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The signing of the Mozambique general peace agreement was planned for Oct. 1, 1992. Several African heads of state and government ministers traveled to Rome to join several members of the Sant'Egidio Community, a group of lay people dedicated to prayer, evangelization and solidarity. After 11 rounds of negotiations at Sant'Egidio over 26 months, there remained one basic problem: Who was to control the territory during the transition before the first round of democratic, universal elections? This issue prompted many more questions: Who had sovereignty? How could the guerrillas be assured that the cease-fire would be respected? And how could the government be assured that the areas still under guerrilla control would not break up national unity or signify reduced sovereignty? For three days international mediators worked non-stop with the leaders of each side in Rome.
Many people who offered support—especially in Mozambique, where people were still suffering, dying and hoping—were waiting to find out if there was going to be a true peace or if this was just a dream. Finally, late on Oct. 3, agreement came on the last protocol, and the signing took place the next day, a Sunday. The Mozambique government maintained sovereignty over the entire territory. In practice, the government assigned administration of separate regions to local administrators, whether from Renamo or the government, according to the actual distribution of power. And a commission of Sant'Egidio mediators and representatives of the two sides was created to settle controversial cases.
In those days all you could hear on the streets in Mozambique was uninterrupted radio broadcasts as the silent population waited desperately for good news. On Oct. 4, after evening prayer in Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere with Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, the joy and singing went on for an hour. In Mozambique the nightmare that had claimed one million lives and resulted in millions of displaced and starving people was over.
The Sant'Egidio Method
It all started in July 1990 after years of civil war, famine, suffering, refugees and international failures in Mozambique. The Community of Sant'Egidio had not "chosen" to be a direct player in international diplomacy. It loved the people of Mozambique and was interested in peace as the only chance to interrupt a spiral of violence that claimed so many victims, including some young people of Sant'Egidio. Sant'Egidio had worked to mitigate confrontation and the problems faced by the Catholic Church and other Christian worshippers as well as the missionaries based in the country. Sant'Egidio was instrumental to Pope John Paul II's first meeting with President Samora Machel when the president stopped in Rome on his way back from the United Nations. Sant'Egidio passed the "exam" of the Mozambique government when it launched aid programs for the population through the Mozambican chapter of Caritas and local Christians—gaining personal credit with the leadership class trained in Europe at the Sorbonne and the sociology department of the University of Trent, Italy, where the Red Brigades had studied for "revolution."
But the Pax Romana—as the French newspaper Le Monde called it—was not conceived at a table. For years Sant'Egidio had said that "everything is lost in war" and that war was truly "the mother of poverty." Sant'Egidio had explored the possibility of a national effort of dialogue with some Mozambican government representatives when the two sides still branded each other "bandits" and "murderers." Sant'Egidio established a relationship with the leadership of an anomalous guerrilla group that had very few international contacts and, therefore, little international bargaining clout.
Sant'Egidio facilitated the first meeting, when each side agreed to the method proposed by Andrea Riccardi, the founder of Sant'Egidio: "Leave aside what divides and start working on that which unites," echoing Pope John XXIIIbut at a diplomatic level. When the first joint protocol was signed, the sides saw each other as adversaries in the conflict but also considered themselves "brothers of the common Mozambican family" and publicly announced the desire to start negotiations. A Ferrari Spumante wine bottle and a first photo together celebrated the event.
Again in August 1992, during the second round of negotiations, when the two sides could not agree on the choice of one or more governments to act as mediators, Sant'Egidio was officially asked to carry out the role. Along the way the "Sant'Egidio method" gained ground as a practical and historical necessity. The group had many strengths: a mix of knowledge of the problems on the ground; credibility that it had no ambition other than peace and reconciliation; combined action with others and with interested governments, keeping their roles distinct; attention to the human factor as a primary issue in the negotiations; the art of co-existence and friendship; and the ability to decipher languages. These factors developed a common language between the two sides through which mutual demonization gave way to the discovery of a political field to replace military confrontation as a solution to differences of opinion and the forces on the ground.
It was not easy. The 26 months of negotiations seemed long. At the beginning it seemed as though it would be resolved in a matter of months. But a mentality of peace had to be created, a trust that was not yet there. A warrior had to be transformed into a politician. There were military problems of security. Deaths were still occur ring. The people were dubious. The missionaries, close to the suffering of the populations, were tempted by impatience. Why so slow? Paradoxically that slowness was one of the secrets of the success of peace and its duration. (Sant'Egidio and Mozambique recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the peace agreement.) The negotiations themselves were a key to success. To negotiate is to pay attention to the details. The very method of negotiating was a school of democracy for both sides: language, rules, mechanisms and mentalities. And it would become still more useful in the two decades that followed.
Promises, Challenges Ahead
Was this experience a once-in-a-lifetime case? We must ask ourselves this question, because it seems as though it is not possible to automatically apply, with similar effectiveness, the "method" created in Mozambique to other African and international conflicts. Or, we must ask, what conditions are needed to repeat it or make it possible to repeat it? The wars of the past two decades are less often conflicts between states and more often wars inside countries, with many people and governments involved. This increases the complexity and the number of players involved in the peace process.
One complicating factor is the fact that the resolution of conflicts has become a new field of research. University professorships, research institutes and independent and government-connected research centers have multiplied. When the subjects multiply, there are more available means, but the complexity heightens. There is a sort of "bureaucratization" of paths to peace. It is hard to take into account all the levels that made the "Mozambique case" the model for possible negotiations and success.
In Burundi a path similar to Mozambique's was taken. When the reserved talks started in Rome, the chances for success looked very good, and the path seemed to lead to rapid results. The publicity made it inevitable to transfer the talks to Africa, where all countries interested in peace were given an official role—first Tanzania, then the African Union, South Africa and the European Union. The number of participants on both sides in the conflict grew from two to 18. As can be imagined, the procedures became stymied. Even prestigious and credible international pressure, represented by the visit of then President Bill Clinton to Arusha, with the collaboration of Nelson Mandela, proved insufficient.
In time, delay itself became a critical factor in an official international context. When divisions take place inside an armed group—a likely event due to communication problems, a shift of power on the ground and personal factors—it is possible that a group originally accredited to sit at the bargaining table becomes too weak on the ground, and the strongest faction is no longer present at the negotiations. This jeopardizes the effectiveness of the whole negotiation process. A signed agreement leaves important problems unsettled and does not guarantee a true end to the war and the safety of the population. This is just one example, but a very real risk. The devil is in the details. In the case of Burundi, there were still a lot of details to clear up.
But there are also cases in which the "Mozambique method" becomes timely again, and this is not only because Sant'Egidio has become "African." (It has thousands of members in sub-Saharan Africa.) The reunification of Ivory Coast and the negotiations conducted before the crisis in 2010 by Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaoré, with the help of Sant'Egidio, were part of events in which the combined actions and components of the "method" demonstrated their effectiveness.
Niger and Guinea, two cases of "preventative peace" created in several rounds at Sant'Egidio in Rome, showed another possible itinerary: emerging from dictatorship and coup d'etat, the first steps with mutually agreed upon rules, elections, the establishment of checks and balances in society and assurances for the opponents and the "losers" in the process of democratization.
This path created two "successful failures." The first was in Algeria, where the Rome Platform and unilateral surrender of arms by the armed faction of the Islamic Front offered some hope and became the foundation, too late and after too many victims, on which Algerian society experienced a reduction in extremist violence. The second was in Kosovo. The initial agreement between Slobodan Milosevic and Ibrahim Rugova was a successul attempt to create the conditions of peace before the outbreak of the civil war, but there was no international support to implement it.
The "method" also proved decisive for putting an end to more than 30 years of civil war in Guatemala, creating contact groups and an agenda that revived the official negotiations in the mid-1990's. It may turn out to be useful again today in the matter of Casamance, a Senegalese territory fighting for independence, and other "forgotten" wars. And it may lessen damage from existing crises, as happened in Liberia, avoiding a final battle in Monrovia. Or it may offer an increasingly necessary political, more democratic way out in the terrible Syrian Civil War, haunted by Al Qaeda's shadow.
Even when the international community risks standing on a slippery slope that, in the end, looks toward external military intervention as the apparent solution to complex problems, the Sant'Egidio method may prove useful. Unfortunately we know that at least in the most sensational cases, from Afghanistan to Iraq, and recently in the development of the Arab Spring, there is no shortage of problems. There is no doubt the method can help with intermediate solutions, like finding ways to offer relief to civilian communities caught in the grips of violence. But it might also prove useful in far-reaching international crises.


