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Bill Donohue comments as follows:
Mark Thompson is slated to start next month as the new president and CEO of the New York Times Company. He comes in under a cloud of suspicion. Almost a year ago, a decision was made at the BBC to kill a "Newsnight" investigation into what is now becoming the most astonishing sexual abuse scandal in the history of the United Kingdom: Thompson was the director general at the BBC from 2004 to 2012, and serious questions have been raised about his role in squashing the investigation. He denies wrongdoing. The person of interest is suspected child rapist and serial predator Jimmy Savile, a celebrity icon who worked at the BBC for more than 25 years. His predatory behavior extends back six decades, and some of his sexual abuse took place on the premises of the BBC.
I have personally collected a great deal of information on this subject and will have much more to say about my findings. My interest is twofold: both the BBC and the New York Times have been among the harshest critics of the homosexual scandal that took place more than a quarter century ago in the Catholic Church. Let's see how they react to a little "sunshine," as they like to call it. I'm just beaming.
We know the BBC is already in deep trouble over this issue—two internal investigations are under way—but it cannot be trusted to report on itself. Indeed, contradictory accounts have already been offered, involving what Thompson knew and when he knew it. British Culture Secretary Maria Miller has called off an independent inquiry, but she may not have the last word. We support British Labor chief Ed Miliband's call for a probe.
Bill Keller got out in front of this issue by writing a piece for the New York Times on its website; it appeared over the weekend, and it is reprinted today in the Times-owned International Herald Tribune. But why hasn't his article been printed in the op-ed page of the Times?
Stay tuned. You won't be bored.


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[Note for TomDispatch readers: James Carroll, Boston Globe columnist and author of the bestselling Constantine's Sword, wrote the following about my new book (which is already going into a second printing) and TomDispatch at the Daily Beast: "On 9 /11 the well-regarded writer and editor Tom Engelhardt was drafted. Ever since he has been a conscript in the campaign against America's knee-jerk wars. His weapon has been his eloquence. For nearly a decade, he has written passionate criticism and shrewd analysis on his website TomDispatch.com. Now a collection of his dissections of U.S. military policy has been published as a book, The American Way of War: How Bush's Wars Became Obama's. This is an invaluable catalog of the Pentagon-driven mistakes, myths, self-deceptions, and crimes that have wreaked havoc in Iraq and Afghanistan. That the American wars are proving to be as fruitless now as they were then unnecessary keeps them from rising to the level of actual tragedy, even as the lives of countless individuals have been tragically cut short. This book is a permanent record of the TomDispatch website's ongoing but more ephemeral masterpiece-in-progress." To order The American Way of War at Amazon.com just click here (and remember that whenever you buy at Amazon off a TomDispatch link, book or otherwise, TD gets a little contribution, cost-free to you). To catch me discussing "Why Afghanistan" question in the latest Timothy MacBain TomCast audio interview, click here, or to download it to your iPod, here. Tom]
Why Are We in Afghanistan?
As Petraeus Takes Over, Could Success Be Worse Than Failure?
By Tom Engelhardt
July 12, 2011, Washington, D.C. — In triumphant testimony before a joint committee of Congress in which he was greeted on both sides of the aisle as a conquering hero, Gen. David Petraeus announced the withdrawal this month of the first 1,000 American troops from Afghanistan. "This is the beginning of the pledge the president made to the American people to draw down the surge troops sent in since 2009," he said, adding, "and yet let me emphasize, as I did when I took this job, that our commitment to the Afghan government and people is an enduring one."
Last July, when Gen. Petraeus replaced the discredited Gen. Stanley McChrystal as Afghan war commander, he was hailed as an "American hero" by Senator John McCain, as "the most talented officer of his generation" by the New Yorker's George Packer, and as "the nation's premier warrior-diplomat" by Karen DeYoung and Craig Whitlock of the Washington Post — typical of the comments of both Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives at the time. Petraeus then promised that the United States was in Afghanistan "to win."
In the year since, the Taliban insurgency has been blunted and "a tipping point has been reached," says a senior U.S. military official with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, who could speak only on the condition of anonymity, in keeping with the policy of his organization. By every available measure — IEDs or roadside bombs, suicide attacks, Taliban assassinations of local officials, allied casualties, and Afghan civilian casualties — the intensity of the insurgency has weakened significantly. The Afghan military and police, though not capable of taking the lead in the fighting in their own country, have been noticeably strengthened by American and NATO training missions. President Hamid Karzai's government, still considered weak and corrupt, has succeeded in putting an Afghan face on the war.
Democratic critics of Gen. Petraeus, and of President Obama's surge strategy, were notably quiet this week as the general toured the capital's power hotspots from John Podesta's Center for American Progress to the American Enterprise Institute, while being feted as the hero of the moment and a potential presidential candidate in 2016. As in 2007, when he was appointed to oversee George W. Bush's surge in Iraq after the critics said it couldn't be done, the impressive charts the general brought to his congressional testimony once again vividly indicated otherwise. The situation in Afghanistan has undergone an Iraq-like change since the nadir of July 2010 when critics and proponents alike agreed that the nine-year-old war was foundering, the counterinsurgency strategy failing, and polling in the U.S. highlighted the war's increasing unpopularity.
"What a difference a year makes," said a jubilant senior official at the Pentagon. In just 12 months, as Gen. Petraeus likes to describe it, he managed to synchronize the Afghan and Washington "clocks" and, in the process, as he had done in Iraq, took the news out of the war and the war out of the news. The latest Gallup poll indicates that up to 63% of Americans are now "supportive" of the general's approach to the Afghan War…
What Success Would Mean in Afghanistan
Okay, it hasn't happened yet — and the odds are it never will. But for a moment, just imagine stories like that leading the news nationwide as our most political general in generations comes home to a grateful Washington.
By all accounts, the Afghan War could hardly be going worse today. Counterinsurgency, the strategy promoted by General McChrystal but conceived by General Petraeus, is seemingly in a ditch, while the Taliban are the ones surging. Around that reality has arisen a chorus of criticism and complaint, left, right, and center.
Failure breeds critics, you might say, the way dead bodies breed flies. Or put another way, it's easy enough to criticize a failing American project, but what about a successful one? What if Petraeus really turns out to be the miracle general of twenty-first century American war-making — which, by the way, only means that he needs to "blunt" the Taliban surge (the modern definition of "winning," now that victory is no longer a part of the U.S. war-making lexicon)?
Today, the increasingly self-evident failure of American policy in Afghanistan is bringing enough calls for firm drawdown or withdrawal dates (or, from the Republicans, bitter complaints about the same) to exasperate President Obama. Under the circumstances, no one evidently wonders what success would really mean. We've been down so long, it seems, that few bother to consider what being up might involve.
Too bad. It's worth a thought. Let's say that Petraeus does return to Washington in what, these days, passes for triumph. The question is: So what? Or rather, could success in Afghanistan prove worse for Americans than failure?
Let's imagine that, in July 2011, the U.S. military has tenuous control over key parts of that country, including Kandahar, its second largest city. It still has almost 100,000 troops (and at least a similar number of private contractors) in the country, while a slow drawdown of the 30,000 surge troops the president ordered into Afghanistan in December 2009 is underway. Similarly, the "civilian" surge, which tripled the State Department's personnel there, remains in place, as does the CIA surge that went with it — and the contractor and base-building surges that went with them. In fact, the CIA drone war in the Pakistani borderlands will undoubtedly have only escalated further by July 2011. Experts expect the counterinsurgency campaign to continue for years, even decades more; the NATO allies are heading for the exits; and, again according to the experts, the Taliban, being thoroughly interwoven with Afghanistan's Pashtun minority, simply cannot in any normal sense be defeated.
This, then, would be "success" 10 years into America's Afghan war. Given the logistics nightmare of supporting so many troops, intelligence agents, civilian officials, and private contractors in the country, the approximately $7 billion a month now being spent there will undoubtedly be the price Americans are to pay for a long time to come (and that's surely a significant undercount, if you consider long-term wear-and-tear to the military as well as the price of future care for those badly wounded in body or mind).
The swollen Afghan army and police will still have to undergo continual training and, in a country with next to no government funds and (unlike Iraq) no oil or other resource revenues on the immediate horizon, they, too, will have to be paid for and supplied by Washington. And keep in mind that the U.S. Air Force will, for the foreseeable future, be the Afghan Air Force. In other words, success means that, however tenuously, Afghanistan is ours for years to come.
So what would we actually have to show for all this expenditure of money, effort, and lives?
We would be in minimalist possession of a fractious, ruined land, at war for three decades, and about as alien to, and far from, the United States as it's possible to be on this planet. We would be in minimalist possession of the world's fifth poorest country. We would be in minimal possession of the world's second most corrupt country. We would be in minimal possession of the world's foremost narco-state, the only country that essentially produces a drug monocrop, opium. In terms of the global war on terror, we would be in possession of a country that the director of the CIA now believes to hold 50 to 100 al-Qaeda operatives ("maybe less") — for whom parts of the country might still be a "safe haven." And for this, and everything to come, we would be paying, at a minimum, $84 billion a year.
On the basis of our stated war objective — "[W]e cannot allow Al Qaeda or other transnational extremists to once again establish sanctuaries from which they can launch attacks on our homeland or on our allies," as General Petraeus put it in his confirmation hearing at the end of June 2010 — success in Afghanistan means increasingly little. For al-Qaeda, Afghanistan was never significant in itself. It was always a place of (relative) convenience. If the U.S. were to bar access to it, there are so many other countries to choose from.
After all, what's left of the original al-Qaeda — estimated by U.S. intelligence experts at perhaps 300 leaders and operatives — seems to have established itself in the Pakistani tribal borderlands, a place that the U.S. military could hardly occupy, no matter how many CIA drone attacks were sent against it. Moreover, U.S. intelligence experts increasingly suggest that al-Qaeda is in the process of fusing with local jihadist groups in those borderlands, Yemen, Somalia, North Africa, and elsewhere; that it is increasingly an amorphous "dispersed network," or even simply an idea or crude ideology, existing as much online as anywhere in particular on the ground.
In this sense — and this is the only reason now offered for the American presence in Afghanistan — a counterinsurgency "success" there would be meaningless unless, based on the same strategic thinking, the U.S. then secured Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and a potential host of other places. In other words, the U.S. military would have to do one thing the Bush years definitively proved it couldn't do: impose a Pax Americana on planet Earth.
Of course, the Bush administration might have offered other explanations for the ongoing Afghan War, including the need to garrison what it called "the arc of instability" stretching from North Africa to the Chinese border (essentially the oil heartlands of the planet), roll back Russia from its former Soviet "backyard" in Central Asia, and guarantee the flow of Caspian Sea oil westward. More recently, with the revelation that a trillion or more dollars worth of natural resources lie under Afghan soil, securing that country's raw materials for western mining companies might have been added to that list. The Obama administration, however, offers no such explanations and, being managerial rather than visionary in nature when it comes to U.S. foreign policy, might not even have them.
In any case, our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be telling a rather different story. The singular thing the Iraq War seems to have done politically is promote Iranian influence in that country. Economically, it's made Iraq a safer place for the state-owned or state-controlled oil companies of China, Russia, and a number of other non-western nations. In Afghanistan, in terms of those future natural resources, we seem to be fighting to make that country safe for Chinese investment (just as the recently heightened U.S. sanctions against Iran are helping make that country safe for Chinese energy dominance).
The Question Mark over Afghanistan
All of this leaves the massive American investment of its most precious resources, including lives, in Afghanistan an ongoing mystery that is never addressed. Somewhere in that country's vast stretches of poppy fields or in the halls of Washington's national security bureaucracy, in other words, lurks a great unasked question. It's a question asked almost half a century ago of Vietnam, the lost war to which David Petraeus turned in 2006 to produce the Army counterinsurgency manual which is the basis for the present surge.
The question was: Why are we in Vietnam? (It even became the title of a Norman Mailer novel.) In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson's administration produced a government propaganda film solely in response to that question, which was already threatening to drive down his polling figures and upend his Great Society at home. The film was called Why Viet-Nam. While it had no question mark after the title, the question of whether to add one was actually argued out in the most literal way inside the administration.
The film began with the president quoting a letter he had received from a mother "in the Midwest" whose son was stationed in Vietnam. You hear the president, in his homey twang, pick up that woman's question, as if it were his own. "Why Vietnam?" he repeats three times as the title appears on the screen, after which, official or not, a question mark seems to hover over every scene, as it did over the war itself.
In a sense, the same question mark appeared both before and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but it has never been associated with Afghanistan. Because of 9/11, Afghanistan remained for years the (relatively) good (and largely forgotten) war, until visible failure visibly tarnished it.
It's now past time to ask that question, even as the Obama administration repeats the al-Qaeda mantra of the Bush years almost word for word and lets any explanation go at that.
Why are we in Afghanistan? Why is our treasure being wasted there when it's needed here?
It's clear enough that a failed counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan will be an unaffordably expensive catastrophe. Let's not wait a year to discover that there's an even worse fate ahead, a "success" that leaves us mired there for years to come as our troubles at home only grow. With everything else Americans have to deal with, who needs a future Petraeus Syndrome?
Tom Engelhardt, co-founder of the American Empire Project, runs the Nation Institute's TomDispatch.com. He is the author of The End of Victory Culture, a history of the Cold War and beyond. His latest book, The American Way of War: How Bush's Wars Became Obama's (Haymarket Books), has just been published. Listen to him discuss the "Why Afghanistan" question in a Timothy MacBain TomCast audio interview by clicking here, or to download it to your iPod, here.
[Note on sources: I'm eternally thankful for the existence of Antiwar.com (including Jason Ditz's daily updates), Juan Cole's Informed Comment blog (the quality of which is eternally startling), and Paul Woodward's The War in Context. Along with Katherine Tiedemann's AfPak Channel "Daily Brief" and Noah Shachtman's Danger Room blog (a must for all things strange and military), they help ensure that not much news coming out of Afghanistan and environs gets by me.]
Copyright 2010 Tom Engelhardt

