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BMC Sites
Van Avermaet Third At Paris-Tours11. October 2015, Tours (FRA) — Road Team
BMC Racing Team's Greg Van Avermaet finished third Sunday at Paris-Tours after a flat front tire prevented him from contesting the final sprint against two breakaway companions.
Van Avermaet said his mechanical happened with about 1,300 meters remaining in the 231-kilometer race.
"At first, I thought maybe I could still sprint because I did not flat directly," he said. "But in the final corner, I felt it was going to be tricky. When they started sprinting, it was already totally flat and my race was over."
Matteo Trentin (Etixx-Quick Step) took the win over Tosh Van der Sande (Lotto Soudal). Van Avermaet coasted in four seconds later to notch his 16th podium result of the season that includes four victories and four runner-up finishes.
BMC Racing Team Sport Director Yvon Ledanois said he heard the news of the flat tire over Radio Tour.
"There was no time to change the wheel," Ledanois said. "If we change the wheel, Greg doesn't get top three and he gets nothing. He was just not lucky. For sure, he had the legs to take the win today."
A solo winner here in 2011, Van Avermaet and teammate Tom Bohli were part of a group of nearly three dozen riders who escaped the peloton early on. Eventually, the lead group was whittled to 25 riders before Trentin went attacked on the second-to-last climb. Van Avermaet, Van der Sande and Pavel Brutt (Tinkoff-Saxo) were able to follow, but Brutt was dropped on the final climb.
"Everything before this mechanical problem, the team did well," Ledanois said. "Tom was with Greg in the breakaway and he did a good job for him. And Greg was there in the final. He just did not have good luck. C'est la vie. (That's life.)"
BMC Racing Team Flickr Gallery
See photos from the race.


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After College
Transition planning
We work throughout the placement to provide students the opportunity to understand their choices and opportunities for living, learning, working and socialising beyond Treloar's. Enabling them to realise realistic intentions when planning futures involving parents, guardians, external agencies and other stakeholders related to transition. The purpose being to :
- To maintain continuity along the Learner Journey highlighting actions requiring resolution.
- To clearly identify the steps required to maintain continuity along the Learner Journey.
- To clearly identify the stages involved in supporting the student after leaving the college.
- To follow up the Transition Plan at agreed intervals
Our onsite team are dedicated to providing a student centred approach to transition. Each student will be allocated a transition worker who will work with them from entry until at least four months after they leave. The aim of this service is to provide robust information, support, advice and guidance, and to facilitate joined up work between the student, education, local transition workers, social workers and parents, plus other organisations to whom we refer students.
Moving on
Students will be invited to Leavers' Group sessions in their final half-term at the College. We also provide resources through the Futures Centre which contains relevant and up-to-date material and Future Fest an annual event with exhibitors in the range of options open to our students as they move on.
Dedicated careers software is available to all students via any internet access point, and where required additional Transition Planning meetings can be arranged at college, as appropriate, with student, relevant college personnel, outside agencies and parents etc.
After our students leave Treloar's, our Transition Workers are available to work alongside them for a short period of time. They can follow up on the students' progress over the summer, whether they've settled into their future placements, or are still trying to confirm plans that were outlined in their Transition Plans when they left College.
Students will receive on-going follow up from the Former Students' Officer through personal phone calls or e-mails to determine whether their plans have been successful and how the Transition Plan has developed. This tracking will take place at 5 months, 9 months, 2 years and 4 years after leaving. It allows us not only to support the individual but to learn more and more about what our leavers are facing when they move on from Treloar's. We can then apply these findings to support and improve the experience for our next group of leavers.
"There was a very detailed transition process in place to ensure the College was appropriate for prospective students and to help monitor how effective the college had been in helping students to prepare for their future lives". CQC report.

subset: commoncrawl


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Design Advantages of Programmable, Efficient SoC Architectures
Flexible interfacing, hardware reconfigurability, and improved power efficiency are among the benefits programmable SoCs offer.
System-on-Chip (SoC) architectures are an innovative technology designed to miniaturize devices for integrated systems, where an entire system resides on a single chip. This can halve board size and enable systems to have plug and play interfaces, further simplifying design. For example, external sensing devices can directly connect to the chip. The chip is capable of driving the pre-processing, converting and post-processing of signals. In addition to lowering system cost, an SoC can improve power efficiency and overall system speed by reducing wire delays caused by PCB tracks and parasitic capacitances.
SoC devices started becoming popular when miniature devices like smartphones came onto the market. With each new generation, SoCs have gotten thinner and smaller, while integrating more advanced technologies like gesture recognition, fingerprint sensors, touchscreen capabilities and health monitoring sensors directly into the device. As the number of interfaces increased, so did the need for the miniaturization of devices at the board level. This triggered the need of advanced SoCs to also replace active and passive components.
System-on-Chip Architecture
While SoCs may look simple on paper, they have complex architectures. A system-on-chip follows the basic principle of incorporating all the drivers, signal conditioning circuits and digital communication blocks inside the chip, so developers can implement most of the electronics of a product using a single chip. As shown in Figure 1, a basic SoC should have an integrated ADC, PWM, CAN, UART, JTAG, TWI, Ethernet, Timer/Counter and the core CPU, which controls all the operations.
Consider interfacing an LM35 temperature sensor with an 8051 microcontroller. The VOUT of the temperature sensor cannot be directly connected to the microcontroller. Instead, the signal must be amplified using an op amp, and a suitable analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is needed to convert the analog signal into a digital one. This creates quite a complex system for just a temperature sensor application. With an SoC, it is possible to directly interface the temperature sensor (or any other sensor) to the SoC without requiring external circuits apart from some few biasing resistors as external circuits.
Some SoCs are able to interface to high current requirement components such as motors or servo/stepper motors. Rather than require an external driver circuitry to enable the motor to interface to the SoC, this driver circuitry can be integrated into the SoC, greatly simplifying design.
Internally, the integrated complexity of SoC architectures introduces challenges because of power consumption, speed optimization and noise isolation. The analog section needs to be isolated from the digital section to reduce cross talk. Special care needs to be taken while routing from high-speed lines to maintain signal integrity. A proper clocking scheme, like that of the H clocking scheme shown in Figure 2, should be used to prevent improper clock timing in different SoC areas.
As the available surface area continues to shrink, power consumption becomes a major concern. The power being carried by the nm tracks in the SoC must be properly optimized to consume less power. Thus, designing the system for power monitoring and optimization becomes important, preventing power issues from making the system unusable.
Many SoCs are available today, from FPGA-based SoCs (e.g. switching-based designs) to RTOS SoCs and ASIC SoCs, as well as programmable SoCs. This last type of SoC offers advantages such as flexible interfacing, power performance and reconfigurability of hardware.
Programmable SoCs
Programmable SoCs, such as the PSoC family from Cypress Semiconductor, provide efficiency through software as well as hardware programmability. A development environment, such as PSoC Creator, manages programmability for both software and hardware.
Figure 3 shows the architecture of a programmable SoC. Integrated peripherals include a huge variety of ADCs, timers, counters, PWM, CAN, I2C, SPI, WCO, DMA, capacitive sensing, DAC, and programmable analog, among others. DACs are especially difficult to integrate, as they pose many noise and signal power optimization challenges. However, DACs can be highly efficient with a very good SNR and bandwidth when operating at a few Mbps data rate, which is more than enough for sensor and automation applications. To fill out the signal conversion components, a programmable SoC can include Delta Sigma ADC, as well as SAR ADCs.
Programmability gives developers the flexibility to trade off performance against power consumption. For example, configurable resolution, data rate and operating modes like continuous or single shot. An integrated capacitive sensing block makes the world of touch sensing available. Capacitive touch sensors, such as sliders and wheels, can be connected directly to the SoC without any external circuitry, enabling a small footprint for wearable and smartphone applications. Even a complex system like digital audio players and automotive controllers can be built around a programmable SoC.The programmable hardware of a PSoC uses universal digital blocks (UDBs), allowing developers to create various digital designs using hardware like D flip-flops and combinational components. This allows reconfigurable functionality to be implemented in hardware without writing a code. Blocks can be designed using an intuitive state machine or Verilog codes.
Today, software design environments for SoCs need to correlate program code with hardware components. With a drag and drop GUI, developers can quickly "connect" software with hardware, then the tool generates the APIs and internal connection binaries for easily interfacing a component.
Consider interfacing a temperature sensor with a programmable SoC chip compared to the 8051 example above. The lines of code required to implement the same algorithm drops by half with the internally configurable components of a programmable SoC. As shown in Figure 4, many components like ADC, DAC, Temperature sensor blocks, I2C, etc. are available in a drag and drop GUI. The developer configures the block and writes code using this block to connect to general purpose I/O (GPIO) to perform a specific application. In addition, the developer does not need to code the clock synchronization of the ADC. Instead, dropping in the component causes the tool to generate the appropriate APIs, which can then be coded to start and initiate the component.
A program can be completed in just a few lines of code. Note that developers have the flexibility to go further into the code if they desire and use advanced APIs for more complex operations like interrupt control or multiplexing.
Analog Programmability
In addition, some programmable SoCs offer analog hardware programmability. The basic analog component is the op amp. Op amps are configurable for power, input/output routing and gain-bandwidth. They can be used as instrumentation amplifiers or as a buffer using the components. Because SoCs are designed with power as a primary constraint, low current capabilities combined with sleep and deep sleep features enable the SoC to use the least current when the CPU is not being used.
As described earlier, analog capacitive touch sensors or any other capacitive sensors can be directly interfaced to capacitive sensing capable I/O of some SoCs. For example, with PSoC, developers can select a capacitive sensing component in the development environment to easily add touch sensing to their applications.
Another important component of a programmable SoC architecture is GPIO. GPIO connects the system to the external world. A Cypress PSoC provides various categories of I/Os to interface with, including strong drive, pull up and pull down, and high impedance to address various current requirements and circuitry of the external world. In addition, a hot swap feature in the GPIO enables users to prevent input from being clamped to the I/O power supply level when the input voltage is above the I/O supply voltage.
Integrated PWMs and timer counter blocks in a programmable SoC architecture enable developers to more easily write complex timer operations through the configuration of TCPWM blocks as shown in Figure 4. By doing some simple calculations to understand the clock frequency and the compare signal, developers can adjust the duty cycle of a PWM without writing any code, making it simple to configure PWM to the requirements of a specific application.
Finally, many other communication blocks are available. For example, PSoC includes I2C, USB, CAN, SPI, and TWD with JTAG (for debugging). This makes programmable SoCs capable of addressing the latest trending products in the market at a low cost.
Nishant Mittal is a Systems Engineer at Cypress Semiconductor, Bangalore. He received his Master of Technology degree with a specialization in Electronic Systems from IIT Bombay in Mumbai, India.


