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Sergio Ramos relishing prospect of Real Madrid facing Manchester United
Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos insists that they will not be underestimating Manchester United.
By Graeme Bailey - Tweet me: @graemebailey
Last Updated: 11/02/13 4:00pm
The Spanish champions host United at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.
Madrid warmed up for the match with an emphatic 4-1 win over Sevilla, while United eased to a 2-0 success over Everton, and Ramos is expecting a tough clash.
"United is the most important game of our season. We shouldn't go crazy. We know it's going to be 180 minutes not just 90," he said.
"It's true that over here it would be super-important to keep a clean sheet and try to maintain the offensive level we have.
"We have the players to create danger."
Ramos is looking forward to doing battle with Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney.
"Van Persie is on very, very good form," Ramos said. "We hadn't seen him this good for years. He's quick, strikes the ball well, he's a constant nuisance.
"Rooney's different. He's hard work, heavy going. He enjoys the physical challenge. I prefer that, to be honest. I like that defender versus striker battle, that challenge.
"But Rooney's mobility is difficult: you don't always know how far to step out to pressure him. He drops deeper, or pulls wide and you wonder whether to follow. The communication with the midfield is vital. If he drops, there's a point at which the centre-back can't follow him and the responsibility passes to the midfielders. Go too far and you leave space behind.
"But it's not just them, it's the whole team. You've got Chicharito who comes on for half an hour and scores two or three every time. And it's no coincidence."
Ramos insists he was happy to be paired with the Red Devils when the draw was made.
"I was pleased to get United. They are in the Premier League what Madrid are in Spain perhaps: the values, the history. What they have always represented, the philosophy they transmit, the ideals they inculcated their players with, are similar," he said.
"Few games have the repercussion of this match. And I'd rather play them than a team that's not as big but comes along and surprises you. Besides, I like English football."
He admits that during his rare difficult times, he has has considered making the move to the Premier League.
"When you go through a bad spell all sorts of things go through your mind and there have been times when I've had offers from England and Italy. But my dad told me once: 'If you are ever going to leave anywhere, do it through the front door and with your head held high, not when things are going badly.'
"My dream is to keep playing here but it's true that England's attractive. Friends playing there always talk highly [about it] and it would be a new experience.
"My dad used to watch a lot and he would say to me when I was a kid: 'Come and watch this. Look at this guy ...' I wouldn't say he obliged me to watch it but pretty much. He'd say: 'Today so-and-so is playing; watch him.'"


text:
May 25, 2018
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Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener
Winter 2004/2005
The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener – Winter 2004-2005
Arnold & Bonnie Pearlman.
Lack photo.
Arnold and Bonnie Pearlman and Jonesport's Crossroads Farm
By Larry Lack
Bonnie and Arnold Pearlman have been farming organically in Jonesport for 34 years. They can't recall what year they were first certified by MOFGA, but Arnold says they were "among the very first." The Pearlmans found their 20 acres of woods and blueberry barrens in the mostly unpopulated interior of the Jonesport peninsula in 1969. Originally from Philadelphia, Arnold worked as a VISTA volunteer in Detroit's black ghetto in the late 1960s. He met Bonnie, who was raised in New York City, when she came to visit a friend in Detroit. At the time, both were in their early twenties.
C. et R. Zollinger: Conserving Horticultural Heritage, Preserving the Future
By Terry Allan
When you take the ferry from Montreux to Le Bouveret, Switzerland, you see the mountains rising steeply and dramatically above the shores of Lake Geneva. Many are still snow capped in June. Then you notice a break in the heights where the mountains part and the Rhone River empties into the lake. Follow the river a mile or two into this deep valley and you come across more than a dozen hoop houses at the heart of the organic seed production farm of Robert and Christine Zollinger.
Jacob, Mark & Terry Silber. Photo courtesy Mark Silber.
Beauty, Integrity and Self-Sufficiency at Hedgehog Hill Farm
By Joyce White
Many people first visit Hedgehog Hill Farm for the widely advertised, free "Sundays in the Garden at 2." Every Sunday afternoon from mid-June through August, the public is invited to stroll through the lush gardens and hear a lecture about some aspect of gardening at the 200-acre farm in the small, western Maine town of Sumner.
The Back-to-the-Land Movement in Cuba
By Jed Beach
The view from the hilltop headquarters of the former Empresa Pecuaria Bacuranao is just the sort of command-and-control, panopticon view to satisfy the manager of a large-scale, industrial farm. "All this below us was a giant dairy farm," says Cuban agronomist Fernando Funes Monzote. "The government imported thousands of Holstein cows. This was a 13,000-hectare farm once."
Percy Schmeiser at Common Ground Country Fair
By Jean English
In introducing Common Ground Country Fair Keynote Speaker Percy Schmeiser, Sharon Tisher, chair of MOFGA's public policy committee, noted that the Canadian canola farmer had been on three expeditions to Mount Everest, where he'd climbed to 26,000 feet. The Canadian press, she continued, often asks Schmeiser which is harder to deal with: Mount Everest of Monsanto. Schmeiser says that's a "really hard question."
A Decade of Work in Maine
GE-Free Bush Territory?
Commissioner Thinks GE and Organic Can Coexist in Maine
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John Bunker coats an apple with Tanglefoot. English photo.
Will GE Seeds be the WMDs in Iraq?
Canadian Government Agreed to Conduct Secret GM Wheat Field Trials
Apple Tree Care Throughout the Year
By Jean English
"It's always worth planting trees," maintains John Bunker, vice president (and president as of 2005) of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and coordinator of Fedco Trees. "Look at the trees at the Arnold Arboretum [in Jamaica Plain, Mass.] that people planted a hundred years ago. There are oaks that are 3 or 4 feet in diameter … Someone who's dead now took the time to plant trees for us."
Organic Orcharding Series Concludes with Visit to Sandy River Orchard
By Russell Libby
MOFGA's 2004 Organic Orcharding series concluded with a visit to Francis Fenton's Sandy River Orchard in Mercer, Maine, on Saturday, October 9, 2004. Sandy River Orchard is known for its diverse collection of varieties, featuring a number of apples Fenton has collected from old family orchards around Franklin and Somerset counties over more than 30 years. John Bunker from FEDCO Trees and Michael Phillips, author of The Apple Grower, also presented.
Bring a Little Peace to the World: Grow Cranberries in Your Garden
By Jean English
John Harker thinks that our native cranberry,
Vaccinium macrocarpon,
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When Life Gives you Fireworms, Make Cranberry Juice
Beach plum. English photo.
Lee Reich on Uncommon Fruits for the Garden
By Jean English
Many home and commercial apple growers lamented the small crop they had this year, despite hours of tree care. If only we'd planted passionflowers, persimmons or pawpaws! We all realize the benefits of diversity in our society and in our agriculture, but when it comes to fruits, we seem to be stuck growing and eating just a few of the biggies. Lee Reich is out to change that.
Controlling Sheep Parasites with Garlic Juice
By Jean Noon
I operate a 50- to 60-ewe, organic sheep farm in southern Maine. During the fall of 2002 I learned through Coastal Enterprises about the Northeast SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) Grant Program. I was interested because I was worried that I would be unable to continue managing my flock organically under the newly implemented organic standards, which, as updated in 2002, require only natural materials to treat parasites in sheep and lambs.
(Withania somnifera).
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Harvest Kitchen – Maine Garden-Flavored Mediterranean Fare
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I recently heard the results of a study comparing the success rates of three popular diets. They were about equally successful, and researchers advised going with the one that seemed easiest to stick with. The report was followed by a doctor's personal commentary saying that losing weight comes down to the simple formula of taking in fewer calories than you burn. You could go on an ice cream or pasta diet, the bottom line being that you need to tip the scale in favor of calories burned.
Avoiding Last Year's Allium Pests
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Winter is the time to plan gardening and farming practices that will overcome problems from the past year. It is a time of optimism. Looking forward to great success is easy with all the beautiful pictures in seed catalogs, but the rotting vegetables in the root cellar may bring back a handful of bad memories. The damp, cool summer of 2004 is mostly forgotten now, but crops that were not worth harvesting or those that spoiled downstairs are repercussions of that fungus-favoring growing season.
The Care and Hatching of Eggs
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text:
Hi andrew,
Yes, next week should work as well; no particular plans to travel.
Looking forward,
Hi Andrew,
Next Monday 6PM should be OK. Please send me the address of the courts (or directions) and I'll get there. Let's make final confirmation Monday morning. Please test me your email to 650-804-9264.
Looking Forward,
© 2018 Created by Mark / The Mayor. Powered by


