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A Response to "SPANKING MAKES A COMEBACK" -
A "News" Story in The Wall Street Journal
By Chris Dugan (comments in boldface). Revised
September 2007.
Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2000
Tired of Spoiling the Child, Parents Stop Sparing the
Dr. Dobson vs. Dr. Spock
|By Daniel Costello
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is notoriously biased in favor of spanking. This article is an excellent example of their bias, and shoddy journalism. As we shall soon see, this "news" story contains no actual "news" at all, including no evidence that spanking is making any sort of a "comeback" from earlier levels of prevalence.
More than five decades after Dr. Spock sent corporal punishment to the woodshed,
In fact, Benjamin Spock did not come out explicitly in opposition to all forms of corporal punishment of children until 1988, just a few years before he died.
spanking is making a comeback. A growing number of parents -- many of whom were never spanked themselves -- are shunning the experts, defying disapproving friends and neighbors, and giving their kids a slap on the bottom, the hand or the leg.
What evidence is presented for this sweeping claim? Read on:
Web sites popular with parents, such as iVillage.com and Oxygen.com, are filled with chat-room buzz from pro-spankers.
"Chat-room buzz" from spanking fetishists is more like it. This is the "evidence" upon which this writer bases his claim about spanking making a "comeback."
Just last year, both Okalahoma and Nevada passed laws explicitly giving parents the right to spank their children.
Acts of these two state legislatures do not constitute evidence of a greater use of spanking by parents. There is no logical connection between this "evidence" and the author's claim that parents are spanking more.
Even House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt last year admitted that he has spanked his three kids, noting that his mother disciplined him with a switch -- and he turned out fine.
Anecdotal testimonials by politicians about their personal lives of decades ago do not constitute evidence that spanking is making a comeback in the presentday population as a whole. The author, Costello, has not presented a single scrap of evidence that the "news" about an increase in spanking actually exists outside his own mind.
So why the return to tough love?
So after making a claim based on no actual evidence whatsoever, Costello then proceeds as if this alleged "comeback" of spanking were a news item rather than merely a bit of wishful thinking on his own part.
Other methods simply don't work, frustrated parents say.
"Frustrated parents" turns out to be a single carefully-selected individual, quoted because she uttered the sort of statement the author needed to use at this point in the article:
Sondra Thompson, a stay-at-home mother of six in Corsicana, Texas, turned to spanking after bombing with such gentler tactics as "time-outs" and stern lectures. ..... "I hear people who talk about how awful spanking is," says Ms. Thompson. "Their kids are usually maniacs." In a recent Harris poll, nearly 70% of respondents said they think young adults and children don't have as much discipline as they need.
"Discipline" does not necessarily mean "spanking." And even if it did, Costello would need to show that this figure has risen in the recent past. This is the sort of evidence he would need if he were seriously writing a news story rather than a propaganda piece thinly disguised as a news story.
Meanwhile, with communities everywhere struggling to explain school shootings and other teen crime, many are blaming lax parental control.
Still no evidence that parents are spanking more now, due to school shootings or for any other reason.
Yes there are, dating back at least as far as Sears, MacCoby and Levin (1957). The "problem" is that if the author of this "news" item actually acknowledged the existence of prevalence studies on spanking he would have to note that they show a long term trend away from its use. This is exactly the opposite of the spin he seeks to put on this "news story." So instead Costello pretends that half a century of research doesn't exist.
many pediatricians, psychologists and researchers say the numbers are on the rise.
Argument from Authority - a classic invalid line of debate. Where are the actual "numbers" referred to here? The author doesn't even name any of the "pediatricians, psychologists and researchers" who supposedly claim that the unidentified "numbers" are on the rise. This is nothing but empty fluff.
Kevin Ryan, director of the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character Development at Boston University, says parents are starting to reject the politically correct notion that children are too fragile to spank.
Again, someone's opinion. No actual numbers.
The notion took hold after World War II as Benjamin Spock, the influential paediatrician, began warning that corporal punishment can traumatize children and trigger more aggressive behavior.
As previously mentioned, Benjamin Spock did not take a clear stand against all forms of spanking until 1988.
..... Some critics have even equated spanking with out-and-out abuse. Nonsense, says Judy Ussery of Savannah, Ga., who has tried -- and failed -- with everything from confiscating favorite toys to outright bribes. Although Ms. Ussery was never spanked as a child, she says her kids are a whole lot worse than she was: "I got the child my mother wished on me."
In response to an earlier version of this page, Judy Ussery, the mother quoted in the passage above, contacted me via email to set the record straight. In her email she states, "the quote used was taken out of an entire conversation, and the actual quote in the Wall Street Journal was not accurate and taken out of context" (Ussery, 2007).
In fact, Ussery reveals, she was spanked as a child, contrary to the Wall Street Journal's assertion to the contrary. Also, she and her husband successfully used a wide variety of discipline techniques with their two now-grown children and she rejects the Wall Street Journal's claim that every other discipline approach they tried "failed" except spanking. Ussery explains, "Our discipline through the years has consisted of enforcing time-out, confiscating the offending object that caused the misbehavior, positive reinforcement of appropriate actions, restricting activities, an occasional spanking, and yes bribes of a special treat or activity (never money) if they continued to behave a certain way. We even tried using a reward chart where certain behaviors and 'chores' (such as picking up toys, putting their dirty clothes in the hamper, and making beds, among only a few) were rewarded with a mark or a star and upon the completion of a period of time, they would earn a special treat or activity, a trip to the ice cream parlor or a visit to the beach. Methods of discipline had to change often because each one would loose effectiveness over time. The older they got the more tailored the discipline became." She adds, "In fact, spanking was never the first method of discipline used and especially was not used when they were small toddlers. I do not believe that young children can discern or control their behavior, nor can they understand our reaction to it."
Ussery concludes, "as for the final comment I was quoted as
saying that 'I got the child my mother wished on me.' It was said in jest
while talking in generalities and specifically referred to having a child
that was exactly like me." Despite having been spanked herself as
a child, Judy Ussery, in her words, "wasn't always a piece of cake to raise."
Emerging Research
As we shall soon see, the author cites not one piece of "emerging research" which supports his position:
While academic thinking on the subject has long been dominated by Dr. Spock's point of view, an emerging body of research suggests that spanking might not be such a bad thing after all. In one decade-long study, Diana Baumrind of the University of California-Berkeley found that parents who combined positive encouragement and a reasonable level of discipline -- including spanking -- had the best outcomes, as defined by rough measures of self-worth and personal achievement.
What the author does not mention is that all the subgroups in Baumrind's research included parents who spanked. Hence, it was inevitable that whichever subgroup had the best results would "include spanking." This proves nothing.
Baumrind is a respected researcher. However, at the time this article appeared, none of her research had actually looked at spanking per se. (Baumrind's later (2001) study found that spanked children had poorer long term outcomes than unspanked children. When she removed from her "spanked" group any child whose parents had ever spanked them with an object of any kind or abusively hard the remaining "spanked" group still had poorer long term outcomes but the results weren't statistically significant at the small sample sizes she used.)
Robert Schwebel, a psychologist who hosts a popular parenting discussion group on iVillage.com, says about one-third of the people on his site openly support spanking, up considerably since the site began four years ago.
Posts on a web-based discussion forum are an example of "emerging research?" Is this a joke?
The reason: The picnic was in honor of National Spank Out Day, an antispanking program sponsored by a non-profit group. "Oh, we spank," Mrs. Goertel confesses, taking a pause from corralling her children during the picnic. "We just came to get out of the house."
Is this anecdote about Mrs. Goertel taking her children to a picnic supposed to be still more "emerging research?"
This "news" item is an insult to the intelligence of readers of the Wall Street Journal.
For decades, articles have periodically appeared in the popular press claiming that:
a) parents gave up spankingIt is a time-honored propaganda formula: don't tell people what they should do what you want them to do - tell them they are already doing it - in large and ever-increasing numbers.
The Wall Street Journal has long been a prestigious news source when it comes to financial reporting. But on the spanking issue, they have long behaved like a yellow tabloid even before Rupert Murdoch acquired the paper. I once made the mistake of agreeing to appear as an invited guest on the Wall Street Journal's radio show. It was an ambush. The hostess would make a standard prospank argument, one that I had easily refuted numerous times on alt.parenting.spanking and elsewhere. No sooner would I begin to explain why the argument failed then the hostess would cut in (using an electronic set up which completely cut off my voice as soon as the hostess spoke) and change the subject to yet another standard prospank argument I had heard scores of times before and could easily refute if given the chance. But no sooner would I begin responding to that argument than the same process would repeat itself. This cycle continued for about half a dozen turns until the hostess finished the list of standard talking points on her cue card, and then disconnected me without a word, all the while continuing to speak over the air as if to me. They were getting in a very long "last word" with no danger of any rebuttal from me, since they hung up on me as soon as I had served their purposes. To the listening audience, it appeared as if I had been struck dumb and speechless by the sheer overwhelming rhetorical power of the stale cliche arguments the hostess was reading off her list of talking points.
The purpose of that radio program was to promote spanking under
the pretext of "discussing" it, just as this current article's purpose
is to promote spanking under the pretext of a faux "news" story.
Baumrind, D. and Owens, E. 2001. "Does Causally Relevant Research Support A Blanket Injunction Against Disciplinary Spanking By Parents?" Paper presented to the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, August 24, 2001.
Sears, R.R.; MacCoby, E. & Levin, H. 1957. Patterns of Child Rearing. White Plains, NY: Row, Peterson and Co.
Ussery, J. 2007. Personal communication.


