Handicaps

Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental, or some combination of these. A disability may be present from birth, or occur during a person's lifetime.

Intellectual disability (ID), once called mental retardation, is characterized by below-average intelligence or mental ability and a lack of skills necessary for day-to-day living. People with intellectual disabilities can and do learn new skills, but they learn them more slowly. There are varying degrees of intellectual disability, from mild to profound.

What is intellectual disability?

Someone with intellectual disability has limitations in two areas. These areas are:

• Intellectual functioning. Also known as IQ, this refers to a person’s ability to learn, reason, make decisions, and solve problems.
• Adaptive behaviors. These are skills necessary for day-to-day life, such as being able to communicate effectively, interact with others, and take care of oneself.

IQ (intelligence quotient) is measured by an IQ test. The average IQ is 100. A person is considered intellectually disabled if he or she has an IQ of less than 70 to 75.

The law prohibits employers from firing, refusing to hire or 

rehire, or otherwise discriminating, against a “qualified” person 

with a disability on the basis of disability. To be “qualified”, a 

person must be able to perform the essential functions of the 

job, either with or without a reasonable accommodation. 

Examples of work-place reasonable accommodations that 

may be appropriate include: a flexible work schedule, 

providing a reader, providing ergonomic or technological 

equipment, or transfer to an office in an accessible location. 

Employers are not required to provide an accommodation that 

would eliminate an essential function of an employee’s job or 

would pose an “undue hardship” for the employer. An 

accommodation is provided at the employer’s expense, unless 

the employer can demonstrate that it would pose an undue 

financial hardship. The law applies to employers with 15 or 

more employees. 

Section 501 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act governs direct-employment by the federal government. This section of the law prohibits discrimination and requires adoption of affirmative action plans for hiring, placement, and advancement of individuals with disabilities within federal agencies and the U.S. Postal Service.

Section 503 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act prohibits 

discrimination based on disability and requires affirmative 

action in hiring persons with disabilities when the employer 

has a contract or subcontract with the federal government in 

excess of $10,000. 

Why dogs and cats?

"Eat cats and dogs", imam tells starving Syrians!

An imam in a rebel-held district of Damascus has issued a fatwa allowing residents to eat cats and dogs, in a desperate bid to ward off starvation after months under siege by the Assad regime.

Salah al-Khatib, the cleric who issued the edict, said he had been left with no choice but to lift the usual restrictions under Islamic law, after government forces and pro-regime militias choked off food and medical supplies to three rebel-held suburbs of Damascus and to a camp housing Palestinian refugees.

This is "not because it is religiously permitted, but because it is a reflection of the reality we are suffering", Mr Khatib told AFP on Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped in these areas, some of them living under siege for more than a year. Residents have told The Telegraph that as food has run out, they have been forced in recent weeks to survive on stray dogs, rotting animal carcasses, tree leaves and weeds.

"I have watched the poorer families eat stray dogs because they have nothing else," said Ehab, a resident of the Yarmouk camp, speaking to The Telegraph via Skype. "There is no food here now."

Everyone must eat in order to live. Most of us think that what we eat, and the way they eat it, is the normal or correct pattern. Therefore anyone who eats different things is considered odd. Until relatively recently, human societies were localised and had their own localised eating habits. In the 20^th and 21^st centuries, globalization has led to culinary conflicts as one culture's delicacy is another culture's taboo. To some the cat is a legitimate food source. Others find the concept of cat-eating abhorrent. Is it right for cat-loving countries to impose their cultural values on cat-eating societies?

Over the last 10 months Syrian government troops have been steadily reducing the amount of supplies allowed into these areas.

Some years ago, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation show "Witness" explored the exploitation of animals and the great love of pets, especially in western countries. The show documented the worst and the best that people mete out to animals. Many Canadians and Americans were most horrified at the segments showing how cats and dogs, companion animals in the west, were raised for slaughter and food in certain South East Asian countries.

Previously a British TV programme had shown the preparation of cat at restaurants in part of China. The diner selected a cat and observed its preparation. The conscious cat was thrown into boiling water then dumped in a pail of cold water. This made skinning easier. Some "boiled" cats were alive and moving feebly when dumped in cold water. Some were still moving during skinning and would ultimately have bled to death, perhaps during evisceration. The Chinese place great emphasis on freshness of food hence the live skinning of food animals. I spoke to a Chinese colleague who said that the word for "animal" in his native tongue translates as "moving thing" - animals are considered no more sentient than vegetables.