text:
Parents need to judge for themselves if their children are getting an education that meets basic requirements of reading and writing as well as one that adheres to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
The following is an excerpt from the 09/07/2013 article "The Loss Of CSCOPE Assessments Not A Loss At All" (http://educationviews.org/the-loss-of-cscope-assessments-not-a-loss-at-all) by Donna Garner.
There is no "… proof that students in CSCOPE schools are being taught a systematic approach to reading that is built upon the reading research. This research says that emergent readers need to be taught phonemes and phonics skills in a systematic way with students being individually and consistently assessed for independent mastery before they go on to the next concept."
"Neither is there any proof that CSCOPE student are being taught a systematic approach to grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and cursive writing; and there is certainly no proof that CSCOPE students are being held accountable in their daily speaking and writing to use the English language proficiently."
"I challenge Texas public school parents whose children are in CSCOPE schools to sit down with their emergent readers (K-3). Choose one page from an appropriate grade-level text that has no pictures or graphics on it; and without giving their child any hints or predictable text clues, ask the child to sound out the words with ease and read out loud with fluency and expression."
"I also challenge Texas public school parents to have their children sit down and write an expository paragraph (or persuasive paragraph) in their presence and without any supplementary "helps." Parents should check the paragraph over to make sure students have written it in legibly written cursive (after Grade 3) and with correct grammar, usage, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation."
"If CSCOPE students cannot prove they can do these tasks, then obviously they are not being taught the SBOE-adopted TEKS which emphasize the above skills."
What should a parent do if the above challenge falls short? Contact your child's teacher, principal, superintendent and/or school board member and insist the curriculum be changed to ensure basic reading and writing skills are taught in your schools.
Bill Hussey – Llano, Texas


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Rowan Hooper, news editor
On the New Scientist news desk, we are passionate about reporting the most compelling ideas and discoveries in science, as well as the New Scientist take on the biggest stories of the day. For some time, we've been supplementing that coverage with bite-sized bits on this blog, Short Sharp Science.
Now it's time for a change. Our in-depth coverage of the latest breaking science and technology news will be getting even better, with deeper analysis and new video and interactive features. To allow us to do that, we will no longer be updating Short Sharp Science.
You can continue to find all our news coverage in our News section. That's also where you can find our daily round-up of coverage, "Today at New Scientist", and the stunning picture of the day. Keep up with the latest headlines and live coverage of science events by following us on Twitter or subscribing to our news RSS feed.


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At long last, brat pack heartthrobs Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy will cross paths again. They're both appearing at the Miami Book Fair International on the same day, in the same room ... but not, sadly, at the same time. They'll be separated by five hours. Ohhhhhhh.
Maybe they'll run into each other in the hall.
Warning: this clip contains profanity.
Molly Ringwald will be reading from her new novel, When it Happens to You, about "the complexities of modern relationships," according to the folks at the book fair. She's also a busy Los Angeles mom. You can hear all about that in her appearance at the live storytelling series, The Moth.
Meanwhile, Andrew McCarthy's new memoir sounds a lot like the plot of a latter-day brat pack movie, actually (or another Judd Apatow film). In The Longest Way Home: One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down, the guy who played the cad-turned-sweet, sweet boyfriend in Pretty in Pink, chronicles his real-life commitment issues. His wanderlust has served him well. McCarthy has blossomed into a respected travel writer. He's an editor-at-large with National Geographic Traveler, and in 2010, the organization American Travel Writers named him Travel Journalist of the Year.
Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy discuss their work Sunday, Nov. 18 at Miami Dade College's Chapman Conference Center (Building 3), Room 3210. She's at 11 a.m.; he's at 4 p.m. Weekend Book Fair admission: $8. Tickets (free) required for both events.


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Judge to Decide Fate of NFL Concussion Lawsuits
(PHILADELPHIA) -- Less than three weeks before its 2013 draft, the National Football League is facing a legal battle that could put billions of dollars on the line.
A Philadelphia judge is set to decide whether more than 200 lawsuits filed on behalf of more than 4,300 former players should go to trial or be settled by arbitration.
The suits allege that the league "ignored, minimized, disputed, and actively suppressed" awareness of the link between concussions and chronic neurological disease.
"The NFL … was aware of the evidence and the risks associated with repetitive traumatic brain injuries virtually at the inception, but deliberately ignored and actively concealed the information from the plaintiffs and all others who participated in organized football at all levels," the plaintiffs claim.
U.S. District Judge Anita Brody is tasked with deciding whether the claims constitute a labor dispute, which according to the league's collective bargaining agreements would be settled by an arbitrator instead of a jury. The players argue the claims fall outside the agreements.
"Judge Brody has a tremendously difficult task in her hands, with billions of dollars at stake," said Paul Anderson, a Kansas City, Mo.-based attorney who founded NFLConcussionLitigation.com. "Her job is to follow the law, and law is, to an extent, a bit undecided so it could go either way."
The hearing comes almost a year after the suicide of former NFL linebacker Junior Seau and five months after linebacker Jovan Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself.
An autopsy revealed Seau had signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease tied to repetitive head trauma bearing similarities to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's disease as well as depression. Whether Belcher had CTE is unclear.
Of 85 athletes and veteran brains studied for signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy at Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, 68 tested positive. Half belonged to former professional players.
But the NFL contends the research wasn't there when it formed the mild traumatic brain injuries committee, led by a rheumatologist, which concluded in a 2005 study that "there were no adverse effects" associated with returning to the game after a concussion as long as the player was cleared by a knowledgeable team physician – results that were "in sharp contrast to the recommendations in published guidelines and the standard of practice of most college and high school football team physicians," according to the study.
The players claim research linking blows to the head with neurological problems dates back to 1928, and say that by publishing data to the contrary, the NFL "produced industry-funded, biased, and falsified research" and "actively sought to suppress the findings of other members of the medical communities" with contradictory results.
"The players' lawyers are going to try to find out exactly what the NFL knew, when they knew it, and how they acted on the information," said Anderson. But they can only do so if Judge Brody allows the cases to go to trial, opening the door for "far-reaching discovery," according to Anderson.
If the lawsuits are allowed to go to trial, the NFL could be on the hook for the long-term medical care of its players, as well as damages that could rise into the billions, Anderson said.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio


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By Ben Levisohn
Alcoa Inc. (AA) sees aluminum use growing by 7% as China's economic rebound drives demand for the low-density metal. China is also prepared to reject HSBC's sale of Ping An Insurance, the Wall Street Journal reports. China's Shanghai Composite stock index fell 0.03% today.
State Bank of India said it will sell bad loans to boost asset quality and profits. India's Sensex stock index has dropped 0.4%.
South Korea's jobless rate ticked up to 2.9% in December, up from 2.8% a month earlier. South Korea's benchmark Kospi stock index fell 0.3%.
Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri's (TKC) U.S.-traded shares rose to their highest level in almost two years yesterday on speculation that it would–at long last–pay a dividend. The Dow Jones Turkey Titans 20 Index has climbed 1.1% so far today.
BMW is considering opening a factory in Russia, the Wall Street Journal reports. Russia's Micex stock index has dropped 0.2% so far today.
Don't expect to see Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at his inauguration tomorrow, the Wall Street Journal reports. Chavez remains hospitalized in Cuba and his absence could set off a constitutional crisis in Venezuela.


