text:
News Story
Six States Win Federal Grants for Early Education
Six states – Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Vermont – will receive $280 million in federal grants in the third round of the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge, federal officials announced on Thursday.
The six states join 14 others that were awarded Early Learning Challenge grants in the first two rounds of the competition, which supports the education of children from birth to five years old. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia competed in the third round of the competition.
The grants announced Thursday range from $36.9 million to $51.7 million. The Obama administration has awarded over $1 billion in Early Learning Challenge grants and is proposing to spend an additional $75 billion over the next 10 years to fund universal prekindergarten for low-income and moderate-income families.
"By investing in high-quality early learning through programs like Race to the Top – Early Leaning Challenge, we are able to close achievement gaps, provide life-transforming opportunities for children, and strengthen and build a thriving middle class," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
New Jersey, which will receive $44.3 million, will use the funds to establish a coordinated system of early education and child care, including a statewide quality rating improvement system that will help parents choose between child care options and help programs improve. New Jersey's plan also includes a training academy to coordinate professional development for programs serving high-needs children, a kindergarten entry assessment and early learning standards for children from birth to age three.
"Ensuring access to a high-quality education for every New Jersey student has been a priority of this administration since day one in office," New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, said. "We have made great progress to improve the educational experience for all New Jersey students, from children in early learning education programs to students attending one of New Jersey's many institutions of higher learning."
Georgia, which will receive $51.7 million, will use the money to increase access to high-quality child care for low-income families and to develop a kindergarten entry assessment, among other initiatives. Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Commissioner Bobby Cagle said the state will create financial incentives for early education programs to improve their overall quality and to serve more children who are low-income or who are developmentally delayed.
Vermont will use $36.9 million to create apprenticeships and scholarships for early childhood educators and expand home visiting programs for new parents, among other programs.
Kentucky was awarded $44.3 million for its plan to expand the state's quality rating system for early learning programs, promote family engagement and improve professional development for early childhood educators.
"This $44 million grant represents one of the largest single investments in Kentucky's students – and it's targeted specifically to our youngest students, who will carry the positive impact of these programs throughout their school careers," said Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat. "This is an unprecedented opportunity to make the large-scale improvements in early childhood education that we have long known are critical to student success, but have always been shelved because of lack of funding."
Pennsylvania will use its $51.7 million to establish 50 "innovation zones," with the goal of involving parents more in their children's education, building stronger relationships between early childhood education programs and school districts, and strengthening the network of community organizations serving families with young children. The grant also will help pay for better professional development for early childhood educators.
Michigan expects about 182,000 children to benefit from its $51.7 million grant, according to State Superintendent Mike Flanagan. Michigan's plan includes increasing access to high-quality early childhood programs, increasing opportunities for home care providers to improve the quality of their programs, and expanding training for home care providers.
"Michigan's Race to the Top Award – the first ever for our state – aligns perfectly with our ambitious early childhood investments," said Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. "This is not a replacement for our current and future investments, but rather a very significant addition to our efforts to give children in Michigan a great start."
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.


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How to make best use of IoT
For most business leaders, the question is not whether to adopt Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, but how best to use them. What do you need to know to turn the IoT into a competitive advantage for your business?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is not new. Organizations began using sensing, diagnostic and communications equipment to track spacecraft, weather balloons, wild animals and other important 'things' more than two decades ago. What is different today is the pace of IoT innovation, which is opening up new possibilities for a much wider range of businesses and industries.
According to AT&T's latest Cybersecurity Insights report: "The CEO's Guide to Securing IoT," 85% of global organizations are considering or exploring an IoT strategy. One-quarter of these have already piloted or implemented IoT projects. The promise of bottom-line benefits will continue to drive IoT adoption, but success is not as simple as just connecting devices to the Internet. Asking the following three questions can help you ensure your team is on the right path.
1. How can we transform our business processes with IoT to deliver value?
Companies used to deploy IoT solutions to either improve efficiency or save cost. With advances in information and communications technology, organizations can now look at IoT services as a way to increase customer satisfaction and enable new business models or revenue streams.
For example, water scarcity is intensifying worldwide. With rapid population growth and large-scale urbanization, access to freshwater is only going to become more problematic in our region. Smart city solutions that use IoT and acoustic technology to detect leaks in water mains are now being developed to help detect water loss and minimize damage caused by leaking pipes. The aim is to be able to rapidly retrofit these new IoT solutions into existing mains networks to give communities greater visibility into their water supply and, in the longer term, to also motivate the public to conserve water. As this shows, even complex legacy systems need not be a barrier to IoT success.
2. Will our IoT plans generate a real return?
It can be illuminating to look ahead to how your industry, customers and business may change in the next two to five years and to consider how the IoT can support these changes to deliver a real return.
In the logistics sector, overcapacity is expected to remain an issue in the next few years as Asia's manufacturers cope with muted global trade and slower economic growth in China. Transport providers are thus seeking a competitive edge by using connected devices to efficiently track shipments in the air or on land or sea, providing operational visibility and access to valuable real-time information. In a 2014 global survey of shippers and logistics providers by EyeForTransport Reports and AT&T, 80% of companies seeking to expand their existing IoT solutions expected to see a return on their new deployments within two years.
As a business leader, you understand your industry and your customers, and you know which connections will drive maximum value for your business. What you are unlikely to have is the in-house talent to design, test and build IoT solutions that leverage this knowledge. Since the IoT decisions you make today will impact your business tomorrow, it makes sense to access expert outside help and use your resources strategically.
3. What security risks do our IoT deployments bring, and how will we mitigate them?
While cybersecurity is already top of mind for many organizations, IoT deployments can amplify the risks. For a start, the scale of connected devices greatly increases the complexity of cybersecurity and the volume of data that needs protecting. The challenge intensifies as IoT devices are deployed to control infrastructure, such as factory operations and supply chains.
The connected car is one example of IoT that many of us will directly experience. Machina Research estimates that there were about 125 million IoT connections in the global automotive sector by the end of 2014. By 2024, this will have grown to 1.2 billion. The world is welcoming IoT-connected cars and their promise to improve safety, reduce operational costs and streamline traffic flow. However, the possibility that a hacker may be able to unlock and enable a car's ignition, or remotely take over mission-critical systems such as brakes or steering, is too frightening to ignore.
The answer, for the automotive sector and other industries, is to build multiple layers of security controls into IoT devices and their connecting networks. In the connected car, this will mean separating critical safety systems and engine control units from infotainment and tethered device connections. Here, as in all industries, the entire IoT ecosystem will need to be involved from the start; security has to encompass not just your own devices, data and applications, but those of your partners and customers as well.
Focusing on IoT as a strategic advantage
The technical and security challenges of an IoT implementation can be considerable, but they are not insurmountable. For most companies, putting time and effort into achieving the strategic advantages that IoT can bring will deliver great value for your organization, even in light of these challenges. Finding a skilled and experienced partner to help you manage your devices, connectivity, platforms and applications can lead to a successful IoT experience.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Hey guys, Yes... I am a noob... But I have a background in programming and .ksh... I'm attempting to configure ubuntu to work with wireless card. I have already downloaded the newest version of ndis* and specific driver for my wireles*. Here is the error I get after running the make install command. root@ubuntu:~/ndiswrapper-1.10# make install make -C driver install make[1]: Entering directory `/home/notanxious/ndiswrapper-1.10/driver' Can't find kernel sources in /lib/modules/2.6.12-9-amd64-generic/build; give the path to kernel sources with KSRC=<path> argument to make make[1]: *** [prereq_check] Error 1 make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/notanxious/ndiswrapper-1.10/driver' make: *** [install] Error 2 root@ubuntu:~/ndiswrapper-1.10# I must have not folled proper instructions... The /build directory does not exist. And I have no clue as how to unpack the source files.. PLease help!!! I can't go back to mICROS*!!! LOL


