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Debates of March 17th, 2003
House of Commons Hansard #71 of the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.
- Vacancy
- Committees of the House
- Canada Elections Act
- Privilege
- Business of the House
- The Budget
- International Women's Day
- Terrorism
- Peace Scarf
- International Trade
- Badger Flood
- Zoran Djindjic
- St. Patrick's Day
- Iraq
- MetroStar Gala
- Official Languages
- Meteorological Service of Canada
- Iraq
- Acts of Bravery
- National Defence
- Canadian Learning Institute
- Amber Alert Program
- International Women's Day
- Iraq
- Ethics
- Iraq
- Member for LaSalle--Émard
- Iraq
- Government Contracts
- Foreign Aid
- Iraq
- Government Contracts
- Fisheries
- Citizenship and Immigration
- Iraq
- Firearms Registry
- Veterans Affairs
- Softwood Lumber
- Iraq
- Trade
- The Environment
- Iraq
- Points of Order
- Privilege
- Report of the Electoral Boundaries Commission
- Government Response to Petitions
- Parliament of Canada Act
- Canadian Foreign Intelligence Agency Act
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Question No. 104
- Question No. 107
- Question No. 108
- Question No. 109
- Question No. 112
- Question No. 113
- Question No. 114
- Question No. 116
- Question No. 117
- Question No. 120
- Question No. 121
- Question No. 123
- Question No. 124
- Question No. 127
- Question No. 141
- Questions Passed as Orders for Returns
- Question No. 110
- Question No. 111
- Question No. 122
- Request for Emergency Debate
- Budget
- Business of the House
- The Budget
- Situation in Iraq
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Mac Harb Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade.
The WTO from time to time reviews the trading policies of its members. I want to ask the minister what the WTO has found in its latest review of Canada's trading policies, considering Canada is one of the four largest trading partners in the world. Could the minister tell us what it has found in its review?
Oral Question Period
2:55 p.m.
Pierre Pettigrew Minister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, indeed the WTO has very good news.
Canada has been recognized by the WTO as one of the most transparent and liberal traders in the world.
Canada has been recognized by the WTO as one of the world's most transparent and liberal traders. The WTO recognizes that sound economic policies and an outward looking trade regime have allowed Canada to maintain economic growth in the face of a global economic slowdown. We are on the right track thanks to our international policies.
The Environment
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
Canadian Alliance
Werner Schmidt Kelowna, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of the Environment.
Internal documents from the department tell us very clearly that failure to properly fund Canada's weather stations is putting at risk the safety and security of Canadians because of the lack of access to warning information. The $75 million announced by the minister last week will not even restore the critical infrastructure requirement.
Will the minister admit that the continual underfunding by his government is causing the consolidation of the weather stations like Kelowna?
The Environment
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
David Anderson Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member has already pointed out, last week we announced $75 million more for the Meteorological Service of Canada. In addition, we are carrying out certain reorganization which will increase the efficiency of the service and therefore continue to have our primary objective, the safety of Canadians, paramount and successfully protected in the future.
This is an important reorganization, an important addition of new money. I think the hon. member and other members of the Alliance Party should welcome it.
Oral Question Period
March 17th, 2003 / 3 p.m.
Christiane Gagnon Québec, QC
Mr. Speaker, Kofi Annan has stated that the legitimacy of any unilateral intervention conducted without the authority of the Security Council would be seriously compromised.
Does the Prime Minister intend to advise the President of the United States that he agrees with Kofi Annan and that Canada condemns the American and British intervention?
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
Jean Chrétien Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, perhaps I could take this opportunity to read the rest of my statement, and answer the question at the same time.
Canada worked very hard to find a compromise to bridge the gap in the Security Council. Unfortunately we were not successful.If military action proceeds without a new resolution of the Security Council, Canada will not participate.
We have ships in the area as part of our participation in the struggle against terrorism. Our ships will continue to perform their important mission against terrorism.
This answers the question pretty well. The remarks I have made were along the same line as those—
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
The Speaker
I am sorry to interrupt the right hon. Prime Minister, but this is all the time we had for oral question period. The hon. member for Calgary Centre, on a point of order.
Points of Order
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
Progressive Conservative
Joe Clark Calgary Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, I hope the Prime Minister might delay his retreat for just a moment.
The House welcomed, finally, some clarity from the Prime Minister on the government's attitude toward Iraq, but surely, Sir, a statement of that importance should have been given by the Prime Minister on motions or in a formal statement to this House rather than being smuggled into question period in the way that he did it.
Points of Order
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
Don Boudria Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I think most members would agree that this intervention has nothing to do with a point of order. Obviously the Prime Minister not only has a right but a duty, which he manifests all the time, of responding very forthrightly to questions from hon. members. Had he not done that today, the same right hon. member would probably have been up asking the Prime Minister why he failed to do exactly what he just did.
Points of Order
Oral Question Period
3 p.m.
Bill Blaikie Winnipeg—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, I want to rise in support of the point of order from the right hon. member. While we welcomed the Prime Minister's willingness to make a statement in the House, we have a procedure for that in our Standing Orders. It is called Statements by Ministers. The Prime Minister, instead of trying to smuggle something into question period that would have been properly done elsewhere, should have made a statement under Statements by Ministers, or he could have sought unanimous consent of the House to make a statement before question period or after, all of which would have provided a much better opportunity for the House to deal with this issue.
Points of Order
Oral Question Period
3:05 p.m.
The Speaker
While I appreciate the points of order that have been raised in the intervention of the right hon. member for Calgary Centre and the hon. member for Winnipeg—Transcona and the government House leader, hon. members know that all kinds of things can get smuggled into question period, whether it is in the answers or whether it is in the questions. Perhaps I should say the responses and the questions. I do not want to cause offence.
For this to happen is not an unusual occurrence. While members may have preferred to have a statement instead so there was an opportunity to respond or to suggest that it be done during debates so that there could be a more lengthy presentation of questions and comments and so on, these things are all possibilities, and I am glad they have been mentioned, but unfortunately I do not think they constitute a point of order or a question of privilege at this point in time. Accordingly, we will move on.
Oral Question Period
3:05 p.m.
The Speaker
I am now prepared to rule on the question of privilege raised by the hon. member for Mississauga West on February 25, 2003, concerning a letter sent to him by the hon. member for Calgary West.
I would like to thank the hon. member for Mississauga West for having raised this issue as well as the hon. opposition House leader and the hon. member for Calgary West for their comments on the matter.
The hon. member for Mississauga West, in presenting his case, stated that he had received a request from the hon. member for Calgary West to write to the Prime Minister concerning the Falun Gong. The request was accompanied by a draft letter addressed to the Prime Minister from the hon. member for Mississauga West, ready to be signed by him should he decide to do so.
The objection raised by the hon. member for Mississauga West focuses on the fact that this letter was written on House of Commons letterhead. He has expressed disagreement with this approach because, among other things, it seems to give an official seal of approval to what is really only an MP's personal initiative.
The hon. member for Mississauga West protested that the draft letter, printed as it was on House letterhead, made it more likely that his own position might be misrepresented or taken out of context. All hon. members are acutely aware of the difficulties that may arise when this happens and the Chair agrees that every member of this House has an obligation to ensure that they are not the source of such a misrepresentation, even if done unintentionally or inadvertently.
In the present case, however, I fail to see that any such misrepresentation has occurred, let alone that any aspect of parliamentary privilege is involved. The use of generic House of Commons letterhead on a document submitted to another member for his or her consideration and possible signature hardly seems to involve misrepresentation or an attempt to interfere with the right of hon. members to conduct the business of Parliament without obstruction.
In past rulings, the Chair has tried to assist hon. members by indicating the limits of parliamentary privilege as it applies to them as individuals. Members who have an interest in this aspect of our rules will find it discussed in House of Commons Procedure and Practice at pages 71 to 95, and I invite hon. members to revisit those pages for a comprehensive explanation of this issue.
Meanwhile, I can see no infraction of any of our rules in the case now before us and I therefore find that no prima facie breach of privilege or of contempt has occurred in this situation.
Report of the Electoral Boundaries Commission
Routine Proceedings
3:05 p.m.
The Speaker
It is my duty pursuant to section 21 of the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act to lay upon the table a certified copy of the report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for British Columbia.
This report is deemed permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.
Government Response to Petitions
Routine Proceedings
3:05 p.m.
Halifax West
Nova Scotia
Geoff Regan Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 21 petitions.
Parliament of Canada Act
Routine Proceedings
3:05 p.m.
Eugène Bellemare Ottawa—Orléans, ON
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-408, an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (oath or solemn affirmation).
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to introduce a bill that would modify the oath of allegiance sworn by members of Parliament when they are elected.
At the present time, we swear allegiance to the Queen. I have no intention whatsoever of calling for the reference to the Queen to be taken out. What I am asking instead is for an addition, a proof of our pride and responsibility toward our constituents, the people of Canada. I therefore wish to add loyalty to Canada to the oath.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)