Why not using the solar energie...?!

Solar energy, radiant light and heat from thesun, is harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating,solar photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity,solar architecture and artificial photosynthesis.[1][2]Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solardepending on the way they capture, convert and distribute solar energy. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air. One such innovation in solar technology that has home and business owners excited is the use of shingles that are actually adapted photovoltaic cells made into roof shingles. They are normally black in color and blend in beautifully with the look of your home.In closing, consider this…solar energy is abundant and if we can save 75 – 90% of the energy we use, we could use that money to transition to a renewable-based economy. A project like this could provide decades of employment, increased national security and a way to invigorate some of our rural economies.People everywhere are opting for a greener lifestyle, and in time the reduction in utility bills will make the investment of a solar energy system pay for itself. Our economy will improve as a result of our conversion to wind or solar energy. If home and business owners received help from the government in the initial expense of the transition, more people would be excited to jump on the “green” bandwagon. Misconception #3: Solar Energy is Too ExpensiveWhat’s expensive are power plants…and we all know who absorbs the majority of those costs! In reality, it’s less expensive to install a solar system than to connect to the grid if you are more than 500 yards from the connection. If we got wiser about our energy usage, the money we’d save would pay for our transition to a solar-based energy system. Each year our country continues to spend more on research for conventional energy s than on renewable ones. 

illegal immigration

The unauthorized resident immigrant population is defined as all foreign-born non-citizens who are not legal residents. Most unauthorized residents either entered the United States without inspection or were admitted temporarily and stayed past the date they were required to leave. . ."

- United States Department of Homeland Security

"Nearly half of the 12 million-plus illegal aliens in America arrived legally with temporary, non-immigrant visas. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates that a 'substantial' percentage of America’s illegal population is made up of visa overstays — their estimates range from 27 to 57 percent. . ."    -

 David Seminara, CIS Fellow

Illegal immigration refers to the migration of people across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destined country.

Illegal immigration is overwhelmingly upward, from a poorer to a richer country, and one measurable factor is the ‘push-pull’ incentive - the quality of life in the host country against the home country. But it is also noted that illegal immigrants tend not to be the poorest within their populations.

There are currently approximately 11.1 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

Illegal immigration occurs principally from countries with lower socio-economic circumstances to countries with higher socio-economic circumstances, where people are perceived to have greater economic opportunities and quality of life.

When potential immigrants believe the probability and benefits of successfully migrating to the destination country are greater than the costs, illegal immigration becomes an option. The benefits taken into account include not only expected improvements in income and living conditions, but also expectations in relation to potential future residential permits, where illegal immigrants are given a path to naturalization or citizenship. The costs may include restrictions on living as an illegal immigrant in the destination country, leaving family and ways of life behind, and the probability of being detained and resulting sanctions.

Some support for this claim can be seen in a Pew Hispanic Center poll of over 3,000 illegal immigrants from Mexico in the US, which found that 79% would voluntarily join a temporary worker program that allowed them to work legally for several years but then required them to leave.

Jeans in iran:Benjamin Netanyahu ridiculed over suggestion Iranians are banned from wearing jeans

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have sought to win over Iranians in an interview with British Persian-language television, but a casual assertion that they were banned from wearing jeans won only gentle ridicule from some of his audience.

Mr Netanyahu has watched with some concern a diplomatic drive by new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to build warmer ties with the United States and other Western powers and achieve an easing of sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme.

But his statements in an interview with the BBC Persian television on the need for Iran to end its uranium enrichment programme were somewhat overshadowed by his comments on fashion freedoms allowed to Iranians by their government.

"I think if the Iranian people had freedom, they would wear jeans, listen to Western music, and have free elections," Mr Netanyahu said in the interview, which was dubbed into Persian and released late on Saturday.

That statement drew a barbed reaction from Iran where, though women are required to cover their hair and wear loose clothing in public, jeans are not forbidden. Much Western music is illegal, but people find a way to listen to it at home.