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rio declaration | agenda 21 | previous | next
Agenda 21
Science For Sustainable Development
This chapter focuses on the role and the use of the sciences in supporting the prudent management of the environment and development for the daily survival and future development of humanity. The programme areas proposed herein are intended to be over-arching, in order to support the specific scientific requirements identified in the other Agenda 21 chapters. One role of the sciences should be to provide information to better enable formulation and selection of environment and development policies in the decision-making process. In order to fulfil this requirement, it will be essential to enhance scientific understanding, improve long-term scientific assessments, strengthen scientific capacities in all countries and ensure that the sciences are responsive to emerging needs.
Scientists are improving their understanding in areas such as climatic change, growth in rates of resource consumption, demographic trends, and environmental degradation. Changes in those and other areas need to be taken into account in working out long-term strategies for development. A first step towards improving the scientific basis for these strategies is a better understanding of land, oceans, atmosphere and their interlocking water, nutrient and biogeochemical cycles and energy flows which all form part of the Earth system. This is essential if a more accurate estimate is to be provided of the carrying capacity of the planet Earth and of its resilience under the many stresses placed upon it by human activities. The sciences can provide this understanding through increased research into the underlying ecological processes and through the application of modern, effective and efficient tools that are now available, such as remote-sensing devices, robotic monitoring instruments and computing and modelling capabilities. The sciences are playing an important role in linking the fundamental significance of the Earth system as life support to appropriate strategies for development which build on its continued functioning. The sciences should continue to play an increasing role in providing for an improvement in the efficiency of resource utilization and in finding new development practices, resources, and alternatives. There is a need for the sciences constantly to reassess and promote less intensive trends in resource utilization, including less intensive utilization of energy in industry, agriculture, and transportation. Thus, the sciences are increasingly being understood as an essential component in the search for feasible pathways towards sustainable development.
Scientific knowledge should be applied to articulate and support the goals of sustainable development, through scientific assessments of current conditions and future prospects for the Earth system. Such assessments, based on existing and emerging innovations within the sciences, should be used in the decision-making process and in the interactive processes between the sciences and policy-making. There needs to be an increased output from the sciences in order to enhance understanding and facilitate interaction between science and society. An increase in the scientific capacity and capability to achieve these goals will also be required, particularly in developing countries. Of crucial importance is the need for scientists in developing countries to participate fully in international scientific research programmes dealing with the global problems of environment and development so as to allow all countries to participate on equal footing in negotiations on global environmental and developmental issues. In the face of threats of irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific understanding should not be an excuse for postponing actions which are justified in their own right. The precautionary approach could provide a basis for policies relating to complex systems that are not yet fully understood and whose consequences of disturbances cannot yet be predicted.
The programme areas, which are in harmony with the conclusions and recommendations of the International Conference on an Agenda of Science for Environment and Development into the 21st Century (ASCEND/21) are:
Strengthening the scientific basis for sustainable management;
Enhancing scientific understanding;
Improving long-term scientific assessment;
Building up scientific capacity and capability.
Programme Areas
A. Strengthening the scientific basis for sustainable management
Basis for action
Sustainable development requires taking longer-term perspectives, integrating local and regional effects of global change into the development process, and using the best scientific and traditional knowledge available. The development process should be constantly re-evaluated, in light of the findings of scientific research, to ensure that resource utilization has reduced impacts on the Earth system. Even so, the future is uncertain, and there will be surprises. Good environmental and developmental management policies must therefore be scientifically robust, seeking to keep open a range of options to ensure flexibility of response. The precautionary approach is important. Often, there is a communication gap among scientists, policy makers, and the public at large, whose interests are articulated by both governmental and non-governmental organizations. Better communication is required among scientists, decision makers, and the general public.
The primary objective is for each country with the support of international organizations, as requested, to identify the state of its scientific knowledge and its research needs and priorities in order to achieve, as soon as possible, substantial improvements in:
Large-scale widening of the scientific base and strengthening of scientific and research capacities and capabilities - in particular, those of developing countries - in areas relevant to environment and development;
Environmental and developmental policy formulation, building upon the best scientific knowledge and assessments, and taking into account the need to enhance international cooperation and the relative uncertainties of the various processes and options involved;
The interaction between the sciences and decision-making, using the precautionary approach, where appropriate, to change the existing patterns of production and consumption and to gain time for reducing uncertainty with respect to the selection of policy options;
The generation and application of knowledge, especially indigenous and local knowledge, to the capacities of different environments and cultures, to achieve sustained levels of development, taking into account interrelations at the national, regional and international levels;
Improving cooperation between scientists by promoting interdisciplinary research programmes and activities;
Participation of people in setting priorities and in decision-making relating to sustainable development.
Countries, with the assistance of international organizations, where required, should:
Prepare an inventory of their natural and social science data holdings relevant to the promotion of sustainable development;
Identify their research needs and priorities in the context of international research efforts;
Strengthen and design appropriate institutional mechanisms at the highest appropriate local, national, subregional and regional levels and within the United Nations system for developing a stronger scientific basis for the improvement of environmental and developmental policy formulation consistent with long-term goals of sustainable development. Current research in this area should be broadened to include more involvement of the public in establishing long-term societal goals for formulating the sustainable development scenarios;
Develop, apply and institute the necessary tools for sustainable development, with regard to:
Quality-of-life indicators covering, for example, health, education, social welfare, state of the environment, and the economy;
Economic approaches to environmentally sound development and new and improved incentive structures for better resource management;
Long-term environmental policy formulation, risk management and environmentally sound technology assessment;
Collect, analyse and integrate data on the linkages between the state of ecosystems and the health of human communities in order to improve knowledge of the cost and benefit of different development policies and strategies in relation to health and the environment, particularly in developing countries;
Conduct scientific studies of national and regional pathways to sustainable development, using comparable and complementary methodologies. Such studies, coordinated by an international science effort, should to a large extent involve local expertise and be conducted by multidisciplinary teams from regional networks and/or research centres, as appropriate and according to national capacities and the available resources;
Improve capabilities for determining scientific research priorities at the national, regional and global levels to meet the needs of sustainable development. This is a process that involves scientific judgements regarding short-term and long-term benefits and possible long-term costs and risks. It should be adaptive and responsive to perceived needs and be carried out via transparent, "user-friendly", risk-evaluation methodologies;
Develop methods to link the findings of the established sciences with the indigenous knowledge of different cultures. The methods should be tested using pilot studies. They should be developed at the local level and should concentrate on the links between the traditional knowledge of indigenous groups and corresponding, current "advanced science", with particular focus on disseminating and applying the results to environmental protection and sustainable development.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $150 million, including about $30 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
The scientific and technological means include the following:
Supporting new scientific research programmes, including their socio-economic and human aspects, at the community, national, subregional, regional and global levels, to complement and encourage synergies between traditional and conventional scientific knowledge and practices and strengthening interdisciplinary research related to environmental degradation and rehabilitation;
Setting up demonstration models of different types (e.g., socio-economic, environmental conditions) to study methodologies and formulate guidelines;
Supporting research by developing relative-risk evaluation methods to assist policy makers in ranking scientific research priorities.
B. Enhancing scientific understanding
Basis for action
In order to promote sustainable development, more extensive knowledge is required of the Earth's carrying capacity, including the processes that could either impair or enhance its ability to support life. The global environment is changing more rapidly than at any time in recent centuries; as a result, surprises may be expected, and the next century could see significant environmental changes. At the same time, the human consumption of energy, water and non-renewable resources is increasing, on both a total and a per capita basis, and shortages may ensue in many parts of the world even if environmental conditions were to remain unchanged. Social processes are subject to multiple variations across time and space, regions and culture. They both affect and are influenced by changing environmental conditions. Human factors are key driving forces in these intricate sets of relationships and exert their influence directly on global change. Therefore, study of the human dimensions of the causes and consequences of environmental change and of more sustainable development paths is essential.
One key objective is to improve and increase the fundamental understanding of the linkages between human and natural environmental systems and improve the analytical and predictive tools required to better understand the environmental impacts of development options by:
Carrying out research programmes in order better to understand the carrying capacity of the Earth as conditioned by its natural systems, such as the biogeochemical cycles, the atmosphere/hydrosphere/lithosphere/cryosphere system, the biosphere and biodiversity, the agro-ecosystem and other terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems;
Developing and applying new analytical and predictive tools in order to assess more accurately the ways in which the Earth's natural systems are being increasingly influenced by human actions, both deliberate and inadvertent, and demographic trends, and the impact and consequences of those actions and trends;
Integrating physical, economic and social sciences in order better to understand the impacts of economic and social behaviour on the environment and of environmental degradation on local and global economies.
The following activities should be undertaken:
Support development of an expanded monitoring network to describe cycles (for example, global, biogeochemical and hydrological cycles) and test hypotheses regarding their behaviour, and improve research into the interactions among the various global cycles and their consequences at national, subregional, regional and global levels as guides to tolerance and vulnerability;
Support national, subregional, regional and international observation and research programmes in global atmospheric chemistry and the sources and sinks of greenhouse gases, and ensure that the results are presented in a publicly accessible and understandable form;
Support national, subregional, regional and international research programmes on marine and terrestrial systems, strengthen global terrestrial databases of their components, expand corresponding systems for monitoring their changing states and enhance predictive modelling of the Earth system and its subsystems, including modelling of the functioning of these systems assuming different intensities of human impact. The research programmes should include the programmes mentioned in other Agenda 21 chapters which support mechanisms for cooperation and coherence of research programmes on global change;
Encourage coordination of satellite missions, the networks, systems and procedures for processing and disseminating their data; and develop the interface with the research users of Earth observation data and with the United Nations EARTHWATCH system;
Develop the capacity for predicting the responses of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems and biodiversity to short- and long-term perturbations of the environment, and develop further restoration ecology;
Study the role of biodiversity and the loss of species in the functioning of ecosystems and the global life-support system;
Initiate a global observing system of parameters needed for the rational management of coastal and mountain zones and significantly expand freshwater quantity/quality monitoring systems, particularly in developing countries;
In order to understand the Earth as a system, develop Earth observation systems from space which will provide integrated, continuous and long-term measurements of the interactions of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere, and develop a distribution system for data which will facilitate the utilization of data obtained through observation;
Develop and apply systems and technology that automatically collect, record and transmit data and information to data and analysis centres, in order to monitor marine, terrestrial and atmospheric processes and provide advance warning of natural disasters;
Enhance the contribution of the engineering sciences to multidisciplinary research programmes on the Earth system, in particular with regard to increasing emergency preparedness and reducing the negative effects of major natural disasters;
Intensify research to integrate the physical, economic and social sciences to better understand the impacts of economic and social behaviour on the environment and of environmental degradation on local and global economies and, in particular:
Develop research on human attitudes and behaviour as driving forces central to an understanding of the causes and consequences of environmental change and resource use;
Promote research on human, economic and social responses to global change;
Support development of new user-friendly technologies and systems that facilitate the integration of multidisciplinary, physical, chemical, biological and social/human processes which, in turn, provide information and knowledge for decision makers and the general public.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $2 billion, including about $1.5 billion from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
The scientific and technological means include the following:
Supporting and using the relevant national research activities of academia, research institutes and governmental and non-governmental organizations, and promoting their active participation in regional and global programmes, particularly in developing countries;
Increasing the use of appropriate enabling systems and technologies, such as supercomputers, space-based observational technology, Earth- and ocean-based observational technologies, data management and database technologies and, in particular, developing and expanding the Global Climate Observing System.
C. Improving long-term scientific assessment
Basis for action
Meeting scientific research needs in the environment/development field is only the first step in the support that the sciences can provide for the sustainable development process. The knowledge acquired may then be used to provide scientific assessments (audits) of the current status and for a range of possible future conditions. This implies that the biosphere must be maintained in a healthy state and that losses in biodiversity must be slowed down. Although many of the long-term environmental changes that are likely to affect people and the biosphere are global in scale, key changes can often be made at the national and local levels. At the same time, human activities at the local and regional levels often contribute to global threats - e.g., stratospheric ozone depletion. Thus scientific assessments and projections are required at the global, regional and local levels. Many countries and organizations already prepare reports on the environment and development which review current conditions and indicate future trends. Regional and global assessments could make full use of such reports but should be broader in scope and include the results of detailed studies of future conditions for a range of assumptions about possible future human responses, using the best available models. Such assessments should be designed to map out manageable development pathways within the environmental and socio-economic carrying capacity of each region. Full use should be made of traditional knowledge of the local environment.
The primary objective is to provide assessments of the current status and trends in major developmental and environmental issues at the national, subregional, regional and global levels on the basis of the best available scientific knowledge in order to develop alternative strategies, including indigenous approaches, for the different scales of time and space required for long-term policy formulation.
The following activities should be undertaken:
Coordinate existing data- and statistics-gathering systems relevant to developmental and environmental issues so as to support preparation of long-term scientific assessments - for example, data on resource depletion, import/export flows, energy use, health impacts and demographic trends; apply the data obtained through the activities identified in programme area B to environment/development assessments at the global, regional and local levels; and promote the wide distribution of the assessments in a form that is responsive to public needs and can be widely understood;
Develop a methodology to carry out national and regional audits and a five-year global audit on an integrated basis. The standardized audits should help to refine the pattern and character of development, examining in particular the capacities of global and regional life-supporting systems to meet the needs of human and non-human life forms and identifying areas and resources vulnerable to further degradation. This task would involve the integration of all relevant sciences at the national, regional, and global levels, and would be organized by governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities and research institutions, assisted by international governmental and non-governmental organizations and United Nations bodies, when necessary and as appropriate. These audits should then be made available to the general public.
Means of implementation
Financing and cost evaluation
The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $35 million, including about $18 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
With regard to the existing data requirements under programme area A, support should be provided for national data collection and warning systems. This would involve setting up database, information and reporting systems, including data assessment and information dissemination in each region.
D. Building up scientific capacity and capability
Basis for action
In view of the increasing role the sciences have to play in dealing with the issues of environment and development, it is necessary to build up scientific capacity and strengthen such capacity in all countries - particularly in developing countries - to enable them to participate fully in the generation and application of the results of scientific research and development concerning sustainable development. There are many ways to build up scientific and technological capacity. Some of the most important of them are the following: education and training in science and technology; assistance to developing countries to improve infrastructures for research and development which could enable scientists to work more productively; development of incentives to encourage research and development; and greater utilization of their results in the productive sectors of the economy. Such capacity-building would also form the basis for improving public awareness and understanding of the sciences. Special emphasis must be put on the need to assist developing countries to strengthen their capacities to study their own resource bases and ecological systems and manage them better in order to meet national, regional and global challenges. Furthermore, in view of the size and complexity of global environmental problems, a need for more specialists in several disciplines has become evident world wide.
The primary objective is to improve the scientific capacities of all countries - in particular, those of developing countries - with specific regard to:
Education, training and facilities for local research and development and human resource development in basic scientific disciplines and in environment-related sciences, utilizing where appropriate traditional and local knowledge of sustainability;
A substantial increase by the year 2000 in the number of scientists - particularly women scientists - in those developing countries where their number is at present insufficient;
Reducing significantly the exodus of scientists from developing countries and encouraging those who have left to return;
Improving access to relevant information for scientists and decision makers, with the aim of improving public awareness and participation in decision-making;
Involvement of scientists in national, regional and global environmental and developmental research programmes, including multidisciplinary research;
Periodic academic update of scientists from developing countries in their respective fields of knowledge.
The following activities should be undertaken:
Promote the education and training of scientists, not only in their disciplines but also in their ability to identify, manage and incorporate environmental considerations into research and development projects; ensure that a sound base in natural systems, ecology and resource management is provided; and develop specialists capable of working in interdisciplinary programmes related to environment and development, including the field of applied social sciences;
Strengthen the scientific infrastructure in schools, universities and research institutions - particularly those in developing countries - by the provision of adequate scientific equipment and access to current scientific literature, for the purpose of achieving and sustaining a critical mass of highly qualified scientists in these countries;
Develop and expand national scientific and technological databases, processing data in unified formats and systems, and allowing full and open access to the depository libraries of regional scientific and technological information networks. Promote submission of scientific and technological information and databases to global or regional data centres and network systems;
Develop and expand regional and global scientific and technological information networks which are based on and linked to national scientific and technological databases; collect, process and disseminate information from regional and global scientific programmes; expand activities to reduce information barriers due to language differences. Increase the applications - particularly in developing countries - of computer-based retrieval systems in order to cope with the growth of scientific literature;
Develop, strengthen and forge new partnerships among national, regional and global capacities to promote the full and open exchange of scientific and technological data and information and to facilitate technical assistance related to environmentally sound and sustainable development. This should be done through the development of mechanisms for the sharing of basic research, data and information, and the improvement and development of international networks and centres, including regional linking with national scientific databases, for research, training and monitoring. Such mechanisms should be designed so as to enhance professional cooperation among scientists in all countries and to establish strong national and regional alliances between industry and research institutions;
Improve and develop new links between existing networks of natural and social scientists and universities at the international level in order to strengthen national capacities in the formulation of policy options in the field of environment and development;
Compile, analyse and publish information on indigenous environmental and developmental knowledge, and assist the communities that possess such knowledge to benefit from them.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $750 million, including about $470 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
Such means include increasing and strengthening regional multidisciplinary research and training networks and centres making optimal use of existing facilities and associated sustainable development and technology support systems in developing regions. Promote and use the potential of independent initiatives and indigenous innovations and entrepreneurship. The function of such networks and centres could include, for example:
Support and coordination of scientific cooperation among all nations in the region;
Linking with monitoring centres and carrying out assessment of environmental and developmental conditions;
Support and coordination of national studies of pathways towards sustainable development;
Organization of science education and training;
Establishment and maintenance of information, monitoring and assessment systems and databases.
(c) Capacity-building
Capacity-building includes the following:
Creating conditions (e.g., salaries, equipment, libraries) to ensure that the scientists will work effectively in their home countries;
Enhancing national, regional and global capacities for carrying out scientific research and applying scientific and technological information to environmentally sound and sustainable development. This includes a need to increase financial resources for global and regional scientific and technological information networks, as may be appropriate, so that they will be able to function effectively and efficiently in satisfying the scientific needs of developing countries. Ensure the capacity-building of women by recruiting more women in research and research training.
|rio declaration | agenda 21 | previous | next


