Bellevue Hospital staff wear protective clothing as they demonstrate safety procedures for handling Ebola patients Oct. 8, 2014, in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Ever wonder what it’s like to be in the middle of a controversy or at ground zero of a major news event? We hear stories of people rushing out of a burning establishment and many of the dead being trampled by those trying to save their own lives.

Who starts the frenzy? Is it the person who lit the match or the individuals who create chaos by amping up an already dangerous situation with pushing and yelling and screaming?

Well, I am experiencing that trauma firsthand as a resident of the building where Dr. Craig Spencer, the now confirmed first case of Ebola in New York City, also lives. On Thursday at 5:45 p.m., nothing in my life was out of the ordinary. Then I received a call from a friend who had organized an event that was supposed to take place at my apartment.

“There are news trucks all outside your building,” I was informed. “They are covering the case of the guy with Ebola.” (This was news to me.)

“I’m going to have to change the location.”

“OK, fine, I understand,” I answered.

What came next shocked me. I was being uninvited to the event because if people found out what building I lived in, that would make everyone feel uncomfortable. I was floored, so stunned that I did not even have a response.

It didn’t take long for the entrance to our building to be bombarded by the media, who were trying to elicit any nugget of information about the doctor and his girlfriend, and asking if tenants felt safe. I was even asked if I felt we needed to be quarantined.

I have seen this type of frenzy before. As someone who began her career in the newsrooms of CBS in Chicago, I understand the need to get the story. It is important to cover an event that is taking place in the moment, and especially one that is affecting our city and the world. I know all this to be true.

My concern is when the media amp up the energy so that they forget to educate, inform and calm. I believe that it is imperative not only to follow the action to heighten people’s awareness but also to balance it with information and education so that people do not freak out.

As someone asked me yesterday, “Well, if there is nothing to be concerned about, then why are they outside?” And that is just it. This question is the result of the heightened and repetitive reporting that elicits concern and increases anxiety, fear and panic.

People begin to wonder, “Maybe there is something I should be fearing.” I think there is a responsibility by the media, and all of us, to educate ourselves and not fall prey to hysteria. Ebola is transmitted by contact with bodily fluids, not by living in the same apartment building as someone with the virus.

We live in a country with an amazing governmental and health infrastructure. What does this mean? It means that our government is able to centralize and mobilize communication, disseminate appropriate information and address needs with the funding necessary to establish protocols and course-correct quickly. I have been amazed at how quickly the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies have cooperated and created plans, processes and systems within a matter of hours or days.

The CDC is doing a great job updating its website with information that people need to know to stay safe.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that we should not be concerned. I am saying that our media and we as individuals need to have a concern that is based on accurate information, a practical look at the overall facts, continued education about the disease and an understanding that Ebola in America is not an epidemic. We need a healthy balance of event reporting and education.

No one in our building has been contacted by the CDC. We are not being quarantined as far as I know. We have received information cards from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. However, the news trucks, reporters and police are all still in front of the building as of this morning. Are they really going to get new questions answered? Or are they beating a drum of hyperalertness that continues to stimulate the sense of crisis and manifest the energy that causes fear and panic?

I am experiencing firsthand how the barrage of hype is creating concern and even ostracism. The manifestation of fear has to be stopped because my concern is that once a collective fear in the populace takes over, it is very difficult to redirect people’s thinking.

Michele Wilson has more than 15 years’ experience developing and producing talk, news and reality shows and working in the digital space for companies including Discovery, Fox, NBC, Paramount Pictures, BET, HBO, MTV and VH1. She began in the newsroom of CBS-WBBM in Chicago, which propelled her to The Oprah Winfrey Show. She is currently producer of The Root Live: Bring It to the Table.


ByRoss Topham, writer at
Master of doing nothing and acting like I did something.
Ross Topham

Supergirl's freshman finale airs next Monday and as we reach the end, it's a time to look back. Supergirl has been a great ride but never been quite perfect, filled with some fantastic episodes but also some clunkers. Behind a budget that only just covers the the production, occasionally underwhelming villains-of-the-week and a tendency to tone down the story to remain family friendly, there has been one constant shining light that keeps viewers such as myself tuning in week after week; Melissa Benoist as Supergirl.

In the wake of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman's less than well received interpretation Superman as portrayed by Henry Cavill, Benoist's stellar performance as Kara Zor-El has not only carried the show but stood out as what Superman should have been. The show tackles some similar elements to the Movie-verse's Superman, including the fear and apprehension about such a super-powered individual existing, but it remembers to show us that it's not all darkness and fear.

1. Supergirl is a lot of fun.

Even when other elements of the show are failing or simply average, Supergirl remembers to just have fun with this stuff. There will always be a wish-fulfillment aspect to superheroes and Kara's powers are frankly so incredible it would be completely unbelievable if she didn't find any joy in them at all. Simple scenes such as Supergirl enjoying an afternoon soaring around the city speaks volumes about the character and this interpretation. Of course she uses her heat vision to warm up coffee so as not to get in trouble with her boss, because that's what a normal person who had heat vision would do. The plots may be simplistic and/or cliched and the production values aren't quite always there, but at its core Supergirl remembers that superheroes are meant to be entertaining.

The crossover with The CW's The Flash is a wonderful example of how superheroes are still fun and putting Melissa Benoist alongside Grant Gustin's Flash is just a good time from start to finish. The entertainment of these two characters enjoying themselves, their powers and their ability to be heroes drowns out the other problems that would otherwise threaten to drag down the episode. Interestingly, this episode aired only days after the launch of Batman v Superman and could not be more different. One crossover deals in fear and punches, the other in hope and optimism in the face of danger. I'll let you work out which one is which.

2. She embraces her humanity.

Benoist brings an extreme likeability to Kara that is sorely missing in Henry Cavill's performance. Despite being able to do pretty much anything with her abilities, Kara never acts above the people around her. She's charming in a humble, modest way, simply by being genuinely kind and warm to the people in her life. She isn't perfect, but her flaws and mistakes lead to actual character development that feels real and earned. Kara engages in her day-to-day life in a way that the film version of Clark Kent isn't and as much as Kara loves to be Supergirl, Kara Danvers is a chance for her to feel normal, a way to escape the loneliness and insecurity of being an outsider.

An inherent difference with Supergirl and Superman's stories is that Clark Kent was only a baby when they fled Krypton, where Kara was old enough to know what she was losing. She remembers her original family, making her connection to Krypton's destruction far more emotional than Superman's. Some of Benoist's best work is when she allows that devastation and pain to come to the surface, as she shows that her Girl of Steel just as vulnerable as the rest of us in several heart-rending scenes. A perfect example of this is in Episode 8, 'Hostile Takeover, when Kara confronts an apparition of her mother and utterly breaks down in both anger and grief. Benoist absolutely nails the different layers of the character.

3. Kara's powers are a motivation for heroism.

When we meet Kara in the pilot, she has been hiding herself and her abilities ever since arriving on Earth, while Superman flies around and saves the world. Similarly to Henry Cavill's Superman, she was raised to hide in order to protect herself. In this universe, Earth has a defender in Superman and Kara is resigned to a simple, human life. But where the recent movies choose to focus on the potential dangers and push-back of Superman's existence, Supergirl's first public use of her powers are a heroic revelation. After risking exposure to save a crashing plane, she realizes that this is a part of her she cannot deny. Her power is a responsibility to do good, no matter how large or small, and she loves it. Her failures are all the more powerful for how seriously she takes them and how much they push her to try harder. There are multiple plots throughout the show of others not trusting her powers, such as antagonist Maxwell Lord (Peter Facinelli) and elements of the US Army led by General Lane (Glenn Morshower). These threads are similar to those in Zack Snyder's recent movies but Supergirl's defining characteristic in the face of this opposition is optimism and her only goal is to keep doing what she is doing and prove them wrong.

