© TJ Lin with CCLicense

Parrots are famous for their uncanny ability to learn, memorize, and mimic sound. What you might not know is that wild parrots do not use this ability in quite the same way our pets do. For them it is a matter of survival. If a parrot chick does not learn the “names” or calls of its parents it will not live long.  Also, a young parrot must devise a name for itself and learn those of its siblings.

Video via LabofOrnithology on YouTube.

ReutersVideo

There are now five eggs on the Great Blue Heron nest at Sapsucker Pond.  Both mother and father continue to share responsibilities on the nest.  Dad is still bringing sticks and presenting them to mom.  Some of the sticks appear to be placed to create a higher edge on the nest.  I think I recall from last year that this was done to keep the chicks in a safe area.

The activity on the nest of the Red-tailed Hawks is a little more exciting.  As we await the hatching of the third egg, the first two chicks can be seen engaged in what appears to be sibling play.  At times it looks as if one of the chicks is a bully, but I also remember from last year that this behavior is normal.  The first meal the chicks received was a snake.  The next meal was a vole. I am guessing that one of following meals was a Starling that Big Red brought to the nest.  Starlings are nesting in very close proximity to the Hawks.  Although they pose no threat to the Hawk nest, I can’t help but wonder if Big Red just became too annoyed with their noise and presence, pushing her to take one out.  In the last screen shot I will post, a starling is at the right. Possibly Big Red left the nesting Starlings alone and just issued a warning.  Here are today’s screen shots.

After listening to Dwayne’s compelling story, I thought I would research and share stories from other prison poetry programs.

Youth Uprising’s Poetry and Prison Project

Youth Uprising is a neighborhood hub in East Oakland, CA that offers “young people services and programs to increase the physical and mental well-being, community connection, educational attainment, and career achievement among youth members.” The organization’s Poetry and Prison Project is “youth-led citizen journalism effort that uses poetry to speak about the effects of mass incarceration on young people in urban America.” In the following clip, Alberto Perez–a poet and researcher who is interested in exploring the interactions between poetry and prisons–talks about how poetry provides prisoners with a link to humanity and gives them a vehicle for expressing emotions.

Pongo Teen Writing

The Pongo Publishing Teen Writing Project is a volunteer, nonprofit program that reaches out to Seattle teens who are incarcerated, homeless or otherwise at risk. The goal is to help youth come to terms with the trauma in their lives and learn to positively cope with their emotions. Pongo publishes anthologies of  the resulting poems. One aspect of the program that I love is their emphasis on teaching techniques that help even the most low-skilled writer succeed. In the following video, shot at King County Juvenile Detention, Richard talks about Pongo’s mission and the lives and poetry of the teen writers.

Richard Shelton

For over 30 years, Richard Shelton, poet and professor, has run a poetry and writing program at a high security prison in Arizona. PBS Newshour interviewed him about his work and the power of poetry to change these young men.

Other links

Laura Bastian – In this article, Ms. Bastian, a poet and recipient of the Halls Emerging Artist Fellowship, discusses the creative writing program that she runs at a men’s correctional facility near Madison, WI.

But more than the writing itself I value the opportunity for conversation and self-exploration that comes from their writing. On multiple occasions students have said the class is the one place they can be themselves and not put up a front. They can talk about what it means to be away from family and to have a hard history. They can talk about love and fear and favorite childhood foods and the downside of street life. They can talk about responsibility. What they say is supported by their peers. At these points, I am irrelevant. I exist to hold the space they need to reach the places they’re willing to go. And they are brave in this.

Space in Prisons for Art and Creative Expression (SPACE) - This program is held at the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Facility. Each semester, they seem to do something a little different. Currently, they are running workshops that endeavor “to create an environment that is comfortable, fun, and reflective within a dehumanizing and monotonous institutional context.  The primary outcome of our program is to provide room for participants to exercise imagination, to pursue artistic projects and goals, and to work respectfully as a group.”

Prisoner Express – This webpage is hosted by Cornell University. They have a newsletter, poetry contest and anthologies. Check out some pretty deep verse.

Photo by Cornell Lab of Ornithology

If you were up around 6AM this Earth Day you probably didn’t think to check the Cornell Lab Bird Cams, but if you had, you might have seen two hawk chicks hatch into their nest atop a light pole on one of Cornell’s athletic fields.

According to the Lab’s news release, the third chick (i.e. the egg in this picture) is due to hatch in the next 48 hours, so keep a close watch by following the link in the photo, and enjoy your Earth Day! As you check out the live feed, you’ll probably see the father hawk, Ezra (named for Cornell University’s co-founder Ezra Cornell), or the mother, Big Red (after Cornell’s sports teams) taking turns incubating the egg and chicks.

Be sure to refer to the Red-tailed Hawk cam frequently asked question page, and also check out the Great Blue Herons in Sapsucker Woods!

Name: Cameron Jones

Grade: 11th Grade

School: Therrell School of Health Sciences and Research

Cameron Jones, a Junior at Therrell School of Health Sciences and Research,  is a scholar with infinite talents and skills.  Her excellent leadership and educational achievements are commendable.  According to her teachers, Cameron is a young lady of outstanding character– disciplined, hardworking, trustworthy, loyal, and responsible.

She sets high standards for herself and worthy long-term goals, and she works steadily and relentless to maintain or meet them.  This is evident in her proudest accomplishments as President of the Junior Class, President of HOSA, and her participation in the 2013 PAGE Program with the House of Representatives, among other notable accomplishments.

