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The other early contenders included Maryanne Baker (Paihia), Victor Cauty (Kerikeri), Mita Harris (Puketi), Wayne Linton (Maungaturoto), Roger Ludbrook (Ohaeawai), Grant McCallum (Maungaturoto), Di Maxwell (Waipapa) and Jeanette Richardson (Opua). |
The disability community issued a clarion call to Congress on Jan. 15 to legislate freedom for people with disabilities and seniors. National ADAPT, a militant disabled activist organization, hosted a celebratory press conference in Washington to announce the introduction of the Disability Integration Act. |
This act would mandate that state entities and private insurers who pay for institutionalizing disabled people and seniors would have to pay for those services at home. It would end the institutional bias. Individuals could live and eat where they want and go to school and work. It was no accident that the bill was int... |
The disability community has a long record of working with Dr. King, having marched, rolled, ridden and scooted with him and the Civil Rights Movement. A banner with Dr. King’s famous quote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” has been carried on many Disability Pride parades. And the disability com... |
This act was originally introduced in 1997 by then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and went nowhere. In the intervening years, activists shifted their priorities to other issues. In 2017, they focused on the Affordable Care Act. Now, they hope that the new progressive Congress members elected in the midterm e... |
Activists recognize that they have a lot of work to do. They prepared an extensive manual of questions and answers for those meeting with Congress members to educate them. Many current members of Congress were not in the legislative bodies when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed and are not familiar with th... |
In her opening speech as Speaker of the House, Pelosi failed to mention the DIA or any plans to oppose the Trump administration’s legislative efforts to dilute the ADA’s benefits with the ADA Education and Reform Act, which passed in the House last year with the help of a dozen Democratic Party votes. |
“The struggle has just begun,” commented Anita Cameron, who chaired the press conference and is a national ADAPT organizer. She is also director of minority outreach for Not Dead Yet, a disability rights group that opposes legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia. She explained DIA’s importance as civil rights l... |
The act was introduced in three committees. The Senate referred it to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The House referred it to the Energy and Commerce Committee, which handles Medicaid, and the Judiciary Committee, which handles civil rights. “We have to hold hearings and put it to a vote,” ... |
Bill S.117/HR.555 has bipartisan support. It was introduced in the Senate by Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and into the House by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. Sens. Cory Garner, R-Colo., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., endorsed it. House endorsers are Reps. McMorran Rodgers, R-Wash., and John Lewis, D-Ga. Th... |
The act is supported by over 100 national disability and senior organizations, including AARP, Brain Injury Association of America, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the National Federation of the Blind. Among the over 600 local and national supporting groups are African-America... |
The bill was meticulously crafted by three organizations: ADAPT and the National Council on Independent Living with the assistance of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. It addresses public entities and private insurers that pay for long-term services and supports (LTSS) in institutions to require them to do so in priv... |
The DIA carefully spells out its requirements. Among other restrictions, these public and private entities cannot limit the availability of providing services because of cost or service caps. They must maintain a staffing workforce to provide necessary services. They must regularly inform individuals in nursing homes a... |
Now, even people receiving LTSS in their own homes can lead limited lives because services are provided under a medical model that treats them as if they were sick. Policies that restrict individuals to only receive services at home effectively prevent them from going to work or school or traveling, shopping or having ... |
Passage of the DIA would make the ADA a reality for all. Activists are pushing Congress to pass the bill by July 26, the anniversary of the ADA’s signing in 1990. |
Nadina La Spina, an ADAPT leader, wheelchair user and filmmaker, spoke at the Jan. 13 New York City Disabled in Action meeting. La Spina best explains the DIA’s importance on her website: “I don’t remember how many times I’ve been arrested. I lost count years ago. Unfortunately such dramatic actions are necessary to ge... |
La Spina’s 1993 film, “Disability Independence Day March,” can be viewed at tinyurl.com/y85qv2st. |
Topeka ? You don’t need a weatherman to know that Kansas has enough wind to be a major producer of wind-generated electricity. |
The problem is getting that power to the marketplace via transmission lines that are now in short supply. |
“The state needs transmission lines to move power from wind farms in the West to markets in the East,” said Rep. Tom Sloan, a Republican from Lawrence. |
A new governmental body has been established to increase energy transmission in Kansas. |
The Kansas Electric Transmission Authority was adopted by the Legislature and signed into law earlier this year. Sloan was one of the authors of the legislation. |
