text:
MPR News Intelligence on higher education
Learning · Schools
UMN considers merging colleges of ag and biological sciences
Alex Friedrich September 4, 2013, 4:09 PM Sep 4, 2013
This in from the U:
U of M to explore potential new college to combine agriculture, life sciences and environment
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Karen Hanson announced Wednesday that she will appoint a task force to examine the potential creation of a new college for the U of M Twin Cities.
The college would integrate faculty and staff principally from the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) and the College of Biological Sciences (CBS).
This morning's retirement announcement from CBS Dean Robert Elde, along with Allen Levine's decision to step down as the dean of CFANS in June and the appointment of Brian Buhr as interim dean, marks this as a time of change for the two colleges. Such transitions in college leadership customarily involve consideration of the colleges' current and future directions.
The possibility of a college of agriculture, environmental, and life sciences has been under discussion for some time by both Dean Elde and former Dean Levine. The two colleges, CBS and CFANS, already have a number of cross-appointments and working alliances, and the retiring deans had proposed greater alignment.
Hanson will place searches for new deans on hold for at least the fall 2013 semester. The appointment of a task force and the announcement of a process for seeking broad stakeholder input are expected in the coming weeks.
"I will ask the task force to consider whether a new college devoted to agriculture, life sciences, and the environment might consolidate the strengths of the University in ways that would advance our academic mission and our engagement with local and global communities," Hanson said. "The leadership transitions in CBS and CFANS make this discussion timely, but the consideration of such a college is driven principally by the direction of the life sciences, especially around genomics, and trends in research and higher education in agriculture, biological and natural resource sciences."
Interim CFANS Dean Brian Buhr said that the exploration of closer alignment between the two colleges is consistent with "the synergy that already exists between the two colleges and the changing needs of stakeholders in agriculture and industry. Consideration of a new consolidated structure will position us more strongly to advance research and outreach to stakeholders and communities across the state and globally."
Hanson stressed that no decision will be made "until we have consulted all stakeholders and thoroughly weighed all of the issues from many vantage points. We need to determine whether the benefits and synergies enhance current strengths in both CFANS and CBS."
The consideration of a new college, a process supported by U President Eric Kaler, will be one of many conversations that will unfold in tandem with the broader strategic planning process on the Twin Cities campus. These efforts will help position the University of Minnesota for the future and advance the U's academic mission.
"The explosion of biological knowledge in the era of genomics has led to unprecedented opportunities," CBS Dean Robert Elde said. "The enhanced collaboration between CFANS and CBS in a new college could strengthen the impact and excellence of our research, and better prepare students to translate basic knowledge into applied solutions to pressing problems in agriculture, environmental sciences, and medicine, among other areas."
During this exploration period, students will not experience any disruption in their current schedules, majors or services in either college, Hanson said.
agriculture biology University of Minnesota
‹ Older State legislators hitting campuses this month
Newer › Notes in the Margins: Rich kids, recruiters and unpaid interns
Browse by category Getting In Learning Money Post-Grad Schools Student Life Notes in the Margins
Alex Friedrich
afriedrich@mpr.org
Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master's in European political economy from the London School of Economics.
How past U of M presidents view higher-ed today
U of M starting massive systems upgrade
U of M names research reform team
Clouds linger Sunday; a few flakes and a chance of freezing mist


The Grand Hotel Riffelalp, Zermatt celebrated its grand opening for summer tourism on 10th July 1884 and quickly became a playground for Europe's high society. Today, Riffelalp Resort continues that great tradition with all the comforts of a modern five star hotel. As the Matterhorn sets the scene, raise your glass to the mountain-top holiday mood. To 300 days of sunshine a year, under the clearest of clear blue skies. And to wondrously clear nights under millions of stars, shining and sparkling like scattered jewels.
Glide into the water and forget all the pressures of everyday commitments. Enjoy all the benefits of the Wellness Area and the skilled hands of the Riffelap massage team. Pamper yourself. Concentrate on leisure and pleasure. You've got time – make the most of it. With an array of Spa amenities including indoor and outdoor pool with a sun deck, steam bath, Finnish sauna, Schönbiel cave, saline bath grotto, whirlpool, relaxation room, fitness center, solarium and organic sauna, relaxation is guaranteed.


The value of AED 1 may range approximately from INR 18 to 20.
Scholarship of 20% will be awarded for the subsequent semesters subject to securing a CGPA of at least 9 on a scale of 0-10 at the end of each semester.
VAT of 5% is applicable on the fee payable.
VAT of 5% is applicable on the food cost of the hostel fee.


text:
So far, scientists have been making atoms better with the help of algorithms – 07/14/2021 – Science
The best image of an atom to date was obtained by scientists at Cornell University (USA) using a lensless microscope and an advanced algorithm that can reconstruct the image from patterns resulting from the object's interaction with an electron beam.
To get the picture, the scientists used an electron microscope to magnify a crystal made of praseodymium (Pr), a type of mineral, 100 million times larger. The microscope used does not have a crystal lens like the one we use in school laboratories, but rather sends out an electron beam to detect patterns on the object through interaction. The patterns can then be translated into images.
The big idea of the researchers was to use their own algorithm that is able to create a very high resolution image based on the standards. The only blurring that can be seen in the picture comes from the movement of the atoms themselves, a constant shudder. The technique used is called picography.
The result was an image of immense precision on the order of picometers or a trillion meters.
The description of the study that led to the photo was published in an article in the journal Science in late May.
"In addition to setting a new record, the feat leads us to a new final limit for resolution [de imagens]. We can now easily find out where the atoms are. This opens up a lot of new possibilities for things that we have wanted to do for a long time, "said physicist David Muller, one of the researchers, in a statement from Cornell University.
By 2018, a group led by Müller had set the previous record for dissolution. Muller is Professor of Engineering in the institution's School of Physics Engineering and a director of the Kavli Institute for Nanoscale Science at Cornell.
For scientists studying matter in its smallest parts (like the atoms and particles in it), the novelty provides an opportunity to see reactions on an unprecedented scale, which could lead to other discoveries and improvements in current technologies.
The Cornell researchers are now planning to further improve the image by cooling the sample, which will make the atoms less shaky and should result in a less blurry photo.
Posted on July 14, 2021 By ksuadmin
The Mathematics of the Periodic Table – 07/13/2021 – Marcelo Viana
left and post-left