Cameron is ranked in the top 3% of her class and holds various leadership and community roles as a member of the National Beta Club, National Honor Society, Student Government Association, and the Varsity Cheerleadering Squad at Therrell High School.  Cameron recently received the “I Rock” award from her church, and she actively serves with Medshare, an organization that sends medical supplies and equipment internationally.

Cameron is highly respected by her peers and her teachers for her excellence in academics and community service.  She has managed to maintain a high GPA while actively participating in various community and school-based activities.  Cameron is often regarded as the next Oprah Winfrey because of her great communications and public speaking skills, but she also has an interest in biotechnology and veterinary medicine. She aspires to attend Cornell University.

Name: Donamere White

Grade: 3rd

School: Centennial Place Elementary

Donamere is a dynamic third grader who is skilled in both Taekwondo and Jiu Jitsu martial arts. He is a junior black belt, and won several trophies from competing in tournaments. Donamere has been practicing martial arts for 3.5 years, and currently trains 4 days a week. He believes martial art is a great skill to have in order to defend or protect yourself and others when necessary. He often practices with his father, who is currently teaching him another martial art called Hapkido. “I like the feeling when I earn a belt, and it’s really cool when people come and watch the tournaments,” Donamere says.

As a challenge student at Centennial Place, Donamere loves school and his favorite subject is mathematics. He has a passion for rapping, hip-hop and jazz dance, and even performed at The Wiz play at school. “My life is all about dancing,” Donamere says. “Everyday I have to dance, because it’s my life. If I can’t dance, it would be like taking my breath away from me.”

Donamere is part of a creative family, and hopes to create gadgets in the future. He wants to invent gadgets that dancers can use to enhance their dance moves and performances. “I want to create gadgets that can help others, and I also want to create a teleporting machine,” he says with a smile. Donamere’s energy, creativity, and humor highlight him as a unique and talented student.

​Name: Anquita Mitchell

Grade: 11th Grade

School: Carver Early College

A middle school counselor’s tenacious efforts opened the door for junior Anquita Mitchell to attend Carver Early College in the ninth grade. Anquita is a dean’s list scholar with excellent writing skills. Her superior writing skills lead to her to earning a perfect score on the State-Wide Junior Writing Test. Having played drums since age 4, Anquita is a sought-after drummer and has been a member of as many as four bands at one time. Among them are the marching, jazz and pep bands. She is the president of Upendo JaJa, which is a character development organization for girls promoting intellect, high self-esteem and sisterhood.

Anquita has played softball, tennis, soccer and golf. She favors golf, which she currently plays, because of its relaxing qualities. Because she loves to speak and is good at writing, she has set her sail to earn an undergraduate degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia. This would make her a third-generation UGA student. Anquita’s aspiration is to become a national news broadcaster. With her ambition and perseverance, NBC Nightly News or CNN is clearly within her reach.

written by Linda Green-Media Specialist-Carver Early College

Name:  Jasmine Thomas

Grade: 12th

School: Frederick Douglass High School

Twelfth-grader Jasmine Thomas has endured a lot of nail-biting moments lately.  First, there was the SAT.  Next, after filling out countless college and scholarship applications, the Douglass-Astro sat on pins and needles as she waited to learn who would invite her to spend the next four years of her life at their school, and who would pay for it.  But it was the Posse Foundation that really sent Jasmine’s anxiety level soaring.  And then, at around 10:00 pm on December 11 – just two hours before her December 12^th birthday – Jasmine received a phone call from a Posse official; she had been accepted into their program and she could officially refer to herself as a Posse Scholar.

The Posse Scholar program is a distinguished program that awards select high school seniors across the country four-year scholarships to illustrious colleges and universities.  The program also provides guidance and support to those students throughout their time at the school, and the Posse Foundation boasts that it has a 90% graduation rate.   So, learning that she was now a Posse scholar was more than just good news for Jasmine:  “It was the best birthday present I’ve ever had,” she said.

Posse Scholars are selected based on academic achievement and demonstrated leadership.  Jasmine’s ability to soar in both areas clearly made her application and essay stand out.

While at Douglass, Jasmine has been in the dual enrollment program, vice-president of the student body, a Coca-Cola Scholarship, Horatio Alger Scholarship and First Intercontinental Bank Scholarship recipient, and the founder of a city-wide organization of teenagers called “Teen Expressions.”

For Jasmine, Teen Expressions brings more fulfillment and pride than anything she has ever undertaken.  The group meets at libraries around Atlanta to host writing and financial workshops for teenagers, guest motivational speakers, and talent shows and open-mic  events.

“It’s really rewarding for me to know that I’ve changed someone’s life for the better,” Jasmine says. “I’ll have members come to me and say that they improved their writing score on the SAT, or they made an ‘A’ on a writing assignment.  And I can see so much growth in some of the younger members since they first began participating – it just makes me feel good. It makes me very proud.”  Through Teen Expressions, Jasmine says she is “paying it forward.”

The science and writing enthusiast will enroll Bard College in New York this fall, but is not quite sure of her major or which career path she will pursue.

“That’s what college is about — exposing you to different fields and helping you discover where you fit in, ” she says.  “Ideally, I’d love to do something that combines science and writing.”

As Jasmine prepares to leave the nest, and embark on her journeyas a successful college student, there is one thing she can for which she can be sure: her nail-biting days are just beginning.

Here are some of the week’s screen captures of the Great Blue Herons on Sapsucker Pond, followed by the Red-tailed Hawks on the Cornell University campus. The date and time stamp appear in the bottom left corner of each screen capture.

Kids at school are more likely to eat fruit if it’s pre-sliced, a new study shows.

