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Drake-Brockman & Kuhaupt, 2001 - Chromeskin
Essay from Catalogue of the National Sculpture Exhibition: - The National Gallery of Australia
Our intention from the outset of the Chromeskin project, back in mid-1999, was to make an artwork that consisted of two aspects, physical and virtual, arranged in counterpoise. To do this we would blend traditional sculpture with industrial electrochemical processes, 3-D scanning technologies and multimedia techniques in digital image rendering and animation.
In this project we have made use of chrome in order to harness its rich semiotic impact. Chrome is a null surface - a reflection that only quotes the world that it inhabits. Chrome is a cyberpunk reference symbol that signifies a technology-saturated world where street culture is imbued with virtual and body-invasive supertechnologies. Chrome is the sanitised, smudge-free surface of the perfect housekeeper's pristine kitchen appliances. Chrome is an automotive effect from the heyday of American industrial dominance in the 1950s and 1960s when the automobile was celebrated as mechanical fetish and sexual extension. Chrome is a pop culture referent for supertechnology - the surface of the robot in Terminator II - the ultimate 'liquid metal' machine.
The departure point for Chromeskin was a human bodycast. We knew we wanted a male figure - an office worker physique, about 1.8 metres tall and carrying a bit of weight. Drake-Brockman provided an appropriate physical form, while we were able to draw on Kuhaupt's extensive experience with body-moulding during the casting process. We prepared a series of positive and negative moulds; some elaboration of the cast re-established features lost along the way. We ended up with a hollow fibreglass casting that we used as a 'master' for subsequent stages of the project. This master cast became the basis of two initially divergent paths.
One path entailed the preparation of a full size physical Chromeskin - a chromium-plated, mirror-finished mannequin - via electroforming and electroplating technology. First, a layer of copper was electroformed over the fibreglass body elements in a plating bath. After polishing, layers of nickel and chromium were deposited to complete the surface. The process of chrome plating over a non-conductor was similar to that employed by Drake-Brockman in previous artworks.
The second path, which progressed in parallel with the first, was the creation of a virtual Chromeskin 'inside the machine'. To achieve this, the master cast was surface-digitised using a laser 3-D scanner. Then, via 3-D modelling software, the scan outputs were rendered to seem like chrome and the created body was animated within virtual space.
To fully express the virtual Chromeskin in an exhibition context we conceived 'the quadrascope'. Quadrascope is an omnidirectional interface device that displays a large-scale animated version of Chromeskin on each side of a telephone box-sized rectanglar prism. The device displays images derived from the Chromeskin laserscan data, processed against the current visual field around it. Observers are able to walk up to and around quadrascope and approach its surfaces closely. On each face a representation of mirror-surfaced Chromeskin is displayed, with the figure reflecting and reacting to the movements of the viewer in realtime. The device is a kind of 'fishtank', giving the impression of a chrome body floating within a rectangular volume. The machine uses four networked computers, four video cameras, and four 130 cm flat panel plasma displays. Quadrascope is driven by synchronised 3-D rendering software written especially for the artists by the specialist software company headus (metamorphosis). Quadrascope enables a kind of reverse immersion experience, where an audience can walk around and into the presence of a participating digital other.
By placing the virtual chrome-plated man inside the quadrascope, and positioning it alongside the 'real' chrome-plated man, we have set the scene for a kind of collision between virtual and actual agents, which is played out with the audience as participants. All viewers are implicated in this work, it cannot be experienced without a contribution into its feedback loops - both real and virtual. We hope that with this approach the work engages more viscerally with its viewers and can prompt a momentary blurring of the boundary between the living and the digitally synthesised space.
Chromeskin draws a perspective on an important process underway in our culture - it is a contribution to the public artistic dialogue that explores the ramifications of the technological absorption of self. Chromeskin stages an encounter between two aspects of human agency - the physical and the virtual - arranged en tableau. The project has allowed us to extend programs that were already underway through our separate practices, while adding new dimensions through the process of collaboration, the techniques and technologies involved, and the sheer scale of the undertaking. All processes were jointly executed and all conceptualising was done together over coffee, or a glass of wine, or in the studio as we went. Physical Chromeskin acts as a projection of the virtual into the real world. It is a kind of 'export' of a cyberterritory resident into a (relatively) 'low-tech' manifestation. Virtual Chromeskin, realised via the quadrascope, is a feedback loop into the media from which the Chromeskin concept arose. The virtual and physical Chromeskin pair, exhibited together, offer a cross-border encounter by bringing the ultimate machine-concept human face to face with an audience and permiting a strategic comparison to be made between real world and screen-delimited interfaces.
Geoffrey Drake-Brockman and Richie Kuhaupt, September 2001


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These are the October 16, 2019 winning numbers for Pick 4 Day. To stay up to date with the latest lottery information, download our mobile app.
Top Prize
On August 31, 2005, the North Carolina State Lottery Act was signed into law, establishing the North Carolina Education Lottery. In March of the following year, the NC Lottery sold its first scratch-off tickets, and in May, 2006 the NC Lottery sold their first Powerball tickets. Later that year, the NC Lottery added daily evening drawings for Carolina Pick 3 and Carolina Cash 5. Only 399 days after NC Lottery entered the market, total sales were over $1 billion.
With the NC Lottery having been enacted in 2005, North Carolina has one of youngest lottery systems in the United States. The North Carolina Lottery Act created a nine member lottery commission charged with the administration of the education lottery. 100% of the NC Lottery net proceeds go to benefit the state's education, with the current figure at more than $5.5 billion since its inception. By law, the NC Lottery funds go to paying teacher salaries for grades K-3, school construction, needs-based college financial aid, and pre-kindergarten for at-risk four-year-olds.
The North Carolina Lottery currently has the following draw games to play: Carolina Pick 3 Day, Carolina Pick 3 Evening, Carolina Pick 4 Day, Carolina Pick 4 Evening, Carolina Cash 5, Carolina Keno, Lucky for Life, Mega Millions and Powerball.
Information on responsible gaming and problem gaming is available. Or call 1-800-522-4700.
Lottery.com is an AutoLotto, Inc. company.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Another Game for Congress to Play
"'Budget Hero' is not quite "Angry Birds" — yet it will leave you squawking mad about the ruinous consequences of politicians' failure to reach a debt agreement," writes Dana Milbank about the latest edition of the game that allows players to play out budget scenarios using the budget policies of President Obama and Governor Romney as well as the impending "fiscal cliff."
Steny Hoyer, the House Democratic whip, stood in his conference room at the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon and argued that our problems could be solved if only lawmakers would play more games.
"It's so very important," he said, standing in front of a screen announcing the launch of "Budget Hero: Election Edition," a video game in which people of all ages can try their luck at balancing the federal budget.
Hoyer's is probably a minority view; the American people, only a tenth of whom approve of the job Congress is doing, probably think our leaders already spend enough time playing games, thank you very much. But the minority whip has a point.
"Budget Hero" is not quite "Angry Birds" — yet it will leave you squawking mad about the ruinous consequences of politicians' failure to reach a debt agreement. Playing off the music simulation game "Guitar Hero," the nonpartisan Wilson Center and the Public Insight Network devised the game, at BudgetHero.org, to allow would-be budget-cutters to try their preferred mix of policy proposals.
Play the "Romney Badge" and plug in the various elements of GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's fiscal policy. Uh oh, you lose: The government goes bust — the point at which it can pay for nothing other than mandatory spending such as Medicare and Social Security — in 2025. Playing the "Obama Badge" isn't much better: President Obama's policy prescriptions would have the government going belly up — the Pentagon and most other government functions shutting down — in 2028.
Play a bit more and you quickly find out that nobody comes out a Budget Hero.
Allow the government to fall off the fiscal cliff at year end, at which time automatic spending cuts and tax increases take effect? That scenario would still have the government going broke in 2027.
Even the most drastic measures come up short. Suppose you let the George W. Bush-era tax cuts lapse, phase out the mortgage-interest deduction, raise the Social Security age, slow the rate of increase in Social Security benefits and reduce benefits for wealthy retirees. "Budget Hero," using standard Congressional Budget Office statistics, calculates that the government would still go bust in 2035.
Reforming the tax code and cutting military spending by 15 percent would buy only two more years, extending solvency until 2037. Enact House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan's plan to scale back Medicaid and Medicare, and you postpone by only two years, to 2039. Cut discretionary spending by 10 percent on top of all this, and the government would still go bankrupt in 2040. A group of University of Maryland grad students played the game for a while but could not keep the lights on later than 2040.
The game, which the Wilson Center's Jane Harman recommends to children as young as 8, shows — in a way that no CBO or OMB report can — just how childish lawmakers are being. Its beeps and clicks, cartoon altimeters and "budget bust" clock illustrate the futility of trying to solve the problem without tax increases, or without major cuts to Medicare. It also shows how quickly the options are diminishing; in the 2008 edition, players had no trouble extending the bust clock to 2050.
Harman, a retired Democratic congresswoman from California, gets carried away when she calls her video game a "silver bullet" to public involvement in the debt debate. But it does prove one thing: that the proposals floating about on Capitol Hill are kid stuff.
"The Budget Heroes don't work here," Harman said.
Image courtesy of Rob Pongsajapan from Arlington, VA, USA.
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Science and Technology Innovation Program
Our science and technology policy experts translate compelxity, and explore converging and emerging technologies to maximize benefits and minimize risks. Read more


