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Irish Family History Show 188
Among Todays Topics at the Irish Roots Cafe:
1) Family of the Day: Rowan
2) Irish CD of the Month: Irish Song, Dance, Recitation
3) Searching For: Millard, Phelan, Lowry, Adams
4) Curious News: Disease saves Titanic passengers
5) Web Page of the Month: Maureen O'Hara
6) Navy Hero inspires 'Warship Murphy' & launching
7) New Irish site with 4 million records !
Listen to all of our podcasts at www.Irishroots.com
We have three types of podcasts:
1) Free for all 2) archived (fee) 3) Members only podcasts
Irish Family History and Genealogy
with curious news and notes from Ireland.
From the Irish Roots Cafe at www.Irishroots.com
This Weeks Audio Timeline
Todays Topics: 1:00
Notes from Mike: 2:00
One Minute Podcast: 4:00
CD of the Month:
The Magnificent Seven: 9:30
Irish Name of the Day: 11:30
Sources: 15:30
Websites of the Week: 16:30
Curious News and Notes: 18:30
Total Time: 25:50
Our Enhanced Irish Family History podcast with photos and
links can be found at:
Notes This Week:
What's happening today at the Irish Roots Cafe
1) Number 5 of the 6 CD's in our Irish Masters CD program
is due in this week ! It has songs and commentary, and
notes on Irish dance history in the U.S.. The next and
last to the set will be Irish Genealogy & family history by
yours truly.
2) In the line-up we also have a CD of Irish recitations for
next season. Taking applications now from all continents,
if you have a recitation, story or the like memorized.
3) Here is a note from Ed, looking for info on the name
Staerett. His gr gr grandmother was named Janet b. @ 1848,
and cannot find anything on the name…. I checked the
spelling quickly and saw that the common spellings were
more often Starat(t) and Starett and that shows up in
Donegal in my records. If you have addtional info, pass it
on !
One Minute Podcast
Let's listen to one of our 7 podcast series' on Song; Recitation;
Travel; History; Irish-America; or Irish language.
Todays Podcast extract is from
Irish Song and recitation CD
This CD also contains:
– A Nation Once Again (song)
– Óró, Sé do Bheatha… (as gaeilge)
– Micheál Mór (recitation)
– Danny Boy (song)
– Irish Dance History (commentary)
– Leaving of Limerick (song)
– Sadhbh Ní Bhruin… (as gaeilge)
– Ar Bhruacha Na Laoi (as gaeilge)
– Over the Mountain (Sean Nós style)
– A Soldiers Song (song – Irish and English)
with Peter Reilly Adams:
Peneleapaí: Michael Collier; Maria Morton;
Mike O'Laughlin; Renata Rua
For more podcasts like todays sample extract, go to:
Irish Family History: http://www.irishroots.com/content/view/97/152/
Photo Enhanced version: http://www.irishroots.com/content/view/103/156/
Irish in America: http://www.irishroots.com/content/view/98/154/
Irish Song /recitation: http://www.irishroots.com/content/view/99/153/
Irish Video Shorts: http://www.irishroots.com/content/view/104/157/
Irish Hedge Row History: http://www.irishroots.com/content/view/105/158/
Hello Fada, Irish language: http://www.irishroots.com/content/view/106/159/
We publish more Irish genealogy books than anyone in the world !
Three Things to Remember:
We Have a Podcast (a radio show on the net, available 24/7.
We Have a Blog reader, where a computer voice reads the blog.
We Have the Blog itself, which can be read any time night or day !__________________________________________________________
Coming Up:
These Irish saved from Titanic by what misfortune ?
Time to raise our eyes skywards, give thanks, and ask for help !
Here are todays "Magnificent Seven" :
1) Bernard Keilty of Milford, CT, your Annals of Ireland and the
Irish Book of Arms have shipped !
2) Sharlene A. Flynn of Cedar Rapids, IA welcome as a Gold
Member and your free passenger list has shipped !
3) Rev. Dennis F. Millard, of Douglasville, PA, welcome as a new
member. My gr grandfather: b. Aug 3, 1855 in N. Ireland, Co.
Antrim. Lived at 'Bally' some miles from Ballymena. Looking for
info. I have history on his parents and family.
4) Edward G. Lawrence of Aberdeen, MD, welcome as a new
full member. searching for my gr grandfather William John
Phelan, b. Kings County, Ire., Nov. 5, 1883. I have his WWII
draft card for Boston, MA. Can anyone help ?
5) Shirley Boyd Dwyer welcome as a new member, searching:
Lowry of Carricknahorna; Freeborn of Drumholm; Boyd of Corlave, Fermanagh.
6) Kevin Flood of Jacksonville, FL, Welcome as a new member !
7) Marlene Williams of Santa Clara, UT, welcome as a new
member. Charles Adams b. 1795 and Catherine Mills. Children,
and would like to contact cousins living in Ireland now. Charles
lived and owned business in Hillsbough, Down, Ireland.
Check out our online search list at:
Thanks to all of our members – without you these
podcasts would not be possible – !
Sponsors are welcome and needed.
Irish Family Name of the Day:
Related Spellings of the Name
Rowane; O'Rowane; Rowantree; Rone; Roane; Ruan; Rowen
Varient Spelling Groups: #1821, #1819
From The Guide to the Various Spellings of Irish Family Names
History of the Name
The Rowan family of County Antrim, given in the Irish Book of Arms,
is said to have originated in Scotland. Another branch of the name is
found in Families of Co. Kerry, Ireland after the rebellion of 1641-2.
That line is traced to a George Rowan, and several related generations
are given.
Kerry historian Jeremiah King gave Ua Robhachain as O'Rowan
In Nothern Ireland, Pynnars Survey gives us a Mr. Rowan or Rone,
in the footnotes as well as the text. His entry involves the
mismanagement of his land, due primarily to his death.
copyright 2010, IGF, based in part upon
The Book of Irish Families, great and small
Irish Family Coats of Arms From the Irish Book of Arms
A Brief search in that work shows:
1) Rowan is given and pictured in the Irish book of arms. This branch
of the family is given centered in Co. Antrim, Ireland.
Coming Up Later in this episode:
This Irish copyright expires next year…. what song would that be ?
The Free Master online index at www.Irishroots.com shows:
Listings for the name 41 times, here are a few examples:
1) Rowantree in Guide to the Spelling of Irish Family Names.
2) Rone as Rowan in: Special Census of Ireland: Pynnars Survey
3) O'Rowane in Irish Names and Surnames by P. Woulfe
4) Maj. Rowan in : The Families of County Kerry, Ireland.
5) Hamilton Rowan in Haverty's Irish American Almanac.
6) Rowan in County Mayo Ireland, genealogy & family history notes.
7) Rowan in The Milesian Families of Ireland
You can use this free index to search for your family name:
Remember to leave off the Mac or O when typing your name.
Around the World, in Irish Ways.
The Web Page and Video of the Month.
1) Rowan Cottage: Inch Island. Donegal Holiday Cottage.
2) Rowan Family Genealogy Forum
3) Hero Michael Murphy awarded the Medal of Honour.
Mother christens Warship Murphy.
4) Maureen O'Hara magazine, complete with interview too
see also our Irish Video Shorts at:
Curious News and Notes, From Ireland today
1) Maureen O'Hara delivered a polite rebuke to the Arts and Culture
minister recently. The poor minister inferred she was 'over 90' years of
age. She publicly said " I am not over 90" "I am 90"
2) I was surprised when I saw the average take for first communion
in Ireland was 416 Euro. Not bad for a child……. I think I only got
money from one far away relative and that was about $20…..
3) Co. Wexford launches new tourism website. They have been
undersellling themselves it seems….
4) Postman disappears, 10 people charged with his murder. But body
was never found….
5) A case of chickenpox saved these Irish from boarding Titantic…
6) The copyright on the Irish National Anthem expires next year.
It could be replaced…. changes from soldiers to Warriors also suggested
7) New Irish Records Site launch, with 4 million records
including Griffiths Valuation (1847-64), various directories,
and landed estates court records. It is a pay site.
…….So end the notes from the Irish Hedge Row today.
You can see the entire series at www.Irishroots.com.
Advertisers and sponsors welcome.
The Worlds Leading audio source for Irish Genealogy
The Irish Roots Cafe has 7 Broadcast series & 250 episodes
Contact us
You can reach the Irish Roots Cafe on Twitter; Facebook;
www.IrishRoots.com; and by mail at our U.S. location:
The Irish Roots Cafe
Box 7575
Kansas City, Missouri 64116
Leave a message on our Phone (816) 256-3360
Contact us for speaking engagements,
exhibits, and educational events. Since 1984.
©2010 IGF, This information is intended
for personal non-commercial use only.
Sponsors Welcome.
About Your Host
Mike O'Laughlin
Mike descends from the O'Loughlins of Kilfenora, County Clare,
and the O'Donahues of Glenflesk, County Kerry. He also bears
Sullivan, Buckley, Kilmartin, Llewellyn and Kelliher roots.
A one of a kind resource, he is the most published author
his field, including books; newsletters; podcasts; and videos.
His books, publications, and podcasts are found at:
Learn More About the Irish Hedge School online at:


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Thank you to the Natural History Museum and Antarctic Heritage Trust NZ for letting us camp out on the Antarctic conservation blog. We thought we'd post a few pieces to celebrate Scott's Last Expedition, the exhibition currently at the museum, until 16 October. Over a series of posts we'll take you on a tour of the exhibition, delve into our own Antarctic collection and share the story of a Sydney family who have a unique connection to the exhibition.
Scott's Last Expedition commemorates the centenary of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's famous expedition to the South Pole, where tragically he and four of his men lost their lives almost 100 years ago. We 're lucky enough in Australia to be the premier venue for the exhibition, it's due to open at the Natural History Museum, London in January 2012 and then onto Canterbury Museum, New Zealand in November 2012.
The exhibition has been extremely popular, with accompanied sellout lectures, tours and children's programmes. The exhibition celebrates the achievements and scientific discoveries made by the expedition team, and is filled to the brim with photographs, artefacts and specimens. Among some of the impressive objects on display you will find sea sponge (Haliciona (Gellius) rudis) collected during the expedition, still green over 100 years on; and Brittle Star (Astrotoma agassizii), a star fish that sports long flexible arms to capture prey, a species found throughout Antarctic waters.
At the centre of the exhibition is a representation of Scott's base camp at Cape Evans. Visitors can walk inside the life-size hut and get a sense of the everyday realities for the 25 expedition members, from the cramped conditions and homeliness of the hut, to the wealth of specimens collected and experiments conducted.
Inside the representation of Cape Evans Hut (detail).
Inside the representation of Cape Evans Hut (detail).
See photos of the exhibition installation process.
Take a photographic tour of the exhibition.
Australian National Maritime Museum
Subscribe to our blog
Become a fan on Facebook
Talk to us on Twitter #Scott2011
To commemorate the centenary of the Terra Nova expedition and celebrate its achievements the Natural History Museum, London, the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, New Zealand, and the Antarctic Heritage Trust, New Zealand, have collaborated to create this international exhibition, which will be touring between 2011-2013.