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THE MEATY DIMENSION - The Butcher discovers the portal where all of his meat is stored and concocts a plan to trap Huggy and WordGirl so that he can take over the city. Will WordGirl and Huggy be able to outsmart the butcher and get rid of his meat portal for good? Vocabulary Words: Portal, Overpower. THE CASE OF THE COPIED MRS. BOTSFORD - LRW has made copies of all the important city officials and has sent them out into the city to do all of her dirty work. A copy of Mrs. Botsford has robbed the bank sending the real Mrs. Botsford to run from the police. Will WordGirl be able to prove her mom innocent? Vocabulary Words: Grip, Convince.
Visit the Website: http://pbskids.org/wordgirl
Episode #502 / Length: 28 minutes
On TV
- Tuesday, April 24th at 6:30 AM on PBS Kids


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AfriGeneas Genealogy and History Forum Archive
Re: Looking for Davis & Powe in Rowan County
In Response To: Re: Looking for Davis & Powe in Rowan County ()
Hi Joseph,
I will check this out. Next Tuesday, we are encouragin the recent genealogy class to enrolled in the African American Family Research Association. We are working on Black History, ONE-PERSON-AT-A-TIME. (OPAAT). Keep us in pray.
Messages In This Thread


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Do these pools drain into the series of tubes that makes up the internet?
I see lots of other places around the world where folks insist on segregating themselves by ethnicity and/or religion.
Yeah, I can't think of any [apple.com] fanatic [gentoo.org] groups [gnu.org] of people [wikipedia.org] who cling to various beliefs like so many religions, segregating themselves from others.
Excuse me while I go sacrifice a goat to Larry Wall.
He prefers pink unicorns (6 at a time if you can manage it).
don't forget ruby and vi/emacs.
ah, yes...i missed the last two links.
You see, hovering is not for those merely initiated, only ones who mastered at least 2/3 of all emacs keyboard shortcuts can attempt this arcane craft that RMS himself uses to aid himself in fendind off ninjas and visiting Cory Doctorow.
Silicon Valley is special to me because of its cultural diversity. In one medium sized company you can work shoulder to shoulder with people from every major world ethnic group and every major world religion (including no religion). They work together, peacefully, to make better lives for themselves and their children. Look around the rest of the world. This place is unique and special. I see lots of other places around the world where folks insist on segregating themselves by ethnicity and/or religion. They must hate my home, Silicon Valley. Peace.
Hate to break it to you, but this happens in most of the United States. In my experience, a lot of the people in California just think they are special.
I used to live in California. They may not discriminate on ethnicity or religion, but go visit the Bay Area with an NRA teeshirt and a rifle to hunt some deer and see how nice everyone is to you.
There are places in the bay area that would be entirely unfazed by your rifle and NRA tee-shirt but you have to seek them out. But, considering the fact housing is dense enough that to safely and legally hunt deer you would have to drive 2 to 3 hours away, it's not too surprising you got the response you did. Drive that 2 or 3 hours and you will get the reception you want without looking for it. California is a big and diverse state. Generalizations about it usually usually indicate a lack of experience with it.
Like I said in my other reply, I don't actually hunt out of pure laziness. I just picked an example that I knew would get a rise out of the people who live in that area based on my experience living there.
As you say, California is a big and diverse state and there are tons of cool people living there. There are also tons of self-obsessed pricks, just like everywhere else in the world.
I moved from Cali to New Mexico several years ago. Obviously it isn't the same as California. But there are some pretty
New Mexico is ok, but there isn't a whole lot to do there besides drink.
That's why people normally hunt for deer in forests, not suburban neighborhoods. New Yorkers are also surprisingly closed minded, they got mad when I went duck hunting with my shotgun in Central Park.
I work in the Bay area and we used to have an avid hunter who worked at our company. He brought in all types of meat to company parties from wild pig sausage to venison jerky. I never noticed any negative behavior towards him because of that, and a decent amount of the employees are vegetarian.
Your own experience, while possibly true (though I have my doubts) is not everyone's experience.
discriminate on ethnicity or religion, but go visit the Bay Area with an NRA teeshirt and a rifle to hunt some deer and see how nice everyone is to you.
Discrimination is taking action based upon a prejudice; you're looking at someone's skin colour or hair, things they have no control over, and making assumptions about their character based upon that. Religion is not strictly something you have no choice over, but many arabs and jews share common genetics which make them identifiable to the prejudiced (even
it happens with any company that is multinational, regardless of location. Its difficult to do any serious business in some countries unless you speak the language. The company I worked at in Canada was at least 50% visible minorities including: chinese, japanese, thai, african, native-canadian (or whatever the term du jour is), south american (I think mostly brazil), mexican, middle-eastern, indian, pakistani, etc our parent company was from spain so at least 40% of the office spoke spanish. The sales and
Silicon Valley is special to me because of its cultural diversity. In one medium sized company you can work shoulder to shoulder with people from every major world ethnic group...
Yes, we call them H-1B's. In other news, our local unemployment rate is now above 10%.
Silicon Valley is special to me because of its cultural diversity. In one medium sized company you can work shoulder to shoulder with people from every major world ethnic group...
Can you assure us that those unemployed can cover the unfilled positions? When I used to interview people (the UK, I know, not the same, but it seems to be in a similar situation) we could not fill positions (even entry level ones) because most students were going for soft option education in University (media studies, photography, film making, etc) instead of science and engineering, which is the exact opposite of what has happened in other countries.
Also kids from other countries have lots of experience u
in the UK university is only 3 years, and very often kids take a gap year, that is all great and good, but people their same age elsewhere will have 4 or 5 years university under their belts
Which countries are these, where it's normal to start university at 16?
How about being more flexible with the degree requirement for some stuff that simply doesn't require it?
If anything, the "skilled worker" program needs to be removed; it only makes citizenship an undue penalty. Second, make offshoring very unpalatable and the penalties unescapable.
I see lots of other places around the world where folks insist on segregating themselves by ethnicity and/or religion. They must hate my home, Silicon Valley.
Most of them don't care, as long as you leave them and the places where they live alone.
Do you hate them?
London, Hamburg, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Paris, Barcelona, Cape Town, heck, even Windhoek, etc.
And nowadays in big corporations everywhere you see the same thing. When I worked in Warsaw there were Indian, Chinese, English, German, Polish and of course yours truly (Mexican), in Kula Lumpur there were Malays (Muslim), Thai (Buddhist), Chinese, varied westerners, Iranians, Indian, all working happily without undue complications.
Your comment sounds terribly parochial to be frank, you guys in the US need to get out of your country a bit more.
Bar extremist regimes (Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea) where people are separated in purpose for religious, ethnic or ideological reasons, in most civilized places (normally democracies) you will see hot spots where peaceful coexistence is the norm.
Silicon Valley is special to me because of its cultural diversity. In one medium sized company you can work shoulder to shoulder with people from every major world ethnic group and every major world religion (including no religion). They work together, peacefully, to make better lives for themselves and their children.
Yes, this is entirely unlike any other place in the world, especially unlike New York. Though here, we're polite enough not to discuss religion at work unlike you rude-assed left coasters.
It's a part of Haidian district in Beijing. As an expat living there, my friends and I used to take day trips ($6 for a 45-minute cab ride) down there to buy cheap computer parts at enormous (and always packed) indoor markets.
"I do not hack....... Wine."
Network infrastructure of choice: 10base5 Thicknet.
All of the VA/MD area around Washington is a big center for computers/IT. NIST is in Gaithersburg, MD and DARPA in Virginia Square, VA, as well as several universities (e.g., UMD, JHU) that are doing interesting research in human language technology - a big area of interest for the military and intelligence communities. Lots of major corporations have facilities in the area, too - IBM, SRI, and BBN to name a few.