Study shows dramatic increase in consumption when fruit is sliced

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Most parents know that kids coming home from school are more likely to eat fruit that’s been cut into bite-sized pieces. That same technique might encourage youngsters to eat more healthy foods as part of their school lunch, according to new research from Cornell University who tested the idea in eigh elementary schools.

Previous studies and surveys have shown that kids love to eat fruit in ready-to-eat bite-sized pieces, yet in most school settings, the fruit is served whole, which could be the reason children are taking fruits but not eating them.

Most people believe that children avoid fruit because of the taste and allure of alternative packaged snacks. A study by Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab researchers Brian Wansink, David Just, Andrew Hanks, and Laura Smith decided to get to the bottom of why children were avoiding their fruit.Each school was given a commercial fruit slicer and instructed to use it when students requested apples. The fruit slicer cut the fruit into six pieces and the process took three to four seconds.

Results from interviews conducted with students during this pilot indicated they dislike eating fruit for two main reasons: for younger students, who might have braces or missing teeth, a large fruit is too inconvenient to eat; for older girls, it is un-attractive-looking to eat such a fruit in front of others. Initial results showed fruit sales increased by an average of 61 percent, when the fruit was sliced.

To confirm this finding, six middle schools in this same district were added to the study. Three of the schools were given fruit slicers, while the other three continued normal cafeteria operations to act as a control. Fruit slices were placed in cups in two of the three schools and on a tray in the third school. To assess actual consumption, trained field researchers were assigned to every school to record how much of the apple was wasted by counting the number of slices thrown away by each student.

Results showed that apple sales in schools with fruit slicers increased by 71 percent compared to control schools. More importantly, researchers found that the percentage of students who ate more than half of their apple increased by 73 percent, an effect that lasted long after the study was over.

This study shows that making fruit easier to eat encourages more children to select it and to eat more of it.  With an initial investment of just $200, fruit slicers constitute a means for school cafeterias not only to encourage fruit consumption among students but also to prevent food waste.

I feel like I have no friends in college. 

First off, this isn’t exactly true, because I’ve made amazing friends at Cornell, and I know I can rely on most of them at any time of day. But it’s moments like this that I can’t help but feel alone. 

I feel like I have no one to truly talk to here, no one to invite to things. Just the same 4-5 people, and in the case that none of them can do something with or for me, I’m alone.

In addition to my great friends, I have several close acquaintances, but can you really rely on acquaintances in your personal life? There’s a reason they’re only acquaintances. 

I’m probably just being over dramatic right now, but I can’t help it. I’ve been feeling like this for a while now, so I might as well just get it all out in the open. The internet. But not as myself. None of my college friends are going to know about this blog (I have another WordPress that a few of them know about, but unless I show them this in the future, it’ll be a secret). 

Let’s start with the issue of friends in general. I have a lot of friends at Cornell; I also know a  lot of people. But at the end of the day, I feel like no one is consistently a part of my life (#overdramatic). I’ll go through my friends and air my grievances. In order to protect identity, I’ll be using nicknames/false names. 

The Pretender. You have so many problems, and I know this because I’ve literally sat here for hours on end listening to them. I’m not trying to belittle you or devalue your problems, because many of them are serious issues you need to get worked out, but it bothers the fuck out of me when you can’t listen to me for 5 minutes. It doesn’t matter if it’s about something personal, serious, random, or just small talk: you don’t listen to me, and I’m pretty sure we both know its true. You’re so selfish. I’m about 98% sure you only care about yourself and how all the “relevant” people think of you. I wish you would appreciate me. I think I’m a damn good friend because I always listen to you, offer advice, give you reality checks and ego-deflation, but you can’t address any of my predicaments seriously. It’s beyond frustrating. Sometimes I feel like you’re just using me/our friendship when it’s convenient for you, and you don’t really care about me. 

Busy Latino. I love you so much, but it saddens me to say that you aren’t the best “best friend” out there. I have respect for you, because you do so much, but it’s dwindling. In PSP we got so close, and I assumed you would always be there for me, but I’m lucky if I get a 45 minute dinner with you. YOU’RE ALWAYS FUCKING BUSY. YOU’RE NEVER HERE. And even when you are here, I feel like even you don’t really care all that much, unless it’s a scandal. I miss you. I miss our “conferences”, when we would talk about anything and everything. I’m glad that next semester we’ll get to see each other every day though, because of French, because I really do miss you, and it’s times like these that I need you most, but alas, you’re across campus making out with guys at a party. 

The Terrorist. I don’t know what to make of our friendship. I know we’re actually friends, but I hate how bitchy, rude, and just plain mean you can be to me. Being gay doesn’t give you a free pass to be a douchebag. And I really hate it when I decide to give you a dose of your own medicine, you make it out that I’m the bad guy. Get the fuck out with that. When you’re nice we have really fun adventures together, but I feel like I can’t trust you with the major things. Sorry.

The Second-Chance. We hooked up the beginning of fall semester, tried to be together for a week, and stopped talking all semester. Then, we started again over winter break, tried to be a thing again, which didn’t work, and now we’re here. I’m proud to say you’re one of my best friends at Cornell, but tonight you let me down. It’s technically your birthday now (4/21), and you were supposed to come over after I got off work, but that obviously didn’t happen. You texted me just now and said you were with a Capella girl, and that you would be over soon. Don’t come over. It’s definitely not because you’re with another girl right now, because I don’t like you like that anymore, but that you basically ditched me for the bitch that never texts you back. The one who CLEARLY isn’t interested in you, or who at least sucks at showing it. The one who causes you so much stress when she isn’t even yours. And just like with The Pretender, I sit here and listen to you. I spent 6 hours with you Friday, in your piss poor attitude, and heard you out about your girl problems. And here we are. You’re hanging out with the bitch that doesn’t deserve your friendship, let alone, a relationship, and I’m angrily typing my feelings. Meh. 

