text:
BERTRAND, CHARLES (baptized Charles-Frédéric; often called Charles-Frédéric-Adolphe, but he signed Charles), seigneur, businessman, and politician; b. 11 Jan. 1824 in L'Isle-Verte, Lower Canada, eldest son of Louis Bertrand and Apolline Saindon; d. there 2 April 1896.
Charles Bertrand's father moved to L'Isle-Verte in 1811 and became a merchant. In 1818 and 1819 respectively he leased the rights to the seigneurial mill and the seigneury of Île-Verte, the title to which he would purchase in 1849. There he built one sawmill in 1819, and another after 1842 in partnership with Sir Henry John Caldwell and William Price*. He was elected three times to represent Rimouski in the assembly. By the time of his death in 1871 he had accumulated an estate that made his family one of the most prominent in the lower St Lawrence region.
Charles went to primary school in L'Isle-Verte, and then attended the Petit Séminaire de Québec from 1834 to 1840, but he did not complete the course of studies. On 2 July 1850, at Cacouna, he married Arthémise Dionne, the daughter of Benjamin Dionne, a merchant and later member of the Legislative Assembly (only four of the couple's twelve children would survive childhood). Bertrand's father placed him in a strategic position in the local economy that year by giving him full authority over the seigneury of Île-Verte, including the flour- and carding-mills. He further transferred to him his share in the second sawmill, which would come into Charles's possession after Price and Caldwell left. Charles also acquired a farm and assets in the form of accounts receivable, probably cens et rentes. According to the census figures of 1851 and 1861, he was a merchant but did not own the store, which came into his hands only on his father's death; he was above all a good farmer and not yet a prominent businessman.
Bertrand's situation changed considerably in later years. In 1871 he had 3,250 arpents of land, of which more than 1,800 were under cultivation; he was also the owner of a flour-mill, a carding-mill, a fulling-mill, an agricultural-implement factory, and a foundry. These enterprises, which had necessitated an investment of $16,760, produced goods that year with a total value of $57,250 and gave employment to 27 workers. In addition he owned four schooners, with a total tonnage of 55, and a hotel in Cacouna called the Mansion House. At L'Isle-Verte no one except his brother Louis-Achille was doing nearly as much business with flour-mills and sawmills. By 1881 Charles had holdings of 10,800 arpents, mostly in the new townships beyond L'Isle-Verte.
In 1865 Bertrand had gone into partnership with Antoine Rousseau to manufacture carriages and agricultural implements and build a foundry. Bertrand et Rousseau was dissolved on 4 Sept. 1868, after the plants burned down. Bertrand rebuilt the facilities himself and was to do so again in 1875 and 1888 for the same reason. In 1877 he reorganized this business and went into partnership with his son Charles-Georges and with Jean-Baptiste Raymond, whom he considered his heir apparent. He himself undertook to put up $25,000; the other two were each to cover a quarter of the expenses in return for the same proportion of the profits. From 1883 to 1894 Charles Bertrand et Compagnie had its moments of glory, becoming the manufacturing concern that, according to Marius Barbeau*, was "the largest in the province," next to Matthew and Henry Moody of Terrebonne. It produced "threshing-mills, horse-driven treadmills for threshing, éballeurs, ordinary ploughs, disk ploughs, cast-iron potato diggers, harrows, stoves, cauldrons, wagons, and wheels of all kinds – it shipped on average 1,200 pairs of wheels a year; machinery for flour-mills, sawmills, carding- and furling-mills; even turbines." These goods were piled up on the Bertrand family's docks and then loaded onto their schooners bound for market outlets in the four corners of the province. In a word, under their impetus L'Isle-Verte, with its population of wage-earners, took on the appearance of an industrial village.
Bertrand seemed to be in many places at once, but the store was his headquarters. Here "father Charles" took in the savings that people deposited with him for safe keeping; here he sold the parcels of land he had bought in the townships on the high plateaux; here he granted credit to new settlers or advanced them mortgage money. In 1873–74 he also owned timber limits in Cabano Township, where he is said to have built the first sawmill, and he was involved in the production and sale of wood for spindles at Saint-Simon and at Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. He was a director of the Témiscouata Railway shortly before it was opened in 1888.
For Bertrand, business, trade, and politics were complementary activities. He was mayor of the parish municipality of L'Isle-Verte in 1859 and again from 1881 to 1885. In 1860 he organized a joyous victory celebration to mark the election of Liberal Luc Letellier* de Saint-Just to the Legislative Council. But by 1867 he had joined the ranks of the Conservatives: the fifty-odd employees of Charles Bertrand et Compagnie demonstrated in favour of confederation, and he himself was elected by acclamation the member of parliament for Témiscouata. He ran again in 1872 but lost to another Conservative by 1,108 votes. This defeat did not destroy his interest in politics, however. In the 1875 provincial elections he ran against Georges-Honoré Deschênes who, in an attempt to eliminate him as a candidate, declared that Bertrand "had sold out for $500" during the 1872 federal election.
The Bertrand family's little empire was running out of steam by the mid 1890s. Charles's son was not interested in taking over the business, and Charles himself was caught off guard by the untimely death of Raymond in 1891, at a time when competition from such enterprises as the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company in the United States and the Massey-Harris Company Limited in Ontario [see Hart Almerrin Massey] was making it harder to get sales. A series of fires, the spring breakup of the ice on the Rivière Verte and periods when the river dried up, as well as losses suffered aboard the schooners, only added to the difficulties. On 2 April 1896, "overwhelmed by financial worries," Bertrand died. The efforts of his family to regain control of the company's affairs failed to prevent Thibaudeau, Frères et Compagnie of Quebec [see Isidore Thibaudeau] from forcing it into bankruptcy, and Bertrand's assets were seized on 3 November of that year. The inventory drawn up in 1897 shows that his enterprises were worth the considerable sum of $289,045, 74 per cent of the assets being accounts receivable, promissory notes, bonds, mortgages, and shares, and 16 per cent consisting of the manufacturing plant and its contents. Bertrand had also owned 50 lots and building sites in and around L'Isle-Verte. According to one of his sons-in-law, Wilbrod Pagnuelo, a lawyer who was the company's agent in Montreal, the assets totalled $350,000 in the good years.
Along with the Pelletiers and Pouliots in Fraserville (Rivière-du-Loup) and the Butcharts in Rimouski, Charles Bertrand was one of the most important entrepreneurs of his day in the lower St Lawrence region. The career of this business promoter challenges the conventional historical understanding of 19th-century rural Quebec. Bertrand knew how to adapt to various basic constraints and take advantage of favourable circumstances: the active colonization of the back country and opening up of the Témiscouata region, the demand for equipment to modernize agriculture, the exploitation of timber resources, and the revolution in transportation with the coming of the railway. Under his impetus, the village of L'Isle-Verte competed for a time, in some respects, with Fraserville. The picture it presents is very different from historians' usual model of a homogeneous rural society dominated by subsistence farming, itself dictated by distance and lack of markets. L'Isle-Verte was one of the places where a village bourgeoisie emerged and where forms of rural industry were created. The full economic and social significance of such developments is yet to be grasped.
ANQ-Q, CE3-2, 18 janv. 1824; CE3-6, 2 juill. 1850; P1000-11-188; P1000-11-189; T11-3, no.136. AP, Saint-Jean-Baptiste (L'Isle-Verte), reg. des baptêmes, mariages et sépultures, avril 1896. ASQ, Fichier des anciens. BE, Kamouraska, reg. A, nos.293, 362. NA, RG 31, C1, 1851, L'Isle-Verte (Rimouski); 1861, L'Isle-Verte and Viger (Témiscouata); 1871, 1881, 1891, L'Isle-Verte (Témiscouata). Le Courrier de Fraserville (Fraserville [Rivière-du-Loup], Qué.), 27 déc. 1888, 13 sept. 1889. Le Jour (Fraserville), 4 mars 1887, 23 mars 1888. Monetary Times, 10 April 1896. Montreal Daily Star, 2 April 1896. La Presse, 2 avril 1896. Le Saint-Laurent (Fraserville), 3, 7, 10 avril 1896. Canadian directory of parl. (Johnson). J. Desjardins, Guide parl. Marius Barbeau, Maîtres artisans de chez nous (Montréal, [1942]), 95–109. Claude Blouin, "La mécanisation de l'agriculture entre 1830 et 1890," Agriculture et colonisation au Québec; aspects historiques, Normand Séguin, édit. (Montréal, 1980), 93–111. C.-A. Gauvreau, Nos paroisses: L'Isle-Verte (St-Jean-Baptiste) (Lévis, Qué., 1889), 243–44. M. Hamelin, Premières années du parlementarisme québécois, 297. Robert Michaud, La mousse de mer: de L'Isle-Verte à la Baie des Chaleurs (Montréal, 1985), 11–39, 134–37. Robert Michaud et Gérard Filion, L'Isle-Verte vue du large ([Montréal], 1978), 198–264. John Willis, "Fraserville and its Temiscouata hinterland, 1874–1914: colonization and urbanization in a peripheral region of the province of Quebec" (ma thesis, Univ. du Québec, Trois-Rivières, 1981). R.-P. Dubé, "Chronique de l'histoire de L'Isle-Verte," Le Saint-Laurent (Rivière-du-Loup), 28 oct.–30 déc. 1920, 20 janv. 1921.
© 1990–2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval
Cite This Article
Antonio Lechasseur, "BERTRAND, CHARLES," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed September 30, 2023, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/bertrand_charles_12E.html.
The citation above shows the format for footnotes and endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used in other citation formats:
|Author of Article:
|Antonio Lechasseur
|Title of Article:
|Publication Name:
|Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12
|University of Toronto/Université Laval
|Year of publication:
|Year of revision:
|Access Date:
|September 30, 2023