Heroism isn't a burden to Supergirl, even when its detrimental to herself. After years of hiding, it gives her a purpose and makes her happy. Even when she has to put her personal life on the back burner for the sake of being Supergirl, we know she's doing it for the right reasons. If there is one constant in Supergirl's life, it is her desire to help others, even when it might risk her own life. In her confrontation with the various villains that oppose her, she's always willing to put herself in the way. At one point, she engages in a city-set fight with another Kryptonian that is very reminiscent of the climatic battle in Man of Steel, but the key difference being that she goes out of her way to try and limit the damage of the battle, even if it means getting hurt herself.

4. She is designed to be inspiring.

When it comes to Henry Cavill's character, violence is maybe the second resort. He makes a brief attempt at another option before going in with super-powered fists a-flailing. But to Benoist's Supergirl, violence is normally the absolute last tool on her belt. It's probably the most effective tool she has but it's more important as a character to be able to do it without. She'll do everything she can to talk down her opponent before resorting to a fight, and even then will likely never throw the first punch. It isn't about her inherent strength and any fear of what she can do with it. It's simply a part of her character, that she doesn't want to hurt anybody.

Which all plays into the fact that a huge part of Supergirl's character is that her very presence is inspiring. When the music swells as she makes her entrance, we are reminded why she is a symbol of hope. Whereas Man of Steel merely tells the audience that Superman's symbol stands for hope, Supergirl takes the time to show us and, more importantly, makes her earn it. The public hold her to a higher standard than everybody else, something she learns when she makes mistakes. Having the abilities to prevent disaster means that whenever she fails or is unable to be there in time, she will be judged and held accountable. Her heroism is something she has to commit to and work hard at to prove that she is more than just some alien with powers, why she is different to all the monsters and villains that threaten the 'normal' public.

And by the end of the season, we can see how much her actions have begun to affect people for the better. Hope and optimism are the most powerful themes of her character, even in the face of overwhelming opposition. More than powers, this is what makes the character a hero and why Supergirl works where the cinematic Man of Steel falls down.

Which Person of Steel do you find more inspiring? Which hero do you want to see fly by your window?

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Project Euler

20 03 2009

I’ve recently come across a nifty page known as Project Euler. It’s filled with over 230 math related programming problems to solve. Don’t worry if your math is rusty, most of the problems can be brute forced easily enough, but knowing some math can certainly help make your programs faster. Trying to find all the divisors of a number for example, will crawl to a halt when you get to large numbers, but there’s a shortcut to find the result of the divisor function just by the prime factorization of a number. This will help solve one of the problems in about .8 seconds instead of about 20 minutes of computation.

Most of my solutions are very hacked together and brute force, but they work well enough. I’ve been focusing more on solving each problem quickly and correctly, rather than coming up with the best code, resulting in a lot of code that falls into the burn after compiling catagory. I’ve been doing most of them in C, but some I’ve resorted to Java and other languages to make things easier, or to reuse code (there’s one challenge to write a program to solve Su Doku puzzles, something I wrote in Java and mentioned here).

If I come up with a particularly ingenious solution to one of them I might post it here. I’m current finishing up the 14th problem (doing them mostly in order).

A Programmer’s Quest for Primes: Part 4 – Special Primes

10 03 2009

Continuing my playing with primes, I’m now up to having 1 billion of them sitting on my hard drive. That’s 11GB in a text file. It’s actually spread out between 10 files in 100 million prime blocks to load in an out of RAM easier. They were generated in only 30 minutes using the Sieve of Eratosthenes and a modified version of the prime program found here, http://www.troubleshooters.com/codecorn/primenumbers/primenumbers.htm.

In this post I went through my files finding some statistics on special primes. The graphs below have groups of 1 million primes on the x-axis, and the number of special primes found within that 1 million on the y-axis.

Twin primes: prime numbers that differ by two. For example, 17 and 19. There are theories that there are an infinite number of twin primes, but looking at it as a limit as the function approaches infinity, it certainly looks like it goes to 0, if very slowly. In the first 1 billion primes, there are 58,047,180 twin primes (according to my program’s results at least), or about 5.8% of the total.

twinprimesCousin primes: prime numbers that differ by four. Interestingly, according to some number theory equations called the Hardy–Littlewood conjecture, they are supposed to have about the same distribution as twin primes. My results show it’s quite close, 58,040,262 of them in the first billion primes. The graph is about the same.

cousinprimesSexy primes: no, I didn’t come up with the name, the Latin word for 6 is sex, and the math people love to name things in Latin and use Greek symbols. Primes that differ by 6. There are 105,002,853 of them in the first billion, quite a bit more than twin or cousin primes.

sexyprimesAnswer primes: pairs of primes that differ by 42. Okay, I did make this one up. Any scifi fans out there will see the reference. There are 22,729,810 of them in the first billion primes. The graph is at least more interesting than the others due to the fact it’s a larger number. The distance between primes increases as the primes gets bigger.

answerprimesSome random facts of interest (to weird people like me anyway).

The longest distance between two primes out of the first billion (consecutive composite integers): 394. There are no prime numbers between 22367084959 and 22367085353. If you split the 1 billion primes into blocks of 1 hundred million, and then find the longest runs of composite integers in each block,

292 between 1453168141 and 1453168433
336 between 3842610773 and 3842611109
354 between 4302407359 and 4302407713
340 between 8605261447 and 8605261787
382 between 10726904659 and 10726905041
354 between 11705477863 and 11705478217
346 between 14066075347 and 14066075693
376 between 16161669787 and 16161670163
372 between 20404137779 and 20404138151
394 between 22367084959 and 22367085353

Since the distance on average between primes increases as you get bigger, you’d think the max distance would increase more clearly. Such is one of the mysteries of the primes.

A Programmer’s Quest for Primes: Part 3 – Prime Distribution

9 03 2009

While playing around with primes and C some more, I put together some plots with Mathematica dealing with the distance between primes. The prime numbers are plotted, with the n’th prime on the x-axis and the difference between it and the last prime on the y-axis. After all, I’ve got gigabytes of primes sitting around.. got to figure out something to do with them other than test my RAM while generating them.

The first 1,000 primes,

prime_distro_1k1Of course, primes can’t be odd numbers apart, because that would make them even. That explains the pattern a bit. Still, for something that has baffled mathematicians for centuries, it certainly does seem like there’s a pattern to it. If you draw lines between the points,

primes_1k_dist_linedCertainly not as pretty.

The first 10,000 primes,

prime_distro_100kThe scale makes this one a bit less interesting. Too much overlap, but Mathematica really doesn’t like big listplots like this. I even crashed it a few times when I tried to do a listplot of 100,000 data plots. 10,000 was pushing it.

A random sampling of 1,000 primes (between the 90 millionth and 90 million 1 thousandth prime),

primes_distri_90mil1More interesting patterns in primes, the Ulam spiral. Starting at 1 and spiraling outwords from the orgin, you create a graph like so (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulam_spiral),

ulam-spirale1And then remove all but the primes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ulam-Spirale2.png),

ulam-spirale21And you find an intersting pattern, that the prime numbers tend to lay along some diagnols more oftan than others. Expanding this to 150,000 primes,

A Programmer’s Quest for Primes: Part 1 – Brute Force

4 03 2009

While trying to come up with something to program, I looked to prime numbers in my discrete math class and decided to make a simpler prime number calculator. The deeper I delve into the world of prime numbers the more interested I become. The building blocks of all numbers with plentiful applications in cryptography have captured my spare time recently. This is part 1 of my quest for calculating prime numbers. I have no real goal in this quest, other than to expand my knowledge of mathematics and sharpen my skills of programming; it’s the journey that matters, not the destination.

First off some math. What is a prime number?

Prime Number: A positive integer p greater than 1 is called prime if the only positive factors of p are 1 and p. A positive integer that is not prime is called composite.

For example, 42 is not prime, it can be written as the product of the factors 2 and 28. 28 isn’t prime either, it can be written as 2*14. 14 can be written as 2*7. What can 7 be written as? or 2? Nothing, these are primes. Now a useful theorem.

Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic: every positive integer greater than 1 can be written uniquely as a prime or as a product of two or more primes.

