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WASHINGTON — Steve Mittendorff, the husband of Fairfax County firefighter Nicole Mittendorff, who was the subject of online bullying and died by suicide in 2016, is calling for the resignation of Chief Richard Bowers and other agency heads. |
Mittendorff’s call for change at the top of the department came the day after Battalion Chief Kathleen Stanley sent a letter to Bowers, stepping down as the leader of the department’s women’s advocacy group. |
Mittendorff said he is “deeply saddened” to hear that Stanley felt the need to leave her position. |
“Shortly after the suicide of my wife Nicole, a promise was made to me by the Department that every effort to educate and re-shape the culture of this male dominated profession would be met; ultimately, to provide every female or male a safe place to work free of harassment by others and one that is open to progressive... |
Mittendorff said he does not have personal knowledge of Stanley’s circumstances, nor access to the report that was recently shared with the county’s Board of Supervisors. |
“I cannot comment on those items specifically; however, it is apparent that the Department has a lot more work to accomplish on this topic and it will be done under the microscope of public opinion,” wrote Mittendorff. |
In the days after his wife’s death, Mittendorff expressed hope that Bowers would be able to reshape the culture in the county’s firehouses, and expressed willingness to help work toward that end. |
However, Mittendorff said he has not been in recent contact with Bowers, at least since May 2017, when Mittendorff expressed disappointment that the firefighters’ union speculated on the reasons for his wife’s suicide. |
Mittendorff said he maintains contact with several of his wife’s friends in the fire service. |
“I continue to have faith, high praise, and support for the women and men of this agency but I do believe it is time for a significant leadership change,” he wrote. |
WTOP contacted Bowers, who declined to comment on Mittendorff’s call for his resignation. |
Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova told WTOP she can feel Mittendorff’s frustration. |
To find a donation center or blood drive nearest you or to schedule an appointment, visit vitalant.org or call (877) 258-4825. In preparation for their donation, donors are asked to eat well, stay hydrated and arrive with proper identification. The donation appointment takes about an hour (with the donation itself only... |
Vitalant is the nation's second largest community blood service provider, supplying comprehensive transfusion medicine services for nearly 1,000 hospitals and health care partners for patients in need across 40 states. In the Chicago area, Vitalant (formerly LifeSource) has 17 donation centers, three fixed sites, and h... |
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s duet, “Shallow,” from “A Star Is Born” has finally been released — and be prepared with tissues handy. |
In “A Star Is Born,” Gaga’s character Ally writes a song when she meets Cooper’s Jackson, and he brings her out on stage to sing the song together at one of his shows. It is probably one of the most emotional and overwhelming parts of the film. |
But that’s not to say you shouldn’t listen to “Shallow” over and over again before the film comes out on Oct. 5. |
In the film, Cooper plays seasoned musician Jackson Maine who discovers struggling artist Ally (Gaga). She is about to give up on her dream of being a singer until Maine coaxes her into the spotlight. But when Ally’s career takes off, Jackson has to fight against his own inner demons. Cooper also directed and co-wrote ... |
The film co-stars Sam Elliott, comedians Dave Chappelle and Andrew Dice Clay. Bill Gerber, Jon Peters, Cooper, Todd Phillips and Lynette Howell Taylor are producing, while Ravi Mehta, Basil Iwanyk, Niija Kuykendall, Sue Kroll, Michael Rapino and Heather Parry serve as executive producers. |
The entire soundtrack is also now available for preorder. |
The sound of a fingernail raking across a table or a board may be enough to drive most people crazy. But get past that annoyance and it could become a way to answer your phone, silence a call or turn up the volume. |
Scratch Input, a computer input technique developed by researchers at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, uses the sound produced when a fingernail is dragged over the surface of any textured material such as wood, fabric or wall paint. The technology was demonstrated at the Siggraph... |
"It's kind of a crazy idea but a simple one," says Chris Harrison, one of the researchers on the project. "If you have a cellphone in your pocket and want to silence an incoming call, you don't have to pull it out of your pocket. You could just drag your fingernail on your jeans." |
As researchers study how people can interact in simpler and more innovative ways with computers and gadgets, going beyond the traditional keyboard, mouse and keypad has become important. Earlier this year, Harrison and his team demonstrated a touchscreen where pop-up buttons and keypads can dynamically appear and disap... |