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subset: commoncrawl


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One hundred years of transcontinental flightSaturday, December 10th, 2011
This morning I am in Long Beach, California. Situated right on the water, it's a major port as well as a great place to fly. I am here to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the first transcontinental flight. Cal Rodgers launched from Sheepshead Bay, New York, determined to cross the continent. It was no easy task. He suffered multiple crashes and serious injuries, and before all was said and done, he lost the sponsorship that had allowed him to undertake the flight.
But Long Beach leaders had the foresight to recognize that completing a transcontinental flight was important and could, some day, change the way we travel. They offered Rodgers, who was recovering from injuries suffered in one of his many crashes, $5,000 to complete his flight in Long Beach. And so he did, landing in the Pacific surf and making history.
I don't know if Rodgers and the Long Beach leaders who helped him complete his dream could have imagined where we would be today, 100 years later.
Today flying across the continent, and even around the world, has become routine. Thanks to modern air travel, we can cross vast oceans, trackless deserts, and the tallest peaks without any of the dangers or hardships travelers have faced throughout human history.
If you are reading this, chances are you are a pilot, or at least have a strong interest in aviation. But for millions of Americans, aviation is something more abstract—and many of them have never even heard of "general aviation."
But here's an idea to keep in mind, and share with the non-pilots in your life. Even Americans who never set foot in an aircraft depend on general aviation. Anyone who has received an overnight package has benefited directly from our general aviation system. Law enforcement, fire fighting, emergency medical transport, traffic reporting, disaster relief, search-and-rescue operations…all of these things are made better and more efficient through the use of general aviation.
One hundred years ago, powered flight was brand new. There was no GPS to help you find your way; no weather services to help you avoid storms; and no air traffic controllers to monitor the skies. There weren't even any airports. Back then, aviation was reserved exclusively for the most daring among us.
That is no longer true. In fact, today almost anyone can become a pilot. I have met individuals who learned to fly in their teens and others who learned in their 80s.
Learning to fly can be challenging and earning a pilot certificate is a big accomplishment. But you don't have to be a genius to do it. You don't have to be a math wiz. And you don't have to be rich to be a pilot or own an airplane—in fact many wonderful, reliable airplanes can be had for less than the price of a new car.
And there's something else everyone should know about flying, something that drove early aviators like Cal Rodgers, and something you can only fully experience when you are at the controls. FLYING IS FUN. Really fun! Taking off and climbing effortlessly above the Earth is one of the most joyful experiences you can have. The spirit soars and you are free.
Humankind has dreamed of flight since we first looked up and marveled at the birds. Today, the power of flight is within the grasp of each of us.
I encourage anyone who has ever dreamed of flying to take action.
Getting started is easy and AOPA can help with the tools and information you need. Visit our website at aopa.org. Then come to the airport, talk to pilots, and take an introductory flight. You're sure to discover that the joy of taking flight is as powerful and transformative now as it was 100 years ago.


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Power Authority Wins Praise for Wildlife Habitat Work
October 6, 2004
NORTH BLENHEIM—The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) has cited the New York Power Authority's Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project here for the continuation of a successful wildlife management program – jointly administered by the Power Authority and the wildlife staff at SUNY Cobleskill – on the grounds of the Schoharie County power project.
The Wildlife Habitat Council recertified Blenheim-Gilboa's wildlife program for another two years.
"The efforts of the employees at the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project have continued to be outstanding," said William W. Howard, president of the WHC in a letter announcing the award. "Our staff members were particularly impressed with the planning and development of the long-term blue bird nest box monitoring program."
The Power Authority has been committed to the blue bird nesting program at Blenheim-Gilboa since the late 1980s.
Eugene W. Zeltmann, president and chief executive officer of the Power Authority said, "We are always delighted when positive efforts we make to preserve and enhance the environment in which we operate are recognized. This honor is no exception."
The Power Authority and other winners of WHC awards will be honored during the organization's annual Symposium and Awards Banquet on Nov. 16 in Baltimore.