text:
76ers face unsure future waiting for Bynum
Andrew Bynum had an adoring public in front of him and beaming management on stage to his right.
The Philadelphia 76ers had thrown open the doors of a press conference to the public and hundreds of fans, longing for a reason to get excited again, came to chant the name of their new superstar. Eager to win over his new supporters, Bynum worked the faithful into a frenzy. Without playing a game for the Sixers, he said he wanted to make Philadelphia his home - and the team was ready to commit.
''Where do I sign?'' owner Joshua Harris said. ''Show me the contract.''
Harris should be glad now he didn't sign any deals in early August.
Those cheers for Bynum were the only ones the 7-foot center has heard 38 games into a season that has the Sixers spiraling from hopeful Atlantic Division contenders toward the NBA draft lottery. With Bynum, the Sixers expected to make a deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Without him, the Sixers are lagging at 16-22 and entered Monday four games behind Boston for the final spot in the East.
The Sixers can't blame all their woes on missing Bynum.
But he sure would help.
''It's hard to say how it's affected us because we haven't played with him,'' forward Thaddeus Young said.
Bynum has sat out the season because of bone bruises on both his knees. Bynum, an All-Star last year with the Lakers, in on a six-step rehabilitation process that he hopes will get him back into lineup around the Feb. 15 All-Star break. He's worked weights into his rehab and started running on Monday.
He proclaimed his knees pain free.
''They're the best I've had in a long time, so they look really, really good to me,'' Bynum told reporters Monday after practice.
Again, Bynum had no true timetable for his return, though ''around the All-Star break'' was the first new range he suggested in weeks. Bynum's potential return date has been in flux since training camp. One day before practice was set to open, the Sixers announced Bynum would be shut down for three weeks as a precaution after he received knee treatment in Germany. Three weeks has turned into three months. He even injured his left knee while bowling.
He participated in shooting drills with assistant coaches Michael Curry and Brian James, as well as head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson on Monday. Bynum cautioned, though, that he still had plenty of rehabilitation left to complete.
''I'm not back. But I'm headed in that direction,'' he said. ''It's all positive.''
The 76ers good use a dose of good news. Their 10-6 start has twisted into a 6-16 stretch entering Tuesday's game against New Orleans. The Sixers hope Saturday's win over Houston to open a stretch of 12 home games in the next 13 can be the calming factor that stabilizes their season. Throw in Bynum's return, and the Sixers just might be able to still make a dent in the postseason.
Team president Rod Thorn and general manager Tony DiLeo would love to know Bynum's availability before the Feb. 21 trade deadline. If Bynum hasn't returned, or the Sixers are still scuffling, the front office could look to make more big trades to win down the road.
Bynum, who averaged 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds last season, would be worth the wait if he matched those numbers.
''We've got Andrew Bynum, All-Star,'' Young said. ''He's a great player and we're willing to wait on him each and every day. He's definitely a focal point of what we're trying to do. He's definitely, `The guy.' I wouldn't rather have anybody else.''
Lavoy Allen and Kwame Brown haven't come close to filling Bynum's numbers at center. Allen has taken a big step back from his rookie season and is averaging only 6.4 points and 5.3 rebounds. Before their 107-100 win over Houston on Saturday, the Sixers ranked 27th in the NBA in scoring (92.2 points) and have regularly failed to even reach 90 points over the last six weeks. They scored more than 89 points for the first time in six games against the Rockets.
Not exactly what CEO Adam Aron expected when he touted at Bynum's arrival, ''The Sixers are once again the talk of the town.''
The Sixers have lost 13 of their last 17 games but a soft slate of games this week against New Orleans and Toronto could help turn that around.
The struggles haven't fractured the locker room under coach Doug Collins, and the tight unit has bounced back from swoons before.
''We're not going to splinter,'' Collins said, ''not as long as I'm the coach.''
DiLeo has repeatedly said he would make the Bynum trade again. What else would he say? Bynum is in the final year of his contract and would love nothing more to return to help the Sixers win and prove he's healthy enough to merit a $100-plus million deal in the summer.
Lost in the shuffle of the Sixers dumping Elton Brand, Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala was their decision to send Nikola Vucevic to Orlando as part of the four-team Bynum trade. Vucevic fell out of Collins' rotation at the end of last season and played in only one of their 13 playoff games. The 7-footer is sixth in the NBA in rebounds (11.0) and is making only $1.76 million - scraps compared to the $16.75 million Bynum will earn this season.
Bynum is eligible for a five-year contract after July 1, once he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The Sixers can offer Bynum more years and money than any other team. With good reason, they want to know what kind of Bynum is on the market: The L.A. All-Star or the Sixers' Sidelined Center.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
While on the road, an important virtue to have here is patience! Although the road system in the heavily populated areas is in reasonable condition compared to other developing countries, it can be heavily congested at peak periods.Ceremonial processions sometimes occupy the whole road so if you are caught behind a procession, enjoy the colorful experience. Roads can also be quite narrow with heavy pedestrian traffic on each side. In less populated areas, roads may not be tarred and the famous "gang" (very small road just big enough to accommodate one car, but very often two-way) is ever present no matter what area you may be in. This invariably tests the reversing skills of many drivers!
Take note of several important points while driving in Bali. It is not unusual for cars and bikes to swerve into your lane without indication. A system of "sharing lane" has developed because there are often obstacles on the sides of the road, such as parked cars or the frequent procession of bakso trolleys and paraphernalia salesman.
That okay if you are used to it but can be quite a shock to the new driver in Bali! Be aware that drivers from side streets often dont look when joining a main road and the larger vehicle is king of the road.
Quite often red traffic lights are considered "only as a suggestion" and there are a few places where traffic in the left lane may turn or continue straight through whilst the light is red with a sign "belok kiri jalan terus".
Remember to "toot" your horn when going around curves on mountainous roads as drivers commonly drive in the middle of the road here.
There are a lot of one way roads in Bali (meant to help traffic flow but it hasn't really turned out that way). If you miss your turn off, you may have drive quite a distance before being able to turn back. This has resulted in motorbike riders riding a few hundred meters in the wrong direction, as a shortcut rather than following traffic flow. Be alert!


text:
At the movies, the best way to stop an asteroid from wiping out Earth is to lob a few nuclear missiles at the rocky beast or blow it apart from the inside with megaton bombs.
While those methods promise some fantastic explosions — and maybe a blockbuster hit — engineers are looking at a more patient approach. Their weapon: a swarm of nuclear-powered robots that could drill into an asteroid and hurl chunks of it into space with enough force to gradually push it away from an Earth-impacting course.
"We're aiming to examine the whole idea of these robots," said Matthew Graham, design project manager for the study at SpaceWorks Engineering Inc., an engineering consulting and concept analysis firm in Atlanta.
SpaceWorks researchers have completed a preliminary study into the robots, called Modular Asteroid Deflection Mission Ejector Node spacecraft, or MADMEN. The work was done under a grant awarded by the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts, or NIAC, to come up with new techniques to defend the planet against pesky near-Earth objects.
"Previous studies by NASA and NIAC focused on concepts that could detect asteroids or bump them using propulsion systems of nuclear weapons," NIAC director Robert Cassanova told Space.com. "[MADMEN] was rather unique in that it would nibble away at the asteroid."
Mass drivers wanted
At the heart of the MADMEN concept is a mass driver, which would eject asteroid material as it is drilled out of the rock and sling it out into space using electromagnetic acceleration. The recoil from that ejection would push against the robot, and therefore the asteroid, imparting a small amount of force for each shot.
"It's like throwing rocks from inside a rowboat," Graham said in a telephone interview. "Over time, you end up moving the boat."
A preliminary design for a MADMEN spacecraft outlines a 1-ton robot that would stand about 36 feet (11 meters) high, just slightly taller than NASA's Apollo moon lander, on an asteroid's surface. The mass-driving ejector, a self-assembling tube, would extend out toward space ready to start its slow, steady push against the rock at a rate of one shot a minute or so. A liquid-propellant booster rocket could deliver the lander to its cometary or asteroid target.
But the push would be small, and more than one MADMEN spacecraft would be required to constantly shove a space rock in one, uniform direction.
A MADMEN swarm
Since each MADMEN robot could only give a small push to an asteroid over time, Spaceworks researchers envision sending an entire fleet of them to a potential Earth impactor. The key, they said, is to have a lander on each face of an asteroid working together autonomously to push the space rock in one direction as it tumbles through space.
In a presentation to NIAC, MADMEN researchers compared their robotic devices to the cybernetic "Star Trek" juggernaut, the Borg, a species that overlooks individual casualties in pursuit of its goals.
"The benefit of the swarm is redundancy," Graham said. "Some could be destroyed, others lost, and the rest can still challenge the asteroid."
To build a swarm, MADMEN robots would have to be manufactured well before a potentially Earth-threatening asteroid was discovered. A stockpile of inert MADMEN spacecraft — each with its own fuel reserve — could be gathered into nearby parking orbits where they could be called upon if a stray space rock wandered too close.
Deciding how many MADMEN to send, thousands or maybe just four or so, would depend on the lead time before a potential impact, researchers said.
"If you have a good amount of warning, like 10 years, then you don't need to send many," Graham added.
More study needed
There are still a number of technological hurdles facing researchers before the first MADMEN robot could start its Earth-protecting mission — not the least of which is the mass driver machinery needed to eject asteroid chunks into space.
"People have not made a production versions of this," Graham said, adding that MADMEN mass drivers would have to fire away ejecta continuously on time scales of a year. "So something very reliable and light and strong and accurate is needed."
A lightweight space nuclear power plant also requires further study, as well as the drilling system that would eventually eat away at offending asteroids or comets.
"Drilling systems today mainly use water to move mass up the tube and away from the bit," Graham said. "In space, you need to develop a closed system to do that."
Waiting for a go-ahead
With the first phase of MADMEN study complete, SpaceWorks is awaiting a decision from NIAC on whether to fund a second round of research that would focus, among other things, on the design of a technology-testing precursor mission to be carried out in the next decade.
"Phase two means going into more detail, building a roadmap to develop the enabling technology for these projects," Casanova said. "We'd like to think that NASA would be interested in these projects once a phase-two study is finished."
Graham said it could be several months before phase-two approval for the MADMEN project is awarded. He is confident, however, that if the need were urgent enough, Earth scientists would be able to step up to the task of defending the planet with MADMEN robots or some other method.
NASA, Graham explained, has already demonstrated its ability to land on as asteroid when the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft came to a soft landing on the asteroid Eros. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission is expected to drop its own lander, Philae, on a comet sometime in 2014.
"If it's a world-killing asteroid, well, then it's all about motivation," Graham said.


