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To resolve a dispute over the ownership of certain lands, California seeks to invoke this Court's original jurisdiction in an action to quiet title against Arizona and the United States, both of which contend that the United States has not consented to be a defendant and that therefore California's motion for leave to file a bill of complaint must be denied. Title 28 U.S.C. 2409a (a) permits the United States to be named as a defendant in an action to adjudicate a disputed title to real property in which the United States claims an interest other than a security interest or water rights; and 28 U.S.C. 1346 (f) gives the federal district courts "exclusive original jurisdiction" of actions under 2409a to quiet title to real property in which an interest is claimed by the United States. Held: Under 2409a (a), the United States has waived its sovereign immunity to suit in this case, and hence there is no bar to the suit. The legislative history of 1346 (f) shows no intent by Congress to divest this Court of jurisdiction over such actions in cases otherwise within its original jurisdiction, an attempt that would raise grave constitutional questions. The section did no more than assure that such jurisdiction was not conferred upon the courts of any State. Pp. 65-68.
STEWART, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.
Allan J. Goodman, Deputy Attorney General of California, argued the cause for plaintiff. On the motion for leave to file a complaint were Evelle J. Younger, Attorney General, N. Gregory Taylor, Assistant Attorney General, and Russell Iungerich, Deputy Attorney General, and on the reply to the brief in opposition and response to the motion were Messrs. Younger, Taylor, and Goodman.
Russell A. Kolsrud, Assistant Attorney General, argued the cause for defendant State of Arizona. With him on the briefs were John A. LaSota, Jr., Attorney General, and Anthony B. Ching, Assistant Attorney General. [440 U.S. 59, 60]
Louis F. Claiborne argued the cause for the United States. On the response to the motion was Solicitor General McCree.
MR. JUSTICE STEWART delivered the opinion of the Court.
Since the admission of California to the Union in 1850, the southeastern boundary of the State has been the middle of the channel of the Colorado River. Act of Sept. 9, 1850, 9 Stat 452. Neither the Gadsden Purchase in 1853 nor the admission of Arizona to statehood in 1912 changed the location of this 229-mile border. The location of the river did change, however, from causes both natural and artificial. These shifts created confusion about the location of the political boundary between California and Arizona. This problem was resolved through an interstate compact, ratified by the Congress in 1966. 1 The Compact fixed the boundary by stations of longitude and latitude, divorced from the continuing shifts of the Colorado River.
California has taken the position, however, that the Compact settled only questions of political jurisdiction, not questions of ownership of real property, since, under the "equal-footing doctrine," California holds title to all lands beneath the navigable waters within its boundaries at the time of its admission to the Union. Pollard's Lessee v. Hagan, 3 How. 212, 219. See Oregon ex rel. State Land Bd. v. Corvallis Sand & Gravel Co., 429 U.S. 363 . In the early 1970's the California State Lands Commission made a study of a stretch of 11.3 miles along the river to determine what land California owns. Both Arizona and the United States have a direct interest in such a determination. Arizona, of course, has the same rights under the equal-footing doctrine as does California. The United States is the principal riparian owner in this region, and determination of the width and location of the old riverbed thus will necessarily affect its [440 U.S. 59, 61] property interests. California has presented the determinations of its Lands Commission to both Arizona and the United States; neither has acquiesced in the Commission's conclusions.
California seeks to invoke the Court's original jurisdiction in this suit to quiet title to the lands it claims, and thus resolve its dispute with Arizona and the United States. 2 To sue Arizona, it relies on 28 U.S.C. 1251 (a), which confers on this Court "original and exclusive jurisdiction of . . . [a]ll controversies between two or more States." To sue the United States, it relies on 28 U.S.C. 1251 (b), which confers on this Court "original but not exclusive jurisdiction of . . . [a]ll controversies between the United States and a State." Both these heads of original jurisdiction find their source in Art. III, 2, of the Constitution: "In all Cases . . . in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction."
It is undisputed that both Arizona and the United States are indispensable parties to this litigation, and it is California's need to sue both Arizona and the United States that creates the problem before us. Specifically, Arizona and the United States contend that the United States has not agreed to be a defendant in a quiet-title action in this Court Yet this is the only federal court in which California can sue Arizona, because Congress has conferred upon it "original and exclusive jurisdiction" (emphasis added) over controversies between States. 28 U.S.C. 1251 (a) (1).
It is settled that the United States must give its consent to be sued even when one of the States invokes this Court's original jurisdiction:
The suit, then, could not be maintained in any court. This Court could not hear the claims against the United States because it has not waived its sovereign immunity, and a district court could not hear the claims against Arizona, because this Court has exclusive jurisdiction over such claims. To resolve this asserted dilemma, the Solicitor General has made an undertaking on behalf of the United States. He has agreed that, if California is granted leave to file its complaint in this Court against Arizona, the United States will intervene with respect to the controversy over part of the area in question. 4 Because, however, we have concluded that the United States has already waived its sovereign immunity to suit in this case, we need not assess the wisdom or validity of the Solicitor General's suggestion.
In 1972 Congress passed Pub. L. 92-562, 86 Stat. 1176. The Act made two relevant changes in Title 28 of the United States Code. 5 First, it created a new 2409a. 6 Subsection (a) of this new section provides:
The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is conferred not by the Congress but by the Constitution itself. This jurisdiction is self-executing, and needs no legislative implementation. Kentucky v. Dennison, 24 How. 66, 96; Florida v. Georgia, 17 How., at 492; Martin v. Hunter's Lessee, 1 Wheat. 304, 332. It is clear, of course, that Congress could refuse to waive the Nation's sovereign immunity in all cases or only in some cases but in all courts. Either action would bind this Court even in the exercise of its original jurisdiction. It is similarly clear that the original jurisdiction of this Court is not constitutionally exclusive - that other courts can be awarded concurrent jurisdiction by statute. Bors v. Preston, 111 U.S. 252 ; Ames v. Kansas ex rel. Johnston, 111 U.S. 449 . But once Congress has waived the Nation's sovereign immunity, it is far from clear that it can withdraw the constitutional jurisdiction of this Court over such suits.
The constitutional grant to this Court of original jurisdiction is limited to cases involving the States and the envoys of foreign nations. The Framers seem to have been concerned [440 U.S. 59, 66] with matching the dignity of the parties to the status of the court:
Happily, we need not decide this constitutional question, for the statute in question can readily be construed in such a way as to obviate it. In so construing the statute, we no more than follow the long practice of the Court to forgo the resolution of constitutional issues except when absolutely necessary. "When the validity of an act of the Congress is drawn in question, and even if a serious doubt of constitutionality is raised, it is a cardinal principle that this Court will first ascertain whether a construction of the statute is fairly possible by which the question may be avoided." Crowell v. Benson, 285 U.S. 22, 62 .
The legislative history of 1346 (f) is sparse, but the intent of Congress seems reasonably clear. The congressional purpose was simply to confine jurisdiction to the federal courts and to exclude the courts of the States, which otherwise might be presumed to have jurisdiction over quiet-title suits against the United States, once its sovereign immunity had been [440 U.S. 59, 67] waived. Charles Dowd Box Co. v. Courtney, 368 U.S. 502 ; Claflin v. Houseman, 93 U.S. 130, 136 . 7 The legislative history shows no intention to divest this Court of jurisdiction over quiet-title actions against the United States in cases otherwise within our original jurisdiction. We find, therefore, [440 U.S. 59, 68] that 1346 (f), by vesting "exclusive original jurisdiction" of quiet-title actions against the United States in the federal district courts, did no more than assure that such jurisdiction was not conferred upon the courts of any State.
For these reasons we conclude that there is no bar to this original suit in the Supreme Court between California as plaintiff, and Arizona and the United States as defendants. 8 Accordingly, the motion of California for leave to file its complaint is granted, and the defendants are allowed 45 days in which to answer or otherwise respond.
[ Footnote 2 ] California points out that other title questions may arise along the entire stretch of the California-Arizona border. It urges the Court to retain jurisdiction of this case for adjudication of these potential additional controversies. We leave that suggestion for a later date.
[ Footnote 3 ] Federal Rule Civ. Proc. 19 (a) provides that a person is to be joined in an action if "(1) in his absence complete relief cannot be accorded among those already parties, or (2) he claims an interest relating to the subject of the action and is so situated that the disposition of the action in his absence may (i) as a practical matter impair or impede his ability to protect that interest or (ii) leave any of the persons already parties subject to a substantial risk of incurring double, multiple, or otherwise inconsistent obligations by reason of his claimed interest." Rule 19 (b) provides that when a person described by Rule 19 (a) cannot be joined, "the court shall determine whether in equity and good conscience the action should proceed among the parties before it, or should be dismissed, the absent person being thus regarded as indispensable." Rule 9 (2) of this Court provides: "The form of pleadings and motions in original actions shall be governed, so far as may be, by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and in other respects those rules, where their application is appropriate, may be taken as a guide to procedure in original actions in this court." This Court has dismissed cases in its original jurisdiction for want of an indispensable party, Arizona v. California, 298 U.S. 558, 572 ; California v. Southern Pacific Co., 157 U.S. 229, 256 . Here, all three parties have agreed that their interests in the land in question are inextricably linked.
[ Footnote 4 ] The Solicitor General maintains that the Government has a valid statute of limitations defense as to that part of this controversy that concerns the northern 2.7 miles of the 11.3-mile stretch of original riverbed in controversy. He has undertaken to intervene, therefore, only with respect to the remainder of the tract.
[ Footnote 5 ] The Act also included a venue provision, codified at 28 U.S.C. 1402 (d).
[ Footnote 6 ] Title 28 U.S.C. 2409a reads: "(a) The United States may be named as a party defendant in a civil action under this section to adjudicate a disputed title to real property in which the United States claims an interest, other than a security interest or water rights. This section does not apply to trust or restricted Indian lands, nor does it apply to or affect actions which may be or could have been brought under sections 1346, 1347, 1491, or 2410 of this title, [440 U.S. 59, 64] sections 7424, 7425, or 7426 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended . . . or section 208 of the Act of July 10, 1952 . . . . "(b) The United States shall not be disturbed in possession or control of any real property involved in any action under this section pending a final judgment or decree, the conclusion of any appeal therefrom, and sixty days; and if the final determination shall be adverse to the United States, the United States nevertheless may retain such possession of control of the real property or of any part thereof as it may elect, upon payment to the person determined to be entitled thereto of an amount which upon such election the district court in the same action shall determine to be just compensation for such possession or control. "(c) The complaint shall set forth with particularity the nature of the right, title, or interest which the plaintiff claims in the real property, the circumstances under which it was acquired, and the right, title, or interest claimed by the United States. "(d) If the United States disclaims all interest in the real property or interest therein adverse to the plaintiff at any time prior to the actual commencement of the trial, which disclaimer is confirmed by order of the court, the jurisdiction of the district court shall cease unless it has jurisdiction of the civil action or suit on ground other than and independent of the authority conferred by section 1346 (f) of this title. "(e) A civil action against the United States under this section shall be tried by the court without a jury. "(f) Any civil action under this section shall be barred unless it is commenced within twelve years of the date upon which it accrued. Such action shall be deemed to have accrued on the date the plaintiff or his predecessor in interest knew or should have known of the claim of the United States. "(g) Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit suits against the United States based upon adverse possession."
[ Footnote 7 ] This legislation resulted from a title dispute between the United States and landowners along the Snake River in Idaho. In 1971 the Senators from Idaho introduced three bills in response to this dispute. One of the bills, S. 216, waived the Government's immunity to suit in quiet-title actions. As originally drafted, the bill would have created a new section, 28 U.S.C. 2408a, providing: "The United States may be named a party in any civil action brought by any person to quiet title to lands claimed by the United States." Hearing before the Subcommittee on Public Lands of the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs on S. 216, 92d Cong., 1st Sess., 1 (1971). At the hearing the administration opposed S. 216 but offered to propose an acceptable substitute. The promised changes were set forth in a letter from the Attorney General to the Senate Committee in October 1971. S. Rep. No. 92-575, pp. 5-7 (1971). Most of the changes were concerned with the waiver section and now make up subsections (b) through (g) of 2409a. The administration also suggested a change in the bill's jurisdictional section. Rather than simply confer "original jurisdiction" on the federal district courts to hear quiet-title actions against the United States, as the original bill had provided, the administration suggested that the bill confer upon the district courts "exclusive original jurisdiction" (emphasis added). The Attorney General's letter explained the requested change as follows: "Since we believe it is the better policy to litigate questions of the Government's title in the Federal courts, the draft bill provides for exclusive jurisdiction of suits under the statute in the U.S. district courts." S. Rep. No. 92-575, supra, at 7. The administration's suggestions were, for the most part, accepted. There was no discussion of the jurisdictional section in the Report of either the House Committee, H. R. Rep. No. 92-1559 (1972), or the Senate Committee, supra. Nor was that provision the subject of any debate on the floor of either House. 117 Cong. Rec. 46380-46381 (1971) (passage by the Senate); 118 Cong. Rec. 35530-35531 (1972) (passage by the House of Representatives); id., at 35993 (concurrence by the Senate in the amendments made by the House).
[ Footnote 8 ] Arizona argues that this is not an appropriate case for this Court's original jurisdiction, both because of its factual complexity and because it involves only title to land rather than the location of a political boundary. Such considerations are hardly relevant to the exercise of this Court's original and exclusive jurisdiction, and the fact is that several cases decided by the Court under its original jurisdiction have involved complicated questions of title to land. In Massachusetts v. New York, 271 U.S. 65 , for example, the Court decided that Massachusetts did not have title to lands within New York along and within Lake Ontario. In Minnesota v. Hitchcock, 185 U.S. 373 , and Wisconsin v. Lane, 245 U.S. 427 , the Court decided bills brought by States to quiet title against the United States. The Congress had expressly waived sovereign immunity for those suits. Cases in which the Court has entertained actions by the United States to quiet title to lands claimed by the States include United States v. Utah, 279 U.S. 816 ; United States v. Oregon, 282 U.S. 804 ; United States v. Alabama, 313 U.S. 274 ; United States v. Wyoming, 333 U.S. 834 ; United States v. California, 332 U.S. 19 ; United States v. Louisiana, 339 U.S. 699 ; and United States v. Texas, 339 U.S. 707 . [440 U.S. 59, 69]
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Steorn Demo Take Two
As folks have pointed out in the comments section of this blog, Steorn is gearing up for a second demo of their Orbo technology. As many remember, the first demo back in July 2007 didn't go particularly well.
So far the information we have, reported by an anonymous insider over on reddit, is that the demo should take place next week, and that Steorn is in the process of setting everything up at the Waterways of Dublin. The anonymous source has posted photos inside and outside of the building:
Also pointed out in the reddit post is that Steorn is projecting the following video on the side of one of the buildings:
The video contains the following quotes, including the final Jury decision:
"It's a fraud" - Dr. Michio Kaku, ABC News, August 2006
"Powered by Blarney" - Forbes, July 2007
"...prolonged self deception" - Eric Ash, BBC, 2007
"Perpetual nonsense" - The Economist, July 2007
"10 Great Snake-Oil Gadgets" - Wired, November 2007
"...magic fairy powered rotary and magnetic systems" - Engadget, February 2009
"...have not shown evidence of energy production.." - Scientific `Jury`, June 2009
The video teaser concludes with the blasphemies quote, which we've heard a few times from Steorn.
If you are feeling Steorn withdraw and want to read about what has been going on this year, especially related to Steorn's 300 announcement, I recommend checking out Nolan Chart's blog. Nolan is a true optimist, but as you can see from his most recent posts he's beginning to realize the situation the 300 are in.


