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It’s the New Roadhouse on Kat Country 98.7!
Amy joins D. Ray Knight on the Black Hills’ only live and local country morning show, featuring segments like, “Ask Amy,” “Master Criminal File,” and “Those Hollywood Types.” Listeners can also tune in for contests, guests, and even an occasional celebration of all things Canadian. Catch the mayhem every weekday morning 6 to 10 on Kat Country 98.7!
Returning to his Black Hills radio home after an 8-year stint as the head writer for the syndicated American Comedy Network, D. Ray Knight can now be heard every weekday morning on The Roadhouse. D. Ray was raised in Rapid City, and, after several attempts to get away, he finally realized what a gem the Black Hills truly is and now permanently calls it home. D. Ray has worked in radio in Baltimore and San Diego, performed stand-up all over the country, and has appeared on Comedy Central. He’s done some acting (sort of) and famously planned the D-Day invasion of 1944—and only one of those things is a total lie!
Amy was born in Sturgis, SD and grew up in Tucson, AZ. After returning to South Dakota for college, Amy decided to follow a career in music and ended up in Tennessee, where she found radio. She worked as a radio co-host, but later left to pursue her passion for health and fitness, becoming a personal trainer. In 2012, Amy returned to South Dakota, landing at Regional Health. After doing voice work and public speaking for the company, she realized she belonged back in radio. Now, you can find her on KOUT 98.7 on The Roadhouse, as well as KKMK 93.9 The Mix.
Radio Legend Kevin Phillips Named Program Director at 93.9 the Mix
RAPID CITY, SD – HomeSlice Media Group is proud to announce the promotion of long-time radio personality, Kevin Phillips, to the position of Program Director at the popular Black Hills radio station, 93.9 The Mix.
“Kevin, has been with us for a long time and it’s a privilege to know that he will continue to be on the air and now as the program director for the Mix,” said MaryAnne Whittle, general manager for HomeSlice Media.
Kevin recently celebrated his 35th year in radio, having started his career in 1982 in Fargo, ND. Phillips started at The Mix, or Magic 93.9 as it was called then, in December of 1989, where he became the long-time voice of the Morning Animals. “I look forward to this fantastic opportunity,” Phillips said, “We have a great staff, and HomeSlice is a great company.”
Phillips also hosts a classic country program every Saturday morning on HomeSlice Media’s sister station, The Big 81 KBHB.
Outside of his duties at HomeSlice Media, Phillips stays busy as the public address announcer at sporting events for Rapid City Central High School, South Dakota School of Mines, Black Hills Speedway, and Central States Fair Demolition Derby. Black Hills area residents may also recognize him from his stand-up career, having shared the stage with Jay Leno and George Carlin, among others, or from his appearances on “ABC’s Prime Time Live” and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.”
Phillips also hosted a variety of charitable telethons, including, Children’s Miracle Network and March of Dimes. He is a member of the Rapid City Sports Hall of Fame, a recipient of the Black Hills Advertising Federation Silver Medal Award, and has received Distinguished Service Awards from the South Dakota High School Activities Association and the Cosmopolitan Club.
Kevin has also received the South Dakota High School Activities Association Distinguished Service Award, the Central States Fair Hero Award, the Cosmopolitan Club Distinguished Service Award, and has twice been awarded the Lakota Nation Invitational Public Service Award.
He and his wife Marcy have two daughters and three grandchildren that currently
demand whatever time they have left on their busy schedules.
Old Dominion Returns to Rapid City
(Rapid City, SD) – HomeSlice Concerts announced this morning that Sony Music Nashville Recording Artists, Old Dominion, will be making their return to Rapid City on February 24th in the Barnett Arena at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Special guest Michael Ray, singer of the 2016 hit single, “Think a Little Less” will join the band, along with Tennessee singer-songwriter, Brandon Lay. Old Dominion, the famed songwriters turned superstar arena act, are embarking on the Happy Endings World Tour in support of their hit album of the same name.
Proving that they are not your average country band, Old Dominion blends old-fashioned country charm, lyrical wit and rock n’ roll grit into radio-friendly, hook-heavy pop nuggets. The band has emerged as one of the hottest breaking bands in country music, fusing clever lyrics and an infectious sound. Old Dominion recently released their highly anticipated sophomore album, Happy Endings, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart & #7 on the Top 200 and were nominated for two CMA nominations for “New Artist of the Year” and “Vocal Group of the Year.” Old Dominions new single, “Written In The Sand,” follows the success of the first single off of the album “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart,” which hit #1 on Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase charts. The band released their first full length album Meat and Candy, which was certified GOLD by the RIAA and hailed a “stellar debut by Entertainment Weekly and declared “one of the hottest breaking bands in county music” by Vice. The group already has several top selling singles under their belts, including the two-week No.1 “Break Up With Him” (PLATINUM), “Snapback” (GOLD) and “Song For Another Time,” which hit No. 1 the on Billboard Country Airplay and MediaBase charts. In 2016, the band was notably named ACM New Group of the Year, ACCA Breakthrough Group of the Year, AIMP Songwriter Artist of the Year and Music Row Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Old Dominion consists of lead singer Matthew Ramsey, lead guitarist Brad Tursi, multi-instrumentalist Trevor Rosen, bassist Geoff Sprung and drummer Whit Sellers.
Tickets for KAT Country 98.7 Presents OLD DOMINION – The Happy Endings World Tour go on sale on Friday October 20, 2017 and can be purchased at GotMine.com, the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center box office, The Silverado in Deadwood, Ellsworth Airforce Base Recreation or 1-800-GOT-MINE.
The HomeSlice Group is a media and entertainment conglomerate of small businesses, based primarily in the Black Hills. The firm owns and operates six radio stations in the Rapid City area, including the market-leading country FM, KAT Country 98.7, presenting station of the Old Dominion stop in Rapid City. HomeSlice was formed in Sturgis, SD in 1994 with its roots in the concert business and now produce or provide talent for more than 500 live events per year. The company is also the worldwide exclusive licensing agent of the Sturgis® Motorcycle Rally and operates the premier digital marketing agency in the region.
Rapid City Office
660 Flormann St #100
Sturgis Office
1612 Junction Ave
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New Power (98FM) is Rising
The Influencer Media March 13, 2015 March 24, 2015 Featured Influencer
New Power (98FM) is Rising.
The lifestyle radio station Power 98FM has a brand new line-up featuring two new additions to the crew, Dee Kosh, and Daphne Khoo.
Expect fireworks and a whole lot of fun at night as popular YouTuber Dee Kosh makes his return to radio, on Late Night Delight with Dee Kosh. “I’m so excited to be back on air with a new family, a new sound and of course a brand spankin’ new, delightful show! I can’t wait to shake things up on radio again!”
Daphne Khoo is no stranger to radio, but she’s usually on the songs you hear. The former Singapore Idol contestant, and prolific stage performer (who will be singing at this year’s SEA Games Opening & Closing ceremonies), is set to keep you company on 10 to 2 with Daphne Khoo, with her effervescent personality, and unique take on life. “I’m very honoured and excited to be part of the team. This is something new for me, but I’m really looking forward to working with people I’ve listened to on the radio for such a long time” says the singer/songwriter who has returned home from her travels to pursue radio.
They’re the “bros” you love to hang out with. The Power Breakfast Show will now be helmed by JK & Mike, accompanying you throughout the mornings with their friendship, laughter and great music.
On the new line up, SAFRA Radio’s General Manager, Ms Kim Leon says, “This is a remarkably talented team and I’m truly excited to be working with them to bring splendid music and fun to listeners out there.”
The Power Breakfast Show with JK & Mike
Weekdays, 6am – 10am
10 to 2 with Daphne Khoo
Weekdays, 10am – 2pm
Non-Stop Music with Charmaine
Weekdays, 2pm – 4pm
the ExFactor with Mister Young & Jacqui
Late Night Delight with Dee Kosh
Weekdays, 9pm – 12m
https://www.power98.com.sg/
DeeKosh, Power 98 FM
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The J-Sub Experiment Starter Kit (Part 2)
Posted on November 24, 2016 March 22, 2018 by thejsubexperiment
Hiragana and Katana, together referred to as called Kana, are often called syllabaries, meaning that they’re sets of symbols that describe syllables. That’s not quite right, because they aren’t describing syllables, but morae. A syllable has to do with one’s breath. A mora (singular of morae) has to do with the sound in the syllable. Take any sentence, and say it in a whisper and say it mute, syllable by syllable. The breaths that you’re expelling are the syllables. The sounds, which you aren’t making, are the morae.
In Japanese, we can have a sentence like this: “Kyūshū wa toshi ga chiisai.” If we do the same exercise and thus divide the sentence by syllables, we’ll get “Kyuu-shuu-wa-to-shi-ga-chii-sai.” (8 syllables) But what the Kana does is divide it by morae: “きゅうーしゅうーはーとーしーがーちいーさい.” (12 Kana) So there are more Kana than syllables.
Hiragana and Katakana have near perfect equivalency, meaning that almost everything you can write with one, you can write with the other (the exceptions are very minor technical things.) Every あ (Hiragana) can be switched out with ア (Katakana), every い with イ, etc. So if you know how to work with one of them, you know how to work with the other.
Hiragana is the “smooth kana.” It’s the more common of the two (not by a lot, but it is.) Hiragana’s main function in day-to-day business is to serve as “okurigana,” which are the prefixes and suffixes that are attached to lexical stems. Imagine that the word “destined” was Japanese for a second. The /destin/ would be the lexical stem. It’s where the meat and potatoes of the meaning lies; and we see it in a lot of other words, like “destiny” and “destination.” The the /ed/ is just a suffix. This qualifies the word and makes it a specific part of speech. The /destin/ would be written in Kanji and the /ed/ would be written in Hiragana.
When one lengthens vowels in Hiragana, one tends to write the character including the vowel alongside the sole vowel/morae. For example: “ちいさい” begins with “chii,” two /i/ vowels. So you write ち, which we romanize as “chi,” and add い, which is romanized as “i.” The lengthening of the /o/ vowel tends to be written with an /u/; but there are words, especially older words, where the lengthening happens with two /o/’s, which as とお, “too,” meaning “ten.”
Children, or people who are in the process of learning Kanji, write almost everything in Hiragana. A special function of Hiragana is to make things look a bit more effeminate. So one may opt to write something entirely in Hiragana just for that aesthetic.
Katakana is the “fragmentary kana,” which refers to how a lot of it is sharp lines and how in writing it’s nice to have some kind of flow (like the curves in Hiragana).
Katakana has a number of functions. It’s most famously used for loanwords and foreign names, which are quite a lot in Japanese. It’s also used in textbooks for readings of Kanji; and, as an extension to that, one finds it as an explanation of the reading of a proper name in Kanji.
Vowel lengthening in Katakana tends to occur with a dash (ー), called a “chounpu” in Japanese. So “chii” in Katakana is not チイ but チー. The dash is sometimes seen in Hiragana for stylistic reasons, particularly if one wants to note the pronunciation of something. For example, there’s an expression in Japanese, “しつれいします,” “shitsurei shimasu,” used when one is entering a superior’s office. Japanese people sustain that last /a/, so it sounds like “shitsurei shimaaaasu.” So someone may decide to write that as しつれいしまーす.”
It’s also used when you want to make things sound more masculine. So in the same way that you might right something entirely in Hiragana to make it sound more feminine, you might write something in Katakana to make it sound more masculine.
Certain kana take a symbol called “dakuten,” or voicing maker (the two lines in が.) These are the kana whose syllable is /k/, /t/, /s/, and /h./ Voicing is a phenomenon in phonetics that makes it so that a consonant whose elocution does not involve the moving of the vocal cords to now use the vocal cords.
/k/ becomes /g/, /t/ becomes /d/, /s/ becomes /z/, and /h/ (the exception to this) becomes /b/. This is because once upon a time /h/ was /p/; and the voiced counterpart to /p/ is /b/.
The /p/ consonant still exists in Japanese, though it is probably the rarest of consonants. To write a mora with the /p/ consonant, one takes the /h/ morae with the same vowel and adds a “handakuten,” the small circle in ぱ.
Morae can also be palatalized, which means that they’re pronounced at the palate of the mouth, another phonetic phenomenon; and that involves the writing of a small や、よ、or ゆ next to the mora that can be palatalized. We romanize this as the main consonant plus a /y/ and the vowel. So は (“ha”) is palatalized to ひゃ (“hya”).
The /w/ is slowly disappearing in Japanese. The mora を, “wo,” is now pronounced as a pure “o.” There are Hiragana and Katakana for “we” and “wi,” (Hiragana: ゑ and ゐ; Katakana: ヱ and ヰ) but they came into disuse only 2 generations ago.
Also, from this you’ve probably gathered that Japanese’s set of sounds is quite small. That is true. There are about 100 different morae in Japanese; and like 50 of them are variations of the basic ones (through voicing and palatalization). There are languages with fewer phonetic sets, like Hawaiian, but this is definitely small, much smaller than English.
Also worth noting: Japanese people, when whispering, divide the sentence into morae. It’s just a habit of theirs; but when they speak normally, the syllables match what we talked about.
So that’s all I have to say right now about Kana. Let’s talk about Kanji!
Posted in Kana Lessons, Linguistic Lessons, Writing Lessons
Previous PostThe J-Sub Experiment Starter Kit (Part 1)Next PostThe J-Sub Experiment Starter Kit (Part 3)
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We’re All in this Together
Home/News/We’re All in this Together
Dr. Zach Morris, Assistant Professor of Human Oncology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH), recently bought a tandem bike so he can ride with his father, Jeff, who can no longer ride on his own.
In March, Jeff and his wife were biking in Florida, and he kept catching his right handlebar on fences. After a crash, he went to a local hospital, where a doctor found that he had no peripheral vision on his right side. An MRI scan revealed a mass in his brain.
They immediately flew back to Madison to see Dr. Mustafa K. Baskaya, a UW Health Neurosurgeon at UWSMPH, who prescribed steroids to reduce symptoms and scheduled surgery.
“After the MRI, we had a sense of what it probably was,” Morris says. “And so, it was nice to have a week before surgery to gather our thoughts, spend some quality time together and say the things that we needed to be sure were said.”
They also took the opportunity to go for a nice ride down the Badger State Trail on the tandem bike.
Pathology from the surgery showed the mass to be a grade 4 astrocytoma, an aggressive and typically incurable brain cancer. Jeff is now undergoing combined radiation and chemotherapy at the UW Carbone Cancer Center with the hope that this will give him some more quality time with his family.
This isn’t the first time a member of Morris’ family came to the UW for cancer treatment. Zach’s grandmother was treated for ovarian cancer at UW and died when he was 10. The experience sparked his interest in working to eradicate cancer.
Morris earned his MD and PhD at Harvard Medical School and completed his Radiation Oncology residency in the UW Department of Human Oncology before becoming an assistant professor in the department in 2016.
“I have always had a strong appreciation for the role that the UW plays in providing cutting-edge cancer treatment in this region and in contributing as a leader to the global cancer research effort. For as long as I can remember, my own goal has been to contribute to the broader effort of cancer research and to provide the very best cancer care that I can for the people in this area that I call home,” Morris says.
In the laboratory, Morris’ research focus is on combining radiation and immunotherapy to fight cancer —for example, delivering radiation to a tumor and then injecting the tumor site with agents that help the immune system recognize and kill additional tumor cells. The goal is localized destruction of the tumor in a way that enables the destroyed cancer cells to function as a potent immune stimulus and personalized anti-cancer vaccine.
Morris was recently awarded $25,000 for this work from proceeds from The Ride, a bicycle fundraiser for cancer research at the University of Wisconsin.
“The Ride provides money for some of the most innovative work to take place,” Morris says. “In order to successfully compete for large federal research grants, you typically need a lot of preliminary data to make a convincing case that the proposed research is feasible. Until you generate a substantial amount of data, you are unlikely to get that funding. Funds generated by The Ride provide opportunities to pursue such innovative ideas and will undoubtedly help accelerate progress and innovation in cancer research.
“Cancer has been around throughout human history and for all that we’ve learned and accomplished in that time, we still see too many people dying from this disease. Research is the only way that we are going to change this and innovative new approaches are how we’re going to eventually cure cancer.”
When Morris and his family participated in The Ride last year, Jeff almost certainly had the tumor in his brain. They just didn’t know it at the time.
“We had no idea this was on the horizon,” Morris says. “You never know when you’re going to be the one who will benefit from the UW’s research and resources. We’re all in this together. By participating in and contributing to The Ride, we can help advance cancer care both here and globally. Everyone knows someone who will benefit from that, whether it’s now or sometime in the future.”
Morris will participate in The Ride again on Sept. 17. “We have the tandem bike ready, and we’re hoping that my dad might be able to do The Ride as well. We’ll see.”
Support Zach’s ride or register and join us on September 17!
By Rob Kelly|2017-07-18T08:12:55+00:00July 18th, 2017|News|1 Comment
About the Author: Rob Kelly
Rob Kelly is a writer/editor for the Department of Human Oncology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “It’s a great privilege to interview patients and their loved ones and to have an inside view of the work that University of Wisconsin researchers and clinicians are doing to improve cancer treatments and save lives.” Rob has been writing professionally for more than 25 years, and has been an all-weather bicycle commuter for the past 19 years. “I’m looking forward to riding for the patients I’ve met, my own family members and friends who have faced or are facing cancer and the many patients who will benefit from cancer research at the University of Wisconsin.”
Bridget August 10, 2017 at 10:22 pm - Reply
Dr. Zach Morris,
There is always hope – I am a survivor of a Grade IV Glioblastoma. Never give up! I was diagnosed in 2009 when I was 44 years old. I am so grateful to have had a total resection and was enrolled in a clinical trial that used a modified virus and took oral acyclovir afterwards along with Radiation and Temodar. This is doable. You have to talk to your cells and let them know what to do. I know this sounds a little crazy, but why not try it. I would love to have a conversation with you when you’re available. It’s true, we’re all in this together.
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Spotlight on threats against journalists in Malta in European report
Threats did not stop with Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination as most independent newsrooms hit.
by The Shift Team May 10, 2019, 11:11 am
Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia' sons Andrew (left) and Matthew (right) at her funeral after her assassination.
“Burned in effigy. Insulted. Menaced. Spat at. Discredited by their nation’s leaders. Assaulted. Sued. Homes strafed with automatic weapons. Rape threats. Death threats. Assassinations.”
This is the landscape faced by journalists throughout Europe over the last four years, according to the report ‘Demonising the Media’ released by the Mapping Media Freedom project.
Based on 3,000 documented media freedom incidents across Europe since 2014, the report is designed to “survey the landscape for media freedom” and to “help an independent, pluralistic, media landscape to flourish”.
It contains no less than 29 reports of threats to journalists in Malta, three of which are threats against The Shift News’ reporting in its first year of operation.
The project, run by press freedom organisation Index on Censorship, makes specific reference to the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta in 2017, noting that she had over 40 libel cases pending against her at the time of her death.
The report identifies five key trends that pose a threat to media freedom and journalists in Europe.
Political interference was one of the main threats; in particular, direct political interference in the operations of media outlets. This interference usually comes from politicians requesting editors to stop or change a story, or by hiring and firing journalists based on their political stance.
Other examples of political interference the report notes include the demonising of the media and officials preventing certain journalists from attending press conferences.
“The willingness to smear journalists or the outlets they report for, rather than debate the facts, in order to warp the public’s right to information is the true threat to media freedom in the EU,” according to the report.
It continues that a number of political figures in countries across the bloc have “smeared journalists” by dismissing their reports as “fake news”, thereby creating an environment where harassment can thrive.
A “culture of impunity” is exacerbating the situation. Ema Tarabochia, a leading media freedom researcher, explains that a “lack of public rebuke from the centres of power, especially the political one, are encouraging the perpetrators”.
Another key trend is that of social media and online harassment. The report observes a “growing hostility towards journalists online”. Examples of harassment levied against journalists include sexual harassment and death threats, noting that women are most often the target.
Mapping Media Freedom notes that, often, these attacks happen due to the “widely reported remarks of some politicians from Member States”.
The Shift News has investigated and published details on how secret and closed pro-government Facebook groups are being used to mobilise thousands of labour supporters to target journalists and activists who report on corruption. These groups are administered by government officials, and include among their members high ranking employees as well as government Ministers.
Attacks were coordinated and levied against Caruana Galizia, activist Tina Urso, and editor and co-founder of The Shift News, Caroline Muscat, among others.
The decrease in media plurality in the context of public television is another threat that has been noted across Europe. The report notes that “a number of national broadcasters were brought under closer government control”. It also reinforces the importance that such public services maintain their editorial independence.
Where are they all now? Journalists gathered outside Parliament in Valletta, Malta, on Oct 19, 2017, in a silent commemoration after the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. They vowed that the savage attack would not intimidate workers in the media.
The Shift News also reported on how State-owned PBS was failing in its constitutional obligation to impartiality, by underreporting stories that cast the governing Labour Party in a bad light. In addition, the Media Pluralism Monitor report found that Malta scored a “very high risk level” of 83% for the prevalence of political bias and control over media in the country.
The other two threats identified by the report include the increase in threats and actual harm to journalists who cover protests. The use of national security and counter-terrorism legislation is also noted, including cases where such laws are used to deliberately prevent the dissemination of information which is in the public interest.
Threats to journalists in Malta
The 29 reports on threats to journalists in Malta include three on reporting by The Shift. The first is the threat by Henley & Partners to launch a SLAPP lawsuit only a few weeks after the launch of the portal. SLAPP lawsuits are intended to financially cripple newsrooms as a result of cases filed in other jurisdictions, notably the US and the UK, and the Maltese government rejected a Bill by the Opposition to protect journalists from such threats.
The global firm that sells citizenship was exposed by Caruana Galizia, through published emails, showing the firm consulting Muscat’s government on the way forward with launching such cases against her, with Muscat’s closest aides giving the go-ahead.
Former Labour Party Deputy Leader appointed Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia’s attempt to change a news report on the objection filed by Labour MP and OPM communications aide Glenn Bedingfield was also noted in the organisation’s report. The Shift refused to alter the report, reminding the Speaker of a previous European Court of Human Rights ruling that reminded him of his place. The Shift has been consistent in standing up to all threats by government, State and its agencies to remove stories critical of the government.
The third report relating to The Shift was the DDoS attack against the site in the midst of the news portal’s revelations on the scandalous Vitals deal on three of Malta’s public hospitals. The investigation revealed that the hospitals were handed over for €1 euro in a contract funded by taxpayers that gives the concessionaire €70 million per year.
Other reports recorded by Mapping Media Freedom include threats against The Times of Malta journalists. They include the attempt by the MFSA to apply pressure on the newsroom to reveal sources on the planned take-over of the Manoel Island project.
Reports filed on The Times of Malta journalists also include pressure to fire one of its cartoonists, Seb Tanti Burlo, by Jason Micallef – he was chair of the Capital of Culture at the time, causing his own controversies that led to a diplomatic rift for his crass comments on Caruana Galizia. Justice and Culture Minister Owen Bonnici defended his attacks, saying they were ‘free speech’, and Micallef has been given a promotion since.
A Newsbook journalist was also forcibly prevented from filming the removal of a banner featuring Caruana Galizia from a square in the centre of the capital Valletta. Footage uploaded to the Newsbook site showed the employee – who identified himself as a Senior Technical Officer with the city council – attempting to grab journalist Christoph Schwaiger’s hand and take away his phone.
Reports also focus on preventing journalists reporting on migrant arrivals. A report filed in August last year notes, “For the second time in less than a month, Maltese authorities denied access to the media to document the arrival of rescued migrants at the Armed Forces of Malta naval base”.
The fact that Malta’s independent newspapers also quietly removed published articles related to Pilatus Bank was also noted. The Malta Independent announced its decision to remove some of their online content relating to a whistleblower at Pilatus Bank, “due to the threat of a multi-million euro lawsuit from the bank”.
The Guardian also reported on another threat registered in the Mapping Media Freedom report on Facebook deleting four posts by the slain journalist’s son, Matthew Caruana Galizia ,which contained allegations of wrongdoing by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his associates. Each post included images of documents from the Panama Papers leak while Matthew was a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ award-winning Panama Papers team.
Property developer Silvio Debono’s 19 cases against the slain journalist are also noted. Debono has moved on to acquire one of the most controverial projects in the Malta at St George’s Bay that got the green light despite public protest.
Malta Today, the State broadcaster and the Labour Party’s One News had no threats reported to the register.
Previous article Muscat tells EU leaders that he will protect rule of law… seriously
Next article Impunity reigns in the realm of ‘il-King’
in Disinformation Watch
Disinformation Watch #19: Unfreedom of expression
by The Shift Team September 22, 2018, 6:46 pm
‘We were never more proud of her than on the day she was murdered’
by Caroline Muscat March 5, 2019, 8:30 am
International freedom of expression organisations welcome crucial resolution
by The Shift Team June 27, 2019, 3:41 pm
in Ranier Fsadni
How to prove the Press Freedom Index wrong
by Ranier Fsadni April 21, 2019, 6:44 am
Muscat tells EU leaders that he will protect rule of law… seriously
Impunity reigns in the realm of ‘il-King’
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News brief
Alabama governor signs nation's most restrictive abortion bill into law
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed into law on Wednesday a bill prohibiting nearly all abortion procedures in the state, with no exemptions for cases of rape or incest. The measure, which passed the Alabama state Senate on Tuesday night with a vote of 25-6, makes performing an abortion a felony. "To the bill's many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians' deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God," Ivey said in a statement. This is the country's most restrictive abortion law, and only allows exceptions when a woman's health is at risk.
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5 things you need to know now
Congresswomen respond to Trump's racist tweets with press conference
Pelosi says House will not raise debt ceiling
Trump administration enforcing new abortion restrictions
The four Democratic congresswomen who were the subjects of President Trump's racist tweets over the weekend — Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) — held a press conference on Monday in response to the attacks. Trump said the congresswomen should go back to fix the "totally broken and crime infested places from which they came," and on Monday stood by his comments, insisting they were not racist, saying the women "hate our country" and "can leave." All four lawmakers criticized the president's words while emphasizing that they remain focused on their jobs and holding Trump accountable. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced that the House will consider a resolution condemning Trump's tweets.
Source: NBC News, The Week
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday night said the House of Representatives will not raise the debt ceiling unless such a move is combined with a budget agreement. Earlier in the day, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters that if a budget deal is not reached soon, Congress will have to raise the debt ceiling before its August recess, otherwise there won't be enough money to pay the government's bills. Lawmakers have until the end of September to hammer out a budget deal, as that's when funding for several agencies is scheduled to run out. The Treasury Department can only issue debt up to the limit set by Congress. Since President Trump's inauguration, total government debt has increased by about $3 trillion, to more than $22 trillion.
Source: The Washington Post
The Trump administration on Monday said taxpayer-funded family planning clinics can no longer refer women for abortions. The Health and Human Services Department also told clinics that they must maintain separate finances from facilities that provide abortions. Every year, about four million low-income women are able to receive family planning and preventative health services through the Title X program, which provides $260 million worth of grants to independent clinics. Under federal law, taxpayer funds cannot be used to pay for abortions. Many of these clinics are operated by Planned Parenthood, and President Leana Wen said the organization is hoping to get the regulations overturned in federal court.
North Korea said Tuesday that the U.S. will put talks aimed at getting Pyongyang to denuclearize at risk if it goes ahead with summer military exercises with South Korea. The North Korean Foreign Ministry said the U.S. is continuing a pattern of "unilaterally reneging on its commitments" to North Korea, so Pyongyang has to reconsider its own commitments to discontinue missile and nuclear weapons tests while talks continue. President Trump last month tried to persuade North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resume talks on giving up his nuclear weapons by arranging a spur-of-the-moment meeting with Kim on the border between the two Koreas that resulted in an agreement to restart working-level talks that had been on hold since the collapse of their second summit in February.
More than 100 people have been killed in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, with heavy rains causing widespread flooding and triggering landslides. Millions of people have been displaced from their homes, including 4.3 million in the Indian states of Assam and Bihar. It is the beginning of monsoon season, and the rain started on Thursday, leaving roads and railroad tracks underwater. It's estimated that some parts of Nepal saw nearly 16 inches of rain in the last few days, and in Bangladesh, officials are keeping an eye on the swollen rivers that flow into the country from India. During the 2017 monsoon season, at least 800 people were killed in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, with countless crops and homes destroyed.
Source: Reuters, CNN
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Congo Campaign
Campaign (magazine)
Hundred Days
Agkistrodon piscivorus
Regions of the African Union
Democratic republic
Make comments for more and likes but don’t forget to subscribe and hit the bell 🛎
Never done an African Campaign so far so I decided it was about time now! Congo Conquest focused on Man(dan)power growth. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pdx_Da9L Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theDa9L Youtube gaming: https://gaming.youtube.com/c/theDa9L/live Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theDa9L Modern Day mod: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=719416488 Thanks to all my Patreons! Special thanks to Mathias Hoftaniska, Tokryva, Ross Paterson, StetoGuy, Quentin Cameron, Henrik Antonsson & Akerblom!
Help us create a civilian-based, independently-funded Congo Tribunal. In the last 20 years, 7 million people have fallen victim to the bloodiest economic war in History. In 2015 Milo Rau set up the first Congo Tribunal, a civilian trial bringing together actual victims and perpetrators, government and opposition, international mining companies and local miners in front of a jury of international and Congolese experts. For the first time people outspoke the crimes committed to them and confronted their perpetrators. Help us make The Congo Tribunal an institution!
The Uganda Cranes kick started their 2019 African Cup Of Nations campaign with a 2-0 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo.
PSA highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis in The Democratic Republic of Congo and Action Against Hunger's efforts to end starvation in the country. Produced by WEdia, a non-profit media company.
Our Observer Joseph Tsongo, who lives in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, tells us about his work getting schoolchildren to plant trees to fight deforestation. Subscribe to the Observers channel on YouTube: http://f24.my/2lke The Observers program brings you the best amateur images from around the world, all verified by France 24 journalists. To see more reports from our Observers – and to become an Observer yourself! – head to our website: www.observers.france24.com/en. The Observers website www.observers.france24.com/en Twitter https://twitter.com/Observers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.Observers
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo there say violence in the Eastern region has delayed the start of campaigning. The Ebola outbreak in North Kivu has also affected campaigns as medical teams struggle to contain the virus. Subscribe to us on YouTube: http://ow.ly/Zvqj30aIsgY Follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cgtnafrica/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cgtnafrica
The Best of Congo Project focuses on celebrating the development and international establishment of our rich, exuberant culture, traditions and modernized identity. The project carries an important combination of a viral campaign video and classy event (Gala Dinner- 15th April 2017) which will bring together a strong network of Congolese like minded people who share the same goal of establishing and representing Congo in a more positive valuable manner.
DR Congo started their campaign on a high easing past Ethiopia 3-0 in the Group B opener played Sunday afternoon in Huye. DR Congo 3 - 0 Ethiopia Goals: Lusadisu (45'), Luvumbu (46'), Meschack (58'). Stadium: Huye Date: 17/01/2016 - 15:00 Match summary: http://bit.ly/CODETH16 For more videos, visit : http://youtube.com/myafricanfootball - Download CAF mobile application: http://bit.ly/CAF-App - Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfricaCupOfNationsOfficial https://www.facebook.com/CAFChampionsLeague.CAFConfederationCup - Follow us on Twitter : https://twitter.com/caf_online (caf_online_fr / caf_online_AR) - Find out our best photos on Instagram : http://instagram.com/caf_online
Thanks for tuning in! Watch Yesterday's PDS: https://youtu.be/78m80acYumM Watch The Previous Morning Deep Dive: https://youtu.be/wILkUIzh1Jo Support this content w/ a Paid subscription @ http://DeFrancoElite.com ———————————— Latest PDS: https://youtu.be/ky2Ug7oYIUw Watch the Morning Shows: https://youtu.be/7In6StGgwN0 ———————————— Follow Me On ———————————— TWITTER: http://Twitter.com/PhillyD FACEBOOK: http://on.fb.me/mqpRW7 INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/phillydefranco/ ———————————— Sources/Important Links: ———————————— https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKCN1P21FS-OZATP https://theconversation.com/the-dr-congo-is-bracing-for-election-results-and-its-likely-to-get-bloody-heres-what-you-need-to-know-109422 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/why-an-election-has-the-democratic-republic-of-congo-on-edge/2018/12/18/726d61c2-0287-11e9-958c-0a601226ff6b_story.html?utm_term=.b9b9cb89049a https://www.voanews.com/a/congo-catholic-church-challenges-presidential-election-results/4737185.html https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/eu-renews-sanctions-dr-congo-ruling-party-candidate-181211053903725.html https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46453044 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/felix-tshisekedi-dr-congo-president-elect-190110071344178.html http://congoresearchgroup.org/new-crg-berci-ipsos-poll-an-anxious-electorate-demands-change/ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/france-belgium-cast-doubt-dr-congo-election-result-190110091040088.html https://www.news24.com/Africa/News/drcs-shadary-pro-kabila-loyalist-blacklisted-by-the-eu-20181217 https://africanarguments.org/2019/01/10/drc-election-results-analysis-implausible/ https://www.voanews.com/a/congo-opposition-campaign-says-talking-kabila-camp-trannsition/4734302.html https://news.un.org/en/story/2011/10/390912-dr-congo-un-advises-prudent-use-abundant-resources-spur-development#.WYyOHrIrLrc https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/13/democratic-republic-congo-africa-ageing-leaders-close-watch-power-struggle https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/oct/12/phone-misery-children-congo-cobalt-mines-drc https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/african-leaders-set-to-meet-on-congo-vote-as-results-questioned#gs.1hDnuQhn http://congoresearchgroup.org/congolese-election-leaks/ ———————————— Wanna send us stuff? ATTN: Philip DeFranco - Rogue Rocket 4804 Laurel Canyon Blvd. Box - 760 Valley Village, CA 91607 ———————————— Wanna listen on the go? -ITUNES: http://PDSPodcast.com -SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/thephilipdefrancoshow ________________________ Edited by: Aaron Pepper Produced by: Amanda Morones Art Director: Brian Borst Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Cody Snell ———————————— #DeFranco #Congo #Elections ————————————
This video is dedicatet for children of war in Democratic Republic Of The Congo.
Campaign is a global business magazine covering advertising, media, marketing and commercial creativity. Headquartered in the UK, it also has editions in the US, Asia-Pacific, India, the Middle East and Turkey.
Campaign is published by Haymarket Media Group, which owns more than 70 brands worldwide including FourFourTwo, Stuff, Autocar, What Car? and PRWeek.
Campaign publishes a weekly print magazine in the UK as well as daily news and analysis on its websites: campaignlive.co.uk, campaignlive.com, campaignasia.com, campaignindia.in, campaignme.com, and campaigntr.com.
Each spring Campaign releases its School Reports, an assessment of how the biggest advertising agencies performed over the past year. In December, as part of its Annual issue, it names the top agencies, advertising and media networks, advertisers, campaigns, media, and production companies of the year. Campaign also publishes the A-List, a directory of leading executives from the advertising and media industries, at the end of each year.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Campaign_(magazine)
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days, marked the period between Napoleon's return from exile on the island of Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815 (a period of 111 days). This period saw the War of the Seventh Coalition, and includes the Waterloo Campaign, the Neapolitan War as well as several other minor campaigns. The phrase les Cent Jours (the hundred days) was first used by the prefect of Paris, Gaspard, comte de Chabrol, in his speech welcoming the king back to Paris on 8 July.
Napoleon returned while the Congress of Vienna was sitting. On 13 March, seven days before Napoleon reached Paris, the powers at the Congress of Vienna declared him an outlaw, and on 25 March Austria, Prussia, Russia and the United Kingdom, members of the Seventh Coalition, bound themselves to put 150,000 men each into the field to end his rule. This set the stage for the last conflict in the Napoleonic Wars, the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, the restoration of the French monarchy for the second time and the permanent exile of Napoleon to the distant island of Saint Helena, where he died in May 1821.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Hundred_Days
10:10 is a charity that enables people to take practical action on climate change, and combines these local actions to inspire a more ambitious approach to the issue at every level of society.
Founded in 2009, 10:10 began by campaigning for a 10% reduction in carbon emissions in 2010, and has since broadened its approach to include a range of projects focused on carbon reduction and renewable energy.
Its three main projects are Solar Schools, which helps communities crowdfund the cost of solar panels for their local schools; #itshappening, which showcases positive examples of progress on climate change; and Back Balcombe, which supports a solar power cooperative in the Sussex village targeted for oil drilling, and promotes community-scale renewable energy nationally.
Founding and launch
10:10 was established by the team that produced climate change docudrama The Age of Stupid, and originally focused on helping people and organisations reduce their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. By uniting people around a simple short term target, 10:10 aimed to demonstrate public commitment to action on climate change, and build pressure for a strong global treaty at the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/10:10
Agkistrodon piscivorus is a venomous snake, a species of pit viper, found in the southeastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. When antagonized, they will stand their ground by coiling their bodies and displaying their fangs. Although their aggression has been exaggerated, individuals may bite when feeling threatened or being handled. This is the world's only semiaquatic viper, usually found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes. The snake is a strong swimmer and will even enter the sea. It has successfully colonized islands off both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
The generic name is derived from the Greek words ancistro (hooked) and odon (tooth), and the specific name comes from the Latin piscis (fish) and voro (to eat); thus, the scientific name translates into “hooked-tooth fish-eater”. Common names include variants on water moccasin, swamp moccasin, black moccasin, cottonmouth, gapper, or simply viper. Many of the common names refer to the threat display, where this species will often stand its ground and gape at an intruder, exposing the white lining of its mouth. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. Its diet consists mainly of fish and frogs but is otherwise highly varied and, uniquely, has even been reported to include carrion.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Agkistrodon_piscivorus
Coordinates: 2°52′48″S 23°39′22″E / 2.88°S 23.656°E / -2.88; 23.656
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (/ˈkɒŋɡoʊ/; French pronunciation: [kɔ̃ɡo]; French: République démocratique du Congo), also known as DR Congo, DRC, DROC, RDC, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply Congo is a country located in Central Africa. From 1971 to 1997 it was named Zaïre. The DRC borders the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan to the north; Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east; Zambia and Angola to the south; and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It is the second largest country in Africa by area, the largest in Subsaharan Africa, and the eleventh largest in the world. With a population of over 75 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populated officially Francophone country, the fourth most populated nation in Africa and the nineteenth most populated country in the world.
The Congolese Civil Wars, which began in 1996, brought about the end of Mobutu Sese Seko's 31-year reign and devastated the country. The wars ultimately involved nine African nations, multiple groups of UN peacekeepers and twenty armed groups, and resulted in the deaths of 5.4 million people.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo
The member states of the African Union are divided into five geographic regions of the African Union.
Sixth Region
The AU considers the African diaspora as its sixth region.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Regions_of_the_African_Union
A democratic republic is, strictly speaking, a country that is both a republic and a democracy. It is one where ultimate authority and power is derived from the citizens, and the government itself is run through elected officials.
However, in recent practice, countries that have described themselves as democratic republics have not always held free or fair elections. Two examples of this were the German Democratic Republic and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, communist states commonly known as East Germany and North Vietnam. Another is the Democratic Republic of the Congo which in 2011 was rated by Freedom House as a "not free" country, having a rating of 6.0 (1.0 being completely free and 7.0 being completely unfree). Also, the 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea', commonly known as North Korea, is rated the least democratic in the world, run by a dictator. A republic is a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote.
Current countries self-described as democratic republics
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Democratic_republic
Fr Donnat Mwanza -RDC( Congo)
HoI4 - Modern Day - Congo Conquest - Part 1
Justice NOW for DR Congo CAMPAIGN
DR Congo 0 - 2 Uganda
The campaign to fight deforestation in DR Congo
GNTAP CAMPAIGN KANYABAYONGA CONGO 2013
Violence delays start of campaigns in DR Congo's eastern regions
Best of Congo Campaign Video
DR Congo vs Ethiopia | Orange African Nations Championship, Rwanda 2016
The Congo's Crazy Election Fallout Explained, Why It Matters, & How it Could Affect You
RD Congo Children Campaign
Thanks for tuning in! Watch Yesterday's PDS: https://youtu.be/78m80acYumM Watch The Previous Morning Deep Dive: https://youtu.be/wILkUIzh1Jo Support this content w/ a Paid subscription @ http://DeFrancoElite.com ———————————— Latest PDS: https://youtu.be/ky2Ug7oYIUw Watch the Morning Shows: https://youtu.be/7In6StGgwN0 ———————————— Follow Me On ———————————— TWITTER: http://Twitter.com/PhillyD FACEBOOK: http://on.fb.me/mqpRW7 INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/phillydefranco/ ———————————— Sources/Important Links: ———————————— https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKCN1P21FS-OZATP https://theconversation.com/the-dr-congo-is-bracing-for-election-results-and-its-likely-to-get-bloody-heres-what-you-need-to-know-109422 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/why-an-election-has-the-democratic-r...
https://wn.com/Fr_Donnat_Mwanza_Rdc(_Congo)
Never done an African Campaign so far so I decided it was about time now! Congo Conquest focused on Man(dan)power growth. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pdx_Da9...
https://wn.com/Hoi4_Modern_Day_Congo_Conquest_Part_1
Help us create a civilian-based, independently-funded Congo Tribunal. In the last 20 years, 7 million people have fallen victim to the bloodiest economic war i...
https://wn.com/Justice_Now_For_Dr_Congo_Campaign
https://wn.com/Dr_Congo_0_2_Uganda
PSA highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis in The Democratic Republic of Congo and Action Against Hunger's efforts to end starvation in the country. Prod...
https://wn.com/Congo_Campaign
Our Observer Joseph Tsongo, who lives in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, tells us about his work getting schoolchildren to plant trees to fight de...
https://wn.com/The_Campaign_To_Fight_Deforestation_In_Dr_Congo
https://wn.com/Gntap_Campaign_Kanyabayonga_Congo_2013
Uploaded Date: 21 Nov 2018
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo there say violence in the Eastern region has delayed the start of campaigning. The Ebola outbreak in North Kivu ...
https://wn.com/Violence_Delays_Start_Of_Campaigns_In_Dr_Congo's_Eastern_Regions
The Best of Congo Project focuses on celebrating the development and international establishment of our rich, exuberant culture, traditions and modernized iden...
https://wn.com/Best_Of_Congo_Campaign_Video
DR Congo started their campaign on a high easing past Ethiopia 3-0 in the Group B opener played Sunday afternoon in Huye. DR Congo 3 - 0 Ethiopia Goals: Lusadi...
https://wn.com/Dr_Congo_Vs_Ethiopia_|_Orange_African_Nations_Championship,_Rwanda_2016
Thanks for tuning in! Watch Yesterday's PDS: https://youtu.be/78m80acYumM Watch The Previous Morning Deep Dive: https://youtu.be/wILkUIzh1Jo Support this conten...
https://wn.com/The_Congo's_Crazy_Election_Fallout_Explained,_Why_It_Matters,_How_It_Could_Affect_You
https://wn.com/Rd_Congo_Children_Campaign
republicofthecongo.org
congocampaign.com
chinamediacampaign.com
musiccongo.com
republicofthecongo.net
congogifts.com
beautecongo.com
globalcongo.com
congomusique.com
congocoop.com
informationcongo.com
congodaily.com
casinocongo.com
congoshipping.com
congo-republic.com
congoeconomy.com
congoyouthraining.com
transcongo.com
congoeel.com
drccongo.com
Never done an African Campaign so far so I decided it was about time now! Congo Conquest f...
Help us create a civilian-based, independently-funded Congo Tribunal. In the last 20 year...
The Uganda Cranes kick started their 2019 African Cup Of Nations campaign with a 2-0 victo...
PSA highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis in The Democratic Republic of Congo and A...
Our Observer Joseph Tsongo, who lives in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, tel...
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo there say violence in the Eastern region h...
The Best of Congo Project focuses on celebrating the development and international establi...
DR Congo started their campaign on a high easing past Ethiopia 3-0 in the Group B opener p...
Thanks for tuning in! Watch Yesterday's PDS: https://youtu.be/78m80acYumM Watch The Previo...
Latest News for: Congo campaign
Aguirre looking for better as Egypt seek to build on narrow opening win
FourFourTwo 25 Jun 2019
Egypt coach Javier Aguirre is looking for improvement from his players when the hosts resume their Africa Cup of Nations campaign against DR Congo on Wednesday ... “DR Congo could have done more in their first game, same for us against Zimbabwe....
Fr Donnat Mwanza -RDC( Congo)...
HoI4 - Modern Day - Congo Conquest - Part 1...
Justice NOW for DR Congo CAMPAIGN...
DR Congo 0 - 2 Uganda...
Congo Campaign...
The campaign to fight deforestation in DR Congo...
GNTAP CAMPAIGN KANYABAYONGA CONGO 2013...
Violence delays start of campaigns in DR Congo's e...
Best of Congo Campaign Video...
DR Congo vs Ethiopia | Orange African Nations Cham...
The Congo's Crazy Election Fallout Explained, Why ...
RD Congo Children Campaign...
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Kacey Musgraves Details Her ‘Most Intimate Album Yet’ And Highlights Her Range With Two Masterful Singles
Philip Cosores
Managing Editor, Music
Over her still relatively fresh career, Kacey Musgraves has had no problem accumulating accolades, including a pair of Grammy awards and an ACM for Album Of The Year. But maybe more impressive is what she has been accomplishing on an artistic level, marrying the appeal of mainstream country with a particularly youthful, funny, clever, and idiosyncratic point of view. In a genre that isn’t always known for rewarding those that challenge the status quo, Musgraves has somehow managed to have the best of both worlds, contributing greatly to her crossover potential.
Her story will continue on March 30th with the release of her fourth career album, Golden Hour, on MCA Nashville. Musgraves wrote and produced the album with the help of Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian. She is calling the release her most intimate album yet, adding in a press release that “I had a different mindset this time, which was feeling rather than thinking – leading heart first.”
That writing style is on display on a pair of new tracks, both of which diehards will already be familiar with, as she has been performing them in concert for a little bit. “Butterflies” is a woozy bit of romance about the uneasiness that love can cause, punctuated by a playful horn section. “Space Cowboy,” on the other hand, is more of a ballad, using some particularly country tropes (horses, pickup trucks, sunsets) and a play on the titular phrase that seems destined for massive success.
TAGSKacey Musgraves
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Zuckerberg and other tech titans launch FWD.us to lobby for immigration reform
Ricardo Bilton April 11, 2013 8:39 AM
Silicon Valley has a talent crisis, and only immigration reform can fix it.
So says FWD.us, the new political advocacy group founded by Mark Zuckerberg and other tech titans. The idea behind the group is simple: Tech companies are always looking to attract the best foreign talent, and easing immigration restrictions is the best way to do that.
“We have a strange immigration policy for a nation of immigrants. And it’s a policy unfit for today’s world.” Zuckerberg said in editorial in the Washington Post today.
While FWD.us focuses initially on immigration, the group says it’s also tackling issues related to education reform and science research — all in the name of making the U.S. a more attractive place to work, learn, and start businesses.
“FWD.us is an organization started by key leaders in the tech community to promote policies to keep the United States and its citizens competitive in a global economy—including comprehensive immigration reform and education reform,” the group says.
Joining Zuckerberg’s efforts are tech heavyweights like Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, Google’s Eric Schmidt, Netflix’s Reed Hastings, and people from just about every major tech company in Silicon Valley. It’s a surprisingly massive collection of executives, all of whom have some big things to gain from a significant influx of foreign talent.
“As leaders of an industry that has benefited from this economic shift, we believe that we have a responsibility to work together to ensure that all members of our society gain from the rewards of the modern knowledge economy,” Zuckerberg wrote.
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Meet Our Experienced Unpaid Overtime Lawyers
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He also served as Co-Lead Counsel in the FLSA claim Williams et al. v. Sykes Enterprises, Inc. et al., a class action filed by call-center and at-home customer service agents who said they hadn’t been paid for performing their pre- and post-shift responsibilities. The class was estimated to represent nearly 51,000 employees.
He has been appointed Co-Lead Counsel in Lawrence v. Maxim Health Care, a class action FLSA claim in which Tim represents in-home health aides who believed they had been unlawfully denied overtime compensation.
In April of 2015, Tim was instrumental in obtaining an Order Granting Motion for Partial Summary Judgment in Flores v. Velocity Express, an FLSA class action filed against a delivery company that had allegedly misclassified drivers as independent contractors.
Honors & Admissions
Tim has been named a “Super Lawyer” by peer-reviewed ranking service Super Lawyers 7 times, including a five-year run between 2011 and 2015.
He graduated from the University of Illinois, Chicago with a B.A. in History, and went on to earn his law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, where he graduated cum laude.
Tim is admitted to practice in the state of Minnesota, as well as the US District Court of Illinois, Northern District, US District Court of Michigan, Eastern District and the US Court of Appeals, 1st, 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th and 10th Circuits.
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An attorney at Minnesota’s Johnson // Becker, Jacob’s practice is focused on violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, including minimum wage and overtime disputes. He was recognized by Super Lawyers as one of Minnesota’s Rising Stars in 2014 for his work in collective actions and mass torts.
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He also represents clients in defective medical device and dangerous pharmaceutical drugs claims.
Education & Admissions
Jacob graduated from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis with a Bachelor’s in Political Science. He was awarded his law degree from the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul in 2011.
He is admitted to practice in the State of Minnesota, as well as the US District Court for Minnesota.
David Grounds, Esq.
In his years as a defense lawyer, David represented Fortune 500 companies and private individuals in contentious business litigation. Now he serves as an advocate for working families and individuals harmed by dangerous pharmaceuticals.
In 2014, he was named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100, an invitation-only organization of the premier plaintiffs’ attorneys in the nation.
He formerly served as the Assistant City Attorney for St. Paul. David helped found a colon cancer awareness non-profit, and served both as general counsel and board member for nearly 10 years.
Education & Admission
David received a BA in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He was then awarded an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and went on to earn his law degree at St. Paul’s Hamline University School of Law.
He is admitted to practice in the State of Minnesota, US District Court for the State of Minnesota, US District Court for the State of Wisconsin, Western Division, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and the US Tax Court.
Michael Monheit, Esq.
Managing Partner at Monheit Law, a Pennsylvania law firm, Michael has pursued justice for his clients for over 20 years. He has gained national recognition for his tireless litigation of mass torts involving dangerous pharmaceutical products.
Throughout his decades of advocacy, Michael’s commitment has remained to his clients. Treating every client as an individual, with respect and an emphasis on clear communication, Michael is proud to stand for the rights of workers.
Michael graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business with a B.S. in Economics. He received his J.D. from the Temple University School of Law.
He is licensed to practice law in the States of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Laurence Banville, Esq.
Laurence is the Managing Partner at New York’s Banville Law, a personal injury firm devoted to offering professional legal counsel to those most in need.
As a former corporate defense attorney, Laurence noticed how many people were effectively cut off from their legal rights by “legalese.” So he decided to change that, by founding Banville Law and providing down-to-earth representation free of jargon.
Laurence’s experience as a defense attorney, in which he represented large asbestos manufacturers, provides the team at WageAdvocates.com invaluable insight into the strategies used by employers seeking to defend against civil claims.
Born in Ireland, Laurence earned his law degree from the University College Dublin, graduating with a GPA equivalent of 4.0 and receiving President’s Honors.
He is admitted to practice in the state of New York.
Wage Theft Is Intolerable. We Can Help.
Millions of American workers depend on hourly wages everyday – to pay the rent, keep the lights on and feed their families. Sometimes it’s a struggle to make ends meet. And while we often assume the best of people, hundreds of thousands of tireless employees are shocked and outraged to learn that their employers have been underpaying them in violation of federal and state law.
They should be outraged.
Wage and hour violations are an insult to the principles upon which this nation was founded, and an affront to the very individuals and families who make so many American businesses successful year after year.
Why Do I Need An Overtime Lawyer?
The Department of Labor has been tasked with enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act. In 2014, the agency recovered more than $240 million illegally withheld from low-wage workers by their employers. But that doesn’t even come close to what American workers are actually losing.
In New York, LA and Chicago, low-wage workers lost an estimated $3 billion to outright wage theft in 2014 alone. According to researchers at UCLA and the Center for Urban Economic Development, employees nationwide could lose as much as $50 billion annually.
That money is being stolen, and Americans families are suffering as a result. But the Department of Labor – understaffed, underfunded and overextended – only caught half of one percent of all the earned wages that went unpaid in 2014.
The need for an alternative is clear.
How Can A Wage And Hour Lawyer Help?
Civil lawsuits provide that alternative. In fact, reaching out to an overtime attorney is the only way most workers losing out to wage theft will ever see the money they should have made.
But employment law is complex. Our country’s labor laws are based on a simple idea: you work, offering hours of labor to your employer, in exchange for your employer’s money. Add in commissions, travel and training requirements, though, and the situation can become complicated very quickly.
An experienced wage and hour lawyer can help you understand your rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act – and seek true labor justice if you’re being denied the overtime pay you deserve.
Is Every Worker Entitled To Overtime?
No, but the vast majority of workers are.
The Fair Labor Standards Act contains several exemptions, which define workers who aren’t entitled to overtime. Employees who aren’t guaranteed overtime pay usually fall into one of the following categories:
certain computer professionals
outside salespeople
Many employers take advantage of these exemptions, saving themselves money on payroll, but that’s not always a legal violation. Other companies use complex accounting tricks, or misclassify their employees as exempt, breaking the law and depriving workers of their rightfully-earned wages.
Employee misclassification is fast becoming the most prevalent wage and hour violation in America.
Labor & Employment Law Basics
In most cases, workers are entitled to overtime pay for working more than 40 hours in a workweek. For the purposes of federal law, a workweek is defined as seven 24-hour periods in a row. Overtime should be paid at one-and-a-half times your regular pay rate, if not more. To pay their workers properly, employers are required to keep accurate, up-to-date records of hours worked.
When an employee works overtime, their extra wages need to be calculated based on that week alone. That’s true even for workers who get paid once every two weeks. Employers often average the hours from two weeks together, making a 50 hour week and a 30 hour week look like two weeks at 40 hours, to deprive their employees of overtime pay. That’s usually illegal.
Employers are required to control the hours of work, not employees. If an employer doesn’t want an employee to work overtime, the employer has to prohibit overtime. There are only a few exceptions to this rule. For example, if an employee fails to report their overtime hours – and there was no way for the employer to know that those overtime hours had been worked – the overtime wages may not be required.
Unpaid Overtime & Common Wage Violations
Most wage and hour violations involve the improper payment of overtime wages. In some cases, that means employers have incorrectly calculated the amount of overtime pay a worker should be making, while other companies simply fail to pay overtime entirely. An increasingly common violation occurs when employers misclassify their employees as independent contractors, a category of workers who aren’t usually entitled to overtime. Many workers who are classified as independent contractors today should actually be classified as employees, who are entitled to overtime pay.
Late payments are another issue. While the Fair Labor Standards Act doesn’t set out a specific deadline for the payment of wages, Labor Department officials have long held that employees should be paid both straight-time and overtime wages as quickly as is practical. State laws, however, may have more specific requirements. In most states, payment is required on a weekly, bi-monthly or monthly basis.
Other examples of overtime violations include:
forcing employees to perform work “off-the-clock”
refusing to pay for overtime that wasn’t expressly authorized
leaving breaks that last between five and twenty minutes out of an employee’s “hours worked”
“paying” employee’s for overtime work in comp time, rather than financial wages
Some wage and hour violations are truly accidental. Employers can make honest mistakes, but for the purposes of employment law, intentions don’t matter much. Every worker is entitled to receive the money they’ve earned – no ifs, ands or buts.
Am I At Risk Of Overtime Violations?
Wage theft is particularly common in certain industries, and some workers are more vulnerable to overtime violations than others:
warehouse workers
manufacturing workers
private home workers
Undocumented workers are at the highest risk of falling victim to minimum wage and overtime violations. But the Fair Labor Standards Act protects all workers equally, including undocumented people. To learn more about the labor rights of undocumented workers, click here.
Won’t I Get Fired If I File An Overtime Lawsuit?
Not legally. Employers are not allowed to fire, demote or cut the hours of workers in retaliation for the filing of a minimum wage or overtime lawsuit.
When employers retaliate in any way, subjecting workers to negative consequences in reaction to an employment lawsuit, they are breaking the law. They’re also opening themselves up to further legal liability, both criminal and civil. Employees who are demoted or have their hours cut after filing an overtime lawsuit may be eligible to file a second lawsuit for additional back wages. When workers get fired, they can even sue to have their jobs reinstated.
Contact An Experienced Unpaid Overtime Lawyer
We believe everyone deserves access to experienced legal counsel. That’s why our unpaid overtime lawyers only offer their services on a contingency-fee basis: you pay nothing until we secure compensation in your case.
In a successful wage and hour lawsuit, workers stand to win:
full back wages
interest on unpaid wages or liquidated damages (usually double the amount of back wages owed)
Learning more about your legal options comes at no charge. If you think an employer isn’t paying you what you’ve earned, contact our wage and hour attorneys for a free consultation today.
Reviewed by Jacob D., on Mar 03, 2016 .
Thank you! I worked a long time without proper overtime pay and Wage Advocates helped me get compensation."
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FILE - In this June 28, 2019, file photo, President Donald Trump, right, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan. Delegations from the U.S. and Russia are meeting this week to discuss arms control and the possibility of coaxing China into negotiating a new, three-way nuclear weapons pact, two senior administration officials said Monday, July 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
US, Russian delegations to discuss arms control in Geneva
WASHINGTON (AP) — Delegations from the U.S. and Russia are expected to meet this week to discuss arms control and the possibility of coaxing China into negotiating a new, three-way nuclear weapons pact, two senior administration officials said Monday. The New START treaty, the last major arms-...
Sweden won't sign UN nuclear ban treaty
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden says it will refrain from signing a United Nations convention on nuclear weapons because the treaty "in its current form is not ready." Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom says the text has "no clear definition of nuclear weapons and there are a number of...
Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Christians United for Israel's annual summit, Monday, July 8, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
US to keep up pressure on Iran as nuclear deal falls apart
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence says the U.S. will keep up pressure on Iran as the nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers appears to be crumbling. Pence said in a speech Monday to a pro-Israel Christian organization in Washington that the U.S. will "never allow Iran...
From left to right, spokesman for Iran's atomic agency Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran's government spokesman Ali Rabiei and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, attend a press briefing in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 7, 2019. The deputy foreign minister says that his nation considers the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to be a "valid document" and seeks its continuation. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran increased its uranium enrichment Sunday beyond the limit allowed by its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, inching its program closer toward weapons-grade levels while calling for a diplomatic solution to a crisis heightening tensions with the U.S. Iran's move, coupled...
Iran raises uranium enrichment beyond nuclear deal limits
FILE - In this April 9, 2018, file photo, released by an official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani listens to explanations on new nuclear achievements at a ceremony to mark "National Nuclear Day," in Tehran, Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif acknowledged Monday, July 1, 2019, Iran had broken the limit set on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by the 2015 nuclear deal, marking its first major departure from the unraveling agreement a year after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the accord. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
Iran poised to raise its uranium enrichment amid tensions
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran appeared poised Sunday to raise its enrichment of uranium and break another limit from its faltering 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, putting new pressure on Europe to save the accord amid a maximalist U.S. sanctions campaign on Tehran. A year after President Donald...
FILE - In this Aug. 18, 2013, file photo, Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gives an interview to The Associated Press at his office in Tehran, Iran. Velayathi said in a video online Saturday, July 6, 2019, that the Islamic Republic is ready to begin enriching uranium beyond the level set by Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
Top official says Iran ready for higher uranium enrichment
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A top aide to Iran's supreme leader says the Islamic Republic is ready to enrich uranium beyond the level set by Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal, just ahead of a deadline it set Sunday for Europe to offer new terms to the accord. A video message by Ali Akbar Velayati included him...
In this photo released by the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. Rouhani warned European partners in its faltering nuclear deal on Wednesday that Tehran will increase its enrichment of uranium to "any amount that we want" beginning on Sunday, putting pressure on them to offer a way around intense U.S. sanctions targeting the country. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's president warned that Tehran will increase its enrichment of uranium to "any amount that we want" beginning on Sunday, putting further pressure on European nations to save its faltering nuclear deal and offer a way around intense U.S. sanctions. President Hassan Rouhani's...
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Michael Phelps Net Worth
Dan Western
Source of Wealth: Professional Swimmer
Michael Phelps is a former American swimmer and the most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 28 medals. In fact, if someone asked you to name several professional swimmers, Phelps would most likely be the first name anybody would say.
With Michael Phelps’ Net Worth being $60 million, he’s one of the highest paid athletes in the world, and most definitely one of the highest paid Olympians of all time.
Michael Phelps was born on the 30th June, 1985, in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Rodgers Forge Elementary, Dumbarton Middle School, and Towson High School.
He has two siblings, who are both older than him. His mother Deborah is a middle school principal, and his father Michael is a retired Maryland State Trooper.
Swimming first became a part of Phelps’ life when he was 7 years old. This was majorly due to the influence of his sisters and to provide him with an outlet for his energy.
When Phelps was in the sixth grade, he was diagnosed with ADHD. By the age of 10, he held a national record for his age group in the 100-meter butterfly, and began to train at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club under coach Bob Bowman.
At only 15 years old, Michael Phelps qualified for the USA Olympic team in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Phelps was the youngest person to qualify for the team in 68 years.
In 2001, Phelps broke the world record for the 200-meter butterfly in the World Aquatics Championship Trials. That day he made history, becoming the youngest male ever to set a swimming world record.
At the 2003 World Aquatics Championships, Phelps won four gold medals, two silver medals, and broke five world records.
Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold medals, Olympic gold medals in individual events, and Olympic medals in individual events.
In winning eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, Phelps broke fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven first-place finishes at any single Olympic Games.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Phelps won four gold and two silver medals, and at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he won five gold medals and one silver.
As of 2019, Michael Phelps’ net worth is $60 million.
Here are some of the best highlights of Michael Phelps’ career:
James E. Sullivan Award (2003)
Best US Male Olympian ESPY Award (2005, 2009, 2013)
Associated Press – Male Athlete of the Year (2008)
Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (2008)
Best Male Athlete ESPY Award (2009)
Best Moment ESPY Award (2009)
Best Record-Breaking Performance ESPY Award (2009. 2013)
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award (2016)
Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year (2017)
Favorite Quotes from Michael Phelps
“You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” – Michael Phelps
“I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work and time into it. I think your mind really controls everything.” – Michael Phelps
“If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren’t willing to do.” – Michael Phelps
“I won’t predict anything historic. But nothing is impossible.” – Michael Phelps
“Swimming is normal for me. I’m relaxed. I’m comfortable, and I know my surroundings. It’s my home.” – Michael Phelps
“I have the opportunity to be part of swimming history. To take the sport to a new level would be an honor for me. There’s no better time to try this than now.” – Michael Phelps
View our larger collection of the best Michael Phelps quotes!
Michael Phelps Motivational Video
3 Keys to Success from Michael Phelps
Now that you know all about Michael Phelps’ net worth, and how he achieved success; here are 3 success lessons we can all learn from Michael Phelps:
1. Prepare for Success
Phelps is a beast when it comes to preparation. He trains everyday, and for long periods of time. He also used to eat a 12,000 calorie diet everyday to keep him fuelled for training.
Preparation is key. You have to prepare for success. It won’t just come to you.
2. You’re Never too Young
Michael Phelps was the youngest person to make the Olympic team in 68 years; he was also the youngest male ever to break a world record.
You’re never too young, so don’t let age stop you from going after your dreams.
3. Announce Your Goals Publicly
Phelps has always been very bold in the past about his goals, and was never afraid to admit them to others, no matter how ambitious or optimistic they were.
He also achieved said goals.
Let that be a lesson, to never be afraid of stating your goals to others!
Michael Phelps is one of the highest paid athletes of all time, with a total net worth of $60 million. He is now retired, and has gone down in history as the most successful Olympian of all time.
What do you think about Michael Phelps’ net worth? Leave a comment below.
Related Topics:net worth
Usain Bolt Net Worth
Dan Western is the founder of Wealthy Gorilla. Dan has been running Wealthy Gorilla for the last 5 years, whilst traveling the world and being able to call Bali, Indonesia, his HQ. To this day, Wealthy Gorilla has become one of the fastest growing self-development sites in the world; with over 40 million views worldwide, and more than 200,000 followers on social media. Dan's mission is simply, to inspire others to live their dreams and be the person to whom they say; "Because of you, I never gave up."
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Tag Archives: Maria Mark
Image March 10, 2015 We Are Straight Allies Leave a comment
Recently, we had the pleasure of featuring Maria Mark, City Commissioner in Atlantic Beach, as a Straight Ally after she advocated for the passage of a comprehensive Human Rights Ordinance in her city. During the photo shoot, she was joined by several advocates who have joined the growing chorus, calling for the passage of a comprehensive Human Rights Ordinance in our city.
A little more about each of the people you see in the image above (from left to right, top to bottom):
Ramon Day, Community Leader
Ramon Day is a fifth generation Floridian and native of Madison, Florida. He grew up in Jacksonville and graduated from Jacksonville University, then went on to earn his MBA in Finance from the University of Florida. His unique career experience spans the private and public sectors. Currently, he works an account manager at Allstate Insurance. Ramon learned the details of government and the highest standards of public service when he served as Chief of Staff to the late Congressman Charles E. Bennett in Washington, D.C. Ramon and his wife, Mary, have four wonderful children. They are well established residents of the Southside and are active members of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church. Ramon believes God created all of us equality and supports an HRO.
Maria has been a community advocate for many years and was elected to the City of Atlantic Beach City Commission in 2011. She helped draft and sponsor the Human Rights Ordinance that recently passed (4-0) on August 11, 2014. She was awarded the “2014 Voice for Equality Award” at Equality Florida’s Jacksonville Annual Gala for her dedication to equal rights for the LGBT community in Atlantic Beach. Read more about Maria HERE.
Ju’Coby Pittman, President and CEO of the Clara White Mission
Ju’Coby is a native Jacksonville-resident who graduated from Englewood High School, and then went on to pursue the Edward Waters College C.L.I.M.B. Program. Additionally, she was honored with a Doctorate of Humane Letters by Jones College. As the CEO/President of the Clara White Mission, her primary focus of feeding and meeting the needs of Jacksonville’s homeless population has been advanced by the implementation of a “Drop-in Day Center”, providing customized services for veterans. Community engagement has kept her at the forefront of Jacksonville’s progression as Ju’Coby has served on the transition team(s) of Jacksonville’s three prior mayor’s: John Delaney, John Peyton, and current Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. Ju’Coby believes that an HRO makes for more inclusion in our community.
Jesse Wilson, Advocate, Author and Motivational Speaker
Jesse is a Jacksonville native who has become a major advocate for issues surrounding children, LGBT equality, civic engagement, downtown development, and human rights. A survivor of the state’s foster care system, Jesse has spent an immeasurable amount of time in Tallahassee rallying the charge for laws related to children and has been influential in assuring many great pieces of legislation become law. He is also an avid writer and was first published at the age of 16 in his book of poetry titled The Storm Rolling In . He currently works for Family Support Services of North Florida and is a contributing writer for Void Magazine. Jesse was recently named the #1 writer in the 904 by Void Magazine, a top 30 Under 30 by Buzz Magazine, and the Best Local Author & Best Local Righteous Crusader by Folio Weekly readers. Check out his video statement HERE!
Allstate InsuranceClara White MissionJacksonvilleJacksonville FloridaJacksonville HROJacksonville Human Rights OrdinanceJesse WilsonJuCoby PittmanLGBT EqualityLGBT RightsMaria MarkRamon DayStraight AlliesStraight allyWeRStr8Allies
Co-Workers, Communities
Video January 2, 2015 We Are Straight Allies Leave a comment
Congratulations to our newest ally, Maria Mark! Maria helped draft and sponsor the Human Rights Ordinance that recently passed (4-0) on August 11, 2014. Maria was recently awarded the “Voice for Equality Award” at Equality Florida’s Jacksonville Annual Gala for her dedication to equal rights for the LGBT community in Atlantic Beach.
To read more about Maria, visit: http://wp.me/p3PnKk-kd
For More info on how you can pledge your support visit our
TAKE ACTION! page today
For updates, Follow Us on:
Tumblr: http://wearestraightallies.tumblr.com
Atlantic BeachAtlantic Beach City CommissionerAtlantic Beach HROAtlantic Beach Human Rights OrdinanceEquality Floridahuman rights ordinanceLGBT EqualityLGBT RightsMaria Mark
Ally Profile: Maria Mark
Image October 2, 2014 We Are Straight Allies 1 Comment
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Maria was adopted at 18 months old, by her father who was stationed in South Korea. She started school in Germany but she and her family settled in Columbia, South Carolina, where her mother was raised.
Maria graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in business and moved to Jacksonville in 1979 to be with her parents, who had moved there a year earlier. She began her legal career at the Rogers, Towers law firm and eventually moved to the Beach to work for Anderson & Howell as a litigation paralegal. She obtained her paralegal certification from the University of North Florida and continued working in this field for over 25 years.
In 2006, Maria entered the non-profit world and worked for the St. Johns River Alliance and Preservation North Florida (n/k/a Timucuan Trail Parks Foundation) as the assistant program manager. In 2009, she was named as the interim Executive Director of the Timucuan Trail Parks Foundation and now serves as its part-time Executive Director.
Maria was elected to the City of Atlantic Beach City Commission in 2011. She has been a community advocate for many years and chairs the community event, MarshFest. This seven-year old, bi-annual event held at Dutton Island Park & Preserve draws over 1,000 people for a family day filled with free Americana-music, kayak tours and nature hikes of the beautiful parks and marshes in Atlantic Beach.
Maria is a member of the “Leadership Jacksonville Class of 2014” and most recently was selected as the honoree for the Economic Development Award by The Women of Color Cultural Foundation. She is a former board member of Beaches Watch, a Beaches civic organization and served on the St. Johns River Ferry Task Force, which was spearheaded by City of Jacksonville Council President Bill Gulliford. She is also on the A1A Corridor working group that is applying to obtain the A1A Scenic & Historic designation for A1A in Duval and Nassau Counties.
Maria lives in Atlantic Beach with her husband of almost 23 years, Bob, and they have a 14 year-old son, Garrett. She is also the caretaker for her 86 year-old mother. In her free time, Maria enjoys golfing, nature photography and bird watching.
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Bearcats Men Picked 6th in Preseason AE Basketball Poll
The America East Conference released its Preseason Men's Basketball Poll today. The poll was voted on by the league's nine head coaches who could not vote for their own team or team members. The Vermont Catamounts edged out the Hartford Hawks for first place honors. Vermont received six first place votes and 62 total points while Hartford got three first place votes and 59 total points.
Following the top two vote-getters were the defending champion UMBC Retrievers who garnered 44 votes, followed by Albany and Stony Brook who tied for fourth place with 40 votes each.
Binghamton received 29 votes good for a sixth place pick. The Bearcats were followed by Maine and New Hampshire who tied for seventh place with 19 votes each. Picked to finish last is UMass Lowell with 12 votes.
UMBC is the defending champion. They defeated Vermont in Burlington to earn the NCAA bid representing America East. The Retrievers then shocked the basketball world by defeating number-one seed Virginia. They became the first #16 seed to defeat a #1 seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament.
The America East regular season begins on January 5th. Binghamton opens conference play by hosting New Hampshire at the Events Center.
Filed Under: NCAA Men's Basketball, UMBC Retrievers
Categories: Articles, Binghamton University, Local Sports
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Overview of Matthew
D. Sermon on the Mount (5:1–7:29)
Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount (5:1, 2)
Nine happinesses (5:3-12)
“Salt of the earth” and “light of the world” (5:13-16)
Jesus to fulfill the Law (5:17-20)
Counsel on anger and on settling personal conflicts (5:21-26)
Counsel on adultery and divorce (5:27-32)
Counsel on oaths, retaliation, and love for enemies (5:33-48)
Avoid the display of righteousness (6:1-4)
How to pray and the model prayer (6:5-15)
Avoid hypocritical fasting (6:16-18)
Treasures on earth and in heaven (6:19-24)
Stop being anxious; seek first God’s Kingdom (6:25-34)
Stop judging (7:1-6)
Keep on asking, seeking, and knocking (7:7-11)
Golden Rule (7:12)
The narrow gate (7:13, 14)
False prophets; trees known by their fruits (7:15-23)
House on rock versus house on sand (7:24-27)
Crowds astounded at Jesus’ way of teaching (7:28, 29)
Stop judging: Or “Stop condemning.” Jesus was aware that imperfect humans tend to be judgmental and that many Pharisees of his day set a bad example in this. They judged harshly those who did not live by the Mosaic Law and those who did not follow the unscriptural traditions that the Pharisees promoted. Jesus commanded any who had the habit of judging others to stop it. Instead of continually finding fault, disciples of Jesus should “keep on forgiving” the shortcomings of their fellow man. By doing so, they encourage others to show the same forgiving attitude.—See study note on Lu 6:37.