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Charlene Maxwell, R.N., B.S.N., F.N.P.- B.C.
FNP/DNP student, OHSU School of Nursing
Lives in: Portland, Oregon
Scott Mist, Ph.D., M.Ac.O.M., M.S., M.A.
Focus Area:
Pediatrics and Women's Health
Professional Organizations:Sigma Theta Tau International
Oregon Nurses Association
Oregon Student Nurses Association
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health
National Rural Health Care Association
Conference Attendance
Nurse Practitioners for Women's Health 2012 Conference
The International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease - Vulvovaginal Disease Update 2013
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 2013 Conference
Funding Sources:
Project Access
Personal Interests:
I love to spend time with family and friends, exploring Oregon and enjoying all the great food Portland has to offer.


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But wait! "There is no compulsion in religion" (Qur'an 2:256), right?
Well, consider this from the mainstream and still-consulted medieval Qur'an commentator Ibn Kathir (thanks to David Wood):
Allah says: "There is no compulsion in religion," meaning: do not force anyone to embrace Islam because it is clear, and its proofs and evidences are manifest. Whoever Allah guides and opens his heart to Islam has indeed embraced it with clear evidence. Whoever Allah misguides, blinds his heart and has set a seal on his hearing and a covering on his eyes cannot embrace Islam by force.
The reason for the revelation of this verse was that the women of Ansar used to make a vow to convert their sons to Judaism if the latter lived. And when the tribe of Bani an-Nadhir was expelled from Madinah, some children of Ansar were among them, so their parents could not abandon them; hence Allah revealed: "There is no compulsion in religion"¦," narrated by Ibn Jarir, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, Abu Dawud and an-Nasa"i, on the authority of Bandar, Abu Hatim, and Ibn Hiban from the Hadith of Shu"bah, Mujahid and others. However Muhammad Ibn Ishaq narrated that Ibn Abbas said: it was revealed with regard to a man from the tribe of Bani Salim Ibn Awf called al-Husayni whose two sons converted to Christianity but he was himself a Muslim. He told the Prophet: "Shall I force them to embrace Islam, they insist on Christianity", hence Allah revealed this verse. But this verse is abrogated by the verse of "fighting": "You shall be called to fight against a people given to great warfare, then you shall fight them, or they shall surrender" (Al-Fath: 16). Allah also says: "O Prophet! Strive hard against the disbelieves and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them" (At-Tauba:73), and He says: "O you who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are close to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who are the Al-Muttaqin (the pious)," (At-Tauba:123).
Therefore, all people of the world should be called to Islam. If anyone of them refuses to do so, or refuses to pay the Jizya they should be fought till they are killed. This is the meaning of compulsion. In the Sahih, the Prophet said: "Allah wonders at those people who will enter Paradise in chains", meaning prisoners brought in chains to the Islamic state, then they embrace Islam sincerely and become righteous, and are entered among the people of Paradise. (Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 253 to 286, Surah Al-Imran, ayat 1 to 92, abridged by Sheikh Muhammad Nasib Ar-Rafa"˜i [Al-Firdous Ltd., London, 1999: First Edition], Part 3, pp. 37-38.)
And Coptic leaders have already said that they will resist paying the jizya "to the point of martyrdom." So that leaves only conversion or death.
"Islam or death? Egypt's Christians targeted by new terror group," by Lisa Daftari for FoxNews.com, February 21 (thanks to Walter):
A group of Christian priests from a local Coptic church in Egypt were told to convert to Islam or face death, according to an Arabic news site.
The incident, which comes in the midst of continued persecution and pressure on Egypt's Christian community, took place this week in the town of Safaga, near the Red Sea, the El Balad site reported.
According to El Balad, the threats are from a new group in Egypt, Jihad al-Kufr, whose name translates to Jihad against non-believers or non-Muslims. The group targets non-Muslims, and reportedly pressures them to convert to Islam.
"It's not the first time. This is happening every day," said Adel Guindy, president of Coptic Solidarity and a member of Egypt's Coptic community who travels between Paris and Cairo. "This one incident caught the attention of the news agencies, but there are worse things happening to the Christians every day in Egypt," he said.
Christians have felt increasingly at risk since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, which resulted in the rise of President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood movement.
"It has definitely worsened under the revolution. Once the worst part of the society surfaced — the Islamists — the Copts are paying a heavy price. The West doesn't really feel our pain. It's a war of attrition," Guindy said.
Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East, and the most prominent religious minority in the region. Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 85 million people.
Egypt's new constitution has come under scrutiny by many for including elements of Sharia, or Islamic law, while simultaneously legitimizing the marginalization of the country"s religious minorities by denying them legal protection. It also granted increased powers to Morsi, who self-declared sweeping powers in a Nov. 22 power grab that prompted heavy international criticism….


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Looking for an affordable hotel in Paris
I am an expat in Doha planning a trip to Paris next weekend.
Due to a sudden planning, I'm having a difficulty locating an affordable hotel.
I am trying to find a place to stay around the area south of Blvd Haussmann on Blvd Malesherbes; however, it looks like most of hotels have no vacancy. Is there a place close enough but still may have vacancies? I have no knowlege of the city. I appreciate any tips you may be able to provide me!!
Thank you!


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A few weeks ago Cindy and I were photographing Lindsey, a local high school senior. The afternoon started off very nice, some passing clouds and nice temps. But as the day went on and the more locations we went to, the more the clouds rolled in. Unfortunately it was getting late and the light levels were dropping so fast that we had to stop shooting. While talking to Lindsey and her mother in the parking lot of our last location I noticed that the clouds were breaking up a little and there might be a interesting sun set. Within less than 5 minutes we went from a dark gray skies to some of the most beautiful oranges I had ever seen, back to dark gray.
Luckily we had all the camera equipment handy, I gave Cindy a flash to hold and grabbed Lindsey and quickly posed her for about 15 shots before we lost the light. I'm sure glad everything was handy and we were prepared, otherwise we would have missed the shot. It also helps to be lucky sometimes.


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Complementary purchase to expand product portfolio
ELBI Elektrik is headquartered in Istanbul and has about 450 employees. It designs and manufactures electrical wiring accessory products for the Turkish market, and exports to Eastern Europe with its own local sales organization.
"This acquisition is a step forward in our growth strategy to expand in Turkey and Eastern Europe, " said Tarak Mehta, head of ABB's Low Voltage Products division. "We are securing the next level of growth with this core business expansion. The product ranges are complementary and will allow us to reach more customers."
By complementing its existing wiring accessories portfolio with ELBI Elektrik's products, ABB will be able to serve markets outside of Europe, which it has been unable to access with its current range of products. The acquisition follows ABB's recent purchase of French software company Newron System S.A., which is aimed at expanding its market reach and offering for channel partners in automation solutions for buildings. Like Newron, ELBI Elektrik will be integrated into the Wiring Accessories business of ABB's Low Voltage Products division.
"ABB's strong brand recognition and global reach will help accelerate the growth of our business and provide access to new customers and partners," said Alp Alptugay, CEO of ELBI Elektrik.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 145,000 people.
Stay in the loop:


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PETER ROLLINS is a provocative writer, philosopher, storyteller and public speaker who has gained an international reputation for overturning traditional notions of religion and creating commu- nities that embrace doubt, difficulty and ambiguity. Challenging the idea that faith concerns questions relating to belief, Peter's incendiary and irreligious reading of Christianity challenges the distinction between sacred and secular, blurs the lines between theism and atheism and moves beyond questions regarding life after death to explore the possibility of a life before death.
Peter gained his higher education from Queens University, Belfast and has earned degrees with distinction in Scholastic Philosophy (BA Hons), Political Theory (MA) and Post-Structural thought (PhD). He is the author of numerous books, including Insurrection, The Idolatry of God, and The Divine Magician. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, currently lives in Los Angeles and will die somewhere as yet not known.
The Lectures "Vanishing Act of God: The Loss of Religion and Rediscovery of Faith" are Friday March 11, 2016 at 7:00 pm, Saturday March 12, 2016 at 9:00 am, 11:00 am and 1:30 pm.


