There is debate brewing around the integrity of the term “organic,” fueled by the growing list of products approved by the National Organic Standards Board, that consist of non-organic substances.
Posts Tagged ‘READ’
Home Run Derby 2009 Winner: Prince Fielder
July 14th, 2009 |
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Following on from our article yesterday, the Home Run Derby 2009 was a great game last night and it was Prince Fielder who showed that he was the best hitter on the night.
There were also a number of other great hitters last night; one player that comes to mind was Albert Pujols.
According to usaplayers.com the [...]
Return ‘gathers pace’ in Pakistan
July 14th, 2009 |
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An estimated 8,800 people displaced by fighting in the Swat valley have left relief camps to return to their homes, Pakistani officials say.
A further 7,200 people are expected to leave by the end of Tuesday and others who have been staying with relatives are making their own way back.
The displaced people from the camps are being taken back in buses and trucks with a military escort.
Pakistani PM Yusuf Raza Gillani said it was now safe for them to return home.
Col Waseem, spokesman for the army’s Special Support Group, told BBC Urdu on Tuesday that the 8,800 people leaving the camps consisted of about 1,100 families.
See a map of the region"By the end of today another 900 families are expected to leave and enter the Malakand region," he added.
He said the repatriation had started slowly on Monday but had picked up pace on Tuesday.
But the volume of people is still far short of the number expected to return in the initial wave.
"A major reason for the slow movement is the registration process," said Mohammad Rum, a field official for a local relief organisation.
"Another reason is that people are using their own transport to get back. They have to negotiate multiple checkpoints and this takes a lot of time."
He said the displaced people were therefore taking irregular routes to return home, thus increasing the time it took to reach their destination.
Displaced people from four relief camps have now chosen to return home, officials say. Most are heading to Mardan.
Those in the camps are travelling on arranged trucks and buses.
SWAT OFFENSIVE- Launched in April after militants took area 100km from Islamabad
- Army says some 1,700 militants killed; but none of their leaders
- One of biggest human migrations of recent times, with 2m displaced
They were escorted by soldiers as helicopters hovered overhead for their journey.
The heavy security showed that despite government claims, the Taliban remain a threat in the region.
The government has said it expects all displaced people to return to Swat by the end of July.
But, relief workers say, that may not be possible as people still have concerns over Swat that have yet to be resolved.
One camp resident, Abdul Kabir, told the BBC: "I am not going back willingly as my children fear the fighting will restart.
"The government say they will not provide me the grant and transportation if we don’t leave now so I don’t have any option."
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Sotomayor Statement: Full Text From Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing
July 13th, 2009 |
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Sonia Sotomayor spoke at her confirmation hearing for the first time on Monday afternoon, sketching out her judicial philosophy.
“My personal and professional experiences help me listen and understand, with the law always commanding the resul…
Jared Kushner: “I Found The [Observer] Unbearable To Read” Before I Bought It”
July 13th, 2009 |
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The Kushners had never been lovers of newspapers, to say the least. Charlie and Jared blamed papers in general and more specifically the Newark Star-Ledger for besmirching the family name. The Kushners respected the Observer’s elite readership…
Sporting dilemma
July 13th, 2009 |
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By Jo-Anne Rowney
BBC News Magazine
The Australians have criticised the England cricket team for unsporting delaying tactics on the last day of the first Ashes test. But what’s the difference between cunning gamesmanship and cheating
In the closing minutes of the test, England sent "12th man" Bilal Shafayat on to the pitch to give batsman James Anderson new gloves, with the team physio also sauntering on.
Australian Captain Ricky Ponting and a number of pundits have been critical, but sport has always been rife with time-wasting techniques and attempts to unsettle the opponent.
TIME WASTING
There are occasions, when competitors are ahead and they just need the whistle to go. Footballers have regularly kept the ball in an opposition corner to delay the game. It’s within the rules, but it often angers opposition and fans.