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I have a page that has session_start() right from the beginning. The page is a form that takes user inputs and posts back to itself. Upon checking and validating user inputs, it then writes to the database. So far so good and everything used to be fine. A couple of days ago, I did an upgrade to generalise the main content of the page out to another file because the main content can be used somewhere else as well. I use "include" function to include the file and things started to break down. I noticed from error messages that some users weren't able to make a successful post because their sessions disappeared (this form is available only to registered users). What I have changed was simply generalising the content out to another file and have it included, why would this cause this weird session problem? The problem is really trick as well because it is intermittent meaning it only failed for some users, not all of them. Any idea? Thanks in advance for the help.
Strange PHP session problem
Do a test from your own PC using IE6, IE7, Opera, and Firefox.
The apparent intermittency might be browser/settings specific.
Maximum Cash Discount on any plan with MAXCASH
IE6, IE7 and Firefox all worked fine on me. I have yet to be able to replicate the error.
Is it the same few users consistently having a problem, or does it seem to come and go more or less randomly even for people who do experience the error? If it's the same few users consistently having trouble, they probably have something in common which will point you at a cause.
The only other thing that comes to mind is that you might be accidentally calling some of the session code twice as a consequence of how you're including things. Misusing session code can sometimes cause some pretty screwy results, so even though I assume this is unlikely, it might be a good thing to look at while you wait for better information about how to reproduce the error.
Thanks I'll check on that.
As for whether it's the same group of people having this issue, 1st of all I can't tell because that's the whole point (they've lost their sessions) I think it's more random though, not just a particular group of users.

subset: commoncrawl


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Just published: The Fixer: My Adventures Saving Startups from Death by Politics by Bradley Tusk.
James Hohmann: "As crazy as it sounds a decade later, Michael Bloomberg considered Anthony Weiner his most formidable potential challenger as he prepared to seek a third term as mayor of New York City in 2009. Sparing no expense, the billionaire's political team used a grab bag of tricks to successfully dissuade the then-congressman from running. Bloomberg's campaign manager, Bradley Tusk, offers an entertaining window into the dark arts of opposition research and tips on getting inside a rival's head in a chapter of his new book, The Fixer."
It's a must-read book.Save to Favorites


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On top of this £50 was raised by Bev and Nick at our Cheese and Wine evening which will also be used to buy food for the food bank. Thanks to everyone who joined in.
The next collection Sunday is November 3rd. All contributions are gratefully received but these are the items we are particularly running low on:
UHT or powdered milk - small and large sizes
long life fruit juice - small multi packs or carton
dried mashed potato
sugar - 1 kilo and 500g bags
any tinned veg
breakfast cereal
items that can be chosen as 'treats' - toiletries, tomato sauce, hot chocolate, sweets for children etc
I wish I could show you the faces of the people who receive what you bring and how much it means to them. Trusting that God will bless you for your generosity to these people in need.


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During an Interview, Asking the Wrong Questions Can Spell Trouble
As employers gear up for summer seasonal hiring, it's important to remember that job interviews can be loaded with legal pitfalls if not approached with caution. Employers should pay close attention to the types of questions they ask and avoid topics that are inappropriate form a legal standpoint.
One way to avoid trouble is to simply let the applicant do the talking. Ask open-ended questions that allow candidates not only to provide information about their experience, but that also force them to demonstrate verbal skills. Gather information about the applicants' work experience by asking them to talk about their current job or to discuss their duties in their three previous jobs.
It's perfectly acceptable to ask people about problems they encountered in their previous job or to get their perspective about what constitutes a full work week in terms of hours.
Continue using open-ended questions when asking about their former supervisor ("What kind of person was your former supervisor?"), their areas of talent/interest ("What are some of the things you would like to avoid in a job? Why?") or disagreements with the supervisor.
One area of concern for many employers might be when they ask the applicant about specific qualifications. It's permissible to ask such questions as "Are you able to physically perform the essential job functions?" or whether the applicant can meet attendance requirements. Employers can ask about details of impairments that are not disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, such as broken limbs. For example, "How did you break your leg? Is fine. But "Do your bones break easily?" is not.
The situation that seems to get many employers and job interviewers in trouble is when they venture into conversation areas or topics that should be avoided altogether. It's never a good idea to discuss issues related to age, race, family plans or religion.
This article appeared in the June 5, 2009 issue of Business First of Louisville.


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Tuesday, 4 August 2015
Growing up in Tassie, the only proper, schools-closed snow day that I experienced was on July 25th 1986. I remember it vividly. I was on SwotVac at the time (pre-exam study leave), so I didn't get to miss a day of school as I was already at home, but it was really fun all the same. The centre of Hobart looked like this (courtesy of The Mercury):
In 2006 we had a smaller but still significant snow event (I remember pictures of snow at Kingston Beach), and then yesterday, we had a doozy. Not for the amount of snow - it was good, not as good as '86, but still enough to be pretty..
..but because the kids got a Snow-Day - yep, the roads to Hobart were closed, so the school closed for the day. Kind of funny considering we're talking about 3 centimetres of snow here, but it's enough to bring infrastructure to a standstill! Here's a picture of a Norwegian school on a typical winter's day..and us fanging along the highway in the ice and snow and slush at 100 kph.. it's what you are used to I suppose, and also the soft compound tyres everyone has which are made for cold conditions..
Anyway, back to our local snow event… the kids had a great day with their cousins frolicking at home. The first part of it was filled with snow fun - boogie board tobogganing, snowman building, snow fights.. Then the rest was just about the luxury of being at home and not at school! They were particularly excited to learn that other schools in their area were open - so their day was even more special.
I wasn't able to go to work until about 11am. I did try earlier but got turned around by the police as I didn't have a 4wd. Snow is forecast again tomorrow but I think we won't get it in the garden which is a shame as it was pretty.
There is still snow low on the hills around Hobart - I went for my normal waterworks run this morning (the day after), and still got to run through snow..
which made me very happy..


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A publicly available dataset of color and depth images from various stages of garment folding. The main purpose of this dataset is to record failures in the folding process. This information is then used to implement robust algorithms that will prevent or recover from these failures. The dataset is free for research and educational purposes and can be used in scientific publications at the condition of respecting the requested citation acknowledgement.
The documentation can be found in the attached research report.
The dataset can be obtained from here.
All publications making use of the CTU Garment Folding Photo Dataset must include the following citation (TBD):
Maintained by Libor Wagner, last update on


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Our Role in the Health Care System
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is an organization of people caring for people. It is an organization of committed professionals who support each other in the delivery of health services and protect the health and promote the well being of the people within the Winnipeg health region.
The Winnipeg health region consists of residents of the City of Winnipeg as well as the Rural Municipalities of East and West St. Paul, with a total population of just over 750,000 people. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority also provides health care support to nearly half a million rural Manitobans and the residents of Northwestern Ontario and Nunavut.
More than 28,000 people work in the Winnipeg health region, with an annual operating budget of nearly $1.8 billion. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority also operates or funds over 200 health service facilities and programs that work within this region providing or promoting various activities that enhance the health and wellbeing of our community.


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Calvin Harris threatens legal action over Massage Parlour breakup rumours
About a month ago, Radar Online "reported" that TAYLOR SWIFT's boyfriend CALVIN HARRIS was spotted leaving a seedy massage parlor. And now, they claim that Taylor DUMPED him because of it.
Calvin is worth more than $110 million, and has a massage therapist on staff. But there are pictures of him leaving a Thai massage parlor that offers services for as little as $40.
Supposedly, Taylor confronted Calvin about the pictures and he told her his massage therapist was SICK, and he really needed his shoulder worked on. The rumor is that she didn't believe him, so she gave him the boot.
We haven't heard from Taylor yet, but Calvin Tweeted, quote, "It's not going to be a 'happy ending' for everyone when I sue for defamation of character for all these [B.S.] stories. Bye bye."
It's not going to be a 'happy ending' for everyone I sue for defamation of character for all these bullshit stories bye bye
— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) October 12, 2015
Read more HERE
Photo: Wikimedia Commons


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Baja Califormia Sur — On Thursday, the National Meteorological Service reported that tropical storm Bud is slowly approaching Baja California Sur.
They stress that the system shows favorable for the potential for heavy rain in Sinaloa , Jalisco, Colima, Durango, Nayarit, Michoacan, Aguascalientes and Guanajuato, as well heavy rain and large waves on the coasts of Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima.
In the most recent warning issued by the agency, they note that the tropical storm is located 230 kilometers south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.
They report that Bud has sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour and gusts of 100 kilometers per hour with displacement toward the North-northwest at 11 kilometers per hour.
They also warned that strong storms for Sinaloa, Jalisco, Colima, Durango, Nayarit, Michoacán, Aguascalientes and Guanajuato as well as Baja California Sur and Zacatecas.
Bud is expected to bring with him wind gusts of 50 to 70 kilometers per hour and waves of two to three meters high on the coasts of Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima.
The National Meteorological Service is asking people in these regions to comply with recommendations by authorities of the National Civil Protection System in each state.
Tropical Storm Bud has already caused severe flooding in other regions including Guanajuato, where Civil Protection has reported extreme flooding.