+Ro 2:1; 14:13
+Lu 6:37
Jesus—The Way, p. 90
5/15/2008, p. 9
11/15/2002, p. 18
jy 90; cl 162-164; w08 3/15 26-27; w08 5/15 9; w02 11/15 18; w99 4/1 5; w90 10/1 22
w85 11/15 29; w78 10/15 27; g78 12/8 27; w75 92-93; g74 11/22 27; w73 335; ad 591; g66 6/8 7; w64 548; w63 273; g63 12/8 3; w59 175
+Mt 18:33, 34; Jas 2:13
5/15/2008, pp. 9-10
jy 90; w08 5/15 9-10; w99 4/1 5
w78 10/15 27; w73 335; g66 6/8 7; g63 12/8 3; w59 175
straw . . . rafter: Jesus here uses striking hyperbole to describe a person who is critical of his brother. He compares a minor flaw to something small like a “straw.” The Greek word karʹphos can refer not only to a “straw” but also to a small piece of wood, so other Bibles render it a “splinter,” or a “speck of sawdust.” The critic implies that his brother’s spiritual vision, including his moral perception and judgment, is defective. By offering to “remove the straw,” he proudly asserts that he is qualified to help his brother see things more clearly and to judge matters correctly. Jesus, however, says that the critic’s own spiritual vision and judgment are impaired by a symbolic “rafter,” a log or beam that might be used to support a roof. (Mt 7:4, 5) Some suggest that this powerful, even humorous contrast, indicates that Jesus was familiar with the work done in a carpenter’s shop.
your brother’s: In this context, the Greek word a·del·phosʹ (brother) refers to a spiritual relationship and denotes a fellow worshipper of God. In a general sense, the term could also refer to one’s fellow man.—See study note on Mt 5:23.
+Lu 6:41, 42
9/1/2002, p. 11
it-1 790; w08 5/15 10; w02 9/1 11; w02 11/15 18; w90 10/1 22
w84 6/1 19; w78 10/15 28; ad 551-552; g63 12/8 3; w62 174; w61 150; w60 709
look!: See study note on Mt 1:20.
it-1 790; w08 5/15 10
w78 10/15 28; ad 551-552; g63 12/8 3; w62 174; w61 150; w60 709
Hypocrite!: At Mt 6:2, 5, 16, Jesus applied this term to the Jewish religious leaders, but here he uses it to address any disciple who fixes his attention on another’s faults while ignoring his own.
12/1/2015, p. 9
it-1 790; w15 12/1 9; w08 5/15 10
w78 10/15 28; g74 11/22 27; ad 551-552; g63 12/8 3; w62 174; w61 150; w60 709
give what is holy to dogs . . . throw your pearls before swine: According to the Mosaic Law, pigs and dogs were unclean. (Le 11:7, 27) It was permissible to throw to dogs the flesh of an animal killed by a wild beast. (Ex 22:31) But Jewish tradition forbade giving to dogs “holy flesh,” that is, meat of animal sacrifices. At Mt 7:6, the expressions “dogs” and “swine” are used figuratively of people who do not value spiritual treasures. Just as swine have no appreciation of the value of pearls, individuals who do not value spiritual treasures may abuse the one sharing them.
+Pr 9:7; Mt 10:14
+Pr 15:12
Awake!,
it-1 644; it-2 594, 1049; jy 90; g00 2/8 21; gt 35; w86 11/15 8
w78 10/15 28; ad 462, 1061, 1281, 1563; w63 452; bf 675; qm55 81; w43 339; w33 136
Keep on asking, . . . seeking, . . . knocking: The rendering “keep on” expresses the continuous action indicated by the Greek verb form used here and shows the need for perseverance in prayer. The use of three verbs indicates intensity. Jesus makes a similar point in his illustration at Lu 11:5-8.
+Mt 21:22; Mr 11:24; Col 4:2; Jas 1:5, 6; 1Jo 5:14
+Lu 11:9-13
w09 2/15 18; w99 1/15 17-18; g92 6/8 21; w89 12/1 18; w88 2/15 13
w85 11/15 28; w80 2/1 14; w78 11/1 22; w76 227-228; w76 726; g74 6/8 5; w72 155; g71 1/22 6; g71 6/8 27-28; w67 739; w65 505; w64 529, 643; w63 84, 527; ln 62
+Joh 14:13; 1Jo 3:22
w09 2/15 18; w89 12/1 18
w78 11/1 22; w72 155; g71 1/22 6; w65 505; w64 529
bread . . . stone: Jesus may have contrasted bread with stones because bread was a staple in the diet of the Jews and surrounding peoples and the size and shape of loaves could have reminded people of stones. The answer to Jesus’ rhetorical question is: “It would be unthinkable for a father to do such a thing.”—See study note on Mt 7:10.
w90 5/15 14-15; w86 11/15 8
w78 11/1 22; w52 80
fish . . . serpent: Fish was a staple in the diet of people living around the Sea of Galilee. Some small serpents may have looked like the fish that were often eaten with bread. The rhetorical question implies that it would be unthinkable for a loving parent to do such a thing.
w78 11/1 22; w52 80; w51 320
you, although being wicked: Because of inherited sin, all humans are imperfect and, consequently, comparatively wicked.
how much more so: Jesus often used this line of reasoning. First he presents an obvious fact or a familiar truth, and then he draws an even more convincing conclusion based on that fact, arguing from the lesser to the greater.—Mt 10:25; 12:12; Lu 11:13; 12:28.
+Jas 1:17
+Lu 11:13
it-1 854; w09 2/15 19; w90 5/15 14-15
w79 2/1 6; w78 11/1 22-23; g75 9/22 3; w72 155; g60 8/8 28; w51 320; w46 278
the Law and the Prophets: See study note on Mt 5:17.
+Ro 13:10; Ga 5:14
Jesus—The Way, pp. 90-91
12/1/2001, pp. 3-7
jy 90-91; w14 5/15 11-12; w14 6/15 18; w08 5/15 11; w07 10/1 5; w04 6/1 32; w01 8/15 4; w01 12/1 3-7; gt 35; w90 4/1 13; w90 10/1 23; w89 6/15 13; w89 11/1 3-7; gm 167-168; g89 6/8 26; w86 11/15 8-9
w79 3/1 6; w78 11/1 23; fl 31-32; w77 85; w77 722; g77 7/8 7; gh 175; g76 5/22 3-4; km 9/76 3; g73 3/22 7; ad 231; g66 6/8 8; w65 210; g65 1/22 6; g65 5/8 4; w64 547; g64 7/8 27; g64 9/8 4; w63 388, 484, 572; w62 291, 703; g62 3/22 16; w61 283, 355; g61 11/22 3; g60 1/22 27; w56 452; rm 215; w47 331; w42 125
Go in through the narrow gate: In ancient times, roadways with gates were the means of entry into walled cities. The Bible uses such expressions as road or “path” or “way” to describe people’s life course and conduct. The image of two contrasting roads pictures life courses that are either approved or disapproved by God, determining whether an individual gains entry into God’s Kingdom.—Ps 1:1, 6; Jer 21:8; Mt 7:21.
broad is the gate and spacious is the road: Although some manuscripts read “broad and spacious is the road,” the longer reading has strong manuscript support and harmonizes with the parallelism at Mt 7:14.—See App. A3.
New World Translation, pp. 1720, 1730
8/1/2009, pp. 3-4
nwt 1720, 1730; w09 8/1 3-4; w08 5/1 22; w99 4/15 9; w99 10/1 30-31; w97 7/1 31; w95 9/1 3-4; w90 3/15 31; w90 10/1 23; sh 261; g89 11/22 31
w82 4/1 28; w81 3/15 3-4; w80 1/15 21; w80 3/1 29; hp 168-170, 174-175; w79 8/15 16; w78 11/15 29-30; w74 362; w73 437-438; ad 61, 931; w70 147-148; g70 8/22 6; w67 172, 362; g65 4/22 28; g64 4/22 28; w63 392; g63 3/22 19; g63 10/22 6; g62 9/8 28; w61 69; w57 228; w53 85, 361; w52 173
+Ac 14:22; 1Pe 4:18
it-2 168; w09 8/1 3-4; w99 4/15 9; w99 10/1 30-31; w95 9/1 5-7; w90 3/15 31; w90 10/1 23; sh 261; w88 10/1 27-29
w83 9/15 10; w81 3/15 3-4; w80 1/15 21; hp 168-170, 174-175; w78 1/1 31; w78 11/15 29-30; w77 621; w73 437-438; w70 147-148; g70 8/22 6; w67 362, 502; g65 4/22 28; w64 585; w63 84; ln 62; g63 10/22 6; w62 454; g62 9/8 28; w61 69; w58 35; w57 227; w53 85, 361
in sheep’s covering: Or “in sheep’s clothing,” that is, disguised in figurative garments and exhibiting sheeplike qualities in order to give the impression of being a harmless member of God’s “flock” of worshippers.
ravenous wolves: A metaphor describing those who are extremely covetous and who exploit others for personal gain.
+Mt 24:11; 2Pe 2:1; 1Jo 4:1
+Ac 20:29, 30
it-2 917; gt 35; w90 10/1 23; w86 11/15 9
w83 9/15 10; w78 11/15 30; ad 84, 667, 1348, 1484, 1580, 1664; w64 645; w57 614; w52 68
fruits: Here used figuratively of people’s works, their words, or the results of what they do and say.
Fig Tree, Grapevine, and Thornbush
w08 1/15 29; w94 6/1 10-11; w90 2/1 16-20; w88 2/1 16-19
w83 4/15 13; w79 7/1 23-24; w78 11/15 30-31; ad 1348; w64 526; w60 40; w57 614; w43 215; cg36 26
+Mt 12:33
w79 7/1 23-24; w78 11/15 30-31; ad 538, 1394, 1614; w62 348; g62 5/22 27; w60 177, 206; w43 215
w78 11/15 30-31; ad 1394; w60 206; w41 269; w37 216
+Mt 3:10; Lu 13:6, 9
w90 2/1 15-20
w83 8/15 20; cj 120; w78 11/15 30-31; ad 1328; w64 294, 526; w54 438
6/1/2009, pp. 14-15
w09 6/1 14-15; w87 7/15 29-31; w86 3/15 20
tr 15; cj 120; w78 11/15 30-31; w69 167; w64 646; g63 1/22 8; g61 11/8 6; g57 4/22 13; w48 285; w37 216; w33 109
+Ro 2:13; Jas 1:22; 2:24; 1Jo 2:17; 5:3
it-2 521; kl 46; pe 30-31
w78 12/1 14; g73 1/8 27; ad 461, 869, 924, 932, 1075, 1240, 1406, 1671, 1674; g65 4/22 28; w64 91, 252; g63 7/8 6; g63 7/22 6; g63 9/8 28; w62 348, 430; g61 11/8 7; g61 11/22 4; w60 206, 485, 531, 616; w57 500; w53 308; w48 285; w37 275
Or “many miracles.”
+Jer 14:14; 27:15
it-2 696, 1029; w95 10/15 26; kl 46; pe 30-31; w88 10/1 27
w81 9/1 7; w78 12/1 14-15; g77 5/22 27; g75 6/22 8; w74 326-327; w74 447; g74 4/22 27; w73 102; g73 1/8 27; ad 442, 655, 1328; g67 6/22 8; g63 7/22 6; g62 5/22 4; w60 485, 531, 616; w56 116; w55 568; dh 54
lawlessness: See study note on Mt 24:12.
Or “recognized.”
+Lu 13:25-27
“My Follower,” pp. 185-187
cf 185-187; pe 30-31; w88 10/1 27
w81 9/1 7; w79 8/1 11; w78 12/1 14-15; w75 118; w74 327; w73 102; g73 1/8 27; g72 4/22 25; ad 1348; g67 6/22 8; g65 4/22 28; g63 7/22 6-7; g62 5/22 4; w61 529; w60 485, 531; sr55 166; w52 171; w30 342
discreet: See study note on Mt 24:45.
+Lu 6:47-49
11/1/2008, pp. 29-31
it-1 373; w08 2/15 31-32; w08 11/1 29-31; w07 1/1 32; w07 9/1 31; w90 10/1 24
w78 12/15 12-13; fl 11-13; w71 638; ad 606, 924, 926; w69 137; g66 6/8 5; w64 275; g64 4/22 24; w63 83; ln 58; g63 7/8 5; w62 27; g62 8/8 8; w59 697; w52 515
rain . . . floods . . . winds: Sudden winter storms are not uncommon in Israel (especially during the month of Tebeth, that is, December/January), bringing high winds, torrential rains, and destructive flash floods.—See App. B15.
it-1 373; w08 2/15 31-32; w08 11/1 29-31; w07 1/1 32; w97 7/1 9; w90 10/1 24
w78 12/15 12-13; ad 1658; w69 137; w64 339; g64 4/22 24; g63 7/8 5; w59 697
+Jer 8:9; Jas 1:23, 24
w08 2/15 31-32; w08 11/1 29-31
w78 12/15 13; fl 11-13; w71 638; g66 6/8 5; g63 7/8 5; w62 27; g62 8/8 8; w59 697; w58 215; w52 171; v-2 222
+1Co 3:13
w78 12/15 13; w64 339; g63 7/8 5; w59 697; v-2 222
were astounded: The Greek verb used here can be defined “to be filled with amazement to the point of being overwhelmed.” The continuous verb form implies that his words had a lasting effect on the crowds.
his way of teaching: This expression refers to how Jesus taught, his teaching methods, which included what he taught, the whole body of instruction in the Sermon on the Mount.
+Mr 1:22; Lu 4:32
Close to Jehovah, pp. 90-92
“My Follower,” pp. 46-48
cl 90, 92; cf 46, 48; w94 10/15 16-17; w90 10/1 24-25
w78 7/1 32; w78 12/15 13-14; w61 31, 120, 150
not as their scribes: Rather than quote revered rabbis as an authority, as was the scribes’ custom, Jesus speaks as Jehovah’s representative, as a person having authority, basing his teachings on God’s Word.—Joh 7:16.
+Joh 7:46
cl 90, 92; cf 46, 48; w94 10/15 17; w90 10/1 24-25
g79 2/22 28; w78 7/1 32; w78 12/15 13-14; ad 64, 931, 1327; w61 120, 150; w43 199
Parallel Account
Matt. 7:1Lu 6:37
Matt. 7:3Lu 6:41, 42
Matt. 7:12Lu 6:31
Matt. 7:24Lu 6:47-49
Matt. 7:1Ro 2:1; 14:13
Matt. 7:2Mt 18:33, 34; Jas 2:13
Matt. 7:2Mr 4:24; Ga 6:7
Matt. 7:6Pr 9:7; Mt 10:14
Matt. 7:6Pr 15:12
Matt. 7:7Mt 21:22; Mr 11:24; Col 4:2; Jas 1:5, 6; 1Jo 5:14
Matt. 7:7Lu 11:9-13
Matt. 7:8Joh 14:13; 1Jo 3:22
Matt. 7:11Jas 1:17
Matt. 7:11Lu 11:13
Matt. 7:12Ro 13:10; Ga 5:14
Matt. 7:14Ac 14:22; 1Pe 4:18
Matt. 7:15Mt 24:11; 2Pe 2:1; 1Jo 4:1
Matt. 7:15Ac 20:29, 30
Matt. 7:17Mt 12:33
Matt. 7:19Mt 3:10; Lu 13:6, 9
Matt. 7:21Ro 2:13; Jas 1:22; 2:24; 1Jo 2:17; 5:3
Matt. 7:22Jer 14:14; 27:15
Matt. 7:23Lu 13:25-27
Matt. 7:26Jer 8:9; Jas 1:23, 24
Matt. 7:271Co 3:13
Matt. 7:28Mr 1:22; Lu 4:32
Matt. 7:29Joh 7:46
Read in Kingdom Interlinear (int)
According to Matthew
7 “Stop judging+ that you may not be judged;+ 2 for with the judgment you are judging, you will be judged,+ and with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you.+ 3 Why, then, do you look at the straw in your brother’s eye but do not notice the rafter in your own eye?+ 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Allow me to remove the straw from your eye,’ when look! a rafter is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the rafter from your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to remove the straw from your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs nor throw your pearls before swine,+ so that they may never trample them under their feet and turn around and rip you open.+
7 “Keep on asking, and it will be given you;+ keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you;+ 8 for everyone asking receives,+ and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking, it will be opened. 9 Indeed, which one of you, if his son asks for bread, will hand him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not hand him a serpent, will he? 11 Therefore, if you, although being wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more so will your Father who is in the heavens give good things+ to those asking him!+
12 “All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must do to them.+ This, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean.+
13 “Go in through the narrow gate,+ because broad is the gate and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are going in through it; 14 whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it.+
15 “Be on the watch for the false prophets+ who come to you in sheep’s covering,+ but inside they are ravenous wolves.+ 16 By their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they?+ 17 Likewise, every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit.+ 18 A good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce fine fruit.+ 19 Every tree not producing fine fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.+ 20 Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men.+
21 “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will.+ 22 Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord,+ did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works* in your name?’+ 23 And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew* you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’+
24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does them will be like a discreet man who built his house on the rock.+ 25 And the rain poured down and the floods came and the winds blew and lashed against that house, but it did not cave in, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Furthermore, everyone hearing these sayings of mine and not doing them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.+ 27 And the rain poured down and the floods came and the winds blew and struck against that house,+ and it caved in, and its collapse was great.”
28 When Jesus finished these sayings, the effect was that the crowds were astounded at his way of teaching,+ 29 for he was teaching them as a person having authority,+ and not as their scribes.
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Development of Tourist Route
As for movement of tourists, users of e-bikes have been expanding in recent years. In order to secure the tourists and make the traffic environment better, inner roads in the heritage area have to be developed taking in consideration sustainability, maintenance, and harmony with the historical environment.
The solution to use crushed stone at the base and gravel and soil as a finish will make the road network in the heritage area improve without changing appearances from the current earthen road, and it will be expected to become a sustainable one.
Note: The project was cancelled in July, 2017 due to unforeseen circumstances.
View Point Development
Looking at the sunset from the top of the pagodas is one of the most popular activities for all the tourists. However, from the aspect of preservation of monuments and safety assurance of tourists, climbing up the monuments has to be well-controlled.
Through finding alternative fascinating viewpoints such as river view, village view etc., visualizing on the map as “Discover Bagan”, and distributing it to the tourists, it is expected that people will re-discover the attractiveness of Bagan.
Bagan Information Center
Bagan Information Center was established in Old Bagan, the historical core of Myanmar. Since the existing structure is located in the heritage area, minimal impacts to the surrounding environment is necessary. For the implementation, various performance improvements of the facility were achieved while maximizing preservation of the appearance of the structure.
Through exhibitions, seminars and transmission of information related to Bagan, it is expected to be used not only by domestic and foreign tourists, but also by local communities.
Traffic Management System
The increase in tourists has resulted in an increased traffic volume, impacting monuments and traffic safety. To mitigate traffic volume and to provide a better transportation system in the cultural Heritage Area, two demonstration experiments were conducted for 1) car parking control, 2) traffic regulation inside Old Bagan, 3) introduction of circular buses and 4) promotion of horse carts during sunset.
Based on the reflection on oppositions from private operators, an appropriate transportation plan will be developed for the heritage area.
Effective utilization is essential to promote Bagan as a tourist destination. Although there has been mass-media promotion through TV, radio, newspaper, and magazines, social media networks such as YouTube and Facebook have been playing a larger role in recent years. The short movies, which focus not only on Buddhist Heritage, but also the diverse lifestyle of the Baganese people, have spread throughout the Internet. Through the variety of uses of media, experience and know-how are also expected to be accumulated in the Bagan region.
Tourism Event
Promotion Material
Community Based Tourism
Public Awareness Campaign
Tourism Human Resources
Visitors’ Management Development
Outdoor Advertisement Control
Public Signage System Development
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You are here: Home » Destinations » Shigatse and Gyantse » Gyantse
Gyantse is surrounded by hills with vast valley around it. It is nestling at the foot of this natural amphitheatre. From the hills above Gyantse you can get a view of it. You can see whitewashed houses and narrow, winding streets of the old town. Along the western side of the town there is a new road leading to the main entrance of the Pelkor Choede monastery complex. The town is dominated by a high, barren peak. Along the ridge of the peak sprout the walls of the Dzong, or fort.
Gyantse fort was constructed in the 14th century to protect Lhasa from the South. Original wall was built earlier, and was approximately 3 km long.
Gyantse first came to prominence during the fifteenth century, when it served as the capital of a small kingdom. The kingdom was established by a series of enterprising warlords from the region. Historically, Gyantse was the third largest town in Tibet, after Lhasa and Shigatse. In recent years, many Chinese moved to Tibet and new towns grew at a faster rate than Gyantse.
The largest stupa in Tibet – Kumbum Chorten and Pelkor Choede monastery were built around 14/15th centuries. Nine major monasteries were built in the vicinity of the town throughout the history. The exquisite Kumbum and the daunting castle still bear witness to the powers that ruled at the time.
Gyantse is located on the trade routes, connecting Lhasa on the East, Shigatse on the West, and India on the South. That’s why it became the main center for Tibet’s wool trade with India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim.
In 1904 it became the focal point of the British expedition to Tibet under Colonel Younghusband. The British soldiers approached Tibet by the trade route leading to Gyantse. The battle happened near Gyantse, in which several hundred Tibetans were shot dead by the superior British firearms. After storming the castle, Younghusband and his troops billeted here for a month before proceeding to Lhasa. Finally, British and Tibetans reached an agreement. According to this agreement, British trade agent was stationed at Gyantse. The British also opened a small school there.
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“At the moment M.E. receives practically no funding in terms of biomedical research…the treatments that are currently available are often more damaging to the person than no treatments at all.”
Carol Monaghan MP, Member of the UK Parliament for Glasgow North West, has been speaking out on the lack of appropriate treatments and biomedical research available for people with M.E. at a debate in Westminster Hall today.
Carol Monaghan MP highlighted the flaws of the PACE trial and the influence it’s had on healthcare and insurance for people affected by M.E. before informing the gathered members that Professor Sharpe – one of the PACE trial authors - has this week emailed her to say her actions are “unbecoming of an MP”. In response to his message, Carol Monaghan said: ““If members of parliament are not willing to stand up for the most vulnerable members of society, what hope do we have.”
The debate went on to highlight the effect M.E. has on children and the way social services are often called in when a child is too ill to attend school, the lack of biomedical research funding provided by the government, and that “the treatments that are currently available are often more damaging to the person than no treatments at all.”
Carol Monaghan MP stated that “the hope of the M.E. community is that when the NICE guidelines are revised GET will not be featured” and described how “the lack of understanding shown by some healthcare professionals to a person with M.E.’s suffering is one of the greatest frustrations.”
Several MPs later spoke on behalf of their constituents to raise awareness of the impact of M.E. before Carol Monaghan MP delivered a message to the M.E. community: “I don’t see this as being the end…the fight for the people with M.E. continues.”
A full transcript of the debate is now available to read on the Hansard website.
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Affordable Online Master's Degrees in Emergency Management
Related Nursing & Healthcare Rankings
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The curriculum includes courses on a variety of topics, including hazard mitigation, legal aspects of emergency management, and biosecurity. Students must also pass a comprehensive exam at the end of the program. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree, official exam scores, graduate reference forms, and pass a background check to be considered. The university also accepts up to six hours of transfer credits from another accredited institution. JSU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
MU offers an emergency management master's online through its Center for Disaster Research & Education. Students can pursue this master’s degree in emergency management online at either a part- or full-time basis. Graduates are prepared to pursue emergency management roles in both private and nonprofit entities, including consulting firms, disaster relief organizations, and the military.
This comprehensive program leverages the real-world experience of faculty to teach students about disaster planning, mitigation, and response. The 30-credit curriculum includes courses on a variety of topics, such as terrorism, mental health and trauma, and communications. Graduates are eligible to sit for the International Association of Emergency Managers’ Certified Emergency Manager exam at either the associate or professional level depending on their experience. Those who want to earn a master's of social work can pursue the school's joint degree program. MU is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
SNHU offers a emergency management master's degree online that teaches students how to plan, prepare for, and respond to threat like hazardous spills, disasters, and security breaches. Graduates from this affordable master's in emergency management online program are prepared to pursue careers in public agencies and private firms on the federal, state, and local levels.
The curriculum includes courses on a variety of topics, such as applied emergency management, disaster response and recovery, corporate communications, and strategic human resource management. Students can complete this program in just 15 months as long as they enroll in two courses per each 10-week term. The school has a rolling admissions cycle and students can begin this program during any one of SNHU's five graduate terms. Acceptance decisions are typically made within days of submitting all required materials. SNHU is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Lander University
Lander University offers an online master’s degree in emergency management that teaches students how to prepare and respond to situations like chemical spills, blizzards, terrorism, earthquakes, and hurricanes. This online master’s in emergency management is ideal for those whose career involves nonprofit management, first response, government planning, or insurance adjustment. Students learn about intergovernmental relations as well as the interplay between FEMA, Homeland Security, the National Guard, and various other agencies in all phases of emergency management.
The curriculum includes courses on a variety of topics, such as phases of emergencies, intergovernmental relations among federal agencies, socioeconomic impacts of disasters, and the responsibilities of emergency management leadership. Lander allows students to complete courses within one year if their professional demands interrupt their study in any given academic term. Lander is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Part-time cost per credit hour $1,050
This master's of science in disaster medicine and management at Philadelphia University is delivered in partnership with the Department of Emergency Medicine of the Albert Einstein Health Network. This emergency management master's online program includes instruction on the effects of natural and man-made catastrophes like wildfires, floods, hurricanes, terrorism, and war. Students learn how to effectively respond to these calamities without losing sight of public health consequences.
The 36-credit curriculum includes lectures and hands-on skills labs that explore a variety of topics, including emergency management, public health, disaster exercises and drills, and psychological aspects of disaster. This program is offered entirely online with the exception of a week-long on-campus requirement during one summer term. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree and submit a resume, personal statement, and two letters of recommendation to be considered. They should have also completed coursework in college writing, college-level math or statistics, biology/anatomy, and behavioral science. PhilaU is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Adler University
The online master’s degree in emergency management at Adler University was the nation’s first fully online master's of arts in emergency management leadership. The program’s curriculum emphasizes disaster preparation, mitigation, and response. Graduates are prepared to pursue careers as disaster relief coordinators, emergency response planners, federal emergency management agency officials, and more.
Students can complete this 37-credit program in just two years of part-time study. The curriculum includes courses on a variety of topics, such as emergency management systems, effective communication, and psychology of terrorism. There is also a culminating capstone project at the end of the program. Graduates are prepared to earn a variety of certifications, including the Associate Emergency Manager designation and the Professional Development Series Certificate of Achievement from the Emergency Management Institute. Adler is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
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Who is Louis Farrakhan? Louis Farrakhan is the leader of the Nation of Islam, an African-American movement and organization rooted in elements of traditional Islam and black nationalism. The 84-year-old religious figure was born Louis Eugene Walcott on May 11, 1933, in The Bronx, New York. In his youth, Farrakhan studied music and became a violinist, guitarist and singer. He often sang political lyrics to Carribean-style music. He is known for having expressed anti-white, anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic and a
Could this long-lost photo have derailed Obama’s 2008 campaign?
Ernie Suggs, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Image might have fueled Obama Muslim narrative
It was a normal Wednesday on Capitol Hill when photographer Askia Muhammad told a freshman senator from Illinois: “You look just like the minister.”
The “minister” was Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who had been invited to speak at the weekly Congressional Black Caucus lunch in 2005. The senator was Barack Obama.
» Who is Minister Louis Farrakhan?
“He is much better looking than I am,” Obama quipped as the two men stood for what Muhammad called a “grip and grin,” a single frame.
Later that afternoon, Muhammad says, he got a call from a Congressional Black Caucus staffer, requesting that he send them the photo for safe keeping. Instead, Muhammad sent the image to Farrakhan but says he kept a copy for himself. Nobody had seen the photo for 13 years – until now.
Muhammad’s account could not be independently verified.
“I swore myself to secrecy,” Muhammad, 72, told the AJC. “If the picture was exposed, it could still be a deal breaker for Obama. I felt that there was an ambition that black people had about Obama being elected president. I did not want to be the instrument of his downfall.”
Video: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Muhammad would not identify the person he says called him from the black caucus.
“I don’t know at what level the decision was made or who was involved,” Muhammad said. “But it was someone from the CBC.”
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Lithonia Democrat, said a handshake does not equate to political support. But if the photo had been released ahead of the 2008 election, Johnson said, “it would have affected the outcome of the election.”
Muhammad, who is also a member of the Nation of Islam and a senior editor of its newspaper, “The Final Call,” published the photo in January as part of his latest book, “The Autobiography of Charles 67X.” The book is a retrospective of his 40-plus years as a member of the black press, including 28 as a White House correspondent.
Minister Louis Farrakhan in a 2004 photo. (AP file)
Photo: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
But the image has provoked a strong response from Obama opponents, who accused Muhammad, Farrakhan and “the media” of trying to protect Obama.
In a tweet, Jonathan Greenblatt, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, called on Obama to publicly denounce Farrakhan.
“Over his career, [Barack Obama] has denounced the bigotry of Farrakhan,” Greenblatt said in a tweet. “Time to do so again. Leaders always should make sure that there’s no doubt: America is no place for those who advocate #antisemitism or hate.”
Kelly McBride, vice president of the Poynter Institute and an expert on journalism ethics, said the issue of publishing the photo is not that cut and dried, considering that Muhammad was working for Farrakhan’s newspaper. She said there were several considerations, including the relevance and context of the meeting.
“But it is certainly something that would have been relevant to a group of people who probably would have distorted the photo and taken it out of context,” McBride said. “It would have been used and abused by a lot of Obama’s detractors.”
McBride said had Muhammad been working for a mainstream news organization, the photo likely would have been published years ago.
“I would never argue that as journalist we should withhold info because we know it would be used and abused,” McBride said. “They’ve got to try their hardest to keep the context.”
‘A horrible, horrible human being’
It was not hard to spot Obama’s potential, even in 2005. A year earlier, he catapulted onto the national stage after an electrifying keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, while he was at an Illinois state senator. By the time he was in the U.S. Senate, he was already one of the party’s rising stars.
Farrakhan, who led the Million Man March a decade earlier, was still a polarizing figure. While popular in the black community, he has been accused of bigotry and anti-Semitism.
“Louis Farrakhan is a virulent anti-Semite. He has called Judaism a gutter religion,” Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz told Fox News, adding that he would not have campaigned for Obama had he seen the photo. “He’s anti-American and he is a horrible, horrible human being.”
Two years after the photo was taken, on Feb. 10, 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency.
Obama with his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in Chicago in 2005. (AP Photo/Trinity United Church of Christ)
Plemon T. El-Amin, Imam Emeritus of the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, one of the largest and most progressive mosques in the country, said the photo should not have been an issue had it surfaced, but he admits that it would have been.
“The Jewish community had issues with Minister Farrakhan and Barack Obama had a lot of Jewish and young support,” El-Amin said. “If you look at what Barack had to go through with Rev. Wright, this would have double or tripled.”
Obama, who became the first black person to secure a major party nomination, spent part of his campaign knocking down rumors that he was a Muslim who wasn’t born in the U.S. The Farrakhan photo would only have fed that bogus narrative.
Obama and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright
Obama maintained a close relationship with Jeremiah Wright, his pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.
In March of 2008, several of Wrights’ more controversial sermons came to light, including one in which he said: “God damn America — that’s in the Bible — for killing innocent people. God damn America, for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America, as long as she tries to act like she is God, and she is supreme.” T
Obama was forced to denounce the man who officiated at his wedding and baptized his children.
Muhammad, who arrived in Washington to cover the White House for the Chicago Defender in 1977, said he was still getting calls as late as 2008, on the eve of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, making sure that the photo was still under wraps.
“I constantly worried about it,” said Muhammad, who is also the news director of WPFW-FM in Washington. “When he became a candidate, I was scared that somebody was going to discover it and do a Watergate ‘plumbers’ job on my residence. I was scared all the way up to Election Day.”
But even after Election Day and after Obama was re-elected in 2012, Muhammad continued to sit on the photo.
“Sure, I could have revealed the picture, but why?” Muhammad said. “I could have easily made $20,000, but what would have happened? Not an Obama presidency. And I would have been hated for derailing his candidacy. It wouldn’t have been worth it.”
Muhammad said in 2015-2016, Farrakhan started talking about the picture in speeches and in private conversations.
“That is when I felt a little more at ease. When I got ready to do the book, I told Minister Farrakhan – so long as he didn’t object – that I planned on using it in my book,” Muhammad said.
Staff writer Tamar Hallerman contributed to this article.
Note: Commenting on this article is being moderated by AJC editors.
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The Bipolar, the Surreal and the Light @ BYOB Party in July 2016 (Part 3)
Basav Biradar, a playwright in Bangalore, shared a book that we have heard a lot about at our BYOB Parties. Em and the Big Hoom is the story of Pinto’s parents and inadvertently a powerful gaze at mental illness. His mother ‘Em’ has bipolar disorder and his father is the ‘Big Hoom’. The book has been awarded the Hindu Literary Prize and recently Pinto was awarded the Windham-Campbell prize. The book was first published by a small press in India and what stands out about the book is the humor that runs throughout its pages. Basav read out a passage from the beginning of the book that revealed the affection that Em really had for the Hoom. Hearing the passage made me want to buy it instantly.
Archana talked about her love- hate relationship with Haruki Murakami. We’ve spoken about Murakami before as well and noticed that there are two kinds of people in the world- those who swear by Murakami and those who cannot understand him. Archana is neither- she loves the short stories he wrote in the book The Elephant Vanishes , yet she fails to understand his long and surreal novels. “I understand the things he talks about in his short stories like being trapped in a lift, but his novels are so very boring.”
The group came to the conclusion that Murakami fans had to be Gen Y; maybe books about lifts, cats, earthquakes and the strange subterranean inner life of Murakami characters were too outlandish for older people.
I was introduced to Murakami by a much older person, so I guess with Murakami no conclusions are adequate. Another comparison was made between Chetan Bhagat and Murakami’s writing style, both being very simple and easy to follow. But with Murakami, the story delves into the inner lives of the characters, and the language is repetitive in an almost hypnotic way. Chetan Bhagat writes simple sentences as he believes his readers do not need to be burdened; so I don’t think a comparison is warranted.
Sunny has a penchant for light reading and this time he brought along The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Everyone is familiar with the adventures of these two immortal characters. Most of us have read Twain as part of our primary school curriculum, though Twain’s books are devoured in equal measure by adults. Tom has everything that Huck Finn doesn’t and yet he envies the freedom of this son of a drunkard. Their adventures together are modeled on Twain’s own experiences. “There’s nothing existential about this book at all and there’s a bit of suspense to add to the thrill. I enjoyed the book as a child but rereading has been more enjoyable,” Sunny said.
Rereading a book that you had read as a child can be an enlightening experience. Archana talked about how she regretted rereading Doll’s House, a play by Ibsen. It isn’t her favorite play any longer. So the experience differs from person to person.
More books in Part 3.
Tags: Jerry Pinto, Mark Twain, murakami, Windham Campbell
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Light and Letters @ BYOB Party in April 2017 (Part 7)
Reader Interview of Piya (The Regular) and Roheet (The Newbie) @ BYOB Party in May 2018
Short Book Review: The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
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REAL TALK Publishing
Anuradha Roy
Anuradha Roy is the award-winning author of THE FOLDED EARTH and AN ATLAS OF IMPOSSIBLE LONGING, which has been published in 16 countries and named by World Literature Today as one of the 60 most essential books on modern India. She lives in India.
Books by Anuradha Roy
All the Lives We Never Lived
by Anuradha Roy - Fiction
This is the story of Myshkin and his mother, Gayatri, a rebellious, alluring artist who abandons parenthood and marriage to follow her primal desire for freedom. Though freedom may be stirring in the air of India, across the world the Nazis have risen to power in Germany. At this point of crisis, a German artist from Gayatri’s past seeks her out. His arrival ignites passions she has long been forced to suppress. What follows is her life as pieced together by her son, a journey that takes him through India and Dutch-held Bali. Excavating the roots of the world in which he was abandoned, he comes to understand his long-lost mother, and the connections between strife at home and a war-torn universe overtaken by patriotism.
We Are...
A site for 20Something readers. To us, 20Something is “A decade. A state of mind. An age. A lifestyle. A time for self-discovery. A new perspective. An attitude. A philosophy. Independence. Freedom. A time to rediscover reading for pleasure --- and finally, read what you want.”
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Christmas Carol Dickens Pdf
Charles Dickens a Christmas Carol Level 4 – Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL by CHARLES DICKENS – A free audiobook. This classic Christmas story has been a staple during the yuletide season and has seen.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a festive morality tale from 1843. View manuscripts by Dickens and. A Christmas Carol. PDF Download Available.
For years, it has been a holiday tradition for the Cudly family to attend “A Christmas Carol” at the Omaha Community Playhouse. The Fremont family of four enjoyed watching the play’s cast and crew.
IP A P A A ChristmasCarol This activity is designed to be used in conjunction with a performance of IPA Productions’ A Christmas Carol. For more information, visit www.ipaproductions.com. 1a.
welcomed the audience in front of the Sherwood House to the grand opening of the 21st annual Dickens Christmas festival but also brought attention to the fact it has been a whole year since the.
Somehow I missed the details of “A Christmas Carol” when I studied Dickens in grade-school in Spain — I was probably too busy reading “Don Quixote.” This week, however, I was fully introduced to.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens The Full Story of Scrooge A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – Christmas Customs The Full Story of Scrooge One of my old favourites is a story about Scrooge known now by all as the meanest and most bitter man in Victorian England. The traditions of a modern Christmas […]
Free A Christmas Carol study unit worksheets for teachers to print. Comprehension by. A Christmas Carol book report form (PDF File). "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens published in 1843 (high school interest – grade 3 reading level).
A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. A Christmas Carol recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas.
A Christmas Carol — Discussion Group and Hypertext eBooks. by Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol eBook. Charles Dickens eBooks. I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book,
Their latest production "A Christmas Carol," is an adaptation of the original story from Charles Dickens, featuring the cranky Ebeneezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas. It’s a tale of that.
A Raisin In The Sun Poem Analysis A Raisin in the Sun Questions and Answers – Discover the eNotes.com community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on A Raisin in the Sun Need help with Act 2, Scene 2 in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun? Check out our revolutionary side-by-side
Deep Down Every Poet Wants To Be Loved Shades Of Deep Purple – 1968 Tetragrammaton 8 (Good / Mediocre) Best song: Hush. Since I’m a dingbat that forgot to introduce the lineup in the introduction, here it is for you.The guitarist is one Ritchie Blackmore, who would eventually become one of the fastest, most intoxicating guitarists in the rock world, but for now
For the first time in its 35-year-history, Countryside Community Theatre (CCT) will perform a holiday musical — a local adaptation of the Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol,” on Dec. 14-22.
The paper deals with the way Dickens presents the concepts of social responsibility. society and unequal distribution of wealth in A Christmas Carol. Dickens.
A Christmas Carol. By Charles Dickens. Words and Their Meanings. Read each of the following. Choose the correct answer. 1. The word comical means ______.
The parts about the writing of the book, which Dickens did in six weeks time, engaged me the most and will engage anyone who writes or, for that matter, creates. While publishers turn down “A.
who plays Dickens, in the release. "For the past 25 years, we’ve had the opportunity to revel in the greater gift of simply caring for one another." Highlights of this year’s festival include.
Dec 26, 2018. Merry Christmas Charles Dickens-A Christmas Carol-Title page-First edition 1843. Poster (PDF Available) · December 2018 with 14 Reads.
. what’s not to like about “A Christmas Carol”? It’s Grandstreet Theatre’s Christmas extravaganza, opening 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, and running through Dec. 20. For some of us, it’s a Dickens of an.
1 A Christmas Carol is a very famous book by Charles Dickens who is a very famous. English author. Who are the most famous authors in your country or in your.
The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever.
Nov 13, 2018. directed by LAUREN KEATING. A Christmas. Carol. PLAY GUIDE. Dickens and the Christmas Tradition • 11. BUILDING THE PRODUCTION.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Adapted for Readers Theater by Richard Swallow Parts(28): Narrator 1 Narrator 2 Narrator 3 Narrator 4 Narrator 5 Fred
Read this book now. Read the HTML Version “A Christmas Carol” A miser learns the true meaning of Christmas when three ghostly visitors review his past and foretell his future.
CEDAR FALLS – Charles Dickens’ short novel “A Christmas Carol” is as much a part of the holiday vernacular as Rudolph, Santa Claus and Christmas tree. So much so, many people don’t realize Dickens.
As promised, the David Bell-adapted version of the Charles Dickens story includes choral versions of just about every classic Christmas carol you can think of — approximately two dozen in all if you.
“A Christmas Carol,” has become an annual holiday tradition for many. To order tickets, call 402-553-0800 or visit www.omahaplayhouse.com. The Charles Dickens holiday classic has been an Omaha.
1843 A Christmas Carol is written and published John, was a kind and likable. In A Christmas Carol, Dickens was making a conscious social critique about the.
OVERVIEW. Context and Social Background. A Christmas Carol was written in just six weeks at the end of 1843 when Dickens was in need of money. It was an.
Robert Frost Poem The Road Not Taken Critical Analysis Throughout Frost’s poetry it is clear to envisage that Frost himself had experienced great loss. His poem’s take you through some of the stages of grief he had experienced at various points in his life. You Are My Future Poem Don’t Forget Breath my air and feel My love Kiss my lips and taste My
Tintern Abbey Poem Analysis Line By Line In the beginning of "London, 1802" William Wordsworth cries out to the dead poet, John Milton, telling him that he should be alive, because England needs him now.He goes on to describe England as a swampy marshland of "stagnant waters" where everything that was once a natural gift (such as religion, chivalry, and art, symbolized
A Christmas Carol School Radio www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio © BBC 2016 School Radio I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book to raise the Ghost of an Idea which.
Oct 27, 2016. Detailed analysis of Characters in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Learn all about how the characters in A Christmas Carol such as and.
Donovan, Frank. Dickens and Youth.New York: Dodd, Mead, 1968. A discussion of Dickens’ extensive use of children in his novels. A Christmas Carol is considered in detail, in two ways. Scrooge.
The Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 American musical fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Jim Henson Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.Adapted from Charles Dickens’s 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, it is the fourth theatrical film to feature the Muppets, and the first to be produced following the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson in 1990.
A Christmas Carol Lesson Plans and Activities to help you teach Charles Dickens’s work. eNotes Lesson Plans are written, tested, and approved by teachers.
Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” is captivating, as it chronicles the transformation of the cold-hearted and calculating Scrooge, the inherent goodness of Bob Cratchit and the haunting visits of.
A Christmas Carol. BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES DICKENS. Born to a naval clerk, Dickens moved with his family to London at age 10. When his father was.
Charles Dickens wrote in the preface to A Christmas Carol in December 1843, “I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book to raise the Ghost of an idea which.
A few weeks ago, my now-high-school-age grandson Robbie, a voracious reader, asked me if I could let him read my copy of “A Christmas Carol” once again. He’d seen an old television movie of the.
Interviews with Members of the Creative Team for A Christmas Carol:. A Christmas Carol, adapted from Charles Dickens's 1843 novella by Carey Perloff and. http://www.guthrietheater.org/sites/default/files/playguide_ACC.2010.pdf.
BrickStreet’s production of A Christmas Carol is based on the story written by Charles Dickens in 1843 but adapted for the stage by Troy Thompson of Forest City. This version was previously performed.
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse production of "A Christmas Carol" definitely is no humbug. In fact, you will not even think about humbug after seeing this heartwarming production of the Charles.
Written by TADA Productions managing director Robert D. Rook, under his pen name Donald Koor, “Marley and Me” is Rook’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” featuring Lincoln theater.
PDF DOWNLOAD Reading Level 1.0-2.0. Bring the Classics to Life High-Interest Low-Readability. These high-interest 10 chapter novels are designed to excite.
Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – SOLUTIONY……. E….. T… J A C O B M A R L E Y…. R…. M…. R.
A new multi-media stage adaptation by Rauel LaBreche, of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” will be presented by the Sauk Prairie Theatre Guild at 7 p.m. Dec. 1, at 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 2 and at 2 p.m.
Dec 17, 2018. Charles Dickens' novella A Christmas Carol was published on December 19, 1843. It's a ghost story in which the miser Ebenezer Scrooge is.
Theatrikos Theater Co. will present a twist on the Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol." In this version, opening Friday, it’s Christmas Eve, 1843, and Charles Dickens is holding a dinner party.
Shailesh Lodha Poem On Mother You Are My Future Poem Don’t Forget Breath my air and feel My love Kiss my lips and taste My love Watch my eyes and see My love Don’t forget to be My love S.Eric Deep Inside My Heart An Eagle Mom’s Poem. It’s every mother’s dream to see, her son grow tall and strong.
Cambridge Core – English Literature 1830-1900 – A Christmas Carol – by Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens. Publisher:. Access. PDF; Export citation.
Maid Of Honour Poem Speech Pro Tips Specifically For The Father Of The Groom Speech. Below are a collection of tips specifically for the father of the groom speech. Some fathers are jokesters and while its perfectly fine to have humour in your speech do not go overboard. It’s been more than a week since Taylor Swift served as the
Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol. These images are taken from a 1933 British children’s annual – The Children’s Wonder Book. These images are now available.
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Click to copyhttps://apnews.com/0ccf9fe97e0f4d4689d8de64dafc0112
Sexual abuse by clergy
Victims call for Phoenix diocese to reveal all sex abusers
By BOB CHRISTIEJune 26, 2019
Jeff Anderson, an attorney and advocate for clergy sex abuse victims, speaks at a news conference in Phoenix on Wednesday, June 26, 2019, where he called on the Phoenix Diocese of the Roman Catholic church to disclose the names of all priests accused of abuse. Behind Anderson are victims, advocates and a former priest. Anderson released a list of 109 clerics he said abused children in the Phoenix area; the diocese lists 43 priests who have been "credibly accused" of abuse since 1969. (AP Photo/Bob Christie)
PHOENIX (AP) — Victims of sexual abuse and attorneys representing them on Wednesday called for the Phoenix Diocese of the Roman Catholic church to disclose the names of all priests who have been accused of child sex crimes.
The demand came at a news conference where Minnesota-based attorney and longtime clergy abuse victim advocate Jeff Anderson released a report with the names of 109 clerics he says have been accused of crimes against children.
The Phoenix Diocese has publicly released a list of 43 names of clergy who have been “credibly accused” of abuse since the diocese was formed in 1969 and removes them from their clerical duties. Priests accused before that year are disclosed by the Tucson and Gallup, New Mexico, dioceses, which oversaw parts of the region before the new diocese was created.
The diocese said it appeared the list contained names of priests identified on its website and those maintained by other dioceses and religious orders, and that none of those identified by Anderson are in an active Phoenix-area ministry. The Associated Press located one of the names left off the Phoenix list as one maintained on a list by the Gallup diocese.
But Anderson and other advocates say the Phoenix diocese owes victims complete transparency and should disclose every name, including those that have worked for other religious orders allowed to work in the diocese.
He said he believes the diocese has underreported the number of priests who have worked and been accused of child sexual molestation.
“It is time for transparency, and it’s time for disclosure,” Anderson said. “And this is our best effort to begin the process of full disclosure here,” he said of the list he released .
The diocese issued a statement saying that it hopes the news conference allowed victims “to shine a spotlight on the evil actions that have caused them and their loved ones deep suffering.
“We share in their anguish and anger. We pray that today serves as another step along their journey to healing,” it said.
The diocese also laid out the actions it has taken to stop abuse, including listing those credibly accused of abuse on its website , removing them from their ministry, training 30,000 priests, employees and volunteers a year on spotting and reporting sex abuse, and setting up an outside review board to review accusations against priests.
The news conference also highlighted a new state law that gives abuse victims until their 30th birthday to sue, a decade longer than before. It opens a one-time window for victims who’ve missed the cutoff, who now have until the end of 2020 to file suit.
“It provides a path to justice for survivors,” Tim Lennon, an abuse victim who is board president for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, said of the new law.
Lennon praised Anderson’s work revealing names of accused priests, saying that getting out their names will protect children. “As long as this information is buried, then our communities are not safe,” he said.
Anderson had done a series of news conferences across the country this year where he’s released lists of priests that local dioceses have not revealed.
“We know that there are so many more clerical offenders out there that have been accused and ... have yet to be revealed,” Anderson said. “This is part of a process in which there can now be accountability and transparency.”
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Sports - Europe
Sports - Africa
African Cup is the Salah show but trouble behind the scenes
By GERALD IMRAYJune 19, 2019
FILE - In this June 25, 2018, file photo, Egypt's Mohamed Salah chases the ball during the group A match between Saudi Arabia and Egypt at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Volgograd Arena in Volgograd, Russia. Salah's status as the main attraction at the African Cup of Nations in his home country of Egypt threatens to be overshadowed by yet another soccer corruption scandal. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)
Mohamed Salah’s status as the main attraction in his home country at the African Cup of Nations threatens to be overshadowed by yet another soccer corruption scandal.
On the field, Salah has the chance to lead Egypt to a record-extending eighth African Cup and do it in front of his own people. That would provide a joyous end to the season for arguably Africa’s best player, who scored in the final and won the Champions League trophy with Liverpool after narrowly missing out on the Premier League title.
An Egypt success wouldn’t just be for Salah. It would provide respite for a soccer-obsessed country of nearly 100 million shaken by severe civil unrest for nearly a decade.
Egypt’s turmoil, which began with the popular overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, affected all walks of life, including soccer. Egypt’s team, after winning a third straight African Cup in 2010, disintegrated amid the distractions at home and failed to even qualify for the next three tournaments.
With Salah at the forefront, Egypt returned to make the final two years ago, losing to Cameroon after a late goal. Egypt opens this African Cup against outsider Zimbabwe on Friday and Salah hopes he’s leading the home team’s attack in the final in front of 75,000 roaring Egyptians at Cairo International Stadium on July 19.
There couldn’t be a better stage for Salah to shine for his country. But there’s trouble behind the scenes.
The head of African soccer, who is also a FIFA vice president and an ally of Gianni Infantino, was questioned by French authorities while attending a FIFA meeting in Paris two weeks ago. Ahmad, who goes by one name, was released without being charged, according to the African confederation he runs, but appears to still be the subject of a criminal investigation and an ethics committee probe by FIFA.
French prosecutors haven’t commented on the investigation, which involves allegations of improper business deals negotiated by Ahmad as president of the Confederation of African Football.
He’s also been accused by a former high-ranking official at CAF of bribing African soccer presidents and misusing money — some of it to buy himself luxury cars in Cairo, where CAF is based, and at home in Madagascar.
Ahmad denied wrongdoing and said in an interview with The Associated Press last month that the two cars were a necessity because “the image of the CAF president is very important.”
“I cannot explain myself ... to everybody,” he said.
With scandal hanging over him, and members of his own organization turning against him, Ahmad desperately needs the first African Cup he’s presided over to be a success to shore up his shaky leadership of FIFA’s largest continental confederation.
There are other issues.
The African Cup features 24 teams for the first time this year, up from the usual 16, and that extra organizational burden will be carried by a country only awarded the tournament at the last minute.
Egypt was handed hosting duties six months before kickoff after Cameroon was dumped for being way behind schedule building stadiums. So, Egypt must put together the biggest African Cup in history in a rush.
The tournament will be played at six stadiums, three of them in Cairo and the others in the cities of Suez and Ismailia on the Suez Canal and Alexandria in the far north on the Mediterranean coast.
Unlike Cameroon, Egypt has the stadiums. Organizers just need to keep them safe after soccer games became a focus for some of the country’s politically charged violence.
Former president Mohammed Morsi’s dramatic collapse and death inside a Cairo courtroom this week also put the country on edge and sparked street protests.
And African soccer, with its reputation for shabby organization, needs to prove it can keep up with modern developments. Video review will be used at the African Cup for the first time from the quarterfinals. Its trial run didn’t go well when the technology failed in the African club final last month, causing a near two-hour delay and, embarrassingly, one of the teams to eventually walk off in protest.
Salah and Egypt, backed by their fervent fans, are the favorites. Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane is also a contender for the title with Senegal, as are defending champion Cameroon, Nigeria, Tunisia and Morocco.
The extended tournament also opened the way for three teams to make their debuts. Burundi, Mauritania and, in a sliver of good news for the president, Ahmad’s home country of Madagascar will all play at the African Cup for the first time.
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Morgan optimistic Roy will play a big role at World Cup
By JOHN PYEJune 17, 2019
England's Jason Roy celebrates hitting a century during the ICC Cricket World Cup group stage match between England and Bangladesh at the Cardiff Wales Stadium, Wales, Saturday, June 8, 2019. (Nigel French/PA via AP)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — England captain Eoin Morgan is optimistic his big-hitting opener Jason Roy will recover from injury in time to play the Cricket World Cup game against defending champion Australia next week.
Roy hobbled off after injuring his left hamstring while fielding in England’s win over West Indies at Southampton last Friday and medical scans showed a tear in the muscle. He has already been ruled out of games this week against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, which England is expected to win.
“I certainly believe Jason will play again in this tournament,” Morgan said on Monday.
He declinedg to speculate on which candidates could be drafted into England’s 15-man squad if Roy is ruled out. Morgan said he “absolutely” believed Roy could return to play an important role in the World Cup.
“If not (against) Australia, maybe the following game,” Morgan said. “It’s a matter of giving him enough time to allow him to get himself back into the tournament.”
Top-ranked England is playing Australia at Lord’s next Tuesday and then takes on No. 2-ranked India five days later in Birmingham, two games which are a critical test of the host team’s status as the title favorite.
Roy was staying with the squad, Morgan said, because he was a key player and because medical and team staff were “very optimistic” he’d make a relatively quick recovery.
Morgan also had to leave the field against West Indies after having muscle spasms in his back, but said his condition was improving and he was expecting to lead England against Afghanistan at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
“Drastically improved. I’ve had extensive treatment and medication which has helped me no end,” he said. “I’ve had a small hit in the net. Aiming to play tomorrow.”
James Vince will open for England against Afghanistan. Joe Root scored an unbeaten 100 in the eight-wicket win over West Indies, sharing an opening stand of 95 with Jonny Bairstow, who scored 45, and 104 with Chris Woakes, who batted at No. 3.
The injury to Roy prompted questions to Morgan about a possible recall for Alex Hales, who was withdrawn from England’s World Cup squad following what officials described as an “off-field incident” that led to a suspension.
At the time, Morgan said a group of senior players met and agreed that Hales be “deselected,” saying the batsman showed a disregard for team values and “this has created a lack of trust between Alex and the team.”
On Monday, Morgan said selectors always had “conversations ongoing in the background” regarding potential replacement players.
“I’ve not been part of any discussion because I’ve been fairly focused on managing players and everything,” he said when asked about a recall for Hales. “I don’t know.”
More AP cricket: www.apnews.com/cricket and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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Weekend memorial events set for singer-musician Dr. John
FILE - In this July 6, 2004 file photo, the legendary American Jazz performer, Dr. John, performs on the Auditorium Stravinski stage, during the 38th Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland. The family of the Louisiana-born musician known as Dr. John says the celebrated singer and piano player who blended black and white musical influence with a hoodoo-infused stage persona and gravelly bayou drawl, has died. He was 77. A family statement released by his publicist says Dr. John, who was born Mac Rebennack, died early Thursday of a heart attack. (Photo/Keystone/Sandro Campardo, File)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Weekend memorial services have been scheduled in New Orleans for singer and musician Malcom “Mac” Rebennack Jr., better known by his Voodoo-inspired stage name, Dr. John.
Rebennack, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, died June 6 at age 77. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival says memorial services are set for Saturday at the historic Orpheum Theater in downtown New Orleans. Public visitation starts at 7 a.m. and runs until 10:30 a.m.
A service running from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Orpheum will be invitation only but will be broadcast on WWOZ FM. There was no immediate word on any music and entertainment stars who might attend.
That will be followed by a public “second line parade” that will begin at the theater.
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David Ige
Controversial telescope to be built on sacred Hawaiian peak
By CALEB JONESJune 21, 2019
In this photo provided by Pi'ikea Keawekane-Stafford, state and county officials remove Native Hawaiian structures from Mauna Kea, Thursday, June 20, 2019. After years of protests and legal battles, Hawaii officials announced Thursday that a massive telescope which will allow scientists to peer into the most distant reaches of our early universe will be built on a volcano that some consider sacred. The state has issued a "notice to proceed" for the Thirty Meter Telescope project, Gov. David Ige said at a news conference. Ige said four unauthorized structures were removed from the Mauna Kea mountain earlier in the day. (Pi'ikea Keawekane-Stafford via AP)
HONOLULU (AP) — After years of protests and legal battles, officials have announced that a massive telescope which will allow scientists to peer into the most distant reaches of our early universe will be built on a Hawaiian volcano that some consider sacred.
The state announced a “notice to proceed” for the Thirty Meter Telescope project at a news conference Thursday.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige said it was the final legal step in a long, often contentious, process, and that construction is expected to begin sometime this summer.
“We will proceed in a way that respects the people, place and culture that make Hawaii unique,” Ige said. “We are all stewards of Mauna Kea. The state has an obligation to respect and honor the unique cultural and natural resources on this special mountain.”
Scientists say the summit is one of the best places on Earth for astronomy. The telescope would be three times as wide as the largest existing visible-light telescope in the world, with nine times more area. Several telescopes and observatories are already on the summit.
But opponents say the telescope will desecrate sacred land atop Mauna Kea, the state’s highest peak and a place of religious importance to Native Hawaiians.
State and county officials arrived at the summit early Thursday morning to remove Native Hawaiian structures that had been built on land where the telescope will be constructed.
Kealoha Pisciotta, a Native Hawaiian activist who has led some of the protest efforts, said officials were only allowing astronomers through and blocking the road to the summit for everyone else, including Hawaiians who asked to go pray. The Department of Land and Natural resources said one person was arrested by county police for obstruction.
Native Hawaiians have used the structures for years, Pisciotta said, and she considers the removal of the structures to be desecration and discriminatory.
“What’s the argument for taking them down? It’s completely discriminatory. It’s hostile to the Native Hawaiian people,” she said. “These are places of worship and the places where we lay our offering and our prayer.”
She said their rights to religious freedom are being violated.
“If someone went into a church and took down the crucifix or you know the cross, how would that be treated?” Pisciotta asked.
Pisciotta said an overnight solstice ceremony was planned on the mountain and worried that they would be denied access. The group was also planning to honor an elder who recently died.
“They know that we go up during solstice and equinox,” said Pisciotta. “We were preparing to head up tonight for the solstice and to honor him.”
A spokesman for the state attorney general’s office said in an email that officials will not restrict access for that event.
The new telescope will allow astronomers to reach back 13 billion years, to the time just after the big bang, and scientists say it will help answer fundamental questions about the advent of the universe.
“The world is not black and white. This is not an oil pipeline. It is a telescope to look into the very origins of life in the universe,” Ige said. “We have worked a long time to hear each other and to make a choice as a collective community. To the many who support this project, let us always hold all views as one. Let us always touch the mountain as we gaze out beyond the sky.”
Plans for the telescope date to 2009, when scientists first selected Mauna Kea. The project won a series of approvals from Hawaii, including a permit to build on conservation land in 2011.
Protests disrupted a groundbreaking and Hawaiian blessing ceremony at the site in 2014. Construction stopped in April 2015 after 31 protesters were arrested for blocking the work. A second attempt to restart construction a few months later ended with more arrests and crews retreating when they encountered large boulders in the road.
Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connors said the state Supreme Court ruling must be respected, but that people’s right to free speech is also protected and that the conversation should continue.
“It is important that it not stop even as the telescope is constructed,” Connors said. “For safety we encourage that this conversation happens somewhere other than on Mauna Kea.”
The attorney general said she hopes there will be no more confrontations.
“We are all in this together and we hope that everyone who comes to Mauna Kea takes responsibility for their actions, their words and their decisions,” she said. “The safety of our community depends upon people respecting the law and each other.”
A group of universities in California and Canada make up the telescope company, with partners from China, India and Japan.
Thirty Meter Telescope spokesman Scott Ishikawa said that they hope to begin construction as soon as possible but that they needed to work with county and state officials on exact timing.
“We remain committed to being good stewards of Mauna Kea, and to honoring and respecting the culture and traditions of Hawaii,” said Henry Yang, chair of TMT International Observatory Board of Governors. “It has been a long process to get to this point.”
Richard Ha, a Native Hawaiian farmer who lives on the Big Island and supports the project, said he thinks the telescope will provide an opportunity for the community to learn and grow.
He does not practice religion on the summit, he said, but he does visit Mauna Kea and respects the connection Native Hawaiians have to the place.
“Once you get above the clouds, you’re in a different world,” Ha said. “You’re in the universe and it’s just amazing to look up and see so many stars. It makes you feel like humans are just a small part.”
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Michigan high court taking up fight over private school aid
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to take up a major lower court decision that allows Michigan tax dollars to flow to private schools.
A coalition of public school groups and the American Civil Liberties Union had urged the state’s high court to reverse an October opinion by the appeals court. The court said private schools can receive public money to help them comply with health, safety and welfare rules.
In Tuesday’s order, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Stephen Markman said the court needs to resolve the issue with a “final decision.”
Critics say the Michigan Constitution clearly states that no public money can aid a private school.
The Republican-controlled Legislature and then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, approved $2.5 million in 2016 for state requirements at private schools.
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Fitbit earnings beat expectations on strength of smartwatch sales
October 31, 2018 /in Apple News /by
Fitbit is slowly righting its financial ship, courtesy of a successful push into the smartwatch category. The wearable company reported a profit (when adjusted for items such as stock-based compensation) thanks to growing sales in the new category.
Total revenues rose slightly to $ 393.6 million in the third quarter compared with the same period last year. The company did report a loss this quarter under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). But it was rosier than in previous quarters and showed that Fitbit is moving in the right direction. Net losses narrowed considerably to $ 2.1 million from $ 113.4 million this time last year. A good deal of the company’s revenue is being driven by the shift to smartwatches, which now comprise around half of Fitbit’s total revenue.
It’s a gamble that’s finally starting to pay off for the company. Fitbit launched its first smartwatch in August of last year. The Ionic was the result of three high-profile acquisitions: Pebble, Coin and Vector. It was an ambitious product that found the company embracing the one bright spot in an otherwise stagnant wearables market.
What felt like an extremely expensive Hail Mary for the company was ultimately bogged down by poor reviews (including one on this site), thanks to poor industrial design, among other issues. In an interview with TechCrunch earlier this year, CEO James Park admitted that the Ionic ultimately wasn’t a mainstream device. “It was a performance-oriented product,” Park said at the time. “That audience is much smaller than a mass appeal device.”
Its followup, the Versa, however, address many of the biggest complaints plaguing the Ionic, and has clearly proven a hit for Fitbit.
This is the first time the company has posted adjusted profitability since Q3 of 2016. Forty-nine percent of the revenue on the 3.5 million wearables it sold this quarter came courtesy of its smartwatches. Fitbit’s combined smartwatch sales currently put it in the No. 2 position in the U.S., behind only Apple. It seems the company’s gamble is beginning to pay off.
Tags: Beat, Earnings, Expectations, Fitbit, Sales, SmartWatch, Strength
https://www.applesecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/AppleSecrets.png 0 0 https://www.applesecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/AppleSecrets.png 2018-10-31 19:01:382018-10-31 19:01:38Fitbit earnings beat expectations on strength of smartwatch sales
Apple iOS 12.1: These Are The New Major Features Apple’s new iPad Pro looks better than ever, but 2 more features would...
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ArchCity Defenders Files Next Debtors’ Prison Lawsuit Against Normandy, Town Neighboring Ferguson
Today in federal court, ArchCity Defenders filed a debtors’ prison claim against the City of Normandy on behalf of Angela Davis, Quinton Thomas, Roelif Carter, Meredith Walker, and many other St. Louis residents who were victims of Normandy’s abusive policing and debtors’ prison practices. Asserting Fourth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendment claims, the plaintiffs were routinely profiled by police, issued traffic citations for minor offenses, denied legal counsel, charged excessive court fines and fees, and illegally jailed for their inability to pay debts.
In 2016, ArchCity Defenders filed a debtors’ prison class action against 13 towns, asserting that they were using St. Ann as a hub to jail thousands who couldn’t afford to pay court fines and fees. Last year, a judge ruled that the claims could proceed against St. Ann, but that ArchCity’s clients would have to file separate suits against the other towns. This suit against Normandy represents the first new complaint filed against those municipalities.
“Thousands upon thousands of people have been harmed by the unlawful and predatory practices of St. Louis area police, courts, and jails. This lawsuit against Normandy represents the latest in a series of cases targeting this unconstitutional practice,” said Blake Strode, Executive Director of ArchCity Defenders.
Stemming from a pattern of racial profiling and revenue-based policing, Normandy generated over $6 million in revenue from its municipal court between 2012 and 2016. This extortionary scheme has forced people like the plaintiffs to be apart from their families, miss work, and lose employment, vehicles and housing.
“After serving my country in the Air Force, I worked at Ford, one of the biggest motor companies in the world, and retired from it. As a husband and father, I proudly provided for my family. After having a brain aneurysm, I couldn’t work and was on disability,” said Roelif Carter, client of ArchCity Defenders. “As a black man driving, I was a target, but with less income it got worse. Even though I’d pay the courts as much as I could from my fixed income, I was still getting locked up. This whole system in St. Louis is inhumane, and it needs to change.”
ArchCity Defenders has challenged debtors’ prison practices in twenty municipalities throughout the region since 2014. There are currently class action cases pending against St. Ann, Ferguson, Florissant, and Maplewood; and an individual claim in Arnold, Missouri. In 2016, ArchCity Defenders, SLU Law Legal Clinics, and Alec Karakatsanis of Civil Rights Corps settled a landmark $4.75M debtors’ prison case against the City of Jennings.
A copy of the Normandy complaint can be found here.
Z. Gorley, Communications Director at ArchCity Defenders
zgorley@archcitydefenders.org
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Sorry, this video has expired
Wayne Swan joins Insiders
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan speaks to Barrie Cassidy from the G20 meeting at West Sussex about Australia's economic position.
Barrie Cassidy
Source: Insiders | Duration: 10min 19sec
Topics: international-financial-crisis, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia
BARRIE CASSIDY, PRESENTER: Now to our program guest and this morning it's the Treasurer Wayne Swan who was attending the G20 meeting of finance ministers.
I spoke with him from the conference at West Sussex earlier this morning and began by suggesting that despite Australia's call for a global response to a global problem, much of the talk this morning is of a split between the major countries.
WAYNE SWAN, TREASURER: Well you didn't see that in the meeting today, Barrie. It was a very encouraging outcome. Both developed and developing countries came together. They have a resolve to deal with this global recession as well as to reform the international financial system, and that is certainly evident in the communique today.
I've been coming to a number of these meetings over the last six months or so and today I saw a resolve that we haven't seen before. And I think it is a resolve borne of the fact that people realise how serious the international situation is at the moment.
Not only are we in a global recession; you've got the World Bank now forecasting that the global economy will shrink for the first time since World War II and there is talk of a further revision downward by the International Monetary Fund of its growth figures, only produced a few short months ago and then they were predicting growth of only 0.5 per cent.
So the economic outlook is pretty grim and that's why it was so encouraging today to see the 20 of the largest economies in the world come together, put aside differences and resolve to support a set of very responsible measures which will help support growth and demand in the economy; but more than that, to have some fundamental reform in areas that have been in the too hard basket for far too long.
BARRIE CASSIDY: But just take the stimulus packages, though. Europe worries more about building up debt than Australia and others seem to. There does not seem to be consensus on that fundamental issue of whether another round of stimulus packages is needed.
WAYNE SWAN: Well Barrie I was in the meeting today and whilst there are some reservations by some, most European countries have put in place very substantial economic stimulus, as has the United States, as has China and many other countries.
There was a long discussion about the need for economic stimulus and nobody disputes that. What we were talking about is what must come with economic stimulus. What are the other important initiatives?
And of course the other very important initiative we agreed on today was a set of principles to guide the international community in dealing with this question of toxic assets which are stopping the flow of credit in the banking system. And everybody was strongly supportive of those principles.
And the good thing today was Barrie that those principles have been put forward by Prime Minister Rudd and also the British Government and they form a very important part of the communique, and everybody agreed it's fiscal stimulus plus.
We've got to do something about the flow of credit in the financial system. We've got to reform our international financial institutions and IMF [International Monetary Fund] reform got a very big tick today and that's been in the too hard basket for a long time.
And in addition to that, very substantial agreement about the future of regulation in the international financial system - something that simply wouldn't have been possible a few short months ago.
BARRIE CASSIDY: But on toxic assets though, Britain's David Miliband says that approaches will vary and you don't need a single policy around the world.
WAYNE SWAN: No, approaches will vary within national borders, but you have to get the international framework right. You have to get the international regulation right.
One of the very important things that was agreed today was a framework when it comes to the supervision of international financial institutions and how that will be done. That's a first for the globe. That was part and parcel of the agreement today.
There are so many initiatives in here which come to grips with the fact, not only of reform for the future but what we must do currently to deal with toxic assets on the balance sheets of many banks. And there was a lot of agreement about that, particularly between the Europeans on the one hand and the Americans on the other, and that's not something that's been possible in the past.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Well on the question now of a global rescue plan, effectively more loans for the United States, there are splits there as well it seems. There was a reluctance to lend more on the part of some countries until they are satisfied that the money spent so far is money well spent.
WAYNE SWAN: Well [United States] Treasurer Geithner today made the point that he would be making further announcements in coming days about their financial system and their banking system, so I can't predict what they're going to be. But I think there was a fair bit of agreement on the international approach across all of these issues. I don't see the disagreement that you're referring to.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Well how much is Australia prepared to contribute to a world global rescue plan?
WAYNE SWAN: Well one way we would contribute would be through the IMF and there was certainly agreement to a very significant reform of the IMF in terms of representation on the IMF. It's been loaded towards the older countries of the world. The newer emerging economies want a seat at the table. We set a timetable for that.
There was also a commitment to significantly increase the resources for the IMF. I can't put a figure on what that would mean in terms of Australia but that may be possible as we go through to the leaders' meeting in a couple of weeks' time. But Australia will play its part through the IMF as we always have under governments of both persuasions.
BARRIE CASSIDY: One figure floated here says that Australia's contribution to be $3.5 billion and more if Barack Obama's proposal is adopted.
WAYNE SWAN: I think that, well I would say that is highly unlikely. If you take the new arrangements to borrow, our share of that is something like 2.5 per cent and that only relates to loans. There wouldn't be any impact on the budget bottom line.
But I can't predict what the final arrangements will be for the IMF but we will play our part, as we always have.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Well more generally now on the mood around the world, it seems that every time we get an update from the IMF or anybody else, the situation just gets worse. In other words, these organisations have repeatedly underestimated the seriousness of the crisis.
WAYNE SWAN: There is no doubt that's the case and essentially there has been a crisis of confidence which has been brought about by the crisis in the financial system, the inability to get credit flowing. That has hit, in turn, at the real economy. That has caused increased unemployment. That has fed back into the financial system. It's what they call in the jargon 'a vicious negative feedback loop'.
That's why this meeting is so important. We have to show our resolve, the 20 largest economies in the world, that we will act in concert, that we will do it in a comprehensive way and that we are determined to use the resources that are required. That's why this meeting has been so important.
BARRIE CASSIDY: And what are they now saying in particular about emerging countries, about developing countries?
WAYNE SWAN: Well the developing countries are really starting to feel the impact of this global financial crisis. When I was at the meeting in Washington last August and October, through that period it was the developed countries that were being hit and many of the developing countries were not then experiencing the full impact.
By last November they were starting to experience the full impact and now many of them are really copping it. So the developed world and the developing world is all in it together and that's why there was such a strong resolve across all of those areas to deal with this today.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Your most up to date forecast predicts unemployment at 7 per cent during the 2009-2010 fiscal year...
WAYNE SWAN: That's right.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Now surely based on what we saw this week it's going to go much higher than that.
WAYNE SWAN: Well I can't speculate about that Barrie. What I can do is everything within my power, and what the Government can do is everything within its power to cushion the Australian economy from the impacts of this global challenge.
But of course our forecast will be updated in the May Budget and we'll put them out then.
BARRIE CASSIDY: But if we continue to lose jobs at 50,000 a month as we saw this month, if that trend continues it's surely conceivable that unemployment could be as high as 10 per cent by Christmas.
WAYNE SWAN: Well Barrie I wouldn't be speculating along those lines. I don't necessarily think that that follows. But with this global recession and in the savagery of its impact, it can really have a substantial impact on employment in Australia. There's no doubt about that and we've been open about it and frank about it.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Is there anything that you can or should be doing to stop banks from sending jobs overseas? You safeguarded the security of the banks, but what are you getting from them in return?