The Anxious Hot Mess. We’ve been friends since middle school, and you’re the reason I applied to Cornell. But dah-ling, I literally have no idea what to do with you. You’re a hot mess on every level. But actually though. I want to tell you to switch out of engineering, because although you like it, you just aren’t good at it. You failed the first level of math last semester and are barely passing it this semester. I just don’t know how to tell you without being too harsh/rude. AHH. And your anxiety and depression problems. Those are serious issues. Mental health is a huge topic in society right now, especially in regards to gun control, and I know you aren’t going to go shoot a place up, but you really do need to get your problems worked out. I don’t understand the social anxiety. The fear of people and communication. I hate that it places limits on everything you do. I asked if you wanted to go to Holi with me, and you said it looked cool, but “maybe not”. I asked if it was because of the people. You said yeah. I don’t know what to do with you. We even ask you to go to the mall, out to eat, or even just to come to my dorm room and hang out. But you say no like 85% of the time. This happens so often that sometimes I’m surprised when you actually say yes. I wish there was a way for you to get over it and come out of your shell, but so far this seems impossible. 

I guess that’s about it for my closer friends at Cornell. I kind of don’t feel like talking about that anymore, so I won’t. It just frustrates me that I do so much for these people, but they’re all absent from my life in some way, even multiple ways. I feel trapped.

In addition to my “lack” of reliable friends, my love life sucks. Cornell’s hookup culture is the driving force of any Saturday night party. And it sucks. As a gal who prefers actual relationships (long term and meaningful), hooking up just isn’t good enough. I’ve come around to the idea though, mainly because no one here wants a relationship. 

I understand the reasoning behind it, and I believe firmly in many of the reasons myself, but at the same time, I still want a boyfriend. A stable relationship. Someone to love me for more than my body. 

The reasons for the prominence of hookup culture in any college atmosphere (not just Cornell, I promise) is as follows. 1) Who the fuck wants to be tied down at 19? We’re so young, we’re constantly meeting new people. Why would you want to take yourself off the market when you can make-out with someone different every weekend? I definitely understand this, because I have my whole life ahead of me to be with someone, so why settle now? UGH. 2) Relationships take to much time/focus. This is the most convincing and accurate argument for hookup culture yet. We’re in college, at an Ivy League institution. We have homework, some of us have jobs, and let’s not forget to mention clubs/activities. Tell me where I’m supposed to squeeze in a boyfriend? Of course, I would make time for it, as would the Second Chance, but among other Cornellians?…. Crickets. 3) Have fun while you’re young. I like sex, who doesn’t? But actually though, who doesn’t? But when that’s all you get, it’s pretty unsatisfying. I want a guy that I can sleep with and then cuddle afterwards. I want a guy who I can interact with, without having to shed my clothing.

This is the point in my post that I talk about the first guy that I’ve fucked at Cornell, Mr. Starfish. So I met Starfish through the infamous hookup app, Tinder. We matched, started talking, and met. Our first encounter was cool. We got dinner, then hung out for two hours, and you seemed like a nice guy. Someone dateable at least. But then you basically said you wouldn’t mind fucking me. I wasn’t mad. I wasn’t offended, or shocked, seeing that we met on a hookup app. And I really wasn’t surprised that you told me that with the way you were leading up to it. Predictable. 

So we met again. We took a long walk around Ithaca. It was nice, except for when you made me climb the hill from the bottom of west. Fuck you for that.

When we got to my room, nothing happened at first. And even when you got to my bed, we were still like 4 feet apart. I’m a pretty ballsy girl; I’m not afraid to make the first move at all, and I actually initiate things most of the time. But this time I wanted to see what you would do. 

You FINALLY moved closer to me, and I’m glad you did, because when I went in for the kiss, it was amazing. I’ve had a solid streak of bad/subpar kissers lately, and kissing you was fan-fucking-tastic. I’m pretty sure you were just an average kisser, but it felt wonderful compared to the last 3 guys I was with, so thanks.

And then clothes started slowly coming off. It got to the point that I was bored with making out, and I wanted more. I asked if you had a condom, to which you replied yes. Then that’s when things really got interesting.

We basically rolled around naked for a bit, touched each other, and then it happened. I’ve only had sex with one guy before, so I was interested to see how this would work, and let me tell you, it was amazing. Well, maybe not amazing, but damn it felt good at the time. 

When I got back with the Second Chance earlier this semester, there were several times that I literally just wanted to fuck him when we were hooking up, but he didn’t want to because he’s basically saving himself, which is admirable, but still. So let’s just say I’ve been very thirsty lately, and you definitely quenched it. 

I want to do it again. I can’t wait for the next time. It was hot. I’m not about to be on some Fifty Shades flow, but I need the D again. 

I’ve clearly adopted the hookup culture flow, but is that all we’ll be? I know you don’t want a relationship now, but can we be friends at least. I want to get to know you. You don’t have to marry me, but I feel like we would be awesome friends. And we could fuck. What’s not to love? Hopefully we get to that point one day, but for now, the future is ambiguous.

And that’s the story of my life for now. Eh, more like an outline. I have friends that aren’t there 100% of the time, but fortunately when one is gone, another fills the void. I know I should tell some of these people how I feel (The Anxious Hot Mess and The Pretender), but I just don’t want to deal with that now. And as for my love life… Stay tuned, I’m sure it only gets more interesting from here. 