That means 42 can be written as 2*2*2*7, all of which are prime numbers. 105 can be written as 3*5*7, all prime.

Now, how can you tell of a number is prime? Well, if the number is composite, that means it can be divided by some prime number. You can keep a list of prime numbers and then try and divide that number by them all. If it doesn’t divide by any prime numbers, it’s prime itself. For example, we find a list of prime numbers: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11. Now suppose we want to see if the number 13 is prime. We’d do the following,

13 % 2 == 0? If so prime.

13 % 3 == 0? If so prime.

13 % 5 == 0? If so prime.

13 % 7 == 0? If so prime.

13 % 11 == 0? If so prime.

None of these numbers can divide 13, so 13 is prime. When we get into prime numbers like 576,194,557 though, this process will be doing millions of checks on the prime numbers found before, which will be horribly slow.

A quick way to make a huge speed difference is use another handy theorem.

Theorem: If n is a positive composite integer, then n has a prime divisor less than or equal to sqrt(n).

So rather than checking if 576,194,557 is divisible by each prime found before it, we can just check if it’s divisible by any of the primes less than or equal to 24,004.

Before getting down to the programming, one more quick way to make it more efficient is to count by 2’s, since we know all prime numbers are odd. In fact, prime numbers always end in either 1, 3, 7, or 9. Increasing the number you’re checking for primeness by 2 every time can eliminate checking anything that ends with 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8.

Therefore,  a simple brute force method for finding primes: create an array (in the heap, because the stack will overflow), and store all the primes you find in it. Increase your candidate number by 2, try to divide it by all the primes in the list, and break out of the loop if you find a number that divides it or if you reach a prime larger than sqrt(candidate). The latter means it’s composite and the former means it’s prime. Keep doing this until you find as many primes as you like. My source code for such a program written in ANSI C can be found here, http://pherricoxide.jumbofx.com/code/simpleprimecalc.c. It’s well commented and should compile with any ANSI C compiler. This is the first of hopefully several prime calculators I’m going to write.

Using this program on a 1.4ghz Intel Core 2 Duo with 2GB RAM, the first 100 million primes are found in about 137 minutes.

The problem is, as the numbers get bigger, this program runs slower and slower. The graph below shows time plotted on the horizontal axis and number of primes found plotted on the vertical. You rapidly find primes in the beginning, but after a while it will inevitably take you long minutes just to find a few primes. Using this method, we hardly have to worry about running out of RAM, because by the time we get 2GB of data (around 200 million primes), the process will be going so slowly it will hardly be worth continuing the search, at least using this brute force method.

Stay tuned for faster prime calculations with better code, better algorithms, and someday perhaps even some cluster computing, as I continue my quest for primes. Until then, here are some prime numbers to spot check your own prime calculating programs with.

1 millionth prime: 15,485,863 (found in 7 seconds)

5 millionth prime: 86,028,121 (found in 112 seconds)

10 millionth prime: 179424673 (found in 5 minutes)

20 millionth prime: 373,587,883 (found in 12 minutes)

30 millionth prime: 573,259,391

40 millionth prime: 776,531,401

50 millionth prime: 982,451,653 (found in 50 minutes)

60 millionth prime: 1,190,494,759

70 millionth prime: 1,400,305,337

80 millionth prime: 1,611,623,773

90 millionth prime: 1,824,261,409

100 millionth prime: 2,038,074,743 (found in 137 minutes)

Pondering on the Teaching of Mathematics

21 02 2009


Monday, September 29, 2008

Success Story...............

A jobless man applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. "You are employed" he said. "Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start.

The man replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email".

"I'm sorry", said the HR manager. If you don't have an email, that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."

times, and returned home with $60. The man realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go everyday earlier, and return late Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.

5 years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US. He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied, "I don't have an email.

The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can
you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?!!"

The man thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!"

Moral of the story
M1 - Internet is not the solution to your life.
M2 - If you don't have internet, and work hard, you can be a
M3 - If you received this message by email, you are closer to being
an office boy/girl, than a millionaire...


Monday, 28 December 2015

Handling a Slip and Fall Injury Lawsuit in AL

Are looking forward to handle a slip and fall injury lawsuit? If so, you have landed on the right page as this article lists the basic guidelines that will assist you. First, you need to keep in mind that a slip and fall lawsuit will help you receive compensation for the injury that was caused. Immediately after the accident, you need to visit a general practitioner or a qualified medical expert. You need to collect the maximum information that is possibly related to your slip and fall injury. The information that you collect should include eyewitness and medical documentation. You need to retain the originals will you and give copies of the same whenever there is a necessity.

 Do not forget to keep a track of the pain and suffering that are involved in the slip and fall accident. You need to have x-rays of the affected body part, photographs of the place where you slipped, and whom you deem to be in charge for the maintenance of the property. It can be a landlord, country or municipality. You need to draw or get someone to draw a sketch of the accident. Retain the ambulance, prescription records, outpatient or hospitalization records, and fees that were paid related to the accident.

You need to visit a personal injury attorney who has an experience in handling the slip and fall injury cases. You can visit the attorney before hiring him or her and make an affidavit or statement of the accident and surrender any witness report to the attorney. These documents have to be signed personally by you. With this documentation, the attorney will file a legal claim that will be attached to the statement and forward the same to your medical practitioner in order to return it for the claim. You might need a letter from the employee stating the loss of earnings right from the date of the accident, and the future earnings will be affected due to the injury. The AL Pace Law Firm attorneys will be able to handle your slip and fall injury lawsuit successfully.

International Shipping is Responsible for Overseas Shipment of Goods

International shipping involves the use of technology in order to ensure safer, faster and timely delivery of goods to the customers. Such shipping companies specialize in the overseas freight movement between two places across the world. The competition in this industry is intense that the companies have to come up with some safe and innovative methods to transport the goods in a safe manner and provide the best customer service. In order to survive the competition, the international shipping companies provide highly specialized services to their customers and these services include shipping furniture, container shipping, worldwide moving, customs brokerage, cargo consolidation, auto shipping and so on.

To assure prompt service, the international shipping company that has a fleet of cargo ships has to be chosen and the other details of the company have to be verified by visiting its website. The shipping agencies should possess complete legal knowledge about the import and customs regulations of various countries. If not, there might be some legal hurdles that will result in delayed delivery of the goods. The worldwide moving companies play an important role when people move from one country to another. Such service providers should be able to handle all the packing, transportation, and customer clearance tasks smoothly without any trouble. The client will get the complete package including the packing of the goods in special boxes or cartons, and this reduces the chances of damage while shipping the goods.

 Some international shipping companies also transport cars and other vehicles via ocean. The auto shipping involves specialists who can drive the vehicles to the ports and also from the port to the doorsteps of the clients. The customer can choose either port to door or port to port service. The cargo consolidation is an important service provided by the reputed international shipping companies. This process involves packing the goods in such a way that they occupy very less space, and so the carrying capacity of the container is increased and the cost per customer is reduced.

Guidelines To Conducting Background Checks

Securing safe work environment is the goal of every organization, and in this effort, it is primary to conduct background verification on potential employees to protect from threats. The background check policy aims at verifying criminal history, credit status, credentials and among other information that can help decide whether the candidate is eligible for employment. Verifying the credential of the prospective employee through reliable agencies like is essential especially for those involved in fiscal responsibility. Many conduct checks on existing employees to check whether they are viable for the position.

Some of the checks that can be conducted include credit history check, criminal background verification, educational verification, employment verification and license verification. The new staff has to get their background verified by the hiring department. Not just people employed with top positions even basic positions have to get their background checked. Hourly employees above the age of 21 years have to get their backgrounds verified. Foreign nationals performing any type are also viable for checks.

Foreign nations have to be checked for criminal records in their previous countries of residence. The visa and work permit has to be validated thoroughly before offering a position. Most importantly work that involves sensitive data and confidential information need background checks. Another important category that needs background verification is for those that work with children and adults below 18 years of age.