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It's my pleasure to host Catherine West, my agency mate and friend. Her latest novel, Hidden in the Heart, was released by Oak Tara Publishing in September. The story deals with adoption and the search for one's birth parents and has already received a number of glowing reviews.
Cathy is an island girl who hates sand. But she loves living in beautiful Bermuda with her two college-aged kids—when they're home, her pediatrician husband and rambunctious Border collie. Educated in Bermuda, England and Canada, she holds a BA in English from the University of Toronto.
When she's not writing or reading, you'll find her in the garden with her roses or tending her orchids. Catherine volunteers with Bermuda Riding for the Disabled. She loves to shop and takes frequent trips to the US to satisfy the craving and fuel her Starbucks addiction.
Now that we've covered the basics, let's learn a little more about Cathy. . .
We'll start with an easy one:
What's your beverage of choice at Starbucks?
Haha! Well, since we don't have Starbucks in Bermuda, I beeline for it as soon as I get off the plane wherever I am! I am partial to Caramel Macchiatos, and I also love Pike's Peak.
I've noticed on Facebook that you travel a good deal. Do you travel light, or are you a pack-everything-you can-possibly-squeeze-in type of person?
Yes, we seem to be traveling a good deal this year! Unfortunately I do not have the 'pack light' dna anywhere in my body. I wish I did! I always end up bringing far too much wherever we are going. I try, but I think it's a lost cause. And then of course if I do any shopping, I have more to pack!!
I see that you're a dog person. What's the most amusing thing that beautiful Border collie of yours has done?
Ah…he's pretty amusing, that's for sure! Let's see…when he wants a treat, he'll just launch himself into doing every trick he knows, one after the other – it's pretty funny to watch! He is also a little OCD – we have outdoor fans on our patio and he loves to run back and forth after them if they're on. They don't even need to be on, we just have to say "Get the fan!" and he goes nuts!
Your story deals with the search for a birth parent and is based on your own experience. When did you embark on your search for your birth mother, and what were the most rewarding aspects of it?
Yes, the book is loosely based on my own experiences. I learned a lot about myself during that time. I discovered I had a lot of unresolved feelings, and emotions I didn't even know I had, surrounding my being adopted. Finally finding peace in who I am and where I came from was the most rewarding thing, but more importantly, the process made me draw closer to God and I realized that while it is good to know my biological history, who I am in Him is what's going to matter in eternity.
And now to end with a glimpse into your world. If we were to look around your living room, what would we learn about you?
I like color! Deep greens, butter yellows – I love art and pottery and glass, and we have a lot of it all over the house! My living room is actually the one room that's pretty much always tidy, so that's great! Look into my study and that's a different story!!
Cathy's Question for You
During my search and reunion journey, I was faced with many difficult situations, and sometimes it was all I could do to cry out to God to help me keep going. He came through in a big way for me and provided me with miracles I could not even have imagined. Have you ever had a time where you cried out to Him in desperation? What happened?
Win an Autographed Copy of Hidden in the Heart
To enter the drawing, leave a comment by Sunday, October 21st. Be sure to leave your email address when prompted so I can contact you if you win.
I'll post the winner's name here and in a comment.
Congratulations to Joanne Bischof, winner of Cathy's book!
No purchase necessary.
Offer void where prohibited.
Odds of winning vary due to number of entrants.
Prizes will be mailed to U.S. or Canadian addresses only.
Learn About Hidden in the Heart
Everything Claire wants seems to be beyond her reach… After losing her mother to cancer and suffering a miscarriage soon after, Claire Ferguson numbs the pain with alcohol and pills, and wonders if her own life is worth living.
Adopted at birth, Claire is convinced she has some unknown genetic flaw that may have been the cause of her miscarriage. She must find a way to deal with the guilt she harbors. But exoneration will come with a price.
With her marriage in trouble and her father refusing to answer any questions about her adoption, Claire begins the search for her birth mother. For the first time in her life, she really wants to know where she came from. But what if the woman who gave her life doesn't want to be found?
• • •
To learn more about Cathy and her books, visit http://www.catherinejwest.com.


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Spicy Pork and Tofu
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total: 35 min
- Serving: 6
Spicy Pork and Tofu is quick to fix for a delicious Asian inspired meal.
- 1 pork loin tenderloin, whole
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 gingerroot, minced and peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 4 medium celery stalks
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 small onion
- 1, 16 ounce container firm tofu
- vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Cut pork tenderloin crosswise into 1/8 inch thick slices. In medium bowl, mix pork, soy sauce, cornstarch, sherry, ginger, sugar and cayenne; set aside.
- Cut celery into 3 inch long matchstick thin strips. Thinly slice carrots and onion. Set vegetables aside. Drain tofu and pat dry with paper towels; cut tofu lengthwise in half; then cut each half crosswise into 1/2 inch slices; set aside.
- In 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat, in 2 tablespoon hot oil, cook celery, carrots, onion and salt, stirring quickly and frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Spoon vegetables into a bowl.
- In same skillet over high heat, in 3 tablespoons more hot oil, cook pork mixture about 3 minutes or until pork loses its pink color and is tender, stirring quickly and frequently. Add vegetables and tofu to skillet; stir gently until mixture is heated through. If mixture is too thick, stir in a little water to thin to desired consistency.
Filed Under:
Dinner Recipes, Family Recipes, Asian Recipes


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Jay Turser JT-133 Blues Jazz Guitar Reviews
I wanted a jazz/blues guitar that was affortable and has awesome playability. This is the guitar for that. So I looked into Jay Tursers Jazz box guitar collection. I bought it off of Ebay brand new for $152.50 dollars. (Worth $409.95)
If you want a affortable but Double A+ Blues/Jazz guitar, then look in to this guitar. You can play any genre of music on this baby. If you like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Clapton, B. B. King, and other great blues Musicians then this is the guitar for you.BluesRockGuitaristBen rated this unit on 2004-04-29.
More Jay Turser Electric_Guitars
� Gear Review Network / MusicGearReview.com - 2000


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Anything in the PTR is subject to change, so nothing is a given.
I'd say the BC era raiding with leases pets will all make it in though.
Dakender wrote:Well, so far so good I'm 5/10 for Raiding with Leashes II: Attunement Edition. If the PTR stays up long enough to finish, I might have the other 5 done this weekend.
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My hard drive is formatted for Mac. When it left St Louis it was working. When it arrived here it is not working. When I plug it in, it shows a green LED. Then it blinks red 6 times then goes back to green.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
DiskWarrior is an superb program, but all it does it rebuild the folders on a Macintosh drive. It does not deal with the hardware or even with the partitions. Since Peter does not say that the system is reporting an error on disc, DiskWarrior will not help.
Look up the blink/error code in your manual.
Kindly mention your HDD brand and model number as External hard drive light/LED behavior varies from model to model. However, I am enclosing Seagate external HDD some basic troubleshooting checks (it is mentioned for Windows, but relevant for Macintosh too and replace the Macintosh equivalent steps instead of Windows). Scroll down and go to the relevant portion of the page: http://knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/194531en
Aslo this maybe relevant for you.
How to connect a new external hard drive to your Mac : http://davidtse916.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/how-to-connect-a-new-external-hard-drive-to-your-mac/
The first thing is to check the cable and USB port and use another computer to make sure the Hard drive is working as it should.


text:
Any number of sneakers can boast of utilizing premium leather, but making use of Horween leather would constitute a much shorter list. This is leather known by name, because the fifth-generation, family run, Chicago tannery has been in the leather business since 1905.
With a history that includes achievements like supplying water resistant footwear to the Marines during World War II, and serving as the exclusive leather supplier for NFL footballs, the choice of Adidas, who also boast a long and storied history of specialty craftsmanship, as a collaborative partner was a natural one.
As arguably, the most commonly worn shoe in the Adidas archive, the Stan Smith is a perfect fit for Horween leather. Not only does it have history on its side, but the simple, timeless design allows the material to be the center of attention.
The tan, Horween leather Stan Smith may look timeless, but quantities are limited.
PLEASE NOTE: All sales are FINAL on marked down (sale) products.