Scratch Input is another way to explore how we can interact with devices, says Harrison. Harrison, along with a colleague Julia Schwarz, and his professor Scott Hudson started working on the idea a year ago. Scratch Input works with almost any kind of surface except glass and a few other materials that are extremely sm... |
"With this we can start to think of every flat surface as an potential input area," says Daniel Wigdor, user experience architect at Microsoft and curator of the emerging technology demos at Siggraph. "Imagine a cellphone with a mini projector. You can now turn an entire surface into a screen for the projector and use ... |
Scratch Input works by isolating and identifying the sound of a fingernail dragging on an area. |
"All the sound happening in the environment like people putting coffee cups on the table, cars going by or children screaming, we know what frequencies they are in," says Harrison. |
A fingernail on a surface produces a frequency between 6000 Hz and 13,000 Hz. Compare that to voice, which is typically in the range of 90 Hz to 300 Hz, or noise from a refrigerator compressor or air conditioning hum, which is in the range of 50 Hz or 60 Hz. |
"It makes it easy for us to throw away all the other acoustic information and just listen to what your nail sounds like," says Harrison. |
Harrison and his team used that principle to rig up a system for Scratch Input. They attached a modified stethoscope to a microphone that converts the sound into an electrical signal. The signal is amplified and connected to a computer through the audio-input jack. |
"If mass produced, this sensor could cost less than a dollar," says Harrison. |
Scratch Input also supports simple gesture recognition. Tracing the letter 'S,' for instance produces an acoustic imprint that the system can be trained to identify. The idea has its limitations. For instance, many letters that are written differently, sound very similar such as M, W, V, L, X or T. Scratch Input cannot... |
Another problem is that the system cannot determine the spatial location of the input, says Wigdor. "For instance, with volume control, it can hear your finger spin in the appropriate gesture but the system can't see it so sometimes it does not have enough information to react." |
Despite the limitations, the technology holds enough promise to make it into the hands of consumers, says Wigdor. "It is exciting because it is so low cost," he says. "This idea has the potential to go beyond just a research project." |
The resort is situated within a far bigger project, Guacalito de la Isla, a 1,670-acre site on which 600 exquisite residences will be built for retirees or wealthy jet-setters, as well as a proposed private airstrip. Behind these projects is Carlos Pellas, one of Nicaragua’s leading capitalists and a regular on lists o... |
To stay for one night at the Mukul resort will set visitors back $500. |
But executives are not biting their nails with fear of empty rooms. Last year, they hired the luxury travel promoter Kurtz-Ahlers & Associates to publicize the resort, and for the past few months the finest international travel agencies have been touring Nicaragua and the resort. |
It is perhaps wrong to call Nicaragua a pariah. In 2010, the country welcomed for the first time more than one million visitors. Last year, this number was up to 1.2 million. Nicaragua also is not short on accolades. It was named the “No. 1 Emerging Destination” by Wanderlust Travel and ranked third on the New York Tim... |
But Nicaragua is a pariah if you view tourism by how much money is spent. In Costa Rica, the average visitor spends $118 a day. In Nicaragua, a visitor spends just $43. |
For Salinas, Nicaragua needs to increase its revenue from tourists through quality, not quantity. Tourism officials would prefer two million travelers spending $100 each per day, rather than five million spending half that amount. |
In addition to the Mukul resort, Nicaragua can claim dozens of other luxury resorts aimed at the high-end market. Even on the remote Little Corn Island in the Caribbean Sea, the soon-to-be-completed Yemaya Island Retreat will charge almost 10 times as much as most current accommodations. The change has been no accident... |
Since returning to power in 2007, President Daniel Ortega has led his country headfirst into the tourism industry. In 2010, the industry was still nascent, but since then, Nicaragua has seen nothing but progress. |
Speaking at last month’s Central American Advantage Conference in Managua, Julio Videa, the Tourism Ministry’s director of marketing and promotion, stated that over the past five years the Nicaraguan government has invested more than $400 million in infrastructure for tourism. In the past three years it has increased t... |
“We expect a new airport near Managua to be completed soon, as well as a marina in San Juan del Sur,” Videa said. |
There also is talk of an airport near the colonial capital of León. |
However, while progress occurs and Nicaragua welcomes more tourists with deeper pockets, it is essential that those in charge do not lose sight of the bigger picture, observers note. Tourism is a means to an end – economic development and social improvement must also be a priority in Central America’s poorest country. |
Nicaragua also cannot forget its backpackers and “volun-tourists,” who may not spend hundreds of dollars a day, but provide a far greater social value to the country. |