The seven-member authority can plan, finance, develop and even maintain electric transmission lines. It is authorized to contract with another state agency to issue bonds approved by state leaders for building electric lines and has the power of eminent domain. |
It could also improve the nation’s energy self-sufficiency and the state’s economy, he said. |
The Council of State Governments, an organization that includes members of legislatures and executive and judicial branches from states across the nation, recently recognized the Kansas legislation as a model for how electric transmission lines might be developed in other states. |
But while utilities and even environmental groups have supported the proposal, some are frightened by the scope of the authority and concerned about who will eventually pay the tab for any new transmission lines, which could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. |
“We’ve certainly jumped into the deep end on this,” said David Springe, consumer counsel for the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board. |
Though the transmission authority is not yet functioning, Springe said, on paper the authority has powers that seem daunting. The authority is made up of the chairs and ranking minority members of the House and Senate utility committees, and three appointees chosen by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Sebelius’ office said she w... |
“What this particular entity ends up doing, if anything, I don’t know. How will it go about it? Don’t know. Who will make decisions and why? Don’t know. But I do know who is going to pay for it, and that’s us,” the public, Springe said. |
Electric customers who benefit by the transmission lines will be charged the development costs, the law says. But Springe questions whether the benefits will be equal to the charges. |
He said the strategy of the state trying to spur transmission development represented a change in philosophy – instead of building transmission lines to ensure there is a reliable flow of energy on the federal power grid, the authority could build lines as potential economic development projects. |
But pressure is building to develop wind energy. The Sebelius administration has set a goal for utilities in Kansas to have 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy installed by 2015. This would amount to about 10 percent of the state’s current electricity generation capacity. |
Donna Johnson, a renewable energy consultant and president of Pinnacle Technologies in Lawrence, said she was unsure what effect the new authority would have on energy development in Kansas. |
There is only one operating wind farm in Kansas, near Montezuma in the southwest part of the state. But Sloan and others say that western Kansas needs more transmission capability to expand wind energy. |
Short-term costs of developing transmission lines may be offset by the long-term benefits of possibly lower power rates because of a diverse mix of energy sources, Johnson said. |
“Something needs to be done, but it always comes down to who pays for it,” she said. |
Decorating with white tile floors marble tile flooring for luxury. Flooring transition brass marble tile flooringflooring options. . Bedroom marble flooring amazing marble tile flooring ideas home. |
The Watchery offers the Fendi Women's Ceramic and Stainless Steel Watch, model no. F621110, for $655 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we could find by $39. It features a stainless steel and ceramic case and bracelet, sapphire crystal, date display, and water resistance to 165 feet. Deal ends March 10. |
MOSCOW - Usain Bolt and Sally Pearson both safely negotiated their way through qualification at the world championships on Friday as Yelena Isinbayeva backtracked over her apparent support of Russia's anti-gay law. Two-time defending world champion Bolt cruised his 200m heat in his bid for a third successive title in t... |
The 26-year-old Jamaican, who won the 200m titles in Berlin in 2009 and Daegu in 2011 and is also double Olympic champion and world record holder, eased up with fully 40 metres to run, clocking an easy-going 20.66sec. "I'm feeling good. I'm not a morning person. I worked really hard this week," said Bolt, who has been ... |
Australia's defending world 100m hurdles champion Pearson comfortably won her heat to advance to Saturday's semi-final alongside a strong quartet of Americans: Olympic champion Dawn Harper, Brianna Rollins, Queen Harrison and Nia Ali. "It was difficult running out there because it was half in the sun and then half in s... |
"I screwed up the last two hurdles," she said. "I have been dying to get started. I got great inspiration for the race watching the 4x400 boys last night." Off the track, Russian pole vault star Isinbayeva was the centre of a backlash from activists and fellow track and field legends after backing Russia's controversia... |
Isinbayeva on Thursday came out in support of the law signed by President Vladimir Putin in June which punishes the dissemination of information about homosexuality to minors. Activists argue it could be used for a broad crackdown against gays, although Russian authorities have said all athletes will be free and safe t... |
"We just live with boys with women, women with boys," Isinbayeva had said Thursday. "We are tolerant of all existing opinions and respect all people. "But they must be respectful of our laws and not promote the ideas of non-traditional orientations on the street," she added, using the term used by Russian officials to ... |
"It is very flawed judgment and a very flawed opinion." |
