers. Of those, three were housed in privately owned and operated facilities.
For the purpose of this post, I selected one male and one female juvenile inmate. The third juvenile did not say much, we got to a point in the conversation when I heard her cry. Out of respect for the things that she told me, I erased the recording.
Male and Female, they are getting raped, and know better than to protest to the guards, some of who participate
Private Prisons — Modern-Day Plantations
Corrections Corporation of America is making millions, some from prison labor
African Americans comprise more than 40 percent of all of the inmates in American. Many of the crimes that have lead to our incarceration are non violent. Crimes such as grand theft, drug possession, prostitution etc., that many see as norms in our community are feeding the worst beast of the prison industrial complex, the private prison.
Private prison companies are literally making billions off the incarceration [of] African Americans. L
Let's look at, the Corrections Corporation of America, or CCA for short. CCA is the largest private prison corporation in America. With 60 facilities and more than 85,000 beds, they are the fourth largest corrections system in the nation, only the federal government and three states are larger.
Last week, on Aug 5th, CCA announced its quarterly earnings, for the three-month period between April and July it earned a reported $419.4 million. In other words over last three months. That's along with $414 million reported in the 1st quarter, or $833 million in the first six months of 2010.
Yes, despite the poor economy and reports of dozens of inmate dying because of poor health care and inmate abuse, CCA continues to generate billions of dollars.
However, the revenues generated by CCA do not include just the tax revenue paid by states and the federal government to house inmates. Like other private prisons, CCA generates money from prison labor. Under the guise of vocational training, CCA hires inmates to perform construction duties, law enforcement dog training, and even software testing for Microsoft. All at a fraction of the cost of using labor outside the walls.
In 2008, there was a phenomenal article in Mother Jones by Caroline Winter, "From Starbucks to Microsoft: a sampling of what US inmates make and for whom." According to the article findings, inmates process food including beef and chicken, packing for Starbucks and even lingerie for Victoria's Secret.
The larger threat is that CCA spends money on political campaigns as a lobbying organization. For example, let's look at its involvement in Arizona's SB 1070.
According to a Phoenix news report a few days ago, CCA donated money directly to the gubernatorial campaign of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. Moreover, the company receives more than $11 million dollars per month from the state of Arizona. Also according to this report, two of Gov. Brewer's top advisors have ties to CCA. Paul Senseman, her deputy chief of staff is a former lobbyist for CCA and his wife is now a current lobbyist for the company. Chuck Coughlin one of her policy advisors and campaign chairman, owns the company that currently lobbies for CCA.
I decided to look up this CCA, and found a 2000 "CORPWATCH" article that calls the Private Prison Complex a "Gulag."
Note: My laptop is slow, and frequently loses text before it's saved. This is exceptionally frustrating — yesterday, I lost probably 2 hours of work, background on Bahrain — which is why it's on today's post. The other part of the word "wait" is some days, simply watching a little "processing" symbol spin around and load a page. Graphics rich pages, such as from TheLoop21.com, are painful to load; guilt tends to kick in at this point for even blogging.
While on this topic: NONE of this blog was done from a regular, home PC. I had a laptop, which was stolen, briefly. Then probably a half year of (back to the libraries) (being car-less), and recently laptopped again — only a older, slower one. So be thankful for whatever comes out cohesive and coherent. Most times, I am looking at a single screen maximum 2 paragraphs visible at a time. Printing is another project. So all in all, perhaps it symbolizes the trouble also being stuck in the courts — basic infrastructure is hard to maintain, and forget it for a current generation of electronic equipment, whether computer, phone, or mechanical, such as transportation.
How could any system which so systematically removes work time from adults be in the interest of children? And the instability of it over time is reflected in parents' ability to retain jobs and social connections.
We are heading towards world-wide slavery, it seems.