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home / Washington / Snohomish County / Listing Details
Get Complete Address Arlington, WA 98223
3 Beds 2.5 Baths 2,318 Sq. Ft. Single-Family
Get the Preforeclosure Address
45th Dr Ne
This Single-Family Preforeclosure is located at 45th Dr Ne, Arlington, WA 98223. It has 3 Beds, 2.5 Baths , 2,318 sqft of living space. This property is currently in auction with an estimated market value of $684,485.
Notice of Public Foreclosure Auction
Get up-to-date auction information and real-time property status updates below:
Estimated Opening Bid Sign in to view
Auction Date Sign in to view
Sign in to view how to get up-to-date auction information and real-time property status updates.
Listing provided by Auction.com
To participate in the event, please visit Auction.com for more information.
Get Property Details Now!
Homes near 45th Dr Ne in Arlington, Washington
Arlington Foreclosures
Arlington Rent To Own
Arlington Cheap Homes
Foreclosure Timeline
Not in Foreclosure
Bank Owned
Find out more about this property
View Foreclosure Status
Lis Pendens issued
The owner of this property was served a notice of lis pendens for missed mortgage payments.
Year Built: Sign in to view
Comments: Sign in to view
Additional Info Link: Sign in to view
Deed Category: Sign in to view
Half Baths: Sign in to view
Construction Type: Sign in to view
Heating Fuel: Sign in to view
Township: Sign in to view
Preforeclosure
Often, the preforeclosure period is the best time to purchase a property. The process begins when a lender first notifies a borrower that his or her loan payments are behind. If a borrower has no other means to bring the payments up to date, he or she is far better served to sell the property as soon as possible before it falls into foreclosure.
First Steps to Buying a Preforeclosure
Preforeclosure status means the owner of the property has defaulted on his mortgage obligation and the lender is taking steps to foreclose on the loan and take possession of the property. This situation places the property owner and the lender in a disadvantaged position. But it may not be too late for the property owner to work things out with his lender. At the same time the lender may be interested in allowing a short sale (sale of the property for less than the amount owed) just to avoid the costly process of foreclosure on the loan, and then the expense of marketing the property. That leaves open the opportunity for a real estate investor to come in and solve the problem for both parties.
Steps as you search for your pre-foreclosure property:
Contact the current owner of the property to discuss the terms that might be acceptable. If the property is already listed with a Realtor, contact that broker to get specifics as to the asking price of the property, its condition, and the willingness of the seller or lender to negotiate a short sale.
Schedule a visit to the property so you can see for yourself what condition it is in. Drive around the area to make certain it is a community that is right for you. (Please keep in mind that the owner may still be living in the property and their privacy should be respected).
Have a qualified appraiser or real estate professional supply a valuation. Money spent on a real estate appraisal in such circumstances is money well spent.
Have an attorney or title company search the title to the property noting any other liens, restrictions, or encumbrances that may exist.
Have your financing lined up so that you know you will be in a position to close when settlement time arrives.
Present an offer to the seller. If your offer is less than the amount of the debt on the property, ask the owner to present your offer to his lender.
Property owners and lenders are both in awkward positions when a loan goes into default. The property owner would like to avoid the foreclosure as it will have very negative consequences for his credit, and can severely limit his chances to obtain credit for a long time into the future. The lender knows it will probably be taking a loss because, if the property was worth the debt on it, the owner probably would have already sold it to avoid the foreclosure. Short sales are very common in pre-foreclosure situations and this leaves the door open for opportunities for you as the lucky real estate investor.
Auction.com Online Auction
Get up-to-date information and real-time property status updates:
Address: 45th Dr Ne Arlington WA 98223
Get Auction Details
Auction Time Left
The countdown is usually accuarate but not exact. To be safe, place bids 2 hours before the bidding ends.
To participate in the event, please visit Auction.com for more information. Whether you're looking for your next investment or a place to live, take your pick of thousands of properties available all over the country. Browse through a broad range of properties, and search by city, state, zip code or property ID.
Auction Date: Sign in to view
Property Search Site: Sign in to view
The estimated rental value for 45th Dr Ne located in Arlington, WA is $1,900/month. Comparable homes around 45th Dr Ne that are rentals have monthly ranges starting as low as $1,710 per month and as high as $2,090 per month. An owner looking to use this property as an investment could bring a return in the area of $1,710 - $2,090 a month based on the many factors which include the properties condition, type, amenities, etc. Sign in to view a full two years of rental information as well as the Average Market Value (AVM) of this property.
08/16/22 Preforeclosure
08/11/22 01/13/23 Preforeclosure MERS / LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING
08/11/22 01/13/23 Preforeclosure Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC
45th Dr Ne Arlington WA Homes
View more homes on 45th Dr Ne
How to buy foreclosure homes in WA
WA foreclosure laws
https://static.foreclosure.com/listing/address.html?address=45th-Dr-Ne-Arlington-WA-98223/58760806_lid


Then he brings out also the trustworthiness of the teacher, thus making the teaching more reliable: Knowing from whom you learned it. He reminds him also of his upbringing in piety. And the fact that from a child you have known the sacred writings, which are capable of instructing you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (v.15). And since he had borne further witness to the extent of the power in the sacred writings, he emphasizes as well the benefit stemming from them. All Scripture is divinely-inspired and of benefit (v.16). Making a distinction, he set the writings apart from the works of human wisdom, referring to the spiritual Scripture as divinely-inspired: the grace of the divine Spirit spoke through the inspired authors of [the] Old and New Testaments. It follows that the Holy Spirit is God if the Spirit's Scripture is, as the apostle says, divinely-inspired. He brings out also the kinds of benefit. For teaching: what we did not know we learned from there. For censure: it censures our lawless life. For correction: it urges the backsliders to return to the straight and narrow. For training in righteousness: it drills us in the forms of virtue. So that whoever belongs to God may be well-prepared, equipped for every good work (v.17). All these virtues bring perfection and relate us to the God of all.
- Theodoret of Cyrus (around A.D. 393 to around A.D. 457), Commentary on 2 Timothy, Chapter 3, in Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, Volume 2, p. 245-46 (2001), Robert C. Hill translator.


About Me – Lessa Lamb.
And then one day I met up with my cousin Aaron, who was in town for the wedding of a friend of his. Through the course of our "how are the wife and kids?" conversation, I discovered that his wife Nicky had started writing romance novels (a long-held dream of her own), and was using the now-available technology of self-publishing to put her art out into the world. I was thoroughly impressed, and he was incredibly proud, telling me how well she was doing in her sub-genre, and generally being an excellent fan-boy for his love's creative endeavors.
He went on to tell me that there was a platform for narrators to essentially self-publish themselves, and that I should contact Nicky to see if she'd hired anyone yet. I proceeded to do a small, internal happy-dance, thinking, "This is my chance!!" I've had a long-held belief that it's not what you know, it's who you know that moves the narrative of your own life forward most of the time… although what I knew (or didn't know, in this case) turned out to be extremely important, too.
So I contacted the illustrious Nicole Krizek, newly (at the time) successful self-published sci-fi romance novelist. To my chagrin, she had actually *just* decided on a narrator who had submitted an audition to her posting, and had just agreed to a contract with him for the production of the first two novels in her series. But she said she'd love to hear a sample from me, if I could figure out a way to put one together, and she'd send me the audition excerpt from the manuscript so that she could compare my sample to the others she'd received.
I proceeded to thoroughly freak out, because I only had a crappy computer microphone to record things with, and I *knew* that wasn't going to be good enough. Thankfully I have a wide variety of incredible people in my life, including a handful of talented musicians who record at home sometimes. So my dear friends Sean Morse and David Keogh (look up their music online, they're both amazing) offered for me to come hang out in their various abodes, and I ended up recording a few minutes of narration in Sean's attic studio (which ended up taking a few hours, because I just had no idea what I was doing with the software). Through his patient tutelage, I was able to create a passable sample and send it to Nicky.
Finally, I completed that first book. I went on to record two short (one hour each) self-help books for another author overseas, and then didn't really record much until Nicky had another book ready. I became her copy editor and narrator officially, and for a few years, hers were the only books I produced.
I considered auditioning for other books, but I thought it wasn't something I could really "do" as a career, and so I didn't really pursue it. I polished my skills on Nicky's books, but sought other "real" work to pay the bills.
But I'll be honest: firing me was the best possible thing they could have done for me. I now have a thriving home based business in which I bring my skills and talents to bare on my most beloved form of communication: WORDS.


Picture of a pump jack, nodding donkey, pumping unit or horsehead pump. The pump is used in onshore applications for relatively low-production oil wells.
VIEW: More images from the category Nodding Donkey Oil Well, North Dakota, USA, or around the same time .