subset: commoncrawl


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Our Vision
♦ Vermont public policy that fosters prosperity for ALL Vermonters from every corner of the state and all walks of life.
♦ 21st Century economic policies that foster the creation of family-sustaining jobs, with environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and a desirable quality of life.
♦ Political discourse that is data-driven and puts progress ahead of partisanship.
♦ State and local governments that are transparent and accountable, fostering a political atmosphere, and an administrative and communications infrastructure that promotes and encourages an engaged and active electorate.
Help us make our vision a reality
How we measure success:
Creating prosperity for ALL Vermonters
Vermont ranks 40th for cost of living in the US. Most northeastern states do not rank well under this metric, however nearly every one of them have a higher median income than Vermont. This means that while Vermont families have one of the highest costs of living in the country, they rank only slightly above the national average in household income. This inevitably means less discretionary spending on goods and services, recreation, and investment in property, and retirement than most Americans enjoy.
Vermont's cost of living is currently 12% above the national average while household income is only 2% ahead of the country as a whole. Campaign for Vermont would like to see these two statistics converge. We need initiatives that will move our cost of living moving closer to the national average even as they help move effective household income to increase its margin above the national average.
CFV believes this is possible through targeted policy initiatives at workforce development, education, government accountability, and economic development focused on both our urbanized and rural populations.
Progress ahead of partisanship
CFV believes a non-partisan approach is critical to a healthy political discourse. Good ideas can, and do, come from anywhere. We need to be open to them.
Policy initiatives should be well thought through and have validated, comprehensive data supporting them. Too often our inadequately resourced lawmakers, dealing with insufficient or out-dated data, and under pressing time constraints, succumb to politically expediency and opt for the policy easiest to implement. This type of decision-making either reinforces the status quo or creates unnecessarily complicated, confusing, or inadequate legislation, failing to open up the discussion for real progress. CFV has and will continue to search for ways to engender fresh thinking in the law-making process and endeavor find ways to help lawmakers to set aside their political preconceptions and evaluate each policy proposal that comes before them with an open mind, no matter who proposes it.
As a measurement of bipartisanship we would look for fewer legislative votes split along party lines, with the goal of at least half of the bills introduced in the legislature to garner co-signers from both parties, and witness major Vermont political parties avoiding blanket statements about all members of an opposing party with the intent of forcing partisan divides.
A 21st Century Economy
It is well known that Vermont has a growing tech hub, but we need to focus on a strategy that allows for the creation of good-paying jobs across our state in both urban and rural settings to retain and attract talent. Vermont has 42,000 college students that move into the state every fall and every spring 10,000 of them graduate and start looking for jobs, yet Vermont's employers are starving for qualified workers. We cannot stress enough the importance of connecting our institutions of higher learning with our employer base, this includes our private and public universities, state colleges, and technical education centers. An inadequate stock of workforce-priced housing is a serious barrier to retaining and attracting the talent the state needs. A major policy push is needed to catalyze the creation of workforce affordable housing.
A modern thriving and sustainable economy provides the state with revenue to reinvest in education, environmental, and social wellness programs that are so critical to our social contract. Without a strong economic base, meeting our social and environmental responsibilities will be difficult if not impossible. Building a viable economic base in a world experiencing unparalleled change in every sector of the human ecosphere will require fresh thinking with probing research into solutions being tried across the globe. We must seek out and borrow ideas and practices from successful 21st century initiatives wherever may find them.
Vermonters cherish a unique quality of life. Of course, most people have differing opinions on what quality of life is. Often it is a balance between a healthy society, civic engagement, the natural environment, recreational opportunities, cost of living, and economic prosperity. Essentially it is how happy one is with the lifestyle one is able to live. It is not just a nostalgic notion, indeed, it is something that Great Britain actually uses to evaluate government effectiveness. Visitors to Vermont recognize it and write about. Some, who have the means, move here and, if feasible move their business here with them. We must encourage this.
You can read more about our plan for a 21st century economy here: campaignforvermont.org/economic-development
An engaged and active electorate
Nothing is more critical to democracy than a participatory citizenry. Democracy does not work if the majority of its citizens stay home or do not make their voice heard. This is why CFV has chosen to be a voice for middle-class Vermonters – a demographic we believe to be under-represented in state politics. That being said, we will continue to encourage all Vermonters to be engaged and active in the political process.
CFV would like to see more attendance at town meeting day, legislative hearings open to the public, and engagement in online policy discussion forums.