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Here's one for the you don't know whether to laugh or cry file: the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security have discovered and quashed an online shop's attempt to parody the two agencies for behaving like Big Brother.
The silver lining: Dan McCall, owner of the shop, is hoping to restore his his First-Amendment rights through the courts.
To ridicule electronic surveillance disclosures, he paired the NSA's official seal on T-shirts for sale with the slogan: "The only part of the government that actually listens."
He also has one with the sub-heading "Spying On You Since 1952," and altered the NSA seal to read "Peeping While You're Sleeping."
"The NSA and DHS claims there are laws specific to them that prohibit you from doing anything with their logo and we don't think that jives with First Amendment rights," McCall said Thursday. (more…)


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The Environment Through The Eyes of Children: The Twelfth GLOBAL PAINTING CONTEST
Nairobi, October 2002 - Children from around the globe are being urged to paint their vision of a cleaner, healthier, fairer and more environmentally-friendly world.
The twelfth international painting contest, jointly organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Foundation for Global Peace and the Environment, Japan, has got underway. It started on 1 September and will continue until 31 January 2003. All entries will be archived at the National Museums of Ethnology, Japan.
"Preserve the Beautiful Oceans, Skies and Forests for the Future", is this year's theme. Prizes will be awarded for the best 500 entries, which will be used in the production of postcards, a calendar, posters, publications and exhibitions world-wide.
Indeed, ten of last year's winning paintings, representing the work of children from countries including India, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Japan, Finland and Argentina, are being turned into special cards. These should be available on-line and for sale in United Nations offices, such as New York and Geneva, in a matter of weeks. For more details of last year's winners and their work please go to http://www.unep.org/children_youth/kids/painting.htm
Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's Executive Director, said: " Images have, since primitive times, been sources of inspiration and contemplation able to reveal the joy and tragedy of humankind's place in the world. From the pre-historic cave paintings of Lascaux in the French Pyrenees, the rock art of the ancient Sahara, the carvings of the Inuits, the tattoos of the Maoris, and the photos of more recent times, they have chronicled our relationship with nature, the spiritual world and ourselves".
"Through the International Painting Contest for Children, we are eager to see the visions, aspirations and creativity of children. They are the future and can be inspirational teachers to each other and adults. Indeed many parents tell me that it is through the actions of children, often through community, school projects and competitions like the painting contest, that they have come to understand environmental issues more deeply," he said.
The annual painting competition last year attracted 9,043 entries from 51 countries. From the winning entries selected, several will be used in the preparation of a Calendar for Children for the Year 2004.
Notes To Editors: The Foundation for Global Peace and the Environment of Japan was founded in 1991 to work on wide-ranging global issues related to the environment, peace and sport. Since its inception, the Foundation has been a key partner of UNEP's Children, Youth/ Sport and the Environment Unit and has worked with UNEP to organize global environmental events and activities.
The sponsors of this year's contest are all from Japan. They are among others: Honda Motors, Ajinomoto, Ricoh Unitechno, Fujitsu, Takara, Showa Note, Sun Star Stationary, Japan Toy Culture Foundation, OITA Yuki Center and OYC Corporation.
The contest is also being supported by National Museum of Ethnology, Japan, as well as Japanese Ministries including those of the Environment, Foreign Affairs, Education, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
For More Information, Details of How to Enter and Previous Winners Work Please Contact: Ms Tomoko Yano, Secretary General, Foundation for Global Peace and Environment, 401 Hawamita Tsunazaka Bldg, 2-7-7, Mita, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108, Japan. Tel: 81 3 5442 3161, Fax: 81 3 5442 3431, Email: firstname.lastname@example.com or see http://www.unep.org/children_youth/kids/painting.htm
In Nairobi, please contact: Eric Falt, UNEP Spokesperson and Director of the Division of Communications and Public Information, on Tel: 254 2 623292, E-mail: email@example.com or Paul Okwaro, UNEP Children, Youth/Sport and Environment Unit. Tel: 254 2 623148, Fax: 623927, Email: email@example.com
UNEP Information Note 2002/26


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Soquel Demonstation State Forest (SDSF) will be the venue for the Bell Super Enduro at Demo – the first competitive mountain bike event in the history of the forest.
MBOSC/SCMBF are organizing a couple of trail work days this month to maintain the trails and prepare the Super Enduro course: Saturday March 10 and Sunday March 18. Our focus for these work days is will be on upper Ridge trail and Braille trail. We want to ensure that flow is restored, that an ATV can drive on the trails, improve sight lines and open drains.
We will supply snacks and beverages before and after the work. Super Enduro sponsor Bell is going to sponsor the trail work days with raffle items and schwag.
Please register for these trail work days (and more) at Trailworkers.com
Come out and give back to the trails. Help us get the Super Enduro course dialed in!
We did a session last Sunday and two crews focused their efforts on Ridge below the helipad and Sawpit. There was a mobile crew featuring Ed and his chainsaw with the ATV. We removed all the flow killing downed trees on Sawpit.


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I reckon that on "Abbey Road", the Fabs did their BEST vocal harmonies in whole album!! "Because" is one of most beautiful vocalization of a musical group I ever heard. Not just in that song but ALL of songs, even on "I Want You" I think their vocals were wonderful, very tuned and with an excellent timing. We can even hear Ringo on vocal harmonies on "Carry That Weight", a rare fact.
Which of their albums beyond this you guys can consider as a beautiful harmonies of their voices??


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What makes a world class swimming teacher?
Swimming teaching and coaching is an active and challenging role so it's important to keep up to speed with changes and developments to continue to enhance your knowledge and skills. Sometimes though you may need help to develop those special skills needed to really inspire confidence, motivate and get the very best out of your swimmers.
We asked some of our top swimming teachers what they think makes a world class swimming teacher and found some common themes – so here's a few quick tips and suggestions you can use to improve your lessons today.
A world class swimming teacher will…
- Continue to learn and adapt - continual professional development sessions are a key part of your improvement – we would say at least 4 times a year to keep things fresh.
- Keep it interesting and appropriate - you do it day in day out. How do you keep it fresh, interesting, new and correct? There are some great CPD seminars where you can learn how to vary sessions to keep them fun and check out the Games packs here.
- Share and find good practice - speak to other teachers to find out what they are doing. Those 'water cooler' moments are immeasurably useful in developing your skills as a teacher. Again, by attending regular CPD sessions you will get the chance to share ideas and it's another great way to meet and interact with other like minded professionals.
- Be fully qualified - nationally recognised qualifications provide you with the basic tools to do the job and progression through the levels of ASA/UK Coaching Certificate (UKCC) courses will qualify you from becoming a support teacher right through to a senior coach.
- Be safe and have the backing of a professional institute - unlike other swimming teaching membership schemes, the IoS provides personal accident, corporate and loss of income cover as well as civil (public) liability of £20 million. Find out how at www.swimming.org/ios/membership
- Be tech-savvy - the best teachers make sure they are taking advantage of technological developments such as online learning and the ability to use electronic registers. Online study options, although not providing the benefits of interaction with others, are a time and cost effective route to boosting your knowledge and at the end of the day, improving your job prospects and earning potential.
- Be multi-skilled - it makes sense that to make yourself more employable you should have the ability to cope with whatever is thrown at you. A truly world class teacher is trained and knowledgeable in lots of different things – ranging from school swimming, disability, aquafit, adult and child, maybe mini polo. Find out how to expand your role with the IoS.
This is an extract from an article which appeared in Swimming Times November 2011 issue.
Many thanks to the teachers & coaches who contributed their thoughts to this article:- Julia Jarvis, Andi Manley, Andrew Holt, Mo Brocklesbury, Spencer George, Babs Lee, Roger Puxley, Julie Stanley & Wendy Dalton