47% of jobs are about to disappear. Learn which industries are set to rise and fall over the coming decades, as well as the forces now disrupting the status quo at your workplace. Get the insider secrets about the future of work.


text:
Sourced from www.publicart.ie
Click the image to view the full gallery.
Unit - Image 1
Artist Name(s) Ruth Lyons, Vera Klute, Hope Inherent & Theresa Nanigian
Artwork title Unit
Context/Background Project history: Unit was the third in a series of visual art projects in County Laois. The first took place in 2006 when Laois Arts Service developed an Artists' Symposium held at Emo Court, a beautiful rural country estate and parkland. Artists were asked to respond and to make new work in this rural environment of over a number of weeks. The artists included Barbara Nealon, James Hayes, Julie Merriman and Lisa Fingleton.
In 2007 Laois Arts service commissioned Finding Portlaoise, curated by Maria Kerin, this project focused on a number of urban interventions, which encouraged artists to address the changing context and growth of Portlaoise town. Which at the time, had experienced significant social and infrastructural changes. Further details of both these projects are available on request from Laois Art Service.
Unit the project, 2008/09 was led by Sarah Searson and commissioned by Laois Arts service as a residency project. The project asked artists to spend time working within the physical and material sphere of the town, exploring its social, economic and geographical aspects. Artists and curators worked together to highlight everyday concerns that might be apparent and of interest them. Curators and artists worked closely together throughout the project. Four curators were invited to nominate four artists; the key participants were; Padraic E Moore and Theresa Nanigian, Sally Timmons and Ruth Lyons, Cliodhna Shaffrey and Vera Klute, Sarah Searson and Hope Inherent.
The Unit project was designed to offer an alternative way of commissioning public art projects in the town and surrounds of Portlaoise. The projects structure was designed to be supportive of thinking, making and writing. The ethos of the project was to work by mutually investing in the key participants. Inviting artists and curators/writers to work alongside each other while thinking of their practice in relation to context and place rather than be asked to respond to it.
The artists had in-depth support from the writers/curators along the time frame of about five or six months. The local authority financially and administratively supported the project and worked with the lead curator Sarah Searson on the development of its structure.
At the time of developing a context for the project in early July of 2008, Sarah Searson began to research into the stirrings of economic stresses which were beginning to splinter into the town. So it was from this point of research she began to develop a number of briefing documents for the artist / curator parings. Four projects manifested themselves in very different ways, with both tangible and intangible outcomes.
1. The curator and writer Cliodhna Shaffrey nominated the artist Vera Klute. Vera took the hospital in the town as her point of reference, taking ideas of invasion, replication and micro, from medical machinery such as x-rays and scanners. She was also looking at commuting and the way we live and its affects. She made a series of animations which were on view in the town, seen by a wide audience, but the work was also very much about her own interests and practices at the time.
2. The curator and writer Padraic E Moore asked the artist Theresa Nanigian worked with students of English who were new to living in Portlaoise and who had moved to the County from non-English speaking countries. Responding to a text she found, were the poet John Betjemam describes a parlour game which encourages participants to imagine a private Eden. She worked with students exploring their dreams and aspirations of their own perfected world. The outcomes of the discussions and writings were published as book designed as a portable art in itself.
3. Hope Inherent (artists Tara Kennedy and Jennie Moran) were invited to the project by Sarah Searson, their examined the idea of the prison as a starting point for their research. Previous work project explored necessity of hope for the human spirit, through ideas of exchange and gifts. As the project developed into a series of research questionnaires and thoughts evolved over the term of the project, direct access into the prison became less important as a methods of direct communication, the context of the residency funelled Hope Inherent's research and project into an inverted position which emerged as an interesting resource from which to develop lateral connections rather than direct action into the prison. The practical and tangible resolve to mark the end of the project became gift or object that could be used both inside and outside the prison context, it was offered as a solution, a fun and game-like gift, a viewfinder from which to be in a place of reflection, making and action, which highlighted the idea of prison as a place to pass time. A small model of a sundial was placed in various locations in the town.
4. Ruth Lyons, was selected by artist and curator Sally Timmons, who work closely together on initial research for the project and how it might be orientated. Ruth for the duration of the project moved from her studio at the Good Hatchery which she co-founded in Co Offaly and relocated to Portlaoise town centre where she opened a temporary studio. Using imagery based on research of the many new housing complexes and estates she used the window of the studio as a point of access into her work, she made a model using painting and projection as medium for expressing her delicate and beautiful response to the town.
Public discussion about the _Unit project was held at the Dunamaise Theatre, Portlaoise on Friday 5th December 2008
Artists and the curators from the project presented and discussed aspects of their practice and their research experiences for the project.
Two booklets were published with writings about the unit project in 2008 and 2009 with the following commissioned writings
Padraic E Moore's essay The Other Eden contextualises Theresa Nanigian's
Seeker Project
Sarah Searson's writes about the prison context and Hope Inherent's research
intentions in her essay Dwelling Time.
Cliodhna Shaffrey's essay Pantoffeltier explores the imagery in Vera Klute's animation trilogy
Sally Timmons and Ruth Lyons converse about research and working
on the project in a transcribed interview.
A public exhibition took place in various locations in the town from the 19th-23rd of May 2009.
Artists workshops were run in association with the project in the Dunamaise Theatre, on the following themes.
Written Representation: selection and curatorial processes with both public and private bodies place increasing expectations on artists to represent themselves with clearly and articulately written proposals. This informal workshop lead by Sarah Searson was intended to give participants time and space to review and revise their artists statements and biography. The workshop was supported by reading material and suggestions for further research.
Visual Representation: The workshop lead by Claire Nidecker suggested ways of organizing your digital portfolio and understanding available technology. The focus was on the importance of understanding digital imagery, compatibility, and how this knowledge makes it easier to upgrade representation. The workshop was informal and handouts suggested areas for further research.
Padraic E. Moore is a writer, art historian and curator. Moore graduated from University College Dublin with a B.A.(Hons) in the History of Art and English literature in 2004 and curated and participated in several exhibitions and projects before and while completing his M.A. in Visual Art Practices(curating) at IADT from which he graduated in 2007. In addition to Moore's curatorial work in public galleries recent independent curatorial endeavours have included a group exhibit conceived for the Curators Project Space at the Dublin Art Fair (2008) and Plans, Sections and Elevations, a Group Exhibition at the Royal Institute of Architects, Dublin (2008).
Recent literary projects include the production of a collaborative text with artist Sarah Pierce for catalogue of the third edition of If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution and composing a piece of prose for a catalogue of artwork by artist Felicity Clear. In Summer of 2008 Moore was awarded the curator/critic studio at Temple Bar Galleries. The diverse facets of Moore's practice are unified by his subjective but rigorous approach to excavating art historical narratives.
Theresa Nanigian was born in Maryland, USA and lives and works in Dublin. She received a BA in Business Administration at Babson College, Massachusetts in 1983 and an MBA at Columbia University, New York in 1986.
Her business career encompassed a number of positions including management consulting at McKinsey & Company and running a worldwide technology division at American Express where she was a Senior Vice President.
She then returned to university and received a BFA from the Dublin Institute of Technology in 2002 and an MFA in Media from the National College of Art and Design in 2004.
Recent exhibitions include Art in the Life World, Breaking Ground, Old Swimming Pool, Ballymun (Dublin, Ireland), Spring 2008, Is Mise Ireland, Xin Tian Di area (Shanghai) and Central Academy of Fine Art (Beijing), Spring 2008, what is…(solo show) Void Art Centre (Derry, N. Ireland), Winter 2006, within & without, Tulca 06, Fairgreen Gallery (Galway, Ireland), Winter 2006 and EAST International 2006. Nanigian currently Lives and works in Dublin.
Sarah Searson is a curator and cultural consultant. At the time of this project she was completing a two year public art commission with South Dublin County Council's public art programme, In Context 3, with artists, Jackie Sumell, Denis Connolly and Anne Cleary, Bik van der Pol, Jennifer Walshe and Dermot Bolger.
More recent curating projects include Tulca (2006) Satellite (2007) and a forthcoming exhibition at RED, Tallaght Arts Center (2008) and was she was curatorial advisor to Tulca and Trade (2007) and artistic the direction of Wicklow County Council's Public Art Programme.
Hope Inherent is an ongoing collaborative project between Jennie Moran and Tara Kennedy. They wish to sustain and explore a particular kind of practice: bringing positive and engaging experiences to members of the public. Recent projects include an assembly line designed to help people to give lovely Christmas presents at the BiG Store, in Temple Bar Gallery2007.
At the Out of Site Festival 2007 Hope Inherent played gramophone records from a tea trolley for passing workers in the Financial Service Centre. Supported by a bursary from Dublin City Council, Hope Inherent ran a one month project based in a kiosk on Grattan (Capel Street) Bridge in Dublin city centre. This project offered simple hopeful services to passing members of the public. Services offered a temporary retreat from the city and included street furniture made from hay bales; music; a facility to make and send a postcard for someone you like and hopscotch.
Jennie Moran was recently artist in residence at Airfield Trust, Dublin and has exhibited widely in Ireland and abroad, including in Berlin, Tokyo, Auckland and Milan. Tara Kennedy recently participated in Two Minds, a collaborative project run by Royal Society of Ulster Architects. She was awarded the Epson FAR Award for Artistic Research in Milan in 2006. Notable projects in Ireland include Transplant ,Sandymount strand 2006, and Highlighters, Cork Street 2005.
Vera Klute was born in 1981 in Salzkotten, Germany. She graduated, with a First Class Honours degree, in Fine Art from the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dun Laoghaire in 2006. She is currently in residence at the Fire Station Artists' Studios, Buckingham Street, Dublin. Her recent exhibitions include Phoenix Park at the Kerlin Gallery, 2008; The Video Project Pawn Shop Los Angeles, 2008; Big Foot, MonsterTruck, 2008. Weather Permitting at Mantua Projects, Ballingare, County Roscommon, 2008; and Life as Such at thisisnotashop, Dublin, 2007.
She has participated in the Darklight Film Festival and Galway Arts Festival 2008. Vera Klute lives and works in Dublin, Ireland.
Cliodhna Shaffrey practice includes exhibitions, public commissions and longer term projects such as Artist as Traveller and TRADE, which she developed during a residency with Visual Leitrim and Leitrim and Roscommon County and Body City – phase one and two - exploring the inter twining between body and city included a video apartment, seminar and website.
This was developed with artist and curator Nigel Rolfe and Shelagh Morris for Dublin Docklands Authority. Her writings have been included in House Projects and Living Landscapes amongst other publications.
Ruth. E. Lyons is an artist and co-director of the Good Hatchery project in Co. Offaly where she holds a permanent studio. She graduated in 2007 with a BA Hons in Fine Art Sculpture from the National College of Art & Design. Since graduation she has exhibited broadly and received numerous residencies and awards.Her practice includes installation,video and painting.
Sally Timmons is founder of Commonplace Artist's Studios in Dublin's city centre. Through commissioning, publishing and collaborative endeavour she has developed a number of independent curatorial ventures including Commonplace Amateur Projects (ongoing artists commissions since September 2007),Rigor Mort book and touring exhibition Basement Gallery Dundalk and Castle Ellen House in Athenry 2007) and associated projects such as, The Temporary Collection exhibition and website (Castletown House,
December 2007 in association with Kildare County Council Arts Service) and the group exhibition titled Based On Our Current Science which took place in Dublin's Gallery of Photography in August/September 2008. As a visual artist using research based photography, moving image and drawing, Timmons has involved herself in various associations with artist - led groups and organisations such as, Via, The Moore Street Lending Library, Pallas Heights and Projector
Collective - all based in Dublin, along with Human Resources in Galway, Platform in Finland and N55 in Denmark. Timmons is committed to an involvement with arts in health and currently works in association with Tallaght Hospital arts office. - www.commonplace.ie
Commission Type Local Authority
Commissioner Name Laois County Council
Commissioning process A curated process
Project commission dates September 30, 2008 - April 30, 2009
Partners Commissioned by Laois County Arts Office, with funding from The Arts Council of Ireland. Venue support from the Dunamaise Theatre, Artists workshops were supported by the Midlands Arts Network, Create and the Dunamaise Theatre
Artform Visual Arts
Art Practice Arts Participation
Funded By Laois County Council,The Arts Council
Budget Range 10000 - 30000 euro
Project commission start date 30/09/2008
Project commission end date 30/04/2009
Town Portlaoise
Street Address Various locations in Portlaoise
Content contributor(s) Muireann Ni Chonaill
Relationship to project Arts Officer, Laois County Council
The Unit project officially concluded with a celebration at the county hall in Portlaoise on Tuesday, 19 May 2009.
Outcomes and finished art works were installed, exhibited and placed in the following locations from 19-23 May 2009.
Vera Klute
Installation at main Street Lower
Ruth Lyons
Studio at Church Street
Theresa Nanigian
County Hall Dunamiase Theatre
Hope Inherent
Portlaoise Train Station
Jims County Kitchen
Dunamaise Theatre
Citizens information enter
Garda station
Associated professionals / Specialists involved
Muireann Ni Chonaill, Arts Officer Laois County Council
Arts Office Staff, Bridie Keenan and Patsy Lynch
Project Support Una Collins


