text:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Prayers that open town council meetings do not violate the Constitution even if they routinely stress Christianity, a divided Supreme Court ruled Monday.
The court said in 5-4 decision that the content of the prayers is not significant as long as they do not denigrate non-Christians or proselytize.
The ruling by the court's conservative majority was a victory for the town of Greece, N.Y., outside of Rochester. The Obama administration sided with the town.
In 1983, the court upheld an opening prayer in the Nebraska legislature and said that prayer is part of the nation's fabric, not a violation of the First Amendment. Monday's ruling was consistent with the earlier one.
Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, said the prayers are ceremonial and in keeping with the nation's traditions.
"The inclusion of a brief, ceremonial prayer as part of a larger exercise in civic recognition suggests that its purpose and effect are to acknowledge religious leaders and the institutions they represent, rather than to exclude or coerce nonbelievers," Kennedy said.
Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the court's four liberal justices, said, "I respectfully dissent from the Court's opinion because I think the Town of Greece's prayer practices violate that norm of religious equality — the breathtakingly generous constitutional idea that our public institutions belong no less to the Buddhist or Hindu than to the Methodist or Episcopalian."
Kagan said the case differs significantly from the 1983 decision because "Greece's town meetings involve participation by ordinary citizens, and the invocations given — directly to those citizens — were predominantly sectarian in content."
A federal appeals court in New York ruled that Greece violated the Constitution by opening nearly every meeting over an 11-year span with prayers that stressed Christianity.
From 1999 through 2007, and again from January 2009 through June 2010, every meeting was opened with a Christian-oriented invocation. In 2008, after residents Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens complained, four of 12 meetings were opened by non-Christians, including a Jewish layman, a Wiccan priestess and the chairman of the local Baha'i congregation.
A town employee each month selected clerics or lay people by using a local published guide of churches. The guide did not include non-Christian denominations, however. The appeals court found that religious institutions in the town of just under 100,000 people are primarily Christian, and even Galloway and Stephens testified they knew of no non-Christian places of worship there.
The two residents filed suit and a trial court ruled in the town's favor, finding that the town did not intentionally exclude non-Christians. It also said that the content of the prayer was not an issue because there was no desire to proselytize or demean other faiths.
But a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that even with the high court's 1983 ruling, the practice of having one Christian prayer after another amounted to the town's endorsement of Christianity.
Kennedy, however, said judges should not be involved in evaluating the content of prayer because it could lead to legislatures requiring "chaplains to redact the religious content from their message in order to make it acceptable for the public sphere."
He added, "Government may not mandate a civic religion that stifles any but the most generic reference to the sacred any more than it may prescribe a religious orthodoxy."
Kennedy himself was the author an opinion in 1992 that held that a Christian prayer delivered at a high school graduation did violate the Constitution. The justice said Monday there are differences between the two situations, including the age of the audience and the fact that attendees at the council meeting may step out of the room if they do not like the prayer.
Kennedy and his four colleagues in the majority all are Catholic. They are: Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
In her dissent, Kagan said the council meeting prayers are unlike those said to open sessions of Congress and state legislatures, where elected officials are the intended audience. In Greece, "the prayers there are directed squarely at the citizens," she said. Kagan was joined by Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor. Of the four, three are Jewish and Sotomayor is Catholic.
Kagan also noted what she described as the meetings' intimate setting, with 10 or so people sitting in front of the town's elected and top appointed officials. Children and teenagers are likely to be present, she said.
The case is Greece v. Galloway, 12-696
Follow Mark Sherman on Twitter at: @shermancourt


text:
Princeton University awarded honorary degrees during Commencement exercises Tuesday, June 1, to five distinguished individuals for their contributions to the humanities, law, medical and scientific research and human rights.
Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman awarded degrees to Drew Gilpin Faust, a historian and the president of Harvard University; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a U.S. Supreme Court justice and trailblazer for women's rights; Olufunmilayo Olopade, a medical researcher who focuses on cancer risk assessment; Albie Sachs, a champion of human rights in South Africa; and Edward Taylor, Princeton's A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Organic Chemistry Emeritus.
The following is biographical information on the recipients and the official citations.
Drew Gilpin Faust, Doctor of Laws
Drew Gilpin Faust has served as president of Harvard University since 2007. A historian of the Civil War and the American South who grew up in rural Virginia, Faust is also the Lincoln Professor of History at Harvard. Previously, she was the founding dean of Harvard's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study for six years. Before Radcliffe, Faust was the Annenberg Professor of History and director of the Women's Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania, where she served on the faculty for 25 years. In selecting Faust as its 28th president, Harvard appointed its first leader without a Harvard degree since the university appointed its third president in 1654.
Faust is the author of six books, including "This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War," which was nominated for a National Book Award in 2008, and "Mothers of Invention: Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War," which won the Francis Parkman Prize for the best book in American history in 1997. She was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2004, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1994 and the Society of American Historians in 1993.
What brings the president of our sister institution on the Charles to this house of Orange/Nassau? Some Faustian pact with the devil? No! She is here to receive our praise as an award-winning historian of the Civil War and the antebellum South, teacher and leader of our nation's oldest center of higher learning. How extraordinary is this woman? In selecting her, Harvard chose a president without a Harvard degree -- for the first time since 1654. A visionary leader, she champions excellence and opportunity, and at a time when the very purposes of a university are questioned, she brings her powerful intellect, insight and integrity to bear on the challenges ahead. Daughter of a Princetonian, she now becomes a daughter of Princeton. In accordance with Princeton's motto, under God's power may she flourish.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Doctor of Laws
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., has had a trailblazing career in the law and is especially known for advancing women's rights. Ginsburg was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993, and is the second woman to serve on the court.
Prior to her appointment, Ginsburg was a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for 13 years. In 1971 she was instrumental in launching the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and served as general counsel for the ACLU, as well as on its national board of directors. While a professor at Rutgers University Law School from 1963 to 1972, she battled for maternity leave rights for schoolteachers in New Jersey. In 1972 Ginsburg became the first woman hired with tenure at Columbia University School of Law.
Denied deserved recognition by a discriminatory profession when she graduated at the top of her law school class, she has dedicated her life to vindicating the Constitution's promise of equality under law as a distinguished law professor, a respected Supreme Court litigator and a trailblazing advocate for women's rights. Through brilliant strategy and rigorous argument, she persuaded the Supreme Court to recognize a constitutional right to be free from sex discrimination. Her triumphs earned her a seat on the bench and eventually on this nation's highest court, where her jurisprudence is a beacon of freedom that illuminates the continuing power of America's constitutional ideals.
Olufunmilayo Olopade, Doctor of Science
Olufunmilayo Olopade, a clinician and researcher, has dedicated her career to the study of breast cancer and cancer risk assessment. At the University of Chicago, she is the Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine and Human Genetics, director of the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and director of the hematology and oncology fellowship program. She also leads the University of Chicago Medical Center's Cancer Risk Clinic. Olopade's research has revealed that an aggressive variation of breast cancer occurs more frequently and at an earlier age in women of African ancestry than in Caucasian women, and she has gained insights in understanding the disease and its resistance to certain drugs.
In her clinical work, Olopade also is an expert on cancer risk and prevention, and on individualized treatment based on risk factors and quality of life. She is working with doctors in her native Nigeria, and with government officials and drug companies across Africa, to improve education and treatment.
Witness to hundreds of parishioners who came to her minister father daily for help in her native Nigeria, she decided to become a doctor who would minister especially to those with breast cancer. Regarding her patients as teachers, she involves their families in the quest for life-saving answers. Using molecular findings and innovative clinical practices, she has discovered lethal links between genetics and risk factors. Her battle to improve early detection and treatment extends from America to Africa, from the classroom to the laboratory, focused always on the needs of the individual -- on giving them the gift of time, and, in time, finding a cure.
Albie Sachs, Doctor of Laws
A chief architect of South Africa's post-apartheid constitution, Albie Sachs is known for his lifelong work in defending people against oppression. After South Africa's first democratic election in 1994, he was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to serve as a judge on the country's newly established constitutional court, from which he retired in 2009.
Working as a lawyer during apartheid, Sachs defended people charged under racist statutes and repressive security laws, many of whom faced a death sentence. Sachs himself was seized by police and placed in solitary confinement. In 1966 he went into exile and worked for 11 years studying and teaching law in England, and then for another 11 years working as a law professor and legal researcher in Mozambique. It was in Mozambique in 1988 that he lost an arm and sight in one eye to a bomb placed in his car by South African security agents. In the early 1990s, Sachs returned to his home country and participated in negotiations leading to South Africa becoming a constitutional democracy. A decade later, he helped write a new South African law allowing for same-sex marriage. Sachs is the author of five books that describe his life experiences and examine larger issues of social justice, including "Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter."