WAYNE SWAN: Well in terms of the bank guarantee Barrie, we put that in place not for the banks, not for the bankers, but for the depositors and for the Australian economy and that has been a very important part of financial stability in Australia that has not been evident in many other countries.
But when it comes to the actions of any particular bank, when it comes to employment, I say to them - look after your employees and do your best by them.
BARRIE CASSIDY: You said some time ago that everything changed with the global financial crisis but one thing didn't change. You haven't changed your approach or your timetable to an emissions trading scheme. You're loading a lot onto business when they are struggling just to keep up their employment numbers.
WAYNE SWAN: Well Barrie we think we've got a balanced approach, one that supports business, one that supports industry and one that supports households. We know what we have to do is to reduce carbon pollution so we can position our country for the green jobs of the future. And we also know that business needs certainty. That's why we're proceeding with our carbon pollution reduction scheme.
Of course you've got the Opposition throwing it overboard at the moment. Malcolm Turnbull campaigned for an emissions trading scheme when he was running for the leadership and now it's under threat he's thrown it overboard.
BARRIE CASSIDY: But feared job losses is one of the major reasons why Malcolm Turnbull yesterday abandoned an ETS in favour of other approaches to climate change.
WAYNE SWAN: We think our approach is entirely responsible Barrie. There's support in there for industry, support in there for households, because we understand that business wants certainty in this critical area and that's why we're proceeding.
BARRIE CASSIDY: And the reports here before the conference started that Britain had placed Australia for lobbying purposes in the B team - has it felt like that?
WAYNE SWAN: Not at all. When Kevin Rudd speaks to Gordon Brown and I speak to Alistair Darling, that's pretty regular and we don't need a PR firm to help us with that.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Treasurer Wayne Swan, thanks for joining us.
WAYNE SWAN: Good to be with you.
Circus performer 'smiling' after suffering serious injuries in 11m fall during Adelaide show (photos)
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Digital media's Dickensian sweatshop
Alan Kohler
Updated February 07, 2011 08:39:00
Photo: Newspapers get on iPad bandwagon (The Midday Report)
The other big media event in the United States last week, apart from Rupert Murdoch's launch of the iPad-only publication The Daily, was the IPO of Demand Media.
In some ways Demand Media is The Daily's evil twin. Whereas The Daily is a lavish traditional media production and a wild, crazy attempt to recreate the newspaper model in digital form, Demand Media is the ultimate expression of the digital age, taken to its extreme.
Demand Media uses algorithms to predict what media consumers will search for and then pays between $15 and $20 for items that will appear at the top of the Google search results. It is media by robot, suggesting topics to an army of 13,000 freelancers who then write articles or make videos at a furious rate, trying to make a living on the measly piece-work rates that Demand Media pays.
Last week the company went public and was promptly valued at $1.9 billion - more than The New York Times, and the most successful IPO since Google itself.
Part of its success relies on an accounting fiddle: it capitalises editorial costs over five years. That is, where other media companies expense costs as they are incurred, Demand Media takes only a fifth in each year into its costs. That's based on the proposition that each article or video will have value for years because it will be available on websites for that long.
Apparently its IPO advisers - Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley - explained to the owners that they would get a better price if it were profitable, and it seems investors have swallowed this magic trick, for the time being.
That aside, it seems to be growing page views and revenue. According to the IPO documentation the company earned $198 million in the year to December 31, 2009, and $179 million in the nine months to September last year. Page views were six billion for the latest nine-month period, up 20 per cent on a year ago, and revenue-per-thousand page views increased from $10.33 to $12.60.
The number of articles and videos published is not revealed, so we don't know what they are making per item, but six billion page views in nine months represents about 22 million a day. Apparently their freelancers are churning out up to 10 items a day - a total of, say, 50,000 items (allowing for weekends and RDOs), which are therefore grabbing an average of perhaps 1000 page views per item.
Which means they're paying the content producers about twice what they're making on each item, which is why they have to capitalise the editorial costs over five years.
This is the less glamorous side of digital media - the Dickensian sweatshop.
Here's another example: last week the website Business Insider published a leaked slide presentation from AOL, entitled The AOL Way: Content, Product, Media Engineering and Revenue Management, which showed another example of the same thing.
The "AOL Way" is to increase "content production" from 33,661 "pieces of content" to 55,000 over the next three months and to decrease the average cost per "piece of content" from $99 to $84 while increasing the median page views per article from 1,512 to 7000. This will take the average gross margin from 35 to 50 per cent.
Meanwhile Rupert Murdoch, being a traditional newspaperman, doesn't care for such stuff. The Daily cost $30 million to build and the running costs total $26 million a year. A subscription costs $1 a week or $40 a year. Maybe there's someone crunching the "pieces of content" numbers, but if so they'll soon be carted off to the funny farm.
After commission to Apple and discounts, the break-even subscription rate is 750,000. Including the normal churn for iPad apps, News Corp will need to sell about one million copies of The Daily to make the barest of profits. According to Jeff Jarvis of the BuzzMachine blog, Wired magazine's subscription app sells 22,000 a month, down from a debut of 31,000.
So The Daily will need to sell roughly 34 times the sales of Wired - but every day, not once a month.
It's unlikely that this is even remotely possible, but you've got to admire Murdoch for the grandness of vision. In a digital world of penny-pinching, piecework and "pieces of content", he's an old guy taking a big, old-fashioned media punt. I'm coming over all nostalgic and teary.
Alan Kohler is CEO of the Business Spectator and the Eureka Report, as well as host of Inside Business and a finance presenter on the ABC. News
Topics: internet-culture, digital-multimedia, business-economics-and-finance, journalism, print-media, person, internet-technology
First posted February 07, 2011 08:17:00
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Nia Jackson
Nia Imani Jackson was born and raised in New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Academy for Performing Arts in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, where she had the opportunity to work with many choreographers and teachers. Jackson has been a member of the Freespace Dance Junior Company and The Well Performance Project. In 2013 Jackson continued her dance training at Rutgers University where she studied dance and education. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts in May of 2017 and her Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance Education in 2018. Jackson has worked with choreographers such as Carolyn Dorfman, Brian Brooks, Sidra Bell, Camille A. Brown, and more.
Along with working with various choreographers, she has also won multiple awards for her own choreography. Jackson is one of the newest members of the hip-hop company, The Wannabes. Her most recent performance with The Wannabes included performing for “World Of Dance Live” with contestants from the television show. In addition to performing, Jackson is a yoga instructor, completing her 200-hour yoga teacher training through the Om Factory Yoga Center in New York.
Kendall Klas
Kendall Klas is a graduate of James Madison University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Minor in Dance. Additionally, Kendall holds a Master of Science degree in Social Work from Fordham University and is a licensed clinical social worker. Klas danced competitively with Summit School of Dance and began choreography work in 2009. She has worked with Porch Light Productions in Glen Rock, NJ and choreographed multiple musicals in the Glen Rock and Millburn school districts. In 2012, Klas was nominated for Best Choreography in the Metropolitan High School Theater Awards for her work in Grease at Glen Rock High School. As a dance educator and choreographer, Klas believes in fostering confidence, improving self-esteem, and increasing understanding of movement and music through dance technique.
Lilli Markey
Lilli Markey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Theatre Arts from New Jersey City University and has studied at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. Markey has directed numerous children’s theater productions including Romeo & Juliet, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Una and the Goblins, Cinderella, Daisy-Head Mayzie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, How to Eat Like a Child, Aesop’s Fables, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Sherlock Holmes and the Emerald of Alcazar. Some of her favorite performing roles include Blackbird (Una), The Country Club (Chloe), Closer (Alice), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Suzanne), Popcorn (Scout), Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia), Much Ado About Nothing (Hero), Barefoot in the Park (Corie).
Markey has toured with various professional children’s theater groups including Theater Project of New Jersey, Women’s Theater Co., The Cameo Cast, and The Shoestring Players. She appeared in film for American Baby Magazine playing herself as a first-time Mom. Most recently, Markey starred as Donna Marsala in Tony and Tina’s Wedding at NJPAC and as the Velveteen Rabbit for Alliance Repertory Company at the Union County Arts Center. Markey has been teaching drama to children for over a decade, leading classes and workshops in improvisation, creative movement, theatrical make-up, and acting technique.
Mariah Dalton
Mariah Dalton is a graduate of Muhlenberg College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre, concentration in Acting. With a deep love for all things involving theater, music, and dance, Dalton has appeared in productions of The Addams Family (Morticia), Avenue Q (Mrs. T), American Dream (Mommy), and ‘dentity Crisis (Edith Fromage) while in college and various productions while a student at Summit High School. Dalton has a background in choral music and improv comedy in addition to her training as an actor. Recently, she has performed in cabarets in both New York City and Pennsylvania as part of the Fishbowl Collective, a theater collective from of Muhlenberg Alumni.
Music for the Very Young
Joyce Alexander, Early Childhood Music and Music for Special Needs
Joyce Alexander is a Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC). She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Therapy from Montclair State University and has also studied voice, theory, and performance at The New School in New York City.
Alexander received the Department of Music David Ott Scholarship and Outstanding Student Music Therapist Award while at Montclair State University. She has advanced teacher training in Kindermusik and Musikgarten. Alexander has served as music therapist in several settings including Bayonne Public Schools, Regional Day School (Morristown), American Day Treatment Center (Verona), Essex County Hospital (Cedar Grove), and S.A.G.E. (Berkeley Heights).
Margaret Persing
Margaret Persing holds a Master of Music degree in Classroom Music from the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford and a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from St. Olaf College. Former NJ Director and Teacher of MARY ANN HALL’S MUSIC FOR CHILDREN & Beyond™ for 12 years, she currently teaches OUT OF THE BOX MUSIC™, a new branch of MUSIC FOR CHILDREN.
Persing grew up in a musical family, studying violin and piano from an early age. She fell in love with choral singing while in high school choir under the baton of Dr. James Jordan, now of Westminster Choir College. While at St. Olaf College, Persing spent three years performing and touring with the St. Olaf Choir. She also played violin in the St. Olaf Chamber Orchestra. She has sung with the Pro Arte Chamber Singers of Connecticut and the Harmonium Choral Society of Morristown, NJ. She is currently a violin soloist and part-singer/soloist at Garden State Church where she also conducts the children’s choir.
Persing believes that music is essential to the well-being of the whole child, that every child is born with musical intelligence, and that the child is the most important instrument through which music flows and grows.
Emma Peterson
Emma Peterson holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education with a Voice Concentration from the College of New Jersey. She is currently teaching elementary music at Central Jersey College Prep Charter School. She served as a teaching artist at the Paterson Music Project and has taught in the Madison, New Providence, and Basking Ridge Public Schools. In college, she spent a semester in the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. As a performer, Peterson has appeared with New Jersey Youth Theater (A Christmas Carol) Stony Hill Players (Pirates of Penzance), Trilogy Repertory Company in Basking Ridge (Children’s Participatory Theater, Mary Poppins, Midsummer Night’s Dream), Light Opera of New Jersey (The Gondoliers, HMS Pinafore), and at TCNJ (Pirates of Penzance, Orfeo and Euridice). As a choral singer, she has performed with the Freelance Ensemble of New Jersey Orchestra, in the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center with the TCNJ Chorale, at Carnegie Hall, and in the onstage choir for The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Paper Mill Playhouse with the Continuo Arts Foundation.
Diane Michaels
Diane Michaels has served as the principal harpist with the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea since 1993, has played on Broadway in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and with the Queens Symphony, Metro Lyric Opera, the New York Verismo Opera Company, RTG Productions, the Garden State Philharmonic, and the Monmouth Symphony. She has also performed with Tony Bennett at Caesar’s Palace in Atlantic City and was a member of the All American College Orchestra at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center. Michaels has played aboard the QE2 and the Radisson Seven Seas Navigator, currently performs for tea at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, and has performed at New York’s most prestigious hotels and restaurants, including the Plaza Hotel, the Rainbow Room, the Waldorf-Astoria, the Ritz Carlton Hotel, and the Hilton at Short Hills.
Michaels is on the roster of Music for all Seasons, a non-profit organization through which she performs at numerous facilities including hospitals and shelters for victims of domestic abuse. She has toured with the New York Harp Ensemble in the United States and Italy and with the Paulson Harp Ensemble in New Jersey and Ireland. Ms. Michaels was a Masterwork Music and Arts Foundation Young Artist Recitalist and a four-time gold medallist in the harp division of the United Irish Counties of New York, Inc. Feis. As a winner of this competition, she appeared in the winners’ concert at Carnegie Recital Hall. She served as the President of the North Jersey Chapter of the American Harp Society 2008-2012, following four years as the Chapter secretary. In addition to maintaining a private teaching studio, Michaels is on the faculty of the Wharton’s Performing Arts School in Berkeley Heights. She also has published arrangements for harp ensemble and a book for beginning harp students.
Michaels received a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music where she studied harp with Alice Chalifoux. She attended Interlochen Arts Academy, where she was a student of Joan Holland, and National Music Camp, both in Interlochen, Michigan, the Salzedo Harp Colony in Camden, Maine, and the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin.
Craig Graham
Craig Graham has become one of the most versatile guitarists in the tri-state area. Comfortable performing many styles of music, including jazz, classical, bluegrass, Latin, blues, jam band, rock and pop music, Graham performs intimate solo gigs and with orchestras and bands in all types of venues. He has toured in Europe, Central America, the Caribbean, Asia, and the U.S.
In addition to performances with his own band, Graham has also performed and recorded with Jeff Andrews, Vince DelGato, Joe Deninzon, Craig Handy, Molly Holm, Carol Lawrence, Donny McCaslin, Danny Paradise, Bill Rogers, Bobby Ridle, Ben Vereen, and Rural Free Delivery. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and workshops with great musicians such as Dave Creamer, Pat Matheny, and Michael Brecker.
Rob Heinink
Rob Heinink began playing guitar at the age of eleven and as a teenager he played in local rock bands in Hackensack, New Jersey and with the bands Jona’s Ark, The Yorkshire Pudding, as an opening act for artists Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, and Gary U.S. Bonds.
After spending two years at St. Petersburg Junior College in Florida, Heinink attended Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studied guitar with Bill Leavitt, Pat Metheny, and John Damien. As a freeleance musician, Heinink has worked with The Drifters, Del Shannon, The Marvelettes, Chuck Berry, The Crystals, Leslie Gore, and–believe it or not–Tiny Tim.
He has appeared in recordings, Off Broadway shows, as well as the European tour of the musical Hair and productions of Tommy, Big River, Fiddler on the Roof, and Grease. He also writes and collaborates with others making original music. From 1994 to 2000, Heinink was the guitarist for The Royal Scam, a Steely Dan tribute band, and during that time Heinink was hired by Hal Leonard Music Corporation to write a guitar transcription book called The Best of Steely Dan. He composed and recorded a national radio jingle called P-TOUCH, with Corey Glover from the rock band Livng Colour, for Brother International Corporation.
Presently Heinink divides his time between teaching, which he enjoys as much as performing, and playing guitar for the jazz quartet …and All That Jazz, whose 2005 CD “Reflections” was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Heinink in his home-based 24-track recording studio. He is also involved in the mandolin/classical guitar project Music Of The Ages.
Andrew Nitkin
Andrew Nitkin is the original Founder and Director of the American Institute of Guitar in New York City, established over three decades ago. There he developed a specific curriculum geared towards the teaching of all styles of guitar playing as well as an international concert series that featured many of today’s great performers on the instrument.
Nitkin’s education includes having attended The College of New Jersey, Hunter College, and Mannes College of Music in New York City. His private studies included Howard Fraidkin, Leonid Bolotine, Ariadna Mikeshina, Mario Escudero, and Tiberio Nascimento.
Nitkin has performed in a variety of venues and settings over the years having performed chamber music with Juan Carlos Rybin of the Quartetto Amati, most recently The Sacred Hymns and Carols Choir of New Jersey, and on the Community Concert Series at the New Providence Memorial Public Library both as a soloist and ensemble player. Having been classically trained, his performing style is a mix of classical, Spanish, and Brazilian guitar.
Since having left the American Institute of Guitar in 2004, Nitkin joined the staff of Wharton’s Performing Arts School in Berkeley Heights in 2005 as a faculty member and an administrator. He believes that the study of music helps to enrich and make for a better quality of life for every person who chooses to pursue it. That is his life’s passion and mission.
Music Theory and Recording Engineering
Joe DeVico, Recording Studio and Engineering Techniques
Joe DeVico grew up in Chatham and Madison, NJ, where he began playing both percussion and piano at a young age. He also became heavily interested in recording and opened his first studio to the public when he was 13 years old, recording local artists at no charge on his prized Tascam 388 8-track reel-to-reel recorder. After graduating from Madison High School, DeVico went on to study Jazz and Percussion Performance at Indiana University. After graduating, he moved back to New Jersey and began a successful performing and teaching career, working with area percussion and piano students and performing throughout the tri-state area, focused mainly on Big Band and small group jazz. As a drummer, DeVico has performed and toured with James Moody, Freddie Hubbard, The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and many others. He was the drummer with Cecil’s Big Band featured on ABC’s Nightline. He is currently the drummer with The Jazz Lobsters and Asbury Fever and plays percussion with multiple artists and cabaret performances at New York clubs including Birdland and 54 Below.
DeVico never stopped recording, and shortly after finishing at Indiana University, he opened a commercial facility to allow jazz artists an affordable space to record their projects. During that time he began composing works for radio and TV. As a musician, recording engineer and composer, his original music can be heard on TBS, TLC, TeenNICK and We Networks and in national spots for clients including Coca-Cola and GE Capital. DeVico has spent the last eight years as an assistant to Grammy and Tony-winning arranger Don Sebesky, including multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway shows including Come Fly Away, Baby It’s You, Honeymoon In Vegas and An American in Paris.
Kevin Brown, Music Theory
Kevin Brown is adjunct professor of Double Bass and Music Theory/Aural Skills at Montclair State University and served as adjunct professor of Double Bass at Georgian Court College from 2003-2009. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies and Master of Music degree in Double Bass from the University of North Texas. Performances and recordings include the Staten Island Symphony, Metro Lyric Opera, Orchestra of St. Peter-by-the-Sea, New Jersey Pops, New Jersey Ballet, and the Richardson, Sherman and Wichita Falls Symphonies. He has appeared with Marvin Hamlisch, Regis Philbin, Joan Rivers, Bob Newhart, the Drifters, as well as frequent productions at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse.
Sean Hack, Music Theory
Sean Hack graduated in 2016 with a double major in Music Composition and Trumpet Performance from Illinois State University. He started trumpet lessons while attending Maplewood Middle School and, at the urging of a classmate who played in the New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), joined NJYS’s annual Orchestral Camp after the summer of sixth grade. He went on to participate in three NJYS ensembles—Philharmonia, Youth Orchestra, and its top ensemble, Youth Symphony—and traveled to Europe as a member of the youth orchestra’s 2012 tour of Vienna and Salzburg. Hack became a coach for the Orchestral Camp in the summer of 2009 and began teaching trumpet at Wharton’s Performing Arts School in the fall of 2016.
Alice Hamlet, Music Theory
Alice Hamlet earned her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Cello Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. Her instructors include Robert Marsh, Richard Aaron, Marion Feldman and Julius Berger and chamber music instructors Laurie Carney, Dan Ashalomov, Dan Epstein, Curt Macomber, Jeffrey Cohen, and Gerald Robbins.
Hamlet’s performances have included solo, orchestral and chamber music throughout the United States and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, the Cathedral St. John the Divine, Alice Tully Hall, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and Teresa Carreño Theater in Caracas. She traveled to Puerto Rico in 2011 to perform and record at Univision Puerto Rico as principal cellist with Cantico Nuevo. Featured as an on-stage performer in the Off Broadway production of La Poeta y La Compositor in 2010, she returned to the same theater to perform in La Llarona in 2012. Hamlet frequently performs with American Opera Projects, including a 2012 performance of David Del Tredici’s Haddock’s Eyes in which Del Tredici described her performances as “beautifully played.”
A prolific studio recording musician, Hamlet has recorded for over a hundred indie bands and singer songwriters and on the soundtrack for the 2013 Steven Soderbergh film Side Effects. She is the founder and director of NYC-based Ten Strings Music Studio and maintains a private teaching studio as well as serving on the faculty of Wharton’s Performing Arts School where she teaches cello and music theory.
Diane Michaels, Music Theory
Diane Michaels has served as both the principal harpist with the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea since 1993, has played on Broadway in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and with the Queens Symphony, Metro Lyric Opera, the New York Verismo Opera Company, RTG Productions, the Garden State Philharmonic, and the Monmouth Symphony. She has also performed with Tony Bennett at Caesar’s Palace in Atlantic City and was a member of the All American College Orchestra at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center. Michaels has played aboard the QE2 and the Radisson Seven Seas Navigator, currently performs for tea at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, and has performed at New York’s most prestigious hotels and restaurants, including the Plaza Hotel, the Rainbow Room, the Waldorf-Astoria, the Ritz Carlton Hotel, and the Hilton at Short Hills.
Michaels is on the roster of Music for all Seasons, a non-profit organization through which she performs at numerous facilities including hospitals and shelters for victims of domestic abuse. She has toured with the New York Harp Ensemble in the United States and Italy and with the Paulson Harp Ensemble in New Jersey and Ireland. Michaels was a Masterwork Music and Arts Foundation Young Artist Recitalist and a four-time gold medalist in the harp division of the United Irish Counties of New York, Inc. Feis. As a winner of this competition, she appeared in the winners’ concert at Carnegie Recital Hall. She served as the President of the North Jersey Chapter of the American Harp Society 2008-2012, following four years as the Chapter secretary. In addition to maintaining a private teaching studio, Michaels is on the faculty of Wharton’s Performing Arts School in Berkeley Heights. She also has published arrangements for harp ensemble and a book for beginning harp students.
Matthew Van Dongen, Music Theory
Matthew Van Dongen is the recipient of The Andrew Phillips Award for his solo violin composition, Three Nocturnes. He has been an educator in a variety of musical disciplines since 2004; past students include Chris Pennie (ex-Coheed and Cambria, ex-Dillinger Escape Plan, Fight Mannequins) and award-winning composer, Adam Kennaugh. Van Dongen’s students have gone on to become college music majors and educators themselves. Van Dongen is a select winner of the Vox Novus competition, “Fifteen Minutes of Fame.” His compositions have been performed in the New York Metropolitan area, including performances by Ruotao Mao, Yumi Suehiro, Shannon Roberts, Katie Lipow, Colton Martin, Michael McDonald, Eric Roper, Lucy Hole, Chloe Elszey, Ruth Ochs, and David A. Poli. Van Dongen has premiered his own works on classical guitar, and has made numerous recordings as an electric guitarist and session musician. Van Dongen’s 2015-2016 season as a member of the Westminster Symphonic Choir culminated in performances of Mahler Symphony No. 8 with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center which were recorded by Sony Music. Van Dongen holds a Master of Music degree with distinction in Composition from Westminster Choir College, a Bachelor of Music degree, Summa Cum Laude, in Classical Guitar Performance from Montclair State University, and an Associate of Arts degree, Summa Cum Laude, in Classical Guitar Performance from the County College of Morris. He has studied composition with Joel Phillips and Amparo Fabra-Crespo, keyboard harmony with Stefan Young, Schenkerian analysis with Anthony Kosar, post-tonal analysis with Ronald Hemmel, Medieval music and notation with Carolann Buff, and tonal music theory with Joel Phillips, Joseph Bilotti, and Richard Gradone. He is a self-taught electric guitarist.
Kristen Wuest, Music Theory
Kristen Wuest, a New Jersey Youth Symphony alumna who served as principal flute for two years, has been playing the flute since the age of nine. She performed with the New Jersey Youth Symphony in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in May 2003.
Wuest attended master classes with world renowned Julius Baker, Jan Vinci, Jeffrey Khaner, Bart Feller, and Paul Edmund Davies. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and a Master of Music in Flute Performance at The School of Music, Dance, and Theater at New Jersey City University where she studied under Katherine Fink.
While at Rutgers University, Wuest studied under Kaoru Hinata and was a member of the Grammy-nominated Rutgers Wind Ensemble. She aspires to teach flute at the college level and has built a busy career in freelance performance.
Timothy Cole, Director of Musical Theater Arts
Timothy Maureen Cole holds a Master of Music degree in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College and a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Ithaca College, and has been teaching voice, music theater, and piano since 2007. She holds certification in Early Childhood Music Education from Kindermusik International, and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. In addition to private and group instruction, Cole has collegiate teaching experience at Horry Georgetown Technical College and James Madison University.
Cole has extensive performance experience in classical and musical theater repertoire. Appearnaces include La Boheme (Mimi), Le Nozze Di Figaro (Countess), Wilde’s Wild West, (Frenchie), Aics and Galatea (Damon), Elixir of Love (Adina), Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart, and Scarlatti’s La Giuditta (Giuditta). Favorite music theater performances include: Kiss Me Kate (Kate), Anything Goes (Reno), You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (Sally), Once Upon A Mattress, and My Favorite Year.
Working with students of all ages, Cole treats every student as an individual. She believes that the fundamental techniques of voice: breath, support, posture, resonance, and diction, can and should be applied to all types of singing and theater performance. Her specialization in pedagogy gives her a great technical understanding of the voice, and she enjoys preparing singers for auditions, competitions, productions, and performances of all types.
Kendall Klas is a graduate of James Madison University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a minor in Dance. Additionally, Kendall holds a Master of Science degree in Social Work from Fordham University and is a licensed clinical social worker. Klas danced competitively with Summit School of Dance and began choreography work in 2009. She has worked with Porch Light Productions in Glen Rock, NJ and choreographed multiple musicals in the Glen Rock and Millburn school districts. In 2012, Klas was nominated for Best Choreography for the Metropolitan High School Theater Awards for her work in Grease at Glen Rock High School. As a dance educator and choreographer, Klas believes in fostering confidence, improving self-esteem, and increasing understanding of movement and music through dance technique.
Allison Mion
Originally from Summit, soprano Allison Mion made her 2015 debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and was a finalist and semi-finalist in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York Lyric, Classical Singer, and National Association of Teachers of Singing competitions. Operatic roles include Don Giovanni, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Albert Herring, Cosi fan tutte, The Magic Flute, Die Fledermaus, and The Crucible. Most recently, Mion appeared with the Opera Theatre Montclair in The Magic Flute and with the Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey in La Boheme.
David Seamon, Musical Theatre Arts Instrumental Ensemble Director
Pianist, singer, and composer David Seamon, a graduate of Rutgers University, has worked on stage and behind the scenes for community theater, regional theater, and Off Broadway. He is a Teaching Artist at the George Street Playhouse, where he has composed music for original plays written by New Brunswick public school students, as well as composed and arranged for a mainstage event, Our Town Now (2014). In the Spring of 2015, Seamon composed four original musicals about the Industrial Revolution which were performed at the George Street Playhouse. At The Workshop Theater in Manhattan, Seamon worked one-on-one with a songwriter to arrange and transcribe a full length musical, The Kingdom of Vincent Grapelli (2015). He composed the award-winning score to the short film Melody, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014, receiving the Silver Tripod Award, Campus Moviefest. Seamon is a certified cantor, voice and piano teacher, and avid songwriter and performer.
Michael Winnicki
Percussionist Michael Winnicki is a versatile performer and educator specializing in drum set and classical percussion instruments. He has performed with the Plainfield Symphony, Princeton Brass Band, and as a dance accompanist for the Mason Gross Dance Department. He has performed with Eddie Plamieri, Randy Brecker, Frank Lancy, Michael Mossman, and Craig Handy as part of the Rutgers Jazz Ensemble. He has performed at the Blue Note and recorded live at WBGO studios.
Christine Ciuffreda
Korean-American pianist Christine Ciuffreda began her musical journey in 1993. She studied piano performance at the College of Charleston on the Tate International Piano Scholarship, followed
by continuing education at the Juilliard School Evening Division. Her solo and collaborative performances have lead her to Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Steinway Hall, World Financial Center, and Liechtenstein Palace to name a few. She has additionally served as an opera coach for both Le Nozze Di Figaro and Die Zauberflöte in the Prague Summer Nights festival. She
will be the Principal Répétiteur for Handel’s Radamisto, and assist
for La Rondine in the Miami Music Festival this summer. Ciuffreda has studied with Yelena Ivanov, Beatrice Long, and
Enrique Graf.
Sung-Hae Jung
Sung-Hae Jung is an active pianist and a long-time educator who came to the US to study after graduating at the top of her class with a B.A. in piano performance from Koshin University in Busan, Korea. Jung studied further in music education, concentrating on piano pedagogy at Leman College of City University of New York and Teachers College of Columbia University. She is a Founding Teacher of Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory The Achivement Program, a member of Piano Teachers Society of America (a recipient of Genia Robiner Pedagogy Awards) and Kappa Delta Pi (International Honor Society in Education).
She was awarded for a Lehman College Foundation Scholarship, Emile Anders Choir Award, Alice Minnie Hertz Heniger Award, merit scholarship for four college years, a college top-graduate award. Her teachers include Namsook Kim, late Dr. Hadassah Sahr (20th century music specialist), Bert Konowitz (Jazz), Dr. Benjamin Allen Loeb (Chamber & Accompanying), Ada Kopetz-Korf and Jose Ramos-Santana (Romantic Music Virtuoso).
Jung is currently a piano faculty at Wharton’s Performing Arts School, Oak Knoll School in Summit, and her private piano studio in Summit, NJ. She is also a music director for Trinity Reformed Church in North Plainfield, NJ.
Diana Lin
Pianist Diana Lin has performed on the stages of Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Steinway and Sons Hall, and Manhattan School of Music. She has won top prizes at the NJMTA Young Musician Competition, Professional Music Teacher’s Guild of New Jersey, and Cecilian Young Musician Competition. In addition, she has participated in master classes led by Jerome Lowenthal and Jonathan Feldman. She has also performed at the PianoSummer at New Paltz Institute, Summit Music Festival, and International Academy of Music at Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Italia. She has enjoyed performing for seniors at assisted living centers in New Jersey since 2007; some venues include the Franciscan Oaks of Denville, Brookdale Florham Park, and Sunrise of Morris Plains.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Lin began her studies at age 5. Her principal piano and chamber teachers include David Dubal, Laurie Carney, Jon Klibonoff, Raymond Beegle, Alexander Rees, Stella Xu, and Grace Kuo. She received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Classical Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of Phillip Kawin as a recipient of the President’s Award and MSM Scholarship.
Florence Lombardo
With her musical interest beginning on the piano as early as age three, Florence Lombardo began playing piano for church choirs and congregational singing at age eight. She began studying harp at age twelve, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Harp from Montclair State University. Lombardo has performed in recording studios for TV commercials, on stage accompanying soloists, in churches with chamber orchestras and choirs, and as a soloist for countless weddings, special dinners and recitals.
She has performed in St. Patrick’s Cathedral and various musicals including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. She was the featured harpist for the wedding of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, performed on the red carpet for P. Diddy’s birthday bash, and has played for kings, governors and celebrities in the U.S. and abroad. Her main passion is sharing her music and she finds the greatest pleasure in teaching and watching her students grow.
Benjamin Michael
A native of New Jersey, Benjamin Michael began his piano studies at age six, with his first solo recital taking place at age eleven. In subsequent years, he performed extensively in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey. Past teachers include Julian Martin, Ilya Itin, and Oxana Yablonskaya. He has been a featured guest in the Skaneatles Music Festival and the Classic Chamber Concerts series in Naples, Florida. Other performances include solo recitals at
the Centre for Visual and Performing Arts in Newnan, Georgia and the Texas State International Piano Festival in San Marcos, Texas. Benjamin had received scholarships to attend the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada and PianoFest in the Hamptons, where he performed in master classes as well as in public concerts. In addition to solo recitals, Benjamin also enjoys collaborating with other musicians. He has performed with the Contemporary Music Ensemble
of Northwestern University and has participated in the ChamberFest! music festival at the Juilliard School. Benjamin was also part of the Gluck Community Service Fellowship Program,
where he performed at healthcare institutions throughout New York City. He graduated with a
Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School and a Master of Music degree from Northwestern
Eric Olsen has crafted a distinguished career in both classical and jazz music as a pianist and organist, composer, and conductor. His recordings include Dyad, a collaborative jazz/classical duet with alto saxophonist Louis Caimano, his most recent release, and Jazz Inspired Classics, featuring works by American composers including Copland, Schuller, Gould, and Nancarrow. As composer and leader of his long-standing jazz group Urban Survival, Olsen released two CD’s, one with acclaimed tenor saxophonist George Garzone. He has also performed with guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli and Ed Cherry, sideman to Dizzy Gillespie. He has accompanied operatic bass Kevin Maynor on three recordings, the Grammy-nominated CD The Black Art Song, Jazz Hymns, and From Another American.
Olsen recently collaborated with Kevin Maynor and former New Jersey Poet Laureate Amiri Baraka on his multimedia work Sisyphus Syndrome, and on a performance of Dorothy Rudd Moore’s opera Frederick Douglas. As an accompanist, Olson has worked with the internationally renowned vocal studios of Betty Allen, Klara Barlow, Walter Cassel, Giorgio Tozzi, and Virginia Zeani. Olsen has performed at Carnegie Hall, Birdland, and the Knitting Factory in New York and in India and New Zealand. Olsen has been a featured soloist with the Livingston Symphony, the Central Jersey Symphony, and the Orchard Park Symphony and a featured jazz performer at the AT&T, Berk’s, and Asbury Park Jazz Festivals.
He has given numerous classical and jazz piano recitals in the NY Metropolitan area. Currently Director of Music and Organist at the Union Congregational Church in Montclair, he has conducted Fauré’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bush’s Christmas Cantata, Flagello’s The Passion of Martin Luther King, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio Part I, and Pärt’s Berlin Mass with members of the New Jersey Symphony. He has performed the first act of Wagner’s Die Walküre on piano and selections from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde on organ with his wife, Pamela Olsen, an accomplished soprano. In addition to serving on the faculty of Wharton’s Performing Arst School, Olsen is an Adjunct Faculty member at Montclair State University. He holds two Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance and Jazz Studies from Indiana University and a Bachelor of MUsic degree with High Distinction in Piano and Organ Performance from Syracuse University.
Margarita Sturman
Margarita Sturman was born in Kiev, Ukraine where she began taking piano lessons at the age of six and immediately felt a connection with what would become a life-long passion. Sturman graduated with honors and continued her music education at the Reinhold Glière Music University in Kiev. Upon graduation with honors from Glière, she entered the Kiev State Conservatory where she studied under such famous Russian musicians as Professor I. Raibov (piano), Professor J. Fastovskiy (chamber music), Professor G. Nikolayenko (accompaniment) and Professor B. Milich (music theory). While studying at the Kiev State Conservatory, Sturman performed numerous times in the famous Grand Recital Hall of the Kiev State Conservatory as well as a soloist and accompanist at the Kiev State Philharmonic.
Upon graduation, Sturman received her Master of Music degree as a soloist, accompanist, and music educator. She began teaching piano and fell in love with a profession she would perfect over the next three decades. In 1992, her family moved from the Ukraine to the United States where she spent 14 years teaching piano studnets of all ages at the Brooklyn Music School and Shostakovich Music School.
In 2006, Sturman moved to New Jersey and began teaching at Wharton’s Performing Arts School. Today Sturman brings her love of music along with a broad knowledge of piano technique and classical music for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students through contemporary musical methods of teaching. She brings over thirty years of experience as a piano teacher and accompanist. A nominee and winner of numerous awards, including a rare Ministry of Culture honorary award for achievements in excellence in teaching, and the development of understanding and appreciation of music in children.
Luba Vasilyeva
Luba Vasilyeva began studies at the Scriabin Music School of the Arts at the age of six and continued with pianist Lubov Pevzner at the Mussorgsky School where she received her Bachelor of Music degree with honors. She performed at the Great Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg Capella and participated in numerous master classes including those of pianists Natalia Trull, Tatiana Kravchenko.
Vasilyeva earned her Master of Music degree studying with Vasily Kalmykov and Sergey Urivaev. She performed a series of piano recitals at the Great Conservatory Hall and participated in numerous chamber music ensembles. In 1999, Vasilyeva and her family immigrated to the United States where she became a faculty member and accompanist at Montclair State University. She also joined the faculty of Wharton’s Performing Arts School where she continues to teach and perform today.
Vasilyeva is an active concert pianist and chamber musician. She has appeared in solo performance at the Millburn Library, Hinman Hall (West Caldwell), Montclair Women’s Club, Watchung Arts Center, Montclair Congregational Church, The Unitarian Church in Summit, Steinway Hall (NYC), and Wharton’s Library Concert Series.
Anna Vozhik
Anna Vozhik has dedicated her career to teaching elementary and advanced piano for over thirty years, both in the United States and St. Petersburg, Russia.
Vozhik’s teaching style resonates with students on a profound level. She possesses the rare capability of expressing complex musical ideas that transcend spoken language, giving her students the advantage of not only building extraordinary technical skills, but also imbuing them a with deep emotional understanding of the musical landscape. Vozhik and her students have been the recipients of multiple national awards in the U.S. including the Golden Key Competition, Crescendo Competition, Talented Young Musician Association Program, American Concert Alliance, Young People’s Program Competition of American Chinese Culture Festival, and the Andrew De Grado Competition. Her students have been honored to appear at Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall in New York City, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and Bristol Hall in Princeton, NJ.
Vozhik earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Modest Mussorgsky in St. Petersburg, Russia. She earned her Master of Arts degree from the East Ukrainian State University. As Choral Director at East Ukrainian State University, she directed an eighty-member chorus for nearly a decade. Vozhik’s other roles included piano and music instruction at The School of Music in Lugansk, Ukraine, Chair of Voice and Audition at Calderon School of Music, and Adjunct Professor of Piano at Kean University.
Vozhik has compiled several pedagogical publications including Piano Lessons in Elementary School (Ukraine, 1986) and Enjoy Your Music Lessons: Great Music for Small Hands (Ukraine, 1991). She is a member of the Music Educators Association, the Golden Circle of Teachers, and the Berkshire Choral Festival. Vozhik holds a National Pedagogy Certification from the National Music Certificate Program.
Andrzej Winnicki
Pianist Andrzej Winnicki, a native of Poland, has performed at New York City’s Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Polish Consulate General, and St. Peter’s Church. He can frequently be heard in jazz clubs throughout the Tri-State area and has played with Jeremy Pelt, Mark Egan, Ralph Alessi, Scott Colley, Rodney Holmes, Nasheet Waits, Joel Grey, and Bernadette Peters. After releasing the album In the Bush in 2001 for J-Bird Records, with Electric Breakwater and featuring Pat Metheny’s bassist Mark Egan and Santana’s drummer Rodney Holmes, Winnicki and saxophonist Krzysztof Medyna formed the all-acoustic Komeda Project in 2004, paying homage to the often imagistic compositional strengths of the legendary Polish film composer-jazz pianist Krzysztof Komeda (1931-1969). As a part of this project, Winnicki released two critically acclaimed albums on MW Records label: Crazy Girl in 2007 and Requiem in 2010. Winnicki has been an active member of ASCAP since 1997 and local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians in New York City since 1989.
Kevin Brown, Double Bass
Alice Hamlet, Cello
James Keene
Violinist James Keene is a versatile soloist, chamber musician, and music pedagogue. After attending Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, he received his Bachelor of Music degree from Rutgers University and continued his studies at the San Francisco Conservatory. Keene has performed for audiences throughout China, Italy, Spain, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and the United States. Currently, as founder of Classical Revolution NJ, Keene schedules chamber music performances throughout New Jersey and travels frequently between the east and west coast for performances in the Bay Area. As a faculty member of Newark School of the Arts, he instructs their Carollo Scholarship violin students. Most recently, Keene was awarded first place in the Russel Johnson String Competition in Philadelphia and performed at Carnegie Hall with Dionne Warwick. Keene teaches violin and viola at the Wharton’s Performing Arts School.
Mikhail Kuchuk, Violin
Violinist Mikhail Kuchuk graduated from the Academy of Music in Odessa, Ukraine and completed his Master of Music and Doctorate of Music degrees in Freiburg, Germany. His teachers have included Alexander Stanko, Wolfgang Marschner, and Felix Gottlieb. Kuchuk was a winner of the Ukrainian National Violin Competition in 1990, Carl Flesch Violin Competition (Hungary) in 1993, and the Baden Wurtemberg Violin Competition (Germany) in 1996. Other awards included receiving the David Oistrakh Scholarship in Odessa, Ukraine and the Rosenberg Foundation’s Scholarship in Freiburg, Germany.
Kuchuk was a concertmaster of Odessa Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra where he toured as a soloist in Germany, Italy, and France. He also held a full-time position at the Odessa Opera House. Since 1999, Kuchuk has been a member of the Forte String Quartet, quartet-in-residence at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.
He performs regularly in the tri-state area and throughout the Unites States. Since 2004, Kuchuk has been a member of Tito Castro Tango Quartet and has participated in concerts with Anna Saeki in New York, Hawaii, Korea, and Japan. Kuchuk appeared as solo violinist on Broadway in the production of Forever Tango and has appeared as a soloist with the Manhattan Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, the Westchester Chamber Orchestra, St Peter’s by the Sea Symphony Orchestra, and the Bachanalia Chamber Orchestra. Presently he is a concertmaster of the New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra and St. Peters by the Sea Symphony Orchestra, as well as a member of Adelphi University Orchestra, Edison Symphony, Princeton Symphony and Garden State Philharmonic. As an educator, Kuchuk teaches violin at Wharton’s Performing Arts School and maintains a large private studio.
Brittney Leghorn, Cello and Violin
Brittney Leghorn began her musical studies at the age of 10. During her high school years she attended the Salem County Music Academy where she studied under principal cellist of the Bay-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Stephen Goodnight. She is the winner of the 2009 SJBODA scholarship, as well as an alumna of the Rowan Youth Orchestra, South Jersey Regional Orchestra, and South Jersey Chamber Orchestra.
Leghorn holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University where she studied cello under principal cellist of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Jonathan Spitz. As well as teaching cello and violin at Wharton’s Performing Arts School, Leghorn teaches orchestra full time in the Edison Public Schools and maintains a private studio.
When Leghorn is not teaching she enjoys freelancing throughout the tri-state area. Recent projects include collaborations with the Joe Gattuso Band and recording with singer-song writer Ian Flanigan. Leghorn aspires to continue her education and earn a Master of Music degree in Education.
Halina Listopad, Violin
Halina Listopad received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Violin Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and Suzuki Certification from the School for Strings in New York. Violin studies include chamber music with Carroll Glenn, Stanley Bednar, Louis Behrend, Paul Zukovsky, Arianna Bronne and Lillian Fuchs. Listopad received extensive training and certification in music, drama, yoga and Nada yoga with Dr. Louise Montello, Gertrud Schattner, and yoga master Yogiraj Nanak. Certifications include the New School for Social Research, Integral Yoga Institute , and Adhyatmic Sadhana Yoga Kendra in New Delhi.
Based on these Eastern and Western approaches to music, movement, expression and sound, Listopad has devised a holistic therapeutic approach to help expand awareness and sensitivity to music and sound, improve concentration, and make music-learning a more practical and fun experience.
Listopad received a Fulbright Music Research Grant to study in India and acted as music critic for the Hindustan Times. Listopad is currently transcribing and collaborating in the English translation of Raga Rahasya (Secret of Ragas) by renowned Hindustani vocalist and musicologist, Sulochana Brahaspati.
As well as teaching at Wharton’s Performing Arts School, Listopad is a faculty member at the Lucy Moses School, Integral Yoga Institute, Bloomingdale Music School, and Harlem School of the Arts.
Aurora Mendez, Violin
Born and raised in New York City, Aurora Mendez began her violin studies at the age of four. After relocating to South America, she became an active member of the national youth orchestra movement of Chile and began her formal musical studies at the University of Chile. While in Santiago, Mendez won numerous scholarships and principal orchestral positions including the Concertmaster position of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, principal second violin of the Chilean Municipal Theater Chamber Orchestra, and the National Talent Award. Mendez has traveled the world to perform with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile. She has performed in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Slovakia, Spain, Czech Republic, Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, and most recently, China. Mendez has performed in master classes for Ida Kavafian, Martin Chalifour, Rachel Barton-Pine, Paavo Järvi, Ray Chen, Markus Stockhausen, and the Latin American Quartet.
Christine Sherlock
Christine Sherlock is originally from Florida and began playing the viola at the age of 8 as part of her public school music program. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance in 2010 from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with renowned teachers Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsey, and is now pursuing her Artist Diploma at Montclair State University as a student of Honggang Li, violist of the Shanghai Quartet. She also studied with Caroline Coade at the University of Michigan, where she also became an avid performer of new music. Other teachers have included Stanley Konopka, Kirsten Doctor, and Sara Cote.
Before moving to New Jersey in 2017, Sherlock was a viola section member of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, and has also played with the Erie Chamber Orchestra, the Youngstown Symphony as Assistant Principal, The Warren Philharmonic, the Ohio Valley Symphony, Cleveland Opera Theatre, and Opera Circle. She has participated in many festivals and competitions, including the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition (2017), Mimir Chamber Music Festival, LAMP (Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance), and the Mendelssohn Festival in Hamburg, Germany.
Sherlock taught extensively in the Cleveland area for many years before moving to New Jersey, and was also chosen to teach at Interlochen School of the Arts as part of the fellowship quartet in 2017. Many of her students have gone on to pursue music further in conservatories, as well as participate in many elite festivals. She enjoys helping her students discover their love for music and reach their ultimate potential.
Elizbieta Winnicki, Violin
Elzbieta Winnicki has been teaching violin at Wharton’s PErforming Arts School for over fifteen years. Many of her students have received awards at violin competitions. Winnicki teaches privately, group, and coaches chamber ensembles. Since 1988, she has served as an active chamber and orchestral coach for the New Jersey Youth Orchestra.
Winnicki’s past teaching experience includes the Hudson School for the Gifted, the Mustard Seed School in Hoboken, and nearly a quarter-century of private studio teaching. She holds a degree in Violin Performance and Music Education from the Academy of Music in Wrocław, Poland. She continued violin studies in the United States with Masako Yanagita, Oscar Ravina of the New York Philharmonic, and Burton Kaplan.
She has attended several teaching workshops and seminars at the Hartt School of Music, Juilliard School of Music, the Starling-DeLay Symposium, and the American String Teachers Association Conference.
Her professional engagements include concerts as a soloist and chamber musician at Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, the Kosciuszko Foundation, and the Polish Cultural Foundation. Her orchestral experiences include Riverside Symphonia, New Jersey Philharmonic, St. Peters by the Sea Orchestra, Montclair Chamber Orchestra, Szczecin Symphony Orchestra in Poland, among others. She has performed in major concert halls in New York and New Jersey including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and NJPAC. She has toured Italy, Germany, and South Korea and has performed at the Spoleto Festival in Italy as well as the Bedford Spring Festival in Pennsylvania.
Timothy Maureen Cole
Timothy Maureen Cole holds a Master of Music degree in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College and a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Ithaca College, and has been teaching voice, music theater, and piano since 2007. She holds certification in Early Childhood Music Education from Kindermusik International, and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. In addition to private and group instruction, Timothy has collegiate teaching experience at Horry Georgetown Technical College and James Madison University.
Cole has extensive performance experience in classical and musical theater repertoire. Recent productions include La Boheme (Mimi), Le Nozze Di Figaro (Countess), Wilde’s Wild West, (Frenchie), Aics and Galatea (Damon), Elixir of Love (Adina), Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart, and Scarlatti’s La Giuditta (Giuditta). Favorite Music Theater performances include: Kiss Me Kate (Kate), Anything Goes (Reno), You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (Sally), Once Upon A Mattress, and My Favorite Year.
Jamie Baer Peterson
Jamie Baer Peterson began her opera career as an apprentice with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her first break-out role was as Laurie in the world premiere of the chamber music version of Aaron Copland’s opera The Tender Land for the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut.
During the 54 performance run of the opera, Peterson was praised by the New York Times for her “confident and expressive” singing. Highlights of her operatic career include Zerlina in Don Giovanni with L’Opera de Nice, Musetta in La Boheme with the New York City Opera, Constance in Dialogue of the Carmelites with Central City Opera, and Isotta in Die Schweigsame Frau with Santa Fe Opera.
Peterson has appeared as a soloist with the Dallas, Atlanta, Hartford, Omaha, Princeton, and Westfield Symphonies and in two national broadcasts with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Peterson holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice from the University of Minnesota and a Performers Certificate of Opera and Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music.
A dedicated music educator, she maintains a private voice studio in New Providence as well as serving on the faculty of Wharton’s Performing Arts School. Ms. Peterson is also an adjunct professor at Monmouth University.
Ema Mitrović
Ema Mitrović, is an awardwinning and critically acclaimed mezzo-soprano receiving praise including, “…I found Ema Mitrovic as the Monitress to be the standout” (Opera Manhattan, Suor Angelica ‘12) and “…her rich mezzo is pure pleasure” (Hudson Opera Theatre, Lucia di Lammermoor ‘18). She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and in the title role of Carmen at the the International House Philadelphia. She has also performed in New York City’s jazz venues including Birdland, The Kitano, and Smalls.
Mitrović holds a B.M. in Voice Performance from New Jersey City University where she studied with Metropolitan Opera stars Anthony Laciura and Sondra Kelly, along with Grammy nominated jazz artists Roseanna Vitro, Allen Farnham, and Tim Horner. She continued education with Dr. Donna Zapola-Connolly and Adria Firestone, with whom she expanded upon dramatic coaching and vocal pedagogy. Mitrović is a winner of both 1st and 2nd place prizes for NJ NATS.
Credits include Title and Mercédès (Carmen), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Mrs. McLean (Susannah), Hansel (Hansel & Gretel), Larina (Eugene Onegin), Siébel (Faust), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Martine (Le Médecin malgre lui), Abbess and Monitor (Suor Angelica), Prince Charming (Cendrillon), third lady (Die Zauberflöte), first witch (Dido Aeneas), Mrs.Gobineau (TheMedium), mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Marta (Company), Jack’s Mother (Into the Woods).
She is an ongoing member of Guided Imagery Opera, an ensemble focused on sound healing. In June 2018, Mitrović debuted with The Central Jersey Choral Society as the alto soloist in Antonin Dvořák’s Requiem. Along with being an active performer and teacher, Mitrović continues to privately study and coach with top New York City professionals to keep a fresh perspective on her craft and passes along this knowledge to her current studio.
Woodwinds & Brass
Kathleen Ditmer, French Horn
Kathleen Ditmer began playing horn at an early age in the church. She was awarded scholarship to the Hartford Conservatory and won the solo competition at age 14. She joined the musician’s union at 17 to play next to her teacher, Andy Spearman with the Hartford and New Britain Symphonies. She attended Hartt College of Music studying with James Jacobs and Paul Ingraham then moved to Nashville, TN where she finished her BM while recording in the studios there, playing extra with the Nashville Symphony and shows at Opryland, USA with the help of her teacher there, Eberhard Ramm. She travelled to Europe for four months and was accepted by Gerd Seifert to the Musikhochschule in Berlin. Her Graduate Assistant studies at Florida State University included jazz arranging and assistant horn and trumpet instructor before finishing her MA degree at Western Illinois University.
Following graduation, Ditmer began a fruitful freelance career in New York City where she has played with such respected groups as American Ballet Theater, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. She can be heard on numerous TV and movie soundtracks, as well as Broadway shows including Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables.
Ditmer loves to share her knowledge, inspiration and passion for the horn in all genres of music. She started teaching as a camp counselor and went on to create free music programs in her community. She has taught for the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Division and is presently on the faculty of Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, Wharton’s Performing Arts School, and the Ridgewood Conservatory. She teaches privately in her West Orange home and in after school programs in the public schools.
Alyssa DiNapoli, Flute
Alyssa DiNapoli is a graduate of Montclair State University where she earned two Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Flute Performance with a minor in dance. She also holds a Master of Music degree from Rutgers University (MLIS). DiNapoli combines her training in ballet, jazz, tap, and modern styles along with her education, performance, and library experience to present original programs focused on movement, music, and literacy in libraries and schools. She currently teaches 3rd-8th grade vocal and general music and performs in professional and community theater, dance, and music productions. DiNapoli is a long time volunteer with the Montclair State University Preparatory Center for the Arts and maintains a private flute studio.
Laura George, Flute
The versatile career of flutist Laura George includes performances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and on Broadway in My Fair Lady. Ms. George was a Young Artist Winner with the St. Louis Symphony, conducted by Leonard Slatkin.
Chamber music performances at Lincoln Center include the International Bach Society, Opera Club of the Met, New York City Ballet Guild, and the Richard Morse Mime Theater. Her ensembles have also performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bargemusic, Channel 13, IBM Concert Series, Sony Plaza, French Embassy and Columbia University.
George has toured nationally for Columbia Artist and with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players. In addition to performing on New York radio stations WQXR, WNCN, WBAI, and WNYC, she has been heard on two National Public Radio series and an intermission film feature on HBO.
George has performed orchestrally with the St. Louis Symphony, St. Louis Municipal Opera Orchestra, New York Virtuosi, St. Lukes Chamber Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Broadway Pops Orchestra, Charles Ives Summer Symphony, Julius Grossman Orchestra, Queens Symphony, Queens Opera, Amor Artis, Westfield Symphony, Sacred Heart Cathedral Orchestra, Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey Pops, Wayne Chamber Orchestra, Virtuosi de Camera, Rutgers Summerfest Orchestra, New Philharmonic of New Jersey, Ars Musica Chorale, Oratorio Society of New Jersey, and the New Jersey Choral Society.
George was a student of Julius Baker, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Gerardo Levy, Gerald Carey, Jacob Berg and Janet Scott. She holds a Certificat de Stage from L’Universite d’Ete in Nice, France. She holds a Master of Music degree in Music from Western Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where she graduated magna cum laude. She has been awarded recognition in Outstanding Young Women of America.
George has taught at the 92nd Street Y in New York City and as Adjunct Flute instructor at Kean University. She is the director of Encore Ensembles. Her groups have been sponsored in formal concerts, children’s concerts, residencies and master classes by Concert Artists Guild, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council of the Arts, South Carolina Arts Agency, Missouri State Arts Council, New Jersey State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
George has recorded for Sine Qua Non. She and harpist Beth Robinson have released their debut CD, The Enchantment of Flute and Harp.
Sean Hack, Trumpet
Thomas Kamp, Trombone
Trombonist Thomas Kamp received his Bachelor of Music degree from Ithaca College and his Master of Music degree from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. Kamp also pursued graduate studies at the St. Louis Conservatory of Music. In addition to serving on the faculty of Wharton’s Performing Arts School, Kamp teaches in the Berkeley Heights Public School District and the Caldwell-West School District, as well as serving as Adjunct Trombone Instructor at Caldwell College.
Dave Schumacher, Saxophone, Recorder, Clarinet, and Jazz Improv
Chicago native Dave Schumacher has been a key player in the New York jazz scene for more than three decades, touring throughout the United States and internationally with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, Art Blakely Big Band, T.S. Monk on Monk Ensemble, Nicholas Payton’s Louis Armstrong Tribute Big Band, and as an original member of the Harry Connick, Jr. Orchestra. Highlights of his international career include an appearance at Mount Fuji Jazz Festival in Japan with the Art Blakely Big Band.
Schumacher can be heard on nearly a dozen Columbia Records recordings with the Harry Connick, Jr. Orchestra and with such jazz greats as Lionel Hampton and Mel Torme. Schumacher received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jazz Performance from Rutgers University/Livingston College and a Master of Music degree in Jazz Performance from New Jersey City University.
Carlyn Smith, Clarinet and Saxophone
Carlyn Smith earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she studied clarinet with George Waln. She spent a year abroad studying at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria with clarinetist Alois Heine. Smith has been a featured soloist with the Mountain Lakes Symphony, Hanover Wind Symphony, and the Plainfield Symphony. She has taught instrumental music in the Morris School District and in local parochial schools. She has also performed numerous recitals, concerts, and as a piano accompanist. In addition to serving on Wharton’s Performing Arts School faculty, Smith maintains a private teaching studio.
Kristen Wuest, Flute
Wuest attended master classes with world renowned Julius Baker, Jan Vinci, Jeffrey Khaner, Bart Feller, and Paul Edmund Davies. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance at The School of Music, Dance, and Theater at New Jersey City University where she studied under Katherine Fink.
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Crimes of Education
January 30, 2011 January 30, 2011 John Scalzi126 Comments
I’ve been getting a lot of e-mail asking for my thoughts about Kelley Williams-Bolar, the woman here in Ohio who was recently sentenced to to ten days in prison (of which apparently she served nine) and now has a felony record because she and her father listed the father’s residence as the primary residence of her children, in order that the kids could go to school in a better school district. As I understand it, idea here is that because she didn’t live in the district and pay taxes there, she committed fraud, although from what I understand the jury wouldn’t or couldn’t convict on that charge and instead she was found guilty of tampering with court documents. Ironically Ms. Williams-Bolar is not that far off from getting a teaching credential, which she now may not be able to use because she’s a felon.
How do I feel about this? Well, I will tell you a true story. When I was in sixth grade, my mother and her then-husband broke up, and in the space of three months I lived in four different houses in three different cities, and in three different school districts. The school district I had been in when this all started had a genuinely excellent “gifted and talented” program, and my teacher at the time, Keith Johnson, was one of those teachers that you’re lucky to get once in your entire life. I’d been at the school for a couple of years and I had friends who I still have now. And, not to put too fine a point on it, the breakup of my mother and her husband wasn’t exactly out of the blue, and the school and the people who were there who cared about me were an island of stability in a life which was, though no fault of my own, completely messed up.
When my mother left our house and moved, taking me and my sister with her, what she should have done, procedurally speaking, was take me out of that school and put me in a new one, in the city we then lived in. And then two months and two moves later, when we were in a new city and new school district entirely, she should have done it again, giving me three different schools, three sets of schoolmates and three entirely different social situations to adapt to on top of the fact that my family and home life had just been blown up.
She did do was no such thing. Through four moves, three cities and three school districts I stayed in the same class with the same teacher and the same friends and classmates. How my mother managed to do this is something she would have to tell you, but in point of fact I know that officially — and, I suspect, legally — speaking I was not supposed to have been allowed to stay there. My mother made the decision to do what she thought was better for me rather than what was probably the letter of the law.
Did my mother break the law doing what she did? I don’t know, but possibly. Did she break the rules? She certainly did. Did she do right thing? Probably not, from the point of view of the procedures of the school district. From the point of view of what was best for her child: Absolutely. There’s really no doubt about that. And if in fact my mother broke the law on my behalf way back when, I can say that doing so made a positive difference at a critical time in my life.
So: How do I feel about Ms. Williams-Bolar? Basically, I think she deserves a prison term and a felony conviction about as much as my mother did, for performing essentially the same actions, thirty years ago.
Being Fictional
Sunset, 1/30/11
126 thoughts on “Crimes of Education”
Dave Robinson says:
I think it’s ridiculous. But then I think a lot of things are.
You have to be a little careful here. I think a felony is too much. This lady is screwed. But without any laws of this kind or any prosecution of people who break them, EVERYONE is going to figure out a way to go to the best school. Companies would spring up allowing you to rent 1 sq ft of apartment and list it as your primary residence in the school district of your choice. You are ignoring the wider implications of how other people are affect by your mom and this moms if nothing is done.
I’ve heard, since the late ’60s, many stories like yours and many third-hand tales of machinations with addresses and proof of residence to place kids in schools where they might thrive instead of being warehoused.
It goes on all the time. And will continue to go on, and no, school “vouchers” are not the answer.
To paraphrase the bumper sticker, education is expensive, but not more so than ignorance.
@2 – with the current system, you’re right. But I think this kind of thing shows why the current system is messed up. What SHOULD she have done? Are some kids just screwed — going to worse schools, with no way around it? To some extent, the mom could have tried to change her local school, but she probably doesn’t have the money to give them an extra 30,000 per kid per year, which is what she supposedly stole by sending her kids to the other school.
Also, I think that even if you believe its wrong to scam the system in this way, the system should include some sort of exception for kids who end up unexpectedly moving in the middle of the school year.
Given that the grandfather DID live in the nicer school district, I wonder if there was a legal way they could have done this. Like, could he have legally adopted the kids, or been added as a second legal guardian somehow? Or could they all have moved in with him and kept the other house as a “vacation home”?
Emily WK says:
“EVERYONE is going to figure out a way to go to the best school.”
As opposed to how it is now, where just the people who can afford to live in the right neighborhoods can do it. You don’t seem opposed to that system, just the one that springs up when everyone else can do it, too. Why is that?
I think that as soon as the grandfather said, “Yes, those kids live with me,” this should have been over. And the fact that it wasn’t disgusts me.
John Scalzi says:
Emily WK:
This is especially relevant if the grandfather paid local taxes.
htom says:
You had a good mother, Scalzi, and good teachers and school district. We moved a lot when I was young, and I changed schools a lot (or at least it seemed that way to me.) The moves, though, were of the several-hundred mile variety for the most part, and there was only one change mid-year.
This case? I don’t know nearly enough. A felony conviction seems too extreme.
I know the school district I attended growing up, is an open district, so someone in another district can attend our school district, as long as they had their own transportation. I know a lot of kids who ended up moving away, but their parents allowed them to finish up the school year at that school. It was completely legal. So this is messed up in my opinion. No one should be punished for doing something that was in the best interest of their children.
Please, everyone, before you rush to judgment on this, consider this link and article.
http://edesposito.blogspot.com/2011/01/kelley-williams-bolar-case.html
This is more than just lying about her residence. And there are some serious concerns about the fairness of reporting of this issue.
Diana:
Interestingly enough, Bradford, where we are now, also is an open district, although I think it is contingent on whether there is available space (i.e., that the presence of additional kids does not take it above a certain student-teacher ratio).
From what I’d heard, the judge kept trying to get the district to settle for lesser charges but they insisted on pushing for the maximum they could get.
Also, I still think it’s weird that people send you emails asking you to post on certain topics.
People ask me to post on things all the time, Harry.
@9 – I dunno, all of that is pretty much what I assumed when I read the article. It just gives details — her daughters actually lived with her, but she lied on various forms and said they lived with their grandfather. That’s exactly what the reporting said she did. I don’t see the difference, except that most of the articles summarized it instead of listing all the forms she lied on.
The only thing on there that gives me pause is it says she ignored repeated attempts to “resolve the residency issue” over a few years. I’d be curious to know what exactly those attempts were. In any case, it sounds like she knew she’d been caught, so I wonder why she kept going with it. But I still think the system is so messed up that its hard to care about its rules.
As a move of common decency, the felony should be expunged and everyone can get on with their lives.
@13 I think there’s a difference between (1) asking the school to work with you, moving in with a relative in that district, or attempting open enrollment, and (2) lying and ducking them, obtaining free school lunches by lying about your income, impersonating a military deployment, lying to courts, and getting rent subsidies for your kids when you’re telling other people they’re not living with you.
I’ve got to take issue with the idea that the system is messed up so it’s okay to break the law. Regardless of your position on this case, that’s like saying you don’t like the tax system so you’re going to stop paying taxes. The IRS will come after you, regardless of your views on that, regardless of your reason for not paying. It really doesn’t matter if you used the money for your kid’s braces, or your mom’s surgery, or any other good reason; you still owe them, you can’t lie about it, and you face consequences for breaking those rules.
Omri says:
I’m married, no kids so far, might be one or two in the future. I’ve been paying taxes into school districts for 16 years now. Not one dollar has gone to educate my children, since I have none. All of it’s gone towards educating other people’s children. Really, I don’t give a damn. It’s going to educate my country’s children, or some subset thereof, and I’m fine with it. But if I found out that some of my tax money went to pay for detectives to hound children for being on the wrong side of some district boundary I don’t care about, well, I would be furious. Keeping children out of school is not a legitimate use for my tax money, and any school district official who did it would find out that some of us non-Tea-Party members are capable of working up even more white hot rage, and acting on it.
Oh, and I think that the example Mr. Scalzi posted here of three months of moving around in an extraordinary situation, is a whole lot different than her continued misrepresentations over a period of years, covering herself with lie after lie when they tried to work with her.
Um…and if the neighborhood was to dangerous for the kids to go to school there, why was it okay for them to actually live there, instead of asking her father to take them in, or moving them out of this bad neighborhood completely?
Steve Burnap says:
According to my wife, this is widespread in the district she teaches in. She’s said that there have been times where up to a third of her class aren’t from the distract. Many officially transfer and lie. Her district mostly ignores the “problem” because for all the issues it brings, these are kids who diserve an education.
She also teaches in one of the best districts in the state. Many, if not most, of the students coming from outside are in the worst. It is no accident that the best is in a rich white suburb and the worst is in a poor black suburb. The way that school funding is set up is unconscionably biased, in California at least.
I find the whole thing appalling. By charging her $30k, they are essentially admitting that the school system is something you pay for, and that richer people get more. It’s not supposed to be like that. Education is supposed to be equal for everyone. If it actually was, women like this simply would not exist.
Jas@13: I suspect the reason she ignored the rules and didn’t work to “resolve the residency issues” is because doing otherwise would have resulted in her children being forced elsewhere where the education was inferior.
Anyway, for commenters who want to know more about the context behind this woman’s prosecution, here’s a gem from Ohio.com’s comments on the case:
I live in Copley and PAY my property tax sohe kids of Copley can go to school. NOT GHETTO TRASH. I don’t care if she thinks she was doing best for her kids. She stole from every person in Copley that pays taxes. I do …not pay my taxes for her kids to go to school and they have no right going to school there
SHE NEEDS TO TO TO JAIL FOR A WHILE. GIVE HER THE MAX TERM!! What a crook and go back to Akron, oh wait jail!”
Classy area that must be…
bearing says:
“But without any laws of this kind or any prosecution of people who break them, EVERYONE is going to figure out a way to go to the best school. ”
Maybe we should come up with some kind of system where kids can go to the school that’s best for them, wherever it may be, and the taxpayer dollars follow the kids where they choose to go.
I know. Crazy.
AJ:
Well, there was also the part where once I was settled, I was still in another district entirely. I don’t know that my mother was ever asked to produce proof she was still in the district, but I don’t imagine that after everything she would have given up easily. I also did receive free lunch and etc and I’m not entirely sure how that was achieved, either.
In short, I think it’s nice that you’re trying to make excuses for my situation, but strict honesty requires me to suggest it’s entirely possible my mother pulled out all the stops to make sure I stayed where was.
As much as you’re trying to make sure everyone else here doesn’t see it all from one point of view, it could be asked of you whether or not you’re bending over backward trying to make sure there’s no possible way Ms. Williams-Bolar’s actions are anything but intransigent.
Omri:
I think we need to be careful about equating the sort of person who leaves a comment at a newspaper site with the general population of folks in that area. In my experience, there’s an inverse relationship between the size of news site and the apparent intelligence of its commenters.
KSB says:
Oh my. The notion that a prosecutor brought felony charges, and that the case wouldn’t resolve short of a jury trial, baffles me. Hey, how about lettng her plead guilty to a misdemeanor, with an agreement to make restitution for the amount of money that she should have paid to the school district (but shouldn’t she get an offset for the amount of tax money she paid to her own municipality, whose schools she would have otherwise used?), and call it a day? Put her on probation for a couple of years to make sure she doesn’t lie anymore. Make her spend 10 days doing some sort of work release, like picking up trash on the side of the road or washing cop cars or whatever. Good enough? Yes, one would hope. Go forth and sin no more.
But another important question, it seems to me, is how we prevent what might be a legally justified conviction which, under the circumstances, is excessive. I looked around the Ohio codes for a bit, and though I don’t know much of anything about Ohio law, it appears she was charged with and convicted of violating ORC section 2913.42. If so, then that crime is only a felony. Ms. Williams-Bolar committed a crime by lying on an official record; the laws of her state make it a felony to do so; that pretty much ends the story, and the court has no way to consider the question of what she “deserves.”
The answer is that states would be well-served to leave ample authority in the hands of judges to reduce charges to misdemeanors. In California, many crimes can be charged as either felonies or misdemeanors, depending on the circumstances. And, even if the prosecution brings a felony charge, the judge can reduce the charge to a misdemeanor. This happens all the time. It’s an important check on the authority of the executive branch. Here, the ten-day sentence doesn’t strike me as grossly excessive, given the charge, because most felonies involve substantially more custody time (at least in California). What is excessive is the felony conviction, which will haunt Ms. Williams-Bolar for years. It’s a pity that the misdemeanor option was apparently unavailable to the judge in her case.
Everyone has a reason why the rules shouldn’t apply to them. Some of them, like our host’s, are good reasons but most of them aren’t. And the trouble is if you ignore them for a good reason, then you have no way of enforcing them for the bad ones. It is no longer equal and transparent. This woman thought she ignored them for good reasons, she must have known that what she was doing was outside the rules and went ahead anyway. When her knowing deception was uncovered and her reasons were tested, turned out the courts and the jury (which is the important part) of her own peers who faced the same hurdles in their lives disagreed. Freedom to break the rules, freedom to take the consequences.
Tal says:
Afraid I have to agree with AJ on this one.
I don’t know the exact details (no kids, yet), but where I am, we have a system in which you can apply for certain schools outside of the one you’re zoned for, and if they have the room, they’ll take the child, up to the capacity. There are no guarantees, but there are definitely some considerations: A sibling at that school, being right on the border between two zones, moving in the middle of the year, etc.
Aside from that, however, you’re on your own.
Is it fair that schools in poor or crime-ridden neighborhoods tend to be worse? No. In fact, I’d argue that such schools deserve far more of the funding share, to get them up to par with the rest of the district. Those are at-risk kids and they need the extra help that kids in more-stable environments don’t.
But the existence of that inequity doesn’t excuse doing something illegal to get around it. Should it be a felony? No. But it shouldnt be blown off as if it’s no big deal. If it’s not fair that kids in wealthier neighborhoods get better schools, it’s also not fair that people who have found ways to get around the regulations should get better schools, too. Sure, this woman’s kids were getting screwed, but what about all the other kids in the school she was zoned for? Weren’t they getting screwed, too? Isn’t it unfair that their own parents weren’t clever or unscrupulous enough to find ways to send them elsewhere?
I feel for this woman, I do. But I also feel for every other poor kid who’s getting a crappy education. Breaking the law as if you’re somehow more important than everyone else who’s suffering under it is not the way to exact change.
Ok, no one else has said it so I will. Does anyone think she’d have been prosecuted if she was a white Republican suburban Mom? Yeah, me neither.
The school district officials and the DA who pressed charges both did it because they felt the public supported their actions. And the DA, remember, refused to do a plea bargain even when the judge asked for it. That indicates to me a large portion of the good citizens of Fairlawn and Copley not wanting “ghetto trash” coming into their schools.
@19 Omri Ironically the kids might have ended up living with her father if she had gone to prison longer and stayed in that school district. I don’t know if that is how it would have played out depending on whatever the whole family situation is but that would be something. Who knows. That might be how it does end up anyway.
Since Rick brought it up, this is the part where I show off the Mallet of Loving Correction and remind people that when talking about issues of race, take care not to accidentally (or intentionally) be racist. It’s tricky but I believe in you.
Mr. Scalzi…
If it was just the residency issue, I would not take issue with this. In fact, I would agree with the statements of most of the rest of the posters here.
The reality, however, is that it’s not just the residency issue.
She claimed no income on her application for the kids’ school lunches, but in reality, she had $2000 a month in wages and child support. I don’t know if she’d still be eligible, but I rather think if she qualified for anything, she’d get reduced, not free lunches. That’s money that could have fed other kids. My understanding of those programs is that there’s a formula involving monthly income and number of people in the household.
She claimed her father’s address on her voter registration paperwork but then applied for subsidized housing for herself in Akron. By the way, lying on voter registration? Felony.
Then there’s the lying on court documents.
And the made-up deployment to evade investigators.
My point with the link and my earlier statement was that there is no information here that leads me to believe that Mom Scalzi hid anything or lied about anything. There’s no information here that your family hid income in filing for school lunches. I’m not judging the residency thing.
You know, though, if someone lied about their residence/household information on a Medicare application or food stamp application, I don’t think anyone here would have a problem with the idea that doing so purposely was fraud. But, as the article I linked earlier suggests, there may have been unfair coverage in the media giving her a pass for getting the kids in better schools. That’s admirable, but does not excuse the many and multiple representations and fraudulent statements.
Josh Jasper says:
I wonder how many of the people here who’re such sticklers for the law (a) drive, and (b) have never once violated a traffic law, like speeding.
Speeding kills people. This woman violating a rule that says she ought to accept a worse education for her kid because she’s in a poor district didn’t kill anyone. But guess which one you can get off for with just a traffic ticket that goes away eventually? People break “the law” all the damn time, but we hold this woman up as if she committed a moral wrong worth punishing, while we all wink and nod at people who violate traffic laws.
celiahayes says:
Oh, what a tangled web … et cetera. What we do for our children, to ensure that they have the best start, the best schooling possible. In my last couple of years in the military, I deduced that my daughter was not being well-served by public schools. I felt as sorry as heck about that, since I was a product of public schools, and up until the 6th grade, my daughter had been well-served by DOD schools. But public schools – a disaster for her. And what could I do about it, as a working single parent? How can one heroic person go in and fix a crashing system – well, one can, of course … but this was real life, not a movie, and I had a real-time, real-life job. I’ve always wished that I had the space/time to have home-schooled her. She did really well with that, for a couple of months that that was an option.
