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An interesting mix of most-viewed stories for December on our main site, www.catholicnews.com — did you miss any of these?
1. 'Not a shred of disagreement' between CHA, bishops on health reform (Dec. 28)
2. English, Welsh bishops say Equality Bill redefines who can be priest (Dec. 9)
3. Health reform, Pope Benedict named top story, newsmaker of 2009 (Dec. 11)
4. Vatican to decide fate of woman who knocked down pope (Dec. 28)
5. Not so secret: New book features 105 documents from Vatican archives (Dec. 4)
6. Vatican says pope outraged by sex abuse in Ireland (Dec. 11)
7. Archbishop Dolan says Archbishop Sheen knew Jesus was 'way to heaven' (Dec. 10)
8. U.S. interns swap hard work for incredible experiences at Vatican (Dec. 1)
9. Cardinal Foley decides to step down as Vatican's 'voice of Christmas' (Dec. 2)
10. Of d'ohs and doughnuts: Vatican newspaper discusses Simpsons' theology (Dec. 23)


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From the American Veterinary Medical Association
Last year, 4.7 million people were bitten by dogs.
The U.S. Postal Service -- another sponsor of Dog Bite Prevention Week -- cites data from the Humane Society of the United States reporting that that small children, the elderly and Postal Service letter carriers -- in that order -- are the most frequent victims of dog bites. Recent statistics show the annual number of dog attacks exceeds the reported instances of measles, whooping cough, and mumps, combined. In addition, dog bite victims account for up to five percent of emergency room visits.
"When you consider the fact that there are 61 million dogs in the United States, it becomes clear that dog bite prevention is very important," said AVMA President Roger Mahr. "The only known cures for dog bites are training, knowledge and caution. Any dog may bite if it feels threatened, if it's put into an unfamiliar situation, if it's out of control or if it's scared."
"As pediatricians, we often see the harm inflicted when dogs bite children," said Dr. Eileen Ouellette, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "In addition to teaching children about safety -- whether rollerblading or riding in a car -- the AAP hopes families address safety around some of their furry friends."
The AVMA offers the following tips to reducing the risk of dog bites:
To avoid being bitten, be cautious around strange dogs and treat your own pet with respect.
Because children are the most frequent victims of dog bites, parents and caregivers should never leave a baby or small child alone with a dog.
The AVMA says young children, including toddlers, should be taught to be careful around pets and to never approach strange dogs. Children should ask permission from a dog's owner before petting the dog.
Children must be taught not to approach strange dogs. Teach children to ask permission from a dog's owner before petting the dog.
Other tips that may present or stop a dog attack
If you are bitten by a your own dog, confine it immediately and call your veterinarian to check your dog's vaccination records.
1416 Country Aire Drive
Carterville, IL 62918
(618) 985-2333
Fax: (618) 985-3709
WSIL FCC Info
KPOB FCC Info
Annual EEO Report

subset: commoncrawl


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The Wayside and the Rocks
Matthew 13 begins with three words: "that same day." They summon us to connect the parable of the sower to the controversy described in the previous passage. Troubles began when Jesus healed a man rendered blind and mute by …Read More
The Good Soil
"Can this dirt grow corn?" One cold, blustery, wet Midwestern spring morning I found myself kneeling in a vast, empty field on the expansive central Illinois plain. With a dozen or so fellow geography classmates, I was picking up …Read More
The Thorns
The greater Miami area, where I was born and raised, is one of the most developed regions in the entire state of Florida. There are hardly any wilderness areas left in the midst of the urban sprawl, but every so …Read More
Grace Alone
Soli Deo gloria is the motto that grew out of the Protestant Reformation and was used on every composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. He affixed the initials SDG at the bottom of each manuscript to communicate the idea that it …Read More


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Remember the duet all pop stars used to have back in the '90s? You know, the one where you would have two world-class talented singers just belting "WHOOOOOAAAAAYEAAAHHH" at each other for four minutes? Then it immediately sold 2 million copies and got nominated for a bunch of Grammys they'd lose to Celine Dion? The new Lady Gaga single "What Do U Want" (featuring R. Kelly) reminds me of those. Matter of fact, the song is so '90s that I had the following thoughts, in order:
- "Damn, this sounds like the video would cost a lot of money. I wonder who would direct it? Dave Meyers. Nah, Little X. Either way, he is wearing his Zorro mask, and she will have her cheeks out while they walk down a silver hallway. Also: Fish-eye lenses. Lots of them."
- "Kells just mentioned roughing up haters. I feel like people don't realize that R. Kelly could probably wreck somebody one-on-one. Hmmm ... who wins in a fight: R. Kelly or Bobby Brown in his prime? I'd watch that on PPV."
- "Lady Gaga seems like the type of girl who was always doing a showcase somewhere that you had to pay $15 to sit on a wood box. The only thing they have to drink is a giant bottle of whatever the green-label Yellowtail wine is, and when you suggest plans she only ever wants to go to karaoke so she can show off."
- "R. Kelly just stretched the F-word to 19 syllables. He deserves sainthood."
- "This song is confusing. I'm not sure if it's about being mad at the media or about wanting to have sex. Maybe having angry sex with Lady Gaga, R. Kelly and a member of the media? That seems like it would be terrible. Unless it was like Soledad O'Brien. MMM, Soledad O'Brien ..."
Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye's Facebook page.