Broken in body but never in spirit, he endured 30 years of persecution, violence and exile before leading South Africa in the creation of a new constitutional framework for securing freedom and justice. Forged in a crucible of unspeakable pain, his lifelong commitment to social justice and equality before the law springs from an unshakeable faith in humanity that patiently embraces the peaceful competition of dissenting voices so that freedom and enlightenment may prevail over oppression and ignorance. Today the courageous writings and rulings of this visionary jurist continue to heal and illuminate a once divided nation. His pivotal role has helped bring his country into the community of responsible nations, with a constitution that recognizes the dignity of all of its citizens.
Edward Taylor, Doctor of Science
Edward Taylor joined the Princeton faculty in 1954 and transferred to emeritus status in 1997. He has written more than 450 scientific papers, has served as editor of longstanding science journals and holds 52 U.S. patents. Taylor is the inventor of the anti-cancer drug, Alimta, which he developed in collaboration with Eli Lilly and Co. scientists to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma, a lung cancer often caused by exposure to asbestos. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004, the drug has since received additional approvals for treatment of other tumors.
Taylor has received numerous honors and awards. He has been inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame and was chosen to receive the 2010 Alfred Burger Award in Medicinal Chemistry from the American Chemical Society (ACS). Taylor's previous honors include the ACS's Heroes of Chemistry Award, the International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry Senior Award in Heterocyclic Chemistry, and the Research and Development Council of New Jersey's Alva Edison Patent Award for Invention.
Fascination with the iridescent wing of the butterfly led him on a journey that resulted in the development of molecules that improve the lives of thousands. In the chaotic world of drug design he brings rationality, designing selective warriors against cancerous tumors that avoid indiscriminate destruction of healthy tissue. As a charismatic teacher, influential adviser, accomplished researcher and respected consultant, he has demonstrated not only a passion for discovery, but a determination to translate discovery into treatment. His four-plus decades at Princeton leave a lasting legacy for his students and colleagues, his University and all throughout the world who benefit from the fruits of his curiosity.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a first, working-age people now make up the majority in U.S. households that rely on food stamps — a switch from a few years ago, when children and the elderly were the main recipients.
Some of the change is due to demographics, such as the trend toward having fewer children. But a slow economic recovery with high unemployment, stagnant wages and an increasing gulf between low-wage and high-skill jobs also plays a big role. It suggests that government spending on the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program — twice what it cost five years ago — may not subside significantly anytime soon.
Food stamp participation since 1980 has grown the fastest among workers with some college training, a sign that the safety net has stretched further to cover America's former middle class, according to an analysis of government data for The Associated Press by economists at the University of Kentucky. Formally called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, or SNAP, the program now covers 1 in 7 Americans.
The findings coincide with the latest economic data showing workers' wages and salaries growing at the lowest rate relative to corporate profits in U.S. history.
President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night is expected to focus in part on reducing income inequality, such as by raising the federal minimum wage. Congress, meanwhile, is debating cuts to food stamps, with Republicans including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., wanting a $4 billion-a-year reduction to an anti-poverty program that they say promotes dependency and abuse.
Economists say having a job may no longer be enough for self-sufficiency in today's economy.
"A low-wage job supplemented with food stamps is becoming more common for the working poor," said Timothy Smeeding, an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in income inequality. "Many of the U.S. jobs now being created are low- or minimum-wage — part-time or in areas such as retail or fast food — which means food stamp use will stay high for some time, even after unemployment improves."
The newer food stamp recipients include Maggie Barcellano, 25, of Austin, Texas. A high school graduate, she enrolled in college but didn't complete her nursing degree after she could no longer afford the tuition.
Hoping to boost her credentials, she went through emergency medical technician training with the Army National Guard last year but was unable to find work as a paramedic because of the additional certification and fees required. Barcellano, now the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, finally took a job as a home health aide, working six days a week at $10 an hour. Struggling with the low income, she recently applied for food stamps with the help of the nonprofit Any Baby Can, to help save up for paramedic training.
"It's devastating," Barcellano said. "When I left for the Army I was so motivated, thinking I was creating a situation where I could give my daughter what I know she deserves. But when I came back and basically found myself in the same situation, it was like it was all for naught."
Since 2009, more than 50 percent of U.S. households receiving food stamps have been adults ages 18 to 59, according to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. The food stamp program defines non-elderly adults as anyone younger than 60.
As recently as 1998, the working-age share of food stamp households was at a low of 44 percent, before the dot-com bust and subsequent recessions in 2001 and 2007 pushed new enrollees into the program, according to the analysis by James Ziliak, director of the Center for Poverty Research at the University of Kentucky.
By education, about 28 percent of food stamp households are headed by a person with at least some college training, up from 8 percent in 1980. Among those with four-year college degrees, the share rose from 3 percent to 7 percent. High-school graduates head the bulk of food stamp households at 37 percent, up from 28 percent. In contrast, food stamp households headed by a high-school dropout have dropped by more than half, to 28 percent.
The shifts in food stamp participation come amid broader changes to the economy such as automation, globalization and outsourcing, which have polarized the job market. Many good-paying jobs in areas such as manufacturing have disappeared, shrinking the American middle class and bumping people with higher levels of education into lower-wage work.
An analysis Ziliak conducted for the AP finds that stagnant wages and income inequality play an increasing role in the growth of food stamp rolls.
Taking into account changing family structure, higher unemployment and policy expansions to the food stamp program, the analysis shows that stagnant wages and income inequality explained just 3.5 percent of the change in food stamp enrollment from 1980 to 2011. But from 2000 to 2011, wages and inequality accounted for 13 percent of the increase.
Several economists say food stamp rolls are likely to remain elevated for some time. Historically, there has been a lag before an improving unemployment rate leads to a substantial decline in food stamp rolls; the Congressional Budget Office has projected it could take 10 years.
"We do not expect income inequality stabilizing or declining in the absence of real wage growth or a significant reduction in unemployment and underemployment problems," said Ishwar Khatiwada, an economist for the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University who reviewed the Labor and Commerce departments' wage data.
Full- and part-time workers employed year-round saw the fastest growth in food stamp participation since 1980, making up 17 percent and 7 percent of households, respectively. In contrast, the share of food stamp households headed by an unemployed person has remained largely unchanged, at 53 percent. Part-year workers declined in food stamp share.
Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Out of School Clubs
For local Out of School Club results enter your full postcode in the search box above or try our Advanced Search feature.
Search Results
No results found
Please ensure that you enter a valid full UK postcode
For the best and most accurate results please enter a full postcode eg. MK5 6AF
You can also enter the first part of the postcode only eg. MK5
Alternatively you can enter a place or location eg. York or Buckinghamshire


text:
Prescription Required
Quantity: 1
Price: $229.99 $229.99 per unit
Country: Canada
Manufacturer: GSK
* All prices are in US dollars.
Please Select... 1 from Canada Ellipta $229.99 1 from Turkey Ellipta (ON BACKORDER) $133.99 1 from India Ellipta $145.99 2 from India Ellipta $255.99 2 from Turkey Ellipta (ON BACKORDER) $233.99 2 from Canada Ellipta $399.99 3 from Canada Ellipta $579.99 3 from Turkey Ellipta (ON BACKORDER) $333.99 3 from India Ellipta $345.99 3 from Australia Ellipta $477.99
* The product images are for reference only. Generic equivalents may also be supplied by alternate manufacturers.
The content on this page has been supplied to canadianpharmacyworld.com by an independent third party contracted to provide information for our website. Canadianpharmacyworld.com relies on these third parties to create and maintain this information and cannot guarantee the accuracy or reliability of the information that has been provided to us.
The drug information provided here is only a summary and does not contain all the list of possible side effects and drug interactions regarding this medication. Be sure to contact your doctor or pharmacist if you have any specific question or concern. If you require any advice or information about the drugs on this page, a medical condition or treatment advice, you should always speak to a healthcare professional.
Please note that not all products, including any referenced in this page, are shipped by our affiliated Canadian Pharmacy. We are affiliated with other dispensaries that ship product to our customers from the following jurisdictions: Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Turkey, Mauritius, India, and United Kingdom. The items in your order maybe shipped from any of the above jurisdictions. The products are sourced from various countries as well as those listed above. Rest assured, we only affiliate with our authorized dispensaries that procure product through reliable sources.