Many (noncustodial) mothers I know, active in protesting and seeking reform, speak eloquently on the human face of the suffering. Others also speak of the legal abuse, and psychological devastation of ongoing threat of losing one's children, or hope of seeing them again, or being caught (liek the author, above) speaking "in appropriately" and thrown in jail, or being gagged, with the threat of jail, if they don't comply. As I, too, have become alienated from a normal work life, not through economy, but through the courts, after dysfunctional/violent (which came first?) marriage, and similarly dysfunctional institutions willing to do anything about the violence, I have become more aware of, and personally know mothers who've become shadows of their former severals, women who have gone to jail attempting to protect a child, and women who have been threatened with jail if they don't shut up ("Gag order"). I don't want to think about how many homeless women I know who got that way after a custody switch, or women who are not homeless, but paying their former batterer.
In addressing this, people protest the indignity and the travesty of human rights, legal rights, and common sense.
WELL, some attitudes are NOT common to all, and better acknowledge it sooner.
FAR FEWER are willing to analyze the common CENTS (more like $$) economically that are behind the system. Some do, but how many people do you know that are willing to become the next Irving Fine ? Or will take their chances, and start to subpoena major organizations' bank accounts, tax records, and insist that answers be given?
If it's gut-wrenching and and too much to stomach, hearing about the outrage of children and juveniles being raped, without anyone stopping it, of a complete dual system of enforcement of court orders, and no recourse when failure to arrest still results in unnecessary deaths, LOTS of them, then why not look at some "dry" figures, some analyses, and get really outraged?
The bottom line is the bottom line. We all have our personal, legal ones, but the systems in this country (and extending globally) are political/economic. THEIR bottom line looks a lot different.
Remember, in any relationship, there are two points of view, and two "bottom lines." When the government power to incarcerate is involved, and combined with this same government's IRS agency (similar powers) to take and reallocate income — not just people — we have to take a look at their books, and who cooked up the business plan.
Now: PRIVATE PRISON ARCHIPELAGO — CORPORATE / GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE
US: America's Private Gulag
by Ken Silverstein, Prison Legal News
What is the most profitable industry in America? Weapons, oil and computer technology all offer high rates of return, but there is probably no sector of the economy so abloom with money as the privately run prison industry.
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Consider the growth of the Corrections Corporation of America, the industry leader whose stock price has climbed from $8 a share in 1992 to about $30 today and whose revenue rose by 81 per cent in 1995 alone. Investors in Wackenhut Corrections Corp. have enjoyed an average return of 18 per cent during the past five years and the company is rated by Forbes as one of the top 200 small businesses in the country. At Esmor, another big private prison contractor, revenues have soared from $4.6 million in 1990 to more than $25 million in 1995.
Ten years ago there were just five privately-run prisons in the country, housing a population of 2,000. Today nearly a score of private firms run more than 100 prisons with about 62,000 beds. That's still less than five per cent of the total market but the industry is expanding fast, with the number of private prison beds expected to grow to 360,000 during the next decade.
The exhilaration among leaders and observers of the private prison sector was cheerfully summed up by a headline in USA Today: "Everybody's doin' the jailhouse stock". An equally upbeat mood imbued a conference on private prisons held last December at the Four Seasons Resort in Dallas. The brochure for the conference, organized by the World Research Group, a New York-based investment firm, called the corporate takeover of correctional facilities the "newest trend in the area of privatizing previously government-run programs… While arrests and convictions are steadily on the rise, profits are to be made — profits from crime. Get in on the ground floor of this booming industry now!"
A hundred years ago private prisons were a familiar feature of American life, with disastrous consequences. Prisoners were farmed out as slave labor. They were routinely beaten and abused, fed slop and kept in horribly overcrowded cells. Conditions were so wretched that by the end of the nineteenth century private prisons were outlawed in most states.
During the past decade, private prisons have made a comeback. Already 28 states have passed legislation making it legal for private contractors to run correctional facilities and many more states are expected to follow suit.