In any case, the march continues towards luxury resorts and high-end tourism. It will take many years to approach the standards set by Costa Rica, but Nicaragua has high aspirations and a government with a track record of meeting tourism goals. |
- Why is it disturbing? |
* Why is it disturbing? |
I don't dispute that Jews can be spies ["Let's face it"]. Jews, as well as Moslems and Christians have spied in Iranian history at times and spying is never justifiable. But, what is disturbing about the trial of Jews in Iran is whether they can get a fair hearing. |
And let me tell you, if the Iranian girls who are prostituting themselves off of streets in Tehran are doing so because Afghan women can underbid them in the job market, they deserve a break, or if the Iranian addict is smoking Taliban-grown opium because he can't find a labor job cause some worthless, unscrupulous Pas... |
Please, please, please give me a break ["Joan of Arc"]. Let's look at everything the way they are. I like Googoosh, her music and also those great days that Googoosh type of music was a part of that. I also strongly believe everyone's personal life is abolutely his or her own business. |
But comparing Googoosh with all those different issues she had in her personal life before the revoultion to "Joan of Arc" also know as "Virgin of Orlean" is a little too much. |
If you really think our country needs a Joan of Arc there are a lot in our rich history, from Azarmidokht to Parvin Etesaami and all the unknown female soldires of this country who had fought and are still fighting to keep this nation honored and alive. |
Googoosh is a great singer and good for us that she is back singing. Nothing more! |
Thank you Mr. Jamshidian ["Serious omissions"] for taking time to react to my article ["Wake-up call"] on the student movement in Iran. You have raised several concerns to which I would like to respond. |
In full agrrement with Mr. Jamshidian ["Serious omissions"] and with the necessary thanks for your article ["Wake-up call"], I just wanted to remind you that with such an approach you have not exposed some of the main roots of the problems faced by the Iranian student movement. |
Anyone familiar with Iran -- and here I'm not talking about the foreign observers or investors' auditors -- knows about Mr. Khatami's silence, inaction and finaly official approval of the crackdown on students who faced a tragedy. |
For sure, it would have been better to mention these roots and to avoid such ommissions in any following articles. Only a global look and a detailed analysis can shed light on the spirit of the student movement. |
I wanted to thank Azadeh Hamehdoni for her fine article on the contemporary Iranian press ["Red ink"] but also to quibble with the second paragraph of the background section. |
In reference to "Good news" in the Anyway section, I visited South Korea in 1983. When I contacted the Iranian embassy in Seoul to get some paperwork straightened out, the clerk was practically shocked to see and hear from another Iranian. According to him, at the time a total of 13 Iranians lived in South Korea and he... |
Later he confided that almost all were there to purchase military and other supplies for Iranian troops during the Iran-Iraq war. Even the "embassy" itself was nothing more than a purchasing office, inadequately equipped to handle my passport problem. |
There are some serious omissions that undermine the objectivity if not authenticity of your article "Wake-up call". |
I read Dr Jim's letter ["Solidarity & strikes"] with some dismay. He compares Iran with Poland and the UK. The UK has a parliamentary democracy and the British have a very advanced respect for other people's opinion. Whereas the Iranian mentality is to supress anyone that has a differing opinion. |
The Iranian people will not achieve anything of real significance through reform and strikes. Whatever it becomes under reform, it will still be the Islamic Republic of Iran. What we need is a revolution and please don't say "who's gonna be leading it?" That will become clear when the time is right, maybe next year, ma... |
What the hell is happening to Iranian morals? You print such an outrageous article [in the Boxing ring section "Aazaadi-ye jensi va as-haab-e kahf"] about sexual freedom in Iran from a down to earth idiot who prabably hasn't had a proper family and as Iranians put it "maloom-e posht-e kodaam booteh amal oomadeh". |
This is a matter which doesn't have anyhting to do with politics but lies deep within Iranian culture. You can clearlyy see, for example, what a dump the U.S. has turned into (from the social aspect) and you're trying to play the same prank on Iran? |
This is a complete outrage, and you share responsibility for printing such crap. |
The original article makes several valid points, which I will not repeat, and makes a strong and accurate case for true justice. The comments in the follow-up letter by Mr. Rismani, however, deserve comment. |
- The motivation for the policy changes were the utter bankrupcy of previous policies and the hard economic times this failure brought about. |
- Gorbachev did not want to preserve the communist idealogy, and Khatami does not want to maintain the theocracy. |