text:
A while ago I made a tom yum goong or a Thai hot and sour soup with prawns that I really enjoyed. I made the tom yum soup from scratch but you can buy the hot and soup flavouring as a pre-made paste for quick tom yum soups. Once the tom yum is in a paste form it opens the doors for many other applications including this tom yum grilled tilapia that that I found on About:com: Thai Food . I liked the sound of using the tom yum flavours in something other than a soup and I was in the mood for some Thai! The original recipe called for grilling the fish but I have been enjoying baking fish lately so I decided to cook it that way instead. The recipe is pretty easy; you simply process all of the tom yum paste ingredients in a food processor, marinate the fish and bake. The recipe suggested saving part of the tom yum paste and simmering it in some coconut milk to serve as a dip for the fish but I thought that it would just be easier to pour it over the fish when it was done baking. The tom yum baked tilapia turned out really well! The fish was nice and moist and tender and covered in the amazing tom yum flavours. I really like the combo of hot and sour in this tom yum paste and I am especially fond of all of the fresh herbs which really brightened up the meal. (You can easily control the amount of heat in this dish by using milder or less chilies or more chilies if you like it hotter.) The coconut to yum sauce completed the meal perfectly. Continuing with the coconut theme I served the tom yum tilapia with some coconut jasmine rice topped with some toasted coconut flakes.
Tom Yum Baked Fish
- 2 stalks lemongrass (peeled and chopped, or lemon zest or myrtle leaves)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 thumb sized piece galangal (or ginger, peeled and chopped)
- 1+ birds eye chili (or other hot chili or 1 teaspoon chili sauce, etc.)
- 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
- 1 lime (juice and zest)
- 2 green onions (sliced)
- 1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar (grated or sugar)
- 2 white fish fillets
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- Place the lemon grass, garlic, galangal, chili, cilantro, lime juice and zest, green onions, shrimp paste, fish sauce, oil and palm sugar in a foor processor and process.
- Marinate the fish in 3/4 of the paste for at least 10 minutes.
- Place the fish into a covered baking dish and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until cooked, about 10-12 minutes.
- Heat the coconut milk and the remaining paste in a small sauce pan and simmer for 1 minute.
- Serve the fish with the sauce on the side along with some rice.


text:
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1756-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more
The Middleburgh post. [volume], May 10, 1894, Image 8
About The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916
Image provided by: Penn State University Libraries; University Park, PA


text:
They don't have eyes. Or ears. Or what we would call a nervous system. But plants can talk. And they listen. Let me show you how.
First, we'll need a plant eater. This one's perfect: It's an aphid, a hungry little critter who loves to munch on fresh, green leaves ...
Next, we arrange lunch. We choose a bunch of young, healthy bean plants with lots of broad, green leaves ...
Then we carefully drop our aphid (make that many aphids) onto the bean plants, where they land and begin to chew. The aphids spread across the plant, biting the leafy surface, gobbling little bits of green, creating holes ...
When a leafy plant is under attack, it doesn't sit quietly. Back in 1983, two scientists, Jack Schultz and Ian Baldwin,reported that young maple saplings getting bitten by insects release a spurt of chemicals that float through the air. You and I wouldn't notice, but these chemicals carry a slight odor that neighboring plants can detect. It's a little like a silent scream.
These chemicals come from the injured parts of the plant and seem to be an alarm. Maybe not an intentional warning like, "Watch Out! Aphid Attack!" but more like a simple distress call like, "Aphids! Aphids! Aphids!" or, "Attack! Attack!" The chemicals the plants pump through the air are a blend of organic molecules — alcohols, aldehydes, ketones and esters — known as volatile organic compounds, VOCs for short.
Over the past 20 years, scientists have found that all kinds of trees and plants like sagebrush, barley, corn, and yes, bean plants, release VOCs when they're being invaded. It's a plant's way of crying out. But is anyone listening? Apparently. Because we can watch the neighbors react.
In our case, when the distress signal reaches the two bean plants on either side of our aphid-covered plant, they also emit VOCs — cries of their own. As you can see, they seem to be calling for help — that's my fanciful way of describing what happens next.
Some bean plants pump out chemicals specifically designed to keep aphids away. Those are smelly irritants, especially noxious to invaders. But some bean plants do double duty. They pump out attractants — perfumes designed to lure in different airborne insects — in this case, wasps. Wasps are an aphid's worst nightmare. Once they arrive, the tables are turned. The critter who was lunching now becomes lunch.
In study after study, it appears that these chemical conversations help the neighbors. The damage is usually extensive on the first plant, but the neighbors, relatively speaking, stay pest-resistant. Apparently, they heard the alarm and knew what to do.
Does this mean that plants talk to each other? Did the first plant in some way intentionally send its warning? Was it doing a Paul Revere? Scientists don't know. Maybe the first plant just uttered a cry of pain or was sending a message to its own branches, and so, in effect, was talking to itself (scientists call this "a soliloquy"). Perhaps the neighbors just happened to "overhear" the cry. So information was exchanged, but it wasn't a true, intentional back and forth.
Still, the more they look, the more scientists discover plants chattering. "It's pretty spectacular what plants do," Ted Farmer of the University of Lausanne told Quanta Magazine. "I'm amazed."
Not only do plants use airborne chemicals, they send signals underground, through their roots. Some make ultrasonic "clicking" sounds. What feels to us like a quiet day in the forest may in fact be a hurly-burly of wafting, pulsing, clicking plant-to-plant communication.
And sometimes the chatter leaps across species lines. Scientists have simulated an animal attack on a sagebrush. In the American West, pronghorn antelopes regularly grab on to sage with their teeth and tear off leaves when it's time for lunch ...
In the lab version, as the animal's teeth ripped the sage leaves, scientists watched the sage plant send a chemical signal into the air, and watched as a nearby tobacco plant picked up the signal and then emitted an odor that was noxious to the animal — strong enough to repel the antelope — protecting itself, and, arguably, helping the sage. What a complex dance!
Charles Darwin, 150 years ago, imagined a world far busier, noisier and more intimate than the world we can see and hear. Our senses are weak. The world is buzzing. Darwin sensed this. "Let it be borne in mind how infinitely close-fitting are the mutual relations of all organic beings to each other," he wrote. I like that expression, "infinitely close-fitting." It suggests there's a whole lot going on, and that we're just hearing our first peep.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
WASHINGTON (AP)—Taking climate change efforts into his own hands, President Barack Obama is proposing sweeping steps to limit heat-trapping pollution from coal-fired power plants and to boost renewable energy production on federal property.
Obama, in a speech Tuesday at Georgetown University, was to announce he's issuing a presidential memorandum to launch the first-ever federal regulations on carbon dioxide emitted by existing power plants, moving to curb the gases blamed for global warming despite adamant opposition from Republicans and some energy producers.
The far-reaching plan marks Obama's most prominent effort yet to deliver on a major priority he laid out in his first presidential campaign and recommitted to at the start of his second term: to fight climate change in the U.S. and abroad and prepare American communities for its effects. Environmental activists have been irked that Obama's high-minded goals never materialized into a comprehensive plan.
By expanding permitting on public lands, Obama hopes to generate enough electricity from renewable energy projects such as wind and solar to power the equivalent of 6 million homes by 2020, effectively doubling the electric capacity federal lands now produce, senior administration officials said. He'll also set a goal to install 100 megawatts of energy-producing capacity at federal housing projects by the end of the decade.
Obama also was to announce $8 billion in federal loan guarantees to spur investment in technologies that can keep carbon dioxide produced by power plants from being released into the atmosphere.
"While no single step can reverse the effects of climate change, we have a moral obligation to act on behalf of future generations," the White House said in a statement, arguing that climate change is no longer a distant threat—the 12 hottest years on record all occurred in the past 15 years.
The linchpin of Obama's plan involves new and existing power plants. Forty percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, and one-third of greenhouse gases overall, come from electric power plants, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. The Obama administration already has proposed controls on new plants, but those controls have been delayed and not yet finalized. Tuesday's announcement would be the first public confirmation that Obama plans to extend carbon controls to existing plants.
"The country is facing a threat; the president is facing facts," said Dan Lashof of the Natural Resources Defense Council, praising Obama for taking aim at power plants. "Reducing that pollution is the most important step we can take as a nation to stand up to climate change."
A spokesman for major power companies said the industry long has understood the importance of addressing climate change and has been working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for two decades. The industry will consider whether new climate change policies and regulations "mesh" with its ongoing transition to a cleaner generating fleet and an enhanced electric grid, said Tom Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute, a group that represents power companies.
Even before Obama spoke, reaction from Republicans was swift and dismissive, reflecting the opposition to climate legislation on Capitol Hill that prompted a frustrated Obama to sidestep lawmakers and take action himself. Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said imposing carbon rules on power plants amounts to a national energy tax.