As stated earlier, I have another blog, but I rarely post on it now, so we’ll see how this one goes. I do like having this as a space to write real feelings about though. I think I’ll share this with my best friend back home, but only her for now. Definitely not any of the people this post was about. And as for me, I’ll remain anonymous. I don’t intend on revealing my identity, but maybe I will one day.

Program Specialist (Emergency Prep/Training)

Job Announcement Number:

MG-2013-T0187-BLG-878519D
Location Name:
Washington DC, District of Columbia
Department:
Department Of Homeland Security
Agency:
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Occupation Code:
Miscellaneous Administration And Program
Pay Plan:
GS
Appointment Duration:
Permanent
Opening Date:
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Closing Date:
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Job Status:
Full-Time
Salary:
$89,033.00 to $115,742.00 / Per Year
Pay Grade(s):
13 to 13
Who May Apply:
United States Citizens
Job Summary:
When disaster strikes, America looks to FEMA. Now FEMA looks to you. Join our team and use your talent to support Americans in their times of greatest need. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) prepares the nation for all hazards and manages Federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. We foster innovation, reward performance and creativity, and provide challenges on a routine basis with a well-skilled, knowledgeable, high performance workforce. Who May Apply All US Citizens For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here This position opportunity is also being advertised under Merit Promotion at the GS-13 grade levels. Please see vacancy announcement numbers MG-2013-T0187-BLG-878489MP for additional information. Organization: This position is located within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Preparedness Directorate, Technological Hazards Division, and Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) Branch. Primary Purpose: In this position, the incumbent assigned as responsible for the CSEPP Training Management reports to the Chief of the Chemical Stockpile Branch, may perform duties in any of the principal responsibilities of the Branch, as they pertain to planning, design, development, implementation and evaluation of CSEPP Training. The duties, which impact the Program’s ability to fulfill its mission to support state and local CSEPP emergency planning efforts, may require analysis and resolution of matters concerning operational policy, interpretation and application of technical studies and procedures, program management, program evaluation, and resource allocation. PROMOTION POTENTIAL: Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval. EMERGENCY ASSIGNMENT: For all nonbargaining unit positions, the following applies: Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee’s official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions. Relocation expenses are not authorized for this position.

Information Technology Specialist,(DataMgt) GS-2210-12-CORE

Job Announcement Number:
MG2013-T0192-SAA-879290CORE
Location Name:
Hyattsville, Maryland;Washington DC, District of Columbia;Denton, Texas;Winchester, Virginia
Department:
Department Of Homeland Security
Agency:
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Occupation Code:
Information Technology Management
Pay Plan:
GS
Appointment Duration:
Temporary
Opening Date:
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Closing Date:
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Job Status:
Full-Time
Salary:
$74,872.00 to $97,333.00 / Per Year
Pay Grade(s):
12 to 12
Who May Apply:
United States Citizens
Job Summary:
When disaster strikes, America looks to FEMA. Now FEMA looks to you. Join our team and use your talent to support Americans in their times of greatest need. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) prepares the nation for all hazards and manages Federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. We foster innovation, reward performance and creativity, and provide challenges on a routine basis with a well-skilled, knowledgeable, high performance workforce. Who May Apply All U.S. Citizens For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here This position is located within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Office of the Chief Information Officer, Operations Division, Site Support Section, Information Management Team. This position provides advanced technical support in planning, designing, implementing, and maintaining the organization’s Web site(s). This position is being announced under FEMA’s CORE Program (Cadre of On-call Response/Recovery employees). These positions are authorized under P.L. 93-288 to perform temporary disaster work and are funded from the Disaster Relief Fund. Appointments are excepted service, temporary appointments. This is a 2 year temporary appointment in the Excepted Service. EMERGENCY ASSIGNMENT: For all nonbargaining unit positions, the following applies: Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee’s official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions. Relocation expenses are not authorized for this position.

Quality Assurance Specialist GS-1910-09/11

Job Announcement Number:
MG-2013-T0183-LNG-879327DEU
Location Name:
Winchester, Virginia
Department:
Department Of Homeland Security
Agency:
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Occupation Code:
Quality Assurance
Pay Plan:
GS
Appointment Duration:
Permanent
Opening Date:
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Closing Date:
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Job Status:
Full-Time
Salary:
$51,630.00 to $81,204.00 / Per Year
Pay Grade(s):
09 to 11
Who May Apply:
United States Citizens
Job Summary:
When disaster strikes, America looks to FEMA. Now FEMA looks to you. Join our team and use your talent to support Americans in their times of greatest need. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) prepares the nation for all hazards and manages Federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. We foster innovation, reward performance and creativity, and provide challenges on a routine basis with a well-skilled, knowledgeable, high performance workforce. Who May Apply All U.S. Citizens Veterans’ preference eligibles (click here for information on veterans) For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here This position opportunity is also being advertised for applicants with MERIT PROMOTION and/or NON COMPETITIVE Referral eligiblity. Please see vacancy announcement numbers MG-2013-T0183-LNG-879315MP for additional information. This position is ideal for a quality assurance professional looking for an opportunity to shape DHS/FEMA with responsibilities ensuring quality assurance of the issue and disposal of commodities and equipment in support of disaster operations. This position starts at a salary of $51,630 (GS-09), with promotion potential to $62,467 (GS-11). Apply for this exciting opportunity to become a member of the Property Management Team in the DHS/FEMA Logistics Management Directorate (LMD). PROMOTION POTENTIAL: Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval. EMERGENCY ASSIGNMENT: For all nonbargaining unit positions, the following applies: Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee’s official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions. Relocation expenses are not authorized for this position.