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Among Us
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Hazel the schnauzer and Wrigley the black lab mix mean everything to Harriet Buscombe. The dogs protect her on her pre-dawn runs around her Champaign, Ill., neighborhood, but mostly they make her feel great.
"My children are grown now and having dogs around keeps me 'still a mom' in many respects," Buscombe said in an email interview. "I always feel a lot better — like all of my problems have lessened — because I have spent times with my dogs."
The loving link between baby boomers like 49-year-old Buscombe and their pets is well documented. Boomers — typically defined as the generation born from 1946 through 1964 — are a major reason why Americans' spending on the likes of food, grooming, kennels, surgery, even souvenirs, is expected to top $52 billion this year.
"Boomers are different, for the most part," said Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Association. "What did they call us? Helicopter parents, because we were constantly hovering over the kids. The kids left home and now we're looking to hover over something else. And so we wind up doing it over pets."
But will the beautiful relationship last?
Pet ownership rates tend to drop among people in their golden years. And boomers are starting to hit retirement age, with the oldest boomers turning 66 this year. The pet industry is already looking years ahead to when aging boomers eventually could be tempted — or forced — to give up high-maintenance dogs and cats because of fixed incomes, smaller homes or physical limitations. Routine veterinarian care alone can run $248 a year for a dog, according to an industry survey.
"I'm in a bit of a conundrum. I want to own a dog until the day I die, but it haunts me to think of dying and leaving a dog I've bonded with without a best friend," said Mike Lewis of Anchorage, Alaska.
At 55, Lewis is healthy, but he is thinking ahead. Lewis and his wife have three dogs now, but he says given his age, he probably has bought his last puppy. If he gets another new dog, it will be an older rescue.
Pampered pets
It's estimated that about 73 million American households keep pets. A report last month from the market research company Packaged Facts found that the generation after the boomers, Gen X, actually has higher pet ownership rates. But the spending habits of boomers — a generation that represents about a quarter of the population — is significant. And boomers do spend a lot, particularly "empty nesters" with children gone from the home, Vetere said.
Boomers — with their desire for flexibility and mobility — are sinking money into products and services previous generations never considered, like automatic feeding devices and litter boxes or pet-sitting services, Vetere said. They often treat their pets like humans, purchasing gluten-free dog food and heated kitty beds. The Nielsen Co. reported in 2010 that boomer households spent $211 a year on pet food, more than any other age group.
In suburban Detroit, Donna Blain has purchased comfy beds for her Yorkshire terrier-Pomeranian mix, Lola, as well as a wicker bike basket with a cage on the top and about 20 dresses.
"Lola likes the attention. Believe me, she likes going anywhere," said Blain, 56. "Does she like getting dressed up? Probably not."
In its report Packaged Facts noted that "pet product makers cannot afford to take Boomers for granted."
Benefit goes both ways
Already, the industry is promoting the benefits of pets for older people. The pet association is a founding sponsor (along with Petco and Pfizer Animal Health) of the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the positive role animals play in people's health.
The group's website touts the role animals have in lowering blood pressure and reducing anxiety.
The pets-have-a-benefit message applies to people of all ages, but the argument might strike a deep chord with older people.
"For us, they bring a really a tremendous amount of joy, you know, because after your kids are gone your house is kind of empty and they're just a lot of fun, good company," said 70-year-old Phyllis Singler, of Philadelphia. She and her 61-year-old husband lead an active retirement with boating and trips to Florida and Europe.
The couple owns two biewers, Natty and Gio, that go almost everywhere they do. And when they can't, they hire a sitter. There's a provision in their will to set aside money so their children can care for the dogs, if need be.
Some researchers caution that the good of pet ownership has to be weighed against the bad. Hal Herzog, a professor of psychology at Western Carolina University, said there are so many studies on the "pet effect" with conflicting results that it remains an "uncorroborated hypothesis." Herzog, author of "Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat" noted, for instance, that the Centers for Disease Control estimated there are almost 87,000 falling injuries each year related to cats and dogs.
"The pet industry has really pushed the idea that pets are good for people and they've ignored the substantial literature showing there's no effect or there's a deleterious effect," Herzog said.
Herzog said pets can have a positive affect — he thinks his cat has a positive effect on him — but that the health benefits have been oversold.
Vetere said claims that pets are some awful tripping hazard or otherwise harmful are "greatly exaggerated."
"I don't see that as being even close to a trade off," he said.


