Mormons Preferred

From Atlas Obscura - 

An excerpt -

A few years back, when the Pew Research Center surveyed Mormons in America about their place in society, more than 60 percent of the participants said that Americans “are uninformed about Mormonism.” Mormons make up about 2 percent of the American population—about the same as Jews—but they’re not sure that the rest of the country quite understands or accepts them. Overwhelmingly, most Mormons described misperceptions about their religion or “lack of acceptance in American society.”

But there’s at least one place in American society where Mormons have found an unusual degree of acceptance—in agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the CIA, which see Mormons as particularly desirable recruits and have a reputation for hiring a disproportionate number of people who belong to the church. 

And another - 

But, in reality, Mormons end up in these agencies for perfectly logical reasons. The disproportionate number of Mormons is usually chalked up to three factors: Mormon people often have strong foreign language skills, from missions overseas; a relatively easy time getting security clearances, given their abstention from drugs and alcohol; and a willingness to serve.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-mormons-make-great-fbi-recruits?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura&utm_campaign=dd4aa2b9b9-Newsletter_11_5_201511_4_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_62ba9246c0-dd4aa2b9b9-59905913&ct=t(Newsletter_11_5_201511_4_2015)&mc_cid=dd4aa2b9b9&mc_eid=866176a63f

MARWENCOL official theatrical trailer

http://www.wired.com/2011/04/marwencol/

Hidden Cameras + Rising Temps = A Social Experiment | Upworthy Original ...

Dude, Put a Shirt On!

Foot Care

No Hiding

Forwarded email - H/T Forrest

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Ever wonder how they found the Boston bombers in just a few days? 

 

This may help you to understand what the government is looking at. This photo was taken in Canada and shows about 700,000 people. Hard to disappear in a crowd.     

Pick on a small part of the  crowd click a couple of times -- wait -- click a few more times and see how clear each individual face will become each time. 

Or use the wheel on your mouse.  This picture was taken with a 70,000 x 30,000 pixel camera  (2100 Mega  Pixels.).  

These cameras are not sold to the public and are being installed in strategic locations. The camera can identify a face among a multitude of people. 

 

Place your computer cursor in the mass of people and double-click a couple times. 

Scary sharp!!  

Not so easy to hide in a crowd anymore.

 

  

http://www.gigapixel.com/mobile/?id=79995

Is It Sad or Liberating or Both?

Although I wasn't over 50 when it happened, divorce was liberating for me.  

From The New York Times - 

In 2014, people age 50 and above were twice as likely to go through a divorce than in 1990, according to the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. For those over 65, the increase was even higher. At the same time, divorce rates have plateaued or dropped among other age groups.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/your-money/after-full-lives-together-more-older-couples-are-divorcing.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Vox%20Sentences%2011.3.15&utm_term=Vox%20Newsletter%20All&_r=0

How 'Bout a Razor Instead?

He Understood the Power of Photography

Courtesy of W. W. Norton

Frederick Douglass's Faith in PhotographyHow the former slave and abolitionist became the most photographed man in America. 

By Matthew Pratt Guterl 

An excerpt - 

An excerpt -

Douglass, we learn in Picturing Frederick Douglass: An Illustrated Biography of the Nineteenth Century’s Most Photographed American, was convinced of the importance of photography. He wrote essays on the photograph and its majesty, posed for hundreds of different portraits, many of them endlessly copied and distributed around the United States. He was a theorist of the technology and a student of its social impact, one of the first to consider the fixed image as a public relations instrument. Indeed, the determined abolitionist believed fervently that he could represent the dignity of his race, inspiring others, and expanding the visual vocabulary of mass culture. 

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/123191/frederick-douglasss-faith-photography?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=TNR%20Daily%20Newsletter

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/123191/frederick-douglasss-faith-photography?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=TNR%20Daily%20Newsletter

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/123191/frederick-douglasss-faith-photography?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=TNR%20Daily%20Newsletter

A Game Changer?

From The Daily Good - 

New Paint Kills Hospital Pathogens

by DJ Pangburn

 191

 

 62

 

 45

 

 

 

 

 

 November 2, 2015 at 8:10

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Image via Flickr user Phalinn Ooi

Maintaining a controlled, sterile environment in hospitals is vital for both routine and life-saving medical care. One way of fighting hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) is to apply robust paint or epoxy layers on walls and floors that can be easily and repeatedly cleaned to keep bacteria out.

In addition to preventing the spread of bacteria and viruses, paints used in healthcare facilities have low or zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs) so that patients aren’t breathing in harmful chemical compounds. But paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams just upped the ante with Paint Shield, a new paint created in collaboration with microbiologists that kills more than 99.9 percent of “Staph (Staphylococcus aureus), MRSA, E. coli, VRE, and Enterobacter aerogens after two hours of exposure on a painted surface.”

http://magazine.good.is/articles/sherwin-williams-bacteria-killing-paint?utm_source=thedailygood&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood

Soul Patches, Explained

He Needs a Test?

From The Root - 

‘It’s Not Unusual’ for People to Ask Tom Jones if He’s Black ... Now He’s Taking a DNA Test to See

The world really wouldn’t be shocked if the Welsh singer’s DNA tests showed that he does have African ancestry.