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15 Horses Who Are So Ready For Christmas [PHOTOS]
If there's one thing you need to know about us here at TheFW, it's that we love to find any excuse to dress up animals. This is especially true during the holiday season, because festive puppies and cats are like, the best things ever.
So far this year, we've been huge fans of reindeer cats and Santa dogs for no other reason than for their sheer adorableness. Recently, though, we've discovered another animal wants in on the Christmas costume game, and who are we to leave any of our four-legged friends out of the fun?
Who would've thought horses like getting decked out in festive garb?! Okay, so they might not like it, but they sure rock Christmas accessories as good as ol' Saint Nick (and that's saying a whole heck of a lot).
Check out 15 horses who are so ready for Christmas below.


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Céline Dion says a return to her Las Vegas show is part of her duties to take care of ailing husband René Angélil, who continues to battle throat cancer.
When the iconic singer announced she would be going on hiatus from her Las Vegas residency because her husband's health had taken a turn again, fans didn't know whether she would return to the stage.
Luckily, Dion recently revealed that she's decided to take the stage at Caesars Palace, because "my biggest job is to tell my husband, we're fine. I'll take care of our kids. You'll watch us from another spot," she tells USA Today during an emotional interview.
47-year-old Dion says she resorts to being strong in times like these, but sometimes Angélil "needs something more sensitive than that, more than just positivity. Sometimes he just wants me to enter into a different place with him."
She continues, "I'll say, 'You're scared? I understand. Talk to me about it.' And René says to me, 'I want to die in your arms.' OK, fine, I'll be there, you'll die in my arms."
WATCH: Céline Dion Talks About Her Las Vegas Return and Her Husband's Cancer: "You Take Chances and You Go For It"
By her side throughout her career has been her former manager and husband, 73, who is also the person who encouraged her to return to the stage at Caesar's Palace come Aug. 27.
"That first show, it will be fragile," she says. "There will be moments of emptiness, laughter, awkwardness, tearing up. But that's the point of coming back–otherwise, I just release an album."
Dion also explains that her return to Sin City isn't so much for the performing as it is to show Angélil that she has his back.
"When you see someone who is fighting so hard, it has a big impact on you," she says. "You have two choices. You look at your husband who's very sick and you can't help, and it kills you. Or you look at your husband that's sick and you say, 'I got you. I got it. I'm here. It's going to be just fine.'
"You can have your shaking knees at the end, but when someone you love falls and needs help, it's not time to cry," she adds. "Afterwards, sure. But not yet."
PHOTOS: Spotlight on Céline Dion


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Rimage Corporation today announced the availability of its new Professional Series 5300N and 5100N product lines, addressing the requirements of mid-range of CD/DVD and Blu-ray Disc publishing. The new Rimage Professional 5300N and 5100N models offer customers a "step up" from ordinary desktop disc publishing systems and provide compact, user-friendly systems for front office applications.
"The new Rimage Professional Series is perfect for our customers that have multiple users sharing disc publishing responsibilities and want the convenience of an intelligent network appliance with professional print quality and hands-off operation, but don't need large capacity production equipment," said Manny Almeida, chief operating officer for Rimage "The Professional Series is designed to save our customers in the video production, medical, retail and business service industries time and money by having an in-house disc publishing solution.
The 5300N and 5100N feature premium design, performance and print quality in one easy-to-use package. Functioning as a shared network appliance, the 5300N and 5100N automate data recording and surface printing for CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs for an entire work group. The Professional Series uses sophisticated software, embedded computers, state-of-the-art robotics, network connectivity and truly permanent direct-to-disc printing to deliver professional-quality, error-free discs every time.
The Rimage Professional Series 5300N and 5100N disc publishing systems help a wide range of businesses streamline their information distribution workflows and can be deployed in a number of scenarios. From video, photo and digital media production to medical images and financial data, the 5300N and 5100N are ideal all-in-one solutions for archiving, duplicating and distributing critical digital information. Applications for the Professional Series 5300N and 5100N include business services, digital media, medical and retail.
Longtime Rimage customer Robert Martindale, manager of television production for non-profit giant AARP, tested the 5300N system and has been impressed with how easily the equipment fit into his DVD production workflow. In Bob's words, "The system simply works."
"As solid, satisfied Rimage customers, we couldn't imagine how the company might improve its top-notch networked systems," said Martindale. "But after using the 5300N for several months, we were most impressed with the system's production capacity, flexibility and "future-proof" upgrade capability of Blu-ray Discs and HD/DVD. Having separate input bins for CDs and DVDs went a long way towards speeding up the production process," added Martindale.
Medical imaging customers also praise the Rimage 5300N and 5100N systems – called the Rimage Medical Disc System by product integrators in the health care industry – for its performance and mission-critical reliability. "No other solution can match how quickly the first disc is produced, the permanence of patient information and dependability of the Rimage system," said Mike Sutherland, vice president of TDK Medical. "As the Healthcare industry starts using DVDs along with CDs because of increased imaging storage requirements, the Medical Disc System's dual bin capacity and on-board intelligence provides the most advanced disc publishing system available."
For large retailers, the Rimage Professional Series provides an entirely new revenue stream by expanding their digital content output services. The Rimage 5300N and 5100N systems are affordable turnkey solutions for retailers to deliver on-demand digital content – such as music, movies, ring tones and more – with professional, full-color disc printing. Plus, the Rimage solutions have full-featured networking capabilities that enable retailers to combine customer-facing kiosk-based or Web-based digital content acquisition with in-store disc production capabilities.
New features for the Rimage 5300N and 5100N systems include the following:
50-Disc Removable Input Bins – The 5300N gives users the flexibility to simultaneously produce two different media types in one system with less frequent manual media changes. The 5100N supports one recorder and one input bin.
Removable Recorders – The 5300N features the latest technology in recorders and are pre-aligned for easy insertion and removal from the chassis Future recorder upgrades, such as an optional 4x Blu-ray Disc recorder, could easily be added to the system. The 5100N features a single DVD/CDR or Blu-ray Disc recorder.
Removable Hard Disks – Two removable 250 GB hard disks are configured for RAID 0 operation to maximize write performance, and the 5300N has a third open bay for additional data storage.
High-Performance Embedded Control Center – Features a 1 gigabit Ethernet interface, Intel® Core 2 Duo processor, 1 GB of memory and Microsoft Windows XP Pro embedded.
Everest III Thermal Retransfer Color Printer – World-renowned Everest disc-printing technology prints durable, photo-realistic color images directly to the disc surface for a professional label that won't run, smudge, or scratch.
Software Suite 7.4 – An integrated suite of applications to manage, create and print discs from all computers across a network, the new Rimage Software Suite includes QuickDisc, CD Designer and Rimage System Manager applications and features adaptive streaming, networking and disc spanning functions.
The Rimage Professional Series is targeted at mid-range, front office applications and complements the Producer Series 8100N & 7100N systems introduced in 2006 for business critical, higher volume applications. The Rimage Producer and Professional Series can operate cooperatively or independently on the network to meet a wide range of digital publishing requirements.
The Rimage Professional Series 5300N is currently shipping, and the 5100N will be available in July. For more information about Rimage Professional Series digital publishing systems, visit www.rimage.com.