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Cancer Prevention Centre, Cancer Council Victoria, Victoria.
Unhealthy diet and misuse of alcohol present similar public health challenges. Legal interventions to reduce the impact of these lifestyle factors, including the burden of cancers associated with these risk factors, are also similar. Just as the law has gone some way to creating an unhealthy environment, for example, through a relaxation of the liquor licensing regulatory framework leading to a significant increase in the number of licensed premises it's so too can it be used to alter the environment to make healthier choices easier, such as amending city planning laws to support walking or cycling over driving. Although interventions for alcohol and unhealthy diet are similar, the manner in which they are employed likely to be different, given the extent to which alcohol is already subject to significant regulation, compared with food.
One third of all cancer deaths in Australia are caused by avoidable risk factors, including consumption of alcoholic beverages and an unhealthy diet. This represents a significant impact on individuals, families, communities and health services, and makes behaviours such as alcohol misuse and unhealthy diet a social rather than merely an individual problem. Responding to alcohol and diet related cancer requires interventions that impact on society and population behaviours and so extend beyond individual choice.1
Intuitively, most people recognise that legislation and regulation can affect population health in general terms,2 including, we contend, recognition of the impact of legal and policy measures on the burden of cancer. This paper discusses some of the ways that law and public policy, whether health-related or otherwise, can impact on a population's healthiness (or unhealthiness), by shaping the environment in which individuals behave in relation to harmful products such as alcohol and unhealthy foods. For present purposes, we define 'unhealthy foods' as those which are calorie-dense and nutrient poor.
Legal and policy interventions to address the different risk factors of alcohol use and eating an unhealthy diet are similar and based on measures successfully used in tobacco control (increase price, reduce availability and restrict advertising). However, the legal landscape for alcohol is quite different compared with that for food. While many laws already exist to control the sale, supply and price of alcohol, few exist in relation to unhealthy food products. This would suggest that while the required interventions are similar, the manner in which they are employed is different. For alcohol, existing laws need to be improved, while for unhealthy food, new laws will need to be introduced.
Alcohol is a known cause of cancer; the evidence is convincing that alcohol causes cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, bowel (in men) and breast (in women), and probably increases the risk of bowel cancer (in women) and liver cancer.3 In Australia, an estimated 5070 cases of cancer each year (or five per cent of all cancers) are attributable to chronic use of alcohol.4
Meanwhile, the World Cancer Research Fund has found convincing evidence that excess body fat is a risk factor for six types of cancer – colon, kidney, pancreas, oesophagus, endometrium and post-menopausal breast cancer.3 Cancer Council estimated that in Victoria in 2004, 1100 cancer cases and 500 cancer deaths were attributable to overweight and obesity (based on data from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study and National Health Survey 2004-05). Extrapolating these data to the whole of Australia, there would be approximately 4400 attributable cancer cases and 2000 deaths.
The World Cancer Research Fund report on food, nutrition, physical activity and body fatness makes recommendations to reduce cancer risk, including to maintain a healthy weight, be physically active and to limit alcoholic drinks.3 Individuals may not make healthy choices because contextual legal, political or law enforcement factors may prevent them from doing so.2 Although traditionally law has been seen as a tool to regulate the relationship between individuals or as a set of rules dictating minimum standards of behaviour,5 increasingly it is recognised that law has an important role to play in altering the behaviour of populations. As Parmet notes, the health of populations can be seen as a function of individual choices;5 and these choices are not made in a legal vacuum.
Laws can be designed to change the environment in which an individual makes health decisions.
In Victoria, changes to the liquor licensing regulatory framework in 1987 led to a significant increase in the number of licensed premises across the State.6 This increase in licensed premises has been shown to correspond with an increase in alcohol-related harm,6 including rates of alcohol-related disease.7 For example, a Victorian study found a strong association between increases in packaged liquor availability and chronic alcohol-related disease.7 Licensing laws that restrict trading hours of licensed premises, or require the service of low alcohol products at events have the potential to reverse the increase in alcohol-related harm associated with an increase in alcohol outlet density.
Meanwhile, lack of pricing mechanisms and controls has contributed to a proliferation of cheap energy-dense, nutrient-poor processed foods, and there are many barriers to accessing affordable healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables (particularly in lower socio-economic and rural areas).8 Conversely, laws that increase the price of unhealthy foods, or subsidise the production of healthier foods have the potential to change the food environment and improve access to healthier options.
Similarly, limited restrictions on unhealthy food advertising to children mean that children continue to be surrounded by unhealthy food advertising in all aspects of their lives – on television, films and the internet, in magazines, supermarkets and shops, on billboards, at school and when playing sport.9 Despite evidence from a number of systematic reviews that food advertising influences children's food choices, there are very few restrictions on the advertising of unhealthy food to children in Australia.10 Meaningful restrictions to reduce children's exposure to unhealthy food advertising, particularly on television, would have the potential to improve the environment in which children's food preferences are shaped and decisions around food purchasing are made.9,11
The affordability, availability and promotion of alcohol are all controlled by laws and regulation to varying degrees. Meanwhile, interventions that have the effect of decreasing the affordability and restricting the availability and promotion of alcohol have been recognised as top interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm, including the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.12 As the 'alcopops' example in box 1 shows, even small amendments to current laws can have significant positive effects.
Similarly, in food policy, the World Health Organisation Global Strategy for Diet, Physical Activity and Health, together with the National Preventative Health Taskforce, have recommended governments address the problems of unhealthy food marketing to children and inadequate food labelling.15 The National Preventative Health Taskforce also recommended regulation of the amount of fats, sugar and sugar in foods and a review of the taxation system to improve access to healthier foods.8
Compared with alcohol, food is subject to less regulation overall, with no food-specific taxation laws aimed at improving health and little legal control over the marketing and availability of foods. Food safety and related labelling is highly regulated and its focus is on excluding toxins and contaminants and providing warnings about allergens rather than preventive health. Thus, although changes are needed in alcohol and food policy alike, a legal response to the burden of disease associated with unhealthy diet is likely to require substantial legislative reform.
The flip side to this approach – that is, legislative reform for better laws – is using the law to encourage compliance with and enforcement of existing laws. Law and policy in relation to alcohol and food is administered by a number of agencies – some which are statutory bodies exemplified by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, while others are self-regulatory organisations such as the Advertising Standards Board.
The primary form of regulation of both food and alcohol marketing is industry self-regulation, which predominantly relies on complaints from members of the public to identify breaches of marketing codes. For a complaints-based regulatory system to be effective, consumers and public agencies must be motivated and resourced to monitor the conduct of advertisers and submit complaints about the content and placement of advertisements, whether in relation to unhealthy food or alcohol, when such advertisements appear to breach various codes of practice. Yet the current regulatory systems relating to alcohol and food advertising can be confusing, making it difficult for members of the public to lodge complaints. For example, each of the codes that cover food advertising apply in different ways to food advertising to children – to different advertisers and products, different types of advertising and media and different age groups of children.
As the example of Coca Cola's 'Myth Busting' campaign shows (box 2), complaints to regulatory agencies can have a significant impact on the behaviour and practices of some marketers. However, even unsuccessful complaints offer some benefit, insofar as they highlight the limits of current regulatory or self-regulatory approaches and where regulatory reform is required. For example, in 2009 the Alcohol Policy Coalition complained that the labelling and promotion of a beer product contravened the provisions of the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) by failing to present a responsible approach to the consumption of alcohol beverages, and that the marketing (including the labelling of the product) constituted 'offensive behaviour' within the meaning of the ABAC Code. Although the ABAC Panel upheld the complaint in relation to the marketing of the beer (in particular, website material), it dismissed the complaint in relation to the labelling of the product on the basis that the ABAC scheme did not at that time cover product labels and packaging – even though the content of the label was identical to the website content deemed immature, irresponsible and offensive under the ABAC Code. This determination highlighted the narrow focus and inconsistency characteristic of industry self-regulatory codes.
The law can be responsible for creating an environment that encourages the misuse of alcohol and unhealthy diet. For example, the laws governing alcohol tax are inconsistent, and give little recognition to the increasing affordability of alcohol and potential for harm.16 Equally, they can be used to provide the legal framework in which to empower people and reverse trends which gear our environment towards unhealthy behaviours.17
As a tool to foster healthy choices, the law can be used to alter the environment in which choices are made – for example, by restricting exposure of children and young people to alcohol and unhealthy food advertising, or to ensure that existing laws and policies are enforced, to the benefit of public health.
Legislation is sovereign, and as such, the best legal interventions for public health are to be found in reform of existing laws, or the introduction of new laws that will be effective at altering the environment to discourage unhealthy or harmful choices, and make healthy choices easier choices.
However, in lieu of large scale legislative reform, important changes can also be achieved by working within the existing legal and regulatory framework, and by ensuring that laws and policies that do exist are wielded with a view to protecting public health.
1. Preventative Health Taskforce. Australia: The healthiest country by 2020. Technical Report 3. Preventing alcohol-related harm in Australia: a window of opportunity including addendum for October 2008 to June 2009. Barton (ACT) Prepared for the National Preventative Health Taskforce by the Alcohol Working Group. Commonwealth of Australia. 2009. 20 p.
2. Mensah,M. Healthy Public Policy: Assessing the Impact of Law and Policy on Human Rights and HIV Prevention and Care. Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network Summary Report July 2003. 48 p.
3. World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Policy and action for cancer preventions. Food, nutrition, and physical activity: a global perspective. Washington, DC: AICR; 2009. p. 26-57.
4. Winstanley MH, Pratt IS, Chapman K, Griffin HJ, Croager EJ, Olver IN, et al. Alcohol and cancer: a position statement from Cancer Council Australia. MJA. 2011;194(9):479-482.
5. Parmet WE. Populations, Public Health, and the Law. Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press; 2009.
6. Livingston M. The Physical Availability of Alcohol. Alcohol Policy Coalition. 2009 August [cited 2011 October 31].1-2. Available from: http://alcoholpolicycoalition.org.au/http://alcoholpolicycoalition.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Physical-availability-position-statement_FINAL_250.pdf Accessed February 14 2012.
7.Livingston M. Alcohol outlet density and harm: Comparing the impacts on violence and chronic harms. Drug and Alcohol Review. 2011; 30: 515–523. doi: 10.1111/j.1465-3362.2010.00251.x
8. Preventative Health Taskforce. Australia: The healthiest country by 2020. Technical Report 1. Obesity in Australia: a need for urgent action including addendum for October 2008 to June 2009. Barton (ACT) Prepared for the National Preventative Health Taskforce by the Obesity Working Group. Commonwealth of Australia. 2009. 120 p.
9. MacKay S, Antonopoulos N, Martin J, Swinburn B. A comprehensive approach to protecting children from unhealthy food advertising. Obesity Policy Coalition. Melbourne, 2011.
10. MacKay S. Food advertising and obesity in Australia: to what extent can self-regulation protect the interests of children? Monash University Law Review 2009;35(1):118-146.
11. Hastings G, MacDermott L, Angus K, Stead M, Thomson S. The extent, nature and effects of food promotion to children: a review of the evidence. Geneva: WHO, 2006.
12. Casswell S, Thamarangsi T. Reducing harm from alcohol: call to action. [Series: Alcohol and Global Health 3]. Lancet. 2009;373:2247-2248.
13. Hall W, Chikritzhs T. The Australian alcopops tax revisited. The Lancet. 2011; 377 (9772): 1136
14. Ready-to-drink alcohol beverages. The Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs. 2008 June. Commonwealth of Australia.
15. World Health Organisation. Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Fifty-seventh World Health Assembly. Geneva: WHO. 2004.
16. Henry K, Australia's Future Tax System Review Panel. Australia's future tax system: report to the Treasurer. Canberra: The Treasury, 2010.
17. Robinson S, Kenyon A. Ethics in the Alcohol Industry. Basingstoke,UK: Palgrave MacMillan; 2009. 288 p.