I caved – I sent her to a Catholic high-school. I could just barely afford the tuition for four years. Best money I ever spend, even though we’re Lutheran. And I consider myself fortunate that I had that option.
I can’t pretend I know that the solution would be, with regards to public schools and Ms. Williams-Bolar – but perhaps Diana’s note about open school districts might have some practical merit. If parents work out the transportation issues – maybe the school which draws the pupils in overwhelming numbers gets the extra goodies, budget-wise.
Just to be *really* clear, my slightly cynical supposition is that she would have found herself able to plea out of a felony if she were white. I’m not excusing her actions or lessening her responsibility because she’s black and once it went to trial, the jury might not have had a choice regardless of the race issue – once it was established she’d broken that law they may well not have had any choice in the matter. That’s why I used the word ‘prosecuted’ above.
Put more simply, I do not believe she’s the only parent in that district who lives elsewhere and whose kid goes to those schools. So why was it that she was prosecuted? Or is the district cracking down and will be pursuing all other parents who live on the wrong side of some line?
On the topic of fairness…. the problem here stems from the insistence on very local control of schools. If states funded all schools equally there’s no issue. That is, a school district should not get more money for its schools because it’s more well to do. All taxes should go into a state fund that’s distributed back out with each school getting so many dollars per student. Districts could still control how the money’s spent, but everyone gets the same amount per student. Not a cure-all, but a step.
@Josh Jasper (30): We don’t wink and nod at people who violate traffic laws. We punish them. With fines. Sometimes really big fines. Your argument suggests that all laws are the same, and that if we don’t punish speeding as a felony, then because Ms. Williams-Bolar “didn’t kill anyone,” then there’s no way she should be convicted of a felony.
It’s not a sound argument, though, because when speeding gets so excessive that it might kill someone, it becomes reckless driving, which can be prosecuted as a felony. Also, more to the point, it’s not useful to use the “kill anyone” test to measure whether or not a crime has occurred, or whether it’s serious. FYI, stealing your car doesn’t “kill anyone.” Neither does perjury. In fact, very few crimes “kill anyone.” Those that do are punished much for severly than speeding.
Yeah, I’ve speeded. I’m not sorry and I plan to do it again. I like driving fast. I probably will again too.
However if the coppers gave me a hefty fine and three to six points on my licence I would have no one to blame but myself. We all have the freedom to ignore laws we don’t like, but we have the freedom to take the consequences if we get caught.
As a commenter on my site said when I posted about this:
“Don’t you know it’s stealing for black children to try to learn the same as white children?”
This is Ohio. Take a look at the comments on the site there, or, hey, even “AJ”‘s comments here. It’s really not hard to imagine that, even had your mother been caught, she’d have gotten off lighter than Ms. Williams-Bolar because she’s not black.
Billy Quiets says:
AJ, I appreciate your post and link. Still, a felony conviction? If lying about residency warrants this kind of response then Rahm Emanuel might be in serious trouble up in Chicago.
I applaud her for trying to get her kids in the best school. I wish every parent cared enough to game the system to give their kids the best.
watercolor says:
Suuuuure the father could have legally had custody and they could have tried to it that way. But then the kids would have had to live with him. But that’s not always the best thing for the child EITHER. My best friend had her two kids in private school she could barely afford because the public schools where we live aren’t good. Public school in the neighboring town where her ex lives are much better. It’s about 30 minutes away. He offered to alter the custody agreement to legally have custody so the kids could go to school there but they’d still really live with her. It would just be a “paper” thing. Thing is, that’s still illegal. Other thing is, he’s a jerk creaton idiot freak man and no WAY was she giving him custody because heaven only KNOWS what he’d do. Now in this case, they are talking about the grandfather but STILL. As a parent are YOU willing to give up legal custody of your kid for ANY reason? I think not.
Seems like it would be good if all property owners had a voucher for the local school to use for their family then it wouldn’t matter that the kids don’t like with the grandfather and he doesn’t have custody. The family next door pays taxes just as he does. Of course, taxes would go up because they are at a rate figuring all paying won’t use that particular service…. No easy answer.
But a felony? That’s ridiculous.
@36 – Wow, interesting point about Rahm Emanuel. Hadn’t thought of that.
In theory, I’m ok with the idea of every school getting the same amount of funding, but I still would want there to be some local control. There has to be a balance, because I don’t want them having so much local control that they, say, don’t teach evolution. But I went to a rural school on the very edge of a very large school district that also included inner city schools, and we were always having these ridiculous rules applied to us based on incidents in the inner city schools, and in our context it made no sense. So I’m against school districts that are THAT big.
John H says:
The real crime is inner-city schools that are little more than warehouses for kids.
Mai says:
My mom did the same thing for me. When I was 10 I got into the “gifted program” in the school district in the city bordering ours, when I was applying we used my aunt’s address and for four years used it (after that we moved into that school district and it didn’t matter) so I (and my sister a year later) could be in the program. Actually the schools that housed the program (it was K-12 so there was an elementary, middle and high school) were on the west side of town and in high school there was always news that so and so shop down the road got held up at gun-point. The reasoning was putting all the kids in the gifted program on the west side would increase the school’s performance (which it did. My junior year we found out 3 different ACT averages for the school. Whole school, school without program, just program; 21, 18, 27).
Count me as another person who doesn’t much care that she lied to get her kids into a better school. I didn’t care 20 years ago when my brother did it and I don’t care now. I understand that in an unequal public education system the law is going to try to prevent this from happening, but any action by the state other than making the kids go to the school in their home district is excessive.
I’m going to remain skeptical about the claim that she also lied about her income for free lunches because, except for the statement by the guy AJ linked to, I didn’t find any corroboration. Maybe it’s out there and AJ will provide the links, but I’m not inclined to rely on one guy’s statement.
The Akron Beacon Journal addressed the racism question here in a column by Bob Dyer
Here are some facts.
From 2005 through Friday afternoon, the Copley-Fairlawn School District formally confronted 48 families whose children were illegally attending its schools. The breakdown:
• 29 families were black.
• 15 families were white.
• two families were Asian.
• one family was Pacific Islander.
• one family was multiracial.
Question: If Copley went after Kelley Williams-Bolar because she is black, why didn’t Copley take the 28 other black families to court?
Answer: Because those families didn’t do what Williams-Bolar did. Those families paid what they owed and immediately withdrew from the school or made arrangements so their children were legally residing in the district.
Williams-Bolar was not singled out because of her skin color. She was singled out because — unlike 47 other families of varying colors — she openly and continually defied the school system, insisting that her kids lived in the district when they were living with her in Akron, and lying about her income and child support so her kids would get free lunches.
That’s what a jury decided unanimously — a jury that included four blacks.
Perhaps this might lay the racism comments to rest.
Cassie,
Thank you. Facts are good things and I stand corrected. I still think it’s rather silly and antiquated to run schools so that it matters whether or not you live on one side of a street or another, but that’s a different issue.
If they’re going to prosecute people for such a heinous crime as ripping off the tax-payers in the better school district, then why don’t people who have no children attending school get a tax credit . . . or people who have their children in private schools or who home school?
No, I don’t think what she did was a crime. Her father paid taxes in that district and his grandchildren should be allowed to attend schools there.
There was an interesting discussion on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” on Thursday and I was appalled at all the teachers who thought Williams-Bolar deserved what she got. NONE of those teachers thought people who lived in that district, but didn’t have children in school, should get a tax break. I don’t either.
This system is designed to keep people in their place, to thwart those who do want to work hard and get ahead.
Fortunately for Ms. Williams-Bolar’s children, even though they’ve just suffered a pretty good punch in the gut, they’ve got a mother who will be involved in their education.
MG Farrelly says:
Growing up in Chicago in the late 80’s/90’s I got to see first hand just how education disparity worked. Kids in my neighborhood went to one of two, fairly decent, public grade schools or the local Catholic school. The local high school was, functionally, a kennel for children.
The facility featured weekly stabbings, a “quiet room” and an on-site police station. One year the prom was cancelled when a gang war broke out. Talking about it with people unfamiliar with the time and place you get looks like you’re describing some of the more colorful scenes in “Robocop”.
My mother worked 60+ hours a week to put me into a private high school. Because of the way the public school system worked, my mother’s only choice was to pay for private school. Unless she wanted to quit her job and move, using the the money we didn’t have to do so. She made a painful sacrifice in the face of a system that, simply put, sucked.
The woman in this story took a terrible risk to give her children a better life. Should she have made some restitution? Sure. Could this have been handled quietly and without a public trial and shaming? Yes. Prosecutors who strive to “make examples” of people should be “made an example of” by being sent off to provide legal aid to cannibals.
t1 says:
I live in a school district that is supported by multiple levies on my property taxes for various “enrichment” programs that total over $3,500 per year on my property taxes – on top of the base property taxes.
If you live in a neighboring community in a different school district, you don’t pay the enrichment levies.
If I found out that someone was sending a child into my district without paying the special levies, I would report them immediately and I hope that they would be prosecuted as the felons that they are.
Eddie C says:
As a non-American, I have a question: why on earth are schools funded with local property taxes? Surely if anything is the concern of state and/or federal government, it is ensuring that citizens are properly educated. And doesn’t funding schools locally ensure that schools in poor areas with ALWAYS be underfunded, and schools in rich areas will (proportionately) always be overfunded? Cos that sounds like a hideous recipie for an entrenched underclass to me…
mythago says:
I’m so angry that I’m really trying to find a way to dodge the Mallet while expressing myself.
Yes, she is a very sympathetic figure. Who among us wouldn’t want to do the best for our children? Who doubts for a minute that if she had been Bitsy Richwhite that she would have been treated more leniently? Who thinks that the current system is fair, reasonable and meets the needs of children as it should? Who really thinks jail time solved the problem?
But it seems to be that we’re forgetting there are other kids who went to that school and other parents who wanted to do the best for their kids, and that maybe those kids didn’t get into their favorite teacher’s class, or into the GATE program, or even into the school they live near, because they were trying to play by the rules and some other kid’s parents didn’t think the rules applied to them. You think this is just an issue of rich white entitled parents vs. the poor scrabbling at the “good schools”? Right. Because “my child deserves the best” and “the rules don’t apply to me” are totally not part of the mentality of entitled rich suburban parent.
I’m furious because I’ve been on the receiving end of what happens when a school runs out of room and runs out of resources and your kid gets to be the one told to fuck off, because of age or date of enrollment or some other “neutral” criteria. I’ve been the parent who had to actually have a child move in with Grandma because it was that or move to a different school and thus enable the district to play “IEP? Oh, did you have an IEP? Sorry, we have to start all over again because your child is a transfer student”.
@47 – A lot of us americans would like to know the answer to that too. I don’t know any answer other than that’s the way its always been. And yes, it does mean poor areas are generally underfunded compared to rich areas.
#3 “It goes on all the time. And will continue to go on, and no, school “vouchers” are not the answer.”
Why Not? If one school is not meeting the expectations of the parent, or the needs of the student, why should there be a way to go to the school of choice?
It’s interesting that in an age where the right to choose is so often espoused, when it comes to schools, that right seems to be limited by those same advocates.
I really don’t understand why more people don’t support school vouchers, let the best schools get the most students, and those schools that are deficient must either improve or fade away from lack of funding. As it stands, deficient schools are still funded, and students are held hostage in order to provide a head count for funding metrics.
“Waiting for Superman” anyone?
The school my daughter goes to is in an inverse situation. It’s a charter school and the local school district owes it money that they haven’t paid. Several local charters have gone to court to get paid. The local district has settled with three of the charters, but not my daughter’s school.Too bad Durham Public Schools couldn’t be charged with a felony.
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/30/710620/charters-sue-durham-schools-saying.html
Hey T1 @46, I pay an assload and a half in property taxes and my son goes to a good public school. If I found out that someone was sending their kid into my son’s school without paying the extra levies, I would welcome them with open arms. If they care enough to break the law so their children have a better life I’m all for them. I don’t fault the parents, I fault the incredibly fucked-up educational system that the state and the teachers unions foist on us that creates situations like this.
Eddie C., Yeah, it does sound like that, doesn’t it?
Oddly, it seems to only work out like that in urban areas, my rural Kansas schools (VERY low property taxes) were all rather well-funded.
More on-topic: can anyone explain the last part of this quote from the link in #9:
“Williams-Bolar repeatedly ignored attempts, over a period of years, by the Copley-Fairlawn School District to resolve the residency issue. Other parents caught in the same net took responsibility and either proved residency, pulled their children from the District or acted like adults and paid the tab;”
Paid the tab? As in, you can enter your kid in the school by paying for it? Legally?
In that case, I’m sorry to say I have to agree this lady did the right thing in entirely the wrong way, and so she’s liable for punishment.
Rob @50: Perhaps because some of us see a disconnect between ‘having a voucher’ and ‘getting to go to whatever school you want to go to’, and are aware that schools do not have unlimited enrollment. They’re a nice subsidy for middle-class parents; they’re not going to help kids in poor neighborhoods attend St. Swithin’s Academy on the other side of town.
Wasn’t Waiting for Superman the paid advertisement for charter schools?
Brad J says:
In yet another case to convince me that I am in fact a John Scalzi from an alternate universe where I was born later, moved to Maine, grew up to become a programmer (instead of a writer), and kept my hair, I also moved 4 times during my sixth-grade year. My mother talked to the school district, and since she still co-owned property there with my father (and then inherited my grandmother’s house), they let me finish the year there.
I suppose I’d never realized quite how lucky I was.
Sihaya says:
I went to school with alot of kids whose parents had fudged their addresses. Realize that we were all in the same ginormous urban district, one that was broken up into zones. So we were all paying through the same tax system. Heck, our state used a Robin Hood system, so *everybody* was paying the same tax system; it just gets redistributed. Anyway, those kids were definitely the ones who wanted to be there, and their parents were quite involved with school life. Our district is currently gutting its magnet program, so transferring schools is going to be highly improbable for any kid. The school board here wouldn’t dare prosecute the fudgers for fear of losing their jobs.
@54 Would that assessment include the Washington DC school voucher program?
As for the film, if it goes against one’s preconceived notions about public schools versus charter schools, I’m sure it was propaganda funded by a nefarious group with the worst of intentions.
Mark E says:
Having a completely appalling system would appear to be the problem.
Funding schools from district property taxes? So poor areas have poor schools, and rich areas have good schools? Education should be state or federally funded.
I think we might have just tapped into a major fundamental fault in the “American way”.
@47 Funding isn’t the whole problem. My primarily rural district receives over 90% of its funding from local taxes, then the state kicks in some and we might get a little federal funding. The city near us gets over 90% of its funding from the state, and a small part from local taxes (which are lower than mine). Altogether they get about $2,500 more per student than we get, but our district is still much better. Different districts may get less from local taxes, but the state more than makes up for it, at least around here. If the school isn’t well run, and the neighborhood is bad, it doesn’t seem to matter how much money is thrown at the problem, the students don’t get a good education.
JimR @53: Supposedly, what the normal practice in this district was when they caught a parent lying was not to immediately slap them with felony charges; the parent was offered the choice of withdrawing their child from the school, moving within the district so all was kosher, or ‘paying tuition’. I can’t tell from the article whether that means the school actually charges tuition of some sort (it appears to be a public school, so thinking not), whether that is an estimate of what it costs per month to educated the student, whether there is some fine involved, or what. The prosecution’s claim was that Ms. Williams-Bolar stated she had done nothing wrong and insisted that her kids really did live with their father (at least, enough to ‘count’ as living in the school district), and falsified some documents to support the claim that they lived with their dad.
NPR coverage here. It looks as though they are going to let her go ahead to get her teaching license.
I think this might be one of those situations where I would exercise my presidential pardoning powers.
Now if only I were president…
--E says:
Haven’t there been several recent studies showing that the #1 determinant of how a kid does in school is the intellectual and financial advantages of the home life? That is, kids from educated families that put importance on education, will tend to be educated regardless of what sort of school they go to.
This is not my way of saying it made no difference where this woman sent her kids (below a certain threshold, I’m pretty sure a bad school environment is not easily overcome). It’s my way of noting that clearly she values her kids’ education. I’d be interested in knowing what sort of grades they got.
This tangentially reminds me of my sister’s tales when she was an ADA in Brooklyn. Sometimes they would haul in an otherwise not-bad parent for leaving their 11 year hold at home alone after school for a couple of hours. The kid didn’t get into any trouble, but the parent got reported and was now up on charges. My sister insisted they not assign those cases to her, because she and I were latchkey kids much younger than that. She couldn’t see prosecuting people for doing what her own parents had done.
To clarify what’s commonly done in Summit County (Akron, Copley) and many other Ohio school districts:
A student is permitted to attend a different school district if they are willing to pay fees that generally are over $1K, and mostly over $2K. I’m unsure what the formula is to determine that cost.
The family must be willing to provide all transportation and agree to any additional fees that the school requires, such as class fees, pay to play (extra curricular) and lab fees. I believe some friends of mine paid roughly $3K for their son to attend a neighboring district high school.
Other families, when faced with the truth, either paid up the required fees or withdrew their children.
Ms. Williams-Bolar lied multiple times, so much so that the district thought it was worth it to video her to prove conclusively what the truth is.
As a homeschooler, I’m not unhappy to pay taxes to educate the general populace’s children. I might want to pay less, I might want the school to drop a 1/3 of its administration and to run the buses more efficiently. I don’t want a tax credit because I don’t want the government thinking that a tax credit gives them some power in the decisions I make as a homeschooler
I think charter schools threaten the status quo in a positive way because it gives power to families and takes it away from administration and teachers unions. I suspect that’s what’s the real driving force behind the anti-charter school paranoia.
MagneyJ says:
You know, the Constitution of the State of Ohio, right up near the top, in its very first article, says “All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their equal protection and benefit.” Equal protection and benefit. Every competent person in Ohio who’s not an utter fool knows that their school system doesn’t provide equal benefits to all the children in that state, and that the children who are less equally benefited are predominantly nonwhite and come from poor families. If the state of Ohio had to pay just the children of Akron the difference between the value of the the education they received and the value of the equal benefit they should have received by law, well the good citizens of the Copley-Fairlawn school district would be out a lot more money than the amount Ms. Williams-Bolar supposedly cost them. Be surprised, too, if those sticklers for the letter of the law have refunded any grant money to the state or federal governments, since they’re not supposed to have counted those illegal nonresidents in the enrollment figures their grants are in part based on.
God bless the child who’s got his own
Even worse, every day school administrators around the country try to deprive disabled children of the full education guaranteed by law rather than deal honestly with budget problems. And they’ll go into court or administrative hearings and swear their lying asses off that they’re motivated only by the educational interests of the children they’re trying to shortchange. They’re felons, of course, perjurers, but they won’t be punished (unless they do a bad job of lying and their employers lose the case, in which case they may lose some or all of their bonus or next raise). Won’t lose their teacher licenses, like felons should. Certainly won’t go to jail. All of those folks, collectively haven’t had to do the jail time handed down to Ms. Williams-Bolar. But they’ve done a lot more harm.
From my understanding, her father did live and pay taxes in the district. Even if the children didn’t live there full time, they did have a legitimate address in the district. I think it should have been allowed, although they may have done it honestly to begin with and file an exception. The school district where I work often has students from other district who attend, although we are aware of it and approve a boundary exception. My particular school is horrible (93% below poverty, 90% hispanic) so we have a lot of “flight” from the neighborhood to more distant schools. If the parents are willing to provide transportation, I don’t see a problem. With charter schools and other options out there, take what you can get.
If it were a public school thing, that’s one thing. But it says at the end of the newspaper article that she owes $30,000 in tuition that she got free through fraud. I think lying to get free tuition is going a little too far, personally. I got a perfectly fine education at a public school, which yes, my father lied about where he lived to allow me to go to. But it was a free school, in any case. A private school is private and charges tuition for a reason. You lie to avoid that, you are essentially stealing.
YoYo says:
#11 – Henry: Unfortunately, a lot of people are unable to think on their own and look to popular people or celebs to help form their opinion. I am not slamming JS here, just stating a common fact about some people. Of course I do not feel all people who email JS for comment fall into this category.
As for the lady, no I certainly do not think she should not be convicted as a felon, that is insane. It really is a tough subject it seems. I have kids myself who have had a great time and much success in public school but there is something to be said about the concept of vouchers. Heck, several people I know at work who have no kids think it is wrong they are paying for public school. Crazy, I know.
Cassie @63: It’s not paranoia to be realistic about charter schools. They can be a great thing; they can also fail horribly. They’re not a magic bullet. (PBS has an interesting overview of the issues here.)
I find that a good rule of thumb is that any simple, single-factor solution to the educational crisis is going to be a) ideologically driven and b) wrong.
66-Megan: There is no such thing as a free school. Public school is funded by the residents that live in the community. The problem arises when people live in a ISD where they have chosen to have a higher tax rate and have a more advanced school system. Then the question arises, is it fair for a child in a neighboring community to have parents who lie about residence so they can send their children to the better system without paying for it via taxes?
JS-Sorry for double post,,,
Mythago @ 68
Neither is the charter school the evil that it’s often portrayed as.
Gary Willis says:
Was the lady’s child an athlete? Down here in Texas folk get mighty riled up when a parent pulls the wool over the school officials’ eyes to steer their kid to a school out of the zone in which they actually live in order to play ball, any kind of ball, at a school with a really good team and winning record. Just wondering.
#47 Crazy, I know. Texas schools have always been funded with both local and State dollars (Federal dollars for Fed programs). Decades back the State share was the majority share. Today locals fund the majority. And next year, the State will cut their allotment in Texas massively ($25 billion dollar deficit to be covered with no new taxes and no use of the rainy day surplus fund). So the property wealth of a local district does impact how much they can raise in local taxes and use for local schools. We have a Robin Hood Plan that tries to level the inequalities, but in real life it only helps but does not extinguish the inherent inequalities built systemically into the system.
What the research shows over and over again is that money spent at the school is NOT the controlling factor for quality of student performance. Poverty at home IS the controlling factor. Schools anywhere with higher percentages of low-income families (of any ethnicity or background) will generally have lower performing students. Period. You could spend double, triple, quadruple the funds on such schools and the student performance will still be sub-par because poverty stricken homes simpley are unable to provide the enrichment and learning environments middle-class and upper-class home routinely provide. If we Americans want all our kids to succeed and do well in school, then we must attack and solve the poverty in which the kids find themselves. LBJ declared a War on Poverty. We lost that war.
I just finished reading Tony Blair’s memoirs. New Labour in Britain appeared to tackle the problem with some successes. Possibly our political class needs to study what New Labour did to attack the problem of poverty and low performance by students trapped within poverty.
Oh, as for the lady and her conviction as a felon. I admire her wanting to do what was right for her kid. But I taught my two sons the principle of logical consequences. If you choose to break a rule (or law) and a penalty follows, then logically you chose to risk that penalty being applied to you if caught. And if you are caught and hit with the penalty, well then, that was the logical consequence of your own choice. Her conviction should stand.
I am a public school teacher. We have rules in place for transfers into our school that are based on if we have room. We are not a wealthy school but we have some good teachers and we do get transfer requests.
For me the tragedy of this story is that not all public schools are created equal and they should be. We fight for every dollar we get and we will never be more than a poor rural school. We had to let 20 teachers go in our school district last year because of the mess with California’s budget. We couldn’t afford program and materials. There were many schools that did not suffer like this. They had a better zip code.
GinBerlin says:
I find it fascinating to read all the different comments here. One of the reasons I left NY and moved to Germany was the school situation: we had kids, we lived in a terrible school district, I couldn’t afford the $14,000 a year per child that the good public school system next to me charged when it had space to allow other kids in (still a bargain-$29,000/yr at the private school for 1st grade). I think funding schools through local taxes is a very stupid concept and leads to exactly the type of housing issues that the NorthEast has seen: it causes ridiculous changes in housing prices due to supply and demand of adequate schooling that distort reality. And these prosecutions are normal: I see them in Florida, where I have relatives, all the time. Because paying nothing, or 8,000 in school tax versus 38,000 in school tax, makes a real difference. I think she should have moved in with her dad. Or rented an apartment in her school district. I actually know these things, because we considered renting a small apt in the school district just so that our kids could go there- that’s what you do, if you can. And she could have. If I understand this case correctly. The lying for free federal meals- that’s just nasty.
PixelFish says:
I pay my taxes hoping that all kids will get a decent education. I think there’s got to be a better way than leaving a child’s education up to the vagaries of district tax lines. I grew up in a good zip code public school, and it kills me to think that there are kids whose parents worked just as hard as mine, if not harder, who get less of an education because they have no funding.
Also, pretty certain that economically, we do better when our country as a whole is better educated. Crime goes down when education is a priority. It’s sad that a few folks can’t see the holistic necessity of educating kids they call “ghetto trash”–so short sighted, so lacking in compassion.
marigi says:
I know it’s an illusion, but shouldn’t the focus of this whole situation be that it shouldn’t have ended this way because going to a different school shouldn’t have made much of a difference from an educational point of view to begin with?
Taking aside the issue of leaving behind friends, a mother should not be concerned that her kids get a different kind of education if they change district. Schools should be good everywhere, and that should be an aim of both people and politicians. Give more chances (money?) to those schools that need it the most.
PixelFish hits the spot when connecting crime rates with education. Extra funding for schools in troubled districts will pay back in every way, showing kids that they can hope for a better life than the one ignorance offers them.
One thing I’m wondering, that is only marginally related:
what if I’m not ok with what the school in my district teaches the kids? I’m thinking about religious issues like creationism. If I’m against it should I not have the right to pull my kid from school and send him somewhere else? Could I?
JediBear says:
Sometimes the law is wrong. This is one of those times.
What’s really unfortunate is that parents need to go to these kinds of measures to keep their kids in the same school or to get them into a good school. We need more school choice and better schools. Those are notions I think go hand-in-hand.
A system that lacks human compassion tends to produce this kind of results, where the letter of the law matters more than the actual consequences this has for the people involved. This mother has done everything we would want a mother to do, put her children first and for most in everything she does. It is unfortunate that she was driven to such extremes but the lack of choice for a good education for her children put her there. Something is very wrong when as a society we prosecute some one whose primary goal is the best interests of their children and who acted upon it, but bureaucracy and anonymity tend to erase our humanity.
To t1 @46 and other authors of the scattered posts above from (presumably) parents claiming that since you pay extra property taxes to live in a nicer area and would report (and hope for prosecution) of anyone from other districts sending kids to your schools: shame on you. Your attitude is appalling.
By your logic, I should be righteously pissed off at your ilk for sending kids to school in districts where I paid property taxes, since I have no children and thus am not directly benefitting from your kids’ education. I mean, why should you get to freeload off of me?
Your logic on this is obviously fallacious for several reasons.
1. I do, in fact, benefit from your kid getting a good education. A stupid or ignorant populace helps no one. You likewise benefit from kids going to the best schools they can, be it yours or others, regardless of what taxes their parents did or did not pay.
2. Regardless of if the people directly funded your kids’ school via local taxes, they definitely indirectly did, through the state and federal taxes they pay which your school district gets a large amount of their funding.
3. It’s not going to hurt your kids *at all* to meet kids from poorer districts. Judging by your attitude, it likely wouldn’t have hurt you either.
4. You *choose* to live in an area with a property tax levy for schools. You will not magically stop paying this levy once your kids are out of school. Oh, the humanity! Maybe we should now prosecute all of your neighbors for “stealing” your tax money.
I could go on, but I am just going to stop and be happy my federal tax dollars are helping pay for your kids to get an education. You see, things like that are why, as an American, I am happy to pay my taxes.
torgeaux says:
I have less of a problem with convicting this woman, and the punishment she got, than I do with the fact that there is that much of a difference in quality of schools that people actively seek to go there. A system wherein how much local property costs determines how much can be spent per student necessarily means that poor people get lesser education. Separate but “equal” is inherently suspect, and it is so here.
This woman, in a vacuum, should be convicted and punished. But, the sad fact is this: if the education available to her child were equal elsewhere, she wouldn’t have any motivation to do this. It’s not, and as long as it’s not, I won’t condemn anyone who breaks the law to get the best education for their child rather than just accept a lesser education and future for them.
30 years ago the whole idea of open enrollment and contiguous school districts didn’t exist (at least not here in Ohio). Now that it does, it’s a simple matter to do what your mother did by filing some paperwork with the school to keep you in the spot you already held. I did that with my two daughters when we sold our house and moved in with the in-laws 4 years ago this month. Granted, we didn’t move 4 times in 3 months, which would necessitate doing the paperwork 4 times, which would be a royal pain for all involved. Those teachers who looked the other way for you can now just walk you down to the office and do the exact same, best-for-the-kid thing and do it legally.
The point is, there are now avenues for not blowing up a kids life mid-school year that are pretty easy to follow if you care to. Getting your kid into a different district by fudging residency is a different matter, and as many have pointed out, leads to other problems. If everyone flocks to the best local district, they get overcrowded, underfunded, and stop being the best district.
That said, making it a felony is absurd. This is seriously misdemeanor territory here. Make her do community service in a school cafeteria for a month and call it even.
Travis Butler says:
One thing I haven’t seen brought up here, except peripherally, is what happens to the kids left behind.
The big problem I have with what she did – and my issue with vouchers, and to some degree with magnet and charter schools – is that it removes a big incentive to improve the poorer-performing schools. The way I see it:
* No matter what some proponents of vouchers/magnets/charter/etc. try to claim, I don’t think it’s possible for all students at a poorly-performing school to opt-out; there’s always going to be children whose parents can’t afford the price-over-vouchers, or can’t handle transportation, etc. etc.
* The parents who get their children out are going to be the most resourceful ones – the wealthiest ones, or the ones with the most drive, the ones who push hardest. In other words, the ones best-qualified to improve the public schools their kids are currently in.
* The end result is that the less-fortunate kids get left behind to rot in schools that have lost the support of the most capable parents.
Now, I feel sympathy for the parents involved. But I feel the situation as a whole is unconscionable, and I would much rather see the parents put their resources towards improving the school their kids are in, instead of trying to get them out of it. (I do make an exception for people in situations like our host; if a family moves in the middle of the school year, I do think kids should have a chance to finish out the year in their existing school instead of being forced to transfer in the middle of classes.)
(Disclaimer: I don’t have kids myself, though I do have a niece and nephew that I care about. And I’ve been working for a public school district for the last six months, though it’s a temporary contract and not a permanent position.)
Robin S. says:
I honestly had no idea there existed anything other than open district schools. Probably half of the people in my extended social circle disappeared between junior and senior years of high school because their parents were shuttling them to a different county/district, due to their fear of a legendary history teacher (their loss. Yes, he made us work harder than every other history class I had – including college – but I learned a lot in that class. The most important of which had nothing to do with history). As far as I know, no one bothered to hide their home addresses from the new school.
That said, given the facts I know, I don’t think she deserved a felony conviction (misdemeanor, sure), though if I knew more about, say, the claiming-no-income thing, I might change my mind.
All that said, I mostly wanted to respond to comments like this one from crypticmirror (@24): “And the trouble is if you ignore them for a good reason, then you have no way of enforcing them for the bad ones.” I understand the point, but I disagree. That sort of thinking less to zero-tolerance policies and the related idiocy that stems from them. Yes, the law should treat everyone equally as much as possible, but at some point, someone haas to make a judgement call. The kid who brought a kitchen knife to school because he grabbed Dad’s lunchbox may have committed the same “crime” a the kid who brings one in case he needs it in a fight, but their reasons are different enough that different punishments are called for. Similarly, lying about where you live for purposes of getting your kids into the safe school doesn’t deserve the same punishment as lying for, say, tax dodging.
As much as I sometimes wish for people to be more logical and less emotional, I do think we have to use some judgement in applying the law. And if that means we risk idiots who will make judgement calls on criteria I disapprove of, it’s a risk I feel is necessary.
“And if that means we risk idiots who will make judgement calls on criteria I disapprove of, it’s a risk I feel is necessary.”
If only more people felt that way.
Late to the party here. The idea that it’s unreasonable to list one of the childrens’ parent’s residences as their primary, even if they don’t live there the majority of the time, is kinda lame (think of all the people who do this with uncles or cousins to get in-state tuition rates). The idea that someone should do time over this is breathtakingly absurd. Is the violent crime rate low enough in ohio that the courts can waste their time on this?
To top it off, I think the following qoute from that article tells what you need to know:
“The unusual case apparently has no documented precedence in felony court proceedings statewide.”
So why persue this? The only reasons, from an outsider’s perspective, are pretty ugly.
I just want to be clear: I did not mean to imply in my last sentence that anyone who would use criteria for decision-making was an idiot. That was poorly worded. I had a specific example in mind, and it caused me to word my comment more harshly than intended.
I also meant to point out that it was a risk worth taking because I assume that those decision makers are not serving for life. Either they are subject to re-election or their jury duty will expire, and appeal is always an option.
It seems I misread the article, it’s “Her” father, not their father.
Gary@71: But I taught my two sons the principle of logical consequences. If you choose to break a rule (or law) and a penalty follows, then logically you chose to risk that penalty being applied to you if caught. And if you are caught and hit with the penalty, well then, that was the logical consequence of your own choice. Her conviction should stand.
The problem there is you conflate two distinctly different things. The first is whether she broke the law or not. The second being the issue of whether the law that makes her actions a crime is a moral law in teh first place.
We *know* she broke the law. No one is arguing that. The point of this thread is whether the law that convicted her is moral and correct, or whether as members of a democratic society, should we take it upon ourselves to notify our representatives to change the law.
What you did was really little more than an appeal to authority fallacy. i.e. She broke the law. Her conviction should stand. The law itself cannot be questioned. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
Todd Stull says:
I only hope that this discussion on Scalzi’s blog spurs one or more commenters to get involved in making school funding more equal in those places where there are funding disparities.
When I was getting my masters in social work, I did a good bit of my training in schools. One was incredibly well resourced, the other, not. The factors influencing student achievement, in my experience, are many. There seems to be a baseline funding level that is necessary for high achievement, but not sufficient on its own. The other factors I saw as most pertinent were: parents supportive of student reading and homework at home, teachers that cared about each child’s overall well-being, neighborhoods that were safe and had recreational opportunities, and a school administrative leadership team that was flexible and demanded high performance from all stakeholders. Anyway, I think we need to get baseline funding sufficient for all schools. If local property taxes are a school’s main funding source, then unequal outcomes across neighborhoods are pretty much guaranteed. As someone upstream commented, it benefits everyone to get all kids achieving highly.
Finally, as a generally comment to whether this woman deserved what she got, I am less concerned that the law treats a class of crimes as equal, then whether the punishments are fair. And in this case, I think a felony goes too far, mostly because felony convictions destroy your future employment prospects so well.
Michael Crichton says:
There may not have been racism involved in the prosecution itself, but I find it interesting that in the articles and blog posts that _don’t_ include a picture of the mother, there’s a lot more comments expressing sympathy, and almost none at all actively attacking her. Take from that what you will.
She didn’t really get time for it. She was sentenced to time served plus one extra day to make sure she didn’t think she got off on anything, she also has a felony conviction to disclose that she likes to fiddle the rules to future employers (and keep her from jobs that you really do not want anyone with a predilection to fiddling the rules anywhere near). It was a slap on the wrist sentence no matter how you slice it. She broke the rules, she knew she broke the rules, she claimed it was justified, presented her arguments to a jury of her peers who disagreed with her. This was a textbook case of how the law should work.
Daniel Webster says:
My mom did the same thing when my parents divorced in 1976 and I was in first grade. I “officially” lived at my grandmother’s address while we lived in a different part of town. When I was in third grade, my mom bought a house in the neighborhood of the school I’d been attending and it all slipped quietly under the radar.
Ulysses says:
Sorry, but being Canadian, this is the first I’ve heard of this. My first thought is, “You mean the judicial system is using taxpayers money and civil servant’s time to prosecute THIS?”
The woman has children in school. That’s a good thing. So she’s payed taxes to the wrong district? What kind of brain damaged system thinks that depriving her of a prospective living and her children of their primary caregiver for 10 days is some form of justice?
Oh. That kind of system. When the revolution comes, these people will be the first stood up against the wall and serenaded by William Hung (I’m for peaceful revolution, but not against psychological/aural torture)… And THAT will be justice.
crypticmirror@90: She broke the rules, she knew she broke the rules, she claimed it was justified, presented her arguments to a jury of her peers who disagreed with her. This was a textbook case of how the law should work.
Another textbook example of appeal to authority fallacy.
We are yet still (barely) a democracy of some sort or another. We get to decide whether the law is just and moral or not. If not, we get to change it through the democratic process. Part of that proces requires people discussing specific cases where the law failed, why it is wrong, etc.
I love it when folks ask “Is this law right?” and other folks with an authoritarian streak in them come out with “The law was broken! Do not question the law!”
You don’t get to pick and choose which laws you obey. That is a fundamental building block of society. Once they are set you either campaign to change it, or you live with it. If you knowingly break it then you prepare yourself for the consequences and take them. It harms society as a whole, and undermines the social fabric if people start thinking of laws as a personal opt in. There are plenty of laws I think are stupid, but others are fine with, and there are plenty of rules and laws I personally like that others hate and find unreasonable. However society works because we obey them all, even if we do work to change or modify them. The law was broken, but if you think it is wrong campaign for its repeal, in the meantime you live with it.
If someone stole $30,000, it’s grand larceny any way you look at it. That’s a felony-level crime.
Think on it this way: in Ohio, $30K is a good teacher’s salary. This mother stole the equivalent from the district.
Now, if people want to attack the law’s validity, then we’re moving into another discussion. Social contract theory anyone?
As a parent in a district (San Francisco Unified) with complete open enrollment, I admit I’m feeling less sympathetic than many people to this mother. SF has a number of excellent public schools that are recognized as such, a number of excellent public schools that go unrecognized, and a whole lot of crappy ones.
Every year hundreds of suburban parents find a way to claim a San Francisco residence and enroll in the most popular schools (particularly those with foreign language programs, where the district excels). Because school assignments are made by lottery and there are class size caps, every one of those parents is kicking a local resident into a less desirable school. My feeling: if you want the school, move into the city. We have friends who have two kids in a 1-bedroom apartment so that they can legally retain a desirable SF school assignment, and know others who live with extended family for the same reason. We are fortunate enough to have our kids in a great school that’s below most people’s radar (and it has spaces available for out-of-district students, incidentally), but we were unable to attend four schools closer to our home because of high demand. A few dozen places at those schools, we found out last year, were until recently taken by people who lived outside the city and claimed false addresses. I don’t think they are better parents than we are because they are willing to cheat my kids out of a good education to get the school they want.
If SF finds out you’re claiming a false address, you have the option to finish out the school year and then (a) move into the city or (b) apply in the lottery as an out-of-district transfer for any open places remaining after city residents are placed or (c) go back to one of the many fine suburban schools surrounding the city. I don’t see how this is unfair. If you’re temporarily homeless or in transition, they’ll work with you until you’re resettled, and this seems reasonable too. But lying about your address for years on end without making any effort to move into the district? That’s unfair to those of us who just want a chance to go to a decent nearby school. We were lucky that we found a good school that wasn’t too far away despite these people. But it was just that: luck.
cryptic, that’s just appeal to authority again. As long as you refuse to directly address a law as invalid and immoral, and instead simply state “the law must be obeyed”, you’re appealing to authority.
Marva Dasef says:
In my 11th school (junior year), my parents moved yet again. I said ENOUGH! I listed my uncle’s address as residence.
Near the end of my senior year, the vice principal had reason to visit my parents (what can I say? I was kind of wild) and he had no trouble finding our home. The school knew all along I didn’t live at my “official” address. However, besides being somewhat wild, I also took down a 3.9GPA.
WizarDru says:
“You don’t get to pick and choose which laws you obey. That is a fundamental building block of society. ”
That’s not even remotely true. People pick and choose which laws to obey constantly every day. And I’d wager you see them do it continually. This morning I drove to the train station on a highway, going 70 miles per hour in a 55-mph area. Every car on the road with me was exceeding the speed limit. I saw someone run a red light and another make in illegal u-turn, since it 5AM and the street was deserted (but the light had not been programmed for this reality). People declare things on their taxes that inflate their numbers. People purchase bootleg movies, download materials off of the internet for free and in some cases engage in sexual relationships that are illegal if someone reports them. People can and DO pick and choose which laws to obey, oftentimes because they feel the laws are wrong and are powerless to effect a change in them. Sometime just because they find it convenient. And unlike the more serious crimes of murder or theft, these go largely unprosecuted and unenforced. Agreeing in principle to a set of rules of interaction IS a basis for society…but many societies have wide bands of behavior and different members are afforded different privileges. Kim Jong Il likes Mercedes and champagne, for example.
As for this particular case? What I find odd is the assignment of a Felony, but only a few days imprisonment. One could get a misdemeanor DUI charge in the state and serve six months. The felony charge itself is the issue for most, I’d wager. It’s an albatross around the neck, much moreso than any particular financial penalty.
Time for me to weigh in. Yep, you BET I kept my son in the school he was in as we moved from place to place to get settled. Respect for education is a necessity for our children, no matter where we live. I didn’t perpetrate a “fraud” against the school district. There were those who would have fought tooth and nail with me to keep him right where he was. This gal was treating her children with respect, not disdain for the law. I won’t justify the other things she did, but I will fight for her right and others’ rights to give their children the best outcome possible.
You of course pick and choose which laws you obey (that, of course, presumes that you know the laws and statutes involved in the situation you’re in.) Violating the laws and statutes can have penalties, and you may have to pay the penalties. We’re having a “day of sliding” here in Minnesota, and yet again a whole bunch of people are discovering that the laws of physics apply to their vehicles, and they are not — to their surprise! — excluded. You estimate the risks, place your chips, and roll the dice. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes you win big (getting your children better than average educations) and with the same roll lose big (getting a felony conviction.)
She can’t, after six years of complaints by the school district, lay a colorable claim of ignorance of the rules and regulations of the school district. She appears to have done far more than make simple mistakes or take cope with situations driven by other’s makings over that time. She though she’d be excluded, eventually, and wasn’t.
I feel sorry for her kids. I suspect they’re going to blame a whole lot of people other than their mother for what happened, and that will discolor a lot of their future relationships with society, probably negating a lot of what she thought to bring them.
Peyton says:
All I know is that my daughter lucked out and got into a very good local magnate school that so far has had ZERO problem working with us to develop the IEP she needs. She also goes to a town supported counseling service and gets her much needed psychiatric service from the same place. It took me 9 months to find a child psychiatrist that was both taking new patients and took my health insurance (from a very common provider and it’s a very comprehensive plan). I lucked out in finally finding the one she currently goes to. While the service is sponsored by the town I don’t benefit financially from that because of how good my health plan is and because of how much money I make, which is not all that much.
Needless to say I need to maintain town residence for her to continue both in her school and with her counselor and psychiatrist.
However, my husband’s unemployment insurance runs out in November. If it does and he hasn’t found a job we will have to move. If, ghod forbid, we end up having to move outside of our town limits I will lie my freckled ass off to make sure that she can stay in her school and remain with her counselor and psychiatrist.
If it became necessary I’d take the jail time and felony conviction.
George William Herbert says:
I think this is one case where California’s “State takes all the school funds and re-distributes them equally, fixed amount per student” helps (generally, it sucks, but it avoids someone getting charged with fraud for this sort of thing… it’s all the State’s money going where the student does, anyways).
Bozo the Clone says:
You mean there will be only one school in the entire country? Oooh, the libertarians are going to love that one.
More seriously, if EVERYONE can figure out how to attend the “best” school (in whatever sense you mean the word), more power to them. Education crisis solved.
I don’t blame her for lying in the first place, but I do have to blame her for not quitting while she was ahead when she got caught. Once the bureaucrats have their eye on you when you are actually lying/disobeying a law, more lies won’t work. The fastest, cheapest way out is to comply with their rules, even if it means actually moving in with Grandpa into a bigger place that can actually house the whole family.
I can’t call this case “stupidity is a felony, again” because I can’t really call her “stupid”, but the bottom line is her biggest offense was not knowing how to work the system.
@ Geirge 103
Having the money follow the student is a pretty good system, because it allows parents to choose where to send there child for a public education, which also allows parents to choose charter schools, because they are paid for with public funds. Unfortunately the charter schools in California are having to fight with the public teachers in CA, because they view the charter schools as a threat to their income because charter schools are privately managed and don’t have to hire through the union. This is pretty unfortunate because it isn’t putting the interests of their students first.
aggie says:
I used to live in Copley. One of the things I liked best was that it was a “step-up” town – an affordable place where folks climbing out of poverty could live once they started getting ahead financially – and very diverse ethnically, as far as I could see. I rented in a large complex that did have subsidized units, so that was another possibility.
The schools in Copley do have some frills that the Akron Public Schools don’t have.
But it is also very possible to get a good education in Akron, including at Buchtel High School, which is (wow.) where this lady was employed. I wonder if that wasn’t part of the problem: that the schools were good enough to employ her, but not good enough for her kids to attend. Interesting.
While what she did was wrong, I agree with other posters here that “felony” seems too strong of a charge. We need to fix school funding in OH, and remove the need for situations like this. All kids should have the same chance for a good education.
Alpha Lyra says:
Good for her for caring so much about her kids’ education.
If every parent cared deeply about the quality of their kids’ education, I don’t think there would be any bad schools.
jas@13: The only thing on there that gives me pause is it says she ignored repeated attempts to “resolve the residency issue” over a few years
aj@17: her continued misrepresentations over a period of years,
Dorothy@96: lying about your address for years on end
htom@101: She can’t, after six years of complaints by the school district, lay a colorable claim of ignorance
I click on the link in the original post. It says she sent her kids to the “wrong” school from June 2006 to August 2008. I googled around a bit and could only find one other article that had speciifc dates, and it too said the same thing.
How does *two* years get expanded into a few years, a number of years, years on end, and *six* years?
I do note that every single post that appears to stretch out the duration of the offense also happens to forward the veiw that she should be prosecuted, which is an interesting pattern.
jasonmitchell says:
my 2 cents:
I don’t know enough about the particulars of the case to pass judgement – but it appears that the she was caught (along w/ 25+ others) gaming the system everyone else worked with the school district to ‘resolve’ the residency issues – so the school district appeard to be willing to work with her on some level – how intrasigant was she that the district felt justified in persuing a felony conviction? what parts of the story don’t we know?
would you lie on form to make sure your kids can eat? would you steal a loaf of bread? (I would)
I don’t know if she was acting entirely from a posistion of ‘noble despiration’ – why would she lie about her income, and military deployments? why wouln’t she move into the district if she wanted her kids to go there for multiple years? why wouldn’t she move in with her father?
The free lunch program is a safety net for children in need – there is a finite amount of resources for these programs – lying about your income to take advantage of these programs when you don’t NEED to – is depriving another child in need (and therefore is an evil act) – again I don’t know the particulars of this case – but abusing the system just because you figured out how – is wrong. Claims that the system is flawed and therefore it’s ok to cheat sound less noble when the cheating is for personal gain vs. desperate need.
if an individual lied to get food stamps – and sold the food stamps to buy booze/tobacco/ any other non-essencial that would also be an abuse of a safety net program and therefore evil.
Greg — I googled the story and read at least a half-dozen different ones. The figure “six years” stuck in my mind, I’m not sure which story it came from, or how the counting was done. At a guess, it started either with the initial enrollment that was six years ago, or someone’s computation that the $30,000 would pay for six years of tuition charges at some school. (Looks in history; used different computer, that one by default doesn’t save browsing history; googles again, can’t find it, but there are lots more stories today than yesterday.)
I’m sorry for the error, and apologize.
Greg@87 I find the phrase “appeal to authority fallacy” interesting as it implies that to say a conviction should stand because the law was broken is always a fallacious argument. Surely not. We have a lot of good moral law on the books that when broken the convictions should stand.
Actually, I was not in any way addressing the issue of whether this particular Ohio law was a good one or not. I have no problem with our democratic process repealing bad laws. I think you were chastising me for not addressing the morality of the law in this thread. So let me address the Ohio law. Not too good in my view. Let the Ohioans change it. Until they do, they enacted the law. Ohio citizens need to live within their existing law until they changed it was all I meant to say. I was not arguing the wisdom of the Ohio law per se.
What parent wants their child in an underperforming school? Sadly, so long as school officials set attendance boundary lines for specific campuses, there will be parents willing to lie to get their child in a better school outside the zone wherein they reside when their assigned school is underperforming. Why not have no attendance zones within a State? Any parent can send their kid to any school in the State no matter where they live within the State. If a school is oversubscribed for its capacity, hold an unbiased lottery to fill the capacity. Lottery losers shift to their second campus choices.
While on a local school board in 1992 I once argued for this open policy. The vote went 6 to 1 against me. Not even the board member who seconded my motion for the policy change (to enable the Board vote) chose to vote for the motion. We continued to tell parents where they had to send their kids to school as a Board. Thereafter we continued to catch parents lying about where they and their kids lived in order to attend a better school or play on a better football team. Hey, it’s Texas. Football is King.
Walter Greatshell says:
John, my mother was a struggling single parent and did the exact same thing with me. Thanks to her (and I assume the complicity or at least laxity of someone in the school department), I was able to go all the way through high school with my friends, rather than be yanked to a different school every time we moved. My own son was forced to attend a dangerous, underperforming school in our neighborhood, while all the rich kids in the area go to private schools. The system is wrong.
WizarDru @99: You’re drawing a false line between ‘serious’ and trivial crimes. Plenty of people commit quite serious crimes (theft, rape, even murder) for all the reasons you mentioned; they think the laws are stupid, they don’t think the behavior is particularly wrong, because they just find it convenient to break the law, and so on. Quite often, they get away with it. “You don’t get to pick and choose which laws you obey” is not a literal statement that people are physically incapable of breaking the law, obviously. It means that “because I feel like it” and “it benefits me” are not actually moral rationale sfor lawbreaking.
Dorothy @96: I’m intrigued, because what I hear from SF parents is exactly the opposite; that if you get lucky enough to win the lottery and get into one of the good SF schools you’re golden, but if not, you’re screwed, and SF’s system for school assignment is very difficult to predict (say, by moving into the school’s neighborhood). A lot of the SF-suburb parents I talk to say they would never live in SF because it’s damn near impossible to get your child into a good school unless you’re willing to pay for private schools. (And in that I’m excluding the sort of parent who just assumes city schools = bad, suburban schools = good.)
Ulysses @92: Did you actually read the article?
my 2 cents re shool funding and boundaries:
“You’re drawing a false line between ‘serious’ and trivial crimes. Plenty of people commit quite serious crimes (theft, rape, even murder) for all the reasons you mentioned; they think the laws are stupid, they don’t think the behavior is particularly wrong, because they just find it convenient to break the law, and so on. Quite often, they get away with it. “You don’t get to pick and choose which laws you obey” is not a literal statement that people are physically incapable of breaking the law, obviously. It means that “because I feel like it” and “it benefits me” are not actually moral rationale sfor lawbreaking.”
Well, sure…I’m hyperbolizing here. Crypticmirror seemed to be drawing some absolute that people never, ever break the law and it sounded to me like there was an implication of ‘no one breaks the law and that all laws therein broken are considered equally heinous.” At least, that was how I perceived the tone. Clearly, there are radically different attitudes about breaking some laws and there is some lack of parity in them. If Bernie Madoff had only managed to scarper $18,000 instead of $18 Billion, we’d view him pretty differently. It’s not the crime, but the scale of it. I find speeding and breaking traffic laws to similar: going 75 mph in a 55 zone isn’t considered serious…until it leads to a lethal traffic accident. Cheating on your taxes? Get $50 back and you’re smart….stiff the IRS and local government for a million and your a white-collar criminal who’s harmed the local community. The worst possible outcome here was that she got free lunches her family wasn’t entitled to that would have taken from another family that was…but I don’t know if that was a situation where the budget would not cover another family. I’m ignorant of the situation on the ground, but I think it interesting that if she had moved her kids in with the father of her kids (forgetting issues aside here, for a moment), then nothing she did would have been illegal. I’m not suggesting that this mom be excused for her crime, if she’s been found guilty of what she’s been accused of; I do think the application of a felony charge is, if not outlandish, certainly sounds somewhat excessive.
my 2 cents re school funding and boundaries
1) students should be able to attend the schools closest to where they live – this facilitates community involvement with the school, transportation, parent involvement etc. schools should serve the communities that they are part of
2) residents of a district should be able to vote for additional tax levies etc to enhance thier local schools- and residents are reasonable to expect that those dollars are being used for residents
3) students who begin attenting a particular school, who then have extenuating circumstances should be able to continue attending that school – for the remainder of the school year (by default), longer, on a case by case basis schools should evaluate/ work with parents to determine what is best for the student – and there shoud be a formal process.
4) I have no patience for greedy whiners- (usually these whiners went out of thier way to buy an expensive house in town “x” and can afford to pay the taxes ) “I don’t have kids – I should not have to pay taxes for schools” or “I have 1 kid – the Jones family has 4 – why aren’t thier taxes 4x higher?” or “the local school isn’t good enough/not to my taste – I should get a credit/voucher to send my kid to a private school/ school in a neighboring district” these arguerments are logically equivalent to ” my house has never cought fire – why should I pay taxes to support a fire department?” the quality of the schools in your community contribute the that property value you love so much – its WHY YOU MOVED HERE IN THE 1ST PLACE!
5) I know none of my points are valid unless ALL public schools are of good quality and capable of delivering a quality education and a safe environment (and that this needs to be solved for points 1-3 to work)
6) school “choice” – if you can afford to move to the area served by the district you prefer, and choose not to – you are one of those greedy/ entitled whiners (see point 4) –
crypticmirror: So, I take it that you believe that civil disobedience is never justified? If you’d been on a jury back in the jim crow era south, you’d vote to convict someone who drank from the “wrong” water fountain? After all, they Violated The Law.
silbey says:
Violating the laws and statutes can have penalties, and you may have to pay the penalties. We’re having a “day of sliding” here in Minnesota, and yet again a whole bunch of people are discovering that the laws of physics apply to their vehicles, and they are not — to their surprise! — excluded.
It’s a crime to violate the laws of physics in Minnesota?
mythago@113: The SF school lottery is like a huge hazing ritual that (understandably) turns off parents by the thousands. Thus the old SF joke
“What does every San Francisco kid get for their 5th birthday?”
“A new address in Marin.”
The good SF schools are very, very good. They are good enough that there are hundreds of suburban parents willing to fake an address and give it a shot–the city identified a few hundred of them just last year and kicked them out. Lots of parents who try do poorly in the lottery and go back to their perfectly good suburban schools, just as lots of SF parents do poorly in the lottery and go private or move to the suburbs. The 5% or so who win the lottery and get a spot at one of the trophy public schools or desirable language immersion schools, or at Lowell, apparently often take them. (Or keep them after moving to the suburbs.) There is no neighborhood assignment preference to speak of, although the new system attempted to change that slightly.
That said, you are not screwed by not getting into one of the top 10 most desirable public schools, as we have learned. We are in the magnet program of a school that gets absolutely zero buzz–there were fewer applicants than places last year. Yet my son is in a K class with two teachers that is capped at 20 students (and for the first half of the year, only had 17), is learning Japanese at a pace that has him correcting the Hiragana on the flashcards we bought (!) and holding brief conversations with a native-speaking neighbor (!!), has a beautiful vegetable garden from which he picks (and now eats) kale and Swiss chard, has a piano in every room, a jazz program funded by federal grants, an outstanding science program taught by visiting medical school students, a full-time librarian and a library nicer than the local public library, etc. etc. There are probably 20-30 schools like ours in the city that are great but not popular, probably because the test scores are low–the non-magnet portion of the school is poor, largely English-language learners, and primarily lives in public housing. They are getting a great education but starting from a low base.
However there are also ~20-30 public schools in SF that are everyone’s nightmare of an urban public school, right down to the metal detectors at the doors of the kindergarten classrooms.
Where people go wrong in the lottery is assuming that there is no middle ground between getting into one of the top 10 schools that get over 1,000 applicants for 20 places and getting one of the nightmare schools. In our preschool last year we were the only family who got any one of our picks in the lottery, and that was because we were the only family who listed (or even toured) any school other than the top 10 most popular ones. We have shared our experience with all of our friends going through the lottery this year, but only a few are willing to even VISIT the schools that are not already anointed as the best in the city. Those that have all found 2-3 schools they are virtually guaranteed to get into and where they feel comfortable sending their kids. So overall I would say that the lottery is not at all difficult to predict–you have maybe a 1-3% chance of getting into a popular school, and a 75-100% chance of getting into a good but unpopular school. But parents are kind of lemming-like and no one has the chance to learn from past mistakes (everyone goes through the lottery just once). So from that perspective the system is hopelessly flawed.
On the other hand, if you are willing to do research and visit lots of schools (on one tour, we were the only parents who came!) to find one you like, you have the advantage that there will be no competition and your kid will get a great education and you don’t have to stress about the process. The only remaining issue is dealing with disbelief from parents who moved to Marin and can’t imagine that any SF public school other than the ones they couldn’t get into could be any good. This gets tiresome but is a small price to pay. And of course we can always end any conversation like that by talking about our 10-minute commute.
when i was a probation officer, i had people on my caseload for domestic violence, assault, multiple dui convictions, and a plethora of other VERY SERIOUS OFFENSES who never saw a day in jail/prison. that this women did ACTUAL time because she wanted her children to get a better education is ludicrous. did she break the law? yes. did she deserve to do time for it? no way. does she deserve to have a FELONY RECORD now because of it? absolutely not.
they could have reduced this charge to a misdemeanor and put her on probation, with an order to pay some sort of restitution to the school district, and made their point just as effectively. i’m not excusing her actions, she committed a crime and deserves to be punished for it, but i think the court system’s values are seriously skewed if this is what they are spending their time and our money prosecuting.
Sibley — the Judge is rather harsh. No appeals. Sometimes mercy is given without request. Execution for minor errors has happened.
Sibley — the Judge is rather harsh. No appeals. Sometimes mercy is given without request. Execution for minor errors has happened
Silbey, thanks. And my point was that invoking the laws of physics to talk about the laws of man is a bit silly.
David — my point was that the laws of man are usually much more flexible than the laws of nature. (We won’t get in to quantum ….)
Who said anything about no appeals? She’s got the right to appeal. If she thinks that there’s been some legal or procedural error, she should do it. That’s why we have the right to appeal.
But the court of appeals can’t rule on whether the case should have been filed or not. The only entity with the power to do that is the state bar association, on a complaint of prosecutorial misconduct. And if she ADMITTED to falsifying documents, that’s probably not gonna fly.
Is she sympathetic? Kinda. You know, if my kids needed something, I’d get it, come heck or high water. But if I had to break the law to get it, then I’d ‘fess up to it, explain, see what I could do for the kids, and take my lumps. That doesn’t make my actions right, no matter what it was that I did, if I ignored any other systems available to me for help before just reaching out and grabbing it with both fists through lies and deception.
Motive is not an element of theft in Ohio. It doesn’t matter if there’s a good reason, or the dude down the street could arguably say that he “needed” to break into my house and take everything out of my fridge, my computer, and my television because he’s starving and homeless. There’s a big difference between someone knocking on my door and asking for dinner and someone breaking in and taking my stuff. And that’s what we have here. We don’t have a mom who asked for help; we have a mom who took what she thought she needed without giving anyone a chance to help her. There’s a reason we have laws like this.
Sympathetic, but still criminal.
Oh, and theft is a felony in Ohio anytime the value of the property or services stolen is over $500. Can we all agree that $30,000 is well over that amount? And this value line applies as well to forgery, fraud, and other such offenses.
Aristigon says:
I never had a teacher like that, I’m not exactly a foster kid, but I got bounced around since my dad was in the military. Every three years or so I had to come to a school and readjust myself to their curriculum. Reading comprehension was easy, yet I was always in a rut with math. I went from arithmetic to pre-algebra and none of them gave a shit about filling in the blanks. I flunked most of the time. We moved from the most lenient school to a stern mistress. It was horrible for me to try and learn catch up. My brother (slublog.com), who is amazingly eloquent, is still bad at math. I’m not much better, but I like computers and know programming language, so I understand the overall picture, kinda.
I don’t want to haunt this, but being mexican american doesn’t haunt us to be willing to churn lawns or manage plants.
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The Truth about Hormones, The Pill and Perimenopause wiht Dr Jerilyn Prior
Dr. Jerilynn C. Prior, Professor of Endocrinology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Scientific Director of the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research (www.cemcor.ca) is a clinician-scientist whose work is internationally recognized.
Her research and synthesis has shown the importance of progesterone as well as estrogen for women's bone, heart and breast health and also that perimenopause is hormonally distinct from menopause, entailing higher rather than low or dropping estrogen levels.
She graduated with honours from Boston University School of Medicine 1969, is the author of Estrogen's Storm Season--stories of perimenopause (Finalist in Health section, Independent Publisher's Book Awards, 2006) and has recently co-authored The Estrogen Errors--Why Progesterone is better for Women's Health (2009, Praeger, Conn).
What Women Must Know - repeat program - 03/18/12
Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation with Dr. Devra Davis
Few of the world’s five billion cell phones users question whether these universal gadgets are safe. In fact, these devices that we hold to our heads and keep in our pockets work like miniature radio stations that radiate microwave energy. U.S. cell phone safety standards, set almost three decades ago prior to the era of handheld wireless technology, assume that the average call was less than six minutes. Today’s average smart phone, time of use, or user—more than half of whom are under the age of 20, their brains still developing and their skulls more susceptible than adults’. Remember: we once thought smoking was harmless.
Dr. Devra Davis, who was designated a National Book Award Finalist for When Smoke Ran Like Water (2002, Basic Books), founded Environmental Health Trust in 2007 in Teton County, Wyoming to provide basic research and education about environmental health hazards and promote constructive policies locally, nationally and internationally.
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Syria’s Chemical Weapons, Israel and Hezbollah
Week in Review April 29, 2013
The US statement about Syrian chemical weapons; Israel weighs in; the debate within Hezbollah about Syria.
REUTERS/Mike Theiler
US President Barack Obama (R) listens to remarks by Jordan's King Abdullah prior to a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House to discuss issues like the Syrian crisis and regional security, in Washington, April 26, 2013.
King Abdullah’s Warning on Syria
King Abdullah II of Jordan, meeting at the White House on April 26 with US President Barack Obama, warned of the threats of the “fragmentation of Syrian society, which is becoming more and more alarming” and of “militant terrorist organizations,” which are on the rise in Syria. He called for a political solution as “our last hope.”
Obama’s announcement at the same press conference of a further investigation into the use of chemical weapons by Syria, which might take some time, disappointed those clamoring for the revelation to be proof positive that the “red line” had been crossed and should be the final straw for the US to arm the Syrian opposition, establish no-fly zones or even take military action.
Given the ten-year anniversary of the Iraq war, it might appear bewildering that some hype military action based upon (according to the April 25 White House letter to Senators John McCain and Carl Levin, chairman and ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee) an intelligence assessment made with “varying degrees of confidence” of “small-scale” use, based upon “physiological samples” where “the chain of custody is not clear” — far from definitive evidence that perhaps would even be dismissed, according to UN inspection standards.
Last month, Syria requested a United Nations investigation into chemical-weapons use by rebel forces, but Damascus has so far denied inspectors access to those areas where the weapons may have been used. The UN again pressed Syria on April 25 to allow unconditional and unfettered access for inspectors. The question over chemical-weapons use will not go away, and Damascus should allow the investigation to proceed immediately.
While the allegations of chemical-weapons use may in the end prove to be a “game changer,” as Obama and his team like to say, and have already sparked more discussions of military options, King Abdullah is right to remind us of the bigger picture.
Syria is ground zero for a regional sectarian war which, in addition to the human costs, is destroying what remains of the Syrian state, contributing to its collapse and partition and fomenting the rise of al-Qaeda in Iraq’s al-Nusra Front, “one of the best organized and most capable of the Sunni terrorist groups,” according to US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq and its Syrian partner are linked to the same al-Qaeda that killed nearly 3,000 Americans on Sept. 11, 2001, numerous terrorist plots and murders around the world and the death and maiming of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians in the brutal sectarian civil war which followed the US toppling of Saddam Hussein.
Al-Qaeda has been America’s most deadly enemy for more than a decade, and it is gaining in Syria.
So the consequences of “arming the rebels” — around a still-to-be-built “moderate” force when the most effective fighters among the opposition are terrorists with a history of murdering Americans, our allies and innocents; with the collapse of the Syrian state empowering terrorists, who have also increased their deadly operations in Syria and Iraq; with the Syria spillover already evident by the refugee crises in Jordan and Turkey, increased terrorism in Iraq and tension on Israel’s border; and with Iran continuing to back Syria to the hilt — the result, it seems, would only be more war, more killing and the intensification of the breakup of the country.
The allegations of chemical weapons is another urgent cry — as if one were needed — to press for a negotiated political transition in Syria and not military options, which remain as problematic as before the US assessment last week.
It worth recalling here what Kristalina Georgieva, European commissioner for international cooperation humanitarian aid and crisis response, told Al-Monitor: “Our experience, from what we do as humanitarians, we just have not seen so far the pouring of arms into Syria to be helping raise the probability of a political solution or a negotiated exit. We haven’t seen it — with the exception of the Patriot missiles in Turkey that have had a deterrent impact on a part of the territory. The rest of throwing arms into Syria only meant more fighting, more suffering, more people running into neighboring countries.”
A political solution might benefit from a potential new angle with Iran, which has offered to engage the US and its allies on Syria and which is also threatened by Sunni terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda.
Barbara Slavin reminds us this week that Iran, the key backer of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s government, was itself a victim of chemical weapons by Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and is a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Therefore, in the spirit of opportunity in crisis — and the Syrian crisis is among the most dire in the world — the allegations of chemical weapons might provide context for another means to open the long-overdue dialogue between the US, Iran, Russia and others, as this column has called for time and again, to both end the war in Syria and prevent the use and spread of chemical weapons.
The Israeli "Slip"
On April 23, two days before the White House letter, and with US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel wrapping up his visit to Israel, Gen. Itai Brun, the director of Israel’s Military Intelligence Research Department, at a meeting of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said, “Assad used chemical weapons against his citizens, and on more than one occasion.”
Brun used the term “in my best judgment,” although as Alon Ben David reported this week for Al-Monitor, Brun had cleared his remarks with superiors.
On April 24, when asked about Brun’s comments at a press availability in Cairo the next day, Hagel said “Well, when I was in Israel, they did not give me that assessment.”
According to Ben David, the Brun comments might have been an ambush to pressure Washington to come around to the positions of Israel, the United Kingdom and France on Syria’s chemical weapons, and to test Obama’s warning of a "red line" not just in Syria, but in Iran as well.
Ben Caspit writes this week that Brun's comments were no ambush, but a "slip of the tongue." But Caspit agrees that the US is now put to the test on its "red lines," with implications for Iran: “This becomes even more poignant because Assad isn’t the problem. On the contrary, when he disappears — if he disappears — he will be missed. Under Assad, the region was stable, under control and managed. The Syrian border with Israel was quiet for over 40 years. The problem lies in Tehran. Over there, they are very curiously watching the US stick. Right now, they have no reason for concern.”
The Hezbollah Debate and Drone
On April 25, the Israeli military reported that it shot down a drone assumed to have been sent by Hezbollah over Haifa.
The drone incident occurred as some in Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon are questioning why the Party of God is squandering its resources and credibility on the fight in Syria when the struggle remains with Israel, as reported by an Al-Monitor correspondent in Beirut.
In this context, the drone can be seen as a distraction from Hezbollah’s support for Assad.
Shlomi Eldar picked up this theme from Israel. Asking if Hezbollah has lost its grip, Eldar writes that Nasrallah “wants to prove that even though he has thrown his support behind Assad’s wobbly regime, Hezbollah has never once forgotten its jihad against Israel. At the same time, if possible, he would also like to draw media attention to an attractive new target: Israel’s natural-gas fields along the Mediterranean coast.”
But if Hezbollah sought such a distraction, Ali Hashem reported for Al-Monitor, why would Hezbollah quickly issue a statement saying, "Hezbollah denies that it sent any of its planes to occupied Palestine?"
The bottom line from the past week is that if there were doubts before, the Syria conflict is now a regional one, with Jordan, Israel and Lebanon increasingly threatened by its spillover.
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Regional language campaigners denounce France
Basque, Catalan, Alsatian and Corsican speakers deliver petition to UNESCO in Paris asking for "cultural asylum".
by Simon Hooper
17 May 2013 10:43 GMT
One activist said that if France was an aspirant EU state its application would be rejected because of its lack of basic protection for minority languages [AFP]
Campaigners for French regional language rights have called on UNESCO to grant them "cultural asylum" and accused the French state of systematic linguistic discrimination amid growing concern for the future of languages such as Breton and Occitan.
Protesters gathered outside the UN cultural organisation's Paris headquarters on Wednesday carrying banners that said: “French state killing our languages."
They included representatives from an alliance of groups also representing Basque, Catalan, Alsatian and Corsican speakers as well as the indigenous languages of France's overseas territories.
Alexis Quentin, the secretary general of EBLUL/ELEN France, a Europe-wide network of language campaigners, said a delegation meeting UNESCO officials had been “well received”.
“They insisted that they need UNESCO to acknowledge that French regional languages are in a poor situation because France does not respect international conventions and treaties,” Quentin told Al Jazeera. “We want UNESCO to officially ask the government to pay attention to the protests in this country.”
'Historic day'
Jean Francois Laffont, an Occitan language campaigner and the head of the delegation, told reporters it was an “historic day for the languages of France”.
A spokesperson for UNESCO told Al Jazeera the delegation had delivered a petition, but said it was not the organisation's role to comment on the matter.
France is a signatory to several UNESCO treaties protecting diversity of languages, including the 2001 Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, which calls on members to safeguard linguistic heritage and promote multi-lingualism.
Yet it is among only a handful of European nations that has not ratified the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, which is considered the main legislation promoting the rights of lesser-used language speakers across the continent and a current prerequisite of European Union membership.
Davyth Hicks, head of the Brussels-based Eurolang language advocacy group, pointed out that if France was an aspirant EU state its application would be rejected because of its lack of basic protection for languages.
“The fact that language activists have had to resort to such a desperate measure as calling for cultural asylum for their languages at UNESCO only reflects the pitiful state of national and linguistic minority rights in the French state,” he told Al Jazeera. “Since the French Revolution, which was meant to uphold equality, it has worked hard at what can only be described as a cultural genocide, removing and now eradicating regional languages from public life.”
Political moves
Wednesday's protest was timed to coincide with the the first anniversary of French President Francois Hollande's inauguration in order to highlight his failure to make good on a campaign promise to ratify the regional languages charter.
Measures for that purpose were absent from a package of proposed constitutional reforms put forward by Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French prime minister, in March.
In a statement, Colette Capdevielle, a member of the National Assembly for Hollande's Socialist Party in the Basque region of southern France, said the policy had been dropped because of the negative opinion of the Council of State, the country's highest judicial body, which ruled in 1999 that ratification of the charter would “violate the constitutional principles of the indivisibility of the Republic”.
The fact that language activists have had to resort to such a desperate measure as calling for cultural asylum for their languages at UNESCO only reflects the pitiful state of national and linguistic minority rights in the French state
Davyth Hicks, Eurolang language advocacy group
The status of French as the country's only official language is enshrined in article two of the French constitution which states: “The language of the Republic shall be French.”
But Quentin said the Council of State was not a democratic body and that there was growing popular support for regional language rights, even if that required amendments to the constitution.
“Hollande made a promise, so we are very disappointed,” he said. “And we know, from Paris, from the country, from the towns, from the villages, people are upset. Even a majority of deputies [in the National Assembly] are upset.
“The majority of civil society is for that evolution for respecting regional languages, and a majority could be found, within the government and the opposition, even for changing the constitution.”
Campaigners say there are approximately five million people in France who are fluent in one of the country's regional languages.
The use of languages other than French was once banned outright and speakers say they still face discrimination in public life, with no provision made by the state for public education and regional language media, which are considered vital safeguards for languages to flourish.
“Regional languages in France are completely expelled from the institutions, from schools, from the media, from the constitution, from the law, and nothing is legal,” said Quentin.
'Too late'
UNESCO'S atlas of endangered languages lists 26 under threat in France, including Breton, once the world's most widely used Celtic language with about one million speakers just one century ago, and Occitan, a group of related dialects that were once the predominant language across southern France.
But the situation is probably worse than UNESCO's figures suggest. Its most recent edition of the atlas, dating from 2010, estimated the number of Breton speakers at about 250,000, but many of those are elderly and the language faces a sharp demographic decline over the next decade.
Tangi Louarn, a campaigner from the northwest region of Brittany, told Al Jazeera that Breton was in danger of dying as a social language because speakers were discouraged from using it and many young people saw little benefit in learning a language with no official status.