text:
The quest for a mentor has taken on a whole new meaning for me when I happened across a reference to the Mentor-Me-Meg Social Experiment post in Jill Whalen's 'High Rankings Advisor newsletter.' . Jill's sister Beth N. Carvin, CEO of Nobscot Corporation, is actively engaged in a campaign to secure Meg Whitman, CEO of Ebay, as a business mentor.
In the initial Mentor-Me-Meg post you will find a list of "approach" techniques used by Beth that could just as easily work in a job search or career promotion situation. Follow Beth's progress in Mentor Me Mission-Update One where more techniques and results are discussed.
Then Jill asks the important question, "What's in it for Meg?" Why would someone want to mentor? And Beth quickly responds with The Ten Best Reasons to be a Mentor...WOW! I hope Meg read it. If not, perhaps Beth or someone who knows Meg well and could intercede for Beth may forward it to her...we'll see what happens.
In the meantime, be entertained with Beth's recent blog post Best Mentoring Pairs in TV and Film. Which film or TV star would you choose for a mentor and why?
Cross-posted at Career Goddess blog


text:
Happy 4th of July to all my American's back Home and all over the world! Today was the day that we got freedom!! I will post a new blog entry soon, but am currently on my way to the Gold Coast with my sister and boyfriend! Hope you all have a grand FOURTH!!!! :)
Enjoy this awesome song!!!! :)
What are some of your families traditions for the 4th?


text: Hey guys I've read a lot in the forum but just cannot find an answer to my question. Since this is my first post in the forum and I am an absolute noob I am expecting to get burned but if I don't ask I probably will never find the answer. So here's my story. After reading a lot in the forum it became quickly obvious that a lot of traffic is the magic formula to make money. So I thought about what kind of page I could create where I get a lot of traffic easily. I came up with the idea of creating a proxy server. I am going to school in Australia and here the government restricts the pages we are able to visit during school. I've simply set up the proxy and distributed it in my school. Now it is used in 4 different schools in my area and I am getting 1600 people using it per day (not including weekends or holidays). The distribution of the page is quite easy, there is nearly no competitors and those that are there are easily beaten since I am a student myself. Now my question is how I can monetize my site. I thought about the campaigns where people have to give an email adresse to "win free stuff" or something similar. But then again I cannot find any campaign where people FIRST have to enter their email adresse and fill out a survey or something before they can access my page. Is there something that works like this? I am quite sure that anyone of the users would be happy to fill in some bit of data in order to be able to use the proxy. I am really looking forward to your answers (and the burns I will most likely earn lol)


text:
Mitch Ryder celebrates his 72nd birthday today (February 26), and we've decided to flashback to this classic performance from a 1966 episode of Hullabaloo.
"Jenny Take A Ride" was the breakout hit for Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, and it totally holds up today. C'mon…it's got a good beat and you can dance to it. Who couldn't love this single?
Also, is it just us, or does anyone else miss shows like Hullabaloo?
Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels - Jenny Take A Ride / C C Rider (Hullabaloo - 1966)
High octane, turbo, high performance, super-charged - MITCH RYDER & The Detroit Wheels didn't need to hail from the Motor City for those adjectives to be tossed their way, but it was certainly appropriate that they called Motown home.
Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock reporter. The first man she ever loved was Jack Daniel. (True story.)