Time wasting is also common in the ring. Sometimes fighters are hurt and just need to eat up the time left in the round so they can get back to their corner and recuperate. The shouts of "box, box" are often heard as boxers cling to each other – drawing out a round and minimising opportunities to hit.
As well as genuine efforts to use up time, sometimes delaying tactics are a psychological weapon.
TIME WASTING AS PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTACK
You’ve had a ball called out – you know it was definitely in. You’re a set down and just dropped a service game. You’re in trouble, big trouble. But how can you turn this around
It’s time for a toilet break.
"Skill in winning games, esp. by means that barely qualify as legitimate"
OED definition of ‘gamesmanship’
It’s a thought that’s run through many tennis players minds. Not only does it allow you time to think in the comfort of the toilet, but also puts your opponent off the boil. It leaves the adversary stiffening up, their temper fraying.
Jimmy Connors stands accused of beginning the leak legacy. In his match against Ivan Lendl in the 1983 US Open final, Connors suddenly sprinted off the court – leaving Lendl in the 100 degree heat for several minutes. Lendl protested, but Connors went on to win the match.
"Our attention wanders all of the time, taking our focus off a task," says Dr Richard Cox, consultant to the British Institute of Sports. "Any delaying technique is used to deflect attention. This is even easier to do in a sporting event. It may be a temporary break, but that’s enough."
Also in the tennis arena, some of Greg Rusedski’s mannerisms raised an occasional eyebrow. One quirk was the wrapping of the grip. Carefully wrapping the handle’s grip back into place he could easily waste a few seconds. Then he might retie his shoelaces.
Rusedski was also noticeable for the frequency with which he towelled off between points.
"He is getting the opponent’s attention," says Dr Cox. "Their mind can be shifted at any one moment, as we only ever focus on one thing, he’s making sure that’s not the game.
"If you were to freeze your brain you’d see we have one focus at any given moment, whether an image or sound, or a comment."
And of course, whatever the actions until there’s a way to read a sportsman’s mind no-one can prove that Connors’s toilet visit and Rusedski’s towelling weren’t entirely innocent.
DIRECT DISTRACTION
There are the direct attempts to put the opposition off. Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar is infamous for his wobbly knees during the 1984 European cup final penalty shoot-out against Roma. As Francesco Graziani prepared to take the kick, Grobbelaar wobbled his knees in mocking terror. The unnerved Italian missed, and the cup was packed off to Anfield.
For optimum focus the player needs to be emotionally balanced, keenly centred on the game. In cricket this may prove hard when handing over the bat. Steve Waugh, the former Australian Captain, used to talk openly about planning the "mental disintegration" of his opponents, a practice known as sledging.
Sledging – low abuse – is a well known attempt to unsettle the rival team. On one occasion fiery fast bowler Merv Hughes decided to give advice after England’s Graham Thorpe had played and missed several deliveries in a row. "Read the back of your bat mate, it’s got instructions on it," he said.
Effective sledging seeks to undermine confidence, says Dr Cox.
"Sledging is designed to deflect concentration and attention. Morality and ethics seldom come into play with psychological warfare. It’s childishness.
"The player’s powers of analysis, which are so important to the game, are impaired – emotional balance changes with anger, the adrenaline rushes into your system, and your focus changes. It doesn’t pay to become emotional."
OUTRIGHT UNDERHANDEDNESS
Underhand tactics are an everyday occurrence in football. Many players fall to the ground, feigning injury, after a the gentlest of touches.
But cricket also has its sneaky tactics. In February 1981 New Zealand needed six runs to tie the match from the final ball. The Australian captain, Greg Chappell, ordered the bowler, his brother Trevor Chappell, to bowl underarm. He rolled the ball along the ground to avoid the chance of a six.
It was described as "the most disgusting incident I can recall in the history of cricket" by the then prime minister of New Zealand, Rob Muldoon. He said: "It was an act of cowardice and I consider it appropriate that the Australian team were wearing yellow."