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Kyte - RASPBERRY Toddler Blanket 2.5TOG
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Breast cancer is on the rise and 48 percent of all breast cancers occur in women older than 65, but very few of them choose to have breast reconstruction.
A new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center sought to determine if breast reconstruction after mastectomy is safe for older women. The answer is yes.
"The removal of a breast has implications for the psychological, social and sexual well-being of the patient, establishing the need that reconstruction should be offered," said Marissa Howard-McNatt, M.D., assistant professor of surgery at Wake Forest Baptist. "However, little is known about rates of reconstruction in elderly women after breast cancer."
The study appears in the December issue of The American Surgeon journal. Howard-McNatt and colleagues reviewed data from patients treated at Wake Forest Baptist over a 10-year period, evaluating 89 women over age 60 who had undergone mastectomy and reconstruction.
What they determined from the study, said lead author Howard-McNatt, is that breast reconstruction is safe, feasible and well tolerated for these patients though they are not as likely to choose this option. "Generally, breast cancer in the elderly is less aggressive than in younger patients. Life expectancy can still be substantial – 16 years for a 70-year-old and greater than six years for an otherwise healthy 80-year-old."
She cautions that women with co-morbid conditions such as coronary artery disease, diabetes and respiratory illnesses may be limited in their choices after a mastectomy. In treating older women, it's important to understand the biology of the disease, she said, and the impact co-morbidities have on survival.
As the population ages and women's overall health continues to improve, the number of women older than 65 is predicted to nearly double by 2050. "More patients are candidates for aggressive breast cancer therapy," Howard-McNatt said. "The safety of reconstruction, as well as increased life expectancy and healthier lifestyles, makes breast reconstruction desirable at any age."
Co-authors include Clay Forsberg, M.D., Edward Levine, M.D., Anthony DeFranzo, M.D., Malcolm Marks, M.D., and Lisa David, M.D., all of Wake Forest Baptist.
Media Relations
Bonnie Davis: email@example.com, 336-713-1597