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Technical Guidance Sheet (TGS) on normal levels of contaminants in English soils : supplementary information : nickel (Ni) : technical guidance sheet supplementary information TGS05s, July 2012
Defra. 2012 Technical Guidance Sheet (TGS) on normal levels of contaminants in English soils : supplementary information : nickel (Ni) : technical guidance sheet supplementary information TGS05s, July 2012. Defra, 22pp. (Soils R&D Project SP1008)Before downloading, please read NORA policies.
Download (1MB)
Both the NSI (XRFS) and G-BASE data sets are derived from a soil sample that has been aggregated (composited) from a number of subsamples collected over the area of a site, rather than a single point sample. In the case of NSI this is 25 cores (subsamples) from a 20-m square (McGrath and Loveland 1992) whereas G-BASE is 5 cores, also from a 20-m square (Johnson et al. 2005; Fordyce et al. 2005). If a sample is collected as a single core, and the result is compared to the NBC, it is important to be aware that short-range variation (which can be substantial) for the single core sample will be potentially much greater than for the samples from which the NBC values are derived (Lark, 2012). Soil samples used to calculate the Ni NBCs have been collected from the top 15 cm of the mineral soil profile (hence they are referred to as topsoils). When the sample is collected from a site covered with vegetation the surface organic layers does not form part of the sample collected. This is important for two reasons. Firstly, any recently deposited airborne particulates that have not yet migrated into the soil profile will not be sampled and secondly, surface organic material (litter), which has the capacity to fix some contaminants from atmospheric deposition, is not included as part of the sample. In urban areas the top 15 cm will reflect historical urban land uses and in rural agricultural areas, where relevant, will be within the ploughed horizon. Surveys targeting recent airborne pollution added to the soil will generally only collect from the top 2 cm of the profile in order to bias the soil results toward the airborne pollutant inputs. Such data has not been used in the NBC calculations.
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|BGS Programmes 2010 > Land Use, Planning and Development
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CNN Poll: Obama Widens Battleground States Lead
That's more than double the lead that Obama had in a University of Iowa poll taken early last month. "Obama is winning in all regions of the state — even in the western counties where George W. Bush beat John Kerry by 17 points," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
[Election 2008]
A new poll suggests that Barack Obama is widening his lead over John McCain in two battleground states but indicates the race is dead even in Ohio, the state that decided the last presidential election.
In a CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corp. survey out Wednesday afternoon, 55 percent of Iowa registered voters who were questioned said that Obama, D-Illinois, is their choice for president, with 40 percent backing McCain, R-Arizona.
That's more than double the lead that Obama had in a University of Iowa poll taken early last month.
"Obama is winning in all regions of the state — even in the western counties where George W. Bush beat John Kerry by 17 points," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Obama is winning rural voters in Iowa — not something you see in many other states."
Iowa's caucuses kicked off the presidential primary season and launched Obama towards the Democratic presidential nomination.
"Iowa was Barack Obama's breakthrough state," CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider said. "He won the Democratic caucuses with a powerful organization. John McCain barely competed in the Iowa Republican caucuses. He came in fourth. Obama retains a strong organization in Iowa, where McCain is just beginning to get started."
It appears to be a similar story here in Minnesota, where the Republicans are holding their national convention this week.
The poll indicates that Obama has a 12-point lead over McCain, 53 percent to 41 percent. That's up slightly from a 10-point lead Obama held in a Humphrey Institute survey taken last month.
"It's important to note that today's polls don't reflect any boost McCain might get from the GOP convention, because nearly all the interviews were done before the festivites started in Saint Paul," Holland said. "This could be Obama's high-water mark in those states."
It looks like a very different story in Ohio, which has 20 electoral votes up for grabs.
President Bush's narrow victory in Ohio four years ago clinched his reelection. It looks like it could be just as tight this time around in Ohio. The poll suggests he has a 2-point lead over McCain, 47 percent to 45 percent, which is a virtual tie when taking into account the survey's 3.5 percentage-point sampling error.
So why's Ohio different that Iowa and Minnesota?
"In Iowa and Minnesota, white voters are backing Obama," Schneider said. "In Ohio, white voters are supporting McCain. What about those blue-collar white voters that were so important for Clinton in Ohio? They're pretty solidly for McCain."
The CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corp. poll was taken August 31-September 2, with 828 registered votes in Iowa, 742 registered voters in Minnesota, and 685 registered voters in Ohio questioned by telephone.
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I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
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Tooling Update
Tool System Expanded for Euromac Multi Tool
Designed for use in the new 10-station multitool, the 12.7-mm tooling will accommodate round and shaped tools with a diagonal dimension to 0.500 in.
The new tooling and existing line of XMT 24-mm tooling features high-speed-steel punches with a ¼-deg. back taper and near-polished flanks to reduce friction and eliminate galling. Hardened strippers feature a tight clearance of 0.0017 in. for good punch guiding. Dies include Slug Free geometry to eliminate slug pulling and also feature uniform clearance radii in die corners to improve piece-part quality.
Mate Precision Tooling: 800/328-4492; www.mate.com
See also: Mate Precision Tooling
Related Enterprise Zones: Tool & Die


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Eight nations will finally have the chance to test their 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ credentials when the OFC Nations Cup commences on Friday in the Solomon Islands. The opening whistle will, for several contenders among the globe's most remote confederation, mark the end of a five-year wait to vie for a return to the FIFA World Cup stage.
Most notably, it has been a particularly long absence for tournament hosts Solomon Islands who, having reached the final stage of Oceania qualifying for Germany 2006, saw their push for South Africa 2010 end with a first-stage elimination way back in September 2007. Now the Solomons are not only seeking on-field redemption, but the nation has the chance to show its organisational capabilities with what has been described as the biggest sporting event to be held in the Melanesian archipelago.
There is much excitement in the Solomon Islands for the ten-day tournament, where passion for the game is undeniable. Five-figure crowds regularly fill the natural bowl at Honiara's Lawson Tama Stadium; no mean feat for a nation of 500,000 inhabitants, many of whom live away from the main land mass.
The Solomons, though, have been dealt a tough task if they are to reach the semi-finals and progress to the third and final stage of Oceania qualifying for Brazil 2014. Their opponents in Group B will be continental champions New Zealand, long-term Pacific heavyweights Fiji, plus fast-developing Papua New Guinea. Meanwhile, the other group has a distinctly Francophone feel with New Caledonia, Tahiti and Vanuatu lining up alongside Round 1 winner Samoa. The tournament victor will represent Oceania at next year's FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.
Home challenge
The Solomon Islands traditionally favour a fast and dynamic brand of attacking football, exemplified by unpredictable attacking duo Benjamin Totori and Henry Fa'arodo. Turning the team's natural attacking tendencies into winning results, while at the same time dealing with the pressure of large home crowds, is the task facing coach Jacob Moli and the team's French technical advisor Laurent Papillon. "I believe this team can achieve a lot if everyone invests the right attitude, effort and determination," said Papillon. "There are a lot of expectations for the national team. The players here are under a lot of pressure and we have to consider that."
Undoubtedly the biggest obstacle standing in the way of the Bonitos, and their massive fan base, is New Zealand. Ricki Herbert's side have grown immeasurably since the start of the last FIFA World Cup cycle, ending a 28-year drought by reaching South Africa, where they remained undefeated against Paraguay, Slovakia and world champions Italy. Their preparations have been minimal, yet impressive, with the All Whites this week drawing against El Salvador before defeating Honduras, following a year of virtual inactivity.
We really feel it's down to us and if we can play our game and be mentally strong in these games we can come out on top.
New Zealand will have to make do without inspirational skipper Ryan Nelsen and fellow defender Winston Reid due to injury, but are otherwise at full strength. The Kiwis will also have to overcome debilitating heat in Honiara, but star striker Shane Smeltz believes the team's destiny is in their own hands.
"The conditions will be tough and so will the teams we come up against but we know what to expect," said Smeltz. "Most of the boys have been to the islands before and know what's coming our way. We really feel it's down to us and if we can play our game and be mentally strong in these games we can come out on top."
Fiji, whose FIFA World Cup history dates back to 1981, further than any other Pacific Island nation, are expected to again be a major threat. Four years ago, Fiji were the only nation to defeat New Zealand during their entire campaign, and in Carlos Buzzetti, they have a coach who has vast knowledge of the region. The team is a mixture of youth and experience with several players plying their trade off shore at some of the region's top clubs, such as Hekari United and Amicale. The team's leading figure is striker Roy Krishna, who, as a key attacker for New Zealand champions Waitakere United, can lay claim to being the best credentialed forward amongst the Pacific nations.
Papua New Guinea face a massive task to qualify despite the presence of former Australia coach Frank Farina, who last year linked with the nation where he spent much of his childhood. PNG didn't feature in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, although the nation has started to make its mark internationally on the back of Hekari's stunning OFC O-League win in 2010 and subsequent appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup. Nevertheless, Farina describes his team as "underdogs without any question."
Quite achievers
While the continent's traditional big names reside in Group B, the key trio in the other group – New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Tahiti – will all fancy their chances of success. Samoa, having edged through Round 1 against their Polynesian neighbours, will commence as outsiders. The Samoans who, will kick-off the tournament with an opening match against Tahiti, have been dealt a significant blow with striker Desmond Fa'aiuaso, goalkeeper Masi Toetu and midfield duo Jared Curtis and Shaun Easthope, all unavailable.
Tahiti, possessors of a proud football history, will be looking to build on last year's bronze medal at the Pacific Games. However, winning through to the semi-final will mean overcoming either Vanuatu or New Caledonia, both of whom reached the final four last time around. New Caledonia appear well equipped for success, led up front, as they are, by Bertrand Kai and Georges Gope-Fenepej. The latter starred at the Pacific Games hitting ten goals from seven matches to pick up the Golden Boot award. Vanuatu's young side are largely untested at this level, but their natural athletic and football ability cannot be questioned and newly appointed coach Percy Avock remains confident of success.
All matches of the OFC Nations Cup are streamed live on *www.oceaniafootball.com*


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Recreational Vehicle Loans
Ready to add to your leisure-time fun with a boat or motor home? Let GA Power Valdosta FCU help you finance those dreams. We offer loans on new and used recreational vehicles. All our loans come with competitive interest rates and efficient, personalized service. When it's time to stop dreaming and hit the road or the water, come to GA Power Valdosta FCU for your recreational vehicle financing needs!
Please contact us for more information on loans or click here for a loan application. Click here for rates and terms on GA Power Valdosta FCU recreational vehicle loans.


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SACE Adelaide was established in 1987 and is a leader in English language training. A member of the International Association of Language Colleges, SACE Adelaide is a recognised Teacher Training Centre. Read more
Location: Level 1,
47 Waymouth Street, Adelaide
South Australia, 5000, Australia
Telephone: +61 (0)8 8410 5222
Fax: +61 (0)8 8410 5661
Offering a wide range of courses for you to choose from, flexible courses, small class sizes and a balance of student nationalities, SACE Adelaide aims to help you communicate in English as quickly and efficiently as possible.Read More
With a strong commitment to student welfare, SACE Staff always provide special care by helping students with all services including accommodation placement, job placement, counselling, tour booking services and more!Read More
The South Australian College of English, Tasmanian College of English and Whitsundays College of English are accredited and approved TEACHER TRAINING CENTRES. We use the latest teaching methods and resources.Read More


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The second Monster Energy Supersport race has been cancelled at the Isle of Man TT and a new revised scheduled for Friday confirmed.
Heavy rain and fog forced Thursday's programme to be called off, although the TT Zero race has been switched to Friday, when the Senior TT is the headline event along with the second Sidecar race.
The new schedule is as follows:
FRIDAY JUNE 9th
08.45 – Road Closed Barrule Park, Ramsey to Bungalow
09.00 – Road Closed Bungalow to Creg Ny Baa
09.30 – Rest of the TT course closed
10.15 – SES TT Zero (1 lap)
11.15 – Sure Sidecar Race 2 (3 laps)
13.15 – PokerStars Senior TT (6 laps)
16.00 – Roads open except Mountain Section
17.00 – Roads open around the course


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Merry Card
Merry Card
Designer: Alisa Bangerter
SUPPLIES: Cardstock: (white, black) Patterned paper: (Glitter Poinsettia Red from Fa La La Collection) Making Memories Color medium: (black chalk) Craf-T Products Accents: (red button) Making Memories; (silver jingle bell) Fibers: (black dotted ribbon) May Arts; (black string) Font: (Santa's Sleigh) www.dafont.com Software: (word processing) Microsoft Adhesive: (foam tape) Making Memories Tool: (decorative-edge scissors) Fiskars Finished size: 5 1/2" square
1 Make card from cardstock.
2 Type "Merry" repeatedly and print on cardstock. Trim, chalk edges, and adhere to card.
3 Adhere patterned paper. Adhere ribbon over seam.
4 Type "Merry" in 2" circle using software; print on cardstock. Trim into circle and chalk edges. Mat with cardstock circle and trim with decorative-edge scissors; adhere with foam tape.
5 Thread string through button and tie on jingle bell; adhere.
Designer Tip
Alisa likes using the Word Art feature in Microsoft Word to print text in a circle and many other shapes.
Holiday Projects
If you love this card, you'll find more great holiday projects in the November/December 2008 issue of Paper Crafts magazine. Purchase a copy at www.PaperCraftsMag.com/shop.
For more information on supplies used in this project, see our Product Guide online at www.PaperCraftsMag.com/resources.
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- This event has passed.
Outdoor Retailer Winter Market
November 5, 2019 - November 7, 2019
Outdoor Retailer Winter Market will be about "how" retailers buy, rather than "when" retailers buy. Moving the show to November means it's the launch event for the season: retailers will see the entire range of products available and gather intel about trends and industry initiatives so that they can make informed buying decisions. The deadlines stay the same, but the retailers have more information. They see what's possible, they analyze their sell through so that they can maximize their open-to-buy dollars and minimize order changes. Brands benefit from early retailer feedback to guide forecasting and production.
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"Stop Nagato!!" (長門を止めろ!!, Nagato o Tomero!!) is chapter 551 of the original Naruto manga.
As Nagato tries to pull out Naruto's soul, Naruto realises Nagato is using all of Pain's powers in one body. Naruto asks Nagato how his techniques work, but soon realises Nagato is being fully controlled. Naruto tries to escape by attacking Nagato with a Rasengan but he absorbs it. B moves to help Naruto but Nagato sees the attack coming and captures B. Just as Nagato is about to remove Naruto's soul and kill B, Itachi saves them with his incomplete Susanoo. Kabuto remembers he has one more person to capture and has Nagato use Chibaku Tensei on all three of them. Naruto remembers the technique and tells B and Itachi about it. Itachi figures out its weakness and tells the others to use their strongest long-range attacks. As the sphere is destroyed Itachi stabs Nagato with the Sword of Totsuka, causing Nagato to regain consciousness. As he is sealed, Itachi tells him that if he had anything left to say he should say it now. Nagato tells Naruto that he is the last part of the three part legacy following Jiraiya — whose story was perfect, himself — which he deemed a failure. He then tells Naruto to make his story perfect so that everyone forgot his own horrible story.


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agricultural subsidies
agricultural subsidies, financial assistance to farmers through government-sponsored price-support programs. Beginning in the 1930s most industrialized countries developed agricultural price-support policies to reduce the volatility of prices for farm products and to increase, or at least stabilize, farm income. In food-exporting countries, such as the United States and France, agricultural subsidies have been designed primarily to increase farm income, either by raising the long-term level of prices above free-market levels or by providing direct payments to farmers. The sale of agricultural products to developing nations at below market prices has often had a devastating effect on the ability of farmers in those nations to prosper, and the continuation of such subsidies has become a stumbling block to efforts to dismantle international trade barriers.
Sections in this article:
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Agriculture: General


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The Giant iPhone of Palo Alto
Two years ago at the D5 conference in an interview onstage, I asked Steve Jobs when Apple was going to release a mobile device.
Jobs demurred, as you can see here in a snippet of this longish video of highlights below from the first four D events.
He then famously noted that he was not too good at going through "orifices," his most perfect word to describe the uncomfortable struggles handset makers had to go through to work with the powerful and vexing cellphone companies (which Walt has dubbed "Soviet ministries").
Obviously, the Apple CEO found his own way and will be debuting Apple's effort Friday when the iPhone goes on sale at their stores and at AT&T outlets. You might have heard about it?
In any case, you can read four reviews from top tech reviewers, including our own Walt and also Katie Boehret, here in a roundup in John Paczkowski's Digital Daily.
There is also a beauty pageant of pictures our Web genius Adam Tow compiled here, as well as a short Q&A with Jobs that Walt did posted in Mossblog.
And, because we like to keep adding to the pile of material, we'll be posting this week in this column the complete video interview Walt did with Jobs recently at D5. It's long, more than an hour, of course, but full of information.
Until then, you can see video highlights of the interview posted below, as well as in text here and as a short text excerpt in a recent tab on D5 in The Wall Street Journal.
And, also below, a short movie I did while in sunny Palo Alto yesterday, checking out the crazy scene of anticipation at the Apple store.
Um, there was none.


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No one likes getting hacked, whether it's your social media accounts sending out bogus messages to all your friends, or even worse, someone stealing your banking credentials. There are a few blogs at the Bank Roll on this subject and they are worthy of your consideration and continued diligence. I wanted to write a follow up to my recent post, I Know Your Password because I feel this important subject deserves a repeat. Sometimes gaining access to your accounts is easy to guess. From the information you post on Facebook to what's available in the yellow pages, the "bad guys" or those with a desire to commit fraud, just need a little information to attempt accessing your accounts. Follow these three simple rules to avoid getting hacked:
1. Get Creative with Your Username
First let's start with your username - don't make it obvious! The standard username is the first initial of your first name followed by your last name. Instead, use an alias that makes sense to you. It would be easy to guess that my username is "LSelnick", but harder to guess if I used JamesTKirk.
2. Make Strong Passwords
Next to protect is your password. Make "strong" passwords with a combination of lower and uppercase letters, numbers and special characters. This has to be something that makes sense to you and easy to remember - you cannot put your passwords on a yellow sticky note on your computer!
Here is an example:
Password security is good Business
Also, when you purchase systems or new equipment that comes with passwords and a default password – make sure the first thing you do is change the manufacturer default! The fraudsters know this is a way into your network. Point-of-sale attacks are increasing through this method.
3. Create Fake Answers to Security Questions
We all use security questions to help us remember passwords and add an extra layer of security to the process. The reality is a smart fraudster can guess - some call it social engineering - your password from a variety of sources including the same Facebook profile pages mentioned above. Do not make the answers to the questions easy to guess. In fact, make the answers ones you know that have no relationships to the question. So your favorite color which is blue, you list pepper jack cheese. No one is going to get that from your BlogSpot profile. People are posting more personal information online than ever before and fraudsters are using this hack accounts. Be proactive in protecting yourself against fraud. I would like to hear other ideas you may have on passwords and other security suggestions. If you have questions on other security related topics that you are interested in – please let me know and I will cover them in my next blog post.
You May Also Be Interested In:


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My computer is working really slow, I was thinking about finding some help. I really have no idea what I am doing, has anyone on here tried geek choice? A friend said they might be good. I also found advantagecomputersol.com but their site does not look good to me.
I just need some company who can solve the problem with this thing.
Every time I start my firefox it takes nearly 3 minutes to display on screen
I've also noticed a small clicking sound coming from the tower itself. What does that mean?


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EEOC Office of Legal Counsel staff members wrote the following informal discussion letter in response to an inquiry from a member of the public. This letter is intended to provide an informal discussion of the noted issue and does not constitute an official opinion of the Commission.
Federal EEO Laws:
When Interns May Be Employees
December 8, 2011
Dear ____:
This letter responds to your November 7 and November 10, 2011 e-mails to email@example.com , asking whether unpaid or paid interns are protected by federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws, and, if not, whether any further employment laws pertain to interns. As an initial matter, please note that we must confine our response to EEOC-enforced laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA). If you require information about coverage of interns under other employment laws, we suggest that you refer to the relevant agency's web site, such as www.dol.gov to learn about coverage under the Fair Labor Standards Act or Family Medical Leave Act.
For unpaid or volunteer interns, coverage as an employee under EEOC-enforced laws likely will turn on whether the intern receives "significant remuneration" in some form, such as a pension, group life insurance, workers' compensation, or access to professional certifications. See EEOC, Compliance Manual, Section 2: Threshold Issues, at part 2-III.A.1.c. (discussing coverage for volunteers), available at http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/threshold.html (hereinafter Threshold Issues Guidance). Further, these benefits need not be provided by the employer – benefits from a third party as a consequence of the volunteer service will still qualify. Threshold Issues Guidance (citing Pietras v. Board of Fire Comm'rs, 180 F.3d 468, 473 (2d Cir. 1999)). So, if an educational institution provides significant benefits to an unpaid intern for her volunteer work with an outside employer, she may qualify as an employee of that employer.
By contrast, an intern who receives only some small benefit that is an "inconsequential incident of an otherwise gratuitous relationship" will not be an employee. Threshold Issues Guidance (quoting Haavistola v. Community Fire Co. of Rising Sun, Inc., 6 F.3d 211, 222 (4th Cir. 1993)). Benefits that courts have not deemed to be significant include academic credit, practical experience, and scholarly research. See Jacob-Mua v. Veneman, 289 F.3d 517, 521 (8th Cir. 2002) (student researcher is not an employee by virtue of obtaining research during her internship that was valuable for her dissertation) (abrogated on other grounds by Torgerson v. City of Rochester, 643 F.3d 1031 (2011) (en banc)); Piotrowski v. Barat College, No. 93 C 6041, 1994 WL 594726, at *1 (N.D.Ill. Oct. 27, 1994) (nurse who received practical experience towards her degree plus a tuition waiver, but otherwise was not paid, is not an employee). Nonetheless, even where no significant remuneration exists, unpaid interns may be considered employees if the volunteer work is required for regular employment, or regularly leads to paid employment with the same employment institution. Threshold Issues Guidance (citing Charlton v. Paramus Bd. of Educ., 25 F.3d 194, 198 n.4 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 1022 (1994)). Similarly, an applicant to, or a participant in, a training or apprenticeship program is protected against discrimination with respect to admission to, or participation in, the training or apprenticeship program, regardless of whether the individual is an "employee." 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(d) (Title VII); 42 U.S.C. § 12112(a) (ADA); 29 C.F.R. § 1625.21 (ADEA).
Paid interns are not volunteers, and therefore have different considerations. In these cases, courts must weigh all aspects of the intern's relationship with the employer, focusing in particular on whether the employer controls the means and manner of the intern's work performance. Threshold Issues Guidance at 2-III.A.1. Factors that would weigh in favor of covering an intern as an employee include:
(1) the employer's right to control when, where, and how the worker performs the job; (2) the lack of skill required to perform the work; (3) the employer's provision of tools, materials, and equipment; (4) the work being performed on the employer's premises; (5) a continuing relationship between the parties; (6) the employer's right to assign additional projects to the intern; (7) the employer's authority to set the hours of work and duration of the job; (8) payment of the intern by the hour, week, or month, rather than by the job; (9) the intern's failure to hire and pay assistants; (10) the intern's performance of work that is part of the employer's regular business; (11) the employer being in business; (12) the intern's lack of her own distinct occupation or business; (13) the employer's provision of employee benefits such as insurance, leave, or workers' compensation; (14) the employer treating the intern as an employee for tax purposes (i.e., withholding federal, state, and social security taxes); (15) the employer's authority to fire the worker; and (16) the parties' belief that they created an employer-employee relationship.
Threshold Issues Guidance (citing Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. v. Darden, 503 U.S. 318, 323-24 (1992). Other factors also may weigh in this analysis – for example, some courts place weight on whether the primary role of the paid intern is as a student. See, e.g., Cuddeback v. Florida Bd. of Educ., 381 F.3d 1230 (paid graduate researcher's main purpose to satisfy requirements of her graduate program weigh in favor of treating her as a student, but are outweighed by the university's provision of a stipend, fringe benefits, sick and annual leave, and participation in a collective bargaining agreement that governs the employer/employee relationship); Pollack v. Rice Univ., No. H-79-1539, 1982 WL 296 (S.D.Tex. Mar. 29, 1982) (applicant to graduate program that employs students as instructors is a student, not an employee for Title VII purposes).
hope this information is helpful to you. Please note, however, that
this letter does not constitute an opinion or interpretation of the
EEOC within the meaning of § 713(b) of Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-12(b); under § 10
of the Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947, 29 U.S.C. § 255 (EPA); or under
§ 7(e) of the ADEA, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 621 et seq.,
which is also incorporated in § 10 of the Portal-to-Portal Act.
Rather, it represents an informal discussion of the matters raised.
Raymond L. Peeler
Senior Attorney Advisor
This page was last modified on January 18, 2012.
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Indonesia's rupiah and India's rupee led a drop in Asian currencies this week, as foreign funds pulled money from regional assets on speculation the US would soon start tapering stimulus.
The rupiah fell by the most since 2008, as minutes of the US Federal Reserve's meeting last month, released on Wednesday, showed policymakers were "broadly comfortable" with reducing bond-buying this year should the US economy improve.
Thailand entered a recession in the second quarter and Malaysia's current-account surplus shrank 70 percent, reports showed, pushing the baht and the ringgit to their weakest levels since 2010.
"Funds are flowing out from emerging markets, weighing on the regional currencies," said Koji Fukaya, chief executive officer and foreign-exchange strategist at FPG Securities Co in Tokyo. "The contrast is becoming clearer between the US, where the economy is recovering, and slowing growth in emerging countries."
The rupiah fell 3.7 percent this week to 10,780 per US dollar on Friday in Jakarta, according to prices from local banks. The rupee weakened 2.6 percent to 63.33, the baht slid 2.1 percent to 31.93 and the ringgit fell 0.7 percent to 3.3005.
The New Taiwan dollar slid 0.2 percent this week to NT$30.053 against the US dollar. Although the local currency rallied for the first time in four days on Friday, as gains in the equity market bolstered demand for the NT dollar, central bank intervention limited the greenback's fall, dealers said.
The Bloomberg-JPMorgan Asia Dollar Index, which tracks the region's 10 most active currencies excluding the yen, declined 0.6 percent to 114.63, the biggest weekly drop in two months. Global funds sold US$1.5 billion more Thai, Indonesian and Taiwanese equities than they bought in the first four days of the week, exchange data show.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Philippine peso slumped 1.4 percent to 44.263 per US dollar in two days after onshore financial markets were closed for the first three days of the week because of floods and a holiday. South Korea's won declined 0.3 percent to 1,117 this week and China's yuan slipped 0.1 percent to 6.1210.
The US dollar declined against the euro after purchases of new US homes unexpectedly fell by the most in more than three years last month.
The Bloomberg US Dollar Index dropped for the first time in three days after June's new-home sales number was also revised down. The greenback still rose this week after the US Federal Open Market Committee minutes released showed most officials are comfortable with a plan to start reducing bond purchases if the economy improves. The Canadian dollar rebounded from a six-week low versus the US currency. The real surged after Brazil announced an intervention program.
The US dollar declined 0.2 percent to US$1.3383 per euro at 5pm in New York after earlier gaining 0.2 percent. The yen was little changed at ¥98.72 per US dollar after touching ¥99.15, the weakest level since Aug. 5. Japan's currency dropped 0.2 percent to ¥132.1 per euro, extending its weekly loss to 1.6 percent.
The Bloomberg US Dollar Index, which tracks the currency against a basket of its 10 major counterparts, fell 0.2 percent to 1,026.15 after climbing 0.2 percent. It reached 1,031.37 on Friday, the highest level since Aug. 2, and gained 0.4 percent this week.


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Marina Bay (Singapore)
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Download Marina Bay (Singapore) wallpaper from the above display resolutions for HD, Widescreen, 4K UHD, 5K, 8K Ultra HD desktop monitors, Android, Apple iPhone mobiles, tablets. If you don't find the exact resolution you are looking for, go for 'Original' or higher resolution which may fits perfect to your desktop.
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10 things you need to know about Prohibition
The Prohibition Era was one of most dynamic ages in American history, and it hit full speed on January 16, 1919, when the 18th Amendment was ratified.
Officially, Prohibition started in 1920 and ended in 1933, but it was more than a century in the making, and parts of it are still with us today.
Technically, the 18th Amendment made it illegal to manufacture, sell or transport "intoxicating beverages." During the 13-year experiment, America became a much different country.
So here's a look at 10 basic trends that had lasting impact on a nation that battled between the Wets and the Drys during the Roaring Twenties. (There are a lot more, and we encourage you to check out "American Spirits: The Rise And Fall Of Prohibition" at the National Constitution Center.)
The 18th Amendment. The law that changed it all barred most sales of booze, but it also didn't make it illegal to drink. The Volstead Act put the law into effect in 1920.
The 16th Amendment. As the Drys fought to ban booze, a key step was the imposition of a national income tax, to replace taxes on liquor sales. The 16th Amendment was ratified in 1913, providing a clear path to Prohibition. Somehow, after Prohibition was repealed, the government forgot to repeal the income tax!
The 19th Amendment. This amendment gave women the vote. The Suffragette movement had close ties to the Temperance movement, and women were able to vote on a national level starting in 1920.
The 21st Amendment. The end of Prohibition came with its repeal via the 21st Amendment in 1933. It allowed states to control their own liquor laws and it is the only Amendment ever approved using state conventions as part of the process.
Mobsters! Yes, the sale of illegal intoxicating spirits was a huge boom to organized, and unorganized crime. Figures like Al Capone, Owney Madden, Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano made headlines, as did the exploits of moonshiners and rum runners.
The Drys. The Drys were a coalition of interest groups who wanted booze banned as a sacred cause. The Drys included religious groups, the Suffragettes and other people. The key leader of the Drys was Wayne Wheeler, who led the grassroots movement through the Anti-Saloon League. Carry Nation was another prominent Dry.
The Wets. Also known as the anti-Prohibitionists, the Wets wanted the 18th Amendment repealed and they finally got their way in 1933. Brewers were in the anti-Prohibitionist group, and people like Al Capone definitely weren't. Democrats Al Smith ad Franklin Delano Roosevelt were all Wet, and FDR championed the cause after becoming president, as a way to boost the economy.
The Music. The Roaring Twenties was a revolutionary era for music in America. Jazz actually had its roots in the late 1910s, as the sounds of New Orleans started to make its way north along with workers seeking new lives in areas like Chicago. By the time of Prohibition, the Jazz age had taken foot nationally. Radio broadcasts later in the decade made stars out of country musicians, and Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family became recording stars. The first Blues artists had roots in the 1920s.
The Flappers. The growth of jazz and up-tempo dance music gave birth to The Flapper, a liberated woman who wore shorter skirts, drank, smoked, danced and had a lot of attitude! Flappers were also highly attuned to any and all fashion trends. The Great Depression put an end to the Flapper lifestyle.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929. The great market crash of 1929 had a direct role in ending Prohibition, since the Great Depression that followed created a need for economic stimulus, in the form of beer and liquor sales, and the taxes that went with them. The market lost one-third of its value in two October 1929 days, and it wouldn't see its 1920s peek again until 1954. The crash effectively put the brakes on the Roaring Twenties.
For more on American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, check out its web site at http://prohibition.constitutioncenter.org.


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Sinking Cities: Tokyo Preview
Preview: Episode 2 | 30s
See how Tokyo is looking for new ways to fight back against rising waters. Typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes and sinking neighborhoods threaten one of the world's most populous cities, and the economic engine of Japan, with some of the world's largest problems.
Aired: 11/07/18Video has closed captioning.


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Cactus League play underway…
The players have headed out to the fields for practice this morning, but the first Cactus League game is today here at Camelback Ranch against our co-tenants, the White Sox.
Meanwhile, this morning at 8 a.m. we had a logistics meeting for Taiwan and people are starting to get excited for the trip. Obviously the earthquake there created a few raised eyebrows, but MLB has confirmed that there is no structural damage to any of the areas we're going and that our Wednesday morning departure is all set.
There will be lots of fun things going on while the team is there, including an autograph signing for fans, a clinic for kids, a Success Seminar they've asked Joe Torre to participate in, and a little bit of sightseeing. Taipei 101 used to be the tallest building in the world until a new skyscraper in Dubai recently topped it. I guess we'll find out if any of our players are afraid of heights.
Anyway, first pitch is at 1:05 and you can listen on KABC 790 or KHJ 1330…Rick and Charley on the English side and Jaime, Pepe and Fernando in Spanish. Tomorrow's "home" opener will also be at 1:05 p.m. and can be watched on PRIME TICKET.
Today's lineup
Furcal, SS
Kemp, CF
Ethier, RF
Manny, DH
Loney, 1B
Blake, 3B
DeWitt, 2B
Martin, C
Johnson, LF
Padilla, P
33 Comments
"Play Ball"….YAY!!!!!
Thanks for posting the line-up, Nelly. It's good to see DeWitt starting; I also like seeing Andre hitting third.
There is no way I would be on a skyscraper in a country that just had an earthquake. It's time for Dodger Baseball!
Thanks for the update Josh!!!
From Dodgertown USA, here is the lineup for today's Spring Training game…..
Furcal – SS
Kemp – CF
Ethier – RF
Ramirez – DH
Loney – 1B
Blake – 3B
DeWitt – 2B
Martin – C
Johnson – LF
Padilla – P
Good Afternoon Dodger Faithful……and our beloved Boys in Blue…………….
The Quest for #7 starts here……………
Ahhh, the sweet sounds of bat-on-ball!!!!!
Hi everyone,
I know it's very early, but it's nice to see Padilla get 2 scoreless innings and go 6 up 6 down.
Hi ITD
Just got in from doing some shopping and like TBW pointed out, happy about Padilla.
Johnson and Green better wipe that butter off their gloves.
Nice outing for Ramon Ortiz
TBW ~ great to see you again!
You too, Oldbrooklynfan!
Nice being here,Trueblu4ever.
Oldbrooklynfan – I agree – the pitching sounded good today 🙂
truebluewill – It's great to see you back on ITD!!
Nothing like sending a message the Dodgers mean business by opening the Cactus League with a lineup that minus the DH spot and the pitcher could be what we might see on opening day in April.
It's a beautiful day for a ballgame
A beautiful day indeed
The fans are out to get a ticket or two
From Walla Wall, Washington to Kalamazoo
It's a beatuful day for a home run
But even a triple will do
We're gonna cheer
And boo
And raise a hullabaloo
At the ballgame
The wonderful ballgame
Iny, that is my grandson's favorite song. O.k., he is only 6 months old and may not know a lot of songs but he does know what he likes!
The first words I taught my son were "Go Dodgers". Got to start them young.
I was just reading how George Will sang "Take Me out to the Ballgame" as a lullaby to his infant child.
Sure good to see games on mlbtv yesterday. Some good individual performances and a win. It's all good. GO DODGERS!!!
Greetings from Camelback Ranch!
Is good to see some of the old gang coming back here.
It was a beautifu day here at Glendale. I thought it was funny that this guy came over and asked me if I got any tickets? At first I thought he was talking about tickets for the game but he was referring to speeding tickets! He said he reads my blog! I had mentioned that last year I got three speeding tickets. Thought it was funny that someone would recognized me!
they have some extra warnings for speeding and cameras. We counted 10! The extra ones
I have not seen Josh Rawitch yet but I did see the other Josh (Dodger Talk) and Tony Jackson.
I will post a couple of pictures later of Andre and Loney but we are getting hungry now.
WooHoo, win streak!!!!
I guess I'm kind of surprised we didn't see Pierre or Jones today. Maybe tomorrow!!
Always fun to watch former players for us going against us. Especially when we are still paying for it!!! Geez!!! Hey Eric/Dad, fire Ned!!!
Oh no!! Ned has wasted close to 100M or more since he took over because he is out of his league. I don't know what I'm thinking. Probably should give him a contract extension. Not like we have any more viable candidates for the job!! Oh, but what about Ng or Logan? 185!!!
Hey Jhall!!! It appears you had the ITD house to yourself for a while tonight. 100M? That is some chunk of change, and there isn't much to show for it.
That is so very cool about the teenager who got to tryout with the Dodgers as part of Make a Wish. Very well done Dodgers!!
Just got home from work after going in at 9:30 yesterday morning. I saw this article and all I could do was chuckle.
Looks like this guy is either reading ITD or it's just pretty obvious to everybody out there… My guess is the latter.
Joe likes Kemp batting second. SWEET!!!
From now on I'm referring to Ned as SI#26!
The ranking seems a little high to me, but what the heck, let's be generous.
Say what old man Carroll had 2 steals lol.
Garret Anderson Chooses an Appropriate Number
March 5, 2010 at 9:26 am | In Brian Giles, Doug Mientkiewicz, Garret Anderson, Xavier Paul | 8 Comments
Despite the fact that Andre Ethier apparently offered to give up his #16 jersey, Garret Anderson decided to go with number that suits him best: #00. The double-zero is appropriate because that?s exactly the amount of contribution I expect the Dodgers to receive from him.
Wow I knew I always love Ethier is was a nice offered man could you imagine having a 99 and 00 on the roster but I assume he would change numbers.
That is a real nice gesture by Andre, Shad. But, if he had done that, lots anf lots of Ethieraholics would not be happy! We'd all have to buy new jerseys. Then again, it would be a lot more money in Franks pocket if he did it.
Excellent analysis of Dodgers roster for 2010: http://yallkiltit.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/dodgerblast-spring-training-roster-analysis/


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National Trail Day QRP Adventure
It was a hot, humid and windless day for QRP adventure to a nearby "antenna support structure", BearFort Firetower just south of West Milford NJ. I have been to this site numerous times in the winter but wanted to get some video in order to use Microsoft's Movie Maker 2 software....which is free for Windows XP and Vista users. Nice package with some enhanced features and the price is right! I'm experimenting with packing my K2 since I'll be using it for CW and SSB for the upcoming Coloradio 14er adventure in August. This video also includes some footage of my multi-band dipole that I use for backpacking.
Aug 6-7, 2011 for N0B and SOTA activation
8 years ago


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Huzur gave a discourse on prayers during ones travels in his Friday Sermon today.
Huzur said Allah has drawn attention to travel in the Holy Qur'an in various ways. Those who reject prophets of God are told to travel the earth and observe the ending of those who rejected prophets of God in ancient times. The Pharaoh's body in Egypt is a sign of warning. Tourists in their hundreds of thousands, of all religious persuasions and of no religious persuasion, see it. If they have fear of God, it would make them stop and think about the dreadful end of the Pharaoh.
According to the prophecies of the Holy Qur'an the travel arrangements in this day and age are extremely convenient and widely available to witness signs that would deter one. However, only those can take heed who have a spark of goodness in them.
Believers, on the other hand, turn to Allah with greater fervour when they witness the ending of seditious people and seek refuge with Allah from Satan. Travels of a believer are to seek the pleasure of Allah, are a mark of thankfulness of His blessings and indeed believers begin and finish their travels with the specific prayers stated in the Holy Qur'an and those that the blessed model of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) set out for us. Like all other acts/deeds of a believer, travelling is also to seek Allah's pleasure and to establish goodness as well as to maintain goodness.
Citing part of verse 198 of Surah Al Baqarah (2:198) Huzur said here matters relating to Hajj are stated and it is said that when one sets off for Hajj with one's requirements, if taqwa (righteousness) is among them, only then one's Hajj will be granted acceptance. Huzur said it is noteworthy that in any case or any situation only that journey/travel will absorb Allah's blessings in which taqwa is the perspective and implementation of good works is the perspective. With this perspective travel/journeys made for worldly gains will also become a source of attaining Allah's pleasure. One who keeps taqwa as the 'provision' for one's travels is counted among true believers.
Elucidating verse 112 of Surah Al Taubah (9:112) Huzur defined the qualities of such a 'believer'. (The translation of the verse reads)
"They are the ones who turn to God in repentance, who worship Him, who praise Him, who go about in the land serving Him, who bow down to God, who prostrate themselves in prayer, who enjoin good and forbid evil, and who watch the limits set by Allah. And give glad tidings to those who believe."
Citing from the writings of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) Huzur said the first condition to step onto the path to taqwa is sincere repentance; it distances a believer from sin. The rectification is brought about when one makes a resolute objective to completely shun all ills, which are then replaced with high morals. This leads one to worship of God and this state transpires into the third state, which is where one praises God under all circumstances. The verse then gives the tidings that travelling for the cause of Allah benefits one spiritually and temporally; a journey that is made in order to spread good is a source of blessings. The verse gives tidings to those who 'bow down' to God. Huzur explained that this does not simply signify the physical bowing down, rather the bowing down of one's very soul before God and when one endeavours to seek Allah's pleasure with each fibre of one's being. Then there is tiding for one who prostrates to God. Huzur said indeed this signifies prostration of real sincerity. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had said that man is very close to Allah in the prostration posture. Huzur said the verse then goes on to denote that when one achieves all the aforementioned good then one is not to limit it to oneself, rather one must spread it and must strive against ills. The verse states that there is glad-tiding when God's servants reach this station and this glad-tiding is continual.
Huzur said may all our journeys and travels be to seek Allah's pleasure. Huzur said he is about to embark on travels in the next few days. He will be touring the West African countries of Ghana, Benin and Nigeria. Huzur said he is going there to grace the Khilafat Centenary programmes and that the programmes of these countries are the first programmes of the Centenary as other countries have also made programmes where Huzur would be travelling. In this sense Huzur said this was a year of travels. He said prayers should be made that the profusion of blessings on the Community in the past hundred years raise us in our humility and suppress any ills. May each of Huzur's travel be with Allah's help and succour. May Allah's help and succour be with him during his journeys and at the destinations. Huzur said we are humble people who cannot make it without Allah's help. Our surety to attain Allah's grace is none other than to turn to Him. May Allah grant success [to these travels].
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be on him) would say the Quranic prayer (43:14) before every journey. Huzur said in the current era of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) in accordance with Divine promise means of fast and comfortable transport are available, if one is thankful with this perspective and joins in with spreading of good then one receives Allah's grace.
Huzur asked that prayers are made that his journeys are made in this spirit. Huzur said if one's outlook is such Allah's grace is forthcoming. Huzur prayed that may Allah's grace and blessings be with step of the travels, may He cover our faults and may no error of ours distance us from Him.
Next Huzur cited a few Ahadith relating the prayers the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said when he was travelling. He would also always pray for the journey of his Companions. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) encamped during travelling he would not leave without offering two rakah of Salat. He would also give alms at the start and ending of journey. Each time he returned from Hajj, Umrah or an expedition, he would say Allah O Akbar three times while climbing a height (and Subhan Allah while descending) and would pray: 'There is none worthy of worship expect Allah, He is One and has no partner, His is the Kingdom. All praise also belongs to Him, He has Power over every matter, we are returning repenting, worshiping our Lord and praising Him.'
Huzur said may Allah fulfil all the promises made to the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be on him) in our lifetime and may we soon witness his banner waving all over the world.
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said that the prayers of three persons are always accepted; the victim, the traveller and a father's prayer for his offspring.
When entering a new town the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said the following prayer: "Our Lord! Lord of the seven heavens and what their shadow falls on, Lord of the seven earths and all that they carry, O Lord of the sha'yateen (plural of satan) and all who they have led astray, O Lord of the winds and whatever they blow about, we pray to You for the welfare and good of this town, its inhabitants and whatever is in it. We come in Your refuge from the evil of this town, its inhabitants and whatever is in it. Our Lord, bless this town for us, grant us blessing in this town, facilitate blessing for us in this town. Our Lord, grant us sustenance from its fruits and place our love in the hearts of its inhabitants and generate love for the pious-natured people of this town in our hearts."
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) would pray for Allah's refuge from the difficulties of travelling, from returning in grief and from [suffering] loss after a gain.
Huzur said he also starts his forthcoming travels with these prayers, may Allah bless Huzur's travels with the wordings of these prayers and may Huzur return safely having gathered Allah's blessings; blessings that are perpetual and may these blessings be evident wherever the Centenary programmes are taking place. May Allah bring that day soon when the banner of the Unity of God is seen all over the world and when this 'benefactor of all humanity' (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) is luminous all over the world.
Next Huzur addressed everyone in general but Lajna Germany in particular. Huzur said this thought came to him in view of his travels. Lajna Germany has been anxious lest they are deprived [of this year's commemoration]. Last year, due to lack of discipline, Huzur had placed a restriction on Lajna Germany as regards holding national Ijtema and Jalsa Salana. Huzur said he has received countless letters from women and young girls from Germany asking for forgiveness and promising not to repeat their mistake. In fact other Lajnas have also written in sympathetically for Lajna Germany. The first ever communication of this nature came from Pakistan. Huzur said his was a preventative/reformatory step and Alhamdolillah there has been a revolutionary change in Lajna Germany. Their letters signify a specific drawing towards Istaghfar and the expression of sense of allegiance and sincerity is something that can only be witnessed in the Promised Messiah's Community in this materialistic world. One sister wrote in that her non-Ahmadi Afghan friend commented on the situation saying what terrible people they were [to incur Huzur's displeasure], they should be thankful that they had someone to guide and reform them. She added that there is no one to help them when they are embroiled in ills.
Huzur said the purpose of stating all this is that this restriction had sent a wave of anxiety all over Lajna Germany, they prayed and they have changed their ways. Huzur said he had told the Ameer sahib and Sadr sahiba Lajna (of Germany) to quietly prepare for the Jalsa but it seemed no one had any inkling of it yet. Huzur said the sincerity expressed by Lajna and girls from Germany cannot be described. He asked them to stay assured, and added that InshaAllah Jalsa will be held. Huzur said this incident had enhanced the value/appreciation of Lajna Germany for him to a great degree, may Allah increase their sincerity and may they continue to make progress.
Huzur said everyone should pray for the Jalsas of their country and also pray for Huzur. May Allah continue to open doors of His grace and His blessings.
The Jumu'ah (Friday) prayer is one form of congregational worship in Islam. It takes place every Friday. Regular attendance at the Jumu'ah prayer is enjoined on the believer. According to a Saying of Muhammad(sa) this congregational prayer is twenty-five times more blessed than worship performed alone. (Bukhari)
"O ye who believe! When the call is made for Prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off all business. That is best for you, if you only knew." more
"… (He who) offers the Prayers and listens quitely when the Imam stands up for sermon, will have his sins forgiven between that Friday and the next" (Bukhari)


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A Quick Dish: Boiled Carrots with Cumin!
This is a simple and tasty dish that both you and baby will love! 1) Get it: - 1 pound baby carrots - 1 tablespoon of organic cumin powder - 1 tablespoon of kosher...
Started by Christina on 08/27/2012 in Vegan Cooking
Last update on 08/27/2012 by Christina