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Apple Goes Back to School with iBooks 2, iBooks Author, and iTunes U
In a special event in New York City, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller and VP for Productivity Software Roger Rosner unveiled a pair of free apps aimed at reinventing the textbook market: iBooks 2 and iBooks Author for the Mac. Not content to stop there, Senior VP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue and VP of iTunes Jeff Robbin then introduced the free iTunes U app for iOS.
iBooks 2 — iBooks 2 is an update to Apple's free ebook reading app for the iPad, enabling users to read specially created enhanced ebooks containing rich multimedia elements and interactivity, along with gorgeous layouts. Apple is focusing the new capabilities of iBooks on the textbook world, where videos, interactive images, 3-D graphics, and embedded review questions can significantly enhance the learning experience.
These features enable zooming into the image of a chromosome to get a better look, for instance, or rotating a 3-D model of a molecule. Or, an interactive graphic might enable you to tap the parts of an insect's body, highlighting them in other photos elsewhere on the screen. Switching orientations changes the display from a scrolling approach (portrait) to a page-based design (landscape) with multiple columns and in-text graphics.
The iBooks textbooks that Apple showed off included a built-in glossary; you can browse through it or tap bolded words to look up their definitions in the glossary (which can even include images) or in a dictionary. Searching remains, of course, and is improved — when you tap a word, you can search for it in the textbook, in both text and media (presumably mediated by a search index), or extend the search to Wikipedia or the Web. If the textbook's glossary includes the word, the glossary entry will also come up as a search
Another nut that Apple has apparently cracked is that of pagination — it's important in a class for everyone to be literally on the same page, and these books have fixed pagination in landscape mode. You can't change fonts or sizes in landscape mode, but those standard iBooks controls appear once again in portrait mode.
More interesting are iBooks 2's new note-reviewing capabilities, which work only in iBooks textbooks. Just as with iBooks previously, you can tap and hold or swipe to highlight text, and then tap the highlighted text to add a note. But with an iBooks textbook, notes can be used in a study card format where you see the highlighted text on the "front" of a virtual index card and your note on the "back," which you reach by tapping it. The stack of cards can even be shuffled to aid in studying for tests.
Although iBooks 2 remains a universal app that runs on all iOS devices, the iPhone and iPod touch versions cannot display these new iBooks textbooks (they don't even appear, which is good, since they're huge). Plus, several times when I tried to view the "Life on Earth" textbook in iBooks 2 on my original iPad, all I got was the introductory audio on a gray screen — I had to shut my iPad down and restart it before iBooks 2 would show the book properly. ("Life on Earth"
is currently available for free; it's a nearly 1 GB download.)
iBooks Author — Previously, iBooks was relatively limited in what it could display, and adding audio and video to an EPUB was difficult at best. Creating iBooks textbooks is where the second new app — iBooks Author — comes in. It's a Mac application, available for free from the Mac App Store as a 136 MB download, and compatible only with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. (It turns out that iBooks Author can be run in 10.6 Snow Leopard, but doing so requires some trickery. Digital Tweaker has the details.)
Not surprisingly, iBooks Author is reminiscent of Apple's iWork applications, providing a number of templates to start. As in Keynote, you add pages to your book, putting text, graphics, and multimedia elements on each. You can import text from Pages or Word, and iBooks Author honors a set of styles for creating items such as headings, sections, and so on. You can even import Keynote presentations as interactive elements.
Like Pages, iBooks Author can build the table of contents automatically, based on styles that you use for headings in the manuscript, and you can create glossary entries from the Glossary toolbar or by Control-clicking a term and choosing from the contextual menu. Then you bounce over to the Glossary interface to enter a definition.
Unfortunately, iBooks Author doesn't appear to have the change tracking and commenting tools that are necessary in any professional publishing situation, which means that text will have be pretty much final when it is flowed into iBooks Author, and any collaboration on layout and object placement will have to be done manually.
iBooks Author can export three types of files: text, PDF, and iBooks. The text export is likely good only for extracting text from an existing file, the PDF export appears to be useful only for a certain level of proofing, and the iBooks format is apparently slightly mangled EPUB, with a different MIME type (drop one on BBEdit if you want to look inside). You can export directly to a connected iPad for testing, which is far easier than the normal convoluted process for syncing ebooks to the iPad.
However, don't get your hopes up for being able to use iBooks Author for EPUB in general — the license agreement states that files created with iBooks Author must either be made available for free or sold only through the iBookstore, and they will likely display only in iBooks on the iPad without some hacking. In short, if TidBITS wanted to create an enhanced Take Control ebook using iBooks Author, the only way for readers to purchase it would be through the iBookstore, which makes it much harder for us to communicate with readers and provide outside-the-book features as we do now. It would also make it harder for us to provide a similar ebook in other formats, such as one that can be read directly on the Mac or on the Kindle. I'm
not saying we won't try iBooks Author, but it won't be a sea change for our publishing model.
iTunes U — Apple's third app — which requires iOS 5 and is available for not only the iPad but also the iPhone and iPod touch — does for online course content what iBooks 2 does for textbooks. Apple has long provided lectures from numerous colleges and universities in audio and video format via iTunes U, and with over 700 million downloads, it has been successful. The iTunes U app can play the simple audio and video for existing courses, but it gets far more interesting when used with a newly enhanced course (it also gets flakier — as with iBooks 2, I experienced a number of crashes; you can
expect minor updates to both apps as Apple works out the bugs). If you want a sample, check out Duke's Core Concepts in Chemistry.
The iTunes U app breaks an enhanced course into four sections: Info, Posts, Notes, and Materials, and you switch between them using tabs on the right side of the screen (iPad) or bottom of the screen (iPhone/iPod touch). The Info tab provides subsections for things like a course overview, an instructor bio, and the outline of the course.
The heart of the course lies in the Posts tab, which brings together text, audio, and video lectures and assignments, along with the new iBooks textbooks created with iBooks Author (which can be read only on an iPad, remember). Although the Core Concepts in Chemistry course I looked at seemed fully fleshed out, for courses that are in progress, new posts alert you to their presence via notifications. You can even play an audio or video lecture and listen in the background while in a different part of the interface, such as the
Notes tab. When you complete an assignment, you can check it off.
In the Notes tab, you can create general course-level notes, and any notes from iBooks that are part of the class will appear as well. (But remember, you can make notes only on EPUB-based ebooks; although iBooks can display PDFs, which will be common in courses, you can't make notes on those.) Those books may appear within the assignments, and they're all collected in the Materials tab as well. The course includes (or will download) all the core materials, but some supplemental materials, including books and apps, may require
additional purchases.
How one creates an iTunes U course was not shared, although Apple said that six schools have had access to the new tools and have created over 100 new online courses. We'd like to see Apple open up the tools necessary to create an iTunes U course, just like iBooks Author, such that it would be possible to create — and sell — training courses via iTunes, although that gets back into the single-store debate.
Ironically, the presence of all this information online may reduce attendance in classes even further, something we've heard professors in iTunes U lectures complain about with the ready availability of recorded lectures.
A more speculative question is what will happen — particularly in certain subjects where collaborative scenarios or access to specialized equipment aren't important — to higher education in general if it becomes possible to take most courses online in this fashion. Will the intangibles of a college education — maturation, networking, exposure to opportunities — and the eventual diploma be seen as worth the skyrocketing tuition costs?
An Apple a Day for Education — I'll give Apple this — they don't think small. These apps set a new bar for electronic books and online courses, and the apps are all available for free. The problem is that Apple also wants to own the entire pie, and in the process say exactly what is and is not possible. That's not particularly different from Amazon, which tries to lock works into the Kindle ecosystem by refusing to support EPUB. But at least the far-less-ambitious Kindle format can be converted to from other formats.
Debates are already raging on Twitter about how iBooks Author doesn't allow works created with it to be sold anywhere but the iBookstore, and we publisher types are already trying to imagine how we can justify the extra effort and expense of creating iBooks textbooks for a single retail outlet. Plus, Apple is talking about these textbooks being inexpensive — on the order of $14.99 — which may play havoc with publisher business models that rely on high prices for books that are reused for multiple years. How it will shake out in the publishing world remains to be seen.
On the other side of the equation are the schools — where will the budget come from to outfit students with iPads and to buy these iBooks textbooks? It's not impossible — we know of some local school districts that have had great success with pilot programs for tablets (Android, in this case), both in terms of student achievement and cost savings. But many schools can purchase only state- or district-approved textbooks, and that's where Apple's connection with publishers may be key — it should be much easier for a government entity to approve an electronic textbook if it is simply the electronic version of an approved traditional textbook.