text: I captured these images to celebrate the SPAH experience and amazing talented musicians. If you would like to download any of the files for which you are in and use for your personal marketing, social media post, etc. email me with the file names. and I'll email, no charge. Also the SPAH organization is welcome to use any of the images to promote SPAH. If you have questions, contact me at email@example.com More


text:
The Monroe family considered Highland its home for a quarter century. Monroe intended Highland to be a working farm. To increase its productivity, he experimented with diverse crops and planting methods, becoming, like Jefferson, an early advocate of scientific agriculture. In addition to his principal crops of timber, tobacco, and grain, he, also like Jefferson, tried to cultivate Bordeaux grapes for wine, a frustrating endeavor for all farmers until modern agricultural methods were developed.
Throughout his two terms as President, 1817-1825, Monroe often spoke of retiring to Highland. Unfortunately, pressing debts, largely as the result of government service, combined with Mrs. Monroe's poor health, forced Monroe to sell the estate in 1826, and retire to Oak Hill. He described Highland at that time as 3,500 acres with a "commodious dwelling house, buildings for servants and other domestic purposes, good stables, two barns with threshing machine, a grist and sawmill with houses for managers and laborers . . . all in good repair."
About 1840, by which time subsequent owners had changed the name of the house to Ash Lawn, one wing of the Monroe house was damaged by fire and partially removed. In the 1880s, Parson John Massey, a retired Baptist minister and later Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, built the two-story Victorian section of the house partially over the foundation of the damaged Monroe wing, expanding the house to its present size. Jay Winston Johns of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, purchased the plantation in 1930 for his residence and formally opened it to the public, and after his death willed the property to the College of William and Mary, which Monroe had attended prior to his service in the American Revolution. The College began systematic research and restoration of Ash Lawn and reopened the property for public visitation in 1975.
Ash Lawn-Highland is located at 1000 James Monroe Pkwy., southeast of Charlottesville off Rte. 53. It
is open from March-October daily 9:00am to 6:00pm and from November-March
daily 11:00am to 5:00pm, closed Thanksgiving day, Christmas day, and New Year's day. There is a fee for admission. Call 434-293-9539
for further information or visit the website.


text:
Yesterday, Gizmodo was one of several sites to report that Taiwanese absurdist animation studio NMA was up for sale as part of its parent company, Hong Kong-based Next Media. But not so, says NMA, in a video that seems to be a panda bear using a copy machine to poop out Tiger Woods, Steve Jobs and the President of the United States. Glad you're OK, guys! [NMA]
Meet Microsoft's New Surface Laptops


text:
AnnouncementsSubscribe to receive news from ESO in your language!
ann16083 — Announcement
Winner of 2016 De Zeeuw-Van Dishoeck Graduation Prize for Astronomy Announced
Read more
By continuing to use this website, you are giving consent to our use of cookies.
For more information on how ESO uses data and how you can disable cookies, please view our privacy policy.


text:
Xuanyi and Ben drew Angry Birds.
Roshni created an underwater cartoon with a fish, an octopus and a crab.
The dozens of children who flock to Smita Kolhatkar's lunchtime "Scratch Club" at Barron Park Elementary School create their own little worlds and, in the process, absorb early computer programming concepts, Kolhatkar said.
The former Oracle engineering manager, who switched careers to teaching seven years ago, launched Barron Park's Scratch Club this fall after having used the simple programming language called Scratch with fifth-grade students for the past three years.
Even with competition from a Zumba class offered in the school multi-purpose room, about 40 Barron Park third-, fourth- and fifth-graders forsook other choices -- even the post-lunch playground -- to play with Scratch.
After washing their hands and grabbing Macs from a laptop cart, the kids settled themselves in Kolhatkar's darkened portable classroom for 25 minutes of screen time, appearing thoroughly absorbed.
Developed at MIT, the Scratch programming language makes it easy for children to create interactive stories, animations, games, music and art.
A few students took up a special challenge Kolhatkar had posed to the whole club: try to create a game that will help first- and second-graders practice their addition and subtraction facts.
But most kids in the room Wednesday had ideas of their own.
A cluster of fourth-grade boys had built a screen that included a person, a vehicle and some cheese puffs that were crashing into one another.
A girl sitting alone toyed with Halloween figures, and a group of girls in the back of the room was trying to create a movie involving a girl in a jeep in the desert.
A boy drew a green and pink alien.
Two fourth-grade girls explained that they were writing a story called "The Amazing Life of Bob the Pony" and said they'd add pictures later.
With Scratch, kids can choose characters from a pre-made list or draw characters of their own.
"Each one works at their own pace, so it's an automatic differentiator," Kolhatkar said.
Because Scratch has a graphical interface, kids don't have to do the mundane programming that real programmers do in terms of text, but it introduces them to logical sequencing and planned commands, she said.
"There are pre-made commands they can decide: 'Do I want (the character) to say something with a voice or just a speech bubble? Do I want it to move, bounce, hit the wall and come back?'"
Kolhatkar, who taught fifth grade at Walter Hays Elementary School before becoming a "technology teacher on special assignment" at Barron Park this fall, discovered Scratch at an educators' conference three years ago.
After finding it popular with her fifth-graders for the past three years, she started the Monday-and-Wednesday lunchtime club this fall.
"Originally I thought I'd start it with fourth- and fifth-graders, but the third-graders have been extremely enthusiastic as well," she said.


text:
We work on the forefront of innovation and technology to take products from an idea all the way to the end consumer. Request a quote.
Used Shrink Wrapper Machinery
We're always interested in new projects, big or small. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us regarding your project.
If you want to contact us about any issue please call + 353 1 841 3880 or send us an e-mail. If you would like to submit a proposal for consideration simply submit a quote.


text:
Creating stems is a task film and TV composers are frequently called upon to deal with. There are plusses and minuses to this: The good thing is that because the director or producer and picture mixer can decide which elements to use and how much to use of each, you may be less likely to have a cue mixed so low that it is inaudible or dumped altogether. The bad news is your musical intent can be totally distorted. Oh well, it comes with the territory.
How many stems? They will tell you. In a poorly budgeted project, they may only want a stereo mix simply because they do not have the budget to pay for the increased amount of time more stems requires the picture mixer to deal with. My favorite scenario is to give them a stereo mix with one or two additional stems that I have any concerns about being problematic for them when adding my music to dialog, like a melodic instrumental solo or high percussion, like hi-hats and shakers. Even though I am experienced and like to think I know how to do this without competing with dialog, experience has taught me that this is safer.
However, even if you are not a media composer, mixing from stems is a great way to go that I recommend, particularly if you are doing complex orchestral simulation.
Here's why:
Presumably, after you have entered in all your parts you spend a fair amount of time balancing, panning and automating within sections of the orchestra, like your strings for example. Ditto for brass, woodwinds, percussion, and rhythm section. If you are using a lot of different libraries to create your palette with lots of articulations, you may have as many as two hundred tracks. Typically, I have about sixty for this kind of work because I use a fair amount of software instruments that have patches with multiple articulations that I choose with key switching. As they say in internet-speak: YMMV (your mileage may vary.) As you no doubt know, mixing all this is the black hole of time. But let us say you are now at the stage where everything is in the ball park.
Now you are ready to fine tune your intricate masterpiece and maybe add more plug-ins. In my case, I use a lot of UAD plug-ins that I wait to add at the final mix stage because they are latency-inducing. Adding these can play havoc with my balances between the sections. Maybe I am content to put the same plug-ins on a whole orchestra section, like an EQ or a compressor or, in my case, the new UAD Studer A-800, which I have fallen in love with.
Either way, wouldn't it be easier to do your final mixing and automating with five aux tracks instead of perhaps sixty software instrument tracks? In the words of a prominent female political figure: "You betcha."
Pic 1. Here you can see the woodwind instruments I am composing for in this piece.
Step 1 - Reassign the Output
Now I want to send them all to a bus which will be hosted by an Aux channel strip. This is really easy to do as Logic Pro 9 will do most of the work for us.
In Pic. 2, you can see that with all the woodwind software instruments selected, I navigate to the output assignment rectangle and change it from Stereo Output to a Bus, in this example, Bus 10.
Pic 2. The Mixer
In Pic. 3, notice that Logic Pro 9 created an Aux with Bus 10 as its input which I subsequently renamed and colored. Now I can make my woodwinds louder and softer, automate the woodwinds mix, insert plug-ins, etc. to make it work in the overall mix, all with this one aux, without disrupting my previous work.
Pic 3. The Winds and Output channel strips
Step 2 - Repeat the Process for the Other Sections of the Orchestra
Following the same procedure, I create Auxes assigned to ascending bus inputs for my brass, strings, percussion, and rhythm sections (see Pic. 4).
Pic 4. Repeating the process
This is fantastic! I can now hide all the other tracks in my Arrange window if I like and only work with these five aux tracks to fine-tune my mix (as you can see in Pic. 5).
Pic 5. Aux tracks in the Arrange area
But I want to create audio stems now—even if I do not have to deliver them. To do this I can save my project under another version number and get rid of all the software instruments and any FX plug-ins that may be on them. This frees up my CPU power for any CPU-intensive mix plug-ins I want to use, allows me to raise my audio buffer for more CPU power without caring about the latency (that would have bothered me while playing the software instruments) and, if I am using a slave computer, it will no longer be in the picture. When I am doing my final mix, the fewer things I need to think about the better I do.
Step 3 - Create Audio Tracks for the Stems
Once again, Logic Pro 9 makes this so easy: All I need to do is click the plus sign at the top of the Track List and tell Logic to create five stereo audio tracks with ascending inputs, record enabled, as you can see in Pic. 6.
Pic 6. Audio tracks for each stem
Step 4 - Record the Stems
After adjusting the project's length to the proper amount of bars (or drawing in a cycle), press record and now you have five stems. At this point, if it is going to a mix engineer you can simply send them to him or her or, if you are the mix engineer, start mixing. If this is a film or TV project you now will have the length of project stems that they may require.