text: When I purchased Spike for the classroom, I knew he would be an invaluable teaching tool. This morning he helped my kids learn in real time about predator and prey. We have been studying about those words this week as we learned about owls and their prey, but today they saw it happen right before their eyes! I love that I get to do this every day!


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Hemp fuel powers her rocket pack, her hemp twine will ensnare you, her hemp-woven body armor shields her from harm — but since that bulky armor hides her shapely figure, she's known to the world as Hempman!
"The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons."
–Fyodor Dostoevsky
NASA employees were forbidden to speak to the press about The Day After Tomorrow — a 2004 disaster movie about an ice age caused by global warming — because White House officials were concerned NASA's comments could discredit a president who refused to treat sudden climate change as a serious threat. However, Reggie Haskell was the exception to this rule. As a result, he found himself imprisoned on trumped up charges soon afterwards.
Dismissed throughout his career, only Hemptopian scientists — peering into parallel Earths as they often do –saw the potential in Haskell's designs for interstellar life support systems. In order for an overpopulated Hemptopia to truly master space travel, the mystery of how to safely recycle oxygen within a starship or space station had to first be solved, so Marilyn "Hempman" Janeway was sent sideways in time to retrieve Reggie. And when Hempman appeared in his jail cell offering escape from an alternate reality in which Al Gore won the U.S. presidency in 2000 and invaded Iraq on behalf of Occidental Petroleum (the Gore clan owns a quarter of a million dollars' worth of Occidental stock), Haskell zealously seized the opportunity.
The acquisition of Reggie Haskell proved to be quite a boon. He taught Hemptopian engineers how to prevent gases like ammonia and acetone — which people emit in small amounts — from building up to dangerous levels and brought Hemptopia's fledgling space program that much closer to the stars. Alas, when Marilyn Janeway decided to pay the increasingly popular technician a visit, she was surprised to find him despondent. While bent over a rack of test tubes in his laboratory, Haskell lamented, "I asked your 'Refugee Retrieval Program' to show me an alternate reality where Bush won instead of Gore and you know what I found? Very little difference. Something called Halliburton is in Iraq, but other than that, everything's the same. 9-11, the Patriot Act, Guantanamo Bay …"
"Well, you have nothing to worry about," Janeway smiled assuredly, "only R.R.P. agents like myself go to dangerous timelines like that. The reason why we're opting for space colonization instead of trying to inhabit another version of Earth is because the temptation is too great to–"
"–my point," Haskell interrupted, "is that your so-called utopia is just another reality … Made up of flawed Humans with twisted impulses, and no matter how enlightened you claim to be, there's always a snake with an apple somewhere."
"Mr. Haskell, have you even left your lab since I rescued you?" Janeway put her hands on her hips. "I'd say it's high time you took a tour of your new home."
Janeway led Haskell to a huge pavilion where a gigantic statue of Paul Robeson stood. "America's first black president," she beamed, "no sooner was he sworn in did the Second Civil War begin, but after the north won, again, slavery reparations were paid out and–"
"–yeah, yeah," he cut her off, "I heard about this already. So there's no more poverty or police brutality and everything's made out of hemp, but what about free speech? I was thrown in jail because I pointed out that Gore only pretended to care about the greenhouse effect. What would happen if an Earthling — sorry, 'Hemptopian' started talking trash about Robeson here? Or wore an anti-hemp T-shirt?"
Janeway was utterly incredulous. "Why would anyone want to do such a thing?"
"Answer the question!"
"Nothing," Janeway started to get irritated, "we're a free society, believe it or not."
"I'll believe it when I see it," Haskell spat and stormed off.
It took a couple of months, but Reggie Haskell managed to rustle up the remaining handful of capitalists and imperialists in all of Hemptopia. He organized a demonstration outside the offices of the New United Nations in Paris, France, which called for a revival of Wall Street and the installation of a military-industrial complex. There were a few angry hecklers, but for the most part, the spectators simply ignored or laughed at Haskell's rally.
He was even invited inside to talk with the U.N.'s Secretary-General, Norman Thomas — a tan, brunette of indistinguishable ethnicity who spoke with charismatic eloquence: "At first, I thought this was all a prank, but when I found out who you were, Mr. Haskell, I called the R.R.P. and they sent–"
At that moment, Marilyn Janeway stepped into view and this prompted Haskell to groan. "For the love of … Are you stalking me or something? I mean, I'm grateful you saved me from an Al Gore America and all, but–"
"–if that's the case, why are you trying to recreate it?" Janeway demanded. "Why did you ally yourself with those throwbacks outside?"
"To see if it could be done!" Haskell stomped his foot for dramatic effect. "To see for myself just how 'free' this so-called democracy really is!"
Norman Thomas' office wasn't palatial, but it was just big enough to allow for a hushed, private conversation — so he discretely gestured for Marilyn Janeway to follow him until they were out of earshot. "Is this man insane?"
"Well, sir, he was in prison when we found him," Janeway mentioned, "so maybe he'd been there long enough for it to have affected him."
"The R.R.P. tell me you're due for some shore leave …" Thomas stroked his bearded chin thoughtfully. "… as a personal favor to me, I want you to keep an eye on him. The space program says he's invaluable and Hemptopia's getting more crowded every day, so this is a top priority."
"Yes, sir," Janeway dutifully responded, "I think I know just what he needs."
The Refugee Retrieval Program also consists of a support group made up of other dissident scientists from various realities. Since Haskell probably wouldn't have attended one of their meetings of his own accord, the R.R.P. arranged for them to meet in an office adjacent from Haskell's lab. "What's this all about, Janeway? In order to earn that house of mine, I'm supposed to be working … Aw, man … Who are these people ..?"
"Everyone here is just like you, Reggie," Janeway explained, "they all had trouble adjusting to how much better Hemptopia is than what they were used to."
Haskell sighed and rolled his eyes upon realizing he'd been set up, but eventually acquiesced nonetheless. During the initial introductions, a visibly trembling black man began to stammer, "I-I came from a world where the C-Confederacy won the War 'Tween the States and I w-would've surely been killed for p-paying a white lady a compliment if Miss Janeway here hadn't s-saved me …"
"It's quite all right, Tobey." Janeway humbly fanned a hand dismissively. "Your knowledge of cotton has made our space suits so comfortable; our astronauts have said it's like wearing nothing at all."
"W-When I first got here, I r-ran and hid whenever one of these white l-ladies said two words to m-me," Tobey continued, "but I'm d-dealing with it … I'm dealing with it …"
"My name's Myron Simonofsky — on my Earth, it was the Nazis who won on D-Day, and boy, did that make the difference, let me tell you," a elderly man wearing a yarmulke asserted, "the sick irony is, it's a good thing I had to spend so much time working on those ovens, because now I make sure these hemp rocket nozzles don't overheat, you know?"
"I've had enough of this …" Haskell shot to his feet and stormed off. Once he bolted out of the office, a woman from a timeline in which women never won the right to vote called him a bitch.
Another couple of months went by, and contrary to the Secretary-General's order, Marilyn Janeway gave Reggie Haskell a wide berth, but when she looked in on him again, he was loitering outside of a restaurant, wasting free food — on purpose. "What in the name of all that is holy and sacred are you doing?"
"I'm testing this policy you people have," Haskell made sure the carton of milk he had was poured dry before finishing his sentence, "this whole 'food is a right' spiel."
Janeway shook her head in disgust. "How colossally inconsiderate of you … By the way, the space program said you haven't shown up for work in days."