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|Renee's Bio
How long have you lived in
What is your favorite food? Homemade soup – and I make a great one!
Last book you read? I read non-fiction mostly and anything relating to current affairs. The most challenging book is the bible. I would like to know more about it.
How many pets do you have? I claim a part of Smarty Jones, the Q's Quality Cat. We are very close.
What TV show(s) are you addicted to? I am not addicted to television at all.


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Skip to comments.Boeing's Albaugh worries about 'intellectual disarmament' of U.S.
Posted on 06/13/2011 2:08:25 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
...[Jim Albaugh] ticked off a list of broad national problems that transcend Boeing:
Brain drain of talented immigrants:...."Now, the best and brightest come to the United States, get trained, and leave, and go back and compete against us."
Defense cuts: "There is no industrial base policy in the Department of Defense other than market forces," he said. "Right now, the Boeing Company is the only company in the United States that has a design team working on a new airplane. There are no [all-new] airplanes being developed for the Department of Defense probably for the first time in 100 years."
Competition from China: "The law of large numbers would dictate that they are going to have more smart people than we are going to have. And their government has identified aerospace as an industry that they've targeted,".....
When Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited China in January, the Chinese military made a very public test flight of its previously secret J-20 Stealth fighter.
"A lot of people saw that as a military threat," Albaugh said. "I didn't. I saw it more as an economic threat. They will sell that airplane around the world and will take away a lot of the market that's been enjoyed by U.S. defense contractors."
NASA cuts and private space ventures: "They are trying to commercialize space. ... Getting the reliability requires a lot of redundancy, which requires a lot of cost," Albaugh said. "I think it's going to be a money pit for a lot of them."
He lamented the U.S. government's withdrawal from space exploration as the space-shuttle program winds down: "My prediction is that the Chinese will walk on the moon before we launch an American into orbit again in a U.S. spacecraft."
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
"A lot of people saw that as a military threat," Albaugh said. "I didn't. I saw it more as an economic threat....
It is both.
My prediction is that the Chinese will walk on the moon before we launch an American into orbit again in a U.S. spacecraft."
This is the change guys.
Intellectual disarmament is a direct result of moral disarmament. ;-/
The Chinese are discovering Capitalism while our leaders are taking us into the dark ages of Socialism through the exploitation of our education system and robbery of our citizens in order to redistribute the wealth into a black hole. Unions do not dictate China's economic policies as they do her. They also are not going bankrupt.
From the 'intellectuals' at Harvard to Section 8 housing, philosophically there isn't much difference. They'll never understand American Exceptionalism. Oh how I hate this pres-ent and his kind.
Not quite. A more accurate statement is that both powers are enjoying the enrichment (to some) provided by crony capitalism backed by oligarchy. They take from us and give it to themselves.
Similar to the old Soviet-style communism, but much wider effects because more money is generated for them to redistribute.
Quite sobering but not surprising, since the World Community Organizer-In-Chief has all but designated NASA as a Muslim outreach center.
I would disagree here. To me the Chinese Government has morphed into fascism, they just kept the Commie logo for obvious reason. The lefty's that run out corps now would have never sold us out to fascists, but to good commies of course. The Chinese are not stupid.
We need to restrict H1-b's now! We are undercutting out future, can't anyone see that but you and I? I am anti-union as the next FReeper but clearly engineers are the only group of professionals that actually need protection. It is a matter of national security.
That's racist.
I prefer the more appropriate, "unilluminated abyss".
Oh yeah . . . < /sarc>
"Now, the best and brightest come to the United States, get trained, and leave, and go back and compete against us."
There is no one whose a** we can't kick if we quit trying to commit national suicide. This, however, won't always be true it we get too far away from what our strengths are.
People need to remember why we have locks on our doors. Unfortunately we don't live in an altruistic world, and others will take what we have if we let them. I trust us, as a nation, to be fair and charitable to the world. I don't trust the world to be that way toward us. If we fall, they won't pick us up.
like no one saw this coming, except those in the field...
and the members of congress.
why do i say congress? i know for a fact that this exact scenario was laid out in 1998 when the H1-b bill was passed. it was laid out to members of 5 different congressional offices by at least one person.
they knew this was coming.
they knew the obvious impact.
they didn't care and continue to work against the best interests of Americans.
why is it we're not able to hold them liable for damages done? since when did they become above the law?
You have that right.
And for posters lamenting the education of foreigners (and some staying here), well, look at our institutions of higher learning who love to rake in that foreign education money. Time was these foreigners stayed because the USA had a good program but now they go home because the President and his Science and Technology Adviser, John Holdren (look this guy up), want to level the playing field (and that can only suit the socialists in academic circles that take monthly junkets to foreign countries for endless cycles of meetings).
The problem is WE ARE NOT staying competitive! We are not.
I work for a very large outsourcing company. We just staffed a prominent US company with 100 programmers, tech support in addition to moving the help desk and testing center off shore.
The company doesn't have to pick up the benefits for 100 + people, it doesn't have to pay salaries to 100 + people. it minimized it's risk profile and it's IT department can now run 24x7 to support development efforts.
It's not that they can't find employees. It's the savings of over $750,000 a year in costs that made it an attractive deal. And they have a responsibility the stockholder and to their customers.
It's not that good people are hard to find. It's that good people, facilities to staff them and insure them are expensive.
The bad side of obamacare might save jobs and that is by companies dropping insurance, it becomes cheaper to hire people. Employees would have to find their own health care. I am not endorsing it, just giving an observation. Question is, how do you make that insurance cheap enough for individuals to buy? I pay 20% of what I would pay if I had to buy it own my own. And that is with less benefits at higher deductibles.
That's probably the only sensible thing this gov't. has done. He's upset that his company won't as easily get the plum space contracts. He'll have to compete with smaller, less-expensive firms.