The reasons for the rapid expansion include the 1990's free-market ideological fervor, large budget deficits for the federal and state governments and the discovery and creation of vast new reserves of "raw materials" — prisoners. The rate for most serious crimes has been dropping or stagnant for the past 15 years, but during the same period severe repeat offender provisions and a racist "get-tough" policy on drugs have helped push the US prison population up from 300,000 to around 1.5 million during the same period. This has produced a corresponding boom in prison construction and costs, with the federal government's annual expenditures in the area, now $17 billion. In California, passage of the infamous "three strikes" bill will result in the construction of an additional 20 prisons during the next few years.
{{GOT THAT? SERIOUS CRIME RATES HAVE BEEN DROPPING FOR 15 YEARS (@2000). GOTTA KEEP THE PLACES FILLED FOR BUSINESS TO TURN A PROFIT, THOUGH. HOW? DRUGS WAR, 3 STRIKES YOU'RE OUT}}
The private prison business is most entrenched at the state level but is expanding into the federal prison system as well. Last year Attorney General Janet Reno announced that five of seven new federal prisons being built will be run by the private sector. Almost all of the prisons run by private firms are low or medium security, but the companies are trying to break into the high-security field. They have also begun taking charge of management at INS detention centers, boot camps for juvenile offenders and substance abuse programs.
Roughly half of the industry is controlled by the Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America, (CCA) which runs 46 penal institutions in 11 states. It took ten years for the company to reach 10,000 beds; it is now growing by that same number every year.
{There's a TN connection…}
CCA's chief competitor is Wackenhut, which was founded in 1954 by George Wackenhut, a former FBI official. Over the years its board and staff have included such veterans of the US national security state as Frank Carlucci, Bobby Ray Inman and William Casey, as well as Jorge Mas Canosa, leader of the fanatic Cuban American National Foundation. The company also provides security services to private corporations. It has provided strikebreakers at the Pittston mine strike in Kentucky, hired unlicensed investigators to ferret out whistle blowers at Alyeska, the company that controls the Alaskan Oil pipeline, and beaten anti-nuclear demonstrators at facilities it guards for the Department of Energy.
Esmor, the number three firm in the field, was founded only a few years ago and already operates ten corrections or detention facilities. The company's board includes William Barrett, a director of Frederick's of Hollywood, and company CEO James Slattery, whose previous experience was investing in and managing hotels.
US companies also have been expanding abroad. The big three have facilities in Australia, England and Puerto Rico and are now looking at opportunities in Europe, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and China.
Greasing the Wheels of Power to Keep Jails Full
To be profitable, private prison firms must ensure that prisons are not only built but also filled. Industry experts say a 90-95 per cent capacity rate is needed to guarantee the hefty rates of return needed to lure investors. Prudential Securities issued a wildly bullish report on CCA a few years ago but cautioned, "It takes time to bring inmate population levels up to where they cover costs. Low occupancy is a drag on profits." Still, said the report, company earnings would be strong if CCA succeeded in ramp(ing) up population levels in its new facilities at an acceptable rate".
"(There is a) basic philosophical problem when you begin turning over administration of prisons to people who have an interest in keeping people locked up" notes Jenni Gainsborough of the ACLU's National Prison Project.
{{Now we are going to talk about LOBBYING….}}
Private prison companies have also begun to push, even if discreetly, for the type of get-tough policies needed to ensure their continued growth. All the major firms in the field have hired big-time lobbyists. When it was seeking a contract to run a halfway house in New York City, Esmor hired a onetime aide to State Representative Edolphus Towns to lobby on its behalf. The aide succeeded in winning the contract and also the vote of his former boss, who had been an opponent of the project. In 1995, Wackenhut Chairman Tim Cole testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee to urge support for amendments to the Violent Crime Control Act — which subsequently passed — that authorized the expenditure of $10 billion to construct and repair state prisons.