 PREVIOUS BUSINESS AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES JOBS

beenetworknews.com 30 seconds

►

PITISE UNIV

►

Related articles

• FEMA App for Collecting Damage Info Being Tested in Wisconsin (insurancejournal.com)
• FEMA Awards More Than $31.2M to Texas for Firefighting Costs (insurancejournal.com)
• Business and Career Opportunities Jobs (beenetworknews.com)

Not sure what to do this upcoming Earth Day?  If you happen to attend Cornell University here’s a suggestion: If “Nature never stands still”, taking an interdisciplinary approach toward her recovery and restoration seems like a logical step.

We especially like the circular nature of choosing Dr. Kareiva to give the 2013 Iscol Distinguished Environmental Lecture. Kareiva received his PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University in 1981 and after serving on the faculties of Brown University and University of Washington he is now the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy.

Conservation is on the defensive. One way forward is to embrace the potential for recovery, restoration, and even rewilding, while realizing that nature never stands still. New messages, new science, new alliances, and a new nature are conservation’s best hope.

Click on the photo above for more information on the day’s events.

“The first galaxies were small, then eventually merged together to form the behemoths we see in the present universe,” writes NASA’s Whitney Clavin in a post about the discovery. ”Those smaller galaxies produced stars at a modest rate, and only later  — when the universe was a couple of billion years old — did the vast majority of larger galaxies begin to form and accumulate enough gas and dust to become prolific star factories. Indeed, astronomers have observed that these star factories, called starburst galaxies, became prevalent a couple of billion years after the big bang.”

This discovery is upending what scientists thought they knew about the early universe.

“This galaxy is just one spectacular example, but it’s telling us that extremely vigorous star formation was possible early in the universe,” Jamie Bock, professor of physics at Caltech and a co-author of the paper, said in a release.

[related_links]

The newfound galaxy is called HFLS3, and was generating the equivalent of 2,900 suns per year, which made it one of the largest star producers in the universe. Because of this, it got the designation as a “Maximum Starburst” galaxy.

The research team that found HFLS3 used the ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory to find it.

“Looking for the first examples of these massive star factories is like searching for a needle in a haystack; the Herschel dataset is extremely rich,” says Dominik Riechers of Cornell University, who led the investigation.

The data is further proof that the universe developed complex stellar bodies not only much earlier than we may have thought, but also much earlier than our own Galaxy and star system did. It’s entirely possible that the universe was filled with complex life far before the human race was anything more than dust.

That said, this isn’t proof that would completely upend current thought on star formation, as it is only one example of an early star factory.

“This galaxy is just one spectacular example, but it’s telling us that extremely vigorous star formation is possible early in the universe,”  Bock told NASA.

Cornell University is extremely fortunate for its politically active and socially conscious student body. Nowhere is this precious resource more apparent than at the Spring People’s School, held tomorrow [the 18th of April] as a gathering to help foment the creation of an engaged community.

See below for the People’s School Communiqué:

“The winter is for reflection. The public spaces are frozen over, the trees become transparent, and on a late night walk home from the library, we might be tricked into believing there’s no one else here. The biting winds urge us to introspection.

As it turns out, communities aren’t just built in the streets. They’re built at late night meetings in empty classrooms, at study sessions in dimly lit cafés, and anywhere else where people come together out of a collective purpose. Our houses, our studios, our seminar rooms, our libraries, and our student unions can all be spaces of transformation. After all, isn’t “the streets” just a metaphor for the spaces where we find each other? Isn’t the public just a euphemism for the place in which we make us?

Over the course of this long, harsh winter, we’ve all been building our community. Some with more success than others. For many of us, these communities have been our only support systems. Winter can be a time when the isolation, work, and pressure of life at Cornell comes to a head. It is often a time of self-doubt, suffering, existential crisis, and sleep-deprived delusions of inadequacy. The tediousness of our daily existence voices what many of us so take for granted that it never gets said aloud. We aren’t happy here.

And the “here” in that sentence may be unnecessary, because it doesn’t end when we graduate. The jobs we are being trained for are the jobs we already have. Deadlines, long hours, stress, and precariousness: such is the life we live; such is the life we look forward to. When you were told that college would be the best years of your life, you didn’t imagine how bitterly accurate that prediction was. But it is not inevitable. What will we demand from ourselves, from this world, from the system in which we are all involuntary participants?

We aren’t happy here.

The crucial word in that sentence is the first one. We. It is worth clarifying that “we” does not refer to a collection of individuals who all, individually, feel unhappy. Of course, there are students who do sincerely feel happy here. You may be one of them. But we is a statement of collective identity which by definition is more than the sum of its parts. It is important that while some of us may be content, “we” won’t be, because our happiness is bound up in the happiness of those around us; our liberation is bound up in the freedom of those with whom we share this community. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” As long as there are underpaid, under-resourced, under-respected workers, survivors of sexual assault blamed for their own trauma, and students breaking under the pressure of their own absent future, we will not be happy. There is no social change without the word we. Because if we share a problem, then we can do something about it.

The spring is for action. It’s for taking public space, it’s for demanding a meaningful existence, and it’s for realizing we all felt the same in the winter. It means turning our isolation on its head by realizing that it is something that we share.

The spring means breaking down the barriers that keep us isolated: between ourselves and our neighbors, between the estranged communities at Cornell, between Cornell and Ithaca College, between students and workers, and between discussion and action itself. It means destroying false binaries, whether they are male/female, gay/straight, or deconstructing privilege/constructing solidarity in its place.