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The HTC
EVO 4G is about to hit Sprint's network on June 4 and will
be the first 4G smartphone. That impressive distinction and its
stellar hardware spec have earned it the reputation of being the
smartphone of the summer to buy. Pre-orders for
the phone just began at Best Buy and Radio Shack, but already a
couple of early reviews by Engadget's Chris
Ziegler and All
Things Digital's Walt
Mossberg (who also writes for The
Wall Street Journal)
have shown up on the internet.
The basic summary of the early
reviews is this. The 4G is faster than anything you've seen,
but it's spotty and a battery draw. The phone is overall above
the competition with its super fast data speeds, simultaneous
voice/data when on 4G, huge screen, mini-HDMI connector, and
impressive camera. However, there's some minor quality
concerns. But a couple of special features -- Wi-Fi
connectivity, high speed YouTube, and video chat elevate the phone
potentially to must buy status.
Turning first to the packaging
which is "resembling a microwaveable meal", according to
green shoppers will enjoy that the packaging is recycled and comes
with a recycling envelope. Also packed inside is the Micro-USB
cable, USB wall charger, a 1500mAh battery, 8GB microSD card and the
phone itself.
Turning to the hardware and build
quality, both reviews praised the massive 4.3" screen, which is
only matched by HTC's own HTC HD2 (powered on the stale Windows
Mobile 6.5). That lead might not last for long, though given
that the Motorola
Shadow/Mirage phone is supposed to pack a 4.3" screen
and be released by mid-year. Still for now, the screen is about
the best you'll get -- better than the current generation iPhone,
Engadget complains
that the phone is "beefier" than the HD2 or Nexus One.
And Walt Mossberg gripes, "The phone is heavy."
also some light leakage out the bottom of the phone and HTC strangely
has designed the phone to rest directly on the camera lens glass,
which could lead to scratches for those who do not protect their
phones in a case. Inside, the memory card is a bit hard to
replace as its under the battery and uses a strange latching
mechanism. The EVO shares the fire engine red underbody of the
HTC Droid Incredible on Verizon.
Overall both reviewers said
the build quality, despite the minor shortcomings, is excellent.
Among the hot features is the kickstand, which Engadget lauds
"positive (sic) spring loaded action and feels like it's made of
solid metal"
Turning next to the camera, it receives a
lot of praise in the Engadget review,
which says that it features an extremely fast shutter speed, even
with auto-focus. They like that you can switch between MPEG4
and H.264 video modes, but criticize HTC's liberal compression of
high-def video.
One app that raised the phone up a notch was
the YouTube HQ app which features impressive full-screen videos that
are loaded fast, thanks to the speedy network. Another highly
valuable app is Sprint's Hotspot app which is extremely easy to use
(more on the speed later). Finally, Qik-powered two-way video
chat app is also expected to be a hot edition, but it wasn't ready
for review quite yet.
A burning question likely on your mind
-- how does the 4G work? Well apparently in the limited number
of cities with coverage, its very fast if you can get
it. Endgadget reports
getting "WiFi-like speed" (7.5Mbps down and nearly 3Mbps
up, 3.5 Mbps average up) while being able to make calls over
Similarly, Walt Mossberg says his tests show speeds of 1
to 4 mbps, compared to 1Mbps down for the iPhone on AT&T or 2
Mbps down for the HTC Droid Incredible on Verizon. However
Mossberg warns, "[W]hen using 4G, the EVO's battery runs down
alarmingly fast."
Battery life is a reoccurring concern.
It isn't horrible, but it apparently isn't great. If you plan
on tethering, you might want to plug in your phone to prevent battery
drain over long sessions. Another concern Engadget raises
is that HTC has been slow pushing out updates so there's a chance the
Flash-packing Android
2.2 "Froyo" update could be slow coming to the
phone. App memory capacity (only 358 MB of 9 GB for third party
apps) is yet another concern.
Both reviews summarize the phone
on a positive note. Mossberg summarizes:
verdict: The HTC EVO 4G, when used on Sprint's 4G network, offers
the highest consistent downstream data speeds I have ever seen on a
cellular network. It also has a number of other strong features: a
front-facing camera for video chatting, and the ability to serve as a
Wi-Fi hotspot (for an extra fee of $30 a month) that can
simultaneously connect up to eight laptops or other devices to the
And Engadget comments:
us be crystal clear: we love this phone. Nay, we adore it. But the
fact remains that it's still very much an Android device -- which
means that if you don't like Android now, odds are good that even
Android executed on the most amazing hardware to date won't do much
to change your opinion of it.


text:
Iowa LB Shaull injured in accident
Iowa linebacker Dalton Shaull was in stable condition Friday after his scooter ran into the back of another vehicle.
Article continues below ...
Iowa City police Sgt. Brian Krei says Shaull was on a highway near the edge of Iowa City on Thursday afternoon when he rear-ended another vehicle.
The university says in a statement that Shaull, a redshirt freshman linebacker from Oskaloosa, Iowa, remains at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
No further details were provided.


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Shuttle Launch Tickets Opportunity
Launch Details
- Date:
- July 8, 2011
- Mission:
- Vehicle:
- Space Shuttle Atlantis
- Site:
- Kennedy Space Center - Launch Pad 39A
- Time:
- 11:26 a.m. ET
- STS-135 Description:
- Space shuttle Atlantis will carry the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module to deliver supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. Atlantis also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft.
Thank you for your interest in launch viewing tickets for STS-135 Space Shuttle Atlantis. Registration is now closed.
Witness the launch of STS-135 space shuttle Atlantis, the final space shuttle mission, at Kennedy Space Center, currently targeted for Friday, July 8, 2011 at 11:26 a.m. ET.
Launch dates, times and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex operational schedules are subject to change. It is your responsibility to keep up with the date and time of the space shuttle launch. Click here for the official space shuttle launch schedule.
Due to the retirement of the space shuttle program, an increased interest in space shuttle launches has created a higher demand for launch viewing tickets than ever before. The launch ticket opportunity purchasing process will ensure everyone who registers will get a fair shot at the limited number of tickets available for these viewing locations:
- NASA Causeway: Admission ticket* to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and a Launch Transportation Ticket to view the launch from the NASA Causeway. $61 adult/$51 child (ages 3-11) plus tax.
- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex: Admission ticket* to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex with launch viewing from the main Visitor Complex grounds. Special launch day activities. $43 adult/$33 child (ages 3-11) plus tax.
- U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®: Admission ticket to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame with launch viewing from the Hall of Fame grounds. Special launch day activities. $20 adult/$16 child (ages 3-11) plus tax.
* The Admission ticket to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex includes a second day free if used within seven consecutive days. Hours of operation are limited on launch days, so we encourage you to visit on a day before or after the launch to enjoy everything that is included with your admission.
Launch Viewing Ticket Purchasing Opportunity Process
The launch ticket opportunity process ensures a fair opportunity for those that are interested in purchasing launch viewing tickets. There is a one-week period to register for the opportunity to purchase tickets. When the registration period ends, registrants will be selected at random for the opportunity to purchase tickets at a later date. Not everyone who registers will be selected to purchase tickets.
Here's How it Works:
1. Registration Period: Register online at www.ksclaunchtickets.com beginning May 30 at 9:00 a.m. ET through June 5, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. ET. You can only register online. Registration is not available over the telephone. This one-week registration period is the only time to register for the opportunity to purchase viewing tickets for the launch of STS-135 space shuttle Atlantis from a launch viewing location listed above.
You must provide a valid email address during registration in order to be notified of your eligibility. Once you have successfully completed the registration form, you will receive an email confirmation summarizing the information that you provided during registration.
Please note that there is a possibility the notification email may not be delivered due to a number of reasons including, but not limited to: user error in which the email address is entered incorrectly, the user's mailbox is full or over the size limit which causes the email to bounce back as undeliverable, or the user's domain has spam filters that reject the email. Please add firstname.lastname@example.com to your accepted list of email addresses to help ensure the email notifications are delivered successfully. If you do not receive a confirmation email confirming that you have registered successfully, we recommend you try registering again or use a different email address.
If selected for the opportunity, you must have access to purchase tickets online. Tickets will not be available for purchase over the telephone.
Please note: Duplicate entries, including name, address and email, will be removed. Only one registration per household will be accepted. If selected, you must purchase tickets with the same name and address that you used to register for the opportunity. No changes of address or name are permitted.
2. Random Drawing: Registration closes on June 5, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. ET and a random drawing will be conducted to determine who will be offered the opportunity to purchase launch viewing tickets. You are not guaranteed tickets for any particular viewing location.
You will be notified by email of the status of your registration. If selected for the opportunity to purchase tickets, the email will include information on how to purchase tickets. Those that are not selected will also be notified by email.
3. Opportunity to Purchase Tickets: For those selected for an opportunity to purchase launch viewing tickets, your notification email will include the on-sale date and time for when you can purchase tickets. The purchasing opportunity will last for one day. The email will also include a website link and single-use password, which must be used to purchase tickets. Due to the high level of interest in tickets, some visitors may experience a virtual waiting room prior to entering the ticket order page. All requests for tickets cannot be served simultaneously. The virtual waiting room will randomly allow access to the ticket order page. Entry into the ticket store does not guarantee that a particular launch viewing location will still be available.
If you do not purchase tickets during this one-day period, your opportunity will be forfeited and you will not be able to purchase tickets for STS-135 at another time. There is a limit of six (6) total tickets per transaction (only one transaction per household).
Please note: All tickets will be shipped to the billing address where your credit card statement is received. Also, you must purchase tickets with the same name and address that you used to register for the opportunity. No changes of address or name are permitted.
Thank you for your interest in witnessing the launch of STS-135 space shuttle Atlantis and the final space shuttle mission!
Florida's Space Coast is as close as you can get to a live space shuttle launch. For more information on off-site viewing locations near Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, click here.
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Accepting the outcome
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who campaigned for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, released this statement on President Obama's re-election:
"First, Michael and I want to offer our congratulations to Mitt and Ann Romney – two wonderful people filled with grace, strength and love of country, and two people we are proud to call our friends. They ran a campaign that offered a vision of America that is strong, prosperous and free, and inspired millions of Americans in the process. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for their service.
Second, we congratulate President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on their hard-fought and hard-earned re-election. Since the day he was sworn into office back in 2009, we have hoped and prayed for President Obama's success as, more than anything, we want to raise our children in an America that's thriving and that offers our children the same blessings and opportunities it has offered the generations that preceded them. Those hopes and prayers continue today.
"Although South Carolina cast a majority of its votes in the other direction, our country has spoken. As Americans, we must respect this outcome, and, as governor, I will work together with President Obama wherever I can for the betterment of our state and country."
What do you think, Romney supporters? Does the governor reflect your own feelings in her reaction to the loss? Do you agree that regarding the Romneys, "we all owe them a debt of gratitude for their service?"
And how about you, Obama backers? Are you heartened to see the Republican governor had been praying for the president's success since 2009?
The statements are starting to hit reporters' inboxes.
Here is an excerpt from an email from South Carolina Republican Party chairman Chad Connelly:
"From the lady who volunteered because her Sunday School teacher upset her by praising President Obama's policies, to the 100+ Citadel Republican Society cadets who went to Virginia, to the volunteers who walked neighborhoods and made phone calls all across South Carolina - you ALL poured your hearts out like never before! I am truly proud to be a South Carolina Republican. ...
While it is sad that so many Americans have voted for European-style, 'trickle down' big government, God is still on HIS throne and I still believe that HE has this nation in the palm of HIS hands."
Does this offer Romney supporters more solace?


