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2015 Guest Chefs
Sarah Lorenzen - Andaluca
As a teenager, Chef Sarah Lorenzen moved to San Francisco when her mother went back to work and Sarah dove into cooking-for the entire family. To this day she still remembers all the birthday meal requests of her large family. Sarah’s culinary training had begun! It continued with a professional program at Santa Rosa College, while working as a prep cook at John Ash and Company. Soon after, Chef Sarah was one of only eight selected for the highly coveted Marc Hopkins Intercontinental three-year apprenticeship program based in San Francisco. Fresh out of the program she became a cook at Parc 55 Hotel. A year later she was recruited to join the Andaluca team as a lead cook and was quickly promoted to Sous Chef. She dabbled in catering and banquet management but was soon called back to the kitchen as Executive Chef of Andaluca. When Chef Sarah isn’t working with her team at Andaluca, you can find her hanging out with her young daughter, Susie.
407 Olive Way, Seattle
Caprial Pence – Bookstore Bar & Café
For those of you with some ties to the Northwest perhaps you dined at her Portland restaurant Caprial’s Bistro which she ran with her husband for almost two decades.
Or you sampled her wares at the award winning Fuller’s Restaurant at the Sheraton Hotel in Seattle where she was the Executive Chef. (recognized by Conde Nast as one of the top 50 restaurants in the country).She did a few things in between. Like winning the James Beard Award for the Best Chef in the Northwest
And winning a Golden Fork Award
And hosting her own cooking show on PBS. (James Beard nominated her for an award for that too)
And writing nine cookbooks.
And cooking for Julia Child’s 80th Birthday
She’s a Portland native with a degree from the CIA (the one in New York, not Langley)
She became the Executive Chef of the Bookstore Bar & Café in July of 2014
Anthony Hubbard - CHOW Foods/Endolyne Joe’s
Anthony Hubbard, Executive Chef of CHOW Foods, is the creative mind behind the food. Born and raised in Seattle, Anthony first knew he wanted to become a chef at the young age of 15, and held his first cooking job at Restaurant Caprice in Seattle when he was 16. Anthony studied at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI and has made appearances on PBS and the Canadian Food Network. Also, he was the winner of the prestigious Cochon 555 Seattle in 2009.
Anthony first started with CHOW Foods in 2001, and has since moved up to the position of Executive Chef for all of the CHOW Foods restaurants. He has made the menus continually new by introducing a fresh take on regional American-style cuisine with rotating menus at 5 Spot, Endolyne Joe’s and the Hi-Life.
CHOW Foods is comprised of four restaurants in the Seattle Area: 5 Spot on Queen Anne Hill, Hi-Life in Ballard, Endolyne Joe’s in West Seattle and TNT Taqueria in the heart of Wallingford.
Grover Ramsey - Compass Group/Microsoft
Matt Brandsey – El Gaucho
Hailing from Minneapolis, Brandsey has been working in the restaurant industry since 1995, and earned a Culinary Arts degree from Hennepin Technical College in Eden Prairie, Minnesota in May 2000. Wanting to expand his horizons and see more of the world, he took a job with Cruise West, sailing out of Seattle. He met his wife onboard and, following a stint in Chicago, they settled in Tacoma in 2004.
With experience that extends beyond the boundaries of the kitchen, Brandsey brings a great breadth of knowledge to his position. He has opened five restaurants as Executive Chef, including three Travelers Tavern Hospitality Group locations in Chicago, the wine bar and restaurant Pour at Four in Tacoma, and DeCaterina’s Market Grill and Bar, a fine-dining restaurant in Puyallup, before moving onto the Sea Grill in downtown Tacoma. Brandsey has since stayed within El Gaucho, moving up to their award-winning Waterfront Seafood Grill (now AQUA by El Gaucho) for the bustling summer months, before finding his current home as Executive Chef at the flagship, El Gaucho Seattle.