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Our team is passionate about making your shopping experience as engaging and as enjoyable as it can be.
We work to make our website as seamless and user-friendly as possible so that you can find what you need when you need it saving you time and hassle.
We are dedicated to giving you the lowest prices and the best deals in the industry with the intention of creating trusting and satisfying relationships with our customers.
It is our promise to you that we will deliver an experience that you won't forget.


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Undergraduate Majors
Business Communication [Online]*
Undergraduate Minors
In addition to minors in Advertising, Communication Studies, Corporate Communication, Digital Media, Public Relations, Business Communication* and Theatre Arts, students can minor in Dance, Family Studies, Film and Media Studies, Fine Arts and, Health Communication and Music.
*This program for the Business Communication [Online] major is generally open to students who are five years post high school graduation or equivalent and designed to meet the needs of a non-traditional student / working professional. It has a separate application process and requirements different from other majors in the Diederich College of Communication.
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Valve springs are one of the most critical and most overlooked components in your engine. Proper selection of the valve spring begins with identifying the application and selecting all of the valve train components to achieve the engine builders' goals.
The spring is selected to complement the system and must be matched with the entire valve train in order for the engine to reach its full potential. It does absolutely no good to install a cam that will rpm to 8,000 if you do not have the correct springs. Improper selection of the wrong valve spring is one of the most common causes of engine failure. Other common causes are the incorrect installation and improper handling of the valve springs.
Selecting a Spring
1. Use only the valve springs that will give the correct spring pressure with the valve both on the seat and at maximum lift.
2. The outside diameter of the recommended valve spring may require that the spring pocket of the head be machined to a bigger size.
3. One of the easiest and sometimes most costly mistakes made in racing engines is not positively locating the spring. A valve spring that "dances" around on the cylinder head or retainer causes harmful harmonics and excessive wear. A spring that is forced onto a retainer is likely to fail at that coil. That is why suppliers carry such a large selection of steel and titanium retainers, hardened steel spring seat cups and I.D. locators to better match the springs. A spring that is contained properly at the retainer and the cylinder head will offer the longest possible service life.
Proper Spring Handling
1. Handle springs with care. Never place in a vise, grab with pliers or hit them with a hammer. This will damage the surface of the spring, which will cause a spring to fail.
2. When separating double or triple springs, use only a durable plastic object that cannot harm the shot-peened surface of the spring. Never use a tool or hard metal object like a screwdriver.
3. Valve springs are shipped with a rust preventative coating that should remain on the spring throughout engine assembly. Do not clean springs with acidic or evaporative cleaners. This causes rapid drying and promotes the formation of rust on the surface, which can cause catastrophic failures. Even a slight amount of corrosion can grow to be a problem.
4. When installing springs, use an assembly spray such as COMP Cams Valve Train Assembly Spray to ease assembly and improve the life of the spring.
Checking Loads
1. COMP Cams has matched each set of springs for load consistency. A variance of + or -10% is acceptable for new springs.
2. When checking the spring loads on a load tester measure and note the thickness of the retainer where the outer spring sits. Assemble the retainer on the spring and place on the base of the spring checker.
3. Compress the spring to the desired installed height. This is the measurement between the top of the spring (on the bottom side of the retainer where the outer spring sits) and the bottom of the spring on the base.
NOTE: Since the retainer is installed in the spring when checking the spring loads, make certain that the thickness of the retainer is not included when calculating the installed height and is accounted for when compressing the spring. The spring load checker will show to be higher with the spring installed at the correct height.
1. Before installing the spring on the cylinder heads, check the installed spring height (Diagram A). This is the distance from the bottom of the retainer to the surface where the spring rests on the head. The valves, retainers and valve locks will be used in this step. First, install the valve in the guide, then install the retainer and valve locks. Pull the retainer tightly against the valve locks while holding the valve assembly steady.
Measure the distance between the spring seat and the outside step of the retainer using your height micrometer or a snap gauge and a pair of calipers. Repeat this procedure for all the valves and record your Information. After you have measured all the valves, find the shortest height. This will become the spring's installed height on your heads. If your combination includes a dual or triple spring assembly, it will be necessary to allow for the inner steps of the retainer.
2. Once you have determined the shortest installed height, it will be necessary to use shims to obtain this height (±.020" is acceptable) on the remaining valves.
3. Before removing the retainers, measure the distance from the bottom of the retainer to the top of the valve seal (Diagram B). This distance must be greater than the lift of the valve. If not, the guide must be machined. This is a very common cause of early camshaft failure.
4. Once the valve springs have been installed, it is important to check for coil bind. This means that when the valve is fully open, there must be a minimum of .060˝ clearance between the coils of both the inner and outer springs. If this clearance does not exist, you must change either the retainer or the valve to gain more installed height, or change to a spring that will handle more lift or machine the spring seat for extra depth.
5. Always check for clearance between the retainer and the inside face of the rocker arm. This will be most evident while the valve is on the seat. Rocker arms are designed to clear specific spring diameters, so you should check to see that you have the proper rocker arm/retainer combination. This situation can also be the result of improper rocker geometry and may be corrected with different length pushrods or a different
length valve.
6. To aid in the engine break-in process, spray the springs, rocker arms and pushrods with a valvetrain assembly lubricant.
Breaking In a Spring
1. It is important for new springs to take a heat-set. Never abuse or run the engine at high rpm when the springs are new. Upon initial start-up, limit rpm to 1,500 to 2,000 until the temperature has reached operating levels. Shut off the engine and allow the springs to cool to room temperature. This usually will eliminate early breakage and prolong spring life. After the spring has been "broken-in", it is common for it to lose a slight amount of pressure. Once this initial pressure loss occurs, the spring pressure should remain constant unless the engine is abused and the spring becomes overstressed. Then the springs must either be replaced or shimmed to the correct pressure.
Tech Tip courtesy of Comp Cams.
For additional information, visit www.compcams.com.


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Portable Projector Rentals
Thursday, October 20th, 2016
Many people think of projectors as big, clunky devices. However; modern technology has made projectors capable of being ultra-light devices which can even fit inside of your pocket!Due to their size, portable projectors can be very useful in a variety of situations. If you are a travelling business person, you can make your job easier by getting a portable projector rental. Renting a portable projector will enable you to hit multiple presentation destinations in a shorter period of time because you won't have to deal with the hassle of packing up a heavy projector. However; if you are presenting inside of a large auditorium, you may want to consider getting a large venue projector rental instead.
Portable projectors are not only amazing for business purposes, they are also extremely practical for personal use. It is no secret that projectors are great to have on hand for parties. During this time of the year, projectors are often rented to display horror films at Halloween parties.
Portable projector rentals for family reunions are also a common example of renting a projector for personal use. Having a portable projector at your family reunion is a great way to display family history, and gives family members something to gather around and talk about. You can even use your projector as a way for family members to catch up on everyone's important life events.
Whether you need a projector for business or personal reasons, get a portable projector rental if you want a combination of great display, and the best mobility. For more information, call us at 888-736-8301.
Want to share this story on social media? Use these hashtags! #HalloweenProjectors #MovieProjectors #PortableProjectors #Projectors


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Android HummingBad Malware Back, Now Called HummingWhale
It is an article of faith that Google's Play Store and Apple's iStore are the two safest sources for downloading apps. As good as their security routines are, however, they're not perfect, and sometimes, things slip through the cracks.
The world got a painful reminder of their fallibility last year when a group of hackers managed to infect millions of Android devices by successfully dodging Google's security and uploading poisoned versions of popular apps with a malware program called "Hummingbad."
At peak infection, the Hummingbad app was generating more than $300,000 a month in profits for the hackers.
Once Google was made aware of the issue, it pounced and began the work of identifying the poisoned apps and cleaning up the Play Store to make it safe again.
That worked, but only for a while. The hackers are back with a new and improved version, dubbed "Hummingwhale," which utilizes cutting edge technology and coding techniques to make it even harder to spot and stop.
As before, they've managed to get around the Play Store's normally robust security and get the apps where they can be downloaded by the consuming public. Once again, the money is rolling in as millions of users are now re-infected.
Google is again moving swiftly and decisively to shut this latest strain down, but the trend is impossible to ignore. The hackers are relentless, and their attacks are increasing in complexity and sophistication with each passing year.
One thing we can be sure of is this: even if you and your employees managed to avoid getting infected by Hummingwhale, there's always a new threat on the horizon, and it's only a matter of time before someone in your organization gets careless and winds up infecting one of the devices they use to connect to your business network. With luck, it will only display a few annoying ads, but as you know, it could be very much worse than that.