“It's getting worse all the time,” he said. “Whenever we try to do something to use Breton in daily life we face a lot of obstacles. Every day you are discriminated against as a Breton speaker, so it is very difficult to go on.”
Since coming to power, Hollande's government has reiterated its recognition of the need for fresh measures to protect and promote France's regional languages.
Vincent Peillon, the education minister, said on Monday that the government remained in favour of ratifying the European charter, but acknowledged that it faced legal difficulties.
Meanwhile, Aurelie Filippetti, the French culture minister, established an advisory committee on languages in March, and said that ratification of the charter was only one measure among many needed to encourage linguistic pluralism.
“We need to break once and for all with the idea that learning a language involves unlearning another,” said Filippetti. “And reconnect with the idea that it is a plurality of languages, alongside French, that can give our country its true face, a nation open to the world, confident in its rich heritage, making its history key in adapting to the challenges of the future.”
But Quentin dismissed the committee as a distraction, pointing to the fact that crucial legislation on education policy currently under scrutiny in the French parliament did not include adequate measures to promote regional languages.
“A committee has no power. A committee is just for the show, and nothing concrete,” he said. “It was created by the culture ministry to consider new legislation. But a very important piece of legislation regarding education is about to be voted on, so it is already too late.”
Simon Hooper
Follow Simon Hooper on Twitter: @simonbhooper
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What is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act?
No matter how common or how rare, all native North American birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Pictured is a Dark-eyed Junco, one of the hundreds of bird species protected by the treaty. Photo by Kris Petersen via Birdshare.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act was signed by the United States and Canada in 1918 for the purpose of ending the commercial trade in feathers. Around the turn of the 20th century, the long breeding plumes on many bird species were highly prized fashion accessories, and thousands of birds were indiscriminately killed for this purpose. This led to the formation of many conservation organizations, including the Massachusetts and National Audubon Societies, which in turn helped lobby for the passage of the act.
The act was an early landmark in conservation, at a time when birds were under intense hunting pressure and many of the public still regarded nature as inexhaustible. For example, in 1857 an Ohio Senate committee denied a measure to protect the Passenger Pigeon, writing:
The passenger pigeon needs no protection. Wonderfully prolific, having the vast forests of the North as its breeding grounds, traveling hundreds of miles in search of food, it is here today and elsewhere tomorrow, and no ordinary destruction can lessen them, or be missed from the myriads that are yearly produced. (source: sialis.org)
As many people know, the last representative of the species—named Martha—died in captivity in the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914. The species’ sudden extinction provided impetus to the growing conservation movement.
The treaty prohibited the hunting, killing, capturing, possession (this is why we don’t keep or raise baby birds or try to nurse injured birds back to health ourselves!), sale, transportation and exportation of migratory birds, and their feathers, eggs and nests. It also provided for the establishment of refuges to protect bird habitat, and it encouraged the monitoring of bird populations for conservation purposes. Amendments to the initial treaty extended its range to include other nations: Mexico in 1936, Japan in 1972 and the USSR (now Russia) in 1976 are all included in the act today.
Not all North American bird species are protected under the act. Birds that are considered non-native species such as the House Sparrow and the European Starling are not protected, and many groups of hunted or game birds, including ducks, geese, doves, and many shorebirds are subject to limited protection and can be hunted in season.
Although many of the birds that are protected by the treaty are not long-range migrants, it can be argued that even “year-round” birds move around in search of local food sources, and are thus afforded protection under the act.
Over 1,000 bird species are currently protected.
For more information, read the Fish and Wildlife Service’s page on the act.
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USDA Restricts PACA Violators in Florida, Georgia, New York and Texas from Operating in the Produce Industry
Tuesday, May. 21st, 2019
by Anne Allen
WASHINGTON, DC - As part of its efforts to enforce the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) and ensure fair trading practices within the U.S. produce industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on four produce businesses for failing to meet their contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the PACA. These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA. By issuing these penalties, USDA continues to enforce the prompt and full payment for produce while protecting the rights of sellers and buyers in the marketplace.
According to a press release, the following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:
La Ganga Produce Corp., operating out of Miami, Fla., for failing to pay a $12,240 award in favor of a Texas seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Rogelio E. Velasquez was listed as the officer, director and major stockholder of the business.
La Central Produce LLC, operating out of Forest Park, Ga., for failing to pay a $10,496 award in favor of a Texas seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Jose J. Morales was listed as a member of the business.
Newmarkets Inc., doing business as Back to the Land Natural Foods, operating out of Brooklyn, N.Y., for failing to pay a $15,585 award in favor of a Pennsylvania seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, David A. Basham was listed as the officer, director and major stockholder of the business.
Lozamax Distributors LLC, operating out of Pharr, Texas, for failing to pay a $92,900 award in favor of an Arizona seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Joaquin Urias, Jorge Gonzales-Pardo, Rodolfo Zambrano-Gonzales, Jorge Luis Linares-Gonzales, Alejandro Rizo and Luis Espinoza-Gonzales were listed as members of the business.
PACA provides an administrative forum to handle disputes involving produce transactions; this may result in USDA’s issuance of a reparation order that requires damages to be paid by those not meeting their contractual obligations in buying and selling fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. USDA is required to suspend the license or impose sanctions on an unlicensed business that fails to pay PACA reparations awarded against it as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business when the order is issued. Those individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors or major stockholders, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA approval.
The PACA Division, which is in the Fair Trade Practices Program in the Agricultural Marketing Service, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses that are operating subject to PACA, including buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers, and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,350 PACA claims involving more than $63 million. PACA staff also assisted more than 8,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $156 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service
USDA PACA PACA Violator PACA Violation
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Corporate & securities law
WORLDCOM FRAUD case description
Pritesh Parikh Added: 1 year ago
WorldCom took the telecom industry by storm when it began a frenzy of acquisitions in the 1990s. The low margins that the industry was accustomed to weren't enough for Bernie Ebbers, CEO of WorldCom. From 1995 until 2000, WorldCom purchased over sixty other telecom firms. In 1997 it bought MCI for $37 billion. WorldCom moved into Internet and data communications, handling 50 percent of all United States Internet traffic and 50 percent of all e-mails worldwide. By 2001, WorldCom owned one-third of all data cables in the United States. In addition, they were the second-largest long distance carrier in 1998 and 2002.
Unfortunately for thousands of employees and shareholders, WorldCom used questionable accounting practices and improperly recorded $3.8 billion in capital expenditures, which boosted cash flows and profit over all four quarters in 2001 as well as the first quarter of 2002. This disguised the firm’s actual net losses for the five quarters because capital expenditures can be deducted over a longer period of time, whereas expenses must be subtracted from revenue immediately. WorldCom also spread out expenses by reducing the book value of assets from acquired companies and simultaneously increasing the value of goodwill. The company also ignored or undervalued accounts receivable owed to the acquired companies.
These accounting practices made it appear as if WorldCom’s financial situation was improving every quarter. As long as WorldCom continued to acquire new companies, accountants could adjust the values of assets and expenses. Internal investigations uncovered questionable accounting practices stretching as far back as 1999. Investors, unaware of the alleged fraud, continued to purchase the company’s stock, which pushed the stock’s price to $64 per share.
Even before the improper accounting practices were disclosed, however, WorldCom was already in financial turmoil. Declining rates and revenues and an ambitious acquisition spree had pushed the company deeper in debt. The company also used the rising value of their stock to finance the purchase of other companies. However, it was the acquisition of these companies, especially MCI Communications, that made WorldCom stock so desirable to investors.
How the fraud happened
In 1999, revenue growth slowed and the stock price began falling. WorldCom's expenses as a percentage of its total revenue increased because the growth rate of its earnings dropped. In an effort to increase revenue, WorldCom reduced the amount of money it held in reserve (to cover liabilities for the companies it had acquired) by $2.8 billion and moved this money into the revenue line of its financial statements.
That wasn't enough to boost the earnings that the CEO wanted. In 2000, WorldCom began classifying operating expenses as long-term capital investments. Hiding these expenses in this way gave them another $3.85 billion. These newly classified assets were expenses that WorldCom paid to lease phone network lines from other companies to access their networks. They also added a journal entry for $500 million in computer expenses, but supporting documents for the expenses were never found.
These changes turned WorldCom's losses into profits to the tune of $1.38 billion in 2001. It also made WorldCom's assets appear more valuable.
How it was discovered
After tips were sent to the internal audit team and accounting irregularities were spotted in MCI's books, the Securities Exchange Commission requested that WorldCom provide more information. The SEC was suspicious because while WorldCom was making so much profit, AT&T (another telecom giant) was losing money. An internal audit turned up the billions WorldCom had announced as capital expenditures as well as the $500 million in undocumented computer expenses. There was also another $2 billion in questionable entries. WorldCom's audit committee was asked for documents supporting capital expenditures, but it could not produce them. The controller admitted to the internal auditors that they weren't following accounting standards. WorldCom then admitted to inflating its profits by $3.8 billion over the previous five quarters. A little over a month after the internal audit began, WorldCom filed for bankruptcy.
Internal Environment
The executive and strategic decisions at WorldCom were characterized by rapid growth through acquisitions. ‘Growth, growth, growth...’ was the moto. By 1998, WorldCom had been involved in mergers with sixty companies. Together, these transactions were valued at more than $70 billion, the largest of which, MCI Communications Corporation (‘MCI’), was completed on September 14, 1998, and was valued at $40 billion. Once WorldCom acquired the new companies, it failed to properly integrate the systems and policies that not only led to very high levels of overheads in proportion to the revenues but also to an extremely weak internal control environment. Due to the fast pace of the acquisitions as well as management’s neglect, the accounting systems at WorldCom were unable to keep up with integration and efficiency. The lack of internal controls allowed manual adjustments to be made in the system without the emergence of any red flags, thereby minimizing any chance of detection
The growth through acquisitions ‘strategy’ at WorldCom was enforced and reinforced by top management. The consistent pressures from top management created an aggressive and competitive culture that did not contain any communication of the need for honesty or truthfulness or ethics within the company. There was a large focus on revenues, rather than on profit margins and the lack of integration of accounting systems allowed WorldCom employees to move existing customer accounts from one accounting system to another. The employees at WorldCom did not have an outlet to express concerns about company policy and behavior either. Special rewards were given to those employees who showed loyalty to top management while those who did not feel comfortable in the work environment were faced with obstacles in their need to express their concerns. The combined management allowed the creation of a culture that was more suitable for a sole proprietorship than for a billion dollar corporation. The aggressive nature of the managing style such as the plethora of acquisitions as well as the failure to integrate them properly created an environment where employees were pressured to report high growths quarter by the quarter.
The directors at WorldCom were from different backgrounds. While some had widespread knowledge and experience of business and legal issues, others were appointed due to their connections with Ebbers. The mix of the Board and the close ties to Ebbers led to the Board‟s lack of awareness on WorldCom‟s issues. The Board was inactive and met only about four times a year, not enough for a company growing at the rate that it was.
Audit Committee and Internal Audit
The lack of independence and awareness of the Board as a whole trickled down to the audit committee. The committee‟s chairman, Max Bobbitt, was very loyal to Ebbers. Hence, the members of the committee, including Bobbitt, were either unaware or had known about the fraudulent misstatements for the years 1999, 2000, and 2001 and choose to ignore it. According to Breeden (2003), the Committee oversaw the $30 billion revenue company when it met for about three to six hours once a year.
WorldCom‟s Audit Committee failed to meet with the Internal Auditors of the company, who had the duty to provide the Audit Committee with an independent and objective view on how to improve and add value to WorldCom’s operations. Not only were the personnel in the internal audit department not enough for a large company, but they also lacked the proper training and experience to conduct the testing of the company’s controls.
The Misstatement of Line Costs
Line costs are the costs associated with carrying a voice phone call or data transmission from the call’s origin to its destination. If a WorldCom customer made a call from New York City to London, the call would first go through the local phone company’s line in New York City, then through WorldCom’s long distance, and finally through the local phone company in London. WorldCom would have to pay both the local companies in New York City and London for use of the phone lines; these costs are considered line costs. Not only were line costs WorldCom’s biggest expense but were also approximately half of WorldCom’s total expenses. Especially after the collapse of the dot com bubble in early 2000, cost savings became extremely important, so important that line cost meetings were the only meetings with regular attendance by top management. WorldCom’s top management strived to achieve a low line cost to revenue ratio (‘line cost E/R ratio’), because a lower ratio meant better performance whereas a higher ratio meant poorer performance. To report better performance and growth, Sullivan implemented two improper accounting methods to reduce the amount of line costs: release of accruals from 1999-2000 followed by the capitalization of line costs in 2001 through early 2002.
Releasing Accruals
During the fraud period at WorldCom, was characterized by the estimation of costs that were associated with using the phone lines of other companies. The actual bill for the services was usually not received for several months. This meant that some entries made to the payables could be overestimated or underestimated. In the case that the liability was overestimated, when the actual bill was received there would be a surplus of liabilities that when ‘released’ would result in a reduction of the line costs:
Accounts Payable 1,000,000
Cash Paid to Suppliers 900,000
Line Cost Expense ‘release’ 100,000
WorldCom adjusted its accrual in three ways.
Some accruals were released without even confirming if any accruals existed in the first place.
Second, if WorldCom had accruals on its balance sheet it would not release them for the proper period and instead keep them as ‘rainy day’ funds for future uses.
Lastly, some of the accruals released were not even established for line costs, thereby violating GAAP by using one expense type to offset another.
Line costs were very significant to WorldCom‟s bottom line. Ebbers made public promises to stockholders and Wall Street that WorldCom would keep those costs low. Therefore, the managers at WorldCom were continuously under pressure to find ways to reduce those costs. With the burst of the Internet and telecomm bubbles, the pressure increased and more ways had to be discovered to keep on reporting the false numbers. WorldCom‟s competitors such as Sprint and AT&T had line costs that were 52% of revenues. WorldCom reported line costs of about 42% of revenues, in reality these costs were 50%-52% of revenues. Although WorldCom‟s line cost ratio was in line with the telecomm companies in the industry, it chose to report lower line costs because that is what the analysts expected. By meeting analyst expectations, WorldCom would make Wall Street happy. Wall Street‟s contentment with WorldCom would result in an increase in investments and thereby a higher stock price for WorldCom. The higher the stock price, the cheaper it would become for WorldCom to acquire other companies.
The pressure worsened by early 2001 as Sullivan tried to find different ways to reduce expenses. He directed General Accounting to reduce the line cost expense for the Wireless division by $150 million. The Wireless division saw this and told Sullivan that there was no support to the entry and he was forced to reverse it. He then ordered the managers of the General Accounting department to make large ‘round-dollar’ journal entries that weren‟t related to the Wireless division without any documentation. They did not hesitate the first time because they believed in Sullivan‟s integrity and thought that he had most likely discovered an accounting loophole. Two years later, as the fraudulent reporting continued, the managers were very uncomfortable with what they were doing and the only reason they did not report the fraud was because they feared the loss of their well paying jobs.
Over the two year period, WorldCom had made inappropriate accrual releases both in the domestic and international divisions that amounted to about $3.3 billion. As the accruals started to run out, Sullivan came up with another strategy: capitalization of line costs.
Capitalizing Line Costs
The 4% utilization of the fiber optic cables meant that WorldCom was still paying for the leases on the cables even though it was generating no revenue on them. According to Morse 28 (personal communication, February 8, 2011), WorldCom had leased the lines in a 2-5 year agreement that could not be canceled. However, the costs associated with the lines were causing the line cost E/R ratio to increase. Thus, when no more accruals could be released, Sullivan turned to capitalize these costs, another violation of GAAP.
By capitalizing the costs from the cables, the 2-5 year leases now had 20-30 year lives which would slowly depreciate over the next two or three decades (Morse, personal communication, February 8, 2011). GAAP requires these costs to be recognized immediately. A Line Cost to Revenue report was generated for top management to which round number adjustments were made a week or so before the numbers were announced to the public (Zekany, Braun, & Warder, 2004).
By the time the fraud was discovered, Sullivan had managed to improperly reduce the line costs by approximately $3.883 billion. Capitalizing the expenses resulted in shifting the items from the income statement onto the balance sheet, allowing the overstatement of income as well as the overstatement of assets.
Admission of guilt
WorldCom admitted to violating generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP), and adjusted their earnings by $11 billion dollars for 1999-2002. Looking at all of WorldCom’s financial activities for the period, experts estimate the total value of the accounting fraud at $79.5 billion.
After Bankruptcy
WorldCom was renamed MCI. Former CEO Bernie Ebbers and former CFO Scott Sullivan were charged with fraud and violating securities laws. Ebbers was found guilty on all counts in March 2005 and sentenced to 25 years in prison, but is free on appeal. Sullivan pleaded guilty and took the stand against Ebbers in exchange for a more lenient sentence of five years.
Re-Organization
WorldCom took many steps toward reorganization, including securing $1.1 billion in loans and appointing Michael Capellas as chairman and CEO. WorldCom also tried to restore confidence in the company, including replacing the board members who failed to prevent the accounting scandal, firing many managers, reorganizing its finance and accounting functions, and making other changes designed to help correct past problems and prevent them from reoccurring. Additionally, the audit department staff is was increased and reported directly to the audit committee of the company’s new board. However, this reorganization was not enough to restore consumer and investor confidence, and Verizon Communications acquired MCI in December 2005. Verizon obtained the freshly minted MCI for $7.6 billion, but not the $35 billion of debt MCI had when it declared bankruptcy
The WorldCom accounting fraud changed the entire telecommunications industry. As part of their overvaluing strategy, WorldCom had also overestimated the rate of growth in Internet usage, and these estimates became the basis for many decisions made throughout the industry. AT&T, WorldCom/MCI’s largest competitor, was also acquired. Over 300,000 telecommunications workers lost their jobs as the telecommunications struggled to stabilize. Many people have blamed the rising number of telecommunication company failures and scandals on neophytes who had no experience in the telecommunication industry. They tried to transform their startups into gigantic full-serproviders like AT&T, but in an increasingly competitive industry, it was difficult for so many large companies could survive.
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Pritesh Parikh Creator
PGDM student. finance, economy
Rhythm Agarwalla
Gautham Ananda Kumar
Chethan s
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Tag Archives: North American Brass Band Association
Press Release: Brush Up On Your Brass!
www.vintagebandfestival.org
Brush Up On Your Brass!
Vintage Band Festival Aug. 1-4, 2013
NORTHFIELD, MN (March 23, 2013) – The Vintage Band Festival is once again proud to present performances from a wide variety of brass bands. A rich history is found in British-style brass bands. Two Minnesota-based bands in this tradition will appear at the Vintage Band Festival in August — the Lake Wobegon® Brass Band and the Sheldon Theatre Brass Band.
This band style began during Britain’s industrial era, when newly invented brass valves were being mass-produced. The resulting cultural change took “playing in a band” to a new level, inspiring challenging contests that enlivened the working communities, heightening spirits and creating a category of band music all its own. Today the North American Brass Band Association embodies this tradition passed down through the centuries, while many heritages continue to embrace British-style music throughout the world.
An important distinction with British-style brass band instruments is that they were standardized and transposed to the treble clef, meaning you could pick up just about any instrument and you wouldn’t have to learn new fingering (just adjust to the new mouthpiece) – for example playing a Soprano Cornet (E♭) could be taught like a Flugelhorn (B♭) or a Tenor Horn (E♭) according to the notes on the staff.
Populated by music educators and serious amateurs from around the Mississippi River shores, the Sheldon Theatre Brass Band of Red Wing plays a regular series of performances at the T.B. Sheldon Auditorium as a “house band” and also performs concerts in other regional communities. They have played at the National Brass Band competition and even hosted the event in Red Wing one year. They also appeared at the Great American Brass Band Festival in Danville, Kentucky. This will be the band’s third appearance at the Vintage Band Festival.
The Lake Wobegon® Brass Band formed in 1992 and is cosponsored by Anoka-Ramsey Community College and the Anoka Brass Band Association. When Garrison Keillor was contacted regarding the band’s name, he responded, “I’m happy to give my permission. The only condition is that you will let me know when the band is formed…and that at some mutually convenient time, you’ll play at a picnic for me. Good Luck.”
The band’s many notable performances include the 35th anniversary show for A Prairie Home Companion and a number of music educators’ conferences.
“We had a blast being a part of the Vintage Band Festival in 2006 and 2010 and look forward to a chance to be a part of the festivities again in Northfield this summer,” said Chris Ravndal, the band’s executive manager and principal solo cornet.
The Vintage Band Festival is a four-day celebration featuring bands from across the US and abroad. Over 100 concerts fill the streets of historic Northfield and will be staged at satellite sites throughout southern Minnesota on August 1-4. The Festival offers a variety of genres, ethnic influences, and period-style performances. Visit http://vintagebandfestival.org/ for more information.
Find the VBF on Facebook at “Vintage Band Festival” and Twitter at @vintagebandfest.
Sheldon Theatre Brass Band
Lake Wobegon® Brass Band
This entry was posted in VBF News and tagged Garrison Keillor, Great American Brass Band Festival, Lake Wobegon, Lake Wobegon® Brass Band, North American Brass Band Association, Sheldon Theatre Brass Band, T.B. Sheldon Auditorium, Vintage Band Festival on March 23, 2013 by Paul Niemisto.
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Home > Honorary Doctorates > Previous Recipients > Ray R. Irani
Ray R. Irani
Dr. Irani graduated from AUB at the age of 18 with a degree in chemistry; he then earned a PhD in chemistry in 1957 in the United States, launching his career as a scientific researcher. By 1983, he had firmly established himself in the oil and gas industry. He quickly rose to assume the presidency of Occidental Petroleum Corporation, later serving as Chairman and CEO for over twenty years, and then as Executive Chairman. Under his leadership, Occidental grew to be the fourth largest oil and gas company in the U.S. with 40,000 employees worldwide. Irani has published over fifty technical papers, and holds 150 U.S. and foreign patents. Among his many honors, he was awarded the National Order of the Cedar Medal by the President of the Republic of Lebanon in 1996, was awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 2011, and he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2012. Irani was elected to the AUB Board of Trustees in 1986, served as co-chair, and was granted emeritus status this year.
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Trigger warning: Murder, violence, abuse, descriptions of murders.
Earlier this evening, I was standing in the cold in Farragut Square along with few dozen other members of the local disability community for the Washington DC vigil as part of the National Day of Mourning for disabled people murdered by family members or caregivers.
Me (Lydia Brown) speaking at the vigil.
I was asked to give a statement this evening. This is the transcript of what I said.
Hi, my name's Lydia Brown. I'm a student at Georgetown University, and I'm also Autistic. And I'm here to take a minute to talk about the reason that we're here tonight.
We're here tonight as a result of the very real civil rights struggle that we still have left to fight. When people tell me in the hallways at Georgetown, "but don't you have rights? Didn't they pass the ADA? I thought you could get the accommodations you wanted in school; you're going to be able to get a job; I mean, there's special ed;" that doesn't mean much to me, when all of the time, people like us are being killed for what they are. And when in the popular media the most common response to a disabled person's murder is, “what a relief it must be that society and their family no longer has [sic] to bear the burden of caring for them,” that type of rhetoric tells me exactly where we still are and the kind of fight that we still have, the kind of challenges that we still face.
As Jeff [Rosen] was just talking about now, the problems that we have as disabled people do not exist because of the ways that we think or the ways that we move or communicate, but those problems exist because of the societies in which we live. And when the societies in which we live are ones that devalue our lives, that dehumanize us, that tell us over centuries of history that our lives are not worth living, that our lives are not worth fighting for, and that our lives are tragic and not our deaths, then that is a world that we have to fight against. That is a mindset that has to be changed before we can have full equality in this society.
And so we're here tonight to take a few minutes, to pause, and to remember those people that we have lost from our community—to remind ourselves, to remind the world around us that their lives were valuable, that they lived rich and rewarding lives, and that their murders were tragedies. We are here to reaffirm our commitment to the fight that we still have. We are here to reaffirm the unity of our community in standing against the history of violence and murder against members of our community, and to remind us that there is still much work to be done. Thank you.
And thanks to the LeadOn update, there's a video of this (captioned, naturally):
Ari Ne'eman speaking at the vigil.
Image description: Tall, young white man with short dark brown hair and glasses in the front, facing the side, wearing a long dark coat. Behind him is a wooden tripod bearing a poster that reads, "Mourn for the dead ...and fight like hell for the living," followed by tiny print illegible that gives the names and ages of victims. Beside that tripod is a table with a bright blue tablecloth and dozens of small electronic tea-light candles, with a young white woman kneeling toward the table. She is wearing a huge fluffy bright blue coat and a lime-green knitted hat. Beside her is her multicolored bag. They are all on a grassy area.
Of the first image above: Young Asian woman with short black hair and glasses, wearing a dark blue overcoat and a light beige pantsuit, and an ochre-colored shirt, with a gray-haired man's head visible in the foreground.
And this is the list of those who were killed that Melody Latimer, ASAN Director of Community Engagement, read aloud (names and ages). About two-thirds of the way through, she was moved to tears, and two other vigil attendees took positions beside her as she continued, visibly fighting the urge to sob.
This list is incomplete. In addition to these names, we mourn today for countless others in our community who died at the hands of those who were supposed to care for them, and whose names we may never know.
Tracy Latimer, 12 years old, gassed by her father, 1993. Wilkie, Saskatchewan. Robert Latimer served 7 years in prison for second-degree murder.
Charles-Antoine Blais, 6 years old, drowned by his mother, November 1996. Montreal. Danielle Blais pled guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to live in a halfway house for one year. She was then hired as a spokesperson for Montreal’s autism society.
Casey Albury, 17 years old, strangled by her mother, 1997. Feilding, NZ. Janine Albury-Thompson was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison, but her sentence was reduced to 18 months.
Pierre Pasquiou, 10 years old, pushed into the sea by his mother, 1998. Saint-Brieuc, France. Anne Pasquiou was given a three-year suspended sentence and served no jail time.
Daniel Leubner, 13, burned alive by his mother, September 1999. Cayuga County, NY. Michelle Davis was sentenced to 6 years in prison for manslaughter and arson.
James Joseph Cummings Jr., 46, stabbed to death by his father in the institution where he lived, November 1999. Red Bank, NJ. Mr. Cummings Sr. was sentenced to five years in prison.
Gabriel Britt, 6 years old, suffocated by his father, March 2001. Summerville, South Carolina. Terrence Britt served four years in prison for unlawful conduct toward a child.
Johnny Churchi, 13 years old, strangled by his mother, 2001. Hamilton, Ontario. Jadwiga Miskiewicz was sentenced to time in a psychiatric hospital for killing her son.
Angelica Auriemma, 20 years old, drowned by her mother, who first tried to electrocute her to death. December 2013. Brooklyn, NY. Ioanna Auriemma served three years in prison for killing her daughter.
Scarlett Chen, 4 years old, drowned by her mother, July 2004. Toronto. Xuan Peng, her mother, pled guilty to manslaughter, but was released after 30 months in prison. At the time of her release, the court ruled that she “doesn’t represent a threat to children.”
Tiffany Pinckney, 23 years old, locked in a basement and starved to death by her sister and brother-in-law, 2005. Mississauga, Ontario. Allison Cox was sentenced to 9 years in prison for manslaughter; Orlando Klass was sentenced to 2 years house arrest for criminal negligence.
Ryan Davies, 12 years old, pushed off a bridge by his mother in a murder-suicide. April 2006. Romiley, UK.
Christopher DeGroot, 19 years old, died of severe burns after he was locked in his parents’ apartment alone during a fire, May 2006. Albany, OR. Police suspected that Agnes and Nicolaas DeGroot deliberately set the fire, but the court allowed a plea deal and sentenced them to six months in jail for criminally negligent homicide.
Katie McCarron, 3 years old, suffocated by her mother, May 2006. Morton, IL. Karen McCarron was sentenced to 36 years in prison for first-degree murder, obstruction of justice, and concealing a homicidal death.
William Lash III, 12 years old, shot by his father in a murder-suicide, July 2006. McLean, VA.
Lakesha Victor, 10 years old, starved by her mother, August 2006. Hinckley, MN. Ludusky Sue Hotchkiss was sentenced to 32 months in prison, followed by 16 months of supervised release, for second-degree manslaughter.
Marcus Fiesel, 4, wrapped in heavy blankets by his foster parents and left in a closet to suffocate while they went out of town, August, 2006. Union Township, Clement County, Ohio. Liz Carroll, the foster mother, was sentenced to 54 years to life for murder, involuntary manslaughter, kidnapping, felonious assault, and endangering children. David Carroll accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 16 years to life for murder and gross abuse of a corpse.
Ulysses Stable, 12 years old, throat slit by his father, November 2006. The Bronx, NY. Jose Stable was charged with second-degree murder.
Criste Reimer, 47, thrown from a balcony by her husband. Kansas City, MO. August 2007. Stanley Reimer was sentenced to life in prison, but will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years.
Jared Greenwood, 26, died of infected bed sores after being left in place and neglected by his mother. Bloomfield, NM. Sandra Greenwood was sentenced to serve two and a half years in prison for second-degree neglect. September 2007.
Francecca Hardwick, 18, locked in a burning car with her mother in a murder-suicide, October 2007. Barwell, Leicestershire, UK.
Naomi Hill, 4, drowned by her mother, November 2007. Connah's Quay, Flintshire, UK. Joanne Hill was sentenced to life in prison but will be eligible for parole after 15 years.
Shellay Ward, 7, starved and neglected by her parents, November 2007. Hawks Nest, New South Wales, Australia. Sharyn Ward was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for Shellay’s murder. Blakeley Ward was sentenced to 16 years in prison for manslaughter.
Maxwell Eyer, 2, beaten to death by his father, December 2007. Alton, MO. Johnny Garcia, Maxwell’s father, was sentenced to 44 years in prison for first-degree murder. Maxwell’s mother and Garcia’s girlfriend both received 5-year sentences for child endangerment, as they knew that Maxwell was in critical condition but did not receive help.
Calista Springer, 16, chained to a bed and abandoned in a fire by her entire family. February 2008. Centreville, MI. Anthony and Marsha Springer were convicted of torture and first-degree child abuse. Marsha was sentenced to 18 years and 9 months up to 50 years in prison for torture, and 95 months to 15 years for child abuse. Anthony was sentenced to 25 to 50 years for torture, and 10 to 15 years for child abuse.
Courtney Wise, 17, starved to death by her mother, February 2008. St Catherines, ON. Astrid Hueller was sentenced to six years in prison for manslaughter. The sentence includes pre-trial custody, so after the verdict she faced an additional five years in prison.
Ethan Scott Kirby, 3, beaten to death by his mother’s boyfriend, August 2008. Conroe, Texas. Chase Cannon was sentenced to 50 years in prison for murder, and will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years.
Tom Inglis, 22, died after his mother administered an overdose of heroin to him, November 2008. Dagenham, Essex, UK. Frances Inglis was sentenced to life in prison for murder, and must serve a minimum of nine years.
Christian Clay Jenkins, 14, given an overdose of oxycodone by his father. November 2008. Oak Hill, West Virginia. Henry Clay Jenkins was sentenced to life in prison with a possibility of parole for first-degree murder and child neglect resulting in death. However, the judge made a “mercy recommendation,” meaning Jenkins will be eligible for parole after serving 18 years.
Lexie Agyepong-Glover, 13, left in a frigid creek by her mother and died of drowning and exposure. January 2009. Manassas, VA. Alfreedia Gregg-Glover was sentenced to 26 years in prison for felony murder, felony child abuse, and filing a false police report.
Jeremy Fraser, 9 years old, died of recurrent leukemia after his mother withheld the medication that would have saved his life. March 2009. Salem, MA. Kristen LeBrie was convicted of attempted murder, child endangerment, and two counts of assault and battery. She was sentenced to forty years in prison.
Shylea Myza Thomas, 9 years old, starved to death by her aunt, who then hid her body in order to continue to collect money she received for Shylea’s care. March, 2009. Flint, Michigan. Lorrie Thomas was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison, and a fine of $11,538, for involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, child abuse, and welfare fraud.
Pamela Camille Hall, 59, stabbed by her son-in-law, April 2009. Bassett, VA. James Miller was sentenced to life in prison.
Lloyd Yarbrough, 62, fed an overdose of prescription medication through his feeding tube by his wife, May 2009. Austin, TX. Katherine Yarbrough was sentenced to 10 years probation for “injury to a disabled individual.”
Peter Eitzen, 16, stabbed by his mother, July 2009. Blackiston, Australia. Beverley Ellen Eitzen was charged with murder but was acquitted because the judge found that she had been suffering a “major depressive episode” at the time of the murder.
Jeremy Bostick, 11, gassed by his father in a murder-suicide. Edmonton, Alberta. September 2009.
Tony Khor, 15, strangled by his mother, October 2009. Mississauga, ON. Seow Cheng Sin was charged with murder, but the case has not yet gone to trial.
Betty Anne Gagnon, 48, tortured to death by her sister and brother-in-law, November 2009. Edmonton, Alberta. Her sister and brother-in-law were charged with “unlawful confinement,” manslaughter, and assault.
Walter Knox Hildebrand Jr., 20 years old, died of a seizure induced by his brother’s physical abuse. November 2009. Willows, CA. Stuart Allen Hildebrand was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and “causing pain, suffering, or injury to an elder or dependent adult.”
Laura Cummings, 23, raped tortured to death by her mother and brother, January 2010. North Collins, NY. Eva and Luke Wright Cummings were charged with second-degree murder, predatory sexual assault, unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, and “endangering a disabled person’s welfare.”
Jude Mirra, 8, forced by his mother to overdose on prescription medications. February 2010. New York, NY. Gigi Jordan has been charged with second-degree murder.
Ajit Singh, 12, forced by his mother to drink bleach. February 2010. London, UK. Satpal Kaur-Singh plead guilty to “manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.”
Gerren Isgrigg, 6 years old, died of exposure after his grandmother abandoned him in a remote area. Wiley, Texas. April 2010. Darlene Phillips was sentenced to 28 years in prison for murder, but will be eligible for parole after having served 12 years.
Leosha Barnett, 17, starved to death by her mother and sister, May 2010. Fort Worth, Texas. Kyreshi Stevenson, Leosha’s sister, was sentenced to 5 years in prison for injury to a child. Tasca Johnson, their mother, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for injury to a child.
Glen Freaney, 11, strangled by his mother. May 2010. Cardiff, Wales. Yvonne Freaney was acquitted of murder but admitted to “manslaughter by diminished responsibility,” and was allowed to walk free.
Payton Ettinger, 4, starved by his mother, May 2010. Greensburg, Indiana. Courtney Ettinger Tressler was sentenced to 10 years in prison for neglect.
Christopher Melton, 18, gassed by his mother in a murder-suicide, June 2010. Columbia, Maryland.
Rylan Rochester, 6 months old, suffocated by his mother because she believed him to be autistic, June 2010. Superior, Colorado. Stephanie Rochester was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to an institution.
Kenneth Holmes, 12, shot by his mother in a murder-suicide, July 2010. The Bronx, NY.
Zain Akhter, 5, and Faryaal Akhter, 2. Strangled by their mother, July 2010. Dallas, TX. Saiqa Akhter has been charged on two counts of capital murder.
Emily Belle Molin, 85, hit and run over with a car by her son. Darby Borough, PA. August 2010. Steven Frederick Molin was sentenced to 25 years in prison for second-degree murder.
Rohit Singh, 7, beaten to death by his father, September 2010. Bathinda, India. Gurmeet Singh was charged with murder.
Zahra Baker, 10, murdered and dismembered by her stepmother and perhaps her father, October 2010. Hickory, North Carolina. Elisa Baker was sentenced to a maximum of 18 years in prison for second-degree murder. Adam Baker was “voluntarily deported” to his native country, Australia.
Chase Ogden, 13. Chase and his sister Olivia were shot by his mother in a murder-suicide. Colorado Springs, CO. October 2010.
Karandeep Arora, 18, suffocated by his parents, October 2010. Sarita Vihar, India. Parents then committed suicide.
Chad Jackson, 25, starved and neglected by his mother, July 2011. Grand Junction, MI. Yodi Jackson is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree felonious abuse.
Julie Cirella, 8, poisoned by her mother, July 2011. Long Island, NY. Veronica Cirella is charged with murder.
Noe Medina Jr., 7 months, thrown 4 stories by his mother, August 2011. La Habra, CA. His mother, Sonia Hermosillo, was charged with murder.
Benjamin Barnhard, 13, shot by his mother in a murder-suicide, August 2011. Kensington, MD.
Jori Lirette, 7, decapitated by his father, August 2011. Thibodaux, Louisiana. Jeremiah Lee Wright, Jori’s father, was found unfit for trial and sent to an institution.
George Hodgins, 22, shot by his mother in a murder-suicide. March 2012. Sunnyvale, CA.
Daniel Corby, 4, drowned by his mother. March 2012. San Diego, CA. Patricia Corby was sentenced to 15 years to life for second-degree murder.
Melissa Stoddard, 11, suffocated in restraints that her father and step-mother routinely used. December 2012. Sarasota, FL. Both were charged with “aggravated child abuse with great bodily harm.”
And today, the day of the vigils, Betty Anne Gagnon's murderers pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on April 19.
Labels: ableism, disabled people, murder, violence
Kate Mia March 3, 2013 at 11:11 PM
http://khaag.org/2012/06/record-number-of-murders-due-to-anti-lgbt-and-hivaids-bias/
To add to the list, and worthy of recognition in next year's event are the 30 crimes of murder identified as biased against LGBT victims with the ADA EEOC defined disability of HIV/AIDS, recorded in the year 2011 alone. These people are also members of the disability community and worthy of recognition, to their value as human beings.
This was an increase of 10 percent of the biased crimes of murder against these individuals with disabilities from the previous year, in 2010.
Statistics for 2012 will likely be provided this Summer by the same linked organization that keeps track of the records.
Filicides are more common in the US than other developed countries that occur close to 400 times annually, including paternal and maternal filicides, from records that exist according to the American Anthropological association and other sources of statistics as linked below.
People with disabilities are not identified more likely to be killed in filicides than any other demographic.
Encouragingly, according to the Department of Justice statistics, hate crimes against individuals with disabilities have been decreasing in total numbers in the last decade, and are now listed at the bottom of all minority groups, in prevalence of these hate crimes.
http://abcnewsradioonline.com/health-news/more-than-200-us-mothers-a-year-kill-their-children-psychiat.html
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2011/tables/table-1
This is wonderful effort of recognition of the victims, but I cannot find evidence anywhere that supports the quoted statement from the media, and am curious where this quote: "what a relief it must be that society and their family no longer has [sic] to bear the burden of caring for them" is derived from, considering there is no record of it anywhere but on this website in advanced google searches, particularly in light of the claim that it is the most common type of rhetoric used in popular media reports.
There are often comments of well meaning individuals that show sympathy and compassion for the tragic events and the effects on the remaining family members, and potential associated factors such as chronic abuse of the murderer, social isolation of the murderer, and potential factors of mental illness of the murderer, but I cannot remember coming across the rhetoric in the quote provided in this article in sources that would suggest it is the most common type of response in popular media reports.
It is often that the armchair analysis of what led to the crime, outweighs the voice of sympathy and compassion for the victim, but this is the unfortunate case for almost any notorious crime in the media, per the social chatter that results in comments.
It is a relatively new internet derived phenomenon that society now shares in. The only permanent solution to that is to figuratively speaking "pull the plug" on the internet.
Events like these in the media that focus on the victims are worthy efforts, but it also seems important that even in these events the focus remains on the victims instead of a general statement of indictment against society as part of the figurative responsible party for the crime. That not only potentially removes part of the responsibility from the murderer, but also continues to remove the focus from the victims, as internet chatter in social commentary often does.
Jocelyn Orbeta April 17, 2013 at 4:04 PM
the sentence for this people who did wrong is not enough... pwd/autism should be care for.. yes this is a tedious work, lot of time and pressure but ending there life is not what they deserve... they deserve our care and love... most of the murdered pwd are kids who have no fight against them... hopefully justice systmem will give them a much more heavier sentence
Ulysses Stable is my brother
I am sorry for your loss. May he rest in peace. :/
One of the victims on your list, Zahra Baker, was not autistic. She was deaf and had cancer.
Chelsea Reinschmidt February 24, 2014 at 5:12 PM
Thank you so much for the list and the captioned video! I am working on making a video in ASL for Deaf ASL users like me. This means so much to me that this was captioned as is accessible to me.
thank you for making this list and captioning the video! Your website is amazing! I would like to make a similar video in ASL for the Deaf community. I am Deaf and Autistic.
Hi there Lydia, I have aspergers and I just want to say about the parents and families of what they do to their own children with ASD: those parents and families don't get to have freedom, ever. Being aquitted and given light sentences for such atrocities makes me feel sick and angry to very core and I am scared to hell. What if there was a petition to send to our governments to push for harder sentences?. Lydia, you're in my thoughts and I give you my best wishes for your campaign
Katharine Cunningham November 5, 2017 at 9:10 PM
I live in Montreal and never knew Danielle Blais, a murderer of her autistic child, was only given a year in a halfway house and then hired by Montreal's autism society! I am so ashamed.
Re: Reproductive rights, disability, selective abo...
Constructing Disability: Deviant Bodies, Deviant M...
Plea for Help from Arabists and Disability Activis...
This Is Why I Am Angry
Another example of power imbalance
On Simulations
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Bassist/solo artist/clinician Norm Stockton travels extensively throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He has been profiled in Bass Player magazine (12/95 & 2/10) and is recognized by many as one of the premier bassists today. From 2006-2012, he was the touring and recording bassist with chart-topping worship artist (and former Steve Perry guitarist) Lincoln Brewster. Norm has performed or recorded with a number of Grammy-winning artists.
As a solo artist, he has released two instrumental projects that have garnered widespread acclaim from around the globe. His latest solo project, Tea In The Typhoon, features stellar guest artists John Patitucci, Gregg Bissonette, Lincoln Brewster, Michael Manring, Etienne Mbappe and more, and further affirms Norm's reputation as a world-class bassist and composer.
Norm has performed or recorded with such artists as:
Clark Beckham (American Idol)
Bill Champlin (Chicago)
Dominique Di Piazza (John McLaughlin)
Bobby Kimball (TOTO)
Steve Laury (solo artist, Fattburger)
Luna Halo
Mandisa (American Idol)
Rob Mullins (solo artist, The Crusaders)
Darlene Zschech (Hillsong)
Norm is also known internationally as a bass educator and clinician. His bass instructional DVD series, Grooving for Heaven (distributed by Alfred Publishing), has sold extensively in the United States and abroad. He is adjunct faculty at Biola University in Los Angeles and has conducted master classes at The Los Angeles College of Music, Liberty University, Tech Music School London and more. He also serves as a bass columnist for Worship Musician magazine.
His book, "The Worship Bass Book: Bass, Espresso & The Art Of Groove", is published and distributed globally by Hal Leonard Corporation.
Norm lives in Orange County, CA, with his wife and daughters.
For more information, please visit: www.normstockton.com
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September 1, 2009 | ISSN 1940-6967
Hospitals Not Prepared For Swine Flu
PALO ALTO, CA (ASRN.ORG)- Nurses at more than one-fourth of hospitals in nine states report that their hospitals aren't doing enough to isolate existing swine flu patients, according to a new survey. That's one of several problems hospitals are likely to encounter when dealing with a cresting swine flu epidemic.
The CNA/NNOC survey, which surveyed nurses at 190 U.S. healthcare facilities, found that nurses at 15 percent of hospitals don't have access to appropriate respirator masks. At almost one-fifth of hospitals, the masks were appropriate but not "fitted" to make sure they protected health workers properly. And at 40 percent of hospitals, nurses are expected to re-use masks.
Such infection control issues are already leading to the spread of the H1N1 virus among health workers. At 18 percent of the hospitals surveyed, nurses said their colleagues had become infected with the virus.
It's not surprising, given the ongoing problems healthcare providers face with infection control, but still worth noting: A new bulletin says that some healthcare workers are picking up the H1N1 virus on the job.
Right now, the number is modest, with a known 81 U.S. healthcare workers having laboratory-confirmed swine flu. What worries authorities, however, is that about half seem to have gotten infected on the job, a stat that could have serious implications for the future of the pandemic. If the virus spreads further, and follows this pattern, it could disable enough healthcare workers to slow the health system down substantially.
To help address the spread of H1N1, potential swine flu patients be identified "at the front door" to allow hospital personnel to institute special infection precautions like masks, isolation and increased hand hygiene. It's also recommending that healthcare workers get Tamiflu in personnel who've been exposed to swine flu.
Hospitals Face Severe Disruption From Swine Flu
Registered Nurses Have Lower Mortality Risk
U.S. Healthcare System Pinched By Nursing Shortage
Healthcare Staffing Companies Flourish
February, 1, 2009
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Donna was born Donna Maloney on 17 January 1938 to Molly (nee McKinlay) and Jack Maloney. Her parents separated about a year after Donna was born and, together with her sister and brother, Donna was cared for by her mother and grandmother. Donna’s mother married Jack King in 1946, and the family lived in Fairlight, a suburb of Sydney. After graduating from high school, Donna commenced training as an enrolled nurse at the Sydney Children’s Hospital in Camperdown. After falling pregnant, however, she was dismissed from the hospital, as was the rule at the time. Donna chose to raise her first son Julian as a single mother, strongly supported by her mother and step-father, Jack King. Donna worked for David Jones then the Bank of New South Wales. Once Julian commenced school, Donna left her son and parents to work in Darwin circa 1966. Here she fell in love with a Dutchman Frank Groen and married circa 1970 in Pine Creek. In 1973 her second son Ben arrived. The family lived and worked in remote areas of the Territory, including the government Adelaide River Agricultural Station, Lake Julius Dam, and the Mary Kathleen Uranium Mine. It was a frontier lifestyle and Donna loved the remoteness, solitude and simplicity of living in the bush. The family would visit Sydney from time to time or alternatively Molly, Jack, and Julian would make trips to northern Australia to meet up for holidays. Around 1975 Donna was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and underwent numerous operations and experimental chemotherapy treatment at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital. Against all odds Donna made a miraculous recovery and returned to the Top End briefly before separating from Frank and re-establishing her life in Sydney, with Ben attending primary school and Julian starting university. In 1991 Donna left Sydney to join her sons who were living in Bellingen. Over the years they moved home several times, finally settling in Urunga in 2001. Fond of travelling, Donna made several solo round Australia road trips as well as trips to visit Julian in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. In the Bellingen Shire, Donna was active with the Urunga CWA raising money for overseas aid projects and winning top awards for her knitting. Whenever sitting she would knit angel blankets, and blankets and beanies for the homeless. She also volunteered with Meals on Wheels, Probus, View Club, and the Pink Ladies Auxiliary at Bellingen Hospital where she dedicated herself to raising funds for medical equipment and held the position of President from 2007 to 2009. Always concerned with the demise of Australian politics, Donna felt that Australia’s political system was wrought with corruption with politicians representing the corporate elite against the interests of the Australian community. She believed we are fast approaching a totalitarian dictatorship and found it difficult to understand how such a demise was able to come about in her lifetime after the defeat of fascism. After a second cancer diagnosis, Donna yet again defied the doctors’ three-month life expectancy to live a further three years. Always imploring her sons to ‘be good’, Donna was a great role model and friend to all who knew her. Donna is survived by her sons Julian King and Ben Groen.
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/janene.carey/1a644098-ec81-42ea-817a-195c4a31c2fd.jpg/r0_352_1203_1032_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
July 9 2018 - 9:36AM
Donna Groen 17 January 1938 - 2 June 2018
Donna at 19 years old
Donna was born Donna Maloney on 17 January 1938 to Molly (nee McKinlay) and Jack Maloney. Her parents separated about a year after Donna was born and, together with her sister and brother, Donna was cared for by her mother and grandmother. Donna’s mother married Jack King in 1946, and the family lived in Fairlight, a suburb of Sydney.
After graduating from high school, Donna commenced training as an enrolled nurse at the Sydney Children’s Hospital in Camperdown. After falling pregnant, however, she was dismissed from the hospital, as was the rule at the time. Donna chose to raise her first son Julian as a single mother, strongly supported by her mother and step-father, Jack King. Donna worked for David Jones then the Bank of New South Wales.
Once Julian commenced school, Donna left her son and parents to work in Darwin circa 1966. Here she fell in love with a Dutchman Frank Groen and married circa 1970 in Pine Creek. In 1973 her second son Ben arrived. The family lived and worked in remote areas of the Territory, including the government Adelaide River Agricultural Station, Lake Julius Dam, and the Mary Kathleen Uranium Mine. It was a frontier lifestyle and Donna loved the remoteness, solitude and simplicity of living in the bush. The family would visit Sydney from time to time or alternatively Molly, Jack, and Julian would make trips to northern Australia to meet up for holidays.
Around 1975 Donna was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and underwent numerous operations and experimental chemotherapy treatment at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital. Against all odds Donna made a miraculous recovery and returned to the Top End briefly before separating from Frank and re-establishing her life in Sydney, with Ben attending primary school and Julian starting university. In 1991 Donna left Sydney to join her sons who were living in Bellingen. Over the years they moved home several times, finally settling in Urunga in 2001. Fond of travelling, Donna made several solo round Australia road trips as well as trips to visit Julian in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
In the Bellingen Shire, Donna was active with the Urunga CWA raising money for overseas aid projects and winning top awards for her knitting. Whenever sitting she would knit angel blankets, and blankets and beanies for the homeless. She also volunteered with Meals on Wheels, Probus, View Club, and the Pink Ladies Auxiliary at Bellingen Hospital where she dedicated herself to raising funds for medical equipment and held the position of President from 2007 to 2009.
Always concerned with the demise of Australian politics, Donna felt that Australia’s political system was wrought with corruption with politicians representing the corporate elite against the interests of the Australian community. She believed we are fast approaching a totalitarian dictatorship and found it difficult to understand how such a demise was able to come about in her lifetime after the defeat of fascism.
After a second cancer diagnosis, Donna yet again defied the doctors’ three-month life expectancy to live a further three years. Always imploring her sons to ‘be good’, Donna was a great role model and friend to all who knew her. Donna is survived by her sons Julian King and Ben Groen.
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67.0°, OVERCAST Forecast
Jim Condos: Public officials must be transparent at all times
Posted Sunday, March 10, 2019 3:21 pm
By Jim Condos
On Tuesday, March 5, Vermonters elected their local government officials on Town Meeting Day.
In November 2018, Vermonters chose their statewide officers and legislative representatives.
In November 2016, Vermonters voted for the highest elected office in the United States.
Regardless of the difference in responsibilities of their positions, from local select boards to the governor to the president of the United States, and even me as Vermont's secretary of state, we all share one thing: a responsibility to uphold the public's trust by being transparent and accountable in everything we do.
March 10-16 is Sunshine Week, a national celebration of access to public information and government transparency.
In my over 30 years of public service, as a city councilor, state senator, and as secretary of state, I have learned that public trust in our government is critical to our ability to achieve meaningful progress.
Ensuring that government is open and transparent is the only way to build this trust with our Vermont communities.
Transparency isn't just a buzzword, or something we should do as government officials. It is a requirement, enshrined in the Vermont Constitution under Article 6:
"That all power being originally inherent in and consequently derived from the people, therefore, all officers of government, whether legislative or executive, are their trustees and servants; and at all times, in a legal way, accountable to them."
We must never forget that in government, our boss is the public.
Everything we do, and every record we make, ultimately belongs to them. Without transparency, Vermonters would not have the tools they need to hold public officials accountable.
Criticism or embarrassment are not valid reasons to draw the shades on information that the public has a right to see. In my office we operate every day as if the 625,000 Vermonters we serve are looking over our shoulder.
And, in case you were wondering, yes, the media is included as members of the public.
Not only do our hard-working journalists have as much of a right to public records as any other individual, they also play an important role as the public's watchdog, serving to inform and educate.
Like any group of professionals, they are not perfect. The vast majority of journalists support letting the sun shine in on government. A free press is an essential partner in accountability through transparency.
Sadly, it is not hard to imagine a world in which local, state and federal governments act behind closed doors and with secrecy and impunity. There are many countries where this is the case. We must remain ever vigilant in our quest to keep the doors of government wide open and to ensure that government is working for the people and is at all times accountable.
Vermont's open meeting and public record laws are not difficult to understand, even if sometimes burdensome for public officials; however, by adopting an open government mindset and foregoing the all too pervasive "deny first" mentality, much of the work is already done.
Unfortunately, not every government official shares this perspective, and oftentimes costly legal fees prevent ordinary Vermonters from pursuing access to the records that they are entitled to.
It's also important to recognize that violations of Vermont's transparency law aren't always intentional. The majority of Vermont's public officials are hard-working, and honest.
However, intentional or not, unless we want public faith in our governmental institutions to erode further, we must do better.
So, for Sunshine Week this year I would like to acknowledge that from time to time, a few rain clouds may block the sun from shining down. However, as government officials, we have to do our part by throwing open those shades and turning on a few more lights when it gets dark. We can't sleep on transparency; good government demands it and the people we serve deserve it.
Jim Condos is Vermont's secretary of state. Guides to help citizens and public servants navigate the Open Meeting Law and Public Records Act are available on the website of the Secretary of State's Office at www.sec.state.vt.us under the "Municipal" tab.
Louis Josephson: Border crisis requires mental health professionals to act
Susan Shea | The outside story: The flight of the luna moth
Protecting children and others during a measles outbreak
The Outside Story | Lovely lupines
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Phoenix makes big jump in ranking of best places to live in the U.S.
An influx of new residents pushed Phoenix into the top 20, ahead of San Francisco and just behind Dallas-Fort Worth.
Phoenix makes big jump in ranking of best places to live in the U.S. An influx of new residents pushed Phoenix into the top 20, ahead of San Francisco and just behind Dallas-Fort Worth. Check out this story on azcentral.com: https://azc.cc/2GKaVvP
No. 20: San Francisco Cheryl Evans/The Republic
Ranking the best places to live in 2018
No. 19: Phoenix The Republic
No. 18: Dallas Patrick Breen/The Republic
No 17: San Jose, California Creative Commons
No. 16: Madison, Wisconsin USA Today Network
No. 15: Salt Lake City, Utah Rick Bowmer/AP
No. 14: San Antonio John C. Moritz/USA Today Network
No. 13: Raleigh-Durham, N.C. Gerry Broome/AP
No. 12: Grand Rapids, Mich. Emily Zoladz/AP
No. 11: Nashville, Tennessee The Tennessean
No. 10: Seattle USA TODAY Network
No. 9: Minneapolis Jerry Lai/USA TODAY Sports
No. 8: Washington, D.C. USA TODAY Network
No. 7: Huntsville, Alabama USA TODAY Network
No. 6: Portland, Oregon AP
No. 5: Fayetteville, Arkansas AP
No. 4: Des Moines, Iowa AP
No. 3: Denver USA TODAY Network
No. 2: Colorado Springs, Colorado AP
No. 1: Austin, Texas AP
No. 20: San Francisco
Russ Wiles, The Republic | azcentral.com Published 9:01 p.m. MT April 9, 2018 | Updated 1:00 p.m. MT April 10, 2018
An influx of new residents helped lift metropolitan Phoenix metro into the top 20 on U.S. News & World Report’s list of the best places to live in the United States.(Photo: Tom Tingle/The Republic)
The Phoenix metro area cracked the top 20 in the latest measure of best places to live in the United States, helped by an influx of new residents.
Phoenix made significant progress, jumping to 19th place from 44th place last year in the study by U.S. News & World Report. Metro Phoenix — along with Columbus, Ohio, and the Palm Bay-Melbourne area of Florida's east coast — all benefited from a significant migration influx, the magazine reported.
Austin, Texas, ranked as the nation's most desirable metro area for the second year in a row. It was followed by Colorado Springs, Colorado; Denver; Des Moines, Iowa; and Fayetteville, Arkansas.
What the study looked at
The study examined the desirability of the nation's 125 largest metro areas, based mainly on a combination of affordability, job prospects and quality of life. Tucson, in 67th place, was the only other Arizona city ranked.
Tuscon, in 67th place, was the only Arizona city besides Phoenix to crack U.S. News & World Report’s list of the 125 best places to live in the United States. (Photo: David Wallace/The Republic)
"The top-ranked places are areas where citizens can feel the most fulfilled socially, physically and financially," said Kim Castro, executive editor of U.S. News & World Report, in a statement.
For each metro area, 30 percent of the ranking was based on "quality of life" factors such as health care, education and crime. Another 25 percent was based on affordability/value, 20 percent on the local job market, 15 percent on how desirable the area appears to nonresidents and 10 percent on net migration.
Metro Phoenix scored highest in migration, lowest in quality of life and near the middle in the other measures. Phoenix ranked just behind Dallas-Fort Worth and just ahead of San Francisco overall.
Tucson scored higher in desirability and quality of life but lower in the other measures. Tucson ranked just behind Springfield, Missouri, and just ahead of Santa Barbara, California.
The worst overall city was San Juan, Puerto Rico, just behind Stockton, California.
The study factored in data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI and Labor Department as well as information on high schools, hospitals, housing and more.
More information can be seen at: https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live
Reach the reporter at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8616.
Arizona made the list!
Arizona's destinations and people are recognized nationally in a variety of ways. For better or for worse, here are some recent lists Arizona landed on. Photo: Nick Oza/The Republic
COST TO COOL HOME: Arizonans pay three times as much as the average U.S. resident for air conditioning in the summer, according to a study by Sense, a residential energy management company. Arizona topped the list of states with the highest AC bills. Getty Images
UNFAITHFUL RESIDENTS: Gilbert, a family friendly suburb southeast of Phoenix, is apparently one of the least-faithful places in America. The Arizona town placed 10th on affair website Ashley Madison's 2019 "Infidelity Hotlist," where it beat out cities such as Cleveland, Seattle and Boston in would-be cheaters per capita. Gilbert Historical Museum
FASTEST GROWING CITIES: Two Arizona cities are the fastest growing in the United States, according to population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Buckeye's population saw the largest percentage growth of any city in the country. Meanwhile, Phoenix saw the largest numeric increase during that time frame. Michael Chow/The Republic
HARDEST-WORKING RESIDENTS: According to a new study from Zippia, lengthy commutes partly explain why Queen Creek residents are what one group says are the hardest workers in Arizona. Along with average commute times and the number of adults with college degrees — arguably a measure more of academic achievement than on-the-job work — the study also looked at more conventional factors such as average hours worked, workers per household and the labor-force participation rate. Getty Images
EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT: Arizona ranked 34th for effectiveness of state government, according to a new study by U.S. News & World Report released in May 2019. Rob Schumacher/The Republic
CHILD DEATHS IN HOT CARS: Arizona has seen 35 vehicular heatstroke deaths in the past 20 years, putting Arizona behind just three other states. More than 800 children have died of heatstroke as a result of being left in hot cars since 1998. Getty Images
RATIO OF STUDENTS TO COUNSELORS: Arizona's student-to-counselor ratio was the highest in the nation, with an average of 905 students for every school counselor. The newest numbers, from the 2016-2017 school year, are from the American School Counselor Association. Arizona's ratio is more than three times the organization's recommended ratio of 250:1, and is near twice the national average of 455:1. maroke/Getty Images/iStockphoto
DANGEROUS STATES FOR ONLINE DATING: Arizona was named the No. 6 most dangerous state for online dating in 2019, according to a study by HighSpeedInternet.com. Data analysts used violent crime and cybercrime data from the FBI, STD data from the CDC and sex education data to rank all 50 U.S. states. Leon Neal/Getty Images
DEADLY CITIES: Rankings were calculated by CBS News indicate Phoenix is the 32nd most deadly city in the U.S. Mesa came in at No. 50, and Tucson was No. 36.The ranking used raw 2017 figures compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, and used current population data to calculate per capita homicide rates. Tom Tingle/The Republic
OZONE POLLUTION: The American Lung Association's 20th annual "State of the Air" report ranked Phoenix as the seventh most ozone-polluted metropolitan area in the country. That's one spot worse than last year's 8th place ranking. And although Phoenix's ozone pollution is among the highest in the U.S., data provided by the Maricopa County Air Quality Department shows the Phoenix area's ozone reading actually fell 11.2 percent on average from 1990 to 2018. Isaac Hale/The Republic
SIXTH LEAST-GAMBLING ADDICTED STATE: According to a WalletHub study released May 2019, Arizona is the sixth least gambling-addicted state. Sezeryadigar, Getty Images/iStockphoto
SADDEST AND ANGRIEST CITY: Tucson is the saddest and angriest city in Arizona, tweeting #sad and #angry more frequently than any other city in the state, according to an analysis released in April 2019. Getty Images
FASTEST-GROWING COUNTY: More people moved to Maricopa County than any other county in the nation in 2018, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released in April 2019. This is the second year in a row that the county led in growth. Michael Chow/The Republic
BEST CITIES FOR LGBTQ RETIREES: SeniorAdvice, an online resource for elders and caregivers, ranked Tucson as the third best city in the nation for LGBTQ retirees. Tempe took the No. 6 spot. Thinkstock
TOP PLACES TO LIVE: Phoenix ranked as the 26th best larger U.S. city in which to live, down from 19th place last year, in the 2019 study by U.S. News & World Report of 125 metro areas. That was down from 67th place in last year's study. The rankings are based on information gleaned in five key areas: job-market strength (20 percent of the scoring total), housing affordability (25 percent) and quality of life (30 percent), a broad category that includes local crime rates, access to and quality of health care, educational facilities, average commute times and more. In the latest ranking, Phoenix was hurt most noticeably by a lower score in the broad quality-of-life category. The city's scores in the four other categories were either identical or only slightly different from last year. David Kadlubowski/The Republic, David Kadlubowski/The Republic
FINDING A JOB: A 2018 study by WalletHub ranked Scottsdale the No. 1 place in the U.S. to find a job. The Republic
NATIONAL CAPITAL OF COFFEE POD MAKERS: Gilbert, Arizona, has the highest share of households that own a single-cup or pod-brewing coffee maker, at 24.5 percent, according to WalletHub. The personal-finance website also reports the coffee industry in the U.S. is valued at $48 billion. No surprise there. Keurig
MOST SCENIC: Four Arizona restaurants on OpenTable's list of '100 Most Scenic' for 2018: Elements at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort in Paradise Valley (pictured); Vivace Restaurant in Tucson, Arizona; Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill in Sedona; and A Different Pointe of View at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix. Al Payne
FREE THINKERS: Travel site Expedia in 2018 named Bisbee one of America’s 15 hidden gems and the best for free thinkers. Michael Chow/The Republic
ARIZONA CARDINALS: The Arizona Cardinals made the Forbes 2018 list of the top 50 sports teams globally. The team is worth an estimated $2.15 billion, according to Forbes. Rob Schumacher/The Republic
LEAST STRESSED: Scottsdale residents are the sixth least stressed among residents in 182 U.S. cities, according to aWallethub study published in July 2018. The Republic
PATRIOTISM: WalletHub ranked Arizona 18th in the nation for patriotism. States were evaluated using 13 indicators, including a state's number of veterans and active-duty military personnel, how many of its residents vote and whether the state has a civics education requirement. Even though WalletHub doesn't consider Arizona terriblypatriotic, it did give the state props for putting ona good Fourth of July party. Scottsdale ranked 28th best place to celebrate Fouth of July in the nation, but was ranked second in the nation for affordability. Tucson ranked 30th best place;Phoenix ranked 39th, Mesa ranked 43rd, Chandler ranked 50th, Glendale ranked 51st and Gilbert ranked 72nd. Patrick Breen/The Republic
AMAZON PRIME CITIES: Phoenix is the third most Amazon Prime-friendly city in the United States, according to an analysis by Shorr Packaging Corp. Los Angeles ranks No. 1, and San Francisco's Bay Area comes in second. Whole Foods Market
POOREST CITIES: South Tucson was named the 5th poorest city in the country by a June 2018 report from 24/7 Wall Street. Getty Images/iStockphoto
HOTTEST STATE: Arizona ranked 11th hottest state in the nation, according to average temperatures reported in June 2018 by 24/7 Wall Street. Number one goes to Texas. Brian Munoz / The Republic
VACCINATION EXEMPTIONS: Phoenix was named as one of the top cities where children are not vaccinated in June 2018. The study was published in the PLOS Medicine journal. Getty Images
BEST BIG CITY: Money magazine has ranked Mesa in 2018 as the best big city in the Southwest, saying it's "a great, affordable city for raising a family." Michael Schennum/The Republic
WORST CITIES: Tucson ranked 31 out of 50 on a June 2018 list by 24/7 Wall Street of the worst cities to live in the United States. It was the only Arizona city to be included. Russ Wiles/The Republic
CHILD-CARE COSTS: Arizona is ranked the third-least affordable state for summer programs in 2018 by the left-leaning Center for American Progress. Charlie Leight/The Republic
APARTMENT CONCESSIONS: Phoenix ranks ninth among big U.S. cities for the most apartment concessions currently being offered, according to a 2018 report. At new Valley apartments, it's typical for a renter to get about three weeks free. Michael Schennum/The Republic
POPULATION GROWTH: Phoenix and Buckeye were among the fastest-growing cities in the nation in 2017, according to population estimates released by the Census Bureau. Maricopa County was also among the fastest-growing populations in 2016. David Kadlubowski/The Republic
LAND WORTH: In May 2018, Arizona was named the 39th most valuable state based on land worth by Wall St. 24/7, a business website. According to the report, Arizona is worth roughly $4,328 per acre. Rob Schumacher/The Republic
ECONOMIC MOMENTUM: Arizona is ranked No. 5 for economic momentum, according to a March 2018 national report called the Federal Funds Information for States. Getty Images/iStockphoto
OVERALL STATE RANKING: Arizona ranked No. 39 on the U.S. News & World Report 2018 rankings of all 50 states. Scott Craven/The Republic
UNAFFORDABLE RENT: In February 2018, metro Phoenix ranked the 9th most unaffordable city for renters nationally, according to a SmartAsset study. Getty Images
BEST HIGH SCHOOL: In 2018, Basis Scottsdale charter school was named the best high school in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. Four of the other top-10 schools were also Basis charter schools in Arizona. Mark Henle/The Republic
PROSPERITY: Arizona improved in prosperity since 2017, but still ranked among the bottom third of states in health care, jobs and family finances, according to a 2018 survey from Prosperity Now. Eric Lowenbach, Getty Images
VEGAN FRIENDLY: In December 2017, Scottsdale was ranked No. 8 in vegan and vegetarian friendliness among U.S. cities by WalletHub. The Republic
TOP OFFICIAL: Governing Magazine named Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton among the top public officials in the country in November 2017. Rob Schumacher/The Republic
HOME OWNERSHIP: Chandler was ranked as the best city to buy a family home, according to an October 2017 data analysis from SmartAsset. (Gilbert followed as No. 3 and Scottsdale was No. 8.) Tom Tingle/The Republic
UGLY STATE CAPITOL: Thrillist's September 2017 list of "The flat-out ugliest state capitols in the country" ranks Arizona No. 1. But the article displays the state's Executive Tower, not the original Arizona state capitol as shown here. The Republic
Poppies at Picacho Peak State Park. Rob Schumacher/The Republic
SAFEST CITY: In December 2017, Gilbert was ranked as the fifth safest city in the U.S., according to an analysis from WalletHub. David Kadlubowski/The Republic
HEALTHIEST CITY: In June 2017, Scottsdale came in third place overall for the healthiest city in the country, according to Wallethub. The Republic
WOMEN IN OFFICE: In June 2017, Representation 20/20 ranked Arizona third in the nation in gender parity of elected officials. The Republic
CYBER CRIMES: Arizona ranked No. 9 nationally for money lost from cyber crimes in 2015, according to a 2017 report by the FBI's Internet Crime Complain Center. Arizonans lost $8.9 million in those internet crimes. Getty Images/iStockphoto
MOST INNOVATIVE: Arizona State University was named the most innovative school among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2017 for the third year in a row. Michael Schennum/The Republic
BEST COLLEGE TOWN: In 2017, Northern Arizona University's humble home of Flagstaff was ranked third best college town in the nation by the American Institute of Economic Research. Crystal Ochoa/The Republic
EMPLOYMENT: Scottsdale was ranked the No. 1 city for jobs across the United States, according to WalletHub’s 2017 survey. More than 20 percent of Arizona’s corporate headquarters are in Scottsdale. Heather Reich, The Republic
ONLINE DEGREES: Arizona State University's online bachelor's-degree programs ranked No. 4 in the country in January 2017, based on an online ranking by U.S. News and World Report. The report evaluated 300 schools. Ben Moffat/The Republic
CHILD WELL-BEING: Arizona finished 46th out of the 50 states in the June 2017 Annie E. Casey Foundation survey on child well-being. Factors considered are child poverty, teen birthrate and access to healthcare. David Kadlubowski/The Republic
CREDIT SCORES: Phoenix residents have the worst credit in the nation among cities with a population of 300,000 or more, according to a March 2017 WalletHub survey. Getty Images
VALENTINE'S DAY: Scottsdale was ranked as the second best place to be on Valentine's Day 2017, according to WalletHub. The rankings were based on romance potential and budget-friendliness. File photo
GET HITCHED: Scottsdale is the sixth best place to get married in 2017 due to its numerous attractions and activities, according to WalletHub. The Venue Scottsdale/Scottsdale Wedding Walk
MOVING IN: Arizona was ranked as the 10th-highest state for attracting people moving across state lines during 2016, according to an annual report by United Van Lines. Robert Daly/Getty Images
DONATIONS: Arizona ranked last in WalletHub's "2016's Most Charitable States" list. Getty Photos/iStock
BEST FOR VETS: All three of Arizona's public universities made Military Times' November 2016 "Best for Vets" list. Arizona State University was ranked No. 66, the University of Arizona was 74 and Northern Arizona University was 79. Getty Images
GRADUATION RATES: Arizona's overall state graduation rate was 6 percentage points behind the national average in 2016. Arizona graduated seniors at 77 percent. Associated Press
TAX POLICIES: Arizona ranked 21st overall for its tax policies in a 2016 annual report by the Tax Foundation. Arizona was also ranked on individual policies, including property taxes (No. 6) and sales taxes (No. 47). Igor Ostapchuk, Getty Images/Hemera
SMOKING QUITTERS: In September 2016, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the adult smoking rate in Arizona has dropped to 14 percent. Getty Images
MOST FUN: Scottsdale and Tempe were ranked Nos. 10 and 13, respectively, on WalletHub's list of "2016's Most Fun Cities in America." Mark Henle/The Republic
INTOXICATION AND PREVENTION: A 2016 study by personal-finance site WalletHub ranked Arizona No. 1 in criminal penalties for driving under the influence and No. 2 in DUI prevention efforts among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Republic
JOB SEARCH: Arizona is the sixth-most difficult state in which to find full-time work, according to an August 2016 survey by 24/7 Wall St. Stockbyte/Getty Images
COLLEGE TOWN: Tempe was named the best college town in the United States in 2016 by Livability. Tempe also ranked No. 7 on their list of Top 10 Downtowns. Jessie Wardarski /The Republic
SUPPORT FOR PARENTS: Arizona only met the minimum federal standards under the Family and Medical Leave Act, according to a report released by "Expecting Better" in August 2016. The state also received the same grade in the 2014 report, when it was one of 17 states that failed. Creative Commons
WEED LOVERS: Arizona is one of the top 10 best states for marijuana enthusiasts to live and buy a home, according to an Estately blog published April 2016. Rob Schumacher/The Republic
PUBLIC EDUCATION: Network for Public Education in 2016 gave Arizona an F grade in education, while the country averaged a D. Arizona's policy on high-stakes testing was a high point of the report, but it got F’s for school finance, professionalization of teaching and privatization. Getty Images
INTERNET IN SCHOOLS: Only 63 percent of Arizona's school districts provide the federal standard for broadband connection, according to a November 2015 report. States like New York and South Carolina have almost all schools meeting the standard. Nick Oza/The Republic
WALLET WELLNESS: Gilbert has the highest median income in the country, making it the top city for "wallet wellness," according to a 2015 national financial-responsibility ranking of 150 U.S. cities. Michael Schennum/The Republic
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Arizona ranked 17th nationwide in energy efficiency, according to a 2015 report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Michael Smith/flickr
HOME OWNERSHIP: A consumer-advocacy website in April 2015 named Buckeye the sixth-best location in Arizona for home ownership based on population growth, availability and affordability. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
RETIREMENT: In 2015, Scottsdale was the second best place to retire in the United States, according to a study by WalletHub. Peoria was the tenth best. Criteria included cost of living, weather and hospital access. Getty Images/Pixland
GUNS AT THE AIRPORT: Seventy-three guns were found in carry-on bags in Phoenix's airport in 2015. Phoenix placed fifth in the nation for most gun discoveries in airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Transportation Security Administration
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Turns 1 to 3 (Jose Mª Izquierdo Galiot / Wikipedia.org)
There are probably few more iconic race circuits in the world right now than that of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catlalunya. The track has been about since 1992 and was seen as a replacement for the Montjuic Circuit that hosted four Spanish Grand Prix’s between 1969 and 1975.