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Topic: PUBLISHED: King Kong (1976) (Read 9167 times)
The King of Koosh!
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Must have caffeine...
PUBLISHED: King Kong (1976)
May 12, 2007, 06:11:54 AM »
Published here:
Reposting this here because it's really the only review I've got that is in the style of the website.
Name of the Movie: King Kong (1976)
Rated: PG
Rating: 4 slimes
Dwan - Jessica Lange! Her name used to be "Dawn," but she changed it to Dwan for reasons never really gone into. Found adrift in a life raft.
Jack Prescott - Jeff Bridges! Jack is a primate paleontologist, and a scruffy hippie-ish one at that. Pines for Dwan but finds intense competition from a giant ape.
Fred Wilson - Charles Grodin! Abrasive, greedy, and outright stupid executive of the almighty Petrox Corporation. Squashed.
Captain Ross - John Randolph! The wise old captain of the Petrox Explorer.
First Mate Carnahan - Ed Lauter! Co-leads the rescue party with Jack. Does a fatal bellyflop off a log bridge and into a deep chasm.
Roy Bagley - Rene Auberjonois! Roy is (apparently) a geologist and is the only person in the world Fred Wilson can be considered friends with.
Joe Perko, Boan, Sunfish, Garcia, and Timmons - Some of the ship's crew. Most of them die.
King Kong - Rick Baker! The real star of the movie, a giant gorilla with a real short temper. Machine-gunned by army helicopters, he swan-dives off the Twin Towers.
The Petrox Corporation has learned that there may be oil wells on a newly-discovered island somewhere in the South Pacific, an island eternally wreathed in fog and concealed from view for hundreds of years. It was only found by accident, when a N.A.S.A. spy satellite went off course and photographed it by mistake (how's that for a coinky-dink?). Petrox executive Fred Wilson spearheads an expedition to the island to search for the oil, in order for Petrox to get ahead of its competitors in the current (at the time anyway) Oil Crisis. Unknown to anyone, though, primate paleontologist and Princeton professor Jack Prescott has stowed away aboard their ship, the Petrox Explorer, and he has very different reasons for wanting to visit the island, as he reveals when he makes his presence known during a speech Wilson is giving about the island to the ship's crew. It seems that Wilson's island may not be as undiscovered as he thinks, as Jack recounts a variety of prior discoveries of the island by various other countries throughout the years, all of which have been hushed up. He is aware, though, of a cryptic message written on the life boat of one of the ships that ran aground there: "From thy wedding to the beast who touches heaven, lady, God preserve thee."
As interesting as Jack's stories are, Wilson becomes very angry when he discovers he is a stowaway. Proving to be an extremely paranoid fellow, Wilson believes Jack is actually a spy from a rival oil company, and orders him locked up in the brig. But while Jack is being forcibly escorted thus by a pair of sailors, he happens to glance something on the horizon which turns out to be a life raft containing Dwan, a beautiful woman in an evening gown. She is unconscious, so the crew bring her aboard and put her in Captain Ross' cabin. Since no one else has any medical experience, Wilson lets Jack out of clink and agrees to let him be a part of the expedition after all, if he'll try and help Dwan. He does, and when she comes to, she tells her story. Turns out she's an aspiring actress who was aboard a friend's yacht when a storm hit. As far as she knows, she's the sole survivor. The journey to the island continues, with Dwan and Jack becoming fast friends and starting to fall in love, etc., and then, finally, we arrive at the dang island and Jack, Dwan, and Wilson lead a landing party ashore. They quickly discover some pools of what might be oil, and that there are natives living on the island, and the chief, wearing a gorilla costume, sees Dwan and tries to buy her from the Petrox party. When Wilson refuses, the natives attack the group, but are driven back by gunfire. The landing party retreats to the ship.
As in the original, the natives won't take no for an answer and that night they sneak out to the Petrox Explorer and kidnap Dwan, although one of them accidentally drops his bracelet. When Jack finds said jewelry on the deck of the ship and Dwan nowhere to be seen, he quickly realizes what happened and alerts the others. A rescue operation is mounted. Meanwhile, Dwan, dressed in native ceremonial attire, is tied between two pillars on the other side of a gigantic wall that separates the native village from the rest of the island. This goes about the way you'd expect: King Kong, played here by special effects guru Rick Baker in suit (but a good one, no matter what anyone says) and takes Dwan away. Jack takes First Mate Carnahan and some of the Petrox Explorer's crew and sets off into the jungle after Kong to try and save Dwan. Ironically, she may not actually need saving, as it turns out, because despite a rocky start where she keeps trying to run away, enraging Kong, she and Kong soon become fast friends and he even gives her a bath by holding her underneath a waterfall. Jack, Carnahan, and their party catch up to Kong at a gorge bridged by a huge fallen log. Kong rolls the log, sending Carnahan and the men to their deaths, but Jack survives and continues after Kong.
He's able to whisk Dwan away when Kong becomes preoccuied fighting with a giant python (which was originally supposed to appear earlier and attack Jack and Carnahan's party, but the scene got cut). Kong kills the snake and chases after the two lovebirds, determined to reclaim Dwan. But what none of them know, however, is that in the meantime, Wilson has been up to no good. You see, the "oil" seen earlier turned out to be no good, and, faced with the utter failure of the expedition, Wilson has hatched a maniacal scheme to capture Kong and use him as Petrox's mascot. So when Kong chases Dwan and Jack back to the village, they accidentally lead the big ape right into Wilson's trap, and Kong is subdued by a buttload of chloroform. Following a tense and awkward return trip to the States, Kong is put on display at Shea Stadium in New York City, during which Dwan participates in a phony re-enactment of the native ritual from the island, and is "offered" to the chained Kong. Needless to say, Kong very shortly thereafter escapes, causing a panic. He kills Wilson by stomping on him, destroys an elevated train, and eventually recaptures Dwan. The army is called in, and they pursue Kong to the World Trade Center. Boxed in with nowhere else to go, Kong, Dwan in hand, climbs up one of the Twin Towers...
I'm one of this movie's few fans, I'll go ahead and say that. King Kong 1976 is a movie that I feel is often unjustly panned by people. I first saw the movie in the early 90s (I'm unsure precisely when) and I remember being initially disappointed that there were no dinosaurs, only a hokey giant python. However about two years ago I was inspired to revisit the film when I read online all the really awful things everyone says about it. I remembered being upset about no dinosaurs, but that was my only problem with the movie. Surely it couldn't be as bad as everyone said it was. Luckily the local video store had it for rent and I gave it another whirl as soon as I got home. I found it to be a little slow in parts with some hammy acting but otherwise surprisingly not that bad. Since then, I've become a defender of the film whenever people start going off on it, and I have never, ever understood the sheer hatred people seem to have for it.
-An island can remain undiscovered for hundreds of years, if properly hidden by perpetual fog.
-Excess carbon dioxide is caused by giant gorilla breath
-Horoscopes really work!
-Never shoot at giant apes while standing on a log bridge over a bottomless chasm.
-Giant apes are naturally attracted to blonde human women.
-Anything certified by the New York City government is worthless.
-Chloroform gas clouds only affect giant apes.
00:46:38 - So, is Dwan drugged or what?
00:47:57 - Okay, Ape Mask Guy is really freaking me out...
00:53:50 - The big reveal, Kong does his thing.
01:09:54 - Boy, I hope for her sake his breath doesn't stink.
01:14:20 - White sailors die; token black sailor lives.
01:30:03 - So why isn't the chloroform knocking them all out?
01:21:30 - Kong, you perv!
01:44:59 - "Great was the fear and trembling?" Oy...
01:57:07 - Hey, it's John Agar!
Last Edit: September 13, 2007, 05:34:15 PM by Andrew
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Re: King Kong (1976)
Reply #1 on:
May 16, 2007, 11:59:29 AM »
I am going to aim for June to get this posted. I have the DVD in my collection and will do the captures unless you want to create them (if you want certain scenes or such to augment points made in the review - I will try to do so if I make them).
Andrew Borntreger
The King of Koosh!
Bad Movie Lover
Karma: 39
Posts: 516
Must have caffeine...
Re: King Kong (1976)
Reply #2 on:
May 17, 2007, 11:54:51 PM »
I'm afraid my DVD player doesn't make very good screenshots. They tend to pixelate a lot. Anyway I'm fine with anything you choose to screencap, I'm just adamant about a shot of the log-rolling scene because everyone always forgets that in every review for the film including screencaps I've ever seen.
Actually, that scene might actually make a good video clip. Part of it anyway. It's the only really exciting part of the stuff set on the island (Kong's fight with the snake is pretty sucky).
Last Edit: May 18, 2007, 12:01:40 AM by Kooshmeister
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Re: King Kong (1976)
Reply #3 on:
May 18, 2007, 04:12:36 PM »
Will do on that scene. If using it as the video clip is feasible, will do. You are talking about when the humans are chasing after Kong and he catches them as they try to cross the chasm?
This review has been published:
Last Edit: September 13, 2007, 05:33:17 PM by Andrew
Andrew Borntreger
The King of Koosh!
Bad Movie Lover
Karma: 39
Posts: 516
Must have caffeine...
Re: King Kong (1976)
Reply #4 on:
May 19, 2007, 03:24:01 AM »
The King of Koosh!
Bad Movie Lover
Karma: 39
Posts: 516
Must have caffeine...
Re: King Kong (1976)
Reply #5 on:
May 31, 2007, 10:46:34 PM »
I just remembered I forgot quotes! Any one of these gems would make a good WAV, especially the one where they discuss what Kong plans to do with Dwan:
before you cry alot, you should ask the natives on that island what they thought of loosing Kong.
Actually, they'll miss him alot.
Like leprosy.
No, you're dead wrong. He was the terror, the mystery of their lives, and the magic. A year from now that will be an island full of burnt-out drunks. When we took Kong we kidnapped their god.
You Goddamn chauvinist pig ape!
If he's not gonna eat her, why did he take her?
Apes are highly territorial. He's probably gonna take her back to his turf.
What for? Joe and the guys, uh, said that you said the ape was gonna marry her. Is that some kinda joke or did you really mean his huge--
I don't know, Carnahan! Look, I'm just as ignorant about this as you are, so quit askin' me so many dumb questions, will ya?
Take plenty of TNT when you go inland. Any sign of a monkey bigger than four feet, send him bang-bang.
How can I become a star because of... because of someone who was stolen off that gorgeous island and locked up in that lousy oil tank?
Its not *someone*! Its an animal, a beast who tried to rape you.
Thats not true. He risked his life to save me.
Last Edit: May 31, 2007, 10:51:16 PM by Kooshmeister
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Re: King Kong (1976)
Reply #6 on:
June 24, 2007, 03:46:24 PM »
I have to say, I'm one of the people who utterly detests this film with a passion. my man beef with it is that it is a 8th rate version of one of the BEST monster films ever made. I hate the updated story, I hate the crap acting, I hate the ridiculous monkey suit that makes the 1933 version seem cutting edge. I hate it. If I never saw it again, it would be too soon. Along with the 1998 Hollywood remake of Godzilla, it makes me furious. Thankfully neither of them have tainted the originals at all.
Sorry, but that's just how I feel.
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Re: King Kong (1976)
Reply #7 on:
June 24, 2007, 08:49:00 PM »
For its time, it was not bad - my future wife and I went to see it in the theater when we were in 8th grade. I loved the Peter Jackson remake last year - I bought it as soon as it came out on video!
"Carpe diem!" - Seize the day! "Carpe per diem!" - Seize the daily living allowance! "Carpe carp!" - Seize the fish!
"Carpe Ngo Diem!" - Seize the South Vietnamese Dictator!
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define "bad", please
King Kong (1976)
Reply #8 on:
October 13, 2007, 01:49:59 AM »
just like gino in 98, this is an awful movie, though it has a nice musical score. it, along with PJ's KK, proved that KING KONG never needed to be remade in the first place. whereas PJ's KK was overindulgence to the nth degree, this one was really boring.
"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder." ~ Alfred Hitchcock
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Here's an honest post about my life. I'm so fucking sick of it! At this point I don't care who reads this or what they think after they do. If you choose to use it against me then you can kiss my fucking ass.
I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which means I have some REALLY BAD DAYS! People judge a lot and think I'm psycho but I am at the point where I don't really care what they think anymore. It's a real problem. My anxiety because of it has been through the roof lately and pretty much no one cares. It's a problem that can swallow you whole. There are a few things that could help me not get there but NO ONE seems to try to do any of those things. Everyday I struggle to get out of bed, weather it's from the constant excruciating pain that I'm in or from the PTSD. And every day I have to take on the world for simple things that everyone else takes for granted. Seriously. I can't even reach in the dryer without feeling like there's razors shooting from my spine.
Everyday I face lots of things that remind me of everything I CAN'T do. I'm not looking for pity right now either, I'm trying to educate you on what it's like, or if you are in a similar situation let you know that you aren't alone. I've been through SO much in the last 3 1/2 and I have had to alter my life in ways I never thought I would have to all because of someone else's negligence. I had to take 2 medical withdrawals from school (but of course I still need to pay that loan back), it took me 3 1/2 year to get a 2 year degree, I can't work because I can't sit, stand, bend or otherwise move without pain, I'm an emotional wreck because everything is finally catching up to me, I have doctors, psychologists, psychiatrist, physical therapists, orthopedics, lawyers, insurance companies appointments and all sorts of other things almost every day of the week. I have no time to have fun. Not that there is a whole freaking lot I can do.
Today I screwed up an important doctors appointment. I have too many things going on that I can't even keep track of everything. My quality of life is shit right now. I'm just SOOOOOO sick of having people say "I wish I could make it better. I'm so sorry you feel like that." and then I flat out let them know how they can help and they DON'T! Even though I bend over backwards for them, or their family. It's 15 times harder for me to do it than for someone else to. Oh and when I spend money and it's unappreciated it really pisses me off. Ya wanna know why? Cuz I CAN'T WORK!!! You're just lazy and don't feel like doing anything for yourself cuz everyone else always does it for you. Must be nice.
How is all this fabulously raw emotion for you? I'm sick of trying.


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Please check at HARKE Nutrition.


text:
Sean Mayo
Senior Software Engineer
Toolhawker provides tools, equipment and supplies for the professional technician. Sean Mayo recently implemented Custom Search Business Edition for Toolhawker, and we asked him how his experience has been.
Google: Why did you need Google Custom Search Business Edition (CSBE)?
Sean: I had built a complete custom e-commerce store from the ground up. With more than 6,000 products in our catalog, searching became a problem. Performing a queries on the database to find any relevant products was slow and not always accurate. Google's search algorithms and speed have always WOWed me so I decided to give Custom Search Business Edition a try.
Google: What technology, if any, did it replace and why?
Sean: It replaced our former database search technology and added good technology. We were able to use the XML stream model to deliver us fast search results directly from Google and completely customize the appearance to match our website.
Google: What benefits have you derived from using Google CSBE?
Sean: There are a lot of technological reasons I like Google CSBE - but from a business standpoint it has really helped with the speed of our website and with customer retention. We want buyers to find what they're looking for - and fast, or they'll look elsewhere.
Google: What features of CSBE do you appreciate most and why?
Sean: I appreciate that Google gives me so many options on how I can implement CSBE on my site. I chose to use the more advanced XML option but even novice programmers can easily implement a plug-and-play option.
Google: Are you using Google Analytics on your website?
Sean: Yes, I use Google Analytics on all of my websites. Google has become a real internet partner and provides a solution for almost all the tools you need to run a successful website.
Google: What's been the overall impact of using Google CSBE on your website?
Sean: The overall impact has been excellent. Along with better and more relevant search results and greater speeds, we've seen our average customer "pages per visit" increase by 25%.
Google: Do you have any advice you'd give others in implementing the CSBE for their company's use?
Sean: The XML was easy to implement and all of the documentation is straight forward and easy to understand. Most of my pages were already indexed with Google so the search worked just like Google.com.
Google Enterprise Superstars Blog
A blog of success stories from
Google's Enterprise Search Superstars.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Custom Search for Toolhawker's eCommerce Site
Posted by Unknown at 5:35 PM
Labels: CSBE Story