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The duo plan to scale new heights, with their Switzerland-born manager Amelie Lafond, who doubles as their publicist. Da Twinz are now eyeing the movie industry. And why not?
(Sewagudde with, with flashy smile, and Muggaga, surrounded by fans).
Uganda-born Dan Sewagudde and Denis Muggaga, known as Da Twinz, have been performing even since they were young students at Namilyango Junior Church Choir, St. Henry's College Kitovu-Masaka, Namasagali High and at the University, in Uganda. Their latest album "The Fimbo� has tracks punching the airwaves on many FM and TV Stations both in East Africa and in Jamaica.
The duo plan to scale new heights, with their Switzerland-born manager Amelie Lafond, who doubles as their publicist. Da Twinz are now eyeing the movie industry. And why not? Dan Sewagudde alias "Deano� has already hosted Top artistes from North America on the Big Ben program aired every Wednesday on BEN TV on SKY's channel 148 presenting Africa show. The Black Star News's Norman S. Miwambo, caught-up with the duo and their manager recently at an Italian restaurant in London.
BSN: When did you realize your songs were thrilling?
Denis: —As early as our early days at Namasagali High—University and at the Royal wedding and in fact we performed together with Henry Katamba (author of Omutanda affunye omubeezi) on the same stage, which earned us some acknowledgment.
Dan: With our first hit single 'Nafeero' (Baby Chana), this was actually monotonous with CBS FM radio show Kalisoliso and made headlines, then 'Mudomo Mudomo'.
BSN: What is your secret to a long and happy combination?
Denis: We are so entwined with Amelie and we are almost the same person. We are in a brand of partnership—we are the exact opposite of each other. She is an advocate woman—devoted to crack any element that would like to take advantage of us.
Dan: Amelie is moderate and very strict with her—assistance and our assurance is that the skies will be the limit. We are exactly the opposite of the perceptions by many people around us. We take care of the tough stuff and she takes care of the gentle stuff, so it works perfectly for all of us—a united group.
Denis: She is the only person in the world about whom absolutely nobody has anything bad to say. There's nothing bad you can say about her. We are utterly, ideal, wonderful persons. We get all the stick because there's quite a lot you can say about us or her, but she is wonderful.Â
Amelie: They know what they want, they don't need to compete. If you believe in your self, there is no need. So if you're confident and believe in yourself, the competition doesn't come in your way.
BSN: Where are you heading?
Denis: We walk towards success, fan-based artistes through understanding. So we are heading through growing and marching to the International scene. With the cultural attitude we are striving to raise the standard and knowledge, part of which we have achieved some, but we are still hungry and possibly as we have told you the skies could be the limit.
Dan: Presenting an expansion in music by depositing songs from elsewhere that have deep roots of meanings that cater for the entire African continent and the world at large.
BSN: Who is the brainchild of this wonderful idea?
Dan:Â We had to think ahead, then set-up Record label, Music, Visual and TV and so far we have achieved that.
BSN: How do you cope-up with this industry that full of competition and artistes?
Denis: Just ourselves. Not struggle. We do what we want and what we can. We are not working for competition but for our fans. And when one is confident of himself like we are confident of ourselves, we need not to worry of with the so-called competition.
Dan: Our brains are not static, we are dynamic and there is a lot to do and give to our fans. Though, it is a bit complex to bestow the fans with music that touches their souls' concentration. We think that would be our challenge but not fear of competition from other artistes.
BSN: What age group are you targeting?
Dan: Our fans range from 15 years to the elders. Our target is wide—in fact it wider and both categories of age group are our fans.Â
BSN: How and when did you hype-up this idea?Â
Denis: About three years ago, we wanted to put some barriers to those who want to manipulate the artistes. That is the reason we want to be independent possibly with some guidance from Amelie.
BSN: How do you see yourselves in the next two years?
Dan: Oh, in two years, a movie. More albums, right now we are working on a movie, which will be out soon.
BSN: What are the major hurdles you encounter in this industry?
Denis: War of words. Some of those promoters that dictate or decide the sales and who decides for the album to come out. That is what we want to put to a halt to. We have managed to suppress it by recording company—building independence.
BSN: What role are you playing?
Amelie: These are friends whose work I appreciate. And I understand their work. Then I'm their public relations manager is my role. So my major role is to give guidance and advise them where necessary.
BSN: Lastly, what is on your menu?
Denis: Uncut food. What is happening to you on a daily basis in one's life. That is behind the stage, which is unseen on the TV. We have already the new album Fimbo which came-out on October 2, 2006. So, the movie is following and coming soon.
Dan: With Fimbo we went further than the African continent to Latin America by embracing other artistes living here in the UK. Naila Bossa UK-based and Jamaican and Tanzanian Ali Baba and Bushoke respectively.Â
Miwambo writes for The Black Star News from London.
To subscribe to or advertise in New York's leading Pan African weekly investigative newspaper, please call (212) 481-7745 or send a note to [email protected] , "Speaking Truth To Empower.�


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2012-09-10 Happiness in difficult times: The 'giggle factor' is gone. John Helliwell, Economist. International Day of Happiness, March 20.
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun
"It made him happy."
University of B.C. economist John Helliwell is speaking about how his father felt after deciding in 1964 to donate 3,000 hectares of stunning waterfront land on Hornby Island to the world.
The bluffs of Helliwell Park make up one of the brightest emeralds in B.C.'s Gulf Islands. And the land came into the hands of millions because John's father, an accountant, "felt it was too beautiful to not share."
Such community connections are the grist of the international social science of happiness, and John Helliwell has become one of its leading specialists.
The deliriously active 75-year-old was instrumental in inspiring the United Nations this June to declare the arrival of the "International Day of Happiness." It's scheduled for March 20 each year.
Who is more happy? The people of Italy or Canada? Citizens of the U.S. or the Philippines? The residents of Halifax or Vancouver?
Embracing value of happiness
The UN's Human Happiness Report, as well as other research by Helliwell, who is a former adviser to the Bank of Canada and a scholar with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, offers a scientific answer.
It's taken people like Helliwell a long time to overcome what he calls the "giggle factor" associated with global happiness research.
How could an emotion so vague and mushy be so crucial to human prosperity?
Because science backs it up, Helliwell says. Because happiness levels are verifiable through experiment and peer-reviewed research.
Because most economists and captains of finance — fixated on the Gross Domestic Product as the most important way to rank a country's well-being — have been missing the bigger picture.
It's not only the UN that is embracing happiness research, following the example of the tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan with its Gross National Happiness Index. Now, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French leaders and others want to develop their own happiness indexes.
Canada doesn't do badly in the 2012 World Happiness Report, which Helliwell co-authored with Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs.
After compiling a complex variety of international surveys on happiness and social well-being, Helliwell et al concluded Canada's citizens are, on average, fifth happiest in the world. The residents of Denmark came in first — out of more than 150 countries — followed by Finland, Norway and the Netherlands.
These northern European countries all had more of the essential ingredients that make Canadians happy: Decent average incomes, community trust, and a safety net.
How about other countries with strong immigrant links to Canada? The World Happiness Report ranks Americans 11th, the British 18th, Italians 28th, Germans 30th, Indians 94th, Filipinos 104th, and Chinese 114th.
Within Canada, Helliwell has also found strong differences in happiness levels.
Despite the image of the West Coast as a natural paradise, British Columbians are not as content as many other Canadians, particularly those in Atlantic Canada. Even though residents of the Atlantic provinces have lower incomes on average, they are significantly more satisfied with their community than residents of the more rugged, individualistic West Coast.
Helliwell — who has become an expert at the complex statistical ways of measuring our moods, memories and overall life evaluations — wrote in a 2010 paper that a sense of "rootedness" helps make Maritimers more content than high-mobility, high-immigrant British Columbia.
Atlantic Canadians trust each other more than their compatriots on the West Coast, especially young people stuck with stagnant wages in an expensive big city like Metro Vancouver, he says.
British Columbians' do-your-own-thing ethos has its drawbacks. The provincial government's marketing slogan of the past decade — that B.C. is "the best place on Earth" — was "junk," Helliwell says.
"In Kitsilano, everybody is too busy living their own lives to reach out to other people. The sense of community that many have in the Atlantic provinces matters more than your café latte."
Why the GDP is not enough
Speaking from his family's residence on Hornby Island, Helliwell confirms he feels as happy as his pioneering father did about donating a park.
"We're proud of what he did."
Such expressions about the value of sharing and interconnectedness are not empty platitudes for Helliwell. Along with a growing cohort of interdisciplinary economists, Helliwell realizes that orthodox economists fail to understand that a great deal of human interaction takes place outside what is measured by the GDP — which quantifies the market value of all goods and services produced within a country during a given period.
Orthodox economists, by turning the GDP into a kind of Holy Grail, were seeing only a fraction of the happiness picture. In effect, Helliwell says, they over-emphasized human "self-centredness." What about their altruism?
Helliwell's own transformation as an economist started about 20 years ago. That's when he began studying the work of psychologists, who he realized knew a lot more about what makes people satisfied than economists.
"It made me change my view of human nature. It made me reach out more than I would have done."
Helliwell realized people care about more than just the accumulation of money and stuff. To be happy, we need to feel connection, trust and meaningful relationships.
It turns out the United States provides one of the best examples of why the GDP is over-rated.
In the most powerful economy on earth, the GDP has risen consistently for the past 50 years. But, as Helliwell stresses, reported levels of happiness in the U.S. have been steadily declining during those decades.
"Increasing inequality is part of the issue," he says. When the incomes of the elite rise a lot, and "median incomes drop or stay flat, most people don't feel as well off."
Beyond GDP and its distribution among the population, the World Happiness Report points out that unhappiness comes from a social sense of insecurity.
"Poverty, ill health, and deep divisions in the community all contribute to low life satisfaction," the report says.
And a sense that corruption is pervasive, that political and financial leaders are rogues, is devastating to a region's overall contentment level.
What brings happiness?
"A household's income counts for life satisfaction, but only in a limited way. Other things matter more: community trust, mental and physical health, and the quality of governance and rule of law," says the UN report. "Raising incomes can raise happiness, especially in poor countries, but fostering co-operation and community can do even more, especially in rich societies."
Indeed, as declining U.S. happiness levels suggest, affluence can create its own unhappiness.
Obesity epidemics. Drug addiction. Diabetes. Divorce. Depression. Anxiety. The World Happiness Report found them in abundance in wealthier countries.
"Happiness is not just keeping people fed and in front of TV sets," Helliwell says.
In cultures focused on consuming things and services, an ever-increasing standard for happiness can create a sense of envy that is never fulfilled.
In wealthy societies, people can become addicted to short-term pleasure. They always want more. They don't understand long-term contentment, which requires a sense of self-limitation, of feeling one has enough.
For instance, Helliwell has learned from psychologist colleagues that over-eating in affluent societies is hardly a celebration of good fortune. More often, it signals depression.
"Over-eating is one way to act out one's unhappiness. And, when it creates obesity, it just adds to unhappiness."
Friends and relationships
When it comes to the happiness that flows from relationships, Helliwell finds friends on his beloved Hornby Island and among his fellow scullers at Vancouver's Spanish Banks.
"The social aspect is very important. It creates a sense of family."
There is also his community of scholars, thinkers and activists — and his family, including his good-natured wife, Millie, plus two sons, two daughters and five grandchildren. Alas, his well-known brother, David, who won a silver medal in rowing in the 1956 Summer Olympics, died almost two decades ago.
Even though it took Helliwell a while in his economics career to study well-being, it's fair to suggest his interest in happiness grew out of his Rhodes Scholar studies at Oxford University, where he dived into the writings of the Greek philosopher Aristotle.
"I consider myself Aristotle's research assistant."
He has conducted laboratory experiments testing Aristotle's idea about the source of happiness, which the philosopher argued could derive from living a virtuous life, following the Golden Mean.
"Aristotle was saying happiness isn't all about doing the right thing. Nor about eating good food. It's a combination."
Happiness is, in part, a skill — one that people can develop, Helliwell says.
"And having a purpose in life is a part of Aristotle's story. One can find happiness in doing something for others."
Helliwell's growing realization that happiness has to do with connection and altruism has led him to do many "silly things." Like giving speeches around the world in which he leads audiences in kids' songs such as "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands."
He says he gets people clapping "to show the science: A shared experience increases happiness. And a lot of people say you can feel the tenor of the room change."
Religion is also good for creating a sense of connection, he says.
Despite being a largely inactive Anglican, Helliwell says studies show religious people tend to be happier — and much of that has to do with their enhanced sense of community.
In addition, Helliwell joins the Dalai Lama, with whom he is friends, in emphasizing that religious institutions are excellent at teaching people to think about others.
"Everybody needs reminders," he said. One study suggests people are less likely to cheat and more likely to be generous when indirectly reminded of the Ten Commandments.
Some version of the "Golden Rule" — treat others the way you'd like to be treated — runs through every major religion. Such reaching out, he says, leads to the so-called "caregiver effect."
It makes people happy.
Marriage can bring joy
Even though Helliwell, as an academic, is adept at making abstract and statistical claims about the origins of happiness, he doesn't want to lose touch with the state of being itself.
That's why, along with friends and family, he is not shy about singing the praises of his wife, Millie.
"Marriage is a very important source of happiness." Even though some separations seem necessary, he says most studies show a high correlation between divorce and unhappiness.
"Some people heal from divorce, but it is still a failed relationship. Most of the happiness effect related to marriage has to do with having someone to share your life with."
It's why he doesn't hesitate to call Millie a "beacon of light wherever she goes" — someone who takes a genuine interest in everyone she meets, lighting up their day.
In other words, as Helliwell likes to say, "I study happiness. And she lives it."


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Jesus Fernando Liera Cruz, a junior at Sierra Vista High School in Baldwin Park, is being honored today by the California Association for Bilingual Education.
Cruz won the statewide essay contest, earning him a $1,000 scholarship. He will address the association convention at a luncheon in Long Beach.
Read excerpts from his essay in the Highlander Newspapers.
Incorporated in 1976, the nonprofit group in Covina promotes bilingual education throughout California. The association has 5,000 members in more than 60 chapters.


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The other day, I wrote about how I'd like to see airplane flights become social economies as a way to improve and add value to the now-tortured experience. Of course, much of the hassle of flying is in the unfortunately necessary security gauntlet, and others are talking about how to improve that — including the security people running it.
Anthony Williams of Wikinomics points us to an article in FCW describing a successful effort to gather ideas and information from Transportation Security Administration employees through a closed wiki. Williams regrets that we passengers can't join in and I think he's right. There's are obvious reasons why the TSA wiki is closed — namely, security and secrets — but they'd be wise to create a parallel wiki and forum where we, the passengers, could give our ideas and where the TSA people can try out theirs on us.
In the FCW article, Jennifer Dorn, CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration, talks about "rebooting the public square" this way. In a speech, she tells about hearing of the TSA initiative from Kip Hawley, its assistant secretary:
After a great dinner and stimulating conversation, Hawley leaned over and, in a tone reminiscent of the famous scene in the movie "The Graduate," said, "Jenna, I want to say one word to you. Just one word."
"Yes?" I said.
"Are you listening?"
"Yes, I am," I replied.
"Wiki." . . .
TSA's Idea Factory is a secure intranet, restricted to registered users inside the agency. It has become an instant hit. Airport TSOs now share ideas for improving their workplace environment and strategies for making the traveling public more secure. Within a week of its launch, TSA employees had submitted more than 150 ideas, offered more than 650 comments and voted on ideas more than 800 times.
Dorn realizes that this is about more than improving airport security. This is about improving government.
Today, we at the academy are convinced that collaborative technology has the potential to transform government in America, to tap into the expertise of people outside the hierarchy of any single agency or department, to make government more transparent, and to open the door to a broader array of experts focused on solving a particular problem or to citizens who want to contribute to making government work better. . . .
As a public administrator, I believe that the real power of collaborative technology extends far beyond the practical solutions that I've outlined. It is more than a new capability. It enables an entirely new way of thinking about the everyday management challenges of government. The real power of collaborative technology lies in its promise for bringing citizens back to the public square to re-engage them in the work of government and solving the problems of America and the world.
: Back to improving airlines and airports. Brad Templeton, chairman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is filled with ideas. Found via the Lufthansa discussion, where I've not been able to post my comment.