CCA has been especially adept at expansion via political payoffs. The first prison the company managed was the Silverdale Workhouse in Hamilton County, Tennessee. After commissioner Bob Long voted to accept CCA's bid for the project, the company awarded Long's pest control firm a lucrative contract. When Long decided the time was right to quit public life, CCA hired him to lobby on its behalf. CCA has been a major financial supporter of Lamar Alexander, the former Tennessee governor and failed presidential candidate. In one of a number of sweetheart deals, Lamar's wife, Honey Alexander, made more than $130,000 on a $5,000 investment in CCA. Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter is another CCA stockholder and is quoted in the company's 1995 annual report as saying that "the federal government would be well served to privatize all of their corrections."
In another ominous development, the revolving door between the public and private sector has led to the type of company boards that are typical of those found in the military-industrial complex. CCA co-founders were T. Don Hutto, an ex-corrections commissioner in Virginia, and Tom Beasley, a former chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. A top company official is Michael Quinlan, once director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The board of Wackenhut is graced by a former Marine Corps commander, two retired Air Force generals and a former under secretary of the Air Force, as well as James Thompson, ex-governer of Illinois, Stuart Gerson, a former assistant US attorney general and Richard Staley, who previously worked with the INS.
Leaner and Meaner?
The companies that dominate the private prison business claim that they offer the taxpayers a bargain because they operate far more cheaply than do state firms. As one industry report put it, "CEOs of privatized companies… are leaner and more motivated than their public-sector counterparts."
Because they are private firms that answer to shareholders, prison companies have been predictably vigorous in seeking ways to cut costs. In 1985, a private firm tried to site a prison on a toxic waste dump in Pennsylvania, which it had bought at the bargain rate of $1. Fortunately, that plan was rejected.
Many states pay private contractors a per diem rate, as low as $31 a prisoner in Texas. A federal investigation traced a 1994 riot at an Esmor immigration detention center to the company's having skimped on food, building repairs and guard salaries. At an Esmor-run halfway house in Manhattan, inspectors turned up leaky plumbing, exposed electrical wires, vermin and inadequate food.
To rachet up profit margins, companies have cut corners on drug rehabilitation, counseling and literacy programs. In 1995, Wackenhut was investigated for diverting $700,000 intended for drug treatment programs at a Texas prison. In Florida the US Corrections Corporation was found to be in violation of a provision in its state contract that requires prisoners to be placed in meaningful work or educational assignments. The company had assigned 235 prisoners as dorm orderlies when no more than 48 were needed and enrollment in education programs was well below what the contract called for. Such incidents led a prisoner at a CCA facility in Tennessee to conclude, "There is something inherently sinister about making money from the incarceration of prisoners, and in putting CCA's bottom line (money) before society's bottom line (rehabilitation)."
{{Couldn't have said it better myself: 2 bottom lines. MONEY? or REHABILITATION? (or whatever line someone is pushing at the public, currently}}
The companies try to cut costs by offering less training and pay to staff. Almost all workers at state prisons get union-scale pay but salaries for private prison guards range from about $7 to $10 per hour. Of course the companies are anti-union. When workers attempted to organize at Tennessee's South Central prison, CCA sent officials down from Nashville to quash the effort.
Poor pay and work conditions have led to huge turnover rates at private prisons. A report by the Florida auditor's office found that turnover at the Gadsden Correctional Facility for women, run by the US Corrections Corporation, was ten times the rate at state prisons. Minutes from an administrative meeting at a CCA prison in Tennessee have the "chief" recorded as saying, "We all know that we have lots of new staff and are constantly in the training mode… Many employees (are) totally lost and have never worked in corrections."
Private companies also try to nickel and dime prisoners in the effort to boost revenue. "Canteen prices are outrageous," wrote a prisoner at the Gadsden facility in Florida. "(We) pay more for a pack of cigarettes than in the free world." Neither do private firms provide prisoners with soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes or writing paper. One female prisoner at a CCA prison in New Mexico said: "The state gives five free postage paid envelopes per month to prisoners, nothing at CCA. State provides new coats, jeans, shirts, and underwear and replaces them as needed. CCA rarely buys new clothing and inmates are often issued tattered and stained clothing. Same goes of linens. Also ration toilet paper and paper towels. If you run out, too bad — 3 rolls every two weeks."