DARPA is in Arlington, Virginia, one of the most diverse and well-educated counties in the country. (And the smallest self-governing county in the country.) Arlington County is also a leader in smart growth, planning, sustainable growth (or whatever you call it), with places like Tyson's Corner, Virginia, openly pointing to it as the inspiration for what they want to become.
Virginia Square is a neighborhood and a Metro stop, not a town.
it is the kind of place that inspires people with money to take a punt at a seemingly dumb idea.
Remember that: inspire people with money.
I don't think we can overlook the fact that tech pools in parent's basements all around the world. Spooky!
Yeah, this is hardly a definite list, it was just an off the top from two guys. In the tradition of "two points makes a trend line", we have Finland, b/c they are the (original) home of Linus Torvalds and also Nokia. What about Israel, Cambridge (UK), South Korea, Austin TX, New York City etc.
Enjoy, but take it with a barrel of salt.
I run a relocation biz in Chile. Chile is one of the most wired countries in South America.
Quality of life trumps connection in my experience.
I have a large pool of clients that are serious IT people that left the rest of the crazy world. They simple would prefer an o.k. connection, and a safe stable quiet place to work and for their families to live.
There is very little going on inside Chile as far as the IT industry is concerned, but it is a nice place to work compared to the rest of the World. They are p
Richard Florida (an economics prof.) wondered why his home town didn't keep the geeks that graduated from his school. They would graduate and then move elsewhere. Hi-tech companies couldn't get employees in spite of the fact that they graduated within five miles of the company.
What Florida discovered was that geeks want to live in certain places and not others. He wrote lots of papers and finally produced a popular book, 'The Rise of the Creative Class'.
He pointed out how Silicon Valley was able to flourish in spite of the fact that Boston was established in the hi-tech game. In Boston, employers can block employees from taking their knowledge to competing companies. In California, they can't.
Lots of things determine whether geeks will gather in a particular place. The place I would look for the next hi-tech paradise is southern Ontario. It has all the characteristics Florida found that attract geeks and hi-tech companies.
| The place I would look for the next hi-tech paradise is southern Ontario. It has all the characteristics Florida found that attract geeks and hi-tech companies.
I doubt Hooters and old people driving with their signal lights on will do it.
I'd imagine it's more of a snowball effect, geeks will move to wherever other geeks are, and where all the companies are. There's little more to it than that.
The internet concentrated the jobs instead of spreading them out. Now if you're not geographically in Silicon Valley, your job can be done in Taiwan, so all the job seekers come to Silicon Valley. In the old days, you could have gotten a job in Nebraska. Not anymore. No-one even knows what Nebraska is anymore.
No-one even knows what Nebraska is anymore.
I think that'd make a fascinating poll; I wonder how many US citizens actually couldn't tell you what what Nebraska is.
As a datapoint, my roomate and I (both MIT grads, for all that says about our geography skills?) were at a restaurant before the election and for shits tried to name every US state (which we both could in high school).
Nebraska was the only one we couldn't remember.
A: Nebraska.
Q: Where is the United States Strategic Corn Reserve?
...in putting "Microsoft headquarters" and "centres of excellence" in the same paragraph.
Not only did they miss a few, but the simple part of this is that those tech companies really don't go in big for telecommuting/teleworking. The one group of companies that would most be able to use it... oops!
We may be stealthy, but an enormous amount of tech comes out of the Chicago area.
Lots of places would like to be a high-tech hub.
High tech is prestigious, brings high-paying jobs, has good health and safety and low (local) environmental impact.
Lots of places build out infrastructure (roads, office parks, networks, schools, housing) hoping to become a high-tech hub.
Some of these places succeed, some fail.
It turns out (can't recall the source, sorry) that one of the best predictors of where you will actually get a high-tech hub is the size of the local homosexual community.
Geeks and gays are both seeking the same kind of social tolerance.
And less competition for women.
If that were true, I'd expect Sydney, Australia to be a much larger tech hub that it currently is. We're basically the gay capital of the southern hemisphere, but all you're find here are some crappy branch offices of foreign corporations and boring local systems integrators.
So I think you're wrong about that, but one thing you said was spot on - what attracts both gays or geeks is *other* gays or geeks.
The fact that they both congregate in San Fran is pretty much a coincidence, I think.
So, I guess Cisco, IBM, GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer, Sony Ericson, NIH, EPA, NetApp, EMC, Red Hat and others don't count? And don't forget, as I've mentioned before, the Sanrio store...
So, I guess Cisco, IBM, GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer, Sony Ericson, NIH, EPA, NetApp, EMC, Red Hat and others don't count?
Cisco: Absolutely huge campus (headquarters) in San Jose/Milpitas, in the Silicon Valley
IBM: Research in Almaden and Austin, headquarters in New York
GlaxoSmithKline: Headquartered in UK, U.S. offices split between RTP and Pittsburgh, PA
Bayer: World headquarters: Germany; U.S. headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA. Minor research in RTP
Sony Ericsson: Everywhere.
NetApp: Headquarters (and most offices) in Sunnyvale, CA, in the Valley EMC: Headquartered in Massachusetts, major offices in the Valley and Chi
One of the big reasons high-tech has been so successful in California is the provision in the California Labor Code that prohibits employers from owning what you do on your own time. No employment contract in California can override that. So you can do a startup while still employed.
Employers hate this, but it's one of the big reasons for Silicon Valley's success. It also boosts innovation in aerospace and Hollywood, both major California industries.
Illinois has a similar law.
Others note the relatively cheap real estate
Silicon Valley and "cheap real estate"? Compared to what? The moon? San Francisco?
You mean Cambridge isn't in Boston? It's in the Boston area, but not Boston itself. Also, no mention of the old(?) Route 128? Wasn't Bletchley Park better known for computerized decryption?
Taiwan is only 2,000 miles from US soil? More like 5,000.
Also, "Alumni" is plural.
"Japan leads the world in robotics"
Hardly true. They lead the world in bipedal robots, but that's it!
I would actually argue that Pittsburgh leads the world in robotics. Which brings to mind, considering the huge influence that Pittsburgh has on IT, why isn't it listed?
I was thinking the same thing. Robotics, medicine, IT, and manufacturing technologies especially. They definitely have a solid tech sector and as a percentage of the local industry it's pretty high. But as a percentage of the population it's not, and walking down the street you're more likely to meet a retired couple or a blue-collar worker than a geek in most of the neighborhoods. And if you work there you'd better not piss anyone off because all the geeks in Pittsburgh are between 1 and 2 degrees of s
I'll tell you why Pittsburgh isn't listed. Once you graduate CMU, you leave. If Pittsburgh could hold on to the CMU graduates, they'd have something, but they can't, so they don't.
Paul Graham talked about this very thing [paulgraham.com], including citing the problems of Pittsburgh-CMU conundrum. He posits that it's the lack of venture capital (or "rich people" as he put it) in Pittsburgh, but I suspect (as he seems to) that there's something more missing.
It's like the old joke, "if you live in the desert, go where the water is". I think we as technology professionals should watch with interest the turmoil on Wall Street, another industry that saw people pooling together in set places. While I think that having Silicon Valleys IS a very important and critical starting place, I KNOW from firsthand experience that content creation happens all over for the people who do it. I code from maybe midnight to 7AM every day, like clockwork. I work this way because I like the quiet of working at night. I work alone more often than not, and I like that free design process. I USED to work in a cube in a technology center while I was learning to code, but I think that the future is in people getting out of the 'me too' Valley mentality, and into the self aware entrepenurial mentality. For me this is what it takes, but part of the process was moving to the mountains to avoid all the city life distractions.
Personally, I don't see how anything gets done in office buildings period. They're all so grey and structured. I think imagination is a prerequisite for invention, and that we stack the cards against ourselves by focusing on one or 2 holy grail areas for technology.
Remember, garages are everywhere (at least in America), and I think that this pooling effect is not only not necessarily a good thing, but it might be why computing breakthroughs are slowing down (despite the hype). The last real cycle of innovation ended in the late 90s, and I would say that I don't see much of it now either.
Luckily, this list is merely someone's opinion and therefore not worth a damn.
1 Angstrom: measure of computer anxiety = 1000 nail-bytes