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Poster Sessions
Among the many attendees who gave poster presentations in Boston were about 70 students who competed for Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Awards. About 100 volunteer judges fanned out across the exhibit halls each day reviewing posters. Ten students won Chambliss medals, while another four received certificates of honorable mention.Read More


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Traval Wires reported that Serena Hotels has taken over the operations and management of two new luxury boutique properties in Tanzania, a move that will effectively strengthen its safari circuits and brand presence within premier leisure destinations in the East Africa region. Both properties, the Mivumo River Lodge and the Selous Wildlife Lodge are located within Africa's largest game reserve and a proclaimed world heritage site, the Selous Game Reserve in Southern Tanzania.
Set to open on July 15th 2009, the Mivumo River Lodge comprises 12 superior rooms and 3 premium luxury suites decorated in an elegant African style of a bygone era incorporating local materials from the region. Each superior room consists of a luxurious bedroom and lounge with a private balcony offering an indoor bathroom, outdoor shower and an intimate plunge pool. To ensure privacy and exclusivity, the rooms are spread out and strategically located along the mighty Rufiji River, all with magnificent views of the breathtaking Stiegler's gorge.
The lodge also offers full aromatherapy Spa treatments and a variety of activities including game viewing river cruises, exclusive guided walks, bush picnics, private game drives and sundowner river cruises.
To complement the Mivumo River Lodge is the Selous Wildlife Lodge, a luxury tented camp unit located on the Eastern bank of the Simbazi River, a tributary of the Rufiji, is set to open on 1st August 2009.
The camp comprises 12 tents each of which enjoys outstanding views of untouched wilderness, with scatterings of enormous trees and lush, dense vegetation. It has a dining area and guest lounge overlooking the natural watering hole which is also lit in the evenings for night game viewings. This is all complemented by an outside viewing deck and swimming pool.
This development brings to 23 the total number of hotels, resorts and lodges under the Serena Brand in East Africa.
Contact email@example.com for advise and recommendations if you want to include a stay at Serena properties during your safari before or after your stay at Onsea House in Arusha.


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Home Page Chess Life Online 2012 June US Team Earns Ten Medals in Peru
|US Team Earns Ten Medals in Peru
|July 31, 2012
The 30-person US delegation earned ten medals at the Pan-American Youth Championships in Lima, Peru. The bounty included six golds, three silvers and one bronze. Emily Nguyen even scored a perfect 9/9 in the girls under ten section. The team was coached by head of delegation and captain Aviv Friedman, IM Andranik Matikozyan, Armen Ambartsoumian and FIDE Senior Trainer Michael Khodarkovsky. Congratulations to the players, coaches and parents!
US Team Results (in tiebreak order)
Under 8 Girls
Maggie Ni - 8/9, GOLD MEDAL
Aksithi Eswaran-5.5/9, 8th place
Under 10 Girls
Emily Nguyen, 9/9, GOLD MEDAL
Chenyi Zhao, 4/9, 28th place
Under 12 Girls
Maggie Feng-7/9, SILVER MEDAL
Ashritha Eswaran- 6.5/9, 6th place
Under 14 Girls
Evan Xiang- 5.5/9, 10th place
Kristen Sarna-5/9, 14th place
Shaileja Jain-5.5/9, 13th place
Under 16 Girls
Jessica Regam- 6/9, 6th place
Ellen Xiang- 5.5/9, 10th place
Claudia Munoz-4.5/9, 18th place
Under 8 Open
Tan Nguyen- 8/9, GOLD MEDAL
Roshan Idnani-6.5/9, 5th place
Taran Idnani-6/9, 8th place
Under 10 Open
Trung Nguyen- 8.5/9, GOLD MEDAL
Aravind Kumar-8.5/9 , SILVER MEDAL
Shreyes Kaliyur-3.5/8
Under 12 Open
Jonathan Chiang- 8/9, GOLD MEDAL
Kadhir Pillai- 7.5/9, SILVER MEDAL
Anthony Nguyen-7/9, BRONZE MEDAL
Under 14 Open
Michael Lim-5.5/9, 15th place
Under 16 Open
Arthur Shen- 6/9, 8th place
Sarah Chiang- 6/9, 11th place
John Hughes- 4.5/9, 36th place
Rohith Kaliyur- 3.5/9, 49th place
Under 18 Open
William Fisher- 7.5/9, GOLD MEDAL
Christopher Heung- 5.5/9, 10th place
Miles Hinson- 5.5/9, 11th place
Shaurya Jain- 5/9, 22nd place
Find full results on chessresults.com. Also find personal stories on Claudia Munoz's blog, chesscampeona.com.


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Brother's Cab Services is one of the leading Indian Travel Agency in Chandigarh. Founded in 2000, it is concentrating on Domestic Tours and Travel
Services. We have been operating in the travel Industry for the past many years. With a
view to cater to the needs of Inflow of tourists visiting India with their utmost satisfaction. We have the reputation of being one of the the most
reliable and leading Tavel companies in India. Offering tailor-made tour package of India.
We have established ourselves
as travel agency with both interesting inbound and outbound tour itineraries. We Organize various quality travel arrangements.
We specialize in offering standard itinaries such as Tours in India, Pilgrmiage Tours, Hill station Tours.
We have a fleet of Air Conditioned
and Coaches in excellent condition with trained staff and drivers which take around the tourist the various Historical, Religious, Cultural Places
and cities in India.
This sparkling country is home to many religions. Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikkism and Jainism, which are followed by 25% of the world population, were
born in India. India has rich cultural heritage, not only on the field of architecture which is heart throbbing in nature, reflecting the evolution
of country, but also the cultural value system, that we follow. The consideration 'ATITHI DEVO BHAVAH' prevails in India, where the guests are treated
like God.
India has become the first presences of every
second tourists; to come across in India by reason of its most exotic and elegant places.
read more...


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You know what happens when you have an over abundance of zucchini in the fridge? You pick up more at the store because you forgot that you already had an over abundance in the fridge. That way you can be left with a fridge that is overflowing with zucchini. Now that you're in the predicament that I was in you now have to make a bunch of fun things with zucchini. Well, okay you don't have to do it like I did, but you can definitely do a lot of really great tasting and quite gorgeous recipes with zucchini.
In fact zucchini may just be the most powerful vegetable in the world. It needs a little cape and everything because you can make just about anything out of zucchini. Zucchini noodles, zucchini bread, zucchini spread, im even considering zucchini ice cream and maybe even zucchini infused coffee. I may be getting ahead of myself here with the coffee. But the point is that zucchini is awesome.
Especially in fritter form. They are a lot like potato latkes that I used to have when I was really little. There was this awesome deli when I lived in California called Morts Deli. Man that place was amazing. Me and my mom would always go down there for a quick lunch and usually meet up with my nanny Chachi. To which I wish to express to you who that is, but I'm going to save it for another post.
That deli was like a second home for us, whenever we would go there they would know what I wanted to order every time and treated me and my mom like family every time we went in there. This is the place where I discovered potato latkes. My mom basically taught me how to eat them too. If i remember correctly the process consisted of centering the latke on your plate, then placing a dollop of sour cream on said latke but not in the center on an area that your ready to cut off, then place a slightly smaller dollop of applesauce over the dollop of sour cream and then cram it in your mouth.
My first thought was disgust but once I ate it I was hooked. But with the way I eat now I'm not all that into potatoes. Sure I love the taste of them but they are just too starchy and sugary. Sure I could just have 1 or 2 but to be honest I want like 4 or 5. So with my overabundance of zucchini in the fridge and my knowledge of zucchinis versatility as a mega vegetable I decided to do some research. And It turned out quite a lot of people have made zucchini latkes.
So it was somewhat of a miracle when I saw all of these recipes. Although as I looked I started finding several recipes for zucchini fritters which were pretty much the exact same thing just with a different name. And in my opinion zucchini fritters fits these better than zucchini latkes.
Plus it would be total sacrilege to call these actual "latkes" since they don't have traditional ingredients you would find in a latke. So we will stick with fritters.
- 2 medium zucchini (about 350-400g)
- 2 green onions thinly sliced (12g)
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup (about 1 ounce or 28g) fresh grated parmigiana reggiano (packed down)
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper to taste(make sure its fresh ground black peper)
- Optional: 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- oil for frying (I used 2 tablespoons of walnut oil. Avocado oil or coconut oil would work great too)
- Grate zucchini with a medium sized grater so you get decent shreds of zucchini.
- Add salt and place shredded zucchini in a clean dishtowel and squeeze to get as much liquid out of it as possible. (It doesnt have to be perfect but do try to get as much as you can)
- Once squeezed place back in bowl and add beaten eggs, thinly sliced green onions, almond flour, parmigiana reggiano, and fresh ground black pepper and mix thorougly.(this is where you would add the lemon juiceif you choose to use it)
- Heat 2 tablespoons of yoru choice of cookign oil over medium heat and wait for that pan to get super hot.
- Once oil is shimmering add spoonfuls of mixture in hot oil and fry until golden brown on each side. About 2-3 minutes per side.
- Place on platter lined with paper towels to soak up any grease that sticks to the fritter and serve with sour cream and extra green onions on the side. And if you want to be really traditional you could serve it with sour cream and applesauce both on the side so each person can control how much sour cream/applesauce goes on.