text:
The data relating to the real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange Program of the NJMLS. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than Best Of NJ Realty are marked with the Internet Data Exchange logo and information about them includes the name of the listing brokers. Some properties listed with the participating brokers do not appear on this website at the request of the seller. Listings of brokers that do not participate in Internet Data Exchange do not appear on this website.
All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Last date updated: Saturday, September 23rd, 2023.
Source: New Jersey Multiple Listing Service, Inc.
©2023 New Jersey Multiple Listing Service, Inc. All rights reserved.
Data services provided by IDX Broker


text:
All students enrolled in the School of Business must complete two leadership certificates offered by the College's student leadership office (part of the Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs [OSEMA]) as part of their requirements for graduation. All students should first complete the leading self certificate, followed by either the leading others or leadership in a diverse world certificate. For each certificate, the student completes eight workshops from a list of topics that are offered by OSEMA each semester.
Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs (OSEMA)
The internship program, an off-campus experience involving varied, nonroutine work projects, is available for interested students who qualify. Internships are designed to allow students to synthesize the academic theory they have learned with real-world experiences. The program places primary responsibility on the student in conjunction with a faculty sponsor to develop a project proposal and carry out its requirements. Internships are available during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Three business elective credits are granted for each internship. An internship may not be repeated for credit with the same employer. A maximum of 6 credits may be earned in any combination of internship and experiential learning (see below). London Center internships are for 3 credits per semester only. Internships in the School of Business are graded on a pass/fail basis only. To qualify, students must have attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.70 and junior status; in addition, they must have completed the appropriate principles course in their respective major or concentration.
Students interested in the internship program should obtain a copy of the internship guidelines at the School of Business dean's office. Please note carefully the application deadlines for each term, which usually occur at the end of the add/drop period.
This program allows students after the first year in college to investigate specific business disciplines through placements in business organizations. The student is expected to keep a log of activities and have frequent contact with a faculty sponsor. For each experience, the student may earn 1 credit. Students may repeat the program for up to 3 credits, provided each experience is with a different employer. Experiential learning credits may be used only for open credit, not for a business elective. The combination of experiential learning and internship may not exceed 6 credits.
Students may pursue an independent study with the guidance of a faculty member. Its purpose is to enable students to pursue personal academic interests in an area not covered in or beyond the scope of existing courses. Independent study projects normally involve research into a topic, with a written report as the final product, but variations are accepted when appropriate.
A variable amount of credit may be earned toward the degree. To qualify, a student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 and must have completed at least 6 credits in the subject matter. Guidelines are available at the School of Business office. Please note carefully the application deadlines for each term, which usually occur at the end of the add/drop period.
Business majors are encouraged to participate in the London Center study-abroad program during their sophomore year (see "International Programs" in the Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies [DIIS] section). We recommend that discussion and planning begin in the student's first year. Students can obtain descriptive literature from the Office of International Programs. Course planning should be worked out with the faculty adviser and the Office of International Programs.
International Programs
Business majors are encouraged to study abroad during their sophomore year. Both affiliated and nonaffiliated programs offer opportunities for students to learn about other cultures, improve their foreign language skills, and, in some cases, fulfill business course requirements. Course planning can be worked out with the faculty adviser. More information about study-abroad options is available at the Office of International Programs, 214 Center for Health Sciences, 607-274-3306 (voice), 607-274-1515 (fax), or email@example.com (e-mail).
The School of Business has established agreements with community colleges to allow students to plan their first two years in preparation for transfer to a business major at Ithaca College. The agreements delineate transfer course equivalents and transfer admission standards.
Students interested in transferring to Ithaca College under an articulation agreement are encouraged to contact the associate dean of the Ithaca College School of Business.
Articulation Agreements
Each year the dean, in consultation with the school's faculty, selects one or more graduating seniors for the Dean's Award. The award is given in recognition of superior scholastic achievement and extracurricular service to the College, school, and student body.
Each year the dean, in consultation with the school's faculty, selects one or more graduating seniors for the Dean's Leadership and Distinguished Service Award. The award is given in recognition of distinguished leadership activities and service to the College, school, and student body.
The graduating senior accounting major with the highest GPA in accounting courses is given an award by the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Two students are selected by the accounting faculty to receive awards for excellence by the Southern Tier chapter of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. One award is for excellence in accounting, the other for excellence in auditing.
Each year the top senior finance major is selected by the finance faculty to receive the Wall Street Journal Student Achievement Award.
Beta Alpha Psi is an honorary organization for financial information students and professionals. The primary objective of Beta Alpha Psi is to encourage and give recognition to scholastic and professional excellence in the business information field. Ithaca College's Mu Alpha chapter invites undergraduate students in good judicial standing with a declared major in accounting or a concentration in finance or corporate accounting who have completed at least 30 credit hours and attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 to join as candidates for initiation. Upon completion of participatory and community service requirements, at least 60 credit hours, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30, and at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA in upper-level accounting and finance courses at Ithaca College, candidates may be initiated as student members into the Mu Alpha chapter of Beta Alpha Psi. Degree-seeking graduate students focusing on accounting or finance also shall be eligible for membership.
Lifetime membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB International. The mission of Beta Gamma Sigma, an honorary business organization founded in 1913, is to encourage and recognize academic achievement in the study of business. Undergraduate juniors and seniors who rank in the top 10 percent of their class and have completed 30 credits in the School of Business will be invited to become members. Eligible M.B.A. students must rank in the upper 20 percent of their graduating class in order to be eligible for induction. Candidates must also be of good moral character. The induction takes place in the spring semester.
Students enrolled in management-related programs throughout the College are eligible for membership in the Zeta Iota chapter of Sigma Iota Epsilon, the national honorary/professional management fraternity and student division of the prestigious Academy of Management. Undergraduate candidates for membership must have completed 30 credits at Ithaca College, have completed at least one management course with a grade of B or better, and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25. Graduate students must have completed 9 credits at Ithaca College and have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher. Candidates must also complete additional coursework in management and be of good moral character.
Students are encouraged to seek additional information about these programs from the dean's office.