"Well, I'm also testing Hemptopia's commitment to abolish homelessness," a coy, snide grin crept across Haskell's face, "surely y'all won't let me end up on the streets?"
"No, Mr. Haskell," Janeway furrowed her brow in angst, "but if you quit your job, you'll have to move out of that house and into a free, studio apartment."
"A studio?" Haskell got in Janeway's face and glared. "What? Don't the unemployed warrant at least a one-bedroom apartment?"
Janeway fists clenched in indignation, but they remained by her side, for the time being. "Mr. Haskell, what exactly do you want?"
"To prove that Humanity is fooling itself if it thinks it can ever truly improve," Haskell's voice raised an octave in order to attract the attention of passerby, "Gore, Bush … Hemptopia, Hitlertopia … It doesn't matter; it's all the same!"
"If that was true, someone like you would be in jail by now." Janeway countered.
"And that's another thing!" Haskell turned to the small crowd that had gathered. "Sometimes, I can't tell if you're a bunch of hypocrites or just plain naive: Rather than admit that crime is inevitable and must be dealt with, you let criminals roam free so long as they wear electronic ankle bracelets and chew on these — leaves…?"
"Over the years, we learned that a lot of the crime you claim is 'inevitable' is actually due to an addiction to the body's own adrenaline," Janeway elucidated, "so yes, we do require the few convicts left in the world to take an organic substitute; an all-natural adrenochrome."
"But what if you had more to deal with than the occasional case of arson, assault or abduction?" Haskell sounded both challenging and menacing. "What if you had a murderer in your midst, what then? Would your glorious Hemptopians still cling to their lofty principles? Let's find out!" In an instant, Haskell lunged into the crowd and randomly snared the person closest to him. Before Janeway could react, the neck that person, Mr. Brad Boyer (a husband and father of two), had been snapped.
Aside from "free love" — as well as a lack of sexual diseases — the abolition of poverty and the death penalty were the primary reasons why Hemptopia suffered from overpopulation (ten billion worldwide). Before the untimely demise of Brad Boyer, a historian would have to research America's Second Civil War in the 1960s — the last major armed conflict on the planet formerly known as Earth — in order to uncover a similar murder.
So it was democratically decided that Reggie Haskell would be marooned on a remote island in the South Pacific — where he'd spend the rest of his natural life alone, since Haskell clearly couldn't trust any other Human being besides himself …


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von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, B-1640 Rhode-Saint-Genèse, Belgium
The formation and evolution of vapor channels in a liquid-saturated and heatgenerating particulate bed is modeled. The effect of the sticking forces on the onset of channeling is considered. Simple experimental techniques are devised to support the model development. Satisfactory interpretation of the D10 in-pile test performed at Sandia Laboratories can be achieved with the present channel model.
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text:
Check out the facebook album from last year's LeaderShape!
The LeaderShape® Institute is a week long institute involving dialogue and leadership self discovery in a supportive community of up to 60 Washington University undergraduate students.
Time at The LeaderShape® Institute follows the following format/timeline:
- Leave campus Friday, May 11 at 2pm. Stay on site at Toddhall Retreat Center for 6 days. Return to campus by 1pm on Wednesday, May 16.
DAY 1: Building Community (Friday, May 11)
Participants begin to explore what leadership means and discuss its core components, meet the other participants in the "Learning Community" and join 8-12 other young adults in a group called the "Family Cluster." As the primary reference group, the Family Cluster offers feedback and support while helping participants develop and refine a vision for the future.
DAY 2: The Value of One, The Power of All (Saturday, May 12)
Participants start the second day in an experiential team-building activity. By working through a series of initiatives and discussions, they discover how relationships, trust, and problem solving can be enhanced in a supportive group setting.
Participants then add another dimension to self-awareness by completing a behavior style inventory. From that information, each participant has an opportunity to set several personal goals for the week and share those with members of the Family Cluster. Participation in exercises which explore the concept of "inclusive leadership" and how to create communities which value respect, openness, and diverse opinions happens on the evening of Day 2.
DAY 3: Challenging What Is, Looking To What Could Be (Sunday, May 13)
Creating a powerful vision is one of the most important aspects of leadership! During this exciting day, participants begin to work on developing their own visions which define a bold change for the future in their community, group, cause, or organization back home. The evening concludes with a Guest Leader Forum and Reception. This is an opportunity to interact with significant leaders in different professions. Using an informal question and answer format, these individuals will share their insights and experiences related to the challenges of "leading with integrity."
DAY 4: Bringing Vision To Reality (Monday, May 14)
A vision is only a dream unless it results in action. Three key requirements are discussed (relationships, goals, and action steps) which move a vision forward. In addition, the issue of power is explored in a dynamic group simulation exercise.
DAY 5: Living and Leading With Integrity (Tuesday, May 15)
The concept of "integrity" is a challenging one, but it is central to LeaderShape's philosophy of lifelong leadership development. Participants discuss how core ethical values, thoughtful decisions, and courage all play critical roles in sustaining integrity and fostering trust and respect.
During the afternoon, an open discussion on "burning issues" will happen before preparations take place for creative Family Cluster Skits that will be presented on the morning of Day 6.
DAY 6: Staying in Action (Wednesday, May 16)
On this final day, participants prepare to return home and face the responsibilities of being an Institute graduate who practices the discipline of "leading with integrity." Participants learn what it means to be a part of the nationwide LeaderShape community – a network of mutual encouragement and support. A Learning Community Commencement ceremony concludes the week
Check out the national LeaderShape.org for more information!
Lessons Learned
Statements from 2016 participants about what they learned/experienced at LeaderShape"
"I didnt just make friends, I got a family that I can call home."
"Before coming to LeaderShape, I only had a fuzzy idea of vision; and after days of working on it, I have developed manageable and attainable goals towards creating positive change towards my vision."
"I learned that people judge me a lot less than I presume they do."
"Once I figured out what I stood for and what my vision was, acting accordingly became so much easier."
"At a school with a great number of opinionated, dominant people; sometimes the best behavior is not for everyone to practice expressing ideas and talking – but rather taking a breath between contributions and practicing active listening."
"Vulnerability is good and can foster trust within a community. We are all capable of changing the world!"
"For the first time in my life, I was told that I am valuable. That I have valuable insight every time I speak. That I shouldn't feel pressured to speak because I am quiet, but that I should speak because they want to learn from me and appreciate my insight and perspectives."
"Leaders can come from anywhere, so don't disregard anyone."
"Perspectives cannot be overlooked because people offer unique insight that no other person can fully 100% understand. No individual can be recreated, yet their talents make them necessary, and everyone has talents."
"I learned to always strive to better myself."
"I was reminded a lot of my core values and what it really means when we say "it's people who matter in the end". What it really means is to always foster relationships. I was very humbled by this experience and I appreciate that."
"I realized that I've been neglecting to truly identify myself, which was hindering my understanding of others. LeaderShape gave me a week to prioritize, not neglect, myself. I was able to work on understanding myself fully and therefore others."