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WASHINGTON -- Gov. John Hickenlooper skirted a question Sunday on whether he believes in bans on assault weapons and limiting the capacity of ammunition magazines during a morning appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation."
Asked what was his highest priority in strengthening gun laws, Hickenlooper said he wanted to focus on universal background checks and "mental-health issues."
"Our highest priority has been mental-health issues, and addressing that ... just to make sure we don't put guns in the wrong hands," said Hickenlooper, who shared a table with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.
Hickenlooper said he believes in universal background checks. He said last year 320,000 people in Colorado underwent a background check, which led to finding "more than 1,000 felons" with criminal records and more than 100 arrests.
"We want to expand that," he said.
Colorado's state legislature is in the midst of vigorous debate over strengthening the state's gun laws. The state's House of Representatives just passed four gun-control measures that include limiting the capacity of ammunition magazines to 15 rounds. The proposal now heads to the state Senate for debate.
Hickenlooper said the looming sequester -- roughly $85 billion in automatic federal spending cuts that will take place Friday unless Congress acts -- will be "significant, and people will feel them. "The governor said the impacts will be felt particularly in education, with school districts facing "difficult, impossible choices."
The White House said Sunday that Colorado will get its federal education programs cut by $8.4 million this year if the sequester takes hold. On immigration, Hickenlooper said he doesn't have a problem with securing the border before figuring out a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Most Democrats in Congress hope a comprehensive immigration package secures the border and solves the status problem for the illegalimmigrants living here.
"I don't have as much of a problem in doing the border security first," Hickenlooper said. "In the end, you really have to focus on the whole problem at the same time. You've got to look at employment identification and making sure that 20 years down the road we're not going to get into the same position. That requires not just a secure border but an employment-verification system that's rigorous."


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TRI In The News
Charges Dropped Against Street Preacher Near Princeton University
From The Christian Post
Original article available here
Charges against a street preacher accused of "tumultuous" behavior for preaching in public near Princeton University's restaurant row were dropped in court, said a religious freedom law group Monday.
Lawyers for The Rutherford Institute said they successfully defended Michael Stockwell during his appearance before the Princeton Borough Municipal Court for a citation for his use of amplification while preaching. The charge was later modified to disorderly conduct, which applies to "violent or tumultuous" behavior.
TRI said Stockwell's use of a small amplifier to make himself heard over the street noise did not constitute tumultuous behavior and was protected by the First Amendment. Stockwell was found not guilty.
"The First Amendment does not permit free speech to be conditioned upon how others feel about the message," said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "As former Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black recognized, 'The very reason for the First Amendment is to make the people of this country free to think, speak, write and worship as they wish, not as the Government commands.'"
On Saturday, October 8, 2011, a small group of Christian street preachers including Stockwell attempted to speak about their religious beliefs near the historic eating clubs near Princeton University, stated TRI.
"Prior to engaging in this free speech activity, Stockwell reviewed the local noise ordinance and contacted the local police to make sure that he could use a small amplifier to make himself heard over the street noise," TRI stated. "Stockwell was assured that there would be no problem with his use of a small amplifier, provided he was not blocking the sidewalk. However, when the street preachers began preaching with the amplifier in a public right-of-way on Prospect Avenue, police ordered them to turn the device off because the police department had received a complaint about their preaching."
Lawyers for Stockwell said that he explained to police that he had already cleared the use of the amplifier with the police department. He complied with the police's order anyways, TRI said.
"The street preachers then resumed preaching, without the aid of an amplifier to make themselves heard over the noise of the eating clubs, only to be approached by another police officer, who allegedly claimed that they were 'scaring' people with their message and ordered the preachers to vacate the public right-of-way.
Stockwell was issued the disorderly conduct citation.
TRI attorneys entered a not guilty plea in the Princeton Borough Municipal Court. During the trial, Institute attorneys asked that the disorderly conduct charge be dismissed on the grounds that Stockwell's religious message was protected by the First Amendment. His lawyers also took issue the citation for disorderly conduct on the basis of the content of his speech, "tumultuous or not."
According to its website, the Institute's mission is twofold: "to provide legal services in the defense of religious and civil liberties and to educate the public on important issues affecting their constitutional freedoms."