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Twist-Stovetop Kettle by Hakan Gürsu
Hakan Gürsu Reveals The Twist Stovetop Kettle
Hakan Gürsu, the architect of the awarded project Stovetop Kettle:Twist by Hakan Gürsu points out, Twist is a sustainable water kettle with zero water loss. It preserves water by inner circulation, therefore provides water, energy and time efficiency. With water kettles, water efficiency is a problem where %25 of the water is lost during boiling. Unlike conventional kettles, Twist does not waste water, while it also saves energy by reducing process time. Besides being eco-friendly, it also makes water-heating process more economic, safe and practical. With its innovative water cycle system, water and steam are preserved in body and circulated. .
Twist-Stovetop Kettle by Hakan Gürsu Images:
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I find it extremely frustrating to continue talking to people who wish to impose their views on you all the while claiming that is what you are doing to them. Isn't that the idea of a debate? To present your views through FACTS that back up the information you are relaying. It is painfully obvious that a LOT of people don't understand what debate is or how it works.
You know it never fails that in cases where bigotry and or racism are concerned all of a sudden people have these thoughts that there are so many gray areas and middle grounds everywhere. How can there be a gray area when you are telling someone that you don't believe they should have the same rights as you. How can telling someone that their choices are illegitimate while your choices are right and therefore deserving of certain privileges or rights?
How can this thinking be anything but WRONG? How does any sane non bigoted person come to the conclusion that the jury is still out on whether or not a person should be endowed with all of the rights granted to every adult in this country? But this is what you have to constantly converse with when writing about instances of bigotry and hatred.
Of course its narrow mindedness which causes people to think that somehow they should have any say on whether two people who are adults, consenting, and law abiding citizens should be able to do what every citizen in this country is allowed to do just by having a different sexual view. And then have the nerve to say that this is democracy. Democracy isn't about being able to vote away peoples rights. Give me a break.
Hmm, now that you think about it of course biased people think there is a middle ground. Just like I am sure you can find a ton of racist people who believe that there is a middle ground as to whether or not black people or Jews should have the same access to rights in this country.
Yet, people wish to call YOU something stupid like "Bush" because you are pointing out the obvious. If a person were to say that Jews shouldn't have the right to vote simply because they don't worship Jesus like Christian people, they would be labeled a hater or a bigot. And that would be damn freaking right. What is so hard to understand about that? I am just guessing that hatred or bigotry must tinker with your intelligence.
Yet, show a bigot that denying a person the right to marry is no different than denying a person to vote, drive, work, live, or the right to any other right granted to ALL people in this country and YOU have the problem. And then to have the gall to actually then tell you that there are a lot of other people who have their rights abused as if that makes it OK.
There isn't one reason other than bigotry that a person can give as to why thinking that one segment of the population that fits ALL the same criteria as every one else in the population except who they choose to love would not be able to have the same rights as everyone else.
But we all know that most bigots are extremely touchy about being called out. Not only do they not wish to explain why one segment of the population doesn't deserve the same rights but they continue to yell over and over about the same lame ass tidbit that they feel justifies their stupidity; yet, never qualifying these tidbits with anything. As if just saying it over and over is the key to making it realistic. Wasn't that what the Bush Administration did to push the Iraq war? Repeat a lie often enough and the stupid of the bunch will buy it. Sorry I'm not the one.


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Open Studio with artist Shahine performing at Carré d'artistes
For the month of November, Bleecker Street will be unmissable with our first annual #ShopBleecker initiative; complete with deals, raffles, giveaways, free classes and more! Augmenting its already world-class shops, restaurants and nightclubs, #ShopBleecker will draw all eyes on the street that's always been the heart of the Village.
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Nikola Deiter of the Central Connecticut women's soccer team was named All-East First Team and All-East Goalkeeper of the Year for her impressive performance this season on the WPSL's New England Mutiny, the league announced Friday.
The Mutiny won the 2013 New England Division & East Conference title this season in large part to the team's defense which was led by Deiter. She allowed only five goals in 10 starts during the regular season and frequently made the key save that kept her team from defeat.
Deiter (8-1-5 record) missed only 10 minutes of playing time in net, notching eight shutouts overall. The Blue Devil was the catalyst for the Mutiny, who reached the WPSL National Championship for the sixth time in the team's existence.
The returning co-captain of the Blue Devil squad was also named 2012 Northeast Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and awarded All-NEC First Team honors as a junior.


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Oh, that was an "argument?" LOL.
I fully support women going out and getting themselves a trophy stay-at-home husband.
Since there seems to be so much difficulty.1) I replied because of some unknown person on the internet calling a single mom wanting to better life for herself and child "repulsive."2) I did not reply to the "animal shelter argument" because the only point of my 2nd post was to refute the silly stereotyping the poster seemed to make about me because I go to Berkeley Law. Unless someone wants to claim that the stereotype people think of when thinking of Berkeley is old non-trad stay-at-home mom. Somehow I doubt that's the case. In addition, I was stating some qualifications and life experience I might have that may actually be relevant to this issue. The poster calling the OP "repulsive" does not seem to have any qualifications for making any statements about what single moms should or shouldn't do. 3) related - attacking me because I go to Berkeley law, making some remark as if my opinion is invalid is a logical fallacy. 4) Equating a woman who already has a child going to law school with a law student who wants to adopt a pet has so many problems with it, it seems ridiculous to give it any sort of weight. But since some seem to think it does, let's go for it. Is the argument, stated generally, so it could perhaps apply to a different fact set "People who are responsible for defenseless creatures should not attend law school?" or is the argument "Law students shouldn't adopt pets and therefore women that already have children should not attend law school?" The fact set between these two situations are completely different. - pets, children - treated differently under the law- person adopting a pet, by definition does not already have the pet. In the current situation, the woman already has a child. Perhaps an argument could be made that a single law student should not adopt a child. I could see drawing that analogy from the animal shelter argument. However, an animal shelter would not come into your home, after you'd already adopted it, and confiscate your pet because you went to law school, nor would anyone (reasonable) suggest that someone trying to better their life should not do so if they already have a pet. And now this thread has truly reached ridiculous proportions. OP, make a list of well-researched pros and cons about going to law school as a single parent of a young child. Make a reasoned decision based on the factors in your life. And please, ignore idiots on the internet.
In the second, he pointed out that animal shelters don't let people who are gone 12 hours/day adopt a pet (iirc, I didn't actually go back and read it). He didn't actually MAKE an argument. He just kinda left it open that we should somehow draw some conclusions.
Congrats to you Matthies, you are a super law student who knows which items to skim through. My classes generally assign readings that require 3 hours of study time for every hour of lecture... so 15 credits correlates to around 60 hours... and then law review/journals/clinics usually take up more time than that. But that is awesome that you are so good, I am sure you are a superior man than I.