"Will the president explain the massive costs to American jobs? Will the president explain how low-income Americans would pay for their new, higher utility bills?" Stewart said.
Senior administration officials, who weren't authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity, said Obama will set a timeline for putting new power plant controls in place. But he won't issue detailed emission targets or specifics. Instead, the president will launch a process in which the Environmental Protection Agency will work with states to develop specific plans to rein in carbon emissions, with flexibility for each state's circumstances.
Obama also will announce more aggressive steps to increase efficiency for appliances such as refrigerators and lamps, the White House said, adding that stricter standards could reduce carbon pollution by more than 3 billion tons between now and 2030—the equivalent of a half-year's worth of carbon pollution from power plants. Another component of Obama's proposal will involve ramping up hydropower production from existing dams.
Obama raised climate change as a key second-term issue in his inaugural address in January, but has offered few details since. In his February State of the Union, he issued an ultimatum to lawmakers: "If Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will."
"His view reflects reality," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday. "We've seen Congress attempt to deal with this issue, and fail to."
Framing Obama's efforts as part of a broader, global movement, the White House said the U.S. can play a leading role in persuading other nations to join in efforts to slow the warming of the planet.
Obama is calling for an end to U.S. support for public financing for new coal-fired plants overseas, officials said, but will exempt plants in the poorest nations as long as the cleanest technology available in those countries is being used. He's also pledging to work with major polluting countries like China and India to curb emissions, building on an agreement Obama struck recently with China's leader to phase out hydrofluorocarbons, potent greenhouse gases used in air conditions and refrigerators.
Another of Obama's goals—to prepare communities for the inevitable effects of climate change—appears to be more aspiration than concrete plan. Community leaders and environmental activists say that what cities and states need to prepare for flooding and higher temperatures is money—something Obama is hard-pressed to provide without Congress' go-ahead.
Sidestepping Congress by using executive action doesn't guarantee Obama smooth sailing. Lawmakers could introduce legislation to thwart Obama's efforts. And the rules for existingpower plants will almost certainly face legal challenges in court.
Source: The Associated Press


text:
Alerts and Messages for U.S. visitors to Canada.
U.S. Citizens with emergencies, please call: 613-238-5335
Outside of Office Hours, contact: 613-238-5335
Outside of Canada: 613-238-5335
490 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
Telephone (General): 613-238-5335
Telephone (Emergency): 613-238-5335
Telephone (Media): 613 688-5316
Fax: 613-688-3082
The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Canada, administers a Public Diplomacy Grants Program for individuals and organizations to carry out virtual programs to strengthen bilateral ties between the United States and Canada.
By polleselmd | 1 February, 2016 | Topics:
Footer Disclaimer


text:
I'm thinking Valley of the Dolls and 60's and a cheesy 90's/early '00s (specific!) school supplies interpretation of flower power.
Borrowed copy of Valley of the Dolls (currently reading) and Best Coast 45.
Okutani earmuffs and vintage Givenchy sunglasses (gift.)
Goody barrettes, erasers and ring from when I was little, Girl Scout patch from troopmoore on eBay, and blue flower from a gift from a friend.


text:
Ginger Spice Cookies (Bon Appetit)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
I donate a pint of blood every 56 days or so. I think it builds good karma (hee hee) and you get served a cookie and juice. It takes very little to amuse me.
I really love my blood donation center...Nurse Jan is so nice!
However, the "don't-pass-out-on-us" post-donation cookie is...well...you know...just okay. Oh, how Tuesdays with Dorie and this baking blog adventure has killed me. I can now taste chemicals in box cake mixes. I can tell if stuff is made with real butter or not. And I can tell those blood donation cookies wandered over from the hospital kitchen.
Today, after giving a few gallons of blood, it FINALLY dawned on me to bring in my own damn cookie!
Of course! I heart ginger so I tried Bon Appétit's Ginger Spice Cookies.
The batter comes together very easily. It has cinnamon, ground ginger and 3/4 cup of crystallized ginger. You need to chill it for at least 1 hour. I let it hang out overnight. In the morning, I shaped them into balls and rolled them in sugar. Bake until the top cracks but the center is soft and yummy. Using a small scoop, I got 53 cookies.
You should definitely make these Ginger Spice Cookies. And don't forget that giving blood is easy and very much in demand! Only 3% of American adults donate. Your local hospital or the Red Cross will welcome you with open arms and orange juice. Just be sure to plan your treat. You deserve the best! :)
Ginger Spice Cookies
from Bon Appétit, March 2000
P.S. My TWD entry this week is a bit delayed! Sorry but I should have a double entry next week!
28 comments:
- Linda said... [Reply to comment]
Mary, I don't mind that you procrastinate, as it give me an opportunity to catch up on all your awesome posts!
Hey, a mediocre generic brand cookie is a small price to pay to do some good.
Even better, you bring some of those delicious cookies, and I'll be ready to donate! - June 30, 2009 at 9:12 PM
- Leslie said... [Reply to comment]
What an inspired idea! I'm scheduled for Saturday so I better whip up something to munch on and share with the nurses.
- June 30, 2009 at 9:17 PM
- Katrina said... [Reply to comment]
That is too funny--bring your own cookie. You should donate (for a price!) cookies! I know what you mean though. Whenever I'm shopping with any of the boys and they see a baked good they want me to buy I have to try to kindly explain to them that I don't BUY stuff, I make it--and much better than anything you can buy! ;)
- June 30, 2009 at 9:18 PM
- Nutmeg Nanny said... [Reply to comment]
Hooray for homemade cookies and donating blood. I too donate. My rare blood type (AB-) keeps the Red Cross calling me every time they are around:)
- June 30, 2009 at 9:31 PM
- Unknown said... [Reply to comment]
I think it's awesome that you brought your own cookie to the blood donation! Kudos to you for being such a regular blood donor!
Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words :) I think your blog rocks (but you already knew that)! - June 30, 2009 at 9:35 PM
- Carrie said... [Reply to comment]
Hello, my name is Carrie and I am a Ginger-oholic! I will absolutely make these cookies, they look awesome!
- June 30, 2009 at 11:15 PM
- Audrie said... [Reply to comment]
Love ginger-anything! I don't know if you've tried the Chewy Choc Gingerbread cookies by Martha Stewart, but if you haven't, you must!!! They're so amazing! Here's the link:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chewy-chocolate-gingerbread-cookies?autonomy_kw=chocolate%20ginger%20cookie&rsc=header_6 - June 30, 2009 at 11:45 PM
- Donna-FFW said... [Reply to comment]
I love ginger cookies and these look beautiful!! I am a believer in eating this year round, not just Christmas time. I will try them soon.
- July 1, 2009 at 3:59 AM
- Jennifer said... [Reply to comment]
I love that idea! How fun!
Great cookies! - July 1, 2009 at 4:15 AM
- Steph said... [Reply to comment]
I know what you mean...I don't think I can eat nonhomemade anymore. Everything is too artificially.I wasn't heavy enough to donate blood when they came to my school, but after all this baking I am! Hopefully the weight stops climbing!!
- July 1, 2009 at 5:04 AM
Mmmm, these look really good. I love your pic of the spoon with sugar. I like action shots. :)
And thanks for the reminder to donate blood. I haven't been able to donate since becoming pregnant but I'll have to check and see if I can donate once I deliver (and while I'm breastfeeding).
Mary, you're such a good citizen. I want to be more like you.
With love from your admiring fan in D.C., Racheal xoxoxo - July 1, 2009 at 5:14 AM
- Pamela said... [Reply to comment]
Thanks for reminding me to get off my butt and donate some blood! These cookies look fantastic!
- July 1, 2009 at 5:34 AM
- Carmen said... [Reply to comment]
It is so sweet of you to give blood so regularly! I admit that I only gave blood once, and then I blacked out afterwards, so I have been too chicken to try again. I don't meet the weight requirement (and didn't back then either), but the nurses told me it was fine. After eating my cookies and drinking some juice, I was off, but fainted at work about 10 minutes later! Maybe I need to bring my own cookies next time. :)
- July 1, 2009 at 5:35 AM
- Anshika said... [Reply to comment]
Thats an easy way to make tempting cookies.
- July 1, 2009 at 5:44 AM
- 2.46% said... [Reply to comment]
I can't wait to try these cookies. They look so good!