Last fall, we began the process of constructing a new world at the People’s School. In that spirit, we invite you all to converge once more, on the Arts Quad, to continue the community-building process we started at the beginning of the school year. Students, workers, faculty, and local residents are all welcome, because although it affects us in different ways, we all live under the same system. We will meet on Thursday, April 18, from 10:30 to 4:30. There will be a poetry slam on the Stump starting at 12:15.

And come May Day, when we say we’ll see you in the streets, we’ll mean it literally.

The Spring is Coming.

The Beginning is Near.“

We have created this mix to celebrate the People’s School christening of the Springtime in the name of the forces of good. Sonic Landscapes highly endorses this event, and encourages listeners to come and participate in this wonderful day of solidarity and egalitarianism. See this link for the facebook page for the event and make sure to invite friends.

Click link below to hear this mix streaming

Click this link to download the mix

The Playlist:

Intro Sample: Nelson Mandela

1. The Anthem – Onra

2. Cops Oppression and Capitalist Propaganda – Al Quetz

3. Zombie – Fela Kuti

4. Land Of… – St. Germain

5. El Pueblo Unido (Upright Andy Remix) – Thievery Corporation

6. Washington Bullets – The Clash

7. Nwampfundia – Tshetsha Boys

8. Nissim (with Amir Yaghmai) – Gaslamp Killer

9. Mon Espirit Part En Couilles – Expression Direkt

10. I’m God – Lil B

Hasta la victoria siempre

Jeremy is the one in the middle

I always knew he was going to do something special.

As a toddler, he was fascinated by the world and everything in it. He carried on startlingly adult conversations before he was old enough for kindergarten. He was always the smartest one in school, sometimes getting in trouble for surreptitiously reading library books during classes that had nothing new to teach him.

He threw a perfect game against Little League All Stars.  At age 11, competing against older kids on the floor of the old Boston Garden during half-time at a Celtics game, he won the NBA’s New England regional basketball shootout. He helped organize a road race in honor of a high-school friend killed in a car crash.

He went to Cornell, where he hoped to study astronomy under Carl Sagan.  He abandoned astronomy for biology and anthropology, then earned his Phd. at the University of Michigan, where he honed his research skills in the hominid evolution.

He married an incredible woman, and his first born just might be the world’s most beautiful fraternal twins.

Now he is a professor at Boston University, where his students, making their feelings known on the “Rate My Professor” website, give him high marks for helpfulness and clarity, complain about how tough he is on them, and rate him a chilli pepper — the highest rating for “hottness.”

Today, Professor Jeremy DeSilva is a rising star in the field of early human evolution, traveling to Africa for field work and specializing in the locomotion of our ancient ancestors and relatives. His research as part of a team studying a stunning group of South African fossils is revolutionizing our understanding of who they were, how they lived, and how modern humans came to be.

You can read an accessible account about his research in this recent Boston Globe article.

You can hear him talk about his most recent discoveries in this Science Magazine podcast.

And you can learn more about these discoveries in this Duke University podcast, Jeremy’s part in it starting three minutes in.

Richard, Melanie, and Jeremy

His older brother and sister are amazing, too. Richard, an investment expert, is one of the most caring people I know. He runs in the Boston Marathon, including this year’s tragic race, to raise money for cancer research. Melanie, a passionate advocate for the underprivileged and for women’s issues, manages marketing and recruitment for the University Without Walls at the University of Massachusetts, a program that brings adult dropouts back to college to finish their degrees.

And the three of them are teaching me what it means to be a great parent.

Give Anonymously

Making even modest donations to charity can trigger production of the feel-good hormones oxytocin and dopamine, a National Institutes of Health study suggests. In fact, if you slip change into donation boxes or make a quick drop-off at Goodwill (without anyone noticing), you’ll experience the biggest mood boost, researchers say. The anonymity reminds you that you’re helping because you’re a good, caring person, not because you want approval or recognition from someone.

Try this: Help out at a local charity, send a dozen cookies to a church bake sale or just open a door for a stranger. You’ll also feel less worried, according to University of Chicago research that proves that boosting dopamine production helps reduce feelings of chronic stress and anxiety by 63 percent.

Clean Out the Clutter

Harvard research suggests spending 20 minutes sorting and tidying a messy corner of your home or office dials down production of adrenaline and other mood-sabotaging stress hormones by 45 percent, helping people feel calmer and more relaxed for up to three hours afterwards.

Try this: Next time you feel anxious about the speed bumps in your life, rearrange a cluttered closet, clean off your desk or organize the junk drawer.

Embrace the Sounds of Silence

Nonstop exposure to low-level background noise (like people yakking, phones ringing and distant horns blaring) doesn’t just drive you nuts — it’s also stressful to your nervous system and can dampen your mood by 40 percent, suggests researchers at Cornell University.

Try this: Spend 30 minutes twice a say somewhere quiet with zero background noise, say Stanford University researchers.

Daydream Away Your Depression

In a new British study, women were able to significantly improve their moods within eight weeks just by spending a few minutes each day visualizing — and mentally rehearsing — clever ways to handle life’s frustrations. Daydreaming about yourself calmly and confidently tackling day-to-day stressors, like an impatient coworker or grumpy relative, stimulates the release of mood-elevating dopamine, the study authors say.

Try this: Recall a time when you and a loved one clashed while planning a party or an outing, and rehearse in your head how you will explain your feelings and opinions the next time it happens so that you will be heard and your views will be respected.

Get a Fruit Boost

Women who eat two cups of fruit daily are more optimistic and upbeat compared to women who don’t eat fruit, UCLA researchers say.
Try this: For best results, eat one cup of fruit with breakfast and one with lunch. Carbs eaten in the first half of the day give a much longer-lasting mood boost than carbs eaten later in the day or at night.