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Madden 2003 Guide
Welcome to the Madden NFL 2003 wiki guide.
Need help conquering this game? You're in luck! IGN Guides has written an in-depth strategy guide that will help you in your quest. Inside, you'll find expert hints, cheats, walkthroughs and strategies written by the editors of IGN. We offer the latest guides for the hottest games to our IGN Insider subscribers. Why buy one guide from the store when you can have access to all of ours? We have over 500 guides for all of the biggest games...on every platform. Click the link below to become an Insider today! If you're not an Insider, you'll still want to check out IGN Guides, as we feature plenty of free and sponsored guides as well.
This wiki was automatically converted from the Madden NFL 2003 Guide (Xbox) guide at https://guides.ign.com/guides/480939/ and may require cleanup. Please help improve this wiki if you can, and remove this notice if appropriate.
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- Introduction
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- Franchise


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REW Public Comment : Third Tennessee Realty And Associates, LLC (Hill, Benny) 11/03/2005, REW-0323
October 23, 2005
Antitrust Division
Re: Competition and the Real Estate Workshop-Comments Project No. V050015
The real estate industry is a model of competition that works. In an economy in which large, national corporations-such as Wal Mart, Microsoft, and others-dominate the marketplace, real estate stands apart. We are an industry made up predominantly of small businesses and independent contractors who represent the entrepreneurial spirit this country was founded on. We serve localized markets where we compete for business every day. Fierce competition is fueled by the uniquely intense and personalized nature of the service we provide to our customers and clients, and this determines our future success.
The MLS is a cooperative, broker to broker offer of cooperation and compensation that helps both brokers and customers buy and sell homes. It is not a public utility, nor should it be. The beauty of the MLS is that it allows real estate brokerages of every size to compete on a level playing field. It gives all of us access to an inventory of property listings that we are able to show and sell to our clients and customers. The MLS dos not discriminate, and all members are treated equally, regardless of the size of the company and number of agents associated with each. The rights of property owners and their listing brokers are respected. The MLS rules achieve a delicate balance between respecting the rights of listing brokers when they contribute their inventory of listings and permitting cooperating brokers the ability to show those listings and be assured of compensation if they bring about a successful sale.
From my perspective, the new policy is a win-win for consumers and REALTORS. It works for consumers because it gives the home sellers a choice whether to permit marketing of their property on the Internet and in selecting a MLS member with whom they choose to work. It allows them to "opt-in" and have their property displayed on other brokers' Web sites even if they are not working with a broker who does not participate in the MLS. And, it works for REALTORS because it gives us the right to control where our listings are displayed on the Internet.
Please consider these comments in your workshop.
Benny Hill
2008 North Main Street Crossville, TN 38555


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Higher risk of death from skin cancer among men living alone
There are differences in prognosis in cutaneous malignant melanoma depending on cohabitation status and gender, according to a new study published in the scientific periodical Journal of Clinical Oncology. Single men of all ages are more likely to die of their disease.
Cutaneous malignant melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer. The disease is one of the fastest growing cancers among Caucasian (white) populations and is an escalating health problem even among young individuals. Swedish researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Linköping University have now, for the first time, made a detailed study of the link between the prognosis of cutaneous malignant melanoma and whether the patient lives alone or with a partner, by using the unique data from the Swedish Melanoma Register.
More than 27,000 melanoma patients
The current study is based on all cutaneous malignant melanomas diagnosed in Sweden between 1990 and 2007. The researchers examined the risk of dying from melanoma among more than 27,000 melanoma patients in relation to their cohabitation status at the time of diagnosis. The analysis adjusted for factors already known to affect the prognosis, such as the characteristics of the tumour, gender, educational level, and body site of the tumour was.
Melanoma of the skin can be cured if the tumour is surgically removed before the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. For thin cutaneous malignant melanoma that is detected early, long-term survival is over 90 per cent. However, for patients with advanced disease at the time of diagnosis, the prognosis is much worse. Early detection is essential for a good prognosis
"We were able to show that living alone among men is significantly associated with a reduced melanoma-specific survival, partially attributed to a more advanced stage at diagnosis. Our study shows that this applies to men of all ages, regardless of their level of education and place of residence," says first study author Hanna Eriksson, PhD at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, also working as an MD at the Karolinska University Hospital.
Older women living alone
The researchers also found that older women living alone have a more advanced disease at diagnosis, but for single living women as a group there was no effect on the melanoma-specific prognosis.
"This points to a need for targeted interventions for earlier detection of cutaneous malignant melanoma in men and older individuals since this is critical for surviving the disease. By way of example, procedures are needed for skin examinations of these patients in connection with other doctor visits or check-ups," says Hanna Eriksson.
According to the researchers, one possible explanation, particularly for the men and older women diagnosed with melanoma in later stages, are differences in taking on board information about the disease. But it could also relate to insufficient access to skin examinations
The study was conducted in collaboration with the Steering Committee of the Swedish Register for Melanoma. The research was funded through grants from the Swedish Cancer Society, Radiumhemmet Research Funds, Sigurd and Elsa Goljes Memorial Fund and the Stockholm County Council.
Later stage at diagnosis and worse survival in cutaneous malignant melanoma among men living alone: a nationwide population-based study from Sweden
Hanna Eriksson, Johan Lyth, Eva Månsson-Brahme, Margareta Frohm-Nilsson, Christian Ingvar, Christer Lindholm, Peter Naredi, Ulrika Stierner, John Carstensen and Johan Hansson
Journal of Clinical Oncology, online 31 March 2014, doi:10.1200/JCO.2013.52.7564


