text:
Important Progress Over Past Ten Years, But
Over the past half century, there have been unprecedented improvements in health outcomes, spurred in part by unparalleled scientific progress in the pharmaceutical sector. Yet access to the benefits of medical progress and scientific advancement has not been equitably shared and many innovation gaps remain.
Mali 2012 © Venetia Dearden
There are three fundamental problems with medical innovation today.
First, global public health needs are not in the driving seat. Regardless of how great the needs may be, where commercial potential is weak, there is little "pull" to develop new technologies. The innovation cycle is broken, with few or no incentives for the development of effective, safe, quality, suitable and affordable health technologies—leading to needless suffering and death. There are numerous illustrations of the lack of suitable diagnostics, vaccines and medicines (see text boxes). In addition to innovation gaps for Chagas disease, drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), and vaccinepreventable illnesses, other examples include diagnostics and treatments for leishmaniasis and human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness); medical tools such as new diagnostics and appropriately adapted formulations for children with HIV/AIDS and TB; and new antibiotics to address the rise in antimicrobial resistance, which has made treating previously treatable diseases more difficult.
Second, as a result, developing countries must often "make do" with innovation that primarily caters to conditions in developed countries. Medical tools are too often developed first for developed countries and only rolled out in resourcelimited settings in a second stage. Newer vaccines against rotavirus, for example, may have the potential to prevent lethal childhood diarrhea in Africa, but they have been developed with resource-rich conditions in mind. Rolling them out in developing countries will pose severe strains because these vaccines are incredibly bulky and come with considerable cold chain capacity requirements.i These worrisome findings should come as no surprise, however. If new medical tools are developed for and tested in developed countries alone, the needs of populations in developing countries will inevitably be an afterthought.
Third, even when there is enough of a profit incentive to drive innovation—for example when diseases affect both developed and developing countries alike—the resulting products are too often priced out of reach. Developing countries are not the only ones to be hit, as ever higher prices for new medical tools strain the healthcare budgets of developed countries as well, posing access barriers to increasing numbers of people. New drugs to treat HIV or cancer can cost hundreds of times more than a person's average annual income, and the battle for access increasingly has to be waged drug by drug, country by country, company by company.
Medical innovation must aim to change practice, for the benefit of patients. But ideas, knowledge and inventions can only benefit patients who have access to the fruits of innovation. What is needed, therefore, is not just innovation—but both innovation and access.


text:
From the first Reel-to-Reel tape for broadcast to home-use video cassettes, and now high-capacity recording media, Fujifilm never stopped evolving its technology that was cultivated from the photography field. Originated in Japan, Fujifilm has become the world No.1 media manufacturer with a 60% share of LTO production.
Technological innovation paves way to higher-capacity.
Since 1954, we have promoted innovation to develop finer magnetic materials which leads to thinner LTO tapes with higher capacities.
Micronization of magnetic material
By making the magnetic material finer, more magnetic material can be spread on the same area.
As a result, the recording density is greatly increased, and tape capacity can be dramatically increased.
Compared to Metal Particle(MP) size of 40-100 nm, Barium Ferrite(BaFe) used for LTO6 to LTO9 is 20 nm. The latest Strontium Ferrite(SrFe) has been successfully developed by atomizing BaFe into about 60% or less.
Through joint research with IBM, SrFe's potential has been demonstrated as a future technology that achieves uncompressed capacity of 580TB per cartridge.
LTO tape is an aggregate of micro particles which is characterized by nano level precision.
NANOCUBIC Technology evolves continually. We are able to evenly disperse micronized magnetic material at the nano-particle level (Fig. 1). The ultra thin coating technology that assures a uniform, ultra-smooth coating film at the nano level. (Fig. 2)
We have confirmed the stable quality through actual analysis that simulate 50 years equivalent real-time aging of magnetic properties at room temperature.
Q2. Read/write data on tape takes time and tape transfer rate is slow, right?
A2. No, it's actually faster than other media storage. The larger amount of transferred data , the higher the data transfer rate is.
The data transfer rate of LTO9 is 400MB/sec for both read and write. With this access speed in mind, tapes are specifically advantageous compared to hard disk when transferring large amounts of data. Furthermore, compared to other medias whose speed slows down when writing data, the LTO write speed remains as fast as 400MB/sec.
Highest Sustained Data Transfer Speed
Q3. Is it true that there are a lot of failures caused by tearing or tangling tape?
A3.Compared to Digital Linear Tapes(DLT) , the return rate of the modern LTO tape is less than 10%.
With Old tape (ex.DLT), the edges of the tape could be damaged in the drive. This caused tape tearing and tangling. However, with innovations in both tapes and drives, the chances of physical damages to tapes are much lower now.
Changes in Tape Failure Rates
Q4. Do I have to rewind tapes?
A4.There is no need to rewind.
When media was stored on tapes previously, they would have to be rewound due to the risk of the tape sticking to itself.
Today, no damage occurs even if the tape is left wound for long times due to improvements in tape materials, the stability of the magnetic layers, lower tape tension (relaxing the tightness in winding), and technologies such as back-coating(Fig.3).
FUJIFILM Tape Media's Quality Assurance Philosophy for Manufacturing
1. Standardized Conditions = Standardized Quality
- If you use only raw materials of uniform quality and conduct production under the identical conditions every time, you will always make products of uniform quality.
- If all production conditions, materials and activities are standardized and conducted within tolerance specification ranges, uniform quality in production will be achieved.
2. Built-in QA Process
- Our production process has a zero-defect tolerance: Production processes are standardized according to SOPs.
- Remove defective product before it can proceed to the next step in the production process: eliminate it from our processes and allow only non-defective product into the production flow.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"A quintessential January movie: intermittently amusing but forgettable and overall lifeless, squandering a lot of potential on a series of misses and bad decisions." – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
"Emma Stone's leg looks beautiful peeping out of the slit in the dress she wears, although it's sad to see her out-acted by her own glorious gam." – John Black, Boston Event Guide
"This is the worst performance Sean Penn has ever given. And I saw SHANGHAI SURPRISE." – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
"You'll appreciate this movie a lot more if you don't take it seriously. Judge it with a big old grain of salt and you'll have fun like I did." – Evan Crean, Starpulse
"To notice this is to require thinking, something that the makers of GANGSTER SQUAD did not engage in and certainly don't want members of the audience to attempt either." – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net
"Hyams' audacious turns are much appreciated in such a tired, predictable genre. Say what you will, but you don't see movies like this very often." – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston
"A movie that thinks homophobia is the height of hilarity. That, and the image of Wayans taking a shit – a fitting metaphor for this film." – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix


text:
Our Southern Ledgestone Stone Profile in a Tarras colouring is made up of the soft fawns, golds, and rust highlights of Central Otago, with a small amount of grey. It presents an overall warm tone that when it is incorporated with your design, can give a strong contrast or a subtle blend.
The Classic Stone sample box that you receive will showcase a small selection of sample stones in a variety of shapes and sizes, that illustrates various shadings, highlights and features of our colour range.
Architects and Builders – please contact us for commercial rates.


text:
Study Medicine in the USA
Studying medicine in the US is extremely challenging, but if you have the passion and are willing put in the effort required, it is worth the hard work. After graduation, you will have the skills to help those in need, and make a real difference in people's lives. That in itself is worth the hours of hard work.
International students who love to help people and be faced with new and challenging experiences may want to consider studying medicine in the US. The path is long and hard, but the reward for those students who want to study medicine is a secure, well-paying job that you can be proud of.
Application Process
Before applying to any medical school, international students should make sure they have completed a four-year bachelors degree, with all of the prerequisite classes needed for the particular medical schools being applied to. The prerequisites vary from school to school, but almost always include the following science courses: biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry. Some schools may also require that you have taken other humanities, english, math, and science classes as well, so make sure you look into medical schools while you are still an undergraduate so you can choose your classes appropriately.
Have you considered a Caribbean medical school? Explore one of the best.
You will also need to have completed the MCAT test, which stands for Medical College Admissions Test. The test will determine your ability to think critically, problem solve, write clearly, as well as measure your knowledge of various scientific concepts. A good score on the MCAT is key to getting into a good medical school.
Assuming you now have a bachelors degree and a good MCAT score, your next step is to actually apply to medical schools. As an international student, you will, unfortunately, be at a disadvantage to local students. Many publicly funded colleges are required to put part or all of their state funds towards students who are residents of the school鈥檚 state. This is mainly to ensure that there are enough doctors for the area, but it can put international students at a huge disadvantage in the selection process. You can always apply to private universities, but, of course, these will be more expensive. Each student will need to weigh the pros and cons of each choice that is available, and apply to the school that is right for him or her.
If you need additional funding to study medicine, explore financial resource options like scholarships and loans.
What to Expect from Medical Schools in the USA
Medical school typically takes 4 years to complete; then there is a 3 to 7 year residency after that, where students undergo supervised training in their specific field of focus. International students who still feel as though they need additional training or who wish to sub-specialize in a field can also do a fellowship, which gives 1 to 4 more years of training.
The education you will receive to become a doctor of medicine is intensive, and will be a full-time activity. You will find that the first year requires a huge amount of memorization, with classes like anatomy, histology, pathology, and biochemistry being likely for your first year. These classes will be classroom and lab based giving you both academic and first-hand knowledge of the human body. For example, a typical gross anatomy class will consist of a one-hour lecture followed by a lab for several hours, where you will be dissecting cadavers or animals to gain first-hand experience of what real bodies look and act like.
As you study medicine in the USA, you will also be going through clinical rotations throughout your education. This will allow you to learn how to interact with patients, and will allow you to see what your future career as a doctor might be like. Clinical rotations will be more and more frequent as you approach the completion of your degree.
Before you can get your doctor of medicine degree in the United States, you will have to pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) test, also known as the Board exam. This test is separated into three parts, which you will take throughout your education. The first part is usually after your second year of medical school, the second part is during your fourth year, and the third part is after your first year of residency. Each test is different, and they are meant to ensure you meet certain standards set by the US in your education.
Who is Right studying medicine in the USA?
Because of the length of education, cost, and overall challenge, studying medicine in the US is not for everyone. Only students who have a real passion for medicine and love to be challenged should decide to study medicine. Also know that the financial toll of 4 or more years will be extremely high, especially if you go to a private college. However, if you feel up to the challenge and decide to study medicine in the US, you will be receiving some of the best education in the world for one of the most noble degrees.
Medicine Programs
Visit the Study in the USA School search to find schools that offer programs of study in Medicine.