I think it's so great that you give blood. There is such a big need that can be remedied so easily and quickly. Have a great day! - July 1, 2009 at 6:07 AM
- Nancy/n.o.e said... [Reply to comment]
Did you know you were posting these cookies on National Gingersnap day? I am a huge fan of ginger cookies, so I'm bookmarking this recipe. And I give blood but not regularly enough. I am the universal donor type, so they love my blood (and I can give for babies, too, b/c I don't have that antibody).
- July 1, 2009 at 6:18 AM
- Beth said... [Reply to comment]
These cookies look great--I love ginger, so hopefully I will be making these soon! There is no shame in being able to taste artificial ingredients in baked goods, or being able to tell when something isn't made with butter!
- July 1, 2009 at 7:05 AM
- dharmagirl said... [Reply to comment]
yummm! i love ginger spice cookies! and i love the idea of bringing your own goodies:)
- July 1, 2009 at 7:27 AM
- Snooky doodle said... [Reply to comment]
oh you re so courageous I really wish to donate blood but every time i see a needle I m almost fainting. I m a coward. These cookies look so good. surely a well deserved treat :)
- July 1, 2009 at 8:36 AM
- Eliana said... [Reply to comment]
Donating blood is so important. I try to do it a few times a year. If there were cookies like these waiting at the end I'm sure more people would do it.
- July 1, 2009 at 9:21 AM
Those cookies sound wonderful! I would love to donate blood more often, but I get banned b/c of travel a lot. Silly, but I understand.
- July 1, 2009 at 11:42 AM
- Teanna said... [Reply to comment]
You should donate some of those cookies to the blood donation centers! The people would be lining up to give blood for a taste of one! Haha! But seriously, those look absolutely gorgeous! I LOVE Ginger Spice Cookies. LOVE. Have you seen David Lebovitz's non-fat version? If you haven't, try it. They are amazing!
- July 1, 2009 at 2:05 PM
- Mermaid Sews said... [Reply to comment]
So nice of you to donate, I should do that more. Ginger cookies are my fav, these look amazing.
- July 1, 2009 at 8:32 PM
- Kerstin said... [Reply to comment]
Yum, these look amazing! My blood pressure is too low to donate blood - sigh. I'm sure they would have a line out the door of donors if they served your cookies instead!
- July 1, 2009 at 8:41 PM
- Megan said... [Reply to comment]
I love ginger cookies - and since you do too, you should try Ina Garten's version - they pack a punch!
- July 2, 2009 at 12:16 PM
- eatme_delicious said... [Reply to comment]
I looooove ginger cookies but I'm so wary of making them at home because the ones I've tried have been too molassesy. These ones do look really good though - nice and soft. I'll have to save the recipe!
- July 2, 2009 at 7:17 PM
- Carol Peterman/TableFare said... [Reply to comment]
I get to start donating blood again this month after having to sit out for a year because I traveled to China. My center actually has great cookies and they serve espresso and lattes. Yes, even the blood centers serve great coffee in Seattle.
- July 5, 2009 at 8:02 PM
- Boyd Bracken said... [Reply to comment]
Cookies are a favourite when we go on our wildlife trips. I haven't tried em ginger cookies though I have eaten them. My cookies always some how or the other manage to stick to each other however much space I leave between them.
- July 12, 2010 at 11:51 PM


text:
Get to know the Administrator Back-end of Joomla!
From Joomla! Documentation
The "J1.5" namespace is an archived namespace. This page contains information for a Joomla! version which is no longer supported. It exists only as a historical reference, it will not be improved and its content may be incomplete and/or contain broken links.
The aim of this document is to introduce the Back-end of a Joomla! site which is used by administrators for managing the whole site. It is useful to be familiar with this as background to creating a new web site.
Background to creating a new Joomla! 1.5 web site[edit]
There are four aspects to designing a new Joomla! web site. These also apply to planning to make alterations(including upgrading versions J1.5 to J2.5+) to an existing site or planning for transferring a site that already exists in another form into the Joomla! CMS.
- The content hierarchy:
- Who you expect to use the site and what you want them to be able to do
- The layout of the menus and the position of some functionality on the page
- The graphical design of the whole site
Who is it written for?[edit]
Everyone: who is going to create a Joomla! site.
- It is written on the assumption that you have not used this management tool but you have explored the content of a Joomla! site.
If you solely enter and update content on a Site, you will not normally use the Back-end.
What is the Back-end?[edit]
The Back-end of a Joomla! site is used to manage the content, appearance and functionality of the site. It is not seen by visitors to the Front-end and you can only login to it if you have appropriate permissions. It is here too that the basis of a new site is created.
Administrator Back-end permissions:[edit]
There are three levels of users who have access to the Back-end. They are important because they have site-wide permissions to alter content and other things.
- Super Administrators: They can do anything and in particular they can alter configurations and install new extensions.
- Administrators: They can do most things, apart from installing extensions, altering site-wide configurations. They cannot alter the Super administrator user accounts.
- Managers: They can login to these pages but are limited to the main menu and managing the content.
Cross Reference: There is another document in this series that explore the Administrator roles - see Starting to manage a Joomla! site. |
The mechanics of using the Back-end[edit]
Using 'localhost'[edit]
If you can, it is useful to use a 'localhost' instance of Joomla! for exploring the Back-end because you can try things without doing any harm to an established site.
Cross Reference: Another document in this series tells you how to download an instance of Joomla! on your own computer. Localhost installation on your own computer. An instance of Joomla! with the sample data is particularly valuable. |
Login to the Back-end[edit]
- Enter the address of the site that you are going to use.
- The localhost site with sample data is a good place to start - and if you have a localhost installation on your own computer, then use it:-
- If you are using an established site - the address is the one for the Site itself (the Front-end) with the addition of /administrator.
This opens the Login page
- Enter the Username and password that you have for the site.
- Click Login
The Control Panel[edit]
You are logged in to the Control Panel which is the entry point to the Back-end.
Logging out: This returns you to the Administrator login screen.
- Most sites log you out automatically if you have not done anything on the site for a defined length of time - usually about 15 minutes. This is for security.
- Logging out yourself:
- Click on the Logout link in the top-right corner of the Administrator screen.
This shows the Control Panel of an established site. Here there are two visitors logged in to the site and note that the Super Administrator, logged in to the Administator page, has a username which does not include 'admin'. On many sites the administrators have usernames that do not indicate that they are administrators - for security reasons.
This shows the Control Panel for the Sample data inlocalhost. Here all the options to the right (Site Information) are closed, although the 'Joomla! Welcome screen is set to display by default. This is almost the same as the other Control panel apart from some additional Site Information choices and illustrates that most Administrator pages appear much the same - which is reasonable because they all do much the same tasks.
The whole Control Panel is roughly divided into three sections:-
- Control icons are in the main part of the screen
- Menus are along the top
- Site Information is to the right
The Control Icons on the main part of the screen[edit]
This provides administrators with a quick way to access the most frequently used tasks to manage the whole web site.
Explore each of these to give you a sense of what an Administrator can do. The on-line Help for each one is comprehensive.
- Article Manager and Add New Article
- The Article Manager is where you can add and manage all the articles for your web site. You can publish, unpublish, edit, archive and much else.
- Section Manager
- The Section Manager is the place where you can edit existing Sections and create new ones.
- Category Manager
- The Category Manager is where you can edit existing Categories and create new ones. Articles in Joomla! are organized into Sections and Categories. Categories are the second level of organization underneath Sections. Every Section contains one or more Categories.
- Media Manager
- The Media Manager is a tool for uploading or deleting files in the /images/ directory on your web server. You can upload new files, delete existing ones and create sub-directories.
- Menu Manager
- The Menu Manager allows you add and alter Joomla!'s menus.
- User Manager
- This allows you to look at a list of users and sort them in different ways. You can also edit and create users.
- Language Manager
- You can set the default Language for both the Front-end and Back-end of your Joomla! web site in Language Manager
- Global Configuration (available to Super-Administrators)
- The Global Configuration Manager allows you to configure the Joomla! site with various settings.
An example - Article Manager[edit]
All the various manager interfaces are similar and are designed to show key information and can be used for many tasks.
This illustrates how Mangement pages work. Normally the items being managed (such as Users or Sections) are listed and there are icons for doing various tasks
To Note in particular:
- Filter: this allows you to find something by typing in all or part of a name.
- Sorting columns: you can order Articles by clicking on the header of each column
- Find Articles in the heirachy: There are pull-down lists to select Articles by Category / Section / Author. This is useful for a large site
- Icons at the top: There are icons to allow various manipulations of content - such as Publish, Trash (ie delete) Edit and New.
- Help gives full information about the Article Manager.
- Click the icon to use the Help which is good and comprehensive. There are similar Help facilites in the menus of all the main Manager functions.