text:
Pituitary gland
|Pituitary gland
|neural and oral ectoderm, including Rathke's pouch
|superior hypophyseal artery, infundibular artery, prechiasmal artery, inferior hypophyseal artery, capsular artery, artery of the inferior cavernous sinus
|hypophysis, glandula pituitaria
|NeuroLex ID
|Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy
In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland (or hypophysis cerebri) is an endocrine gland. In humans, it is about the size of a chickpea and weighs, on average, 0.5 grams (0.018 oz). It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. The hypophysis rests upon the hypophyseal fossa of the sphenoid bone in the center of the middle cranial fossa and is surrounded by a small bony cavity (sella turcica) covered by a dural fold (diaphragma sellae).
The anterior pituitary (or adenohypophysis) is a lobe of the gland that regulates several physiological processes including stress (by secreting ACTH), growth (by secreting GH), reproduction (by secreting FSH and LH), metabolism rate (by secreting TSH) and lactation (by secreting prolactin). The intermediate lobe synthesizes and secretes melanocyte-stimulating hormone. The posterior pituitary (or neurohypophysis) is a lobe of the gland that is functionally connected to the hypothalamus by the median eminence via a small tube called the pituitary stalk (also called the infundibular stalk or the infundibulum). It regulates hydroelectrolytic stability (by secreting ADH), uterine contraction during labor and human attachment (by secreting oxytocin).
Hormones secreted from the pituitary gland help to control growth, blood pressure, energy management, all functions of the sex organs, thyroid glands and metabolism as well as some aspects of pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, water/salt concentration at the kidneys, temperature regulation and pain relief.
The pituitary gland, in humans, is oval in shape and is a pea-sized gland that sits in a protective bony enclosure called the sella turcica. It is composed of two lobes, anterior and posterior, with an intermediate lobe that joins them. In many animals, these three lobes are distinct. The intermediate is avascular and almost absent in humans. The intermediate lobe is present in many animal species, in particular in rodents, mice and rats, that have been used extensively to study pituitary development and function. In all animals, the fleshy, glandular anterior pituitary is distinct from the neural composition of the posterior pituitary, which is an extension of the hypothalamus.
The height of the pituitary gland ranges from 5.3 to 7.0 mm. The volume of the pituitary gland ranges from 200 to 440 mm3.
The anterior pituitary arises from an invagination of the oral ectoderm (Rathke's pouch). This contrasts with the posterior pituitary, which originates from neuroectoderm.
Endocrine cells of the anterior pituitary are controlled by regulatory hormones released by parvocellular neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamic capillaries leading to infundibular blood vessels, which in turn lead to a second capillary bed in the anterior pituitary. This vascular relationship constitutes the hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal system. Diffusing out of the second capillary bed, the hypothalamic releasing hormones then bind to anterior pituitary endocrine cells, upregulating or downregulating their release of hormones.
The anterior lobe of the pituitary can be divided into the pars tuberalis (pars infundibularis) and pars distalis (pars glandularis) that constitutes ~80% of the gland. The pars intermedia (the intermediate lobe) lies between the pars distalis and the pars tuberalis, and is rudimentary in the human, although in other species it is more developed. It develops from a depression in the dorsal wall of the pharynx (stomal part) known as Rathke's pouch.
The anterior pituitary contains several different types of cells that synthesize and secrete hormones. Usually there is one type of cell for each major hormone formed in anterior pituitary. With special stains attached to high-affinity antibodies that bind with distinctive hormone, at least 5 types of cells can be differentiated.
|Type of cell
|Hormone secreted
|Percentage of type of cell
|human Growth Hormone (hGH)
|AdrenoCorticoTropic Hormone (ACTH)
|Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
|Gonadotropic hormones = both Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
|Prolactin (PRL)
The posterior lobe develops as an extension of the hypothalamus, from the floor of the third ventricle. The posterior pituitary hormones are synthesized by cell bodies in the hypothalamus. The magnocellular neurosecretory cells, of the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei located in the hypothalamus, project axons down the infundibulum to terminals in the posterior pituitary. This simple arrangement differs sharply from that of the adjacent anterior pituitary, which does not develop from the hypothalamus.
The release of pituitary hormones by both the anterior and posterior lobes is under the control of the hypothalamus, albeit in different ways.
The anterior pituitary synthesizes and secretes hormones. All releasing hormones (-RH) referred to can also be referred to as releasing factors (-RF).
- Human growth hormone (HGH), also referred to as 'growth hormone' (GH) or somatotropin, is released under the influence of hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), and is inhibited by hypothalamic somatostatin.
- Cleaved from the precursor proopiomelanocortin protein, and include adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and beta-endorphin, and melanocyte-stimulating hormone are released under the influence of hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH).: 1210
- Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is released under the influence of hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and is inhibited by somatostatin.
- Luteinizing hormone (LH).
- Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), both released under influence of Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone (GnRH)
- Prolactin (PRL), whose release is inconsistently stimulated by hypothalamic TRH, oxytocin, vasopressin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, angiotensin II, neuropeptide Y, galanin, substance P, bombesin-like peptides (gastrin-releasing peptide, neuromedin B and C), and neurotensin, and inhibited by hypothalamic dopamine.
These hormones are released from the anterior pituitary under the influence of the hypothalamus. Hypothalamic hormones are secreted to the anterior lobe by way of a special capillary system, called the hypothalamic-hypophysial portal system.
There is also a non-endocrine cell population called folliculostellate cells.
The intermediate lobe synthesizes and secretes the following important endocrine hormone:
- Melanocyte–stimulating hormone (MSH). This is also produced in the anterior lobe. When produced in the intermediate lobe, MSHs are sometimes called "intermedins".
The posterior pituitary stores and secretes (but does not synthesize) the following important endocrine hormones:
- Antidiuretic hormone (ADH, also known as vasopressin and arginine vasopressin AVP), the majority of which is released from the supraoptic nucleus in the hypothalamus.
- Oxytocin, most of which is released from the paraventricular nucleus in the hypothalamus. Oxytocin is one of the few hormones to create a positive feedback loop. For example, uterine contractions stimulate the release of oxytocin from the posterior pituitary, which, in turn, increases uterine contractions. This positive feedback loop continues throughout labour.
Hormones secreted from the pituitary gland help control the following body processes:
- Growth (GH)
- Blood pressure
- Some aspects of pregnancy and childbirth including stimulation of uterine contractions
- Breast milk production
- Sex organ functions in both sexes
- Thyroid gland function
- Metabolic conversion of food into energy
- Water and osmolarity regulation in the body
- Water balance via the control of reabsorption of water by the kidneys
- Temperature regulation
- Pain relief
Clinical significance
Some of the diseases involving the pituitary gland are:
- Central diabetes insipidus caused by a deficiency of vasopressin
- Gigantism and acromegaly caused by an excess of growth hormone in childhood and adult, respectively
- Hypothyroidism caused by a deficiency of thyroid-stimulating hormone
- Hyperpituitarism, the increased (hyper) secretion of one or more of the hormones normally produced by the pituitary gland
- Hypopituitarism, the decreased (hypo) secretion of one or more of the hormones normally produced by the pituitary gland
- Panhypopituitarism a decreased secretion of most of the pituitary hormones
- Pituitary tumours
- Pituitary adenomas, noncancerous tumors that occur in the pituitary gland
All of the functions of the pituitary gland can be adversely affected by an over- or under-production of associated hormones.
The pituitary gland is important for mediating the stress response, via the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis). Critically, pituitary gland growth during adolescence can be altered by early life stress such as childhood maltreatment or maternal dysphoric behavior.
It has been demonstrated that, after controlling for age, sex, and BMI, larger quantities of DHEA and DHEA-S tended to be linked to larger pituitary volume. Additionally, a correlation between pituitary gland volume and Social Anxiety subscale scores was identified which provided a basis for exploring mediation. Again controlling for age, sex, and BMI, DHEA and DHEA-S have been found to be predictive of larger pituitary gland volume, which was also associated with increased ratings of social anxiety. This research provides evidence that pituitary gland volume mediates the link between higher DHEA(S) levels (associated with relatively early adrenarche) and traits associated with social anxiety. Children who experience early adrenarcheal development tend to have larger pituitary gland volume compared to children with later adrenarcheal development.
Pituitary gland
The Greek physician Galen referred to the pituitary gland by only using the (Ancient Greek) name ἀδήν, gland. He described the pituitary gland as part of a series of secretory organs for the excretion of nasal mucus. Anatomist Andreas Vesalius translated ἀδήν with glans, in quam pituita destillat, "gland in which slime (pituita) drips". Besides this 'descriptive' name, Vesalius used glandula pituitaria, from which the English name pituitary gland is ultimately derived.
The expression glandula pituitaria is still used as official synonym beside hypophysis in the official Latin nomenclature Terminologia Anatomica. In the seventeenth century the supposed function of the pituitary gland to produce nasal mucus was debunked. The expression glandula pituitaria and its English equivalent pituitary gland can only be justified from a historical point of view. The inclusion of this synonym is merely justified by noting that the main term hypophysis is a much less popular term.
Note: hypophysial (or hypophyseal) means "related to the hypophysis (pituitary gland)".
The anatomist Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring coined the name hypophysis. This name consists of ὑπό ('under') and φύειν ('to grow'). In later Greek ὑπόφυσις is used differently by Greek physicians as outgrowth. Sömmering also used the equivalent expression appendix cerebri, with appendix as appendage. In various languages, Hirnanhang in German and hersenaanhangsel in Dutch, the terms are derived from appendix cerebri.
Other animals
The pituitary gland is found in all vertebrates, but its structure varies among different groups.
The division of the pituitary described above is typical of mammals, and is also true, to varying degrees, of all tetrapods. However, only in mammals does the posterior pituitary have a compact shape. In lungfish, it is a relatively flat sheet of tissue lying above the anterior pituitary, but in amphibians, reptiles, and birds, it becomes increasingly well developed. The intermediate lobe is, in general, not well developed in any species and is entirely absent in birds.
The structure of the pituitary in fish, apart from the lungfish, is generally different from that in other animals. In general, the intermediate lobe tends to be well developed, and may equal the remainder of the anterior pituitary in size. The posterior lobe typically forms a sheet of tissue at the base of the pituitary stalk, and in most cases sends irregular finger-like projection into the tissue of the anterior pituitary, which lies directly beneath it. The anterior pituitary is typically divided into two regions, a more anterior rostral portion and a posterior proximal portion, but the boundary between the two is often not clearly marked. In elasmobranchs there is an additional, ventral lobe beneath the anterior pituitary proper.
The arrangement in lampreys, which are among the most primitive of all fish, may indicate how the pituitary originally evolved in ancestral vertebrates. Here, the posterior pituitary is a simple flat sheet of tissue at the base of the brain, and there is no pituitary stalk. Rathke's pouch remains open to the outside, close to the nasal openings. Closely associated with the pouch are three distinct clusters of glandular tissue, corresponding to the intermediate lobe, and the rostral and proximal portions of the anterior pituitary. These various parts are separated by meningial membranes, suggesting that the pituitary of other vertebrates may have formed from the fusion of a pair of separate, but associated, glands.
Most armadillos also possess a neural secretory gland very similar in form to the posterior pituitary, but located in the tail and associated with the spinal cord. This may have a function in osmoregulation.
There is a structure analogous to the pituitary in the octopus brain.
Intermediate lobe
Although rudimentary in humans (and often considered part of the anterior pituitary), the intermediate lobe located between the anterior and posterior pituitary is important to many animals. For instance, in fish, it is believed to control physiological color change. In adult humans, it is just a thin layer of cells between the anterior and posterior pituitary. The intermediate lobe produces melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), although this function is often (imprecisely) attributed to the anterior pituitary.
The intermediate lobe is, in general, not well developed in tetrapods, and is entirely absent in birds.
Location of the pituitary gland in the human brain
Pituitary and pineal glands
The arteries of the base of the brain
Mesal aspect of a brain sectioned in the median sagittal plane
Pituitary gland
Cerebrum. Inferior view. Deep dissection.