text:
"The Lord trieth the righteous." — Psalm 11:5
All events are under the control of Providence; consequently all the trials of our outward life are traceable at once to the great First Cause. Out of the golden gate of God's ordinance the armies of trial march forth in array, clad in their iron armour, and armed with weapons of war. All providences are doors to trial. Even our mercies, like roses, have their thorns. Men may be drowned in seas of prosperity as well as in rivers of affliction. Our mountains are not too high, and our valleys are not too low for temptations: trials lurk on all roads. Everywhere, above and beneath, we are beset and surrounded with dangers. Yet no shower falls unpermitted from the threatening cloud; every drop has its order ere it hastens to the earth. The trials which come from God are sent to prove and strengthen our graces, and so at once to illustrate the power of divine grace, to test the genuineness of our virtues, and to add to their energy. Our Lord in His infinite wisdom and superabundant love, sets so high a value upon His people's faith that He will not screen them from those trials by which faith is strengthened. You would never have possessed the precious faith which now supports you if the trial of your faith had not been like unto fire. You are a tree that never would have rooted so well if the wind had not rocked you to and fro, and made you take firm hold upon the precious truths of the covenant grace. Worldly ease is a great foe to faith; it loosens the joints of holy valour, and snaps the sinews of sacred courage. The balloon never rises until the cords are cut; affliction doth this sharp service for believing souls. While the wheat sleeps comfortably in the husk it is useless to man, it must be threshed out of its resting place before its value can be known. Thus it is well that Jehovah trieth the righteous, for it causeth them to grow rich towards God. – C.H. Spurgeon


text:
- Share
Plain cig packs work better than gory pics
Smoking wars Plain packaging of cigarettes reduces their brand appeal much more than gory health warnings, no matter how large they are, a new study has found.
Professor Melanie Wakefield, of Cancer Council Victoria, and colleagues, report their findings in the journal Addiction.
"Larger graphic health warnings are harder to ignore," says Wakefield. "But they could be undermined by colourful and creative branding design that remains on a relatively small part of the pack. So we really wanted to have a face off experiment."
Based on current global smoking patterns, annual tobacco deaths will rise to 10 million by 2030, say Wakefield and colleagues.
In an attempt to curb such deaths, Australia is set to become the first country to mandate packaging of cigarettes in plain olive green packs, and to increase the size of gory pictorial health warnings.
"From a larger public health perspective the aim of plain packaging is to reduce the appeal of branding - to make the health warnings stand out more," says Wakefield.
A number of countries are lodging opposition to the plans with the World Trade Organisation.
Brand power
Wakefield and team wanted to look at the relative importance of health warnings and plain packaging on the appeal of cigarette brands.
They asked 1200 smokers to rate online images of packs of six popular brands of cigarette.
The smokers were randomly assigned to different packaging conditions to compare the impact of branded packs, plain packaging, and different-sized pictorial health warnings.
Wakefield says the findings confirmed previous studies that compared the impact of branded versus plain packaging.
"Smokers viewed plain packs to be less attractive than branded packs. They thought they would be smoked by people with less desirable characteristics - people who were less trendy, less successful or more boring," she says.
"Smokers who viewed plain packs also thought the cigarettes would be less satisfying and enjoyable to smoke than those who viewed branded packs."
The researchers also found increasing the size of graphic health warnings reduced the appeal of packs, but not as much as plain packaging did.
"Overall we found that plain packaging reduced elements of brand appeal much more than increasing the size of graphic health warnings," says Wakefield.
Purchase intentions
In a second part of the study the researchers looked at the impact of packaging on the purchase intentions of smokers.
Smokers were presented with an array of packs to choose from, on the assumption they had run out of cigarettes.
They were less likely to buy cigarettes in plain packs, and this was not affected by the size of health warnings, says Wakefield.
But, she says, graphic health warnings are still important for communicating the serious harms of smoking.