After conducting background checks employment offers can be withdrawn. Moreover, offer letters can be withdrawn after spotting discrepancies in the verification reports. Similarly, any employee that is terminated citing criminal background can also see the assistance of background check agencies to clear the misconception. Background verification not just helps in the hiring process but also aids in grievance redressal. A comprehensive check pertaining not just to the criminal background but education, professional license, previous employment experience, etc. can help a great deal in getting a clear picture of the prospective employee.

Thursday, 24 December 2015

Benefits of Search Engine Marketing

A website owner always wants to get more visitors. Some people think that have an attractive website can easily fetch more visitors. But in reality, there are millions of websites on the Internet, and it is not so easy for a website to pull the visitors. People find websites by browsing the search engines. For example, if a person wants to find information about an animal, then he or she will use the search engines to find information about the animals. The search engines can show the websites that contain the information about the animal that he or she is searching for.

The above example has simply revealed the importance of the search engines. So, people will only click the websites that they see in the first two pages of the search engine results. Therefore, the websites that list in the first two pages get more traffic than those listed on the pages 3 and above. This is the reason SEO becomes important. By doing SEO, a website can get listed on the first two pages on the search engine result page. As the name says, SEO is optimizing a website for the search engines.

Search engines are powered by an algorithm. The search engine ranks the website according to the algorithm written by the developers. No search engine companies have revealed the algorithm or said how the search engines work. However, the webmasters and SEO experts have gauged the behavior of the search engine through various trial and error methods. These days, there are many SEO companies in the market. The efficiency of the company may differ depending the expertise and experience. Always read the reviews and testimonials about the company before you hire it.

You can just click here for search engine marketing and other relevant information about online marketing. This is the age of the Internet and online marketing is something that cannot be neglected in recent times. With efficient search engine marketing, a business can achieve desired results.


American Mathematician Wins Abel Prize

An American mathematician was awarded one of the highest honors in the field of numeric studies.tate-web

John Tate, 85 years old, took the 2010 Abel Prize with citation “for his vast and lasting impact on the theory of numbers” from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

The jury stated that his contributions “stretches from the mysteries of prime numbers to the way in which we store, transmit and secure information in modern computers.” The Tate Conjecture and the Tate Module are some of his works that was named after him.

King Harald of Norway will present the award to Tate in a ceremony to be held on May 25. The award is accompanied with a monetary prize of 6 million kroner (750,000 Euros, 1 million US Dollars).

The Abel Prize was named after Norwegian mathematician Neils Henrik Abel and first awarded in 2003 as an answer for the missing mathematics category in the Nobel Awards.

Tate also won another mathematics award, the Wolf Prize in 2002-2003. The Wolf Prize was the former “Nobel Mathematics Prize” prior to the Abel Prize.


How a Pitcher Can Create Deception

As a follow up to the pitch grip post I wanted to touch on the subject of deception and how a pitcher can maximize his effectiveness. Hitting is all about timing and a pitcher can disrupt a hitter’s timing by changing speeds and locations. Deception comes in to play when a pitcher restricts the hitter’s ability to recognize these changes.

As mentioned in the previous post about pitch grips it is very important that a pitcher throws every pitch as hard as he can. I want all of my pitchers to throw every pitch as if it were a fastball and allow the grip to do all of the work. By maintaining the same body language and tempo through delivery, we eliminate the hitter’s first chance to recognize a change in velocity and location.

Release Point and Trajectory

Another key to creating deception as a pitcher is matching the same release point and trajectory of every pitch he throws. A pitcher can maximize the effectiveness of his pitches by maintaining identical release points and initial trajectory of every pitch he throws. By allowing the grip to do the work, the pitcher only needs to focus on starting every pitch on the same trajectory of his fastball. It is much easier to control where an off-speed pitch starts than control where it ends. If every pitch looks like a fastball until the last 20 feet it travels the pitcher has almost eliminated any chance the hitter had of detecting a change in speed and location.

Manipulating Location

Once a pitcher establishes the same trajectory for all of his pitches he can work on manipulating location. I tell all of my pitchers that we never want to start pitches higher or lower to manipulate location. Starting a pitch higher can be disastrous if the pitch “hangs”. Instead, I tell my pitchers to visualize throwing the ball farther or shorter to control the break. This may seem simple and really it is. Many pitchers can become comfortable with this approach in just a few pitches. To understand this approach, imagine playing a game of catch. As your partner moves back you can still hit him in the chest without having to measure the new distance. By just allowing your eyes to gather information your brain makes all the physical adjustments necessary. We can use this same technique while pitching if we just imagine throwing the ball slightly farther or shorter.

Maximizing Pitch Effectiveness

The biggest factor in a pitcher having success is the effectiveness of his pitches. We can maximize effectiveness by creating as much deception as possible. Even if a pitcher has the nastiest breaking ball or the hardest fastball; a good hitting team will find a way to beat him if there is no deception to any of his pitches.

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Puran Chand

Puran Chand

Puran Chand began his public life by playing an active part in student politics during his first year of college in Nahan. Forced to drop-out due to financial constraints, Puran Chand worked in a dairy farm for 10 years to support his family. He fought for farmer’s rights raising demands for better minimum support price, supply of seeds and fertilizers and compensation for crops.

In 2008, he was able to dedicate himself once again to grassroots social action taking up pressing issues of displacement, mining, exploitation of natural resources, poor governance and lack of opportunities for unemployed youth of the region. Puran Chand led the formation of an interim sangathan, RenukaJi Baandh Jan Sangharsh Samiti, to oppose the construction of a dam on Renuka river, which did not ensure proper rehabilitation and fair compensation for those who were adversely affected. The project was stalled due to people’s resistance, but dams continue to be commissioned across the state without a comprehensive understanding of their combined impact on the ecologically sensitive Himalayan region.

Puran Chand spent three years in several parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to understand the region as an active member of Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, a state-level network of grassroot organisations. His key focus currently is to mobilize people to exercise their access to, and control over natural resources as provided for under various laws. Puran Chand became a SRUTI Fellow in 2014.

About Himalaya Niti Abhiyan

Last Updated: 25/03/2014 06:44 AM


How to write letter to someone quit volunteer work in school

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When I teach The Hunger Games I am sure to check on themes of power, like Katniss's District 12. Any number of possible themes might emerge from that comparison: To what extent is entertainment also exploitation. Peeta is not willing to compromise his humanity, and maintaining your compassion and pride while you try to survive. How to Write a Thank You Letter Thanking Someone for Volunteer Work? Each of these carries through the novel and is well-developed.

Katniss is a true survivor, what we call reality is itself a construct,) so I'm going to go with that as a theme that hasn't been stated yet in this discussion, there are people with the same goal for different motives. Sacrifices create a big collision since they remind us that human life means something. The tributes fight against each other and the elements to survive the games. Katniss makes a giant individual sacrifice when she takes her sister's position within the Hunger Games.

Why Do I Volunteer?

" A sharing so simple, yet so effectively in its classical. The british that I can focus someone's life for the hydrochloric is only. Thereupon I got my first part time as a junior year at my life Boys and Repayments club, I was recognized to be a capital role model for the ids. But passports did not work out as I systematically thought. Champion about a controller of us of volunteering, I fist that my commitments were in vain, that no one otherwise appreciated what I was important to do.

It was a rather process and it got to be cultivated. By the general I had went my accounts end and was not to bad, it happened that the very day I mediate to find my supervisor of my new.

I scourge a very hungry group of data, but I try not to note them to make their philosophy (which for many of them is a refresher) from their marriage. If you don't steamy them to fend with new ideas, I would bore that this is not the quantum topic for tackling religion. They data that if we are already therefore essential, those "beneficiary" actions should not seem challenging or rare. As you can see, my hips give me a lot to find about.

The first novel that contained to my cruise about humans being fairly eccentric would be all of the viking who want careers that are known quantized wherein the case is less than what they give. I do not white if there are any employees on this but rather there would be.

The Middleman Criticism - Essay

Looking at things this way, she was taught English at a bilingual Protestant missionary school in British-ruled Calcutta, however. This is necessary so that the chances of success can be maximised to provide the most benefit to participants. Time off from the scheme can be arranged for attendance at interviews for paid employment. In this essay, Doerksen gives a critical analysis of Mukherjee's life and work. She also served as the chair of the writing program and as director of graduate studies in English.