2505 First Avenue, Seattle
Alvin Binuya - South Seattle College Alum - Ponti Seafood Grill
Executive Chef Alvin Binuya showcases his talent with an ever changing and seasonally focused menu. Chef Binuya has forged relationships with local farmers and fisherman so guests will continue to enjoy the new and unexpected flavors from the freshest local ingredients. Ponti has received rave reviews from local and national press and honors such as Seattle Magazine's "Best Seafood Restaurant, "Best Northwest" and Gourmet Magazine's "Top Table".
3014 3rd Ave. N., Seattle
Paul Duncan - Ray's
A long-time resident of the Pacific Northwest, Chef Paul Duncan has built a decorated career at some of the region's finest restaurants, including Ray's where he is currently the Chef de Cuisine. He started his career at the age of 21, working at Widmere Brewing Company. He discovered a love for Italian Cuisine when he was the lead cook at Assaigo's in Portland -- which was named Restaurant of the Year in 1996. The accolades continued to come in for Chef Duncan as he was named one of Portland's "Best Young Chef" by Portland Monthly during his time at Chef de Cuisine at Tabla Mediterranean Bistro. In 2008, he moved away from the area and moved to Maui, serving as Chef of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Lahaina. From there, he moved to the fine dining restaurant at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua. Chef Duncan was drawn back to the Pacfic Northwest serving as the Head Chef of the Hi-Life in Ballard before coming to Ray's.
6049 Seaview Ave. NW, Seattle
Jay Sardeson - South Seattle College Alum - Sheraton Seattle
Jay Sardeson’s culinary career started back in 1984 when he graduated from the culinary program at the South Seattle College. For the past 27 years, Jay's career has been with the Sheraton Seattle Hotel, where he is currently the Banquet Chef. Throughout the years Jay has donated his talent and expertise by serving on the Board of Directors of Food Lifeline and working with the Pike Market Food Bank. Each year during the holidays, Jay and his fellow chefs spend countless hours demonstrating their talents on the “Annual Gingerbread Village” at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel, with proceeds supporting the local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
1400 6th Ave, Seattle
Jeff Maxfield - South Seattle College Alum - SkyCity at the Needle
In his boyhood home of West Seattle, Jeff Maxfield developed a love for food thanks to a mother who taught home economics and a grandmother who hailed from France. At 15, he lied about his age to get a job as a line cook at the Seattle Tennis Club. He graduated from high school in 1996, worked at a pizza parlor over the summer, then started his culinary education at South Seattle College that fall.
After earning his certification from South, Jeff worked as Sous Chef at Seattle’s Canlis Restaurant, where he developed his passion for all things Pacific Northwest. He served as Executive Sous Chef at The Five Palms Beach Grille in Hawaii, and Chef de Cuisine at Seattle-area restaurants Chez Shea and The Golf Club at Newcastle. As Executive Chef with Southbridge Restaurant Group in Scottsdale, Ariz., he opened the first of three full-service restaurants, creating a high-end European-style marketplace menu by using sustainable, local and organic products.
Jeff returned from Arizona to take the position with SkyCity six years ago. During his tenure, SkyCity has experienced a revitalization of its menu, receiving accolades such as an “excellent” rating from Zagat for its simple and elegant treatment of Northwest ingredients, and the honor of taking a team to cook at the James Beard House in New York in 2013. Jeff’s focus on creative use of high-quality ingredients and authentic flavors makes dining at the Space Needle an unforgettable experience.
400 Broad St., Seattle
Brandon Near - Snoqualmie Casino
Chef Brandon Near grew up in a well-traveled American family where he learned at an early age that quality food was an essential ingredient to good living. As a child, he watched his relatives prepare culinary masterpieces from scratch. His parents were avid travelers and instilled in Brandon the importance of experiencing the many diverse cuisines from around the globe.
Brandon started working in kitchens at 16. At 19, he was determined to become professionally trained. While attending Renton Technical College to earn his degree in Culinary Arts, he worked full time at Flying Fish under Chris Keff. His local culinary travels have taken him through icons, such as, the Yarrow Bay Café, Pan Pacific Hotel, Barking Frog, and currently Terra Vista at Snoqualmie Casino.