Cashing in on Crime
In addition to the companies that directly manage America's prisons, many other firms are getting a piece of the private prison action. American Express has invested millions of dollars in private prison construction in Oklahoma and General Electric has helped finance construction in Tennessee. Goldman Sachs & Co., Merrill Lynch, Smith Barney, among other Wall Street firms, have made huge sums by underwriting prison construction with the sale of tax exempt bonds, this now a thriving $2.3 billion industry.
Weapons manufacturers see both public and private prisons as a new outlet for "defense" technology, such as electronic bracelets and stun guns. Private transport companies have lucrative contracts to move prisoners within and across state lines; health care companies supply jails with doctors and nurses; food service firms provide prisoners with meals. High-tech firms are also moving into the field; the Que-Tel Corp. hopes for vigorous sales of its new system whereby prisoners are bar coded and guards carry scanners to monitor their movements. Phone companies such as AT&T chase after the enormously lucrative prison business.
{{And you thought the concept was just science fiction, or some religious doomsayer, predicting…. NOPE! Shades of Holocauset, much?}}
About three-quarters of new admissions to American jails and prisons are now African-American and Hispanic men. This trend, combined with an increasingly privatized and profitable prison system run largely by whites, makes for what Jerome Miller, a former youth corrections officer in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, calls the emerging Gulag State.
Miller predicts that the Gulag State will be in place within 15 years. He expects three to five million people to be behind bars, including an absolute majority of African-American men. It's comparable, he says, to the post-Civil War period, when authorities came to view the prison system as a cheaper, more efficient substitute for slavery. Of the state's current approach to crime and law enforcement, Miller says, "The race card has changed the whole playing field. Because the prison system doesn't affect a significant percentage of young white men we'll increasingly see prisoners treated as commodities. For now the situation is a bit more benign than it was back in the nineteenth century but I'm not sure it will stay that way for long."
This article originally appeared in CounterPunch, a Washington DC-based political newsletter.
WELL, someone had to say this, and I'm not the first. As to women, a term that continues to come to mind as to this court system was a "Jim Crow" period following some feminist gains in the 70s. The backlash can be severe.
I remind this world that a lot of people became fatherless during WARS.
Now, we are ready to read the next post from the UK area. This post was just an introduction which got out of hand…
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Written by Let's Get Honest
Posted in Cast, Script, Characters, Scenery, Stage Directions, Metaphors for Family Law, My Takes, and Favorite Takes, Organizations, Foundations, Associations NGO Hybrids
Tagged with Bahrain Archipelago, Bahrain Human Rights Watch, Cutting Costs Raising Prices on Prisoners, Declaration of Independence/Bill of Rights, Incarcerated Teens Sexual Assault, Industry Lobbyists, Jim Crow, Keeping Prisons Full, Making sense of it all, Nobel Prize Winner was fatherless, Private Prison American Gulag, Racist Institutions, Revolving Door of Government, social commentary, Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago, TheLoop21.com, U.S. Govt $$ hard @ work..
Another POV, Point Of View, on "The Center for the Family in Transition" (and its funders) (Publ. 9/22/2012)
Toms River NJ femicide/suicide post-mortem concludes strangled DYFS worker should've hooked up with "agencies such as ourselves"


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Go Archers - February 22, 2009
La Salle in UAAP Women's Volleyball Finals
File photo by Bro. Ceci (http://broceci.multiply.com)
by Theodore P. Jurado (www.journal.com.ph)
After two seasons, La Salle is back from where they belong this decade, the finals.
The Lady Archers unleashed their offensive might in the fourth set to oust Adamson, 25-16, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, and clinch the first championship slot in the UAAP women's volleyball tournament at the The Arena, San Juan.