text:
2018 Food, Water, Energy & Climate Outlook
2018-JP-Outlook.pdf 14.93 MB
Download 2018 Outlook Figures
2018 Outlook: Exploring Global Changes
The 2018 Food, Water, Energy and Climate Outlook continues a process, started in 2012 by the MIT Joint Program, of providing a periodic update on the direction the planet is heading in terms of economic growth and its implications for resource use and the environment. To obtain an integrated look at food, water, energy and climate, as well as the oceans, atmosphere and land that comprise the Earth system, we use the MIT Integrated Global System Modeling (IGSM) framework. Consisting primarily of the Economic Projection and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model and the MIT Earth System Model (MESM), the IGSM is a linked set of computer models developed by the MIT Joint Program to analyze interactions among human and Earth systems. As in our last (2016) edition, this year's Outlook reports on projected effects of population and economic growth, technology improvements, climate policy and other factors on energy and land use, emissions and climate, and water and agriculture. An important first step toward achieving stabilization of global average temperatures at reasonable cost is the Paris Agreement, in which nearly 200 countries committed to a wide range of initial climate actions aimed at achieving that goal. For this year's Outlook, we have invited guest contributors to offer perspectives on progress to date, and challenges and opportunities in fulfilling Paris climate pledges in several regions and countries around the globe. Recognizing the inadequacy of the short-term commitments to keep global warming below the long-term targets of 2°C or even 1.5°C, we explore emissions pathways consistent with these goals.
About the 2018 Outlook
The 2018 Outlook reflects a complete reevaluation of the economic, energy, land and water projections presented in the previous 2016 and 2015 editions. This year's report is based on a new version of our central economic model, the Economic Projection and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model, as well as revisions to the MIT Earth System Model (MESM). Updates and revisions reflect more recently available data. As with previous Outlooks, our intent is to represent as best we can existing energy and environmental policies and commitments, especially those under the Paris Agreement on climate change, assuming those commitments extend to the horizon of our modeling and reporting. Since there are multiple changes in our assessment and representation of: (1) Paris Agreement pledges; (2) projections of economic and population growth; (3) underlying demand for resource-intensive products such as food, along with agricultural commodities; (4) technology costs; and (5) Earth-system response to changing emissions; it would be inappropriate to compare this Outlook with a previous edition and attribute differences in results to just one of these changes. Ascribing differences would require separating one set of changes from the others, and holding all the other things unchanged—a task that we have not undertaken.
Supplemental data for the Outlook includes a detailed set of projections through the year 2050 for each of 18 major regions of the world. We provide this numerical data in the hopes that researchers and policymakers will find them useful for their own analyses.
Download: Outlook 2018 data tables
Energy and Land Use
Population and economic growth are projected to lead to continued increases in primary energy use, growth in the global vehicle stock, further electrification of the economy, and, with continued land productivity improvement, relatively modest changes in land use. While successful achievement of Paris Agreement pledges should begin a shift away from fossil fuels and temper potential rises in fossil fuel prices, it is likely to contribute to increasing global average electricity prices.
We estimate that global primary energy use rises to about 730 exajoules (EJ) by 2050, up from about 550 EJ in 2015. The share of fossil energy (coal, oil, gas) drops from about 84% in 2015 to 78% by 2050. Primary energy use is projected to decline slightly to nearly flat in the Developed region, with the global increase coming from the Other G20 and Rest of the World regions, despite continued reductions in energy intensity in all regions.
The Developed and Other G20 regions account for over 82% of global primary energy use in 2015. This drops gradually to 76% by 2050.
The vehicle stock and fuel use in vehicles continue to increase in all regions through 2050, especially outside the Developed region despite our imposition of fuel economy standards in most regions as a likely measure countries will use to meet their Paris pledges. While private vehicle fuel use is a policy target in many countries, it generally accounts for less than 10% of primary energy use.
Global electricity production rises substantially over the period 2015 to 2050, increasing by 62% compared with an increase in total primary energy production of 32%, indicating a continued trend of electrification of the economy. Renewables, natural gas, nuclear and bioenergy generation expand. Coal generation nearly disappears in the Developed region but remains about flat for the world as a whole, largely because of continued expansion of its use in China and India despite faster growth of other sources of generation in these countries.
Compared with 2015, our projections show conversion of about 2.5% of natural forest area to crop and pasture land by 2050, with no further conversion through 2100. Slowing population growth, falling income elasticities of food demand, and continued yield improvements help to slow and halt conversion.
We project about a 3% increase in cropland and an 8% increase in pasture between 2015 and 2050. Cropland then decreases through 2100, to about 2% less than in 2015. We also see a slight decline in pasture by 2100 compared with 2050, so that it is only 3% above the 2015 level.
Despite an expansion of biomass energy of about 250% by 2050 (relative to 2015), land devoted to production of biomass for energy accounts for less than 1% of cropland that year.
Global average fossil energy prices are projected to be nearly flat. Oil and gas prices rise by less than 10%, while coal prices fall by about 9%. Policies and measures that reduce demand for these fuels are partly responsible for these small price changes. Electricity prices rise gradually to about 31% above 2015 levels by 2050, in part because of polices used to meet Paris pledges but also because of gradual depreciation of older power plants that will be more expensive to replace.
Emissions and Climate
It is widely recognized that the near-term Paris pledges are inadequate by themselves to stabilize climate. On the assumption that Paris pledges are met and retained in the post-2030 period with further emissions reduction efforts, future emissions growth will come from the Other G20 and developing countries, accelerating changes in global and regional temperatures, precipitation, sea-level rise and ocean acidification.
Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 exceeded 405 ppm as of April 2018. That of all long-lived GHGs, in CO2-e, is now approaching 500 ppm.
Annual emissions of the major greenhouse gases are projected to increase from 52 gigatons (Gt) CO2-e in 2015 to just under 69 Gt by 2100 under our representation of current NDC commitments, extended through the century. Annual emissions are fairly flat through 2030, and they gradually increase after that as regions of the world that have not adopted absolute emissions constraints see emissions increases. The relative importance of different gases and sources remains about the same as today.
The projected median increase in global mean surface temperature by 2100, above the 1861-1880 mean value, is 3.0°C—the 10 and 90% confidence limits of the distribution are 2.6 and 3.5°C.
Median values for continental (North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, South America) average temperature increases vary from slightly below to slightly above 4°C by 2100. These show more warming than the global average because warming is generally greater over land than over the ocean. The continental projections also reflect the general result that warming is greater at the poles than at the equator, so regions with greater land areas toward the poles warm more.
Other important projected changes in the Earth system include: a median ocean pH drop to 7.85 from a preindustrial level of 8.14 in 1861, with a 10 and 90% confidence range of 7.83 and 7.88; a median global precipitation increase of 0.18 mm/day, with a 10 and 90% range of 0.15 and 0.22 mm/day, relative to the 1861-1880 mean value; and median sea-level rise of 0.23 m in 2100, with a 10 and 90% range of 0.18 and 0.28 m, relative to the 1861-1880 mean value. The sea-level rise estimates include only that due to thermal expansion. Sea-level rise will likely be somewhat greater due to contributions from melting glaciers and ice sheets, and the committed level of sea-level rise is much greater even if temperature is stabilized because of the slow uptake of heat by the ocean that will continue for centuries.
Water and Agriculture
Water and agriculture are key sectors that will be shaped not only by increasing demands from population and economic growth but also by the changing global environment. Climate change is likely to add to water stress and reduce agricultural productivity, but adaptation and agricultural development offer opportunities to overcome these challenges.
To develop our water projections for the period 2015-2050, we simulated water-stress measures developed for major river basins in the continental U.S. in a large ensemble to capture uncertainty in the Earth system.
Results show a central tendency of increases in water stress by 2050 for much of the eastern half of the U.S. and the far west. The central tendency for the upper plains and lower western mountains shows a slight reduction in water stress.
The full distribution of possible outcomes shows a marked asymmetry in the sign and corresponding strength of water-stress changes. For southern, southwest and western basins of the U.S., this asymmetry indicates a significant increase in water stress is more likely than a decrease.