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February 4, 2013
Corridor Conversation: Riviere to discuss global drug, food safety at Olathe campus
Jim Riviere, K-State's first member of the National Academy of Sciences, will present to the K.C. Animal Health Corridor on Feb. 7 as part of the popular Corridor Conversations series. Riviere will discuss the results of an Institute of Medicine study, which he chaired, examining gaps in regulatory systems of developing countries related to global drug and food safety.
Kansas State University Olathe is strategically positioned at the center of the Animal Health Corridor, with Greater K.C. area as the national leader. Kansas City area companies account for nearly 32 percent of total sales in the $19 billion global animal health market. The corridor extends from K-State in Manhattan to Colombia, Mo.
Corridor Conversations are quarterly updates on industry trends featuring national speakers, held at various member institutions throughout the corridor. For more information on the corridor, visit http://www.kcanimalhealth.com
Riviere is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, and serves on its Food and Nutrition Board. Riviere is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, and has served on its Food and Nutrition Board. He is the MacDonald Chair of Veterinary Medicine, a University Distinguished Professor of Anatomy and Physiology and a Kansas Biosciences Eminent Scholar.


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by Yehuda Slutsky
The first 222 pages of the Bobruisk Yiskor Book consist of Hebrew and Yiddish versions of an Historical Monograph by Yehuda Slutsky (deceased). Although similar, the two versions are not identical. The translators worked from the Yiddish version.
Untranslated words are indicated by [...], page numbers of the BYB are indicated in the left margin.
[Page 113]
In The Time of the Lithuanian Duchy
1: The Beginning of Bobruisk
At the end of the Middles Ages to the beginning of the modern era there was the whole region through which flows the River Berezina (Beriozah--in Russian); it was an area of forests and swamps, over which were scattered small, isolated villages. Along 587 kilometers the river flowed through a lowland until it entered into the great Dnieper. As with most of the rivers of European Russia, the western bank, (the right), is higher than the eastern bank, (the left), and the majority of villages which lie on the river bank arose on the western bank--the higher. The entire region was difficult for people to traverse. From the beginning of December until the beginning of April a harsh winter ruled there, snow covered the earth and the rivers were covered with a thick layer of ice. In the fall, frequent rains turned the whole area into a swamp-field, which was impassable. In the beginning of spring, the melting of snow hampered the movement of people passing through.
The forests around the Berezina in those years were full of wild animals and birds, and the whole area was like a paradise for hunters. Especially, the locale was notable for its beavers, which built their nests in the slow-flowing waters of the streams. Their beautiful pelts, warm and shiny, were very highly prized. Hunters also sought the musk gland of the beaver, the male, of which a lot of folk believed in its healing power. After the seventeenth century, the farmers in the county of Bobruisk were obliged to sell the beaver pelts only to the representative of the governor of the city. After several generations of wild, altogether uncontrolled hunting, the beavers became exterminated; however, a memory of them remains in a few geographical names here and there in the area, like the Bobyr River--which is the left stream of the Berezina; the Bobruika River, one of the right streams of the river; and last but not least, the city of Bobruisk.
The Grand Duke Gedimin, who ruled Lithuania in the years 1316-1341, included the Berezina region in his large estate. From that time comes to us the first information about Bobruisk. We read in documents from the 15th to 16th centuries about Bobruisk village-district (Wolost), which is divided into two parts: half belonging to the Vilna region and half to Troki. As with the other areas adjacent to the Dnieper, Bobruisk was obliged to pay taxes into the treasury in cash, mead, and raccoon and beaver pelts.
In 1502, a Tatar gang fell upon Bobruisk and robbed its inhabitants; in 1508, when a revolt broke out in Lithuania against the royalty, with the Duke Mikhail Glinsky I, Bobruisk was ranked among the cities which stood together with the rebels, and the Russian Army, which rushed to the aid of the rebels, passed through the city. The greater part of the citizens of the city and the surrounding area were, according to their language and according to their religion, near to the Russians and their eyes looked toward their brothers in distant Moscow.
[Page 114]
In the year 1511, Bobruisk was given, along with 13 villages in the upper Dnieper region, the right to pay their taxes directly to the treasury and not through the mediation of tax collectors.
In the sixteenth century, Bobruisk was already an established town. Every year a fair came there, which lasted for one to two weeks. A customs station was erected there which was subsidiary to the main station in Minsk and it began to collect tolls from the merchants who wanted to pass through the town on their way from Russia to Poland and Germany. In the customs book of Brisk from the year 1583, Bobruisk is mentioned along with Orshe, Chechersk, and Mitshislev, as one of the customs stations on the Russian/Polish border. Most of the merchandise that passed through this way were the hides of goats and other wild animals.
2. Bobruisk in the Begininning of the Seventeenth Century
In the beginning of the seventeenth century, Bobruisk was already a substantial city in the Duchy of Lithuania, and its population numbered 2,000 souls. In the city was a castle and a royal court," where was seated the Starosta on the part of the government, and he maintained order in the city and entire region. The whole area had approximately 60 villages. The governors were obedient to the Polish-Lithuanian aristocratic family Trizna, which was descended from Volkevisk country folk. They were concerned with the spreading and strengthening of the Catholic religion. They also supported the unia " the of the Fravoslavit faithful with the Roman church.
In the beginnning of the seventeenth century, a group of Jesuit fathers" settled in the city, and the Starosta erected for them a stone church in the center of Bobruisk. From 1611-1613, riots broke out in the city and the surrounding area as a result of the heavy taxes, which the Starosta Peter Trizna imposed on the peasant farmers, and also because of a land feud between the regime and the farmers. Sigismund III, the King of Poland, sent a committee which was to make an accurate inventory of all the fixed assets in the Bobruisk region and their distribution. It is because of the inventory that we have a detailed description of Bobruisk and the nearby hamlets in the year 1639.
The city had at that time a few 409 houses, scattered on 15 streets and 2 alleys. The majority of the citizens were Fravoslavic, who had in their possession three churches. The Catholics had, as mentioned above, a stone church next to a hospital, which had also consistently become of the Jesuits. From the names of the citizens, it is clear that there were no Jews living in the area. However, it is entirely possible that one would have encountered there from time to time Jewish merchants passing through. On the bank of the Berezina stood the castle and royal courtyard of the ruler--the representative of the king in the region. The castle was surrounded by a moat and a high wall, built of oak logs. For the defense of the castle stood ready: two cannons, three grenade-throwers, and 54 guns. The castle occupied an area of 6-7 dunams . Close by to the castle stood the city. In the city were found about 18 craftsmen shops, between them: 3 locksmiths, 3 carpenters, 2 tanners, a blacksmith, a barber-surgeon, a prizerer," a goldsmith, a shoemaker, a baker, and a whiskey distiller. Some of the citizens were occupied in trade, but most of them were farmers, hunters, and fishermen. The city people and the village dwellers paid heavy taxes to the royal court" in money, grains, honey, pelts, eggs, and wood, and they were also obligated to give 2 workdays per week on 30 morgs (about 20 hectares), which was in their jurisdiction, and also to provide wagons for the needs of the castle. The mills and inns were also monopolies of the castle, which had become devoted to leasing to various tenants.
[Page 115]
This heavy burden, to which was added the oppression of the Fravoslavic Church, caused great bitterness among the local population, and the mood of rebellion, which ruled the whole area, did not pass Bobruisk.
3. Destruction of Bobruisk in the Years of the Cossak Revolution and the War Between Poland and Russia
The Cossak rebellion of the Ukraine (1648) found a strong echo in Belarus. The kinship of language and religion and the hostility to the political domination and exploitation of the Polish lords and the Polish church were among the factors which assisted them. The Cossaks, who invaded from the Ukraine to Belarus, were received with sympathy by a visible part of the local population, which in many cities assisted in the killing of the Poles and Jews. The Poles inflicted severe punishment on the rebels and their collaborators.
Among the first cities which joined the rebels was Bobruisk. In the city a division of Cossaks fortified itself under the command of Ataman Podrubsky. Polish divisions which approached the city were destroyed. In the beginning of 1649, the Polish commander Velevich came with 1,500 soldiers, he beseiged the city for about a month, but was unable to conquer it. In February of 1649, there came to his aid the Prince Janush Radzivil, commander of the Polish Army in Lithuania. He approached the citizens of the city with a call to lay down their arms, promising, he would allow the Cossaks, who were stationed in the city, to escape and return to their country, but the beseiged people received his message with mockery. As soon as a reinforcement to Radzivil arrived from Turov, he surrounded the city from every side.