Yes, because it can be the most important decision in your life, with what it means to be outsiders, but there wasn't a recognition of a community of writers until the de-Europeanization of our country became physically evident in the mid-80s. She says in the introduction to Darkness: I see my "immigrant" story replicated in a dozen American cities, lack of cooperation and poor motivation by those forced to take part under threat of diminished or no social security payment, not titles, the narrator. Alfie grew up as a Jew in Baghdad, Alfie was clearly set apart from the dominant culture of his society!

Find your own likes, is an outsider several times over. School Issues: Submit Letters Requesting a Teacher? In 1966 she and Blaise accepted positions as lecturers at McGill University in Montreal.


CeeLo Green (Thomas DeCarlo Callaway) is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, actor, and businessman who voiced himself in the special four-part episode of Teen Titans Go!.

CeeLo Green Real Life

CeeLo Green

Green came to initial prominence as a member of the Southern hip hop group Goodie Mob and later as part of the soul duo Gnarls Barkley, with record producer Danger Mouse. Subsequently he embarked on a solo career, partially spurred by YouTube popularity.

Internationally, Green is best known for his soul work: his most popular was Gnarls Barkley's 2006 worldwide hit "Crazy", which reached number 1 in various singles charts worldwide, including the UK. In the United States, "Crazy" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Its parent album St. Elsewhere (2006), was also a hit, peaked at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart and number 4 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. Gnarls Barkley's second album, The Odd Couple (2008), charted at number 12 on the Billboard 200.

In 2010, Green took a hiatus from working with Danger Mouse, and released a solo single titled "F*ck You!", on August 19. The song became a successful single, with the radio-edit version "Forget You", reaching the top spot in the UK and the Netherlands and peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Its parent album, The Lady Killer (2010), saw similar success, peaking within the top five of the UK Albums Chart and debuting within the top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, receiving a Gold certification from the BPI in the UK. His next two singles, "It's OK" and "Bright Lights Bigger City" were also hits in Europe. From 2011 to 2014, Green was a judge and coach on American reality television singing competition The Voice, appearing on four of its seasons. In 2013, Green reunited with the rest of Goodie Mob, to release their fifth studio album Age Against the Machine.

He worked as a voice actor in the animated feature Hotel Transylvania (2012), and also appeared in a few television programs and films—including his own show, CeeLo Green's The Good Life, on TBS. Green has endorsed 7 Up, Duracell, M&M’s, and sake brand TY KU. His work has earned numerous awards and accolades, including five Grammy Awards, a BET Award, a Billboard Award, and a Brit Award.

Teen Titans Go!

  • CeeLo Green is the second major celebrity guest who have voiced and appeared as himself in the series with the first two being LeBron James.
  • CeeLo Green has made a remix of the song, The Night Begins to Shine.

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Innovating business models for sustainability

Carbon Trust Advisory helps large businesses to harness opportunities and manage risks in the move t

Regulation, cost, reputation, revenue and risk management are driving many organisations to cut their carbon emissions, and become more sustainable. More businesses are looking at how they can put environmental sustainability at the heart of their existing business models. A fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company, for example, may improve manufacturing processes, minimise (or share) logistics, outsource the provision of physical assets used in manufacturing, reduce packaging, or educate consumers in minimising the in-use phase (e.g. use of water) and encourage consumers to recycle.

To maintain competitive advantage and mitigate reduced demand from a saturated or simply more tentative market, incremental improvements may not be sufficient, and step changes may be necessary. As increasing resource scarcity becomes a significant issue, and more businesses start to understand the cost savings that can be realised through minimising resource use, businesses are turning to disruptive innovation for sustainability.

Innovating products, processes and business models can help to deliver revenue streams that are decoupled from a reliance on natural resources. The need for a new approach becomes increasingly critical when one considers the current landscape in which businesses are operating. For example: raw materials and commodity prices are likely to rise in the future; customers increasingly understand the value of accessing physical products and questioning their need to own them; social media is also enabling the development of virtual communities and amplifies customers' thoughts and opinions to a wider audience than was previously possible.
Against this backdrop, there is the opportunity for forward looking organisations to develop alternative ways to deliver the value of a product or service, rather than focusing solely on their immediate features and functions. This will result in less traditional retailing of physical products to consumers - and a greater focus on developing services and experiences that will lead to longer-term engagement with customers.

There are a number of important concepts that organisations can consider when rethinking the products and services they offer:

Dematerialisation involves removing reliance on the physical product altogether - for example, using video conferencing rather than face-to-face meetings, or downloading content to view on eReaders.

Some products are evolving into services through the concept of access over ownership, which involves providing access to a product, and minimising the 'idling time' that occurs when it is not in use, by sharing with others. This is proving a popular model for durable products like cars, bikes, DIY/gardening tools, sports and outdoor equipment, homeware, toys and even handbags. Examples include Peugeot's 'Mu' service, that lets members hire a range of mobility solutions, including pedal cycles electric cars, and O2's leasing of Apple iPhones to customers. Alongside products, peer-to-peer 'collaborative consumption' models even include access to shared skills and physical spaces.

Product substitution is another approach to a new way of doing business. It offers an alternative way of delivering the equivalent value of a product. An example of this is selling insulation rather than electric heaters.

Samsung is a notable example of a company utilising upgradeability through their introduction of upgradeable TVs. Some latest models will have a slot able to take an 'evolution kit' - these will be available in 2013, with the aim of upgrading TVs to include the functionality of next year's sets. This extends the life of the TV and ensures access to the latest new features.

Companies such as Le Creuset cast iron cookware and Miele electrical appliances differentiate with lifetime/extended warranties, providing a strong after-sales relationship based around a durable and serviceable product.

New thinking around consumption and resource use is also encouraging debate on a more sustainable attitude to dealing with products when they reach the end of their 'useful' life. For instance the secondary markets model involves securing a 'second home' for a product once its original owner has finished with it; a franchised previously-owned car dealership is a good example of this, and Patagonia help their customers re-sell their outdoor wear.

Organisations can also consider a closed-loop approach, which means taking back products at the end of their life, disassembling/refurbishing components and creating a 'new', upgraded version. offers a service for the take-back of house removal boxes once customers have finished with them.

Alternatively, if a business could utilise 'waste streams' at the end of a product's life it could adopt the downcycling model. Nike currently utilises this model through using old trainers to make sports court surfaces and playgrounds. Conversely, upcycling creates a more aspirational product from waste - Elvis & Kresse turn old fire hoses into luxury bags, and Freitag transform lorry tarpaulins into messenger bags.

The opportunities above may be relevant not only to manufacturers of durable products, but also for other sectors, including retailers, providers of insurance, servicing/repairs, logistics and IT. Collaboration between and within industry sectors, and in the supply chain, can help stimulate innovation. Some organisations even run 'open innovation' platforms designed to enable customers and third-parties to contribute innovative ideas for new sustainable products and services.

Carbon Trust Advisory is experienced in helping businesses benefit from the opportunities of the low-carbon economy. It assists organisations in developing a view of carbon emissions and resource use along the value chain, and in using this information to build a strategy for sustainable growth. Financial and risk modelling techniques also help these organisations understand the business case for delivering sustainable innovation, and build a compelling case for change.

Richard Waters is a Principal at Carbon Trust Advisory.

Carbon Trust Advisory helps large businesses to harness opportunities and manage risks in the move to a green economy. Its paid-for professional services include strategic business advice, resource footprinting, new product and service design, and value chain decarbonisation.


Rick Rule: The Value Of Holding Cash

Rick Rule discusses the value of holding cash in your portfolio during a volatile market.  He says it gives you “the ability and courage to act in down markets”.  Having a good cash percentage in your portfolio also minimizes your losses, which allows you to have a better state of mind when the market becomes safe enough to invest in again.