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Winslow Homer is one of the greatest American artists of the 19th century. His paintings always show the relationship between human and nature. Homer was the second of three sons in his family. Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1836, Homer grew up in Cambridge. His mother was a painter so Homer became quite interested in painting when he was very young Supported by his family Homer began his painting career. When he was 19, he worked as an assistant in the trade of making and preparing pictures for printed media. During that time, he learned the process of lithography. Two years later, he made up his mind to become an independent illustrator.
For another few years he worked in Boston, drawing illustrations for stories in some newspapers and magazines. In 1859, he worked for Harper's Weekly as an artist and started to paint seriously so that to create excellent works. In order to improve himself, he would like to go to Europe to learn something more about painting. However, he was not able to go there but was required to draw paintings of the Civil War in American history. As a result, he went to Washington, D.C. and created several paintings of the war. His paintings of the war showed different ways that the conflict influenced people.
In one of those paintings, The War for the Union, Eighteen Sixty-Two - A Cavalry Charge, he showed the Southern Confederate soldiers are shown forced under the feet of the horses, while Union soldiers hold their swords high and moving on proud. There was another famous painting, Home, Sweet Home, in which Homer describes two soldiers listening to music played by military musicians so as to inspire the soldiers. The name of the song is just "Home, Sweet Home." These paintings brought him great success, one of his paintings -- Prisoners from the Front, was exhibited at the Exposition Universelle on behalf of the United States.
Then Homer encountered a great change, he began to use watercolor paint. Instead of using oil paints. Homer's decision to use watercolor have much to do with his another decision. Homer always wanted to be an independent artist so that he gave up his work for the magazines and concentrated himself on painting. Then Homer began his formal painting career. During this period, Homer created his finest painting-Breezing Up. Winslow Homer died in 1910 and he was universally regarded as America's greatest painter of the time. His last painting is Right and Left. It describes the story of two ducks and a hunter.
Winslow Homer And His Works
The arts are sometimes overlooked, but they're a valuable part of culture and history.
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TroyMalone necesitaba un nuevo diseño de papelería y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 95 diseños de 22 diseñadores freelance.
We just launched a couple of months ago at the DEMO Fall conference. See our presentation on the front of our home page: http://www.independa.com to get an idea of what we do. We are launching our Beta at CES next month and expect to get a great deal of press coverage.
We produce a system that allows family caregivers to stay connected to their remote and independently living elderly loved ones. We have a number of browser based tools as well as physical sensors that go inside the care receiver's home to report on things like open doors, motion sensors, and temperature. If something is out of the ordinary, the Independa system sends out phone, text or email based alerts to the care giver.
We are launching our Beta product that is solely browser based, but will launch our android tablet offering and sensors mid next year.
We sell to the adult children of an elderly individual that still lives alone. These individuals are in the Boomer demographic. Our brand is all about providing comfort for family care givers and helping elderly individuals maintain their independence. We DO NOT want to be another company selling to "old" people! We need to be energetic and exciting to the Boomer demographic we are approaching.
Our most common customer is female and anywhere from 45 to 65 years old.
The market we are approaching has been around for a long time. Think about the "clapper" and "I've fallen and I can't get up!". These companies are the former state of the art for remote care giving. Independa's solution is disruptive and displaces many of the current offerings in the marketplace. The good news is that most of the current companies in the market are horrible at marketing. Their offerings look dated and as though they are as old as the individuals they are caring for!
It's quite simple. We need business cards that match the look and feel of our website. I have attached our logo to this brief in EPS format for your use.
We need our business cards to present the following information on the front:
1. The Logo
2. The Tag Line: "Redefining Independence" (optional to include this on the back)
3. The person's name (Troy Malone)
4. The person's title (Vice President Marketing)
5. Our address (4225 Executive Square Ste. 450
San Diego, CA 92037)
6. Our phone number "Main" (800-815-STAY)
7. Their direct line "Direct" (760-518-3254)
8. Our Fax number "Fax" (760-518-3252
9. The person's email address (firstname.lastname@example.com)
We need to present the following on the back of our business cards:
1. At a minimum our Website "http://www.independa.com" and our Tag Line "Redefining Independence".
2. The Logo can optionally be included on the back, but that may be too much...
The back of the business card should be colored and be a bleed. The back should obviously tie in to the front design.
We do not want any variations of our logo or our colors. Please stay true to our logo and our website for colors as it needs to tie together!
email me with specific questions: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Jake1s needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 197 designs submitted by 46 freelance designers.
Buckeye I.T. Services
I'm a small (3 man) company not all up on the "suit and tie" look, a bit more relaxed as I believe personality and communicating with clients is as important as demonstrated knowledge. We contract with local government, K-12 schools, small business and still do home user repair work. I believe in making the clients feel comfortable with me as much as my work and I'd like the logo to reflect that ideal, so something sophisticated yet relaxed (if that makes sense). I'm working on expanding into the remote managed services and support field.
Our target audience is primarily businesses, schools and government but we don't want to alienate the home users either.
I'd like a logo design that can be modified to use in several places on the website, so a spot for a "tagline/slogan" that can be easily edited removed.
I'd prefer to stick with "Buckeyes" colors along the lines of what I have in my under construction page at (http://www.buckeyeitservices.com/bitscorp). But feel free to experiment adding something else to those colors and we'll see what I think.
The current logo can be viewed at http://www.buckeyeitservices.com just so you can see how bad this is needed! :)
The files I require are:
Print file format - .ai (CMYK)
Web file format - .jpg and layered .psd (RGB)
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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NEW YORK — Red Sox left fielder Carl Crawford would like to have surgery on his left elbow as early as this week, a major league source told the Globe on Saturday.
Crawford has not yet come to the team with that request, general manager Ben Cherington said. But with the Sox falling out of contention, the long-simmering issue is coming to a boil and could be decided in a day or two.
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Morinville Debt Consolidation
Perhaps you must take out card relief loans loans to cover the original bills. If you're unable to acquire a credit relief loans loan, do not eliminate hope all together in Morinville Alberta. To steer clear of declines it's important that you locate a Morinville remedy to fix your credit score. If your Morinville Alberta credit is good enough you could find a card consolidation loans loan the size that you require in Morinville, it might be beneficial that you pursue Morinville AB debt consolidation. To get favorable Morinville Alberta provisions, you frequently have to have good Morinville credit. You may also cut up some or all your credit in Morinville and store cards.
You'll be in debts longer. As stated by the Fair Isaac Company your debts to credit limit ratio Morinville accounts for at least 30% of your Morinville Alberta score, therefore it becomes absolutely crucial to eliminate your credit cards first when you're attempting to improve your credit rating in Morinville. To do so, you have to modify the way that you view credit card debts! Debt is among the simplest things to get into, but among the hardest to escape from. Morinville bills can be the 1 thing that could easily set you into jeopardy in Morinville, and you might discover that if you're not extremely cautious in Morinville you will realize that the pattern can be simple to repeat in Morinville. Many are turning to credit consolidating to attempt to acquire their short term funds paid down and escape bills quicker.
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This online, facilitated course is designed for middle-school educators wishing to teach global climate change. The course uses a problem-solving approach and interdisciplinary STEM methodology to engage middle-school students and help them... (View More) understand the causes and effects of climate change, the differences between climate and weather, and how actions and nature affect the environment. Educators access the course by enrolling and paying a course fee; the course syllabus is available online. (View Less)
Using Mathematical Models to Investigate Planetary Habitability: Activity C The Role of Actual Data in Mathematical Models
Students explore how mathematical descriptions of the physical environment can be fine-tuned through testing using data. In this activity, student teams obtain satellite data measuring the Earth's albedo, and then input this data into a... (View More) spreadsheet-based radiation balance model, GEEBITT. They validate their results against published the published albedo value of the Earth, and conduct similar comparisons Mercury, Venus and Mars. The resource includes an Excel spreadsheet tutorial, an investigation, student data sheets and a teacher's guide. Students apply their understanding to the real life problem of urban heat islands and deforestation. The activity links builds on student outcomes from activities A and B: "Finding a Mathematical Description of a Physical Relationship," and "Making a Simple Mathematical Model." This is Activity C in module 3, Using Mathematical Models to Investigate Planetary Habitability, of the resource, Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate? The course aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free per student
How do Atmospheres Affect Planetary Temperatures? Activity C Can we Model an Atmosphere's Effect Upon a Planet's Surface Temperature?
In this activity, students simulate the interaction of variables, including carbon dioxide, in a radiation balance exercise using a spreadsheet-based radiation balance model. Through a series of experiments, students attempt to mimic the surface... (View More) temperatures of Earth, Mercury, Venus and Mars, and account for the influence of greenhouse gases in atmospheric temperatures. The activity supports inquiry into the real-world problem of contemporary climate change. Student-collected data is needed from activity A in the same module, "How do atmospheres interact with solar energy?" to complete this activity. Included in the resource are several student data sheets and a teacher's guide. This activity is part of module 4, "How do Atmospheres Affect Planetary Temperatures?" in
Materials Cost: Free per student