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Real Women Have Curves DVD
There's more to some women than meets the eye. "Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera makes her film debut as a plucky 18-year-old with brains and a strong sense of self-worth when mother Lupe Ontiveros isn't getting on her about her weight and the need to find a man. Torn between dreams of college and a career and family pressure to work in her sister's dress factory, Ferrera agrees to work there for one summer and learns some valuable lessons about Chicana sisterhood from her underpaid fellow employees. Patricia Cardoso ("Lies in Plain Sight," 2010) directed this Sundance-winner.
Featurette: English and Spanish language featurettes
Read MoreLess
More Details
- Format: DVD
- Rating: PG-13
- Number of Discs: 1
- Run Time: 86 Minutes
- Region: 1
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen
- Language: English
- Studio: HBO Home Video
- DVD Release Date: April 22, 2003
- Packaging: Amaray Case
- Subtitles: English
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo [CC]
- Director: Patricia Cardoso
- Cast: America Ferrera,Lupe Ontiveros,Ingrid Oliu,George Lopez
- Genre: Romance
- Color: Color
Additional Scene
Audio Commentaries
2 Featurettes
Cast & Crew Bios
...and more!
- Release Date: 2002
Availability: In Stock
Ready to ship in 5-7 Business Days
5.05.0(1 review)See all 1 review
Reviewed by 1 customer
- Addresses real issues
- Educational
- Engaging Characters
- Entertaining
- High Production Value
- Informative
- Original
Best Uses
- Adult Viewers
- At Home
- Families
- High School
- In The Car
- Special Needs
- With adolescent girls
- Younger Viewers
Comments about this product:
A wonderful film addressing the issues of weight for adolescent girls and their families. It also show some insight into the Chicano world: the world of work and family, and cultural issues. I purchased this first for a niece, and now have purchased it for myself


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Report: Hank looking for more fire
Steinbrenner says Yankees have talent to rebound
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
Steinbrenner, a Yankees co-chairperson, spoke up in an interview published Wednesday in the New York Post, saying, "We've got to forget about all the injuries and start playing our butts off.
"The bottom line is that the team is not playing the way it is capable of playing," he continued. "These players are being paid a lot of money and they had better decide for themselves to earn that money."
The Yankees' $209 million payroll is the highest in baseball, but New York has lacked offensive thump with Rodriguez, last year's American League MVP, and Posada both mending injuries. Rodriguez could rejoin the Yankees next week, but Posada is expected to be out until at least June.
The Yankees were shut out through eight innings on Tuesday before Hideki Matsui hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning off Rays closer Troy Percival, but lost in 11 innings when Gabe Gross touched Mariano Rivera for his first run allowed this season.
"We have good professional hitters and I have a lot of faith in them," Steinbrenner told the Post from Tampa. "I'm not saying they are not giving the effort, but they need to be playing harder."
The Rays celebrated their extra-inning victory -- their third this season -- off Rivera with vigor, as Jonny Gomes tossed his helmet while running home and two celebrations broke out on the infield at Tropicana Field.
The Rays moved into first place in the American League East with the victory, and though manager Joe Girardi said the energy level of his club is fine, Steinbrenner would not mind seeing the Yankees act a little more like the up-and-coming Rays.
"[The Yankees have] got to start playing the way the Rays are playing," Steinbrenner said. "[The Yankees] need to start treating it like when they were younger players and going after that big contract, like they're in [Triple-A] and trying to make the Majors. That's the kind of attitude and fire the players have to have.
"There's no question we need to turn it around and we have the talent to turn it around. We've got the team in place, and now they just have to go out and do it."
Steinbrenner also mentioned he would like to see the Rays draw better at Tropicana Field. Back to the topic of his own team, Steinbrenner did not rule out seeking help this season to attend to problem areas.
"We'll add whoever we have to add," he said. "We're missing two big pieces, but this is basically the same lineup as last year. I have great faith in all of them."
According to the Post, Steinbrenner also praised the work of Chien-Ming Wang, Rivera and Joba Chamberlain, and said Mike Mussina and Darrell Rasner have done a good job as well.
He said the future rotation looks bright with Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and last year's top pick, Andrew Brackman, who threw a bullpen session with Girardi catching on Tuesday at Tropicana Field.
"This is going to get turned around," Steinbrenner said. "If it's not turned around this year, then it will be turned around next year, by force if we have to."
Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Alten8 headlines
Get your face into Eternity's Child
Indie developer Luc Bernard's opened a competition to give people a chance to get their faces into global warming future-tale, Eternity's Child. See here. All you have to do is send in either a pic or a video. Easy. No date on the PC, WiiWar game as yet.
Luc Bernard doesn't want to "live off noodles"
Developer Luc Bernard isn't happy with platformer Eternity's Child, but hopes he'll achieve enough success with it to keep the wolf from the door for a while yet. "To be honest, I am not satisfied with Eternity's Child," he said in this Konsolifin interview. "I hope that is does well enough for me to be […]
Holocaust DS title is "to educate", says Bernard
Speaking here, Luc Bernard, developer of DS title Imagination is the Only Escape, has defended the game's setting saying its aim to to educate children about the Holocaust. "It's to educate children about awareness and racism," he said. "There won't be any violent scenes, the bottom screen just displays the reality of what happened – […]
Nintendo Europe "scared" of DS Holocaust game, says creator, but he's hopeful of release
Speaking here, Imagination is the Only Escape creator Luc Bernard has said that he's heard Nintendo Europe is "scared" of the Holocaust-based game, but that he doesn't think the company is trying to stop the game's release despite this morning's "no plans" comment. "Well from what I was told, Nintendo Europe is also scared of […]
Nintendo Europe blocks release of Barnard DS Holocaust title
Nintendo Europe has confirmed it has the same stance on releasing Holocaust-based DS game Imagination is the Only Escape as Nintendo US, telling videogaming247 that you're unlikely to be playing it any time soon. "There are no plans to bring this to Europe or the UK," said a Nintendo spokesperson this morning. The title is […]
Nintendo refuses to release Holocaust DS game in US
According to this, Nintendo has confirmed that Imagination Is the Only Escape will not be released in America. "At this time, there are no plans for this game to be released for any Nintendo platforms in North America," the company said in a statement. The game, created by 21-year-old Brit Luc Bernard and published by […]
Alten8 Latest
Nintendo Europe "scared" of DS Holocaust game, says creator, but he's hopeful of release
Nintendo Europe blocks release of Barnard DS Holocaust title


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Marriage Counselor
Mike Flynn, LCSW
family counselor
1811 Huguenot Rd suite408, midlothian, Virginia
marriage health is attainable if both people work daily to be graceful and kind hearted to each other we offer resources to give you success
Marriage Counselor
Catherine Turner, M.Div., LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
1891 Billingsgate Circle, Suite A, Henrico, Virginia
I also work with couples and families to improve communication skills, resolve conflict, find ways to compromise, practice forgiveness, and create balance in their relationships.
Marriage Counselor
Kimberly Johnson, LMFT, LPC, RPT
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
550 Southlake Blvd. , North Chesterfield , Virginia
Heterosexual Pre-Marital and Married Couples take an online relational assessment Prepare-Enrich to examine their relational strengths, personality, family of origin dynamics, views about life, finances, your faith and marital expectation with Kimberly's expert support.
Marriage Counselor
Donna Westcott, M.Ed.
Resident in Counseling
5352 Twin Hickory Road, Glen Allen, Virginia
I am committed to helping husbands and wives understand their conflicts, capitalize on their strengths, and work toward a shared vision for their marriage.
Marriage Counselor
Jennifer Erickson, MS, NCC
Resident in Counseling
7459 Old Hickory Dr. Ste 105, Mechanicsville, Virginia
Couples, Families and Relationships - Let's work together to improve understanding about differences, increase acceptance about our viewpoints, and increase communication effectiveness. When we can accept and support each other, we can make a relationship grow.
23139 is a zip code located in Powhatan County and part of Powhatan, Virginia. It has a land area of 239.098 square miles.  The population of 23139 is 24,425 people.


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Almain corslet. German, 1540-50 (II.30) arm defences are from about 1570.
Almain corslet. German, 1540-50 (II.30) arm defences are from about 1570.
Watercoloured sketch of the Line of Kings
Object Provenance:
German, about 1540–50
Arm defences about 1570
Object Number: II.30
The armour is composite, constructed from elements of armours embossed with fleurs-de-lys, the embossing bright on a blackened ground in the style associated with Nuremberg armourers.
The helmet is a burgonet, with a one-piece skull with a low comb, pivoted peak and a neck guard of one plate. The peak, neck guard and sides are embossed with fleurs-de-lys. The hinged cheekpieces are embossed with roundels pierced for hearing and embossed with saltires.
The gorget is an Almain collar with its spaudlers removed. The breastplate is of late tapulbrust form, with a bold roped turn at the neck, gussets at the arms and is embossed at the centre with a bright double fleur-de-lys. The fauld is of four lames, the lowest with an arched flange at the centre. The backplate is similarly embossed, and may belong to the breastplate. It is made in three pieces with partial roped turns at the edges.
The tassets are of eight lames, embossed with a double headed fleur-de-lys embossed on the lowest lame, and do not match the cuirass. The vambraces are later than the cuirass. They comprise full pauldrons, upper cannons with turning joints, couters with small wings, and fitted with a series of articulated lames inside the elbow joint. The upper lame of each is a 19th-century restoration.
The armour stood in the New Horse Armoury in 1877.
Old Tower collection, Hewitt, 1859, 13, II.42; Dillon 1910, 111, II.35
Object Provenance:
German, about 1540–50
Arm defences about 1570
Object Number: II.30