Stephanie Mercado uncorked 17 hits while Jacq Alarca and Michelle Datuin added 15 and 13 markers respectively to help La Salle in making a return trip to the finals.
The Lady Archers' last appearance to the finals was in the 2005-06 season when they completed a 'three-peat' in a star-studded line-up bannered by Maureen Penetrante, Desiree Hernandez and Chie Saet.
In the best-of-three finals, La Salle will face the winner of the much-anticipated "Final Four" match-up today between defending champion Far Eastern University and third-ranked University of Santo Tomas.
The duel between the Lady Tamaraws and Tigresses, two of the winningest women's volleyball squads in the league, is set at 4 p.m.
"Hindi ko nagustuhan ang laro ng mga bata, kailangang may ma-improve sa laro ng mga bata pagdating sa finals, whether FEU o UST ang kalaban namin, dapat paghandaan namin nang husto," said Lady Archers mentor Ramil de Jesus.
Angela Benting scored 18 kills while Jill Gustilo added 16 markers for the Lady Falcons.
After La Salle took the third frame via an outside hit by Adamson rookie Pau Soriano which served as the set point, the Taft-based spikers could not stop in connecting their attacks at the net.
The Lady Archers raced to a 10-1 advantage before the Lady Falcons moved closer to 7-10 courtesy of a Kaye Martinez error.
But this was the best that Adamson could reach, as Michelle Datuin starred in another La Salle onslaught to erect a 19-9 spread and never looked back.
In the Men's division, La Salle faces UP today in their Final Four matchup for the right to meet UST in the Finals. The Green Spikers enjoy a twice to beat advantage in this series.


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Implementation, Research, Strategy
A foundation sought to re-orient its funding approach to supporting the core of its grantees. There were strong signals from the grantee which funding approach it wanted to utilize, but the foundation wanted to fully understand how each of the available options could affect the grantee over the long-term.
We conducted research and interviewed three dozen relevant actors over several months, in the process identifying over a dozen different funding mechanisms that grantmakers use to support the core of their grantees.
We helped the foundation learn more about the different funding mechanisms at their disposal, while simultaneously drawing insights from our in-depth interviews in order to develop a strategy of which options could work best in each situation.
We also delivered two workshops on the subject of core support and the provision of non-financial resources. From these interactive, deep-dive sessions, we further refined our findings and were able to design a tool to help other grantmakers in their journeys to strengthen the core of their grantees.
In the process of speaking with so many foundations about their approaches to supporting the core of their grantees, we found that many grantmakers were aware of "better" ways that they could be engaging with their grantees but were not doing so. "Best practices" mean very little if they're not directly applicable to where you are right now as a grantmaker. These conversations reminded us that philanthropy is a journey down a road that has to be traveled one step at a time.


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New painting to be added to the collection at the Eustis Estate
In early February, Historic New England will add Mount Chocorua, a c. 1895 oil painting by Ellen Day Hale, to the collection of paintings on display at the Eustis Estate in Milton, Massachusetts.
Ellen Day Hale (1855-1940) was one of the hundreds of women who trained as an artist in Boston and France in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. She studied in Boston with William Rimmer in 1873 and at the Museum School with William Morris Hunt and Helen Knowlton from 1874-1877. She also trained at the Pennsylvania Academy in 1878 and 1879, and in 1881 studied in France at the studio of Carolus-Duran, who taught John Singer Sargent among others, and then at the Académie Julian.
In the 1890s Hale traveled to Giverny to learn from the Impressionist master Claude Monet. Her colors became lighter and her style more impressionistic. Mount Chocorua is clearly impressionistic, reflecting the artist's interpretation of the newly prevailing style in France. Her vertical format places more emphasis on the water, which enables her to concentrate on blues and violets. Hale submitted Mount Chocorua to the 1885 Salon in Paris, but while another of her paintings was accepted, it was not. When displayed two years later in Boston, a local reviewer praised it as "refreshingly unconventional and lifelike." After returning from France in the mid-1890s, she and her companion, Philadelphia artist Gabrielle de Veaux Clements, were among the founders of the popular artist colony at Folly Cove on Cape Ann in Massachusetts.