Have Some Cider

Sipping a mug of hot apple cider reduces edginess and tension for up to 76 percent of women within five minutes – it stimulates nerve clusters in the brain that can soothe and relax your entire central nervous system.

Try this: Not a cider fan? You’ll get the same zen-like feeling by lighting an apple-scented candle or setting out a bowl of fresh apple potpourri.

Order the Fish

The brain-nourishing omega-3 fats found in fish can cut your risk of another bout of depression by as much as 250 percent, say researchers at the National Institutes of Health researchers.

Try this: Eat 18 ounces of fish weekly or take two to three grams of fish oil daily.

Calm Down with Vanilla

Odors affect your moods by activating the limbic system, the emotional switchboard of your brain. When a distinct scent like vanilla reaches this emotion control center, it ramps up your brain’s production of alpha waves, electrical impulses that produce a calmer, happier, more contented mood within three minutes, says Alan Hirsch, M.D., neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.

Try this: Steep a cup of vanilla tea in hot water and sip slowly. Or sniff a bottle of vanilla extract or essential oil slowly and deeply three times whenever you need to de-stress or calm down.

Checkout for more here!

If all the hopes and hype are warranted, a nondescript third-floor loft in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan offers a glimpse of the future, for New York City and for Cornell University.

http://tinyurl.com/d4x6n8p

You know? There are a lot of questions floating in your mind when you’re first admitted. You start thinking about food, friends, missing your parents, the freshman 15, classes, tests, failing, and I don’t even know what else.

Then there are the Cornell specific questions: suicide rate, cut-throat competition, Greek life, and many others. These are all in the minds of new students, and honestly, you can’t blame them. Where you go to college will simply affect the next four years of your life, and you want those four years to be good.

The one thing that I can tell high school seniors right now it not to worry. No, seriously, don’t. I mean, I know that you’re going to worry regardless, but once you actually get to Cornell (or the college of your choice, for that matter), you’re going to realize that there was no need to be so afraid. Here, you’ll find hundreds of freshmen who are going to be experiencing the same things as you. They, too, will miss home, and they, too will be worried about succeeding academically. Through these concerns, you will build a support network faster than you realize. The best part: the friends you make here will last you forever, and they will be cool, smart, and awesome.

Ask your professors and TAs for help, whenever you need it. They will be there for you. They won’t try to scare you away. On the contrary: they want you to succeed just as much as you do, but you must be proactive, and you must ask them for help. They are so amiable, and many of them are delighted to talk to students and help you succeed.

One thing that I want to tell you all so you can tell your parents: our suicide rate is just as low as that of other colleges. No, I am not going to Google it right now because I am lazy, but I know it is true. Don’t let that dissuade you. Yes, the gorges are there, but that’s only for you to admire them. They truly are breathtaking. Trust me. (However, if it really matters to you, check this out: Not like I agree with it, though)

Also, you will surely make friends. Trust me. In your dorm, in classes, in random places, everywhere. The people are friendly. Us Cornellians don’t bite. It’s a great experience.

Oh, and we have really good ice cream.

STUDENT: Caio Barboza
SCHOOL: Cornell University
PROFESSORS: Mark Morris and Davide Marchetti
YEAR: 2013

“At the urban scale, the new Danteum opens up its main facade to its adjacent tower attracting visitors from the nearby traffic intersection. Its cruciform-like spatial distribution hovers over the manipulated landscape separating the building into three different realms – hell, purgatory, and paradiso.  The realms are characterized by distinguished programs, organizing visitors into spaces of their interest within the building.  As a result, this construct becomes a 3-in-1 building attending to the tourist, local, and academic social circles of Rome.

The building forms itself through two layers – groundscape and spatial.  The former is defined by existing planometric building lines along regulating cuts, incisions, punctures, and folds, always to be habitable.  The latter derives from analysis and refinements of Guiseppe Terrgani’s early sketches for the Danteum project serving as a generator for spatial objects.

Not only new, but carefully redesigned, the new Danteum incorporates ideas abstracted from The Divine Comedy and Terragni’s original design as means of celebration to what is considered today both one of the most famous pieces of literature and never-built architectural projects in the world, respectively.

Never having met before, both side and space come together and respectfully morph each other to accommodate for the needs of the project.  The morphological processes should be seen as the many transformations present in the gradual transition Dante Alighieri undergoes in The Divine Comedy.”        - Caio Barboza

FUTURES+ Original Post

Andrew Dickson White: Statue at Cornell

The Quad

Manhattan: James and a Statue

James’ and my Home-cooked dinner: Asparagus, beet & goat cheese salad, smoked salmon and kale.

Natural History Museum in NYC!!

The Butterfly Room in the Museum

Speaks for Herself

The best darn warm and satisfying dinner…Meatballs and Veggies!

Boat Tour

It was raining on the river, snowing in city!

Ground Zero

I am an Orientation Leader for the Class of 2017, and I am very excited. I can’t wait to meet new people and talk to them about why Cornell is awesome. I specially cannot wait to tell them how to make Cornell awesome.

See, it’s an art:

At first you’re afraid,

then you’re petrified,

keep thinking you can’t live without your parents by,

and then you spend so many nights thinking how they had curfews on,

and you grow strong, and you learn how to get along,

And you get the idea. I cannot believe that I have already been here for a whole year, but I definitely cannot wait for the future semesters. I wish the class of 2017 an awesome summer, and I cannot to meet you!

Who knows… maybe I’ll help you move in, or maybe we’ll be in a circle making friends!