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Athens, Ga. – The knowledge that bacteria possess adaptable immune systems that protect them from individual viruses and other foreign invaders is relatively new to science, and researchers across the globe are working to learn how these systems function and to apply that knowledge in industry and medicine.
Now, a team of University of Georgia researchers has discovered how to harness this bacterial immune system to selectively target and silence genes. The finding, published today in the early online edition of the journal Molecular Cell, reveals a powerful new tool that has far-reaching implications for biotechnology and biomedical research.
"Scientists study bacteria and other microorganisms to understand essential life processes as well as to improve their use in the safe production of foods, biofuels and pharmaceuticals, and to fight those that cause disease," said Michael Terns, a professor in the departments of biochemistry and molecular biology, and genetics in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. "And now we have a new way to engineer bacteria to decrease or even eliminate the expression of the genes of our choosing."
The bacterial immune system consists of two components. The first is an RNA (a molecule that, like DNA, contains genetic information) that acts as a homing signal to target a virus or another cellular invader. The second component is a complex of proteins that cleaves the invader's genetic material. In a 2009 paper published in the journal Cell, Terns, co-principal investigator Becky Terns and their colleagues were the first to describe how this pathway, known as the Cmr branch of the CRISPR-Cas immune system, works.
In their latest study, the researchers further their understanding of the system and use that in-depth knowledge to essentially hijack the bacterial immune system to direct its homing system to a target of their choosing. Using customized CRISPR RNAs with a modified homing signal, the scientists were able to destroy the message for a protein that is responsible for resistance to the most commonly prescribed family of antibiotics, the beta-lactam antibiotics (that includes, for example, amoxicillin).
Becky Terns, co-leader of the UGA team, explained, "In this study we identified the key features of the RNAs that the system normally uses, and then showed that using this information we can program the system with engineered 'homing' RNAs to destroy new targets. New targets would go beyond viruses and other invaders to include essentially any gene present in the organism being studied. And because we have defined the components of this system, it is possible that we can introduce it into organisms that do not already possess it to further expand the potential industrial and biomedical applications."
She pointed out that most known CRISPR-Cas systems target and cleave DNA. The system that the UGA team studies is the only known example of a CRISPR-Cas system that targets RNA, the molecule that functions as an intermediary between DNA and the proteins that carry out various functions within cells. "Cleaving its own DNA would kill an organism. Silencing specific RNAs allows more sophisticated applications," Terns said.
Researchers could systematically shut down the function of individual genes, for example, to discern the role they play in essential cellular processes. Gene expression could be modified in bacteria that are used to break down plant materials for biofuels or that produce medications, such as insulin, to improve quality and production.
"This detailed biochemical study of a new branch of the CRISPR-Cas defense system-one that targets RNA molecules-has shed light on a powerful weapon in the bacterial arsenal against invading viruses and mobile elements," said Michael Bender, who oversees RNA processing and function grants at the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences. "In addition, by defining the key components of the system, Drs. Terns and their colleagues have set the stage for the development of a new tool for targeting specific RNA molecules in diverse cell types, potentially providing biomedical researchers with a valuable new way to analyze gene functions."
Michael Terns added, "The possibility of exploiting the CRISPR-Cas system in biotechnology has been discussed since its discovery, and this work begins to realize some of that enormous potential."
Additional UGA authors on the paper include postdoctoral researcher and lead author Caryn Hale, graduate students Sonali Majumdar and Joshua Elmore, former undergraduate student Neil Pfister and Associate Professor of Poultry Science Mark Compton. Collaborators from the University of Connecticut are Associate Professor of Genetics and Developmental Biology Brenton Graveley, postdoctoral researcher Sara Olson and graduate student Alissa Resch.
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, including American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.


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9th Class Urdu Dil Nadaan Tujay Hua kia Hai Tashreeh
Class 9th Urdu Ghazal 3 Dil Nadaan Tujay Hua kia Hai اہم اقتباس کی تشریح Notes Free PDF Download Punjab Curriculum
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EILM.COM.PK Notes Class 9 Islamiat Chapters
- Al-Quran – Surah Al Anfaal
- Ahadees Portion
- Chapter 1 – Quran Majeed The Holy Quran(introduction , Preservation and Excellence)
- Chapter 2 – Allah Aur Uss K Rasool Ki Muhabbat Love of Allah and His prophet
- Chapter 3 – Ilm Ki Farziyat o Fazeelat Obligation to Acquire Knowledge and its Excellence
- Chapter 4 – Zakat
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Bossard calculators and converters are designed for engineers, technicians, designers and students involved in the development and assembly of bolted joint.
Online calculators and converters for fasteners
Online converters
The Bossard «Online converters» are used for converting different units of measure, such as lengths, hardnesses, pressures etc. The converters are divided into topic areas to enable the most efficient selection possible.
Online calculators for design / production
The Bossard calculators for design / production are used for dimensioning and implementation in the joining technology.
Online calculators for technical design
Bossard calculators for design are used for dimensioning and designing in the joining technology.
Apps for mobile devices
Bossard Online calculators and converters are available as practical app. You remain mobile at all times. For further information, visit the App Store.
This app contains the following tools:
- Converters: Length Converter, Torque Converter, Pressure Converter, Force Converter, Metric-imperial Units Fasteners Converter, Hardness Conversion
- Geometrical Calculators: Drill Hole Size for Tapped Threads, Pilot Hole design for Tapping Screws, Pilot Hole Design for Ecosyn®-plast Screws, Tolerances for Shafts and Holes
- Mechanical Calculators: Estimation of Bolt Size and Property Class, Disc Spring Calculator, Cost Savings Calculator, Thread Engagement Length Calculator, Torque and Preload with nut factor (imperial system), Torque and Preload with Nut Factor and Tool Accuracy (imperial system), Torque and Preload with Nut Factor and Tool Accuracy (metric), Torque and Preload with Friction Scatter, Torque and Preload for Customized Geometry and Material, Torque and Preload Calculator
The engineering calculators are free to use under the terms and conditions set out under Imprint. The calculators shall facilitate and support you when designing products. The results depend on assumptions you provide. We do not guarantee their accuracy or applicability to your circumstances. For a thorough engineering advice please contact us.


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During summer, the city of Newport, Rhode Island, brings in millions of visitors who want to experience history, mansions, sailing, boutique shops, delicious restaurants and relaxing on the water. One facet of Newport worth exploring is the drink scene. To help you enjoy scenic views, historical cocktails and quality craft beer, here are three of the best spots for a drink in Newport.
Castle Hill Inn
590 Ocean Avenue
Located at the end of Ocean Drive, you'll find a welcoming waterfront mansion with a rich history. While most people know of Castle Hill Inn as a luxurious hotel, many don't realize it's also Newport's most scenic drinks spot. Once you have your car valeted, you can make your way to the hotel's spacious backyard, which features a patio, bar and an award-winning restaurant, as well as a lawn littered with Adirondack chairs. While the drinks are a bit pricey – about $12 for a cocktail, $10 to $35 for a glass of wine and $5.50 to $14 for a beer – you won't be spending much more than you would anywhere else in Newport, and you'll have a great view. Relax with a cold drink while watching sail boats passing by, children giggling and playing tag and calming waves on the waterfront. If you're hungry, you can order from the "lawn menu," which has dishes like "Surf 'N' Turf Burger" ($24), "Native Fish Wrap" with chickpea salad ($16) and artisanal cheeses with jams, almonds, honey and grilled bread ($19).White Horse Tavern
26 Marlborough
While this dimly lit bar may appear unassuming, it's actually said to be the oldest tavern in America. White Horse Tavern was originally constructed in 1652 as a two-story residence. In 1673 when it was acquired by a new owner it was converted to a tavern. For the next 100 years, before the Colony House came about, it was a meeting place for the Colony's General Assembly, Criminal Court and City Council. With its clapboard walls, plain pediment doors and gambrel roof on the outside, and wide fireplaces, giant beams and tiny front hall on the inside it's said no building in the town better resembles colonial Newport. The staff is extremely friendly, and will be happy to show you their international wine or quality bourbon lists. Additionally, this is one of the only places in Newport you can order a Long Trail IPA, a much-loved beer with a golden color, small white head, flowery nose and herbal notes.
Pour Judgement Bar & Grill
32 Broadway
Beer nerds will love this brew-focused venue, which features one of the widest selection of craft beers in the city. Unlike many drink spots in Newport, Pour Judgement Bar & Grill is reasonably priced, with $2.50 Narragansetts, $4 Newport Storm Winter Ports and $4 Peak Organic Nut Brown Ales, as well as other local, domestic and international beers. Not only will you get to sip quality brews without breaking the bank, you'll also be getting to experience local life, as this is a popular hangout for Newport residents. Moreover, staff are friendly and are more than happy to help you choose the perfect beer to pair with your burger, turkey chili or seafood curry.