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Debugging Multithreaded Applications in Windows
Most Windows programmers use Microsoft Visual Studio as their primary integrated development environment (IDE). As part of the IDE, Microsoft includes a debugger with multithreaded debug support. This section examines the different multithreaded debug capabilities of Visual Studio, and then demonstrates how they are used.
Threads Window
As part of the debugger, Visual Studio provides a "Threads" window that lists all of the current threads in the system. From this window, you can:
- Freeze (suspend) or thaw (resume) a thread. This is useful when you want to observe the behavior of your application without a certain thread running.
- Switch the current active thread. This allows you to manually perform a context switch and make another thread active in the application.
- Examine thread state. When you double-click an entry in the Threads window, the source window jumps to the source line that the thread is currently executing. This tells you the thread's current program counter. You will be able to examine the state of local variables within the thread.
The Threads window acts as the command center for examining and controlling the different threads in an application.
As previously discussed, determining the sequence of events that lead to a race condition or deadlock situation is critical in determining the root cause of any multithread related bug. In order to facilitate the logging of events, Microsoft has implemented tracepoints as part of the debugger for Visual Studio 2005.
Most developers are familiar with the concept of a breakpoint. A tracepoint is similar to a breakpoint except that instead of stopping program execution when the applications program counter reaches that point, the debugger takes some other action. This action can be printing a message or running a Visual Studio macro.
Enabling tracepoints can be done in one of two ways. To create a new tracepoint, set the cursor to the source line of code and select "Insert Tracepoint." If you want to convert an existing breakpoint to a tracepoint, simply select the breakpoint and pick the "When Hit" option from the Breakpoint submenu. At this point, the tracepoint dialog appears.
When a tracepoint is hit, one of two actions is taken based on the information specified by the user. The simplest action is to print a message. The programmer may customize the message based on a set of predefined keywords. These keywords, along with a synopsis of what gets printed, are shown in Table 1. All values are taken at the time the tracepoint is hit.
In addition to the predefined values in Table 1, tracepoints also give you the ability to evaluate expressions inside the message. In order to do this, simply enclose the variable or expression in curly braces. For example, assume your thread has a local variable threadLocalVar that you'd like to have displayed when a tracepoint is hit. The expression you'd use might look something like this:
Thread: $TNAME local variables value is {threadLocalVar}.
Breakpoint Filters
Breakpoint filters allow developers to trigger breakpoints only when certain conditions are triggered. Breakpoints may be filtered by machine name, process, and thread. The list of different breakpoint filters is shown in Table 2.
Breakpoint filters can be combined to form compound statements. Three logic operators are supported: !(NOT), &(AND), and ||(OR).
Naming Threads
When debugging a multithreaded application, it is often useful to assign unique names to the threads that are used in the application. Assigning a name to a thread in a managed application is as simple as setting a property on the thread object. In this environment, it is highly recommended that you set the name field when creating the thread, because managed code provides no way to identify a thread by its ID.
In native Windows code, a thread ID can be directly matched to an individual thread. Nonetheless, keeping track of different thread IDs makes the job of debugging more difficult; it can be hard to keep track of individual thread IDs. You may have noticed the conspicuous absence of any sort of name parameter in the methods used to create threads. In addition, there is no function provided to get or set a thread name. It turns out that the standard thread APIs in Win32 lack the ability to associate a name with a thread. As a result, this association must be made by an external debugging tool.
Microsoft has enabled this capability through predefined exceptions built into their debugging tools. Applications that want to see a thread referred to by name need to implement a small function that raises an exception. The exception is caught by the debugger, which then takes the specified name and assigns it to the associated ID. Once the exception handler completes, the debugger will use the user-supplied name from then on.
The implementation of this function can be found on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site at msdn.microsoft.com by searching for: "setting a thread name (unmanaged)." The function, named
SetThreadName(), takes two arguments. The first argument is the thread ID. The recommended way of specifying the thread ID is to send the value -1, indicating that the ID of the calling thread should be used. The second parameter is the name of the thread. The
SetThreadName() function calls
RaiseException(), passing in a special 'thread exception' code and a structure that includes the thread ID and name parameters specified by the programmer.
Once the application has the
SetThreadName() function defined, the developer may call the function to name a thread. This is shown in Listing Five. The function
Thread1 is given the name
Producer, indicating that it is producing data for a consumer (Admittedly the function name
Thread1 should be renamed to
Producer as well, but is left somewhat ambiguous for illustration purposes. Note that the function is called at the start of the thread, and that the thread ID is specified as -1. This indicates to the debugger that it should associate the calling thread with the associated ID.
Listing Five: Using SetThreadName to Name a Thread.
unsigned __stdcall Thread1(void *) { int i, x = 0; // arbitrary local variable declarations SetThreadName(-1, "Producer"); // Thread logic follows }
Naming a thread in this fashion has a couple of limitations. This technique is a debugger construct; the OS is not in any way aware of the name of the thread. Therefore, the thread name is not available to anyone other than the debugger. You cannot programmatically query a thread for its name using this mechanism. Assigning a name to a thread using this technique requires a debugger that supports exception number 0x406D1388. Both Microsoft's Visual Studio and WinDbg debuggers support this exception. Despite these limitations, it is generally advisable to use this technique where supported as it makes using the debugger and tracking down multithreaded bugs much easier.
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It took longer than we hoped it would to sell our house. But there are plenty of people out there who've had to sit on a house for years, so I can't complain. However, the selling of our house definitely would not fit in this series. It was more of a series of UNfortunate events, at least for us. Once it was FINALLY done, we were ready to buy a house here. We called up our super lovely real estate agent from the rental hunting.
We tried to stay in the same sort of area, so that our girls could stay at the school we had fallen in love with. Originally, I'd really thought I wanted a split level. Our rental was a split level, and after living in one for a few months, its glamour had worn off. So we were no longer looking for that.
We went to open houses, we checked places out with our realtor, and we did innumerable drive bys. After a few visits to one house, we were really excited about the potential. It had a master bedroom upstairs and down, and it had a couple of bedrooms with a pocket door in between. So perfect for the girls! We'd have to do quite a bit of painting (so creative with the colors, these owners were). But the layout was pretty good, for the most part. Biggest drawbacks: the backyard was right on a major highway, and there was a pool. The highway issue was iffy. It had the concrete wall, so it probably wasn't TOO noisy. But the pool. Two problems there.
1. I am a Nervous Parent.
2. Captain America and I are not really maintenance pros or fixit people. Sounded like a lot of work and expense for the 3 months out of the year you can use it.
We were ready. Time to put in an offer. We'd either tear out the pool, or figure out what to do with it. Get the girls some swimming lessons. Get a giant fence to keep out neighbor kids, which was my biggest worry (just last summer a girl here in town wandered into a neighbor's pool and drowned - so sad).
My parents were coming down for the weekend, and we thought it'd be nice to have my dad take a look at it before we made anything official. I think it was a Thursday when we made our appointment with our realtor for Saturday. On Friday she called to say, "There's another one going on the market Monday just a few blocks away - do you want to see that one while we're out?"
Saturday we went and looked at the house again. It seemed workable. The pros outweighed the cons. Then we headed over to the next house. It had a similar layout. Only it didn't have the pool that made us nervous. And it didn't have a highway in the backyard, IT HAD A PARK. SOLD! After one look (just like our first house), we put in an offer. We had it all settled before the MLS realtors got to look at it.
The best part? That other house would not have worked nearly as well for the baby we ended up adding. Also, by the time we ended up moving I was pregnant enough to tell people, and I didn't have to carry anything! Or scrub the floors of the rental on my hands and knees!
We're no longer in exactly the right school zone, but we're close enough that we can stay (unless numbers at either of the schools get completely out of whack). This house has been just perfect for us. The timing was everything!


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Chick-fil-A customers in Baltimore show support
Michael Huckabee declares Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day
A former presidential candidate is defending Chick-fil-A after the founder and CEO made controversial comments opposing same-sex marriage.
While it is not a corporately sponsored event, former presidential candidate Michael Huckabee has declared Aug. 1 Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day for the founder's stance on same-sex marriage, inviting more than 3 million people to participate on his Facebook page.
All around the greater Baltimore area Wednesday, the crowds at area Chick-fil-A's seemed larger than usual -- thanks to Huckabee's Facebook invitation.
He claims it was in response to recent comments the company's CEO made concerning same-sex marriage, he told the Biblical Press.
"We are very much supportive of the family -- the Biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that," Chick-fil-A founder Dan Cathy said.
"They do pride themselves on being a family organization, and as far as that goes, I think they should be able to do it. It's something I would agree with," customer Eric Schatner said.
"I personally don't agree with it, but I respect them for sticking up for what they believe in and be true to your opinion," customer Xavier Manley said.
While WBAL-TV 11 News did find mixed opinions on the issue, most people 11 News spoke with showed up at their area Chick-fil-A's on Wednesday because of Huckabee's invitation.
"People are so intimidated to give their own opinions anymore, and I just thought I would come out and help somebody out who does give their opinion and proud of it," Schatner said.
Over in Westminister, Republican state Delegate Nancy Stockdale even showed up to show her support.
"I'm here to support business, freedom of speech and to support traditional marriage," Stockdale said.
In response to all of the attention, Chick-fil-A released a statement.
"The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect ... regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 restaurants run by independent owner/operators. Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena."
In response to all of this, gay and lesbian groups around the country are planning a "kiss in" on Friday, asking same-sex couples to go into a Chick-fil-A and kiss while people are ordering.