The track is based out of the Spanish city of Barcelona, just a few minutes outside of the city centre. The track is famed for having almost perfect weather and is widely regarded as the first of the major European tracks throughout the season.
In fact, the weather is a major part why so many teams do extensive winter testing there, especially the European based cars. The track has come under criticism for this though and with it stating that drivers now know the track too well, almost diminishing any nuances that it once had.
Barcelona 4.655km 16 140,700 1991
The 4.655km track was designed as part of the development process for the 1992 Olympics that were going to be hosted in Spain. Whilst there was no racing for the Olympics, the start finish line was used for the rad team time trial cycling race.
The overview of the track is very distinctive, with three main ‘humps’ and a long start finish line. But, the exposed track is very susceptible to wind. The wind actually plays a huge role within any given race and the direction can change from one session to the other.
The main problem this brings is how the aerodynamics of a car work. Where you had grip at early stages of the race in certain corners, a wind change can result in certain parts of the corner not having any wind. This can play havoc with the drivers and is actually one of the attributing facts that people believe led to the crash in 2015 that Fernando Alonso had whilst testing.
The first part of the lap is where the majority of the overtaking occurs. You have a long straight, before heading into a sweeping right hand then immediate left hand. If cars get out of shape where then they lose all momentum going up to the third corner and it’s seen as a great opportunity at the start of the race for cars further down the grid to make up some significant ground.
As the course wraps itself round on itself, a number of sweeping corners are met by the drivers, before again hitting a fairly tight one at 7 that many drivers just go straight over the kerb. The final part of the track includes a large chicane at corners 14 and 15. These are pretty slow so provide a good opportunity to pass. It’s imperative to get a good run through these corners in order to maintain enough speed to hit the home straight, which is also where DRS can be activated.
The course over the years has only seen minor adjustments made to it, with tweaks in a few of the corners, but has remained relatively untouched. Some people have been calling for a move away from the track due to the familiarity that so many teams have with it, but it’s still able to offer a tough test and it’s widely considered that any rival tracks within Spain won’t be up the job of being able to host such an event.
2016 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1.28.816
2013 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1.26.681
Other Races at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Pit Lane Entrance (Pedroserafin / Wikipedia.org)
There are a number of other races that take part at the circuit, such as the Catalan Motorcycle Grand Prix and the World RX of Spain. But, it’s other major race is that of the European Grand Prix for the MotoGP. Spain has had a long-time love affair with the sport and often brings in crowds that are able to rival that of a Formula 1 weekend.
Throughout the years, the track has seen some of the major racing disciplines from around the world. These include the FIA Sportscar Championship, European Touring Car Championship, FIA GT Championship, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, European Le Mans Series, World Series by Renault and the FIA World Rallycross Championship.
The Start Line at Barcelona (Mutari / Wikipedia.org)
There are few circuits currently on the F1 calendar that have seen so many dramatic moments than the Spanish Grand Prix. One of the most iconic scenes in motor racing was when two of the greats, in Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell went toe to toe in the 1991 Grand Prix. They were battling it out for second place at the time, but the sprint down the home straight when they were side by side for the whole length, before Mansell got on the brakes ever so slightly later than Senna to pip him for the position, before going on to win the race.
Famous Winners
In a bizarre incident in 1994, Michael Schumacher found himself finishing in second place despite driving for more than half of the race with only 5th gear. Given that the cars had so much speeding and slowing down to do, the fact that no one was able to catch or pass him, was testament to the great driving skills of Schumacher.
But, for Spanish fans, few would say that any moment was sweeter than in 2006 when Spaniard Fernando Alonso became the first Spanish driver to ever win on home soil. The win extended Alonso’s position at the top of the drivers’ championship, before eventually going on to lift his second consecutive drivers’ Championship at Renault.
Whilst the track does come under criticism every now and again, and sometimes rightly so, there is no doubting that there are few more special places in the F1 calendar than at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. A track steeped in history and tradition, and hopefully one that is going to see many more races in the next few years.
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Sports Ticker
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Barton announces six Athletic Hall of Fame inductees for 2015
by Gary W. Hall
WILSON, N.C. – Barton College has announced six additions to its Athletic Hall of Fame for 2015. Those to be inducted are Tim Black, Dr. James B. Hemby, Jr., Kelly Lamotta Holland, David McDonald, Elizabeth Spencer McKenzie, and Russell Rawlings.
The Bulldog Club and Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held on Friday, October 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Intramural and Recreation Center (KRIC) on campus as part of Homecoming Weekend.
Black, class of 2003, was an NCAA Division II All-American in men’s basketball for Coach Ron Lievense prior to enjoying a successful professional career of over a decade in Europe.
Hemby, who graduated in 1955, served the college for 40 years before retiring in 2003. He served on the faculty of the Department of English and Modern Languages for 20 years (in later years as chair), and he also served as provost of the college before accepting the role of president in 1983. He served as president of the college for 20 years. He is a past president of the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAC) and was a member of the Council of Presidents of the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Hemby, who now resides in Raleigh, N.C., was president at Barton when the college changed its national affiliation to NCAA Division II.
Holland, a native of Rolesville, N.C., was a basketball and volleyball standout on winning teams under Coach Wendee Saintsing.
McDonald, a native of Havelock, N.C., and a 1992 graduate, was the Carolinas Conference Player of the Year in leading Coach Todd Wilkinson’s team to the league championship in that same year.
McKenzie, a native of Elm City, N.C., and a 2003 graduate, starred in soccer at Fike High School before coming to play at Barton for coaches Scott Ginn and Todd Bailess. She led the 2001 team to the program’s best season ever at 16-2-1 and the championship game of the NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament.
Rawlings is a native of Wilson, N.C., and currently resides in Holly Springs, N.C. He is a 1978 graduate and has served the college in a variety of roles over the years, including as men’s tennis coach and as the emcee for the Hall of Fame Banquet almost since its inception in 1984. Currently, Rawlings serves as communications director for the N.C. Bar Association, but earlier in his professional career, he served in a variety of departments at the college including sports information, alumni affairs and advancement. He is a past member of the Barton College Board of Trustees. Rawlings also covered the Bulldogs as a sports reporter (dating back to his enrollment at the college), and later as an assistant sports editor, and managing editor, all appointments at The Wilson Times (then The Wilson Daily Times).
PO Box 5000 | Wilson, NC 27893 | (252) 399-6300
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Retirees honored for their longtime service to district
The 13 retirees this year from the Bellefonte Area School District have a combined 318 years of service to the district.
On May 22, a celebration was held at the high school to honor them for their longtime service to Bellefonte Area. It included an hors devours hour catered by the district’s food service department, live music from high school band and orchestra members and a moment to recognize those leaving the district this year. They were handed a customized red apple, while Superintendent Michelle Saylor read letters of commendation about the 2017-18 retirees – much which included that they were “appreciated” and “irreplaceable.”
-Patricia Correll, kindergarten teacher, who has served the district for 30 years;
-Cheryl DeCusati, kindergarten teacher, who has served the district for 25 years;
-Barbara Duck, van driver, who has served the district for 20 years;
-Karen Fye, lead cook, who has served the district for 17 years;
-Stephanie Grieb, high school teacher, who has served the district for 24 years;
-Suzanne Krebs, para-educator, who has served the district for 17 years;
-Mary Miltenberger, sixth-grade teacher, who has served the district for 17 years;
-Anna Murphy, para-educator, who has served the district for 20 years;
-Diane Silvis, elementary orchestra teacher, who has served the district for 25 years;
-Donna Smith, eighth-grade teacher, who has served the district for 33 years;
-Karen Truesdale, school nurse, who has served the district for 18 years;
-Jay Zimmerman, high school music teacher, who has served the district for 36 years;
-Sue Zimmerman, elementary music teacher, who has served the district for 36 years.
DeCusati event took the time to thank her peers and reminisce on the past. She leaves the district as a kindergarten teacher at Marion-Walker Elementary School along with Correll, also a kindergarten teacher at Marion-Walker.
“Especially the children are endeared to my heart,” she said. “Retirement opens up a new chapter for me, but in addition you will have your own book with pages yet to be written filled with blessings and opportunities. … I will forever be proud of this wonderful, supportive and progressive district – a district of respect and excellence.”
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back to Emerging Infections and Biodefense
Introduction to Infectious Diseases
Molecular Virology and Microbiology
Emerging Infections and Biodefense
credit: NIAID Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a red blood cell infected with malaria parasites, which are colorized in blue. In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria causes about 15% of deaths in young children.
Infectious diseases are disorders that are caused by organisms, usually microscopic in size, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites that are passed, directly or indirectly, from one person to another. Humans can also become infected following exposure to an infected animal that harbors a pathogenic organism that is capable of infecting humans.
Infectious diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide, particularly in low income countries, especially in young children.
Three infectious diseases were ranked in the top ten causes of death worldwide in 2016 by the World Health Organization. They are lower respiratory infections (3.0 million deaths), diarrheal diseases (1.4 million deaths), and tuberculosis (1.3 million deaths). HIV/AIDS, which was previously on the list, has dropped from the global list of the top ten causes of death (1.0 million deaths in 2016 compared with 1.5 million in 2000), but it is still a leading cause of death in low income countries. Another infectious disease, malaria, accounts for a top cause of death in low income countries.
Lower respiratory infections (including pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases are caused by a variety of infectious agents. The other infectious diseases on the list - HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria - are due to a single infectious agent.
The Top Ten Leading Causes of Death
Low Income Countries
High Income Countries
Lower respiratory infections
Diarrheal diseases
COPD*
Lung cancers
Colon cancers
Road injury
Preterm birth complications
Birth asphyxia and trauma
Source: World Health Organization (2018)
*COPD, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Agents that Cause Infectious Diseases
credit: CDC - Janice Haney Carr Jeff Hageman, M.H.S. Scanning electron micrograph image depicting numerous clumps of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria; Magnified 9560x.
Infectious diseases can be caused by several different classes of pathogenic organisms (commonly called germs). These are viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. Almost all of these organisms are microscopic in size and are often referred to as microbes or microorganisms.
Although microbes can be agents of infection, most microbes do not cause disease in humans. In fact, humans are inhabited by a collection of microbes, known as the microbiome, that plays important and beneficial roles in our bodies.
The majority of agents that cause disease in humans are viruses or bacteria, although the parasite that causes malaria is a notable example of a protozoan.
Examples of diseases caused by viruses are HIV/AIDS, influenza, Ebola, MERS, smallpox, diarrheal diseases, hepatitis, and West Nile. Diseases caused by bacteria include anthrax, tuberculosis, salmonella, and respiratory and diarrheal diseases.
Transmission of Infectious Diseases
There are a number of different routes by which a person can become infected with an infectious agent. For some agents, humans must come in direct contact with a source of infection, such as contaminated food, water, fecal material, body fluids or animal products. With other agents, infection can be transmitted through the air.
The route of transmission of infectious agents is clearly an important factor in how quickly an infectious agent can spread through a population. An agent that can spread through the air has greater potential for infecting a larger number of individuals than an agent that is spread through direct contact.
Another important factor in transmission is the survival time of the infectious agent in the environment. An agent that survives only a few seconds between hosts will not be able to infect as many people as an agent that can survive in the environment for hours, days, or even longer. These factors are important considerations when evaluating the risks of potential bioterrorism agents.
Impact of Infectious Diseases on Society
credit: NIAID Transmission electron micrograph of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus particles, colorized in yellow.
Infectious diseases have plagued humans throughout history, and in fact have even shaped history on some occasions. The plagues of biblical times, the Black Death of the Middle Ages, and the “Spanish flu” pandemic of 1918 are but a few examples. The 1918 flu pandemic killed more than a half million people in the United States and up to 50 million people worldwide and is thought to have played a contributing role in ending World War I.
Epidemics and pandemics have always had major social and economic impacts on affected populations, but in our current interconnected world, the impacts are truly global.
SARS and MERS
Consider the SARS outbreak of early 2003. This epidemic demonstrated that new infectious diseases are just a plane trip away, as air travelers rapidly spread the disease to Canada, the United States, and Europe. Even though the SARS outbreak was relatively short-lived and geographically contained, fear inspired by the epidemic led to travel restrictions and the closing of schools, stores, factories, and airports. The economic loss to Asian countries was estimated at $18 billion. A prolonged and more widespread outbreak would obviously have had a much greater economic impact.
Recently, a new SARS-like virus, named MERS-CoV, emerged in Saudi Arabia that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, a severe and often fatal respiratory illness. MERS has spread to other countries in the Middle East, as well as countries in Europe, Asia, and North America, including the United States. Infection occurs through direct contact with an infected animal (camel) or person, but if the virus were to adapt to humans over time, it could spread more easily from person to person.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, illustrates the economic and social impacts of a prolonged and widespread infection. The disproportionate loss of the most economically-productive individuals has reduced workforces and economic growth rates of affected countries, especially those with high infection rates. This impacts the health care, education, and political stability of these nations.
In southern Africa where the infection rate is highest, life expectancy has plummeted in a mere decade from 62 years in 1990 -1995 to 48 years in 2000 – 2005. The existence of approximately 18 million children worldwide under that age of 18 that have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS highlights the impact of infectious diseases on families and societies.
Another recent example of an infectious disease outbreak is the H1N1 influenza or “swine” flu pandemic that began in the spring of 2009. For the first time in the long history of flu pandemics, the beginnings of an outbreak were detected, and the spread of the disease was monitored on an almost daily basis as air travelers carried it around the globe.
The new H1N1 flu traveled around the world with unprecedented speed and in a few short months made its impact felt globally. Even though the disease was relatively mild for most people, some schools closed – more than 700 across the United States at its peak - and a number of infected people were quarantined. Mexico suffered great economic loss and damage to its tourism industry in an attempt to contain the outbreak in its early stage.
After the H1N1 flu waned, yet another variant of influenza virus emerged. The new H7N9 virus was first detected in birds and humans in China in the spring of 2013, but it currently does not appear to be spreading from person to person.
A severe pandemic potentially could cause major disruptions to national and global economies, close schools and businesses for weeks, restrict social interactions, and lead to disagreements between nations regarding the allocation of limited doses of antiviral drugs and vaccine.
Challenges in Infectious Disease Research
Despite significant advances in infectious disease research and treatment, the control and eradication of these diseases faces major challenges.
A WHO report released in 2007 warns that infectious diseases are spreading more rapidly than ever before and that new infectious diseases are being discovered at a higher rate than at any time in history. In just the past five years, the WHO has identified over 1000 epidemics of infectious diseases including avian flu, swine flu, polio, and cholera.
With greatly increased human mobility, infectious diseases have the potential to swiftly become global epidemics and pandemics.
Some of the reasons for the difficulty in combating infectious diseases are:
New infectious diseases continue to emerge
Old infectious diseases increase in incidence or geographical distribution
Old infectious diseases previously under control begin to re-emerge
Potential for intentional introduction of infectious agents by bioterrorists
Increasing resistance of pathogens to current antimicrobial drugs
Breakdowns in public health systems and communication between nations
The sections on Emerging Infectious Diseases and Bioterrorism Agents further explore these challenges.
Information about infectious diseases from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Information about infectious diseases, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Information about infectious diseases from the World Health Organization (WHO)
Listing of the top ten causes of death compiled by the WHO
Learn more about some of the technical terms found on this page by visiting our glossary of terms.
Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology
Graduate Program in Host-Microbe Interactions and Pathogenesis
Graduate Program in Immunotherapy, Gene Therapy and Vaccine Development
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BWW Interview: Paula Garfield On 15 Years Of Deafinitely Theatre
by Marianka Swain
BroadwayWorld.com Oct. 19, 2017
Paula Garfield
Marking the 15th anniversary of pioneering company Deafinitely Theatre, Artistic Director Paula Garfield is directing a new production of Mike Bartlett's Contractions. It begins previews at New Diorama Theatre on 1 November.
What was the first theatre you saw?
My first visit to the theatre was at the age of 12, with my eldest sister on her school trip. I can't remember where, but the show was My Fair Lady. I watched it all the way through, and when it finished, I cried because I didn't know what anyone had been saying. At the age of 12, I wasn't thinking about the theatre's duty to provide me access - I saw it as my problem, I was Deaf.
When did you become aware of that lack of access provision?
It wasn't until many years later, whilst working as a professional actress, that I began to notice that there wasn't enough theatre created with a Deaf audience in mind. I was often the only Deaf actor or one of two working within a mainstream theatre company.
When friends came to watch, I would ask what they thought. They would tell me it was lovely to see me on the stage, but overall it was "OK", as they didn't know what the hearing actors were saying. Directors would tell me that whilst they wanted Deaf actors in the company, using sign language, their plays were not aimed at a Deaf audience.
However, I did notice, during my 15 years as a professional actress, that access began to improve with the provision of captioning and BSL interpreted performances.
Fifi Garfield and Abigail Poulton
in rehearsal for Contractions
What sparked the idea for Deafinitely Theatre as a company?
I became disillusioned with the world of acting and theatre. Often the only Deaf actor in the company, I experienced a lack of Deaf awareness and bullying from other actors. On a year's tour, I was left psychologically damaged by the treatment I received from the rest of the company - ignored, left out of group events etc. I also got the feeling that I should be grateful that I had even been offered the work in the first place.
At 35, I met Jo Hemmant (Arts Council) and told her I wanted to change my career but didn't know how. I wasn't an academic and I had no qualifications. She told me she was responsible for encouraging Deaf/disabled artists to apply for R&D funding.
I couldn't complete an application with English as a second language, but a friend, Kate Furby, offered to help. I remember we got £7,000 and during that period I learnt about budgeting, contracts, booking venues, paying actors etc. That was in 2002. In 2005, I applied for NPO funding - the rest, as they say, is history.
Did you have a set mission for the company in terms of who it was aimed at, what work you would take on?
My mission for Deafinitely Theatre was to place British Sign Language (BSL) as the primary language on the stage. I grew up with no language so wanted to highlight the beauty, visuality, creativity and poetry of sign language. Within our work, I use a combination of BSL, Visual Vernacular (VV), gesture, facial expression and body language.
I wanted a Deaf person to lead the creative process, to provide opportunities for Deaf actors, giving them the freedom and a safe space to create the work, and to increase the number of BSL users working within the creative team, i.e. stage management. As for the work itself, I wanted to present plays from a Deaf perspective - that's what a Deaf director can bring.
What are some of the big misconceptions about Deaf people in a theatrical context?
There is a general misconception that those Deaf actors who speak well can cope within a mainstream company, without communication support from interpreters etc. For those who don't use their voice, there is an assumption that they cannot act or communicate. Directors should always look at skills first, and not focus on whether a Deaf actor speaks or not. Directors should always see Deaf people as individuals - we are not all the same.
Directors cast Deaf actors without considering the use of sign language consultants, translation experts or the assistance of Deaf directors. They assume the actor can do their own translation. This would be the same as assuming that a hearing actor does not require a voice or dialect coach.
It's important to remember that until 2015, there was no professional training available for Deaf actors. There is currently just one course available at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - however, there are just 12 students on the three-year course. That's 12 students across the whole of the UK.
Do you have a different directorial process in the rehearsal room?
As a Deaf director, I don't have the privilege that hearing directors have of selecting from a wide range of actors. For example, for the role of the Manager in Contractions, I needed a Deaf actress, over 50 - I know of only three actresses who fit this requirement. Luckily, my sister was one of them and was prepared to take on the challenge of this difficult role. I cannot just cast anyone - they have to have the skills to carry the story.
I always have to think about how accessible the play is for a hearing audience, so this creates additional work, as it's something I have to consider throughout rehearsals. Whilst the ACE have stressed the importance of diversity, mainstream companies can rehearse as normal and just stick an interpreter on the stage at the end of the process. I have to work twice as hard.
William Grint (centre) in
Ramps on the Moon's Tommy
Is it more challenging to translate some writers into BSL?
I read a lot of plays and I'm always considering imaginative and creative ways of making them accessible. In terms of translation, there is no professional training available for actors to learn translation, so this is learnt throughout rehearsals. Our rehearsal process therefore takes longer, as an extra week or so is spent on the translation alone. Once this is complete, we can then begin to block the work.
What difference has the company made to young people?
A young actor, William Grint, who was a member of our Deafinitely Youth Group for four years, then a member of Deafinitely Hub, was cast in Imogen at the Globe last year and has just completed a tour of Tommy as the lead character.
Could other theatres/companies do more for Deaf artists and audiences?
Yes, other theatre companies need to do more. Many contact us to ask us to promote their accessible performances to the Deaf community, but they don't engage with the community directly themselves. Others cast Deaf actors, book interpreters and think that's all they need to do. They don't consider Deaf awareness training, for example.
However, in the past five years, with the ACE's focus on diversity, we are now approached regularly to provide consultancy or Deaf awareness training. We are also asked to recommend actors - I'm pleased that they're asking me as a Deaf director rather than anyone else.
Epson Smart Glasses
What do you think of the National Theatre's caption glasses initiative, Open Access Smart Capture?
I have yet to see them live and in person, but I would certainly like to try them out! I am a regular attendee of captioned theatre performances and I enjoy watching theatre in this way. I have attended some performances where I was given a tablet device to follow the captions on and for me that didn't work effectively, as constantly looking down to read the lines and then looking back up meant that I missed so much detail. It was like trying to read a book and watch a theatre show at the same time.
If caption glasses mean Deaf and hard of hearing people can attend a show on any day, that would be a wonderful thing to be able to do and not look for the one captioned date per season that we usually get.
I think this initiative will greatly benefit those who have become deafened in later life, however those deaf people who use BSL as their primary language still want to be able to attend theatre performances where they feel they are represented on stage, and that is what we aim to do with all Deafinitely Theatre productions.
For me, personally, as a theatre director, this technology will benefit me, but I'm not sure how I'll feel wearing the glasses and having words that close to my eyes - but I'd like to try them and see! I'd also like to know what testing has been done with different groups of Deaf people, some whom use BSL and some who prefer English, to get their feedback on the technology.
Has the development of the company been paralleled by more general progress in social attitudes?
I think that absolutely there is more understanding and awareness of Deaf people and BSL in society now then there ever was in my generation. When I was growing up in the Seventies and Eighties, we would never use sign language in public places, on the bus or Tube, as we would be laughed at or teased or made to feel inferior in some way.
This was a legacy from my own education, where I was constantly told that BSL was not a proper language and that I should stop using these hand gestures that made me look like a monkey. Now, I sign with pride with my Deaf daughters on the Tube, and the public reaction is very different. People look at us with a warm smile or a wink, or even know a little bit of sign language themselves, which is encouraging to see.
I believe that this shift in public perception is influencing theatre, and there have been improvements in the past few years. If we consider the expansion of social media and the fact that Deaf people can now have video-phone conversations with their friends and family on a daily basis, plus there are websites and apps dedicated to news and stories in sign language, I think there is more visibility of the language then ever before.
This greater visibility extends to the disabled community too, and that this is influencing theatre, TV and film. But there is still a long way to go. There are still barriers faced by Deaf and disabled people, especially linked to accessing jobs and employment. We are seeing more Deaf people attending university now, which is great, but are there the jobs available at the end of it?
Social media has been a great research tool for me in developing new ideas to bring into Deafinitely Theatre, as well as being a great way to do outreach work and market our shows to a wider audience. We've started offering the theatre industry Deaf awareness sessions as well as other consultancy work to share our experiences, and this has been a positive development. I am hopeful that we are currently in a more positive trend and I feel more optimistic about the future.
Fifi Garfield in rehearsal
for Contractions
How much impact have Government cuts had?
Deafinitely Theatre, as a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO), gets our core funding from the Arts Council England and we are extremely grateful for this support. We have to supplement this income with funding from Trusts and Foundations, as well as some generous individual donors and our wonderful Deafinitely Friends scheme. The team works tirelessly to keep the company going and I am forever grateful.
However, yes, the Government cuts being implemented are affecting us, our Deaf actors and the wider Deaf community. I use the Government's Access to Work scheme to fund the costs of my communication support - in my case the provision of BSL/English Interpreters. The Access to Work scheme has been in existence since 1997 and is a wonderful resource.
However, the amount that an individual can claim per year has now been capped at a rate that gives me one interpreter for approximately three days a week. This is unsustainable for any Deaf professional who needs constant communication with hearing colleagues.
I struggle and manage to organise meetings and am fortunate that some of my team can sign, but I worry about Deaf people who are struggling and unable to progress in their jobs because of this cap. To share a statistic from Disability Rights UK, Liz Sayce, their former CEO, highlighted that for every £1 spent on Access to Work, the Government recoups £1.48 in tax, NI and savings to benefits - and yet this perspective is not being recognised.
Deafinitely Theatre's Love's Labour's
Lost at Shakespeare's Globe, 2012
Tell us a bit about Contractions
Contractions is about employee oppression. Deaf people have suffered oppression in the workplace for years - they are not given opportunities to realise their potential and are often overlooked for promotion in favour of their hearing colleagues. Even now, in 2017, Deaf people are not achieving their dream career.
There are examples of Deaf individuals who have progressed in their company, but that's because their senior management have the right approach and are open-minded, believing in the development of their Deaf/disabled employees. I truly believe the success of a Deaf person's career does depend on good support from managers and above.
I originally planned to cast a Deaf actor in the role of Emma, the oppressed employee, but I have seen many films, plays etc. where the Deaf character plays the victim - that's too easy. For this production, I have reversed the roles and cast a Deaf actor as The Manager.
I would like hearing audiences to see this and consider that it could happen to them. For the Deaf audience, they will see a Deaf person in a management position and hopefully be inspired to do the same.
What are your big hopes for the future?
I'd like to see an increase in the provision of professional training across the UK. The only course currently available is in Scotland, so I would like to see the opportunities expand nationwide. These courses need to be designed for BSL users, whether Deaf or hearing, and should include translation and the use of visual language on the stage.
It's important for students to learn about Deaf history and Deaf studies. Knowing where they come from and having a strong sense of identity can only help an individual grow as an actor.
And finally, what's your personal favourite moment from the past 15 years of Deafinitely?
I have no favourite moments; it has all been very special. However, I do have fond memories of our two productions at the Globe. Audiences are very important to me, so to see the mixed audiences of Deaf and hearing people laughing and enjoying the same piece of theatre together was heartwarming.
Contractions at New Diorama Theatre 1-29 November
Photo credit: Becky Bailey, Simon Annand, Mike Kwasniak
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Broseley Parishes
Consecration of St Mary's
St Giles, Barrow
Team Calendar (Members only)
Broseley Heritage Centre
BHC Options
Past Concerts and Events
Bournville Young Singers 2018
Experience Church 2018
Abraham Darby Bands 2018
Double Bass Recital 2017
Deanery Confirmation Service 2018
Service in the square 2018
Pet Service 2017
Parish Quiet Day 2018
Photos - All Saints
Photos - St Marys
Photos - St Giles'
St. Giles’s, in the small hamlet of Barrow, is one of Shropshire’s oldest churches, founded on the estates of one of England’s earliest monasteries, Wenlock Abbey (later Priory). Even though it does not occupy the highest point in the parish, it would have been a fair trek uphill for the 8th Century inhabitants of the Abbey who used the building as a small stone oratory, or ‘cell’, for solitary prayer. Over 1200 years of history is packed into the fabric and atmosphere of our church.
St Giles’s is a Grade I listed building. The chancel and chancel arch are the oldest parts of this peaceful stone haven – the early visitors would, largely, recognise it today. The Normans ‘upgraded’ it by building a priest door in the chancel, unfortunately cutting into an earlier window to do so. The Victorians, also, rebuilt the east wall; so, it’s not entirely Saxon today but, certainly enough for it to be recognised. Nothing is known of the original Saxon nave but, it appeared to be too narrow for the Normans...and, they re-built it – you can still clearly see by how much. You can also see the difference in the Saxon and Norman masonry with the latter looking quite rough compared to the careful masonry from the Saxon period.
The chancel boasts the oldest window but, there are also three original Norman windows in the nave – one in the south wall and two in the north. Behind the plain font, the original west entrance is where the tower arch is now. Standing in the tower facing the nave, you can see the beautiful ornamental tympanum (between the door lintel and the arch). It is quite rare but, sadly, scarred when electricity was originally installed during the twentieth century.
The tower itself is two thirds Norman – added no later than 1100; the other third (obviously, the top third!) is early 18th Century. The north transept was built – on a medieval plinth – by a local gentleman in 1688 and the new entrance with a porch was built at the same time the tower was extended.
But St Giles’s isn’t just about stone walls and windows...what of the people? At the chancel end, the first recorded incumbent was presented by Wenlock Priory in 1277. Since then, there have been many, many others (obviously, because many, many years have passed); themselves empathising with and, in some cases, having their fair share of the ups and downs the community went through.
During Henry VIII’s Reformation, Wenlock’s last cellarer was pensioned off and appointed as Barrow’s priest. During the Commonwealth, many ordained clergy were unlawfully evicted from their homes and parishes, their posts being taken by so-called ‘intruding’ ministers – Richard Knott was one who arrived at Barrow in 1642. He stayed until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, went away, then re-appeared two years later. He must have been fairly popular as he stayed on for another fifteen years, during which time the congregation numbered about 120!
Over time, illegitimate children have been baptised; clandestine marriage ceremonies have been performed; and, vagrants have been buried. In 1882, the old churchyard was closed. Notable residents include a fox hunter of legend, whipper-in, Tom Moody. His burial is also of legend and today he is surrounded by daffodils in the spring, to the right of the church entrance.
Although, the whereabouts of his grave is unknown, Thomas Turner is also buried here: Turner was instrumental in expanding the famous Caughley China Works (where the origins of Coalport China began). One of his apprentices – a local lad called John Rose – went on to establish the works at Coalport. He is also buried at Barrow; his grave has recently been listed. Today,
St Giles’s offers a warm, friendly welcome to the local community and visitors alike. The church is opened daily, allowing anyone to visit. Our visitors are both national and international travellers and include, for example, those looking for their ancestors; those interested in the architecture and history of the building; and, those who were simply rambling along the Jack Mytton Way and stumbled across us. The benches in the church yard and in the cemetery (which is maintained by our Church Wardens) provide lovely spots for a quick five minute rest or for a period of longer reflection.
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Adam Himmelsbach
In sudden twist, Al Horford tells Celtics he is likely to accept an offer from another team
By Adam Himmelsbach Globe Staff,Updated June 18, 2019, 6:26 p.m.
Al Horford, 33, has made it clear he would like to contend for a title.(Barry Chin/Globe Staff)
The Celtics’ strange and uneasy summer has taken perhaps its most surprising twist. According to league sources, forward Al Horford in the last few days informed the Celtics he is likely to accept an offer from another team after free agency begins on June 30.
It would be a crushing blow for Boston, which already was unable to acquire Anthony Davis from the Pelicans and is prepared for Kyrie Irving’s departure, too.
Horford declined his $30.1 million player option with the Celtics for next season, making him an unrestricted free agent. It was widely believed he did so with the intention of re-signing with the Celtics on a longer-term deal at a lower average salary.
On June 5, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was asked about the possibility of restructuring Horford’s deal this summer.
“That’s one of the priorities on our list,” he said then.
But now, it appears he has his sights set elsewhere. Free agency does not begin for two more weeks, so the timing of Horford’s news is certainly unusual. Nevertheless, sources said, as the Celtics dive into preparations for Thursday night’s draft, they are doing so with the belief that Horford will no longer be part of their future. Given the timing, however, a league source said that the team remains hopeful it can still come to an agreement with Horford before it is too late, although few know if that time already has passed.
When Horford signed a four-year, $113 million contract with the Celtics in 2016, it was one of the biggest free agent coups in the franchise’s history. Horford, who is now 33, said then he decided to come to Boston in large part because the team was on a path to championship contention.
The Celtics reached the Eastern Conference finals in each of Horford’s first two seasons, including a stirring run in 2017-18 when stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward were out with injuries.
When Hayward and Irving returned at the start of last season, expectations were massive. But the team floundered to a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference and was then walloped by the Bucks in five games in the conference semifinals.
After that Game 5 loss, Horford, in retrospect, was somewhat cryptic about his future. He said he enjoyed being in Boston, but had not stopped to think about his future.
“Just have to wait and see what we’re going to do as a team,” Horford said. “And the steps that the management is going to do moving forward.”
When Horford was asked about the roster for next season, he said: “You know what, I’m not really sure. That’s something that management is going to have to figure out. They’re going to have to see what the future looks like for us.”
Since then, of course, Boston swung and missed on Davis, and Irving’s departure became increasingly imminent. And Horford’s longtime dream of winning an NBA title became more cloudy.
Horford always seemed to have a great appreciation for the Celtics’ culture, coaching staff and fan base, and at this point in his career there was a thought he may value those things more than he did when he signed with Boston three years ago. But now, it appears that his championship desires are still very strong.
One league source said Horford’s potential departure would not affect the team’s draft preparations this week. Boston holds the 14th, 20th, 22nd and 51st overall selections in Thursday’s draft.
Adam can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.
‘Every single word they said was from my book’: WBUR host apologizes after men interviewed never credited female author
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B.C. government lacks anti-corruption tool for public servants
Conflicts of interest measures boil down to honour system with no statutory disclosure requirements in place; Attorney General David Eby to review legislation
Graeme Wood / Glacier Media
Attorney General David Eby
Photograph By BC Government Flickr photo
Senior B.C. government employees are not subject to statutory financial disclosures, a key component of mitigating conflicts of interest and the potential for corruption.
It’s a matter that is now on the radar of Attorney General David Eby, following inquiries from Glacier Media.
“I was surprised,” said Eby, who noted his office has not found documented disclosures for public servants under the Financial Disclosure Act as far back as 1974, when the act took form.
“As far as we’ve been able to determine, which may or may not be correct, there’s no example of provincial employees required to disclose under this act.
“Which is pretty remarkable,” said Eby, who is now pledging action.
Eby said his office would pencil in a legislative review of the act next year. He said staff would be researching best practices in provinces across the country.
The act does provide the framework for designating public servants for the purpose of annual financial disclosures and for such documents to be disclosed in confidence to elected officials in public bodies such as school boards, city councils or the provincial cabinet. In the case of municipalities, a bylaw or resolution may designate employees, typically senior managers, who would then disclose to the head clerk, who in turn shares the disclosures in confidence to council members.
However, B.C. has no legislation designating provincial employees. If there was, the act deems it would be up to the “provincial secretary” to collect the disclosures and hand them to cabinet for review each year. While the title of “provincial secretary” doesn’t technically exist – highlighting how outdated the act is – it is understood by Eby that the attorney general would hand disclosures over to cabinet.
Eby acknowledged “it’s a good idea that people think consciously about conflicts and disclose.”
Disclosures include assets, such as shareholdings, creditors and interests in businesses, organizations and property.
On May 15 Eby’s government announced a public inquiry into money laundering, mostly as it relates to casino transactions and real estate. A key focus is expected to be how public servants addressed problems, and the orders they received from elected officials.
Canada is a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, ratified by every country, aside from Syria, North Korea, Somalia and Suriname and Eritrea. It states: “Each State Party shall consider establishing, in accordance with its domestic law, effective financial disclosure systems for appropriate public officials and shall provide for appropriate sanctions for non-compliance.”
Eby said his task will be not only to assess what provincial public servant positions should require disclosure, but also to determine whether the existing act has the sufficient “tools” to require full disclosure.
Eby said senior deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers come to mind, and anyone else who is in charge of procurement.
Unlike annual financial disclosures for elected officials, the act stipulates public servant disclosures not be made public. This is in stark contrast to the United States and some European countries, for example.
In the U.S., high-level executive disclosures are also to be posted on the Internet for public availability, searching, and downloading – also in stark contrast to the requirements followed by B.C. municipalities.
Government watchdog Dermod Travis, director of Victoria-based organization IntegrityBC, said there needs to be a debate as to whether public servant financial disclosures, or at least parts of them, are made public.
“I certainly don’t think that it is only disclosed to council is adequate,” he said. “There is going to have to be a happy medium struck between the rights of taxpayers and the rights of the individual to privacy on this matter.”
A 2003 OECD white paper notes, “While it is generally considered appropriate that declarations of assets and interests by elected officials should be open to public scrutiny, it may be considered better in the case of civil servants to provide instead for their declarations and disclosures to be available only to the relevant agency head.”
Despite the province’s shortcomings on disclosures, Eby and his staff noted the new Public Interest Disclosure Act was introduced in 2018, and work is underway to bring it into force. It is intended to strengthen whistleblower protection within the government. Eby said the act would address deliberate efforts to interfere with access to information rights — a concern raisedby the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association in April 2018.
Additionally, there is the Ethics and Standards of Conduct in the BC Public Service policyto help expose conflicts of interest with an honour system disclosure process. “Employees must arrange their private affairs in a manner that will prevent real, perceived, or potential conflicts of interest from happening,” the policy states.
Travis has followed closely the B.C. Legislature scandal, in which provincial clerk Craig James resigned May 16 after an independent report found he had misused the treasury for personal purposes. Senior employees at the Legislature are also not subject to financial disclosures, according to house documents manager Jennifer Horvath.
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FIRST LOOK: You have to watch the trailer for the new Pieter-Dirk Uys doccie!
Charlize Theron and Pieter-Dirk Uys. (Photos: YouTube/Robert A. Hamblin)
Cape Town - A theatrical-action-documentary that celebrates the life and work of performing artist and activist Pieter-Dirk Uys will be released soon.
The doccie titled Nobody’s Died Laughing was created by kykNET films and Vry Films in association with Lion’s Head Productions and Who Projects.
The film follows a crew as they try to keep up with one of the hardest working artists in South Africa on a journey from Cape Town, Johannesburg, Grahamstown, Stellenbosch to London, Berlin and his home in Darling.
Nobody’s Died Laughing takes a closer look at the man behind all the famous characters, the humanitarian and his educational Aids awareness work for which he has received international acclaim.
"This film captures a man and a lifetime commitment to a country by using satire to affect change," explains filmmaker Willem Oelofsen.
"I started researching Pieter-Dirk Uys in 2014 and spent time with him in his personal archives in Darling. I found it fascinating that after 50 years in the entertainment industry he was still working at the same pace and with the same vigor as when he started.
"In 2015 we simply picked up a camera and started following him around wherever he went. From filming him perform in Berlin to the Cape flats and watching him teach a room full of teenagers about safe sex. I believe audiences will be intrigued to experience more about the man who refuses to be silenced while using the arts as his weapon against discrimination and confronting intolerance."
The film also includes never before seen archive footage, performances and interviews with Desmond Tutu, Charlize Theron, Lizz Meiring, Anna-Mart van der Merwe, FW De Klerk, Janet Suzman, Thoko Ntshinga, David Kramer, Zolani Mahola, Vincent Ebrahim, Professor David Gere, Eric Abraham, Sophia Loren, Jonathan Shapiro and many more, with footage of Tessa Uys and Nelson Mandela.
Watch the trailer here:
Read more on: charlize theron | pieter-dirk uys | documentary | movies | celebrities | local celebrities
Opsoeknaliefte
Wonnaq
HOUSES FOR SALE IN Pretoria, Olympus A H
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Reunion set to bring Burnley high school pupils together for first time in almost 40 years
Some of the former St Ted's pupils who played for the rugby team with their teacher Mr Tony Finnan. Do you recognise any of the faces?
Susan Plunkett
Published: 10:31 Wednesday 10 July 2019
The discovery of a faded school photograph prompted a former Burnley man to wonder what had happened to the classmates he grew up with.
So Matthew Sykes decided it was time to hold a reunion to catch up on the last 36 years since he last saw many of them as they left the former St Theodore's RC High School sixth form for the final time.
Matthew (54) who now lives in Sheffield, has arranged the reunion for Saturday, October 19th, at the 110 Club in Burnley where numerous school discos and other events were held.
The reunion is aimed at 'St Ted's' boys, and also students from the former St Hilda's RC School, who went to the sixth form, from around 1981 to 1983.
Matthew has been able to contact several former classmates through facebook but he is hoping to reach out to many others who may not use social media.
He said: "I would like to invite former students and their partners and also children if they wish to bring them.
"I have kept in touch with some old school friends but there are many more it would be great to see again and catch up."
The reunion is also open to former teachers from the school, that stood on the site where Blessed Trinity RC College now stands, in Ormerod Road.
There will be music and food on the night and tickets are £5 a head. Any excess money left over will be donated to charity.
Anyone who would like to go along is asked to get in touch with Matthew on 07711 331190 or email matthew.sykes@tiscali.co.uk or ring Sue Plunkett on 07496 150916 or email sue.plunkett@jpimedia.co.uk
Burnley MP secures meeting with Boohoo bosses over union and parliamentary concerns
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Is Nicholas Godejohn Still In Jail? 'Gypsy's Revenge' Explores The Murder of Dee Dee Blanchard
By Taylor Maple
Courtesy of Investigation Discovery
Sometimes, extreme circumstances can push people to commit unimaginable crimes, and that’s what allegedly happened in the case of Gypsy and Dee Dee Blanchard. According to the Springfield News-Leader, Gypsy and her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, were charged with the murder of her mother, Dee Dee, back in 2015. As a new documentary, ID's Gypsy’s Revenge, readies itself for a TV debut, Gypsy is still serving her time for the murder of her mother, and Nicholas Godejohn remains in jail as well.
Godejohn, as of March 2018, was still awaiting trial for Dee Dee’s murder, according to another report from the News-Leader. Last December, a judge set a trial date for Nov. 13, 2018, meaning his day in court is coming up quickly following the show’s debut. Jury selection is slated for Nov. 8 of this year, per the same newspaper, and the trial is expected to last about three to four days. Godejohn has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Godejohn allegedly helped Gypsy kill her mother after she forced Gypsy to pretend she was disabled, and didn’t allow her to leave home, according to Gypsy’s attorney and family, in a report from People. ABC News reported that by the time Gypsy turned 8 years old, she was allegedly suffering from conditions like leukemia, muscular dystrophy, vision and hearing problems, as well as seizures. She also used a wheelchair and a feeding tube in her daily life. The same article states they were even local celebrities, with the community pitching in to help with Gypsy’s conditions and gifts from Make-A-Wish Foundation rolling in.
ABC News on YouTube
As it turns out, Gypsy could walk perfectly fine, and never suffered from any of the conditions Dee Dee had claimed she had, as per the same ABC News report. Dee Dee was allegedly altering documents and defrauding charities with false claims, and suffered from her caregiver role to Gypsy. Despite the false nature of the conditions, though, all of the medications and surgeries were things Gypsy really endured, making her a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy,
Gypsy told ABC's 20/20 last winter that she knew she could walk, but wasn’t allowed by her mother to do so — she always had to use the wheelchair. As for the rest of it, Gypsy assumed her mother wouldn’t lie to her. “I was so young, so me looking up to her so much and just believing she knows best — I didn’t question it,” she said, per the same ABC News interview. “It’s sad because I think about all the times that I could have been walking around like a normal person, skating, riding bikes and stuff, and I've never done any of that.”
Godejohn entered the picture when he and Gypsy started dating after meeting on a Christian dating site, according to The Guardian. Gypsy and Godejohn clicked immediately, but when Dee Dee found out the two were dating, she reportedly forbid Gypsy from seeing Godejohn again, and took the role of “captor” more seriously than before, the same report continues. Gypsy claims she asked Godejohn to kill Dee Dee for her, and that she hid in the bathroom while he did it. They ran away together, but were ultimately apprehended.
Dr. Phil on YouTube
Another ABC News report states that Godejohn’s mother told authorities that he only functions at about a 15 or 16 year old level. Godejohn told ABC that he only went through with it “because Gypsy told him it was the only way they could be together. He said he thought he was saving her from her mother,” the outlet reported her as saying. But Gypsy told the same outlet that she thinks Godejohn enjoyed controlling her, too, and turned on Dee Dee on his own.
Gypsy and Dee Dee’s relationship, as well as the latter’s death, has been a subject of TV fascination before — the documentary Mommy Dead And Dearest aired on HBO last year, and outlined the entire story. Now, Gypsy’s Revenge on Investigation Discovery will take another look back on the case, just before Godejohn’s fate is decided once and for all.
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Shonda Rhimes' Hillary Clinton Tweet Is The Kind Of Positivity We Need Right Now
By Sabienna Bowman
ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images
On a day when many Americans are feeling down, leave it to Shonda Rhimes to post an eloquent Hilary Clinton tweet and lift the world up in the process. Earlier today, Clinton took to her own Twitter to explain why she chose to attend President Trump's inauguration. Clinton wrote, "I'm here today to honor our democracy & its enduring values. I will never stop believing in our country & its future." There was so much grace packed into Clinton's words, Rhimes decided to honor the former Secretary of State with words of thanks for her continued service to the United States.
"Maturity, grace and oh boy, is she going high when they went low," Rhimes tweeted. Both Rhimes' support of Clinton and Clinton's presence at the inauguration serve as reminders no matter who won the election, when women stand with women amazing things happen. Rhimes' tweet is the small shot of positivity the world needs right now.
Clinton has devoted her life to serving the people as a lawyer, a Senator, the First Lady, Secretary of State, and a tireless advocate for human rights. She did not win the presidency, but her contributions to the United States are invaluable, and her continued commitment to democracy is inspiring. Knowing she touched the life of Rhimes, another powerful woman who creates equally powerful female characters on TV in Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder, is enough to warm even the most broken heart.
Instead of focusing on the negative, Rhimes shined a spotlight on the positive — Clinton is still putting her country first. Meanwhile, it is always nice to remember you live in a world where Shondaland exists. Rhimes' gift for writing complex female characters means she has an outlet to continue creating change in the world through her powerful storytelling techniques.
As long as the world has women like Rhimes and Clinton leading the charge for equality, breaking down barriers, and acknowledging the strength and courage of other women, it is much easier to believe everything will be OK. The highest office in the land is important, no doubt, but so are the contributions of each individual.
Rhimes' shoutout to Clinton for going to the inauguration with her head held high is an amazing gift. These two stand up women deserve all of your respect. Let their example lead you through these next four years: When given the choice, always go high and build up the women you admire. If the world is ever going to be a better place, then that is the best place to start.
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Why You're More Inclined To Call Yourself A "Charlotte" Than A "Marnie" Shows How 'Sex And The City' Gave Way To 'Girls'
By Caitlin Gallagher
Mark Schafer/HBO
By the time that Sex and the City came to an end in 2004, the entire TV-watching population had already considered if they were a Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, or Charlotte — regardless if they had ever seen the show or not. With Girls — that other HBO series about four female characters living in New York — ending on April 16, the Girls series finale is bringing me back to when Sex and the City ended, but also to the inevitable comparisons that have persisted and desisted between these two shows over the years. Even before Lena Dunham's TV series premiered, it was being compared to its predecessor Sex and the City, something that Dunham embraced by having Shoshanna assess which Sex and the City characters Jessa and she were in the very first episode. But as the years have passed, people have been less inclined to state which Girls character they are like they had previously done with Sex and the City. And it turns out, the reasons for that are more complicated than you'd think.
When Sex and the City was on the air — and in the years after — which character you thought you identified with was almost as telling as which character you named. For example, if you said you were Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw, I'd probably assume you were a bit self-centered — not just because that was a trait of Carrie's, but because you picked the lead of the show. (As a Carrie person myself, I say this with no judgement.) If you said you were Cynthia Nixon's Miranda Hobbes, I'd probably assume you had a superiority complex — yet again, not just because that was a trait of Miranda's, but because you chose the less obvious character.
However, regardless of which character you named or the fact that there were only four women to choose from once you included Kristin Davis' Charlotte York and Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones, debating which character you and your friends were provided hours of entertainment and thoughtful insight.
Although it's certainly not unheard of for people to say they relate most to Dunham's Hannah Horvath, Allison Williams' Marnie Michaels, Jemima Kirke's Jessa Johansson, or Zosia Mamet's Shoshanna Shapiro, it's not as pervasive as it was for people to do with Girls as it was with the Sex and the City characters. At first, I thought this might be exclusively because the Girls characters are often considered "unlikable" — even for people who like the show. After all, the characters being unlikable is nothing new and certainly isn't a surprise to the people who create the show. As Williams said to The Washington Post:
"Of course, Marnie is insufferable to almost anyone who watches her. And I think part of it is that she serves as a kind of funhouse mirror reflection of our culture, and a certain subset of our culture, that people don't want to lump themselves in with."
But while the awful behavior that the girls on Girls exhibit sometimes is probably one reason someone would be more willing to say she is a Carrie rather than a Hannah, that's far from the only reason. After all, the women of Sex and the City weren't perfect and made mistakes too.
One thought is that if you grew up on Sex and the City, there might be this germ of embarrassment because pop culture — and the two movies — have made it seem like the series isn't as good as you remember it being (something Emily Nussbaum masterfully debunks). And the coolness of Girls in the 2010s might make this contrast more apparent. The women in Sex and the City lived in Manhattan and some of them unironically desired serious relationships with serious men. The girls in Girls lived in Brooklyn and were mostly too consumed with themselves to even consider any longterm romantic plans.
The Girls in all of their unglamorous glory have actually ended up — at least when it comes to pop culture in 2017 — being cooler than the polished characters of Sex and the City. Maybe that's because of their youth and the way the years can be unkind when it comes to what's trendy, but choosing which character you'd be is something Jessa would certainly mock you for. So perhaps the practice has died in the pursuit of the bohemian nature that Girls epitomizes. Fans who started on Sex and the City and progressed to Girls may just think they're too cool to do that sort of thing today, even if it isn't a conscious decision.
Then, there's the internet. When Sex and the City ended, Facebook had just started on the Harvard campus, there was no such thing as BuzzFeed, and AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) was the preferred method of communication. Comparing yourself to a Sex and the City character preceded many of the think pieces, essays, and "Which character are you?" quizzes that would emerge about both shows in later years. In the same train of thought that people think they are "too cool" to identify as one of the Girls characters, maybe it's the internet that has made it less socially acceptable since the pastime has been overplayed.
Despite that, all of the Girls characters do have a pretty clear corresponding Sex and the City character. Hannah, as the lead and a writer, is Carrie. Jessa, as the most uninhibited, is Samantha. Marnie and Shoshanna have shifted between Charlotte and Miranda over the seasons with Marnie, as the most conventional and uptight, ending up as Charlotte. And Shoshanna, as the most independent and bullsh*t intolerant, becoming Miranda.
However, there's no need to put these characters — or ourselves, for that matter — into boxes. The reason why Sex and the City and Girls were such revelations were because they highlighted complex female characters, who aren't always likable, but are wholly they're own. How ironic it is that viewers then feel a desire to identify themselves by using another woman's persona? And isn't it a bit sexist to compare two shows just because they have the same setting (the most populous city of the U.S.), similar lead characters (females who occasionally have sex), and are on the same channel (HBO, which prides itself on its original series)?
There are other reasons why it's a good thing that Girls isn't surrounded by the same obsession of naming which character you are as Sex and the City was. In a 2014 interview with The New York Times, Cynthia Nixon and Allison Williams discussed the phenomenon when interviewer Philip Galanes asked them, "Have you noticed that when people talk about your shows, they love to make the characters stand in for all women — and in the case of Sex and the City, for all gay men, too?"
Nixon noted that Sex and the City was intentionally leading people to make those types of comparisons. "But I think our show was deliberately written that way," Nixon said. "There's Athena, Aphrodite, Hera — and Sarah Jessica [Parker]. I'm not sure who she is." (Presumably, the connections are Miranda is Athena, Samantha is Aphrodite, and Charlotte is Hera.) Nixon also stated the positive aspect of the character associations. "Anyway, before, when you were a girl, you were forced to identify with the one girl on the show. But now it's like, which one of those girls am I? You're not usually given a sampler plate."
This idea that TV series before had only ever had one female lead and that Sex and the City introduced four strong and unique personalities to give women to compare and contrast themselves to is a testament to the revolutionary nature of the HBO show. (Don't worry, Golden Girls — you're part of this legacy too.) Now, perhaps because of the strides that shows like Golden Girls and Sex and the City have made for women in television, it's not a game that needs to be played as much when it comes to Girls.
As Williams said during The New York Times interview, "It's strange, because other shows aren't expected to speak for large groups of people." To which Galanes responded, "We don't do that to men." Possibly people not caring about associating with a specific character from Girls is an indication that the representation of women on TV has improved. Instead of being blown away by the fact that you could relate to Carrie's or Miranda's emotions, you can acknowledge how Hannah's or Marnie's struggles relate to you without feeling the need to say you are one of those women.
Mark Seliger/courtesy of HBO
Rather than think that people are just too ashamed to admit that they are anything like Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, or Shoshanna, I prefer to go with the rationale that it may be proof of a little step toward equality on television. After all, even though the eight women of Sex and the City and Girls have wildly different personalities, they could all agree that more accurate representations of women on TV leads to women — no matter which character they associate with — having a better understanding of themselves.
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Around Carlow
WATCH: George Clooney talks 'spectacular' Ireland, the Laois accent and Bono on Jimmy Kimmel
Have a look at this!
Conor Ganly
Irish-American actor George Clooney must have had a little difficulty understanding the Laois accent when he visited Ireland over Easter.
The Hollywood star spoke about his Easter holiday in Ireland, his first visit to the country, when he appeared on the popular Jimmy Kimmel Show on US TV. He was impressed on his arrival at the plush Ballyfin House.
"We walked into this castle, and I thought 'Wow, the Clooneys are doing alright over here'," he joked.
"We spent the afternoon trying to understand what they were saying," before making a joke about leprechauns and Lucky Charms.
Jimmy wondered whether George's Irish relations owned the Castle.
"No, it was a hotel. I thought it was theirs. I walked into the hotel and was thinking woah - sh*t we shouldn't have left," he said.
He also spoke about meeting his relatives in Ballyfin. He said he originally planned to visit Ireland with is mum and dad to meet up with relatives. However, he revealed his father couldn't travel because he had to have surgery on a hernia brought on by 85 sit-ups a day.
Jimmy asked George what it was like meeting relatives who could also be strangers. George's relatives hail from the Laois Kilkenny area.
"It was odd but there is this other part of you which you do feel this weird connection to when you can see some connection in the eyes," he said.
George also said he went to the home of U2's frontman Bono for Easter Sunday.
"As you do. We try to only do Easter with rock stars," he quipped.
Joking he said he enjoyed his time here.
"It was a beautiful day. Ireland is spectacular," he said.
George also talked about celebrating his 58th birthday with his wife Amal, what it's like being a dad to toddler twins.
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Home » About Us » Staff » Leigh Vantimmeren, PA-C, MMS
Leigh Vantimmeren, PA-C, MMS
Leigh is the physician assistant to Dr. Yanke, and in doing so assists him with all clinical and surgical aspects of the practice. Leigh earned her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with a focus on human medicine from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. She earned her Master of Science degree after successfully completing the Physician Assistant Studies program at Rush University in 2016, where she also completed her advanced practice rotation in orthopedic surgery.
Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Leigh is proud of her Midwest roots and happy to call Chicago home. She is a classically trained singer and very much enjoys the art community the city has to offer. She is an avid sports fan – in particular Michigan State University’s Spartans – though she also takes great pride in following her siblings’ careers in basketball, volleyball, and hockey.
While completing her undergraduate studies, she worked in an outpatient dialysis clinic for several years, as well as volunteered with MSU’s Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Group. Through these experiences, she has always strived for excellence in patient care through compassion and considers interacting with her patients and their families an invaluable experience. She is thrilled to be a part of a practice that brings together her love of patient care and athletics, and finds joy in helping her patients achieve and maintain healthy, active lifestyles.
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CBC Radio
Desiree Akhavan says The Miseducation of Cameron Post became her 'ode to rehab'
Director Desiree Akhavan tells us why she thinks her new Sundance award-winning film is really hitting a chord with audiences right now.
CBC Radio · Posted: Aug 09, 2018 9:00 AM ET | Last Updated: August 9, 2018
Director Desiree Akhavan of 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post' attends The IMDb Studio and The IMDb Show on Location at The Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2018 in Park City, Utah. (Getty Images for IMDb)
Listen13:34
Montana, 1993. Prom night. A teenage girl is making out in the back of a car — but not with her prom date.
This is the opening scene of the movie The Miseducation of Cameron Post. The titular character, Cameron, is in the back seat of the car with her female best friend. When they're caught by her boyfriend, she's sent to a "gay conversion" camp for "treatment."
The story is set 25 years ago, but it taps into an experience that is still a reality in many places today, and it's hitting a chord with audiences.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post won the prestigious Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival last winter, and it was chosen as the closing film of the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, which starts this week.
Director Desiree Akhavan tells guest host Ali Hassan why this film was a passion project for her and why she went to a lot of effort to get it right. The film opens in select theatres across Canada tomorrow, Friday, August 10.
Listen to the full conversation with Desiree Akhavan above.
— Produced by Alison Broverman
David Harbour on the Stranger Things phenomenon and his life-changing role
The original voice of Siri still has no clue how she ended up on your iPhones
Ai Weiwei documents the human flow of the refugee crisis in his new film
FULL EPISODE: Thursday, August 9, 2018: David Harbour, Ai Weiwei and more
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Cluxton: "It's been a good week."
Neil Cluxton First Interview
We caught up with new academy lead coach for the foundation phase Neil Cluxton, who tells us about how he's settling in at the Proact and also what the remainder of the season holds for our U8-12 teams.
Chesterfield’s new academy lead coach for the foundation phase, Neil Cluxton, has ‘really enjoyed’ his first full week at the club and spoke about his desire in developing the ‘great players’ at his disposal.
Cluxton joined the Spireites' academy on a full time basis last week, and has already hit the ground running in his new role.
Speaking exclusively to iFollow, he said: “It’s been good, I’ve really enjoyed the first week. There’s good staff behind the scenes that made me feel nice and welcome in all areas, not just the academy side of the club.
“I’ve had a couple of sessions with the kids, working with the foundation phase from the U8s-12s so I’m getting to know the kids.
“I’m working with a good group of coaches, we’ve got about seven or eight and it’s a good mixture between young, enthusiastic coaches who are looking to learn and a lot of experienced coaches as well, it’s been a good week.”
Cluxton explained how he had been working on and off with the club for the past 12-15 years but was seeking full-time employment in football. When the opportunity presented itself with Chesterfield, he grabbed it with both hands.
“I thought it was the right time for me to come in and I’m looking forward to it,” he noted.
“My role is both hands on and supporting the coaches, I’m looking to work with all four of the age groups getting to know the kids, supporting the coaches and making sure we create an environment that is positive for the kids coming in.
“I will make it somewhere they work hard, but where they enjoy every single session and enjoy the games. It’ll be nice and relaxed, and we will have plenty of communication with the parents.”
Cluxton believes in the link between the Spireites and the surrounding area, and he will be looking to strengthen the links between the club and the town’s junior teams
“We’re looking to recruit the best players in the area,” he explained. “So, I’m working with the scouting staff at the club and trying to forge links with the local grass roots teams and the local leagues to see if we can all do the best for each other and work together.”
The coach is already excited about the talent within his ranks at the Proact. “We’ve got some great players; the future is definitely looking positive for Chesterfield Football Club.”
“The kids coming in are covering all the areas, they are very technical and very knowledgeable about the game, they have obviously been coached well over the last few years,” he added.
Furthermore, Cluxton spoke of his happiness at the level of tactical awareness possessed by his players.
He, however, asserted the importance of developing the required character and emotional maturity to make it as a professional footballer and hopefully play in front of ‘this great stadium’ one day.
Cluxton is a UEFA B, Level 3 coach, with 25 years’ worth of experience. “I see myself as somebody who’s got a lot to give. I’m very enthusiastic about the game and very knowledgeable and I’m all about wanting to create that right environment where the kids can flourish,” he added.
“I want to let them, and their characters develop and then gradually input some tactical knowledge about the game, making sure that we cover what we call the four corners of coaching – the social, psychological, technical and physical – and making sure they enjoy themselves.”
Now in March, the season is coming to a close. Cluxton is hoping he can have an impact in the campaign’s latter stages and speaks about planning for the next one.
He said: “We would like to get a positive set of performances at this level, not looking too much at the results but looking at the performances of the team and the individual players and making sure the coaches work with them to enable them to have that success at the end of the season.
“We are just looking to have a good end to the season. My job is to have a good look at the players that we’ve got at the moment and make sure they are the right players for next season as there will be competition with those who will come in on trial.”
Neil Cluxton
First Interview
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Fon Wang
by Diane M. Fiske
Fon Wang, winner of the Philadelphia American Institute of Architecture Young Architects award, grew up in Chestnut Hill and graduated from Springside Academy.
A soft spoken and modest woman, Wang said she won two years ago, but it was presented this year because the AIA headquarters in Center City was being renovated in 2015. The annual award is given to an architect, under age 40, in the Philadelphia area who has made a difference in the design world.
Wang grew up in Chestnut Hill in the 100-year-old former home of Marianne Rex, one of the community’s early movers and shakers. Her parents, Ignatius and Trudy, who are both architects, continue to live in the community. She was recognized in her years at Springside Academy for her prowess in field hockey.
After graduating from the five-year architecture program at the Syracuse University School of Architecture, she worked for a firm in New York City that specializes in preservation and for MGA Architects in Philadelphia. At her early firms, she became interested in specializing in architectural preservation.
“It saves buildings and preserves them for the future,” she said. “It is good for the environment.”
About two years ago, she began working as a historic preservationist with the Ballinger Architectural firm in Center City. Her current assignment is as preservationist with the Corn Exchange Bank on North Third Street, which was constructed in 1903, and helping preserve its exterior neoclassical qualities.
“One of the interesting things about the project is renovating the interior of the building without changing the l00 year old exterior,” she said.
The building has been purchased by Linode, a tech firm that has grown from a garage start-up to a national company,
Her firm is redesigning the interior of the limestone building to fit into its very contemporary mission of managing “cloud” material. Firms that want to use space in the cloud must buy it from a firm like Linode that will manage it.
Wang laughed and said the building is located on North Third Street between two other tech businesses. She said it had acquired a name in jest as a reference to the preponderance of technical firms.
“Third Street has become to be known as ‘Nerd Street’ because of all the technical firms on the street,” she said.
Wang, who also teaches a course in historic preservation at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design said she is “frustrated” by the preservation process in Philadelphia.
One of the situations in the city that adds to her unhappiness, she said, is the one on Jewelers Row where the Preservation Alliance’s petition to seek preservation status from the Historic Commission for two of the buildings on Sansom Street, near Seventh Street, has been delayed for months.
Jewelers Row, as it is known, is a collection of low-rise buildings dating from the mid 19th century where jewelry sellers and repair organizations traditionally own several of the ground-floor stores. The three stories above are owned by other artisans and artists.
A proposal by Toll Brothers to build a six-story building where three of the buildings are located hold a threat, according to preservationists, of causing the demise of the entire Jewelers Row district – the oldest in the country.
“Any number of people, around 300, will lose their businesses if the buildings are torn down,” she said. “One of the upsetting things is that the situation served as an incentive for the owners of the buildings on the block to try to propose a building that is much higher than the original buildings.”
She said in other cities the situation is much more sympathetic to people trying to fend off development and preserve their buildings.
“For instance, in San Francisco, proposals are given a month to appeal before a development decision is made final,” she said.
Wang said she had a fragile hope that the frequent delays and postponements and protests about the development plan may cause the Jewelers Row proposal to be abandoned.
“This has happened in other areas,” she said. “It isn’t a strong hope, but it is the best we have unfortunately.”
Diane Fiske’s Streetscape is an occasional column about architecture and planning. She has covered those subjects for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News.
This entry was posted in Streetscape and tagged Streetscape. Bookmark the permalink.
← Hiller one of nation’s most prolific nature writers, photographers
Discovering Chestnut Hill: Woodmere director to lead first tour of transformative outdoor sculpture →
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Local boxer wins
Boxer Geoff Spruiell scored the biggest win of his career Thursday night.
The 34-year-old Puebloan posted a six-round unanimous decision over Angel Flores in their junior welterweight fight at the Hard Rock Cafe and Casino in Las Vegas.
Spriuell improved to 5-5, while Flores, of Las Vegas, dropped to 9-2.
Puebloan John Martino is the trainer and manager for Spruiell. Spruiell has had five fights in a little longer than a year after not boxing for nearly three years.
Spriuell is training at Olguin's gym in Pueblo.
CSU-Pueblo has tryout
The Colorado State University-Pueblo volleyball team will be holding open tryouts on Jan. 19 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Pueblo West High School, 661 W. Capistrano Ave., in Pueblo West.
The tryouts are open only to those who are finished with their high school eligibility and have had a physical within the last six months. Proof of physical is required to register for the tryout.
Registration may take place on the day of the tryout, but prior registration through the CSU-Pueblo athletics department is preferred. Registration will begin at 3:30 p.m. on the day of the tryout.
Merriman set to play
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman appeared set to start Monday night when the AFC West champion San Diego Chargers host the Denver Broncos, after missing last week's game with a sprained left knee.
''I've been doing pretty much everything the whole week,'' Merriman said Saturday after practice. ''I feel good, I'm moving around good and I'm expecting to play.''
Merriman rested the knee during last week's win over the Lions, but said he was out of sorts watching instead of playing.
''It drove me nuts,'' said Merriman, who leads the team with 11 sacks and was recently named to his third Pro Bowl. ''I didn't know what to do. But hopefully I won't be sitting this week because I've been practicing all week.''
Merriman's one concession to his injury will be a knee brace.
Jumper sets mark
ENGELBERG, Switzerland (AP) - Austria's Thomas Morgenstern became the first ski jumper to open a World Cup season with six straight victories Saturday, taking a large hill event to equal the record for most consecutive wins.
The Olympic champion won with jumps of 132.5 and 133.0 meters for 260.4 points, beating Austrian compatriot Andreas Kofler (134.5-128.5, 254.4 points).
Norway's Tom Hilde (133.5-129.5, 252.9 points) was third.
Morgenstern last week eclipsed Austria's Andreas Felder, who started the 1984 season with four straight victories, and Finland's Janne Ahonen, who had four wins at the start of 2004.
The 21-year-old Morgenstern's victory Saturday tied him with Ahonen and Finland's Matti Hautamaki for most consecutive victories at any time. Morgenstern will have a chance to claim the record for himself Sunday in another large hill event.
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Focus> Life & Art> Content
Thursday, June 08, 2017, 18:16
World's oldest human species' fossils found in Morocco
By Xinhua
Thursday, June 08, 2017, 18:16 By Xinhua
The undated artist rendering provided by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology shows two views of a composite reconstruction of the earliest known Homo sapiens fossils from Jebel Irhoud (Morocco) based on micro computed tomographic scans of multiple original fossils. (Philipp Gunz/Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology via AP)
RABAT - A team of international scientists has found the world's oldest human species' fossil near the southern Moroccan city of Youssoufia, the Moroccan national Institute of Sciences of Archaeology and Heritage announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The institute said the remains of the Homo sapiens, which were found in a remote village called Jbel Irhoud, date back to over 300,000 years ago.
The remains push back human species' origins by 100,000 years, and suggest humans didn't evolve only in East Africa, it added.
According to Nature magazine, the finds do not mean that Homo sapiens originated in North Africa. Instead, they suggest that the species' earliest members evolved all across the continent, scientists say.
In the 1960s, fossils dating back to the Middle Stone Age were discovered.
The March 16, 2007 photo provided by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology shows Dr. Jean-Jacques Hublin on first seeing the new finds at the Jebel Irhoud site in Morocco where the oldest known fossils of human species have been unearthed. (Shannon McPherron/Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology via AP)
The March 2, 2007 photo provided by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology shows excavators working on the remaining deposits the Jebel Irhoud site in Morocco where the oldest known fossils of human species have been unearthed, revealing an early evolutionary step toward developing the fully modern human body. (Shannon McPherron/Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology via AP)
The Oct. 15, 2009 photo provided by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology shows the Jebel Irhoud site in Morocco where the oldest known fossils of human species have been unearthed, revealing an early evolutionary step toward developing the fully modern human body. (Shannon McPherron/Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology via AP)
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Ruin Raider/Flickr
How to Save America's Crumbling Bridges While Congress Gets Its Funding Act Together
Stephen Goldsmith
Infrastructure sensors can detect safety hazards, improve traffic flows, and even help generate revenue.
The weather in Minneapolis on August 1, 2007, was hot, topping out at 92 degrees. It was the perfect day to visit a water park, which is where a school bus carrying summer campers was returning from during the evening rush hour, when the I-35W bridge across the Mississippi River gave way. Thankfully, the bus didn't plunge into the river—it got wedged between a guardrail and a burning semi-trailer—and all 63 kids made it out safely. But 13 others who happened to be driving over the bridge at the time of its collapse never made it home.
The Future of Transportation
The I-35W disaster might have inspired federal lawmakers to invest more money in America's 600,000-plus bridges, a quarter of which have been deemed either "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete." But Congress can barely keep the highway trust fund solvent, let alone agree on a new transportation financing mechanism. Each time the funding question gets postponed, the average age of U.S. bridges goes up (it already exceeds 40 years), as does the risk of another disaster on the scale of Minneapolis'.
So what's a local transportation department to do? Most cities and states that want to maintain safe bridges have essentially two choices: patch up existing problems or build entirely new structures. Both come with significant costs and divert money from other areas of the transportation network. But technology has given rise to a new tool that doesn't require gambling on the structural integrity of dated bridges or blowing budgets on repairs or construction: real-time data.
Most cities and states that want to maintain safe bridges have two choices: patch existing problems or build entirely new structures.
Rather than relying on annual inspections that may or may not detect structural flaws, many states and cities have discovered that infrastructure sensors and the data they constantly collect can provide ongoing assessments of the lifespan of major bridges. These data not only help local authorities detect potential structural problems but also provide new ways to manage the flow of traffic over them. The result is a much more precise system for knowing when and how to invest in critical bridge maintenance—preventing both catastrophic failures and unnecessary replacements.
Take New York, where time, weather, and deferred maintenance have not been kind to many of the city's East River crossings. The Brooklyn Bridge, an engineering marvel of its time, shows its age through the cracks in the masonry vaults that support the bridge's roadway over Manhattan. Fiber-optic sensors monitor these cracks, as well as other indicators such as temperature fluctuation, to assist structural engineers in determining when the vaults will ultimately need to be replaced. Further up the East River, on the Williamsburg Bridge, a series of interferometric and fiber Bragg grating sensors (both capable of measuring light waves) monitor wire deformation and breakage on the span's century-old suspension cables. Rather than make an annual manual inspection, engineers have access to continuous data, which can tell them if an individual strand in one of the bridge's cable is about to break.
In Minneapolis, one of the triggers of the I-35W collapse was the large number of construction vehicles parked on the bridge, which ultimately helped buckle the bridge's gusset plates. Well-placed sensors could have detected this weight increase and the resulting stress it placed on critical structural elements of the bridge, potentially allowing the bridge to be closed before it collapsed. Local officials packed the I-35W replacement bridge with hundreds of sensors to monitor climate, traffic, and structural fluctuations—including 195 vibrating wire strain gauges. These sensors have taken much of the guess work from the visual bridge inspection process.
This revolution in data cuts both ways. Some bridges are over-engineered and can last longer than highway planners originally anticipated. Data from sensors installed on bridge girders can tell local officials if a bridge is carrying loads that exceed its capacity. In many cases, the sensor data shows that bridges can remain in service for longer than inspectors thought or that weight restrictions are unnecessary. Replacing a perfectly good bridge with years left before the end of their natural lifespans is just as foolish and wasteful as allowing an unsafe bridge to remain in service longer than necessary.
Data can change the way we use bridges, and in the process help cities and states prolong their functional lives.
Data can change the way we use bridges, too, and in the process help cities and states prolong their functional lives. E-Z Passes and automatic tolling can reduce or end long toll booth lines, signal data can help us coordinate lights to accommodate traffic flows on streets and bridges, and pricing technology can charge drivers for road use according to demand. (The latter can also help pay for bridge design, building, and maintenance—especially if Congress lifts the ban on tolling existing interstate highways.) By smoothing traffic peaks, these tools can prevent overuse during intense rush hour periods and help keep bridges in working condition—ultimately squeezing more life out of existing infrastructure.
Local governments have already started exploring these options. The Evergreen Point Bridge, a congested span in metropolitan Seattle, uses variable priced tolls to spread out traffic flows. In Washington, D.C., the District Department of Transportation is examining whether to turn part of the notoriously congested 14th Street Bridge into a high occupancy-express toll bridge. With a new crossing over the Potomac a near political impossibility, data-driven tolling may be not only be the best option for easing traffic on one of the most important arteries in the nation's capital, but also provide a source of much-needed revenue for maintenance.
As things stand, Americans must accept that Congress and the states simply aren't in the fiscal position to undertake the wholesale rebuilding of our nation's bridge infrastructure. That means the bridges we already have are going to be used more efficiently. By harnessing data, and coupling technology advances with public-private partnerships, transportation agencies in cities and states across the country can help make our infrastructure last longer while policymakers try to find consensus on how to fund the country's roads and bridges for the next half century.
This article is part of 'The Future of Transportation,' a CityLab series made possible with support from The Rockefeller Foundation.