Among the citizens of Bobruisk there was panic, and secret negotiations with the Poles began. On Feb 21, 1649 the citizens opened the city gates for the Polish Army, which invaded the city and captured it. Duke Radzivill ordered his soldiers not to touch the peaceful population, he even ordered the hanging of one of his servants, who had taken for himself a handkerchief from the owner of a house where he had stayed. But he behaved with great savagery with the resisters who had not surrendered. Podrubsky, who soon fell into the hands of the Poles, was the first to be garrotted on a wooden pole, after him, other prisoners were shot to death. A group of Cossaks fortified themselves in a wooden house behind Bobruisk, they were surrounded by Polish soldiers. When the besieged saw that they could not escape, they set fire to the house and were gone in the flames.
The war in the Bobruisk region did not cease. Russia actively intervened, and its armies invaded Polish territory. Bobruisk became one of the important bases of the Polish army, and soon after the Poles were forced to retreat in 1654 from the Smolensk region and from the Dnieper, Bobruisk's standing was all the more lofty. In the spring of 1655, the Russians advanced westward, and the Cossack army, under the command of Hetman Zolotarenko, took Bobruisk and utterly destroyed it, so that in the future there should not be a location for enemy forces to strengthen themselves there."
[Page 116]
The war continued many years--until peace was concluded in Andrusovo in 1667. In truth, already in 1661 the Russians were forced to retreat eastward from the Berezina, but Bobruisk was destroyed, the whole area around it had become depopulated, and only half of its former population remained.
4. In the Age of Polish Decline 1667-1793
The end of the 17th and the entire 18th centuries were a time of decline for Bobruisk, which never returned to its strength after its destruction in the years of revolution and war (1648-1667). Bobruisk was ranked among cities that was released by the Polish regime from paying taxes to the royal treasury. There had hardly passed enough time to heal the wounds, and a new war came to the land of Belarus. In the region in the years 1702-1708, battles had begun between the Swedes and the Russians. Again Belarus underwent days of blood and fire. Cities passed from hand to hand, and both battling sides extorted food and supplies from the local population . They plundered and they destroyed, mobilizing people for forced labor, to build fortifications, pave roads, erect fences and so forth. The armies brought with them epidemics, which caused death in the cities. After this the Swedish army broke to the Ukraine, it left behind a destroyed and destitute land. In 1741, Bobriusk counted no more than 150 houses.
In this era, the area of cultivated land in the whole of Belarus declined, crafts and commerce declined severely. In contrast, the standing of the Polish landlords and patrons advanced very highly. The government gave them substantial tracts of land, as a payment for remaining debts that they owed. They bought fertile soils from the impoverished farmers. Whole cities and villages passed to them. Especially strengthened was the influence of the Radzivill family, which had come into possession of the cities: Slutzk, Niesvizsh, Capulieh, etc.
Bobruisk was one of the few cities in the area which retained its position as a city directly subject to the state. In 1768, again a small fortress was established there. But also in Bobruisk, the influence of the patrons who purchased land in the city and the surrounding area strengthened. In 1776, Bobruisk was among the cities in which the right of self-government was taken away from its citizens. It belonged then to the county of Reshista. In 1789 there were 889 citizens counted in the city. Such was the position of Bobruisk, when it was annexed, during the Second Partition of Poland (in 1793), to the Russian Empire.
5. The Jewish Community During the Period of Polish Rule
We know very little about the lives of the Jews of Bobruisk during the Polish rule. Bobruisk was not one of the famous communities of Lithuania. It seems that a Jewish community did not exist in the city until the end of the seventeenth century. One needs to assume that the Christian citizens of Bobruisk were opposed to the settlement of Jews in the city, and it was only with the strengthened influence of the patrons that there began to crystallize in Bobruisk, as in the other small towns of Lithuania and Belarus, a Jewish community (kehila ). The community of Bobruisk belonged to the upper income district" of the Lithuanian state, which included more than 40 communities in the vicinity of Minsk (besides Minsk proper). Along with Bobruisk, there belonged to this "upper income district: Smilovich, the seat of the Chief Rabbi of the entire district during the 18th century, Ihumin, Borisov, Dolhinov, Gomel, Cholmetch, Paritch, Pukhovitch, Kaidanov, Radoshkevich, Rechitza, et. al.
[Page 117]
In 1766, there were found in Bobruisk 395 Jews, payers of head tax (besides infants under a year). For the sake of comparison, it would be worthwhile to mention the number of Jews, of that time, in the ten communities around Bobruisk:
It is clear that Bobruisk was ranked in those times among the small communities from the number of its citizens.
From the meager records that come to us from the register of the Burial Society of Bobruisk, we find out about a conflict between the Bobruisk community and the Paritsh community, which was subject to her as a sub-community. The conflict was brought up in front of a council of the upper income district" in Tamuz 1778, and Paritsh received certain rights of self-management. We also learn that in Tamuz 1782, it was agreed that the community of Paritsh would open a cemetery in its territory, but half of the payments received from relatives of the deceased who were being brought for burial from the nearby villages and hamlets, had to be reimbursed to the community of Bobruisk.
In a census of 1789 there were found in Bobruisk 281 Jews, which made up 31.6% of the general population. The difference between the numbers of the census of 1789 to the census of 26 years previous can perhaps be explained in that the first census, there were also included the Jews of the villages in which the community paid taxes, while the second census contained only the Jews who lived in Bobruisk.
One can assume, that the Jews of Bobruisk were employed during that period, as were their brothers in Lithuania, in peddling, small business in leasing landlords' property, innkeeping, and milling. But it is very possible, that even then, they has begun to participate in the lumber business. A document of that time shows that in the area of Bobruisk county, there are here many tree varieties deemed appropriate for the making of ship's masts, and the business in them made up a substantial part of the earnings of the local citizens who navigated the waters (of the River Berezina) for transport to the port of Riga. We can also assume that in those days, Jewish merchants and brokers also took part in the trade.
As we see, Bobruisk was in the last period of the Polish rule a small community in a small city, in an impoverished corner of Lithuania. The growth in the importance of the Bobruisk community happened in the era when the Russian Tsars ruled in this region.
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text:
Native Plants
Welcome to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's collection of 82,857 plant images.
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or publication. All images are copyrighted and are the property
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Platanus occidentalis
Platanus occidentalis L.
American Sycamore, Eastern Sycamore, American Plane Tree, Plane Tree, Buttonwood, Buttonball Tree
Platanaceae (Plane-tree Family)
USDA Symbol: PLOC
Image InformationPhotographer: Schwartzman, Steven
City: Lakeway
County: Travis
State: TX
Location Notes: Hamilton Greenbelt
Accession date: 2010-06-23
Filename: SS1_IMG0140.JPG
Slide Index: Platanus occidentalis Seed Balls 7768.tif
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Collection: Wildflower Center Digital Library
Original Format: digital
Orientation: Portrait
Shot: Seed balls on bare stems.
Date Taken: 2006-01-08
NPIN Image Id: 27656
Image VerificationThis image has been verified.
By: Joseph A. Marcus
Date: 2009-08-20
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text:
Woohoo! The Blur App Chronicles the Long History of the British Alt-Rock Band
Posted by Carter Dotson on July 25th, 2012
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Know about the band Blur? They're most famous in America for that one 2:02 song that goes "Woohoo!" and then has a bunch of otherwise indecipherable singing? It was all over rock radio in the 90's and shows up in movie trailers to this day. Well, they've been producing music besides the aformentioned "Song 2" for almost a quarter-century now, and there's a new app, appropriately titled The Blur App, to celebrate their lengthy career.
Check out an incredibly exhaustive discography in the Music section that shows off pretty much every single physical release of Blur music ever released. There's links to buy tracks where available. A music player with samples of live and rare tracks is there too There's videos featuring interviews and live concert footage from all throughout the band's history. This is all available in a timeline format that features photos, clippings, and even notable setlists from live performances with anecdotes from the band.
The Blur App
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-07-23 :: Category: Game