text:
SSR 77-28c: SECTION 205(g) (42 U.S.C. 405(g) JUDICIAL REVIEW -- APPEAL FROM REFUSAL TO REOPEN PRIOR FINAL DECISION
20 CFR 404.940 and 404.951
SSR 77-28c
CALIFANO v. SANDERS, 97 S.Ct. 980 (1977)
- Where claimant sought judicial review of an administrative refusal to reopen a claim for disability insurance benefits previously denied, basing jurisdiction on § 10 of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 701-706, and, in the alternative, on § 205(g) of the Social Security Act, held, the APA does not provide an independent grant of subject- matter jurisdiction to review final agency action. Further held, absent a constitutional challenge, section 205(g) of the Social Security Act, which provides that an individual may seek judicial review of any final decision made after a hearing, does not authorize judicial review of a decision denying a petition to reopen a prior final decision of the agency, as the petition may be denied without providing a section 205(b) hearing.
MR. JUSTICE BRENNAN delivered the opinion of the Court, in which JUSTICES WHITE, MARSHALL, BLACKMUN, POWELL and REHNQUIST jointed MR. JUSTICE STEWART filed a concurring opinion in which MR. CHIEF JUSTICE BURGER joined. MR. JUSTICE STEVENS took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.
The questions for decision are (1) whether § 10 of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 701-706[1] is an independent grant to district courts of subject-matter jurisdiction to review a decision of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare not to reopen a previously adjudicated claim for Social Security benefits and (2) if not, whether § 205(g) of the Social Security Act[2] authorizes judicial review of the Secretary's decision.
Title II of the Social Security Act provides disability benefits for a claimant who demonstrates that he suffers a physical or mental disability within the meaning of the Act and that the disability arose prior to the expiration of his insured status. 42 U.S.C. §§ 416(i), 423. The administrative process is begun when he files a claim with the Social Security Administration. 20 CFR §§ 404.905-404.907. If the claim is administratively denied, regulations permit administrative reconsideration within a six-month period. Id., at 404.909-404.915. Should a request for reconsideration prove unsuccessful, the claimant may, within 60 days, ask for an evidentiary hearing before an administrative law judge, 42 U.S.C. § 405(b) (Supp. V), and a discretionary appeal from an adverse determination of the law judge lies to the Administration Appeals Council. 20 CFR §§ 404.945-404.947. Finally § 205(g) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), authorizes federal judicial review of "any final decision of the Secretary made after a hearing to which [the claimant] was a party . . . ."
The Act and regulations thus create an orderly administrative mechanism, with district court review of the final decision of the Secretary, to assist in the original processing of the more than 7,600,000 claims filed annually with the Administration. See The Year in Review -- The Administration of Social Security Programs 1975, at 54 (Feb. 1976). By regulation, however, the administrative scheme provides for additional consideration of the claim. This is in the form of regulations for reopening of the agency determination within specified time limits: 12 months as a matter of right and three years "upon a finding of good cause," which exists if new material evidence is provided or specific errors discovered. 20 CFR §§ 404.957(a), (b), 404.958. Moreover, the regulations permit reopening "[a]t any time" for the purpose of correcting clerical errors or errors on the face of relevant evidence. Id., at § 404.957(c).
On January 30, 1964, respondent filed his initial claim with the agency for disability payments and disability insurance benefits, alleging inability to work because of epilepsy and blackout spells. The claim proceeded through the several steps of the administrative procedures. An administrative law judge found that respondent was ineligible for benefits on the ground that he had not demonstrated a relevant disability of sufficient severity. The Appeals Council sustained this decision, and respondent did not pursue judicial review of the Secretary's final decision under § 205(g).
Almost seven years later, on March 5, 1973, respondent filed a second claim alleging the same bases for eligibility. His claim was again processed through administrative channels under the Secretary's regulations. The administrative law judge viewed the new application as barrel by res judicata, see 20 CFR § 404.937, but also treated the application as requiring the determination "whether the claimant is entitled to have his prior application reopened . . . ." App. 33-34. Concluding that respondent's evidence was "merely repititions [sic] and cumulative," id., at 35, and finding no errors on the face of the evidence, ibid, the administrative law judge denied reopening and dismissed the claim.
Respondent thereupon filed this action in the District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, challenging the Secretary's decision not to reopen, and resting jurisdiction on § 205(g), 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). The District Court dismissed the complaint on the ground stated in its unpublished memorandum that "this court is without jurisdiction to consider the subject matter of this suit." App. to Cert. Petition 13a-14a. The Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed, 552 F.2d 1167 (1975). The Court of Appeals agreed that jurisdiction to review a refusal to reopen a claim proceeding on the ground of abuse of discretion was not authorized by the Social Security Act. Id., at 1169. The Court held, however, that § 205(h)[3] did not limit judicial review to those methods "expressly authorized" by the Social Security Act itself. Therefore, the Court of Appeals concluded that § 10 of the Administrative Procedure Act, which "contains an independent grant of subject-matter jurisdiction, without regard to the amount in controversy," afforded the District Court jurisdiction of respondent's complaint. Ibid. We granted certiorari, _____ U.S. _____ (1976). We reverse.
The Court of Appeals acknowledged that its construction of § 10 of the APA as an independent grant of subject-matter jurisdiction is contrary to the conclusion reached by several other Courts of Appeals. 552 f.2d. at 1169. This conflict is understandable. None of the statutory sections that comprise § 10 is phrased like the usual grnat of jurisdiction to proceed in the federal courts. On the other hand, the statute undoubtedly evinces Congress' intention and understanding that judicial review should be widely available to challenge the actions of federal administrative officials. Consequently, courts[4] and commentators[5] have sharply divided over whether the statute should be read to provide a distinct basis of jurisdiction for the review of agency actions. Three decisions of this Court arguably have assumed, with little discussion, that the APA is an independent grant of subject-matter jurisdiction. See Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402, 410 (1971); Abbott Laboratories v. Gardner, 387 U.S. 136,141 (1967); Rusk v. Cort, 369 U.S. 367, 372 (1962). However, an Acot of Congress enacted since our grant of certiorari in this case now persuades us that the better view is that the APA is not to be interpreted as an implied grant of subject-matter jurisdiction to review agency actions.
On October 21, 1976, Congress enacted Pub. L. 94-574, Stat. 2721, which amends 28 U.S.C. § 1331(a) to eliminate the requirement of a specified amount-in-controversey as a prerequisite to the maintenance of "any [1331] action brought against the United States, any agency thereof, or any officer or employee thereof in his official capacity." The obvious effect of this modification, subject only to preclusion-of-review statutes created or retained by Congress, is to confer jurisdiction on federal courts to review agency action, regardless of whether the APA of its own force may serve as a jurisdictional predicate. We conclude that this amendment now largely undercuts the rationale for interpreting the APA as an independent jurisdictional provision.
As noted previously, the actual text of v4,6 10 of the APA nowhere contains an explicit grant of jurisdiction to challenge agency action in the federal courts.[6] Furthermore, even the advocates of jurisdiction under the APA acknowledge that there is no basis for concluding that Congress, in enacting § 10 of the APA, actually conceived of the Act in jurisdictional terms. See, e.g., Byse & Fiocca, supra, at 328. Thus, the argument in favor of APA jurisdiction rests exclusively on the broad policy consideration that given the shortcomings of federal mandamus jurisdiction, such a construction is warranted by the rational policy of affording federal judicial review of actions by federal officials acting pursuant to federal law, notwithstanding the absence of the requisite jurisdictional amount. See id., at 330- 331; Jaffe, supra, at 165. We do not find this argument to be compelling in light of Congress' apparent intention by the 1976 amendment to restructure afresh the scope of federal- question jurisdiction.
In amending § 1331, Congress obviously has expressly acted to fill the jurisdictional void created by the pre-existing amount-in-controversy requirement. This new jursidictional grant was qualified, however, by the retention of § 205(h) as preclusive of actions such as this that arise under the Social Security Act. Read together, the expansion of § 1331, coupled with the retention of § 205(h), apparently expresses Congress' view of the desired contours of federal-question jurisdiction over agency action. A broad reading of the APA in this instance would serve no purpose other than to modify Congress' new jurisdictional enactment by overriding its decision to limit § 1331 through the preservation of § 205(h). Squarely faced with the question of APA jurisdiction for the first time, Congress' explicit entry into the jurisdictional area counsels gainst our reading the APA as an implied jurisdictional grant designed solely to fill such an interstitial gap in § 1331 jurisdiction. This is particularly so since neither the text nor the history of the APA speak in favor of such a reading, and the 1976 Congress, in redefining § 1331, appears not to have envisioned the APA as playing any such stopgap role.[7]
We thus conclude that the APA does not afford an implied grant of subject-matter jurisdiction permitting federal judicial review of agency action.
Respondent contends that notwithstanding the above, the Social Security Act itself, specifically § 205(g), should be construed to authorize judicial review of a final decision of the Secretary not to reopen a claim of benefits. All Courts of Appeals that have considered this contention have rejected it.[8] We also agree that § 205(g) cannot be read to authorize judicial review of alleged abuses of agency discretion in refusing to reopen claims for social security benefits.
The pertinent part of § 205(g) provides that:
- "Any individual, after any final decision of the Secretary made after a hearing to which he is a party, irrespective of the amount in controversy, may obtain a review of such decision by civil action commenced within sixty days. . . ." (Emphasis supplied.)
This provision clearly limits judical review to a particular type of agency action, a "final decision of the Secretary made after a hearing." But a petition to reopen a prior final decision may be denied without a hearing as provided in § 205(b), 42 U.S.C. § 405(b); see Cappadora v. Celebrezze, 356 F.2d 1, 4 (CA2 1966); Ortego v. Weinberger, 516 F.2d 1005, 1007 (CA5 1975). Indeed, the opportunity to reopen final decisions and any hearing convened to determine the propriety of such action are afforded by the Secretary's regulations and not by the Social Security Act. Moreover, an interpretation that would allow a claimant judicial review simply by filing -- and being denied -- a petition to reopen his claim would frustrate the congressional purpose, plainly evidenced in § 205(g), to impose a 60-day limitation upon judicial review of the Secretary's final decision on the initial claim for benefits. 20 CFR § 404.951. Congress' determination so to limit judicial review to the original decision denying benefits is a policy choice obviously designed to forestall repetitive or belated litigation of stale eligibility claims. Our duty, of course, is to respect that choice.
Respondent argues, however, that Weinberger v. Salfi, 422 U.S. 749 (1975), and Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319 (1976), have rejected this interpretation of § 205(g). We do not agree. It is true that both cases authorized judicial review under § 205(g) of the Secretary's decision to deny or discontinue social security benefits notwithstanding the absence of a prior § 205(b) hearing. In both instances, however, the claimants challenged the Secretary's deicison on constitutional grounds. Constitutional questions obviously are unsuited to resolution in administrative hearing procedures and, therefore, access to the courts is essential to the decision of such questions. Furthermore, since federal-question jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331 is precluded by § 205(h), Weinberger v. Salfi, supra, at 761, a decision denying § 205(g) jurisdiction in Salfi or Eldridge would effectively have closed the fedral forum to the adjudication of colorable constitutional claims. Thus those cases merely adhered to the well-established principle that when constitutional questions are in issue, the availability of judicial review is presumed, and we will not read a statutory scheme to take the "extraordinary" step of foreclosing jurisdiction unless Congress' intent to do so is manifested by "clear and convincing" evidence. Id., at 762; Johnson v. Robinson, 415 U.S. 361, 366-67 (1974).
This is not one of those rare instances where the Secretary's denial of a petition to reopen is challenged on constitutional grounds. Respondent seeks only an additional opportunity to establish that he satisfies the Social Security Act's eligibility standards for disability benefits. Therefore, § 205(g) does not afford subject-matter jurisdiction in this case.
[1] The pertinent provisions of § 10 are the following:
"§ 701. Application; definitions
"(a) This chapter applies, according to the provisions thereof, except to the extent that --
"(1) statutes preclude judicial review; or
"(2) agency action is committed to agency discretion by law.
"§ 702. Right of review.
"A person suffering legal wrong because of agency action, or adversely affected or aggrieved by agency action within the meaning of a relevant statute, is entitled to judicial review thereof. Pub. L. 89-554, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 392.
"§ 703. Form and venue of proceeding
"The form of proceeding for judicial review is the special statutory review proceeding relevant to the subject matter in a court specified by statute or, in the absence or inadequacy thereof, any applicable form of legal action, including actions for declaratory judgments or writs of prohibitory or mandatory injunction or habeas corpus, in a court of competent jurisdiction. Except to the extent that prior, adequate, and exclusive opportunity for judicial review is provided by law, agency action is subject to judicial review in civil or criminal proceedings for judicial enforcement. Pub. L. 89-554, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 392.
"§ 704. Actions reviewable
"Agency action made reviewable by statute and final agency action for which there is no other adequate remedy in a court are subject to judicial review. A preliminary, procedural, or intermediate agency action or ruling not directly reviewable is subject to review on the review of the final agency action. Except as otherwise expressly required by statute, agency action otherwise final is final for the purposes of this section whether or not there has been presented or determined an application for a declaratory order, for any form of reconsideration, or, unless the agency otherwise requires by rule and provides that the action meanwhile is inoperative, for an appeal to superior agency authority. Pub. L. 89-554, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 392."
[2] "Section 205(g) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 405(g), provides in part:
"Any individual, after any final decision of the Secretary made after a hearing to which he was a party, irrespective of the amount in controversy, may obtain a review of such decision by a civil action commenced within sixty days after the mailing to him of notice of such decision or within such further time as the Secretary may allow . . . ."
[3] Section 205(h) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 405(h), provides:
"The findings and decisions of the Secretary after a hearing shall be binding upon all individuals who were parties to such hearing. No findings of fact or decision of the Secretary shall be reviewed by any person, tribunal, or governmental agency except as herein provided. No action against the United States, the Secretary, or any officer or employee thereof shall be brought under section 41 of Title 28 to recover on any claim arising under this subchapter."
This section has been held to require the exhaustion of available administrative procedures, to foreclose jurisdiction under the general grant of federal-question jurisdiction, 28 U.S.C. § 1331, and to route review through § 205(g). See Weinberger v. Salfi, 422 U.S. 749, 757, 761 (1975).
[4] The Courts of Appeals of the First, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Nine, Tenth, and District of Columbia Circuits have held that § 10 of the APA is an independent grant of jurisdiction. See Bradley v. Weinberger, 483 F. 2d 410 (CA1 1973); Deering Milliken Inc. v. Johnston, 295 F. 2d 856 (CA4 1961); Ortego v. Weinberger, 516 F. 2d 1005 (CA5 1975); Sanders v. Weinberger, 522 F. 2d 1167 (CA7 1975); Brandt v. Hickel, 427 F. 2d 53 (CA9 1970); Brennan v. Udall, 379 F. 2d 803 (CA10 1967); Pickus v. United States Board of Parole, 165 U.S. App. D. C. 284, 507 F. 2d 1107 (1974). The Courts of Appeals of the Third, Sixth, and Eighth Circuits disagree. Zimmerman v. United States, 422 F. 2d 326 (CA3 1970); Bramblett v. Desobry, 490 F. 2d 405 (CA6 1974); Twin Cities Chippewa Tribal Council v. Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, 370 F. 2d 529 (CA8 1967). The Court of Appeals of the Second Circuit views the question as unsettled. See South Windsor Convalescent Home, Inc. v. Mathews, 541 F. 2d 910 (CA2 1976).
[5] Compare, e.g., Byse & Fiocca, Section 1361 of the Mandamus and Venue Act of 1962 and "Nonstatutory" Judicial Review of Federal Administrative Action, 81 Harv. L. Rev. 308 (1967), Davis Administrative Law Treatise § 23.02 Supp. 1976, and Jaffe, Judicial Control of Administrative Action 165 1965) (all advocating APA jurisdiction), with Cramton, Nonstatutory Review of Federal Administrative Action: The Need for Statutory Reform of Soverign Immunity, Subject Matter Jurisdiction, and Parties Defendant, 68 Mich. L. Rev. 389 (1970) and Wright, Miller & Cooper, Federal Practice and Procedure: Jurisdiction § 3568 (1975) (rejecting APA jurisdiction).
[6] Section 702 makes clear that a person wronged by agency action "is entitled to judicial review thereof." But § 703 suggests that this language was not intended as an independent jurisdictional foundation, since such judicial review is to proceed "in a court specified by statute" or "in a court of competent jurisdiction." Both of these clauses seem to look to outside sources of jurisdictional authority. Thus, at best, the text of § 10 is ambiguous in providing a separate grant of subject-matter jurisdiction.
[7] Respondent argues that Congress intended its modification of § 1331 to be supplementary to the APA, and, therefore, contemplated that the APA would remain as a distinct jurisdictional provision. But the contrary seems true, for the legislative history suggests that Congress believed that the APA does not confer jurisdiction over administrative action, and, therefore, deletion of the jurisdictional amount from § 1331 was warranted. This understanding was made explicit by the Senate Judiciary Committee: "An anomaly in Federal jurisdiction prevents an otherwise competent United States district court from hearing certain cases seeking 'non-statutory review of Federal administrative action, absent the jurisdictional amount in controversy required by 28 U.S.C. section 1331, the general 'Federal question' provision. These cases 'arise under' the Federal Constitution or Federal statutes, and the committee believes they are appropriate matters for the exercise of Federal judicial power regardless of the monetary amount involved." S. Rep. No. 94-996, 94th Cong., 2d Sess., at 12 (1976) (emphasis supplied); see H.R. Rep. No. 94-1656, 94th Cong., 2d Sess., at 13 (1976).
[8] See Cappadora v. Celebrezze, 356 F.2d 1, 4-5 (CA2 1966); Davis v. Richardson, 460 F.2d 772, 775 (CA3 1972); Ortego v. Weinberger, 516 F.2d 1005, 1007-1008 (CA5 1975); Maddox v. Richardson, 464 F.2d 617, 621 (CA6 1972); Stuckey v. Weinberger, 488 F.2d 904, 909 (CA9 1973); Neighbors v. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, 511 F.2d 80, 81 (CA10 1974).