Britain's 2000 Olympic heptathlon champion Denise Lewis added: "She is clearly not in touch with the rest of the world. I'm surprised her management didn't advise her to be a little more cautious with throwing her views out there. This is clearly very damning for her as a global superstar." |
Isinbayeva's management obviously did belatedly advise her, the Russian issuing a statement Friday clarifying her comments, but falling short of a full apology. |
"English is not my first language and I think I may have been misunderstood when I spoke yesterday," she said. "What I wanted to say was that people should respect the laws of other countries particularly when they are guests. But let me make it clear I respect the views of my fellow athletes and let me state in the st... |
Interest is mounting in Polygram N.V., the giant music company, as a second investment group has said that it is exploring a possible bid. |
The group -- the Wall Street firm of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette; Texas Pacific, the leveraged buyout firm, and A. Jerrold Perenchio, the chairman and chief executive of Univision Communications Inc. -- has told Royal Philips Electronics N.V., the Dutch company that owns 75 percent of Polygram, of its interest, people... |
Two other leveraged buyout firms, Forstmann Little & Company and the Thomas H. Lee Company, had also indicated they want to study Polygram's financial data and meet with its management. |
Philips has been negotiating with the Seagram Company, which owns MCA and Universal Studios, about a possible sale of its Polygram stake. But Philips has concluded that it has a fiduciary responsibility to meet with other potential buyers, a person close to the talks said. |
Polygram, which is based in Baarn, the Netherlands, has a market value of more than $9.5 billion, based on its closing share price of $53, up $1.25, yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange. |
But a person close to the Forstmann Little-Thomas Lee group cautioned that buyout firms look at hundreds of deals a year. Forstmann Little made only two purchases last year, this person noted. |
In addition to the financial firms, the new group exploring a bid for Polygram has Mr. Perenchio, an entrepreneur who for years was a partner with Norman Lear, the television producer. In 1992, Mr. Perenchio gained control of Univision, the Spanish-language television company. He played a key role in putting the consor... |
Texas Pacific, which was created by David Bonderman, William S. Price and James G. Coulter, has historically worked with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. |
Some people had expected the Polygram negotiations to conclude by early next week. But whether or not the investment groups end up making offers, their expressions of interest, followed by close study of financial records as well as meeting with Polygram's management, are bound to slow up the sale process. |
Jersey City asks, where should Boss Hague's desk go? |
A desk belonging to legendary former Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague that was recently housed in a top city attorney’s office is being put in storage, with city officials hoping it can be restored to its former glory. |
The dusty desk, which stands only about three feet tall and has a broken drawer, is not The Hague desk, the one seen in old pictures inside the mayor’s office. John Hallanan, a preservationist and assistant city attorney, said it was probably in the office Hague had at the former second police precinct on 7th Street Do... |
The infamous drawers that can be accessed from either side – legend has it visitors would put cash bribes in them – are really just a feature of partners desks, used in attorney’s and accountant’s offices starting in the 19th Century, Hallanan said. |
The roughly 100-year-old desk once sat in City Clerk Robert Byrne’s office. Byrne said it attracted visitors, everyone from former Gov. Brendan Byrne to conservative commenter George Will, so he asked for it to be moved. Most recently, it was former Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis’ desk. |
Corporation Counsel Jeremy Farrell, who succeeded Matsikoudis when Mayor Steve Fulop assumed office in July, said the desk doesn’t belong in any City Hall office. |
Frank Hague, also known as “Boss Hague,” served as Jersey City’s mayor from 1917 to 1947. His very name is synonymous with political corruption. He had reportedly amassed $10 million at the time of his death, though he had no legitimate source of income other than his $8,500 city salary. |
Mana Contemporary Arts agreed to store the desk at no charge until city officials figure out what to do with it. They would like it restored, but they seek input from the community. Should it be placed in a museum? Displayed at City Hall? |
Suggestions on what to do with the desk can be emailed to HagueDesk@jcnj.org. |
The desk Hague used in the mayor’s office, meanwhile, is now reportedly in Councilman at large Rolando Lavarro’s office. Hallanan said until recently he had never been in that room, which Lavarro inherited when he became council president. |
When he finally saw it, he was floored. |
“I said, ‘My God, that’s Hague’s desk!’” Hallanan said. |
A Dutchman completed an epic 95,000 kilometer (59,000 mile) journey by electric car in Sydney Sunday in a bid to prove the viability of such vehicles in tackling climate change. |
Wiebe Wakker drove his retrofitted station wagon nicknamed “The Blue Bandit” across 33 countries in what he said was the world’s longest-ever journey by electric car. |
The trip from the Netherlands to Australia took just over three years and was funded by public donations from around the world, including electricity to charge the Bandit, food and a place to sleep. |