text: 8-Year-Old Boy to Donate Birthday Presents to Children at St. Joseph Hospital Jun 5, 2012 Contributor: While most 8 year olds look forward to their birthdays for parties and presents, Jet Charter looks forward to his birthday so that he can give back to kids who could use a little birthday cheer. For the third year in a row, Jet donated his birthday presents to children undergoing radiation treatment at The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment at St. Joseph Hospital, which was celebrated this week with Jet's friends, family and hospital staff. About one in every 10 patients treated at the center is a child and the gifts provide a piece of joy to an otherwise stressful, and at times scary, experience. The presents collected are put in a toy box called "Spencer's Chest" (named for a previous patient) that holds toys for children to visit after undergoing radiation treatment. "At Jet's age, most children are thinking about what toys they want for their birthday, not about how they can help others," said Robert Ash, M.D., medical director, radiation oncology at The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment. "He is a true inspiration for his peers and the adults around him and we sincerely thank Jet and all of his friends for being so generous with their gifts." Jet's father, Ron Charter, said that once he told Jet's friends and their parents about the idea to donate presents received at his birthday party to the center, the presents just kept coming. "We hope it grows and grows every year," he said. While Jet mentioned some of the gifts were harder to give up than others (in particular a special "Green Lantern" set he had his eye on), he said his favorite part about donating is the knowledge that he is making kids happy when they need it most. "It was hard at first, but I really thought about it and it was something I wanted to do," Jet said. The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment at St. Joseph Hospital was recently recognized for a second time with a distinguished, three-year Accreditation with Commendation by the American College of Surgeon's Commission on Cancer (ACoS-CoC) and is the sole California participant in the National Cancer Institute Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP). The Center is the first of its kind in Orange County and one of only a few in the nation offering the latest in preventative care, diagnostics, treatment and clinical trials and its cutting-edge facility and cancer programs allow our specially trained physicians to perform research and discover new treatments and therapies for cancer. For more information about St. Joseph Hospital's comprehensive cancer services visit: www.sjo.org. About St. Joseph Health St. Joseph Hospital is part of St. Joseph Health, a $4.7 billion integrated Catholic health care delivery system sponsored by the St. Joseph Health Ministry. We provide a full range of care facilities including: acute care hospitals, home health agencies, hospice care, outpatient services, skilled nursing facilities, community clinics and physician organizations throughout California, Texas and New Mexico. Our 24,000 dedicated employees strive daily to provide perfect care while building the healthiest communities and ensuring every encounter is sacred. St. Joseph Health is committed to maintaining a continuum of care that matches the diverse needs of the communities we serve. For more information about St. Joseph Health, log onto www.stjoe.org.


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Going back to the subject of Mormon historical tourism, here's a pretty extensive list of LDS historic sites in the U.S. Some are full-fledged, public history-type institutions, with the usual trappings: visitor centers, guided tours, restored buildings, exhibit areas, and so on.
As far as I've been able to tell, this kind of extensive effort to preserve, restore, and interpret a chain of church-related historic sites all over the country is unique to Mormonism. Just about all of the major American denominations have archives and historical societies. But historic sites and museums operated under the aegis of a national church body are few and far between. Some of these churches have episcopal structures that could theoretically oversee this sort of thing, and even de-centralized groups like the Southern Baptist Convention have cooperative programs to fund education and missions, but it seems that no religious group is nearly as active in preservation and interpretation program as the Mormons.
So why is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints devoting so much more effort to running historic sites than other religious groups? I can think of a few possible reasons.
First, there's a steady supply of enthusiastic volunteers to keep the sites going. As I noted in my review of the Illinois LDS sites, that church actually utilizes its missionaries to work at them. This is critical, because interpreters are the foot soldiers of large historic sites. With lots of young people and retired couples eager to serve eighteen-month or two-year stints as missionaries, and a church organization willing to post them at historic sites, the church has both the human resources and a framework in place to deploy them. Of course, evangelicals are keen on winning converts, too. The Southern Baptist Convention recruits, trains, and supports laypeople who serve on the domestic and international mission fields. They don't, however, employ them as historic site interpreters. The fact that the LDS church does so says something about the importance of history to this religion.
Second, Mormonism's origins are both domestic and comparatively recent. That makes its most important historic locations more accessible to preservation. There are plenty of significant places in the U.S. that would make for great Baptist or Methodist historic sites, but none that are as cherished to these denominations as Hill Cumorah or Carthage Jail are to Mormonism. You'd probably have to go to Europe to find a Protestant equivalent, or maybe even the Middle East. (Come to think of it, there actually is a living history site at Nazareth, but we're getting waaayyyy beyond the scope of this blog with that one.)
Third, and perhaps most importantly, Mormonism has embraced its own distinctiveness. The church has a long history of suffering persecution, misunderstanding, and exile, and this lends itself to historic consciousness. You're more likely to hold onto your history if it's a cornerstone of your identity. As I said in a previous post, visitation to Historic Nauvoo is 80% Mormon. This suggests that a lot of the people who go there want to be reminded of who they are and who they used to be, and why their deposit of faith is something significant.
Still, since the church deploys its missionaries to places like Historic Nauvoo, it's tempting to wonder whether or not historic tourism is an effective means of proselytizing. I don't have any figures, so I don't know the answer. I can say from my own recent experience that if it doesn't win converts, it does at least win interested observers. I doubt I'll ever become a Mormon, but since visiting Nauvoo and Carthage I've become fascinated with Mormonism's origins as a subject of study—as an interesting historical phenomenon, in other words. That's generally how it goes with historic sites. I can't tell you how many Civil War buffs have told me that they owe their obsession to a battlefield visit.
But you can't use your history to generate interest if you don't have a platform for doing so. All those church archives and historical societies operated by the bigger denominations are important enterprises, but it's mostly researchers and history enthusiasts who will use them. Heritage tourism reaches a broader audience, even if it's the already-converted who need to know more about their own spiritual heritage.


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Miley Cyrus's Shocking Tweet! Is It An Attack On Christianity?
Fans are livid that Miley Cyrus tweeted a controversial quote about an evolutionary philosopher — are they taking it too far?
Miley Cyrus entered Hollywood as a fun-loving, traditional southern girl with strong religious and moral beliefs. But as the teen queen grew into her "cannot be tamed" persona, she pulled a few stunts that landed her on the "Good Girls Gone Bad" list. Miley's loyal fans have always defended her questionable behavior, but a recent tweet may have sent them over the edge.
"Beautiful," Miley tweeted with a photo of a theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss.
On the photo is one of his quotes reading, "You are all stardust. You couldn't be here if stars hadn't exploded, because the elements (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, all the things that matter for evolution) weren't created at the beginning of time. They were created in stars. So forget Jesus. Stars died so you can live."
Some fans were livid Miley would post a picture that said "forget Jesus" and advocated evolution. One fan attacked her saying, "So are you no longer a Christian? Forget Jesus??? Seriously? What has happened to you out there in the famous world? What????"" Another person tweeted, "You seriously believe that crap? It's so ridiculously stupid. Go to hell."
Other fans think haters are taking the tweet too seriously. Miley didn't respond directly to any of the backlash, but backed up her post with a gay rights, "NO H8" tweet and a picture of herself with the tagline, "We could all: Love more."
Tell us what YOU think? Do YOU think Miley's tweet is offensive, or are her fanes being too sensitive?
Nicole Fukuoka
Why Miley Cyrus Is Brave To Say Religion & Science Can Co-Exist!
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Wednesday afternoon, Houston Dynamo defender Craig Waibel participated in a field goal kicking exhibition at Reliant Stadium to promote his "Bald is Beautiful" campaign which benefits children's cancer research. Waibel kicked ten field goals and for each missed attempt he donated $100 to his cause. For each made field goal attempt, Texans' kicker Kris Brown would make the $100 donation.
After a brief warmup, including a lesson from Texans' defensive lineman Amobi Okoye on how to blow past a tackling dummy, Waibel stepped to the tee and drilled seven of ten attempts, including one from 55 yards.
"A few of the kicks were good," Waibel said. "The shorter kicks were obviously better, but my hip will tell me tomorrow how I really did."
Last year, Brown was available to offer tips to Waibel, but due to a scheduling conflict this year, Brown was unable to make the event.
"It's amazing just coming out here and swinging as hard as you can," Waibel added. "It's totally different conditioning than what I'm used to. You don't realize how narrow [the goal posts] are until you get a little bit farther away."
This is the second year of the "Bald is Beautiful" campaign. Last year Waibel raised $40,000, with this year's goal $75,000.
"I think what this does is emulate what the Houston Dynamo are about," he said. "We have great people on the team, great people in the office that all have champion causes and mine is children's cancer and the families and children affected by it."
Fans who wish to donate, can do so prior to this Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Union. For $100, fans can have their head shaved, receive a commemorative Waibel's Warriors T-shirt, wristband, and a Tex-Mex dinner. For more information on how to participate, visit www.houstondynamo.com/waibels-warriors.