In northeastern basins no outcomes indicated a reduction in water stress. While this region currently experiences little water stress, and even with increases may not face the kind of severe water shortages typical of the southwest, it may need to prepare for unprecedented shortages.
Our simulations include growth in demand for water from various water-using sectors, and so projected water stress can arise from growth in demand for water as well as reduced availability, or often a combination of these factors.
MIT Joint Program Deputy Director C. Adam Schlosser offers a perspective on the looming water accessibility crisis the world will face with growing population and increasing water demands, calling on the need for risk assessment and response, while highlighting advances in modeling that can provide a more robust assessment of water risks.
Our base projections for agricultural production and prices for the 2015-2050 period reflect the effects of the Paris Agreement on energy and land-use decisions we used in our projections of country NDCs but do not consider the impacts on the sector of the unabated climate change we simulate. Guest contributor Mark Rosegrant (IFPRI) offers thoughts on transformative developments in agriculture, and Angelo Gurgel (Universidade Federal de Viscosa, Brazil) provides some initial projections of how agricultural markets may be affected by climate, drawing on literature reviewed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Our projections show that between 2015 and 2050 at the global level, the value of overall food production increases by about 130%, crop production increases by 75% and livestock production by 120%, incorporating recent econometric evidence on the relationship between population, income and food demand.
While final demand for crops grows only about as fast as population growth, a projected shift to more meat consumption creates additional demand for crops for livestock feed.
Food production grows faster than livestock and crop production because it includes value-added and other inputs used in producing food. A key expected transformation in agriculture is an increasing value-added component of food production as income rises, which Rosegrant identifies.
Crop, livestock and forest-product prices rise at a moderate rate under an assumption of a 1% increase in land productivity in all land uses, less if the productivity growth assumption is 2% per year.
Food prices from the food sector rise by less than 5% by 2050 relative to 2015, much less than the commodity prices because of the growing importance of the value-added component. Crop and livestock prices have a bigger direct impact in poorer countries where there is less food processing and more direct consumption from the crop and livestock sector.
Simulating yield effects of climate change ranging from reductions of about 5 to 25% varying by crop, livestock type and region drawn from studies reviewed by the IPCC, Gurgel finds commodity price increases above baseline prices in 2050 without climate change of about 4 to 7% by 2050 for major crops, 25 to 30% for livestock and forestry products, and less than 5% for other crops and food. The differential regional changes in yields creates a comparative advantage for the Developed region, and a comparative disadvantage for the Rest of the World region, which includes many countries in the tropics where yields are expected to be more severely affected.
Meeting Short-Term Paris Commitments
Experts on policy developments in various parts of the world provide their perspectives on how well key countries and regions are progressing in fulfilling their Paris pledges. They report on some bright prospects, including expectations that China may exceed its commitments and that India is on a course to meet its goals. But they also observe a number of dark clouds, from U.S. climate policy developments to the increasing likelihood that financing to assist the least developed countries in sustainable development will not be forthcoming at the levels needed.
Kenneth Kimmel (Union of Concerned Scientists) suggests that a combination of dark clouds, red flags, silver linings and Hail Mary passes cast great doubt over whether the U.S. will meet its Paris pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26–28% below 2005 levels by 2025.
Michael Mehling (MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) and University of Strathclyde) notes that while Europe has successfully met earlier targets and styled itself as a climate leader, more recently, emissions have risen with growing energy demand and industrial output, jeopardizing achievement of the 2030 pledge and the long-term target of an 80–95% reduction by 2050 below 1990 levels.
Valerie Karplus (MIT Sloan School of Management) finds several promising signs that China will fulfill and even exceed its Paris pledge for 2030, which includes: (1) to reach peak CO2 emissions, (2) to increase its non-fossil share of primary energy consumption to 20%, (3) to reduce CO2 intensity by 60–65% relative to 2005 levels, and (4) to increase its forest stock by 4.5 billion cubic meters compared to 2005.
Karplus and Arun Singh (ETH Zurich) suggest that India's CO2 emissions performance since 2015 indicates that the nation can meet and even beat its Paris ambitions. Progress over the next 15 years will hinge on the pace of energy-demand expansion, system-level challenges to integrating renewables, and the prominence of clean energy in the national development narrative.
Niven Winchester (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research, and the MIT Joint Program) writes that the new South Korean president is considered a pragmatist, and his government is moving more aggressively on climate policy than the previous administration. Winchester cites a study estimating that a $90/ton emissions price would be needed for Korea to meet its 2030 Paris pledge, likely higher than in most other regions of the world, illustrating challenges of emissions reductions in middle-income countries with relatively rapid economic growth.
Mustafa Babiker (Saudi Aramco, and the MIT Joint Program) points out that the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region is particularly vulnerable to the physical effects of climate change and the socioeconomic impacts of climate mitigation efforts due to its deep economic dependency on hydrocarbon resources. NDCs for countries in the region are broadly framed in the context of sustainable development and climate adaptation goals, with some commitments contingent on international financial support. Emissions reductions efforts are focused on increased deployment of renewables with a variety of initiatives that would support that development, especially in some of the countries with more aggressive efforts.
Achala Abeysinghe (International Institute for Environment and Development, and legal and strategic advisor to the Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Group for the UNFCCC), writes that despite the unquestionable determination of the LDCs to develop sustainably, mitigate GHG emissions, adapt to climate change, and address loss and damage, they lack the resources and tools to effectively implement their NDCs. Global support has lagged far behind what is required, primarily due to a lack of climate finance. The adequacy, predictability and sustainability of global climate finance have become questionable.
Long-Term Climate Stabilization Goals
The Paris Agreement established more precise long-term temperature targets than previous climate pacts by specifying the need to keep "aggregate emissions pathways consistent with holding the increase in global average temperature well below 2°C above preindustrial levels" and further adding the goal of "pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C." We find that those targets remain technically achievable, but in general require much deeper near-term reductions than those embodied in the NDCs agreed upon in Paris. Because the Earth-system response to increased greenhouse gases is uncertain, we compared emissions paths that stay below 2°C with a 50-50 (i.e. 50%) chance to those that had a 2-in-3 (i.e. 67%) chance of staying below that level, and interpreted the 1.5°C aspiration with a 50-50 chance, with or without a temporary overshoot of that target. For these long-term targets, we applied globally uniform carbon pricing that increased over time, starting in either 2020 or 2030 to determine whether a 10-year delay in going beyond Paris NDCs rendered the long-term goal unattainable.
Making deeper cuts immediately (2020) rather than as a next step in the Paris process (waiting until 2030) would lower the carbon prices needed to achieve long-term goals, and reduce the need for unproven options to achieve zero or negative emissions after 2050. We estimate that achieving 2°C with a 50-50 chance would require an $85/ton carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2-e) carbon price if started in 2020, or $122 if delayed until 2030 (in 2015 dollars). Achieving 2°C with a 2-in-3 chance would require carbon prices of $109 in 2020 or $139 if started in 2030.
We estimate that achieving the 1.5°C aspiration with a 50-50 chance would require a carbon price of $130 in 2020. Allowing an overshoot would mean less drastic measures in the near term but would rely on negative emissions technology in the second half of the century.
Given the representation of future technology in our model, we would deem the Paris pledges as inconsistent with even the 2°C with a 50-50 chance, because the carbon price path that balances short and long-term costs requires a very sharp drop in emissions, compared to the Paris goal, when put in place in 2030. It is hard to imagine a political process that would deliver this as a global policy, and if implemented, the sharp drop would leave stranded assets and likely cause other economic disruptions.
If we can develop reasonable cost options to get to zero emissions after 2050 in sectors where we currently do not see easy solutions, extensively take advantage of carbon sequestration in forests and soils, or advance negative emissions technologies such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (CCS), then the Paris path to 2030 is less clearly inconsistent with the 2°C goal. This would allow for a smoother transition but put a heavy bet on these unproven options.