An example of a Workspace page - Categories[edit]
Once you open a specific task in the Manager page, you are usually taken to a page with a Workspace layout. This can work in any site to which you hav e access - the examples use the localhost sample data.
- Navigate back to the main Control Panel interface. From the Menu:-
- Select Site / Control Panel
To view an example of a Workspace screen:-
- Open Manage Categories
The Management screen is similar to that for Articles in that it lists Categories and allows you to manipulate them. To see the Workspace:-
- Choose any Category
- Click on the Tick box
- To edit
- Click on the Edit icon
Editing a Category - a similar but blank one displays for adding a new one.
The key elements allow you to alter (or enter) information required. There is more about the organisation of Sections and Categories in another document in this series, see Background: Sections and Categories
Site Information[edit]
The display here can vary according to how the site has been set up. Four display by default - as an earlier screen illustrates. The Site information for the Sample data in localhost shows that they give a very useful overview of the activity on the site.
- Open each choice and explore what is shows
They give a summary about:-
- Logged in Users: who is logged in (you can also log them out from this screen)
- Popular: shown in the screen shot: the most popular articles with the numbers of hits and the date they were created
- Recent added Articles: new content
- Menu stats: hits on the Menus
In the sample data there are also two addition ones (Welcome to Joomla! and Joomla! Security) which give information about Joomla! Welcome to Joomla! is open by default when the Administrator part of the site is accessed.
These give access to all the functionality available in the site. The exact content of the Menus, and especially the Component Menu, depends on how the site has been set up. For example, this shows the basic menus under Components as they are on the Sample data.
If extra features (Extensions) have been added, they too appear on the menu. Here is an an established site where some Extensions (notably an editor JCE and Community Builder) have been installed which can be viewed through the menu system. (There is more on Extensions in another document - link it)
- Look at each menu in turn
When you begin, you won't necessarily understand or remember it all. But pulling down the menus and seeing what is there shows you what more you will need to find out to progress.
Further information[edit]
- Help on-line: Help on all the Management pages has a link to the Joomla! documentation web site. In each Manager section Help gives comprehensive information about what all the features do.
- If you are an experienced reader of Help - this will not be too difficult and developers will welcome the added detail of the on-line Help. Beginners may find that they do not understand all the vocabulary. Persist - you will understand more of it as you get experience using a site which builds your understanding of concepts and associated vocabulary.
More detail
- Quick start guide This includes descriptions of the Back-end as part of installing and creating a Joomla! site. It is good and helpful.
- Learning Joomla! using Sample Data It has a short section on the Back-end but is also useful in exploring the Sample data in the localhost installation.
On-line administrator's manual
--Lorna Scammell January 2011


text:
Madam President. I would like to address the current situation in Ukraine, an important country in the heart of Europe, a bellwether for democratic development in the region, and the current Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE.
Let me first welcome the release from prison Sunday of former Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs and leading opposition figure Yuri Lutsenko. Mr. Lutsenko had been convicted on politically motivated charges and incarcerated since December 2010. President Yanukovych's pardon of Mr. Lutsenko is an encouraging step in the right direction. I also welcome the pardon of former Environment Minister Heorhiy Filipchuk, who also served as a member of Ms. Tymoshenko's Cabinet and had been released last year after his sentence was suspended. By pardoning Mr. Lutsenko and Mr. Filipchuk, President Yanukovych is indicating not only a willingness to resolve what has been a major irritant in Ukraine's relations with the United States and the EU, but also a stain on Ukraine's democratic credentials.
At the same time, I remain deeply concerned about the politically motivated imprisonment of Ukrainian opposition figure and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has been incarcerated since August 2011.
Mrs. Tymoshenko's case stands out as a significant illustration of Ukraine's backsliding with respect to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law since she was defeated by President Yanukovych in February 2010. The United States, EU, and Canada have repeatedly expressed concerns about the application of selective justice against political opponents, their flawed trials, conditions of detention, and the denial of their ability to participate in last October's parliamentary elections.
As Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, which has long been committed to Ukraine's independence and democratic development, I am especially mindful of Ukraine's 2013 OSCE chairmanship. Like any Chair-in-Office, Ukraine faces formidable tasks in leading a multilateral organization that operates on the basis of consensus, which includes 57 countries ranging from mature democracies to oppressive dictatorships. The United States wants Ukraine to succeed, but the reality is that the politically motivated imprisonment of Ms. Tymoshenko casts a cloud over its chairmanship. A Chair-in-Office must itself have strong democratic credentials if it is to succeed in encouraging reform in other countries.
Furthermore, democratic regression in Ukraine has harmed U.S.-Ukrainian bilateral relations, preventing a traditionally strong partnership from realizing its full potential. It has also slowed down the process of Ukraine's drawing closer to the EU, which is that country's stated foreign policy priority, manifested in the still-delayed signing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. More than half a year has gone by since the unanimous adoption of S. Res. 466, calling for the release of Yulia Tymoshenko.
The Ukrainian authorities now need to follow up on the important step they have taken in freeing Yuri Lutsenko. They need to free Ms. Tymoshenko and restore her civil and political rights. By demonstrating commitment to the rule of law and human rights principles embodied by the OSCE, Ukraine will strengthen the credibility of its chairmanship and show it is serious about being a full-fledged member of the democratic community of nations.
I strongly urge the Ukrainian government to resolve the case of Ms. Tymoshenko.


text:
Update at 3:02 p.m. ET. Jackson Resigns:
After much controversy over an extended medical leave and facing an ethics investigation, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a Democrat from Chicago, resigned from Congress today.
In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, Jackson said he resigning effective immediately so he can "focus on restoring my health."
"During this journey I have made my share of mistakes. I am aware of the ongoing federal investigation into my activities and I am doing my best to address the situation responsibly, cooperate with investigators and accept responsibility for my mistakes, for they are my mistakes and mine alone," Jackson said in the letter. "None of us is immune from our share of shortcomings or human frailties and I pray that I will be remembered for what I did right."
Our Original Post Continues:
The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times are reporting that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. will resign today.
The Tribune attributes the news to Jackson's brother Jonathan Jackson, while the Sun-Times attributes it to "a source close to Jackson."
The Associated Press reports that aides to House Speaker John Boehner said his office had received a letter from Jackson telling Boehner of his intention to resign.
Jackson, who just won reelection in his Chicago district, has been dogged by controversy. First he took months of medical leave without giving a prompt explanation as to why and then federal authorities announced they were investigating whether Jackson misused campaign dollars to decorate his Washington, D.C. home.
Jackson, his doctors finally revealed, was suffering from bipolar II, "a treatable condition that affects parts of the brain controlling emotion, thought and drive and is most likely caused by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors."
The Tribune adds:
"Although he did not wage a campaign, Jackson won re-election on Nov. 6 to another two-year term in the House by defeating a Republican and independent challenger. Under Illinois law, Gov. Pat Quinn, a fellow Democrat, would call a special election to fill Jackson's 2nd District congressional seat, which extends from Chicago's South Side to Kankakee.
"He is the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader, and the husband of Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson, 7th."
We'll have more on this story as it unfolds.
Update at 2:50 p.m. ET. 'Remembered For What I Did Right':
NBC News' Luke Russert has obtained Jackson Jr.'s resignation letter. He has tweeted excerpts.
"None of us are immune from our share of shortcomings and human frailties. I pray I'll be remembered for what I did right," Jackson said. "During this journey I've made my fair share of mistakes, I'm aware of an ongoing investigation into my activities... I'm doing my best to address the situation responsibly, cooperate with investigators and accept responsibility for my mistakes."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is right to want to promote breastfeeding, but his administration's "Latch On NYC" campaign is an exercise in excess. First announced in May, the campaign is asking maternity hospitals to 1. ban formula feeding of newborn infants unless medically indicated; 2. restrict access to formula for hospital staff by locking it up and reporting its distribution to the New York City Health Department.
Lock up infant formula and track it as if it were a controlled substance? That's not only unnecessary, but is both demeaning and disrespectful of a woman's right to make her own choice about how to feed her infant. It's also based on an awful lot of wrongheaded assumptions.
(MORE: What Mitt Romney Has To Do With Breastfeeding and Infant Formula)
"Human breast milk is best for babies and mothers," said New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley, one of the four city officials — all male — quoted in the campaign's press release. "When babies receive supplementary formula in the hospital or mothers receive promotional baby formula on hospital discharge it can impede the establishment of an adequate milk supply and can undermine women's confidence in breastfeeding." It's true that breastfeeding has real health benefits over formula feeding, but the benefits are actually relatively small. As a hospital poster for the program acknowledges, there is only solid scientific evidence for the claims that breastfeeding decreases the risk of ear infections, diarrhea and pneumonia. But all that other stuff you may have heard about — such as breastfeeding raises a child's IQ — is based on conflicting evidence that is often plagued by confounding variables.