Commercial start-ups are people like Elon Musk who is a heavy campaign contributor and fundraiser for Obama and democrats. It's crony-capitalism and the U.S. is going to left grounded while foreign countries move out and control that arena.
But then again that's just what the Science and Technology Adviser for Obama wants.
Those ready to attack legacy companies that have worked for NASA are just the new guys on the block who want their turn at the trough.
Interesting point.
I guess American doctors will be the next to go.
That leaves a glut of lawyers.
The old Soviet Union was as fascist as they get. Lenninism and the "dictatorship of the proletariat" is nothing more than oligarchy and a cult of the personality.
The educational requirements for engineers to enter that profession is nowhere near that of doctors and even lawyers. An engineer can begin working after four years of college; lawyers seven and doctors eight plus various lengths of time in residency.
Those aren't really comparable.
It's ludicrous to believe that those at the academy generally have any better ideas or abilities to move the nation and the world forward than other individuals in society do. I say this from the perspective of someone who spent 18 years after high school attaining and advancing my education and training in my profession.
We have made celebrities of politicians, and oracles of those in academia. Big, big mistake. There are smart people with great ideas in every walk of life, and people with limited vision and bad ideas peppered throughout academia and government.
There needs to be a revolution in education that provides a real leveling of the playing field, eradicates the elite designations, and motivates a wider spectrum of people to achieve. Online education, with national standards that can be tested for and certified, is one way to get beyond the 40-60K / year costs that many students are getting soaked for. If someone who self-educates online scores as well or higher than someone who spent 4 years and a fortune at Harvard, so be it.
So be it.
Far more accurate than you might realize. Jim Albaugh couldn't care less about what happens to the US military industrial base, nor I suspect the long-term technological superiority of the US, as long as he gets his cut of the action along the way. His sole focus is to move into the big chair in Chicago once the board sends McNerny packing.
Further, JFA is now in charge of the commercial aircraft business at Boeing. If he's so worried about the Chinese, one has to wonder why he has now accelerated the aircraft manufacturing technology-sharing partnership with the Chinese gov't that Alan Mullaly fought against for so long??
We've got an intellectly disarmed president. Whadda ya expect?
Real education, as opposed to union sanctioned daycare, makes some kids feel bad. So kids graduate from college who cannot read and we are surprised the Chinese are eating our lunch?
Remember all the cost savings from
firing rightsizing outsourcing offshoring all those jobs belonging to middle-aged white males?
Guess what.
They went and told their kids, don't bother with science or technology: you'll have to study too hard in school for maybe a ten-year career, having to retire when you're forty, forty-five, tops.
And the Universities took the hint and accepted mainly womyn into Greivance Studies programs; allowing mainly foreigners into the STEM classes in the sacred name of "Diversity." White males need not apply.
You and the entire cadre of C-level executives starting from the mid-eighties should be hung and your families' wealth confiscated. Your wives and children should be sentenced to begging scraps for a living.
It's what you did to an entire generation of white male US citizens.
And now you have the nerve to look surprised.
My undergrad degree is in Electrical Engineering (1968) and after a few years working as an EE, I went back to school and became a lawyer, JD in 1976.
Engineering undergrad degrees at the time required about 20% more credit hours than for other majors, so it was really a five year program crammed into four years.
I personally found law school easier than master's level EE classes.
I took a 25% pay cut, by the way, between my last paycheck as an EE and my first one as a newly minted lawyer. However, after a few years of hard work, my income as a telecommunications lawyer was substantially more than it would have been had I remained in engineering.
They understand it enough to hate it.
Government-controlled industrial policy is not capitalism.
It is mercantilism.
China is deliberately destroying America's industry. With wide support from "conservative" Americans who would rather sleep through the destruction than recognize what is happening.
Heh, heh. Intellectual disarmament. I gotta remember that one.
Aside from Indians, who do have a democratic country with a rapidly expanding economy to go back to, I don't know of too many high-tech immigrants who wish to go back to their home countries.
PART of it was the loss of the idea of liberal education, the education proper to a free people, in favor of the idea of education as job training.
While I agree that some of what he says is BS - like no defense company building a new airplane. Ever heard of X craft? Lockheed, Northrup, etc are both also working on X craft projects.
However - being in the technology sector my whole life and living in Silicon Valley I can say with certainty that cutting off immigration for access to our University's is cutting off our own heads.
Here are some empirical facts for you.
1) In Silicon Valley, roughly 80% of all engineers are foreign born.
2) The percentage of American graduating seniors entering STEM majors is alarmingly low. Of those that do - likely the majority are first generation Americans whose parents immigrated here!
With these two points in mind - why does it make sense to shut down the only really solid source of brain power we've got in this country.
This isn't to say I support H1B programs - that is a DIFFERENT discussion. However, not supporting foreign student access to our universities would sign our own death warrants. It would deny our own engineering companies access to the best and brightest ALONG with starving our universities of funds supplied by these students.
What we NEED is a vibrant economy to keep those graduating STEM majors in this country. If opportunities look better at home than here, then naturally they are going to migrate back to where the jobs are.
You need to separate Mr. Musk's economic activities from his political beliefs. The simple fact is that he is building a better mouse trap at a lower price. He has attracted government funding because he is doing something that up until now only governments have done, and doing it better!
Space-X has rewritten the book on how you do R&D into construction/launching a rocket. He is also doing it with a large chunk of his own money on the line. Something you don't see Lockheed or Boeing doing in the Government arena.
Jack - I agree with you (Hold a BSEE myself from 1976). The other simple fact is that it's a pretty small part of our population that suffer having "the nack"
Whatever, but the disparity in the educational requirements to become a professional engineer compared to MDs and attorneys is great, and that has been and will be reflected in the compensation earned in each field.
Engineering is much more comparable to architecture and CPA work.
And there are plenty of attorneys and doctors and CPAs and others who'd be surprised to learn they work so much less than engineers (because it isn't true).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