text:
Resisting the Darkness
By Matt Gunter
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:78-79)
On an August morning in 1942, three buses rumbled up the road to the French mountain village of La Chambon. The buses were accompanied by police cars, police of the Vichy government, which in league with the Nazis had sent them to gather up Jews and take them back to concentration camps. The officials knew that the village of La Chambon was a major hiding place and way station for Jews seeking to escape the Holocaust. When they arrived, the police captain confronted Pastor Andre Trocme, the spiritual leader of the village.
The policeman went to Pastor Trocme and asked, "Are you hiding Jews in this village?"
Pastor Trocme, committed to truth-telling, responded, "Yes."
The policeman ordered, "Give us their names."
Pastor Trocme replied, "To be honest, I don't know their names."
"Show me where they are," the policeman insisted.
Pastor Trocme said, "No, I won't do that. They are my brothers and I am commanded by my Lord to love my neighbor."
The police then searched the village. They were unable to find any Jews or anyone who would identify a Jew. They left in frustration, warning Pastor Trocme and the villagers that they would be watching and that they would be back.
Pastor Trocme and the folk of La Chambon continued to offer refuge to Jews and helped thousands escape the terror of the Holocaust.
The story of Pastor Trocme and the village La Chambon is inspiring. You can read about it in the book Lest Innocent Blood be Shed by Philip Hallie. It's an inspiring story because, in the midst of a world gone mad, in the midst of the darkness of the Nazi terror that engulfed Europe, this village chose to be light in the darkness and to walk in the way of peace and life. When others played it safe, these people risked much to save human lives — lives that many of their countrymen did not consider worth the risk. But they did it for the sake of love. They did it for the sake of Jesus.
They knew what they were risking. To be caught harboring Jews, or helping them to escape, not only put their own lives at risk but the lives of their whole family. Even children of rescuers were sent to concentration camps. If you wanted to be the friend of Jews, you could share their fate. It was all the same to the Nazis. The villagers of La Chambon believed it was a risk worth taking. The risk was real. Some members of the community died for their efforts.
La Chambon offers a model of what the Church is supposed to be — a resistance movement. We believe that with the coming of Jesus the dawn from on high has broken upon us, and shines on us who have dwelt in darkness and the shadow of death. Following that light, we can be free of fear, knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. And we can dare to follow that light as it guides us into the way of peace.
And that means resisting the darkness. We have been confronted in new ways with that darkness in recent weeks by those captivated by the death-cult that is the so-called Islamic State. And captivated is the right word. Those who belong to ISIS or are inspired by them are captives of a dark story. Let me be clear. I am not saying that Islam is necessarily a dark story. Certainly, not all Muslims subscribe to this dark version of Islam. But, ISIS and groups like them are fully committed to a very dark story that inspires death. Representatives of ISIS have said they love death more than we love life. They have demonstrated that. They have also demonstrated that they believe their version of reality — their story — enough to sacrifice their lives for it.
The best way to oppose the dark story of the people like ISIS is to affirm and live a different story. And we have a different story. "Gospel, after all, means "the Good Story."
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Zechariah sang this hymn at a time when his world seemed pretty dark. The Romans occupied Israel. For all their sophistication, the Romans practiced their own version of a death cult and could be just as ruthless, cruel, and violent as the Nazis or ISIS. It was in the shadow of Roman occupation that Zechariah proclaimed the dawn from on high was breaking. With the birth of his son, John, who would be the forerunner of Jesus, the Messiah, a new story was beginning. It is a story of forgiveness of sins and deliverance from death. It is a story that, as St. Paul wrote, opposes the spirit of death with the spirit of life and peace (Romans 8:6). We are in the season when we celebrate the advent of that Good Story.
But, I think that prompts some questions. Do we believe our story as firmly as they do theirs? ISIS says that they love death more than we love life. They have also demonstrated that they believe their story fully enough to die and kill in order to play a role in that story. Do we believe our story as fully?
Are we prepared to risk our lives for its sake as they are for the sake of their story like the villagers of La Chambon did for the Jews? Are we prepared to look hard at the ways the darkness infects our own imagination making our hearts fearful and stingy, suspicious of others and prone to violence? If not, will we not be choosing to live our own version of the dark story that has captured our enemies and those who wish us harm?
Let us affirm and live a different story. Let us be a people of the resistance, like the villagers of La Chambon. Let us live as though we really believe the dawn from on high has broken upon us, freeing us from the darkness and the shadow of death. Freed from fear, let us follow the light guiding our feet in the way of peace.
The Rt. Rev. Matt Gunter is Bishop of Fond du Lac.
Filed Under: The Living Word