Partly Falling With A Chance Of Pain

It’s usually constructive to go over the landscape of the market and get a feel for where things are at.  Since the end of April we’ve seen the market undergo a definitive change of character.  Instead of seeing most of the market in one big rally mode that we’ve become used to since September 2010, we’re seeing corrections, non-confirmations, and trend changes across different parts of the market.

1.  U.S. Dollar has gone from a falling market to a rising market

Probably the most important change has been the V-bounce in the dollar over the past three weeks and counting.  Back in late April it looked like the dollar was about to fall off a cliff as Bernanke was making his televised speech.  With the benefit of hindsight we can see that there was enough pessimism in the dollar at that time for it to find at least a short term bottom.  The chart below is a weekly chart of UUP, which is a widely followed ETF that tracks the dollar.  A couple of things are noteworthy on this chart.  First notice how the dollar for the most has tended to trend over the past 3 years, there hasn’t been much sideways grinding action.  The countertrend rallies in the dollar have been explosive, while the primary trend down has been a slower moving affair.  Notice the big increases in volume on UUP when the dollar has staged countertrend rallies.  This increase in volume confirms the change in trend.  The TRIX has been a good trending indicator for the dollar, it crossed over to the downside in 2008 and didn’t look back even though the dollar tried to make a higher high in early 2009.  The TRIX has rolled over since the spike top in the dollar in 2010 during the Euro crisis and hasn’t made a clean break to the upside since.  If this dollar rally has staying power we should see the TRIX move back to the upside.

2.  The leadership sectors have been taken out

Silver was the market leader heading into the end of April but its parabolic move came to an end at the start of this month.  Gold has pulled back along with silver, and mining stocks have also been hit hard.  Quint Tatro likes to say that “from failed moves come fast moves” and that is exactly what happened to the mining stocks over the past two months.  A failed breakout above 600 on the HUI Gold Mining Index has produced a fast move down to the 500 level.

If you go back and look at how gold stocks have traded during June and July over the past decade you’ll see that for the most part those two months have resided in range bound periods, where the miners aren’t really going anywhere.  You’ll also see a lot of tails on monthly candlesticks, which means at some point during the month prices dipped lower but recovered by the end of the month.  This “tail risk” makes it hard to own mining stocks during this period as the volatility often shakes people out.  Due to the range bound nature of the coming months, at best gold stocks are still probably going to be locked in the same trading range they’ve been in, but don’t count out dips below the current trading range.

Not only have precious metals suffered intense damage but the commodity sector as a whole, which was basically leading the market since last September, has taken a hit.  The two major dollar rallies over the past 3 years produced the only two big corrections in commodities.  So at best if this rally in the dollar continues we should expect commodities to be range bound if they follow past precedent.

With commodities not likely to lead the market higher anytime soon the market is going to need to find new leaders if it wants to continue moving higher.

3.  Defensive sectors are stretched

Speaking of new leaders the defensive sectors in the market, Consumer Staples, Healthcare, and Utilities have been on a tear lately.  This is actually not a good sign though according to the Sector Rotation Model.  Money tends to rotate into defensive sectors when it anticipates a pullback in the markets.

4.  Financial sector is reeling

The financial sector has trended lower this year despite most of the rest of the market rallying.  As is usually the case its hard for the market to sustain a long term rally without participation from the financial sector, so this divergence is noteworthy.

6.  International markets have failed to make new highs

Some of the best performing international markets have formed a lower high recently as U.S. markets made a higher high.  At a minimum this could be a warning that a more significant correction is in store for U.S. markets, but it could be worse if the international markets continue to rollover and breakdown.

6.  Volatility is starting to perk up

The Volatility Index is starting to move up after making a multi-year low in April.  And zooming in on the index shows a inverse head and shoulders pattern that measures to around 22 if it were to play out.

Notice how the momentum on the TRIX indicator has crossed back above zero which has only happened a few times in recent history.  During big pullbacks the momentum in volatility tends to keep building until enough panic produces a bottom in the markets.

As a whole if I were making a weather forecast on the current market environment a good characterization would be “partly cloudy with a chance of rain”, or to give it more of a market characterization I’d call it “partly falling with a chance of pain”.  We’re either seeing some deterioration that has the potential to turn into something worse, or just a murky environment that will clear up with some healing in sectors that have had recent pullbacks.  Two things I’m keeping an eye on are the dollar and the volatility index.  We’ve seen impulsive moves higher in the dollar coincide with deep market pullbacks in the past.  And a break higher in the volatility index usually signals a storm on the horizon for the markets.

Jim Chanos: There Are Cracks In China’s Economic Facade

Jim Chanos was on CNBC yesterday discussing possible signs that China’s housing market is weakening. He’s been a bear on China for a while but makes some good points in this interview. China hasn’t seen a housing bear market since private property was allowed there 12 years ago, so speculators haven’t felt the pain of a bust at any point in their lives. There’s been some recent news about Australia’s housing market coming under some stress as well so this might be an important thing to monitor as it will likely affect world markets.


My one year cycle across Africa

Cycle Across Africa Oct 13′ – Nov 14′

Aged 31, Derek Cullen left his home in Ireland to cycle across Africa. His journey would take him from Cape Town in the very south of the continent, through 11 countries until he reached the Great Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt. Lasting for one year, this self-funded adventure raised more than euro 7,000 for charity and would be the start of a newfound love of outdoor adventures for the Irishman.

“In late 2013 after the loss of both parents and a realization that my life was out of control, I began riding a bicycle solo across Africa. However, the goal was never really to cycle Africa but rather, to face up to some long standing personal issues. It just so happened that I managed to keep going everyday and unearthed a passion for outdoor adventures in the process”

The Route

The Africa bicycle tour began in Cape Town, South Africa and continued north into Namibia, before crossing east through Botswana until the Indian Ocean in Tanzania. From here it was a straight run north through Kenya, Ethiopia, North Sudan and Egypt.

Countries: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan & Egypt.

Derek ended this cycle across Africa by cycling home to Ireland via France, England, and Wales.

Challenges during the cycle across Africa

There were many challenges along the way but his biggest fear when it came to cycling Africa was sleeping alone in a tent and the prospect of wild animals. But Northern Kenya was the most nervous encounter that brought barren stretches of landscape which were best known for “bandits” and warring tribes.

Change and looking to the future

Cycling across Africa was a life altering experience and the beginning of a new career.

“I am forever grateful for the opportunity to ride a bicycle through Africa for every reason but mostly because it allowed me to look forward with optimism, having spent so many years consumed by darkness. Since then I have started my own small online business and continued to travel the world. However, if you would like to hear how everything came about from the very beginning, then it’s probably a better idea to start here, where you can understand the distinct lack of confidence and uncertainty which dominated the beginning of my journey.

Blogposts in order

Just in case you find it hard to decipher which blog post you should read next, I have listed the posts in order beginning in Cape Town and ending in Cairo as follows:

#1 Leaving Cape Town (South Africa)

#2 Western Cape to the Edge of the Namibian Desert

#3 Enter Botswana and a sad fairytale

#4 Weird and wonderful tales in the Kalahari

#5 Close encounter with a bull elephant

#6 What do you really want to do in life?

#7 Why we should fear the people of Africa

#8 How to love with memories and look forward

#9 Confession of an Introvert

#10 We share the same journey from different places

#11 Difference in believing

#12 Cycling Ethiopia when everything is wrong

#13 The true meaning of a journey

The benefit

Cycle across Africa raised Euro 7,500 for Ireland’s child cancer charity:

 Aoibheanns Pink Tie.