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New iPhone App Provides a Glimpse of the Moments Before a Photo is Taken
Though there are plenty of apps for sharing still pictures taken on an iPhone, a three-person start-up is hoping to carve a niche with a program that captures not only a still picture but the several seconds of video that preceded the picture's taking.
The company and its namesake app are both dubbed Glmps (pronounced "glimpse"). The app, which is headed to the iTunes App Store on Thursday, is the brainchild of Nick Long, Paul Robinett and Esther Crawford. The three met over YouTube, where all were frequent posters. They have since built a disparate start-up — the principals live in Milwaukee, Columbus and Austin — to develop and market the app. They expect they may all end up in the Bay Area, but for now it is a lot of video chatting, email and travel.
"For now we are trying to capture a glimpse of a photo moment," Robinett said in an interview. In order to capture the moments that precede a picture being taken, Glmps records video from the moment the app's camera is engaged. The app's benefit is the ability to capture the serendipitous moments that lead up to a photo being taken.
Once a scene is captured, it can then be saved to the company's Web site and shared via Twitter or Facebook. Users can also use their Glmps to check in to Foursquare. To alternate between viewing a still or video, one simply clicks on the smaller of the two windows. The scenes can also be embedded into a Web page, as done here.
"You can shoot video, but most people won't check in with video, and photo is lacking to tell the whole story," Robinett said.
The idea is a compelling one. It's actually a product I have been wanting for some time. I had an idea several years ago that it would make for a cool photo exhibition to have still photos displayed alongside monitors showing the moments before and after a photo was taken — since those often add context and life to a moment.
Sony actually had a hybrid still/video camera a few years back that had such a feature. However, it seemed like not necessarily enough to justify buying several hundred dollars worth of hardware.
Glmps, on the other hand, brings the idea to anyone with an iPhone, makes it easy to share, and hits the magic price: Free.
While phone-based photo networks like Instagram and PicPlz tend to feature a lot of scenic stills, Glmps is more geared toward things in motion, particularly people and pets. The app has been in beta with a few dozen active testers. Among the interesting users so far: A married couple in which the husband is in Afghanistan and the wife is at home with a new baby. The couple use the app to send short snippets of their day to one another.
Glmps has evolved since it was first envisioned. The original idea, Long said, was to bring to life short looped videos of a scene, similar to the way the Daily Prophet newspaper works in "Harry Potter." The company also toyed with capturing the scene after a picture was taken, but ultimately decided to go with a hybrid approach that captures a still image and the five seconds that precede it.
The still itself is a low-resolution square image. The trio opted for lower-quality stills and video in order to make the glimpses easy to capture and share.
Although definitely accessible, there are some caveats with Glmps. First of all, the program can be a battery hog. In part, that's a necessity, given that the app is always recording.
Also, the video moments recorded by the app can only be saved by posting them to the Glmps site, where they are available for anyone to see. There is no "private" option, which may make you think twice about, say, capturing that adorable moment of your loved one snoring, or of the kids doing something embarrassing.
It also should make people think twice before turning on the optional geolocation feature.
The Glmps trio says there are a number of features it hopes to add, including an option to keep moments private, or share them with only a select group of friends.
For now, Glmps remains a work in progress. The business model, the company said, is "evolving" and the product is currently bootstrapped, though they are seeking investors.
"We've met with investors," Crawford said. "We just haven't found the right partner."


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Umbrella Insurance: The Safety Net You Need
by Amy Lignor
The realm of insurance is just about the most difficult maze to get through. Each and every day it seems the financial and insurance industries are changing. What is not changing, however, is the fact that lawsuits fill up the courts more and more – lawsuits that award cash to third parties even if you don't happen to have that cash saved. More and more, the words "umbrella insurance" are coming up in both conversation and in advertising on TV. Before getting lost in another "maze," it is best to look into exactly what umbrella insurance means and why you should consider it for yourself.
Umbrella insurance is a personal excess liability insurance policy; meaning that it protects you above and beyond the limits that already come on your homeowners insurance, car insurance and other personal insurance policies you already own. Umbrella insurance was specifically designed to give you added liability protection, and it is definitely an inexpensive way to protect your financial future or already established assets.
It is added insurance, which means to attain an umbrella policy you first need to have a primary policy in place. Your primary policy would first pay out on a claim before the umbrella coverage would go into effect. Take, for example, a home insurance policy that you own. If something occurs and you are liable (whether it be accident, roof damage, property damage, etc.), your primary policy will pay out. If and/or when the homeowner policy is exhausted or maxed out, the umbrella insurance would kick in, which means there is more protection for you and your family.
Umbrella insurance can help with a great many things, such as litigation arising from property damage or injury, as well as associated legal defense costs if you get sued for damages to other people's property. People with established assets that they want to protect can lose significant amounts of money in a lawsuit, which means having the extra umbrella insurance gives them more peace of mind.
So…what if you do not fit that criteria? Umbrella insurance is still something to give careful consideration to even if you have no established assets. We live in a world that loves to bring lawsuits, and if you are just starting out, don't think for one moment that a court won't award benefits if you are held liable for damages. They really are uninterested how many assets you have; if you're at fault, you will still be obligated to pay off the damages awarded – which means your future income is already at risk.
And you're really not talking about a large added cost when it comes to purchasing a personal liability umbrella insurance policy. Depending on how much coverage you decide to purchase, it could cost as little as one hundred dollars annually for 1 million dollars of coverage, and would increase depending on how much coverage you have. It is literally the cheapest "million dollars" you could ever buy. And it is important to note that some companies can double or even triple the coverage you receive, yet the cost of the coverage does not double or triple. Getting quotes from various companies is a must.
When it comes to trying to establish how much coverage you should put in place, there are three very simple questions you need to ask yourself: What are the value of your assets? What is your potential loss of future income? What risks do you think you might face? Once you do this and research policies that are out there, it will be easier to find the policy that will work best for you.
Just remember, in order for the umbrella policy to start paying out coverages, a primary liability policy must be in place, and have maxed out on payments. With the more assets you have, the greater the requirements you have to protect yourself, so make sure that the policy you choose is the right one.
Lawsuits aren't going away anytime soon. You will need a safety net now and in the future, and the "umbrella policy" is the best net possible.
Source: Baret News


