Immigrants are being taught their rights in the labor force. A good idea, many of them are mistreated because they don't know their rights. - - Donna Poisl
Posted by slong
Labor Rights Week kicked off in Mexican consulates in cities across the nation to educate immigrants about their labor rights.
The week’s events are tied to the upcoming Labor Day holiday, the Denver Post reports. The consulates plan sessions with attorneys and local organizations to inform immigrants about rights to worker’s compensation, minimum wage and how to file workplace complaints with state and federal agencies, according to the Denver Post.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Muslim Americans: No Signs of Growth in Alienation or Support for Extremism
This reassuring study shows that Muslim Americans are satisfied with their lives here. - - Donna Poisl
from Pew Research Center
Muslim Americans appear to be highly assimilated into American society and they are largely content with their lives. More than six-in-ten do not see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society, and a similar number say that most Muslims coming to the U.S. today want to adopt an American way of life rather than remain distinctive from the larger society.
By overwhelming margins, Muslim Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in their own lives and rate their local communities as good places to live. And Muslim Americans are far more likely than the general public to express satisfaction with national conditions.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
from Pew Research Center
Muslim Americans appear to be highly assimilated into American society and they are largely content with their lives. More than six-in-ten do not see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society, and a similar number say that most Muslims coming to the U.S. today want to adopt an American way of life rather than remain distinctive from the larger society.
By overwhelming margins, Muslim Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in their own lives and rate their local communities as good places to live. And Muslim Americans are far more likely than the general public to express satisfaction with national conditions.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Fulani develop strength in unity
More than 1,200 Fulani people live in the Cincinnati area and are sharing their culture with their neighbors. - - Donna Poisl
Written by Mark Curnutte
LOCKLAND - The smell of cooking - rice with a brown sauce flavored by onion and peanut butter - fills the hallways of the three-story apartment building.
A third-floor unit, rented collectively by a community of West African immigrants, is the mosque. A dozen pairs of shoes are scattered in the hallway outside the door.
Downstairs, another rented apartment serves as a school, where the Pulaar language and Fulani culture are taught to young people.
All of the other 68 units in Mulberry Court Apartments are homes to one of the region's most cohesive and distinctive immigrant groups, the Fulani people - primarily from Mauritania, Senegal and Guinea, Africa.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Written by Mark Curnutte
LOCKLAND - The smell of cooking - rice with a brown sauce flavored by onion and peanut butter - fills the hallways of the three-story apartment building.
A third-floor unit, rented collectively by a community of West African immigrants, is the mosque. A dozen pairs of shoes are scattered in the hallway outside the door.
Downstairs, another rented apartment serves as a school, where the Pulaar language and Fulani culture are taught to young people.
All of the other 68 units in Mulberry Court Apartments are homes to one of the region's most cohesive and distinctive immigrant groups, the Fulani people - primarily from Mauritania, Senegal and Guinea, Africa.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
More immigrants would help the ailing economy
This opinion piece has an interesting suggestion for finding buyers for lots of foreclosed homes. - - Donna Poisl
By LINDA CHAVEZ
As the president contemplates his options for creating jobs and stimulating the economy, here’s one idea he should consider: Create a new immigration lottery that would let in up to a million newcomers — on the condition that they immediately purchase a home with cash.
I know this idea is bound to infuriate some people, but it could do more to stimulate the economy than anything the Obama administration — or the Republicans — have come up with so far. There’s no question that the depressed housing market is a major factor stalling the economic recovery. Most Americans’ wealth is tied up in their homes; housing prices have continued to fall precipitously, and largely because of the huge inventory of unsold houses. Many of those houses are foreclosures.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By LINDA CHAVEZ
As the president contemplates his options for creating jobs and stimulating the economy, here’s one idea he should consider: Create a new immigration lottery that would let in up to a million newcomers — on the condition that they immediately purchase a home with cash.
I know this idea is bound to infuriate some people, but it could do more to stimulate the economy than anything the Obama administration — or the Republicans — have come up with so far. There’s no question that the depressed housing market is a major factor stalling the economic recovery. Most Americans’ wealth is tied up in their homes; housing prices have continued to fall precipitously, and largely because of the huge inventory of unsold houses. Many of those houses are foreclosures.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
THIS WEEK IN IMMIGRATION
Click the headline to read stories from this week from the Immigration Policy Center.
Students keep culture alive after changing countries
Auburn students are trying to keep their own culture while mixing into American culture too. - - Donna Poisl
by Kristen Oliver / WRITER
More than 800 students from more than 80 nations take part in the Auburn experience each year, according to the Office of International Education.
“American culture is a combination of so many cultures,” said Shakeer Abdullah, director of the Multicultural Center in the Student Center.
In the same way, the Auburn student body is a combination of many international students bringing their own experiences and perspectives to the Plains.
“They come in with an understanding of American culture,” Abdullah said. “They really find a way to interact with American culture and also share their own culture.”
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Kristen Oliver / WRITER
More than 800 students from more than 80 nations take part in the Auburn experience each year, according to the Office of International Education.
“American culture is a combination of so many cultures,” said Shakeer Abdullah, director of the Multicultural Center in the Student Center.
In the same way, the Auburn student body is a combination of many international students bringing their own experiences and perspectives to the Plains.
“They come in with an understanding of American culture,” Abdullah said. “They really find a way to interact with American culture and also share their own culture.”
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Puerto Rican Community-Based Organizations Take the Discussion of Their Political Status to Congress
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The University of Puerto Rico Alumni and Friends Abroad Association (UPRAA), is making history by presenting for the first time ever in the Congress of the United States, the community based forum: "Puerto Rico at its Political Crossroads: A forum to discuss the political future of the island." This is the first time that a political discussion of this magnitude regarding the status of the island, has been organized in Congress by a community group organization and not for a political hearing.
The forum will be held on the Cannon House Office Building-Caucus Room on Capitol Hill Washington, D.C. It will start at 8:30 am with a special presentation by Dr. Edwin Melendez, Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CUNY), New York. The forum will be moderated by Ray Suarez, Senior Correspondent of PBS.
The event will have representatives of the three parties' ideologies of the island, starting with a welcoming remark Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner in Congress. The Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Hon. Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernandez will represent his position in favor of statehood. To represent the Commonwealth Party, Senator Hon. Eduardo Bathia-Gautier will represent the current status and Hon. Manuel Rodriguez-Orellana, former Senator of Puerto Rico will be representing the independence status.
The event was coordinated and organized by UPRAA and is being sponsored by MicroTech, Inc. and co-sponsored by the Hotel Sheraton National, in Arlington VA., and is being Co-Hosted by the National Puerto Rican Coalition (NPRC) and ASPIRA.
The Association of University of Puerto Rico Alumni and Friends Abroad (UPRAA) founded in 2003 as a not for profit organization, which represents Alumni and Friends of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) educational system residing in the Continental U.S. The UPR educational system currently includes 11 campuses: Aguadilla, Arecibo, Bayamon, Carolina, Ciencias Medicas, Cayey, Humacao, Mayaguez, Ponce, Río Piedras, and Utuado. Our Association represents over 250,000 graduates of these campuses residing in the Continental U.S. UPRAA was created to establish a strong network, develop and conduct cultural initiatives, and support charitable programs. It has given more than $70,000 on scholarships. The Association serves as a link between UPR Alumni and Friends abroad and the UPR educational system and works towards promoting opportunities and creating a support network for its membership and the Hispanic community at large.
For more information write to: info@upraa.org and to confirm your participation visit www.upraa.org
SOURCE UPRAA
CONTACT: Ada Alvarez, UPRAA, alvarez.ada@gmail.com, +1-202-997-0386
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The University of Puerto Rico Alumni and Friends Abroad Association (UPRAA), is making history by presenting for the first time ever in the Congress of the United States, the community based forum: "Puerto Rico at its Political Crossroads: A forum to discuss the political future of the island." This is the first time that a political discussion of this magnitude regarding the status of the island, has been organized in Congress by a community group organization and not for a political hearing.
The forum will be held on the Cannon House Office Building-Caucus Room on Capitol Hill Washington, D.C. It will start at 8:30 am with a special presentation by Dr. Edwin Melendez, Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CUNY), New York. The forum will be moderated by Ray Suarez, Senior Correspondent of PBS.
The event will have representatives of the three parties' ideologies of the island, starting with a welcoming remark Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner in Congress. The Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Hon. Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernandez will represent his position in favor of statehood. To represent the Commonwealth Party, Senator Hon. Eduardo Bathia-Gautier will represent the current status and Hon. Manuel Rodriguez-Orellana, former Senator of Puerto Rico will be representing the independence status.
The event was coordinated and organized by UPRAA and is being sponsored by MicroTech, Inc. and co-sponsored by the Hotel Sheraton National, in Arlington VA., and is being Co-Hosted by the National Puerto Rican Coalition (NPRC) and ASPIRA.
The Association of University of Puerto Rico Alumni and Friends Abroad (UPRAA) founded in 2003 as a not for profit organization, which represents Alumni and Friends of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) educational system residing in the Continental U.S. The UPR educational system currently includes 11 campuses: Aguadilla, Arecibo, Bayamon, Carolina, Ciencias Medicas, Cayey, Humacao, Mayaguez, Ponce, Río Piedras, and Utuado. Our Association represents over 250,000 graduates of these campuses residing in the Continental U.S. UPRAA was created to establish a strong network, develop and conduct cultural initiatives, and support charitable programs. It has given more than $70,000 on scholarships. The Association serves as a link between UPR Alumni and Friends abroad and the UPR educational system and works towards promoting opportunities and creating a support network for its membership and the Hispanic community at large.
For more information write to: info@upraa.org and to confirm your participation visit www.upraa.org
SOURCE UPRAA
CONTACT: Ada Alvarez, UPRAA, alvarez.ada@gmail.com, +1-202-997-0386
Atlanta Post Lists AAEA President Among Innovators
The Atlanta Post listed 7 Innovative African American Environmentalists
Here is what they said about our illustrious prez:
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| Norris McDonald |
Here is what they said about our illustrious prez:
Norris McDonald is head of the African American Environmentalist Association. The organization was actually founded in 1985, and although it has only existed for 26 years, it’s one of the oldest African American-led environmental organizations in the country. The purpose has remained the same: to protect the environment, enhancing human, animal, and plant ecologies, promoting the efficient use of natural resources, and increasing African American participation in the environmental movement.
Obama Approval Among Women Goes From 70 Percent to 41 Percent
Yet another demographic Obama loses support from:
Women:
It is called "Buyer's remorse" and almost every Demographic is suffering from it as a new poll by CNN and ORC International finds that 27 percent of Democrats would like to see their party nominate a candidate other than Barack Obama for president in 2012. (Source)
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Women:
Barack Obama defeated Sen. John McCain 56 percent to 43 percent among female voters in the 2008 presidential election, according to the network exit poll, and Obama’s job performance as president won the support of 70 percent of women early in his tenure.But Gallup polling last week showed that only 41 percent of women now say they approve of the way Obama is handling his job as president. That is an all-time low--down from the previous low of 43 percent, which is what Obama’s approval had been among women in each of the previous three weeks.
Obama’s approval has dropped 11 points among women over the past three months. In the last week of May, according to the Gallup poll, the president’s approval among females was at 52 percent.
Obama’s approval among women peaked at 70 percent in the week of Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2009, his first full week in office.
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It is called "Buyer's remorse" and almost every Demographic is suffering from it as a new poll by CNN and ORC International finds that 27 percent of Democrats would like to see their party nominate a candidate other than Barack Obama for president in 2012. (Source)
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Human Slingshot + Slip and Slide = Epic Air
While we're sharing videos today, here's one more, just for the fun of it. It features a "human slingshot" which consists of a mechanical pulley system anchored to a pick-up truck, and pulled by an ATV, with an inter-tube on the other end. The tube is then pulled down a giant slip and slide, hurdling anyone riding on it into the air, only to splashdown in the middle of lake. This sounds far more complicated than it actually is, and the video will make it it all clear. The question is, would you take a ride on this thing?
The video is a publicity stunt from Vooray, an outdoor, active clothing company, but it looks like a fun way to end the summer. Crazy fun!
The video is a publicity stunt from Vooray, an outdoor, active clothing company, but it looks like a fun way to end the summer. Crazy fun!
The River Why Supports The River Network
The River Why, a new film set to make its debut soon, is the story of Gus Orviston, who is described as "the Mozart of flyfishing." After an argument with his parents, 20-year old Gus leaves home to live in the wilderness beside an idyllic river, where he plans to escape the challenges of life and spend his time fishing. Instead, he ends up meeting a cast of unlikely characters, including a young woman that he falls in love with. Its sort of Into The Wild, but with a fishing pole.
The film is set to have its world premiere in Portland, Oregon on September 9 at the Hollywood Theater, where guests and ticket holders will have the opportunity to support The River Network, a non-proft dedicated to protecting and resorting waterways across the U.S.
The film's debut will also serve as the beginning of the countdown towards the 13th annual River Rally, a conference held each year for the top watershed conservation specialists in the United States. The River Network is bring that event to Portland from May 4-7, 2012, with keynote speakers including Bobby Kennedy, Jr. and Alexandra Cousteau.
If you're interested in attending the premiere of the film, you can buy tickets by clicking here. The $20 fee includes admission to the film, a donation to The River Network, and a raffle ticket for a chance to win great prizes. Three of the film's stars, William Hurt and Zach Gilford, and Alex Hurt, along with Producer Kristi Denton, will be on hand for the event as well.
Checkout the trailer for the film below.
Taking Care Of Mother Earth
I've seen this video making the rounds a bit the past week or so, and thought it was worth sharing here as well. For starters, it is beautifully shot and captures incredible images from around the globe, some breathtakingly beautiful, others very sobering.
The video was created by Vivek Chauhan, a young filmmaker working with Sanctuary Asia, and it is a good reminder that our planet is alive and that our actions have consequences that can endanger our environments. Warning, there are a few scenes that are a bit tough to watch, so keep that in mind when you're viewing this. It is a short film that can be humbling, inspiring, and terrifying all at the same time.
The video was created by Vivek Chauhan, a young filmmaker working with Sanctuary Asia, and it is a good reminder that our planet is alive and that our actions have consequences that can endanger our environments. Warning, there are a few scenes that are a bit tough to watch, so keep that in mind when you're viewing this. It is a short film that can be humbling, inspiring, and terrifying all at the same time.
Early Registration For The Checkpoint Tracker Championship Ends Tonight
Adventure racers planning on competing in the Checkpoint Tracker Championship, to be held in western Kentucky this October, may want to get their registrations in today. Not only is the field for the event filling up very quickly, today is the final day to get the early registration discount.
The race is scheduled to take place on October 21 in the Land Between The Lakes and will feature a 100+ mile course designed to challenge the teams with plenty of mountain biking, trekking, paddling, and more. Currently, registration for the event is $250 per person, but after midnight tonight that price goes up to $275. That entry fee includes registration for the Championship, pre and post-race dinners, a limited edition Checkpoint Tracker Championship fleece, a Checkpoint Tracker hat, maps from MyTopo.com, and more.
If your team is looking for a great event to compete in this fall, than you should be strongly considering this race. Not only is the setting going to be a remarkable place to compete, but this will be one of the premiere races in North America for the remainder of the year. Most of the top teams in the country will be on hand, so it is a great place to test your skills, and above all else, it should simply be a fun weekend.
Hurry and register now before the price goes up at the end of the day.
'Suspicious Package' Sends 3 To Hospital; Hazmat Crews Are At Scott Air Force Base
From the Scott Air Force Base website:
CBS St. Louis reports Hazmat crews are on the scene.
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8/31/2011 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- -- Scott AFB is responding to a suspicious package at building 1650, the official mail center. The building has been evacuated and 3 people have been transported to Memorial Hospital as a result of possible chemical exposure. Another 13 people are being decontaminated on site.
The education center, bowling alley, Information Tickets and Tours office, Airman Family Readiness Center are closed until further notice. First responders are on scene. All areas have been evacuated.
There is no immediate threat to the community. Direct call to main public affairs office at 618-256-4241.
CBS St. Louis reports Hazmat crews are on the scene.
“Currently we’re responding to a suspicious package that occurred at the official mail center (Building 1650),” SAFB spokesman Lt. Benjamin Garland tells KMOX News.
He said they’re not releasing any further information about the “suspicious package” or what it may have contained at this time. However the package reportedly emitted a sulphur-like smell.
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London2London Update: Sarah's In China And Headed Towards The Sea
It has been nearly five months since Sarah Outen set out on her London2London via The World expedition, so we're long over due for an update on her progress. As you might recall, London2London is an attempt to circumnavigate the planet completely under human power, and considering Sarah has already rowed across the Indian Ocean, she knows a thing or two about human-powered adventures.
When she began her journey, Sarah started in London, and paddled down the River Thames, and across the English Channel, making landfall in France. After that, she jumped on her bike and started along ride across Europe and Asia. She's made great progress however, and she's already into China and making her way towards the Pacific Coast, where she'll eventually kayak to Japan, and then row across the North Pacific, eventually arriving in Vancouver.
As you can imagine, it has been a very busy and eventful five months for Sarah, with lots of adventures on her route. Although she has been joined by a few others along the way, she's currently riding alone, somewhere in eastern China. She's well ahead of schedule however, and is likely to take some down time for awhile after this epic ride, as she doesn't expect to start rowing the Pacific until the spring of 2012. In a recent blog post however, she did show off her new boat, the Gulliver, which she'll use in that crossing.
Below you'll find a great video of Sarah riding in China which will give you a sense of what it is like for her on the road day in and day out. The video was shot back in July, but shows her taking on a rather long and tough climb on her bike that is built more for strength than speed.
Stay tuned for more updates from Sarah as she nears the end of her first stage and gets ready to hit the water.
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan Hails Property Owned by Hawaii NeighborWorks Affiliate as Model for the Nation
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| (l-r): HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan; Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie; Hawaii Mutual Housing Association Executive Director Dave Nakamura; Mutual Housing Board President Dee Dee Letts; Palolo Homes Resident Services Manager Dahlia Asuega |
With a $1.7 million grant from HUD and additional funding from public and private sector partners, Palolo Valley Homes was renovated with new services and amenities such as a state-of-the-art learning center, children’s play area and a health examination room. With federal funds in short supply, partnerships like the one put to use in Palolo are being looked at for housing across the nation.
“We have a comprehensive housing policy in Hawaii that includes repairing and building public housing units where people feel safe in their community and proud of their home,” Governor Abercrombie said.
“I will go back to Washington D.C. inspired by your example,” Secretary Donovan said during his visit to Palolo Valley Homes. “We want innovative techniques in bringing nonprofit and private partners to the table to make a community truly a home to its residents.”
The governor and housing secretary also visited Hawaii Public Housing Authority’s Mayor Wright housing, where partnerships are being looked at to make much-needed renovations.
Learn more about the Secretary’s visit.
Using Gmail, Calendar and Docs without an internet connection
(Cross-posted on the Gmail Blog.)
The great thing about web apps is that you can access all of your information on the go, and we’ve introduced ways to use Google Apps on a variety of devices like mobile phones and tablets. But it’s inevitable that you’ll occasionally find yourself in situations when you don’t have an internet connection, like planes, trains and carpools. When we announced Chromebooks at Google I/O 2011, we talked about bringing offline access to our web apps, and now we’re taking our first steps in that direction. Gmail offline will be available today, and offline for Google Calendar and Google Docs will be rolling out over the next week, starting today.
Gmail Offline is a Chrome Web Store app that’s intended for situations when you need to read, respond to, organize and archive email without an internet connection. This HTML5-powered app is based on the Gmail web app for tablets, which was built to function with or without web access. After you install the Gmail Offline app from the Chrome Web Store, you can continue using Gmail when you lose your connection by clicking the Gmail Offline icon on Chrome’s “new tab” page.
Google Calendar and Google Docs let you seamlessly transition between on- and offline modes. When you’re offline in Google Calendar, you can view events from your calendars and RSVP to appointments. With Google Docs you can view documents and spreadsheets when you don’t have a connection. Offline editing isn’t ready yet, but we know it’s important to many of you, and we’re working hard to make it a reality. To get started using Google Calendar or Google Docs offline, just click the gear icon at the top right corner of the web app and select the option for offline access.
IT administrators can deploy Chrome Web Store apps to users en masse by setting up organizational policies for Chrome.
Today’s world doesn’t slow down when you’re offline and it’s a great feeling to be productive from anywhere, on any device, at any time. We’re pushing the boundaries of modern browsers to make this possible, and while we hope that many users will already find today’s offline functionality useful, this is only the beginning. Support for offline document editing and customizing the amount of email to be synchronized will be coming in the future. We also look forward to making offline access more widely available when other browsers support advanced functionality (like background pages).
On the Larry Derfner affair
It was last week, while marching in J Street's day of action for two states, that I was shocked to learn of what Larry Derfner had written on his personal blog, explicitly justifying Palestinian terrorism. As a result, he's been fired as a columnist for The Jerusalem Post, even though he had published an apology and withdrawn the objectionable blog post.
It's clear (even within the full context of what he wrote then) that Derfner meant to shock Israelis into action against the occupation and for a two-state solution rather than to applaud Palestinian terrorism. I'm somewhat divided on whether The Post should have fired him. Following his apology and explanation, it can be argued that the firing was not justified. On the other hand, The Post faced an understandable backlash from many readers.
His blogging colleague, Dimi Reider, has pointed out that the right-leaning Post does not discipline its right-wing writers for their misdeeds. I'd add that The Jerusalem Post was absolutely wrong for firing Naomi Chazan during the Im Tirtzu-New Israel Fund brouhaha last year.
Robert Mackey, in his NY Times Lede blog, has admirably summed up the issues in this matter. He also includes important links and references, should you want to examine this further.
As for the substance of Derfner's writing, what occupation still means for the Palestinians, I recommend this article by Haaretz West Bank correspondent Amira Hass. Although I can do without her overall anti-Zionist perspective, this is a taste of why I'm recommending it:
It's clear (even within the full context of what he wrote then) that Derfner meant to shock Israelis into action against the occupation and for a two-state solution rather than to applaud Palestinian terrorism. I'm somewhat divided on whether The Post should have fired him. Following his apology and explanation, it can be argued that the firing was not justified. On the other hand, The Post faced an understandable backlash from many readers.
His blogging colleague, Dimi Reider, has pointed out that the right-leaning Post does not discipline its right-wing writers for their misdeeds. I'd add that The Jerusalem Post was absolutely wrong for firing Naomi Chazan during the Im Tirtzu-New Israel Fund brouhaha last year.
Robert Mackey, in his NY Times Lede blog, has admirably summed up the issues in this matter. He also includes important links and references, should you want to examine this further.
As for the substance of Derfner's writing, what occupation still means for the Palestinians, I recommend this article by Haaretz West Bank correspondent Amira Hass. Although I can do without her overall anti-Zionist perspective, this is a taste of why I'm recommending it:
.... What does it mean when Supreme Court justices allow the separation barrier to turn the village of Walajeh into a ghetto? Does it mean they're not afraid of the International Court of Justice in the Hague? ... What does it mean that in the midst of a period of calm in the West Bank, Israel Defense Forces soldiers kill two young men in Qalandiyah, that Civil Administration officials issue demolition orders, that the military court arrests Palestinian children on suspicion of throwing rocks and the civil court releases settlers who are suspected of nearly splitting the head of a Palestinian boy?....
Get your gear here: an effortless bike pump, getting clean water
Camping and RVing doesn’t just involve the pulling up to a site, pitching a tent or hooking up and kicking back – there are usually activities planned, and that means gear.
It seems as though every time we head out, someone brings along a new piece of gear that I wind up coveting, and it’s a struggle to keep from running out after the trip and buying it. Not only is the cost a factor – we just can’t afford every new gadget and gizmo – but there are also the considerations of space and weight. In addition, I think we can all count the number of items collecting dust in the corners of closets and storage spaces.
But every once in a while, a piece of equipment turns out to be truly revolutionary, a top-notch replacement or so useful that it does wind up being worth the money. Here are a few that have earned a permanent spot on our excursions:
Topeak Harpoon S2 Harpoon Master Blaster Bike Pump
Not only is this now the bike pump we carry while we’re actually biking – it’s so small, it works well attached to a bike or stashed in a backpack – it replaced our floor pump, as well. It automatically adjusts to fit either Presta or Schrader valves, so there’s none of that awkward unscrewing of caps and pulling out the spongy insides (and then dropping all the innards into the dirt with filthy hands, etc., while you’re on the trail), and it locks right on. But the best part is that this little thing rocks on the inflation part: It not only sends a big burst of air in when you push in, but also when you pull the handle out. So the tire fills up in no time, and pretty much effortlessly, so a small child can do it. If you’re worried about overinflating, just switch it over to low pressure. Also comes with a needle attachment for inflating basketballs and soccer balls.
Buy it here: www.amazon.com, $23
SteriPEN Water Purification System
If you’ve been using the old iodine tablets or chlorine to sterilize your water when on a long backcountry hike, it’s time to check out this system. Lightweight and economical in the long run, the unit uses ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and viruses in the water. You just stick the wand end of the PEN into the water, and wait until the light turns off, which indicates that the water is clean. The PEN claims to be 99.9 percent effective, which is as good as or better than any other system. Initially, the cost will seem prohibitive, and at first I was skeptical about the battery use, but now that I’ve been using it for a year, I’m sold. Each set of rechargeable batteries is supposed to be good for between 50-75 liters of water, but I’ve actually gotten closer to about 80 (they recently came out with a hand-powered unit, by the way, but I haven’t tested it). Bonus: Iodine and chlorine make the water taste icky. I have a friend who’s so enamored of the SteriPEN, he takes the small unit along each week when he trains for a marathon.
Buy it here: www.steripen.com, starts at $70
eGear Collapsible Floating Lantern
River rafters, fishermen and other water bugs will appreciate this waterproof lantern, but everyone who needs light at night and knows that sometimes it rains, you want a small compact unit that packs away easily, and that it’s nice when you can hook the thing onto something at a weird angle will love it, too. The hook pulls out of the handle, which is ingenious, and the light comes on as soon as you open it up, so no fumbling around for a switch in the dark. It’s 6” high and 3” around, and takes 3 AA batteries.
Buy it here: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/, $13
The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Viocorp broadcasts clear signal for growth with Google Apps
(Cross-posted on the Google Australia Blog)
Editors note: Today’s guest blogger is Ian Gardiner, CEO of Viocorp, a leading provider of digital broadcast video solutions in Asia Pacific. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say.
Viocorp has provided digital broadcast video solutions to local and global corporations, governments, and media companies since 2002. The video webcasts we host, such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race or World Youth Day, often attract millions of viewers worldwide. We manage the back-end infrastructure to encode and deliver video of these events online, giving businesses an easy way to publish these digital media webcasts. Our customers don’t have to install anything on their end. They just buy a username and password and we deliver our services through the web browser.Prior to Google Apps, we used a legacy on-premise solution to support our communication needs. Exchange had several shortcomings which became especially obvious as our business started to expand. Employees working from home and on the road had frequent problems with mobile email access and with synchronization of email across multiple devices. Our IT staff spent hundreds of hours each year managing and maintaining our email server when they could have been improving our video software solutions.
As a company that provides its services entirely online, we saw Google Apps for Business as a natural fit. Deployment was very easy and there were no major issues since Google Apps supports user choice, enabling us to have a gradual transition. Initially most of our users chose to maintain Microsoft Outlook as their email client, but today, given the option between Gmail or Microsoft Outlook, 90 percent of our employees choose Gmail.
We’ve also adopted Google Calendar to set up meetings and reserve shared resources such as conference rooms. Google Talk and Google Docs let us create, share, and collaborate faster than ever, moving projects forward as teams connected by real time information. Most importantly, Google Apps lets our employees work from anywhere with any smartphone or web-enabled tablet. When I’m in transit to client meetings, I can use my phone to email, chat, or even review my presentation in Google Docs. And every month we get new features that support innovation and efficiency within the company—at no extra cost.
Wanted: Presidential Management Fellows
Opportunity for graduate students to be part of the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program and the U.S. Forest Service
The PMF program is a prestigious, government-wide fellowship that aims to recruit graduate students (masters, law, or doctorate) who demonstrate promise as future leaders into public service. It is a two year program that provides opportunities for leadership and management development and it leads to a permanent job with the Federal Government.
**If you know of any graduate students or graduate programs that would be interested in hearing about this wonderful opportunity, please pass this information to them.**
This is a call for outstanding graduate student candidates of all backgrounds to apply for nomination to the PMF program. This year’s application period is from September 15-25 2011. More information can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) PMF website: https://www.pmf.opm.gov/ .
The PMF program includes opportunities with dozens of federal agencies in many disciplines. However, as a Forest Service PMF, I’d like to share some of the unique aspects of the PMF program in the U.S. Forest Service that distinguish us from other agencies. The Forest Service PMF program provides:
• Entry at high level positions with fast-paced promotion
• Excellent training and developmental opportunities
• Engaged network of current and former PMFs in the Forest Service
• Support for the PMF program from the highest levels of the agency
• Opportunities to work in all regions of the country
Forest Service PMFs include graduates with degrees in natural resource management, law, public policy and planning, environmental studies/sciences, wildlife biology, forestry, landscape architecture, economics, and more. For more information about the Forest Service PMF program, visit our website (http://www.fs.fed.us/fsjobs/pmf/index.html ) or feel free to send an email or call.
A list of key deadlines for the program are at the bottom of this email and can also be found on the OPM website.
Feel free to contact Ms. Lin for advice, assistance, or questions.
Sonja Lin
Program Specialist PMF
USDA Forest Service
Strategic Planning, Budget and Accountability
(202) 205-1616
slin@fs.fed.us
Approximate Timeline for Class of 2012
( From http://www.pmf.gov/becomeapmf/index.aspx )
(All deadlines are 11:59:59 p.m., Eastern Time, and subject to change)
NOTE: They are presently finalizing dates for the 2012 application cycle and will update this timeline accordingly. Please check frequently for updates.
Thursday, September 15, 2011 Application for the PMF Class of 2012 opens via a job opportunity announcement on USAJOBS; search for "Presidential Management Fellows"
Sunday, September 25, 2011 Application for the PMF Class of 2012 closes
Friday, September 30, 2011 • Deadline for Nomination Officials to fax nominations
• Deadline for applicants to submit supporting documentation for any claims for Veterans' Preference.
October 1-10, 2011 Invited applicants participate in on-line assessment process
By November 1, 2011 • Applicants notified on eligibility and nomination status
• Semi-finalists selected and notified
• Semi-finalists scheduled and notified for in-person assessments
November 14 - December 16, 2011 In-person assessments conducted for semi-finalists
January 24, 2012 On or around this date, semifinalists notified of Finalist status via email
Late-February/Early- March 2012 PMF Class of 2012 Finalists Job Fair (Washington, DC, metro area)
**If you know of any graduate students or graduate programs that would be interested in hearing about this wonderful opportunity, please pass this information to them.**
This is a call for outstanding graduate student candidates of all backgrounds to apply for nomination to the PMF program. This year’s application period is from September 15-25 2011. More information can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) PMF website: https://www.pmf.opm.gov/ .
The PMF program includes opportunities with dozens of federal agencies in many disciplines. However, as a Forest Service PMF, I’d like to share some of the unique aspects of the PMF program in the U.S. Forest Service that distinguish us from other agencies. The Forest Service PMF program provides:
• Entry at high level positions with fast-paced promotion
• Excellent training and developmental opportunities
• Engaged network of current and former PMFs in the Forest Service
• Support for the PMF program from the highest levels of the agency
• Opportunities to work in all regions of the country
Forest Service PMFs include graduates with degrees in natural resource management, law, public policy and planning, environmental studies/sciences, wildlife biology, forestry, landscape architecture, economics, and more. For more information about the Forest Service PMF program, visit our website (http://www.fs.fed.us/fsjobs/pmf/index.html ) or feel free to send an email or call.
A list of key deadlines for the program are at the bottom of this email and can also be found on the OPM website.
Feel free to contact Ms. Lin for advice, assistance, or questions.
Sonja Lin
Program Specialist PMF
USDA Forest Service
Strategic Planning, Budget and Accountability
(202) 205-1616
slin@fs.fed.us
Approximate Timeline for Class of 2012
( From http://www.pmf.gov/becomeapmf/index.aspx )
(All deadlines are 11:59:59 p.m., Eastern Time, and subject to change)
NOTE: They are presently finalizing dates for the 2012 application cycle and will update this timeline accordingly. Please check frequently for updates.
Thursday, September 15, 2011 Application for the PMF Class of 2012 opens via a job opportunity announcement on USAJOBS; search for "Presidential Management Fellows"
Sunday, September 25, 2011 Application for the PMF Class of 2012 closes
Friday, September 30, 2011 • Deadline for Nomination Officials to fax nominations
• Deadline for applicants to submit supporting documentation for any claims for Veterans' Preference.
October 1-10, 2011 Invited applicants participate in on-line assessment process
By November 1, 2011 • Applicants notified on eligibility and nomination status
• Semi-finalists selected and notified
• Semi-finalists scheduled and notified for in-person assessments
November 14 - December 16, 2011 In-person assessments conducted for semi-finalists
January 24, 2012 On or around this date, semifinalists notified of Finalist status via email
Late-February/Early- March 2012 PMF Class of 2012 Finalists Job Fair (Washington, DC, metro area)
Join Google this week at Dreamforce
Google and salesforce.com share a similar vision for cloud computing and we’ve teamed up over the years on a number of joint initiatives, including integrations between AdWords, Google Apps, Google App Engine and Salesforce offerings. This week, salesforce.com is hosting their Dreamforce cloud computing industry event, and we’re happy to be one of the sponsors.
If you’re going to be at Dreamforce this year, come get an update on Google’s products and cloud vision in one of our conference sessions.
And if you’re in the Bay Area during the conference (8/30 - 9/2), but haven’t yet registered for it, good news, the Dreamforce keynotes, super sessions and the expo sessions are now free, so consider registering and coming on by.
Google sessions to attend
Super Session: 3 Million Google Apps Customers: Strategies for Mobile & Social at Work
Date: Thur, 9/1, 2:45 - 3:45 pm
Location: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts - Novellus Theater
See Google products in action, including new mobile and social tools, and hear our customers share their successes and what they’ve learned during cloud adoption. If you're one of a lucky few, you may also walk away with a new Chromebook.
Keynote: Eric Schmidt
Date: Thur, 9/1, 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Marc Benioff will hold a fireside chat with Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google, on topics ranging from the evolution of the social enterprise to technology policies necessary to stimulate economic growth.
Chromebooks for Business
Date: Wed, 8/31, 5:00 - 6:00 pm
Location: Moscone West - 3020
Hear how organizations are putting Chromebooks to use and see demos of new Chromebooks, included tools to manage Chromebooks across an organization, and features from our collaboration with Citrix.
Register for Google sessions on the Dreamforce agenda builder. Attendee login.
Expo
Come by booth #611 on the expo floor to try out our latest Chromebooks and ask questions of Google product specialists.
We hope to see you at Dreamforce!
Kiteboarding Hurricane Irene
My friends over at Wend posted this video yesterday, but it's definitely worth sharing here as well. It stars a couple of crazy people who decided it would be a good idea to go kiteboarding in the middle of Hurricane Irene this past weekend. The results are some big wind and waves of course, but if you stick through the video to the end, you'll see what happens when said kiteboarder catches major air.
Fun, but scary!
Fun, but scary!
Norway's Prime Minister To Travel To South Pole For Amundsen Anniversary
The Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg, announced today that he'll be traveling to the South Pole in December to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Roald Amundsen's arrival at that point. Amundsen and his team became the first men to reach the Pole on December 14th, 1911, famously beating out Britain's Robert Falcon Scott by just a few weeks.
Unlike Amundsen, Stoltenberg won't be making the journey overland however. Instead, he'll fly to the Pole where he'll greet a four-person Norwegian team that is set to follow Amundsen's route. The plan is for that team to arrive on December 14th of this year to commemorate the historical event which remains such a point of pride for the people of Norway.
The polar team will consist of Jan-Gunnar Winther, the head of the Norwegian Polar Institute as well as former cross-country skier and Olympic champion Vegard Ulvang. They'll be joined on the journey by a historian and an adventurer as well. While Amundsen went to the Pole by dogsled, this team will travel on skis however.
As we get closer to the 2011 Antarctic season, we're sure to hear a lot more about Amundsen and Scott, who were in a desperate race to be the first to reach the Pole. Both men had tried on more than one occasion to plant their nation's flag at 90ºS, but weather conditions, poor equipment, and the challenges of the unknown all conspired against them. Finally, Amundsen broke through using his dogsleds, and as result, Scott discovered a Norwegian flag at the Pole when he arrived four weeks later.
Devastated by losing the race, Scott and his men turned back towards the coast and their ship, which was waiting 800 miles away. Along the way, the weather took a turn for the worse, and they managed to get caught in a blizzard that lasted for ten days. Stranded in their tent, the last of their supplies and energy, ran out, and Scott, along with his two remaining companions, perished. They were just 11 miles away from a supply cache that would have probably saved their lives.
The race to the South Pole is filled with epic characters, epic journeys, and epic suffering. A century later, those same characters still cast a wide shadow over the frozen continent.
Running The Silk Road Update: Under 1000km To Go
Last week I posted a story about a team of athletes who are running the length of the Silk Road in an effort to raise funds and awareness of the need for clean drinking water throughout Asia. The expedition began in Turkey back in April, and since that time, the runners have been heading east. Now, they have less than 1000km (621 miles) to go until they reach the finish line in the ancient city of Xi'an, China.
The run was organized by The Home Expedition, a non-profit organization that seeks to fund charitable projects through adventurous activities. The Silk Road run is their first expedition, but they have others planned for the future, including a cycling journey along the Trans-Siberian Highway and an adventure along the Amazon River.
Two of the runners on this journey, Kevin Lin and Bai Bin have run the entire distance so far. That includes more than 8000km (4971 miles) through Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and into China. They hope to wrap up the final leg of their journey by September 16th, their target date for arriving in Xi'an.
When I wrote about this expedition last week, I mentioned that updates on the website had been infrequent over the last few months, but it turns out the best place to follow along with the journey is on The Home Expedition Facebook page. There, I discovered that Kevin and Bai Bin are still knocking off about 70km (43.5 miles) per day as they continue to pursue their goal.
For those that don't know, the old Silk Road was a network of trade routes that connected China with Europe. It's origins can be traced back to 200 BC, although at that point it was mostly used throughout Asia. As time passed, and the road expanded, merchants from as far away as Italy used the road to trade goods, and it eventually became one of the most important trade routes ever. Marco Polo was said to have traveled the Silk Road in his dealings with China, and to this day, the road continues to inspire adventure.
I'll continue to keep an eye on the progress of Kevin, Bai, and the whole team. If all goes as scheduled, they should be finishing up in a just a few weeks. Big thanks to Andrew for sharing information and updates with me!
Powerful administration tools give you control of your data
Editors note: This post is part of a series that explores the top ten reasons why customers trust Google with their business data. A complete top ten list can be found here.
One of the myths surrounding cloud computing is that you lose control of your data when it’s stored in the cloud. In fact, the opposite is true. When information is stored in Google Apps, administrators have access to management tools that give them the visibility and control they need without having to manage IT infrastructure. The Google Apps control panel offers a host of management tools, and over the past year alone we’ve added capabilities that let administrators manage multiple domains, configure specific administrative roles, and set user policies, to name a few (a complete list is here).
Starting today, the Google Apps control panel will also provide access to an audit log which permits an administrator to view details of administrative changes that have been made to their Google Apps domain. Some examples are:
- Changes made to users, aliases and organizations
- Changes made to various application settings in Gmail, Google Docs
- Changes made to mobile settings
- Changes in delegated administration
To save administrators time and make it easier for them to find reports, we’ve also moved the reporting section (including the audit log) to the top-level of the Control Panel. This section is now immediately visible within the Control Panel.
Debbie Farley, a Business Analyst with Caraustar, Inc. comments: “The Admin Audit capability provides our company with insight into key administrative tasks such as who is creating users and changing passwords. We also appreciate the new location of the Reports tab. It makes it easy to get to the audit log.”
David Cifuentes with Eforcers.com added, “With the Admin Audit feature we were able to gain visibility into changes that are taking place in the admin panel of our Google Apps domain, in a very easy and informative way. It even displays the changes that have happened months ago, letting us filter by action, date and administrator. The ability to export the information in a file was also helpful, in order for us to analyze the data deeper outside the panel.”
These reports are available today to users of Google Apps for Business, Education and Government. Together with other Google Apps APIs these tools give administrators the visibility and control they need to effectively manage their Google Apps instances.
Lamar Advertising moves to Google Apps for better reliability and collaboration
Editors note: Today’s guest blogger is Ed Nettles, Vice President and Director of IT for Lamar Advertising. Founded in 1902, Lamar Advertising operates over 150 outdoor advertising companies and 63 transit companies, reaching driving audiences. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say.
In 1902, when Charles Lamar and J.M. Coe decided to dissolve their business partnership, a coin toss was used to divide their assets: the Pensacola Opera House and the Pensacola Advertising Company, the small poster company created to promote the Opera House. Mr. Lamar lost the toss and was left with the less-lucrative poster company. A few years later the Opera house burned down, but that little poster company has grown into Lamar Advertising, one of the largest advertising companies in the U.S.
Prior to Google Apps, we were using Microsoft® Outlook for employees in the field, and Microsoft® Exchange for the employees in our corporate office. With this setup we were constantly facing three problems: data vulnerability, lack of reliable mobile access, and a constant need for IT maintenance.
We had employees saving Microsoft Outlook data in multiple locations, making us vulnerable to data loss and discovery requests that we couldn’t comply with. Microsoft Exchange limited our employees’ ability to get their information when out of the office. Employee smartphones couldn’t sync with calendars or contacts and while employees could get new messages on their phones, they couldn’t see emails older than a few days. We felt like once our employees walked away from the office, they walked away from their work. Even in the office, our email lacked stability so the IT department was constantly dealing with issues. We needed one centralized way of storing and managing our data so that we could provide a better service to our users, provide the business with better security and let our IT department get out of the business of managing email.
We considered upgrading to the latest version of Exchange, but the benefits of the cloud - access from anywhere, increased storage, better security- were too important to ignore. Once we decided that we were going to move to the cloud, Google Apps was the clear choice. Google Apps was affordable and many employees were already familiar with Gmail. Because Google Apps is web-based employees can work and easily collaborate anywhere, any time, making us much more productive.
Cloud Sherpas, the Google Apps reseller we’ve worked with, has been extremely helpful, deploying Google Apps to over 2,400 email users without any major hitches. We now have over 4 terabytes of data in Google Apps. That would have been too resource and cost intensive to build and maintain on our own. With Google Apps, we know our data is safe in the cloud we don’t have to continue to build out our IT infrastructure as we grow.
We’re just getting started with Google Apps, but already employees have started embracing the benefits of its collaborative features; we’ve already seen over 10,000 Google spreadsheets created in just a few months. With so many of our employees working in remote offices and on the road, the ability to access their information anywhere has greatly improved productivity. We know that this is just the beginning and we’re looking forward to seeing the impact Google Apps can have across the business.
Warren Buffett Firm Owes Backtaxes From 2002 Forward
Flashback- Billionaire Warren Buffett wrote an op-ed in the New York Times saying that the Government should stop coddling the super rich, like him, and make them pay more in taxes. It was all the rage on Liberal websites throughout the blogosphere and media outlets with conservative sites posting the address to the Bureau of the Public Debt for Buffett and like-minded super rich people to voluntarily feel free to mail in donations and/or use a handy online form, to donate to the cause.Today we see that Buffett owns a firm called Berkshire Hathaway that openly admits that it owes backtaxes since as long ago as 2002.
“We anticipate that we will resolve all adjustments proposed by the US Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for the 2002 through 2004 tax years ... within the next 12 months,” the firm’s annual report says.
It also cites outstanding tax issues for 2005 through 2009.
Not bad enough that Buffett is a hypocrite though, the same article shows him for a liar as well about how "coddled" he and others are.
Start, for example, with his grossly disingenuous recent claim that, as he wrote in The New York Times, he paid only 17 percent of his income last year to the government -- even as many working stiffs who make far less than him coughed up higher percentages.
Fact is, unlike most other folks, Warren Buffett gets most of his income from dividends and capital gains, which are nominally taxed at 15 percent.
Left unsaid is that much of that is taxed at 35 percent (via the corporate income tax) before he even gets his hands on it. So in effect, he’s paying taxes twice (that is, when his companies actually pay, anyway).
FYI: Donations can be made to:
Attn Dept G
Bureau of the Public Debt
P. O. Box 2188
Parkersburg, WV 26106-2188
.. or visit:
https://www.pay.gov/paygov/forms/formInstance.html?agencyFormId=23779454
Silence from the Liberals that jumped on Buffett's op-ed bandwagon regarding his extreme hypocrisy and lies.
.
A Kayak Video Shot And Edited Using Only Solar Power
The latest episode of the wonderful paddling webseries Currents, from Five2Nine Productions, sends a group of kayakers to California, where they find plenty of great summer whitewater to explore. As is typical in these videos, the kayaking looks amazing, and the crew does a great job of capturing the action out on the water.
This video is unique in one aspect however, as it was completely filmed, captured, and edited using only solar power. The team used solar panels and battery packs from Goal Zero to completely power ever aspect of their expedition, and it is a great example of how we can use alternative sources of energy while on our adventures.
I had a chance to play with some of the Goal Zero gear at Outdoor Retailer a few weeks back, and I have to say that it seems like really well designed and efficient stuff. It's great to see it being put to use in the video below.
Currents v2_3: California from Five2Nine Productions on Vimeo.
This video is unique in one aspect however, as it was completely filmed, captured, and edited using only solar power. The team used solar panels and battery packs from Goal Zero to completely power ever aspect of their expedition, and it is a great example of how we can use alternative sources of energy while on our adventures.
I had a chance to play with some of the Goal Zero gear at Outdoor Retailer a few weeks back, and I have to say that it seems like really well designed and efficient stuff. It's great to see it being put to use in the video below.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Colin Buchanan on Epaphroditus' Sickness and Philippians
The following article is now available on-line via link on the new additions page:
Reproduced by kind permission of the author.
Colin O. Buchanan, "Epaphroditus' Sickness and Philippians," The Evangelical Quarterly 36.3 (July-Sept. 1964): 157-168.
Reproduced by kind permission of the author.
Jornet, Hawker Win North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc
As I mentioned last Friday, this weekend was the annual North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, one of the toughest ultra-marathons in the world. Late Friday, 2300 competitors set out on the 166km (103 miles) course, which circles Mount Blanc, the tallest peak in western Europe, and crosses through Italy, Switzerland, and France in the process. It is a truly spectacular trail with plenty of wonderful scenery and tough challenges.
The race got off to a rocky start when storms delayed the event for more than five hours, and once it was underway, it turned into one of the most challenge UTMB's ever. Rock slides forced the course to be extended to 169km, while rain and snow tested the competitors at every turn. In the end though, it didn't seem to matter, as Kilian Jornet came in first, crossing the finish line in a record time of 20 hours, 36 minutes, 43 seconds. Lizzy Hawker would take first place for the ladies, coming home in 25 hours, 2 minutes even.
So what's it like to run the Ultra Trail do Mont Blanc? Check out the beautiful video below to see for yourself. It is both inspiring and exhausting at the same time. Wow!
If You Ever Wondered How Sick British Society Is, This Proves It!
By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle
I have enjoyed British Comedy for many decades. The hilarious satire of Monty Python, Benny Hill and Dave Allen has brought me out of the blues. Mr. Bean and The Black Adder have got me laughing. Most British Humor is funny, some in bad taste, but nothing offensive. Until now.
I wonder how the British would feel if we Americans did a comedy skit in bad taste about 7/7? Or Princess Diana's Death? Or any tragedy that they have experienced?
It would be in bad taste and show our utter contempt for the British people. Just as the British people are showing towards us.
I have enjoyed British Comedy for many decades. The hilarious satire of Monty Python, Benny Hill and Dave Allen has brought me out of the blues. Mr. Bean and The Black Adder have got me laughing. Most British Humor is funny, some in bad taste, but nothing offensive. Until now.
A controversial film about Muslim suicide bombers is to be screened as part of a season of programmes to mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11 on Channel 4.This is so sick, in such bad taste that words cannot describe the feelings I have. It reminds me of when The Daily Kos decided that this bit of humor was appropriate on 9/11:
It will show Four Lions by comedian Chris Morris days before memorials take place for the terrorist outrages in New York.
Insiders at the broadcaster say Morris wanted to air the 2010 film on the anniversary itself, but bosses refused.
In the comedy, a group of British terrorists bungle a plan to kill thousands of people at the London Marathon in a terror attack.
Channel 4 will premiere it alongside documentaries about heroes from the emergency services and the killing of Osama bin Laden.
The plans were revealed at the Edinburgh Television Festival by chief creative officer Jay Hunt.
Speaking at a session called No Risk Please, We’re Prime Time, she said: “I’ve just had a robust conversation with Chris Morris about Four Lions and the scheduling of that and how close it is to 9/11. I think we should absolutely continue to push those boundaries.
“It is going out in the next week and a half or so. It is not going out on 9/11 itself. But it is around then because it speaks to that issue.”
Referring to Morris, who presented a paedophile special for TV satire Brass Eye that received a record number of complaints, she said: “He felt strongly that it was an important flavour in the mix, and I think it is.” - Daily Mail
Source
I wonder how the British would feel if we Americans did a comedy skit in bad taste about 7/7? Or Princess Diana's Death? Or any tragedy that they have experienced?
It would be in bad taste and show our utter contempt for the British people. Just as the British people are showing towards us.
Top ten reasons why customers trust Google Apps with their business data
Over three million businesses have moved to Google Apps, and several factors have driven this transition. While improved productivity and cost savings have long been at the top of the list, more and more customers are choosing Apps for its security and reliability benefits. Our pure and proven cloud is designed to protect our users’ data and deliver reliability at levels that are very difficult or impossible for many organizations to achieve on their own. Even on-premises, so called “private cloud” and hybrid technologies are challenged to deliver the data protection and reliability that comes with Google Apps.
Here are the top 10 data protection and reliability advantages that we hear about most frequently from customers (in no particular order):
1. Powerful administration tools give you control of your data
When business data is stored in Google Apps, administrators have powerful tools to help them manage things like users, documents and services. Reports also provide visibility into how the applications are being used and what data is in them so that administrators have the control they need without having to maintain the infrastructure.
2. Pure and proven cloud architecture
Our datacenter server infrastructure is specifically designed and built for our applications and does not include unnecessary hardware or software code such as peripheral ports or device drivers. This reduces the number of potential vulnerabilities that could be targeted.
3. Patch management
Downloading, testing and deploying patches has become a significant pain for many IT departments. Google Apps reduces this pain because there are no servers for customers to patch. We manage the servers and take care of all updates.
4. Strong authentication
Google Apps includes 2-step verification for all user accounts - at no additional charge. Businesses and organizations can easily deploy an extra layer of protection for their user accounts using devices they already have. This makes strong authentication available to many organizations that did not have it before. Google Apps also integrates with existing Single Sign On (SSO) mechanisms via open standards.
5. Disaster recovery
Google Apps offers robust disaster recovery capabilities which are commonly measured by Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO). RTO measures how long before users can access systems in the event of a failure and RPO measures how much of a gap there is in the data when it is restored. Google Apps is designed with RTO and RPO goals of zero. Emails, documents and data are saved every few seconds and replicated in multiple data centers. This means that if one of our data centers becomes unavailable, we seamlessly switch the user to another data center and because it has been replicated there is no loss of data and users can continue working uninterrupted.
6. Third party verifications
Google Apps and our data centers are SSAE 16 Type II audited and have achieved the U.S. Federal Government’s FISMA certification. SSAE 16 is an auditing standard where a third party auditor evaluates the controls in place for numerous areas including physical and logical security, privacy, incident response and more. The Federal Information Security Management Act or FISMA is the law defining security requirements that must be met by all US Federal government information systems. While FISMA certification is required for U.S. Government agencies, it is also a strong validation in the private sector of the technologies and processes we use to protect the data in Google Apps.
7. Information security expertise
We employ an information security team of over 250 people with a wealth of expertise not found in most organizations. Many have advanced degrees and are thought leaders in information security. The security team regularly publishes research and contributes open source tools to the security community. They monitor our global network of datacenters and applications 24x7x365.25 (they don’t rest on leap years).
8. Secure connections for users
We automatically encrypt browser sessions for Google Apps users without the need for VPN’s or other potentially costly and cumbersome infrastructure. This helps protect your data as it travels between users’ browsers and our data centers.
9. High availability
Google Apps has zero maintenance windows or planned downtime. While we offer a 99.9% uptime SLA, Gmail exceeded this guarantee in 2010 and achieved 99.984% uptime. We did this while delivering more than 30 new features and adding tens of millions of users. The status of Google Apps is visible to administrators and users on our publicly available status dashboard.
10. Reduced risk of data breach
Google Apps allows users to work securely on their data wherever they are, using a wide range of devices. The data is stored centrally in Google’s cloud which greatly reduces the need for users to take their data with them using USB drives or similar devices, which can be easily lost or stolen. This can help reduce the risk of a data breach, something that is on the mind of many organizations these days.
Over three million businesses trust Google to protect the data they store in Google Apps and make it reliably accessible. Over the next few weeks we’re going to dive deeper into each one of these areas to provide more details why Google Apps customers trust us with their business data.
New Adventure Race Coming To New Zealand In 2012
A new expedition length adventure race is scheduled to take place next year in Queenstown, New Zealand, one of the top adventure destinations on the planet. The race, which is called GODZone Adventure, will be put on by 100% PURE Racing, and is apparently part of the AR World Series.
The race will take place from April 7-14, 2012 and will consists of coed teams of four competing on a course that is 450km (280 miles) in length. This will be an unsupported race, meaning teams won't need a support crew to lug their gear around for them, and will involve the usual AR disciplines of trekking, mountain biking, and kayaking.
GODZone Adventure marks the return of adventure racing to New Zealand, a country where the sport can trace its origins. In fact, this will be the first race of its kind on Kiwi soil since the Raid Gauloisis kicked off the expedition race craze back in 1989. That is FAR too long for New Zealand to go without a major AR event in my opinion.
Organizers of the event believe the fastest teams will take between 3-4 days to finish the course, but other teams will be allowed as much as 5.5 days to navigate their way through the different stages. The race will include navigation, ropes courses, a few other surprises as well.
It looks like races are starting to nail down their dates for 2012 already. This has been a busy year for adventure racing, and it is far from over, but teams and race organizers are already looking ahead to next year. 2012 has the potential to be even better for fans of the sport.
Is The Mainstream Liberal Media Dumb?
The Politico has a very unimpressive five-page piece asking a question about Rick Perry "Is he dumb — or just “misunderestimated?”Another Texas governor who drops his “g’s” and scorns elites is running for president and the whispers are the same: lightweight, incurious, instinctual.
Strip away the euphemisms and Rick Perry is confronting an unavoidable question: Is he dumb — or just “misunderestimated?”
Perry has an accent, went to a regular college versus an Ivy League college, he doesn't read "policy-heavy books late into the night," and OMG, he listens to advisers and colleagues before forming certain opinions.
That is just some of the blather from the first page of The Politico piece.
In the meantime, they causally mention Perry "ranks as the longest-serving governor in Texas history," without worthy mention that in that time the state has had the largest growth and has been responsible for over seven times the amount of private sector job growth than any other state in the country.
A must read reaction to this idiocy over at The Politico is from William Teach over at Pirate's Cove who is waiting (with much snark) for other profile pieces like:
We’re still waiting for his other pieces “Is Maxine Waters Insane?” and “Is Obama a complete failure?” Also “How do we know Obama’s brilliant when we’ve never seen any school transcripts or papers?” I hear he’s planning on releasing his article “Why does everything the Smartest Man In The World™ touches turn to poop?” very soon. Of course, those others are based on reality, rather than a liberal attack job on a guy who is leading the GOP primary field
Teach continues on about Perry:
....But, there’s no doubt that he Gets Things Done. And his state seems to be doing a whole hell of a lot better than Democrat run states like, say, California, which sees its businesses streaming into Texas. Perry is, in fact, a leader, someone who knows how to get things that work in the real word done around him. And, we don’t necessarily need “idea men”: we need leaders who solicit the ideas from the professionals, then makes it happen, and generally convinces people that this is the best thing to do.
In reading discussions regarding The Politico piece I saw that Hot Air provides the "dumb" memes the media has thrown at just about every Republican presidential candidate, yet they rarely if ever bother mentioning , especially not in a five-page piece, the "dumb" factor from Obama's own record.
Via Hot Air:
Notice that these memes never get applied on the other side of the aisle, either. Did any media question Obama’s intelligence when during the campaign when he made these whoppers?
- The Selma March in 1965 did not contribute to his birth in 1961.
- Kansas tornadoes in May 2007 killed 12 people, not “ten thousand”.
- Afghans do not speak Arabic.
- Within 24 hours, Obama reversed his assertion that Iran did not pose a “serious threat” to the US to an assertion that the threat is “grave”.
- “On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes — and I see many of them in the audience here today — our sense of patriotism is particularly strong.”
- 57 states
No, they didn’t. Why? Because the media only uses the weird, scary, and idiot memes for Republican candidates, that’s why.
Is it any wonder why the majority of Americans believe there is media bias and why 2 to 1 they believe the media favors liberals/Democrats and make no effort to hide their bias anymore?
While some wonder why the media isn't asking the "dumb" question about Barack Obama, I believe the more appropriate question is why they aren't looking into the mirror and tagging their own forehead with a "DUMB" sticker?
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Solo Sailing Update: Laura Dekker Arrives In Australia
Last week, 15-year old Laura Dekker achieved two major milestones in her attempt to sail solo around the world. First, it has now been a full year since she set out on her epic journey to become the youngest to sail around the globe, and perhaps more importantly, she safely arrived in Darwin, Australia, having successfully crossed the Pacific Ocean.
You may recall that Laura garnered a lot of attention when she first announced her intentions to circumnavigate the globe on her own at the age of 13. But before she could get underway, the Dutch government stepped in, with child protective services investigating her plans and whether or not she was ready for such a big adventure. That process took some time to complete, but eventually she was allowed to sail, and at the age of 14 she was able to hit the open water at last.
Since that time, she's been making slow, but steady progress around the globe, first crossing the Atlantic Ocean, then navigating through the Panama Canal. The Pacific was her next major obstacle, and with that now behind her, she'll be setting her sights on the Indian Ocean and eventually the Suez Canal. But for now, she plans to enjoy some good old fashion Aussie hospitality for awhile.
According to her blog, Laura arrived in Darwin last Friday, August 25, and while she is in good spirits, and her ship, the Guppy, is fine, the final approach to land wasn't great on her sails. The course took her across the Van Dieman Gulf, where the winds tore her main sail to shreds, which will keep her on land for awhile. She plans on staying at least through the weekend, when she hopes to use a borrowed boat to compete in a local regatta.
For now, it is time to rest, resupply, and repair the Guppy. The trials and tribulations of the Indian Ocean await, and after that, home at last. But Laura has earned some down time before she takes on those challenges. I can't think of a better place to recuperate than Australia.
Israel has missed Arab peace offers
With the permission of Zeev Raphael, a retiree from the Technion who continues to live in Haifa, I'm sharing his unpublished letter to the editor of The Jerusalem Post, which he entitled "Our Collective Slumber" and submitted on Aug. 8:
Sir,
“Israeli intelligence estimates that among the 50,000 rockets in Hizbullah’s arsenal,
at least a few hundred can reach Tel Aviv.”
In a scathing attack on Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni, Jerusalem Post Senior Editor Caroline Glick recently summed up the threats that Israel is facing at the present time, ranging from President Obama’s withdrawal of the US as the predominant power in the Middle East, via the Muslim Brotherhood’s rising power in Egypt, to the growing instability of the Syrian and Jordanian regimes.
We are thus being confronted with a series of events that indicate a global ‘power shift’. We are living in a changing world, and it would evidently be wise for us to attempt achieving integration into this Region while the power balance may still be in our favour.
It may be argued that “this is all very well, but how can we possibly ‘integrate’ in the region, if the other side refuses to accept us?” After all, are we not regularly being told by our politicians that the goal of the Palestinians is ‘Palestinian sovereignty over the entire area’? And that even ‘the most moderate elements’ of the Palestinian leadership insist on the right of the refugees and their descendants to return to their former homes in Israel.
Some of us may recall that an Arab/Muslim Peace Initiative has been on record for close to a decade. They ─ more than 50 Arab and Muslim states!─ offer us “the establishment of normal relations in the context of a comprehensive peace with Israel”.
Close to three years ago, the PLO published full page advertisements in the Israeli press, headed “Arab Peace Initiative: 57 Arab and Muslim Countries will Establish Full Diplomatic and Normal Relations with Israel in Return for Comprehensive Peace Agreement and Ending the Occupation”. (Jerusalem Post, 21 November 2008.)
To date, we have not heard of any attempt on our part, to examine just how serious our Arab partners may be with their Initiative. It would not be unreasonable to expect of our political leadership, a more creative and less megalomaniac approach to the acute problems of our existence here.
But no, instead of attempting to clarify the intentions of the Arabs, we are being brainwashed with the argument that they demand to solve the Palestinian Refugee problem “in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194”. And don’t we all know it: Resolution 194 stated that “the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so”.
However, what our leadership fails to tell us is that the present Initiative speaks of “a just solution to the Palestinian Refugee problem to be agreed upon”. One may logically ask, what could be more in our national interest than a “just and agreed upon solution” to the festering Palestinian Refugee problem?
And what would be more befitting than an official Israeli Government declaration: “The Israeli Government welcomes the Arab Peace Initiative. We propose to call a top level conference designed to clarify some of the elements included in that Initiative” ─ or words to that effect?
But no; instead of that, we are being indoctrinated into believing that ‘they’ simply refuse to accept us here. ‘They’ want it all, and ‘they’ wish to flood Israel with Arab refugees.
In view of the recent popular uprisings in our region,- in the neighbouring Arab countries as well as here at home, against the price of cottage cheese and the high cost of housing,- one cannot fail to be astonished at the ongoing lethargy displayed by our Israeli public.
An ever increasing number of former senior Defence officials are voicing their concern in public. Shimon Peres, the President of Israel, recently expressed it thus:
“We're about to crash into the wall. We're galloping at full speed
toward a situation where Israel will cease to exist as a Jewish state."
Once before, more than 40 years ago, we missed an opportunity:
“… I do not agree … that we have taken all possible initiatives concerning peace. … I do not agree that every initiative which might have been taken, was indeed taken … Would it not have been prudent on our part to react officially to [President Nasser’s] words? …”
- Knesset Records, 26 May 1970.
Those were the words of former Hagana Commander Moshe Carmel. The remarks were made with reference to peace feelers from King Hussein and President Nasser. But those were the heydays of the Greater Israel Movement, and nobody paid attention to MK Carmel’s words. [This basically concurs with my view of "missed opportunities"--Seliger] Three years later we lived through the Yom Kippur war. And after a further five years Menachem Begin signed the Peace Treaty with Egypt, ─ on terms similar to those that we so arrogantly had dismissed eight years earlier. Greater foresight might have spared us the tragedies of 1973 …
I am concerned about the future of our army-aged grandchildren. They will have to pay the price for our ongoing follies--and of the next conflagration.
Zeev Raphael, Haifa
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