Stephen Goldsmith, former mayor of Indianapolis and deputy mayor of New York, is the Daniel Paul Professor of the Practice of Government and the director of the Innovations in American Government Program at the Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. He has written six books the most recent of which is A New City O/S; The Power of Open, Collaborative and Distributed Governance.
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Hawaii Soldier Who Tried To Help Terrorists Gets 25-Year Sentence
Nonprofit News Powered By Debbie Cardwell Gilbert Hicks Carol Kellett Licia Lau Lara Owczarski Readers Like You
Ikaika Kang provided classified military documents and a drone to undercover agents posing as members of Islamic State
By The Associated Press / December 4, 2018
(AP) — A soldier based in Hawaii was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison for trying to help the Islamic State group.
Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang pleaded guilty in August to four counts of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He said he provided classified military documents, a drone and other help.
“Your honor, I know what I did was wrong,” he said before Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway imposed a sentence that includes 20 years of supervised release. “When I’m released I won’t do it again.”
In this combination of two file images taken from FBI video and provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Army Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang kisses an Islamic State group flag, left, then puts the flag to his forehead, right, after allegedly pledging allegiance to the terror group at a house in Honolulu.
He provided the support to undercover agents Kang believed were part of the Islamic State group.
By at least early 2016, Kang became sympathetic to the group, Mollway said. The FBI began an investigation in August 2016.
Kang provided voluminous, digital documents that had sensitive information including the U.S. military’s weapons file, details about a sensitive mobile airspace management system, various military manuals and documents containing personal information about U.S. service members, prosecutors said.
Trained as an air traffic controller with a secret security clearance, Kang also provided documents including call signs, mission procedures and radio frequencies, prosecutors said.
At one of the meetings with agents Kang believed were part of the Islamic State, he swore loyalty to the group in Arabic and English and kissed an Islamic State flag given to him by a purported Islamic State sheikh, prosecutors said.
He then said he wanted to get his rifle and fight — “just go to downtown Honolulu and Waikiki strip and start shooting,” prosecutors said in a news release in August.
After that, FBI agents arrested him.
In exchange for Kang’s guilty plea, prosecutors said they won’t charge him with additional crimes, including violations of the espionage act, other terrorism-related laws and federal firearms statutes.
This report comes from The Associated Press.
Use the RSS feed to subscribe to The Associated Press's posts today
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Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2009
Committee on the Judiciary
Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security
s843-111
113 Cosponsors
Bill Details
Official information provided by the Congressional Research Service. Learn more or make a suggestion.
The Congressional Research Service writes summaries for most legislation. These summaries are listed here. Countable will update some legislation with a revised summary, title or other key elements.
Suggest an update to this bill using our form.
To require criminal background checks on all firearms transactions occurring at gun shows.
Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to make it unlawful for any person to operate a gun show unless such person: (1) has attained 21 years of age; (2) is not prohibited from transporting, shipping, or receiving firearms and has not violated any federal firearms requirements; (3) has registered with the Attorney General as a gun show operator and has provided a photograph and fingerprints; (4) has not concealed material information nor made false statements in connection with a gun show operator registration; and (5) notifies the Attorney General of the date, time, and duration of a gun show not later than 30 days before the commencement of such show and verifies the identity of each vendor at the gun show. Imposes recordkeeping requirements on gun show operators and criminal penalties for failure to register as a gun show operator and maintain required records. Grants the Attorney General authority to enter the business premises of any gun show operator, without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant, to examine records and inventory to determine compliance with this Act. Increases criminal penalties for serious recordkeeping violations and violations of criminal background check requirements. Authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to hire additional investigators to carry out inspections of gun shows.
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Fostering an educational culture at the Chief Warrant Officer Osside Profession of Armes Institute
CWO Kevin West
A review of military affairs in 1999 determined a need to transform the CAF to meet its future needs (Defence Strategy 2020, June, 1999). From this strategic directive the Chief of the Defence Staff commissioned the Canadian Defence Academy – which oversees professional development (PD) in the CAF – to develop strategic guidance for NCM PD in order to meet the needs of the complex security and defence environment predicted for 2020 (Canadian Defence Academy, 2003, p. 1). It was deemed necessary that the Non Commissioned Members (NCM) Corps of the future be made of “military professionals serving Canada and devoted to the profession of arms” (Canadian Defence Academy, 2003, p. 5). Among the eight strategic objectives articulated in support of this vision, two are specifically relevant to our discussion on senior NCM PD, the first being the progression to a “fully professional NCM Corps” and the second being the development of “a knowledgeable NCM Corps” (Canadian Defence Academy, 2003, p. 6). These objectives remain highly relevant today and clearly respond to a need to keep improving a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) NCM Corps that is regarded as one of the most professional in the world. Senior NCMs are faced with increasingly complex decisions that require an expanding list of skills, competencies and knowledge.
As the current Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer, I have a responsibility to ensure that future NCMs are developed to meet the high demands placed on them in the performance of their duties. The Chief Warrant Officer Osside Profession of Arms Institute (Osside Institute) currently delivers PD designed to build a fully professional and knowledgeable NCM corps. As the former Commandant of the Osside Institute I am well aware of the critical role it must play in the development of future senior NCMs through the increasingly important educational pillar of CAF PD. This paper argues that the Osside Institute should become an educational hub in order to ultimately meet the CAF strategic vision for its NCM corps. It also discusses concepts that will eventually support an organizational leadership project focused on examining how the Osside Institute can evolve into an educational institution.
In the ambiguous and complex defense domain of the modern world, the credibility of the CAF is based on its operational excellence. CAF doctrine recognizes that “to remain successful, the profession of arms in Canada must continue to adapt to maintain the highest standards of professionalism as it performs its duty for Canadians” (Canadian Forces Leadership Institute, 2003, p. 63). Leadership is a key enabler of that outcome. Since “intelligence or intellectual ability is positively related to leadership…and reasoning appears to make one a better leader” (Northouse, 2001, p. 19), education is of the utmost importance for NCM professional development.
Historically however, NCM PD has been primarily accomplished through training, which is “teaching that which is accepted or certified or canonical or otherwise thought to be ‘proven’ in contrast with education, which is also about teaching but for those things that are considered contingent or emergent” (Avruch, 2009, p. 163). Enhancing the educational pillar of NCM PD could create a favorable environment in which NCMs would better develop cognitive capacities–one of the five leadership competencies (see Appendix A)–enabling them to be better leaders all the while ensuring operational success in a complex environment.
To support the future growth of NCMs, Beyond Transformation argued that the CAF should “indoctrinate knowledge-based versus qualification based progression”; “develop strategies designed to enhance the critical thinking skills of NCMs”; and “enhance NCM-specific military, post-secondary level, accredited programs” (Chief of Force Development, 2011, p. 17). The Osside Institute is a critical enabler in meeting the future educational needs of NCM leaders. The primary stakeholders, the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force, fully comprehend the benefit to having their NCM leaders better prepared for the challenges of the future. In an evolving world, keeping the status quo and not affording more importance to education in NCM PD could create a potential risk to future mission success and institutional excellence.
Putting Education in its Organizational Context
Canadian military ethos is based on the fundamental values of “duty, loyalty, integrity and courage” (Canadian Forces Leadership Institute, 2003, p. 30) that in turn drive the organizational culture of the CAF as a whole. Large organizations usually display subcultures, with the CAF being no different in this respect. At the highest of macro levels, it is divided into its three services. Each service then branches out into functional capabilities such as underwater warfare, infantry or tactical fighter aircraft. These subcultures, and the micro-cultures found within each of them have their own patterns based on their specific roles. In other words, “shared assumptions that create subcultures most often form around the functional units of the organization” (Schein, 2010, p. 55). To offer a larger viewpoint to senior NCMs and thus provide them with the abilities required to effectively deal with this increasingly complex operating environment, the CAF needed to create institutions that could deliver broader educational programs promoting shared values and core knowledge.
The Osside Institute was the first step in meeting the demands of an evolving, complex and changing world as stated by Major-General Tremblay:
The complexity, uncertainty and volatility of the current operational environment means that our NCMs require skills and understanding that extend far beyond the tactical field. Consequently, aligning the NCM professional institute with a national institution like Royal Military College Saint-Jean is a winning solution that will optimize the transfer of knowledge and maintain our operational and professional excellence.
(E. Tremblay, personal communication, August 21, 2014)
The Osside Institute delivers professional military education considered common core knowledge for NCMs, regardless of the service to which they belong. Numerous senior leaders reinforced the need for education of the modern CAF NCMs during the dedication ceremony of the Osside Institute (NCM division turns a new leaf, August 8, 2014).
The Robert-Osside Institute is a very small piece of the all-encompassing CAF education system. The Institute itself comes under the umbrella of Royal Military College Saint-Jean (RMC Saint-Jean). In order to describe the framework of the CAF professional development system, it is important to understand the structure of the organization (see Appendix B). Military Personnel Generation Command is the overarching command structure. RMC Saint-Jean is a college level educational establishment dedicated to the development of young officers and senior NCM leaders (see Appendix C for RMC Saint-Jean’s organizational structure).
The Osside Institute is a division of RMC Saint-Jean and therefore shares its vision and mission statements: “The Canadian Military University recognized globally for the continuous development of leaders of the profession of arms” and “Royal Military College Saint-Jean’s mission is to educate selected personnel in order to instil the competencies required to maintain excellence within the profession of arms” (Welcome to the RMC Saint Jean, November 26, 2015). These statements align with the intent stated by the Chief of the Defence Staff:
I will continue to emphasize the value of education in preparing our leaders of tomorrow, to enhance their ability to make better decisions and to understand the context of the larger strategic environment. I will also ensure we continue to invest in developing and training our people.
(Chief of the Defence Staff Guidance, 2013, p. 17)
These statements also support the reasoning behind this paper which is the initial step in a larger inquiry. In order to continue to develop and grow to meet current and future needs of the CAF, the NCM Corps will have no choice but to expand its horizons and develop a culture of education, for which the Osside Institute can be the primary vehicle.
The staff of the Osside Institute is comprised of 28 military personnel, including command, teaching and support staff (see Appendix D for the structure of the Osside Institute). The institute also has 15 college-level professors supplied by the Academic Division of RMC Saint-Jean. Internally, key stakeholders are the teaching staff, military instructors and the professors. These two entities, although working in unison, have very different backgrounds and approach methods to teaching. Civilian professors and military instructors bring a complementary set of knowledge, competencies and experience to the table. As such, civilian professors bring a rich theoretical background from the academic world and this effectively meshes with the highly valuable pool of professional knowledge and experience the military instructors can offer. The result is a blended approach that best suits the needs of military education.
The Osside Institute educates approximately 1500 leaders every year through four programmes: the Intermediate Leadership Programme, given for the promotion to the rank of Warrant Officer/Petty Officer 1st Class; the Advanced Leadership Programme for the rank of Master Warrant Officer/Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class; the Senior Leadership Programme for Chief Warrant Officer’s (CWO)/Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1); and the Senior Appointment Programme, dedicated to CWO/CPO1s who will be employed at the operational and strategic levels of the CAF. The methodology in the delivery of these programmes is a blend of distance and residential learning, a model used by many modern institutions such as Royal Roads University.
The director of the Osside Institute manages, plans, and executes the day-to-day operations of the school. From a systems view, he is the key influencer of the culture within the institute, including that of the students. The director has direct influence on the tactical implementation of this change. The director’s chain of command is what is referred to as a direct report to the Commandant of RMC Saint-Jean, from whom he receives orders and direction. The Commandant of RMC Saint-Jean performs at the next level within the organization. Through his primary role, he will have the most influence from a strategic context to successfully realize this change. A critical aspect of implementing and sustaining change is team cohesiveness. In order to create cohesion the Commandant will need to act as “shaper, monitor evaluator, and implementer” as described in Belbin’s team roles chart (as cited in McShane, 2006). The CAF is built on a rigid hierarchy and remains deep-seated in its history and heritage; innovative thought and intent on change are often viewed unenthusiastically. Numerous factors such as “conformity to norms”, “systemic and cultural coherence” and “vested interests” can impede change (Burke, Lake and Paine, 2009, pp. 370-373).
The development of technical skills is the foundation of the effectiveness of the CAF; however, Major General Tremblay, commander of Military Personal Generation Command, stated NCMs also must have the capacity to think and reason (E. Tremblay, personal communication, August 21, 2014). Training and education are complementary to one another. “Education…is essential to the continuing development of effective training…without input from education, training soon rigidifies and becomes hermetic to changing conditions…the application of training to education is what keeps education…relevant and socially engaged” (Avruch, 2009, p. 163).
The Osside Institute is the delivery mechanism for NCM professional development, and in theory, controls the methodologies used to present the content of the various programmes. In the same vein, the Institute is also charged with the development of programme curriculum. Although the institute is given a fair amount of leeway, Military Personnel Generation Command is the external agency that determines programme content and on many occasions directs how the curriculum is presented. This often creates friction between the two organizations, which can have a negative effect on the Osside Institute in its pursuit to evolve into an organization with a prevalent educational culture. However, knowing where we want to be and understanding where we are, or “creative tension” as described by Senge (2006, p. 132) is the type of tension that could be positive and help the Institute reach its goal.
The Osside Institute is affected by a number of other external stakeholders, including the three services. The Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force direct their respective NCM professional development requirements based on their organizational needs. Even though the services have common needs, they also have specific requirements. The services and other various agencies within the CAF will often attempt to influence the curriculum to meet their specific needs.
A Systems View of the Operating Environment
Before examining an issue, one must understand the issue and what affects it. This initial step in a broader inquiry must consider all aspects of the systems influencing the Osside Institute directly or indirectly. There is a need to examine how each part of the interrelated systems influence each other, including the cause and effect on each other (Czarnecki, 2012, p. 22). The CAF is a large and complex system; its primary output is “Implementing Government decisions regarding the defence of Canadian interests at home and abroad” (About the Canadian Armed Forces, May 23, 2014). To accomplish this, systemic interactions at various levels within the organization must occur. The Osside Institute is but a small segment of the larger development system within the CAF. The difficulty in implementing change is the ability to sustain it:
“This responds to the idea that any system, in order to maintain its equilibrium throughout time and reliably accomplish its functions, has to be adequately designed, according to the larger system(s) in which it is embedded”
(Sajeva, Sahota, and Lemon, 2015, p.58).
Many components affect the potential outcomes of the system. Figure 1 demonstrates the influencers and their respective relationships with the system. As with any system, there are a number of internal or external influences affecting the organization. The internal culture of the CAF is the basis of how the organization operates in its daily tasks (Canadian Forces Leadership Institute, 2003). This culture is affected by numerous factors, the most imperative being an external influence, the expectations of Canadian society in terms of what they want or expect of their defence force. This relates to everything from what equipment they should have, and what is their state of readiness to how they expect military members to behave.
It is also influenced internally by the three services, which embrace their respective “subcultures” (Schein, 2010, pp. 55-68). The Osside Institute programmes are founded on the overarching CAF culture. In certain situations, tensions are generated from the services’ desire to influence the programmes with their respective subcultures (P. Turbide, personal communication, August 18, 2015). The political domain indirectly affects the Osside Institute production and operation. The federal government determines defence priorities, often based on society’s desires; these policies govern defence funding, which directly impacts CAF priorities, and in turn influences the Osside Institute. The complex environment in which it operates directly affects the Osside Institute. Although this is an external factor, it has immense influence on the curriculum. Three themes influence the results of the Institute: world issues, technology, and the future security environment.
World issues, sometimes referred to as globalization, encompass matters such as economics, conflict and humanitarian crises. This directly influences world stability. “Globalization, despite the plethora of opportunities it offers, also poses numerous challenges and intensifies social and economic trends that are potential causes of instability” (The Future Security Environment 2008-2030, 2010, p. 1). These unrests challenge the stability throughout the world and affect the future, specifically the future security environment. As the security environment changes, the Institute’s programmes are directly affected and modified in order to meet these changes. Another aspect is technology and its influences on identity. Illeris (2011) said, “Technological development removes the basis of certain professions and trades and radically alters the content of others” (p. 40).
In today’s advanced technological sphere, methodologies of instruction changes at a rate of which it is often difficult to keep abreast. Another subsystem affecting the whole is the learning environment. This subsystem is both an internal and external influencer, comprised of parts such as standards, methodologies of instruction, technology, and time. Standards determine how and to what level of knowledge a certain subject will be taught. The methodologies have an effect on the learning environment; how students are developed often determines how they learn. An aspect of the system that quite often has a fair amount of impact is time. Time relates to how much time (training days) the CAF allocates to the specific course at the Osside Institute. The time subsystem is greatly affected by other systems such as funding and defence priorities. An external influence affecting the learning environment subsystem is technology, in relation to generational differences regarding technology; this plays an important role in all organizations. Brody and Rubin (2011) stated, “certainly one of the most visible characteristics of the contemporary workplace is the proliferation of technologies…Information technology has compressed time and space and allowed individuals to engage in business transactions anywhere in the world…These technologies have, therefore, increased temporal flexibility” (p. 171). Internal to the CAF, there are various generational gaps where personnel who served prior to the digital age quite often have difficulties using, let alone adapting to, the technological advances of today’s world. To conduct an inquiry, seeing the system as a whole is essential because as stated by Senge (2006), “once we do, new alternatives become evident” (p. 343).
Figure 1 - Systems Analysis Diagram of Osside Institute
* Academic Wing reports directly to Cmdt RMC Saint-Jean
The central question explored in this initial paper was how could the Osside Institute foster an educational culture among its staff and also become the educational reference point for all NCMs. It is part of an Organizational Leadership Project through my studies as a graduate student at Royal Roads University aimed at examining what the CAF needs and wants of its NCM Corps in the future. Interviews with senior leaders of the CAF will be conducted to understand the institutional need and intent for NCMs in the complex operating environment. This will be followed by a large group data collection method known as a world café. So as to collect a good cross section of data, the session will involve military and civilian staff from the Osside Institute. The world café concept is designed to collect thoughts and experiences which will lead to the development of potential recommendations and course of actions for the Institute to consider.
The next step of this research inquiry will discuss other considerations such as the role of senior leadership in fostering this culture; the current state of the educational offering for NCMs; the key strategies that can push the Osside Institute in the right direction; and finally, the key elements that other institutions use to support the implementation and growth of an educational culture. One of the focal points of the final inquiry will pertain to the positioning of the Osside Institute as the national educational hub for all senior NCMs. This institution is the only NCM school focussed solely on the development and education of the profession of arms in Canada, therefore unofficially, it is the senior NCM’s professional education hub. This would ideally mean that both military instructors, civilian professors assigned to the institute, and students all converge at the Osside Institute to foster and further an educational vision what will hopefully spread throughout the NCM Corps. While the Osside Institute is the senior NCM school, it should also act as “Home Station” for all NCMs. It should, in short, lead by example on an institutional level that will evolve the development of our profession of arms through the acquisition of knowledge through enhanced educational programmes.
On completion of the research there will be a final report produced and presented to the Commander of Military Personnel Generation Group, the Commandant of RMC Saint-Jean and the Director of the Osside Institute. As the technology, future security environment and society is in a rapid and almost continuous state of evolution, the CAF is at a decision point for the future development or not only the NCM Corps, but all sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen. We are in a time of opportunity and the outcomes of the project have the potential of changing how the CAF develops in NCMs to meet any challenge that will come its way.
About the department of national defence and the Canadian armed forces. (2014). Government of Canada, National Defence. Retrieved from http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/about-us.page
Avruch, K. (2009). What is training all about? Negotiation Journal, 25(2), 161-169. doi:10.1111/j.1571-9979.2009.00217.x
Bolman, L.G., Deal, T.E. (2013). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and leadership. (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Burke, W. W., Lake, D. G., & Paine, J. W. (2009). Organization change: A comprehensive reader (1st ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Brody, C. J., & Rubin, B. A. (2011). Generational differences in the effects of insecurity, restructured workplace temporalities, and technology on organizational loyalty. Sociological Spectrum, 31(2), 163-192. doi:10.1080/02732173.2011.541341
Canadian Defence Academy. (2003). The Canadian forces non-commissioned member in the 21st century (NCM Corps 2020) – Strategic guidance for the Canadian forces non-commissioned member corps and the NCM professional development system. Kingston, ON.
Canadian Forces Leadership Institute. (2003). Duty with honour – The profession of arms in Canada. Kingston, ON; publisher?.
Chief of Force Development. (2010). The future security environment 2008-2030. Winnipeg, MB: 17 Wing Winnipeg Publishing Office.
Chief of Force Development. (2011). Beyond transformation: The CPO1/CWO strategic employment model. Winnipeg, MB: 17 Wing Winnipeg Publishing Office.
Czarnecki, K. (2012). What is systems thinking? School Library Journal, 58(2), 22-n/a. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.royalroads.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/917910594?accountid=8056
Fenell, D. (2008). A distinct culture: Applying multicultural counselling competencies to work with military personnel. Counselling Today, 50(12), 8–9, 35. Retrieved from https://scholar-google-com.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/scholar?q=%22A+distinct+culture%3A+Applying+multicultural+counselling+competencies+to+work+with+military+personnel%22&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., McKee, A. (2013). Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston. MA. Harvard Business School Publishing.
Hall, L. K. (2011). The importance of understanding military culture. Social work in health care, 50(1), 4-18. Retrieved from https://scholar-google-com.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/scholar?q=%22The+importance+of+understanding+military+culture%22&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5
Illeris, K. (2011). The fundamentals of workplace learning: Understanding how people learn in working life. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Ionescu, V. (2014). Leadership, culture and organizational change. Manager, (20), 65-71. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.royalroads.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1684456227?accountid=8056
Jahanian, R., & Salehi, R. (2013). Organizational culture. International journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 2(3) doi:10.6007/IJARPED/v2-i3/82. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/hottopics/lnacademic/?shr=t&csi=400960&sr=HLEAD(%22Organizational%20Culture%22)%20and%20date%20is%202013
Jahoda, G. (2012). Critical reflections on some recent definitions of “culture”. Culture & Psychology, 18(3), 289-303. Retrieved from http://royalroads.summon.serialssolutions.com/search?
Kouzes, J.M. and Posner, B.Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: A Wiley Brand.
McShane, S. L. (2006). Canadian organizational behaviour (6th ed.). Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
National Defence (2013). Chief of the defence staff guidance to the Canadian armed force. Retrieved from https://www.cfmws.com/en/AboutUs/MFS/NewsandUpdates/Documents/CDS_Guidance_to_the_CAF_
Northouse, P.G. (2001). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, Inc.
Sajeva, M., Sahota, P. S., & Lemon, M. (2015). Giving sustainability a chance: A participatory framework for choosing between alternative futures. Journal of organisational transformation & social change, 12(1), 57-89. doi:10.1179/1477963314Z.00000000035. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/ehost/detail/detail?sid=302db442-d118-405b-af92-38fd3927baf4%40sessionmgr4003&vid=0&hid=4201&bdata=#AN=101697621&db=bth
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Senge, P.M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art & practice of the learning organization. New York, NY: Double Day.
The non-commissioned members professional development division turns over a new leaf (2014). Retrieved from http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=878229
Welcome to RMC Saint Jean. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.cmrsj-mcsj.forces.gc.ca/index-eng.asp
Appendix A: CAF Professional Development Framework
Appendix B: CAF Organizational Chart
Appendix C: RMC Saint-Jean Organizational Chart
Appendix D: Osside Institute Organizational Chart
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Cyber Attacks Ranked With Military Threats Under Obama Security Strategy
An Obama administration policy for tightening global defenses against computer attacks places cybersecurity on equal footing with military and economic threats, according to security analysts.
The International Strategy for Cyberspace, unveiled at a White House event yesterday, calls for the U.S. government to work with other countries on standards to protect intellectual property, prevent theft of private information and ensure cooperation among foreign law enforcement agencies when a cybercrime is being investigated.
“We as a society should not take it as a fact of life living in the era of Internet that people are going to successfully take your identity or your credit card or disable networks,” Howard Schmidt, the top White House cybersecurity official, said in a phone interview yesterday. “We want nation states to be unified behind a vision like this so we can send a clear message to bad actors that there’s going to be no place for them to operate in the international sphere.”
The plan recommends setting consequences for countries and groups that don’t comply with the standards and strengthens the U.S. position on its response to a cyber attack.
The administration is sending the message that “cyberspace is not some separate world where our usual laws, our usual deterrence does not apply,” said Kristin Lord, vice president and director of studies at the Center for New American Security, an independent security research institution.
The message is meant to “deter attacks and say, ‘Look, we’re the United States, we have a full set of tools at our disposal,’ ” Lord said in a telephone interview yesterday.
‘All Necessary Means’
The cybersecurity plan states that the U.S. reserves “the right to use all necessary means -- diplomatic, informational, military and economic -- as appropriate and consistent with international law,” to defend itself and its allies.
The strategy calls for the U.S. government, including the State, Defense, Homeland Security, Commerce and Justice departments, to work with their global counterparts, Schmidt said.
“Long-term cybersecurity in cyberspace depends on cooperation” on the plan, which was a result of “more than 18 different departments and agencies” collaborating, Schmidt said at the White House event.
The departments must report back to the president in six months on their progress, which is an important time frame, Dean Garfield, president and chief executive of the Information Technology Industry Council, said in an interview yesterday.
“It has taken a long period of time to get where we are today and the fact that the administration has put some time frame around the next steps are important in making sure that we move forward at a more accelerated pace,” Garfield said.
‘Private Sector’
Federal departments will issue details on their strategies for the plan. In six months, the White House will assess agencies’ progress on meeting the plan’s policy goals, John Brennan, President Barack Obama’s assistant for counterterrorism and homeland security, said at yesterday’s event.
“We look forward to partnering with our private sector, with other nations and with others who share the same goal” to support trade and commerce, security, free expression and innovation in cyberspace, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at the event.
The strategy also emphasizes that the U.S. will respond to hostile acts in cyberspace “as we would to any other threat to our country,” according to a fact sheet released yesterday by the administration. Possible retaliation will mean the “right to use all necessary means -- diplomatic, informational, military and economic.”
International Norms
The strategy’s broader goal is to ensure that current conventions and international norms on self-defense and armed conflict include violations of cyberspace, Schmidt said in the interview.
“The rules are not different in cyberspace,” he said. “It’s been difficult over the years because there’s a desire to carve that off separately” from the rules governing conventional conflicts. “We need to make sure it’s brought up to the 21st century with the understanding that none of us want to see” a conflict, he said.
Schmidt said attributing cyber attacks to specific countries or groups remains difficult and “that’s why we need diplomatic ties” to help the U.S. and other countries talk about ongoing investigations.
The strategy also calls for helping small and developing countries build the capability to deal with cybercrime and theft of intellectual property.
Russia and China
The U.S. doesn’t want some countries to “become the next generation of cyber victims because the developed countries constantly do a better job of protecting our systems and citizens,” Schmidt said. “We want to make sure we are helping them build theirs as well.”
The Obama administration is consulting with a range of countries, including Russia and China, on developing these norms, Schmidt said.
“It’s very important to understand we can’t have these discussions without engaging” with both nations, Schmidt said.
The U.S. also is urging countries to sign a 10-year-old treaty called the Cybercrime Convention that calls for cooperation in probing crimes committed via the Internet and other computer networks. These crimes include copyright infringement, fraud, child pornography and violations of network security, according to the treaty website.
The treaty has been ratified by 30 countries, including the U.S. and 29 European nations. Signatories including the U.K., Canada and Turkey have yet to ratify the law, according to the treaty website. China and Russia are among nations that have not signed the treaty.
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Harvard Will Host 'Reenactment' of Satanic Mass
By Michael W. Chapman | May 7, 2014 | 2:06 PM EDT
Memorial Hall at Harvard University; Queen's Head Pub is in the basement of the hall. (Photo: Harvard.edu)
(CNSNews.com) – A Satanic Black Mass reenactment is scheduled to take place at the Queen’s Head Pub in Memorial Hall at Harvard University on May 12, with the Mass performed by The Satanic Temple, which is being hosted for the event by the Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club.
A non-consecrated communion host will be used in the reenactment, according to Lucien Greaves, spokesman for The Satanic Temple.
“While Black Masses are supposed to utilize a consecrated host, ours is merely representative of a consecrated host,” Greaves told CNSNews.com. “It is not consecrated. We neither believe in nor invoke the supernatural.”
“To us, the Black Mass is an amalgamation that developed through time based on witch-hunting fears and later adopted by some as a declaration of personal Independence against what they felt to be the stifling authority of the church,” said Greaves.
Flyer advertising the Satanic Black Mass at the Queen's Head Pub at Harvard University. (Photo: Campus Reform.org)
He further said that during the Black Mass reenactment, representatives of The Satanic Temple will provide narration on the academic and historical aspects of a Satanic Mass.
A flyer with an image of a goat-headed, Satanic figure standing on an altar surrounded by damned souls was posted at the Harvard campus announcing the event. It states that the Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club is hosting “a reenactment of a satanic black mass performed by The Satanic Temple ** with commentary and historical context **.
The flyer further says the Mass will occur on May 12 at 8:30PM in the Queen’s Head Pub in Memorial Hall, and that admission is free.
The Harvard Extension Hub, part of the Harvard Extension School, provides information on “school news, blogs, stories & events,” and it posted an “Official Response to Cultural Studies Event” on May 7 about the Black Mass on its website. (The Harvard Extension School is Harvard University’s primary resource for continuing education courses.)
The “official response” states, “An independent student organization, the Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club, plans to host a controversial student event involving a historical reenactment of a black mass ceremony that has a narrator providing historical context and background.
Lucien Greaves, spokesman for The Satanic Temple, which is scheduled to conduct the Black Mass reenactment at Harvard University on May 12, 2014. (Photo: Shane Bugbee/Vice.com)
“Students at Harvard Extension School, like students at colleges across the nation, organize and operate a number of independent student organizations, representing a wide range of student interests.
“Harvard Extension School does not endorse the views or activities of any independent student organization. But we do support the rights of our students and faculty to speak and assemble freely.
“In this case, we understand that this independent student organization, the Cultural Studies Club, is hosting a series of events—including a Shinto tea ceremony, a Shaker exhibition, and a Buddhist presentation on meditation—as part of a student-led effort to explore different cultures.”
The Queen’s Head Pub is in Memorial Hall, which is at “the heart of Harvard’s campus” and was “dedicated in 1878 as a monument to Harvard alumni who died during the Civil War,” it states on its Facebook page. The Hall was completed in 1876, and the Queen’s Head Pub was built in the Hall’s basement in 2007. The pub is 12,000 square feet and can accommodate up to 450 guests.
ype="node" title="Satanic Black Mass ‘Reenactment’ Set For Harvard University on May 12
Harvard University was launched in 1639 through a financial gift from the Protestant clergyman John Harvard. In its early decades, Harvard trained many Protestant ministers who went on to serve the various Christian churches of New England.
The Satanic Temple, which is scheduled to perform the reenactment Black Mass, is the same group that is trying to have a statue of Satan (depicted as “Baphomet”) installed on the grounds of the Oklahoma State Capitol.
Concerning the “child-friendly” Satan statue, Greaves told CNSNews.com, "Our monument will stand in honor of those unjustly accused, the slandered minority, the maligned out-groups, so that we might pay respect to their memory and celebrate our progress as a pluralistic nation founded on secular law."
Michael W. Chapman
More from Michael W. Chapman
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NIGERIA: Day PDP Campaign Train Berthed in Enugu
Posted on January 15, 2015 Author Agency Reporter Comment(0)
The campaign train of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stopped over in Enugu, last week with its presidential standard bearer, President Goodluck Jonathan addressing a large crowd. People from all parts of the state and beyond trooped to the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, venue of the event. It was a carnival of some sorts as the teeming members of the party in different PDP regalia danced to the expansive arena. The turnout was a further proof that Enugu is a PDP state as all the streets in the state were literally empty.
The crowd that gathered at the stadium had waited endlessly as the event was initially billed to commence at 10am. During the long wait, the gospel artistes and masters of ceremony had a swell time in their effort to fill the gap arising from the late arrival of the president. The two outstanding gospel singers, who performed on the occasion – Felix Ndukwe and the Delta state-born Sammy Okposo – gave the audience a full dose of their stuff. The singers intermittently sang praises of Jonathan, Governor Sullivan Chime and Enugu PDP candidate, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
President Jonathan finally arrived at the venue of the colourful rally at exactly 2.15p.m. He was accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, deputy Vice President, Namadi Sambo, National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, Governor Sullivan Chime and Enugu PDP governorship candidate, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
The rally also had in attendance the entire PDP hierarchy from the governors to members of the party’s National Executive Committee, National Assembly members and the governorship candidates of the party. Others who graced the occasion are former Senate presidents and elder statesmen including former vice-president, Dr Alex Ekwueme.
Political observers argue that even though the event has come and gone, many issues came to the fore during the rally. Some of them include
deconstructing Buhari. Many of those who listened to President Jonathan’s speech were in agreement that it was aimed at deconstructing the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari.
Critical observers agreed that substantially, his unscripted speech was in response to previous statements made by the APC standard bearer at various occasions. President Jonathan accused Buhari of deceiving the people by promising that he would revive the economy without correspondingly explaining how he would achieve that.
The President wondered how Buhari could develop the economy when he could not do so in office as Head of State between 1983 and 1985.
“Is it Buhari that cannot even remember his own phone number that will change the economy,” he asked. Jonathan, who said although he did not like to go personal during campaigns, added that “sometimes certain things demand that certain things must be said.”
The President said the APC candidate belonged to the medieval age, adding that Buhari’s intention is to run the federal government like a medieval king. His words: “we cannot run the government as if we are in a medieval age; we cannot run a government where somebody said he would throw people into jail.
“You are not a medieval king – a medieval king can throw somebody into jail but we have to follow the rule of law because we cannot go back to the old days.”
President Jonathan was not done yet as he read the speech made by former Head of State, Gen Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) after overthrowing Buhari on August 27, 1985. The speech he read was to justify the fact that Buhari does not keep his promises. General Babangida in the portion of the speech read by Jonathan justified the overthrow of the APC standard bearer by pointing out that Buhari did not live up to the promises he made to Nigerians when he overthrew a democratically elected government headed then by Alhaji Shehu Shagari.
The president quoted Babangida as saying: “The initial objectives of Buhari’s intervention were betrayed as there was a general deterioration of standard of living in the country”.
Many observers argued that Jonathan’s hard knocks on Buhari made him to gloss over what in practical terms he would do for the South-east people and indeed Nigeria when he is re-elected for a second term in office. But Governor Chime assured President Jonathan that people of the state and indeed the entire South-east would support his re-election bid.
“The traditional rulers have told you that you have no business campaigning in Enugu. We are here to support you. We are here to celebrate our governorship candidate, Ugwuanyi,” he told the president, who handed over the governorship flag to Ugwuanyi – an item some members of the party at the rally and particularly people of Enugu State, were anxiously waiting for.
The anxiety over the flag was obvious considering the struggle for the governorship seat. Before the rally, there were still pockets of doubts over the actual candidate of the PDP in Enugu State. One of the contenders to the Lion Building, Senator Ayogu Eze had claimed to be the PDP candidate in Enugu after holding a parallel governorship primary at Filbon Hotel, in the New Haven part of the state.
But with Friday’s rally in Enugu, the struggle for the PDP flag became history as the hierarchy of the party led by Jonathan officially handed over the flag to Ugwuanyi, who is about rounding off his third term in the House of Representatives.
When the real kick-off ceremony rolled off the ground, Mu’azu, who was called up to the podium after Ikeje Asogwa and Chime had presented their addresses added colour to the profile of Ugwuanyi.
“This is one of the most popular candidates I have ever met in this period of electioneering in our country”.
He called on other aspirants who had run against the candidate to join hands with him and the party while also urging Ugwuanyi to work with all party faithful whether they had run against him or not. He paid tributes to elder statesmen in the South-east region such as Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nwafor Orizu, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu and others who have contributed immensely to the development of the country.
He thanked the people of the South-east for their show of support and solidarity for the PDP, which has made the party grow in leaps and bounds. Muazu thereafter formally handed over the party’s governorship flag to Ugwuanyi, declaring that it was a flag of victory from the PDP.
Ugwuanyi enjoys overwhelming support of Enugu PDP stakeholders, and the party faithful, many of whom have constituted over 100 support groups working to actualize his ambition.
Recall that the party stakeholders in the three senatorial districts of the state had long adopted him as consensus governorship candidate before the primary election.
A chieftain of the party and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon USA Igwesi described the handover of party flag to Ugwuanyi as a confirmation of victory for the PDP in Enugu State. He said the development showed that the PDP believes in the popular will of the people, adding that with Ugwuanyi’s candidature, the ruling party could go to sleep as far as the governorship election is concerned.
“In my entire political career, I have never seen any politician who has enjoyed the support of his people like Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. This is unprecedented in the history of Enugu State. The support is so overwhelming that even members of other parties are solidly behind him. He is just waiting to be crowned the next governor of Enugu State and I am sure he will not disappoint the people,” he said.
Chairman of the PDP in Amachalla/Ikpuiga ward, Mr. Hyacinth Urama praised the PDP for ensuring the maintenance of internal democracy in the party.
He said the handover of the PDP flag to Ugwuanyi had proved that truth will always prevail. “The PDP is a family and when members of a family take a decision, it is binding on all of them. In democracy, it is the majority that carries the vote,” he said.
Speaking with newsmen after receiving the flag, Ugwuanyi thanked the party and the people of Enugu State for the confidence reposed in him and assured them that he would consolidate on the current gains and take the state to the next level of development.
The Enugu PDP governorship standard bearer, who promised a robust campaign enthused: “The presentation of the party’s flag to me by the President and our National Chairman is a call to duty, a charge to work hard with my governor and the rest of the team to deliver Enugu State to the PDP 100 per cent as has been the tradition and that I will surely do, God being my helper.”
Many curious supporters were quick to notice that Ayogu Eze, the Senate Committee chairman on Works was conspicuously absent at the PDP rally. It was observed that few members of the PDP, who still show solidarity to the Enugu North Senator, were also not near the crowded stadium venue of the rally. What many took away from the rally was that Enugu is a PDP state and that the coming governorship election would not change the overwhelming support people of the Coal City state have for the ruling party.
It is stating the obvious that no other party has what it takes to dislodge the PDP in the battle for the Lion Building. However, critical observers who monitored the rally argued that the main challenge is how to convert the large turnout to actual votes. Many insist that what is important is for the teeming supporters to ensure that they get their permanent voters’ cards that will qualify them to vote in the next governorship election.
Naomi Claret
They have turned Nigeria into one big joke – Lai Mohammed
Posted on May 12, 2014 Author Emmanuel Aziken
The unprecedented merger of three political parties into the All Progressives Congress, APC last year revolutionised the political space and gave fillip to the opposition in the country. However, recent congresses to produce officers for the party have opened fault lines within the opposition party. Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the […]
NIGERIA: Uduaghan’ll finish strong, Utuama assures Deltans
Posted on March 25, 2014 Author FESTUS AHON
UGHELLI—DELTA State deputy governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, has assured the people of the state that the Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan-led administration will finish strong, come 2015. Speaking at a special thanksgiving mass in honour of Chief Tom Amioku, Commissioner Representing Delta State on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Utuama said: “I have […]
Ekiti polls: Bamidele, Fayemi tango over failed factories
Posted on May 19, 2014 Author Gbenga Ariyibi
LABOUR Party Governorship Candidate, Hon Opeyemi Bamidele, has accused the Governor Kayode Fayemi-led administration of paying lip service to industrial development in Ekiti State., Bamidele said the governor’s boast on the day of his inauguration on October 16, 2010 that he would diversify the state civil service from its present monolithic economy through industrialization has […]
Nwuche: Jonathan Boasts Records, Not Promissory Notes
Fashola: Nigeria’s Hard Times are Self-inflicted
Adekeye Deji on Beware Of BOKO HARAM: 11 Bomb Prevention Tips For Public And Private Premises
Frank on Ogboni leader, Oba Olaitan, explodes, why members will make heaven
HARUNA OLADAPO on Ogboni leader, Oba Olaitan, explodes, why members will make heaven
Kunci Pintu Digital Murah on Fatherhood and family in the 19th and in the 20th Century
You Should Really Read This Comment on Pope Francis Says He Supports Gay Marriage
Poems and Poetry
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(7.00 lv.)
Antichrista
When the lonely sixteen-year-old university student Blanche meets the dazzling Christa, she is swept off her feet. Christa, who talks freely of her impoverished background in the Eastern Belgian town of Malmedy, claims to work in a bar with her boyfriend, a David Bowie lookalike called Detlev.
When Blanche's mother, who finds her own daughter rather colourless, bookish and dull, is also dazzled by Christa though, she soon invites her to stay at the family house. Suddenly Christa can do no wrong and, as Blanche's parents scour their address books for long-lost friends to invite to dinner to meet the newcomer, their friendship sours and Blanche's already negligible self-confidence goes into a steep decline.
With all the characteristics of Amélie Nothomb's unique fictional landscapes, Antichrista is a funny, dark and revealing journey through female friendship and rivalry.
Contemporary FictionContemporary European Fiction
Amélie Nothomb (born August 13, 1967) is a Belgian writer. She was born in Kobe, Japan to Belgian diplomats, before living in China, New York, Bangladesh, Burma, and Laos. Her first novel, "L'higiene de l'assassin" ("Hygiene and the Assassin") was published in 1992. Since then, she has published approximately one novel per year with a.o. "Les Catilinaires" (1995), "Fear and Trembling" (1999) and "Métaphysique des tubes" (published in English as "The Character of Rain") (2000).
She was awarded numerous prizes, including the Prix du Roman de L'Academie Francaise; the Prix Rene-Fallet; and twice the Prix Alain Fournier.
While in Japan, she attended a local school and learned Japanese. When she was five the family moved to China. "Quitter le Japon fut pour moi un arrachement" ("leaving Japan was a painful experience for me") she writes in "Fear and Trembling". Nothomb moved very often, before discovering Europe, more precisely, Brussels, where she reportedly felt as much a stranger as everywhere else. She studied philology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. After facing troubles in her family, she returned to Tokyo to work in a big Japanese company. Her experience of this time is told in "Fear and Trembling".
Amelie Notomb has already created an annual tradition in the literary world – a much anticipated publishing of a new novel, each year at the same time; this said, it is more than obvious that she has now attracted everybody’s attention. From the pompous premieres of her works in the bookstores of Champs-Elyssees to the pandemic cultural discussions surrounding her work, Amelie Notomb is defined as a contemporary legend. Her complex work of art intertwines cultural analysis, social subjects, and subtle style of writing that mixes together the sophistication of the Far East Asia with the rational sobriety of the Western civilization. A brilliant marketing strategist, an enigmatic figure and a very disciplined aesthete, Amelie Notomb has refocused the public attention towards the beauty of the French-language literature.
She now lives and writes in Brussels. She says she writes three novels a year, publishing only one.
Strike Your Heart
Petronille
Fear and Trembling
Blue Beard
The Woman on the Stairs
A Repulsive Happiness
Guillermo Martínez
Perfectly 1
Rumen Alexov
1Q84, Book 2
Nobody Wants to Know
Alicia Giménez Bartlett
Summer around Your Neck
Guy Goffette
Pandora in the Congo
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Helen Fielding
Barbarian Spring
The Lover
Lupita Always Liked to Iron
Laura Esquivel
Empire of the Ants
Call Me Scarlett
Katherine Pancol
The Mystery of Blanc Manto Street
Jean-François Parot
The Howling Miller
Arto Paasilinna
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Let's build this trail!
Why the Cal-Sag Trail needs a Friend or two thousand:
The Cal-Sag Trail is happening because enough people chose to believe it could change our region, as well as our own lives, for the better.
SUPPORT THE TRAIL
The Friends of the Cal-Sag Trail are organized around this shared belief. We're a membership-supported organization of over 1000 cyclists, runners, walkers, naturalists, businesses and organizations – even a dog musher! – who want the Cal-Sag Trail built and are having fun making that happen.
When you join Friends of the Cal-Sag Trail, you're making us stronger as a trail partner to our communities and park districts. You're giving us strength in numbers and more resources to:
Advocate and raise funds for amenities like benches and water fountains that make the trail more useable for more people
Update our on-line and printed trail maps
Provide a phone number and on-line resources for the thousands of trail inquiries a month
Distribute trail maps and posters to area libraries and bike shops
Help Cal-Sag communities win grants for trail construction and improvements
Work with trail and road projects to protect and improve the trail and trail connections
Exhibit at community events, partner with other organizations and groups, and talk to our neighbors and friends and community leaders about the Cal-Sag Trail, its Triple Bottom Line of benefits, and the amazing experience of exploring the Cal-Sag corridor car-free, moving under your own power!
Join us! Friends of the Cal-Sag Trail is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization; your donation may be tax deductible. It takes a community to build and care for a 26-mile regional trail, and to make sure it continues to raise quality of life for generations to come.
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Indians' Chris Perez out four to six weeks
Tom Withers
Feb 26, 2012 at 12:01 AM Feb 26, 2012 at 6:31 AM
Chris Perez couldn’t even finish his first bullpen session without trouble. Now he has to save Opening Day. Cleveland’s All-Star closer will miss at least one month and possibly six weeks with a strained left side muscle he injured throwing off the mound for the first time in spring training.
Chris Perez couldn’t even finish his first bullpen session without trouble.
Now he has to save Opening Day.
Cleveland’s All-Star closer will miss at least one month and possibly six weeks with a strained left side muscle he injured throwing off the mound for the first time in spring training. Perez said Sunday he had thrown about 30 pitches Thursday when he pulled up with what he thought was a cramp.
Instead, he strained an oblique muscle.
“Just one of those fluke things,” he said.
It’s the second significant medical setback in camp already for the Indians, who were ravaged by injuries last season. On Friday, the club announced that center fielder Grady Sizemore will not be ready for opening day because of a strained lower back.
Trainer Lonnie Soloff said there’s still a chance Perez will be ready for opening day on April 5, depending on how he does with treatments.
Asked if Perez would miss the opener against Toronto, Soloff said, “I wouldn’t say that.”
“We’ll have to see how things go and how he responds with his throwing sessions once he gets back on a mound,” he said.
Soloff said Perez will need four to six weeks to recover and the hope is the hard-throwing right-hander will be able to pitch in games “toward the end” of the exhibition season.
Perez, who had 36 saves in 40 chances and a 3.32 ERA in 64 games last season, believes he can return in time to start the season closing games for manager Manny Acta.
“Opening day is not out of the question for me,” Perez said. “Four to six weeks is on the long side of when I want to be back out there. Obviously, I have to listen to my body. Now, it’s just go out and bang out my rehab.”
Soloff said Perez was pushing himself too hard so early in camp.
“His body was clearly not ready for the intensity of that bullpen session,” said Soloff, who was asked if he meant Perez was not in shape.
“No,” he said. “I’m just saying he wasn’t prepared for the intensity of the bullpen session.”
Perez later said he was just too aggressive.
“What he (Soloff) means by that is it was the first day, I was going 100 percent,” Perez said. “He probably wanted me to go 75 or 50 percent, but that’s not who I am. I get work in throwing 100 percent. I’m not going to go throw a bullpen at 50 percent and pretty much just waste a day.
“I was doing what I normally do when I throw a bullpen It wasn’t because I came in out of shape or anything.”
Because he’s a reliever and not a starter needing to build stamina, Perez will not need as much time to get ready for the start of the season. If there’s a bright side to his injury, that’s it.
“Definitely a positive,” Soloff said.
If Perez winds up not being available for the opener, setup man Vinnie Pestano would be Acta’s likely first option to close.
Acta has said there are two bullpen jobs up for grabs this spring.
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Lisa Bloom
National Cancer Survivors Day celebrated at Annapolis hospital
By E.B. Furgurson III
| pfurgurson@capgaznews.com |
Jun 07, 2015 | 8:42 PM
The X Squad Dancers, whose leader recently survived cancer, performed at the National Cancer Survivors Day event at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis on Sunday. (By E.B Furgurson III, Staff)
Survivors say when cancer strikes, it takes a big village of supporters to fight through it.
And there are plenty of them who have fought the battle. According to the American Cancer Society, there are 14.5 million cancer survivors in the U.S.
Erin Vitalos is one of them.
Her support team extended well beyond the usual family, friends and medical team. All the families who take part in her X Squad Dancers studios in Crofton and Selbyville, Delaware, circled round to support their leader.
"I am so fortunate. I had so much support. It really does take a village," she said introducing her dancers performance at Sunday's National Cancer Survivor' Day observation at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis.
She teared up — her girls did, too — as they leapt and twirled, danced and shimmied for the packed house of about 200 at the AAMC Belcher Pavilion.
She was wondering about her fortune when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. "I was diagnosed on Friday the 13th in 2013."
But after seven surgeries, and rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, she got a clean bill of health in January.
"I am so blessed," she said.
All who attended, the survivors anyway, were blessed with medical care and support to get them through their ordeals.
Tanya Mackall, of Owings, was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in February 2012 and received treatment at Calvert Memorial Hospital and AAMC.
Her team? "My husband, my daughters, my mother and son." All helped get her through radiation and chemotherapy to an all-clear sign at the end of that harrowing year. "December the 5th."
This was her second trip to the survivors' event. She said she found it comforting to stand with so many who have also made it.
The event featured a slate of speakers, performances and an upbeat atmosphere. There was also face painting for kids, a photo booth and a caricaturist drawing quick takes of the survivors and others attending.
Craig Sewell, owner and chef of A Cook's Cafe in Annapolis, gave a presentation on learning to eat right, making the right choices to include fresh, and locally grown foods in daily diets.
He also stressed the importance of getting back into the kitchen. "You need to cook," he said, noting people generally spend more time watching people cook on television than they do cooking themselves.
Outside the main room on the top floor of the Belcher Pavilion, several outfits had information booths.
The Mid-Atlantic Cancer Support Center, which organizes three area monthly group meetings, was on hand to get patients and former patients to take advantage of their Monday night meeting, which helps survivors and those still struggling with the disease to navigate the emotional, physical and practical issues cancer can create.
Group leader Al Goff, however, is not a cancer survivor. "It touched my family and my friends. I got involved and now it's my mission," he said.
That is what led Jill Sessa, an ob-gyn nurse at AAMC and co-chairwoman of the event, to get involved as well.
This is her fourth year volunteering for the National Cancer Survivor's event.
"My mother had breast cancer," she said. "This event is just so close to my heart. It's my baby."
She said months of planning goes into the annual event.
"We are celebrating life. That's what's behind our motto," she said, noting the phrase emblazoned on her T-shirt: "Live Life in Full Bloom."
10-year-old Annapolis rapper to perform on ‘America’s Got Talent’
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The Uncommon Common Law Rule of the "Clubman's Veto"
A few weeks ago I read a case from the Ontario Court of Appeal addressing a common-law rule that was new to my repertoire: the “Clubman’s Veto”.[1] I immediately pictured the Simpsons' Stonecutters sitting around drinking their ale and singing songs in their private clubhouse. However, what I learned was the “Clubman’s Veto” provides that with the approval of 100% of the members of an unincorporated association, the members can leave the association and take the property of the association with them. This can be a powerful tool for members in a voluntary association, especially if there is valuable property at stake, which was the case in Polish Alliance of Association of Toronto Limited v. The Polish Alliance of Canada.
The members of Branch 1-7 of the Polish Alliance of Canada, wished to leave the Alliance. While the Alliance itself was incorporated under the Corporations Act, RSO 1990, c. C.38, the Branch was not. The Branch members argued that the Clubman’s Veto allowed them to leave the Alliance and take the property held in trust for the members from time to time. What was the property they wished to take? The Branch’s clubhouse located on Lakeshore Boulevard in Toronto and worth approximately $50 million. The Alliance said no.
After a lengthy trial, Meyer’s J. concluded that the Clubman’s Veto applied.[2] 100% of the Branch members had voted to leave the Alliance; therefore the members can leave and take the property of the unincorporated association with them.
The Alliance appealed arguing that as the umbrella organization was incorporated the Clubman’s Veto did not apply. The Court of Appeal disagreed. While the Alliance was incorporated, the Branch was an unincorporated voluntary association. The Court noted that the “common law recognized the voluntary association not as a legal entity, but as nothing more than a complex of contracts between each member and every other member.” There was no legislation that gave the Branch a legal status that would displace this legal construct. The Appeal was dismissed.
A quick search shows that the “Clubman’s Veto” rule has been applied in reported cases only seven times in the past three or four decades, and a couple of those cases are related to the dispute and parties to this case. While this is a common law rule that is not commonly applied, it may be a good idea for lawyers to tuck this rule in the back of their minds; you never know when you might represent some “clubmen” and it could come in handy. (And perhaps we can come up with a more inclusive term the next time it is used: Club Member’s Veto?)
[1] Obviously, “clubman” is not an inclusive term and a new name for this common law rule may be appropriate. “Clubperson’s Veto” just doesn’t have the same sound to it though. “Club Member’s Veto”? A little better…
[2] Citing Wawryzniak v. Jagiellicz (1998), 64 OR (2d) 81 (HCJ)
No, You Cannot Sue Your Own Expert Witness For Negligence (Says Ontario Court)
This month, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice addressed the issue of whether the immunity our courts extend to witnesses from subsequent liability for their testimony in judicial proceedings extends to a suit against a party’s own expert witness.
The plaintiffs in Paul v. Sasso[1] were shareholders in a company that owned and operated a hotel. They brought a claim against the company and its majority shareholder. The central issue dealt with the valuation of shares. While the plaintiffs had retained an expert, the plaintiffs also decided to provide their own “report” even though neither was a qualified assessor. The trial judge found their report to be “not helpful” and was a waste of the court’s time. Unfortunately, the plaintiffs’ expert made reference to various aspects of the plaintiffs’ “findings” in their “report”. This, the trial judge found, “brought [the plaintiffs’ expert’s] objectivity into serious question”.[2] In the end, the trial judge preferred the evidence of the defendant’s expert valuator.
The plaintiffs subsequently sued their expert witness alleging that they were lay people and did not understand that their “report” would invalidate the testimony of their expert. They alleged that their expert was negligent and breached the terms of their engagement as well as the terms of the Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice in failing to provide an unbiased and professional technical review report. The expert brought a motion for summary judgment to dismiss the claim and sought an order granting his counterclaim against the plaintiffs for unpaid fees.
Expert Witness Immunity
Justice Dunphy granted the summary judgment motion in part and dismissed the negligence claim against the expert witness relying on the long held fundamental principle that witnesses and parties are entitled to absolute immunity from subsequent liability for their testimony in judicial proceedings, as the “proper administration of justice requires the full and free participation of witnesses unhindered by fear of retaliatory suits”.[3]
Justice Dunphy concluded that there “was no reason why the privilege should be confined to adverse witnesses” and that the harm that could follow from allowing parties to pursue their own experts for alleged breaches was amply illustrated by the facts of this case.[4] The trial judge made a binding determination of the value of the shares and that determination had not been set aside on appeal. The plaintiffs’ case amounted to a de facto appeal of the decision as the damages sought were based on the value of the shares not found by the trial judge:
"The trial judge had the issue of value before her and weighed the testimony of all of the witnesses. Her determinations bind the plaintiffs and cannot be questioned through the back door by a subsequent civil suit. The principle of finality strongly supports the application of the common law immunity in this case. The question of what the result would have been if [the expert] had been accepted as fully independent can neither be asked nor answered in another proceeding."[5]
However, Justice Dunphy went on to find that this did not mean that the alleged breach of contract and duty were not available as a defence to the counterclaim for unpaid fees:
"I am of the view that witness immunity can properly be used as a shield by [the expert] to avert liability on the plaintiff’s claim but cannot be used as a sword by [the expert] to preclude [the plaintiffs] from defending [the] counterclaim on the basis of the alleged breaches of contract and negligence."[emphasis added][6]
It was not possible, however, to resolve the factual disputes necessary to dispose of the significant issues without a trial of the counterclaim. While the expert was successful in his summary judgment motion in dismissing the negligence claim against him, his motion for summary judgement against the plaintiffs for unpaid fees was dismissed and a trial was ordered.
For now it appears that expert witnesses are likely entitled to immunity from negligence claims brought by the very party that hired them. However, there do not appear to be any appellate decisions dealing with this question, and the law may be far from settled. As noted by the court in Robinson v. Corporation of the City of Ottawa:
"There are no decisions of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, or any other Canadian court which has decided the issue of whether witness immunity should be extended to prevent a party from suing his or her own expert witness in negligence or for breach of contract, based on the opinion evidence given in a Court proceeding. Given the absence of any Canadian authority directly on point, I conclude that the law is unsettled on this issue."[emphasis added] [7]
Unlike in Paul v. Sasso, the Court in Robinson determined that the issue of whether you could sue your own expert witness could not be determined on a summary judgment motion and a trial was ordered. However, no trial decision appears to be reported.
Nevertheless, the law is settled in the United Kingdom. In the case of Jones v. Kaney, [2011] UKSC 13 the appellant sued his own expert for negligently signing a statement of matters agreed to with the expert instructed by the opposing side, resulting in a reduced settlement. The majority of the Supreme Court decided that expert witnesses are not immune from claims in tort or contract for matters connected with their participation in legal proceedings, though they remain entitled to absolute privilege in respect of claims in defamation.
So far, this removal of expert witness immunity for a party’s own expert has not found its way to Canada.
[1] 2016 ONSC 7488 (“Paul”)
[2] Paul v. 1433295 Ontario Limited, 2013 ONSC 7002 (CanLII) at paras.55- 56
[3] Paul at para. 16, citing Reynolds v. Kingston (Police Services Board), 2007 ONCA 166 (CanLII) at para. 14
[4] Paul at paras.17-18
[5] Paul at para. 18
[7] Robinson v. Ottawa, 2009 CanLII 1660 (ONSC) at para. 53
Supreme Court Releases Important Decision on PIPEDA and Disclosure of Discharge Statements: RBC v. Trang
The Supreme Court of Canada recently released a significant banking decision[1] dealing with personal financial information and its disclosure under Canada’s federal privacy law, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).[2] In overturning the Ontario Court of Appeal decision, the Supreme Court of Canada interpreted the legislation in a way to balance individual privacy concerns with creditors' needs to collect personal information to enforce their legal rights.
Facts & Background
The Royal Bank of Canada had a judgment against the Trangs who owned a property that they had mortgaged with Scotiabank. The Sheriff refused to sell the property without a mortgage discharge statement from Scotiabank. RBC tried to obtain this statement by examining the Trangs but they refused to attend for examination. Scotiabank also refused to release the statement arguing that PIPEDA precluded them from doing so. Scotiabank needed the Trangs' consent, which they did not have. RBC brought a motion for an order that Scotiabank produce the discharge statement. The motion judge dismissed the motion relying on the Court of Appeal's judgment of Citi Cards Canada Inc. v. Pleasance, 2011 ONCA 3 which had similar facts and held that none of the exceptions in PIPEDA regarding disclosure were available to RBC. RBC appealed.
In a 3-2 split decision, the Court of Appeal dismissed RBC's appeal, finding, among other things, that RBC had not (similar to Citi Cards) exhausted all of its options. RBC could have brought a motion under Rule 60.18(6)(a) of the Rules of Civil Procedure to have the court make an order for the examination of Scotiabank. Then, under Rules 34.10(2)(b) and (3) Scotiabank would be required to bring to the examination, and produce, the discharge statement. This would permit Scotiabank to disclose the mortgage discharge statement to RBC without the Trangs' consent and it would satisfy the exemption in s. 7(3)(c) of PIPEDA which authorizes an organization to disclose personal information without the individual's knowledge and consent if disclosure is required to comply with a court order or the rules of court relating to the production of records.
The dissenting judges (Justices Hoy and Sharpe) would have allowed RBC's appeal, finding that the mortgage discharge statement should be disclosed as the Trangs' consent to the disclosure of the discharge statement could be implied. Schedule 1, s.4.3.6 of PIPEDA notes that consent for the purposes of the statute can be implied when the information is “less sensitive”. Disclosure of this mortgage discharge statement accorded with reasonable expectations of an individual in the Trangs’ position. The dissent would not have required RBC to bring another motion:
Whether RBC purported to move under rule 60.18(6)(a) or simply asked the court for an order requiring the mortgagee to disclose the Statement is immaterial. In either case the relief sought is substantively identical. Requiring a further motion would not be just, and it certainly would not be expeditious.(para. 96)
RBC appealed once again and was finally successful. Coté, J. writing on behalf of the Court, sided with the minority in the Court of Appeal decision.
First, PIPEDA does not diminish the powers of the court to make orders relating to the production of documents. The motion judge, and majority of the Court of Appeal, erroneously concluded that the order sought by RBC did not constitute an “order made by a court” under s. 7(3)(c) of PIPEDA. They did so by relying on Citi Cards which the Supreme Court of Canada expressly overruled in this case. The motion judge had the power under the Rules of Civil Procedure or the inherent jurisdiction of the court to order disclosure.
Secondly, the Trangs impliedly consented to disclosure in the circumstances of this case. The information at issue was less sensitive than other financial information. A reasonable mortgagor in the Trangs’ position would be aware that the financial details of their mortgage were publicly registered on title, and that default on the RBC debt could result in a judgment empowering the Sheriff to seize and sell the mortgaged property. A reasonable mortgagor would know that the outstanding mortgage balance would ultimately be provided to the Sheriff and that a judgment creditor has a legal right to obtain disclosure of the mortgage discharge statement.
Coté J. concluded that “consent for the purpose of assisting a sheriff in executing a writ of seizure and sale was implicitly given at the time the mortgage was given”. However, it is not reasonable to expect a bank to disclose a mortgage discharge statement to a person with no legal interest in the property.
Scotiabank was ordered to produce the mortgage discharge statement.
While PIPEDA plays an important role in protecting our privacy rights, the Supreme Court confirmed that these rights will be balanced with legitimate business concerns in trying to comply with the legislation in a practical way. This decision has considerable implications for third party lenders and creditors. However, it should be noted that the Supreme Court has only found implicit consent regarding this particular type of personal information (mortgage discharge statement) in this particular circumstance (seizure and sale proceedings). This case will provide guidance to other situations where it can be argued that “implied consent” has been provided. Sensitivity of the information, reasonable expectations of all involved, and the nature of the transaction must be considered.
[1] Royal Bank of Canada v. Trang, 2016 SCC 50
[2] S.C. 2000, c.5
RBC v. Hussain: Is a Pre-Trial Judge Prohibited from Presiding Over a Summary Judgment Motion?
Most lawyers know that a judge who presides over a pre-trial conference is prohibited from presiding over the trial of the action or the hearing of an application. Generally, this is to protect any settlement discussions that may have taken place at the pre-trial. Or, as Carthy J.A. stated in Bell Canada v Olympia & York Developments Ltd. (1994), 17 OR (3d) 135(CA) at pp. 144-45 the prohibition also protects the integrity and usefulness of the pre-trial conference system:
Pre-trials were designed to provide the court with an opportunity to intervene with the experience and influence of its judges to persuade litigants to reach reasonable settlements or refine the issues. None of that would be possible without assurance to the litigants that they can speak freely, negotiate openly, and consider recommendations from a judge, all without concern that their positions in the litigation will be affected.
It’s been unclear to some if this prohibition only stops pre-trial judges from then presiding over trials and hearings in the same matter, or whether it extended to subsequent summary judgment motions as well.
This was the issue the Ontario Court of Appeal tackled in the recent case of RBC v. Hussain.[1] Specifically, whether, absent the written consent of the parties, do rules 50.09 and 50.10 of the Rules of Civil Procedure RRO 1990, Reg. 194 prohibit a judge who conducts a pre-trial conference from presiding on a summary judgment motion? The short answer: Yes.
The bank issued a statement of claim against the appellant based on amounts owing on various loan facilities. A judge conducted a pre-trial conference on December 1, 2014. Almost a full year later in November 2015 the same judge heard and granted the bank’s summary judgment motion and awarded the bank its full claim. The appellant appealed on several grounds but the main issue being whether the pre-trial judge was prohibited from hearing the motion.
RULES 50.09 & 50.10(1)
Subject to certain exceptions, rule 50.09 prohibits “communication” to a judge presiding on a hearing or motion “with respect to any statement made at a pre-trial conference”.
Rule 50.10(1) prohibits a pre-trial judge from presiding “at the trial of the action or the hearing of the application, except with the written consent of all parties”.
These Rules were last amended after the “Osborne Report” in 2010. The Osborne Report recognized that the Rules were aimed at the important purpose of protecting settlement discussions at pre-trial. However, the report also concluded that the parties should be able to consent to a pre-trial judge hearing the proceeding because of efficiencies (i.e. judge being familiar with facts, expertise, continuity etc.) Subsequently the Rules were amended to allow the parties to provide written consent to allow a pre-trial judge to also preside over the trial or hearing.
On appeal the bank acknowledged that the motion judge also presided over a pre-trial in the proceeding, but submitted that the judge was not prohibited from doing so as the situation did not “fall squarely” within the prohibition in the Rules. The bank argued that nothing was communicated to the motion judge about the pre-trial – rather he presided over it (so rule 59.09 did not apply) and the proceeding under the appeal was not a trial or application (so rule 59.10 did not apply). The bank also argued that the appeal should be dismissed as the appellant never raised this issue at the motion and that there was no miscarriage of justice because the bank had such a strong and overwhelming case.
The Court of Appeal was not buying it and here’s why: Rule 50.09 reflects the intention that a judge hearing a motion in a proceeding be insulated from knowledge of statements made at a pre-trial conference: “It is designed to reassure litigants that any information revealed in the pre-trial will not be used against them at a hearing, in order to encourage a full and frank exploration of settlement prospects at an early stage of the proceeding”.[2] If the pre-trial judge is also hearing the motion, the judge is not “insulated” from what occurred at the pre-trial.
Although neither rule 50.09 nor rule 50.10 contains language expressly prohibiting a pre-trial judge from presiding on a summary judgment motion, the rules are to be “liberally construed”. Particularly “with the expanded powers available to motion judges under the amended Rule 20, presiding on a summary judgment motion must be viewed as akin to presiding at a trial or the hearing of an application: see Hyrniak v. Mauldin, 2014 SCC 7 at paras. 36 and 45.”[3]
Furthermore, while in a civil case failure to object to a procedural flaw at the motion would normally be given considerable weight on appeal, the Court found this was not a relevant consideration as Rules 50.09 and 50.10 prohibited the judge from hearing the motion. Also, the strength of the bank’s case had no relevance as well: “In all the circumstances, upholding the result in this case would sanction ignoring the Rules and undermine public confidence in the administration of justice.”[4]
The appeal was granted and the summary judgment motion was set aside.
As the Court noted, this case highlights the need for parties to remind a judge who has been scheduled to dispose of an action or application on the merits that the judge previously presided at the pre-trial conference.[5] Then the judge is in a position to canvass if the parties will provide their written consent for him or her to also preside at the hearing or summary judgment motion as the case may be.
[1] 2016 ONCA 637
[2] At para. 18
Ontario Court of Appeal Confirms Two Year Limitation Period for Oppression Remedy Claims: Maurice v. Alles 2016 ONCA 287
In Maurice v. Alles,[1] the Ontario Court of Appeal confirmed that the two year limitation period under the Limitations Act, 2002[2] applies to oppression remedy claims under the Ontario Business Corporations Act,[3] including to claims of “ongoing” oppressive conduct.
However, the Court of Appeal set aside an order for summary judgment dismissing the oppression claim as being statute barred, as the motion judge failed to determine that a new discrete act of alleged oppressive conduct had occurred within the two-year period prior to the commencement of the claim.
The Court also confirmed that summary judgement motions are not available in the context of an application, unless the application is converted to an action.
The Dispute
The facts involve siblings disagreeing over their interests in three family businesses. At a shareholders’ meeting on July 25, 2008 the siblings of the Appellant advised him of an upcoming sale of certain shares to an undisclosed third party. The Appellant opposed the transaction advising that any sale without unanimous consent would breach the unanimous shareholder agreement and that they should obtain a valuation, as the sale could adversely impact the value of his shareholding in one of the companies. The Appellant also requested certain information regarding the transaction. The siblings denied or ignored his requests and continued to do so long after the sale was completed.[4]
On May 13, 2013 the siblings brought a motion for an order appointing a valuator to determine the fair value of the Appellant’s shares in one of the companies (he had previously sold his shares in the other two companies and offered his shares for sale in the third). The Appellant brought a cross-application claiming that his rights as a shareholder had been unfairly disregarded by the actions of his siblings.
The siblings argued his oppression claims were statute barred. The Appellant argued that they were not barred as the oppression was ongoing.
Justice Patillo found that the Appellant was aware of the facts giving rise to the oppression claims as of July 25, 2008 (the shareholders meeting), therefore the claims were statute barred.[5] Justice Patillo held that even if the oppression was ongoing, “such continuation does not operate to extend the limitation period beyond the time of two years from discovery.”[6] The siblings’ motion for summary judgment was granted and the cross-application was dismissed.
Appeal: Summary Judgment Available in Applications?
First, the Court addressed an issue that was not raised before the motion judge: is a motion for summary judgment available in the context of an application? After reviewing the wording of Rule 20, Justice Hourigan, on behalf of the Court concluded that a motion for summary judgment is not available on an application under Rule 14, unless, the application is converted into an action. However, he was not willing to interfere with the motion judge’s decision on this issue as in the circumstances of this case it was merely a procedural defect.[7]
Limitation Period for Oppression Claims
The appeal decision reviewed the division in case law regarding the applicability of the general two year limitation period under s.4 of the Limitations Act, 2002, to cases of ongoing oppression. In one line of cases the Courts had permitted claims commenced more than two years after discovery if there were ongoing fact situations of continuing oppressive conduct.[8] Another line held that the two year limitation period applied to ongoing oppressive conduct as the limitation period begins to run when the cause of action arises, not when it is remedied.[9]
Justice Hourigan concluded that oppression remedy claims under the OBCA are subject to the two year limitation period. Special circumstances are not available to extend the limitation period.
In the present case the potential oppressive conduct was twofold: first, the failure of the siblings to provide the Appellant with the requested information regarding the transaction, and the transaction itself could qualify as actionable if it adversely impacted the Appellant’s shareholding. The Appellant knew in 2008 that the sale was happening and that the siblings were not disclosing information. Therefore he had two years to commence a claim for non-disclosure. The continuous refusal to produce documents does not operate to extend the limitation period; limitation periods begin when the cause of action arises, not when it is remedied.
Also, this was not a case of ongoing oppressive conduct as the sale was a singular event that occurred in 2008. Justice Hourigan warned:
"Courts must be careful not to convert singular oppressive acts into ongoing oppression claims in an effort to extend limitation periods. To do so would create a special rule for oppression remedy claims."[10]
However, the Court found another “discrete potentially oppressive act” occurred when the respondent siblings commenced their application on May 13, 2013 for an order appointing a valuator to determine the fair value of the appellant’s shares. In that application there was no reference to the circumstances surrounding the disposal of the shares and what impact it had on the value of the remaining shares. Nor was there any production of the documents requested. The siblings “were in effect seeking a valuation process and payout to the appellant that did not take into account their earlier alleged oppressive conduct.”[11] Justice Hourigan noted the importance of not conflating multiple acts of oppression into one continuous act:
"A party that engages in a series of oppressive acts can always make the argument that it is all part of the same corporate malfeasance and that the limitation period begins to run with the discovery of the first oppressive act. In analyzing the conduct, courts must have regard to the remedial nature of the oppression remedy and the fact that any threatened or actual conduct that is oppressive, unfairly prejudicial to, or unfairly disregards the interests of any complainant can constitute a discrete claim of oppression. The oppression remedy section of the OBCA is drafted in the broadest possible terms to respond to the broadest range of corporate malfeasance.
Where the motion judge erred was in failing to carefully scrutinize the respondents’ conduct to determine whether there were any discrete acts of oppression within the two-year prior to the commencement of the cross-application. In my view, the siblings committed a new act of alleged oppressive conduct when they brought their application and attempted to rely upon their previous alleged oppressive conduct as part of the share valuation."[12]
The motion judge’s reasoning would have meant that where a party is alleged to have acted in an oppressive manner and no oppression remedy application is commenced as a consequence, then he or she would be free to take additional oppressive steps in furtherance of the initial oppressive conduct. That reasoning is contrary to the broad purposive interpretation that must be afforded this statutory cause of action.
The Court set aside the order for summary judgment dismissing the oppression claims and directed the parties to proceed to trial.
This is a warning to all potential applicants in oppression remedy claims to be fully aware of the two year limitation period commencing on the date that the oppression first arises. However, the case also calls for parties to carefully scrutinize the facts and recognize that each potentially oppressive act is its own discrete act with its own limitation period.
[1] 2016 ONCA 287 (“Maurice”).
[2] S.O. 2002, c.24.
[3] R.S.O 1990, c. B. 16 (“OBCA”).
[4] Maurice at paras. 5-16.
[5] 2015 ONSC 1671.
[6] Maurice at para. 21.
[7] Maurice at para. 2 and paras.24-35.