text:
News release
Algae could be a new green power source
Montreal, November 24, 2015 — As world leaders prepare to gather in France for the 2015 United Nations Conference on Climate Change next week, global warming — and how to stop it — is a hot topic.
To limit climate change, experts say that we need to reach carbon neutrality by the end of this century at the latest. To achieve that goal, our dependence on fossil fuels must be reversed. But what energy source will take its place? Researchers from Concordia University in Montreal just might have the answer: algae.
In a study published in the journal Technology, a team led by Concordia engineering professor Muthukumaran Packirisamy describe their invention: a power cell that harnesses electrical energy from the photosynthesis and respiration of blue-green algae.
Why plants? Because the energy is already there.
"Both photosynthesis and respiration, which take place in plants cells, involve electron transfer chains. By trapping the electrons released by blue-green algae during photosynthesis and respiration, we can harness the electrical energy they produce naturally," says Packirisamy, whose research is funded in part by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Why blue-green algae? Because it's everywhere.
Also known as cyanobacteria, blue-green algae are the most prosperous microorganisms on earth, evolutionarily speaking. They occupy a broad range of habitats across all latitudes. And they've been here forever: the planet's early fauna and flora owe their makeup to cyanobacteria, which produced the oxygen that ultimately allowed higher life forms to flourish.
"By taking advantage of a process that is constantly occurring all over the world, we've created a new and scalable technology that could lead to cheaper ways of generating carbon-free energy," says Packirisamy.
He notes that the invention is still in its early stages. "We have a lot of work to do in terms of scaling the power cell to make the project commercial."
Currently, the photosynthetic power cell exists on a small scale, and consists of an anode, cathode and proton exchange membrane. The cyanobacteria or blue green algae are placed in the anode chamber.
As they undergo photosynthesis, the cyanobacteria release electrons to the electrode surface. An external load is connected to the device to extract the electrons and harness power.
As Packirisamy and his team develop and expand the project, he hopes that the micro photosynthetic power cells will soon be used in various applications, such as powering cell phones and computers. And maybe one day they'll power the world.
Read the full study, "Micro photosynthetic power cell for power generation from photosynthesis of algae."
© Concordia University


text:
Introducing the ControlsFX TableFilter
This is a guest post by Thomas Nield, a contributor to ControlsFX. Enjoy 🙂
Last year I spent a decent amount of time contributing a TableFilter
control to the ControlsFX project. It was inspired by Eugene Ryzhikov's SwingBits project which contained a table filtering control for Swing. After recently making some enhancements, it seemed like a good time to share the TableFilter
and what it can do. I hope it enriches your UI much like the rest of the ControlsFX project has done for me.
The TableFilter
behaves very similarly to Excel's spreadsheet filter. Right-clicking on a column header will make it visible, and a searchable checklist of distinct values for that column allows you to quickly filter for data.
Here is how it works:
Step 1: Have a TableView
with a TableFilter
TableView<Person> tableView = ... //add TableColumns TableFilter filter = new TableFilter(myTableView);
Step 2: Right click the header for the column you want to filter on
Step 3: Either search for items you want to filter on or uncheck values you want to filter out
Step 4: Click APPLY to execute the filter
You can always remove the filter by right-clicking any column and clicking RESET to clear the filter for that particular column, or RESET ALL to remove all filters for all columns.
How it Works
This filter control is highly intuitive to business users. From my experience, many expect it especially if they have worked with Excel. But for something that is so intuitive to use, there are a surprising number of complicated moving parts the developer has to account for:
- A distinct set of values must be maintained for each column
- Values that are selected/unselected must be tracked
- If data is added or removed, the distinct values must be rebuilt while persisting the selected/unselected values
- Each column can have a separate filter applied, and only mutually inclusive items that qualify with all filters can be displayed
- Users may want distinct values to be grayed out if they are no longer visible due to a recent filter in another column
- There may be a need to customize search "strategies" for distinct values, such as wildcards, regular expressions, date and number comparisons, etc.
The TableFilter
control does all the above, and after a lot of work I have used it in production for about six months. My clients have been extremely satisfied with it and it has worked reliably.
The TableFilter
will swap out the ObservableList
of items
with a FilteredList
. This FilteredList
will only display items that qualify on all column's respective filters. This means you can execute filters on more than one column in combination.
For instance, we have already filtered to records where the last name is "Warren". We can add another filter where the age is 16. Note that when I right-click the "Age" column, values that are no longer visible due to the "Last Name" filter are grayed out. You can use the "NONE" button to unselect all values and pick the value(s) you are interested in.
STEP 1: Right-Click "Age" and apply a second filter
STEP 2: Hit "Apply" to execute the second filter
You can remove all filters from all columns by right-clicking any column and clicking "RESET ALL".
Custom Search Strategies
One simple but highly flexible configuration you can do with the TableFilter
is change the search behavior on the search box. By default, the search box will filter distinct values based on the inputted String
, and pass it to the contains()
method of each distinct value's toString()
. Effectively, whatever input you type in the search box will match distinct values that contain it.
You can change this behavior easily by passing a BiPredicate<String,String>
lambda, where the first String
parameter is the "input" from the search box, and the second String
value is the "target" representing each distinct value. Using these two String
inputs, you can do any matching logic that returns a boolean
For example, you can implement the search box behavior to use regular expressions for the table filters.
TableFilter<Person> tableFilter = new TableFilter<>(table); tableFilter.setSearchStrategy((input,target) -> { try { return target.matches(input); } catch (Exception e) { return false; } });
Now I can use regular expressions to search through the distinct values.
Note I had to use the try-catch
because event-driven text inputs will likely contain broken regular expressions, especially as they are being typed. When the typed input is currently not a valid regular expression, I just default the qualification to false
Not that all values for all columns are searched by their toString()
values. This makes sense since you are searching by typing in String
inputs, so the distinct values should be compared to the input as String
values as well. You can do other behaviors, like using startsWith()
instead of contains()
or even a wildcard pattern system.
Currently, the API is set up to use one search strategy for all column filters. I may explore column-specific search behaviors later but for now I feel it would complicate the API. But with a little effort, you can create more complex search strategies that recognize numbers, dates, and even simple math expressions. For example, you could evaluate if the two String
inputs are numbers. If the numeric input starts with a "less than" symbol, as in "<120", you would then only qualify distinct values that are less than 120. This sounds involved but I have found it is not much work, and it just requires a few nested case
statements. I have even developed implementations that can work with date strings of various formats.
Updating Data in the TableView
Because the TableFilter
commandeers the TableView
's backing ObservableList
and replaces it with a FilteredList
, you will get errors when trying to modify the backing ObservableList
of items returned from getItems()
To modify the "backing list" of items for a TableView
, call the getBackingList()
method on the TableFilter
and modify that instead to update the TableView
TableFilter<Person> tableFilter = new TableFilter<>(table); ObservableList<Person> items = tableFilter.getBackingList();
I hope you find the TableFilter
useful. It is currently available in the ControlsFX project but an improved version (which includes the custom search strategy and fixes for nullability issues) is available in the coming release. Please let us know what you think and do not hesitate to get involved if you have ideas or improvements.