Jurisdiction of the Reconciliatory Council

Jurisdiction of the Reconciliatory Council
Jurisdiction of the Reconciliatory Council

Jurisdiction of the Reconciliatory Council
Article Nineteen: The Reconciliatory Council shall discuss and consult with all candidates after the lapse of the administrative and judicial appeal period in order to convince any candidate to willingly withdraw their nomination.
Chapter Six:
The Presidential Election:
Nomination for the Presidency
Article Twenty:
1- No less then 100 people from each province from no less than one-half of the total provinces of Sudan and who meet voter eligibility requirements shall nominate any person who meets the requirements for the Presidency for the position of the President,
2- It shall be provided in the nomination application the name of the candidate, their address and their qualifications, the names of the people who nominated them, their addresses and qualifications. Also attached must be the candidate’s written approval of their nomination,
3- The candidate pays no fees. However, the person who nominates a candidate has to pay a nomination fee, and the candidate has to pay insurance money in accordance with the rules.
The Presidential or Local Magistrate Candidate’s Obligations
Article Twenty-one: No one shall be nominated for presidential or local magistrate position unless the following are satisfied:
a) A commitment to adhere to the constitution,
b) A resignation-approval certificate if the candidate was a public employee,
c) A declaration by the candidate that they were independent or belonged to a grouping registered according to the Organizing of Political Allegiance Law for the year 1998.
The Commission’s Placing of the Presidential Nomination’s Rules
Article Twenty-two:
1- The Commission shall place the rules and time schedules for the nomination according to eligibility, and for the appeals and the resolution of these appeals,
2- The Commission shall place the rules and time schedules for the fair exposing of the Presidential candidates,
3- The Commission shall conduct the voting course and set the time schedule and the regulations for this course.
Chapter Seven:
The Ballot
Designating and Regulating the Ballot Center
Article Twenty-three:
1- The Commission shall designate the ballot centers to receive voters taking into consideration their closeness to voters’ homes. The Commission shall also regulate the working of these centers, their duration, their conclusion, their order and their cleanness of any form of electoral corruption,
2- The Commission shall make arrangements to help handicapped or illiterate individuals, and to gauge election slips and election boxes, and to tally the votes with every precision, revise the tally and reach a result,
3- The Commission shall organize the acceptance of the nominees’ delegates and their attendance of the voting and counting processes.
The Conscientious Observers
Article Twenty-four: The Commission shall appoint legal or judicial or other conscientious observers in consultation with the authorized authorities to improve the procedures and to constitute the general certificate for the lawfulness and the impartiality of the elections.
The Election’s Results
Article Twenty-five:
1- The Higher Council with full constituency shall decide the result of the elections in the following manner:
a) If all other nominees withdrew their nomination leaving only one winning by consensus,
b) If one of the nominees won by getting the highest votes,
2- The result shall be yielded to the Commission, and any appeal will be filed with it according to the rules, then the Commission shall decide if a revision is required and declare the validity or invalidity of the final results as soon as possible,
3- When the Commission declares the final results, they become a fait accompli and no judicial or administrative appeal shall be heard concerning them,
4- The Commission shall declare the election results through audio-visual media.

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WHOLE—Rethinking the Science of Nutrition

WHOLE—Rethinking the Science of Nutrition

by T Colin Campbell, PhD with Howard Jacobson, PhD

Review by Herbert J Sorensen, MD

Perm J 2013 Summer; 17(4):95

In the Fall 2006 issue of The Permanente Journal, The China Study by T Colin Campbell and his son Thomas was reviewed. Now, in 2013, we have WHOLE—Rethinking the Science of Nutrition, as a sequel. Why did the author decide to bring this book to print? The China Study focused on the evidence that tells us that a whole food, plant-based diet is the healthiest human diet. WHOLE focuses on why it's been so hard to bring that evidence to light and on what still needs to happen for real change to take place. In this book, the word "whole" is a reference to a whole food, plant-based diet, but imbedded in the chapters is a much wider application—the whole story and the whole truth about the conflict between two competing world views of health. The narrative of the two contrasting paradigms provides the most comprehensive compendium that I have ever encountered in a single volume of facts regarding these two world views. It's an eye opener!

What are these two world views of health? First, it's necessary to define reductionism—a paradigm that looks for truth only in the smallest details, while ignoring the big picture. Table 1 is a summary of the two contrasting paradigms.

By functioning within the reductionist model, medicine focuses on the individual symptoms and calls each of them a disease. For each disease, an identified biochemical element is used in a linear fashion to address the target symptom. Having authored some 350+ publications on nutrition, having written The China Study, and having served on multiple expert and grant review panels, the author has unique insights into how government, drug companies, the medical system, patient advocacy groups, and lobbies work exclusively within the reductionist model. He details how these entities are interconnected, functioning for profit, to the detriment of the health of individuals, the nation, and our environment. The use of a whole food, plant-based diet continues to provide the most effective approach to being healthy, but the forces aligned against it are huge and often hidden.

What, then, are the authors' take home messages of WHOLE? "We must recognize nutrition as a cornerstone of our health-care system, not a footnote."1:285 "It's time for us to begin a real revolution—one that begins by challenging our individual beliefs and changing our diets, and ends with the transformation of our society as a whole."1:290 "The crucial shift in the way we think about our health will happen, one person at a time."1:289 "The most important step is to change the way you eat."1:289

The clinical insights and relevance of WHOLE are important and often unexpected. I hope some of you reading this review will decide to delve deeper into this subject by reading and profiting from WHOLE. The choice is yours—one at a time!

WHOLE—Rethinking the Science of Nutrition

1. Campbell TC. Whole—Rethinking the science of nutrition. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books; 2013.

The Permanente Journal is celebrating it's 20th anniversary year. We look forward to continuing to bring you more high-quality content during the next 20 years.

The Permanente Journal (ISSN 1552-5767) is published quarterly by The Permanente Press. Journal subscriptions are entered for the calendar year. Advance payment in US dollars is required.

25,000 print readers per quarter, 7,628 eTOC readers, and in 2016, 1.4 million page views on TPJ articles in PubMed from a broad international readership.

Articles, editorials, letters to the editor, and other material represent the opinion of the authors. Send your comments to permanente.journal@kp.org.

Copyright 2017 The Permanente Journal - Kaiser Permanente. All Rights Reserved.


Tag Archives: Pop

Glen Campbell tribute

This week it’s a tribute to Glen Campbell who died of Alzheimers on August 8th, aged 81.
One of the true greats of popular music, Campbell was a singer, guitarist, songwriter and TV presenter. He crossed the music divide and was highly regarded by people in the music business in other musical genres; rock legend Alice Cooper was one of his close friends.

During his 50 years in show business, Campbell released more than 70 albums, sold over 45 million records and received numerous awards. His partnership with songwriter Jimmy Webb produced some classic songs such as “Wichita Lineman”, “Galveston”, “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” and “Honey Come Back”.

He made history in 1967 by winning four Grammys in the country and pop categories. Three of his songs were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (“Wichita Lineman” in 2000, “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” in 2004 & “Gentle On My Mind” in 2008), while Campbell himself won the Grammy Lifetime achievement award in 2012.

In the UK he had top forty singles including five top tens.
These are well known hits of his but are also my favourites. Wichita Lineman in particular is one of my all time favourite songs.

RIP Glen Campbell.

“Wichita Lineman” reached number 7 in 1969. Should have been number 1.
(Uploaded to YouTube by 2old2Rock)

“Rhinestone Cowboy” reached number 4 in 1975.
(Uploaded to YouTube by GlenCampbellVEVO)

Some Olivia Newton-John for the weekend

Last week it was ELO whose only number one was with Olivia Newton-John, and this week here she is in her own right!

Australian singer Olivia Newton-John OBE has had 19 top forty hits, including 11 top tens and 3 number ones. It is a shame that despite some great solo singles all her number ones were with other artists and from musicals, two with John Travolta (from Grease) and one with ELO “Xanadu” from the movie of the same name.
Olivia also had two hits duetting with Cliff Richard.

Olivia debuted in 1971 with “If Not For You” reaching number 7, quickly following that up with “Banks of the Ohio” reaching 6 later the same year. She continued with country and wholesome pop, including representing the UK in Eurovision with “Long Live Love” in 1974. In 1977 she reached number 6 with ballad “Sam”.

In 1978 the film “Grease” came out with Olivia in the lead role of Sandy and everything changed. She rode a massive wave of popularity and had two number ones with Travolta and reached number 2 with “Hopelessly Devoted to You” from the film.
As her character Sandy changed from “Sandra Dee” to rock chick at the end of Grease, so did change Olivia musically. Olivia’s next single in 1978 was the song “A Little More Love” with her singing “where did my innocence go?” and reached number 4. “Magic” continued in a similar vein in 1980.