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Atarax has antihistamine with anticholinergic and sedative properties used to treat allergy. Active Ingredient: Hydroxyzine Availability: In Stock (34 packages) |
Product name | Per Pill | Savings | Per Pack | Order |
60 pills | $0.64 | $38.35 | ADD TO CART | |
90 pills | $0.55 | $7.82 | $57.52 $49.70 | ADD TO CART |
120 pills | $0.51 | $15.65 | $76.70 $61.05 | ADD TO CART |
180 pills | $0.47 | $31.29 | $115.05 $83.76 | ADD TO CART |
270 pills | $0.44 | $54.76 | $172.57 $117.81 | ADD TO CART |
360 pills | $0.42 | $78.23 | $230.10 $151.87 | ADD TO CART |
Product name | Per Pill | Savings | Per Pack | Order |
60 pills | $0.54 | $32.40 | ADD TO CART | |
90 pills | $0.47 | $6.42 | $48.60 $42.18 | ADD TO CART |
120 pills | $0.43 | $12.83 | $64.80 $51.97 | ADD TO CART |
180 pills | $0.40 | $25.66 | $97.20 $71.54 | ADD TO CART |
270 pills | $0.37 | $44.91 | $145.80 $100.89 | ADD TO CART |
360 pills | $0.36 | $64.15 | $194.40 $130.25 | ADD TO CART |
Product Description
Common use
Atarax has a sedative and anxiolitic effect. It is an antihistamine with anticholinergic and sedative properties used to treat allergy. It positively affects cognitive abilities, improves memory and attention. The medication does not cause psychological dependence and addiction. It relaxes smooth muscles, has a bronchodilator and analgetic effect as well as moderately inhibits gastric secretion, it may be used as antiemetic and myorelaxant. Hydroxyzine reduces itching from hives, eczema, dermatitis, etc. After ingestion Hydroxyzine is converted to its active form named cetirizine (Zyrtec). Both hydroxyzine and cetirizine act as antihistamines.
Dosage and direction
A whole daily dosage of 25-100 mg for adults should be divided into several intakes in general practice, in psychiatry daily dose may be tripled. Usual duration of treatment is four weeks. Volume of the dosage should be diminished for aged persons and also in cases of kidney or liver failure. Do not use this drug unless it was prescribed by your doctor.
If such side effects like drowsiness and weakness do not disappear after several days of treatment, the dosage of Hydroxyzine should be reduced. Avoid simultaneous intake with MAO inhibitors. It is cautiously prescribed for patients subjected to arrhythmia or taking anti-arrhythmic medications as well for patients predisposed to convulsions, sick with narrow-angle glaucoma, prostatic hypertrophy, hyperthyroidism. Avoid drinking alcohol during the period of treatment with Hydroxyzine. Drivers and employers whose duties demand high concentration of attention should take the medication carefully in the process of their work.
Hypersensitivity, including one to cetirizine, aminophylline or ethylenediamine; porphyria; porphiria, pregnancy, during labor and delivery, breast-feeding.
Possible side effect
Emergency medical help is required if any of these signs of an allergy are found: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. The medication intake should interrupted. Other side effects may include: sedation, tiredness, sleepiness, dizziness, disturbed coordination, drying and thickening of oral and other respiratory secretions, and stomach distress, confusion, nervousness, irritability, blurred vision, double vision, tremor, loss of appetite, nausea.
Drug interaction
Hydroxyzine strengthens the sedating effect on central nervous system of alcohol and other drugs that can cause sedation such as the benzodiazepine class of anti-anxiety drugs (Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, Xanax) or drugs which belong to narcotic class of pain medications (Percocet, Vicodin, Dilaudid) and others. Hydroxyzine can also intensify the drying effects of other medications with anticholinergic properties so the dose of Hydorxyzine should be reduced.
Missed dose
Never take a double dose of this medication. If it is almost time of the next dose just skip the missed portion and continue to take the medicine according to the schedule.
Hypersedation, tremor, convulsions, spasms, hallucinations, delirium, confusion, hypotension, nausea, vomit. General treatment includes induction of vomit (in absence of spontaneous one), gastric lavage, monitoring of vital body functions. Immediate medical attention is needed.
Store at room temperature between 59-77 degrees F (15-25 degrees C) away from light and moisture, kids and pets. Do not use after expiration term. Keep prepared suspension in a refrigerator during 14 days but do not freeze it, throw away after the term.
We provide only general information about medications which does not cover all directions, possible drug integrations, or precautions. Information on the site cannot be used for self-treatment and self-diagnosis. Any specific instructions for a particular patient should be agreed with your health care adviser or doctor in charge of the case. We disclaim reliability of this information and mistakes it could contain. We are not responsible for any direct, indirect, special or other indirect damage as a result of any use of the information on this site and also for consequences of self-treatment.


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Making life easier not harder
Silvertrees has focused on creating a series of innovative business management tools – these provide:
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This innovative newsletter product from silvertrees delivers the essential marketing tool for all your email and printing needs. Read More >>
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The Business Expo has over 200 Central Coast businesses online. Read More >>


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May 9, 2007
Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Federal Foreign Minister of Germany
Auswärtiges Amt
Werderscher Markt 1, 10117 Berlin
Via Facsimile: +49 30 5000 3402
Dear Minister Steinmeier,
The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the European Union, to consider the Uzbek government's appalling press freedom record during your May 14 discussions on the possible lifting of targeted EU sanctions imposed against Uzbekistan in the aftermath of the 2005 Andijan crisis. As Germany holds the EU presidency, we ask you to take a leadership role in bringing this issue to the forefront.
CPJ research shows that press freedom plunged in Uzbekistan after government troops opened fire on hundreds of protesters in the eastern city of Andijan on May 13, 2005, killing between 500 and 1,000 demonstrators, according to witness accounts. President Islam Karimov and his government cracked down on independent journalists who had reported on the massacre–branding journalists as terrorists and traitors in the state media; driving many into exile; putting several in jail; and purging the country of alternative news outlets. In February 2006, the Uzbek government passed a law prohibiting its citizens from working for foreign state-funded media without accreditation from the Foreign Ministry. Uzbekistan is the region's top jailer of journalists, with five currently behind bars; it is also the world's sixth leading jailer of journalists, according to CPJ research.
Tashkent-based independent journalist Umida Niyazova, who was released Tuesday after an appeal, was the latest journalist to be jailed on criminal charges related to her reporting on human rights and politics. On May 1, Judge Nizom Rustamov convicted Niyazova of illegally crossing the border with Kyrgyzstan, smuggling subversive literature, and distributing with the use of foreign aid material that threatens national security. A Tashkent court sentenced her to seven years in prison. An appeals board at the Tashkent City Court reduced Niyazova's sentence to a three-year suspended term on Tuesday, but a baseless conviction remains on her record. Niyazova–who may not leave Tashkent and must report to authorities regularly–was forced to read a scripted "confession" during her appellate hearing.
Niyazova also spent three and a half months in pretrial detention where, according to CPJ sources, she was forced to undergo daily interrogations that lasted up to 15 hours and was allowed only few hours of sleep per night. Niyazova reported on politics and human rights in Uzbekistan for the independent Central Asia news Web site Oasis and the Uzbek service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; she also contributed to international groups such as Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, and Internews Network.
In addition to Niyazova, CPJ research shows an alarming pattern of government intimidation, harassment, and imprisonment of journalists in Uzbekistan. The cases include:• Dzhamshid Karimov, a former correspondent of the London-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), was arrested and sentenced to six months of psychiatric hospitalization on September 12. Karimov worked for IWPR until the Andijan crisis. Afterward, he contributed to many independent newspapers and online publications. Most recently, he wrote about social and economic problems as a freelancer and contributed to the Almaty-based independent online newspaper Liter. Prior to his arrest, local authorities closely monitored Karimov's activities. After his mother petitioned authorities to remove all listening devices from her house, law enforcement agents set up surveillance equipment in a neighboring building in August 2006, the Moscow-based Central Asia news Web site Ferghana reported. The same month, Karimov's passport was seized by authorities in Jizzakh after he applied for an exit visa to attend a journalism seminar in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. In early April, authorities in the city of Samarkand ordered Karimov's hospitalization be extended for another six months despite doctors' evaluations that the journalist was healthy, according to CPJ sources in the region. He remains hospitalized, and his family is denied visitation rights.
• Natalya Bushuyeva, a Tashkent-based correspondent for the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, has been charged with evading taxes, concealing her income and working as a reporter without accreditation, according to CPJ sources. Bushuyeva is the first journalist to be formally charged under the 2006 Foreign Ministry accreditation law. In addition, the prosecutor's office told the Moscow-based Regnum news agency that Bushuyeva did not declare her income to local tax authorities while working for Deutsche Welle over the past five years. Aleksandr Varkentin, a Deutsche Welle editor, called the tax charge unfounded. He said Bushuyeva pays taxes in accordance with a bilateral agreement between Germany and Uzbekistan, according to international press reports. Bushuyeva fled the country after the charges were announced, local sources told CPJ. The journalist's lawyer, Sukhrob Ismailov, said she faces up to three years in jail if convicted, The Associated Press reported.
• Yuri Chernogayev, another correspondent for Deutsche Welle, was charged on March 27 with "working without a license," under Article 190 of Uzbekistan's penal code, according to international press reports. Deutsche Welle reporter Mikhail Bushuyev told CPJ the broadcaster had submitted the necessary documents to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry and was not aware of an official refusal to accredit Deutsche Welle correspondents. Uzbek authorities previously harassed Chernogayev for his work with Deutsche Welle. In March 2006, the Foreign Ministry issued formal warnings that he not work with non-accredited journalists, according to CPJ research.
• Ulugbek Khaidarov, a former IWPR correspondent and reporter for Internews Network, was arrested on September 14, 2006, on trumped-up charges of extortion and bribery after writing several articles critical of local authorities. Shortly before his detention, Khaidarov published several articles about the unpaid salaries of workers at a local marble factory. After his arrest, 20 police officers searched the journalist's house, seizing books and handwritten notes, according to international news reports. On October 5, 2006, Khaidarov was sentenced to six years in prison following a two-day trial in which the prosecution's lead witness reportedly affirmed the journalist's innocence, according to CPJ. A month later, a Jizzakh City Court judge dismissed the case and ordered Khaidarov's release. While in prison, Khaidarov was transferred to four different detention centers where he was tortured and forced to exercise from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. The authorities continued to harass and threaten the journalist and his family until he fled the country in late 2006.
• Ortikali Namazov, former editor of the state newspaper Pop Tongi and correspondent for the state newspaper Kishlok Khayoti, was charged with embezzlement after he wrote a series of articles about alleged abuses in local tax inspections and collective-farm management in the northeastern Namangan region. Shortly after his trial began on August 4, 2004, Namazov complained that the judge was biased and did not allow him to defend himself. On August 11, 2004, before the verdict was reached, authorities took him into custody. Five days later, the Turakurgan District Criminal Court convicted Namazov and sentenced him to five and a half years in prison. Human rights activist Mutabar Tadjibaeva, who is now in prison herself because of her work, monitored the 2004 trial and told CPJ that the local authorities harassed the journalist's family during the court proceedings, cutting Namazov's home telephone line and firing his daughter from her job as a school doctor. Uzbek authorities have not responded to requests for information regarding Namazov's whereabouts and condition.
• Gayrat Mehliboyev, a Tashkent-based freelance reporter, was arrested on July 24, 2002, for allegedly participating in a rally protesting the imprisonment of members of the banned Islamist opposition party Hizbut-Tahrir. As evidence of Mehliboyev's alleged extremism, state prosecutors presented a political commentary he had written for the April 11, 2001, edition of the weekly newspaper Hurriyat (Liberty). Authorities claimed that the article, which questioned whether Western democracy should be a model for Uzbekistan and said that religion was the true path to social justice, contained ideas taken from Hizbut-Tahrir. Mehliboyev had already spent more than six months in pretrial detention when the Shaikhantaur Regional Court sentenced him to seven years in prison on February 18, 2003. Mehliboyev was convicted of anti-constitutional activities, participating in extremist religious organizations, and inciting religious hatred, according to local and international press reports. The sentence was reduced on appeal to six and a half years in prison. Uzbek authorities have not responded to requests for information on the journalist's condition.
• Muhammad Bekjanov, editor of the opposition newspaper Erk, and Yusuf Ruzimuradov, an employee of the paper, were convicted of publishing and distributing a banned newspaper that criticized Karimov; participating in a banned political protest; and attempting to overthrow the regime. The two were sentenced to 14 and 15 years in prison respectively. Both men were tortured during their pretrial detention in the Tashkent City Prison, which left them with serious injuries, Tashkent-based human right activists told CPJ. In 2003, reporters with IWPR and the AP interviewed Bekjanov in prison while he was being treated for tuberculosis contracted in state custody. In the interview, Bekjanov described torture and beatings that resulted in a broken leg and hearing loss in his right ear, IWPR reported. In 2006, Bekjanov was jailed in the southwestern city of Kasan, according to the independent news Web site Uznews. His wife, Nina Bekjanov, who was allowed to visit him in October 2006, said the journalist told her that he was still subjected to beatings and torture that, among other things, caused him to lose most of his teeth, Uznews reported. Despite several requests, Uzbek authorities have not provided CPJ with information regarding the whereabouts, condition, or health of either Bekjanov or Ruzimuradov. As an independent, nonpartisan organization of journalists dedicated to defending the rights of our colleagues worldwide, we believe that a free press is essential to the development of a stable, sustainable democracy. Independent journalists play a vital role in ensuring that citizens of Uzbekistan are informed about issues of public concern.
CPJ commends the European Union's initiative to formulate a coordinated Central Asia strategy and hold a result-oriented human rights dialogue with the Uzbek government. We urge you to give high priority to discussing the destructive impact of the state's crackdown on independent reporting, which is key to hopes for a strong democracy in Central Asia's most populous nation. Unless Uzbek authorities show the good will to improve their press freedom and human rights record by releasing the above-listed imprisoned journalists, allowing an independent investigation into the Andijan crisis, and permitting journalists to do their job without fear of harassment, strict EU sanctions against the Uzbek state should remain in place. This will send a strong message to Uzbekistan's government that the international community under EU leadership places human rights in high regard when determining its policies. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We await your reply.
Joel Simon
Executive Director