At Terra Vista, Brandon creates food that is masterfully designed to engage the intellect and surprise of the palate, emphasizing fresh, sustainable, local growers along with molecular gastronomy. Brandon’s menus utilize state-of-the art equipment and modern techniques such as Sous Vide, Anti-Griddle and Molecular Gastronomy. Brandon believes dining out should be anticipated enthusiastically and enjoyed thoroughly, right down to the final bite.
37500 SE North Bend Way, Snoqualmie
Robert Scribner - South Seattle College Faculty - South Seattle College
Eric Floyd - Washington Athletic Club
Chef Eric Floyd was raised in Southern California where his propensity for food and cooking blossomed at a young age. Growing up in such a diverse melting pot, Eric was exposed to a variety of different ethnic cultures. It wasn’t long before he fused his American palate with others creating unique dishes. This love of cooking grew, and he inevitably took his first kitchen job at age 15. Eric worked as sous chef with South Seattle College Chef Instructor Will McNamara for several years. When Chef McNamara decided to join the South Seattle College Culinary Arts Program, Eric Floyd became the Executive Chef at the WAC.
Ivo Sandrea - Westin Bellevue
This is Chef Ivo Sandrea’s third year participating in Gifts from the Earth. Ivo has been Executive Chef at the Westin Bellevue since 2012, having previously held the positions of Executive Chef at Hilton Hotels in Hawaii and New Jersey and at Sea Island in Georgia.
Chef Ivo oversees all culinary operations at the Westin Bellevue, including the Cypress Lounge and Wine Bar, which features Northwest regional cuisine in a warm and modern atmosphere.
600 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue
Jacky Lo - Wild Ginger
Jacky Lo’s unlikely journey from a Hong Kong business school to chef at the Wild Ginger is the kind of story every teen would like to impress upon their parents. A middle of the road business student, Jacky pleaded with his family to let him quit and follow his desire to attain a culinary education. Jacky says the majority of his culture doesn’t understand needing to go to school to learn how to make good food. Against this notion, he insisted that was what he needed to do.
Jacky came to America in 1994, and eventually enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California. Once armed with his coveted culinary education, Jacky began to follow another great Western culinary tradition – moving through restaurants and picking up knowledge from the chefs and cooks with whom he worked. Jacky worked as a chef at several Seattle restaurants before landing his coveted position at Wild Ginger and The Triple Door. Jacky’s unique blend of traditional practices and modern techniques has helped him oversee Seattle’s pan-Asian giant and its new location in Bellevue.
Jacky says his wife and children are his solace outside of the kitchen and strives to spend as much time with them as possible.
1401 3rd Ave, Seattle
11020 NE 6th St, Bellevue
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Nothing for Telangana in President’s address to Parliament: Uttam
Posted by aslam Published: June 20, 2019, 10:49 pm IST
Telangana state Congress chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy addressing Media persons in presence of Ex MP V.Hanumant Rao, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka CLP leader, EX MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President and Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the address of President of India Ramnath Kovind to joint session of Parliament on Thursday was a big disappointment for the people of Telangana State.
Speaking to media persons at AICC Headquarters here, Uttam Kumar Reddy said there was no assurance by the Centre in the President’s address on fulfilment of promises made for Telangana in Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act. Citing the mention of Telangana in the President’s Address to the Parliament in 2004, he said that the Congress-led UPA Government had given its commitment on granting statehood and subsequently, fulfilled it despite several hurdles and sacrifices. He said that the BJP Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi lacks similar commitment or importance for Telangana State. “Telangana did not get its due share from the Centre in the last 5 years. This time too, BJP Govt gave clear indications that honouring commitments to Telangana as per AP Reorganization Act was not its priority, he said.
Uttam said that the President’s address did not touch upon crucial issues. There was no mention of rising unemployment, deteriorating conditions of public health or farmers suicides. “President’s address should have been apolitical. But the President’s address was full of praise for BJP, without naming it,” he said.
The Congress MP said that the President erred while referring the period prior to 2014 as uncertain and unstable. “UPA-I & UPA-II were totally stable governments. India had witnessed highest ever growth under UPA regimes. The country became an economic power under the leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh. Many revolutionary laws like RTI, RTE, Land Acquisition Act, etc., were enacted during the 10 year period. However, an impression was given in the President’s Address as if India started developing only after 2014 under Modi Govt,” he said.