text:
Tesla Motors stock continued to soar Friday, capping a week in which the electric car company reported its first profit and had its Model S dubbed the best car ever by an influential reviewer.
Tesla (TSLA) shares were up about 10% in midday trading Friday. While that was off of the highs of the day, shares are still up about 40% for the week.
Tesla reported its first quarterly profit Wednesday evening after the close and raised its sales guidance for 2013. A day later, Consumer Reports gave the Model S the best review of any car in the magazine's history. The stock soared 24% Thursday.
Related: Carmakers take Silicon Alley
Two analysts, Brian Johnson of Barclays, and Colin Rusch of Northland Capital Markets, both raised their price targets for the stock after Tesla's earnings report. It was the second time this week that Johnson lifted his target.
"We raised it Monday to $65 and people thought we were crazy. Then we raised to $72 and people think we're less crazy," he said.
Tesla hit an all-time high of $81 Friday.
Rusch was even more aggressive, taking his price target to $95. He said investors who had been skeptical about Elon Musk's start-up car company are becoming convinced it can not only compete in the high-priced luxury car market but has a chance to break into the mass market as well. He described Tesla as "a best-in-class company" that is defining the electric car market.
Related: Don't count Elon Musk out
Tesla's shares might also be being helped by a short squeeze, said Rusch. Those who bet that a stock will fall in value borrow shares and sell them with the hopes of buying them back for a lower price at some point in the future. But if a stock starts to rise, the short sellers may be forced to buy shares sooner than they would like to limit their losses, which in turns drives the stock even higher.
"There may be some follow through the short squeeze today," said Rusch. "I don't know how much pain those guys can take."
Just how dramatic has the spike in Tesla been? Consider this. Tesla's market value is now nearly $9 billion. By way of comparison, General Motor, (GM) the nation's largest automaker, has a market value of about $43 billion.
So GM is worth only five times as much as Tesla. But GM reported 65 times more revenue, 100 times more profit and nearly 500 times more vehicles sold globally than Tesla in the first quarter.


text:
NATO definitely needs scaling back to a defensive association rather than an offensive neoliberal/neocon one. And it not surprising that Germany, in particular, is worried by the Trump/Bannon message - supposing it's true that is (given it a Reuters report).
Quote:Exclusive: White House delivered EU-skeptic message before Pence visit - sourcesSource
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence briefs the media at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, February 20, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File Photo
By Noah Barkin | BERLIN
In the week before U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited Brussels and pledged America's "steadfast and enduring" commitment to the European Union, White House chief strategist Steve Bannon met with a German diplomat and delivered a different message, according to people familiar with the talks.
Bannon, these people said, signalled to Germany's ambassador to Washington that he viewed the EU as a flawed construct and favoured conducting relations with Europe on a bilateral basis.
Three people who were briefed on the meeting spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. The German government and the ambassador, Peter Wittig, declined to comment, citing the confidentiality of the talks.
A White House official who checked with Bannon in response to a Reuters query confirmed the meeting had taken place but said the account provided to Reuters was inaccurate. "They only spoke for about three minutes and it was just a quick hello," the official said.
The sources described a longer meeting in which Bannon took the time to spell out his world view. They said his message was similar to the one he delivered to a Vatican conference back in 2014 when he was running the right-wing website Breitbart News.
In those remarks, delivered via Skype, Bannon spoke favourably about European populist movements and described a yearning for nationalism by people who "don't believe in this kind of pan-European Union."
Western Europe, he said at the time, was built on a foundation of "strong nationalist movements", adding: "I think it's what can see us forward".
The encounter unsettled people in the German government, in part because some officials had been holding out hope that Bannon might temper his views once in government and offer a more nuanced message on Europe in private.
One source briefed on the meeting said it had confirmed the view that Germany and its European partners must prepare for a policy of "hostility towards the EU".
A second source expressed concern, based on his contacts with the administration, that there was no appreciation for the EU's role in ensuring peace and prosperity in post-war Europe.
Malaysia names North Korean diplomat wanted for questioning in airport murder
Exclusive: China finishing South China Sea buildings that could house missiles - U.S. officials
"There appears to be no understanding in the White House that an unravelling of the EU would have grave consequences," the source said.
The White House said there was no transcript of the conversation. The sources who had been briefed on it described it as polite and stressed there was no evidence Trump was prepared to go beyond his rhetorical attacks on the EU - he has repeatedly praised Britain's decision to leave - and take concrete steps to destabilise the bloc.
But anxiety over the White House stance led French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, to issue unusual calls last week for Pence to affirm during his visit to Europe that the U.S. was not aiming to break up the EU.
Pence obliged on Monday in Brussels, pledging strong ties between the United States and the EU, and making clear his message was shared by the president.
"President Trump and I look forward to working together with you and the European Union to deepen our political and economic partnership," he said.
But the message did not end the concerns in European capitals.
"We are worried and we should be worried," Thomas Matussek, senior adviser at Flint Global and a former German ambassador to the Britain and the United Nations, told Reuters.
"No one knows anything at the moment about what sort of decisions will be coming out of Washington. But it is clear that the man on top and the people closest to him feel that it's the nation state that creates identity and not what they see as an amorphous group of countries like the EU."
With elections looming in the Netherlands, France and Germany this year, European officials said they hoped Pence, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could convince Trump to work constructively with the EU.
The worst-case scenario from Europe's point of view was described by Ischinger in an article published last week, entitled "How Europe should deal with Trump".
He said that if the U.S. administration actively supported right-wing populists in the looming election campaigns it would trigger a "major transatlantic crisis".
The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.Carl Jung - Aion (1951). CW 9, Part II: P.14


text:
The suicide attack against Harvest Field Pentecostal Church in the northern Nigerian on Sunday serves as another reminder of Boko Haram's enduring violence.
As many as a dozen people were killed and 30 wounded as the driver rammed his car into the church's security gate, setting off explosives.
In the past 18 months, Boko Haram has killed approximately 1,000 people, mostly Christians and Nigerian security forces. In January, the group warned Christians living in the north that they had three days to evacuate or else they could expect more attacks. The escalation in violence is part of the group's efforts to establish an Islamic state ruled by Sharia law.
Though Boko Haram is known for drive-by shootings and gun attacks, its tactics have become more sophisticated. It now uses improvised explosive devices and vehicle born improvised explosive devices, technology some experts say is garnered from regional terrorist groups.
Such bloodshed is slowly being recognized in Washington. Though the Obama Administration has condemned the violence and is providing resources to the Nigerian government to counter Boko Haram, the State Department is unwilling to designate Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). While Boko Haram meets the legal requirements for FTO designation, State has refrained from pursuing designation.
Some Nigeria watchers argue that Boko Haram is unique from other international terrorist groups and that designation would discourage political solutions to the crisis (among other reasons). However, refusing to acknowledge a threat that could potentially harm U.S. citizens and/or the homeland is not worth the risk.
Last January, the Department of Justice urged State to designate Boko Haram an FTO, owing to its links with other international terror groups, including al-Shabab in Somalia and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Yet State has shown little appetite for designation.
Additionally, there are some in Congress who refuse to take Boko Haram's growing momentum lightly. Last month, Representative Patrick Meehan (R–PA) introduced H.R. 5822, the Boko Haram Terrorist Designation Act, which would require State to determine whether Boko Haram meets the criteria for FTO. A week later, Senator Scott Brown (R–MA) introduced similar legislation.
As the Nigerian government, led by President Goodluck Jonathan, uses tough rhetoric in place of sound policy, Sunday's tragedy will most certainly not be the last one to befall Nigeria's Christians. Likewise, the Obama Administration is doing no favors to the Nigerian people or U.S. security by wavering on how to classify Boko Haram.
Prudence Ukwishatse contributed to this blog post.