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Project64 Roadmap
One of the things that was brought up a couple of times when I started to talk about Project64 on Pateron (http://www.patreon.com/Project64) was the road map for Project64.
here is my rough list I had down for my self, this the starting point of the road map (in no particular order).
* D3d version of glide64 (this is actually using a library Angle as a DX wrapper around OGL es)
* General Improvements to glide64
* CFB improvements to glide64
* Redo the website here
* Create test roms.
* Improve Cycle Accuracy
* Add netplay
* Low Level emulation
* Improve speed and stability on android
* Refactor/Clean up RSP
* 100% open source
* Native 64bit version
Some more detail about some of the items
* Angle (D3d) Glide.
At the moment glide goes glide->OGL wrapper or Glide->OGL es wrapper. I am looking at being able to remove the OGL wrapper, so that it is glide->ogl es->d3d. I know this puts another layer in but it removes a massive amount of duplicated code and another code path. Once this is working the next step is to strip all things related to glide out. So it will be a open gl es direct (which will work for android directly) with Angle wrapping it to d3d.
* CFB/General improvements to glide64
mostly cleaning it up more, fix bug, get CFB effects working better, the lle version will help with this
* Test Roms
These will be sort of like unit tests, making sure the emu is exact. I will be creating them so I can run and validate them on real n64 hardware. It will part research & development, part validation. Things like what is Round(0.5) on the n64, I do not know what the results are.
* Cycle Accuracy
Project64 was always designed to be cycle accurate, I just never had the time to research it on the n64 to get the correct timings, it was ignored since it worked well enough. I would like to get it to be 100% cycle accurate. (this is related to the test roms)
* Low Level emulation
I want as an option to be able to have pixel accurate gfx, while it will be to slow for general use it give great ability for testing and to make sure things are accurate. It also makes it easier to reverse some of the ucode (factor 5) that do not work correctly in hle
* The RSP plugin
It works well, but the code was written a long time ago, never well optimized for gfx lle. Does not make use of latter CPU features like SSE3, not portable to other CPUs, does not have a sync cpu, etc
* 100 % Open source
It has a video and audio plugin that are still closed source, they need to be removed. Need to make sure the open source gfx plugin is good enough and have an open source audio plugin, either create my own basic one based on the android version or look at using azimers audio plugin
* 64bit version
Project64 will compile and run now in 64bit, the problem is the recompiler will not work in 64bit, so you can only use the interpter. There are poeple I know who would love to see a 100% native 64bit version. The code did get a lot cleaner to be able to make this easier to implement with the creation of the ARM recompiler.
What else would you like to see? Is there a good template of a road map people like? Any more information?
with the debugger there is more work there as well .. the question is do I do it all my self or look to work with shygoo to be able to merge his changes back in to the main product (https://github.com/shygoo/project64)
couple of things that theboy181 mentions that are not on my list above
* Updated zilmar spec - Happy for suggestions to change here, mostly have left it fairly stagnant to all backwards comparability.
* Cheat engine - Again not sure what needs to be changed here
* Accuracy/Timing - I guess these fall under the test roms.
Nice list(s) Zilmar ^_^
seeing native 64bit does it for me.
and... seeing updated system spec requirements is needed too...
website redesign is long overdo...
separating the website from the forums is essential.. as right now I wanted to check to make sure my email is correct because I have NOT been receiving any forum notification emails...
nope I cannot even access the email/password screen at...
because it redirects to http://www.pj64-emu.com/ an if I can even login to the main site at all... it give the option for
and that link does NOT even work
SOO yeah website redesign work is much NEEDED... >_> please!! lol
btw Zilmar, u might want to sticky this thread since its going to be so important going forward...
(PC Specs)
CPU: AMD FX-9590 4.7GHz 8-core
CPU Instructions: MMX, SSE1-4
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0
GPU: nVidia GTX 1070 Ti 8GB
GFX Drivers: Nvidia v441.66
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1
RAM: 32GB Kingston 1866MHz DDR3
Favorite Emulators:
PS2 : PCSX2 (Auto-Builds)
My PJ64 setup:
EXE : v220.127.116.114
GFX : Project64-Video (v188.8.131.524)
SPU : AziAudioNEW (v0.70)(2017-09-14)
INPUT : NRage(v18.104.22.1684)
RSP : RSP (v126.96.36.1994)
Last edited by Melchior; 20th March 2017 at 07:57 AM.
Yes website needs work, seperating the forum is the first thing I need to do ... the forum stays .. need to make it a bit better for mobile, but the rest needs to replaced, need like a wiki there, cleaner main page, links to git hub etc.
The problem any work on the site is not work on the emulator, which is why I have not done it.
the road map here is meant to be a discussion. I need a proper place for it.
Why continue to daisy chain wrappers? Wouldn't it be easier to switch to GLideN64 and build a D3D backend?
I think the top 2 most important things for PJ64 right now, would be creating test ROMs to help improve accuracy for RSP and CPU, and fixing up Glide64.
On my personal wish list, some important things would be improving cpu recompiler performance (especially the Advanced Block Linking stuttering) and implementing x64 CPU recompiler.
I believe the cheat engine part was about the MIPS ASM codes not being responded to on Recompiler (or cached Interpreter) because of the issue it has on top of caching and Advanced Block Linking also halting ASM instruction mod updates from affecting the functions behind its changes.
Because even with all caching disabled on Recompiler and even ABL disabled as well,it still fails to update for most of those mods properly for correct results of the changed bytes on those instructions.
Not a problem for those constantly forced to one value,but this makes button activated codes not work right at all,some functions can be changed to various values for really fun results.
And cycle accurate timing would be the icing on the cake. Probably lots of issues are due to timing inaccuracies.
I think it would be great if you worked with ShyGoo to merge his debugger changes back into Project64. I believe this is a good task where we can all see improvements and you can delegate some of the effort involved.
It would be really great to get some of the rom hacking community on newer tools other than using Nemu. This would be very beneficial for people who want to RE the Factor 5 ucodes and verify known ucodes.
I support your other goals.
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Roller Boogie
Item #: CB82065
All Products
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|A truly awful film made at the time of the mercifully brief roller-disco craze. Blair runs away from home and winds up helping some friends thwart a businessman looking to close the local roller rink. Everything about this one reeks amateur.
|Directed by:
|Mark L. Lester
|United Artists, Bruce Cohn Curtis.
|Linda Blair, Jim Bray, Beverly Garland, Roger Perry, James Van Patten, Kimberly Beck, Mark Goddard, Stoney Jackson, Sean McClory


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Alicia Booth
Storytelling is at the heart of what Alicia loves most about television news and she is thrilled to be a part of the News4Jax team. "Channel 4 is made up of hardworking, compassionate people who are committed to the community they serve, and I'm proud to be a part of it," Alicia says. A veteran anchor/reporter, she's told the stories of thousands of people, having worked all over the country covering a wide variety of beats. In Monterey, Calif., where Alicia's career began, she specialized in military reporting. In Charlotte, N.C., her focus was the police beat. In Cleveland, Ohio, she was the medical reporter. Alicia's experience includes covering the first Gulf War, traveling to Saudi Arabia and beyond with support units from Fort Ord's 7th Infantry Division. While anchoring her station's coverage of the Olympics in Atlanta, Alicia was just 50 yards away when the Centennial Olympic Park bomb exploded and was one of the first reporters in the country to go on the air with news of the bombing. Alicia is perhaps most proud of her Emmy-award winning stories which sparked an outpouring good will for a Kent, Ohio family suffering from a series of medical setbacks. The reports changed their lives for the better during a difficult time. At her various stations, Alicia has spearheaded numerous awareness campaigns about issues like breast cancer, women's heart disease and leukemia. She spent eight years volunteering in the inner city of Charlotte and served on the board of the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club and was the spokesperson for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In her spare time, she's volunteered for United Cerebral Palsy and Meals on Wheels. Alicia works part time at WJXT in order to spend more time with her young daughter and husband. You can contact Alicia at email@example.com, "like" her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @AliciaCBooth. She is always looking for a new story to tell.


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ArtPrize Highlights For Kids
ArtPrize is a lot of fun for both kids and adults. There is plenty to see, but taking the kids to ArtPrize requires a little preparation. Attention spans are a shorter and legs get tired a little quicker. I've put together a few of ArtPrize's highlights for kids so you can maximize your family time and fun this year.


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As a builder, Joe Eichler never made much impact in California's hot Sacramento Valley. But his work profoundly influenced two brothers who created their own modernist neighborhoods in Davis and greater Sacramento—including Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, and Woodland.
Houses by Streng Bros. Homes, Inc., built over a 30-year period beginning in 1959, found favor with lawyers, educators, tall people, and architects, who appreciated their simple lines, light-filled rooms and skylights, and tree-lined neighborhoods.
Bill and Jim Streng built close to 4,000 homes, all but 1,000 modern in style, in 40-some subdivisions and on individual lots. They worked almost entirely with a single architect, Carter Sparks, a dedicated modernist who also built dozens of custom homes for individual clients.
But a Streng home is not an Eichler. Sparks designed homes for a hot climate, which means air-conditioning and no radiant heat. "It's a house you can live in, in this valley," says Bill Streng. It also means atriums that are open to living areas—not walled in with glass, which would have created a 'hot box.' Instead of being open to the air, like an Eichler, the Streng atrium is domed with tinted acrylic to block heat. Eichler built a similar 'atrium' in some homes which he called a 'gallery.'
Sparks never tried to copy specific Eichler designs, the Strengs say. "We wanted a contemporary house," Jim Streng says, "not necessarily looking like Eichler. At first we were looking for a modern architecture style that we could sell in the $20,000 range."
Today there is a renewed interest in Streng homes, as migrants from the San Francisco Bay Area and Valley natives discover the virtues of mid-century modern design. Jim and Bill Streng, who built their last home in the late 1980s, remain active with real estate investments and other activities—and proud of their contribution to Northern California's architectural heritage.
The brothers, who were raised in Pennsylvania and educated at Dartmouth, came to California in the 1950s where they worked with their 'Uncle Phil' Heraty. In 1957 Heraty quit. Several subdivisions were underway, and he offered these to top members of his staff. "Jim and I drew Sacramento," Bill says. They were building "typical garage-dominant Sacramento Valley" ranch-style homes, Bill says. But the economy was tough. "We perceived that if we did what everybody else was doing, we were not destined to do well," he says.
The Strengs have several connections with Eichler. They were inspired by Eichler and his architects, and Jim Streng toured Eichler neighborhoods before adopting similar designs. Sparks had earlier worked at the firm of Anshen and Allen, Eichler's original team of architects. And at one point, the Strengs and Eichler briefly discussed sharing designs—and even merging.
They began thinking modern. Neither knew much about architecture, but they had heard of Eichler. And early on some buyers complimented the Strengs on one element in some of their homes that was modern—a room with a tall, redwood-beamed cathedral ceiling. In 1958 Jim toured an Eichler neighborhood in Marin County. "I told Bill, we can't copy those," says Jim. "They were too unique and too good."
Then Jim ran into Carter Sparks at a class for expectant parents they were attending with their wives. Sparks was a young architect but was already known as Sacramento's modernist. He had been building custom homes in the Sacramento area since the mid-1950s.
Sparks, who was born in Utah in 1923 and grew up mostly in Klamath Fall, Oregon, served in the Navy, and then graduated with a degree in architecture from UC Berkeley in 1950. He worked from 1950 to 1953 at Anshen and Allen in San Francisco. His only child, Jennifer Sparks, says his work included Eichler subdivisions. Sparks later worked briefly for San Francisco modernist Mario Corbett. An inventive man who designed a submarine as a child and loved mechanics, Sparks was a fan of early modern architects like Louis Sullivan and Greene & Greene, and was particularly fond of Frank Lloyd Wright, whom he visited at Taliesen, his daughter says. Homes that merely copied historical style, she says, he called 'gobbledygook.'
Sparks and the Strengs hit it off, and the brothers asked Sparks to design them a modern home. The architect hesitated. "I really don't like things being duplicated," he told Jim. "I like doing things individually." But, Jim says, Sparks decided: "If it's good enough to build once, it ought to be good enough to build again."