After decades of questions, Jones must have gotten tired of people asking about his nonexistent black background, and the singer has decided to get a DNA test. The 75-year-old singer says a lot of people still think he’s black.

“When I first came to America, people who had heard me sing on the radio would be surprised that I was white when they saw me. Because of my hair, a lot of black people still tell me I’m just passing as white,” Jones said in an interview.

Jones was born Thomas Jones Woodward in Pontypridd, South Wales. His mother Freda was of Welsh and English ancestry, and his father was of English descent. Even his mother was questioned about her ethnicity when she was born. According to Jones, she was born with dark patches all over her body.

Nowadays, DNA tests that trace your ancestry are pretty commonplace. From Ancestry.com to 23andMe, with something as simple as a sample of your saliva, you’ll be able to get information about your ancestry.

What will be interesting to see with Jones’ results, if he makes them public, is whether the speculation about his African ancestry is true. Considering that a lot of British people are descendants of Vikings, Romans, Indians and Africans, Jones may not have to wonder much longer where his tan and his coarse hair come from.

BUILD V1

The language of lying — Noah Zandan

Learning to Love Sac

I've always liked Sacramento, but I really grew to love it when I moved away.  I always said it was a great place to raise kids, but it's more than that.  It's a great place to "be."

If you're lucky enough to live there, enjoy it.

I was reminded of this when I read this article in the Bee.

~~~~~~~~~~

An epiphany leads to loving the city of Sacramento

After cashing in on his dream, he realized the beauty of Sacramento

Reimagining the city’s neighborhoods, restaurants and inspiring places

A four-step guide to use your talents to make a difference in the city

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/the-conversation/article41743980.html#emlnl=Morning_Newsletter#storylink=cpy

More Ben . . . The Big Picture

http://www.its.ucdavis.edu

Yes.

I'm a proud momma.

Ben is a Featured Aggie!

HIGHLIGHTS: OCTOBER 2015

An ongoing series, spotlighting ITS-Davis Alumni

Ben Sharpe’s UC Davis Doctoral Degree Leads to Research Career in International Transportation

  

 

By: Alex Lee

For Ben Sharpe—Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, UC Davis, 2013—the focus is global.

As a senior researcher for the International Council of Clean Transportation (ICCT), Sharpe and his team actively study the impacts of heavy-duty vehicles for the governments of countries around the world, in particular: China, Brazil, Mexico, the European Union, the United States, and, most recently, India. With offices in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Berlin, the widely respected, independent, non-profit ICCT provides “first-rate, unbiased research and technical and scientific analysis to environmental regulators.”

Although Sharpe has been a senior researcher for only three years, his tenure at the ICCT spans more than six; he started his involvement with the council while still pursuing his Civil Engineering doctorate with a transportation focus at ITS-Davis. Not surprisingly, Sharpe credits a lot of his success in the position with the knowledge and connections he made through his UC Davis transportation graduate program. “My first contact with ICCT was back in 2007. I was super lucky to work with [ITS-Davis Researcher and Energy Efficiency Center Associate Director] Alan Meier. He was with the International Energy Agency for a number of years and knew that I had a strong interest in heavy-duty vehicle efficiency: As part of his class we had done some work looking at tractor-trailer operations in the U.S. Well, IEA was doing a workshop in Paris in 2007 to look at regulation of heavy-duty vehicle efficiency, and Alan was instrumental in getting me some funding and a formal invitation to attend that workshop.”

Now a few years into his career, Sharpe is currently tackling issues involving heavy-duty vehicle efficiency in a number of different countries and regions. Recently, Sharpe and his team authored numerous papers answering technical questions for regulatory design in India and also held a workshop in Delhi in April to foster discussions. His team offers policy and technical recommendations to governments around the world who have various levels of experience in traversing through contemporary transportation issues.

“The current mode that we are in is following need,” he said. “And one of the biggest needs right now in terms of fuel efficiency regulatory development for heavy-duty vehicle is in India.”

Sharpe now lives in Sacramento with his family, commuting to his office in San Francisco via the train a few times a week. As he reflects back, Sharpe notes the lasting impacts of his time at ITS-Davis.

“I really could not have asked for better training for the field I am in now. The research at ITS-Davis is extremely aligned with what we do here at the ICCT,” he said. “In terms of the coursework, getting all the exposure to analytical tools, models, and technical jargon—my experience at ITS was terrific. I could not have envisioned a better segue to the ICCT.”

Holiday Recipes From All 50 States

Just in time for holiday cooking.  Some of these look amazing.

From The New York Times -

The United States of Thanksgiving

We’ve scoured the nation for recipes that evoke each of the 50 states (and D.C. and Puerto Rico). These are our picks for the feast. Dig in, then tell us yours.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/11/18/dining/thanksgiving-recipes-across-the-united-states.html?mi_u=38867499

Studying Abroad

From The Root - 

Black Students Don’t Study Abroad, but a New Initiative Hopes to Change That

The Council on International Educational Exchange and the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions are partnering to support and encourage presidents from colleges and universities that serve minorities in the expansion of their study-abroad programs.

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2015/10/black_students_don_t_study_abroad_but_a_new_initiative_hopes_to_change_that.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26

The President Meets the Pope