text:
Message from the Head Referee
A Message from the Head Referee to all age-group competitors
Welcome to this USA Triathlon sanctioned event. You are racing under the USAT Competitive Rules. In order to minimize misunderstandings on race day, I hope you will take the time to read the following summary of the Position Violations, which you know as the drafting rules.
I have reduced the Position Rules to the following concepts, which everyone can remember:
- Ride on the right side of your lane.
- Keep three bike lengths between yourself and the cyclist in front of you.
- Pass on the left of the cyclist in front, never on the right.
- Complete your pass within 15 seconds.
- If passed, you must drop completely out of the zone, to the rear, before attempting to re-pass.
Remember you are racing in a USA Triathlon sanctioned event and there are USAT certified referees on the course to ensure fairness in the competition. There will be NO WARNINGS if you commit a foul during competition. Triathlon is an individual event and you must take personal responsibility to understand the rules and avoid penalties. At the end of the race all citations by the marshals are reviewed by the Head Referee who then decides if a penalty should be assessed. The Head Referee's ruling is final in the case of Position Violations and there are no protests or appeals of Position penalties. Marshals commonly cite the following violations:
- Position– riding on the left side of the lane without passing.
- Blocking – left side riding and impeding the forward progress of another competitor
- Illegal Pass – passing on the right.
- Overtaken – failing to drop back three bike lengths before re-passing
- Drafting – following a leading cyclist closer than three bike lengths and failing to pass within 15 seconds.
Though Position Violations carry a time penalty for first offense, two citations will result in an additional penalty and if you are cited for three violations, you will be disqualified. Be sure to check the penalty sheet before you leave the race site and have a chat with the Head Referee if you have any questions.
Make sure your helmet is a CPSC approved model. All helmets legally sold in the US are CPSC approved but if you purchased your helmet in a different country it might be illegal for use in sanctioned events.
While on your bike, always have your chinstrap securely fastened – before, during and after the event! The chin strap rule is easy to follow, so don't forget – that's a DQ!
Wear your race numbers, don't leave your trash on the course, and don't carry or use any portable audio devices.
Do not wear headphones during the race. While many races (mainly running races) do not enforce a "no headphones" policy, we do and will issue penalties. Our volunteers may offer a friendly reminder prior to the race – this is just to help you! Please do not take it personally.
Remember to treat other athletes, volunteers, and officials with courtesy and consideration. Failure to do so is called Unsportsmanlike Conduct and you will be disqualified.
All that being said, I hope you have a great race, lots of fun, and achieve all your goals.
Will Dixon
Head Referee


text:
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) this week suspended its funding of a program to train call center workers in the Philippines.
In response to concerns raised last week by U.S. Reps. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.), USAID has suspended its participation in a Philippines-based program that provides English language instruction to prepare workers for employment in business process outsourcing and other industries.
Bishop and Jones wrote a letter to USAID on April 19 expressing outrage at the program, known as Philippines Growth with Equity in Mindanao, and urging its immediate suspension. In recent years, the Philippines has grown in prominence as an outsourcing destination for white-collar jobs, including call center positions, that require English language skills.
Funding overseas call centers that compete with U.S. operations "is short-sighted public policy and a direct threat to our economic competitiveness," the congressmen wrote in the letter.
In a printed response to Bishop and Jones dated April 21, USAID wrote: "In response to the concerns you have raised, the agency is suspending its participation in the English language training program in Mindanao pending further review of the facts. Furthermore, the agency has established a high-level task force to review these matters."
"Regardless how well intentioned, this program has the potential to harm the US economy and must be stopped. I will closely monitor USAID's response to ensure that America's international economic development efforts in no way contribute to shipping our jobs overseas," Bishop said following USAID's action. "We do not need a task force to tell us that outsourcing is a job killer and American taxpayers should not be supporting it in any fashion."
Bishop in December introduced legislation in the U.S. Congress that would essentially make U.S. firms that outsource contact center jobs overseas ineligible for federal grants, loans, and tax credits for up to five years. The legislation, called the U.S. Call Center and Consumer Protection Act (HR 3596), would also require overseas call center employees to disclose their location to U.S. consumers and give customers the right to be transferred to a U.S.-based call center upon request. It would further require companies to notify the U.S. Department of Labor 120 days prior to any proposed moves off-shore and require the list of companies that off-shore call center work to be made available to the public. It now has the bipartisan support of more than 100 federal lawmakers, and similar measures have begun to appear in several state capitals in the past few weeks.
That legislation, and the activity surrounding USAID's funding of the Filipino program, have drawn the support of the Communications Workers of America, a labor union representing more than 700,000 people, including about 150,000 contact center employees. "We commend Representatives Bishop and Jones on their efforts to call attention to this program and to ensure that taxpayer money is used to strengthen the American workforce above all," said CWA Legislative Director Shane Larson. "Representing 150,000 customer service professionals gives us the responsibility to assure they go to work every day on a level playing field."
Congress Moves to Cut Off Off-Shoring
Proposed legislation would prevent U.S. firms that offshore contact center jobs from receiving government funds.
House Votes Against Considering Call Center Bill
The bill would have sought to make U.S. firms that outsource call center jobs overseas ineligible for federal grants, loans, and tax credits.
The Senate Takes Up Call Center Worker Protection Legislation
A bill similar to the U.S. Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act has been introduced into the U.S. Senate.


text:
Filter by Topic
- (-) Remove Ethics filter Ethics
- (-) Remove Processes filter Processes
- (-) Remove Reproduction filter Reproduction
- Technologies (1) Apply Technologies filter
Filter by Format
- (-) Remove Articles filter Articles
Abortion is the removal of the embryo or fetus from the womb, before birth can occur-either naturally or by induced labor. Prenatal development occurs in three stages: the zygote, or fertilized egg; the embryo, from post-conception to eight weeks; and the fetus, from eight weeks after conception until the baby is born. After abortion, the infant does not and cannot live. Spontaneous abortion is the loss of the infant naturally or accidentally, without the will of the mother. It is more commonly referred to as miscarriage.
Format: Articles
Subject: Processes, Ethics, Reproduction
Breast Augmentation Techniques
Breast augmentation involves the use of implants or fat tissue to increase patient breast size. As of 2019, breast augmentation is the most popular surgical cosmetic procedure in the United States, with annual patient numbers increasing by 41 percent since the year 2000. Since the first documented breast augmentation by surgeon Vincenz Czerny in 1895, and later the invention of the silicone breast implant in 1963, surgeons have developed the procedure into its own specialized field of surgery, creating various operating techniques for different results.
Format: Articles
Subject: Technologies, Processes, Reproduction, Ethics


text:
Long Distance Hiker
Thru Hiker's Blog and More
August 17, 2018 by Beardoh
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Well over 14,000 miles of our thru hiking blogs, photos of our trips and resources can all be found on this site. We hope that the pages herein can be of help and inspiration.
Click Here for RSS Feed
Some of the links within the pages Long Distance Hiker are affiliate links. We are discontinuing the addition of affiliate links to new pages as of February 2019.
We encourage you to support the trail organizations that make hiking around the world a possibility.


text:
The UroClub is the discrete, sanitary way for your urgent relief. Created by a
Board Certified Urologist, it looks like an ordinary golf club, but contains a reservoir
built into the grip to relieve yourself. The UroClub is leak proof, easy to clean
and no more embarrassing moments.
As Seen On TV! Click Here!


text:
|All Aid to Less Advantaged People, at Home & Abroad votes
|—America's Poor (514 votes)
|—Children (173 votes)
|—The Chronically Ill (97 votes)
|—The Disabled (32 votes)
|—Famine Relief (14 votes)
|—Farmers (68 votes)
|—Immigrants (77 votes)
|—Less Affluent Women (69 votes)
|—Native Americans (46 votes)
|—People in Jails and Prisons (11 votes)
|—Poor People in Developing Countries (41 votes)
|—Seniors (151 votes)
|—The Unemployed (179 votes)
|—Veterans (64 votes)
|—Victims of Gun Violence (17 votes)
|—Victims of Natural Disasters (24 votes)
|—Workers Negatively Impacted Upon by International Trade Agreements (12 votes)
Click below to see the votes under the issue subcategories. Or to the right, find your local member of Congress' votes.
Aid to Less Advantaged People, at Home & Abroad SUBCATEGORIES
Find your Member of
Congress' votes
Find Your Official