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A Home Office contractor supplying accommodation for asylum seekers has come under fire after reportedly giving migrants brightly coloured wristbands which they must wear at all times.
The wristbands have been handed out to asylum seekers staying at Lynx House in Cardiff so they can claim breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Housing bosses insist the bands are discreet and do not single out residents.
But the move - which comes following a similar controversy in the north of England earlier this week - has been slammed by human rights groups.
The Welsh Refugee Council (WRC) claimed the wristbands echoed the yellow star Jewish people were forced to wear during the time of Nazi Germany.
WRC policy officer Hannah Wharf said: "We have raised the matter many times with the Welsh Government. It harks back to the Nazi regime with people being forced to wear a Star of David and stand out.
"It's absolutely appalling, it is treating people like lesser beings. It is treating them like animals lining up to feed."


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[Tech & Gadgets News]
Ninetology ASEAN launched its first ever LTE smartphone, the U9Z1T on 19 June 2014 at BB Park in downtown Kuala Lumpur. Ninetology Chief Executive Officer Sean Ng, and Chief Digital Officer Leslie Loh present this new smartphone which is an evolution of Ninetology's U9 series.
The Ninetology U9Z1T comes with a five (5) inch IPS display that has 1,280 X 720 pixel resolution and runs on Qualcomm's Quad-Core Snapdragon 400 processor, clocking at 1.2GHz with 1GB RAM. With a built-in internal storage of 8GB, the device's storage can be expanded to 32GB with a microSD card. The phone also has a 13 megapixel rear camera and a 1.6 megapixel front camera. The phone weighs 164 grams, and has a 2,000mAh capacity battery (which Ninetology claims will supply you with talk time of up to 9 hours and stand-by time of up to 96 hours), while the operating system is Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.
"Movement of Evolution is our theme today. This theme is based on a major transition towards an integrated structure of our latest smartphone technology, in line with the major advancement for our online and offline portals. Ever since the arrival of our highly celebrated U9 Series last year, we have one main aim – to progress further and develop consistent evolution in all our smartphone series," said Sean.
The brand also launched its eChannel portal, established to increase services, including exclusive deals redemption and retrieval of Ninetology's latest news and announcements.
"After some research and discussion, we developed the eChannel by Ninetology. This is a new platform that will fully integrate our online and offline services. The goal of eChannel is to reach out and unite our customers and business partners into a single platform, resulting in a complete business ecosystem, and create a brand new shopping experience for our customers," said Leslie.
Ninetology is also running a promotion whereby consumers can enjoy rebates up to RM200 are available for the Ninetology's U9Z1T LTE smartphone with selected mobile network operator.
Ninetology also took the opportunity to announce an annual revenue of RM180 million in 2013, with a 12 per cent mobile device market share in Malaysia, and a projected revenue of RM380 million for 2014, given its expansion plans into the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
The Ninetology U9Z1T comes with a recommended retail price of RM799.00
For more information, head over to http://www.ninetology.com
Height: 8.4mm
Width: 68.2mm
Depth: 145mm
Weight: 164g
Internal: 8GB ROM / 1GB RAM
External Storage: Micro SD, up to 32GB
OS: Android 4.3
Form Factor: Full Touch Screen
CPU: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400 processor with 1.2GHz Qual-Core CPU
GPU: Adreno ™ 305 , 400MHz
Size: 5.0"
Resolution: 720 x 1280
Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
FEATURES: LTE Connection, Snapdragon Battery Guru
Player: 3GP MP4 Player
Audio Format: MP3/AMR/AAC/MIDI/WAV
Voice Recording: AMR
Video Format: 3GP/ MP4
Video Recording: 3GP (720p@15fps)
SD Slots: none
Audio Output: 3.5mm Audio Jack
Capacity 2000 mAh Li-ion
Talk Time Up to 9Hrs
Stand-by Time Up to 96Hrs
Rear Camera: 13.0MP
Front Camera: 1.6MP
Digital Zoom
F.NO: 2.2/2.4 Aperture
SENSOR: Proximity Sensor, Light Sensor, E-Compass, G Sensor


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Music has always formed an integral part of life in our Parishes, as is witnessed by the record of pre-Reformation worship provided by the Ranworth Antiphoner. Our musical heritage is today encouraged and celebrated within the Churches and in the wider community, through participation in acts of worship, concerts and recitals.
The church buildings in our villages provide a wonderful resource of spaces for different musical events; from Ranworth Church, whose unusually large unsupported span provides a unique concert acoustic, to the centrally heated St Lawrence's Centre for the Arts at South Walsham, which hosts a busy programme of regular concerts and recitals. Each Church has its own distinctive organ and St Lawrence's at South Walsham has a Bluthner grand piano.
Our benefice choir, The Broadside Choir, is a high-standard SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass) choir, associated to the Royal School of Church Music, which rehearses weekly and sings at services in all of the Churches in the Benefice plus occasional concerts. New members are always invited to audition.
For further details of music in our Parishes, please contact us.


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KORT Sign Design uses the latest production technologies including Adobe Creative Suite for design, HP large-format digital latex printing, a Royal Sovereign plotter, and a CNC router for custom dimensional graphics to design and build signs for your Minneapolis business.
For projects like wall murals, banners, and digital prints of all kinds, we've found the latex printer to be the best choice because of its versatility, vivid image quality, and the reduced impact on the printing environment. The water-based Inks emit extremely low levels of VOCs and require no degassing or special ventilation. The graphics we produce are odorless, making them safe for healthcare, retail, hospitality and even home use.
For high precision vinyl cutting, our state-of-the-art plotter is the perfect solution. It's a quick and affordable way to customize graphics for walls, windows, vehicles, and even multi-media signage. We also have a laminator in house, which puts a protective film on graphic materials to make them more durable, plus protects against UV rays, scratches, and fading.
In addition, we have a 2017 CNC router that can carve or cut out shapes made of wood, composites, aluminum, plastics and foams. What used to take days or even weeks, we can now do in a matter of hours with this computer-controlled machinery. The router tool, similar to a drill bit, protrudes down from above the table and can be spun at speeds between 3,000 and 24,000 rpm. This allows us to produce custom dimensional letters and logos for a range of high profile indoor and outdoor signs.
But never fear – we still do a lot of production work with our hands too! We have a full workshop behind the studio for painting, cutting, mounting, tying or whatever is needed to finalize each piece of art. Our team has access to a professional paint booth, panel saws, table saws, power drills, hand tools of every kind and anything a handyman (or woman) could wish for.