Uttam said that the President has welcomed increase in the number of women MPs this time. Instead, he said that the government should have given a commitment to pass Women’s Reservation Bill to provide 33% reservation for women in legislative bodies. Further, he said although the President has listed out various schemes being implemented by the Centre for farmers, he did not mention anything about farmers’ suicides. “More than 1.5 lakh farmers are committing suicides in India every year. The government has even stopped publishing the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) data to hide the truth. There was no mention of how the government proposes to stop farmers’ suicides,” he said.
Further, he said no roadmap or even outline was given on steps to be taken to double the income of a farmer by 2022. “None of the promises made to farmers by Modi Govt in its first tenure were honoured. The Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations remained unimplemented and even now, doubling of farmers’ income appears to be ‘jumla’ and not a concrete plan,” he said.
“President has rightly said that this year, events to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, being held around the world, will promote India’s ‘Thought Leadership’. However, it is unfortunate that some of the supporters and sympathisers of Mahatma Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse’s are sitting on Treasury Benches in the 17th Lok Sabha,” he said.
The MP said that the issue of black money has been downplayed by the Centre confining it to dubious companies. There was no mention of what PM Modi had promised with the people in 2014 elections of bringing back Black Money stashed in foreign countries and deposit Rs. 15 lakh each in the accounts of all Indians. Further, he said that the President, in his address, has claimed that over 26 lakh people benefitted from the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. However, he said President Kovind did not speak about death of over 150 children in Muzaffarpur of Bihar. “Public Hospitals under PM Modi’s regime are still not equipped to deal with cases like Acute Encephalitis that killed over 150 children in Bihar,” he said.
He said that there was utter silence on the issue of rising unemployment rate in the country which is highest in the last 45 years. “Demonitisation, followed by irrational GST, has badly hit the economy, especially the MSMEs. But the negative impact of ill-conceived policies was completely skipped in the President’s Address and an attempt was made to make everything appear good,” he said.
Uttam said that the Congress party would raise the public issues in the Parliament and reiterated his vow to fight with the Centre to get due share for Telangana State.
Source: NSS
Related Topics: Congress Parliament President Uttam
Democracy in danger in State: Vikramarka
CM justifies Congress merger into TRS
Assembly mourns deceased former members
Top Karnataka Congress MLA withdraws resignation
Congress gives Adjournment Motion Notice over ‘spurt in crime
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Denial of Service Attack Knocks Out Twitter
By Kalena Jordan in Kalena Jordan's Blog
In what is believed to be the first major attack of its kind on the social networking site, Twitter has suffered a Denial of Service (DoS) attack overnight.
Although no user data was compromised in the attack, Twitter was inundated with so many requests that it couldn’t respond to legitimate requests thereby denying service to many users. For the non-techies reading this who want to know exactly what a Denial of Service attack is, Dave Taylor has written a very un-geek explanation of it.
The strength of the attack on Twitter was enough to crash the popular micro-blogging site for over 60 minutes and has continued to cause ongoing connectivity problems for Twitter addicts ever since.
The Twitter status page tells the story:
“We are defending against a denial-of-service attack, and will update status again shortly.
Update: the site is back up, but we are continuing to defend against and recover from this attack.
Update (9:46a): As we recover, users will experience some longer load times and slowness. This includes timeouts to API clients. We’re working to get back to 100% as quickly as we can.
Update (4:14p): Site latency has continued to improve, however some web requests continue to fail. This means that some people may be unable to post or follow from the website.”
In their official blog, co-founder @Biz stated today that Twitter staff don’t know or would prefer not to speculate on the motivation behind the DoS event, except to say that it appears to be a single, massively coordinated attack and that many other companies and services were also affected. One of the major services affected was Facebook.
News of the DoS attack spread very quickly and when Twitter finally came back online, the event even spawned its own hashtag #whentwitterwasdown so Twitterholics could humorously share what they were doing during the downtime.