text:
For years Hollywood has romanticized the search for life on planets other than Earth—especially the intelligent kind. Since 1960, when astronomer Frank Drake first attempted to deploy a radio telescope to listen for alien radio signals, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been a key element in many a cinematic story line. Films like Contact, Independence Day, and ET have offered variations on the theme of earnest, if lonely, researchers striving to lead the world to a new interstellar awareness. The reality, however, has been somewhat less inspiring. The maverick—if not entirely mad—scientist heroes of contemporary mythology have, more often than not, been forced to struggle for respect and funding, even while their more conventional brethren raked in the big bucks.
Ironically, even those with more exotic notions of ET life have had their differences with SETI. That includes Richard Hoagland, who, in his 1987 book, The Monuments of Mars, cited as evidence for an advanced ancient alien civilization, the giant, seemingly humanoid, face on the red planet's Cydonia plain. In an interview with Atlantis Rising ("Artifacts on the Moon," A.R. #2), Hoagland derided SETI as a "false-front western town"—ignoring real evidence, in order to preserve an entrenched, more earth-centric, way of thinking.
Life for SETI enthusiasts, however, may be about to change, and in a big way.
In July, at a press conference of the Royal Society in London, the world-renowned British cosmologist, Steven Hawking, announced that he had joined forces with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner to launch a new initiative to search for life amidst the stars, on a scale never before attempted. Christened 'Breakthrough Listen', the new radio astronomy project is intended to dramatically accelerate efforts already underway. Where earlier researchers have, in order to fund their efforts, scratched for scraps from a few wealthy patrons, like Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, the new plan will lavish a hundred million dollars on the enterprise and, perhaps, bring a new prestige—maybe even glamour—to the field. Whether that will result in actual discoveries, recognized as such by mainstream science, remains to be seen. file://localhost/(http/::www.scientificamerican.com:article:stephen-hawking-and-yuri-milner-announce-100m-initiative-to-seek-extraterrestrial-intelligence:)
As Hawking sees it, "Life arose spontaneously on Earth, so in an infinite universe, there must be other occurrences of life." In particular he is excited by recent discoveries of so-called exoplanets in faraway star systems, which, at least superficially, resemble Earth. According to Geoffrey Marcy, a University of California, Berkeley, astronomer, given credit for discovering the first exoplanet, "The universe is apparently bulging at the seams with the ingredients of biology." Still, no predictions about how soon ET may be smoked out are being offered, though the program is certainly expected to track him down eventually. Nevertheless, the campaigners believe, the coming redoubling of effort will increase exponentially the chances of making contact sooner, rather than later. Previous efforts, they believe, have been, at best, anemic.
Milner, says Fortune Magazine, is one of the 50 richest men in the world. His money comes primarily from investments in Internet technology, including Facebook. In 2012 he established the 'Breakthrough Prize' to recognize important discoveries in science and math; and while he is making an enormous startup investment, the long-term funding for 'Breakthrough Listen,' is expected to come from crowdfunding on the Internet. The enthusiastic public will also be invited to lend the computing power of their Android smart phones to the project.
The Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, and the Parkes Telescope in New South Wales, Australia are also participating. According to the National Science Foundation, 'Breakthrough Listen' will scan the nearest million stars both in our own galaxy and in 100 others, nearby. The Green Bank telescope, in fact, is expected devote a full 20 percent of its observation time to the search for telltale radio signals from another civilization.
'Breakthrough Listen,' it is said, will generate vast amounts of data, all of which will be available for public analysis, likely constituting the largest amount of scientific data ever made so widely available. The team will use and develop what is expected to be the most powerful software ever for sifting and searching the flood of data. All software will be open source. Both the software and the hardware used in the 'Breakthrough Listen' project will be compatible with other telescopes around the world, so any can join the search. Besides using the 'Breakthrough Listen' software, scientists and the interested public will be able to contribute to it and to develop their own applications to analyze the data. (https://public.nrao.edu/news/pressreleases/gbt-breakthrough-listen)
Is ET Calling?
The new project comes on the heels of other recent developments that have also excited the SETI community. Some might argue, in fact, that ET is already calling. While most scientists won't go there yet, they do acknowledge that they have a major puzzle on their hands. An intense burst of unexplained radio activity, it seems, has now been picked up by two major radio telescopes on opposite sides of the globe.
First detected in recordings made at Australia's Parkes Observatory in 2007 by astronomer Duncan Lorimer and his team at West Virginia University, the signal was very distinct and appeared to be emanating from beyond the Milky Way. Later, when similar signals came in from much closer but were not confirmed by any other receivers, they were written off as some kind of fluke. So the matter had rested. Now, though, a 2014 paper from the Arecibo radio telescope, in Puerto Rico, is reporting detection of the same signal received in Australia.
The big question is, what is it? So far there are several schools of thought. Some think it may be caused by pulses from the collapse of supermassive stars. Others believe it may be generated by solar flares from nearby stars. Arguments have been made that it could be some kind of signature for the long sought Dark Matter. And, yes, some scientists have even begun to speculate about extraterrestrial civilizations. That kind of talk clearly causes heartburn among the scientific elite, but nobody has yet ruled it out. (http://www.npr.org/2014/07/26/335335653/close-encounters-of-the-radio-kind-mystery-bursts-baffle-astronomers?ft=1&f=1007)
In August 1977, Jerry R. Ehman, working on a SETI project for Ohio State University, picked up an unexplained signal with an apparently intelligent origin. Ehman famously wrote, "Wow!" on the computer printout, and ever since it has been called 'the Wow! Signal.' The event never recurred and was also written off as a fluke, but it has never been satisfactorily explained to orthodox astrophysicists.
Physicist Paul Laviolette, however, has speculated that the "Wow! Signal" was, indeed, the work of an extraterrestrial civilization. In his book, Decoding the Message of the Pulsars, (Starlane Publications, 2006), LaViolette argues that since 1967, astronomers have been analyzing very precisely timed signals coming from radio-emitting beacons termed "pulsars." Pulsars, believes LaViolette, are immense navigational beacons created by an ancient spacefaring civilization. (See "The Pulsar Mystery," in A.R. #24.)
LaViolette is not the only scientist who thinks the unmistakeable signs of ET civilization may have already been available to us, and could be hidden in plain sight in our own back yard.
Crop Circles and Other Dimensions
As a case in point, a 2009 study of British crop circles by researchers in England and America pointed to some kind of plasma discharge behind the phenomenon.
A team formed by New York businessman John Burke, Michigan biophysicist William C. Levengood, and British Crop Circle researcher Nancy Talbott (BLT Research) has analyzed the microscopic changes made in the stalks of crop circle plants and has demonstrated that something very unusual is at work.
In the 1990s multiple plant abnormalities—including the elongation and stretching of plant nodes, holes blown in the nodes, the distinct bending of nodes, and inhibited seed-head development—were documented at various laboratories in both the United States and Great Britain. Such commonly reported effects, however, accompanied only "genuine" crop circles and were not found in the mechanically flattened creations of various hoaxers.
"We were curious to know," said Talbott in the report, "if some of the recent British formations continued to exhibit these same visible plant changes."
After careful comparison between affected plants and controls taken in similar conditions outside the circles, the BLT team concluded that the only known method which could possibly produce the observed effects would be a plasma discharge of some kind.
To the delight of skeptics everywhere, a pair of British pubsters, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, famously claimed in the 1990s to be the creators of all crop circles. Like roosters claiming credit for the sunrise, however, they also had their doubters; and the question of who or what—terrestrial or otherwise—is generating the many immense and astonishing images appearing regularly in fields throughout the world, and especially in the Wiltshire of the U.K., remains a mystery, Doug and Dave notwithstanding. (http://www.bltresearch.com/fieldreports/uk2009.php)
Then, of course, there is the notion that extraterrestrials may inhabit other dimensions on other planets, as well as this one, and may be able to navigate in nonphysical ways, which we do not presently understand.
The eighteenth century Swedish polymath Emanuel Swedenborg wrote a great deal about ETs, which he said, he had personally encountered. His first experience with a "nonhuman" personage, he claimed, came in 1744, when he was the head of the Swedish Board of Mines.
One of the most advanced thinkers of his, or any other, time, Swedenborg wrote on virtually every area of scientific investigation, including physiology, invention, and brain neurons, about which he made some of the earliest known observations. He was a friend with Immanuel Kant and other celebrated thinkers. More recently, William Blake, Arthur Conan Doyle, Carl Jung, Honoré de Balzac, Helen Keller, William Butler Yeats, and many others have written that they were deeply influenced by him. The author of more than 20 books, Swedenborg served in many official capacities and, despite his claims of having personally communicated with extraterrestrials, was much celebrated throughout his entire life.
Described in detail in his books were beings from Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, Venus, and the Moon, as well as from planets beyond our solar system. From his many 'encounters' Swedenborg concluded that the planets of our solar system are inhabited and that such an enormous undertaking as the universe would not have been for just one race; nor could only one 'heaven' be derived from it.
Beings from other worlds, he wrote, were in contact with him for over a decade and had appeared physically before him. Coming at many times and places, they provided many details about the universe, which later became part of conventional thinking. Swedenborg's Nebular Hypothesis is still widely accepted, and it is believed that in developing the theory, he preceded Immanuel Kant, widely considered the originator of the hypothesis, by many years. In Earths in the Universe (1758) he wrote that the majority of planets in the universe were inhabited. Gradually he came to realize that those beings he met resided spiritually on other planets but could become instantly present on Earth if they chose.
Swedenborg's works were immensely popular in his own time and have been subject to much discussion and study ever since.
Extraterrestrial Intervention on Earth
Even on the mundane material plane, though, strange new evidence might indicate a previously unappreciated link between this world and others. Consider the case of a minute, metallic sphere recently captured by a high-altitude balloon in the U.K. Scientists say it has led them to reconsider the possibility of intelligent intervention in the life of Earth. In fact, astrobiologist Milton Wainwright at the University of Buckingham thinks his team may have found concrete evidence indicating what they call 'directed panspermia.'
First proposed by DNA pioneer and Nobel Prize winner Francis Crick over 40 years ago, 'directed panspermia' suggests that some highly advanced galactic civilization could have seeded life on Earth. If Wainwright is right, the process may still be going on. The original nineteenth century Panspermia theory is that the seeds of life could have been carried in a random manner from planet to planet by spores, radiation, comets, meteorites, etc. Crick, however, thought that, unlike such a mechanical process, the transmission of life from one world to another would have required civilized intelligent intervention.
The Buckingham scientists launched balloons nearly 17 miles into the stratosphere. When material from one was collected and examined, a small crash mark was found indicating the spherical object didn't simply land softly. About the width of a human hair, the ball had filamentous life on the outside and a "gooey" biological material oozing from its center.
The possibility of ET origins, Wainright concedes, would be impossible to prove unless, "we can find details of the civilization that is supposed to have sent it." In the meantime, there are still those who are willing to speculate. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/03/aliens-send-space-seed-to-earth_n_6608582.html)
Would proof of the existence of extraterrestrial life be a problem for religious believers? That question gets a fresh look in a recent book by Vanderbilt University astronomer David Weintraub—Religions and Extraterrestrial Life (Springer, 2014). Knowing (some would say we already know) whether humanity has company in the universe will trigger, Weintraub says, one of the greatest intellectual revolutions in history, and, he thinks, it will pose a significant challenge for only a few terrestrial religions.
While some of the more fundamentalist Protestant faiths may find it difficult to accept something not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, many others are quite comfortable with the possibility. Polls, says Weintraub, indicate that a very large part of society thinks alien life exists, and that includes 32% of Christians, 44% of Muslims, 37% of Jews, 36% of Hindus, and 55% of atheists (Survata polling). (http://www.livescience.com/48208- religion-extraterrestrial-life.html)
Calling ET
Since its beginnings, the privately funded SETI program has been content to train its radio telescopes toward space and simply to listen for anything unusual—keeping an ear out—just in case some other civilization, not unlike our own, might want to strike up a conversation. By all conventional accounts, though—except, possibly, for the "Wow!" signal—our number has yet to be dialed. For some, though, that is not good enough, and they are determined somehow to break the ice with whatever cosmic lonely hearts may yet be out there.
A group of scientists and investors has now created what they call a continuous message beacon to initiate a conversation with whatever extraterrestrial civilization might be willing to talk. For a small fee you can include your own message in the nonstop transmission. To carry out their intergalactic hailing plan or courting dance, Dr. Jacob Haqq-Misra and his colleagues have taken over the Jamesburg Earth Station radio dish in Carmel, California.
Not surprisingly, the project has its critics. Canadian bioethicist, trans-humanist, and futurist George Dvorsky is among those who view the idea as "both useless and potentially reckless." After all, there is no guarantee that whatever advanced civilizations may be out there are friendly. On the contrary, they could well prove quite nasty. Indeed, who is to say they won't react to our beacon the way some of us would to the annoying buzz of a fly, by squashing the source? Maybe not, but do we really want to take the chance? (http://io9.com/new-project-to-message-aliens-is-both-useless-and-poten-512863567)
At least one government on Earth, Russia, admits an ET invasion would be too much to handle. According to a report from RIA Novisti, carried by the Huffington Post, the Russian defenses are, admittedly not capable of defending against an extraterrestrial threat. That may seem obvious, given the advanced technology, which any interplanetary invader would require just getting here, but the question came up in a recent press conference at the Titov Main Test and Space Systems Control Center near Moscow.
While declaring that his country's defenses were sufficient to handle any earthbound threat, center deputy chief Sergey Berezhnoy responded, quite seriously, that the vast array of available weapons would be inadequate for an extraterrestrial attack. The Russians are not alone in that regard. Notwithstanding Hollywood speculations, as in Independence Day, the military capacities of no country on Earth, including the U.S., seem in any way capable of meeting such a threat.
Understandably, military agencies like the U.S. Air Force remain reluctant to concede any reality to the alien threat. That might help explain, some feel, the stonewalling of events like the 1947 Roswell affair.
It is equally clear that inviting communication from unknown worlds with unknown agendas could be unwise, if not foolhardy. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/07/alien-invasion-earth-is-defenseless_n_4046659.html)
Stephen Hawking has said for years that he dreads what an alien civilization could do to Earth, perhaps wiping out humans the way we would an ant colony. Hawking's curiosity, however, has apparently gotten the better of him, and he is now eager to get on with his 'Breakthrough Listen' initiative, anyway.
Oh, by the way, forget about easily identifiable little green men. The aliens may look a lot like us, says a Cambridge University evolution expert. Extraterrestrials that resemble human beings, says Professor Simon Conway Morris, should have evolved on at least some of the many Earth-like planets that have been discovered by astronomers in recent years. In his new book The Runes of Evolution, Conway builds on the principle of convergent evolution—that different species will independently evolve similar features. (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/forget-little-green-men—aliens-will-look-like-humans-says-cambridge-university-evolution-expert-10358164.html)
Who can say the aliens are not here already? After all, how would we know?
Run that through your data processor, SETI geeks.