But however much outrage follows any act of gamesmanship, there are always a host of sportsmen who would have done the same thing.
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10 Ways To Be Productive in 10 Minutes
July 13th, 2009 |
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Most of my free time, except when I’m doing it on purpose, tends to come in short blocks. I rarely have 2 hours free, but might, over the course of a work day, have those same two hours in twelve ten-minute bursts.
I realized recently that, for the most part, I waste all of this free time. Since it’s such a short period of time, it seems to not strike me as worth using productively. I spend those ten minute periods doing things like staring aimlessly at the computer screen, picking my nose, or trying to remember what on Earth I have to do in ten minutes. I’m a big fan of periodically doing this (zoning out for a while’s my favorite way to launch back into productive work), but I started to notice that, over the course of a day or week, that time really does add up.
So I developed a list of ten things to do with ten minutes. Now, when I’ve got a few minutes to spare or kill, I run down this list, and do one or two of them – it makes my time more productive, and tends to give me longer blocks of free time later, because I’ve already finished all the quick tasks that tend to pile up at the end of my task list.
Make a Phone Call
Since most of us seem to be near a phone just about 24 hours a day, and always seem to have someone we should or have to call, free moments are the natural time to make a few phone calls. Only having ten minutes is a nice bonus – it makes sure you’re not going to get into some long, drawn-out conversation you’d rather not have. Whether you need to follow up on something, make a plan, or just catch up with a friend, phone calls can be done quickly, and anywhere.
Cook
If you’ve got a few minutes, make yourself some food, either for now or for later. Sometimes I’ll make lunch for the next day, or just throw together a snack for when I inevitably get hungry (usually a point when I don’t have ten seconds to spare, much less ten minutes). Having something around to munch on, or having the cooking process started, makes it all go faster when I need it to.
Nap
I’m a huge proponent of cat-naps, and anyone who says they don’t work is a dirty liar. Put your head down, close your eyes, and go to sleep. Sure, you’ve only got ten minutes, but who cares? The simple act of closing your eyes, clearing your head and relaxing (more akin to meditation) is hugely beneficial, as is even a few minutes of sleep. You’ll come back rejuvenated, in a better place to do more later.
Read Something
Keep a reading list somewhere accessible. I used to have a bookmarks file on my computer called “Read Later”; now I use Instapaper. Wherever you keep it, keep a list of things you want to read of watch, and plow through a few of them in spare moments. Applications like Instapaper are great because they have mobile versions, but any list you can come up with works.
Write Emails
This is much the same as phone calls – we’ve all got emails we could write, even if they’re not absolutely essential this very second. For me, at least, I hate writing emails longer than about six sentences, so I tend to leave them off as long as possible. I realize, though, that in ten minutes I can write a number of emails, and get through a good chunk of my “Reply To” list. Makes other people happy, and makes me feel more productive. Win-win.
Strike Up a Conversation
If you’ve got nothing to do, why not go build up a relationship? Maybe it’s the person in your neighbor cubicle, or maybe it’s the girl behind the counter at the coffee shop – whoever it is, strike up a conversation. Time flies, and who knows? You might just meet someone fascinating.
Clean Up
The single most productive thing I do in these in-between times is organize. In ten minutes, it’s ridiculous how much filing I can get done, or how much email purging and sorting I can get through. Pick one area or one task, and plow through it. I try to clear my desk in ten minutes, and almost always find I can. Usually I just throw everything away, but that’s beside the point. Ten minutes is more than enough time to make a huge dent in even the biggest piles of junk.
Brainstorm
Brainstorming and mind mapping are great ways to spend a few spare minutes, and are great because you can do either with almost anything: a computer, paper, a napkin, or whatever you might find at hand. Just start writing stuff – what do you have to do? What cool ideas do you have? You’ll be amazed how much comes out, and how quickly, when you just sit there and start writing. Or, try making a list of 100, a list centered around a particular topic (say, Ideas for Making Millions) that’s exactly 100: no more, no less. Only having ten minutes makes the ideas fly out, and you’ll be amazed how good they are.