Based on the sheer scale of the event, it appears the attack was a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) using trojans or zombie machines. Whatever it was, Twitter has some serious stability issues to iron out as a result.
Social Networking, Going Beyond the MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter
SMX Sydney: Twitter Tips and Etiquette
Social Networking – “Not In My Industry!”
The Five Steps to Increasing Your Presence on The Social Networks
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What is at stake in the Synod vote (Rowan Williams)
The women-bishops debate says much about the nature of the Church, argues Rowan Williams
No one is likely to underrate the significance of the debate on women bishops in the General Synod next month. It will shape the character of the Church of England for generations - and I’m not talking only about the decision we shall take, but about the way in which we discuss it and deal with the outcome of it.
Those who, like me, long to see a positive vote will want this for a range of reasons, which have to do with both the essential health of the Church and its credibility in our society. They are keenly aware of living with a degree of theological inconsistency.
As Anglicans, we believe that there is one priesthood and one only in the Church, and that is the priesthood of Jesus Christ: his eternal offering of himself - crucified, risen, and ascended - to the Father to secure everlasting ‘covenanted’ peace between heaven and earth. To live as ‘very members incorporate in his Body’ on earth is to be alive with his Spirit, and so to be taken up in his action of praise and self-offering, so that we may reflect something of it in our lives and relationships.
To recall the Church to its true character in this connection, God calls individuals to gather the community, animate its worship, and preside at its sacramental acts, where we learn afresh who we are. The priestly calling of all who are in Christ is thus focused in particular lives, lived in service to the community and its well-being, integrity, and holiness. These are lives that express, in visible and symbolic terms, the calling of a ‘priestly people’.
THE commitment of most Anglicans to the ordained ministry of women rests on the conviction that what I have just summarised makes it inconsistent to exclude in principle any baptised person from the possibility of ordained ministry. And to take the further step of advocating the ordination or consecration of women as bishops is to recognise that the public role of embodying the priestly vocation of the Church cannot be subdivided into self-contained jobs, but is in some sense organically unified, in time and space. Ordained ministry is one connected reality, realised in diverse ways.
The earliest Christian generations reserved the Latin and Greek words for ‘priest’ to refer to bishops, because they saw bishops as the human source and focus for this ministry of reminding the Church about what it is. The idea that there is a class of presbyters (or indeed deacons) who cannot be bishops is an odd one in this context, and one that is hard to rationalise exclusively on biblical or patristic grounds.
If that is correct, a Church that ordains women as priests, but not as bishops, is stuck with a real anomaly, one that introduces an unclarity into what we are saying about baptism and about the absorption of the Church in the priestly self-giving of Jesus Christ.
Wanting to move beyond this anomaly is not a sign of giving in to secular egalitarianism - although we must be honest, and admit that, without secular feminism, we might never have seen the urgency of this, or the inconsistency of our previous position.
Rectifying the anomaly is, we believe, good news in a range of ways. It is good news for women, who are at last assured in more than words alone that their baptismal relationship with Jesus Christ is not different from or inferior to that of men, as regards their fitness for public ministry exercised in Christ’s name and power.
It is good news for men, who may now receive more freely the spiritual gifts God gives to women, because women are recognised among those who can, at every level, animate and inspire the Church in their presidency at worship. So it is good news for the whole Church, in the liberating of fresh gifts for all.
It is good news for the world we live in, which needs the unequivocal affirmation of a dignity given equally to all by God in creation and redemption - and can now, we hope, see more clearly that the Church is not speaking a language completely remote from its own most generous and just instincts.
But our challenge has been, and still is, to try to make it good news even for those within our fellowship who have conscientious doubts. The various attempts to find a formula to secure the conscientious position of those who are not convinced about the implications of the theology summarised earlier are not a matter of horse-trading, or doing deals. They are a search for ways of expressing that mutual patience and gratitude that are just as much a part of life in the Body of Christ, according to St Paul - trying to do the right thing for the Body, even if this leaves loose ends.