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The Idaho Department of Correction has reached an agreement with the inmates at one of its prisons. This comes from a lawsuit spanning more than three decades.
Jason Prince is a lawyer who represents 1,600 inmates at the Idaho State Correctional Institution. He's spent the last few months negotiating an agreement on changes to medical care at the prison near Boise. Prince says the biggest change will be increased staff.
"There will also be some brick and mortar changes," Prince says. "Where there's actually going to be an addition made, which is an important change because the size of the prison population has grown dramatically over the past 30 years but the essential facilities for medical have not grown."
Prince has been on this case since 2004. But it began in 1981. Several suits were combined into a class action case which alleged, among other things, widespread sexual assault, violence, overcrowding, and poor health care. Many of the issues have been addressed over the years through court injunctions.
Last year court appointed physician Marc Stern investigated health care at the prison. Stern found what he called "serious problems" which have "resulted…in serious harm to inmates." Stern is withholding judgment on the agreement but he says he's glad his report has spurred change. "Everybody involved in the case, I think, wants to see it come to an end that works for all the parties," he said.
Department of Correction Director Brent Reinke says fulfilling the terms of the agreement won't be easy."We have to perform and we have to communicate in ways that are a little bit foreign to us with the inmate population," explains Reinke. "That's not a problem because that's what we've agreed to and that's what our intentions are to carry out."
The agreement includes establishing an ombudsman at the prison who can field complaints. The prison has six months to get the changes under way followed by a two year monitoring period. But the agreement still needs legislative approval because of the money involved. Rienke says the initial changes will cost $1.6 million.