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this is a discussion within the Saints Community Forum; Breakthrough Players: Offense By Ryan Early NFL Insider Monday, July 14 Updated: July 14 2:18 PM ET Each season brings with it new stars to capture our attention and fascination. Some are easy to foresee, like Panthers defensive end Julius ...
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ESPN Insiders breakthrough offensive players
Breakthrough Players: Offense
By Ryan Early
NFL Insider
Monday, July 14
Updated: July 14
Each season brings with it new stars to capture our attention and fascination. Some are easy to foresee, like Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers, who burst onto the scene last year by making 12 sacks in his 12 games played. Others have stories and journeys that defy reason before they make it into the national spotlight.
Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox bounced around different teams and found himself out of football until his career was resurrected by the now defunct XFL. His strong play there gave him the backup job in Pittsburgh, where suddenly he found himself taking over for a benched Kordell Stewart and leading his team into the playoffs.
While it is impossible to predict a story like that, here are several players poised to emerge as headline makers in the 2003 season.
Offensive Players
Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seahawks - Since coming from the Packers via trade in 2001, Hasselbeck has been in and out as the Seahawks starter, repeatedly swapping places with Trent Dilfer. Hasselbeck looked like he had lost the battle for good when Dilfer suddenly went down with a torn Achilles' tendon in Week 8 last year. Knowing that he could not be benched again that season, Hasselbeck stopped trying to do too much on the field and instead began trusting Mike Holmgren's offensive system. The results were impressive as over the final six games as he threw 12 touchdown passes and averaged 344 yards passing. He also finished the year as the NFC leader in completion percentage. He has an outstanding offensive line in front of him and an emerging and talented receiving corps. But most important, Hasselbeck now has hard experience to guide him in becoming an outstanding quarterback.
Patrick Ramsey, QB, Redskins - The Redskins' second-year quarterback is the biggest longshot among our breakthrough projections, but his situation has too much upside to ignore. Ramsey started six games his rookie year and went through the typical rookie quarterback growing pains, but still managed to throw for 1,539 yards and more touchdowns (9) than interceptions (8). With a full offseason to study Steve Spurrier's "Fun 'n Gun" offense, Ramsey will be much better at understanding where his receivers are and knowing how to adjust to what the defense is showing. Plus, the Redskins upgraded their offensive line and added several more receivers in wideouts Laveranues Coles, rookie Taylor Jacobs and running back Trung Canidate. The Redskins will air the ball out often, which should pad Ramsey's stats enough to keep him among the leaders in several offensive categories. The biggest danger to Ramsey's breakthrough year is the chance of the volatile Spurrier making a reactionary move to the bench when Ramsey makes a bad decision.
William Green, RB, Browns - Halfway through the 2002 season, the Browns' top draft choice was frustrated and underutilized, having gained just 161 rushing yards through nine games. But during the team's bye week head coach Butch Davis decided to make Green the primary runner rather than having him split carries with Jamel White. Before kickoff of the Week 11 game against the Bengals, a lot of his teammates were wondering if it was the right decision as Green was so nervous and keyed up that he became sick on the sideline. But the high-strung running back pushed that extra energy through his legs and powered the team to the playoffs. Over those final seven games, Green ran for 726 yards and five touchdowns and the Browns went 5-2 to make the postseason.
Kevan Barlow, RB, 49ers - The 49ers have split playing time between Garrison Hearst and Barlow in both of the last two seasons, with Hearst getting the bigger piece of the pie. That should finally change in Barlow's third season. Barlow has had a higher rushing average each year, and is finally showing the coaches that he can be trusted in his blocking and route running assignments. Hearst is an outstanding locker room leader, but if it wasn't for that he might not have been invited back to the team this year because of his high salary-cap number. He will definitely be gone next year and the 49ers need to see if Barlow can handle the every down pounding before making a decision to re-sign him in free agency. They may start the season splitting carries again, but by the second half of the year, Barlow should be the primary back.
Jerry Porter, WR, Raiders - Quarterback Rich Gannon is the best quarterback in the league at spreading the field and making accurate passes, but over the second half of last season it was obvious that starting receivers Jerry Rice and Tim Brown no longer had the speed necessary to push down the field. The answer emerged in the playoffs as Porter became the team's deep threat. He led the league in postseason receiving yards with 237 and scored three touchdowns. He was already the team's big play maker from the regular season by scoring nine touchdowns despite not being a starter. Porter has the total package in size and speed, but came into the league still learning how to play the wide receiver position. He had the best education in the world watching and learning from Rice and Brown and is now ready to take that knowledge and apply it in a full-time role.
Quincy Morgan, WR, Browns - Although the Browns ranked a disappointing 23rd in the league in offense, their roster is overflowing with talented players. Their top two quarterbacks are so close in talent that they've got a full-blown quarterback controversy this offseason. Their third and fourth wide receivers could start for some teams. And they have one of the deepest backfields in the league. In Morgan's rookie season of 2001, he frequently frustrated fans by making an acrobatic catch one play, then dropping his next pass. Last year, he made big strides to become a consistent big play threat, scoring seven touchdowns and finishing with at least 80 receiving yards six times. This offseason, he has improved his route running and catching even more; he looks like an elite receiver on the practice field. Even with so many other avenues for the quarterbacks to deliver the ball, they will know that Morgan is their new go-to guy.
Donte' Stallworth, WR, Saints - Every franchise is in a constant struggle to improve its team speed. The Saints got a leg up on their opponents last year when they spent the 13th overall draft pick on this late entry receiver. Saying Stallworth is a burner is an understatement. Rookie wide receivers rarely make much of an impact on the game because of their limited knowledge of pro offenses, but Stallworth gained almost 600 yards purely with his ability to blow by defenders. But what is especially scary to the teams on the Saints 2003 schedule is how much understanding Stallworth showed in his route running. With an All-Pro receiver in Joe Horn playing on the opposite side, neither receiver will see a lot of double-teams, as defenses must choose which man they want to be burned by.
Ashley Lelie, WR, Broncos - When he was leaving the University of Hawaii, his coach, June Jones, called him the best wide receiver he'd ever coached. Those are big words from the master of the run and shoot offense. Lelie had 525 receiving yards last year, including an 100-yard game against the Raiders. Those numbers could have been much better as he just missed on a number of acrobatic attempts. Ed McCaffrey is standing in Lelie's way in the fight for playing time, but McCaffrey has not been able to do his normal offseason preparation because of surgery. The increased reps that Lelie has gotten in minicamps will continue into training camp to help him solidify his hold on the starting job opposite Rod Smith. The biggest struggle Lelie has had is learning how to run block, a must-have skill for receivers in the Broncos' offense.
Randy McMichael, TE, Dolphins - While first-round tight end picks like Jerramy Stevens of the Seahawks and Daniel Graham of the Patriots were struggling to adjust to life in the NFL early last season, McMichael was forcing defenders to adjust to him. He may have lasted until the fourth round of the draft, but that was because of an especially deep tight end class and questions about his blocking ability, but he quickly proved himself as a receiver in his very first pro game, catching four passes for 73 yards and scoring a touchdown. His 12.4 yard average per reception is higher than many wide receivers in the league, but his production tailed off badly when Jay Fiedler went down to injury and was replaced by the erratic Ray Lucas. Then the grind of the longer NFL season started to wear him down. This year, the Dolphins have upgraded at the quarterback position by bringing in Brian Griese, and have added new plays to the offense specifically for McMichael. They also plan on keeping him on the field more. All of that adds up to him seeing a significant jump in stats in his second year.
Damien Woody, C, Patriots - Four years ago Woody entered the league as a rare first-round pick center and arrogantly declared he would end his career as the greatest center the NFL had ever seen. He quickly learned that it is easier to say things than actually do them, like distance snapping in shotgun formations, which he struggled with so badly the Patriots decided to move him to guard on those plays and have someone else snap. His internship in the NFL trenches is now over, and with four seasons of experience behind him, Woody is now ready to fulfill that potential he had entering the league. As far as best ever, we'll have to wait and see.
LeCharles Bentley, G, Saints - As a rookie last year, Bentley turned heads as soon as contact started in training camp by not just beating the men he lined up against, but manhandling them. When the Saints beat the Bucs, twice, Bentley shut down both Warren Sapp and Anthony McFarland. What's odd is that he is not a behemoth man-mountain who engulfs his opponent. Instead, he's a short, squat guard who struggles to get his weight up to 300, but that doesn't stop him from playing much bigger. He has so much tenacity that he looks like he's attacking defenders rather than blocking them. Because of his size limitations, Bentley will never be able to move outside to the tackle position. But he should have no problems making the Pro Bowl this year staying on the interior of the line.
John Welbourn, G, Eagles - Philadelphia sent three of its offensive linemen to the Pro Bowl but many on the team thought the most deserving was Welbourn, who was not selected. For linemen, recognition is based on reputation, which is both slow to come by and even slower to lose. Welbourn started out as a tackle and has the agility to handle that position well. He has had to adjust his game to play in the interior of the line and has improved his strength and power to deal with the hulking defensive tackles of the league. Welbourn missed five games early in the 2002 season with a broken leg and the Eagles' running game sputtered without him. Realizing how dependent they are on the young guard, the Eagles signed Welbourn to an unheard of eight-year contract extension.
Bryant McKinnie, OT, Vikings - After holding out in a contract dispute for over half his rookie season, McKinnie didn't get his first start until Week 11. But he quickly showed why he was selected with the sevnth overall pick in the draft as he possesses nimble feet and hands on a massive 6-8, 345-pound body. He is nearly unbeatable in pass blocking as he has the size to stop bull rushers cold and the frame and speed to keep up with speed edge rushers and steer them away from the quarterback. He still needs to learn to use his size more aggressively in run blocking, but that will come.
Levi Jones, OT, Bengals - Jones was a surprise mid-first-round pick in the 2002 draft that had many draftniks and football fans laughing at the perennially disappointing Bengals. By the end of his rookie season, Jones was the one laughing. While many thought the team could have waited and gotten Jones later in the draft, solid left tackles are so rare that the Bengals were more than justified taking him where they did. He quickly supplanted Richmond Webb as the team's starter and was one of the few strengths on the offensive line. Equally adept at run blocking, pass blocking and pulling, Jones looks to be one of the better versatile left tackles in the league for the next 10 to 15 years.
Kareem McKenzie, OT, Jets - When the Jets offered starting right tackle Ryan Young to the Texans in the expansion draft in exchange for helping them take some high-priced players off their books, it looked like an aggressive but risky move. Good offensive tackles are hard to come by, even those who play on the less challenging right side. But the Jets wanted to push second-year tackle Kareem McKenzie past Young on the depth chart anyway, and were just doing some shrewd cap maneuvering in the process. McKenzie started all 16 games on the right side and looks like an emerging star. He can dominate in the running game, exploding into the defensive end and driving him out of the play. His biggest improvement has come in pass blocking as he has learned to move laterally to deal with edge speed rushers.
Editor's Note: Check back Tuesday for defensive breakthrough players.
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how slow some are to catch on to our offense, they\'ll be looking a lot slower come game time..........smittly
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Street demonstrations can be divided into four types depending on the participants' status, role, motivation and demands.
The first type is one that challenges the establishment and public policy. During the Martial Law era, there was the Kaohsiung Incident on Human Rights Day in 1979, as well as the first anti-nuclear demonstration and protests against the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and newspaper bans.
After martial law was lifted in 1987, there were demonstrations calling for free and full elections to the legislature, an end to military interference in politics, the abolishment of Article 100 of the Criminal Code — which allowed for people suspected of plotting to overthrow the KMT regime to be charged with sedition — and for a referendum on the nation's UN bid. There was also a march against nuclear power.
These demonstrations and the recent anti-media monopolization campaign, have called for deconstruction of the old system and the establishment of new public policies and discourses. The participants in these demonstrations were not directly affected and they did not participate to further their own private interests. They took to the streets to voice their demands on behalf of the general public.
Despite acting for reasons of conscience, they were beaten and abused by police, and politicians accused them of creating ethnic confrontations, traffic jams and wasting social resources. Some even criticized them for being "impolite" in order to blur the focus of their demonstrations.
The second type of protest is held by disadvantaged groups seeking help. With their lives and the environment under threat, local residents have protested against chemical pollution in Hsinchu City, the fifth naphtha cracker in Houjin (後勁) in Greater Kaohsiung's Nanzih District (楠梓) and Dupont's investment project in Lugang Township (鹿港), Changhua County.
Farmers have also taken to the streets to protect their livelyhoods, while the homeless have demonstrated for housing rights and workers have protested for an increase in the minimum wage. These groups have demonstrated for their survival.
The third type of protest is against political infighting. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was built on social movements, but it has distanced itself from social groups after becoming a major party.
At the moment, the DPP is in the midst of it's "fury" (火大) campaign against the government. Although this is a legitimate cause, it is also an attempt by to gain political resources and energy.
The 2006 anti-corruption Red-shirt Movement against then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was an embarrassment. The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is performing worse than the Chen administration. Where are the red-shirts now?
The fourth type of protest is aimed at protecting vested interests. In recent years, many private companies have dismissed employees, reduced salaries or forced employees to take unpaid leave. These employees have rarely staged a protest. Employees of state-owned enterprises that suffer financial losses are not dismissed and their salaries are not cut because of the monopolies their companies hold. However, they still took to the streets recently to protest against the cancellation of their year-end bonuses.
Participants in demonstrations arranged by civil organizations need to take care of transportation and food and drink themselves, which they are not used to. Rarely are donations given by private individuals, and if organizers pay participants it diminishes the legitimacy of the event.