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As Hollywood Sues Over Copyright Infringement, Hollywood Celebrates Copyright Infringement In Glee
from the mixed-messages deptSage Ross points us to an interesting writeup by Christina Mulligan at the Yale Law School's Information Society Project, noting the somewhat mixed messages Hollywood gives people on derivative creativity. Specifically, she talks about the TV show Glee, which I have to confess to never having watched (nor even knowing anything about the show other than that it exists, and people talk about it). Apparently, however, it's about a fictional high school chorus, and while the show takes on all sorts of meaty social issues, it also displays regular acts of remixing and other forms of derivative works, many of which might get folks sued in the real world, but which never mention copyright issues:
...a video of Sue dancing to Olivia Newton-John's 1981 hit Physical is posted online (damages for recording the entirety of Physical on Sue's camcorder: up to $300,000). And let's not forget the glee club's many mash-ups -- songs created by mixing together two other musical pieces. Each mash-up is a "preparation of a derivative work" of the original two songs' compositions -- an action for which there is no compulsory license available, meaning (in plain English) that if the Glee kids were a real group of teenagers, they could not feasibly ask for -- or hope to get -- the copyright permissions they would need to make their songs, and their actions, legal under copyright law. Punishment for making each mash-up? Up to another $150,000 -- times two.So here we are with a hit TV program, showing off how kids are doing all sorts of almost certainly infringing derivative works... at the same time we're told (by the same Hollywood folks) that such works are illegal. And, this isn't some random "well, they could sue but they don't" situation:
You might be tempted to assume that this tension isn't a big deal because copyright holders won't go after creative kids or amateurs. But they do: In the 1990s, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) asked members of the American Camping Association, including Girl Scout troops, to pay royalties for singing copyrighted songs at camp. In 2004, the Beatles' copyright holders tried to prevent the release of The Grey Album -- a mash-up of Jay-Z's Black Album and the Beatles' White Album -- and only gave up after massive civil disobedience resulted in the album's widespread distribution. Copyright holders even routinely demand that YouTube remove videos of kids dancing to popular music. While few copyright cases go to trial, copyright holders like the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) don't hesitate to seek stratospheric damage awards when they do, as in the Jammie Thomas-Rasset filesharing case.As the article notes, these mixed messages may be confusing, but in the end, most people know which side actually makes sense, and it's not the side that the law is on right now:
These worlds don't match. Both Glee and the RIAA can't be right. It's hard to imagine glee club coach Will Schuester giving his students a tough speech on how they can't do mash-ups anymore because of copyright law (but if he did, it might make people rethink the law). Instead, copyright violations are rewarded in Glee -- after Sue's Physical video goes viral, Olivia Newton-John contacts Sue so they can film a new, improved video together.It's a good post and well worth reading the whole thing. But what I find interesting is that Mulligan doesn't even touch on the fact that these mixed messages are coming from the same place. The same folks who produce, distribute and broadcast Glee are the folks who insist copyright is property and that the current laws are just and good. But, even they must know, conceptually, that there's a mismatch between what the law says today and what people actually do.
So what should you do in real life if you and your friends, inspired by Glee, want to make a mash-up, or a new music video for a popular song? Should you just leave this creativity to the professionals, or should you become dirty, rotten copyright violators?
Current law favors copyright holders. But morally, there's nothing wrong with singing your heart out. Remixing isn't stealing, and copyright isn't property. Copyright is a privilege -- actually six specific privileges -- granted by the government. Back in 1834, the Supreme Court decided in Wheaton v. Peters that copyrights weren't "property" in the traditional sense of the word, but rather entitlements the government chose to create for instrumental reasons. The scope and nature of copyright protection are policy choices -- choices that have grown to favor the interests of established, rent-seeking businesses instead of the public in general.
The Constitution allows Congress to pass copyright laws to "promote the progress of science" -- a word often used in the 18th century to mean "knowledge". The stated purpose of the original 1790 copyright statute was to encourage learning. So you tell me -- what promotes knowledge and learning: letting people rearrange music and learn to use a video camera, or threatening new artists with $150,000 fines?
Filed Under: copyright, glee, hollywood, mashups, mixed messages


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Tomic advances past Mayer
Bernard Tomic gained sweet revenge over German nemesis Florian Mayer to power into the quarter-finals of the Sydney International.
In his first success in four starts against Mayer, Tomic won 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 in 65 minutes to continue his unbeaten summer and book a date on Thursday with defending champion Jarkko Nieminen.
Mayer had crushed Tomic in straight sets in Australia's Davis Cup World Group play-off loss in Hamburg last September, but he was out of his league against the resurgent 20-year-old on Wednesday.
Tomic blasted 14 aces in 10 games and landed 74 per cent of first serves in a dominant display.
He said Wednesday's victory was another example of his improved serve.
"I'm getting a lot of much more angle in the court ... it's not about how hard you hit the serve," he said.
"I am acing a lot of guys at 150, 160[km/h] out wide because I have got one of the lowest-trajectory serves that hits that corner.
"I love serving like that. Even if they get it back you've got the whole court to do anything you want with the shot."
With American top seed John Isner, the world number 13, crashing out of the event on Wednesday, Tomic is now a warm favourite to claim his maiden tour title in Sydney.
Fellow American Ryan Harrison eliminated a wounded Isner 6-4, 6-4 in their second-round match before Isner revealed he may have to withdraw from next week's Australian Open due to a knee injury.
The 68th-ranked Harrison prevailed in one hour and 11 minutes in a controlled performance against Isner, who had been promoted to top seed after the withdrawals of French pair Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet.
Two further men's seeds pulled out injured on Wednesday.
French second seed Gilles Simon, the 2011 winner at Sydney Olympic Park, withdrew with a neck injury, handing Nieminen a far easier task against Slovakian lucky loser Ivo Klec.
The Finnish titleholder outclassed Klec 6-3, 6-1.
Czech sixth seed Radek Stepanek retired four points into his second-round match against Frenchman Julien Benneteau with a back injury.
Benneteau will face Harrison in Thursday's quarter-finals.
Meanwhile Dominika Cibulkova booked her spot in the women's semi-finals with a stunning 6-2, 6-1 win over French Open runner-up Sara Errani.
Polish number one seed Agnieszka Radwanska also advanced to the final four with her 6-4, 7-5 win over unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci in windy conditions in Sydney in an hour and 34 minutes.
Topics: tennis, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, southport-4215, qld, australia
First posted


