Hacker Speak

http://www.linkedin.com/companies/feed-the-children”>Feed the Children was founded by Larry and Frances Jones in 1979. The foundation ranks consistently among the ten largest international foundations in the US that relies on non-government support. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/feed-the-children-to-deliver,782002.shtml”>Feed the Children is a Christian nonprofit relief organization committed to delivering food, clothing, medicine, as well as other basic essentials to families, individuals and children who are having a hard time gaining an access to these necessities due to poverty, famine, war, and other natural disasters.

This year marks the foundation’s 30th year of service to the world. Throughout its three decades of existence, Feed the Children has succeeded in providing hope as much as help to several victims of natural disasters, war, and poverty across the globe. Currently, the group has six distribution centers scattered in the US as well as international operations spread across five continents. The organization is also a first responder when it comes to natural calamities. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the group was able to provide nearly 700 trucks of food and supplies to the victims of the devastating hurricane. In addition, the group was also able to donate millions of dollars to those who were affected by the Tsunami in Asia.

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Mesothelioma is a scarce cancer of the tissue that lines the body’s interior organs. Almost 2,000 new occurrences are diagnosed every year in the whole United States. Of this group, aroundthree fourths of instances involve the sac around the lungs, named the pleura. This is known as pleural mesothelioma. In almost ten to 20 percent of occurrences, malignant mesothelioma could affect the tissue that surrounds abdominal organs, named the peritoneal membrane, creating what is then acknowledged as peritoneal mesothelioma.

Introduction to asbestos is absolutely the overwhelming influencing factor for this rare cancer. Following asbestos exposure, the time period to development of the mesothelioma disease might be twenty to forty years. Due to occupational exposure, malignant mesothelioma is nearly 3 times more likely in men, than in women. Because the number of instances rises with age, there are about 10 times more instances in the males more than age 64 than in the men in their 30s.

Developing Mesothelioma is a serious cancer, that, currently, has a decidedly bad degree of long-term continuance. However, if it is diagnosed soon, regimens are then at hand that might considerably lengthen the patient’s life. All new therapies continue to be and are being tested through the use of clinical trials.

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A heated discussion, which turned to an extremely controversial debate recently erupted in a major online think tank. The heart of the argument was surrounded around the premise that our borders, ports and harbors were wide open to lunatic International Terrorists and that since 9-11 little has changed to protect the American People.

The protagonist of this biting and often mean spirited political commentary declared America unsafe. The controversy stemmed from this gentleman’s statement: “And our harbors and ports are porous and easy for these lunatic terrorists to sneak in. The government should focus more on protecting these stations because the disaster that can potentially emanate from them can completely destroy America, as we know it today.”

Illegal Aliens through our ports, indeed, problematic and our borders, yes in many places they are not as well protected as they could be; granted. However our high-tech infrastructures in the coming years will seal those holes tight. Currently The US Coast Guard boards every foreign vessel prior to coming into the ports and our harbors are patrolled as well. Recently our border with Mexico came under scrutiny and our chief of Department of Homeland Security assured us that they were adding high-tech surveillance and adding UAVs over head.

Now that does not mean when Mexico City has an Earthquake or Volcano that there will not be people lined at our borders, it means that to get in, in the future, well you are going to need to go through the approved check-points to visit, work or come to live. And this is a long time coming considering the Jordan Commission Report from days gone by.

So, where as some may think that the United States has the welcome mat out for International Terrorists, you may wish to reconsider these issues, before making such blunt statements that the American People are without protection. Think on this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

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The term global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of Earth’s surface. Research shows that the temperature has already increased from .7 to 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since the late eighteen hundreds. Scientists speculate that by the year 2100 the temperature will rise another 2.5 to 10.4 degree Fahrenheit. Scientists warn that humans and the ecosystem are incapable of adapting to the drastic climate changes. It is believed that the change is influenced by human activities. The Kyoto Protocol, a protocol with the objective of reducing greenhouse gases that change the climate, was created on December 11^th 1997.

Research states that human activities are the main cause for most of the warming. Human activities enhance the planet’s natural greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect in return contributes to the warming of the Earth’s surface. Burning fossil fuels and clearing the land are the two main human activities believed to contribute to global warming. Fossil fuels are released from factories, automobiles, and power plants that power homes and office buildings. As the fuel is burned it releases carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide slows down the heat from escaping into space. The clearing of land results in a decrease rate in which gas is removed from the atmosphere.

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In the fields of juvenile justice policy and programming, there are certain terms that are used to describe target populations. In terms of youth who are prone to illegal and illicit acts, the two terms that are most commonly used are at-risk youth and high-risk youth. The former term is generally associated with youth who come from lower-income, urban, single-mother backgrounds. High-risk youth is a label used to categorize and describe youth who share the following characteristics:

* are from poor families and communities;

* are (usually) high school dropouts, homeless or young parents;

* are unemployed or underemployed; and

* are involved with or transitioning from the child welfare or juvenile justice systems.

Youth from minority groups are disproportionately represented in these categories.1

The problem with this definition is that it tends not to disaggregate the range of crimes that lead the youth into the juvenile justice system. There are insufficient distinctions made with respect to the types of youth that fall within them. The category high-risk youth includes the young person who has engaged in serious criminal and violent behavior as well as those who have engaged in lower-level offenses that may not necessarily include violence.

What is at stake with such categorizations? Incorrect sorting of these populations has implications for policy and programming. Those interventions that work well for certain types of youth who have been labeled as at-risk or high-risk are not as effective for the more violent youth who are incorrectly placed in these two categories. Poor sorting has a direct affect on these youth who are in desperate need of properly designed interventions.

What I propose is that another category be created that better sorts the youth who are classified as high-risk. The term proven risk encompasses the most violent youth who have been placed in the high-risk category. There are specific criteria that define proven-risk youth. They share the same characteristics as youth who are in the at-risk and high-risk categories. What distinguishes proven-risk youth from these other two types is that: they are gang-involved; frequently use drugs; have an incarcerated sibling and/or parent; and have been incarcerated before. Moreover, they have been convicted in court for having committed the following crimes:

* gun possession;

* armed robbery;

* aggravated rape;

* murder;

* attempted murder;

* armed home invasion;

* serious assault against staff and/or another inmate while incarcerated; and/or

* escape or attempted escape involving a serious assault on staff.

By better defining the types of youth who require intervention, policymakers, foundations, and youth-oriented non-profit organizations can better deploy their resources in ways that will be more likely to make a positive difference in the lives of youth who fall into the proven-risk youth category.

“Serving High-Risk Youth: Lessons from Research and Programming,” Public/Private Ventures, September 2002, p. 2.

André J. Norman is a public speaker. He is available for school assemblies, church groups, colleges and universities, non-profit organizations and corporations. In addition, André has extensive experience designing programs and workshops focused on high-risk youth and ex-offenders. He also does corporate trainings.

André runs his own consulting business, Project Footprints (http://www.projectfootprints.com).

André’s work comes out of his personal experience of having served time in prison for armed robbery and other related charges. A Christian conversion accompanied by a decision to change his life led to his release from prison several years ago. Since then, André has worked extensively with troubled youth and adults and corporate executives. André draws on his own inspirational story, in which he moved from childhood illiteracy and crime to speaking for churches, youth groups, elementary, middle and high schools, and universities such as MIT and Harvard.

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