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This is a tale of two houses - similar looking, yet independent and coming together to form a coherent whole. The two blocks sit on a sprawling piece of land, belonging respectively to the retired parents and one of their children.
This separation of the house into two blocks, in part a response to the sheer scale of the land, is also a requirement brief given by the clients. Programmatically, it consists of a two-storey block with the main living and master bedroom area, and a single-storey block housing the entertainment areas of the house.
What links these two volumes together is the huge central courtyard at the entrance expressed in an austere geometry of granite floor and wall, an organically shaped oculus and a minimalist planting of six willowy trees. Like a sparse yet artful Chinese landscape painting, this sets the tone for the rest of the spaces.
The landscape design, similar to the house, is also experienced in multiple correlated layers. It takes its inspiration from the philosophy of classical Chinese Garden where views are borrowed through cutouts and vistas, and where sight lines and spaces begin to overlap.


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|The White House
President George W. Bush
|Print this document
For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
October 24, 2006
Mrs. Bush's Remarks at John Gard for Congress Rally
The Swan Club
De Pere, Wisconsin
MRS. BUSH: Thank you so much for the very warm welcome to Wisconsin. Everybody seems really happy to be here. (Applause.) I'm not sure, though, if it's just the leftover glow from the Packers' win this weekend. (Laughter.)
I want to recognize Sue Green who is in the office, wife of Congressman Mark Green. (Applause.) And I would encourage you, of course, to vote for Mark Green when you vote two weeks from today.
Also joining us is State Representative Terri McCormick. Terri, thank you so much for being with us today. (Applause.) State Representative Phil Montgomery is here. (Applause.) And the Mayor of Green Bay, Mayor Jim Schmitt, is with you. Thank you so much, Mayor. (Applause.)
And of course I have to recognize John's wife, Cate. (Applause.) When your spouse is in politics, you're involved, whether you want to be or not. (Laughter.) And we know that successful politicians have families who stand with them and who are there with them all the time. In fact, several members of John's family -- even his in-laws -- are here with him today. (Applause.)
John happens to have a special appreciation for the demands on a political spouse, because he stood with Cate as she served the people of Wisconsin as a state representative, as State Treasurer, and as Revenue Secretary under Governor Thompson. (Applause.) Thank you, Cate, for your public service. And thanks to all of John's family for your support for John and Cate. (Applause.)
I'm so happy to be with you today to support John Gard's campaign for United States Congress. John cares deeply about the people of Wisconsin, and in Washington, he'll be a passionate advocate for the people of the 8th district.
John will bring to Congress the principles of efficiency and accountability that have defined his public service. As a member of the State Assembly and, since 2003, as Speaker, John has cut the taxes Wisconsinites pay on health insurance premiums and on their Social Security income. He helped pass an income tax cut that saved the people of your state $1 billion. (Applause.)
And in Washington, Speaker Gard -- Congressman Gard -- will support President Bush's tax cuts. (Applause.) These tax cuts have fueled our economy, and they've helped add 6.6 million new jobs since 2003. And that means 6.6 million more Americans wake up every morning with the dignity and the sense of purpose that comes with a job. (Applause.)
There are few people more committed to creating jobs in Wisconsin than John Gard. Speaker Gard first learned the value of employment as a young man, working on his family's dairy farm in Lena. John was the first member of his family to go to college, and he paid for his education by washing dishes at a restaurant in Lena. He tended the ovens at a bakery in Oconto, working at pickle and bean-canning factories in Gillett. (Laughter.) I know how to say it. (Applause.)
In Madison, John has dedicated himself to helping people throughout Wisconsin enjoy the self-reliance that comes with employment. He's improved the business community in your state by supporting tax cuts for Wisconsin manufacturers, so they can expand their businesses and create more jobs. He's supported tax incentives for companies that invest in research and development, making Wisconsin enterprise more competitive.
In the Assembly, John supported the Job Creation Act, which reformed your state's regulatory system to attract more high-paying jobs to northeastern Wisconsin. And he created the Welfare to Work program, helping more people throughout Wisconsin provide for themselves and their families. (Applause.)
Offering young people the hope of good employment is one of the most important things we can do for our children. Another way we can help our young people is by steering them away from risky behaviors, and guiding them toward the knowledge and the self-respect they need to build successful lives.
Speaker Gard has a strong record of commitment to young people. Through support for Project KidSafe and Amie's Law, John is helping parents, police chiefs, and sheriffs monitor convicted predators, keeping Wisconsin children safe in their communities. (Applause.) In the Assembly, John led the effort to expand the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, allowing thousands of low-income families in underperforming school districts to send their children to excellent schools. (Applause.)
We all know, though, that the well-being of Wisconsin families and the well-being of people throughout our country ultimately depends upon our government's ability to keep them safe -- by defeating terrorism and increasing liberty abroad. In Washington, John will be a champion of the men and women of the United States military. (Applause.)
And thanks to our troops, the Iraqi people are now free from the oppression of Saddam Hussein, and they're working to build a democratic future for their country. (Applause.)
And in Afghanistan, women and girls can now be educated. (Applause.) It's hard for us to imagine a country that would actually forbid half of its citizens from being educated. But now, little girls are in school all over Afghanistan.
All of us are proud of the men and women who are deployed around the world defending our country. (Applause.) Every day, thousands of these young men and women risk their lives overseas to make sure that their families, and all of our families, are kept safe here in the United States. Their love of our country, and of liberty, never wavers, and neither does their belief in their mission.
Many of these young men and women have given their lives for this belief. Around the country, President Bush and I meet with their families. In military hospitals, we meet with their fellow soldiers who've been wounded in combat.
And from our troops and their families, the President and I hear the same request: that we honor the sacrifice of these men and women by seeing their mission through. (Applause.) They ask the American people to stand with our troops until they've succeeded -- in ensuring that the Iraqi people have a government that's stable, and Iraq is an ally of the United States.
John Gard appreciates our troops' sacrifice. He understands that this election is critical to the future of our country. And he knows that America faces challenges too important to be reduced to simple politics. (Applause.)
President Bush has an ambitious agenda for the rest of his time in Washington, and he takes his responsibility to the American people very seriously. Ending our dependence on foreign oil, reforming our immigration system, rebuilding the Gulf Coast, and keeping our country safe from terrorism are not easy tasks, but they're absolutely vital goals. To accomplish them, we must have serious national conversations, conducted with civility and respect.
The right to have these conversations is part of what makes our country great, and our democracy strong. We must be mindful that people around the world are listening to these discussions. Responsible candidates understand that the men and women of our military are risking their lives for us overseas, and that we must conduct our debate here at home in a way that does not jeopardize our troops who are in harm's way. (Applause.)
It's critical at this very important time in our history that all of us stand with John and our Republican candidates, since they are a thoughtful and positive powerful -- powerful part of this national dialogue -- a dialogue that strengthens our democracy and supports those who defend it.
Thanks to each and every one of you for supporting John Gard's campaign for the United States Congress. Thanks especially to all of the volunteers for your hard work -- stamping the mail, making the phone calls, and knocking on doors. You've already done so much to help John, and in the next two weeks, he'll need more of your energy and enthusiasm. (Applause.)
Go to the phone banks, knock on those doors, and talk to your neighbors about John and about all of Wisconsin's great Republicans. They need your support, and our country needs them. (Applause.)
Thank you all so much. Thank you for coming out today. Thanks for coming to say hello to me. Thank you in advance for all the hard work you're going to do to make sure John Gard and all of our Republican candidates are elected on November 7th. Thank you all very, very much. (Applause.)