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"It is not life-threatening, but postinflammatory hyperpigmentation may cause substantial psychological problems," wrote a team from Mahidol University in Bangkok. "The treatment of postinflammatory hyperpigmentation is difficult and time-consuming, often lasting many months to achieve the desired results, which causes frustration in patients and physicians," they added.
Some experts have suggested that skin cooling -- which decreases pain and allows the use of higher laser frequencies -- may help reduce hyperpigmentation after laser treatment.
In this study, researchers used laser irradiation to treat 23 Thai women (average age 43) with Hori's nevus, blue-brown pigmented spots on the skin that develop later in life.
"One randomly selected face side of each patient was cooled using a cold air cooling device during and 30 seconds before and after laser irradiation, and the other side was irradiated without cooling," the researchers wrote.
Hyperpigmentation in the patients was assessed before treatment and one, two, three, four and 12 weeks after treatment.
Of the 21 patients who completed the study, 13 (62 percent) developed hyperpigmentation on the cooled side of the face, five (24 percent) developed the condition on the uncooled side, one patient (five percent) developed it on both sides of the face, and two (10 percent) did not have any hyperpigmentation.
The cooled sides were also three times more likely to develop hyperpigmentation than the uncooled sides, the authors said. Most cases developed two weeks after treatment. All but one of the cases were completely resolved 12 weeks after treatment.
The study was published in the September issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology.
HealthDay News, September 18, 2007


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Thai Vegetable Stir-Fry
- Rice
- 3 cups (750 mL) uncooked instant brown rice
- 2¼ cups (550 mL) water
- Coconut Sauce
- 1 cup (250 mL) lite coconut milk (shake before opening)
- 1½ tbsp (22 mL) Asian Seasoning Mix
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch
- Vegetables & Toppings
- 3 medium carrots, peeled
- 2 medium yellow squash
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1½ cups (375 mL) frozen shelled edamame, thawed
- 1 tsp (5 mL) canola oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup (50 mL) fresh basil leaves
- ⅓ cup (75 mL) lightly salted dry roasted peanuts
Combine the rice and water in the Rice Cooker Plus; microwave, covered, on HIGH for 12 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut sauce ingredients and set them aside.
Using the Veggie Strip Maker, grate the carrots, squash, and zucchini into long strips (avoid grating and including the seeds from the zucchini and squash ) over the large Glass Mixing Bowl (see Cook's tips).
Cut off the ends of the bell pepper. Cut the pepper into four pieces and remove the seeds; cut those pieces in half. Slice the bell pepper with the Spiral & Slice over the mixing bowl. Add the edamame to the bowl; toss the vegetables thoroughly with the Large Chef's Tongs.
Heat the oil in the Executive Nonstick Stir-Fry Skillet or the Stainless Steel 12" (30-cm) Covered Skillet over medium heat for 3–5 minutes. Press the garlic into the skillet with a Garlic Press; cook and stir 30–45 seconds or until fragrant. Whisk the coconut sauce and add it to the skillet and stir until thickened (less than 1 minute).
Add the vegetables to the skillet; toss well to coat. Cook, uncovered, 3–6 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften and the mixture is heated through, stirring frequently.
Place the basil in a 1-Cup Prep Bowl and snip it with the Professional Shears. Chop the peanuts with the Food Chopper. Remove the skillet from the heat. Top the mixture with the basil and peanuts. Serve immediately over the cooked rice.
- 6 servings of ½ cup/125 mL rice and 1 cup/250 mL vegetables
Nutrients per serving:
Calories 380, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 280 mg, Carbohydrate 52 g, Fiber 7 g, Protein 15 g