(MORE: Why Breast-Feeding Isn't The Bugaboo)
But more problematic is the fact that the "Latch On NYC" campaign does not acknowledge that in addition to the benefits, breastfeeding also has substantial costs. For many women, breastfeeding is difficult, painful (especially at the beginning), and may be inconvenient for those who need to return to work. That doesn't even take into account the fact that some women have serious breastfeeding difficulties that result in infants who fail to thrive. And these are the problems for women who want to breastfeed. Many women don't want to breastfeed at all.
The "Latch On NYC" campaign explicitly attempts to prevent the use of formula even though many mothers successfully feed their babies with breast and bottle combined. A bottle of formula can soothe a frantic infant before a mother's milk comes in, can spare a mother another painful nursing session during the early days when breastfeeding can bring blisters and soreness, and can allow a mother to get desperately needed sleep while someone else feeds the baby.
(MORE: Amy Tuteur: The Myths of Natural Childbirth)
Moreover, there is simply no evidence that the "Latch On NYC" policies will have any impact on breastfeeding rates. Most mothers give a great deal of consideration to feeding methods before they have their children — their decisions are not based on their ability to access formula in the hospital. The most likely outcome of storing formula in locked cabinets is shame for mothers who ask for it, and extra, unnecessary work for nurses who have to retrieve it, monitor it and record it. Breastfeeding activists also fail to acknowledge that women who ask for baby formula have made their choice already. It may not be the choice that activists want for them, but that doesn't mean it's okay to make it harder for women who have made that choice.
(MORE: Amy Tuteur: What Ricki Lake Doesn't Tell You About Homebirth)
The idea of locking up formula is disturbingly similar to the idea of mandating ultrasounds for women who want to terminate a pregnancy. Just as anti-choice activists justify mandatory ultrasounds by claiming that a woman can still choose abortion, Mayor Bloomberg insists that women will still be able to choose formula feeding, and that there is no harm to providing them with more information. But in both cases, it's about creating obstacles (and shame) for women. When it comes to breastfeeding, Mr. Mayor, here's a good rule of thumb: Her baby, her body, her breasts, her choice.


text:
That best ever sugar cookie dough, Ethel's sugar cookies from the 1960 Betty Crocker cookbook, was mixed and then left to chill in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, I let the dough come to room temperature and turned it out onto a floured surface. The dough should be flattened somewhat into an oblong shape. Chopped macadamia nuts and chopped, dried pineapple were layered on top of the dough, and then the dough was folded and kneaded until the nuts and fruit were incorporated. Then, you just pull off pieces of dough, roll them into one inch balls, and place them on lined baking sheets. I baked them for about 13 minutes at 400 degrees F, but they should be checked after 10 minutes and then watched. After they cooled, they were dusted with confectioner's sugar, and I put the sugar in a sieve and shake it over the cookies so no lumps land on the cookies.
The result is a tender, little cookie with a snowy top. The roasted, salted macadamias are a nice contrast to the chewy, sweet pineapple, and I already explained that this sugar cookie dough is the best there is. It really is. And, what can I say, I like Bing Crosby's "Mele Kalikimaka," and these cookies go perfectly with that song.


text:
No last name necessary.
A slew of batting titles. Corkscrew stance. Humble. A gentleman. All-around good guy.
Stan the Man.
Stanley Frank Musial, the St. Louis Cardinals star who was one of the greatest players in the history of baseball, died Saturday. He was 92.
"I never heard anybody say a bad word about him – ever," Willie Mays said in a statement released by the Hall of Fame.
The Cardinals announced Musial's death in a news release and said he died at his home in Ladue, a St. Louis suburb, surrounded by family. The team said Musial's son-in-law, Dave Edmonds, informed the club of the slugger's death.
Earlier Saturday, baseball lost another Hall of Famer when longtime Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver died at age 82.
Musial, the Midwest icon with too many batting records to fit on his Hall of Fame plaque, was so revered in St. Louis that two statues in his honor stand outside Busch Stadium – one just wouldn't do him justice. He was one of baseball's greatest hitters, every bit the equal of Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio even without the bright lights of the big city.
Musial won seven National League batting crowns, was a three-time MVP and helped the Cardinals capture three World Series championships in the 1940s.
He spent his entire 22-year career with the Cardinals and made the All-Star team 24 times – baseball held two All-Star games each summer for a few seasons. He had been the longest-tenured living Hall of Famer.
"Stan will be remembered in baseball annals as one of the pillars of our game," Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson said. "The mold broke with Stan. There will never be another like him."
A pitcher in the low minors until he injured his arm, Musial turned to playing the outfield and first base. It was a stroke of luck for him, as he went on to hit .331 with 475 home runs before retiring in 1963.
Widely considered the greatest Cardinals player ever, Musial was the first person in team history to have his number retired. Ol' 6 probably was the most popular, too, especially after Albert Pujols skipped town.
"I will cherish my friendship with Stan for as long as I live," Pujols wrote on Twitter. "Rest in Peace."
At the suggestion of a pal, actor John Wayne, Musial carried around autographed cards of himself to give away. He enjoyed doing magic tricks for kids and was fond of pulling out a harmonica to entertain crowds with a favorite, "The Wabash Cannonball."
Scandal-free and eager to play every day, Musial struck a chord with fans throughout America's heartland and beyond. For much of his career, St. Louis was the most western outpost in the majors, and the Cardinals' vast radio network spread word about him in all directions.
Farmers in the field and families on the porch would tune in, as did a future president – Bill Clinton recalled doing his homework listening to Musial's exploits.
"We have lost the most beloved member of the Cardinals family," team chairman William DeWitt Jr. said.
Musial's public appearances dwindled in recent years, though he took part in the pregame festivities at Busch Stadium during the 2011 postseason as the Cardinals won the World Series. And he was at the White House in February 2011 when President Barack Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor for contributions to society.
At the ceremony, President Obama said: "Stan remains to this day an icon untarnished, a beloved pillar of the community, a gentleman you'd want your kids to emulate."
He certainly delivered at the plate.
Musial never struck out 50 times in a season. He led the NL in most every hitting category for at least one year, except homers. He hit a career-high 39 home runs in 1948, falling one short of winning the Triple Crown.
"Major League Baseball has lost one of its true legends in Stan Musial, a Hall of Famer in every sense and a man who led a great American life. He was the heart and soul of the historic St. Louis Cardinals franchise for generations," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "As remarkable as 'Stan the Man' was on the field, he was a true gentleman in life. All of Major League Baseball mourns his passing."
In all, Musial held 55 records when he retired in 1963. Fittingly, the accolades on his bronze Hall plaque start off with this fact, rather than flowery prose: "Holds many National League records …"
He played nearly until his 43rd birthday, adding to his totals. He got a hit with his final swing, sending an RBI single past Cincinnati's rookie second baseman – that was Pete Rose, who would break Musial's league hit record of 3,630 some 18 years later.
Of those hits, Musial got exactly 1,815 at home and exactly 1,815 on the road. He also finished with 1,951 RBIs and scored 1,949 runs.
All that balance despite a most unorthodox left-handed stance. Legs and knees close together, he would cock the bat near his ear and twist his body away from the pitcher. When the ball came, he uncoiled.
Unusual, that aspect of Musial.
Asked to describe the habits that kept him in baseball for so long, Musial once said: "Get eight hours of sleep regularly. Keep your weight down, run a mile a day. If you must smoke, try light cigars. They cut down on inhaling."
One last thing, he said: "Make it a point to bat .300."
As for how he did that, Musial offered a secret.
"I consciously memorized the speed at which every pitcher in the league threw his fastball, curve, and slider," he said. "Then, I'd pick up the speed of the ball in the first 30 feet of its flight and knew how it would move once it has crossed the plate."
It worked pretty well, considering Musial began his baseball career as a pitcher in the low minors. And by his account, as he said during his induction speech in Cooperstown, an injury had left him as a "dead, left-handed pitcher just out of Class D."
Hoping to still reach the majors, he turned to another position. It was just the change he needed.
Musial made his major league debut late in 1941, the season that Williams batted .406 for the Boston Red Sox and DiMaggio hit in a record 56 straight games for the New York Yankees.
Musial never expressed regret or remorse that he didn't attract more attention than the cool DiMaggio or prickly Williams. Fact is, Musial was plenty familiar in every place he played.