N.C.A.:F.B.I in britain

The National Crime Agency (NCA) started its work on Monday, armed with an annual budget of nearly half a billion pounds to tackle serious and organised crime involving some 37,000 criminals.

More than 4,000 NCA officers will tackle crime under four commands - organised crime, economic crime, border policing and child exploitation and online protection - alongside a National Cyber Crime Unit.

Asked if the new law enforcement arm would be able to bring the fight to the "higher echelons" of organised crime, NCA director general Keith Bristow said: "To be clear, there will be no one beyond the reach of law enforcement or beyond the reach of the NCA.

"Those people involved in the most horrible activities can expect the most comprehensive and robust response."

The launch of the NCA spells the end of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), which is to be absorbed into the new organisation.

Proposals for the new agency were first unveiled by Home Secretary Theresa May in July 2010 as part of a broader shake-up of UK policing.

It's day 3 of the government shutdown, and the office copier is out of toner. When will this madness end?

‘Green Card’ to be abolished by US government!'

The annual diversity visa lottery commonly known as the Green Card is on the chopping board and would be abolished if Congress endorses a measure passed late last week by lawmakers in the lower house.

The House of Representatives voted Friday to cancel the annual diversity visa lottery and give those immigration visas to foreigners who earn advanced degrees from American universities, the Washington Times reported on Monday. This is the first major immigration bill passed by Republicans since the elections.

 The paper says that the 245-139 vote was a test of the GOP’s plan to tackle immigration piecemeal, and while the bill passed, the strong opposition from Democrats suggests that Republicans’ strategy will face difficult hurdles. If Congress passes the law, it would be a big blow to thousands of Kenyans who harbor dreams of migrating to the US to start a new life.

 This is in view of the fact that the program was meant to benefit people in countries and regions that have a low level of immigration to the US. Africa has been a major beneficiary since the program started. Thousands of Kenyans apply and enter the lottery every year with an estimated five thousands qualifying and migrating to the US annually.

And while the chief selling point of the bill was to boost green cards given to science, technology, engineering and technology students, the bigger fight came over Republicans’ plans to cancel the diversity visa lottery, which the GOP argues is rife with fraud.

“We want to put to the head of the line the people who, every single one of them that comes, net creates jobs,” Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican, who managed the bill on the House floor is reported to have said.

Democrats, though, objected to making immigration a zero-sum equation, where any new visas would have to come at the expense of existing lines of immigration.

“I can’t support a bill that pits immigrant communities against each other,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the ranking Democrat on the House immigration subcommittee.

She also said that it’s not a one-to-one exchange, and immigration would actually decrease under the GOP bill.

While all 55,000 diversity visas are used every year, she said statistics from the National Science Foundation show that there are only about 30,000 students a year who would even qualify.

After Hispanics were credited with helping boost President Obama win elections, both parties have been eager to find ways to tackle immigration.

the hobbit again in cinemas, this month...

The Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf have successfully escaped the Misty Mountains, and Bilbo has gained the One Ring. They all continue their journey to get their gold back from the Dragon, Smaug.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer 2013  starring Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee - directed by Peter Jackson - the Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf have successfully escaped the Misty Mountains, and Bilbo has gained the One Ring. They all continue their journey to get their gold back from the Dragon, Smaug.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" movie hits theaters on December 13, 2013.

The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece "The Hobbit," by J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

narnia to go back in the cinemas...

Moments ago it was announced

there will be another installment in the Narnia movies.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair will be produced jointly by the C.S. Lewis Company and The Mark Gordon Company.

Gordon stated, “Like many readers, both young and old, I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis’s beautiful and allegorical world of Narnia. These fantasy stories inspire real-world passion among millions of devoted fans around the world. As we prepare to bring the next book to life, we are humbled and excited to contribute to the outstanding legacy of Narnia.”

Douglas Gresham, stepson of C.S. Lewis is quoted, “I have a great deal of respect for Mark Gordon’s work and am confident that together we can bring the beauty and magical delight that Narnia engenders in the hearts of those who read the books to the screen in ‘The Silver Chair.’ I am looking forward to diving once more into Narnia, this time with Mark Gordon and his team.”

There was no news regarding when production was set to begin, but Lewis fans the world over will be rejoicing!