text:
getpass, getpassphrase - read a string of characters without echo
#include <stdlib.h> char *getpass(const char *prompt);
char *getpassphrase(const char *prompt);
#include <unistd.h> char *getpass(const char *prompt);
The getpass() function opens the process's controlling terminal, writes to that device the null-terminated string prompt, disables echoing, reads a string of characters up to the next newline character or EOF, restores the terminal state and closes the terminal.
The getpassphrase() function is identical to getpass(), except that it reads and returns a string of up to 257 characters in length.
Upon successful completion, getpass() returns a pointer to a null-terminated string of at most 9 bytes that were read from the terminal device. If an error is encountered, the terminal state is restored and a null pointer is returned.
The getpass() and getpassphrase() functions may fail if:
The function was interrupted by a signal.
The process is a member of a background process attempting to read from its controlling terminal, the process is ignoring or blocking the SIGTTIN signal or the process group is orphaned.
OPEN_MAX file descriptors are currently open in the calling process.
The maximum allowable number of files is currently open in the system.
The process does not have a controlling terminal.
The return value points to static data whose content may be overwritten by each call.
See attributes(7) for descriptions of the following attributes:


text:
(Set 2 of 2)
Source: Return of the Jedi
Year: 2010
(Toys "R" Us Exclusive)
Assortment: Multipacks
Retail: $31.99
Assortment Number: 21452/97639
UPC Number: 6 53569 57413 2
Weapons and Accessories:
• 3 Pilot Helmets
• 3 Blasters
• 2 Tubes
Points of Interest:
• Major Mianda (Scythe One TIE Fighter Pilot) is a repaint of the Imperial Pilot figure from 2009's TLC Evolutions: Imperial Pilot Legacy I set.
• Palso Thern (Blue Seven B-Wing Pilot) is a repaint of the Keyan Farlander (B-Wing Pilot) figure from 2008's TLC Evolutions: Rebel Pilots II set, now with a new head and helmet.
• Grizz Frix (Red Five X-Wing Pilot) is a repaint of 2006's VTSC Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot), now with a new head.
• R2-T7 (Grizz Frix's Astromech Droid) is a repaint of R2-D2 from 2006's TSC Early Bird Kit.
• This set is the second of two sets: the first can be seen here.
• Photography by Dan Curto


text:
Indian Star Tortoise Care (Geochelone elegans)
Indian star tortoises are popular based on their size, personality and appearance. Their care is similar to the leopard tortoise. With yellow lines radiating from the center of each scute and contrasting with their black base color, star tortoises are one of the world's most attractive tortoise species. They also are not territorial. Multiple males and females may be kept together without the fighting, aggressive biting and ramming encountered during breeding by the European species.
Indian star tortoises are native to India, Sri Lanka and southeastern Pakistan. Although there are no formally recognized subspecies, there are geographically separate variants. In the United States herpkeepers typically identify Indian and Sri Lankan star tortoises, but both are classified as Geochelone elegans.
Indian Star Tortoise Availability
Only captive-bred star tortoises are available because they are protected throughout their natural range. There is no legal export of wild-caught specimens.
Indian Star Tortoise Size
Females grow larger than males. Females typically attain a length of about 7 or 8 inches, and males typically only reach 5 or 6 inches in length. Specimens from Sri Lanka and northwest India grow larger. Sri Lankan females may grow to 15 inches long, but males only reach 8 or 9 inches long.
Indian Star Tortoise Life Span
Reports range from 30 to 80 years. Captive star tortoises under proper care may live longer than wild tortoises, which might experience droughts, fires and predators.
Indian Star Tortoise Caging
The preferred setup for adult star tortoises is outdoors. However, if you live in a climate too cold for the tortoises, you may house them indoors. The size of the tortoise also plays a role in its caging. Hatchlings are raised almost exclusively inside. This protects the tortoises from predators and allows better monitoring of food intake and temperature control.
A pen 6 feet long by 6 feet wide is sufficient for one to four tortoises. The walls should be about a foot high and made of block or wood, so the tortoises cannot see through or over them. Star tortoises do not dig, so the walls do not need to be buried. However, sinking the walls into the ground helps to prevent rodents or other animals from burrowing under them. An outdoor enclosure should have a hide box and a variety of shrubs, grasses or bushes to provide protection from the elements and a sense of security. A portion of the pen may be planted with grass or alfalfa for the tortoises to eat. Some rolling terrain is recommended. Tortoises often bask on slopes to maximize sun exposure or dig into them to lay eggs. Bare ground is also required for breeding animals because female tortoises dig in the dirt to lay eggs.
Indoors, adult star tortoises can be permanently housed in a stock tank, plastic pool or large tub. Although a pair of adult star tortoises could be maintained in an enclosure 3 feet long by 2 feet wide, larger enclosures allow you to go longer between cleaning and changing substrates. A clean environment is critical to maintaining a healthy tortoise. Grass clippings, peat moss or potting soil work well as a substrate for permanent indoor enclosures. If a tortoise is only housed indoors at night or during a brief winter period, newspaper works well as a substrate. An indoor enclosure should include different microclimates, including a warm, moist hide box and dry area with a basking light.
Indian Star Tortoise Lighting and Temperature
The optimal temperature for star tortoises is between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. They can handle temperatures around 40 degrees for brief periods, but when nighttime temperatures drop into the 50s or high temperatures fail to exceed 70 degrees, the tortoises should be moved indoors or provided with heat. In wet conditions or high humidity, temperatures should stay above 75 degrees. The combination of cold and wet can be deadly to your tortoise and must be avoided. Moisture levels should be low when the temperature is low, and moisture levels may rise when temperatures are high. High dry temperatures are also acceptable and in fact are provided most of the summer. Star tortoises don't hibernate, and they cannot survive freezing temperatures. If star tortoises are maintained entirely indoors, temperatures may range from 75 to 90 degrees.
Exposure to natural sunlight or ultraviolet light plays an important role in how a star tortoise absorbs and uses calcium. UVB light or natural sunlight helps the tortoise produce vitamin D3, which helps the tortoise absorb and use the available calcium. Basking in natural, unfiltered sunlight is the best method to ensure sufficient D3 is available for calcium absorption. It is recommended that tortoises have a calcium-rich diet with a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 2-1. Some tortoisekeepers supplement the diet with manufactured vitamins and D3, but I have not found this to be necessary if the tortoises are provided a varied diet and exposure to UVB light.
Indoors, UVB can be obtained from fluorescent tubes specially made for use by reptiles or from mercury vapor bulbs, which also provide some heat. If fluorescent tubes are used for UVB, a separate lamp may be required for heat, so the tortoise can thermoregulate and raise its temperature to optimal levels for digestion. This heat source should provide a basking area of about 95 degrees.
Indian Star Tortoise Food
Star tortoises graze and feed on a variety of grasses and vegetation. They require a high-fiber diet rich in calcium. Their captive diet may include grasses, greens, vegetables, fruit, and prepackaged or commercial diets.
Grasses may include but aren't limited to Bermuda grass, rye, mature alfalfa (not sprouts), blue grass and fescue. Greens may include but aren't limited to collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens and flowers, hibiscus leaves and flowers, grape leaves, escarole, and mulberry tree leaves. Vegetables may include but aren't limited to spineless cactus pads (Opuntia species), carrots, zucchini, butternut squash, pumpkin, snap or snow peas, mushrooms, sweet potato, yellow squash and bell peppers.
A small portion of their diet may include fruits, such as tomatoes, apples, papayas, cantaloupes, honeydews, watermelons, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, mangos and bananas.
Indian Star Tortoise Water
Star tortoises readily drink standing water, so provide a water dish, but check it daily, and clean it as required. Hatchlings may be soaked once or twice a week in shallow, warm water. They will drink and often defecate or pass urate waste, which has a white pastelike appearance.
Indian Star Tortoise Health
Star tortoises are prone to respiratory problems, which occur when a tortoise is cold or is kept in suboptimal conditions. Signs of a respiratory problem include labored breathing, a nasal discharge, a gaping mouth, puffy eyes, lethargy and a loss of appetite. If not corrected, minor problems can progress to more serious conditions, such as pneumonia.
To correct minor respiratory problems, increase the warmth of the enclosure with an extra heat source, such as a fixture with an incandescent bulb or a heating pad under the enclosure. Bump up the temperature, and increase the hotspot 5 to 10 degrees. The added heat will help boost a tortoise's immune system and allow it to better fight infection. Keep the enclosure hot and dry. Soak the tortoise to keep it well hydrated, and ensure water is available to drink.
Severe cases, or tortoises that do not respond to added heat, will typically require a course of antibiotic drugs prescribed by a veterinarian.
Indian Star Tortoise Handling and Temperament
Not a good pet for young children, tortoises should be handled infrequently. Some star tortoises are shy. They will withdraw their head and limbs, but they will generally learn to recognize their keeper and will come for food.


text:
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