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University of Central Missouri
Administration 302
Warrensburg, MO 64093
Phone: 660-543-4640
Fax: 660-543-4943
Contact Jeff Murphy
WARRENSBURG, MO (April 16, 2012) – As chair of the University of Central Missouri Department of Art and Design, Mick Luehrman not only shares a position once held by his father, but he will soon have in common a prestigious honor. He has been named recipient of the 2012 Byler Distinguished Faculty Award.
The Byler Award is the top recognition for university faculty. Luehrman will be honored as this year's recipient by the UCM Board of Governors when it meets at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, April 19 in the Elliott Union Kitterman Room. A formal presentation including all of this year's nominees will take place at 3:30 p.m. the same day in the University Art Center Gallery. UCM faculty, staff, students and the public are all invited to attend.
Mick Luehrman
The award is named for William H. Byler, an inventor, author and teacher who graduated from UCM in 1927 with a major in chemistry and physics. He established an endowment fund to provide annual recognition for distinguished faculty performance, evidenced by teaching, scholarly or creative activity and professional- related service.
"Receiving the Byler Award is obviously a great honor. Being recognized by one's peers is the ultimate complement and I am extremely grateful," Luehrman said. He added that the opportunity to share the honor with his father, Richard Luehrman, professor emeritus of art, is particularly exciting.
"This award is especially meaningful to me because my father is among the group of past Byler awardees," he said. "Our parents are our first teachers and I was extremely lucky in that regard. My parents have been wonderful lifelong role models, so I share this honor with them, as well as all of the teachers that inspired me as a student."
Luehrman earned a bachelor's degree from UCM and a master's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. After completing his doctorate at MU in 1999, he returned to his alma mater in Warrensburg to begin his college teaching career. His hard work paid off with faculty rank promotions and a promotion to department chair in 2006, where he has continued to earn the respect and admiration of his professional colleagues and students.
"I am impressed, time and time again with Dr. Luehrman's preparedness, focus, work ethic, exactness, flexibility, kindness and his overall positive energy and professional demeanor," noted Kathleen Desmond, professor of art history.
She added, "Students learn not only creative and critical thinking from Dr. Luerhman; they learn leadership and teaching skills and how to make knowledge their own."
Mike Wright, dean of the College of Education, echoed that sentiment, noting simply, "Dr. Luehrman is the teacher you want for your own children."
During his tenure at UCM, Luehrman climbed the faculty ranks from assistant to full professor, and served as the director of the Art Education Program from 1999-2006. He taught numerous courses such as Art for Elementary Schools, three different Methods of Teaching Art courses, Drawing I, and a variety of others. Many of his students have seen the works of master artists up close during the summer Paris Museum Tour Art History Class that has actually taken them to France and other European countries to visit the world's most prestigious museums and galleries.
Luehrman has had a distinguished career as a teacher, an artist and scholar, and has been a strong advocate for arts and education across the state. He has published numerous articles in professional journals such as "Art Education," "Journal of the National Art Education Association," and "Studies in Art Education," in addition to making many presentations before professional organizations at regional, state and national conferences. His scholarly works have been shared with groups such as the Missouri Art Education Association and the National Art Education Association, groups in which he has also held committee and leadership posts. His devotion and reputation among such organizations has led to honors that include MAEA's Art Educator of the Year for Higher Education Award, presented in 2009.
His service to the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, has included an instrumental leadership role in overseeing the reaccreditation of the art program by the National Association for Schools of Art and Design in 2007. This continued a string of reaccreditations since 1986, enabling UCM to become the only public university in the state to attain such accreditation.
Luehrman is known in professional art circles for his creative sculptures fashioned from hand-made paper. His work has appeared in arts shows at colleges, universities, and galleries in Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, and Texas.


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You simply do what you do? Congratulations, Mr. Natural.
So many others seem only capable of contrived actions and behaviours. I call that insanity. While others seem to equate it with being 'nice'.
Can worrying serve a purpose? Is it sometimes healthy to worry? Does worry sometimes restore a balance of sorts?(These aren't rhetorical questions, by the way. I ask because I don't know).
What is wellspent energy? Actions generating more energy.


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I love glittery nail polish, because it's pretty hard to get wrong during application and as it starts to chip, no one can tell.
Twinkle – Electric Glimmer from POP Beauty is a super, super, super full on glittery nail polish – with just one coat I got this:
It's one of the most full on glittery polishes I own, and it's pretty fine glitter. I hate it when you need 4 coats of a glitter polish to get full coverage (unless of course, it was supposed to just be a top cot!).
It was also easy to remove, none of the usual scrubbing to get it off. LOVE!
You can buy POP Nail Polish here for £6 each.


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3 ways employers can keep health insurance affordable
Within the Affordable Care Act, everyone has access to health insurance, and that's a good thing.
Businesses are also being asked to do a few things. In many cases what they have offered is good coverage, but now their plans must meet certain requirements and be considered affordable to be compliant under the new health care law.
Many companies are struggling with how to keep coverage for their people and make it affordable for the employee, while keeping the company costs down. I would like to offer up three options I am seeing companies take. I know there are more, but these are more prevalent and could be options for others.
1. Shift plan designs down. What some do not know is that within all carriers of health insurance, there are varying degrees of plans for all shapes and sizes of needs and companies. Sometimes the company needs to look at options within their current carrier to bring premiums down. When they do this, they usually increase the financial health risk of the employee with increased deductibles and copays, but this option could be as easy as a phone call if the goal is to offer insurance and keep it affordable for everyone.
2. Private exchanges. Much like the public exchange website and call center, this is a process by which an employee can go on to a company-provided web portal and choose options that best meet the health and financial needs of their individual family and situation. Plans of all sizes and affordability are usually present, along with the dental, vision and other voluntary benefits options that people can normally acquire at work. Many employers who go this direction want to still be the provider for the insurance options their people have and for a monthly fee for their exchange sites they can be their own exchange and give their people options that meet both both affordability and accessibility.
3. Defined contributions. This is where a company has crunched the numbers and decided on a dollar amount they will give to each employee to go and get what they want. Some companies are offering it no matter where they decide to get their health insurance.
The key is that the employee must do something with regards to health insurance to get the dollars. Some argue that by doing this, then the company is not "offering coverage" – especially in a larger company – but if this is partnered with a private exchange then they technically meet that requirement. If the math is right on the amount given to each employee, they can also fall into the affordable coverage category.
There are options. Companies should not be looking for the "eject button" with their health care plan. They owe it to their people to look down every avenue to see what they can do realistically and financially.
Other options companies are taking involve HSAs, self-funding, higher deductible plans, telemedicine and extra voluntary coverage to continue to provide something for their people that will help now but also if, or when, they have a health situation.
Gene Ramsay is the 2012-2014 president of the Birmingham Association of Health Underwriters. Reach him at (205) 370-8453 or www.generamsay.com.