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TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government and central bank have agreed to set 2 percent inflation as a new target next week, when the Bank of Japan will also consider making an open-ended commitment to buy assets until the target is in sight, sources familiar with the BOJ's thinking told Reuters.
The central bank will also discuss at its policy review on Monday and Tuesday, scrapping interest it pays on banks' reserves, a move that will nudge money market rates to zero, according to the sources.
Faced with relentless pressure from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to do more to pull Japan out of deflation, the BOJ is expected to double its inflation target and ease policy again at a two-day policy review that ends on Tuesday.
While the most likely option would be for the BOJ to top up its long-standing asset buying programme, central bankers will likely debate other measures such as open-ended asset purchases, to live up to market expectations for bolder monetary stimulus.
Any new initiatives would surprise investors, possibly putting the yen under more selling pressure and further boosting Japanese stocks, which have hit their highest levels in nearly three years on hopes of bolder policy measures.
The BOJ and the government are finalizing a joint statement they plan to issue on Tuesday, which would include 2 percent inflation as the bank's policy goal, deputy economics minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told Reuters.
"Governor (Masaaki) Shirakawa has been saying that 1 percent inflation would be in sight before long but we have not reached that stage yet," Nishimura said.
"If we share 2 percent inflation as a common objective, we expect the BOJ to do something very aggressive."
The statement will not set a specific deadline for achieving the target and leave the central bank freedom to decide on what steps to take to achieve it, Nishimura said.
But the government will examine how much progress the BOJ is making on achieving the target through its top economic panel, which the central bank governor attends regularly, a sign that pressure for bold monetary stimulus will persist.
Abe, who led his Liberal Democratic Party to a landslide victory in a December 16 election with promises of aggressive budget and monetary stimulus, has suggested adding job creation to the BOJ's policy goals and making 2 percent inflation a medium-term goal that should be achieved in two to three years.
Both are problematic for central bankers, who argue that monetary policy alone cannot achieve those goals and are wary of committing to binding targets and deadlines.
Koichi Hamada, Abe's economic adviser and a vocal critic of the BOJ, kept up the pressure, saying the central bank should not set a deadline in expanding monetary stimulus as long as Japan remains in deflation.
Aware that investors have already priced in the new inflation target and another expected increase of 10 trillion yen ($112 billion) in the BOJ's asset buying and lending scheme - since October 2010 its main policy tool - central bankers are discussing other unconventional steps to maximize market impact, sources told Reuters.
One option would be to replace incremental increases in the asset programme with a U.S. Federal Reserve-style open-ended pledge to continue buying assets until the inflation goal is within reach, without setting a deadline for completing the purchases, the sources said.
Another idea would be to pledge to maintain the balance of the programme even beyond its end-2013 deadline, they said.
The BOJ will also consider scrapping the 0.1 percent interest paid on financial institutions' reserves held with the central bank, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. That rate has effectively served as a floor to money market rates and kept them from falling to zero.
Such a proposal from BOJ board member Koji Ishida was voted down by 8-1 at the December meeting, but another board member, Sayuri Shirai, said in a recent speech that the idea was worth considering as a way to further push down interest rates and help further weaken the yen.
The new government's push for more public spending - it approved 10 trillion yen in extra spending last week - and aggressive easing has helped reverse the yen's gains, setting off stock market rally led by exporters and construction firms.
But many economists warn the stimulus may give the sluggish economy only a temporary jolt at best if Abe's government fails to follow through with politically more difficult economic reforms needed to lift Japan's long-term growth potential.
They also warn the push to reflate the economy long-trapped in sub-par growth could backfire if the new government's medium-term fiscal plan due in mid-2013 fails to convince markets that it can get Japan's ballooning debt back under control.
The yen's recent declines, driven by expectations of aggressive monetary easing, have drawn complaints from countries like Russia and Germany, worried about a destabilizing currency devaluation.
Shirakawa met with Finance Minister Taro Aso and Economics Minister Akira Amari on Friday to narrow their differences over the statement they aim to issue next week. The ministers are due to fine-tune the statement with Abe once he returns from a trip to Southeast Asia, according to a government source.
As politicians continue to pile pressure on the BOJ, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde warned against excessive government meddling in monetary policy.
"Monetary policy with a different inflation target is in and of itself certainly a good and interesting project if associated with clear independence of the central bank," she said.
($1 = 88.4950 Japanese yen)
Additional reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto, Sumio Ito, Stanley White, Kaori Kaneko and Yumi Muranaka in Tokyo, Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Writing by Tomasz Janowski and Leika Kihara; Editing by Kim Coghill/Simon Cameron-Moore


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Clue: WWII zone: Abbr.
We have 1 answer for the clue WWII zone: Abbr.. See the results below.
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Consensus Report
Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Report 3 (2010)Water Science and Technology Board
Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review; while the reports represent views of the committee, they also are endorsed by the Academy. Learn more on our expert consensus reports.
A proposed withdrawal of 262 million gallons of water per day from the St. Johns River in northeast Florida -- intended to help satisfy increasing demand on public water supplies -- may not decrease the river's average flow and water level, according to research conducted by the St. Johns River Water Management District. The unexpected finding assumes management of the upper river basin to bring water back into the system and depends on projected land use patterns that would increase the contribution of stormwater to river flow. In its ongoing review of scientific aspects of the District's Water Supply Impact Study, the National Research Council urges the Water Management District to give as much attention to water quality and environmental impacts from potential increases in water flow and levels as from potential decreases.
The surprising model predictions come from the District's hydrology and hydrodynamics workgroup. The National Research Council committee conducting this review is generally satisfied that the workgroup's modeling approach reflects the state of the science and available data and information. Six other ecological workgroups will use information from the hydrologic and hydrodynamic simulations to better understand potential impacts throughout the river basin.
Key Messages
- How to handle a changing climate in hydrologic modeling remains an open and important research question. The hydrologic model was calibrated using observed meteorology with fixed (1995) land use over the decade 1995 to 2006, such that the model's reliability is limited outside its calibrated time span (e.g., for the 2030 conditions). Insight can be obtained by a quantitative evaluation of the model outside its calibration range using newer data.
- Predicted land use may be the critical driver on water flow and levels. As urban land use expands, increasing impervious surfaces tend to decrease water fluxes through the vadose zone (from the top of the ground surface to the water table) and increase surface water flow. The net effect is to decrease transpiration losses and thus increase the surface water available for withdrawal.
- Projected population growth through the planning period (to the year 2030) is expected to result in increased residential and commercial/industrial land use while open, range, forest, and agricultural land areas in the drainage basin decrease. These land use relationships, developed for the current Water Supply Impact Study, may not hold in the future, especially if the actual rate of population increase or its impact on the hydrologic response of the resulting change in land use is significantly different from the current forecast.
- The HSPF hydrological model (hydrologic simulation program - Fortran) has limited value for modeling wetlands. Continued development of the Hydroperiod Tool, which estimates daily water depth using the difference between ground surface and water surface elevations, along with analysis of the empirical water level data available from minimum flow and levels (MFL) transects would better determine the correspondence between river stage and wetland hydroperiod.
About this Report
Authoring Body:Committee to Review the St. Johns River Cumulative Impact Assessment
Primary Board:Water Science and Technology Board
Sponsor(s):St. Johns River Water Management District
Other Report(s) in this series:Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Report 1 (2009)
Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Report 2 (2009)
Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Final Report (2011)