It is clearly outlined in the book that the U.S. did not want to give any concessions to Moscow because the Soviets, under internal pressures, had to do what the American policy makers were looking for any way. So they resorted to cosmetic gestures so as to not make Gorbachev seem to be always on the giving end. The re... |
Some months ago, through a link provided by the on-line news magazine THE IRANIAN TIMES I read the story about your station in a LOS ANGELES TIMES article by Dana Calvo, and I must say that on behalf of my Iranian friends and relatives in Southern California I was pleased to hear of your endeavor, and not the least bit... |
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - Authorities are investigating an arson fire at a dormitory at Champlain College in Burlington. |
Firefighters responded to an alarm at Whiting Hall at 2:45 Thursday morning. |
They found fire in the stairway to the second floor and in the wall at the top of the stairs. Firefighters say a room on the first floor containing electrical supplies that had been burning was kept under control by a sprinkler system. |
Authorities say the building was vacant and undergoing renovations. |
Damage is estimated at $25,000. |
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the Arson Tip Line at 1-800-32-ARSON, or the Burlington Police Department. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information resulting in an arrest. |
Louis Tomlinson has pulled out of her performance on 'Comic Relief' so the "devastated" star can mourn his sister Félicité, who has died at the age of 18. |
Three people were involved in a nasty crash during a Globe of Death stunt at Sydney's Royal Easter Show. |
Ariana Grande has paid tribute to her late ex Mac Miller on the sixth anniversary of their song ‘The Way’ on Monday earlier this week. |
Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes was on a healing retreat with friends and family in the Honduran jungle when she was suddenly killed in a mysterious car crash on April 25, 2002. Bizarrely, the 30-year-old.. |
Louis Tomlinson is breaking his silence following his sister's death in March. |
Marks was recently named senior vice president, commercial lending officer, at QNB Bank. He is responsible for business development of commercial loans, traditional banking and cash management services, and loan portfolio management. |
Marks has been in banking for 32 years. He served as senior vice president, relationship manager, for Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in finance/business at Penn State. |
Luchko has joined Agili in its Lehigh Valley office as an investment analyst. Luchko brings more than 14 years of experience in reviewing and monitoring financial investment portfolios for a wide range of clients as well as serving as an analyst for the New York Stock Exchange. |
Luchko is also a member of Agili’s Investment Policy Committee. |
Prior to joining Agili, Luchko was a senior research analyst with Legacy Advisors in Plymouth Meeting. He received his Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Scranton and his MBA in finance from Villanova University. |
Jessica Kemmerer has joined as community outreach associate. Kemmerer has earned a Master of Public Administration from Penn State, and a bachelor’s in political science from Kutztown University. |
Pam Kiser has joined as administrative support assistant for Academic Advising and Career Services. Kiser earned a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin, and a bachelor’s in American history and secondary education from Cedar Crest College. |
John Kukitz has joined as the assistant women’s soccer coach. Kukitz earned a bachelor’s in business administration from DeSales University, and both a National Soccer Coaches Association of America National Diploma and a U.S. Soccer Federation D license. |
Chris Leavy will serve as the athletic trainer at Penn State Lehigh Valley contracted through Lehigh Valley Health Network. Leavy earned a Master of Science in human performance from Frostburg State University in Maryland, and a bachelor’s in athletic training from The College at Brockport, State University of New York... |
Tim Lutterschmidt has joined as the head women’s volleyball coach. Lutterschmidt earned a master’s in history and a bachelor’s in secondary education from East Stroudsburg University. |
Yu Mi Jeong has joined as a laboratory technologist. Jeong has earned a master’s in genetics and a bachelor’s in chemistry in South Korea. She also has an international technologist license in molecular biology. |
Michael Missmer has joined as the head women’s soccer coach. Missmer earned a bachelor’s in information systems from Cedar Crest College, and a NSCAA National Soccer Coaching License. |
Vernon J. Mobley has joined as a women’s assistant basketball coach. Mobley is a professional musician, an operational manager for City Entertainment Systems and serves as Southern Lehigh Middle School’s head basketball coach. |
Elaine Thode has joined as a part-time program coordinator of the Council for Retail and Sales. Thode has an MBA from Saint Joseph’s University, and a bachelor’s in marketing and management with a focus in fashion merchandising from the University of Delaware. |
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