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"Ye Olde Head Razzberry"
March 31, 1981
"Ye Olde Head Razzberry"
John J. B. Wilson, copywriter and publicist, had potluck dinners at his home during the Academy Awards. Following the awards on March 31, 1981, he gave his guests a ballot and asked them to vote for the Worst Picture. Then, in a tacky tux, in front of a cardboard podium, with a fake microphone, Wilson announced the first Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture.
The awards have become an annual event and Wilson is known as "Ye Olde Head Razzberry."


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Onixus is HTML /CSS template built with one purpose : to be flexible and easy to adjust in terms of look and feel. Generally suitable for the portfolio, blog, or company's website, the template with web 2.0 style and looks clean. With New Features of Wordpress 3.0 Universe has been coded to improve capability of the Wordpresss 3.0 features.
Live demo :
Onixus – Corporate Business Wordpress Theme 3
Features :
- 2 slideshow style
- 5 Color Skins
- Custom Post type for slideshow
- Support Wordpress 3.x Menu System
- Post thumbnail support with dynamic image resizing
- Custom Page templates
- Portfolio page templates with Pop up Lightbox (support for image and Video type) with categories filter
- Custom shortcodes
- Cufon Text Replacement
- Translation ready (available .po file)
- Widgetable Sidebar
- Widgetable Footer
- 7 Custom Widgets (Support for Multiple Instance Widget)
- Built in Ajax Contact Form with validation
- Valid XHTML
- Gravatar Support
- Threaded Comment Support
- Cross Browser Compatible
- Poweful Admin Theme Options
- XML sample data included
- PSD Files included
- Well Documented
Update Notes :Version 1.2 (06/29/2015):
- updated jquery prettyPhoto to 3.1.6 version
- removed and replaced timthumb.php script functionality
- added shortcode menu in WP editor
- added select sidebar widget in page meta boxes
- minor bugs fixed
- Fixed compability issue with Wordpress 3.1
- Fixed Homepage contact us section email link
- Fixed permalinks structure for portfolio post type
- Fixed 404 page for detail portfolio page permalink
- Fixed contact form message
- Fixed General sidebar widget issue
- Updated Theme options (more powerful)
- Updated prettyphoto lightbox to latest version
- Updated the documentation
- Added more options for Homepage Contact Info section
- Added more options for Slideshow (both for Easy slider and Nivo slider)
- Added more options for blog page
- Added more options for custom styling and typography
- Added social profile links
- Added option for services list order
- Added single page for portfolio
- Added more cufon fonts


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A courageous girl who survived an horrific house fire which claimed the lives of her mother and three others has begun to rebuild her life.
Tia James, aged seven, was rushed to Chesterfield Royal Hospital following the accidental blaze at a terraced house on Williamthorpe Road, North Wingfield, Chesterfield, after she escaped from the back of the house.
Her mother Claire James, 27, and Claire's friend Josie Leighton, 32, and her sons Tyler Green, aged nine, and Jordan Green 12, died in the fire on November 20.
Tia's uncle Adrian Marson said: "The James family has been trying to re build their lives. However things will never get back to the time before we lost Claire.
"We take great comfort in the fact we still have Tia and it is a miracle that she got out. Tia is now living with her father David and he has been amazing."
David was at Tia's hospital bedside straight after the fire - which was caused by an accidental, electrical fault - and has been there supporting her through the changes to her life.
Mr Marson added: "She still suffers from the little things we may take for granted that trigger memories of what she saw and experienced in that house.
"David has been supporting Tia and ensuring her life is as normal as possible. She is a strong and courageous little girl and has adapted well to her new situation."
With support from David and Claire's families everyone is working hard to ensure the happy memories of Tia and Claire's time together stay with her as the families work to shape a future for the youngster.
Everyone has rallied during key times like Christmas and Mother's Day when Tia visited Claire's grave where she placed cards and flowers.
Resident Lee Forester, of Grassmoor, was so moved by what happened he helped set up Help for a Local Child with donations from the public raising thousands of pounds for a trust fund for Tia.
Mr Forester said: "The response from people was amazing and Tia will be able to access this money when she is an adult to help give her a start in life."
Tia's dad David Harrod currently holds the fund with another relative and they have thanked everyone for their kindness.
Danette Bradder, of Clay Cross, who was a friend of both affected families, also helped raise thousands of pounds with a massive sponsored march and a charity day to cover funeral costs.
Mr Marson added: "As a family the support we received from organised fundraising was amazing. Whilst we battled through what seemed our darkest hour as a family the overwhelming out-pouring of community support and grief provided great comfort."
Both families were moved by local, national and international support with fundraisers donating clothes, toys, games and finance.
Mr Marson added: "We attended the walk from Chesterfield to the Fun Day organised at North Wingfield Miners Welfare. The work that went into that day was truly amazing and the organisers worked tirelessly to make it a success.
"Tia was swamped with things that helped in her transition to her new life and we are truly grateful to everyone for the amount of support from pubs, businesses and school friends of the boys."
Even Tia's favourite band One Direction has sent her concert tickets for later this year.
Mr Marson added: "We've ensured the trust fund is invested for the future to give Tia the start in life that she deserves after all she saw in that house.
"We have not made a big thing of the amount of money as she still misses her mum immensely and no sum will ever replace her.
"However, David and I will ensure that she has the best possible start as she steps out into adult life. Be that funding for further education or even her first home."