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Lux Collections Bath Mat Rug 4 Piece Set (17" X 24" | 20" X 20" | 21" X 34" | 24" X 40")
by Better Trends
Give your bathroom a contemporary update with the plush reversible bathroom rugs. The Solid bath rug is incredibly soft to the touch and feels comfortable under the feet. Easy to coordinate with any kind of bathroom décor. This stunning Lux Collection is made of 100% Cotton Tufted Reversible Bath Mat Rug in Solid Race Track Pattern. It is soft, plush, thick, double sided and super absorbent. The Lux Collection is easy to maintain and is machine washable. Lux Collection is available in a number of colors, shapes and sizes. Available sizes 4 Piece Set (17" x 24" | 20" x 20" | 21" x 34" | 24" x 40")
This item is shipped by a third party.
Expedited shipping is not available for this item.
This item cannot be shipped outside of the United States.
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Free exchanges within 60 days of purchase, excluding final sale items.
Our goal is your complete satisfaction! If we have not delighted you, unworn, unwashed or defective merchandise may be exchanged or returned within 60 days of ship date. We are happy to process an exchange at no additional shipping expense for a new size, color, or different item. If you prefer to return, you will receive a refund of the purchase price (less shipping and prepaid return label charges). A refund or exchange will not be processed for products that do not meet exchange or refund criteria, are received after 60 days from the original ship date, or are designated as final sale product.
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Nestled between the Fifth Street Public Market and the Whitaker District lies Skinner's Butte Park , one of the gems of Eugene. Steeped in history and blessed by abundant natural beauty, it's a unique place and worth experiencing. Running from the Willamette River at its northern boundary, to the Butte itself at the southern boundary, the park consists of over 100 acres, popular with residents and tourists alike, for a myriad of uses, ranging from:
- A pretty place to enjoy a picnic
- A workout while rock climbing or hiking
- A fun playground for the kids
- A place to soak in the vistas of Eugene
- Where to see the birth spot of Eugene
- Trails to bike or walk by the Willamette River
- And even a place to grow your own vegetables.
Skinner's Butte has been around forever, or close to it, namely millions of years. More recently, within the last 200 years, it is best known as the birthplace of Eugene. More utilitarian uses, such as rock quarrying *, have also befallen it, but not recently. The City's Parks Department now has a Skinner Butte Park Masterplan, which should make it even more special over upcoming years.


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The LGBTQ+ community has long celebrated self-expression with drag shows featuring performers in costumes and makeup, impersonating men or women. Witness the popularity of the Emmy Award-winning RuPaul's Drag Race. But Republican legislators in Florida, Arizona, Texas and other states are trying to crack down, with proposals to ban minors from drag shows.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suggested he could order his state's child protective services department to investigate parents who take their children to such performances.
"We have laws against child endangerment," DeSantis said during a news conference in Fort Myers Beach last week, after a video of children attending a drag bar in Dallas surfaced. "They were putting money in the underwear, and that is totally inappropriate," he said. "That is not something that children should be exposed to."
Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini takes it even farther, proposing to terminate the parental rights of adults, and make it a felony if they bring their children to watch a drag show.
Bryan Slaton, a Republican state representative in Texas, said he would also propose a bill banning drag shows where minors are present. "Perverted adults are obsessed with sexualizing young children," he complained in a statement.
In Arizona, Republicans say they're also alarmed. "If men want to dress as women, and if adults want to participate in watching these hyper-sexualized performances, they have the freedom to do so. It crosses the line when kids are subjected to these drag shows," they wrote in a joint statement, adding that they send a message of "complete and utter perversion" to children.
Arizona state Sen. Vince Leach told NPR he has heard more and more from parents complaining about drag shows witnessed by children, and he is now drafting legislation to do something about it.
"It's a drag on society," Leach said in a phone call this week. "These performers are, in my view, disgusting." He says he's disturbed by newspaper photos of kindergarteners "stuffing bills into panties" at drag performances. "These are kids looking at something they'll never be able to get out of their minds. We don't allow kids into strip joints, we don't allow them into X-rated movies ... so it's foreign to me why we allow this to go on."
Across the country, the heat is on for drag performers, especially during Pride Month.
Last weekend, West Palm Beach's "Pride on the Block" event canceled its planned drag show after Canadian police reported a 17-year-old made anti- LGBTQ comments online and threatened to shoot people at the event.
In California last weekend, a group of men allegedly part of the far-right Proud Boys disrupted a storytimeevent at the San Lorenzo library. Kyle Chu, whose drag name is Panda Dulce, was about to read to preschool and kindergarten children. Wearing shirts emblazoned with an AK-47, the men shouted homophobic and transphobic threats.
"The Proud Boys yelled 'who brought the tranny?' and started hurling insults, calling me a pedophile and a groomer," Chu told Teen Vogue. "To be confronted with bigots that are deeply misinformed about who you are and what you stand for, it's terrifying."
A security guard quickly escorted out the group, and Chu went on to read to the children. The Alameda County Sheriffs office has opened a hate crime investigation.
In response to DeSantis' comments, his gubernatorial rival, Democrat Nikki Fried, announced she supports drag shows.She told the website Florida Politics, "If a parent wants to take their kids to a drag show, that's on the parents. And it's entertainment. The kids are not turning gay because they went to a drag show."
During a civil rights conference, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel reportedly described complaints about children exposed to drag queens as "fake issues" that are dividing people. The Detroit News quoted heras saying that drag queens lift children up when they are having emotional issues. Nessel, the state's first openly gay person elected to statewide office jokingly called for a drag queen for every school. "Drag queens make everything better," she said. "Drag queens are fun."
TV talk show host Andy Cohen tweeted, "I'd take my kids to a drag show before taking them to a gun show." And comedian, actor, singer and author Randy Rainbow posted this tweet: "I'm introducing a bill to protect drag queens from children."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Why the Chick-fil-A Boycott is Really about Jesus
If you're like me, you're weary of the excessive politicization of nearly everything in American culture.
Can't we just enjoy Oreo cookies without making a statement about gay rights? Or savor a chicken sandwich without fear of being labeled a hater or homophobe?
Though I'm weary of our culture's tendency to politicize everything, I believe this Chick-fil-A boycott has revealed some fault lines in our culture that will lead to increasing pressure upon Christians who uphold the sexual ethic described in the New Testament. Furthermore, in listening to the mayors of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, it's clear to me that – political posturing aside – this discussion may not be about the alleged homophobia of Chick-fil-A's president but the actual Christophobia of the leaders of the cultural elite.
Christophobia? Isn't that a strong word? Yes, it is. So let's define our terms.
First, let's define homophobia. According to the Anti-Defamation League, homophobia is "the hatred or fear of homosexuals – that is, lesbians and gay men – sometimes leading to acts of violence and expressions of hostility."
Consider the comments made by Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy that triggered this escapade:
"We are very much supportive of the family – the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that. We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."
That's it. Cathy said, basically, "We believe in the traditional family." In context, it appears he was speaking primarily about divorce. (What's next? A sit-in protest led by divorcees?) But this was enough to bring down the wrath of gay-rights advocates upon Cathy and the company.
Though Chick-fil-A hires homosexuals and serves homosexuals ("with pleasure," no doubt), the company and its president were suddenly labeled "homophobic" and "anti-gay" for articulating the traditional vision for marriage that has been the norm for thousands of years. If the word homophobic has any meaning, then we should reserve it for egregious offenses against homosexuals – not throw the label on anyone who has a conviction about what marriage is.
Now let's define Christophobia. It is "anti-Christian sentiment expressed as opposition to Christians, the Christian religion, or the practice of Christianity." When the mayors of prominent U.S. cities in the north and west told Chick-fil-A they would not be welcome there, they were making a statement that goes beyond one's position on gay rights. These remarks were an example of social ostracism – not just toward those who hold to traditional views on marriage but especially Christians who hold these views and seek to practice their religion accordingly.
Why do I think they were singling out Christians? Why would this be an example of Christophobia?
Consider a different scenario. What if Dan Cathy were a Muslim? What if he had been a Muslim speaking to an Islamic news organization when he said something about marriage and family? Would there have been an outcry against his organization? It's doubtful. I can't imagine Rahm Emanuel taking on a prominent, well-respected Muslim businessman, no matter what he would say about marriage and sexuality. (Perhaps that's why Emanuel has no problem partnering with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan – an outspoken critic of gay marriage – in a crime-reducing initiative.)
And therein lies the discrimination. Do you see the double standard? Those who are problematic, those who must be shut down and made to feel unwelcome, are not really the people who believe in traditional marriage but conservative Christians who seek to practice the tenets of their faith in the public sphere.
What we are seeing today is a massive cultural shift that permits leaders to label Christians as intolerant and bigoted simply for expressing their views about how society should function. But strangely enough, the same social ostracism and cultural condescension are not extended to Muslims and faithful adherents to other religions. No, the prejudice appears to be directed toward Christians who dare to speak publicly about their deeply held religious convictions.
That's why, at the end of the day, this conversation isn't really about marriage, gay rights, or restaurant permits. It's not about the cultural divide between north and south, liberal and conservative.
It's about Jesus. It's about the radical sexual ethic He put forth in His teaching – a moral zealousness that hits our current culture's sexual permissiveness head-on. And it's about His forgiveness offered to all sexual sinners, so long as we agree with Jesus about our sin and embrace Him instead.
As weary as we may be of the culture wars, the Chick-fil-A controversy is a harbinger of further ostracism to come. In the United States, the words of Jesus are coming to pass for those who hold tightly to His vision of sexuality: You will be hated because of Me.
So how should we respond? We've got to go beyond boycotts and political statements and feigned offense at perceived persecution. We're called to love those who ostracize us, not boycott back. So let's trumpet the message that Jesus is for all kinds of sinners, from the self-righteous deacon to the promiscuous transsexual, no matter what kind of vitriol comes our way.
The world tells homosexuals, "It gets better." The church tells homosexuals, "Jesus is better."
And that is why this boycott is really about Him.


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