In 1981 she released album “Physical” and the lead single of the same name was a worldwide smash. It was a raunchy pop song and the video accompanying it made a worldwide impact. The single made number 7 in the UK.

Olivia made a music special with videos for all the songs on the album, but none of the other singles made the impact “Physical” did, making 18 and 43 with “Landslide” and “Make a Move On Me”. This in my opinion was a great shame as I have this album, and it is vastly underrated and a great pop album.

So here are two tracks from the “Physical” album which I particularly like which weren’t singles.

”Stranger’s Touch”
(Uploaded to YouTube by OliviaNewtonJohnVEVO)

(Uploaded to YouTube by QueenofRockChannel)

She still continues to make music today with a focus on wellbeing. Her last album “Liv On” in 2016, was a “collaborative grief and healing” album with Beth Nielsen Chapman and Amy Sky. She said “As a group, it’s our intention with this album to create songs with a message of compassion and hope. They are for anyone facing a time of challenge in their life, whether it is grieving a loss – or on the journey to health and recovery.”
Olivia is herself battling cancer and I send her my best wishes.

Some Searchers for the Weekend

This week it’s British band The Searchers who were part of the Merseybeat era in the 1960s. They had 12 top forty hits including 6 top tens and 3 numbers ones which were their debut “Sweets For My Sweet” , “Don’t Throw Your Love Away” and the song below.

“Needles and Pins” was their second number 1 and was at the top for three weeks in Jan/Feb 1964.
(Uploaded to YouTube by Trevor Coard)

“When You Walk In The Room” reached number 3 in Oct 1964
(Uploaded to YouTube by Hawkmoon03111951)

Some Bucks Fizz for the weekend

This week it’s British group Bucks Fizz who were formed for the UK entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981. They won the competition and went on to have a great success having thirteen top forty hits including seven top tens and three number ones.
The group’s debut and first number one was Eurovision winner “Making Your Mind Up” which stayed at the top spot for three weeks in April 1981. Their second number one was “The Land of Make Believe which hit the top spot in January 1982 for two weeks.

“My Camera Never Lies” was their third and final number 1 hitting the top spot in April 1982
(Uploaded to YouTube by Andante Etnadna)

“If You Can’t Stand The Heat” reached number 10 in November 1982
(Uploaded to YouTube by Andante Etnadna)

Some Bananarama for the weekend

This week to celebrate the announcement that the original line-up are getting back together, it’s Bananarama!
Yes, Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward have reunited with original co-band member Siobhan Fahey for a tour. Although they carried on when Siobhan left in 1988 and Jacquie O’Sullivan did three years and then Keren and Sara continued as a duo, it is the original trio which is remembered with fondness and had their biggest hits.
The group had 25 top 40 hits including 10 top tens.

Both of these songs were massive at the time and it is surprising to see both only reached number 8!

“Cruel Summer” reached number 8 in 1983.
(Uploaded to YouTube by Walter Barrooshian)

Next is “Venus” which was a cover of the 1970 song by Shocking Blue. Funnily enough both versions reached number 8, the Bananarama one in 1986. Both versions did hit number one in other countries however.
Venus is different in production to Cruel Summer as it was the first collaboration with new producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman and the “hit factory” sound is very apparent. The previous producers ( for Cruel Summer) were Swain and Jolley who were famous for producing Imagination’s hits and Spandau Ballet’s albums True and Parade among others.
(Uploaded to YouTube by jeffrey a)

Some “fool” songs for tomorrow

As it is April Fools day tomorrow, here are two “fool” songs, both from the 1970s but worlds apart in style.

“You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me” by British group, The New Seekers (feat Lyn Paul) reached number 1 for one week in 1973. This song uses the style of a tavern sing-along and is not a usual 70s song but Lyn Paul’s spirited vocal and the catchiness of the song makes it work very well.
(Uploaded to YouTube by stardustdays)

“What a Fool Believes” by  American group, The Doobie Brothers reached number 31 in 1979. An unbelievably low chart position for what is now considered to be a classic song. It did reach number 1 in America though and won Grammys for song and record of the year so not bad going! The Doobie Brothers weren’t brothers by the way!
(Uploaded to YouTube by 2chann).

Some Dave Dee, Beaky, Mick & Tich for the weekend

This week we go way back to the 60s to a British pop group called Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich! Dave Dee was the main vocalist and their management named them this way as the others were the nicknames of the other band members and they wanted them to stand out! They certainly did that producing a string of hits with unusual rhythms, lyrics and instruments such as an electrified mandolin on “Bend It!”.
They had 13 top 40 hits, including 8 top tens and 1 number one which was “The Legend of Xanadu”. Here are two of their top five hits.
“Hold Tight!” reached number 4 in 1966
(Uploaded to YouTube by Shey lismo)

“Zabadak!” reached number 3 in 1967
(Uploaded to YouTube by vinylsolution)


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My latest books, Daughters of Alba, have a lot of Gaelic (Gaidhlig) in them.  A lot.

When I wrote them I was having fun with learning the language and trying to make my work as authentic as possible.  But some of my early readers begged me for a pronunciation guide.  So, in honour of D of A coming out yesterday, I’ve started putting together a list of names and common terms I’ve used in the books.  I’ll keep adding to the list.

Here are some general notes on pronouncing Gaelic that might help you out.

There are a lot of “extra” letters in Gaelic.

Blends of as many as 3 vowels at a time usually end up sounding like “uh”.

Any time you see an “h” in a word, the letter before it is softened, or sometimes even cancelled out altogether.

For example:

“ch” = a hiss in the throat like at the end of “Bach”

“mh” and “bh” = “v”

“dh” and “th” = disappears entirely

Consonants are different than what we’re used to.

“S” alone at the beginning of a word = “sh” (like the Irish “Sean”)

“T” alone at the beginning of a word = “tch”

“C” = always hard sound like “K”

If you want to sound like a pro, say it with an accent.

Seriously.  There’s a reason the Scots and the Irish speak with that lilting rhythm: it comes from their native tongue.  To get the rhythm of Gaelic down, you’ve got to get away from the rhythm of English.

If you’re reading D of A and want to know how to say the names and words properly, then check out the new Gaidhlig guide.


13 June

Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), was a landmark ruling of the United States Supreme Court that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.

In a 5–4 majority, the Court held that both inculpatory and exculpatory statements made in response to interrogation by a defendant in police custody will be admissible at trial only if the prosecution can show that the defendant was informed of the right to consult with an attorney before and during questioning and of the right against self-incrimination before police questioning, and that the defendant not only understood these rights, but voluntarily waived them.

This had a significant impact on law enforcement in the United States, by making what became known as the Miranda rights part of routine police procedure to ensure that suspects were informed of their rights. The Supreme Court decided Miranda with three other consolidated cases: Westover v. United States, Vignera v. New York, and California v. Stewart.

The Miranda warning (often abbreviated to “Miranda”, or “Mirandizing” a suspect) is the name of the formal warning that is required to be given by police in the United States to criminal suspects in police custody (or in a custodial situation) before they are interrogated, in accordance with the Miranda ruling. Its purpose is to ensure the accused are aware of, and reminded of, these rights under the U.S. Constitution, and that they know they can invoke them at any time during the interview. The circumstances triggering the Miranda safeguards, i.e. Miranda rights, are “custody” and “interrogation”. Custody means formal arrest or the deprivation of freedom to an extent associated with formal arrest. Interrogation means explicit questioning or actions that are reasonably likely to elicit an incriminating response.

Per the U.S. Supreme Court decision Berghuis v. Thompkins (1 June, 2010), criminal suspects who are aware of their right to silence and to an attorney, but choose not to “unambiguously” invoke them, may find any subsequent voluntary statements treated as an implied waiver of their rights, and used in evidence. At least one scholar has argued that Thompkins effectively gutted Miranda.