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11/13/2012 (4 years ago)
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
11/13/2012 (4 years ago)
Published in Year of Faith
GREENVILLE, SC (Catholic Online) - When I was in high school there was a trophy for the winning football team. It was a huge, solid brass cup with marble, silver and gold trim on a hardwood base.
This trophy would be held by the winning school for a whole year and their name would be engraved on a plaque on the trophy's base. The school trophy case was modest in size, but was full (or not full depending on the year) of similar sorts of trophies for the different sports.
Then trophies were worth something. They were solid and real, and to keep the trophies you had to win them every year or the the arch rivals would get them. The trophies were not only worth something. They meant something.
Not any more.
Our local high school can't build the trophy cases fast enough and big enough.
That's because the old type trophy out of solid and precious materials has been replaced with plastic trophies. That's right. All those trophies your children and grandchildren receive? They're plastic. The gold and silver trim is all plastic. They're plastic and they're everywhere.
The kids have to get a trophy for every little thing they do. Giving the plastic trophies out left, right and center has made the whole trophy giving exercise meaningless.
It's somehow suitable that the trophies are made of plastic because that's about what they're worth. They're not worth much more than the paper crown in the Christmas cracker or the cardboard crown you get at the local burger joint with your kiddie meal.
Today's gospel is all about faithful service and reward. Jesus asks his audience, "If you have a servant who has just finished working in the fields you don't ask him to come and sit down to dinner with you. It's his job to serve the table. He shouldn't ask about a reward because he has only done what he was expected to do."
Why should he get a reward for doing his duty? That wouldn't be worth much more than a plastic trophy or a paper crown.
Hold on a minute! This seems rather harsh doesn't it? Is Jesus really recommending that masters be so bossy and selfish and hard on their servants? Is this really just telling us to get on and do our duty and not think about rewards?
On one level maybe, but, as usual, there is more to it.
To fully understand the gospel we have to look at the context. Just before this story in Luke chapter 17 we have the story about faith being like a mustard seed which grows into a great tree.
Just before that the apostles said, "Lord increase our faith!"
In reply Jesus gives this illustration about a rather stern master who expects his servant to come in from the fields and immediately get supper ready and serve at the table.
Jesus is trying to show his disciples what faith really is. Faith is like a mustard seed. It's something tiny and humble and seemingly insignificant. It's something unremarkable.
Faith is not some razzmatazz religious experience.
Faith is not trying very, very hard to believe something which you know deep down probably isn't true. Faith is not simply signing up to a list of religious beliefs and moral principles. Instead, faith is living a certain kind of life.
The faithful servant in today's gospel is an illustration of faith.
Faith is a life lived, not just a set of doctrines believed. Faith is as gritty and real as coming in from the fields and then tying on the apron and getting supper ready. Faith is a life of service and sacrifice. Faith is working out of a heart of love--not a desire for a plastic trophy or paper crown.
The story immediately following today's gospel sheds more light on this little story. It is the account of Jesus healing ten lepers--only one of which came back to thank him. Locked into this story are Jesus' words, "Your faith has made you well." There's another pointer to what real faith consists of--not only regular, humble, faithful service, but a heart full of gratitude.
The life of faith is therefore marked by faithful service and a heart that is so grateful that it serves out of love. This faithful service means that we serve without thought of reward. We're not serving the Lord to win a plastic trophy. We offer serve and make sacrifices simply out of a heart overflowing with love and gratitude.
Finally, let us stand this on it's head. Whenever we read the gospel we need to ask ourselves, "Where is Jesus in this story?" Yes, Jesus is the one telling the story, but the stories he tells and the incidents in the gospel always reveal Jesus in deeper and more mysterious ways. There are other connections we did not see at first.
The faithful servant--the one who comes in from the fields and then puts on his apron and serves is Jesus himself. Later in the gospel he refers to the "fields that are white and ready for harvest." He is the one who has been working in these fields harvesting souls.
Then it is no co-incidence that at the Last Supper Jesus himself gets up and puts on an apron to wash his disciples' feet. It is there that he says, " For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves."
Jesus himself is the faithful servant, who comes in from the fields of his work and then serves at the table of sacrifice out of total, great and unconditional love for mankind. The only trophy he gets is a scepter that is a broken reed and the only crown he wears is the crown of thorns.
It is all well and good saying we should serve without any thought of reward, but that's impossible. We're not wired like that. It is only Jesus Christ who can do this, and it is only inasmuch as our lives are supernaturally conformed to his life that we can eventually begin to live a life of total service and sacrifice to others. Then we will know that the true and lasting reward is to live in union with the one who serves.
Until then we might have to put up with paper crowns and plastic trophies.
Fr Dwight Longenecker is the Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Greenville, South Carolina. Â His latest book, Catholicism Pure and Simple. Visit his blog and sign up for his free, weekly newsletter here.
By Fr. James Farfaglia
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By Fr Samuel Medley, SOLT
I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. HYTHE, KENT, UK (Catholic Online) - I didn't steal any cookies mommy! says a little boy whose mother asked him if he was hungry, wiping the ... continue reading
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The Spirit makes one man a teacher of divine truth, inspires another to prophesy, gives another the power of casting out devils, enables another to interpret holy Scripture. The Spirit strengthens one man's self-control, shows another how to help the poor, teaches ... continue reading
By Deacon Keith Fournier
It is not accidental that the Bible, from beginning to the end, uses marriage as a metaphor and a symbol to reveal the plan of God for the whole human race. Marriage was God's plan from the beginning as we see in the first book of Genesis. Throughout the Old ... continue reading
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"A sower went out to sow. And, as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for ... continue reading
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How we interpret the Bible is of immense importance! It directly affects what we believe about Christ, the Church, and our faith, but it is also related to many of the grave problems in our society and the world. Yet, despite the gravity of this situation, we have good ... continue reading
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We celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. It is one of many opportunities the Catholic Church year offers to each one of us to consider the creature called time, receive it as a gift, and begin to really live our lives differently. This is one of ... continue reading
By Deacon Keith Fournier
On the Solemnity of the Feast of Christ the King, the Sunday which marks both the end of the Church Year and the end of the Year of Faith, inaugurated by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Pope Francis greeted thousands of the faithful and presided over Holy Mass and the ... continue reading
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Becoming a House of Prayer is the best discipline we can take on. St. Ephraem of Syria states that Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy ... continue reading
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If this day you only knew what makes for peace- but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your ... continue reading