text:
Sanofi-Aventis will winnow its US sales forces down by 1,400, the company announced. The move follows layoffs in April of around 400 reps, and brings the total sales force headcount down to roughly 4,000. The Paris-based company employed approximately 6,500 US-based reps just one year ago.
The restructuring will reduce Sanofi's US pharmaceutical operations by 1,700 positions in total—1,400 reps and 300 home office employees, according to Jack Cox, a Sanofi spokesperson —and includes a shift in resources from "late life-cycle, value-driver products" to growth areas like oncology and diabetes, said Cox, adding that Actonel, Aplenzin, Avapro, Avalide and Plavix are among the products slated to lose promotional resources. "We believe making these changes now will make us the right size for our product portfolio and give us a strong organizational structure to meet the challenges we anticipate during the next couple of years," said Cox in an email.
In addition to oncology and diabetes, Sanofi will also focus on atrial fibrillation – specifically, Multaq – and OTC consumer healthcare products sold by Chattem, a US-based subsidiary, according to Cox. In March, Sanofi completed its $1.9 billion acquisition of Tennessee-based Chattem, makers of Gold Bond, Icy Hot, Dexatrim and Unisom, among other products, and hopes to use Chattem's marketing and distribution channels as a conduit for future OTC conversions, beginning with Allegra, according to a company statement in March.
Sanofi is attempting a hostile takeover of Genzyme, and bid $18.5 billion for the biotech in late August. Genzyme has urged shareholders to reject that offer. In other news, Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the Sanofi-Aventis Group, was awarded a three-year, $56.94 million contract by the US Department of Health And Human Services on Friday, for maintaining the resources needed to manufacture pandemic flu vaccines at full capacity, in the event that a vaccine is needed, according to a release.
From the November 01, 2010 Issue of MM&M - Medical Marketing and Media


text:
Easter is Christmas for Conch Shell Bay Fishermen
The national holidays on April sixth and ninth, are a testament to the dominance of Christianity in Belize. The mores that accompany Good Friday signify that fasting and eliminating red meat from the diet, are observed across the country. And that is the primary reason why the price of fish increases during Easter. News Five's Jose Sanchez went fishing with other city residents who used cash rather than a hook to get their snapper.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
The blessings of Easter comes from scripture and from the sea. The fishermen at the Conch Shell Bay market are celebrating the bounty with an increased cost that comes with the high demand.
Krisna "Chris" Wright, Fisherman
"A lot of dedication; a lot of hard work mien. A lot of dedication; a lot of hard work. Sometimes we spend three four days out dah Caye di try make wa lee profit. Then like sometime like twenty-odd, thirty-odd miles go look fi fish."
Jose Sanchez
"And for today's catch, what unu have ya so today; what all different type of fish?"
Krisna "Chris" Wright
"We have barrow, we have cabio, we have jack, we have some snapper, but it almost done now case they sell very fast."
Jose Sanchez
"Now some people complain about the price of fish at the time of Easter but this dah the time when unu make wa lee extra right?"
Krisna "Chris" Wright
"Of course this da the time we make wa extra; this da like wa Fisherman's Christmas."
Jose Sanchez
"What happen ina the next couple days from now?"
Krisna "Chris" Wright
"Well the prices gwen down because we wa have long holiday so the prices gwen down."
Jermaine Boran, Fisherman
"This fish ya so dah like wa bill. we noh normally catch cabio so right now they di get kinda scarce."
Jose Sanchez
"What da this next one ova yah?"
Jermaine Boran
"This dah the barrow, the barracuda. The barrow and the cabia di go fi eight dollars a pound and the snapper dah eight too. We got some of them for eight and five."
Jose Sanchez
"How long ih tek unu fi get all ah denya fish?"
Jermaine Boran
"Three days."
So you feel like you deserve some of the profits for the lee extras because now that fish is in demand?"
Jermaine Boran
After you weigh the fish, people like Pam then get paid to scale it.
Michael "Pam" Moya, Fish Cleaner
"I haven't been to Caye very lately. I am a fish mongrel on the land."
Jose Sanchez
"As a fish mongrel on the land, what do you do to earn your living out here?"
Michael "Pam" Moya
"Well I clean fish, I mop, sometimes I hire people, I do my stuff. Last year was better; this year is very flunk up."
Jose Sanchez
"You make more money on Easter weekend than any time of the year?"
"Well any time of the year but last year was better and this is very flank up. The people are buying the fish very cheap because I know the price is going to hike up to eight for nine dollars. So they come from before and freeze the stuff. I can't blame them; that's the business. My business is to clean and stay out of problem from police."
From as far as Placencia, consumers have travelled to buy from Conch Shell Bay
Wendy, Proprietor of Wendy's Creole Restaurant
"We come all the way to Belize to get fish from Placencia can you imagine that."
Jose Sanchez
"Unu noh have fish da Placencia?"
"No, no fish noh deh dah Placencia; the fisherman dehn gone. And the price ridiculous today."
"Some people bought from before, but maybe next year you wah do that?"
"Well I will. I will buy as much as I can for the business."
Jose Sanchez
"Miss Stephanie, what do you think about the price of fish?"
Miss Stephanie, Consumer
"Well just now I got mad because they said the price of fish was seven dollars a pound, but I found somebody else that sold the fish for a reasonable price which si four dollars a pound that I can afford. So it is good so far."
Jose Sanchez
"But you really need the fish this time a year."
Miss Stephanie
"Yes because it is good. We need to give the lord a wonderful blessing for the Easter.
Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.


text:
BluScenes Coral Reef Aquarium Blu-ray with Digital Copy Download
The cinematographers at BluScenes combined the renowned coral reef tanks of Advanced Aquarist and Senior Editor of Reefs Magazine, Randy Donowitz, with the crystal-clear image quality of the RED One 4k camera to create the ultimate Coral Reef Aquarium Blu-ray Disc. Featuring three unique and colorful aquarium tanks, teeming with amazing fish dancing before a canvas of living coral. You can seamlessly loop each chapter and enjoy the specially- commissioned ambient soundtrack with numerous surround and stereo audio options or experience the soothing hum of each aquarium tank.
More Info
- 1080p content shot on a RED One camera
- The tanks and lighting were designed by an advanced aquarist, and look more like real coral tanks, because they are real coral reef tanks. Coral reefs tend to be very close to the surface and in sunny climates.
- Seamless looping allows you to play the disc infinitely and it's very difficult to find the looping point.
As a special bonus, we now give you a free instant download of this disc in 720p when ordered from our site. The Blu-ray is still 1080p and of much higher quality, but we had to reduce the size of the downloads and make them small enough to play on portable media devices and home devices such as Apple TV and Roku.