Few could bring themselves to boo baseball's nicest superstar, not even the Brooklyn Dodgers crowds that helped give him his nickname, a sign of weary respect for his .359 batting average at Ebbets Field.
Many, many years before any sports fans yelled "You're the man!" at their favorite athletes, Stan was indeed the Man.
Dodgers pitcher Preacher Roe once joked about how to handle Musial: "I throw him four wide ones and then I try to pick him off first base."
Brooklynites had another reason to think well of Musial: Unlike Enos Slaughter and other Cardinals teammates, he was supportive when the Dodgers' Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. Bob Gibson, who started out with the Cardinals in the late 1950s, would recall how Musial had helped establish a warm atmosphere between blacks and whites on the team.
"I knew Stan very well," Mays said. "He used to take care of me at All-Star games, 24 of them. He was a true gentleman who understood the race thing and did all he could."
Like DiMaggio and Williams, Musial embodied a time when the greats stayed with one team. He joined the Cardinals during the last remnants of the Gas House Gang and stayed in St. Louis until Gibson and Curt Flood ushered in a new era of greatness.
"Sad to hear about Stan the Man, it's an honor to wear the same uniform," current Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday tweeted.
The only year Musial missed with the Cardinals was 1945, when he was in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was based in Pearl Harbor, assigned to a unit that helped with ship repair.
Before and after his military service, he was a star hitter.
"St. Louis has been lucky to have a player like Stan Musial. He will always be Mr. Baseball," Hall of Fame Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog said. "It's a very big loss. You can go around the world and you'll never find a better human being than Stan Musial."
Musial was the NL MVP in 1943, 1946 and 1948, and was runner-up four other years. He enjoyed a career remarkably free of slumps, controversies or rivalries.
"Stan was a favorite in Cooperstown, from his harmonica rendition of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' during Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies, to the reverence he commanded among other Hall of Fame members and all fans of the game. More than just a baseball hero, Stan was an American icon and we will very much miss him in Cooperstown," Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said.
The Cardinals were dominant early in Musial's career. They beat DiMaggio and the Yankees in the 1942 World Series, lost to the Yankees the next year and defeated the St. Louis Browns in 1944. In 1946, the Cardinals beat Williams and the visiting Red Sox in Game 7 at Sportsman's Park.
Musial, mostly a left fielder then, starred with Terry Moore in center and Slaughter, another future Hall of Famer, in right, making up one of baseball's greatest outfields. Later on, Musial would switch between the outfield and first base.
Musial never played on another pennant winner after 1946. Yet even after the likes of Mays, Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron came to the majors, Musial remained among baseball's best.
The original Musial statue outside the new Busch Stadium is a popular meeting place before games and carries this inscription: "Here stands baseball's perfect warrior. Here stands baseball's perfect knight."
"Everybody's a Musial fan," Herzog once said.
Musial gave the press little to write about beyond his grace and greatness on the field. He didn't date movie stars, spike opponents or chew out reporters or umpires.
In 1958, he reached the 3,000-hit level and became the NL's first $100,000-a-year player. Years earlier, he had turned down a huge offer to join the short-lived Mexican League. He never showed resentment over the multimillion dollar salaries of modern players. He thought they had more fun in his days.
"I enjoyed coming to the ballpark every day and I think we enjoyed the game," Musial said in a 1991 Associated Press interview. "We had a lot of train travel, so we had more time together. We socialized quite a bit and we'd go out after ballgames."
He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969, his first year of eligibility.
"It was, you know, a dream come true," Musial once said. "I always wanted to be a ballplayer."
After retiring as a player, Musial served for years in the Cardinals' front office, including as general manager in 1967, when the Cardinals won the World Series.
In the 1970s, he occasionally played in Old-Timers' Day games and could still line the ball to the wall. He was a fixture for decades at the Cooperstown induction ceremonies and also was a member of the Hall's Veterans Committee. Often, after the Vets panel had voted, he'd pull out a harmonica conveniently located in his jacket pocket and lead the other members in a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
Into the 2000s, Musial would spend time with the Cardinals at spring training, thrilling veterans and rookies alike with his stories.
Ever ready, he performed the national anthem on his harmonica at least one opening day at Busch Stadium. Musial learned his music during overnight train trips in the 1940s and in the 1990s was a member of a trio known as "Geriatric Jazz" and collaborated on a harmonica instructional book.
Stanley Frank Musial was born in Donora, Pa., on Nov. 21, 1920, son of a Polish immigrant steelworker. He began his minor league career straight out of high school, in June 1938, and soon after married high school sweetheart Lillian Labash, with whom he had four children.
Musial fell in 1940 while trying to make a tough catch and hurt his left arm, damaging his pitching prospects. Encouraged by minor league manager Dickie Kerr to try playing the outfield, he did so well in 1941 that the Cardinals moved him up to the majors in mid-September – and he racked up a .426 average during the final weeks of the season.
In his best year, 1948, he had four five-hit games and batted .376, best in the National League. He also led his league that year in runs scored (135), hits (230), total bases (429), doubles (46), and triples (18).
In 1954, he set a major league record with five home runs in a doubleheader against the New York Giants. He hit .300 or better in 16 consecutive seasons and hit a record six home runs in All-Star play, including a 12th-inning, game-winning shot in 1955.
In 1962, at age 41, he batted .330 and hit 19 home runs. In his final game, on Sept. 29, 1963, he had two hits at Busch Stadium against the Reds and the Cardinals retired his uniform number.
He was active in business, too. He served as a director of the St. Louis-based Southwest Bank. He was co-owner of a popular St. Louis steakhouse, "Stan Musial and Biggie's," and a bowling alley with former teammate Joe Garagiola (leading to a bitter fallout that eventually got resolved). He later ran Stan the Man Inc., specializing in merchandise he autographed. Musial was known for handing out folded $1 bills.
A prominent Polish-American, he was a charter member of the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and was warmly regarded by his ancestral country, which in 2000 dedicated Stan Musial Stadium in Kutno, Poland. Musial also was involved politically, campaigning for John F. Kennedy in 1960 and serving as Lyndon Johnson's director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness.
Musial's versatility was immortalized in verse, by popular poet of the times Ogden Nash, who in "The Tycoon" wrote of the Cardinals star and entrepreneur:
"And, between the slugging and the greeting,
To the bank for a directors' meeting.
Yet no one grudges success to Stan,
Good citizen and family man,
Though I would love to have his job
One half tycoon, one half Ty Cobb."
The Cardinals said Musial is survived by his four children, Richard, Gerry, Janet and Jean, as well as 11 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
Musial's wife died in May 2012.
Funeral arrangements had not yet been finalized, the Cardinals said. The team set up a memorial site around one of Musial's statues at Busch Stadium.
Associated Press writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright 2013 Capitol Hill Blue


text:
Princeton University will commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with its annual King Day celebration on Monday, Jan. 21, in Richardson Auditorium of Alexander Hall. Doors open at 1 p.m. The keynote address will be delivered by Anne Cheng, professor of English and African American studies and a Princeton alumna.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 1:15 p.m. with musical selections from the Arts High School Gospel Choir, from Arts High School in Newark, N.J.
The ceremony will include the presentation of awards to student winners in grades 4 through 12 from area schools who entered an annual Martin Luther King Day-themed contests in literary arts, visual arts and video categories. Marking the 50th anniversary of the famous "I Have a Dream" speech, which King gave in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963, this year's contests focus on the question: How can we overcome assumptions about identity and foster inclusion? Students were asked to identify a personal characteristic or trait that might cause some to make assumptions and others to feel isolated, and propose ways in which individuals can take action to overcome differences and foster inclusion.
During the program, the University will present the MLK Day Journey Award, recognizing a member of the Princeton faculty, staff or student body who best represents King's continued journey.
Cheng, the keynote speaker, specializes in race studies and psychoanalytic theory and works in 20th-century American literature, with special focus on Asian American and African American literature. In spring 2013, she is co-teaching a new interdisciplinary course, "America Then and Now," and "Literature and Food." She has also taught courses that examine various aspects of modernism and topics in American literary and cinematic narratives. She is the author of "The Melancholy of Race: Assimilation, Psychoanalysis and Hidden Grief," and "Second Skin: Josephine Baker and the Modern Surface."
Cheng, a 1985 Princeton graduate who earned her master's in English and creative writing from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of California-Berkeley, is also affiliated with the Program in American Studies and the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is the founder of the public conversation series Critical Encounters, which encourages dialogue across diverse disciplines on shared topics of social justice.
The King Day event will be webcast live. It is convened and coordinated by the institutional equity and diversity team in the offices of the provost and human resources.