text:
Link-Level Simulation
Link-level communications systems simulation and analysis examples
Simulate link-level models of communications systems. Use bit error rate simulations to analyze system response to the noise and interference inherent in communication channels, explore hypothetical scenarios, and evaluate the tradeoffs between competing system architectures and parameters. The physical layer (PHY) processing chain prepares data received from the higher layers for transmission and recovers transmitted data before passing it to the higher layers.
Examples presented in this section demonstrate signal transmission, signal impairment signal by the radio and propagation channel, signal reception, data recovery, and analysis of link performance.


text:
Tom Hanks' 'Greyhound' Will Premiere on Apple TV+
Apple's moved slowly building out its Apple TV+ streaming service since it launched last fall — even as its competitors in the streaming space have benefited from the rise in home viewing during the coronavirus pandemic. But in what could be a sign of competition to come, Apple's made a big move into the film space, buying the rights to Sony's Greyhound, a World War II drama written by and starring Tom Hanks that was scheduled to open in theaters on June 12, 2020.
Instead, the movie will go straight to Apple TV+, which not only marks a major acquisition for the streaming service but one of the biggest moves to abandon a planned theatrical release in favor of a move straight to streaming. With a reported budget of some $50 million, the film stars Hanks as Navy commander charged with defending a convoy during the Battle of the Atlantic. According to Deadline "the picture quietly was shopped in stealthy fashion, and it became a bidding battle between the big streamers," with a deal "closed in the $70 million range, with the auction brokered by CAA Media Finance and FilmNation."
Here's the film's most recent trailer from Sony:
Apple has yet to announce a release date on Apple TV+ for Greyhound. But will it move the needle for the streaming service? Apple clearly thinks it will.
Gallery — The Best Action Movie Posters in History:


text:
VIDEO: Lobby Week Interview with Rep Mary Brandenburg
Our long-time supporter and former board member, Robin Hankins, now hosts As I Am, a weekly internet radio show that explores compelling topics crucial to restoring and discovering family, relationship, spirit, community and equality.
Robin joined us last week for Lobby Week 2010 and had the opportunity to interview Rep. Mary Brandenburg (D)- one of our strongest champions in the Florida House and lead sponsor of the bill that would overturn Florida's shameful adoption ban.
Watch live streaming video from asiam at livestream.com


text:
The complete edition of a timeless classic, includes the recently rediscovered Part Four and 'Last Words' by Richard Bach.Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the most celebrated inspirational fable of our time, tells the story of a bird determined to be more than ordinary.
'Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight – how to get from shore to food and back again,' writes author Richard Bach in this allegory about a unique bird named Jonathan Livingston Seagull. 'For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight.' Flight is indeed the metaphor that makes this story soar.
This bestselling modern classic is a fable about seeking a higher purpose in life, even if your flock, tribe or neighbourhood finds your ambition threatening (at one point our beloved gull is even banished from his flock). By not compromising his higher vision, Jonathan learns the meaning of love and kindness and gets the ultimate payoff – transcendence.
The dreamy illustrations by Russell Munson provide just the right illustrations for this spirituality classic that has inspired thousands of readers to follow their own path in life and so fulfill their true potential.


text:
Sympathy | Wedding Gallery | Birthday | Special Promotions
Showing 33–48 of 91 results
$35.00 Minimum order for delivery. These are just a sampling of what we can offer, but in no way covers all that we do! Almost any item can be paired with a flower, stuffed animal or piece of jewelry, and can be customized to fit your specific needs! Just call us for customization! 740-373-UNIQ(8647)
Orders placed after 11:00 a.m will be delivered the following business day.
A Unique Flower and Gift Shop • P.O Box 25, Waterford OH 45786 • 740-373-8647 • Website Created and Designed by White Caps Creative Group


text:
After a long period of decline during the first half of the 19th century, Cartagena witnessed the beginning of a new dynamic in the latter half of the century as the result of a considerable increase in mining, which also acted as a stimulus for other industry and commerce. It was during this time that Cartagena would assume its current form, after the destruction caused by the Cantonal Revolution in 1873. Many public and private buildings were constructed and these reflected the eclectic Modernista trends that were dominating Spain at the time.
The city's Ensanche, or enlargement, project was published on 4 January 1897 and was an important milestone marking the growth of the city, which had hitherto been confined to the narrow limits defined by its city walls. Cartagena experienced its golden age during this time as a result of an increase in mining and trade.
The new architecture of the city encompassed all sectors of activity in Cartagena, such as theatres, shops, factories, warehouses, military installations and residential blocks. All these reflected the new economic bonanza the city was enjoying. Building façades therefore became a manner of displaying the power of their inhabitants, architectural elements profusely covered with decoration that at times had great symbolic meaning. They provided movement to the solid textures of the sides of buildings through the use of plasterwork, glazed tiles, wrought iron and glasswork.
Some examples of outstanding Modernista buildings in Cartagena are the following:
The train station, with its decorative Modernista highlights, such as the iron details on its doors and columns, glass canopy and thermal façade window. Only some details of its original Modernista decoration have been preserved inside.
The Palacio de Aguirre, which is dominated by a tower section capped by a brilliant cupola. On either side are two profusely decorated façades with rococo style tiles and bee motifs on the tower symbolising industry.
With its Baroque airs, the façade of the Casa Maestre was inspired by that of Gaudí's Casa Calvet and is the only original part of the building that has been preserved.
The Casa Clares, which was designed by the local architect Mario Spottorno (1907). The façade on Calle del Aire is highlighted by the evidence of a Modernista style in its cornice, stained glass windows, floral details and capitals on the ground floor.
The various façades of the Palacio Consistorial are eclectic in style and construction and all differ from each other. The influence of Modernisme can be seen in the decorative paintings and details of the noble areas of the foyer and first floor.
The Casa Cervantes was Víctor Beltrí's first work and is highlighted by its size in comparison with all the other Modernista buildings in the same street.
The Casino, with its 18th-century façade, recalls the building's origins as the former home of the Marquis de Casatilly. It was definitively remodelled by Víctor Beltrí in 1897 and has an outstanding interior courtyard. Its decorations and furniture are Modernista in style.
The façade of the Casa Llagostera (1916) was designed as a support for its ceramic decoration. The ceramic work by Gaspar Polo represents the allegorical figures of Minerva and Mercury and the coat of arms of Barcelona, Cartagena and Manlleu.
The Gran Hotel (1912) was designed by the architect Víctor Beltrí and was influenced by Viennese Secession and French Art Nouveau. One of its distinguishing features is the use of colour to avoid monotony on its six floors and the decorative iron details on its doors and canopies.
The Casa Dorda, also designed by Víctor Beltrí, combines a popular bay window structure with a considerable row of balconies. The façade's inspiration is Baroque and it has a curved roof with moulding and floral adornments.
The Casa Zapata, by Víctor Beltrí, is Modernista in style but Gothic in its inspiration. Highlights of its exterior are the columnated portico and crenellated tower and the touches of Viennese influence on its walls. The interior courtyard has an Arabic style stained glass covering.


text:
This material has 8 associated documents. Select a document title to view a document's information.
written by
Dieter Roess
The seven calculus models in this item demonstrate differentiation and integration of functions. The default Derivative Machine Model allows users to select a function and plot that function and its derivatives. Additional models are available as supplemental documents.
Calculus Models are part of "Learning and Teaching Mathematics using Simulations – Plus 2000 Examples from Physics" ISBN 978-3-11-025005-3, Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
Last Modified May 29, 2013
This file has previous versions.
The transition from the difference quotient to the differential quotient (first derivative) is demonstrated for the sine function.
Last Modified September 5, 2011
This simulation demonstrates the limit process in deriving the first derivative of a sine function with a superimposed linear term (a straight line) . For this case the second derivative should be independent of the linear term.
Last Modified September 5, 2011
Integral approximations of the sine function.
Last Modified September 5, 2011
This simulation demonstrates definite integration of the sine function by the simple algorithm of summing approximative rectangles. The red curve shows the sine function itself.
Last Modified September 5, 2011
The simulation uses a parabola to demonstrate the Riemann integral and the Lebesgue integral.
Last Modified September 5, 2011
An approximate Riemann Integral of a sine function is shown. The left window shows in red the approximation by the supinum series, with the blue point as the sum; the function always lies below the rectangle. The right window shows the approximation by the infimum series; the function always lies above the rectangle.
Last Modified September 5, 2011
The source code zip archive contains an EJS-XML representation of the Calculus models. Unzip this archive in your EJS workspace to compile and run this model using EJS.
Last Modified September 5, 2011