text:
Although new boat sales had a hard landing during the recession, the boating industry has begun to recover. In 2012, sales recorded their first significant increase since the recession, rising an estimated 10 percent, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association.
As the winter boat show season began in New York City on Jan. 3, manufacturers and dealers have reason to be optimistic because the NMMA forecasts that sales will rise another 5 percent to 10 percent in the current year. Dealers in the Northeast have also reported an increase in traffic in the aftermath of super storm Sandy's destruction as consumers begin their search for replacement boats.
Click ahead for highlights from this year's New York boat show.
By CNBC's Katie Little
Posted 7 January 2013


text:
|View Poll Results: Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo - Episode 9 Rating
|Perfect 10
|9 out of 10 : Excellent
|8 out of 10 : Very Good
|7 out of 10 : Good
|6 out of 10 : Average
|5 out of 10 : Below Average
|4 out of 10 : Poor
|3 out of 10 : Bad
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad
|1 out of 10 : Painful
|Voters: 59. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2012-12-04, 10:29
|Link #41
Marauder Shields
Join Date: Sep 2012
Her fans expect from her to paint. She doesn't want to do that anymore. Her fans will have to move on. Will someone die if she doesn't submit to other peoples wishes? There is absolutely no problem as long she is happy with what she is doing and is earning enough money to live from it. She is young and still has many options to how she will live in her future.
And just because she doesn't want to paint anymore, doesn't change that her paintings are still good and have worth.
An about the talent and expections topic.
My whole life people expetced from me to study art because I have talent for it. I like drawing very much, but that was never what I wanted to do. Should i have to to submit to that and don't be alowed to follow my dream to be a mechanician?
|2012-12-04, 10:51
|Link #44
Me at work
|2012-12-04, 10:55
|Link #45
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2004
Shiina, is happy and young. All she has done is paintings from when she was very young to the point she had done nothing for herself not even dressing. Since she came to Japan she has been growing more independent than she has all her life. She does not have that influence saying all she can do is paint and be a painter. She has actually gone out by herself some and learning slowly to be more independent something that Sorata has been making her learn to do.
Shiina, is young and has a long life to decide if she wants to do painting again but I am sure by now she is probably burned out at being a professional painter to the point where she was so dependent on others to even dress. To the point common sense was excluded by all around her until Sorata got Mashiro Duty.
Think of it from Shiina's view if you were her and been sheltered and pampered with them expecting nothing from you but paintings would you not tire of that scene? Her entire life has been just that. Shiina, took a big step when she decided to go to Japan on her own and those who were around her most likely thought she wouldn't make it but she has been making it and doing quite well. It feels to me that Rita almost treats her more as an object to be admired than someone with feelings. I do not like Rita's personality she even speaks of Shiina as someone that destroys others and not friendly. It is more like to me that Rita does not really like her and somehow blames Shiina for destroying her own dreams and wants to destroy Shiina's dream and using painting as the excuse. After all Shiina could paint anywhere not just in England.
The only real reason I can see about trying to force her to go back to England is they lost there money maker as they did not teach her what money was so she has probably made a lot being a famous painter but had no concept of money. How many times did Sorata get onto her for taking food without paying for it she didn't even know the concept of money so where has the money she has made gone? Probably to her care takers and they want her back as the object that made them money. She was treated like a mentally handicapped girl with a talent in art and that was about it from how she acts and from description of her past.
|2012-12-04, 10:57
|Link #46
Kana Hanazawa ♥
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: France
Age: 32
Sorata no baka.
Some may argue that people with great talent have a duty to share it with the world, but I think anybody should be allowed to do what it is that makes them the happiest. If Mashiro wishes to pursue a mangaka career, then do be it. It should be her choice and nobody else's. Sorata and Rita have no right to decide for her.
I didn't expect Ryunosuke to look like that. At all. He is one fine trap.
|2012-12-04, 11:03
|Link #47
Marauder Shields
Join Date: Sep 2012
The thing is really simple.
Do things that you are interested in and not things that people expect you to do just because you have talent for that but you are not interested to do them.
It's Shiina's life and her wish to how shew wants to live her live counts far more than what others want.
|2012-12-04, 11:16
|Link #49
Cinderella Gang or Die
Join Date: Jun 2011
I wonder what Rita's motives are to trying to get Mashiro back to England. It's clear that Mashiro kinda killed her passion of painting, so why is she doing all of this?
It's probably not something to really speculate about if the reasoning turns out to be flat, but I still wonder.
And I lol'd when Mashiro threw her out of the house. What a fuckin badass hood n****.
|2012-12-04, 11:52
|Link #51
ダメ人 - 人間失格
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Germany
Age: 32
Mahou's usual few comments
1. Sorata no baka
2. I was relieved that Rita's character was very pleasant and enjoyable because I feared someone worse aka someone annoying and rude who is biased towards Mashiro (kinda like the friend version of the bra-con). And she's quite the beauty .
3. Sorata's reaction to a normal hotel was indeed over the top. Didn't find this tsukkomi act funny.
4. I think Sorata should have stayed true to his mindset of "I don't agree with Rita, but I don't think I'm Shiina's ally either". Sure, this point of view is more lame, but it also helps to avoid a possible bad atmosphere. BUT, I can see why he thought at the end like this given Mashiro's magnitude of artial skills.
5. On the other hand: Rita's admits she knows hardly a thing about mangas, yet claims Mashiro would waste her talent. Partly true because paintings and maga drawings *are* on a different level (let's ignore some really good-looking offical and fan arts). Still, she knows not much about it + for Japan it has a huge cultural value. Let alone Mashiro's rather strong reaction in "throwing" her out of the dorm.
Oh yea, Sorata no baka!
|2012-12-04, 12:16
|Link #52
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: In my room
I don't think that money is the issue on Mashiro being asked to go back to England to paint more. If you look at the op it looks to me that she has a wealthy background though more like a cage bird with a set of things she can only do. So saying money is the reason would be wrong for me though that could also be a possibility but from what Rita comments on Mashiro. It looks to me that she envies Mashiro's talent. She kinda hate and love her. A feeling that she aspire to become someone but seeing Mashiro's shear level of talent drown her on dreaming. IT can be reflected when Sorata learned about Mashiro's background. She is probably overwhelmed with it too but somehow just like Sorata she got over with it and accepts it.
But now the problem rise is when Mashiro decides to stop doing painting and goes to japan to become a mangaka. Maybe Rita felt betrayed back then with all her hopes on Mashiro was been thrown out, though its kinda forceful for Rita to put her dreams and hopes on Mashiro but Mashiro can do things normal people can't do. Those are the type that shines and gives others dream and seeing them reach the summit makes your dream come true too. Though for Mashiro. She really didn't care. She stops doing painting and decides to become a mangaka but still its not like she totally stops doing painting. It even shows in the episode she still do it but right now she is doing what she wanted. To draw a manga.
Try to picture both perspective from Rita and Mashiro. I understand both and Mashiro should just decide for herself and not being forced by others but she should also explain it to Rita. Rita didn't understand what's good about manga but it didn't stop her. She is reading a manga which was shown in the episode too. She is probably trying to understand what so good about it but still. Her lack of knowledge about it and experience clouds her judgment and thinks that Mashiro should return to England and continue her paintings.
|2012-12-04, 12:43
|Link #53
We're Back