text:
|Ted Tonks
|Biographical information
c. 1950s
|Blood status
|Marital status
|Physical information
|Hair colour
|Family information
|Family members
- "Knew they were coming for me. Heard Death Eaters were in the area last week and decided I'd better run for it. Refused to register as a Muggle-born on principle, see, so I knew it was a matter of time, knew I'd have to leave in the end. My wife should be okay, she's pure-blood."
- —Ted on the run from Snatchers in 1997[src]
Ted Tonks (abt 1950 - 1998) was a Muggle-born wizard, the husband of Andromeda, and the father of Nymphadora Tonks. By marrying Andromeda, who was born into a prejudiced pure-blood family, he singled her out for scorn by most of her relatives. The couple had one child, who later became a member of the Order of the Phoenix during the Second Wizarding War. Ted and Andromeda were not members of the Order, but assisted them occasionally, such as allowing them to use their home as a safe house for the Battle of the Seven Potters. When Lord Voldemort succeeded in taking over the Ministry of Magic in 1997 and the Muggle-Born Registration Commission was established, Ted went on the run. He was eventually caught and killed by Snatchers.
Early lifeEdit
Much of Ted's life is unknown. He was born approximately in the 1950s and both his parents were Muggles. At some point, likely in the early 1970s, Ted married Andromeda Black, whom he affectionately called "Dromeda", in spite of her family's belief in blood purity. She was disowned and burned off the family tree tapestry in the house of Black for not making a "respectable pure-blood marriage", unlike her sisters Narcissa Malfoy, who married Lucius Malfoy, and Bellatrix Lestrange. Ted and his wife had one child, for whom Andromeda selected the name "Nymphadora".[1]
Ted and his daughter, whom he fondly called "Dora", lacked the talent for magical cleanliness that Andromeda has. He seems to have been friendly with Arthur Weasley, as he was familiar with Arthur's fascination with Muggle items[2].
Second Wizarding WarEdit
- Ted: "Hagrid's fine, son. The wife's seeing to him now. How are you feeling? Anything else broken? I've fixed your ribs, your tooth, and your arm. I'm Ted, by the way, Ted Tonks – Dora's father."
- Harry: "Voldemort -"
- Ted: "Easy, now. That was a nasty crash you just had. What happened, anyway?"
- — Ted and Harry Potter after the Battle of the Seven Potters[src]
When Lord Voldemort returned to power, Ted's daughter joined the second Order of the Phoenix to fight against the growing threat[1]. Neither Ted nor Andromeda were official members, but nonetheless supported their daughter, allowing their home to be used as a safehouse. In 1997, Tonks married Remus Lupin, who suspected that Ted and Andromeda disapproved because of his werewolf status, but it is unknown if this is true.
After the Battle of the Seven Potters, Harry Potter and Rubeus Hagrid crashed in the garden of the Tonks' home and were both injured. Ted brought the two inside, where he proceeded to fix Harry's broken ribs, tooth, and arm. He and Andromeda were very worried for their daughter's safety when Harry informed them that Death Eaters ambushed the group. Ted, however, attempted to calm Andromeda down by pointing out that Dora had faced worse during the course of her work as an Auror. Sometime after Harry and Hagrid took the Portkey to the Burrow, Ted sent the pieces of Sirius Black's flying motorbike to Arthur Weasley, where they were kept in the Burrow's shed for the remainder of the war.[2]
On the run and deathEdit
- Dirk: "You believe that story, then, do you, Ted? You believe Snape killed Dumbledore?"
- Ted: "Course I do. You're not going to sit there and tell me you think Potter had anything to do with it?"
- Dirk: "Hard to know what to believe these days... Hard to help a boy who's vanished off the face of the earth."
- Ted: "Listen, the fact that they haven't caught him yet's one hell of an achievement. I'd take tips from him gladly; it's what we're trying to do, stay free, isn't it?"
- — Ted and Dirk Cresswell while on the run[src]
When the Ministry of Magic fell under Lord Voldemort's control in August 1997, all known safehouses of the Order lost their protective enchantments and were raided by mixtures of Ministry employees and Death Eaters. Ted and Andromeda were tortured for information about Harry, like many other families with connections to Order members; Remus later reported that they were "shaken, obviously, but otherwise okay". Some time after this, their daughter came to stay with them, upon discovering that she was pregnant. Remus temporarily left her side, worried about passing on lycanthropy to their child.
When the Ministry began its persecution of Muggle-borns, Ted, on a matter of principle, refused to register with the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. He was forced to leave to avoid Death Eaters who were operating near his home. Andromeda did not accompany him, as her pure-blood status kept her safe and she had to care for their pregnant daughter.
Ted then went on the run, eventually meeting up with fellow fugitives Dirk Cresswell and Dean Thomas, as well as goblins Griphook and Gornuk, and they proceeded to stay on the move throughout the countryside. At one point, the group discussed Harry Potter — unaware that Harry was listening in, along with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Ted dismissed the Daily Prophet's claims that Harry was involved in Albus Dumbledore's death, and stated his belief that The Quibbler was the only place left to get reliable news. Eventually, the group was caught by a gang of Snatchers led by Fenrir Greyback, perhaps due to breaking the Taboo curse on using Voldemort's name. Ted, Dirk, and Gornuk were killed resisting capture.[2]
- "Let's take a moment to report those deaths that the Wizarding Wireless Network News and Daily Prophet don't think important enough to mention. It is with great regret that we inform our listeners of the murders of Ted Tonks and Dirk Cresswell."
- —Lee Jordan announcing the deaths on Potterwatch.[src]
The death of Ted Tonks and his comrades was announced on Potterwatch, as the Daily Prophet had ceased reporting deaths caused by Voldemort's regime. When Nymphadora gave birth to her son, she and Remus decided to name him Teddy in her father's memory.[2]
Physical appearanceEdit
Ted was described as a "fair-haired, big-bellied" man, with a mellow and pleasant voice[2].
Andromeda BlackEdit
Though it is very likely that the two were not in the same house, Ted attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with Andromeda. The couple's relationship most possibly started during school because they married shortly after leaving Hogwarts.
When Andromeda informed her pureblood family that she was marrying Ted (a Muggle-born), she was disowned and burned off the Black Family Tree. Considering that Andromeda gave up her entire family for Ted, they definitely had a strong and affectionate relationship. Ted called his wife by the nickname "Dromeda".
In 1973, the couple's only child was born and Andromeda named her "Nymphadora", but Ted regularly called her "Dora", a name that, unlike Nymphadora, she didn't seem to mind.
Andromeda was devastated when her husband was killed by Snatchers.
Nymphadora TonksEdit
Ted and Andromeda's only daughter, who was born sometime in 1973. Her name was Nymphadora, but she was nicknamed "Dora" by her father. Ted and his daughter most likely had a close relationship, considering Dora named her son after him. Both Ted and his daughter had a tendency to be untidy and disorganized. Tonks was likely devastated by her father's death.
Remus LupinEdit
Remus married Ted's daughter, Nymphadora. Although not much is mentioned about it, he probably attended their wedding with his wife. Remus's werewolf status was most likely never a problem for Ted, given the open-minded nature of his few recorded statements.
However the opposite may also be true, as Remus had stated that his wife's parents were disgusted by their marriage when he asked Harry "What parents would want their only daughter to marry a werewolf?" Whether this perception of Ted's feelings really happened or, if it was just a product of Remus's distressed mind at the time is unknown.
Teddy LupinEdit
Teddy is Ted's grandson, son of his daughter. Ted was killed before his grandson was born, but was probably aware of the pregnancy. Teddy's parents named him after his grandfather.
Ted is a short form of the names Theodore and Edward. Theodore is derived from Greek meaning "gift of God" and was the name of many Christian saints. Edward is derived from the Old English words ead, meaning "blessed", and weard, meaning "guard", and has been the name of many members of the English nobility and royalty.
Behind the scenesEdit
- Ted Tonks is rumoured to be the newsreader Ted who is mentioned in the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
- Ted Tonks and his wife Andromeda were both cut from the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, meaning that Harry and Hagrid escape to the Burrow, rather than the Tonks house. The trio also do not encounter Ted nor any other members of his group while on the run. However he, Dirk Cresswell, and Gornuk are mentioned on radio as having been killed.
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (Mentioned only)