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Three Teenagers Rescued after Drifting in Pacific for 50 Days
Three teenagers from the Tokelau islands disappeared on October 5 while rowing in the Pacific. After an extensive search by the New Zealand air force, the boys' families held memorial services. Yesterday, they were found alive by a fishing boat.
It's a Thanksgiving miracle! I mean, if Kiwis or Tokelauans celebrated Thanksgiving, it would be. Fifteen-year-olds Samuel Pelesa and Filo Filo and 14-year-old Edward Nasau had been trying to row between two of the atolls that comprise Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand, when they drifted off course and disappeared. After weeks of fruitless searches, they were given up for dead.
And then they turned up in their tiny aluminum boat, somewhere northeast of Fiji. They had survived for 50 days on fish, rainwater, and a single seagull that had landed in their boat. Good timing on the rescue too: They had begun to drink seawater as it hadn't rained for a few days.
The boys were spotted by a New Zealand fishing boat—the San Nikunau—which was taking a shortcut as it headed home:
"We saw this craft floating on the horizon and it's normal to check on them," [First Mate Tai] Fredricsen said.
"So we went over and yelled out, 'Are you okay?' As we got closer, we realised they weren't. They were over the moon to see us."
Mr Fredricsen said the boys started waving frantically as the crew got to within 1.5km of their small boat.
The crew fed them fruit and water in small portions, and treated their sun-exposed skin. Fredricsen called one of the boys' grandmothers and let her know the good news. The boat is due to hit New Zealand on Sunday.


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Inclusive Excellence
How does it fit into our academic goals?
We believe that we can reach greater heights of excellence by learning from diverse people in our community and creating a culture in which we are all valued, respected, and supported. An education is only complete when it ventures beyond the walls of the classroom. The Saint Mary's College Core Curriculum asks all students to engage with the world in substantive and meaningful ways. Learn more about the Core Curriculum.
How is it supported?
The College Committee on Inclusive Excellence (CCIE) reviews, recommends, and facilitates the implementation of policies, programs, and practices that advance inclusive excellence at Saint Mary's College. The CCIE recently released a status report, The Path to Inclusion, detailing the recent progress we have made to ensure that our community is fully characterized by inclusive excellence.
If you experience an act motivated by bias towards a category of people or an individual based on actual or perceived social identification, please submit a Bias Incicent Response Team (BIRT) Report.
How can you participate?
There are a number of organizations and events across campus offering opportunities to support inclusive excellence.
Campus of Difference Workshops
"May no one who enters this campus each day be excluded from our respect and reverence." From Brother Dom's prayer at the Staff Breakfast, 2010. A workshop for faculty and staff to begin conversations about what it means to be a diverse community.
Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action (CILSA)
The academic center at Saint Mary's promoting a culture of service and social justice education consonant with Catholic social teaching and integrating the three traditions of the college: Catholic, Lasallian, and Liberal Arts. CILSA offers a range of programs for: Students; Faculty; Alumni & Friends; Community Partners.
The Center for First Generation to College Studies is dedicated to appreciating, understanding, and improving the educational experience for the First Generation College student.
Videos: What is the First Generation Center?; First Generation Big Brother & Big Sister Program.
The program is designed to meet the needs of first-generation, low-income students as they transition into Saint Mary's. FAQs for Students and FAQ's for Counselors.
The Interactive Theatre Troupe was created in 2009 with an exploratory grant from CCIE to put together programs addressing campus conflicts and issues of inclusive community.
Intercultural Center (IC)
The IC strives to create a safe and supportive learning environment that embraces diversity and fosters an inclusive community. Cultural Nights; Diversity Student Organizations; Cultural Graduate Celebrations; Intercultural Programs.
The Mission and Ministry Center cultivates our Catholic, Lasallian Culture on campus through a variety of programs and activities that help students become more involved in our community. De La Salle Week, internships, retreats and more - explore the infinite opportunities Saint Mary's offers to truly Live Lasallian!
We have over 40 student organizations to choose from; there's sure to be one that fits your interests. There are many benefits to joining a student organization, including making new friends, developing your skills and abilities, learning to work as part of a team, building your leadership experience, sharing your time and talents, and - of course - having fun.
Women's Resource Center (WRC)
The WRC is dedicated to creating a campus environment that empowers women to envision and engage in a life that maximizes their academic, personal, and spiritual growth. Upcoming Events; Resources for Students; Joining the WRC Team


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All quotes tagged Tournament
(1958 quotes found)
"I had a team where nobody could run it in six minutes and we won the NIT [National Invitation Tournament of New York]."
"I think going into the tournament if it gets to that situation, that?s something that I would definitely look to try to do. Make sure everyone is calm and try to step up and get us out of that little drought."
"I felt the same way going into this year's tournament as I did a year ago. And I'm as hungry now to win more trophies as I was before. It's my ambition to win many competitions with the club. I'm not satisfied with only winning the Champions League once. We want to repeat our success."
"It was a great experience last year. I was disappointed I didn't play better at the weekends at some tournaments (in the US) but it was part of growing up."
"I train myself mentally with visualization. The morning of a tournament, before I put my feet on the floor, I visualize myself making perfect runs with emphasis on technique, all the way through to what my personal best is in practice...."
"It was so much different in those days. People ran their tournaments pretty much to suit themselves."
"Zero, absolutely zero. I'm here to try to get ready to win this tournament, and hopefully come out of this week positively so I'll be in good standing going into the U.S. Open."
"To be honest, I haven't felt at my best since this tournament began. I didn't feel good with the court or the balls. But those are excuses. You have to accept when you don't play well and somebody else does."


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Congrats to community member "solidfire" for winning the first contest! Enjoy your prize!
Okay, its now time for another quick contest! I am thinking of a number between 1 and 1000. The person who guesses the number first, or comes the closest, will win a free year subscription to IGN Prime. Simply use the comments to submit your guess. You are only allowed one entry (one guess).
*Contest ends in a week at 12 midnight.


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Social media trends impacting regulated and nonregulated organizations today are at the forefront of the information governance imperative as they present unique challenges for organizations. Social media falls under the umbrella of information governance as an unwieldy data source that promises great rewards for businesses, yet it poses equally large risks for organizations. These risks include, but are not limited to, the violation of regulations that standard industry bodies issue, litigation, compliance issues, data privacy breaches, brand damage and intellectual property theft.
The trends indicate that we live in an era in which ignoring, blocking or constructing too strict a social media policy will put an organization at a competitive disadvantage. Social media rivals email in usage frequency and volume in many industries as an increasingly preferred communication method. This user-driven preference is not something organizations can control, but it is something they must adapt to as market and generational behavior largely dictates the flow of information.
The primary challenge in managing social media is that many platforms exist outside of organizations' firewalls in the cloud, leaving organizations somewhat helpless without the aide of technology to collect and monitor exchanges among employees, one another and consumers. Organizations without properly constructed, implemented and communicated policies are at an even greater disadvantage in managing the proliferation of social media content.
Social media is by definition a collaborative animal. Although there are many benefits to using platforms that have a business function in the form of software as a service (SaaS), they also contain proprietary and confidential information that enterprises must retain the ability to control. Many organizations have engulfed social media as a business process without paying proper attention to this fact. Consider Salesforce or LinkedIn and the proprietary information these sites contain, yet organizations may not be sure how to retrieve or manage this information if necessary. SharePoint is another example of social media within the organization that has become a business process, resulting in increased archiving for discovery purposes.
Employees are ducking in and out of these sites as they work on a constant basis for both professional and personal reasons. This has resulted in organizations needing to include social media as a source in their document retention policies and to examine how employees are engaging with social media in order to control the abovementioned risks. The reality is that many have not incorporated social media use into a mainstream retention policy and have not designed sufficient training for employees.
Social media has blurred the lines on what defines a business record as many work-related topics are discussed in the social stratosphere. In the case of regulated industries, like financial institutions, trepidation surrounds disseminating advice and conducting transactions. Financial services companies that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority regulates are the prototype of an early adopter of the archiving and monitoring of social media. This was driven by the proactivity of regulatory bodies in the financial industry in forming their requirements, coupled with the high stakes at play in financial transactions.
Other verticals that must manage highly sensitive information, such as the health care industry, are also up against serious concerns about private patient information escaping into the social stratosphere. This can expose organizations to litigation and data privacy breaches, which are both enormous liabilities with potentially damaging consequences. Nonregulated industries may not have these same requirements imposed upon them, but the same risks are still present.
It is becoming a matter of course that social media is discoverable in employment law given the recent case EEOC. v. Original Honeybaked Ham Co. of Georgia. In this case, as others that preceded it, discovery of social media was granted to the extent relevant information could be found. The judge in this case was appreciative of privacy concerns, and went on to establish a system of reviewing, via a forensic expert to a special master, the following: text messages, all social media websites accessed, and access to all email accounts and blogs during the time in question.
Given this trend, it is safe to assume that the same will be true in the context of criminal law, intellectual property litigation and other complex commercial cases. If an organization is regularly using social media in the course of business, social media will be treated like email for the purposes of discovery. According to X1 Discovery, there were more than 320 published cases in the first half of 2012 that considered social media in discovery. Although a good portion of these cases do involve employment law, the number of cases outside that purview is growing.
Organizations can take control by reviewing the user habits of their employees, integrating document retention policies considering social media as a data source, and investing in technology that can assist in unifying communication. Unified communication platforms provide granular security, management and compliance features for unified communications. This approach enables an organization to set a policy and propagate that across multiple communications modalities, and it provides for the addition of new communications channels. Capabilities also include blocking sensitive information leaving the company and stopping it before it does.
Other important capabilities to consider in a solution to assist in controlling social media include: audit reports for defensibility of process, the ability to conduct real-time content inspection and the ability to archive for all communication channels. Discovering this information becomes easier when platforms are unified and an organization has in-house e-discovery capabilities that can evaluate a multitude of data sources in context of a matter.
The next steps for organizations to take control of social media usage, while leveraging the rewards and mitigating the risks, are simple:
- Understand the platforms employees are using, and evaluate the risk and reward of each platform employees have access to with corresponding policy and actions
- Review document retention policies to include social media
- Provide training to employees
- Audit this process and check back to refresh policies to ensure the implemented technology is accomplishing the organization's goals with measurable statistics
- Consider inserting into employee agreements the right to search social media for cause. Although the expectation of privacy in the U.S. and the social media user agreements clearly put individuals on notice that their social media usage may be discoverable, an agreement will enhance this knowledge
- Although many of these activities may require additional consultation, many of them can be performed in-house with a committee of the proper information governance stakeholders