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Redgrave City
Age: 30
You can't expect there not to be backlash of some sort.
Can I take it that you support the decisions of every game developer, every Anime Studio, every mangaka, every movie director, to do whatever the Hell they want?
Heck, if it's your favorite book writer, suddenly stopped in the middle of a good series just to change his profession to something else entirely- Will you support him/her 100%? Take Infinite Stratos for example, are fans not allow to rage at the Author for the current sorry ass state of their series because hey, it's his life- let him do what he wants!
How many people here raged at KyoAni not doing FMP or Haruhi or Little Busters? It's their life after all, let them do what they want right?
Last edited by Chaos2Frozen; 2012-12-04 at 13:02.
|2012-12-04, 13:30
|Link #54
Senior Member
I think there's a good real world analogy to what Mashiro is going through right now.
And it's Michael Jordan.
Jordan, of course, was a world-class basketball player. Beloved by millions upon millions of people, who thoroughly enjoyed watching him play the sport of basketball. But in the mid-90s, Jordan lost his passion for basketball, and decided to act out on his desire to play baseball.
While Jordan was a world-class basketball player (arguably the best of all-time), he was barely a minor league caliber baseball player. Plenty of pro sports followers felt that Jordan was wasting away his athletic talents by playing a sport he was just barely good enough at to make a career out of when there was another sport in which he was the best in the world at.
I admittedly haven't read much on Jordan, but I'd be shocked if he didn't have loads and loads of people telling him "Dude, stop wasting time on baseball. Get back to what you're really good at - Basketball!"
My sense is that Mashiro is much the same. She's world-class at paintings, but just a passable pro at writing/drawing manga.
Now... Michael Jordan ended up going back to the NBA, and added a lot to his legacy, playing on some more awesome Bulls teams. At the end of the day, was this the best use of his time in the pro sports world, or should Jordan had spent several more years toiling away in minor league baseball?
Personally, I think that if an individual has truly great talent in a particular area, it's an absolutely horrible shame to let that go to waste. It's almost criminal, really, for a person gifted with abilities that millions upon millions would wish to have to not put those talents to good use. We're talking about awesome natural talent that can create awe and wonderment for the world (be it in sports, or art).
I think it's fine for Mashiro to spent some time exploring her interest in manga, and making some professional manga, but should she completely break away from her painting and do nothing more than manga the rest of her life? Personally, I couldn't agree with that. So I can totally see where Sorata and Rita are coming from.
Sorata isn't being stupid at all. He's being practical and fair.
That being said, I'm pretty cynical about where this narrative is going to go next on the whole painting vs. manga thing... but while this is cynical to me, it also should be comforting to those who think that Mashiro should just do what she wants, period.
Two questions:
1. Who's the primary audience for this show? Otakus, of course.
2. In the world of otakudom, what is valued more: Manga or Conventional Paintings?
So I have a pretty good idea of where this story is going to go...
I'd love for the narrative to prove me wrong, though, and go in the more daring direction.
|2012-12-04, 13:37
|Link #55
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Dai Korai Teikoku
|2012-12-04, 13:52
|Link #56
Senior Member
Also, I used a real world analogy to try to make it as clear as possible what Sorata and Rita are concerned about here. Hypotheticals can be easy to dismiss, so I think it's good to raise something more concrete.
|2012-12-04, 14:26
|Link #57
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Austria
1. Rita probably quit painting because she can't keep up with Mashiro. Then Mashiro quits painting for no reason apparent to Rita. Now none of the two paints. This irks Rita more than the wasted talent spiel she's going on about, but she doesn't see her on part in the equation, and that comes out as resentment.
2. Meanwhile Mashiro goes into manga fully aware that she's not on top, there. We've seen, in a past episode, that she has trouble with plot, and that she uses her own experience, via role-reversal, which reflects a desire to understand the world around her. She's always been the best at painting, but that left her feeling hollow about her life. I think she's using manga to explore "story" as a medium to understand life. (Man, the story telling animal.) She's actually using her "painting talent" to do this: everyone praises her art in that line.
3. The basic premise of the show is Sorata's feelings of insufficiency compounded by moving into Sakurasou, while Mashiro learns about living in a less sheltered environment.
So what does all this point towards? I think one of the themes might be phrased as: "Doing things that come easy to you is not as rewarding as putting effort into something and succeeding." Another might be, "If you stay in your comfort zone for too long you grow dull." Things like that. It's about challanging yourself rather than what "you're supposed to do". At least that's what I think.
|2012-12-04, 14:52
|Link #58
Marauder Shields
Join Date: Sep 2012
And the fact still remains that no one has the right to dictate how someon should live his life.
And your analogy is by no means comparable or relevant to Shiina's situation.
1: Shiina is not a company and is not responisble for employees. She is only responsible for herself and to what she wants to do with her life. It's her live after all and not anyone elses.
2: Fans who don't like a the produkt, are not forced to by it. The world is not going to end becaue of it anyway.
3: A game series with an ongoing plot stopping half the way is a completely different than a painter that doesn't want to paint anymore.
4: Every fan has a right to get angry if they don't like the produkt anymore, but they have by no means the right to dictate how you should life your life.
A better example.
Shiina is a film actres and has talent for it, but her disire is to become an author and so she stoppes with acting and starts with writing.
Some fans will gett disappointed, but why should she care? It's not their life, It's hers.
And a personal question.
Have you no problem If someone would appear and dictate you how to live your life?
Try doing that in real life and see how many people will say that you should mind your own business.
And no one said that fans have no right to get disapointed, because they have the right for that. But no one has the right to dictate your life. Its really simply.
The problem here is that you seem to believe that Shiina should not be allowed to do what she wants with her life, which is conflict with one of the fundamental human rights. Freedom to decide to do whatever you want with your life. fundamtal
|2012-12-04, 14:52
|Link #59
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Miami, FL
Age: 32
Like others have mentioned, it's up to the individual to decide how or if they use their innate talents. Everyone should be free to pursue whatever ambitions make them happy regardless of what others says. There are exceptions where I believe you have an obligation to use your talents for the "greater good", but this isn't one of those times. Mashiro should do what she likes and her friends and family should support her endeavor.
It would not surprise me if Rita is pushing so hard for Moshira to return to painting because of her own feelings of inadequacy in art. She is a former painter herself and worked hard to get better at something she loves (I assume). Seeing someone else in her field so effortlessly create world-famous paintings while she struggles must be a frustrating experience. Then Rita sees Mashiro drop all of that fame and recognition to go "waste" her talents on manga. It's a slap in the face of everything she's done. It's still irrational and she has no right to foce Mashiro back, but it's definitely relatable.
I will say one thing. While we all know Mashiro works hard at becoming a mangaka, her success so far can't all be attributed to effort and perseverance. She's still relying on some of her natural talents as an artist leftover from painting. There's also the fact that she has extra time to work because Sorata handles all her housekeeping (in some ways that's actually unfair). So I wouldn't giver her as much credit as the work Sorata or Nanami have to put in for their own dreams. I guess that's one way to make yourself feel better when in the presence of a genius. They can't be so damn good at hard work either!
Really nice analysis, Dawnstorm!
|2012-12-04, 15:14
|Link #60
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Dai Korai Teikoku
|Thread Tools