Stumble
StumbleUpon, a website/toolbar that takes you to random webpage after random webpage, is frequently single-handedly credited with the downfall of Western Civilization. You know what? I’m cool with that. Stumbling is a great way to learn new things, expose yourself to interesting Web tidbits you’d never find otherwise, and broaden your horizons of all things Web. Spend a few minutes with StumbleUpon, and I guarantee you’ll learn something.
Journal
I kept a journal for a long time, and then stopped once I discovered I’m not interesting in the least. Now I wish I hadn’t stopped – who knows who might one day find it interesting, or when I’ll want to look back? Instead of a long-form journal (though I highly recommend keeping one if it works for you), just take a few minutes and write down a few high- and low-lights of the day. Usually, just jot down the first few things that come to mind about your life since you wrote last. In a year, ten years, or a hundred, you’ll be glad you did.
What do you do to fill in the blanks, and make use of these short bursts of free time?
Photo: Vahid Rahmanian
David Pierce is a college student, freelance writer, and lover of all things Web-based. He blogs about the digital world at The 2.0 Life, and can frequently be found on Twitter .
Summers On Recession: “I Don’t Think The Worst Is Over”
July 11th, 2009 |
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For this week’s installment of their “Lunch with the FT” feature the Financial Times sat down with Larry Summers, director of Obama’s National Economic Council, for a wide-ranging talk. When the conversation turned to the current recession in …
Sun Valley Media Conference Photos: Mogulmania Day 3!
July 11th, 2009 |
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The Allen & Company retreat in Sun Valley wound down Friday, but not before we were able to catch glimpses of several moguls for the first time this year.
Familiar names like Jeff Zucker, Brad Grey, Jerry Yang, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Mike Ovitz,…
Obama Speech: Your Reaction
July 6th, 2009 |
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US President Barack Obama has said Africa must take charge of its own destiny in the world. Do you agree
President Obama, on his first official visit to sub-Saharan Africa, has made a powerful call for Africans to stand up for their democratic rights.
He said Africa could have a prosperous future and promised American aid to fight the continent’s diseases, conflicts and lack of development.
Is this a defining moment for the continent Has President Obama lived up to expectations And what does this speech say about Africa’s place in the worldWe would like to hear from you.
Read the full story
We are currently experiencing technical problems and are unable to update HYS debates. You can email us your comments using the form below and we will publish a selection of them.
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This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Engaging with the net
June 16th, 2009 |
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The Digital Britain report offers a lot to work with, says Bill Thompson.
"We live in a largely digitised country, so in one sense the Digital Britain report is an exercise in ensuring that the legal and regulatory system catches up with the lived reality for most of the UK population rather than a visionary document describing a far-distant future.
As such it is a serious attempt to ensure that government makes the best possible use of the network in serving us all, and that businesses offering access to the internet or providing services and content over the network are regulated, rewarded and cajoled as necessary to ensure that the UK does not fall even further behind the rest of the industrialised world.
Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.
I criticised the interim report when it was published in January because it had been written behind closed doors and offered few opportunities for consultation and engagement for those outside the charmed circle of invited experts.
But it is clear that Stephen Carter and his team have listened to and taken notice of the extensive debate around their initial proposals. The result, though far from perfect, offers a good basis for work on the detail of implementation and legislation, and there are clear signs that those who want to engage will be able to do so.
There are suggestions on how to liberalise and improve access to wireless infrastructure, with potentially transformative proposals to shake up spectrum allocation to build a next generation mobile network offering 50Mpbs in cities and 5Mpbs in rural areas.
There is a confirmed commitment to delivering a universal 2Mbps (megabits per second) fixed-line broadband service to the whole country by 2012, and a six pound a year levy on existing copper telephone lines to pay for the ‘final third’ next generation coverage if the market cannot deliver. Two megabits per second is too slow for me, but universal service offers so many opportunities for engagement that it’s definitely worth having.