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He loves to farm and you love him. The perfect Hand Made gift to remind him of how much you care!
Makes a GREAT gift! Made In USA.
Product includes:
1) 1" Stainless Key Ring
1) Bronze tag with saying
1) Tractor charm
1) Corn Charm
1) SSJ Logo Tag
1) Cleaning Pad
1) Gift Bag with Tissue Paper
We LOVE custom orders. Don't see exactly what you want or would like to add a stamped piece? Contact us here by clicking the "contact us" button in the bottom right hand corner of your screen or you can email us at email@example.com or call us at 1-601-320-6760.
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The Abandoned Lands" because the Colorado Plateau and adjacent provinces remain today one of the least populated parts of our nation, despite many efforts to settle the landscape over the centuries. The land always seems to defeat the efforts of human beings, but for geologists it is a treasure.
We had left Fremont Indian State Park and were headed south to Bryce Canyon National Park. Bryce is not really a canyon at all, but a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters at the headwaters of the Paria "River", a tributary of the Colorado River system that flows south from the park (unless there is a flash flood in progress, the "river" designation is a clear exaggeration). The Sevier River drains the top of the plateau, which slopes towards the north. The pillars and spires are called hoodoos.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
The Abandoned Lands...A Journey Through the Colorado Plateau: A Hell of a Place to Lose a Cow
Posted by Garry Hayes at 5:55 PM
Labels: Aquarius Plateau, Bryce Canyon National Park, Colorado Plateau, hoodoo, Navajo Trail, The Abandoned Lands, Wall Street Canyon
3 comments:
- Gaelyn said...
Love that loop trail and being surrounded by the rock people.
- January 16, 2013 at 10:05 PM
- The Guy said...
Colorado is indeed a stunning state but that place looks amazing. So diverse, red and dramatic. I love the pictures. I bet it was scorching hot too?
- January 17, 2013 at 8:01 AM
Nice photos! Beautiful landscape out there. Thanks for the post.
- January 17, 2013 at 6:09 PM
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Over the next few months, I'll be traveling back and forth from Philadelphia to New York for a curatorial fellowship. Each week, I'll be reporting back on my findings at Art F City. This week, I visited the studio of ceramicist Sean Gerstley, who told me about his series of raku raccoons.
Posts tagged as:


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Here comes another Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge entry, this one courtesy of TEAM Informatics (@teaminformatics).
As their name suggests, their entry was a true team effort, featuring the work of Jon Chartrand, Deepthi Sanikommu, Dmitry Shtulman, Raghavendra Joshi, and Daniel Stitely with Wayne Boerger doing the presentation honors.
Speaking of the presentation, Wayne's laptop wouldn't project onto the plasma we had in the OTN Lounge, but luckily, Noel (@noelportugal) had his iPad and VGA dongle in his backpack of goodies, so they were able to improvise by using the iPad camera to capture Wayne's demo and project the video to the plasma.
Code will find a way.
Anyway, TEAM built Do Over, an integration with Atlassian's JIRA, coincidentally something I've chatted with Rich (@rmanalan) about in the past. The basic idea is simple; integrate JIRA issues with Oracle Social Network to expand and centralize the conversation around issue resolution. In Dmitry's words:
We were able to put together a team on fairly short notice and, after batting a few ideas around, decided to pursue an integration with JIRA, an issue and project tracking tool used in-house at TEAM. After getting to know WebCenter Social, we saw immediate benefits that a JIRA integration could bring, primarily due to the fact that JIRA only allows assignment of an issue to one person at a time. Integrating Social would allow collaboration and issue resolution to happen right from the JIRA Issue interface.
TEAM tackled a very common pain point among developers, i.e. including everyone who needs to be involved in issue resolution into a single thread. If you've ever fixed bugs or participated in that process, you'll know that not everyone has access to the issue resolution system, which makes consolidating discussion time-consuming and fragmented.
Why? Because we typically use email as the tool for collaboration. Oracle Social Network allows for all parties involved to work in a single, private and secure conversation, and through its RESTful Public API, information from external systems like JIRA can be brought in for context.
TEAM only had time to address half the solution, but given more time, I'm sure they would have made the integration bidirectional, allowing for relevant commentary to be pushed back to JIRA, closing the loop.
Here are some screenshot of their integration.
When Oracle Social Network is released, TEAM will have something they use internally to work on issues, and maybe they'll even productize their work and add it to the Atlassian Marketplace so that other JIRA users can benefit from the combination of Oracle Social Network and JIRA.
Thanks to everyone at TEAM for participating in our challenge. We hope they had a good experience.
Look for the details of the other entries this week.
Be sure to check out a full recap from Dmitry over on the TEAM blog.


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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Romi Elnagar <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Date: Thu, May 31, 2012 at 6:07 PM
Subject: [bangla-vision] Global Warming Skeptic Now Agrees Climate Change Is Real
From: Romi Elnagar <email@example.com>
Date: Thu, May 31, 2012 at 6:07 PM
Subject: [bangla-vision] Global Warming Skeptic Now Agrees Climate Change Is Real
Richard Muller, Global Warming Skeptic, Now Agrees Climate Change Is Real
WASHINGTON — A prominent physicist and skeptic of global warming spent two years trying to find out if mainstream climate scientists were wrong. In the end, he determined they were right: Temperatures really are rising rapidly.
The study of the world's surface temperatures by Richard Muller was partially bankrolled by a foundation connected to global warming deniers. He pursued long-held skeptic theories in analyzing the data. He was spurred to action because of "Climategate," a British scandal involving hacked emails of scientists.
Yet he found that the land is 1.6 degrees warmer than in the 1950s. Those numbers from Muller, who works at the University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, match those by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA.
He said he went even further back, studying readings from Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. His ultimate finding of a warming world, to be presented at a conference Monday, is no different from what mainstream climate scientists have been saying for decades.
What's different, and why everyone from opinion columnists to "The Daily Show" is paying attention is who is behind the study.
One-quarter of the $600,000 to do the research came from the Charles Koch Foundation, whose founder is a major funder of skeptic groups and the tea party. The Koch brothers, Charles and David, run a large privately held company involved in oil and other industries, producing sizable greenhouse gas emissions.
Muller's research team carefully examined two chief criticisms by skeptics. One is that weather stations are unreliable; the other is that cities, which create heat islands, were skewing the temperature analysis.
"The skeptics raised valid points and everybody should have been a skeptic two years ago," Muller said in a telephone interview. "And now we have confidence that the temperature rise that had previously been reported had been done without bias."
Muller said that he came into the study "with a proper skepticism," something scientists "should always have. I was somewhat bothered by the fact that there was not enough skepticism" before.
There is no reason now to be a skeptic about steadily increasing temperatures, Muller wrote recently in The Wall Street Journal's editorial pages, a place friendly to skeptics. Muller did not address in his research the cause of global warming. The overwhelming majority of climate scientists say it's man-made from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Nor did his study look at ocean warming, future warming and how much of a threat to mankind climate change might be.
Still, Muller said it makes sense to reduce the carbon dioxide created by fossil fuels.
"Greenhouse gases could have a disastrous impact on the world," he said. Still, he contends that threat is not as proven as the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says it is.
On Monday, Muller was taking his results – four separate papers that are not yet published or peer-reviewed, but will be, he says – to a conference in Santa Fe, N.M., expected to include many prominent skeptics as well as mainstream scientists.
"Of course he'll be welcome," said Petr Chylek of Los Alamos National Lab, a noted skeptic and the conference organizer. "The purpose of our conference is to bring people with different views on climate together, so they can talk and clarify things."
Shawn Lawrence Otto, author of the book "Fool Me Twice" that criticizes science skeptics, said Muller should expect to be harshly treated by global warming deniers. "Now he's considered a traitor. For the skeptic community, this isn't about data or fact. It's about team sports. He's been traded to the Indians. He's playing for the wrong team now."
And that started on Sunday, when a British newspaper said one of Muller's co-authors, Georgia Tech climate scientist Judith Curry, accused Muller of another Climategate-like scandal and trying to "hide the decline" of recent global temperatures.
The Associated Press contacted Curry on Sunday afternoon and she said in an email that Muller and colleagues "are not hiding any data or otherwise engaging in any scientifically questionable practice."
The Muller "results unambiguously show an increase in surface temperature since 1960," Curry wrote Sunday. She said she disagreed with Muller's public relations efforts and some public comments from Muller about there no longer being a need for skepticism.
Muller's study found that skeptics' concerns about poor weather station quality didn't skew the results of his analysis because temperature increases rose similarly in reliable and unreliable weather stations. He also found that while there is an urban heat island effect making cities warmer, rural areas, which are more abundant, are warming, too.
Among many climate scientists, the reaction was somewhat of a yawn.
"After lots of work he found exactly what was already known and accepted in the climate community," said Jerry North, a Texas A&M University atmospheric sciences professor who headed a National Academy of Sciences climate science review in 2006. "I am hoping their study will have a positive impact. But some folks will never change."
Chris Field, a Carnegie Institution scientist who is chief author of an upcoming intergovernmental climate change report, said Muller's study "may help the world's citizens focus less on whether climate change is real and more on smart options for addressing it."
Some of the most noted scientific skeptics are no longer saying the world isn't warming. Instead, they question how much of it is man-made, view it as less a threat and argue it's too expensive to do something about, Otto said.
Skeptical MIT scientist Richard Lindzen said it is a fact and nothing new that global average temperatures have been rising since 1950, as Muller shows. "It's hard to see how any serious scientist (skeptical, denier or believer – frequently depending on the exact question) will view it otherwise," he wrote in an email.
In a brief email statement, the Koch Foundation noted that Muller's team didn't examine ocean temperature or the cause of warming and said it will continue to fund such research. "The project is ongoing and entering peer review, and we're proud to support this strong, transparent research," said foundation spokeswoman Tonya Mullins.