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[1]Dale Earnhardt Jr is enjoying a resurgence this season. Thus far, he hasn't posted a finish worse than 24th, which was the result of a wreck during the Daytona 500, and he sits fourth in points, 36 points ahead of 10th-place.
He also posted a runner-up finish in the Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, after losing the lead in the closing laps. There's no doubt he's running better this season than the previous two seasons.
But, in the last three races, he's posted finishes of 19th, 14th, and 12th, respectively. While these results are not as bad as they could be, they aren't going to keep him in the Chase, which is a cause for concern.
Earnhardt Jr is coming up on a statistically tough set of tracks for him, including Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway, and Watkins Glen International.
At Watkins Glen, he has a career average finish of 22.9. At Indy and Sonoma, he has slightly better averages: 22.2 and 20.5, respectively.
In the stretch of races from the first Pocono race to the race at the Glen, he has an average finish of 17.9. That stretch of races included Pocono, Sonoma, Daytona International Speedway, Loudon, Pocono again, Indy, and the Glen when Earnhardt Jr entered the Sprint Cup series full time in 2000.
In 2001, Chicagoland Speedway was added to that stretch. In 2002, the early race at Michigan International Speedway was moved into that stretch (after the first Pocono race). This year, Kentucky Speedway replaces the Chicago race in that span.
But, it is still a tough stretch for him. In those 96 races, Earnhardt has posted three wins, 17 top 5s, and 31 top 10s. But, he has also posted 38 finishes of 20th or worse and 19 finishes of 30th or worse. In nearly 40% of those races, he finishes 20th or worse. That's two out of every five races. That simply isn't going to get it done.
Over his career, Earnhardt Jr has dropped an average of nearly three points positions from the race before Pocono to the end of the season. Only two times in his career has he actually gained positions during that span: in 2001 he climbed from 11th to eighth in the standings, and in 2002 he climbed from 14th to 11th. Every other time, he has dropped at least one position. Even in his best points years (2003, 2004, and 2006); he has dropped an average of two positions from the first Pocono race to the end of the season.
This comparison, however, is not completely accurate, as the Chase was introduced in 2005 and drastically changed the points standings.
Early in his career, Earnhardt Jr either gained points positions or didn't lose any in the stretch of races between the first Pocono race and the start of the Chase. (For comparison purposes, we used Earnhardt Jr's points position after the fall Darlington Raceway race in 2000, when the Cup season was 34 races long.) But he has lost at least one points position in six of the last seven seasons over in this stretch. The worst he has dropped is three positions in 2009. To be in good shape to make the Chase, (if his averages hold up and he repeats his worst performance), he would need to go into Pocono no worse than seventh in points.
But, this year may be the first year since 2007 that he could actually gain positions during this stretch. And if he does, it will be due largely to crew chief Steve Letarte.
Letarte took over crew chief duties for Jeff Gordon at the end of 2005. Since 2006, his first full season with the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team, Letarte has helped his team finish in the top 10, two-thirds of the time (30 out of 45 races) in this span. He has also led the No. 24 team to three wins in this stretch of races, though those came in 2006 and 2007.
In 2007, Gordon did not finish worse than ninth over this stretch with Letarte on the pit box. In 2010, Gordon finished in the top 10, seven out of the nine races in this stretch. Five of those finishes were in the top 5.
With results like that, it's hard to express too much concern for Earnhardt Jr's Chase chances at this point. It's highly unlikely, even considering the last three races, that Earnhardt Jr will drop six places in the points. It should also be noted that Earnhardt Jr has never missed the Chase when he is in the top 4 in the points heading into Pocono. If the team can maintain their points position at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, that will leave the No. 88 HMS team in good shape.
And, if Letarte and Earnhardt Jr are firing on all cylinders over this stretch, we could see Earnhardt Jr overcome one of the biggest obstacles to his championship hopes.


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When I was about 8 years old, an older neighborhood boy decided to throw a football at my head when I wasn't looking, because he thought it would be funny for me to see a ball whiz mere inches across my face. His aim was a bit off, and as I turned to my right to see why he was laughing, the football and my face became one.
The resulting Read More


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The Adobe Flash Player is required in order to view this content. You can get it here :
Posted on October 30th, 2015, 10:00am by FOOD
Length: 2 minutes 37 seconds
Holiday Baking Championship: Cake Stuffed With Hard Candy Challenge
Chopped Impossible: Can a Contestant Beat Robert Irvine?
Your Slow Cooker is Perfect for Making This Pork Carnitas Recipe
Pumpkin Flip Cocktail - This Drink is Like Pumpkin Pie in a Glass
Dry Brining the Key to Making Your Best Thanksgiving Turkey Ever
Piety of Pastry at Café Peirrot and Their 108-Layer Croissant!
Christmas Ham with Raspberry-Mustard Glaze
Mini-Chicken Meatloaves Are Perfectly Portioned For Your Little Ones


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One day.
A different energy.
Better shooting.
Better result.
The Fort Lewis College womens basketball team had a strong bounce-back performance Saturday night after Fridays loss, leading by as many as 17 before toppling Colorado School of Mines 80-73 at Whalen Gymnasium.
Individual performances across the board were better:
Christie Groh scored 16 points for the Skyhawks.
Alex Easterbrook chipped in 15 with five assists.
Mary Brinton had a key showing off the bench with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Katerina Garcia was in command of the offense from the start, scoring 12 points and dishing out eight assists with no turnovers while contributing three steals on the defensive end. She was 3 of 6 shooting before exiting under her own power after a nasty spill late.
Erika Richards chipped in a double-double 11 points and 11 rebounds.
We just came out with an intensity that we needed to come out with, Groh said. Our shots were falling (Saturday).
I think we worked the ball very well (Saturday). We passed up the good shot to get great shots.
The improvement over Friday night was noticeable from the start, as the Skyhawks (9-8, 8-5 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) stormed to a quick 9-0 lead, and thanks to a better defensive showing, they were able to keep the Orediggers (11-8, 8-5 RMAC) at arms length for pretty much the entire contest and had a 78-61 lead until a late Mines run.
It was important for us to come out the way we did, FLC head coach Jason Flores said. After (Friday) night, everyone, we were all frustrated. ... So (Saturday), it was really good. We came out really focused.
Taylor Helbig scored 28 points for the Orediggers, but Mines shot just 37.5 percent from the field, including a paltry 31.4 percent in the first half.
I was really happy to see that, because we came out with a different focus than we did (Friday) night, Flores said.
And active rebounding across the board for the Skyhawks helped them stay within striking distance in that category, falling just short, 43-40, against a much taller Colorado Mines squad.
FLCs ability to share the ball returned in spades Saturday, as well.
The Skyhawks had 23 assists on 30 field goals and turned the ball over just 11 times. Their three primary ballhandlers Garcia, Easterbrook and Erin Curry combined for 16 assists and just one turnover.
You know Kat, she always wants to play well, so she wears it if she doesnt. ... With her playing like that, were a really good team, Flores said.
Having 11 turnovers, I mean, thats a pretty low number, Groh said. I mean, its very important to protect the ball while at the same time trying to get those good shots.
FLC will hit the road Saturday to take on Adams State at 6 p.m. Saturday.