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July 5, 2011
Let There Be Night: Creating Friendlier Skies for Migrating Birds
Follow these tips to keep birds in the dark
by Ruthanne Johnson
• Home Habits: Use lower-intensity bulbs and task lighting in work areas, and avoid illuminating indoor plants and fountains. Close blinds in lit rooms; if doing so increases reflectivity, place window treatments designed to prevent bird strikes on the outside glass. Spread the word to friends and neighbors: "So many bird deaths are happening in ones and twos and threes in homes," says Christine Sheppard of the American Bird Conservancy. "It's the hardest thing to tackle because you have to get to each of those homes individually."
• Outdoor Options: Install motion-activated lights; they're actually more effective for deterring criminals, Sheppard says. If constant night light is necessary, use downward-casting fixtures and install timers. Eliminate or minimize unnecessary lighting, and avoid red, white, and yellow lights in favor of bird-friendly green and blue.
• Office Etiquette: If you work in a multi-tenant building, talk to the building's owner or manager. "If all the tenants were to go to their building manager and say, 'I want you to stop bird deaths,' " change would occur, says FLAP's Michael Mesure. Encourage scheduling cleaning crews during daylight hours, using dim or no lighting in lobbies after hours, and keeping upper floors as dark as possible. Minimize lights in perimeter rooms and ask coworkers to close blinds when working late. Avoid decorative or rooftop lighting at night, especially between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
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2013 Prius door fob works when the open button is depressed but not automatically when approaching the driver's side door. Any fixes? Dealer says they have to take apart door to check.
The fob which is designed to open driver's side door automatically when near
stopped working on both fobs. New batteries in fobs did not change things.
Dealer says they have not seen this problem before and would need to take
apart the door to check on it. Are there any other things to try first? The fob
does work when you press the unlock button.
1 Answer
Most 2013 Priuses have smart key sensors at the front passengers doo and rear hatch or liftback as well. What trim level is your Prius? Do you know if you have sensors at those locations? Are they working at those locations? If the SKS is working at the other doors, I agree with the dealer. Otherwise it may be that someone accidentally turned SKS off or interference. We've sometimes had trouble if the smart key is deep in a bag, next to a phone or other electronics, or too far from or close to the car door.
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Third edition of Buwa! is out
In the last three decades that the African continent has been battling the impacts of HIV and AIDS, a number of positives have been realised. One has been the subject of sex and sexuality finding a somewhat more comfortable place in development discourses on the continent. Sex and sexuality have largely been regarded as issues fit for the private sphere, and in some cases even treated as taboos that are only to be spoken of in hushed tones. The HIV and AIDS movements as well as feminist movements on the continent – and elsewhere – have challenged the notion of sex as a private matter, and brought it into discourses on health, economics, politics and power, thus firmly establishing it as a rights issue.
Two recent global platforms have been quite telling in this regard. The 12th AWID International Forum in Istanbul in April 2012, under the theme Transforming Economic Power to Advance Women's Rights and Justice had a significant number of sessions focusing on sex, sexuality, sex work, pleasure and their intersections with economics and money as well as politics and power. Meanwhile, in May, the Open Society Africa Foundations convened the OpenForum – an equally diverse platform whose theme focused on money, power and sex. What was most striking for me at both events was the significant space given to sex and sexuality on their programmes; and I thought to myself, the continent has indeed come far!
This Issue of BUWA! carries African voices and stories, unpacking and sharing experiences in sex and health, and highlighting trends, realities, opportunities and challenges. Although sex has arguably firmly taken root in health and rights discourses, this has not been without challenges. Dr Vicci Tallis and Laura Washington illuminate some of these challenges and contentions in a piece that locates the sexual and reproductive health rights discourse in the broader feminist struggle for women's sexuality rights and emancipation.
Given the tendency – dictated by culture and tradition – to confine sex and sexuality to the private sphere, HIV and AIDS discourses have managed to break that artificial wall, bringing issues of sex and sexuality into the public sphere, albeit as health and reproductive health and rights issues. Thus, it has been largely HIV and AIDS movements that have led the southern Africa region in pushing an agenda for sexual and reproductive health rights. A number of significant gains have been recorded on this front – key among them being finding space for sex, sexuality and reproductive health rights on public agendas and dialogues. It is precisely because of this important step forward that global forums discussing so-called hard issues of economic transformation, money and power could legitimately and confidently engage with issues of sex and sexuality. However, most sex and health rights movements in the region are still struggling – like women's movements generally – and the challenge remains to continue strengthening these movements to ensure that these critical issues remain in the public domain and are not relegated once again to the private sphere.
Another gain has been on the steady traction towards gaining autonomy over women's bodies. During the decades spent fighting HIV and AIDS on the continent, it has become clear how women's vulnerabilities are increased by a lack of real choice in relation to protection, treatment and care. Practices such as lobola, as discussed by Takunda Chabata, have become a key part of the debate with lobola being viewed as giving men the right to decide how and when married women can have sex. A woman's right to choose even in issues of contraception becomes compromised in this regard.
As such, married women tend to be more vulnerable, and have less control over their bodies, than their unmarried counterparts. The space to negotiate safe and enjoyable sex in a marriage context tends to be more limited. This is even more pronounced in countries where there are many different marriage regimes, creating challenges for women. For instance, customary law marriages allow men to have more than one spouse, increasing women's vulnerability to HIV and AIDS. Some of the challenges are articulated by Sibusisiwe Ndlovu-Bhebe, who argues that there is a need to harmonise Zimbabwe's marriage laws to make it easier for women. Emmah Machokoto's poem aptly summarises how marriage increases women's vulnerability.
A review of policy and legislative frameworks in southern Africa in relation to women's bodily integrity paints a picture of a region that offers half measures; where laws and policies do not fully guarantee women choices regarding their bodies. Issues of abortion, sex work and sterilisation are cases in point. Namuchana Mushabati highlights some of the shortfalls in her analysis of policy trends in Zambia. These gaps often result in backstreet abortions, which have taken the lives of many women, as illustrated by Karina Dulobo and Mazuba Haanyama in their analysis of the role that the family unit has played in denying women, particularly young women, their right to bodily integrity.
However, it is not only the family that has helped men to maintain their control over women's bodies, but also health care institutions. In southern Africa, especially in Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, there have been reports of the forced sterilisation of HIV positive women by medical doctors. In Namibia, a few cases have been brought before the courts but these are – almost certainly – just the tip of the iceberg in what is suspected to be a systematic and widespread practice that violates women's reproductive health rights. There is suspicion that this practice might also be happening in other countries in the region, and there is need for research and provision of safe spaces that allow for women to open up and share their experiences.
The education system has also not been sensitive to school-going girls' sexuality and reproductive health rights as Stella Jerop Chebii illustrates in her case study of how a lack of access to sanitary towels had been a barrier to adolescent girls accessing education in urban slums in Kenya.
On the African continent women are not encouraged to enjoy sex, and the reasons for this are often rooted in culture, tradition and religion. Some religions have been manipulated to deny women the right to enjoyable sex as Grace Chirenje and Brian Nachipo demonstrate based on their observations of how some Christian Scriptures are cited out of context to control women's access to contraception and good, safe and enjoyable sex. Sex, in their observation, is interpreted as primarily for procreation, and not for enjoyment, and pleasure is regarded as the preserve of men. This is not just in the context of religion, but also in the context of culture and tradition, as Tinashe Mema and Rudo Chigudu argue.
The notion of sex being for men's pleasure also manifests in Africa in the form of female genital mutilation (FGM). A number of cultures promote various forms of FGM, which in some cases has serious consequences on the reproductive health of the women. A number of research initiatives and documentation of the dangers and injustices of such practices have been done on the continent, and one such book by Marie-Helene Mottin-Sylla and Joelle Palmieri is discussed in this Issue by Mazuba Haanyama, who questions, among other things, the notion of labelling such practices as 'mutilation'.
Sian Maseko contends that because sex and pleasure are often defined in the context of hetero-normativity, the tendency is to adopt a moralistic attitude towards sex outside of marriage. In particular, same sex relationships are criminalised in most countries in the region.
Another way in which women's bodies have been controlled is through rape. Although rape is recognised as a crime in southern Africa, certain types of rape are often ignored, as Gemma Hancox argues in her piece, which decries the prevalence of marital rape in South Africa in spite of laws and policies that are designed to protect women. Similarly, rape targeted at lesbians and transgender people purportedly to 'correct' them is also becoming prevalent in the region, as shown by Tiffani Wesley, who makes a case for such rape to be classified as a hate crime.
Control of the woman's body is also linked to who defines beauty – and how it is defined. Societal standards of beauty have created an industry that controls women's hair, skin, size, shape and looks; all driven by a capitalist ethos, which is the bedrock of patriarchy. Davina Jogi highlights this in her powerful photo-essay from Zimbabwe.
However, there are some positive moves towards giving women more control over their bodies. In particular, strides have been made in research towards preventive tools with regards to HIV and AIDS. Groundbreaking microbicide trials are a case in point. Pauline Irungu sheds light on how the African continent is at the brink of delivering on the 20-year-old dream of providing women with access to vaginal microbicides, a form of protection they hopefully will be able to control. But even with such breakthroughs, there is still the need to develop a culture of respect for the sexual and reproductive health rights of women – and it is necessary to start fostering this culture at lower levels of the education system, as exemplified by Lerissa Thaver and Astrid Leao in their case study of South African secondary schools.
For decades, women have been organising, coalescing and building movements to resist all forms of oppression – including denial of their sexuality and reproductive health rights. These efforts need to be captured and documented, as in the case of the publication African Women Writing Resistance: Contemporary Voices (Edited by Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez, Pauline Dongala, Omotayo Jolaosho and Anne Sarafin), which is reviewed Dr Hleziphi Naomie Nyanungo.
We hope this Issue of BUWA! challenges African women and men to continue loosening the lid that has been kept tightly shut for decades to prevent issues of sex and sexuality from being openly discussed – and in the process making women and girls more vulnerable and putting their lives at risk.
About the author(s)
Alice Kanengoni manages the Gender and Women's Rights programme at OSISA. She joined OSISA from the Johannesburg-based Gender Links, a regional organisation focusing on gender and women's rights, where she worked as a Senior Researcher. Prior to that, she had worked as a Senior Researcher and deputy head of the gender programme at the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC) in Harare. Alice holds a Masters Degree in Media and Communications, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature.