June

11

FEMA accused of misusing trained disaster workers as public-relations workers

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FEMA accused of misusing trained disaster workers as public-relations workers
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Monday, September 12, 2005

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is being criticized for misallocation of personnel in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. FEMA representatives said they requested volunteers from fire departments around the U.S., to handle its community relations campaign. However, a document FEMA sent to local fire departments asked for firefighters with very specific skills and who were capable of working in “austere conditions”. Fire departments around the nation responded by sending crews to the FEMA staging ground in Atlanta. Some of these crews were unaware that they were only going to be used for public relations work. Others, however, merely hoped that FEMA would allocate them to rescue and damage control operations once it saw their qualifications.

The firefighter’s objections are particularly poignant as one of FEMA public relations training seminars coincided with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin plea for firefighters on national television, to relieve his own exhausted crews. It is unclear if FEMA’s request for firefighters prevented any municipalities from responding to Mayor Nagin’s request.

Some firefighters have objected to their use as FEMA public relations officers because their municipalities must bear the cost of their salaries, as well as endure reduced firefighting capacity. FEMA has stated that it sought to use firefighters to avoid background checks required of federal employees.

Firefighters began receiving their assignments Monday, September 5th. Among these was a crew of 50 assigned to tour the devastated areas with President Bush and the press.

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June

11

NZ Finance Minister introduces 2006 budget

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NZ Finance Minister introduces 2006 budget
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Thursday, May 18, 2006

Today the New Zealand Finance Minister, Hon. Dr Michael Cullen, presented the 2006 New Zealand Budget to the House of Representatives. There is a NZ$8.5 billion OBERAC surplus and a NZ$1.5 billion cash surplus.

It has been labelled as the “Bondi Budget” by National leader Don Brash, “Helen Clark and Michael Cullen believe there is a place for tax cuts – it’s called Australia” he said.

The budget allocates new operating spending of $9.6 billion and capital of $2.7 billion over the next four years.

Key issues in the budget includes:

  • The Telecom New Zealand local loop unbundling (released earlier due to leak).
  • $1.3 billion extra for transport.
  • $3 billion extra for health care, over the next four years.
  • $361 million extra for schooling
  • $166 million extra for tertiary education and skill training
  • $162 million extra for early childhood education
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June

11

Folic Acid: Good For You

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By Vincent Platania

Folic acid can benefit you in a wide array of areas. It is primarily suggested by doctors and nutritionists for those who are pregnant or could become pregnant. Folic acid has been found to greatly reduce the risks of having children born with certain birth defects, including neural tube defects, cleft palate and cleft lip and spina bifida.

This is a B vitamin and if often found in a ‘B vitamin’ complex. Folic acid by itsel is responsible for the replication and maintenance of DNA and RNA, which you can see is essential for a healthy growing fetus. It’s been found that if a woman is taking folic acid regularly when she becomes pregnant and during the pregnancy she can reduce the risks of her baby being born with a serious birth defect by up to fifty percent.

There have also been studies that show people suffering from depression are often deficient in folic acid. It’s thought that folic acid being able to reduce levels of homecysteine in your blood can help prevent depression. Homocysteine is associated with some forms of depression. And studies of patients with depression while on a supplemental form of folic acid found that their antidepressants were more effective.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7alGqlHNRh8[/youtube]

Because folic acid is helpful in maintaining your DNA and RNA and replicating it, researchers believe folic acid may be helpful in reducing your risks of cancer. It appears that folic acid is able to prevent cells from mutating, which is what causes cancer. Studies indicate that risks of developing cervical, lung, rectum, and colon cancer are reduced.

Also in recent studies it’s been shown that patients with advanced Alzheimer’s have low blood levels of folic, while patients with high levels of folic acid also had the highest levels of cognitive capabilities. While there is lots more research needed on the subject before a conclusion can be drawn you may find it helpful to take more folic acid as you age.

Folic acid can help to fight anemia in patients, both for those who have a B vitamin deficiency and those who have developed anemia for other reasons. It’s considered most effective when taken in combination with vitamin B12 to help your body boost its red blood cell production. Do be careful in taking folic acid for this condition because it is known for masking other vitamin B deficiencies that may present themselves with anemia.

Last but certainly not least folic acid is thought to slow the progress of multiple sclerosis. Studies have shown that MS patients don’t process vitamin B12 as well as they normally would. And that taking a B12 supplement with folic acid can help to maintain the nervous system in those patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

The recommended daily allowance for folic acid is four hundred micrograms. If you are pregnant or could become pregnant you should take up to six hundred micrograms daily. It is recommended that you do not take more than one thousand micrograms of folic acid a day.

About the Author: Author Vincent Platania represents the Stanley Home Products. Stanley Home Products has been in business since 1936, and offers high quality home and personal care products to keep your home and your body clean. Visit

stanleybeautycare.com

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June

11

Man eats dog to protest animal cruelty

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Man eats dog to protest animal cruelty
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Thursday, May 31, 2007

In an unusual protest, British performance artist, Mark McGowan ate meatballs which were made from a Corgi, a breed of dog often kept by the Royal Family.

McGowan is protesting alleged cruelty exhibited by Prince Philip. The husband of Queen Elizabeth II is reported to have beaten to death a fox, during a fox hunt.

The event was broadcast live on a radio program hosted by Bob and Roberta Smith. Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon, was also there and tasted some of the Corgi meatballs.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seemed to approve of the protest: “The idea of eating a corgi will make many people lose their lunch,” said Poorva Joshipura, European director. “But foxes, who are hunted for so-called entertainment, are no less capable of feeling fear and pain.” McGowan said the corgi he consumed had died recently at a breeding farm and had not been killed for the purposes of the protest. It was minced with apple, onion and seasoning, turned into meatballs and served with salad, but McGowan said: “It’s disgusting. It’s really, really, really disgusting.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) claimed however that there was no evidence that Prince Philip had mistreated the fox or that it had suffered.

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June

10

Miles-long queue to view Pope John Paul one last time

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Miles-long queue to view Pope John Paul one last time
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Tuesday, April 5, 2005

Tens of thousands of regular people walked through the domed St. Peter’s Basilica today, but the queue behind them never seemed to ebb, according to reporters in The Vatican.

Winding over two miles from the bier holding the Pontiff’s body all the way to the Tiber River, backpackers from all over the world, young and old, students and the disabled, waited and slowly shuffled toward their goal: one last look at the pope they had come to feel was like a father to them.

A French park ranger spoke of the physical pain the pope must have suffered while remaining so peaceful in spirit. Another visitor was hoping to kiss his hand or touch his robe. They were satisfied with merely a chance to view his crimson-robed body, as visible in death as he had been only weeks earlier, in life.

Nearly 2 million people will visit The Vatican for the funeral service on Friday, an unprecedented salute for a public figure who may have helped bring down the Iron Curtain.

Other voices were heard as well, but they were in dissent. Amidst Pope Paul’s uncompromising orthodoxy, they said, he had destroyed democracy in the Church and alienated many. And although most of the mourners were contrite and moved slowly through the long queue, there were the usual “line jumpers,” greeted by catcalls and impatient reactions from others.

“Filthy pigs! We’ll all be dead by the time we get in,” an elderly woman spat in Italian.

The city of Rome, which surrounds Vatican City, has set up campgrounds in stadiums and public places for open use during the events. One lady said she didn’t care where she slept or even if she would.

Sabina La Versa had taken the all-night train from Sicily to view the pontiff. She said “The pope’s love for us flowed like water from a jug. I’d wait here forever to say arrivederci,” Italian for “see you again.”

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June

10

Optical Time Division Multiplexing Technology

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By Frbiz Tian

Optical time division multiplexing (TDM) technology is a high-speed transmission technology (up to 100Gb / s), it uses very narrow pulses have a greater bandwidth, more efficient use of optical fiber spectrum. TDM will slip stream of light directly into the optical domain multiplexing, resulting in the synthesis of very high bit rate data stream. TDM allows multiple signals simultaneously access to the same fibers, but the realization method of TDM and WDM is entirely different.

TDM can be used to achieve a single light 40Gb / s over rate.

The light source (such as mode-locked laser) produces a series of very narrow optical pulses into N-zero data stream, N a data stream for each channel signal by XGb / s (such as STM-n) respectively, the slip signal modulation, delay one clock cycle, and then by multiplexing the data resulting from the total rate of (N X) Gb / s.

Present study shows that, TDM overall rate of up to 200Gb / s or higher. Are running at such high speed optical transmission system, the fiber dispersion is a very important issue, generally use two methods to resolve, one is to use dispersion management (through the use of dispersion compensation fiber), bringing the total of the dispersion Jie Jin to zero; Another way is to use soliton transmission. Soliton transmission technology must be carefully considered signal power and pulse shape, and compression using self-phase modulation of the dispersion effect to solve the problem. Therefore, TDM is to support long-distance, high-capacity transmission better technical solutions.

Since the 90s since the 20th century, the United States, Britain, Japan and other countries some of the research carried out on the TDM system, extensive research and have made great progress.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gWEKSuCApg[/youtube]

Used in optical transmission network TDM, must consider the synchronization problem, not only have to consider synchronization in time domain, frequency domain synchronization.

That is, for TDM networks, through various channels to reach any node to synchronize the pulse sequences needed to ensure the accurate demultiplexing, while they have the same spectral characteristics needed to ensure that when the data is handed to the network of another node, with zero offset between them. TDM networks for large-scale major difficulty has been inserted into the data path and data path of the optical-line properties match, a possible solution is to use a single distribution in the network to send laser signals.

TDM high-speed optical communication system is composed of ultra-short pulse light source, optical time division multiplexing / de-multiplexing equipment, optical clock recovery and synchronization, optical receivers, and optical fiber components.

TDM system requirements to produce high repetition rate light source, small super narrow pulse duty ratio. The more narrow width of the large ones can be reused more bandwidth, the more wide. Sources to meet these requirements mainly locked ring laser, mode-locked semiconductor lasers.

TDM time-division multiplexing optical transmission system technology easier to achieve, and optical demultiplexing up difficult to achieve. Optical demultiplexing TDM requirements are: fast and stable work without error, control, low power, polarization independent, timing jitter is small. Currently the main use of optical fiber nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM – based on semiconductor laser amplifier loop mirrors) and FWM (four wave mixing) two demultiplexer demultiplexing.

Extracted from the TDM clock signal system is very important. At present, the main optical clock extraction circuit resonance, injection mode-locked semiconductor laser and phase-locked loop (PLL), etc. The more mature the PLL.

In order to achieve a drop multiplexing function of optical networks, in addition to the clock extraction, but also need to frame and channel calibration. In the optical transmission network, the environmental impact, will produce jitter and drift, so these systems will require precise alignment and channel phase control.

TDM is a realization of a powerful high-capacity high-speed transmission technology, it can effective use of optical wavelength, and can run at different distances and capacity of the network. TDM can also use non-linear soliton transmission, and a host of other technologies, high-speed transmission systems to eliminate the dispersion effects. With the large-scale integration technology, such as InP and silicon planar waveguide technology and semiconductor optical amplification technology, TDM technology will make significant progress and into the practical.

About the Author: http://www.fiber-optic-multiplexer.com contains a great deal of information about

TDM_over_IP

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Fiber_Optic_Modem

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SDH_Multiplexer

, welcome to visit!

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June

9

Science curriculum director resigns from Texas Education Agency

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Science curriculum director resigns from Texas Education Agency
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Friday, November 30, 2007

Christine Comer resigned this month as the director of the science curriculum for the Texas Education Agency‘s (TEA) director after more than nine years. Comer said her resignation was due to pressure from officials who claimed she had given the appearance of criticizing the teaching of intelligent design.

According to documents obtained by the Austin American-Statesman, “Comer was put on 30 days paid administrative leave shortly after she forwarded an e-mail in late October announcing a presentation by Barbara Forrest, a critic of the intelligent design/creationist movement. Forrest served as an expert witness at the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial. At Dover, intelligent design was ruled “a religious view, a mere re-labeling of creationism, and not a scientific theory.” There is widespread scientific support for evolution, while creationism has been described as pseudoscience by the scientific community.

Comer’s resignation comes shortly ahead of the TEA’s State Board of Education (SBOE) reviews of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), which determine what should be taught in the classrooms and what textbooks are bought.

The advocacy group Texas Citizens for Science have released a statement saying, in part, “The real reason [Comer] was forced to resign is because the top TEA administrators and some SBOE members wanted her out of the picture before the state science standards—the science TEKS—were reviewed, revised, and rewritten next year. Plans are underway by some SBOE members and TEA administrators to diminish the requirement to teach about evolutionary biology in the Biology TEKS and to require instead that biology instructors ‘Teach the Controversy’ about the ‘weaknesses’ of evolution, that is, teach the Creationist-inspired and -created bogus controversy about evolution that doesn’t exist within legitimate science.”

Professor PZ Myers, biology professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris, wrote that Forrest is “exactly the kind of person boards of education ought to consult before going down the road of attempting to legislate religion into the public schools.”

In reaction to the news Forrest told National Center for Science Education, “In my talk, I simply told the truth — about the history of the ‘intelligent design’ movement, about the complete rejection of its claims by the scientific community, and about the Kitzmiller trial and my involvement in it. Maybe the TEA can’t afford to take a position on what constitutes good science education — maybe it must remain neutral on whether or not to lie to students about evolution — but if so, that’s just sad.”