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Two weeks in Iceland
Some of the sights and sounds of a memorable road trip, August/September 2014
Hallgrímskirkja 'Church of Hallgrímur' is the largest church in Iceland, standing 73m high and taking 38 years to build, being completed in 1986. It is named after Hallgrímur Pétursson, a poet from the 1600s. The structure is inspired by basalt columns, which can be found in several places on the Icelandic coast.
The Sun Voyager
An informal car enthusiast gathering outside Harpa concert hall and entertainment venue
The suburban edge of central Reykjavik
Thufa is a new art piece by artist Ólöf Nordal – a turf mound adorned with a fish-drying hut. There is a relaxing view of Reykjavik's harbour activities from the top.
Artist's Vision
"Poor Ugly" street art in progress in central Reykjavík. See the finished art at tinyurl.com/zxnpmrx
Inter-continental swim
The crystal clear waters of Silfra attract drysuit-clad snorkellers and divers from around the world. Formed by the divergence of the Eurasian and American tectonic plates, it continues to widen by 1-2 cm each year. In Summer, the glacial runoff water 'warms' to 3 degrees Celcius.
Hardcore divers ahead
Not your usual road-side warning!
A diver negotiates one of the shallower sections of the crack. The deepest section of Silfra is 64m in a cave under the car park, however tours are only allowed in open water, to a maximum depth of 18m.
A diver heads back across an old lava field with 30kg of equipment at the end of the day. With hood, gloves, drysuit, insulation suit and thermals, you can remain pretty warm and dry for an hour or two in the near-freezing water.
Only the hardest plants grow in old lava fields, including moss and wild berries.
Menningarnótt (Culture Night) festival in Reykjavik is a day of art, food, music and fireworks. Laugavegur, shown here, is the main street in 101 Reykjavik [editorial use only, faces have been blurred]
Skálmöld at Menningarnótt [editorial use only]
Mammút playing at Menningarnótt [editorial use only]
Vilborg Ása Dýradóttir
Arnar Pétursson
Katrína Kata Mogensen & drummer, Andri Bjartur Jakobsson
Kata (R) and Alexandra Baldursdóttir
During the Culture Night festival, people could play Pong on the side of the Harpa building, using a free app
Culture Night
Over 100,000 people attended the Menningarnótt (Culture Night) festival which closed with fireworks beside Harpa
Seljalandsfoss, famous for the path that runs behind the falls
The ferry from Landeyjahöfn to Heimaey, a 45min trip.
A tourist boat lines up, ready to head through a cave tunnel at Vestmannæyjar
Perched in the middle of the Vestmannæyjar campground is a recreation of some 9th Century turf-roofed dwellings that were found nearby in the 1970s


text: I am a travel writer and photographer who is slightly obsessed with all things Icelandic. I spent five weeks in the country last winter, and plan to visit again soon. If you have any questions about traveling throughout the country as a vegan, or where to go while traveling solo, please let me know!


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If you're looking for the definitive comparison table between the Google Nexus One, Apple iPhone 3GS, Motorola Droid, and Palm Pre, here you have it. From storage capacity to price to plans. Guess who wins (you'll probably be wrong).
My impression is that nobody clearly wins. Each of these phones have their own strengths and weaknesses, but there's still not a definitive one. My favorite is still the iPhone just because the user interface design and the amazing applications—it's not the number, but when you have 126,000 apps, inevitably you are going to have some amazingly good apps in each software category. However, in terms of specs, things are not that clear at all. At the end, it's still a matter of personal preference. [Billshrink—Thanks Ricky]


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About Us
Eddie's Tires Mufflers & Auto Repair Center is a full-service preventive maintenance and automotive repair center. We perform high quality, guaranteed service you can trust at a fair price. We repair domestic and foreign vehicles and are your best choice for scheduled maintenance of your car, SUV, truck and fleet vehicles.Family owned and operated, we use the latest diagnostic equipment to guarantee your vehicle is serviced correctly while maintaining your manufacturer's warranty. We only use quality replacement parts, and our technicians are ASE-certified. Call us at (619) 423-7784 to schedule an appointment or just stop on by.
Main Office
2677 Main St
Chula Vista, CA, 91911
Phone(619) 423-7784
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text: Are you the kind of person who prefers to make gifts instead of buying them at the shopping mall? Do you scour little tucked-away shops for inspiration and unique finds that you could incorporate into your crafts? Are you always dreaming about your next project and constantly have several things on the go at once? Do you live to create, whittling away into the wee hours because you are ever so slightly obsessed with what you're making? (Me too!) Have you been toying with the idea of selling your handmade crafts online but don't know where to start? Maybe I can help you with that.


text:
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SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
On-line version ISSN 2078-5135
Print version ISSN 0256-9574
SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.101 n.8 Pretoria Aug. 2011
Where have all the flowers gone?
To the Editor: The title of the recent editorial1 applies too to a related theme: gender imbalance.
The distinction between male and female is a key dimension of population dynamics.2 In some southern and eastern Asian countries, the sex ratio has become skewed towards men, partly in consequence of gender-selective abortions;3,4 in the People's Republic of China, for example, the newborn male/female ratio is about 119:100.4 Similar data have been observed in India3 and among immigrants to Europe from Asia.5 For traditional, economic and social reasons, many families prefer to have sons, and this is a cause of the increased male/female ratio, infanticide, abandonment of newborn girls, and neglect of daughters.6 The preponderance of males occurs predominantly in lower socio-economic classes, and there is concern that their marginalisation may lead to antisocial behaviour threatening societal stability and security.6 An excess of men conduces to insecurity, in turn motivating families to have more sons for protection. Son preference has been reported also from Africa,7 where gender shifts are not yet prominent, probably because of the unavailability of prenatal gender testing. However, should fertility decline, the motivation for gender-selective abortions would become stronger, and many families would try to have at least one boy to secure the patriarchal lineage.7
Population size and gender imbalance in some countries can be underestimated because men are predominant in migrating and can be overlooked in a census; in Russia, for example, many people don't know that the census of 2010 has taken place. The gender imbalance will probably increase in the future, because of gender-testing technologies and their increasing availability, and discrimination in care practices for girls.3,6
Due to migration, a regional excess of men can have global repercussions. The outflow of men can further stimulate gender-selective practices in their native countries. The increasing gender imbalance may require a revision of traditional patterns of sexual behaviour, including effective measures against gender-selective abortions. However, measures taken by individual countries might be insufficient - international efforts could be required.8 Unfortunately, for young males in some regions, the damage has already been done, and measures against gender imbalance in today's newborns won't help them.
A globalised mankind needs to eliminate the motives for high fertility and gender shifts, and protect and support childless elderly people, unwed mothers and families raising girls. Traditions favouring men as the inheritors and maintainers of lineage and posterity7 should be discouraged.
Sergei V Jargin
Peoples' Friendship University of Russia
1. van Niekerk JP de V. Where have all the flowers gone? S Afr Med J 2011;101(5):281. [ Links ]
2. Lutz W, Samir KC. Dimensions of global population projections: what do we know about future population trends and structures? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2010;365:2779-2791. [ Links ]
3. Hesketh T, Lu L, Xing ZW. The consequences of son preference and sex-selective abortion in China and other Asian countries. CMAJ 2011 14 Mar [Epub ahead of print] [ Links ].
4. Torjesen I. Chinese would resist having larger families if one child policy was relaxed. BMJ 2010;340:c1212. [ Links ]
5. Singh N, Pripp AH, Brekke T, Stray-Pedersen B. Different sex ratios of children born to Indian and Pakistani immigrants in Norway. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2010;10:40. [ Links ]
6. Hesketh T, Xing ZW. Abnormal sex ratios in human populations: causes and consequences. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2006;103(36):13271-13275. [ Links ]
7. Beyeza-Kashesy J, Neema S, Ekstrom AM, Kaharuza F, Mirembe F, Kulane A. "Not a boy, not a child": A qualitative study on young people's views on childbearing in Uganda. Afr J Reprod Health 2010;14:71-81. [ Links ]
8. Jargin SV. Ethical challenges in an age of overpopulation. S Afr Med J 2010;100:694. [ Links ]