text:
Researchers from Sweden and the United Kingdom teamed up to sniff out the answer to a question practically every person has pondered at one time or another: what is the best smell out there?
They found that most people, despite coming from different cultures and backgrounds, find vanilla to be the most pleasant smell on the planet more often than not. Sour, stinky feet? Not so much.
The collaborative study between Sweden's Karolinska Institutet and the University of Oxford found that people share similar preferences when it comes to smell, regardless of cultural background. And according to the results, vanilla is the most pleasing smell around, followed by ethyl butyrate, which smells like peaches.
Artin Arshamian, a researcher at Karolinska and one of the study's authors, said humans may have similar olfactory preferences because it helped early humans survive. Which may very well explain why stinky feet came in dead last as far as appealing odors are concerned.
According to the study, the pleasantness of a smell can be attributed to the structure of an edible item's odor molecule 41% of the time. Simply put, humans likely enjoy many of the same smells, more often than not, because of a deep-rooted sense that an item is safe to eat.
"We wanted to examine if people around the world have the same smell perception and like the same types of [odor], or whether this is something that is culturally learned," Arshamian said. "Traditionally it has been seen as cultural, but we can show that culture has very little to do with it."
In fact, researchers had anticipated culture playing a significantly larger role in the results. The experiment requested 225 participants from nine non-Western diverse cultures, including individuals from communities with little contact with the Western world, to participate in the study. Surprisingly, scientists found that a participant's culture only accounted for 6% of the variance in the findings.
A less-than shocking revelation was that personal preference came into consideration 54% of the time. This explains why, as referenced in the study's results, a dish such as fermented herring may be appetizing to some yet interpreted as the "most repulsive [smell] in the world" to others.
"Now we know that there's universal [odor] perception that is driven by molecular structure and that explains why we like or dislike a certain smell," Arshamian said. "The next step is to study why this is so by linking this knowledge to what happens in the brain when we smell a particular [odor]."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Drake, William J. / Price, Monroe E. (2014): Beyond NETmundial: The Roadmap for Institutional Improvements to the Global Internet Governance Ecosystem. Philadelphia: Center for Global Communication Studies & Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. [pdf]
Drake, William J. (2015): The working group on Internet governance. 10th Anniversary Reflections. APC. [pdf]
Drake, William J. / Cerf, Vinton G. / Kleinwächter, Wolfgang (2016): Internet Fragmentation: An Overview. Future of the Internet Initiative white paper. Research report for the World Economic Forum.


text:
Today's spotlight is on:
Dream Catcher
Just when Dana thinks she has
found true love, her mother drops a bombshell that turns her world upside down.
Now she must find a way to quench a love that was never supposed to happen.
After twenty-five years,
Lorraine finds her missing son—just not in the way she'd expected—and is forced
to reveal the plethora of family secrets that has remained hidden for decades.
Dana delves into her
grandfather's past to uncover the story of this one man's destructive
lifestyle, and how it ultimately led to the unraveling of the entire family
line. At the same time, she must piece together the mystery surrounding herself
and her brother—two siblings deliberately kept apart so they would never find
each other.
With three generations of
women affected, will Dana get to meet the man responsible and solve the
Dana sat stiffly in the
passenger seat while Shaun drove them the short distance to Umdloti Beach on
Saturday afternoon. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking and her palms were
sweaty. Umdloti Beach seemed like the perfect place to break the news—their
special place to get away from the pressures of life and kindle their growing
But today would be different.
They wouldn't be leaving the confines of the parking lot this time, but could
only watch other happy couples from a distance, laughing, playing, and
frolicking in the waves or along the shore. Dana feared the process was going
to be more heart-wrenching than she'd expected. More than anything else, it was
the physical attraction that scared her, not knowing whether she'd just be able
to turn it off. Was there something wrong with her that she still wrestled with
those sorts of feelings? Her whole world had suddenly gone crazy.
Shaun knew her well enough to
give her space when she needed it, but today she could see his trepidation as
they drove the route in silence. They turned into the parking lot and pulled up
alongside a wooden railing, the sound of seagulls squawking overhead and
children playing on the beach. It was one-thirty, but already the sky was
becoming overcast and turning an eerie gray, and a hint of thunder rumbled in
the distance. Shaun started to open the door on his side and she touched his
"We can't . . . We have to
talk here."
The apprehension on his face
broke her heart. "Honey, just tell me what's going on. You're starting to freak
me out."
"There's something I have to
tell you." Her voice cracked. Lord help
me, this is so hard. She drew a steadying breath and eased it out slowly,
blinking back angry tears.
He took her hand and started
weaving his fingers through hers. She pulled back.
"No, we can't do that; it's
wrong." How had she been able to hold back the flood of tears until now?
"Okay, honey, you're worrying
me. Whatever it is, we can work through it together." His tone was tender but
commanding. "It's obviously about your mom because this all started last
Dana gave a slow nod,
desperate to stall him, wanting so badly to prolong the inevitable.
Sue Searles has written several books, ranging from
women's fiction and short stories to poetry and children's books. Having worked
on various forms of storytelling since childhood, writing has been a lifelong
Now somewhat older and wiser, she is passionate about
thinking outside the conventional box, and conveys messages that are
thought-provoking and life-changing.
Her inspiration comes mainly from studying people,
reading, and daily life.
Sue is happily married and
lives in sunny South Africa with her husband and son.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Instagram: Sue Searles


text:
It was tempting to leave Anaheim Ice on Thursday with a broad set of generalizations, but the Ducks' rookie scrimmage amounted to a one-hour snapshot of a portion of the organization's prospect pool.
Twenty-two players have been invited to the six-day camp that began Thursday. All but one was at the rink Thursday morning — a team spokesperson said that goalie Igor Bobkov's flight into California was delayed. Maybe Bobkov knew something the other 21 didn't: Of the players on the ice for the intrasquad scrimmage, the goalies had the least fun.
The final score was 9-6, apropos for the 4-on-4 game of river hockey that featured no hitting and plenty of uncoordinated improvisation. John Gibson, the 39th overall pick at last week's Entry Draft, and Iiro Tarkki, whom the Ducks lured from Finland this summer, absorbed all of the burden.
Tarkki gave up the nine-spot, but faced more shots than Gibson (by my unofficial estimate) and made the more impressive saves. The 6-foot-3 netminder, who turns 26 today, is not ready for the NHL, and the Ducks will be happy if he and Bobkov can upgrade the goaltending picture in Syracuse. Gibson struggled early but seemed to settle down. He'll have up to four seasons at the University of Michigan to iron out the kinks before he ever plays a game in Anaheim.
Goals were scored by Chris Wagner (4), Emerson Etem (2), Joseph Cramarossa (2), Devante Smith-Pelly (2), Andy Welinski, Tim Heed, Andreas Dahlstrom, Brett Perlini and Radoslav Illo. Rickard Rakell was at the rink but didn't scrimmage because his equipment hadn't arrived. Neither did Jake Newton, who is battling illness.
Those are the facts. They can be overestimated. I did longer interviews with Justin Schultz and Rakell, and will save their stories for a later post.
Since it was the only scrimmage that will be open to the public, here's a few snap judgments:
Continue reading "Notes from rookie scrimmage." »


text:
polymer clayspot | jewelry gallery | shoebox | no cookie | technical services | apple guide | hypercard | vanity |
The Polymer ClayspotThe newest technique page shows how to imitate the look of stone. |
The Jewelry GalleryOriginal jewelry and tchotchkas created in polymer clay, wirework, and beads. (Come see the roses!) |
My ShoeboxWhatever didn't fit anywhere else: various essays, jeremiads, and rants, links, and documents that are here only because they don't seem to be anywhere else on the web.
Bad Web Designer, No CookieAn irregularly-published (i.e. whenever I can't take it any more) column dedicated to mercilessly whomping bad web design. Our newest entry: Socially-Responsible Use of PICS Ratings Found! |
Technical ServicesNrrd for rent to do technical documentation, prototyping, and web design. My résumé is available, with more information to come. |
Apple GuideApple's online help system.
House o' HyperCardThe script of the month page (the latest is HyperTalk's BNF grammar), plus my HyperCard books (HyperTalk 2.2: The Book and Tricks of the HyperTalk Masters), and a few useful HyperCard resources. |
Shameless VanityPersonal stuff, pictures, my geek code, you get the idea. |


text: Meet The Locals: Måns Berg DISCOVER MORE: interviews stockholm We hung out with Måns Berg, the architecture photographer. Meet Måns Berg. When he's not capturing Stockholm he's exploring it. Måns is the go-to for beautiful shots of Stockholm's diverse architecture. He tells us his favourite spots around his home town. What does your job in Stockholm involve? Hi, my name is Måns Berg and I'm a photographer. I photograph architecture, both exteriors and interiors, with a focus on all things industrial. I also photograph the occasional portrait for my clients. I obviously travel a lot in my line of work, both in Sweden and the rest of Europe, but a lot of my work is in or around Stockholm. On a regular day, I will cycle from my apartment to my studio close to St Eriksplan, which is about five miles north but still in town. When I get in, I usually grab a coffee and pack my stuff up, jump in a cab and go to some newly developed office. Once there I meet the architect that's responsible for the layout and design and we talk through what kind of shots they need. Then I'm left cruising around for a few hours getting all the angles and positioning stuff to make it look at its best. If the office has already been opened, it's a whole other story. I have to be very diplomatic and carefully ask them to remove horrible office plants and get rid of all of those family portraits that everyone immediately puts up. After that, it's time to head back to work and start retouching pictures. I usually spend about 1-3 hours on each picture to get everything looking just right. Then, I'm back on my bike, cursing at people and drivers for getting in my way. I go home for a quick dinner, then take my car to the climbing gym where I work out and hang with friends for a few hours before it's time to go back home to get some much-needed sleep. Why is Stockholm a great place to do what you do? Stockholm is a great place for me to work, because all the best architects work here and the largest Swedish industrial companies have their headquarters here. The proximity to an international airport with lots of departures is also essential. The long dark winters also give me the patience to sit down and work on pictures to develop my style. Have you lived in Stockholm your entire life? I was born and raised in Stockholm. I really love the constant proximity to nature. I do a lot of rock climbing and in Stockholm you're always quite close to a crag. In the summer it´s really easy to get out to a lake or some kind of nature – and I have most of my family and friends here. People tend to stick around in Stockholm. What's your favourite thing about living in Stockholm? Stockholm has lots of good restaurants, good coffee and a bunch of really good record stores with great second hand vinyl shops. What's your favourite place or neighbourhood to hang out in the winter months in Stockholm? The winter months are great for buying vinyls. Hanging out in a warm basement in Södermalm somewhere, flicking through albums, is a great thing to do in winter. Between shops I would head for a coffee. If I was in Sofo I´d probably go to Il Café for a coffee, but an even better cardamom bun. It's the best in town for sure. If you had a tourist friend visiting the city for one weekend, what would you recommend? If they visited in summer I'd tell them to wait until late at night and head up to Fjällgatan in Söder to watch the sun set over the city. That´s a special experience and a nice way to see Stockholm at its best. Before that they should have a drink outside at Mosebacke, which is just around the corner. tourist attractions monuments parks eating out restaurants generator × CHECK AVAILABILITY


text:
This image has format transparent PNG with resolution 936x981.
You can download this image in best resolution from this page and use it for design and web design.
Aquarius PNG with transparent background you can download for free, just click on download button.
Aquarius is the eleventh astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation Aquarius. Under the tropical zodiac, the sun is in Aquarius typically between January 21 and February 18, while under the Sidereal Zodiac, the sun is in Aquarius from approximately February 15 to March 14, depending on leap year.
The water carrier (the water carrier is a daughter of Poseidon) represented by the zodiacal constellation Aquarius is Ganymede, a beautiful Phrygian youth. Ganymede was the son of Tros, king of Troy (according to Lucian, he was also the son of Dardanus). While tending to his father's flocks on Mount Ida, Ganymede was spotted by Zeus. The king of gods fell in love with him and flew down to the mountain in the form of a large bird, whisking Ganymede away to the heavens. Ever since, the boy has served as cupbearer to the gods. Ovid has Orpheus sing the tale.
Aquarius is a winter constellation in the northern hemisphere, found near Pisces and Cetus. It is especially notable as the radiant for four meteor showers, the largest of which is the Delta Aquarid meteor shower in late July and early August.
In this page you can download free PNG images: Aquarius PNG images free download


text:
Zig Zag on Idle No More: "In any liberation movement there are internal and external struggles"
We are living in exciting times, with large numbers of people clearly fed up and taking action, no longer content to wait for the right moment or the right ideas or the right leadership to tell them what to do. Whether we think of Occupy, the Arab Spring, or the current Idle No More upsurge, spontaneity and taking a stand seem to be the order of the day. For those of us have lived through less exuberant times, it is a welcome change. That said, this new environment that clearly comes with its own potential pitfalls and weaknesses.
In order to try and understand this better, i asked some questions of Zig Zag, also known as Gord Hill, who is of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation and a long-time participant in anti-colonial and anti-capitalist resistance movements in Canada. Gord is the author and artist of The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance Comic Book and The Anti-Capitalist Resistance Comic Book (published by Arsenal Pulp Press) and 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance (published by PM Press); he also maintains the website WarriorPublications.wordpress.com.
Here is what he had to say…
K: What are the living conditions of Indigenous people today within the borders of what is called "canada"?
ZZ: Indigenous people in Canada experience the highest levels of poverty, violent death, disease, imprisonment, and suicide. Many live in substandard housing and do not have clean drinking water, while many territories are so contaminated that they can no longer access traditional means of sustenance. In the area around the Tar Sands in northern Alberta, for example, not only are fish and animals being found with deformities but the people themselves are experiencing high rates of cancer. This is genocide.
K: Dispossession has been a central feature of colonialism and genocide within canada. Can you give some examples of how people have resisted dispossession in the past?
ZZ: Well in the past Native peoples had some level of military capability to resist dispossession, which ended around 1890. More recently there have been many examples including Oka 1990, Ipperwash 1995, Sutikalh 2000, Six Nations 2006, etc. At Oka it was armed resistance that stopped the proposed expansion of a golf course and condo project. At Ipperwash people re-occupied their reserve land that had been expropriated during WW2, and they still remain there to this day. At Sutikalh, St'at'imc people built a re-occupation camp to stop a $530 million ski resort. They were successful and the camp remains to this day. At Six Nations they re-occupied land and prevented the construction of a condo project.
K: The canadian state has an army, prisons, police forces, and the backing of millions of people – not to mention the fact that it is completely integrated into world capitalism, both as a major source of natural resources and as an imperialist junior partner, messing up peoples around the world. What kind of possibilities are there for Indigenous people to successfully break out of this system, and resist canadian colonialism? What is the strategic significance of Indigenous resistance?
ZZ: Indigenous peoples must make alliances with other social sectors that also organize against the system. The strategic significance of Indigenous peoples is their greater potential fighting spirit, stronger community basis of organizing, their ability to significantly impact infrastructure (such as railways, highways, etc, that pass through or near reserve communities) and their examples of resistance that can inspire other social movements.
K: What are bills C-38 and C-45, and how do they fit into the current global economic and political context?
ZZ: Bills C-38 and C-45 are omnibus budget bills the government has passed in order to implement its budget. They include significant revisions of various federal acts, including the Navigable Waters Protection Act, environmental assessments, and the Indian Act. These are generally seen as facilitating greater corporate access to resources, such as mining and oil and gas. The amendments to the Indian Act affect the ability of band councils to lease reserve land. The move to open up resources, by removing protection from many rivers and lakes and "streamlining" environmental assessments is clearly meant to bolster Canada as a source of natural resources and to overcome public opposition to major projects such as the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline and others.
K: Is this something new, or more of the same old same old from the canadian state?
ZZ: These bills are new in that they're designed, in part, to facilitate greater corporate access to resources, primarily in the changes to the environmental assessment and Navigable Waters Protection Act. These are measures designed to re-position Canada as a major source of oil and gas for the global market, and particularly Asian markets, while diversifying Canadian exports of such resources away from a US focused one, as the US economy continues to decline. At the same time they are indeed a continuation of policies adapted by the federal government for many years now, which include major projects such as the Alberta Tar Sands and proposed pipeline projects. These policies are the result of the neo-liberal ideology that states have been following for the past few decades.
K: What is one to make of this Idle No More movement that has sprung up over the past six weeks?
ZZ: It's similar to Occupy in that it reveals a yearning for social change among grassroots Native peoples, but it is also reformist and lacks any anti-colonial or anti-capitalist perspective. It is fixated primarily on legal-political reforms, specifically repealing Bill C-45 (which passed in mid-December). Although it has mobilized thousands of Natives, this is only to create political pressure on the government. The four women from Saskatchewan who founded the movement are lawyers, academics, and business managers, so it is no surprise that the entire trajectory of the movement has been focused on legal-political reforms. Another prominent speaker on behalf of INM has been Pam Palmater, a lawyer and Chair in Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University. Last summer, she campaigned against Shawn Atleo for the position of "grand chief" of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).
As it isn't anti-colonial or anti-capitalist, it has been a safe platform for many Indian Act chiefs and members of the Aboriginal business elite to participate, and many have in fact helped orchestrate the national protests and blockades that have occurred. In fact, INM allied itself early on with chiefs from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. It was chiefs from these provinces that made the symbolic attempt to enter the House of Commons on Dec. 4, an event that in many ways really launched INM and built the December 10 day of action.
These chiefs oppose Atleo, support Palmater, and have been the driving force behind most of the major rallies and blockades that have occurred in their respective provinces (with notable exceptions, such as the Tyendinaga train blockades).
The involvement of the band councils has helped stifle any real self-organization of grassroots people. The reformist methods promoted by the original founders has included the imposing of pacifist methods and so has dampened the warrior spirit of the people overall. Another factor in the INM mobilizing has been the fast carried out by the Indian Act chief Theresa Spence in Ottawa. This has motivated many Natives to participate in INM due to the emotional and pseudo-spiritual aspects of the fast (a "hunger strike" to the death). Despite the praise given to Spence, she revealed her intentions in late December when she made a public call for the chiefs to "take control" of the grassroots.
K: What you are outlining seems to be a class analysis of the INM movement. Some people have suggested that class analysis is incompatible with anticolonial analysis, that it is divisive, or amounts to applying a european framework that is not relevant to Indigenous people. What do you make of this?
ZZ: Under colonization the capitalist division of classes is imposed on Indigenous peoples. The band councils and Aboriginal business elite are proof of this. Under capitalist class divisions, there are new political and economic elites that are established and who have more to gain from assimilation and collaboration, despite any movements for reform they may be involved in. As separate political and economic elites, they have their own interests which are not the same as the most impoverished and oppressed, which comprises the bulk of Indigenous grassroots people. Middle class elites are able to impose their own beliefs and methods on grassroots movements through their greater access to, and control of, resources (including money, communications, transport, etc.).
For a genuinely autonomous, decentralized and self-organized Indigenous grassroots movement to emerge, the question of middle-class elites, including the band councils, must be resolved. I would also say that in any liberation movement there are internal and external struggles. The internal one determines the overall methods and objectives of the movement, and therefore cannot be silenced or marginalized under the pretext of preserving some non-existent "unity." In fact, only when internal struggles are clarified can there be any significant gains made in the external one, against the primary enemy (state and capital).
K: January 11 was the day that Harper was initially supposed to meet with Spence and other chiefs from across canada. But on the day of the meeting, due to Harper's shenanigans, Spence and most other chiefs opted to boycott it, and Spence declared she would be continuing her hunger strike. How deep is this split, and does it signify that some chiefs are breaking with the neocolonial setup and developing a radical potential?
ZZ: There have always been divisions within the AFN and between regions. As I mentioned, some Indian Act chiefs, especially in Saskatchewan, Ontario and Manitoba, have been spearheading many of the Idle No More rallies and breaking from the AFN's agenda. This shouldn't be interpreted as proof that they are more radical, but rather that they have their own agenda. "Grand chief" Nepinak of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, the AFN's provincial wing, has been very active in promoting INM rallies and blockades, etc. But Nepinak's AMC also suffered massive funding cuts announced in early September. His organization will see their annual funding cut from $2.6 million down to $500,000. He is fighting for his political and economic career and has little to lose by agitating for more grassroots actions, but that doesn't mean he's now a "radical." Rather, the band councils and chiefs must be understood as having their own agenda in regards to their power struggle with the state. Many are easily fooled by militant rhetoric and symbolic blockades, but these are old tactics for the Indian Act chiefs.
Along with chiefs fighting for the maintenance of their provincial or regional organizations (such as the AMC or tribal councils), which is contributing to band council participation across the country in INM mobilizing, the chiefs in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario have a political struggle with Atleo and have their own vision for greater economic development. It was the chiefs from these provinces that boycotted the meeting between the PM and Atleo, and who called for the January 16 national day of action.
Delegations of these chiefs have travelled to Asia, Venezuela, and Iran seeking corporate investors, especially in the oil and gas industry. Chief Wallace Fox of the Onion Lake Cree Nation, one of those at the forefront of recent events and an outspoken opponent of Atleo, is the chief of the top oil producing Native band in the country (located in Alberta and Saskatchewan). Fox and other chiefs have also attempted to gain access to OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, for partnerships with corporations. Nepinak and other chiefs also met with Chinese officials in December, also looking for potential partnerships.
The rationale of these chiefs, Palmater and their allies in INM (the four "official founders") is that Atleo is collaborating with the assimilation strategy of the Harper regime. Meanwhile, it is they who seek to take control of the AFN and impose their own version of Native capitalism, based in part on foreign investment in resource industries. Ironically of course, many INM participants are rallying to defend Mother Earth, in many ways being used as pawns in a power struggle between factions of the Aboriginal business elite. Many INM participants, I would say, are unaware of these internal dynamics. Their mobilization under the slogans of "stop bill c-45," "defend land and water," etc., are positive aspects of INM, and show the great potential for grassroots movements. But this is something that is in the early stages, and the movement will have to overcome the parasitical participation and control of the Indian Act chiefs as well as middle-class elites for it to advance.
K: There were hundreds of Idle No More actions on January 11. Here in Montreal, roughly three thousand people demonstrated, by far the largest protest related to Indigenous issues i have ever seen in this city. At the same time, the demonstration was overwhelmingly made up of non-Indigenous people, ranging from radical anticapitalists to members of Quebec nationalist and social democratic groups. This seems in line with the INM strategy of framing the movement as representing all canadians. How compatible is this with an anticolonial perspective, and what are the strengths and weaknesses of such diverse support?
ZZ: The first priority and main focus for an anti-colonial liberation movement must be its own people. This is how it develops its own autonomous methods and practise, free from outside interference. This helps to unify the movement and establish it as an independent social force. Alliances are clearly necessary, and while the ultimate goal might be a multi-national resistance movement, colonialism and the unique history as well as socio-economic conditions of Native peoples means they must be able to organize autonomously from other social sectors.
I think in principle to frame Idle No More as one representing all Canadians is correct, but the way in which they are doing this waters down and minimizes the anti-colonial analysis that is necessary for radical social change. By trying to appeal to the "Canadian citizen" it may broaden its appeal but to what end? In the process it will have weakened the anti-colonial resistance. Even now you can see the renewed calls for "peaceful" protests from INM'ers, as well as statements from the "official founders" that they don't support "illegal" actions such as blockades. They're very sensitive to any loss of public support, claiming it is now an "educational" movement and that they don't want to inconvenience citizens. The reformists might claim that in this manner we can build a bigger movement to defeat Bill C-45, but clearly such bills are just part of a much larger systemic problem we can identify as colonialism and capitalism. Without addressing the root causes we'll just be doing the same thing next year against another set of bills. And of course, basing one's anti-colonial resistance on the opinion of the settler population will never lead to liberation.
K: We seem to have entered a period of spontaneous upsurges like INM internationally, be it the Arab Spring or Occupy or the recent anti-rape protests in India; in each of these cases masses of people are clearly fed up and willing to throw themselves into action, but for better or for worse they often bypass any of the organized anti-imperialist or anti-capitalist groups or traditions. Is this a sign of a failure on our part, that when circumstances finally give way to revolt we are not connected to those doing the revolting? Or is there something else going on?
ZZ: I would say a part of these mobilizations is the use of social media in spreading information and coordinating actions. Certainly in the Arab Spring, Occupy and now Idle No More, this has been a significant component of the mobilizing that has occurred. It seems that there are more people who have been influenced by these ongoing social revolts and mobilizations, that then decide to take action of some kind, and the internet empowers them to organize rallies, etc. They don't need the already existing radical groups to do this, and may not even know of their existence.
This leads to the situation where mobilizations are called, gain traction and then expand — but they have a very shallow analysis of the system and lack experience in real resistance. In both Occupy and INM we see inexperienced organizers who believe they have re-invented the wheel, who feel they know best how social movements should conduct themselves, etc. At best, these mobilizations show that there is a yearning for social change among a growing number of people, but social media enables them to bypass more experienced and radical groups, and their naivete leads them to think that these groups fail because they're too radical. Therefore they appeal to the most basic and populist slogans, the least threatening forms of action, etc.
I don't know if I would characterize it as a failure on the part of radical groups that they are somewhat disconnected from these types of mobilizations. They're not revolts, they're largely reformist rallies without a radical analysis dominated by liberals and pacifists, middle-class organizers, etc. Until these movements are radicalized there is little possibility for radicals to be fully involved. Another aspect of these types of mobilizations is their relatively short duration. Occupy was largely over three or four months after it began, with some exceptions (such as Oakland). How long will INM endure?
K: Although their leadership may be neo-colonial and middle-class, surely many of those in the grassroots who are attracted to surges like INM are not. How should established Indigenous anti-colonial groups relate to these mass mobilizations? Are there specific approaches that are more effective than others? And are there things to avoid?
ZZ: I would say Indigenous anti-colonial groups should engage such movements critically, and not simply take the role of cheerleaders. When large numbers of people are aroused and mobilized, it means they're thinking about, and discussing, concepts such as colonialism, tactics, strategies, methods, etc. So it is an opportune time to contribute radical anti-colonial and anti-capitalist analysis, even though some participants in the movement think that such debate "divides" people. I would avoid denouncing such movements, or opposing them, of course, because there are both positive and negative aspects. Promote the positive and try to illuminate the negative, the contradictions, etc. As many participants are new and inexperienced, anti-colonial groups can contribute a lot to expanding and radicalizing the movement.


text:
Corn Bread
Nov 16th, 2008 by SteveB
Lately, I've been so fascinated by various regional French breads that I've all but forgotten that North America has its own traditional breads. A case in point is corn bread. To many people, the term 'corn bread' conjures up visions of the dense, sometimes sweet, chemically leavened quick bread that is a staple of many a Thanksgiving Day table. To my mind, corn bread is a yeasted bread, based on wheat flour but with a substantial amount of corn flour used for its flavor, color and texture.
Because corn flour cannot form gluten, corn bread by nature has a relatively tight crumb. Taking a cue from Suas' Advanced Bread and Pastry, I decided to dress up the bread a bit with some shaping and stenciling techniques. The idea was to form the loaves in the shape of a corn kernel, with the stenciling and scoring designed to give the impression of a stylized corn stalk. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not I was successful at achieving the desired effect.
The formula used here is a modification of the one described in Hamelman's Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes. Instead of using fine corn meal as specified, I used yellow corn flour to give a finer crumb. White corn flour should work just as well.
- 225 g King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
- 225 g Water
- 1/8 Tsp. Instant Dried Yeast
Final Dough
- 455 g King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
- 255 g Corn Flour
- 345 g Water
- 1˝ Tsp. Instant Dried Yeast
- 15 g Salt
- 45 g Olive Oil
- 450 g Poolish (all of the above)
The evening before baking, the poolish was prepared by mixing the flour, water and yeast and allowing the mixture to ferment at 72şF until mature, about 12 hours. The following morning, the corn meal was added to the final dough water in the bowl of a stand mixer and, after stirring to suspend the corn flour in the water, the rest of the final dough ingredients was added. The mixture was then mixed at speed 2 for 3 minutes to incorporate all of the ingredients.
After incorporation, the rough dough was removed from the bowl of the stand mixer and then hand mixed until a smooth dough of medium consistency was achieved. The dough was then placed in a lightly oiled covered container and allowed to ferment for 1˝ hours, half-way through which the dough was given a fold.
After the first fermentation, the dough was divided into 455 g pieces and each piece was gently rounded. The rounded pieces where then covered with a plastic sheet and allowed to rest for 15 minutes. After resting, each piece was formed into a tight boule, shaped in the form of a corn kernel, and placed on a couche to proof for 1 hour at 72şF, as shown below:[qt:http://breadcetera.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/CornBread001.MOV 500 375]
After proofing, each dough piece was stenciled by placing a strip of paper down the length of the piece, sprinkling with a light dusting of flour and then removal of the paper strip, as shown in the photos below:
The loaves were then scored three times on both sides of the stencil and baked at 450şF for 30 minutes, the first 10 minutes of which were under steam. The resulting loaves had a thin, crisp crust with a golden yellow crumb.