Traditional Residential Housing Sites. Land size 2 acres and larger.
Large Brownfield / Commercial sites near residential areas.
Town centre sites for Sheltered Accommodation of .75 acre and upwards.
Greenfield sites urgently sought with residential potential - with or without permission.
Care Home Development sites in the South East - 1 acre minimum.
Farms on edge of towns.
Large apartment schemes in major cities 100 units plus.


High quality, latex-free stability balls that allow for active sitting while improving posture, attention and blood flow.
Customized fit based upon height to assure maximum comfort and ergonomics.
The unique feet keep the ball in place when not in use and make it easy to store on desks and table tops.
Available in 5 sizes based upon user height.


text:
Thought police victim Brandon Raub ordered released from psychiatric prison; Govt. agents kidnapped and detained him for Facebook posts
Tags: Brandon Raub, thought crimes, psychiatric ward
(NaturalNews) The thought police are hard at work in America, crushing anyone who expresses ideas of liberty and freedom. The latest case involves U.S. veteran Brandon Raub, who posted text on Facebook saying, among other things, that 9/11 was an inside job, that the country is being run by an evil cabal of insiders, and that the global elite are pedophiles who rape children.
Pointing to these opinion statements, the FBI, U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement authorities in Virginia raided his home, kidnapped the 26-year-old, and stuffed him into a psychiatric hospital where he was to be detained for any number of weeks, months or even years. Raub was not charged with a crime, was never read any Miranda rights, and was never given a hearing in front of a judge. No judge, no jury, no rights, no nothing. He was simply targeted, kidnapped, stuffed and cuffed because of his free speech posted on Facebook.
Today, a circuit court judge has ordered the Marine veteran released from the psychiatric hospital, saying that law enforcement had no grounds to hold him. This has been reported by CBS 6 News and published in BusinessInsider.com (http://www.businessinsider.com/lawyer-for-de...)
Police in Chesterfield, Virginia claimed they "took custody" of Raub based on the powers granted to them under law regarding "Emergency custody" provisions. Yet state law only allows for a maximum hold time of four hours. Raub was being stuffed into a mental institution for 30 days (or longer), without trial, without any rights and without even being charged with a crime.
In fact, Raub committed no crime. He hurt no one. He simply exercised his right to express his opinions about 9/11 and the corrupt government. He made no threats to anyone and broke no laws whatsoever.
Raub's crime, apparently, was criticizing the status quo. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with his opinions, all Americans should, at minimum, protect his right to voice his own opinions. That is the essence of free speech: to protect the speech of everyone, including those with whom you disagree.
As philosopher Noam Chomsky famously said, "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all."
Welcome to the era of thought crimes in Amerika
The raid, arrest and detainment of Brandon Raub is yet another example of thought crimes persecutions getting totally out of control. Raub was arrested, detained and probably drugged completely outside of law, with no due process and no crime ever having been committed.
Similarly, a California man sits in Ventura county jail this very day, having been targeted for the thought crime of promoting fresh milk. His name is James Stewart and he is guilty of no crime whatsoever (https://www.naturalnews.com/035197_James_Stew...). His case, much like Brandon Raub's case, is based entirely on a political agenda to crush non-conformist ideas that might make the status quo feel uncomfortable.
Brandon Raub's speech, technically, wasn't even that strange compared to most of the stuff I see on Facebook every day. His questioning of 9/11 only makes sense. In fact, I've publicly questioned the ludicrous government explanation of 9/11, too (https://www.naturalnews.com/033684_911_truth_...). Does that mean the thought police are now going to throw me into a psychiatric ward because my speech doesn't agree with the government's (lying) version of events?
Speaking of 9/11, you'd have to be insane to believe the government's explanation of it. So why aren't all the conformist suckers who buy into the obviously faked government explanation now rotting in the psychiatric wards? They're the ones who are clearly detached from reality. I'm not saying I agree with everything Raub says, but I don't have to: His right to express his own views and opinions -- no matter how outlandish they may appear -- is protected under the Bill of Rights. The arrest and detainment of Raub is utterly criminal in nature and indicative of the rise of the "thought police state" formerly known as the United States of America.
Those who question reality are not the insane ones... it's the people who blindly go along with reality who are the most insane.
If they can kidnap and detain Brandon Raub, they can kidnap and detain YOU, too
This is the new Amerika: A lawless land of mafia government thugs who harass, intimidate and oppress the people at gunpoint. The TSA is a group of pedophile criminal rapists, drug dealers and child molesters. The FBI actually plans and helps carry out terrorist attacks as has been fully documented by the New York Times (https://www.naturalnews.com/035849_domestic_t...) and (https://www.naturalnews.com/034325_FBI_entrap...).
People who tell the truth are criminalized and imprisoned, or threatened with such actions. University lab technicians party naked with escaped lab monkeys, where one lab guy was recently found drunk, with his pants down, in a locker room full of escaped monkeys (http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Lab-tech-pa...). (He was probably working on a federal grant!)
Local police simply follow orders and do what they're told. They increasingly have no ethics, no morals and no boundaries. If the federal government tells them to "round up all the women and have them all strip-searched," they will say, "YES SIR!" and do as they're told. It's shameful what law enforcement has come to in this country; how they bow down to tyranny and follow orders that are clearly unlawful and punitive.
The disinfo, of course, is also in full swing. One of Raub's comments posted on Facebook is being highly publicized as "proof" that he might be violent. The problem what that accusation? The text is a song lyric: "Sharpen my axe; I'm here to sever heads." The song is called "Bring My Down" by a band named Swollen Members (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/swollenmember...)
So now, quoting song lyrics will get you kidnapped by the secret police in America.
Well, gee, can we quote Shakespeare, then? Or Thomas Jefferson? "Every generation needs a new revolution," said Jefferson. If I post that on Facebook, will I be dragged away to the new American psychiatric gulag run by the kooky cult of psychiatry?
Victor Hugo said, "When dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a right."
William Shakespeare wrote, "O God! that one might read the book of fate, And see the revolution of the times Make mountains level. and the continent, Weary of solid firmness, melt itself Into the sea!"
Even the Bible has quotes about the coming apocalypse which are far more imaginative and "dark" than anything written by Raub.
Coming soon in America: Government book burnings
Should we now burn all the books ever written that contain quotes which call for people to question government? Should all art and poetry be destroyed and criminalized? There's a movie about this, by the way. It stars Christian Bale and was directed by Kurt Wimmer. The movie is called "Equilibrium," and I strongly recommend you watch it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0238380/
It may become the new reality in Amerika, where due process no longer exists and you can be kidnapped by the government and stuffed into a psychiatric ward merely for things that you EXPRESS in words!
Yesterday, I published an article revealing how the U.S. Census Bureau turns over its racial profiling data to the federal government to be used in race-based government kidnappings and internment operations (https://www.naturalnews.com/036922_Census_Bur...). That this has happened in America is not a conspiracy theory, and it's not debatable. It is an historical FACT.
"Facts are stubborn things," said John Adams. Is that now a thought crime, too? Is the invocation of intelligent skepticism now a crime in America?
What has this nation come to when a U.S. veteran is caged like an animal for doing nothing wrong while the bankers steal trillions and nobody gets charged with a crime? The pedophiles run the airports. The mafia runs Wall Street. The crooks run Washington. Real people who have real thoughts and express real speech are the new enemy in America: THINKING for yourself is now a crime.
I guess that makes NaturalNews readers the greatest criminals of all time, because they think for themselves and refuse to be part of the mindless, zombified status quo police state. I never thought the day would come when I would have to write that thinking for yourself is now an outrageous act of rebellion against tyranny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMo6BrDbDQE
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Adams
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/swollenmember...
http://www.businessinsider.com/lawyer-for-de...
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neigh...
http://www.villagenewsonline.com/node/9518
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/group-re...
More news on Brandon Raub
More veterans being illegally detained for 'thought crimes'
Sen. McCaskill unleashes Orwellian thought crimes attack on Doctor Oz for trying to help Americans overcome obesity
Era of thought crimes now here as psychiatrists given 'Judge Dredd' authority to strip citizens of their constitutional rights
Texas cops can now serve search warrants based on 'future crime' (thought crimes)
What's behind the punishment for fake guns in schools?
Will Big Brother read brain scans to 'see' who will commit future crime?
Assault on the privacy of your own mind