And there may even be ‘cultural tax relief’ for games developers and distributors, on the lines of the model that has made Canada such an attractive place for UK developers to move to.
The report comes on a day when the importance of the internet and the services it supports has been drawn to the attention of the whole world.
"Unfortunately the proposals to limit file-sharing are less well considered and seem to be hopelessly optimistic, or perhaps to betray a naivety about how the internet works. "
Bill Thompson
The protests over the election results in Iran have depended on Facebook, YouTube and of course Twitter to get their message to the world, put pressure on their own government and organise their activities.
Just last week the French Constitutional Council of France halted the government’s plans to give a new authority the ability to cut the network access of internet users accused of copyright violations because "the internet is a component of the freedom of expression".
In the UK the Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrote in the The Times today that "a fast internet connection is now seen by most of the public as an essential service, as indispensable as electricity, gas and water."
Locking content
The view of the network as a utility and as a tool for expression is a very different one from that put forward by the dominant players in the so-called ‘content industry’.
Record companies, film studios, newspapers and the TV broadcasters have all lobbied hard for the UK government to shape its internet policy around their interests.
They want copyright laws to be strengthened so they can lock up any and all content. They want anyone who dares to challenge their business to be kicked offline, fined and locked up. They want a world in which they control what can happen.
Fortunately that pressure seems largely to have been resisted, and the real thrust of the proposals is about getting everyone online and ensuring that the network is there to be used in ways that support creative expression, new forms of industry and new models of engagement.
Funding news
The Digital Britain of the report is one in which all have access, not one where we try to preserve old industrial models.
When it comes to newspapers the report notes that ‘Digital Britain is at the beginning of a new and possibly disruptive wave of local news, generated by communities for communities using free online media’. It recognises that ‘government and business will need collaboratively to devise new ways of funding the news’ without simply promising subsidies to the existing players who have failed to adapt to the network reality and have sought protection and subsidy.
The debate about the future of public service broadcasting includes many progressive ideas, and both the decision to make Channel 4 more than just a broadcaster but turn it into ‘the open new media authority providing the seed-corn for creative innovation in the multi-media world’, and the message to the BBC that the license fee does not belong to it are all good ones.
Unfortunately the proposals to limit file-sharing are less well considered and seem to be hopelessly optimistic, or perhaps to betray a naivety about how the internet works.
Ofcom is to be asked to oversee efforts by UK ISPs to reduce what they term ‘illegal file-sharing’ by 70%, initially through notifying those accused of downloading material or revealing their names and addresses to rights holders so that they can be prosecuted.
If this doesn’t work then Ofcom may then be granted power to oblige ISPs to limit bandwidth or block specific protocols, presumably in the hope that doing this will deter or stop downloads. But this proposal ignores the fact that work is already going on to develop new file sharing technologies that are encrypted or disguise addresses more effectively. Ofcom might well hit its 70% target just because everyone moves away from BitTorrent without actually reducing the number of files shared over the net.
However the fact that the BPI boss Geoff Taylor found it necessary to accuse the government of ‘digital dithering’ for refusing to allow rights holders to have internet users cut off – the same proposals that have just been thrown out in France – is a good sign indeed.
In the end public service broadcasting and the protection of the content industries matter far less than the promotion of universal access and the creation of tools and services that encourage everyone online to demonstrate their own creative potential.
Networked world
A digital Britain is not one in which we are all sitting glued to our screens watching the same sort of television programming that we could have had on a cathode-ray set in the 1970′s, downloading blockbuster movies or listening to more dull music made by rich popstars whose only real interest is their property portfolio.
It is one in which universal access allows us all to be fully-fledged citizens of a networked world that offers opportunities for creative expression and communication instead of the passive consumption of packaged content. There’s a glimpse of that world through the Digital Britain report, and it is one that those of us who already live a networked life need to clarify, share and work to build.
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Bill Thompson is an independent journalist and regular commentator on the BBC World Service programme Digital Planet.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.