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MONTAFON, Austria (Dec. 8) – Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) and Hagen Kearney (Telluride, CO) stuck together for an impressive win at the FIS World Cup team race in Montafon, Austria. It was a tight race the entire way through adverse weather conditions. Teammates Jonathan Cheever and Nick Baumgartner came in fourth. The team heads to the first domestic FIS World Cup the USANA Snowboardcross Cup at Telluride, CO Dec. 13-15.
QUOTESNate HollandIt was awesome. I always enjoy team races.
After yesterday I was hungry. I didn't race so well yesterday, but I had to win something in Austria just like two years ago in Lech. I also had some success in Bad Gastein. I like races in Austria, the fans are great and fired up.
RESULTSOfficial Results
FOLLOW US Twitter: USsnowboardingFacebook: USsnowboarding


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Atlanta Falcons' wide receiver Julio Jones will miss the rest of the 2013 season after being told he must undergo surgery on a fractured foot this Monday.
Jones sustained the injury in Atlanta's 30-28 defeat to the Jets on Monday night and was told by two doctors that he has suffered a fracture.
"Unfortunately, Julio's appointment with the doctor today confirmed our initial findings," coach Mike Smith said in a statement. "He is scheduled to have a season-ending procedure on [Oct. 13]."
The news comes as a huge blow to the Falcons, whose leading receiver is the injured Jones.
However, ESPN.com report that the Atlanta-based outfit have agreed terms with free-agent receiver Brian Robiskie, who will sign a one-year contract to temporarily replace the man who boasts the league's most receptions.
Robiskie, who is the son of Falcons' assistant head coach Terry Robiskie, will take a place on the team's roster while Jones is placed on the season-ending injured reserve list.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


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As talks on the proposed Partial Day sharing agreement with the Emmetsburg Community Schools have continued, the Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School Board met Wednesday night to look over proposed class offerings for the high school students and a draft of the proposed sharing agreement with Emmetsburg. Several district patrons and members of the RA School faculty were on hand to listen to the proposals and information.
The Wednesday meeting was similar in nature to one held Wednesday morning by the Emmetsburg Community School Board on the same topic.
"The first thing to remember is that these are all draft copies," explained RA Superintendent Andrew Woiwood. "None of this is cast in stone it's all in draft form and must be approved by both you and the Emmetsburg board."
Woiwood shared a listing of courses that would be taught each school day for the high school students in Ruthven, and then required and elective courses that RA students could choose to attend in Emmetsburg as part of the Partial Day sharing arrangement, which would put the RA ninth through twelfth graders in classrooms in Emmetsburg each morning with Emmetsburg students.
"Right now, we need to get this information to our students, and let them choose what courses they want to take at Emmetsburg, and get that information to Emmetsburg so they can set up the class schedule," Woiwood explained.
"Remember, this is just a start," Woiwood continued. "We have a long, long way to go."
"Yes, this has been a very collaborative process," agreed Josephson. "But there are still issues that will have to be ironed out for both of us."
Board President Barry Fischer asked if college course availability for RA students was known at this point in time. "It is hard to know for sure what the college will offer for courses each Fall, but Emmetsburg works very closely with Iowa Lakes to lock in a block of classes every year, and the career academy courses are always available each year," Josephson answered.
As board members reviewed the class lists several questions were posed and answered by the two administrators.
Board member Tracy Enderson questioned that since math would only be taught in Emmetsburg, how would RA students get questions on those assignments answered when they were back in Ruthven. "They could send the instructor an email, or call them," Josephson answered. "That is a good question we will look into further."
With an option for RA student to participate in instrumental and vocal music in Emmetsburg, Enderson asked what would happen to a pep band for basketball games or halftime performances at football games.
"That could be a difficulty," agreed Josephson, "But Emmetsburg suggested that they would like to give concerts here in Ruthven, and I thought that was a very nice offer on their part. Perhaps the middle school band might be able to do some of that."
Woiwood explained RA's high school students would board buses in Ruthven at 7:55 or 8 a.m. and travel to Emmetsburg, returning to Ruthven at noon. They would eat lunch in Ruthven and attend afternoon classes in Ruthven. If a student were enrolled in a college class at 8 a.m. they would need to travel to Emmetsburg on their own.
A question was if the sharing agreement would accomplish some $150,000 in budget cuts discussed by the board in December of 2012.
"Almost," Woiwood said. "You have to understand, we don't want to do any of this, but it is something that we have to do because of our financial situation. Financially, we just cannot continue as we are. Our whole focus is to make the best possible education for our students, and I really think the offerings in Emmetsburg will give our kids the best opportunity."
"This conversation has to be rooted in what is best for our kids," agreed Josephson. "The reality on the ground is that we can't keep doing what we're doing and survive. If you offer a class, you must teach it. When you have one kid in a class it takes an expensive teacher. Our goal has to be to get as many students in front of teachers that we can."
Some changes to the school day will also be necessary. With buses leaving for Emmetsburg at 7:55, the RA route buses will need to be at the school at 7:55 a.m., meaning elementary and middle school students would arrive at school about 35 minutes earlier than the current start time. RA's current teacher contract day runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but a change to bus times would require changing teacher contract hours to 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Elementary and middle school students would start classes at 8:10 a.m. instead of 8:30 a.m., which would add 20 minutes to the educational day at RA.
"Emmetsburg classes starts at 8:15 a.m., and they have said that they would be willing to adjust their start time to 8:20 a.m., to accommodate our kids," Woiwood noted.
Reviewing the draft sharing agreement, Woiwood stated his preference for a three or four-year contract, with a reimbursement rate of 50 percent of the student cost for the first year and a cap of the reimbursement at 70 percent at the end of the agreement. Since RA is considering a partial-day sharing agreement, the district would receive supplemental weighting funds from the state to help offset the cost.
There would be no additional state funds in the first year of the sharing, but RA would receive half of the previous year's funds in the second year and full funding in the third year of sharing. Estimates of the sharing cost were around $110,000 per year, with possible reimbursement from the state of up to $90,000 in the third year.
Acknowledging that moving to a sharing arrangement would have affects on RA staffing levels, Woiwood declined to disclose any of those contemplated cuts in staff until RA and Emmetsburg school boards reach a final agreement.
"I'm not going to talk about specific positions yet," Woiwood said. "I know it's frustrating for the staff and for parents and students, and I don't want to be evasive about it, but we're talking about people's jobs, and we won't definitively say anything until we're sure on what's going to happen here."


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El Cirque du Soleil ofrece kits de prensa de sus diferentes espectáculos e información acerca de la compañía.
Mark Swanhart began his dance studies at 7 years old in his hometown of Vinco, Pennsylvania and furthered those studies at Point Park College of Pittsburgh. After college, Mark made his professional debut with the James Kelley Choreography project and remained in Chicago to perform with Deeply Rooted Dance Chicago, River North Dance Company, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Mark then turned his focus to theater and joined the first national tour of Fosse.
Knowing his true calling was choreography, Mark headed for Los Angeles where he found his first choreography job on Baz Luhrman's La Boheme on Broadway. He spent the next year maintaining the Broadway cast and then remounting the production in Los Angeles. Since then, Mark has choreographed music videos, stage productions, and national commercials. Credits include the water fountains for Steve Wynn's new casino in Macau, China; choreography for Celine Dion's Taking Chances Tour, and her CBS Television Special. Viva ELVIS is his first engagement with Cirque du Soleil as Choreographer.