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Table of Contents
FOUNDING OF WOS RADIO | Top
"Wireless the Wonder Worker" was the description given in 1922 to the new medium of radio by Missouri Secretary of Agriculture Jewell Mayes who believed that radio would revolutionize the lives of Missouri's farm families. The State Marketing Bureau (a branch of the State Board of Agriculture) began experimenting with wireless transmissions as early as 1921 under the progressive leadership of Colonel A. T. Nelson of Lebanon, Missouri.
Two-way wireless communication had been in existence for some time, first as wireless telegraphy and then as the so-called radiophone, which was familiar to many from service in the Great War. However, the idea of a one-way communication sent out into an area for the benefit of anyone who might care to listen was looked upon by many as nothing short of ludicrous.
Nonetheless, the Marketing Bureau continued its efforts to establish a station in the State Capitol and this was accomplished in March of 1922 with the installation of a commercially-built 500-Watt Western Electric transmitter on the roof floor. It was only the seventh set of its kind ordered in the entire United States. The government of the State of Missouri was among the pioneers of broadcast radio in America.
The operation of WOS was consistent with the primary mission of the Marketing Bureau, which was the timely dissemination of market news and agricultural information to Missouri's agricultural communities. Initially, there were few receiving sets in the state. These were often of the homemade variety and were located in banks, county offices, drugstores or other centers of community activity. The operators were instructed by the Bureau to record the market news on forms provided and then distribute the information by word-of-mouth and through the local press.
It was possible to purchase commercial receiving sets of both crystal and vacuum tube types (such as the Atwater-Kent, RCA Radiola, and the Crosley), but their cost was often prohibitive and their availability limited. Missourians were undaunted, however. By 1927 there were an estimated 70,000 receiving sets in operation on Missouri farms. There was actually little need to purchase a set since one could easily be constructed from common materials.
WOS PROGRAMS | Top
Although WOS was intended mainly for broadcasting farm market reports, programming was soon expanded to include informative agricultural addresses from the Missouri University College of Agriculture, programs from various state agencies, religious services, sports broadcasts (especially M. U. football), political speeches and all types of musical entertainment. Live music over WOS attracted special attention.
"Watch Our State" was the nightly admonition of "W-O-S" announcer J. M. Witten to listeners everywhere. With its expanded programming and a signal range which encompassed nearly the entire North American continent, people all across the nation began to listen to WOS. Its popularity rivaled such commercial "super stations" of the day as WLS-Chicago and KMBC-Kansas City.
The Marketing Bureau received thousands of letters each month from radio listeners complimenting the performances of the State Prison Band and Orchestra and their celebrated pianist Harry M. Snodgrass of St. Louis. Dubbed "the King of the Ivories," Snodgrass had been sentenced in 1923 to two years for attempted robbery. His virtuosity at the keyboard soon came to the attention of prison officials and they permitted him to perform over WOS.
Snodgrass developed an immediate following many of whom no doubt wondered how a man of such talent could have gotten into trouble. Legend has it that public outcry for his release became so intense that the state was forced to remove him from the air entirely.
Upon completing his sentence in 1925, Snodgrass and WOS announcer J. M. Witten left Jefferson City to tour the booming vaudeville circuit. In the course of their somewhat obscure career they cut at least one 78 rpm record on the Brunswick label which featured Snodgrass on piano and Witten announcing. Ironically, one of the selections on the record is "The Prisoner's Song."
OLD-TIME FIDDLING OVER WOS | Top
Given the general orientation of WOS to the rural listener it is not surprising that the first airing of old-time fiddling on June 24, 1923, was very well received. The fiddler for this historic broadcast was Louie Barton, a Jefferson City local. He was accompanied by George Schrimpf on bass and Noland Wrightman on guitar. The program also featured a square dance caller, Tony Eveler, and Bryan Williams on mandolin. The combination of Barton, Schrimpf, and Williams (on guitar) came to be called "The Old-Tyme String Trio" and was the "house" band at WOS for some time. It is worth noting that this WOS broadcast of traditional American music predates WSM's Grand Old Opry (November, 1925) by more than two years.
It wasn't long before fiddlers and old-time musicians from across the state were making the trek to Jefferson City to play on WOS. Legislators may have served as "talent agents" for WOS by encouraging musicians from their home districts to play at the Capitol. Friday night at WOS was fiddler's night and anyone who happened into the studio was welcome to play.
Kirksville journalist Captain Jack Heiny, known to the fiddlers as "Cap," was the announcer at WOS from 1925 to 1930. Heiny's voice was described as a "soft southern drawl...listened to nightly by war buddies all over the country."
Among the more than two hundred groups and individuals who played old-time music and song at WOS were several groups of rural black performers. One program listing cites "old-time colored fiddlers from Lebanon." Bill Driver, a black fiddler from Iberia, played at the Capitol. The legendary Bill Caton of Tebbetts in southern Callaway County, accompanied on guitar by Ola Gathright of Jefferson City, became a regular on WOS.
Old fiddlers contests were popular features on many radio stations in the 1920s. It is uncertain where and when the first broadcast fiddlers contest took place, but those at WOS were no doubt among the earliest. The first was held on December 31, 1925, and was broadcast live from the Capitol. The pre-contest roster boasted 82 contestants representing twenty-seven Missouri counties. The contest lasted well into the morning of New Year's Day, 1926. When contestants were not in the Dome studio they were filling the halls and rotunda of the statehouse with tunes and dances.
Judging for this and all subsequent WOS contests was by popular vote of the radio audience. A postcard was worth one point, a letter two, a telephone call three, and a telegram four. Fiddlers naturally encouraged their relatives and neighbors to cast votes for them. A tavern owner and fiddler in Northwest Missouri is alleged to have unsuccessfully offered funds to his patrons and kin to send in telegrams in his favor.
It took Marketing Bureau officials 13 days to count the more than 5,500 separate communications received. With the final tally completed, 70-year-old Kentucky-born Thomas Jasper Massie of Nevada, Missouri, was declared the winner. Daniel Boone Jones of Stephens was second, followed by Louie Barton of Jefferson City, Jess Burgess of Stoutland, and Aaron Oliver of Columbia. As prizes, winners received merchandise valued from 25 to 50 dollars.
An Interstate Old Fiddlers Contest was broadcast on WOS on April 2, 1926. The contestants consisted of two-man fiddling teams from Missouri and all states adjoining its borders. Missouri's duo, Daniel Boone Jones and Louie Barton, was selected in an invitational Missouri elimination on February 19. Tom Massie of Nevada, Missouri, was unable to attend. Fiddlers from other states were apparently chosen by their governors and included in their ranks such notables as WSM's Uncle Jimmy Thompson from Tennessee, Fiddlin' Sam Long of Oklahoma, and D. W. "Frame" Davis of Iowa.
Rules required that all music consist of old time tunes. Interestingly, the modern prohibition on "trick tunes" was apparently not in force, Thomas Fisher of Nebraska rendering "Listen to the Mockingbird" as one of his selections. Contestants were permitted only one accompanist playing either guitar, mandolin, banjo, or piano.
Telegrams and telephone calls inundated the Marketing Bureau throughout the night of April 2, 1926, as the competition continued into the wee hours. Governors of Illinois, Iowa, and Oklahoma sent messages which were read over the air in praise and support of their contestants.
To encourage listeners to cast their votes a variety of prizes were offered. All telegrams, postcards, and letters were numbered and placed in a huge box and the winners drawn by a blindfolded Governor Sam Baker. Premiums ranged from baby chicks to a house and forty-acre farm in Southeast Missouri.
The success of this promotion is evidenced in the more than 250,000 communications received. The local telegraph office estimated that messages were being taken at a rate of 115 an hour. In Miami, Oklahoma, where voting was heaviest, some 500 telegrams were filed at one time. The Northwest and Canada turned in a large number of telegrams. Poor weather conditions accounted for the small number of returns received from the Southeastern United States.
It was not until April 19, 1926 that the winner was announced. The Interstate Fiddle Champion was Daniel Boone Jones of Stephens. Jones, a merchant in Boone County, was not an old-time fiddler in the strictest sense. While a teenager he had studied for twenty months under violinist Professor Frederick Pannell at Columbia. He was equally proficient on sacred and modern pieces as he was on old time hoe-downs. Our current concern with a fiddler's pedigree and the distinction between "art" music and old-time music may have been unfamiliar to fiddlers in Jones's day.
Scholars and musicians have recognized differences between the playing styles of fiddlers in the northern and southern regions of the state. These differences were no doubt evident to those who listened to the competitions held between fiddlers from north and south of the Missouri River in 1927 and again in 1929. Notable in these competitions were Vee Latty of Callaway County, Johnny and Jack Stapleton of Camden County, Marvin Mitchell of Howard County, and Bill Huddleston of Oregon County.
In addition to these fiddling contests, an old time music contest for harmonica and accordion was held on January 25, 1928. Lee W. Hall of Warrensburg was named "State Champion Harmonicist."
DEMISE AND LEGACY OF RADIOPHONE WOS | Top
WOS continued to operate into the 1930s. Depression era belt-tightening forced the discontinuation of the Missouri Marketing Bulletin in December of 1931. The Bulletin, which carried the WOS program listings, had been distributed free of charge to Missouri residents since early 1922.
WOS ceased to exist in 1933. Reorganization of state government replaced the State Board of Agriculture and its divisions, including the State Marketing Bureau, with a new State Department of Agriculture. The WOS facilties were turned over the State Highway Patrol.
The existence of Radio Station WOS is significant to our understanding of government, commerce, and agriculture in the Missouri of the 1920s. "Watch Our State" was no empty slogan. The state had a spectacular new Capitol. Missouri was on the move into a new era of growth and prosperity. State government's innovative and visionary use of the fledgling technology of radio permitted the exportation of its message of hope and success to the rest of the continent.
WOS and the State Marketing Bureau led the nation in agricultural extension broadcasting. Even the USDA, which had initiated farm market news broadcasts, did not own a station. The tradition of serving Missouri farmers with broadcast news and information continues at the University of Missouri-Columbia to this day.
WOS Radio is among the most important themes in the history and development of traditional fiddle playing in the Midwest in this century. Before the 1920s, the development of fiddle repertoire and style was restricted and isolated within various geographic regions of the state. The broadcasts over WOS unified and in some ways may have homogenized fiddle playing in Missouri. Hundreds of impressionable young fiddlers in the 1920s undoubtedly attempted to emulate the playing of radio champions such as Daniel Boone Jones, Vee Latty, and others. These fiddlers are the master tradition bearers of today.
There is no direct link between the defunct state-owned WOS and privately-owned KWOS, which still broadcasts from its Jefferson City studios. However, the individuals who opened KWOS Radio in 1937 obviously knew of the powerful association which existed between the famous call letters and the capitol city. KWOS Radio stands as a tangible reminder of the days of "Watch Our State" Radiophone WOS.
TOP | History on Missouri Fiddling | Missouri Fiddling Home