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Brewers buying in on idea of international talent
Prized third-base prospect Lara coveted by club in next signing period
MILWAUKEE -- Citing Major League Baseball's rules governing Latin American signings, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said he could not comment on a report of a preliminary agreement with Yirver Gilbert Lara, one of the top prospects in the next international signing period that begins on July 2.
Scout.com's Kiley McDaniel reported last week that Milwaukee will sign Lara, who is a 16-year-old third baseman from the Dominican Republic, for a $3.2 million bonus. Melvin and other Brewers officials are aware of that story, but said they could not talk about specific players. Lara's trainer, Jaime Ramos, said the Brewers, Royals, Yankees and Twins are among the teams still competing for his player.
"I read that [about Milwaukee] but there is nothing concrete and there are still a lot of teams interested in him," Ramos said from the Dominican Republic on Tuesday. "We still have to go to the United States and visit some teams. I don't have 100-percent agreement with anyone. Maybe in March or April, I'll make a deal."
If the Brewers wind up finalizing an agreement, and Lara's bonus is indeed $3.2 million, it would obliterate Milwaukee's previous record for an amateur international signee. The mark was just set last year, when Dominican 16-year-olds Franly Mallen and Nicolas Pierre received $800,000 apiece.
Whether or not Lara joins those prospects in Milwaukee's prospect chain, the mere negotiations signal that the Brewers intend to be more prominent players in the international marketplace.
"It's definitely an area we've identified that we need to get better in, across the board," said senior director of baseball operations Tom Flanagan, who for decades has worked in Milwaukee's amateur scouting department.
Three factors are fueling the Brewers' spending: Infrastructure, baseball's new system of international spending, and two promotions within Milwaukee's own front office.
A change of plans
It began with infrastructure. In November 2011, Melvin and other top club officials traveled to Ramon Santana, a municipality just northeast of San Pedro de Macoris along the Dominican Republic's southern shore. They attended the grand re-opening of an academy with baseball fields, batting cages, bullpens, a clubhouse and weight room, plus 13 rooms of housing, classrooms and a cafeteria. It is owned and operated by former Brewers closer Salomon Torres, who runs similar facilities for the Braves and Tigers.
The investment represented a further departure from the Brewers' philosophy between late 2003 to early '09, during which Milwaukee experimented as the only Major League team without a permanent academy outside of the U.S. Instead of spending on a complex, the Brewers opted instead to direct funds toward fewer, higher-cost and presumably higher-level prospects who would be imported directly to the U.S.
In practice, it was unsuccessful. The Brewers found that those players struggled with the sudden adjustment, both in terms of baseball and of culture, and the decision was made to re-open an academy that could host and educate a greater number of prospects. In 2009, the Brewers rejoined the Dominican Summer League by sharing a team with the Orioles. In 2010, Milwaukee made a more permanent return by opening a complex and entering a standalone DSL team. After the 2011 season, those players moved to Torres' larger and more modern complex.
The result has been good for player procurement as well as player development, Flanagan said.
"Now, we have the ability, under the rules, to bring players in for a number of days and try them out," Flanagan said. "Our staff can get to know them on the field and off, and our scouts can see them in game conditions. That's really helped."
Flanagan believes that the system of bonus pools has also helped. Under the new rules, instituted in July 2012 as part of baseball's current Collective Bargaining Agreement, MLB assigned each team a signing bonus pool for Latin American players and instituted penalties, some of them severe, for teams that exceed its pool.
There are exceptions within the guidelines, and "bonus slots" within those pools can be traded from a team that does not intend to use its entire total to a team that wants to spend up to 50 percent more, but the general idea was to prevent some teams from spending dramatically more than others.
By virtue of last season's finish, the Brewers will have the 12th-largest bonus pool for the 2014-15 signing period, but will not know the precise figure until April. The Padres were in that position last year, and had about $2.5 million to spend before they faced penalties.
"I think the new system lets all the teams at least have a chance with [the elite] players," Flanagan said.
A pair of front office promotions also precipitated change. In October 2012, days after the end of a disappointing Brewers season, the team elevated Manny Batista to director of Latin America scouting and Eduardo Brizuela to director of Latin America operations.
The Brewers' previous Latin American scouting director, Fernando Arango, was generally said to be more adverse to the feeding frenzy that surrounds top prospects each July 2. Batista, generally, is considered more willing to recommend big-money signings, especially for up-the-middle players. Notably, Mallen is a shortstop and Pierre is a center fielder.
Both of those players will be eligible to debut in the Dominican Summer League this year. The Brewers are also very high on Venezuelan right-hander Yosmer Leal, who turns 18 on Feb. 26, and is entering his second season. He will probably remain in the DSL, but center fielder Carlos Belonis, who was born in New York but signed in the Dominican for $550,000 in 2011, is expected to move stateside to the Rookie League Arizona Brewers after missing much of last season with a wrist injury.
The Brewers' top Latin American prospect is Orlando Arcia, who is 19 and part of Venezuela's rich tradition of shortstops. Arcia, ranked as the Brewers' No. 6 prospect by MLB.com, missed the entire 2012 season after breaking his ankle. But he held his own in 2013 as an 18-year-old in the Class A Midwest League, batting .259 with a .314 on-base percentage, 20 stolen bases and only 40 strikeouts in 442 at-bats. He is a terrific defensive shortstop, but the Brewers see offensive potential, amateur scouting director Bruce Seid said.
A new name for the list?
It will be months before Brewers officials can confirm a deal with Lara. In his Scout.com video piece, McDaniel said that Lara "has the loose, handsy, fluid swing that scouts are looking for with the plus bat speed and raw power to project as a future All-Star."
Batista, Brizuela and other Brewers scouts saw Lara at MLB's third annual Amateur Prospect League International Showcase in the Dominican Republic in late January. The two-day event included pro-style workouts and scrimmages, the latter being key, Flanagan said, because scouts were finding that prospects were coached to simply excel in workouts. According to Scout.com, Lara tripled and homered in the game portion of the event.
He would join what the Brewers believe is their improving pool of Latin American prospects.
"To some degree, we have improved our level of talent, though we definitely have a ways to go," Flanagan said. "Part of it is changing the perception, showing that we're going to be in on players in terms of scouting. Whether you sign them, you never know, but we're at least going to be 'in' on more guys in an effort to bring talent into the system."