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|Tool: Everyday Mathematicsź Divisibility Dash
|Go to:
|http://itunes.apple.com/.../id428594346 (opens a new window)
|This game offers a way to practice recognizing multiples of a number and applying divisibility tests. Players are presented with a target divisor and number globes in the playing area. They click the number globes to create a two-digit multiple of the divisor and eliminate the number globes. Players earn points for each correct multiple. When players can find no more two-digit multiples for the given target divisor, they click the target divisor button to get a new divisor and release more number globes into the playing area. If the player clicks for a new divisor when the number globes already reach the top of the playing area, the game ends. The objective is for players to earn as many points as possible as they clear and eliminate all number globes from the playing area. Players win by eliminating all 60 globes. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
|Technology Type:
|McGraw-Hill School Education Group
|Requires payment for use
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Regardless of whether either makes the start, each has been promised a significant amount of playing time, head coach David Shaw said.
Shaw said the starting assignment would be determined late in the week. If either is determined to be ready to start, third-year sophomore David Yankey will remain at his left guard position. If there were some reservations, Yankey would shift to left tackle and Khalil Wilkes would start at left guard.
"We've seen tremendous growth in both Andrus Peat and Kyle Murphy," Shaw said. "The challenge is to make sure one of those young guys is ready. There's no question about the physical tools. It's can we get the consistent play at that position?
"If I'm not comfortable with one of the young guys, I'll go with the old guy. But I'm comfortable in the progress so far. I think the entire freshman class is special. We have the luxury of hopefully putting those guys on the shelf for a year, but some of these guys are ready to play."
Peat is 6-foot-7 and 308 pounds. Murphy is 6-7, 280.
New starting quarterback Josh Nunes, who won the job over Brett Nottingham, described his first impression: "They're huge."
"I definitely feel comfortable with whoever's over there," he said.
Starting right guard Kevin Danser said of the freshmen linemen, "They're studs, every one of them."
What's it like replacing perhaps the greatest quarterback in the history of Stanford, a program renowned for its tradition at the position?
Nunes, a fourth-year junior majoring in management science and engineering, is about to find out.
"I feel excited," Nunes said. "I wouldn't say 'nervous,' but maybe a few butterflies."
"He's sharp," Shaw said. "We've put a lot on him to see much he can handle. The defense has given him a variety of looks, a lot more than he's probably going to see from anyone else this year. He's seen a lot and he's been able to get us to the right plays, the right protections and the right runs."
Unlike at left tackle, there will be no switching at quarterback on Friday. "Right now, Brett won't play unless Josh breaks a shoelace," Shaw said.
If there's a player on the roster who seems poised for a breakout season, it's sophomore inside linebacker James Vaughters.
If it's any indication, teammates call him "Jugs," short for "Juggernaut."
"The guy's a force at middle linebacker," fellow linebacker Chase Thomas said. "He's definitely going to impress some people out there."
A reserve at outside linebacker last season, Vaughters has bulked up, switched positions and opened some eyes.
"James Vaughters, when you watch the guy play, he does a lot of the things that Shayne Skov does," Shaw said of another linebacker standout. "But Shayne Skov is 235 pounds, and James is 250.
"It's uncanny what the guy can do. We can't have a guy like that on the bench. He's got to play and play a lot.
"And I'll say this too, I give James a lot of credit, because he was the same talented guy last year, and it took him a while to understand the defense and especially to learn to play outside linebacker. This year, he's taken it upon himself to study and know the ins and outs of the new position. And he's doing a great job."
Another top recruit, running back Barry Sanders, is being considered for a redshirt year, but that decision won't be made just yet.
"We'll see how it goes," Shaw said. "We're very healthy at running back. So, how much will he be able to play? Is it worth playing a minimal amount to burn a redshirt year? But, you never know what will happen a couple of games into the season.
"There's no hesitation about him with the ball in his hands. It's all the other things we ask our backs to do. Is he physically ready and mentally ready for all that? We'll see."
Thomas contemplated entering the NFL Draft after last season, but felt he needed to improve to increase his value. Thomas said he has done so, adding 10 pounds to 245, getting stronger in the weight room, and becoming more flexible.
"(Sports performance coach Shannon) Turley emphasizes stretching and being functional more than any other coach probably out there," Thomas said. "He's a technician when it comes to injury prevention. He's a huge flexibility guy."
Another result of that emphasis? Yoga classes.
With the loss of four All-Americans and high NFL draft picks, Shaw was asked why he believes his team remains a contender for the Pac-12 title.
"Just the way that we've recruited . . . the guys that we have," he said. "I think we still have some special guys. The combination of our linebackers . . . I'd like to see a group that anyone thinks is better — with Shayne next to Vaughters, with (All-American) Thomas and Trent Murphy outside, and Alex Debniak coming in.
"That, combined with our tight end group, and how we feel about our offensive line and running backs. I think we can compete with anybody that we play."
Sophomore Ty Montgomery proved himself late in his freshman season as the team's main deep threat at receiver. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Washington State. Because he's so valuable on offense, should he continue to return kicks? Yes, but not always.
Stanford will use him as it used Chris Owusu in 2010, by saving him to return kicks only in key situations.
"Sometimes we'll put him out there, sometimes we won't," Shaw said. "Some games he'll be the guy, some games he won't be in at all."
If Montgomery is not there, the returns should go to sophomore Remound Wright or freshman Alex Carter.
Many underclassmen will have their first opportunities to make an impact in game situations. When evaluating their performances, what is Shaw looking for?
"How they handle adversity," he said. "That's the biggest thing.
"Hand the ball to the running back, and everybody's blocked so he walks into the end zone -- that tells me nothing. What happens when he gets hit in the backfield? What happens when he makes a mistake? What happens when a tackle gets beat? All that stuff is important. When a young receiver catches the ball and gets hit hard, what happens on the next play? That's what tells you about young guys. It's not important what happens to you, it's how you respond to what happens to you."
In his senior season, local product Danser has broken into the starting lineup for the first time, replacing All-America David DeCastro at right guard.
"Danser at this training camp has been the most consistent he's ever played," Shaw said of the former Bellarmine College Prep standout. "He's playing the best football of his career."
A year ago, Danser was fighting for a starting assignment and didn't get it. He used that disappointment to fuel his run this year.
"It was difficult at first, you're upset," Danser said. "You think, Why did this happen to me? This year, I just tried to focus and improve aspects of my game I needed to. You understand the coaches are always going to bring in someone to replace you. They're always going to bring in the best talent that they can. So, you've got to love the competition because it's only going to make you a better football player."
Danser, a native of nearby Saratoga, expects a large contingent of family and friends at Friday's game. Among them will be his two older brothers, who both played college football. Oldest brother Chris played at San Jose State and Tim played at Brown.
It's Tim who plans the tailgates.
"I want to thank them for making me tough," Danser said.
Danser is replacing DeCastro, a first-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"He was so good, you wonder, How can I ever replace him?" Danser said. "But If you really study his footwork, his hand placement, his approach to the game, you really understand how he attacks football and how he attacks other defensive linemen. That's what I tried to get from him."
The career highlight for defensive end Henry Anderson was his 37-yard fumble recovery to the 1-yard line against San Jose State last season. This year, his impact will be even greater because of adjustments he's made in his game.
"He's tall," Shaw said of the 6-6 Anderson. "He's long, physical, and very athletic, but the challenge for him the past two years is to play low, and he's finally gotten that this training camp. When you see a big guy that can run and is willing to play physical and low, he's got a chance to be very good."
The Stanford front seven is strong through and through. It's the secondary that still needs to prove itself.
"Everybody knows, it's how we play on the back-end," Shaw said. "We've got two younger safeties that are going to play significantly for us and have had great training camps. Now, we've got to make tackles in open space. And our corners have got to make some plays on the ball, get more tipped passes, more interceptions. But at the same time, we can't give up the big play. It's all those things working together, the front seven and back-end guys doing their jobs and making plays."
At fullback, Stanford is suddenly thin, with Geoff Meinken still recovering from a spring-game knee injury and Ryan Hewitt working through a fall-camp ankle problem. Fortunately, the Cardinal has two more capable fullbacks — Lee Ward and Patrick Skov.
Shaw said Hewitt may miss just one game and hopes Meinken will return by midseason.
Stanford and San Jose State annually meet in the Bill Walsh Legacy Game. The title honors Walsh, a three-time Super Bowl champion coach of the San Francisco 49ers, who played at San Jose State and had two successful stints as Stanford's coach.
Shaw, who played for Walsh at Stanford, took time to talk about Walsh to his team this week. One of the lessons came from Walsh's amateur boxing career.
"He always talked about beating the opponent to the punch," Shaw said.
Stanford has emphasized that need to break out early and get off to quick starts. That often wasn't the case last season, when the Cardinal often faced scores that remained tight for perhaps longer than they should have been during an 11-2 season.
Who was the biggest surprise in training camp?
"Kodi Whitfield," Shaw said of the true freshman receiver. "We knew he was good, but didn't know he would be this good this quickly and ready to contribute."
Nunes said he learned a lot from being an understudy to Luck. Primary was Luck's extensive preparation.
"Maybe it was just the fact that I'd always try to be early in the film room, and whenever I came in early, he was always there before me," Nunes said.
Another lesson: the importance of sleep.
"The guy got almost 10 hours of sleep every night," Nunes said. "You have to do everything to get physically prepared."
Stanford annually is known for its offense. However, this year, that could change.
"Our defense has grown over the past couple of years," Thomas said. "Two years ago, we went to the Orange Bowl. We built that foundation of a good defense and last year we built upon that. This year, it's really the best. We've been in the system for three years, so everyone knows the techniques, everyone's playing a lot faster than we have in the past, and that's shown throughout training camp."
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Joe Roth: It's So Adorable When Silly Stage Ladies Want Control Over Their Cute Little Movies!
Today's NY Times looks at the behind-the-scenes battle for control of the creative soul of psychedelic Beatles musical Across the Universe unfolding between Revolution Studios head Joe Roth and director Julie Taymor, in which Roth's helpful trimming of about a half hour from her cut and a subsequent test screening of his shorter version has a "helpless" Taymor threatening to take her name off the picture before it becomes a full-blown Rothian abomination. While Team Taymor carefully chose its words in responding to the Times' inquiry into the flap ("Sometimes at this stage of the Hollywood process differences of opinion arise, but in order to protect the film, I am not getting into details at this time."), Roth reminded everyone not to pay too much attention to the hysterical stage lady who can't take constructive criticism like a Mann:
He said that Ms. Taymor was overreacting to a normal Hollywood process of testing different versions of a movie, something he has done many times before, including with Michael Mann's "Last of the Mohicans." He called his version of "Across the Universe" "an experiment."
"She's a brilliant director," he said. "She's made a brilliant movie. This process is not anything out of the ordinary. Her reaction through her representatives might be. But her orientation is stage. It's different if you're making a $12-million film, or a $45-million film. No one is uncomfortable in this process, other than Julie."
And he warned that the conflict could hurt the movie. "If you work off her hysteria, that will do the film an injustice," he said. "Nobody wants to do that. She's worked long and hard, and made a wonderful movie."
Following his persuasive and sensitive argument (note his laudable tact in never once mentioning the phrase "on the rag," no matter how badly he wanted to say it), Taymor will probably come around and finally open herself up to "the process" she's so irrationally resisted until now, allowing fellow director Roth to share the cinematic gifts that made Christmas with the Kranks such an aesthetic triumph.


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Cops Recommend Being Active, Fighting Gunman During Mass Shootings
The common wisdom when it comes to mass shootings has been to get the hell out of the way and call the cops. But according to new research, it might be better to take an active role when a crazed gunman starts firing.
An analysis of 84 shootings reveals that when people actively try to stop the shooter, they have a better chance of surviving than if they just wait for police.
In 16 of the attacks studied by the researchers, civilians were able to stop the perpetrator, subduing him in 13 cases and shooting him in 3 cases. In other attacks, civilians have obstructed or delayed the gunman until the police arrived.
According to the study, not all action has to involve fighting back. At Virginia Tech, one teacher told his students to jump out the classroom window while he barricaded a door so the shooter couldn't enter. The teacher was eventually killed, but his actions saved the lives of many students.
Some police have been advocating this strategy for months. Houston's police department put out a video advising that every workplace and educational institution have a strategy for a potential mass shooting. According to the video, your first option should be to run to a safe location, then hide. But if that doesn't work, the video recommends you fight back.
While the new study may seem counterintuitive to some, it's important to note it's not advocating what the NRA has been trying to push since the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The NRA's Wayne LaPierre said shortly after the shooting that, "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." That's been proved emphatically not true.


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"I was very impressed with [the physician's] bedside manner and willingness to answer questions. Very professional and compassionate when we had to discuss my father's living will wishes. Best care we received ever at CAMC."
"My family and I would like to thank the physicians, nurses, and other staff that took care of me and my baby. The staff was excellent...our baby is alive and healthy thanks to your staff and of course God. We are eternally grateful."
"I will never forget how kind the surgical staff was to me during my wait. They kept me supplied with warm blankets and talked to me just like I was an old friend of theirs. After awhile, all of my fears left me and I found myself laughing and actually enjoying the company. By the time the doctor arrived, I was so calm, and it made me feel so good to be treated with such compassion. I will always remember their kindness."
"Although I was one of many patients, I was treated like a VIP."
"I would just like to say that all the staff here is excellent. They are very personable and all about taking care of the patient. I recommend this hospital to anyone, thank you so much for the care you have given my grandson."
"I have found it to be true, there are no words which will ever express how thankful I am, nor do I feel that I will ever find a way to repay them for the wonderful care and serious special attention they gave me.
I hold the most upright respect for those individuals, more so than they could ever imagine."
"I just wanted to thank the anesthesia Dr. and nurse that worked my [procedure]. They were very informative before and during my procedure and made me feel at ease throughout the whole procedure."
"From the very start [the nurse] was compassionate and understanding. She went out of her way to educate us on the treatments and expectations while maintaining a positive attitude. She helped me with insurance issues, doctors' appointments and provided open communication. She has made dealing with a scary time in our lives, much easier. "


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Luciana Libutti
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy firstname.lastname@example.com
"Italians are better then the common representation made by the media.... Italy is not afraid of the future thanks to the fact that it is establishing a new covenant with science. The many innovations announced are welcome but they are also viewed quite critically...". These are considerations expressed by Riccardo Luna, at the time director of Wired magazine, in the preface to the third annual report La Cultura dell'innovazione in Italia 2011, edited by Wired and Cotec foundation in collaboration with the Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies (IRPPS) of the Italian National Research Council.
This third report, which aimed to assess the perceptions and opinions of Italians regarding new technologies, confirmed the optimism at all levels of the population towards innovation, which is seen as the main engine for growth of their country.
This 2011 survey focuses on the views of the Italians on the major scientific and technological developments in certain key areas such as: waste management, nuclear energy, stem cells, GMOs, the state-of-the-art vehicles, internet, politics and innovation.
The results were collected in a volume consisting of two chapters, preceded by an introduction and followed by a collection of the points of view of experts organized by thematic areas. An afterword by Riccardo Viale, founding partner of Cotec, closes the volume. Each chapter ends with an extensive bibliography of the topics covered and a large number of graphs and tables.
The first chapter is entirely devoted to the role of emotions in the perception and evaluation of risk by individuals; the second chapter presents a detailed analysis of the survey results.
The survey was designed and conducted by IRPPS of the Italian National Research Council in March 2011, using Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) methodology and completely random generation of telephone numbers.
Two thousand interviews, containing 72 questions, were conducted with subjects over age 16 years, of which 52% women and 48% men, 47% had a secondary school diploma and 46% were employed.
Chapter I (Reason and emotion in the assessment of technological risks), edited by Del Messier F, Marcatto F. University of Trieste.
According to Silvio Funtowicz and Jerry Ravetz [1] when "facts are uncertain, values in dispute, stakes high and decisions urgent", it becomes necessary to support normal science with a new model of science, the so-called post-normal. In contexts where levels of uncertainty and stakes are high, it is necessary an increase the number of subjects authorized to participate in the collection of relevant information. These subjects should not include only the experts but also concerned individuals, and all stakeholders. The purpose of post-normal science is not to determine the truth, by its nature uncertain, but to collect as much information as possible and make wise decisions that take into account all legitimate prospects, produce consensus and are inspired by the precautionary principle.
But in all this, what is the role of emotions? This is the question posed by the authors of the first chapter.
The contrast between emotion and reason is often a simplistic concept. Empirical studies show that the emotional component plays an essential role in the assessment of technological risks, even though emotions can, in some circumstances, lead to errors in assessments and choices. The opinion of non-experts can sometimes point out aspects of risk that have eluded experts, who often focus mainly on technical aspects. Therefore, when making decisions on the adoption of potentially dangerous technologies, in-depth studies and comparisons are necessary and above all it is imperative to make decisions shared with the public.
This is the position of the authors, which is not shared by all. Some critics do not agree about giving emotions the same weight as expert opinion; emotions are important but much more important is the opinion of experts.
Chapter 2 (The culture of innovation in Italy: results of the survey) edited by Avveduto S, Cerbara L, Valente A. IRPPS / CNR.
The first two questions of the survey, besides gradually introducing the topics covered, allowed the authors to understand what is associated with the term innovation in the minds of people.
Respondents gave similar answers to the question of what came to mind on hearing the words future and innovation. The two tag clouds obtained contain the same words: technology, future, hope, progress, knowledge and energy. Terms such as hope and better had a very prominent position, but the positive sense that pervades the word innovation was not present to the same extent in associations with the term future. The term future was related, though not always, to negative concepts, such as uncertainty, concern about the future of children and families, and fear of possible difficulties in the future.
Another interesting fact that emerged is that Italians do not feel well represented by the current political forces. Sixty-four percent of respondents believe the government acted badly or very badly in the last year; 71% that the opposition acted badly or very badly as well.
Much of the questionnaire focuses on the risk/benefit relation. Answers to the question, What is risk? showed that women are generally more cautious. They are more inclined to support the precautionary principle and show more caution upon the introduction of technologies or innovations into society. In contrast, older persons showed less caution (43.6%), but also greater difficulty in answering this question (6.8%).
Naturally, the greater caution shown by women does not imply less support for science and innovation. What emerges from this survey, in line with previous studies, is that in an increasingly post-normal society, trust must be distinguished from obedience.
But who should decide? This question is contained in all three surveys. And the answer was always in favour of scientists (38%), followed by all citizens (20.9%).
Women for first recognized the fundamental role of scientists in the decision-making process. Students showed a great desire to participate directly with the majority choosing all citizens.
Paragraph 1, Alternatives for waste management, in the Technology and Society section, showed no substantial difference between men and women in considering the various alternatives for waste management. The common opinion inclined to eco-sustainability, i.e. the use of waste to best advantage through recycling rather than resorting to measures such as incinerators, because they do not create any virtuous circle. In paragraph 3, Solar is king and nuclear... , the data showed the total opposition of Italians to the use of nuclear energy, with only 8% of subjects in favour. Conversely, 40.1% of respondents considered the solar sector as the major source for future supply of energy, followed by 25.1% in favour of wind.
The answers of men and women did not differ very much but women showed a greater tendency toward renewable or eco-sustainable energy. Solar energy was favoured by all age groups.
Regarding the risks of nuclear power, men and women in almost equal numbers considered radioactive waste management as the greatest risk. Paragraph 4, dedicated to electric vehicles, showed a very high consensus, especially for their use in public transportation. Paragraph 5 is about stem cells. The public expected great benefits from them, while the perceived risk is very low.
In an interview on the topic of stem cells at the end of the volume, Camillo Ricordi, professor at the University of Miami, laments the lack of investment and strategic planning in our country. He believes that the debate on this issue is very heated and conditioned by the Church. Angelo Vescovi from the University of Milan Bicocca, highlights the lack of infrastructure in Italy and a bureaucracy that prevents any form of development and raising of funds for research. He believes that in Italy communication regarding stem cells is politicized and selective. When people hear about stem cells, they think about embryonic stem cells and the vetoes of the Church. Instead, alternative studies in Japan are based on cellular reprogramming of adult cells, allowing this problem to be bypassed.
Paragraph 6 is devoted to GMOs. The level of perceived benefit is rather low and the risks are considered higher. But when asked whether GMOs can help to solving the problem of hunger in the world, negative answers prevailed slightly, with men showing greater propensity to answer yes.
The survey on risks/benefits of the internet showed that the positive elements are clearly greater than the negative, because of the ease of communication as well as access to knowledge. A high percentage of respondents expressed negative opinions on the issue of privacy. They fear that their personal data entered into the internet can be used by attackers.
The Italians think it is important to participate in political life and to vote, but that it is not appropriate to lower the voting age to 16 years. The youngest subjects were among those not favourable.
The information in the book is valid and forms a well defined framework of the attitudes about developments in science and technology in Italy, where people are against nuclear power because they think it is smarter to produce energy from sun and wind; women are more cautious then men; all women and men are in favour of stem cell technology, waste management and recycling, and electric public transportation. There is a certain detachment regarding participation in political life, especially among young people.
1. Ravetz J, Funtowicz S. Post-normal science-an insight now maturing. Futures 1999;31(7):641-6.
2. Valente A (Ed.). La scienza dagli esperti ai giovani e ritorno. Roma: Biblink; 2006.