Agency officials declined to comment, saying it was a personnel issue.

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June

9

Staffordshire hoard goes on display in British Museum in London, England

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Staffordshire hoard goes on display in British Museum in London, England
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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Some of the notable pieces from the gold and silver hoard which was found in a private field in Staffordshire, England by a metal-detector user have been put on display in the British Museum in the city of London.

Approximately 1,500 pieces were found in July of this year; the discovery was reported by news sources in September. The value of the hoard itself is still being checked. 18 of the pieces have now gone on display in the museum in London, England, and can be seen by members of the public.

Fred Johnson, who is the owner of the land in which the hoard was found, said: “It’s been an incredible experience. I’m overwhelmed by it all. They say this will change the history books; it’s a strange thought that came from something lying in my field all this time. I’m trying to keep a level head about it. I’m trying not to think at all about the value of it.” Johnson will share the sum of the value of the hoard with Terry Herbert, who found the pieces. The hoard is believed to date back to the 7th century.

“People laugh at metal detectorists,” Herbert said in late September. “I’ve had people go past and go ‘beep beep, he’s after pennies’. Well no, we are out there to find this kind of stuff and it is out there.”

What is interesting about the hoard as a whole is all the objects are associated with war to some or a greater extent.

Michael Lewis is the deputy head of the Department of Portable Antiquities in the British Museum. Speaking to BBC News about this event, he said: “The view is that it was probably in some sort of container but that has not survived and it was deliberately hoarded, put into the ground, what is unclear is why, and I suppose what we find is they would have been objects that had been stripped from the enemies’ weapons.

“What is interesting about the hoard as a whole is all the objects are associated with war to some or a greater extent. What the hoard consists of is mainly gold objects, there are some silver ones, basically they have been stripped from whatever they were on for instance sword fittings. What it demonstrates is that the Anglo-Saxons as a people were very able to do amazing things with objects and I reckon people nowadays attempting to make these objects would have great difficulty in doing so.”

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June

9

UK Wikinews Shorts: July 8, 2013

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UK Wikinews Shorts: July 8, 2013
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A compilation of brief news reports for Monday, July 8, 2013.

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June

9

Why Training Or Re Training Your Assistant Or Administrator Is Important

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When we launched PRA Professional RealEstate Assistant Training, we did it because we felt there was aneed in our profession. We had no idea how much of a need therereally was. Every day we receive emails and letters from frustratedassistants who say they are hired and expected to do a job, but areconstantly walking on eggshells as they are doing it. The REALTORSare frustrated because they believe their assistants should just knowtheir job and if they dont leave them a checklist, they will onlydo the very minimum. Brokers are frustrated because, in most cases,they end up having to add refereeing to their already full day.

So what is the answer?

REALTORS are busy people. Their daysrevolve around regulatory requirements, legal expectations, andmanaging exemplary service details. Their time is best spent on thepriorities of their business. It is not only their obligation, but itis also a requirement of their license that they actively manage andare responsible for the actions of their support personnel. Sounderstandably, they should always be on top of the tasks that arebeing carried out in their office.

When real estate assistants andadministrators have been trained, at the very least, on the rulesand regulations in which a real estate business mustbe operated under, both the REALTOR and the broker can rest assuredthat it is one less thing that needs to be micro-managed.

REALTORS, in most cases, have onepassionto sell real estate; that is what they do best. We at PRATraining Inc., are active REALTORS and Assistants with 26 combinedyears of experience. We understand the What and Whysthat assistants need to know and what REALTORS and brokersexpect from their support personnel.

Assistants and administrators, whentrained by their employer, are frustrated that there are holes intheir knowledge. They dont understand Why they haveto fill out what they do or Why they must do certaintasks and not others. With a lack of knowledge comes mistakes,potential reprimands for real estate professionals, and anenvironment that results in less productivity and more liability.

At PRA Training Inc., we are here to doone thing: add a minimum standard of education and skillset for theunlicensed personnel in the real estate industry so that they canwork with real estate professionals and feel confident and competentin their role. We do this in answer to emails such as, Dear Nina,how do I get my boss to trust me enough so they can do their job andI can do mine?

Just as most real estate professionalare bound to their ongoing professional development educationrequirements, so should their assistants. No matter how muchexperience a real estate assistant or administrator has, they need tobe trainedor re-trained.

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