Hale's father was author and minister Edward Everett Hale. Her brother Philip and sister-in-law Lilian Westcott Hale were successful artists. There are many powerful and creative women in her family, including her great-aunts Harriet Beecher Stowe and Katherine Beecher and her first cousin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the author of the landmark feminist novel The Yellow Wallpaper.
The paintings at the Eustis Estate, now and more in May
Mount Chocorua will be on display at the Eustis Estate beginning this February. It is one of many works of art on view in the house. Visitors will have an opportunity to see more paintings from Historic New England's extensive collection when the exhibition Artful Stories: Paintings from Historic New England opens in May.


The disciples are being sent into a world that contains great dangers for them. They will be hated by everyone in the world. Yet despite all of that, they are being tasked to preach the Gospel despite the fact that doing so will inflame and antagonise the world even more! Surely a better approach would be for the disciples to keep their heads down, preach behind closed doors, don't offend anyone. Just keep a low profile, for that's the way to survive in such a dangerous world, is it not? Jesus certainly didn't envisage that His disciples would do anything of the sort. Here he tells them to stand up and shout!
1. Shout Clearly! 26-27 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.
Let's clear this up right away. God does not give preachers extra-biblical messages in their dreams! So what does Jesus mean when he says to his disciples, 27 "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops? Jesus uses a series of analogies, contrasts to make his point to the disciples.
Hidden things revealed and secret things made known. Talking about the Last Day, when Christ will come to judge the world, and to separate the sheep from the goats, the saved from the lost, – on that day everything will be opened before God, all the deepest darkest thoughts of our minds intents of our hearts, all of them, will be revealed!
Dark and Light! The AMP Bible helps us with this one. It reminds us that at night we are private, in our own homes, What I say to you in the dark (privately), Jesus taught the disciples privately, but when they relay that message to mankind it is to be a loud public proclamation. tell in the light (publicly); Acts 1:3 Now these things are to be made public.
Whisper and Shout! Only one person can whisper into your ear – generally! – Jesus spoke to his disciples, taught them as a group and presumably as individuals. But when they go out into the mission field they are to shout the good news out, so that everyone within earshot will hear.
2. Shout with Conviction! 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Why would the disciples put themselves at such risk of public hatred? Now there is a motivation for our message – a driving force that will cause us to want to proclaim the Gospel, even though it makes sinners uncomfortable, and even though it angers them to the point of hatred, and even though it makes poor helpless disciples afraid. It is this simple fact… We all have an ETERNAL SOUL. So which is more powerful, the forces of this world, which can destroy the body or our Holy, Omnipotent God, who has been offended by our sin, and who will in his justice reward us according to our sinful deeds. Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
To get a glimpse of hell, to begin to understand the doctrine, and the danger and the woe, should be a mighty motivation for the Christian believer to go out and boldly shout the gospel, even though we are hated for doing so.
3. Shout with Confidence! 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
The Lord is with us! Nothing will happen to us that is outside his sovereign will.
Consider the extent of the providence of God.
He has intimate knowledge of each and every human being. He knows your name, he knows your needs, he knows your worries and fears, he knows your trials and your difficulties – he even knows the number of hairs on your head.
The message is to out and proclaim the Gospel Message from the rooftops, knowing that you will not leave this world one split second before your God ordained time, and until that time comes, you are fulfilling His will, whatever befall you.
So, the disciples are to go out into the dangerous hostile environment of this world to carry the Gospel, to preach with urgency, the nearness of the Kingdom of God. In that task they are to be fearless, not worrying about what might happen to them as they preach – but to boldly shout out the message, shout it with conviction, and shout it with confidence.