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I've been learning how to make my digital cutter files available in different file formats, so I can share them with you! Each Friday, I will post a link for a free file for your digital cutter! The file will usually be from something I have created earlier in the week, so you can see what it looks like cut and have an example of a project you can make. Downloads will be available for one week and are for personal use only. Links are at the bottom of the post. Here is this week's freebie. Enjoy!
project I made this week, a fun summer welcome sign.
project I made this week, a fun summer welcome sign.
Sorry, this download has expired.
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Chinese softshell turtle
The Chinese softshell turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis, is a species of turtle that was first described by Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann in 1835 (as Trionyx sinensis). The species is also referred to as the Asiatic soft-shelled turtle. There is a subspecies japonicus which is sometimes erroneously listed as Pelodiscus japonica.
The Chinese softshell turtle can reach a carapace length of 1 ft (0.30 m). It has webbed feet for swimming. They are called "softshell" because their carapace lacks horny scutes (scales). The carapace is leathery and pliable, particularly at the sides. The central part of the carapace has a layer of solid bone beneath it, as in other turtles, but this is absent at the outer edges. The light and flexible shell of these turtles allows them to move more easily in open water, or in muddy lake bottoms.[4]
The carapace of these turtles is olive in color and may have dark blotches. The plastron is orange-red, and may also have large dark blotches. The limbs and head are olive dorsally with the forelimbs lighter and the hind-limbs orange-red ventrally. There are dark flecks on the head and dark lines that radiate from the eyes. The throat is mottled and there may be small, dark bars on the lips. A pair of dark blotches is found in front of the tail as well as a black band on the posterior side of each thigh.[5]
Distribution and habitat
The Chinese softshell turtle is found in China (including Manchuria), Taiwan, North Vietnam, Japan and Russia.[6][7]
It is difficult to determine its native range due to the long tradition of use as a food and "tonic"[8] and subsequent spread by migrating people.[5] The Chinese soft-shelled turtle has been introduced to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor, Batan Islands, Guam, some of the Hawaiian Islands,[9] California[10] and Virginia.[11]
Chinese softshell turtles generally live in brackish water.[12] In China these turtles are found in rivers, lakes, ponds, canals and creeks with slow currents, and in Hawaii they can be found in marshes and drainage ditches.[5]
Ecology and behavior
These turtles are predominantly carnivorous and the remains of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, insects, and seeds of marsh plants have been found in their stomachs.[5] They forage at night.
With their long snout and tubelike nostrils, these turtles can "snorkel" in shallow water.[13] When resting, they lie at the bottom, buried in sand or mud, lifting their head to breathe or snatch at prey. Their basking habit is not well developed.[5]
Chinese softshell turtles often submerge their heads in water.[13] This is because they carry a gene which produces a protein that allows them to secrete urea from their mouths. This adaptation helps them survive in brackish water by making it possible for them to excrete urea without drinking too much salty water. Rather than eliminating urea by urinating through their cloaca as most turtles do, which involves significant water loss, they simply rinse their mouths in the water.[12][14]
Life cycle
These turtles reach sexual maturity sometime between 4 and 6 years of age. They mate at the surface or under water. A male will hold the female's carapace with its forelimbs and may bite at her head, neck, and limbs. Females may retain sperm for almost a year after copulation.[5]
The females lay 8–30 eggs in a clutch and may lay from 2 to 5 clutches each year. The eggs are laid in a nest that is about 3–4 in (76–100 mm) across at the entrance. Eggs are spherical and average about 20 mm (0.79 in) in diameter. After an incubation period of about 60 days, which may be longer or shorter depending upon temperature, the eggs hatch. Average hatchling carapace length is about 1 in (25 mm) and width is also about 1 in (25 mm).[5]
Wild populations are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.[2]
Relations with humans
The Chinese softshell turtle is the turtle species raised on China's turtle farms. According to the data obtained from 684 Chinese turtle farms, they sold over 91 million turtles of this species every year; considering that these farms represented less than half of the 1,499 registered turtle farms in China, the nationwide total could be over twice as high.[15] These turtles are considered a delicacy in many parts of Asia.[13] Turtle soup is made from this species. In Japan, they may be stewed with hōtō noodles and served as a winter delicacy. Many Koreans, even today, generally have a taboo against eating turtles which has origins in native Korean Shamanism.
These turtles can be injured if they are dropped or hit, and are susceptible to shell fungus. Within Europe, the turtle is a popular pet, particularly in countries such as Italy and the Czech Republic. Captives of this species will eat canned and fresh fish, canned dog food, raw beef, mice, frogs, and chicken.[5]
- ^ a b Rhodin 2010, p. 000.128
- ^ a b Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (2000). "Pelodiscus sinensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/39620. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
- ^ Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology 57 (2): 319–320. ISSN 18640-5755. Archived from the original on 2010-12-17. http://www.webcitation.org/5v20ztMND. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ Obst, Fritz Jurgen (1998). Cogger, H. G. & Zweifel, R. G.. ed. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 117–118. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h C.H. Ernst, R.G.M. Altenburg & R.W. Barbour - Turtles of the World - Pelodiscus sinensis [1]
- ^ Distribution map from WWF: shows the species' distribution within NE China and Russian Far East
- ^ "Khankaisky Zapovednik". The Center for Russian Nature Conservation (CRNC). http://www.wild-russia.org/bioregion13/khankaisky/13_khankaisky.htm.
- ^ Louis A. Somma. 2009. Pelodiscus sinensis. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL. [2] Revision Date: 6/29/2004 Accessed: 15/05/2009
- ^ Brock, V. E. (1947). "The establishment of Trionyx sinensis in Hawaii". Copeia 1947 (2): 142.
- ^ Van Denburgh, John (1897). "The Reptiles of the Pacific Coast and Great Basin: An account of the species known to inhabit California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Nevada". Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences 5: 28. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/17094544#page/36/mode/1up.
- ^ Mitchell, J. C., B. W. Steury, K. A. Buhlmann, & P. P. van Dijk (2007). "Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) in the Potomac River and notes on eastern spiny softshells (Apalone spinifera) in Northern Virginia". Banisteria 30: 41-43.
- ^ a b Kaufman, Rachel (12). "Turtles Urinate Via Their Mouths—A First". National Geographic. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/10/121012-turtles-urine-pee-mouth-science-animals-weird/. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ a b c Davies, Ella. "Chinese turtle passes waste urea through its mouth". BBC Nature. http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19883278. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ Give us a kiss! The turtle that urinates through its mouth... and is a delicacy in Chinese restaurants | Mail Online
- ^ Shi, Haitao; Parham, James F; Fan, Zhiyong; Hong, Meiling; Yin, Feng (2008-01-01), "Evidence for the massive scale of turtle farming in China", Oryx (Cambridge University Press) 42: 147–150, doi:10.1017/S0030605308000562, http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=1&fid=1738732&jid=ORX&volumeId=42&issueId=01&aid=1738724, retrieved 2009-12-26
- Rhodin, Anders G.J.; Paul van Dijk, Peter; Inverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley (2010-12-14). "Turtles of the World 2010 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution and Conservation Status" (pdf). Archived from the original on 2010-12-15. http://www.webcitation.org/5uzfktoIh. Retrieved 2010-12-15.
- Wiegmann, A. F. A. 1835. Beiträge zur Zoologie, gesammelt auf einer Reise um die Erde, von Dr. F. J. F. Meyen. Amphibien, Nova Acta Acad. Leopold.-Carol. 17: 185-268.