text:
Thinking about how to give the next generation a step up, four young booksellers started the Emerging Leaders Project in 2006 with the support of the American Booksellers Association. In the intervening years, the original gang of four have gone on to become industry leaders—Allison Hill is now president and COO of Vroman's in Pasadena, Calif.; Cindy Dach, co-owner and general manager of Changing Hands in Tempe, Ariz.; Julia Cowlishaw, a rep with Ingram Content Group; and Neil Strandberg, director of member technology at the ABA.
And so have many booksellers who participated in the program. John Hugo took over the running of HugoBookstores, a chain of four stores based in Marblehead, Mass.; sweet pea Flaherty bought King's Books in Tacoma, Wash.; and Jessica Stockton Bagnulo opened Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y., with Rebecca Fitting. The Emerging Leaders Project quietly ended, but while no one has come forward to revive it, the project's goals are part of hiring practices as store owners put more emphasis on the value of frontline booksellers.
For Dach, the program is no longer necessary. "There are a lot more opportunities now that didn't exist [earlier]," she says, singling out Winter Institute, which is inexpensive enough for frontline booksellers to attend, and social media as ways to meet and learn from peers. "With social media," she adds, "bookstores have voices that aren't just those of the owners." She also credits younger booksellers, who tend to be fearless when it comes to technology, with pushing stores in directions they might not otherwise have taken. "When I think of social media and how that came into Changing Hands," says Dach, "it wasn't through the ownership group. It was younger booksellers saying, 'Here's something going on and we should be doing it.' "
Dach sees technology, or more particularly the store's Web site, changinghands.com, as playing a bigger role in hiring further down the line. "If there's one thing we need more of, it's data entry," says Dach, who uses the term to refer to writing and designing copy for the site. "We book an event, and a publicist is saying [almost immediately], 'Why isn't that on your calendar?' We have to start thinking about whether that is where I have to add more time to my payroll."
While Dach worries that she may have to go outside the store to find booksellers who have different skill sets, like HTML, Steve Bercu, co-owner of BookPeople in Austin, says technology skills are a given in Texas's Silicon Valley. Instead, he looks for "customer service skills and if they are going to fit into our personality mold. I'd rather have a former restaurant employee than a withdrawn book person. We like restaurant people. They have to deal with all different kinds of people. That's excellent training for customer service, and customer service is our brand."
BookPeople does keep up with technology, though. It was one of three Austin stores to launch the Isis Mobile Wallet app late last month, which enables customers to tap their smartphone to make purchases. The only other city where the app is available is Salt Lake City. "Technology is what we're all having to do," says Bercu, pointing to the rollout of Kobo and a proprietary system that his store is developing for book fairs.
"I focus on people who take bookselling seriously and want to see the industry grow," says Christine Onorati, founder and owner of Word Books in Brooklyn. "It's not enough to just like books. We have to make money. I'm pretty strict about hiring, even part-timers. I want somebody who understands that the store has to be a living, breathing thing. I have to be picky. It's a big deal to have somebody represent us." In addition, Onorati relies on staff to help her reach out to other young people. "I'm 41," says Onorati. "There's a lot of stuff I'm not in touch with. It's nice to know what the staff thinks. We're pretty collaborative here." She credits younger booksellers like Jenn Northington for encouraging her to start the David Foster Wallace Appreciation Society and Stephanie Anderson, who is now working for the Darien Public Library in Darien, Conn., for forming New York's first literary basketball league.
"To be honest, we're not doing a lot of hiring," says retail manager Margaret Shaheen, who has seen the number of booksellers at Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver drop significantly from its heyday of 300 to just over 100 today. "I don't know that we've changed what we look for," she says. "We've always hired diverse people. It really creates a nice working environment. All our customers can find people to help them. You just have to wear a lot more hats."
University Bookstore in Seattle doesn't have a lot of turnover either. But as Pam Cady, assistant manager of general books, sees it, "I'm preparing people. We won't be here forever. It's like casting [for a play]—80% of the whole thing is hiring the right people, who are creative, smart, make sacrifices because they're not going to be paid a lot, and have whimsy about them. They have to be fearless about talking to everybody and doing things they may not be comfortable with, like technology. Things change so quickly. You hire people who can change and grow."
At Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vt., general manager Chris Morrow notes, "The role of the bookseller is more essential than ever. People expect us to be great at what we do and much of that falls on the booksellers to deliver. While there is constant pressure to keep the payroll down, cutting bookselling staff is not the way to go. We differentiate ourselves based on the ambience, the selection, the booksellers. We need to find new ways to differentiate ourselves from the online world, while simultaneously playing in that arena."
Booksellers 2.0
Today's emerging leaders come from varied backgrounds, but share a commitment to physical books and independent bookstores. Below are some of their thoughts on their generation's contributions to indies.
Seija Emerson, buyer and conference coordinator at University Bookstore (Seattle, Wash.)
"There's this whole homemade, slow everything, artisan trend among people of my generation that is really serendipitous for bookstores. I think it's the inevitable backlash against mass production: the fetishization of the one-of-a-kind object. We love our iPhones, but deep in our hearts we yearn for a hand-bound book made on a vintage letterpress. Every display and shelf-talker is a reflection of individuality. I see my generation as being adaptable and open to change. We are more 'whatever works' than 'this is how it's supposed to be.' "
Marie Franki, bookseller and special orders and Internet order processing at BookPeople (Austin, Tex.)
"You can't help reckoning with [technology] when you work in a bookstore and people ask to buy a Kindle. I think bookstores will continue to exist. All of us [at BookPeople] are staunch believers in the educational value of a [physical] book. [It's] a self-contained work of art, not just the way the words are printed on the page. At BookPeople, we have a consignment program for books and magazines for people putting out really good works outside the mainstream. Independently published people and artistic magazines are important."
April Gosling, retail manager of the Colfax Avenue store of Tattered Cover Book Store (Denver)
"Books aren't going anywhere. People my age [31] and younger are reading books. We're the kids who grew up in the '90s when Borders and Tattered Cover were booming, and everybody was adding cafes. While we're shifting and changing and making ourselves smaller, I don't believe that the independent bookstore is going anywhere. I just have this really great image of my four-year-old nephew at his birthday party. As his boring aunt who works in a bookstore, I gave him two books. He opened the first book, and he had to read it right then."
Aaron Neber, assistant manager, event host and used-book buyer at Changing Hands Bookstore (Tempe, Ariz.)
"I'm not afraid of what technology is going to do. Maybe a bookstore that has a little bit of everything doesn't work anymore, when you can get everything online. I'm 28—we had e-mail when I was in the fifth grade. One of the things my generation can contribute is taking away the doom and gloom about technology. My friends are all still readers of books. Books have been slow to reinvent themselves. This is a great time to promote Vox by Ann Carson, where you have to have this physical entity to get the full experience, or Melville House's hybrid books, a unique take on the bundling idea. It's up to the younger generation to promote these products."
Jenn Northington, events manager at Word Books (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
"We definitely bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm, as well as comfort with digital tools and platforms. My generation had computer lessons in middle school. We make a lot of connections digitally now, and it can be a really positive force. Personally, I've been able to tap into a huge community of readers and authors that I would never have had access to otherwise. The way I see it, physical bookstores are a natural complement to a digital community. You can get recommendations and buy things online, of course, but with such broad access and so many different sources, it's hard to sort out the signal from the noise."
Krysta Piccoli, bookseller specializing in science, sustainability, and nature at Northshire Bookstore (Manchester Center, Vt.)
"I like technology, but I still want to hold a book. We have a lot of customers who come in and say, 'I have an e-reader, but I like books.' The digital age has made bookstores more important. Wikipedia is great, but books are more reliable than anything you can get from the Internet. You can come into the bookstore and slow down and browse. There aren't a lot of chances to slow down."


text:
FRANCE/UAE: Gulf base shows shift in France's focus
Nicolas Sarkozy, French
president, will on Tuesday open a French naval base in Abu Dhabi,
underlining his country's renewed strategic interests in the Persian
Gulf amid tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
new installation in the United Arab Emirates, which will support French
naval operations in the Gulf and Indian ocean, is France's first
overseas military base in 50 years.
Sarkozy is also expected to use his visit to Abu Dhabi, beginning on
Monday, to lobby on behalf of French companies, including Dassault, the military aircraft maker, and a consortium of Total, GdF-Suez and Areva, which is bidding to build two nuclear power stations in the UAE.
is hoping to clinch a deal to sell as many as 60 of its Rafale fighters
to the UAE, in what would be the first international order for its
latest military jet.
France's new base is less important in military than in
diplomatic terms. It will house at most 500 people. This number
includes personnel supporting a detachment of three Mirage and Rafale
jet fighters at the al-Dhafra air base in the emirate and another unit
at a desert training camp.
The naval installation will make it
easier to supply French ships in the region, but it will not supplant
France's larger base at Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. Neither is the
base intended as a signal of military intent against Iran, say Elysée
palace officials, insisting France wants a peaceful solution to the
stand-off over Tehran's nuclear programme.
But France's military
presence in Abu Dhabi is intended to drive home its tough stance
against Iran's nuclear plans. In a forthcoming interview with
Diplomatie magazine, Mr Sarkozy said it underlined France's wish "to
participate fully in the stability of this region that is essential for
the world's equilibrium".
The new base also represents a shift in
French strategic interests away from protecting its former African
colonies towards the conflicts in the Middle East, Afghanistan and
Pakistan, where French security is considered more at threat.
France's arrival breaks the US monopoly on western military powers having a permanent presence in the the Gulf, analysts say.
the Abu Dhabi side, they have the full commitment from another western
power to the security of this region and also there's no more monopoly
from one side for security in the region, and definitely they will look
for more contribution from the French in terms of transfer of
technology and industrial and economic programmes together," said Riad
Kahwaji, chief executive of the Institute for Near East and Gulf
Military Analysis.
Mr Sarkozy is looking to extend commercial
ties with the UAE and is likely to discuss the possibility of one of
the country's sovereign wealth or investment funds taking a stake in
Areva, the state-owned nuclear group. But the Elysée said no decision
on this was likely until the winner of the UAE's nuclear competition
was decided in September.
Abu Dhabi is the wealthiest of the
seven city states that make up the UAE and home to about 95 per cent of
its hydrocarbons resources. The emirate is going through a programme of
huge development and boasts a big stable of sovereign investments vehicles.
- 23 Private Security
- 104 Globalization
- 106 Money & Politics