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Glasgow Cathedral, also called the High Kirk of Glasgow or St Kentigern's or St Mungo's Cathedral, is today a gathering of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow.
Monthly Archives: February 2014
A Walk to Craigmillar Castle, Edinburgh
St John Episcopal Church,Edinburgh
The Church of St John the Evangelist is a Scottish Episcopal church in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is sited at the west end of Princes Street, and is protected as a category A listed building.
A Walk to Portobello, Edinburgh
Portobello is a beach resort located three miles (5 km) to the east of the city centre of Edinburgh, along the coast of the Firth of Forth, in Scotland.
A walk to Edinburgh castle from the Mound,Edinburgh,part 2
A Walk to Edinburgh Castle from the Mound,Edinburgh, Part 1
Celtic Monuments
Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral — official dedication The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity — is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140, it became the seat of the bishop and cathedral of the new Diocese of Bristol in 1542. for more click here
Holyrood Abbey,Edinburgh
Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by King David I. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a royal residence, and after the Scottish Reformation the Palace of Holyroodhouse was expanded further. The abbey church was used as a parish church until the 17th century, and has been ruined since the 18th century. The remaining walls of the abbey lie adjacent to the palace, at the eastern end of Edinburgh's Royal Mile. The site of the abbey is protected as a scheduled monument. for more click here


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A homeless, drug using, no
family, no job, hope was none existant. He was found in a bush, nearby the Brierley Hill Project and was not in
full health. We took him to the hospital in which he spent 2 weeks recovering from various problems. Now, he's
totally turned his life around – for the rest of this amazing story, please read the next 'BHP Newsletter'.


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When you're stuck
It happens a lot, especially when working on legacy code, that you can't figure out a "business logic" algorithm that isn't already well documented. Sure, it's in the code, but so are a million other things, and you can't eyeball the part that does all the calculation. The client is asking for a change or a fix and you're not sure where to start.
That's when I think you can do three things at once: improve the overall structure, impose some unit testing, and solve the problem you were asked to. Refactoring does all of these. More →


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LinkedIn once again beat expectations, but a bleak outlook for the second quarter didn't go down well with investors.
The figures
During the first three months of 2015, the social networking site's revenue went up to $638m (£415m), 35 per cent higher than last year's first quarter figure.
This was ahead of the $636.5m analysts were expecting. The $0.57 earnings per share were also above analyst predictions of $0.56.
But it wasn't all good news that the company had to share – it projected second quarter revenues to be between $670m and $675m, which was below estimates of $718.3m. Similarly, its predicted earnings of $0.28 per share were lower than expectations of $0.74.
In reaction to the figures, shares in the company dropped by over 20 per cent during after-hours trading
Why it's interesting
The news has resulted in an abrupt change in the company's fortunes. Over the last year, strong business demand and a solid increase in users has allowed the social media network to grow consistently, with strong revenue streams.
In the fourth quarter of last year, LinkedIn posted a revenue of $643m, which was 44 per cent higher than the previous year and way ahead of the $617m analysts expected.
As a result of its continued success, the company's share price has risen by 60 per cent over the last 12 months, giving it stronger growth than many of the more famous social networking platforms.
What LinkedIn said
Jeff Weiner, chief executive of LinkedIn, said:
Q1 was a solid quarter in which we made meaningful progress against our multi-year strategic roadmap. During the quarter, we maintained steady growth in member engagement while achieving strong financial results.
In short
LinkedIn's first quarter earnings were very good, just as everyone was expecting. But it looks like the company's excellent progress may soon come to an end, and this news shook investors.


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Greece is popular everywhere thanks to its history and culture that have influenced the institutions and the customs of each country in the world. In recent years, Greece has became also a sea destination for people that loves the sea and the breathtaking landscapes. The variety of beaches and attractions make Greece a perfect destination for all types of holiday. In particular, Mikonos is perfect for young people that loves the nightlife, otherwise Rodi is more relaxing and scenographic.
Discovering Greece by boat, you can see hidden coves and landscapes that cannot be viewed by land and you can reach small coves that are inaccessible by street.
The first beach to be seen is St.Paul Beach in Lindos (Rodi). This is a very small cove with gold sand and a breathtaking sea. It is very quiet and there is some services in the beach.
If you love the breathtaking landscapes you should go to the beach of Elafonissi where there is a characteristic pink sand. Also the views behind the beach are wonderful and offers a wonderful scenography.
If you want to discover a very original beach you have to direction your marine steering wheel to the beach of Balos Lagoon, in the isle of Crete: a true spectacle of the nature where the white sand creates a sidewalk from the land to the rock that is into the sea creating a "lagoon".
A small cove that can be reach only by boat is Navagio Beach, a gold sand beach where you can relax and get in touch with the landscape. The beach is surrounded by the high rocks behind it.
Direction the yacht steering wheel to the beach of Koukounaries Beach in the city of Skyathos we can found a beach surrounded by a breathtaking landscape. It owns white sand and a crystalline sea water. It is very popular so, sometimes there is crowd.
If you want to discover wonderful beaches but also get in touch with the Greek culture and history, you have to stop your boat in the isle of Egina, a small Greek island that owns a lot of historical monuments like the Temple of Aphaea.
Lalaria Beach is a small cove that can be reached only by sea or by walk so it is not human influenced and it is a true spectacle of the nature: Carribbean sea water with a sand seabed, beach of small white stones surrounded by high rocks and caves to be discovered. It is advisable to use the special shoes for stones in the beach. It is a beach very popular but not very frequented by tourists so there is always quiet that allows to get completely in touch with the landscape.
These are only few of the wonderful beaches that you can see discovering Greece with your boat.


text: A description is given of the stratigraphy and the tectonics of the Spanish part of the Gavarnie nappe and and its underlying sediments near Bielsa. The outlines of the geological map coincide approximately with the frontier of the municipality of Bielsa. This study forms part of geological investigations carried out ... read more


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Xinhua, August 29, 2014 - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met on Thursday with President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach in Nanjing, the host city of the second Summer Youth Olympic Games.
Congratulating on the success of the Nanjing Olympic Games, Li said the Youth Olympic Games are perfect fusion of sports, culture and education, which offered very good platform for exchanges among youth from various countries.
The Games had revealed the Olympic motto of "faster", "higher" and "stronger", as well as the human spirit of solidarity, friendship, harmony and inclusiveness, Li said.
"Though the Nanjing Games came to an end, the Olympic spirit is here to stay," said the premier.
Hailing the great progress of mass sports development in China in recent years, Li told Bach China would continue to promote national fitness program.
As Beijing and the northern Chinese city of Zhangjiakou are bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics, Li said the Chinese people are capable and confident to hold a successful Winter Olympic Games, further promote winter sports events and make new contribution to the Olympic cause.
China has hosted a very successful Youth Olympic Games, Bach said, expressing his appreciation for China's support for the IOC.
The Nanjing Games has set an example for sustainable organizations of Olympic Games, he said, praising China's high efficiency and cost-effectiveness in holding the Nanjing Games.
The IOC hopes to cement cooperation with China, and expects to see China's greater contribution to the international Olympic cause, Bach added.
Before the closing ceremony of the Nanjing Games on Thursday evening, Li held welcome banquet for foreign dignitaries including Bach, former IOC President Jacques Rogge, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Djibouti's Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Madagascar's Prime Minister Kolo Roger and Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko.
The Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, running from Aug. 16-28, drew over 3700 athletes aged between 15-18 from more than 200 countries and regions.
The Youth Olympics, a sporting event for the youth of the world, was proposed by former International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge. Singapore held the inaugural Youth Olympics in 2010.
The third Summer Youth Olympics will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2018.


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Is there anything wrong with this? If so, what?
Our Sunday night program designed to be place where teens can relaxe [sic] and have fun that is safe from the harmful temptations that plague our youth today. We help them to see that they were created with great value and purpose. We encourage them to seek to know Jesus Christ, to learn what His will is for their lives and to pursue it with all their heart.
Our youth leaders are grounded followers of Christ who can be good role models and mentors. They plan group activities and outings and are willing to consume large quantities of junk food and listen to rather loud music.
For 6th Grade – High School Youth
Any thoughts?


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Top community discussions about Rose
Is there a better alternative to Rose?See discussion
Is Rose really the best app in Screen Savers category?See discussion
Will Rose work good on macOS 10.13.4?See discussion
Rose is a screensaver for OS X that creates a variety of colorful, swirly animated images based on trigonometry. Version 2.0 is compatible with OS X 10.9 and 10.10 (and should run on later OS X releases as well). Rose was originally written in 1989 or so, more than 25 years ago. It became a part of the After Dark screensaver package produced by Berkeley Systems, along with Satori and many other modules. After Dark is only a distant memory now, but in collaboration with Infinisys Ltd., I've revived Rose to run again.
What's New in Rose
Requirements for Rose
- OS X 10.9 or later