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An Evening with Kirill Gerstein: Rhapsody in Blue and World Premieres of New Brad Mehldau and Chick Corea Pieces(Published: March 08, 2012)
The 2012 Signature Music Series at Berklee wraps up an extraordinary season on Friday, March 30, with An Evening with Kirill Gerstein: Rhapsody in Blue. The Russian-born pianist will perform the world premiere of new works by Chick Corea and Brad Mehldau, commissioned by Gerstein as part of his 2010 Gilmore Artist Award. The jazz-inspired program also features the original 1924 jazz band version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" with a 25-piece ensemble that includes faculty and an 8-piece student string section. Gary Burton, Anat Cohen, and Eugene Friesen are special guests. Produced by Gerstein and directed by professor Phil Wilson, "An Evening with Kirill Gerstein: Rhapsody in Blue" is being recorded for future release internationally on the Myrios Classics label.
An Evening with Kirill Gerstein: Rhapsody in Blue takes place Friday, March 30, 8:15 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center (BPC), 136 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA. Tickets are $25/$20, $17.50 reserved seating. Purchase tickets at berkleebpc.com, call 617 747-2261, or visit the BPC Box Office. Become a member for exclusive offers on select Berklee events. The BPC is wheelchair accessible. Can't make it to the show? This event will stream live on Concert Window.
The concert is both a homecoming for Gerstein and a return to his jazz roots. Born in Voronezh, in southwestern Russia, Gerstein studied jazz at an early age in addition to his classical training. Gary Burton, long associated with Berklee as a student, professor and administrator, met the pianist and invited him to study at the college. At 14, he became the youngest student ever admitted to Berklee, where he played in Phil Wilson's Berklee Rainbow Band. Grammy Award-winning vibraphonist Burton will join Gerstein for the world premiere of Chick Corea's The Visitors. The second world premiere is for solo piano by Brad Mehldau titled Variations on a Melancholy Theme. "Both works are by great improvisers fixing and elaborating their thoughts through notation," said Gerstein.
During his years at Berklee, Gerstein continued to study classical piano and he attended Boston University's summer program at Tanglewood. He eventually decided to focus on classical repertoire, and by the age of 20, he had earned bachelors and masters degrees in classical piano at the Manhattan School of Music. Now an internationally recognized artist who performs regularly with the world's great orchestras, he continues to explore the intersections between classical music and jazz.
The program for this concert includes music that is often called 'crossover' or 'third stream,' a term coined by Gunther Schuller in 1957. Gerstein sees the concert as presenting jazz and classical composers' "takes" on each other's worlds. "Classical and jazz music are often presented as opposites," said Gerstein. "I am interested in tracing and blurring the borders between these styles, as well as illuminating the similarities between the two."
Daniel R. Gustin, Director of the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, said of the commissions, "Not many pianists today could successfully champion such a wide-ranging and eclectic group of composers and their music, and be able to do so with such genuine passion and conviction."
In addition to the world premieres, Gerstein presents Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" in the original 1924 arrangement for jazz band as commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman. While audiences are familiar with the1942 version for large orchestra, the 1924 arrangement is not often heard. "I always wanted to do Rhapsody in Blue with jazz musicians playing the original band version of the piece," said Gerstein. "I can't wait to come back to my alma mater to play again with Gary Burton, who was my teacher, and collaborate with Anat Cohen, Berklee faculty and students." Alumna Cohen, clarinet soloist on "Rhapsody in Blue," will also perform arrangements from her recent recording "Noir" with Grammy Award-winning Berklee faculty cellist Eugene Friesen in the first half of the program.
The concert opens with performances of selected Etudes by Gyorgy Ligeti exploring African rhythms and jazz timings, interspersed with Earl Wild's transcriptions of Gershwin songs, where, according to Gerstein, "Rachmaninoff-like textures meet Gershwin's melodies." Gerstein and Burton will also perform Oscar Levant's "Blame it on my Youth." "Levant was a great friend of Gershwin's and his favorite performer of the Rhapsody," said Gerstein. "I learned that not only Gershwin, but also Levant, studied composition with Joseph Schillinger. Another student of Schillinger, Lawrence Berk, founded the Schillinger House in 1945. In 1954 the school was renamed Berklee. Thus there is a strong connection between Gershwin, Levant and the origins of Berklee!"
Gerstein has performed "Rhapsody in Blue" with symphony orchestras around the world to great acclaim. The Wall Street Journal said of his Gilmore Festival performance, "The Gershwin was magnificent, with a sense of playfulness and stylistic flair seldom encountered." This will be the first time he will perform the work in its original version and with jazz musicians.
More Information: http://www.berklee.edu/news
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Maybe the coolest thing about the 80-year-old Northwest Sportshow that opens Wednesday in the Minneapolis Convention Center is the big role the Zero Hour Bomb Co. played in the spectacle's long history.
Zero Hour Bomb Co.?
Founded in 1932 in Tulsa, Okla., as a builder of electric time bombs used in blowing up oil wells, Zero Hour by the late 1940s was struggling to stay alive.
Fortuitously, along came a guy from Rotan, Texas, named Jasper R. Dell Hull, who had invented a backlash-free fishing reel -- no small shakes in the history of angling.
R.D., as he was called, needed someone to manufacture his reels, and found in Zero Hour Bomb a handy partner. Their first reel, dubbed the Standard, debuted in 1949.
A few short years later, the reel became so popular that Zero Hour Bomb Co. converted its named to Zebco -- and exited the oil business altogether.
Enter now a character named Frank (Nick) Kahler, a hockey promoter who also was a nut for fishing and hunting.
So much so that in 1933, when the country was still in the throes of the Great Depression, Kahler -- counterintuitively, if not goofily -- founded what today is the Northwest Sportshow.
His idea was to provide a forum where outdoorsmen and women could gather to dream. And to buy.
And a place where manufacturers of fishing and hunting gear could trot out their new wares, something Zebco will be doing at the Northwest Sportshow, just as it has for more than a half-century.
Countless other builders of outdoor gear also have launched products at the Sportshow, boosting not only their fortunes but those of Kahler and the show's successive owners, including Phil Perkins, his son, Dave, and now the National Marine Manufacturers Association.
The nation's first aluminum fishing boat, for example, was floated at the show.
In 1944, Flower City Ornamental Iron Co. in Minneapolis was facing an uncertain future. A wartime manufacturer of aluminum pontoons and bridges, Flower City turned its post-war intentions to boat building.
Metal boat building.
Until then, wood was the only material used in fishing boats, and anglers seemed not to be clamoring for craft made from aluminum.
Wood floated, to be sure, and metal sank.
Still, in 1946, in Minneapolis, the world's first aluminum fishing boat was made, a 14-footer called an Alumacraft.
Here again Kahler was in the right place at the right time with his Sportshow, because soon enough Alumacraft had a competitor named Crestliner and not long afterward another, Lund.
Each would become a legendary Minnesota boat builder, and each would need to display products at the Midwest's premier outdoors show -- a privilege for which Kahler, of course, would charge.
Seasonal magic
But the Northwest Sportshow -- the longest continuously running such exhibit in the nation -- always has been about other than mere buying and selling.
Nurturing anglers' dreams, and hunters' too, is what greased the show's path to success.
In the early 1960s, I was a kid living with my family in Rugby, N.D., and each spring my dad, a dreamer in his own right, would arrange business meetings in the Twin Cities to coincide with the show's then-10-day run.
This was when the show was held at the old Minneapolis Auditorium, with its wonderful stage where dog trainers, fly casters, turkey callers and other performers captivated wide-eyed audiences with feats most outdoorsmen and women couldn't otherwise imagine.
Also for our entertainment were trained seals, water skiing squirrels, trick shooters and Japanese cormorant fishermen.
Wide-eyed, I remember trailing behind my dad and my older brother at the show as they poked and prodded new products, before talking about them all the way home.
Years later, when I was in college, some friends and I drove to the show from Morris. What a bargain it was, we figured, to exchange a few bucks in admission costs for the chance to see, touch and feel gear we could never afford, while jawboning nearly to death resort owners from northern Minnesota and Canada whose show booths invariably displayed fish too big to be believed.
Also we wanted to see Minneapolis Tribune outdoors writer Ron Schara, who emceed the daily stage shows.
A truly mythical figure from our hillbilly vantage point, Schara was the source of our many outdoor fantasies -- and jealousies.
Stuck as we were, for example, on fishing openers drowning worms from shore in the walleye-free Pomme de Terre River, we would read breathlessly the next morning in the Sunday Tribune how Schara had instead been on Mille Lacs or Leech or some other otherworldly destination, awash in the latest gear and hauling in everything but the kitchen sink.
Ditto Schara's reports from the duck and pheasant openers, and especially the first day of ruffed grouse season. While we struggled even to buy shells, he hobnobbed with outdoor legends Ted and Bud Burger, who along with Schara seemed to fill their freezers almost at will -- and their neighbors', too!
So it was with great anticipation my buddies and I took our seats at the stage show, waiting for Mr. Schara, the great fish and game slayer, to appear.
He did.
Wearing a white disco outfit, with amber aviator sunglasses.
"Hey, it's John Travolta,'' said one friend.
"Never you mind,'' I said. "This is the big time. And this is the way big-timers dress.''
Later that night, through Paynesville and Benson, Hancock and finally on to Morris, I thought how I might someday look in a disco outfit of my own.
A sense of history
The deal is, if you go to the show this week, be a watchful visitor.
See the booth with Minn Kota motors and Humminbird electronics? That's H.F. Wellman Co., the only exhibitor that's been in every show since the first one in 1933.
And over there, the Lowrance electronics booth? Try to imagine a half-century back when the company's Green Box depth finder was introduced to Minnesota fishermen at the show and a tackle representative named Jim Ferguson nearly talked himself blue explaining how it worked.
And the Rapala exhibit? Maybe it wouldn't be there if two Minnesota fishing nuts, Ron Weber and Ray Ostrom, hadn't written Lauri Rapala a letter in the late 1950s, asking if they could peddle his lures in the U.S.
This year, the show is more than 400,000 square feet in the Convention Center, compared to 80,000 in the old auditorium.
Everything is bigger and better, now 80 years later.
Even my dreams.
So much so that come Wednesday at 5 in the afternoon and later at 7, I'll check out Ron Schara's turkey hunting and fishing seminars.
I'm dreaming he can still squeeze into that disco outfit, and if so, I want to be there.
Dennis Anderson • email@example.com


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Dr. Robert B. Hayling, an African-American dentist who played an instrumental role in the fight for civil rights in St. Augustine, died Sunday, December 20, 2015. He was 86.
Dr. Hayling grew up in Tallahassee, where his father taught at Florida A & M University. Hayling himself attended that institution, then joined the United States Air Force in 1951. After serving his tour of duty, Hayling enrolled in Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee to study dentistry. The Nashville student sit-in movement was in full swing during his time at Meharry, and the backlash against it struck close to Hayling when the windows of his dormitory were shattered by a dynamite blast directed at the home of one of his teachers across the street.
In 1960, Hayling moved to St. Augustine to begin his practice. He immediately became involved in local civil rights activism, serving as adviser to the area's NAACP Youth Council and a local leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. St. Augustine was at that time preparing to celebrate its 400th anniversary, and African-Americans were all but excluded from many of the formal proceedings. Dr. Hayling successfully urged federal officials to insist on an integrated celebration. When Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson arrived in St. Augustine to dedicate a restored building as part of the festivities, two tables at the banquet at the Ponce de Leon Hotel were reserved for African-American guests.
The reaction from segregationists was intense. Hayling and three of his companions were beaten at a Ku Klux Klan rally in September 1963, and the dentist's home was fired into in February 1964, killing his dog and narrowly missing his pregnant wife.
As summer vacation approached in 1964, Dr. Hayling began inviting young African-American students from around the country to visit St. Augustine and participate in the effort to break the grip of Jim Crow over local stores, restaurants, and beaches. Many students took up Hayling's invitation and helped put St. Augustine on the front pages of newspapers all over the United States through their activism. Hayling himself was arrested on June 29, 1964 for "contributing to the delinquency" of minors – students involved in the protests.
Publicity for the events in St. Augustine that summer helped bring about the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but Dr. Hayling wasn't finished. His involvement with civil rights activism had badly damaged his dental practice, but he moved to Cocoa Beach to continue his own career and help other civil rights activists find work. He moved to Fort Lauderdale in the 1970s, where he practiced dentistry until his retirement.
Dr. Robert B. Hayling was inducted into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2014 along with James Weldon Johnson and A. Philip Randolph. A bronze plaque testifying to Dr. Hayling's contributions hangs in the lobby of the Capitol.