text:
Recent reports that a Cat called Millie who was allegedly 'stuck' in a tree, after being chased up it by another Cat, have come to this Cat's attention and of course I would like to not only report Millie's heroism but also confer her true story to the masses of readers who catch my blog now and again in the hope that the story of this brave and justifiable annoyed Cat will give an insight into the mind of a Cat.
An insight that appears to be sadly lacking in most humans this Cat has to say, especially to those in the rescue services and the ambulance chasing media who rush to this sort of 'event' and in doing so; firstly create the 'event' to fill their tawdry newspapers and tv bulletins and secondly cause considerable embarrassment to an innocent Cat who is carefully minding his or her own business from very high up.
I have to say that I have found a Cat after my own heart! In fact more than that I think I have found a Cat who has been reading my blog and of course my wonderful masterpiece of Feline literature "Getting Out Excerpts from a Cat's Diary" available at all good bookshops and at a place called Amazon.com which, as I say a little too often, you may have heard of because Amazon.com are nearly as famous as yours very truly.
In my wonderful book and indeed on my award winning and peerless blog I explain the annoyance that a Cat suffers when humans think it is stuck up a tree when in fact it is perfectly happy to simply take in the view. Sorry I had to laugh then I used the words human and think in the same sentence – I knew I could do it one day if I tried really hard
Still enough of the blatant and hard nosed advertising and plugging of my wonderful book, although vast summer sales are very important if I am to stay on top of the bestseller lists for a long time (unsubtle hint hint).
I think that it is true to say that Millie the Cat is obviously an avid reader of fine literature – no Dan Brown books on her shelves I bet. Millie obviously had been reading my wonderful blog and book and thought that she would give tree climbing a bit of a go and gosh did Millie have a go! Not only managing, with a little help from a cast list of various and assorted humans who I will deal with as they appear but also by rewarding her eventual 'rescuers' with a lot of swear word evoking deep scratches.
I use the word 'rescuers' in inverted commas because as usual with any "Cat Stuck Up A Tree" story there is no hard evidence that the Cat in question who is up the aforementioned tree actually requires any 'rescuing' or indeed any form of outside 'assistance,' in any shape or form.
It seems as though Millie, a rather good looking Cat who looks a lot like me with Silver, Tabby and White fur and in her case the addition of some Tortoiseshell colouring on her back, was taking in the view of the neighbourhood from 40 feet, or 12 metres if you are of the metric persuasion, above ground in a conveniently tall tree and had been keeping this vigil for a few days, around five to be precise when her 'owner,' and of course I use that word loosely, decided that she was in fact stuck up the tree she was in.
Humans should stop for a moment before they start to panic and jump to conclusions such as "that Cat is stuck up the tree because she or he hasn't been down it for five days!"
Well I would have thought 'that' was obvious derr! Millie like most Cats who climb trees to take in the view and to feel the branches making their whiskers twitch to say nothing of feeling the wind ruffle their fur, usually climb down for food and a comfort break or two at night when it is nice and quiet and the humans in the neighbourhood are mostly asleep or rather drunk and unsteadily wandering the streets too lost to notice or care about a Cat having a err, comfort break in the front garden.
I am pretty sure that Millie was doing exactly that on the day when her human decided to panic and set in motion a procession of calamitous errors of judgements, actions and more and why did he wait for five days? Why not two or three, or seven why five days, it is bizarre!
The first thing Millie's human did was to disturb the Fire Brigade. Why do they do that humans? Firemen have probably the most important job in the world, they save people from very dangerous things like err fire and shouldn't be called to retrieve a Cat from a tree, especially when a Cat doesn't want to be retrieved in the first place.
In this case it would seem that the Fire Brigade were not too happy about the emergency call and worse still they were unable to put their ladders up against Millie's wonderfully tall tree because the ground wasn't safe, which just goes to show that Millie had chosen her tree very wisely for her period of private contemplation and obviously didn't want to be disturbed.
The Firemen decided to try something 'different' and rather uncharacteristically for Firemen turned their hose on her apparently to 'encourage' her to come down from the tree and presumably to shut her panicking 'owner' up.
So a soggy Millie did what any sensible drenched Cat would do in the circumstances and climbed higher up the tree to get out of the range of the hose, clever Cat! I wonder how many humans would think of that one.
Unfortunately for the 'rescuers' (and by now several hundred by-standers, gwapers and of course a number of media representatives) the hose trick had not saved Millie, unfortunately for Millie, her 'owner' and advisers had several more hair-brained rescue schemes in reserve and through the day carried them out not even stopping for sandwiches at lunchtime.
Next on the scene for an interview, with the media and an in-depth face to face with the BBC News cameras and then a rescue attempt were the 'RSPCA.'
RSPCA is short for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals, of course any organisation with the word 'royal' in the title is going to be a bit useless and although the RSPCA spokesperson gave a very good interview to camera they couldn't really do much because the ground around the tree was flooded courtesy of a number of disgruntled Firemen and to most watching seemed to give in a little early.
Just as all hope of a 'rescue' picture exclusive was beginning to fade Millie's owner and the assembled crowd of well wishers, idlers and hangers-on had yet another cracking idea. They would order up some scaffolding. Not presumably for a public execution because this was Barnsley in Yorkshire and not downtown Tehran and as a consequence of the geography thankfully public executions had been outlawed a long while ago.
The scaffold arrived on the back of a truck with two scaffolders, who after they had managed to clear a space in the enormous crowd, very quickly used all of the poles they had brought to surround the tree and Millie. Unfortunately the scaffolding wasn't tall enough for the brave scaffolders to hear Millie spitting at then clearly when they were at the top, in short the scaffolding tower surrounding the tree was too short.
It was probably now as the crowd started to lose interest and shout things like "shake the tree!" "Throw your shoe at the Cat!" that the scaffolders decided to take matters and of course their lives into their own hands and instead of going back for more scaffolding they decided to climb the to the uppermost parts of the trees.
These parts of trees are also known as the flimsiest. They are in fact so insubstantial that if a tree was subject to the laws of the land related to say construction they would have to have a sign clearly displayed saying "These branches will not support the weight of a human not even a child." Or something like that! But they didn't and it is probably pointless to ask if the scaffolders would have heeded such a sign anyway, scaffolders being who they are!
It would seem that the tree climbing went rather well and slowly but surely the scaffolders managed to get onto the same level as their quarry although it is clear to see from the picture below that their 'quarry' was not exactly overjoyed to have the company of two burly scaffolders in her bit of the tree, and worse she had now started to run out of tree.
To her credit Millie had managed to scratch and bite both scaffolders severely in no time at all, it has to be said here that the scaffolders really only had themselves to blame as they weren't wearing any protective clothing.
Millie bravely put up a considerable fight against very unequal odds all the way down the tree as she struggled to stay up it and the scaffolders struggled to bring her down it.
By the time Millie was reunited with her human (in the blue shirt covered in err urine – well she was still scared in her defence) she had happily drawn a lot of blood and though boggled eyed from the struggle cooly ignored the cameras, interviewers and the crowds whoops of joy that she was back on terra firma.
Of course this story is not new it is the age old story of a Cat stuck up a tree and as it is being eventually rescued it mauls the rescuers and if you humans don't want to hear it repeated time and again you have to do something yourselves.
Next time you see a Cat minding its own business up a tree, no matter how high it happens to be up that tree, before you call out the Fire Brigade, the Army, the Police, Scaffolders, Helicopter Rescue and any other Fred, Ned or Ted please ask yourself this simple question first.
Does that Cat need rescuing or is it simply enjoying the view?
And then before you cause a media event involving the Fire Brigade and any number of other rescue services just ask yourself this simple question!
If Cats actually do get stuck up trees and can't get down why is it that we don't see a lot of Cats that suffered the ultimate price for their, as human's would put it 'stupidity?'
The answer is rather simple and one day I expect it to occur to a human – very few, if any, Cats get stuck in trees and if they do then they are only temporarily stuck!
Of course there is always 'one' in the crowd, there will always be the 'odd' Cat, and I would emphasise the word 'odd' here, who gets stuck in a tree and can't get down but they are the exception to the rule and even they are not stuck as a rule if you see what I mean.
What humans should be on the look out for is Cats who get stuck in places that have doors, where some idiot human tidily closes the door after a curious Cat has slunk in to investigate a new and probably dark place.
I have to say here that some of my best friends, yes including the half brained Ginger have been stuck on occasions but they tend to be stuck between floors in blocks of flats or in Ginger's case in the down section of a drainpipe, no I don't know why the clown crawled into a drainpipe backwards either! Although he says it was so he would be the right way round and therefore able to peep out of the drainpipe, which you have to admit has a strange kind of logic doesn't it?
Technorati Tags:
Amazon.com, Army, Barnsley, BBC News, Cameras, downpipe, England, Fire Brigade, Ginger, Good looking Cat, Helicopter, Journalists, Millie the Cat, My Book, Police, public execution, Rescue, Rescuing, Scaffolders, Scaffolding, Strange kind of logic, Tehran


text:
HONG KONG — Asian stock markets fell Tuesday, with benchmarks in Hong Kong and South Korea off 3 percent or more, as renewed financial fears sent banks across the region tumbling.
Every major market retreated with the previous day's news that Japan's recession deepened amid the global economic downturn still weighing on investors. Crude oil prices fell below $37 a barrel, though the dollar strengthened against the yen.
Banks and insurers were in the spotlight amid concerns there was more pain ahead for the global financial industry.
In Britain overnight, speculation mounted that Lloyds Banking Group might be nationalized after the firm Friday reported larger-than-expected losses at recently acquired Halifax-Bank of Scotland. Meanwhile, the cost of protecting against defaults on bank debt in Japan and elsewhere rose, analysts said.
"The news flow just hasn't stopped being negative about financials," said John Mar, co-head of sales trading at Daiwa Securities SMBC Co. in Hong Kong. "It doesn't seem like we've hit bottom yet."
Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average sank 1.4 percent to 7,645.51, as investors digested news Japan's finance chief was stepping down because of health problems after facing allegations he was drunk at this past weekend's Group of Seven finance ministers' meeting in Rome.
Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa, who said he wasn't drunk but groggy from cold medicine, said he will stay on until parliament approves a supplementary budget, probably in April.
Elsewhere, Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 3 percent to 13,058.72, and South Korea's Kospi plummeted 4.1 percent to 1,127.19. Markets in Australia, India and Singapore also declined.
In China, where shares have surged in recent weeks on hopes its economy can sustain strong growth, the Shanghai benchmark lost 2.2 percent to 2,335.39.
Among financials, leading Japanese bank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. sank 3.4 percent, while China Construction Bank shed 4.5 percent in Hong Kong.
South Korea's Woori Finance Holdings, which sparked investor worries last week after its banking unit decided against repaying some of its debt early, plunged 7.3 percent.
Wall Street, closed Monday for a public holiday, was to reopen Tuesday. In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 1.3 percent Monday to 4,134.75, Germany's DAX sank 1.1 percent to 4,366.64, and France's CAC 40 dropped 1.2 percent to 2,962.22.
Oil prices dipped, with light, sweet crude for March delivery falling 76 cents to $36.75 in Asian trade after settling at $37.51 on Friday.
The dollar advanced to 92.48 yen compared to 91.68 yen. The euro traded at $1.2643 from $1.2539.
Asian Stocks Fall On Japan Recession
HONG KONG — Asian stock markets fell Tuesday, with benchmarks in Hong Kong and South Korea off 3 percent or more, as renewed financial fears sent banks across the region tumbling.