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Mary J. Blige show will go on Dec. 9 at American Airlines Center
We have a date! The postponed Mary J. Blige show from earlier in November will be Dec. 9 at American Airlines Center.
"The Liberation Tour," with special guest Brandy, will honor tickets for the original date. There are other R&B and hip-hop artists scheduled to appear. In her Sept. 2 stop in Houston, those guests included the elusive D'Angelo (fingers crossed; read all about his resurrection here), Melanie Fiona and new artist Starshell.
Still no word on exactly what caused the postponement, but we're glad the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul made good on her promise to grace the Dallas-Fort Worth stage.


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Android 4.3's TRIM support will breathe new life into old, bogged-down Nexus 7 tablets
The new Android 4.3 update promises to be a boon for longtime Nexus 7 users plagued by the crippling slowdown the slate runs into after months of use.
The new Android 4.3 update promises to be a boon for longtime Nexus 7 users plagued by the crippling slowdown the slate runs into after months of use.
PC Advisor reviews the 5 best BlackBerrys you can buy today.
Research In Motion Limited, now doing business as BlackBerry, shipped about 1 million BlackBerry Z10 smartphones during its fiscal fourth quarter.
With the release of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, the company once known as Research in Motion has staked its future on an ambitious bet: that it could craft a new "mobile user experience" that would, by itself, prove a strong attraction for buyers.
Apple makes more from its iTunes and accessories than its rivals make from selling mobile phones, a new report has revealed.
The newly rechristened BlackBerry delivered on its promise to breathe new life into an aging, iconic product line, but it still faces an uphill battle in a market dominated by Apple's iPhone and devices based on Google's Android operating system.
BlackBerry has unveiled its completely new mobile operating system and launched two new smartphones but the revamped devices won't hit Australian shelves until sometime in March, it was revealed today.
Google's desirable Nexus 4 smartphone will apparently go back on sale in the UK today at 3pm.
In a keynote that was rife with technopop music and contrived videos -- and woefully short on details -- Research in Motion launched two new smartphones in its bid to restore its fortunes in the smartphone market.
RIM has unveiled its highly graphical, touch-oriented Peek and Flow user experience in a bid to regain its lost relevance
Apple has released iOS 6.1 for iPhone and iPad, the latest version of its mobile operating system.
The key to Research in Motion's success in the business markets lies not with IT groups or even business users, but with consumers, according to analysts looking ahead to Wednesday's announcement of RIM's new BlackBerry 10 smartphones.
Speculation, rumors, and hopes about the upcoming BlackBerry 10 launch next week have sent Research in Motion's (RIMM - Nasdaq) stock price soaring.
Research in Motion is at CES this week talking up BlackBerry 10, the company's smartphone refresh set to debut January 30. Despite five years of floundering behind Apple's iPhone and Google Android devices, RIM is generating interest in BlackBerry 10...
Apple, Research in Motion (RIM) and Motorola Mobility are among 15 companies sued in the U.S. over a fundamental 3G and 4G patent on determining when devices should switch cells in a mobile network.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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92nd Street Y is where inspiration lives and exploration begins—with a diverse range of classes and programs that let everyone pursue what they love. With innovative, top-notch programs, events and concerts, plus over 4,000 classes taught by today's most talented professionals, 92Y has it all—for all ages and interests.
Events range from literary readings, concerts, lectures, single mixers, events, films, and many more.
From people who inspire a world of ideas to entertainers known the world over, find the best minds, brightest stars and most compelling issues at 92Y!
Where the written word comes to life, giving New Yorkers a literary forum unlike any other.
Learn more about the Unterberg Poetry Center
Music that puts you on the edge of your seat.
Celebrate dance through electrifying performances featuring today's masters as well as emerging new talent.
Take your passion for the performing arts even further.
Learn about the
Ceramics Program
Jewelry Center
Fine Art & Design Program
Learn about the School of Music
Learn about the Harkness Dance Center
Our state-of-the-art complex is where New Yorkers find healthy inspiration. With our 25-yard lap pool, 100 weekly classes, plus expert training and services, we make fitness fun, flexible and fresh.
Learn More
Join the Health, Fitness & Sport eNews
One of the most widely acclaimed Jewish programs in the nation. You'll find a wealth of programs designed to inform and inspire a meaningful connection to Jewish beliefs, teachings, traditions and celebrations.
Learn more about the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life
A welcoming and well-rounded resource, providing Jewish education and shared family experiences that engage children of all ages.
92Y is a special place to celebrate Jewish holidays and days of remembrance.
Where parents and children come to learn, explore, discover and celebrate through programs and shared experiences that embrace every age, and every life stage.
Jody Gottfried Arnhold is a dance educator and advocate for the arts. She is the founding director of Dance Education Laboratory (DEL). DEL is based on her 25 years' experience teaching in the New York City schools and her interest in promoting an effective methodology for training dance teachers. Jody received a BA in English (University of Wisconsin), an MA in dance education (Columbia University) and is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University in dance and curriculum and teaching. She is a certified movement analyst (CMA—Laban Institute for Movement Studies). Jody is chairman of the board of Ballet Hispanico and serves on the boards of 92nd Street Y and the Center for Arts Education in New York City. Jody is co-chair of the Dance Curriculum Blueprint Committee, creating the New York City Department of Education Curriculum Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance.
John-Mario Sevilla, BA, MA, MFA, directs the Dance Education Laboratory at 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center and teaches at New York University Steinhardt and Gallatin. John-Mario has danced in the companies of Pilobolus, Rebecca Stenn, From the Horse's Mouth, Daman Harun, Erin Dudley, Lisa Giobbi, Nikolais and Louis, Shapiro and Smith, Janis Brenner, Anna Sokolow and Bill Cratty. John-Mario also performed with juggler Michael Moschen, film animator Laura Margulies, drag artist Sherry Vine, poet John Unterecker and Navajo sandpainter-healer Walking Thunder. John-Mario's choreography has appeared in New York City at LaMaMa, NYU Steinhardt, Movement Research at Judson Church, 92YTribeca, Dance Theatre Workshop, Columbia University, ABC No Rio, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, The Asia Society, Bronx Academy of Art and Dance, as well as at universities throughout the country. He was the Director of Education at New York City Ballet. He hails from Maui, is a dance student of Betty Jones and has studied the hula with Kumu Hula June Ka'ililani Tanoue and Hōkūlani Holt.


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Last year Lacrosse Playground did an article on Natty Broh's and their unique lacrosse jerseys and this year they're back. Natty Brohs are a summer lacrosse team based out of Baltimore, MD. They have been playing Continue Reading
Grandmasters club lacrosse teams aren't particularly known for paying close attention to detail when it comes to uniforms. However the Mr. Boh team from The Land Of Pleasant Living will be among the hippest Continue Reading
Mr. Boh Lax custom dye sublimated shorts with pockets. Word on the street is that the original order was 30, but after seeing the artwork it soon became 50. Continue Reading