Wakker drove across a variety of countries and environments including Turkey, Iran, India, Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia, with the route determined by the offers he received on his website. |
“I wanted to change people’s opinions and inspire people to start driving electric by showing the advantages of sustainable mobility,” Wakker said. |
Wakker said before the car was modified, it would have used 6,785 liters (1,800 US gallons) of petrol to complete the journey. |
The modified vehicle can travel 200 kilometers on a single charge, with Wakker saying he spent just US$300 on electricity, much of it in the remote desert Outback of Australia. |
Midnight Shadow (left) takes up the running in Cheltmeham's Relkeel Hurdle from Old Guard, centre, and Wholestone, right. |
DANNY COOK believes Midnight Shadow could be a National Hunt star of the future after putting up a career best performance to land the Relkeel Hurdle, the New Year’s Day highlight at Cheltenham. |
Even though the jockey said the six-year-old could now be a Stayers’ Hurdle contender over three miles at the Cheltenham Festival in March, he believes Cyril and Aafke Clarke’s horse could be even better in time over fences. |
Eventual winner Midnight Shadow ridden by Danny Cook (left) jumps the last with Old Guard ridden by Harry Cobden (centre) and Wholestone ridden by Daryl Jacob (right) in the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltneham. |
The winner of last season’s Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr, the horse did run poorly by his own high standards in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham in November before returning to winning ways at Aintree last month. |
However Cook, and Bingley-based trainer Sue Smith, were determined to put a line through the Greatwood run and give the horse a second chance at jump racing’s headquarters in this prestigious Grade Two contest over two and a half miles. |
“He’s only a baby. He is a horse to look forward to,” said Cook who is also looking forward to a Cheltenham Gold Cup ride on Brian Ellison’s Definitly Red in March. |
Midnight Shadow and Danny Cook won the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr in April 2018. |
In a select six runner field, Midnight Shadow travelled strongly for Cook against highly-rated rivals before locking horns with Old Guard and Wholestone on the turn for home and then surging clear after the final flight. |
And while the aforementioned Smith said the owners dream of having a runner in the two mile Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, she believes the horse needs to be seen over longer trips to be seen at his best. |
Thistlecrack, pictured winning the 2016 King George VI Chase under Tom Scudamore, will head straight to the Cheltneham Gold Cup according to owner John Snook. |
The former Grand National-winning trainer, who has made no secret of her high regard for Midnight Shadow, added: “He is a very nice horse. He has obviously got a touch of class and jumps great and he has got a very big engine. |
“He is on the improve and long may it last. Hopefully he will keep sound so we can keep going as he will be a fantastic chaser next season. |
“We were all a bit disappointed with his run here last time. We couldn’t find a reason why as he was perfectly healthy at home and he seemed right. Maybe it was the big field or the fact the ground was a bit quicker, I honestly don’t know. |
“He went and won really well at Aintree and we were hopeful coming here, but not confident as we didn’t know if he handled the track. We’ve learnt today he does. |
“The owner is keen on the Champion Hurdle, but I don’t think we can go back in trip. It is a possibility we could go for the Stayers’ Hurdle with him, but it will all have to be discussed. The ground would have to be in sensible order, which is easier rather than too fast. |
In other news, North Yorkshire rider Adam Nicol, who has enjoyed so much success with the Phil Kirby-trained Lady Buttons, faces a spell on the sidelines after breaking a leg following the fall of Iconic Belle at Musselburgh. He was undergoing surgery last night. |
The feature chase at Catterick went to Manwell for Guiseley trainer Sam England and her husband Jonathan who was in the saddle. It followed the couple’s high profile success at Haydock last Sunday with Chef D’Oeuvre. |
Meanwhile owner John Snook says the injury-prone Thistlecrack will head straight to the Cheltenham Gold Cup after the Colin Tizzard-trained chaser was runner up to Clan Des Obeaux in Kempton’s King George Chase. The horse has missed the last two renewals of the blue riband race. |
The Colin Tizzard-trained 11-year-old was ante-post favourite for the big race two seasons ago after becoming the first novice in history to win the 2016 King George VI Chase at Kempton. |
However, he suffered a shock defeat on his next start in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham and subsequently missed the rest of the 2016-17 campaign through injury. |
Another setback meant Thistlecrack missed the 2018 Gold Cup, but Tom Scudamore’s mount finished third in the Betfair Chase at Haydock to Bristol De Mai before filling the runner-up spot behind Clan Des Obeaux in the King George on Boxing Day. |
“Unless my trainer tells us any different, he will go straight to the Gold Cup. I’ve always wanted a horse to run in the Gold Cup, and this will be the third season we have tried with him, and I will probably never get another chance,” said Snook. |
However Thistlecrack’s stablemate Sizing Tennessee, winner of last month’s Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury, will miss the rest of the season due to injury. |
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