text:
Video: CSN's Russ Thaler on RMNB and That Painting
Yep. Milking this for all it's worth.
We were stunned when we saw one of our t-shirts featured in ESPN The Magazine. So stunned, we said and I quote:
Since we're on a bit of a hot streak, the next thing we're going to work on is getting CSN Washington anchor Russ Thaler to scream "RUSSIAN MACHINE NEVER BREAKS!" before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs with red war paint on. I mean, if we can get into ESPN The Magazine, anything is possible.
Well, minus the face-paint and screaming, mission accomplished. Next goal: segway tour with the Bradleys.
Read More


text:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-24, An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the Republic of Panama, the Agreement on the Environment between Canada and the Republic of Panama and the Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Panama.
However, before I do that I will take a moment to share with the House my meeting yesterday evening with the participants in the Forum for Young Canadians. I met with a number of young people from across this country and I can tell this House that our country has a bright future. These young people were very much tuned into the issues that we are discussing in this House and issues that matter to Canadians. We talked about the budget, the economy, health care, crime prevention and many more subjects. These young people were very well-informed about the issues that we discuss in this House.
I want to acknowledge those young people who I met last night. I met with Liane Hewith, a grade 12 student from Vancouver Quadra; Bronwyn Vaisey, a grade 9 student from Port Moody Gleneagle Secondary School; and Faythe Lou, a grade 11 student from Kwantlen Park Senior Secondary from my riding of Surrey North.
Indeed, Canada does have a bright future.
Today, because of the meeting last night, I am more committed as a parliamentarian to work harder to create opportunities for young people, such as the ones I met last night.
I will now move on to speak to the free trade agreement and talk about some of the basic principles of this trade deal, in other words, what should be a framework for Canada when we start these trade negotiations with other countries.
First, we should pursue a multilateral approach based on a fair and sustainable trade model. In fact, bilateral trade deals amount to protectionist trade deals since they give preferential treatment to a few partners and exclude others. This puts countries with smaller economies in a position of inferiority vis-à-vis larger partners. A multilateral fair trade deal model avoids these issues, while protecting human rights and the environment.
The Canadian government needs to have a vision for a fair trade policy that puts the pursuit of social justice, strong public sector social programs and the elimination of poverty at the heart of an effective trade strategy. Canada's trade policy should be based on principles of fair, sustainable and equitable trade that builds trading partnerships with other countries that support principles of social justice and human rights, while also expanding business opportunities.
In free trade agreements involving countries, such as Panama, we have the opportunity to better the human rights situation within that country. When will the Conservatives start putting the concerns of everyday people before those of big businesses? Fair trade should be the overarching principle, not just an afterthought, of trade negotiations.
The NDP on this side of the House strongly believes in an alternative and a better form of trading relationship that can be established with Panama and any other country, one that includes, within an overall fair trade strategy, the following points: first, providing a comprehensive, common-sense impact assessment on all international agreements that demonstrates that the trade deals Canada negotiates are beneficial to Canadian families, workers and industries. The government does not sign any trade agreements that would lead to net job losses for Canadian families.
Second, ensuring that the trade agreements Canada negotiates support Canada's sovereignty and freedom to chart its own policy, support our ability to be a competitive force on the world stage and support the principles of a multilateral fair trade system.
The third point is the fundamental principle that all trade agreements must promote and protect human rights by prohibiting the import, export or sale in Canada of any product that is deemed to have been created under sweatshop conditions, forced labour or other conditions that are not in accordance with fundamental international labour standards and human rights.
The fourth point is the fundamental principle that all trade agreements should respect sustainable development and the integrity of all ecosystems.
The fifth point is that any time the Government of Canada signs a free trade agreement, the decision to proceed with enabling legislation be subject to a binding vote on whether to accept the terms of the agreement. The current system, which consists of tabling FTAs in the House for a period of 21 sitting days prior to ratification is neither mandatory nor does it bind the government to a decision of the House.
The points that I have just highlighted should be the guiding principles for negotiations for any free trade agreements.
In this agreement, I did not see the Conservative government use any of those principles. Rather, it appears to be once again resorting to making up facts to suit its interests rather than looking out for the interests of Canadians.
The Canada-Panama free trade agreement is another marginally improved copy of the George Bush style approach to trade. It still puts businesses and big corporations ahead of everyday working-class people, it has no effective enforcement of human rights and it pays lip service to environmental protection without any real tough measures or dispute resolution mechanisms.
It is another one of those NAFTA copycat agreements that were initially negotiated and designated for trade between highly industrialized countries. However, Panama is not a highly industrialized country. This trade deal would not help Panama grow substantially nor would it increase the standard of living for its citizens. Instead, it would increase the role and incentive for exploitation by multinational corporations and inequality at a far greater pace and scale than in the case of NAFTA.
Another factor is that Panama is not a major trading partner of Canada. Two-way merchandise trade between the two countries reached only $149 million in 2008, which is less than 1%.
According to the United States department of justice and other entities, Panama is a major financial conduit for Mexican and Colombian drug traffickers' money laundering activities. That is a major concern that has been raised by the opposition in the House and in committee. The issue of tax havens also needs to be considered when we enter into these sorts of agreements. The government needs to consider more than the dollar value of the contract that it is entering into.
This is yet another trade deal negotiated in record time, without any consultation with trade unions, environmental groups, civil society or any citizen of the country. A fair and sustainable deal would not just address the needs of business but also the needs of working families and the environment.
The trade agreement does not provide investors and labour with a level playing field. While, under chapter 11, investors have the right to seek binding arbitration that they can pursue independently, a trade union in Panama does not get to pursue a case to arbitration. It can file a complaint that would lead to an investigation or report but it is up to the government to seek remedies and damages.
Empirical evidence strongly suggests that the minister of the day will not pursue the matter. The trade agreement includes enforceable protections of patents, trademarks and copyrights but no meaningful protection of workers and no meaningful protection of the environment.
Rather than imposing a one size fits all model, convenient to the U.S. finance system, and helping transnational corporations and repressive governments play off workers in different countries, we must recognize that different countries choose different development strategies and must be allowed to pursue fair and sustainable trade.
I want to urge my colleagues in the Conservative government to put the interests of Canadian families first before the interests of big corporations and their friends when it comes to signing free trade agreements around the world.