[8] See Waxman v. Waxman (2004), 186 OAC 201 (CA), leave to appeal refused, [2004] SCCA No. 291 and Metcalfe v. Anobile, 2010 ONSC 5087.
[9] See Fracassi v. Cascioli, 2011 ONSC 178, Reinhart v VIXS Systems Inc. 2011 ONSC 5349, Paul v 1433295 Ontario Limited 2013 ONSC 7002, rev’d on other grounds 2015 ONSC 3588, Sterling Waterhouse Inc. v LMC Endocrinology Centres (Toronto) Ltd., 2015 ONSC 3987 rev’d on other grounds 2015 ONCA 645, and Solar Harvest Co. v Dominion Citrus Ltd., 2015 ONSC 1315.
[10] Maurice at para. 49.
[12] Maurice at paras. 52-53.
Improper Litigation Tactics Sanctioned by Costs Award
It’s okay to be tactical in your litigation strategy. But when that strategy consists of “unacceptable litigation gamesmanship” litigants may be sanctioned with a costs award. In Candito v. Nmezi 2015 ONCA 793, Brown J.A. had strong words against counsel’s decision to strategically delay the settling of an order under appeal.
In Ontario an appellant must “perfect” its appeal (in other words file all the relevant documents including an appeal book) within 30 days of filing his or her Notice of Appeal. The appeal book must contain a copy of the order being appealed from. While it is open to either party, usually counsel for the winning party prepares a draft order and sends it to all parties for approval as to form and content. Once that approval is obtained, the order may be signed and entered and can be included in the appeal book.
In this case, the appellant sent a draft order to the respondent’s counsel for approval. There was no response. The deadline for perfection was missed and the respondent’s counsel opposed a request for extension of time to perfect the appeal. The appellant was forced to bring a motion to extend time.
The Motion and Costs
The parties ended up consenting to an order to extend the time to perfect the appeal and the respondent’s counsel eventually approved the draft order. Nevertheless, the appellant sought and was granted $5000.00 in partial indemnity costs for the motion it was forced to bring. Justice Brown, however, would have awarded full indemnity costs if he was not limited by the appellant’s request for partial. Justice Brown had this to say at paragraph 22:
The unreasonableness in the events which transpired consisted solely in [the Respondent’s] failure to perform its obligation to settle an order subject to appeal in a timely fashion. For [the Respondent] to take the position that it would not settle the order under appeal until [the Appellant] had argued its motion to extend the time to perfect amounted to unacceptable litigation gamesmanship.
It appears as though counsel was hoping to manoeuver the appellant into a position where it had to argue its merits of the appeal in order to get the extension of time. Justice Brown did not approve of this strategy:
In my view, such unreasonable litigation tactics by [the Respondent] would have merited an award of full indemnity costs against it. However, [the Appellant] only requested partial indemnity costs, so I am limited by its request. (para.23)
Refusing to settle the order ended up wasting both parties’ time and that of the Court’s. As Justice Brown noted “[c]ivil litigation in the public courts can only deliver timely and cost-effective justice if the parties perform certain basic procedural obligations.”(para.1)
What are a Lawyer's Professional Obligations When Leaving a Law Firm?
[*See an update on this topic below*]
Are you thinking of leaving your law firm for another? Do you know your professional obligations with respect to your clients and your firm? Recently a decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice [1] reviewed those obligations in the context of a dispute that arose after an associate left one personal injury law firm for another, taking some of her clients with her. The principal of the associate's former firm commenced a claim for $1.25 million in damages against the associate for "breaches of fiduciary duty, trust, good faith and / or loyalty" and as against the principal of her new firm for "knowing assistance" in the alleged breaches.
Summary Judgment Motion
The defendant principal of the new firm brought a summary judgment motion seeking to have the action against him dismissed on the basis that the plaintiff (the principal of the associate's former firm) failed to show (and could not show) "knowing assistance" in the associate's alleged breaches. Justice Gordon noted that solely for the purpose of the summary judgment motion, he assumed that the plaintiff had met the threshold of proving that the associate had breached "some duty" owed to the principal of her former firm. Whether she actually did or not, however, was "a matter for another day".[2]
In his analysis of the legal issue, Justice Gordon reviewed certain guidelines provided by the Law Society of Upper Canada (dated 2009) concerning a lawyer's professional obligations when leaving a law firm. In summary, those guidelines provide that:
the client's rights are paramount;
while the law firm and the lawyer have an interest in the file, and a duty to maintain proper records, it is the client's file;
the client has the right to choose legal representation and to change that legal representation at any time;
there is nothing improper for a departing lawyer to contact a client to tell them they are leaving (in fact there is a duty to do so), however, contacting the client for the purpose of solicitation of a retainer is not permitted;
the law firm and the departing lawyer have a joint and individual duty to keep the client informed;
the client must be told in a timely manner that the lawyer with whom he or she has been dealing is leaving the law firm;
client must be told of the options for continued representation by i) the law firm; ii) the departing lawyer; or iii) a new lawyer chosen by the client;
the recommended procedure is for the law firm and the departing lawyer to agree on how and when the client is to be notified;
failing such agreement, the departing lawyer should advise the client in a neutral manner of the departure and the client's options;
the law firm and departing lawyer must not abandon the client;
a client who chooses to follow the departing lawyer should confirm his or her wishes in writing and provide a direction to the law firm regarding the transfer of the file and any funds in trust; and
the departing lawyer should consider providing an undertaking to the law firm to protect the firm's account to facilitate the file transfer.[3]
In this particular case, the plaintiff could only be successful in a claim in "knowing assistance" against the principal of the associate's new law firm if the following elements were met:
a) there was a trust;
b) the new principal had knowledge of the trust;
c) the associate perpetrated a dishonest and fraudulent breach of trust; and
d) the principal had actual knowledge of, or was wilfully blind to, and participated in the associate's dishonest and fraudulent breach of trust.[4]
The defendant testified that he advised the associate that she must abide by the Law Society guidelines and specifically her duty to inform her clients. This evidence was uncontradicted. The Court noted that if there was "more or better evidence, it should have been tendered on this motion."
Justice Gordon concluded that there was no evidence to support an allegation of "knowing assistance" either in the form of actual knowledge or wilful blindness: "Indeed the evidence is to the contrary. It was unchallenged that [the new principal] was well aware of the lawyer's duty to inform clients on leaving a firm and the manner in presenting the options for the client. . .On this evidentiary record, I conclude [the new principal] did all that was required."[5]
The motion for summary judgment dismissing the action as against the new principal was granted.
Do you know all of your professional obligations when leaving a law firm? It appears that the LSUC's guide referenced in this case "Leaving a Law or Legal Services Firm" (Dated 2009) is no longer available on its website. However, the guide "Closing Down Your Practice" also provides some useful tips.
If you are interested in case summaries for your website or blog please contact me.
[1] Robert Findlay Law Office Professional Corporation v. Werner et al 2015 ONSC 2955.
[2] Ibid. at para. 12.
[3] Ibid. at para. 15 & 23-27.
[4] Ibid. at paras. 30.
*UPDATE: In June 2017 the Law Society of Upper Canada amended the Rules of Professional Conduct to add a rule dealing with a lawyer's professional obligations when leaving a law firm, based in part on the Robert Findlay case discussed above. See my blog post on this new rule on the Flex Legal blog.*
Gaur v. Datta 2015 ONCA 151: Don't Forget the Particulars on Rule 21 Motions
In Gaur v. Datta, 2015 ONCA 151 the Ontario Court of Appeal allowed an appeal from a Rule 21.01(1)(b) motion and set aside an order striking a claim for disclosing no reasonable cause of action. The Court noted that neither of the two alleged causes of action were made out in the statement of claim, however, read "generously" together with the particulars and documents incorporated by reference in the pleading, all required elements were disclosed.
The Parties and Allegations
The appellant bought a claim against three individuals and a company at which the appellant had previously worked. Two of the individuals were directors of the company. The claim was grounded in defamation and intentional interference with economic relations.
At the heart of the defamation claim were three emails sent to third parties containing defamatory words: two sent by one defendant, Dipti, and a third sent by a second defendant, Upti. A third defendant, Igne, did not send an email but was alleged to have "acted in concert" with the parties who sent the emails. The respondents agreed that the pleading sufficiently disclosed a defamation claim against Dipti, but argued it failed to disclose a claim as against Upti, Igne or the company.
The motion judge ordered that the claim be struck as against Upti, Igne, and the company for failing to disclose a reasonable cause of action. As noted by the Court of Appeal, the motion judge "appears to have examined the emails as evidence, weighing the inferences that could be drawn from their contents and then concluding there was no allegation or fact to support the pleadings that the respondents acted 'in concert' with Dipti and that the respondents could not be held accountable for the [d]efamatory [w]ords in the Dipti emails."[para.19]
The Court of Appeal noted that under a Rule 21.01(1)(b) motion (a motion to strike out a pleading for disclosing no reasonable cause of action) it must be "plain and obvious" that no reasonable cause of action has been disclosed and that the legal principles applicable are as follows:
1) No evidence is admissible;
2) Facts as pleaded are assumed to be true unless patently ridiculous or incapable of proof;
3) Particulars can be considered as part of the pleading; and
4) The Court is entitled to review the documents referred to in the pleadings.[para.5]
The Court of Appeal agreed that the allegations that the respondents acted in concert with Dipti were "bald" and were conclusions of law, not supported by material fact in the pleading. However, the analysis needed to go further: the Court was required to turn to the particulars to see whether material facts were plead. Of note to the Court of Appeal was the fact that the respondents' counsel had made "a number of demands for particulars over the course of several months, which included increasingly more pointed requests for particulars as to how the respondents acted in concert". The appellants provided particulars which included additional material facts relevant to the respondents' participation in the publication of the emails.
So, rather than examine the emails as evidence and weighing the inferences that could be drawn from them, a proper approach would have been to review "the emails to determine whether what was pleaded (as enhanced by the particulars) was 'patently ridiculous or incapable of proof'" [para.19]. The Court of Appeal concluded that the allegations in the particulars were capable of an interpretation that the respondents acted in concert with Dipti and that the facts as pleaded were neither "patently ridiculous nor incapable of proof".[para.20]
As for the claim of intentional interference with economic relations, the Court of Appeal also agreed that the statement of claim did not address the essential elements of the tort. However, the Court concluded that "on a generous reading of the pleading together with the particulars" all elements of the tort were disclosed and the allegations made were neither incapable of proof nor patently ridiculous. [paras. 30 & 32]
Rule 21 Motions - To Bring or Not to Bring?
I am always a little wary of bringing a Rule 21 motion. As judges are reluctant to dismiss an action on its pleadings, it is a high hurdle to clear and if the claim is struck, leave to amend is usually allowed. Depending on how deficient the claim is, I have to wonder what you are gaining by bringing such a motion. Now the plaintiff has had a chance to make his or her pleading better, your client's money and time has been spent on a motion, and you are back at square one. Unless the claim is truly inadequate, you have to ask, based on the circumstances of the case, is it better to just keep the original pleading? At the very least the deficiencies should be made clear to the other side and amendments requested before a motion is brought.
The case also provides a helpful overview of the elements of the torts of defamation and intentional interference with economic relations. The full decision can be found here: Gaur v. Datta 2015 ONCA 151.
Ontario Court of Appeal: No Claim if Nuisance Arising from Plaintiff's Own Land
In French v. Chrysler Canada Inc., 2015 ONCA 104 the Ontario Court of Appeal examined the tort of nuisance and confirmed that you are out of luck if you want to bring a claim for nuisance emanating from your own backyard.
The Plaintiffs purchased land that was previously owned by Chrysler Canada Inc. and had, at one time, been used as a foundry and asbestos insulation producer. Before selling the land, Chrysler had decommissioned it. The Plaintiffs subsequently brought a claim in negligence for decommissioning the property and failing to remediate it, among other claims. Later, the Plaintiffs sought to amend the Statement of Claim by adding the tort of nuisance for the pollutants emanating from the land and interfering with the Plaintiffs' use and enjoyment of the land. The motion judge denied the amendment finding that there was no tenable claim in nuisance. The Plaintiffs appealed, arguing that the scope of the tort of nuisance has not been finally settled at common law and the claim should be allowed to proceed.
The Court of Appeal disagreed and dismissed the appeal. One of the factors in deciding whether to amend a pleading under Rule 26.01 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 194 is whether the amendment would have been struck out if originally pleaded. Applying the analysis of Hunt v Carey Canada Inc., [1990] 2 S.C.R. 959 a claim will be struck if it has no reasonable chance of success, and the Court of Appeal concluded that such was the case with the current nuisance claim:
"The appellants are effectively arguing that they should be entitled to seek to fundamentally change the law of nuisance. That would be a tenable position, if for example, the appellants sought to expand the tort to a new fact situation not before considered. However, the tort of nuisance has certain defined, long-standing characteristics, which courts have considered to be essential to the tort. In particular, the alleged nuisance must originate somewhere other than on the plaintiff's land. In this case, the appellants seek to establish the tort where the essential character is missing. Their claim has no reasonable chance of success." [emphasis added] [para. 8]
The full decision can be found here.
Ontario Court of Appeal Refuses to Extend Time to File a "General" Notice of Appeal that Lacked a "Scintilla" of Merit to Appeal
In 1250264 Ontario Inc. v. Pet Valu Canada Inc. 2015 ONCA 5 the Ontario Court of Appeal refused to grant an extension of time for the Appellant to file its Notice of Appeal and to perfect the appeal. The Appellant claimed it was late filing the Notice of Appeal due to an administrative error. Justice Pardu observed that the delay was short, there was an explanation provided for the delay, and there was no prejudice to the Respondent. However, Justice Pardu was also
"unable to find any scintilla suggesting that the appeal has merit. The affidavit filed in support of the motion to extend time is silent on the issue of the merits. The notice of appeal is so general I am unable to construct any basis for an arguable appeal from the motion judge's factual findings. Very little would be required to show that there is some basis for an appeal in these circumstances, but I can find nothing." (para.7)
The Notice of Appeal stated the following grounds of appeal:
1. The court below made palpable and overriding errors of fact;
2. The court below made errors of mixed fact and law;
3. The court below made errors of law; and
4. Such further and other grounds as counsel may advise and this Honourable Court may permit. (para.5)
The Motion to extend the time to file the Notice of Appeal was dismissed with costs to the Respondent.
This case acts as a reminder to litigators to avoid the use of general or generic pleadings and that extensions of time to file Notices of Appeal will only be granted when the "justice of the case" requires that an extension be given. Also, it highlights the importance of diarizing appeal dates and double or triple checking your appeal material before filing it with the Court.
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Lot 126 - 2000 Porsche 996 GT3
The Porsche 996 was an all-new design made by Harm Lagaay – the first new 911 that didn’t carry over a significant component from a previous variant. All the bodywork, interior and drive-train were new, including the first water-cooled engine in a 911. The first 996s were available as a coupé or cabriolet, initially with rear wheel, or later, with four-wheel drive, and a 3.4 litre normally aspirated engine producing 296bhp. Porsche Carrera owners complained loudly about the “lower priced car that looked just like theirs did”, hence the headlight change for 2002.
The engine of the GT3 sets it apart from most of the other 996 models, although it shares the same basic 3.6 litre displacement of the standard 996 type. Along with those of the GT2 and Turbo, it is based on the original air-cooled 911’s versatile, true dry-sump crankcase, with an external oil tank. The original version of the GT3 had 360bhp, compared to 300bhp for the regular 996. In GT3 configuration, this so-called “split” crankcase (meaning the parting line of crankcase is on the crankshaft centreline) uses, instead of a fan and finned cylinders, separate water jackets added onto each side of the crankcase to cool banks of three cylinders, with water pumped through a radiator. Thus, the GT3 engine is very similar to the completely water-cooled 962 racing car’s engine, which is based on the same crankcase. The 962 differs, however, by using six individual cylinder heads, while the GT1/GT3, like the air and water-cooled Porsche 959, uses two cylinder heads, each covering a bank of three cylinders. The GT3 engine could therefore also be thought of as similar to a 959 engine, but with the water-cooled cylinders.
Finished in a very rare shade of Bleu D’ Islande metallic paint with a Black leather interior, this UK delivered GT3 is well specified with a rear half cage, carbon seats and trim pack, and Schroth racing harnesses. Offered from long-term ownership during which time the Porsche has been very carefully stored and maintained, the GT3 is supplied with a full service record detailing 15 services in total to support the 46,000 miles covered from new. All in all a fine example of Porsche’s track-orientated modern classic.
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Lot 132 - 2002 Mercedes-Benz CL500
WDB2153752A034094
The name CL stands for the German ‘Coupé Leicht’ or Coupé Light. The CL-Class is based on the S-Class full-size luxury car known at first as the SEC and later S coupé. It was spun off into its own, current name in 1996 and in 1997 for North American markets. The CL continued to follow the same development cycle as the S, although riding on a shorter wheelbase and sharing the same engines albeit with less choice as only the higher-output power trains were offered. The second-generation CL or the W215-chassis coupé of 2000-2006 were offered as: the V8-powered CL500, the supercharged V8-powered CL55 AMG, the V12-powered CL 600 and the limited production 5.5 litre V12 bi-turbo. CL coupés come equipped with the very latest in Mercedes-Benz technology and, along with the S-Class saloons, the CL coupés received all new technological features.
Having covered 122,823 miles from new, this car remains in immaculate condition throughout, – a true testament to the fastidious and caring nature of its owner. Offered with a comprehensive history file that includes numerous invoices, MOT’s and service book with 11 stamps. Last serviced at 122,000 miles and fitted with a new battery, this lovely example is ready to be enjoyed by its next custodian.
Offered with a number of optional extras that include; sat-nav, electric leather heated seats, electric sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, 18inch alloys, cruise control and memory seats.
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24 hours price change: $ 0.000105 (0.16%)
Daily analysis of NEM (XEM) - 3 months
The performance of NEM regarding the price differs every day. To make the best decision to buy NEM, we are analysis in this article the performance of NEM on the different weekdays. The amounts for this analysis are in USD ($). The analysis is performed on the last 3 months, starting on April 16th, 2019 to July 15th, 2019.
In the barchart below, the weekdays and average performance of NEM are shown side by side.
Average daily change in price of NEM per weekday between 04/16/2019 and 07/15/2019.
According to the performance of NEM between April 16th, 2019 and July 15th, 2019, NEM performed the best on Fridays. On average, the price of NEM increased 0.45% on Friday.
The weekday on which the NEM performed the worst, is Thursday. On Thursdays, the NEM declined in value on average by -0.18%.
NEM weekday performance
NEM increased in value on an average Sunday only slightly. The average increase in value of the NEM was 0.10%. Allthough the NEM closed a little higher very day compared to the opening, the variability of this result is high, as shown by the standard deviation (0.42%). This means that on 68 percent of the Sundays, the change in price of the NEM is expected to be in the range of -0.32% and 0.52%.
It is hard to tell whether the NEM will increase or decrease in value on an average Monday. The average change on a Monday for the NEM is -0.04%. However, the standard deviation on this weekday is 0.48%. This means that on most Mondays, the change in value of the NEM is between -0.52% and 0.45%.
It is hard to tell whether the NEM will increase or decrease in value on an average Tuesday. The average change on a Tuesday for the NEM is -0.09%. However, the standard deviation on this weekday is 0.53%. This means that on most Tuesdays, the change in value of the NEM is between -0.62% and 0.44%.
NEM increased in value on an average Wednesday only slightly. The average increase in value of the NEM was 0.18%. Allthough the NEM closed a little higher very day compared to the opening, the variability of this result is high, as shown by the standard deviation (0.66%). This means that on 68 percent of the Wednesdays, the change in price of the NEM is expected to be in the range of -0.48% and 0.85%.
It is hard to tell whether the NEM will increase or decrease in value on an average Thursday. The average change on a Thursday for the NEM is -0.18%. However, the standard deviation on this weekday is 1.12%. This means that on most Thursdays, the change in value of the NEM is between -1.30% and 0.94%.
On an average Friday, the NEM increased 0.45%. However, since the expected deviation is 0.84%, the NEM will decline in value on a Friday quiet regularly. The expected price change of the NEM on a Friday is between -0.39% and 1.29%.
It is hard to tell whether the NEM will increase or decrease in value on an average Saturday. The average change on a Saturday for the NEM is -0.13%. However, the standard deviation on this weekday is 0.62%. This means that on most Saturdays, the change in value of the NEM is between -0.76% and 0.49%.
NEM weekday performance details
Find below the details of the performance of NEM per day of the week. Both the average change in percentage and the standard deviation. The higher the standard deviation is, the higher the variation within the range of average change. Therefore, the 68% range has been added, which represents the change in price on 68% of the days.
Sunday 0.10% 0.42% -0.32% to 0.52%
Monday -0.04% 0.48% -0.52% to 0.45%
Tuesday -0.09% 0.53% -0.62% to 0.44%
Wednesday 0.18% 0.66% -0.48% to 0.85%
Thursday -0.18% 1.12% -1.30% to 0.94%
Friday 0.45% 0.84% -0.39% to 1.29%
Saturday -0.13% 0.62% -0.76% to 0.49%
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CSA Group to Launch Re-Designed Online Store, Offering Expanded Options for Viewing and Accessing CSA-Owned Standards
CSA Group today announced that it will be launching a new and totally re-designed online store, built on an improved, robust technology platform that will deliver a richer portfolio of options for viewing and accessing all CSA-owned standards.
More than 18 months in development, the new store is being reviewed and beta-tested by a group of selected customers with the initial phase expected to go live later this month. The online store will also be featured at CSA Group’s Annual General Meeting, taking place June 18 – 22 in Edmonton, Alberta.
To coincide with CSA Group’s 100th anniversary in 2019, the new online store will offer significant improvements for customers as it rolls out in stages over the next year, including extending the number of CSA-owned standards available through free view-access to 100 percent from the current 50 percent, as well as enhanced subscription-based access to some of CSA Group’s most popular and widely-referenced codes and standards, including the 2018 edition of the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I.
This important milestone marks the latest in CSA Group’s ongoing commitment to providing accessibility to standards. More than a decade ago, CSA Group began offering approximately 415 occupational health and safety standards for free online view-access. Over the years, this portfolio has expanded to include standards for Home Inspection, Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace, Whistleblowing, Oil & Gas Pipeline Systems, and many more.
“CSA Group has maintained our commitment to public safety and social good throughout our history,” said Mary Cianchetti, President of Standards, CSA Group. “With the investments in our new online store and subscription platform, we are able to deliver on our long-held vision of providing accessibility to our complete portfolio of CSA-owned standards and codes to coincide with our 100th anniversary in 2019.”
While free online view-access on the new store will not include standards adopted from, or developed in collaboration with, other standards development organizations, it will eventually include the full portfolio of CSA-owned standards.
CSA Group is one of the largest standards development organizations in North America, conducting research and developing standards for a broad range of technologies and functional areas. CSA Group is also a global provider of testing, inspection, and certification services for products in many market sectors, and a leader in safety and environmental certification for Canada and the U.S.
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Fisheries officials hope to examine dead right whale that washed ashore in N.L.
An endangered North Atlantic right whale that was found lifeless in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is being towed for a post-mortem examination in this file photo. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Marine Animal Response Society)
Adina Bresge , The Associated Press
Published Thursday, July 27, 2017 8:35AM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, July 27, 2017 5:12PM EDT
TROUT RIVER, N.L. -- The latest North Atlantic right whale to be found dead on the East Coast is so decomposed officials say we will likely never know what killed it.
"It's a very flattened whale. It's like a right whale pancake, so it's been drifting and dead for quite a while," Jack Lawson, a research scientist with the Fisheries Department, said in an interview.
Lawson said the whale washed up on a rocky shore near Trout River in western Newfoundland.
Lawson said based on the degree of decay, it's possible the remains belong to one of the eight North Atlantic right whales seen floating in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in recent weeks.
"There was a whale that was seen in June off the southwest coast of Newfoundland drifting out at sea and this could be that whale."
Fisheries officials are taking photographs and samples of the whale and comparing it the floating corpse spotted in the area last month, Lawson said.
"If it's the same animal that was seen a month ago, that's good," he said. "If this is not a new animal, that means we've seen what we've seen, and hopefully the mortalities for this species in the gulf are all documented and finished."
Officials are using genetic testing to see if they can find a match for the carcass from a catalogue of right whales that has been maintained by scientists.
North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered, with only about 525 estimated alive.
Last week, another right whale was hauled to New Brunswick's Miscou Island last week in a bid to determine the cause of death, while another right whale was found entangled in fishing gear in the gulf.
Tests performed earlier on two other North Atlantic right whales in Prince Edward Island also showed signs of blunt trauma -- possibly the result of a collision with a boat. Another died as a result of an entanglement in fishing line.
Lawson said the washed-up carcass is probably too decomposed for scientists to glean the circumstances of its death.
Much of the animal's skin has been sloughed off, he said, and some of its organs appear to be missing.
"The more rotted a whale becomes, the harder it is to determine things like that, and this animal is quite decayed," said Lawson. "I suspect the decision will be not to do a necropsy (animal autopsy) on this animal, because ... the inside more or less goes to a smelly soup, as you can imagine.
"It's impressive when you walk on them. It's like a water bed."
Lawson said the remains washed up in a remote location, and there doesn't appear to be a threat to public safety, so officials will probably let nature take its course in disposing of the animal.
Tonya Wimmer of the Marine Animal Response Society said the Gulf of St. Lawrence has recently seen a resurgence of right whales, whose primary feeding grounds have been in the Bay of Fundy and Roseway Basin.
Ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear are among the greatest man-made threats to right whales' survival, Wimmer said.
The challenge, she said, will be working with the fishing and shipping industries to find ways to protect the animals in the gulf, as has been done in other parts of the Maritimes by rerouting shipping lanes, alerting fishermen to whales' presence and setting speed limits for vessels.
"(It's) about upping the sense of the urgency. It really does need to actually happen quickly," Wimmer said in an interview. "They've got a bit of catching up to do and a bit of a fire under their heels to do it, because as we've seen this year, it can cause major problems, and potentially devastating ones for this extremely small population."
The Fisheries Department closed a snow crab fishing area encompassing most of the southern gulf to protect right whales from the dangers posed by fishing gear.
Disentanglements of right whales were recently put on hold by Ottawa following the death of a whale rescuer in New Brunswick.
-- By Adina Bresge in Halifax
Whale rescue group missions still on hold after volunteer's death
More News from Canada
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10 Cheapest Medical Schools in Florida | Check Here
Filed in School News by TMLTStaff on February 7, 2019
Cheapest Medical Schools in Florida – Are you searching for cheap medical schools in Florida that will fit your needs? Then look no further.
This article will provide you with a list of 10 cheap medical schools in Florida that awards the Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree upon the completion of the study.
Medical schools in the state of Florida are very competitive. You are required to possess a bachelor’s or master’s degree, as well as a Medical College Admission Test score to be considered eligible for admission.
Although studying in a medical school in Florida can be very challenging, you will gain the required skills to help people and even your community after graduation, so it is a risk worth taking.
The following are the list of 10 cheapest medical schools in Florida:
1. Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
This is the graduate medical school of the University of Miami, founded in 1952. It is the oldest medical school in the state of Florida. It offers 1 Medicine Degree program. In a year, about 200 Medical students graduate earning 200 Doctoral degrees. Its estimated tuition & fees are about $43,000.
2. University of Florida College of Medicine
This is the medical school of the University of Florida, founded in 1956. It is part of the J. Hillis Miller Health Science Center, with facilities in Gainesville and Jacksonville.
It offers 1 Medicine Degree program. In a year, about 130 Medical students graduate earning 130 Doctoral degrees. Its estimated tuition & fees are about $34,000 per year (Nonresidents: $62,000).
3. Florida State University College of Medicine
This is the medical school of Florida State University, established in 2000. It offers 1 Medicine Degree program. In a year, about 110 Medical students graduate earning 110 Doctoral degrees. Its estimated tuition & fees are about $23,000 (Nonresidents: $57,000).
4. University of South Florida College of Medicine
This is one of the graduate schools of the University of South Florida, established in 1971. It offers 1 Medicine Degree Program. In a year, about 120 Medical students graduate earning 120 Doctoral degrees. Its estimated tuition & fees are about $30,000 (Nonresidents: $51,000).
5. Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
This is the medical school of the Florida International University, founded in 2006. It offers 1 Medicine Degree program. In a year, about 80 Medical students graduate earning 80 Doctoral degrees. Its estimated tuition & fees are about $34,000 per year (Nonresidents: $65,000).
6. University of Central Florida College of Medicine
This is the medical school of the University of Central Florida, founded in 2006. It offers 1 Medical Degree program. In a year, about 80 Medical students graduate earning 80 Doctoral degrees. Its estimated tuition & fees are about $26,000 per year (Nonresidents: $53,000).
7. Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
This is the medical school of Florida Atlantic University, established in 2011. It offers 2 Medical Degree programs. In a year, about 50 medical students graduate earning 50 Doctoral degrees. Its estimated tuition & fees are about $29,000 (Nonresidents: $64,000).
8. Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
This is a private medical school in Florida, established in 1964. It offers 1 Medical Degree program. In a year, about 190 medical students graduate earning 190 Doctoral degrees. Its estimated tuition & fees are about $27,660.
9. East West College of Natural Medicine
This is acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and massage school in Florida, established in 1994. In a year, only 7 students graduate in the study area of Massage Therapy and Bodywork. Its estimated tuition & fee are about $15,525.
10. University of Central Florida College of Dental Medicine
This is a planned academic college of the University of Central Florida, established in 2011. It offers 1 Medical degree. In a year, only a few students graduate earning a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree. Its estimated tuition & fee are about $22,467.
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Tags: cheapest medical schools for international students, cheapest medical schools in canada, cheapest medical schools in the world, cheapest medical schools in usa, cheapest medical schools in usa for international students, cheapest out of state medical schools, medical school tuition list, why are texas medical schools so cheap
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Palos Verdes Estates hires interim police chief
Palos Verdes Estates Interim Police Chief Dave Hinig.
PALOS VERDES ESTATES >> This Palos Verdes Peninsula city has hired Arcadia’s former longtime police chief to lead the small police force on an interim basis for about six months until a permanent replacement for the outgoing John Eberhard is found.
Hinig retired as chief in the San Gabriel Valley community in 2005 after an almost 40-year career with the city. Since then, he has served as interim chief in Sierra Madre and La Habra, while also performing law enforcement consulting and acting as an expert witness in court cases.
“The department has an excellent reputation in the law enforcement community,” Hinig said. “I look forward to assisting them as we transition to a permanent chief.”
Hinig will be paid $82 an hour and will work no more than 36 hours a week, City Manager Tony Dahlerbruch said.
Eberhard abruptly announced in August he was quitting effective Thursday, sparking speculation about his reasons for leaving a $158,832-a-year post only a year after taking a job that represented the pinnacle of a 28-year law enforcement career with the city.
That prompted Eberhard to publicly deny the suggestion his brief tenure in the job was an example of salary spiking, where a government official takes a brief promotion at the end of his career at higher pay to boost his retirement income.
On the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department website, Eberhard’s official biography — written by former Police Chief Dan Dreiling — says he earned a bachelor’s degree from Pacific Western University in Hawaii. But the state of Hawaii eventually sued the unaccredited school, which operated out of a law office, and forced it to close.
Eberhard could not be reached for comment, but Dahlerbruch denied that had anything to do with Eberhard’s resignation.
“He decided to retire on his own,” Dahlerbruch said. “We are sorry to see him leave. It was a surprise to me that chief Eberhard wanted to retire. I was unaware of anything to do with his education or his background.”
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Home » Daily Current Affairs , Free current Affairs » DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 10 NOV 2017
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 10 NOV 2017
Govt Jobs Portal8:57:00 PMNo comments
1. RADHA MOHAN SINGH INAUGURATES THREE-DAY ORGANIC WORLD CONGRESS – 2017 IN GREATER NOIDA
i. Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated the 3-day Organic World Congress – 2017 at India Expo Centre in Greater Noida. 1,400 representatives from 110 countries, and 2000 delegates from India participated in the Organic World Congress – 2017. The goal is to move from organic India to the organic world.
ii. The Organic World Congress is organized once every three years in a different country. The International Federation of Organic Farming Movements and Organic Farming Association of India are organizing the event.
iii. One of the highlights of the event is the exhibition of carefully preserved diverse indigenous seed varieties over generations. 55 seeds group from 15 Indian states showcase 4,000 varieties of seeds in the event.
2. HDFC BANK LAUNCHED SMARTUP ZONE IN KOCHI
i. HDFC Bank has announced the launch of its SmartUp Zone in Kochi, an exclusive area inside the branch dedicated for start-ups.
ii. SmartUp Zones will be launched in over 65 branches in 30 cities across India, including tier 2 and 3 cities that are emerging as start-up hubs. The objective is to harness the potential of the startup and fintech eco-system using a multi-pronged approach.
3. PM MODI FLAGGED OFF BANDHAN EXPRESS & INAUGURATES TWO BRIDGES
i. ‘Bandhan Express’ a passenger train between Kolkata and Bangladesh’s southwestern industrial city of Khulna was inaugurated on November 9. ’Bandhan Express’ was jointly flagged off (through video conferencing) by Indian PM Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina.
ii. It is a fully air-conditioned passenger train and will run every Thursday from both Kolkata and Khulna. ’Bandhan Express’ will cover 172 kms distance between Kolkata and Khulna in four hours.It is the second Indo-Bangla train service after the Maitree Express, which runs between Dhaka and Kolkata.
iv. The three leaders also inaugurated two bridges over the rivers Meghna and Titas in Bangladesh to provide an end-to-end immigration facility to ease Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree train services.
4. DELHI GOVT SIGNS TWIN CITY AGREEMENT WITH SEOUL
i. Delhi Government signed a twin city agreement with the Seoul Metropolitan Government with an objective to strengthen cooperation between two cities in the fields of smart city, e-governance, climate change and transportation.
ii. This agreement, referred to as ‘Establishment of Friendship City Relationship’ was signed between Park Won Soon, Mayor of Seoul (South Korea) Metropolitan Government and Delhi and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
ii. It also envisages cooperation in the areas of environment, education, solid waste management, waste water management, public health, culture & tourism, and youth exchange. The twin city agreement between Delhi and Seoul will come into effect after being approved by Union Government.
5. INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY MINISTERIAL MEETING HELD IN PARIS
i. International Energy Agency Ministerial meeting was held in Paris, France. Energy security, clean energy technology and government-industry dialogue on investment and digitalization were the key focus areas for this meeting.
ii. Indian delegation to IEA Ministerial Meeting, Paris was led by Union Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Raj Kumar Singh.
iii. During the course of this event, India signed joint work programmes with IEA and other member countries of IEA viz. Brazil, Indonesia, Chile and Thailand.
iv. Mr. Raj Kumar Singh also had a delegate level discussion with the French Minister of State for Ecological and Inclusive Transition, Ms. Brune Poirson on the side lines of this event. He also held discussion with US Secretary of Energy, Mr. James Richard Perry on various issues of Power and New & Renewable Energy.
6. SBI RELEASES ECONOMIC REPORT ON OIL PRICE HIKE, IMPACT ON CAD
i. The Economic Research Department of State Bank of India has released a report on oil price hike and how unlikely it is to impact the Current account deficit and how inflation could stretch fiscal.
ii. The report is authored by Dr. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Adviser of SBI. The report said that, with this rate and assuming oil price reduces to reasonable levels, the Government could receive budgeted Rs 1 lakh cr in small savings in financial year 2018, and would be able to do a buyback of Rs 75000 cr.
iii. It further said that, an average annual one dollar increase in oil price can lead to an increase in oil imports by 1561 million dollars annually.
7. BENGALURU OUTRANKS SAN FRANCISCO IN CONFIDENCE TO GO DIGITAL
i. According to a report based on a survey by Economist Intelligence Unit, published on November 7, 2017, India’s Silicon Valley – Bengaluru has been adjudged as the best city among 45 cities for the confidence of its businesses in their ability to go digital.
ii. Economist Intelligence Unit’s ‘Confidence to go Digital’ survey – Top 5 cities: Bengaluru, India, San Francisco, US, Mumbai, India, New Delhi, India and Beijing, China.
8. INDIA AT 7TH POSITION IN BUSINESS OPTIMISM RANKING: REPORT
i. India has slipped in 'business optimism' index to the 7th position in the September quarter, from the 2nd slot in the previous three months, showing clear signs of lag in the economy, as per Grant Thornton's International Business Report.
ii. Indonesia is at the top, followed by Finland (2nd), the Netherlands (3rd), Philippines (4th), and Austria (5th). According to the quarterly global survey on business optimism, Indian businesses have expressed low confidence over revenue expectations in the next 12 months.
9. PAYPAL LAUNCHES DOMESTIC PAYMENTS IN INDIA
i. American digital payments company PayPal launched domestic operations in India. At launch, Indian consumers will be able to make transactions at select online merchants.
ii. Merchants offering PayPal will be able to process both local and global payments through the platform, getting access to PayPal’s more than 200 million customers around the world and in India through a single integration.
iii. However, customers in India will not be able to store any money in their PayPal accounts as the company is yet to receive a prepaid payment instrument licence from the RBI.
10. IDFC BANK PARTNERS WITH MOBIKWIK
i. IDFC Bank has entered into a “strategic alliance” with mobile wallet major MobiKwik to launch a co-branded virtual Visa prepaid card for customers of MobiKwik.
ii. Important feature of this alliance is one need not be a customer of IDFC Bank to use the co-branded pre-paid card.
11. SAINA NEHWAL BEATS PV SINDHU TO BECOME NATIONAL CHAMPION FOR 3RD TIME
i. World number 11 Saina Nehwal became the national champion for the third time, defeating world number 2 PV Sindhu in the women's singles final of Senior National Badminton Championships, in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
ii. Nehwal, who had previously won senior nationals in 2006 and 2007, won with the scoreline of 21-17, 27-25. Saina has played nationals thrice, winning the title each time.
OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS BASED ON TODAY’S NEWS
Q1. WHERE WAS THE ORGANIC WORLD CONGRESS – 2017 INAUGURATED?
a) Gonda
b) Lucknow
c) Ayodhya
d) Greater Noida
Q2. THE BANDHAN EXPRESS, A PASSENGER TRAIN WAS FLAGGED OF AND INAUGURATED VIRTUALLY BETWEEN INDIA AND WHICH COUNTRY?
a) Bangladesh
b) Pakistan
c) Nepal
d) Sri Lanka
Q3. DELHI GOVERNMENT SIGNED A TWIN CITY AGREEMENT WITH WHICH CITY OF SOUTH KOREA, WITH AN OBJECTIVE TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION BETWEEN TWO CITIES IN THE FIELDS OF SMART CITY, E-GOVERNANCE, CLIMATE CHANGE AND TRANSPORTATION?
a) Daegu
b) Seoul
c) Ulsan
d) Incheon
Q4. WHERE THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY MINISTERIAL MEETING DID WAS HELD AT?
a) Holland
b) Switzerland
c) France
d) Polland
Q5. WHICH PRIVATE SECTOR BANK ENTERED INTO A PARTNERSHIP WITH MOBIKWIK COMPANY TO LAUNCH A CO-BRANDED VIRTUAL VISA PREPAID CARD FOR CUSTOMERS OF MOBIKWIK?
a) DCB bank
b) Bandhan bank
c) Catholic Syrian bank
d) IDFC Bank
1 - D 2 - A 3 - B 4 - C 5 - D
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at a stretch
Also, at one stretch. At one time, during one period. For example, Working quickly, she hoped to finish all the drawings at a stretch. In contrast to the nearly synonymous at a sitting, this idiom, first recorded in 1774, does not imply being seated while engaging in a single continuous activity. Rather, it transfers the meaning of stretch as “a continuous length” to “a continuous time period.”
A Look At American Sign LanguageWhat is ASL or American Sign Language? American Sign Language, or ASL, is the visual signing language used by the Deaf community in the United States. English speakers in Canada and in a handful of other counties use ASL, too. Interestingly, those countries include the Philippines, Singapore, Jamaica, China, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cambodia, and Bolivia—a varied group. There are other sign languages …
What Does Amen Mean At The End Of A Prayer?Weekends are when many Americans gather in their respective houses of worship and repeat the same word: amen. But, what does the word mean? And, why do people say it?
at a discount, at a loss, at a low ebb, at a premium, at a sitting, at a stretch, at a time, at a word, at about, at all, at all costs
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Million Dollar Highway
In the state of Colorado of the United States of America there’s a special highway built in the late 1880's: the Million Dollar Highway, part of the San Juan Skyway. It's one of the nation’s most spectacular drives. You'll be on the "outside" for a while with a hell of a view to your right (let the passenger look. You'll want to watch the road). Forget standard driving safety measures like guardrails and shoulders, there aren't any on this stretch, so swerving off the road is not advised!
Death Road
La Carretera de los Yungas was, probably, the most famous road in the world as well as the most dangerous. This gravel dirt track covers a 69-kilometre (43 mi) stretch between La Paz and Coroico, in the Yungas region of Bolivia.
Atlantic Ocean Road
Located in the midwest part of the Norwegian coastline, the Atlantic Road is one of the most scenic drives in the world. Driving along this road is like teetering on the edge of the sea. The curvy road dips and arches over the brutal waves of the Norwegian Sea that often crash over the pavement during storms. This unique highway will bring you out to the very farthest point where the land ends and the ocean begins.
Skippers Canyon Road
The Skippers Canyon Road, located in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island, is today one of New Zealand's better known scenic roads and unbelievably scary as it’s totally narrow and different to manouvre your car. This gravel road, with a length of 16,5 miles, carved by hand by miners over 140 years ago is made from a very narrow cut in the middle of a sheer cliff face. It’s a road so dangerous that your rental car insurance won’t be honored if you drive on it.
Bayburt Of Yolu-D915
D915 is one of the most challenging roads in the world. Located in the Trabzon province, Turkey, the road is extreme, bordered by a drop of hundreds of meters unprotected by guardrails. It’s definitely not for anyone suffering from vertigo or a fear of landslides. Only the suicidal, the insane, or the paid-to-do-this should ever drive down. This road has humbled many egos. One mistake and it's a free fall to your death.
Leh Manali Highway
The Leh-Manali Highway is a high mountain road situated in India. It spans over a length of 479 km (298 mi) among the Himalaya mountain range. It passes through some of the world’s highest mountain passes in the world, with a mean altitude in between 2 to 3 miles above sea level. Uncertain weather, high altitude, extreme cold and no civilization for miles make this a very treacherous track. Carry extra fuel and feel close to heaven.
Furka Pass
The Furka pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.431 m (7,976ft) above the sea level, located in one of the snowiest regions in Switzerland. It’s one of the world's most iconic, exhilarating and exciting drives, through the Swiss Alps. The pass was imortalised by the Aston DB5 / Ford Mustang car chase in James Bond's Goldfinger. It's one of the highest mountain roads of the Alps.
Fairy Meadows Road
Fairy Meadows Road is a spectacular and dangerous high mountain track with a length of 16,2km, located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The gravel road is completely unmaintained, there are no guardrails to protect you, and it gets so narrow that near the end you’ll have to cover the last section by walking or biking. Drivers must remain cautious as the pass has been known to claim the lives of careless drivers.
Tian Men Shan Big Gate Road
Located within the Tianmen Mountain National Park, in northwestern Hunan Province, China, the Tianmen Shan Big Gate Road (also called the Tianmen Winding Mountain Road) is 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) long from the bottom to the top. The highest point of the road is at 1.300m above sea level, and the lowest point is 200m. The construction of the road took eight years, finishing in 2006.
Kahekili Highway
Kahekili Highway is a strip of one-lane paved road framed by rock on one side and sheer cliff drops on the other with a length of 20 miles from Kapalua to Wailuku. It’s a legendary road known for its snaking turns, narrow passages, and dangerous road conditions, though nowadays that last factor is gone, since the road was completely repaved not too long ago.
Mokee (or Moki) Dugway
The Mokee (or Moki) Dugway, located on Utah Route 261 just north of Mexican Hat, Utah is a staggering, graded dirt switchback road carved into the face of the cliff edge of Cedar Mesa. It consists of 3 miles of steep, unpaved, but well graded switchbacks (11% grade), which wind 1,200 feet from Cedar Mesa to the valley floor near Valley of the Gods.
Col du Chaussy is a high mountain pass, at an elevation of 1.533m (5,029ft) above the sea level, traversed by the D77B road, located in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The road to reach the summit starts with the famous “lacets de Montvernier”, a special 3 km stretch with 17 hairpins as the road virtually climbs a cliff. It's an improbable road clinging to the edge of the cliff. It's one of the most scenic drives in the world.
Lysevegen
The popular tourist road Lysevegen in Forsand in Ryfylke (FV500) is a curvy mountainous road going from Lysebotn innermost in the Lysefjord to Sirdal, with a length of 29 km (18 mi.) This is an impressive road in the high mountains of Rogaland and Vest Agder some of it single carriageway with passing places - with impressive scenery and weather. It’s one of the famoushairpinned roads in the world.
Tail of the Dragon
With 318 curves in 11 miles, it's America's number one motorcycle and sports car road. Deals Gap, also known as Tail of the Dragon, is a portion of U.S. Route 129 in Blount County, Tennessee, situated in a gap in Swain County, North Carolina, United States. It's heralded as one of the most scenic drives in USA.
The Stelvio Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.757m (9,045ft) above the sea level, located in the Ortler Alps in Italy between Stilfs in South Tyrol and Bormio in the province of Sondrio. It's one of the highest mountain roads of Europe. The road itself is a marvel of engineering skill; the exhilarating serpentine sections ask to be driven by experienced drivers for their own sakes. All in all, this could be the most magnificent road pass in Europe. It's one of the most scenic drives in the world.
Oh-My-God Road
Oh-My-God Road is a 8,46 miles very scenic trail located in Clear Creek County, Colorado (USA) at an elevation of 7,581 to 9,383 feet, linking Idaho Springs at I-70 to Central City near Highway 119. The road gets its name from being a two-way road that is only about a car and three quarters wide, graveled, with no guard rails and washed out shoulders. Not only are there no guard rails, a daring glance down reveals incredibly steep cliffs.
Pikes Peak, cheesily called “America's Mountain", is a a high mountain peak at an elevation of 4.302m (14,115ft) above the sea level, located in the Rocky Mountains in El Paso County in the United States of America. Along the way you’ll encounter some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world as you wind your way through an alpine wonderland of scenic beauty, mountain reservoirs, beyond timberline, overtaking the clouds… It's one of the highest roads of the USA.
Shafer Canyon Road
Shafer Trail Road-Shafer Canyon Road is a 18 miles dangerous dirt track located in Moab, a city in Grand County, in eastern Utah, in the western United States. It requires extreme caution at the best of times for vehicles and mountain bikes, but especially so in inclement weather and at night.
Passage du Gois is a natural passage with a length of 4,3km (2.58-miles), located on the Atlantic coast of France in the Vendée department. This stretch of the D948 road is periodically flooded leading to the island of Noirmoutier in France. It is flooded twice a day by the high tide. Pack an inflatable boat for driving this 4.3km road because just say for some crazy reason you mix up the tide times, then – like vehicles in the past – you might disappear beneath the salty brine. Located on France’s Atlantic coast, the road floods twice daily with incoming tides and as the tides go out slippery seaweed is left all over it.
Strada Statale Amalfitana
The popular Amalfi Coast route (SS 163 Amalfitana) follows the shoreline from Sorrento south to Salerno, in Italy. Locals recommend planning a drive of the Amalfi Coast during the shoulder tourist seasons, mid-September to October and May, when the road is less crowded and lumbering tour buses are fewer. It's one of the best coastal drives in the world. Picturesque Amalfi has been featured in films for as long as cameras have rolled at 24 frames per second.
AutopartsPro.co.uk
AdvancedWriters.com
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Twentynine Palms Gateway To Joshua National Park
Twentynine Palms is situated at the Northern entrance of Joshua National Park. Many travelers pass through town without giving this sleepy desert oasis a second thought.
Most of the town’s revenue is from the nearby 29 palms marine base and tourists heading to Joshua Park for a day.
Twentynine Palms was named for the palm trees surrounding the Oasis of Mara. The Oasis is the location of the Joshua National Park visitor center and has a nature trail that winds through the oasis.
Things To Do In Twentynine Palms
Twentynine Palms has a thriving artist colony with many art galleries in and around town. Artists are attracted to the area due to clear skies, dry air, amazing desert landscapes, and affordable cost of living. The city hosts art festivals throughout the year, a popular Pioneer Days Event, street fairs, motorcycle races, and much more.
Twentynine Palms Murals
The town and surrounding community 26 murals are decorated with 25 murals that depict the history of Twentynine Palms . Mural themes ranch from the early Indians, miners, settlers, to desert storm. There are also numerous public art and sculptures scattered through the town. Be sure to stop by the Twentynine Palms visitor center and art gallery for a map of mural locations.
Sky’s The Limit Observatory & Nature Center
Sky’s The Limit Observatory is operated by a group of volunteers. Visitors can bring their own telescopes and check out volunteers who have set up their own telescope. Tours, school groups, and clubs can arrange for a private stargazing tour. There is also a small nature trail with meditation garden. Defiantly worth checking out if you are staying overnight in Twentynine Palms. Sky’s The Limit Observatory 9697 Utah Trail Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 760-367-7222
29 Palms Art Gallery
There are plenty of art galleries in town but if you only have time to visit one then 29 Palms Art Gallery is a good choice. Housed in and historic adobe built in 1936 and run by the local artist guild the art gallery host revolving exhibits. Featured artist exhibitions, and guild member exhibits and art classes. 29 Palms Art Gallery 74055 Cottonwood Drive Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 760.367.7819
Noah Purifoy’s Outdoor Desert Art Museum
View a collection of wild and unusual artworks made out of anything and everything. Admission to this unusual collection of artwork is free. Noah Purifoy Joshua Tree Outdoor Museum 63030 Blair Lane Joshua Tree, CA 92252
Glass Outhouse Art Gallery
The Glass Outhouse Art Gallery, located on Thunder Road just off Highway 62, is unique in several different ways, beginning with its location: a lonely spot in the desert, a few miles from the nearest town, Twenty-nine Palms, yet the gallery draws artists and art collectors from all over the country. 77575 Highway 62, Twentynine Palms, California.
Big Morongo Canyon Preserve
A spring-fed desert oasis lies within the preserve’s boundaries, and Cottonwood and Willow Trees grow to great heights. Big Morongo Preserve is internationally recognized as one of the top bird watching sites in North America. National Geographic has featured the preserve in its popular Guide to Bird Watching Sites. Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is located just off State Route 62, the park is open year round.
Joshua Tree National Park sits on the border of Riverside and San Bernardino counties and is the most popular place to visit while in Twentynine Palms. Over half of the park’s 800,000 acres has been officially designated as a wilderness area, which gives outdoor enthusiasts many opportunities to pursue their passions.
As you can see there is plenty more to Twentynine Palms than visiting Joshua Tree National Park. There is a wide selection of eateries from American BBQ to Asian and Italian. If you want to stay a few days Twentynine Palms offer hotels, motels RV Parks and vacation rentals. There is even a drive-in movie theater.
Filed Under: DESERT TRIPS
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2017-06-28 Showcasing the Inclusive Playground at Bellevue’s Inspiration Playground
2016-12-12 Design Concepts Announces New Staff
2016-06-23 The Park at Arapahoe Fairgrounds Celebrates Grand Opening and Block Party
2015-08-21 Design Concepts Promotes Dave Peterson to Associate
2015-06-10 Design Concepts Unveils ‘One Million Served’ Study in Celebration of GO Day
2015-05-06 DC Celebrates New Hires and Staff Accomplishments
2014-12-29 Axel Bishop Receives Distinction as 'Fellow' by ASLA
2014-12-08 Erik Spring Associate Announcement
2014-09-16 Frances Jacobs
2014-08-21 Conservatory Green
2014-07-29 Meadow Crest
2012-03-27-video
Design Concepts completes cutting-edge study of play infrastructure in Alexandria, Virginia to prevent obesity and encourage play
Lafayette, CO...May 23, 2012
Design Concepts of Lafayette, Colorado, an award-winning landscape architecture and planning firm specializing in parks, playgrounds, and schools, recently completed a cutting-edge study of a city's play places as a system. The study, conducted in Alexandria, Virginia, is unique because it considered the entire environment at locations where children play, not just the play equipment, and used an innovative methodology for measuring levels of service for play spaces citywide. Research has shown that play, including unstructured activity and contact with nature, is important for many reasons, such as physical health and social and intellectual development.
"We are using the assessment study as a springboard to bring awareness about play and address the needs for children ages two to five in Alexandria," said Carrie Fesperman Redden, MPH, MCRP, health planner for the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria, a citizen-led coalition of nonprofit organizations, schools, municipal agencies, local businesses, government and community leaders, and concerned citizens. An assessment report and video that Design Concepts produced are "critical building blocks for building a play movement in Alexandria, drawing attention to the importance of play, and determining how we can improve opportunities for children," said Fesperman Redden.
The project was funded by a Kaiser Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) grant. The Alexandria Childhood Obesity Action Network, collaborating with the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria, Alexandria Smart Beginnings, the City of Alexandria, and others, hired Design Concepts and team members GreenPlay, LLC of Lafayette, Colorado, and psychologist Helle Burlingame, Ph.D., of Olympia, Washington, to assess Alexandria's playground infrastructure and the quality, distribution, and accessibility of play spaces for toddlers and preschoolers. A recent health survey of Alexandria, a city of 140,000 located six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C., indicated high obesity levels among children. The city has a large proportion of immigrant families and young parents the coalition hopes to reach with information about the importance of play and good places to play. While the focus of the study was on play opportunities for 6,000 young children, it also evaluated play for children of all ages. The coalition also asked the team to propose actions to improve and expand on these opportunities.
The team developed an assessment survey and evaluated 86 public and private playgrounds at parks, schools, churches, public housing developments, and apartment complexes, using geographic information system (GIS) technology and Geo-Referenced Amenities Standards Program (GRASP®) methodology. Developed primarily by Design Concepts and GreenPlay, GRASP® methodology assesses the value of parks and recreation facilities and other infrastructure in communities. In the past 10 years, Design Concepts has conducted GRASP® studies in more than 75 cities in 30 states, including evaluations of how communities provide an environment for active living and health.
The study included an inventory of play spaces, with an evaluation of the functionality of each play space; an analysis of the physical distribution of and access to play spaces across Alexandria; focus groups with daycare providers, family services, and others to determine the community's needs, values, and priorities for play; a citywide evaluation of the gaps, opportunities, and constraints that affect access to play; and value scores for play spaces, as well as recommendations and strategies for improving access to play spaces for young children. Using a numerical scale developed for the project, each play space was assigned a play space score, which was also used to measure levels of service for play citywide. Parts of the city with lower levels of service were identified and targeted for improvements to play spaces to enhance opportunities for healthy play.
Through the study, "we were able to confirm what everyone suspected about current play spaces, and then quantify what the deficits were," said Rob Layton, RLA, FASLA, CPRP, the Design Concepts principal in charge of the project. "The advantage of looking at play citywide is that the community doesn't have to address all needs in all places. A cluster of play spaces in one part of the city that work together can provide a wide range of experiences for the children that live there."
The study was begun in April 2011 and completed in February, 2012. The study report is available athttp://healthieralexandria.org/HealthyLifestyles/content.aspx?id=57274. Design Concepts also produced a video on play to encourage Alexandria parents to take their children to playgrounds every day, and to different places to experience different kinds of play. The video is available athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDuXZwZlDQM.
Using data and recommendations from the study, the Alexandria Childhood Obesity Action Network launched the Project Play Task Force to raise awareness about the importance of play, improve play environments for Alexandria children, and ensure that every child has access to a high-quality playground. Alexandria's obesity prevention campaign will include outreach such as information sessions and maps showing the location of play places that will be distributed at community centers, schools, PTOs, churches, and preschools.
The City of Alexandria recently was named one of 213 Playful City USA Communities by KaBOOM! for its efforts to increase play opportunities for children. Playful City USA, sponsored by the Humana foundation, is a national program advocating for local policies that improve children's play opportunities.
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About the Expo
Affinity Lunch Topics
Expo Details
Legislative Workshops
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Trade Show Floor Map
Vendor Presentations
Workshop Panelists
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About New Brunswick
Registration Overview
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President, CBG Communications
Thomas G. (Tom) Robinson is President and CEO of CBG Communications, Inc. For decades, he has worked with local governments, PEG Access organizations and other public-sector entities across the United States on broadband, cable television, telecommunications and right-of-way (ROW) management projects. He is a frequent speaker at telecommunications, local government, community media and technical conferences. Prior to joining CBG, Mr. Robinson was Director of Technology Development for River Oaks Communications Corporation, and he also served for 10 years as Chief of the Cable Regulatory Division for Fairfax County, Virginia. Earlier, he worked as a System Designer and then in product management for Magnavox CATV Systems, Inc. (acquired by Arris), and began his career in radio and television in Baltimore, Maryland and Syracuse, New York. He is a graduate of Syracuse University and Towson University and is based in Ridgewood, New Jersey. CBG also has offices in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area and St. Paul, Minnesota.
Mr. Robinson brings to CBG extensive experience in:
Telecommunications, cable television, broadband, and technology review, analysis, survey, system development and other project tasks
Reviewing the operations, facilities and equipment of PEG Access providers
Negotiating with industry representatives
Meeting and working with local elected and appointed officials and staff personnel
Facilitating the activities of Advisory Committees (including both public and private sector representatives)
Making presentations to City and County Councils, Commissions and Boards
©2019 Eastern Video Expo
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fillmore east
Jimi Hendrix on New Year's Eve
On new year’s eve in 1969, Jimi Hendrix saw in the new decade with a new musical direction. Band of Gypsies was one of several permutations of lineups he played with in a short but explosive career, and moved his focus away from psychedelic pop-rock to soul, funk and hard-hitting RnB.
His rhythm playing is sometimes an on overlooked aspect of his highly influential guitar style. In the studio he famously layered up dozens of parts and could dedicate his energies to beautifully orchestrated rhythm and lead overdubs.
But on stage he had to find one-man solutions to these parts which often led to him weaving between the two. ‘Ezy Rider’ written after the 1969 road trip movie of the same name is just one such example, performed at San Francisco's Fillmore East that night with Buddy Miles on drums and Billy Cox on bass. If you can forgive the wayward tuning of Hendrix's instrument, the funky octaves and soaring solos more than compensate:
Tagged: jimi hendrix, Electric guitar, new year's eve, fillmore east
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Annual Civic Remembrance Commemoration and Wreath Laying Event
During the First World War (1914 – 1918) no formal showcase was made of South Africa’s involvement in that war. In 1940, Capt J Agar-Hamilton was appointed official historian of the Union Defence Forces. The formation of an Historical Research Committee that same year was to ensure the preservation of documents and military memorabilia and lay the foundation for the establishment of a museum.
The South African National War Museum was officially opened on 29 August 1947 by the then Prime Minister of South Africa, Field Marshal J C Smuts PC, CM, OM, DTD, KC. At the opening ceremony, Smuts stated the following: “… We are gathered here today to open what may not unfairly be looked upon as a memorial to the greatest united effort our country has been called upon to produce. Memorials, of course, have more than one use. They serve to remind us of what is past, of great deeds of heroism and sacrifice; they also serve as a pointer, and sometimes as a warning to the future.
It is in these senses that the South African War Museum may be regarded as a memorial. It will remind us, I hope, not only of the part we played in the recent great struggle to save civilization, but also of the horrors, the loss of life and the devastation, and serve as a warning to us to create a world in which we shall never have to use again the weapons of mass destruction we see here today, or those dreadful weapons to follow them …”
He was referring to South Africa’s participation in the Second World War and had pinpointed the raison d’etre of the Museum’s existence. In 1975 the Museum’s name was changed to the South African National Museum of Military History and its scope was expanded to include the history of all military conflict in which South Africans have played a part. The Museum also serves as a popular and unusual venue for conferences and other functions.
In 1999, following the restructuring process of national museums, the Museum was amalgamated together with the Transvaal Museum of Natural History and the National Cultural History Museum into the Northern Flagship Institution. This institution was renamed Ditsong: Museums of South Africa in 2009 and the Museum is now called the Ditsong National Museum of Military History.
The Museum is also regarded as the spiritual and symbolic home for all soldiers and veterans in South Africa. As a result a number of veterans’ organisations use the Museum as their headquarters. The South African Military History Society, the South African Arms and Ammunition Collectors Association, the South African Arms and Armour Society, the Gold Reef Scale Modelers and the Warsaw Flights Commemoration Committee use the Museum for monthly and annual meetings and are considered to be part of the 20 organisations that are stakeholders.
To be a memorial for all South Africans who have died in or as a result of military actions and to preserve our nation’s military history for future generations.
The Museum provides programmes and activities for all age groups.
A visit to the Museum may include:
An opportunity to study relevant artefacts on display
A guided tour, available on request during the week
An opportunity on weekdays to use our extensive library and photographic facilities for research purposes on week days only.
The Military History Journal
Published bi-annually in conjunction with the South African Military History Society, the journal carries articles on military history (especially South African Military History), as well as book reviews, letters, personal reminiscences and news of the activities of the SA Military History Society. You can visit the Society’s website at www.samilitaryhistory.org .
The Museum Despatches
This newsletter appears twice a year and informs our stakeholders of the latest news and developments at the Museum. Included are informative articles on activities and special events, new displays, special visitors and staff.
Prices for Adults, Learners and Senior Citizens
Learners/Students and Children
SA Senior Citizens
International Visitors : Adults
International Visitors : Child
Educator/Lecturer
Conferencing Facilities
The W F Faulds VC Conference and Function Centre
The Marrières Wood Banqueting Room, the Delville Wood Workshop Room and the J C Lemmer Auditorium are the facilities that constitute the W F Faulds VC Centre. The Dan Pienaar Gun Park is also available for evening functions.
The Marrières Wood Room
On the ground floor
For dining and cocktail functions
Kitchen for use by caterers
Seating space for 160 diners
Cocktail space for 250/ 300 participants
The Delville Wood Room
On the first floor
Covered external stairways
Workshop seating with moveable trapezoid desks for 100 people
Suitable for exhibitions and displays
The J C Lemmer Auditorium
Seating for 176 people cinema style
Two white boards
DVD and video facilities
The Dan Pienaar Gun Park
Cocktail and dining facility
Kitchen and preparation area
Cocktail space for 350 participants
The Museum does not provide its own catering but can offer a list of recommended service providers. Tea, coffee and biscuits can be arranged on request.
Prices for the use of the Museum facilities are dependent on the facilities required, staff overtime and the length of the function.
The Lt Gen A M L Masondo library, archives and photo archives has a unique collection of over 70 000 books, periodicals, primary archival material and photographs. Pre-arranged bookings for viewing archival files and photographs must be made. Identity books must be shown before any viewing can take place.
Interviews with military veterans are conducted in the library as part of an ongoing oral history collection project.
Services provided by the Information Centre for a fee include
Photocopy facilities
Prints or scans of photographs
This is not a lending library.
No service records of South Africans in the First and Second World Wars and the Border War are held here. These are available at the SA National Defence Force Documentation centre. You can contact them at sandfdoc@mweb.co.za .
No service records of British soldiers who fought in the Anglo Boer War are kept. These are available from the National Archives in the United Kingdom. You may visit their website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
The War Store, not attached to the Museum, sells military ephemera to collectors. After a tour of the Museum, visitors can relax and order refreshments at the Vargas Café. For more details on both stores visit www.warstore.co.za
22 Erlswold Way, Saxonwold, Johannesburg, South Africa
PO Box 52090 Saxonwold, 2132
26°09' 47″ S 28°02' 30″ E
Tel: 087 086 7019; 011 646 5513
E-mail: heierli@ditsong.org.za
Admission Daily:
(Excluding Good Friday, Christmas Day and the first Sunday in September when the Jazz on the Lake concert is held at Zoo Lake)
Facilities for Visitors with Disability:
All exhibition areas, displays, the Auditorium and the Marrieres Wood Room are easily accessible. Toilets for the disabled are provided.
The Museum is situated in Erlswold Way in the northern Johannesburg suburb of Saxonwold adjacent to the Johannesburg Zoo and close to the recreational area of Zoo Lake. It is easily reached by road and bus routes down Oxford Road and Jan Smuts Avenue pass by our entrance. The latter option leaves a short walk to the Museum. There is ample parking for the motorist.
Register for Event: Annual Civic Remembrance Commemoration and Wreath Laying Event
Your ticket for the: Annual Civic Remembrance Commemoration and Wreath Laying Event
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You are here:Home/Resources/ Bliss-Tyler Correspondence/ Search the Letters/ Royall Tyler to Robert Woods Bliss, April 12, 1938 [2]
Royall Tyler to Robert Woods Bliss, April 12, 1938 [2]
12.IV.38
Dear Robert.
I’ve cabled to you today: “My letter 31 March Fiedler advising owner MadonnaBZ.1938.62. ask 25 please consider and prepare cable instructions on receiving propostion love.”See telegram of April 12, 1938 [1].
I’ve had a note from Fiedler saying that he has given above advice, and asking me to say whether the price of 25000 bucks will be accepted. I’m replying to him that I can’t give him any indication as to that until the object has been offered firm at that price.
I’ve also had a letter from Volbach, who has been to see the relief again. He says that on reexamination he likes it as much as ever, isn’t aware of any disproportions, & doesn’t believe it can be dated later than the XI. I’m really in agreement with him. I forget whether I told you that I was able to examine, in Venice, with the photo. of Prince L’s in my hand, the various Byz. or near-Byz. Madonnas in S. Marco?The orant Virgin sculptures in the church of Saint Mark, Venice, variously located in the north aisle, on the northwest pier of the cupola, and on the west facade. See Otto Demus, The Church of San Marco in Venice: History, Architecture, Sculpture (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Trustees for Harvard University, 1960), pls. 36, 37, and 43.Prince L’s easily beats them all, except perhaps for the Madonna delle GrazieVirgin, in the north aisle of the church of Saint Mark, Venice, See Otto Demus, The Church of San Marco in Venice: History, Architecture, Sculpture (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Trustees for Harvard University, 1960), pl. 36.—and she may look so good only because she is hung all over with hearts & one can’t see her well. Prince L’s is certainly far finer in style & finer (and more attractive) than the one in S. Marco that’s nearest to her: i.e. the Madonna in the Deesis group, once in Aquileia Cath.,See Otto Demus, The Church of San Marco in Venice: History, Architecture, Sculpture (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Trustees for Harvard University, 1960), pl. 32. now embedded in the wall, inside the church, just to the R. as one enters by the southern most of the 3 doors in the narthex—W. end.
I’ve got an appointment with Geoffrey Dodge on Fri. 15th, in Paris, to see something he is anxious to show me, for you.
Much love to you both
R. T.
Associated People: Friedrich (“Fritz”) Volbach; Geoffrey Dodge; Hermann Fiedler
Associated Places: Venice [Venezia] (Italy)
Associated Artworks: BZ.1938.62
Associated Letters:
Royall Tyler to Robert Woods Bliss, March 31, 1938;
Royall Tyler to Mildred Barnes Bliss and Robert Woods Bliss, April 12, 1938 [1]
Bliss-Tyler Correspondence
Search the Letters
Historical Introductions
Artwork Acquisition Timeline
« Previous: Royall Tyler to Mildred Barnes Bliss and Robert Woods Bliss, April 12, 1938 [1] Next: Royall Tyler to Robert Woods Bliss, April 15, 1938 »
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Abortion amendment up for vote at midterms
CHARLESTON — Apart from the midterm race for U.S. Senate, both major political parties in West Virginia sense that an amendment impacting abortion costs will drive voters to the polls.
Amendment 1 would add language emphasizing the state Constitution does not protect a woman’s right to an abortion and does not require state funding of such procedures.
Medicaid covers abortion services for poor women in West Virginia — one of 17 states with such practice. The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled in 1993 the state has an obligation to provide necessary medical care, including abortions, to low-income residents.
The pro-life state Republican executive committee unanimously voted this month to support Amendment 1. GOP chair Melody Potter told MetroNews “Talkline” tax dollars should not be used to fund abortions.
“Women will still have the right according to Roe v. Wade, which is a federal decision to get an elective abortion,” she said. “Physicians will still be able to make the determination in case of rape, incest or the life of the mother, whether a woman should get a taxpayer-funded abortion.”
West Virginia Democratic Party chair Belinda Biafore called the amendment “just too extreme,” claiming low-income women are in danger if they lack access to medical attention.
“If it’s your wife, your daughter, your sister, is this what you want for them?” she said. “I can’t imagine anyone in today’s world that would allow this to happen to a mother.”
Potter called Democrats advocates for “killing the life of the unborn child.”
The proposed amendment reads: “Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion.”
Potter called the Democrat Party “the axis of death and destruction” during her radio interview. “Conservatives and Republicans, I guarantee you, are going to go out and vote for this amendment.”
Biafore contends West Virginia Democrats are energized by the education work stoppage this year.
“I’ve seen women come alive, and they’re tired of being pushed around,” Biafore said. “The majority of our teachers are women, and they’re tired of being pushed around.”
A second constitutional amendment on the ballot would give the state Legislature oversight of the judicial system’s budget. A majority of voters is needed to pass constitutional amendments.
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Musical score for Ganondagan Iroquois film and Lion King’s Garth Fagan dancers!
Screen shot from the music scoring studio.
What happens when a pregnant young woman named Sky Woman, falls through a hole in Sky World? She lands on the back of a great turtle and starts a new world, called Turtle Island. The Iroquois Creation Story film tells the story of how our earth came to be according to the oral story recited by the Haudenosaunee people for hundreds of years. This 16-minute film combines animation and dance to tell the story of Sky Woman and her grandsons, Flint and Sky Holder [postcard].
The above film description comes from the postcard handed to me by the film’s producer director Peter Jemison of Ganondagan Historic Site in western New York. However, the details are missing from the brief explanation above. The film is being produced by Ganondagan, through Friends of Ganondagan, with Peter at the helm. A team from Rochester Institute of Technology have animated the film, spearheaded by Catherine Ashworth. In addition to traditional Iroquois dancers, renown choreographer Garth Fagan and his modern dancers collaborated with Peter and the Iroquois dancers to help bring the story to life onscreen. Celebrated singer Joanne Shenandoah narrates the film, and sings a beautiful Seneca Anthem that will be heard during the final onscreen credits.
I write that Joanne “will be heard” singing on the credits because I’ve not composed that part of the film score yet! The song itself, Seneca Anthem, is an endearing one, composed in 1976 and based on a melody that Avery Jimerson learned from his father, “...with a text composed entirely of vocables” writes Mary Frances Riemer on the Ethnic Folkways Recordings album cover containing the song. About the song, she continues, “The power of the Anthem rests solely on its melody and slow measured pace, evoking the quiet dignity and pride of the Senecas” [Riemer, Seneca Social Dance Music; EFR FE-4072, 1980]. Joanne has recorded herself on the Anthem, but I have yet to arrange and orchestrate the song; I have completed about 11 minutes of the orchestral score with another 4-5 remaining.
The film score is primarily orchestral, but prominently features 3 traditional Iroquois songs, sung by traditional singers, including “Eskanyea,” “Shake The Bush,” and “Wasaze.” The traditional songs are woven into the story, sometimes with orchestral accompaniment, sometimes without, and the score features Native American wooden flute with the orchestra as well. As a skilled player of the Native American flute, I’m extremely delighted to add the distinctive wooden timbre to the score I am also creating as the film’s composer.
If all goes to plan, we will record the orchestra in mid June, with another week of mastering and editing to follow. I am composing right up to the recording session though, and am at this moment waiting for the film’s final cut. The initial incomplete cut of the film I received was 11 minutes in duration with the final 4 minutes still being completed by the RIT crew. I’m guessing another minute might get tacked onto the ending for title cards and scrolling credits. I have yet to see and spot the remaining segments and the credits, but I’m excited to receive the final full, picture-locked cut in the next day or two! Scoring a film for orchestra is a time consuming and labor intensive process, but I can report as of today we are 100% on schedule — two thumbs up!
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Chris Gayle to 'bat' for Kerala Cricket League in UAE
Sixteen teams representing various districts of Kerala will take part in the Kerala Cricket League. (Supplied)
VM Sathish
Published Sunday, August 23, 2015
Sixteen teams representing various districts of Kerala will take part in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) Season 4 and West Indies cricket sensation, Chris Gayle, has been chosen as the brand ambassador for the fourth edition of the community cricket tournament.
The tournament will be held in the UAE at the Dubai Seven’s stadium in the second week of November.
Gayle is the second major international sports star to endorse a Kerala event, after tennis legend Steffi Graf was recently appointed as ‘Ayurveda’ brand ambassador by the Kerala Government.
Around 16 teams, representing Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargodu, will compete in the cricket tourney for prize money and other incentives.
The Chris Gayle announcement was made by Prithviraj Sukumaran, Malayalam superstar, in the presence of officials from the Dubai Cricket Council and Dubai Sports Council.
Total prize money available is Dh 1,75,000, including Dh75,000 for the winning team. The runner up team will get Dh45,000.
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