Perfect Pair - Needing a gift for the perfect couple to celebrate a special milestone? look no further.
A selection of two Ocho Chocolate bars to match your wine selection. OCHO is a craft bean-to-bar chocolate maker based in Dunedin, New Zealand.
These gummy bears are made with Moet and Chandon Champagne and are the perfect treat Noon, Evening and Night.
Anoint Coconut Bath Milk a soothing and nourishing combination of powdered Coconut Milk, Epsom Salts and Essential Oil of Lemongrass.


Make-Up Artist Employers Post a Free Job Today!
Use the form below to post your free Make-Up Artist job. We highly recommend filling out the address information completely. Entering a postal code will result in the best response to your posting.


Everyone has heard the warnings not to illegally copy music, but many do. After all, what's the harm?
Some believe that it's a victimless crime. Some believe that only businesses get sued, not users. Some believe that computers make them too anonymous to sue.
That turns out to be wrong on all counts, as a defeated 20-something recently found out to the tune of over half a million dollars in damages and tens of thousands more in legal fees.


text:
MJEOL
MJEOL BULLET
March 21, 2008 No comments MJ Related
Tyler Perry's latest: 'Meet the Browns'
Posted by mjeol_writer
"I'm really just starting to understand filmmaking," says one of America's most profitable auteurs. "These last two movies, I'm finally starting to understand the camera. 'Oh, you mean I can use it for more than just to record the picture? I can actually have some style?' "
Tyler Perry laughs. He can afford to.
There might have been a time when people doubted him, but after totaling $200 million in grosses from four films that each cost less than $10 million, they're not the ones laughing. He even smiles when he confesses that the plays that started his empire were written without formal training.
"I couldn't afford to see theater, so I would sneak into a lot of shows in the second act," he says at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles. "So I didn't really understand the form. But August Wilson was a huge inspiration. I saw shows like 'Medea' and 'Hot Mikado' that really, really inspired me, but I knew those types of shows don't completely resonate with my audience. So I tried to take the best of what I had learned from them and marry it with what I knew would work. And it's been pretty successful for me."
Tall (6 feet 6) and bespectacled, Perry, 38, is soft-spoken and polite. But beneath this quiet exterior is the juggernaut whose current film, "Meet the Browns," is his fifth in four years; whose plays have reportedly grossed $75 million; and who recently inked a $200 million deal for 100 episodes of his sitcom, "House of Payne." And his first book, commentaries from his signature character, gun-toting grandma Madea, premiered at No. 1 on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list.
The consistency of Perry's audience will be tested again with "Meet the Browns." His only film so far that hasn't opened at No. 1, "Daddy's Little Girls," neither featured him nor sprang from his plays. "Browns," which stars Angela Bassett, is based on one of Perry's most successful stage outings and introduces to the big screen the popular character Leroy Brown (David Mann), but Perry's appearance is limited to a cameo as Madea. So are fans coming to his movies to see him or his plays?
"Madea is a character, but Tyler Perry is a brand, much like Disney's a brand," says Reuben Cannon, who has co-produced all of Perry's films. "There is a trust among the consumers that 'I know you will not disappoint me and I will leave feeling better than when I came in.' "
Devout Christian Perry's career has been characterized by leaps of faith. From leaving his native New Orleans for Atlanta's burgeoning theater scene to bankrupting himself to mount his first play – a musical about adult survivors of child abuse, inspired by his own experience – to largely funding his own projects today, he has made a habit of gambling on himself. And since the remounted production of that first play became a smash hit, he has been winning.
"As I was doing this play about how (the victims) had forgiven the people who had abused them, I hadn't forgiven my own demons. So as I did that, I began to get clarity about a lot of things," he says of the lessons he learned between the disastrous 1992 premiere of "I Know I've Been Changed" and its triumphant 1998 revival. "I had one last opportunity to do the show, but I felt different. I felt freer. I went out and did the best I could and hired all of these local actors who were pretty popular in their areas and their churches, and the show sold out. Eight shows that weekend. We went on from there to sell out all over the country."
Perry's ensuing string of plays dominated the so-called "Chitlin' Circuit" that caters to black, urban audiences in mostly Southern and East Coast venues. His boldness in funding projects himself has not only made him a bona fide multimedia mogul, but it's also given him complete creative control. According to many critics, however, that's not a good thing: His movies have averaged a very low 29 percent on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer (measuring critical consensus). Writers often decry formulaic plots and perceived stereotypes in his work. But audiences, along with Perry himself, pay no attention.
"You know when I stopped? I was doing a show here at the Kodak Theatre and there were two critics who sat in the same row on the same night. One loved it; one thought it was the worst thing that had ever happened at the Kodak," he says. "So no, I don't read a lot of them."
Perry's works haven't been overtly political, but that figures to change with the script he's now writing: He says "For the Love of You" is based on the love story of Barack and Michelle Obama. In the meantime, while he and his Atlanta productions have poured dollars into that city's coffers, he has been reluctant to do the same for the city of his birth. His current production, "The Family That Preys," starring Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates, shoots in New Orleans – but only for one day.
"I'm not interested in pumping money into an economy that is completely ignoring all those people who are still struggling and still living in FEMA trailers," he says. "I think they're trying to drive them out of the city, and I'm really, really annoyed by it."
Even if Perry's films become more topical – something that rarely translates into box-office gold – it might still be unwise to bet against him.
Cannon refers to a 2006 Business Week article analyzing actors as if they were stocks, figuring Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks were returning 40 percent to 50 percent on every dollar invested in their movies. The producer paraphrases the article's most surprising assertion: " 'The best bet you could have made would have been Tyler Perry. He has returned 120 percent.' "
MEET THE BROWNS (PG-13) opened this weekend at Bay Area theaters.
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/21/PKHKVK2TR.DT L
Meet the BrownsTyler Perry
Previous Post:Thriller25, Number Ones Charting at Billboard
Next Post:Frank Dileo Slaps NY Post Quotes – Bullet#328
Naomi Campbell Comments About Working with MJ
Who is the Greatest Entertainer?
Xscape #1 in R& B at Amazon; #2 in Pop
4 AEG Trial Jurors Say Jury Form Was Misleading,Feel Cheated
Bashir Out at MSNBC
akon album anniversary auction Billboard black Brown catalog chart collaboration court dance ebony false family fans gallery halloween interview jackson lawsuit Lee Thomas magazine Martin Bashir michael Michael Jackson music musical Ne-yo Neverland new photos pics pop Sobe star thriller Thriller25 ThrillerCast Thrillicious tour UK video vitiligo white