In this context, it is important to be clear about what the wording of the legislation does and does not say. In a culture of instant comment, it is all too easy for a version of what is being said to dominate the discussion, even when it doesn’t represent what is actually there. We saw this in the widespread but mistaken assumption that the amendment proposed by the Bishops in May gave parishes the right to choose their own bishop. We are seeing it now in the equally mistaken assumption that the word ‘respect’ in the new amendment is little more than window-dressing.
The truth is that the word does have legal content. If you are required to show ‘respect’, you need to be able to demonstrate that what you do takes account in practice of someone’s conviction. You will need to show that it has made a difference to how you act; it doesn’t just recommend an attitude or state of mind (‘with all due respect . . .’). The word leaves enough flexibility for appropriate responses to different circumstances, but it is not so general as to be toothless.
The legislation is not perfect; all legislation for complex communities embodies compromise and unfinished business. The tough question, for those who are still undecided, is whether delay would produce anything better.
For those who think the legislation has compromised too far, it may be important to note that conscientious opposition has not grown noticeably weaker; it cannot be taken for granted that any delay would guarantee a smoother passage.
And those who think that the provision for dissent is inadequate have to reckon with the extreme unlikelihood, given the way things have gone in the past few years, that any future legislation will be able to find a more acceptable framework. The chances are that there will in fact be greater pressure from some quarters for a ‘single-clause’ Measure.
In other words, voting against the legislation risks committing us to a period of continued and perhaps intensified internal conflict, with no clearly guaranteed outcome. Of course, those who believe that the episcopal ministry of women is simply contrary to God’s will for the Church of England will vote against, and there should be no unfair pressure on clear consciences. They are voting for what they truly believe is God’s purpose for his Church.
But, for those who find it not quite good enough, or not quite simple enough, the question must be: ‘What are you voting for, if you vote against this Measure?’ And what if you decide that the answer is, uncomfortably, a period of publicly embarrassing and internally draining indecision?
My hope for the debate next month is that it will tackle what is really before us, not what it is assumed or even suspected to mean. I hope that it will give us grounds for trusting one another more rather than less; that it will be rooted in a serious theological engagement with what makes for the good of the Church and its mission - a serious attempt to be obedient to God’s leading; and, perhaps most soberingly, that it will not ignore the sense of urgency about resolving this, which is felt inside and outside the Church, often with pain and bewilderment.
As a Synod, we are asked to act not only as a legislature, but as a body that serves the Kingdom of God, and takes a spiritual and pastoral responsibility for its actions. I know that Synod members, myself among them, will be praying hard about what this entails.
Michael Ansted
So much energy expressed over an act that was common to the Celtic Church . But then they also kept the Fourth Commandment of God to "Keep Holy the Sabbath Day". This lack is the real threat to the christian faith .
Pressmail
Pressmail is a news service which seeks to keep people informed of comment in the UK concerning current issues in the church. There is no charge although we encourage subscribers to join the Friends of St Matthew's as a way of supporting our work.
Carlo Martini
Clifford Longley
Jeffrey John
Jerome Taylor
John Bingham
Richard Coles
Theo Hobson
Women Bishops
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Neighborly Spirit
"Grab a Taste of American History in Diverse Port Chester!"
Those who know and love Port Chester (of Rye in Westchester County, NY) are proud of its boating and farming heritage, as well as being the birthplace of Life Savers and Hubba's, an awesome stay-up-late chili restaurant found at 24 Main Street, which caters to its patrons as late as 5 am on weekends. People come here for the amazing ambiance and the “legendary” chili (as hailed by the New York Times). Fun Fact: The “secret” ingredient in Hubba Water is good ol' Hawaiian Punch!
Port Chester High School is also quite famous for both the building itself as well as its marching band. Both have been seen in major films, as the High School was used in “My Super Ex-Girlfriend” starring Luke Wilson and Uma Thurman; the marching band played in “Miracle on 34th Street” and “Spiderman 3”, as well as starred in the 1997 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. The school is fairly descent; SAT scores could be a bit better, but overall the school district is just fine as schools in Westchester County go.
Port Chester has its own Metro-North train station that can take you to NYC in under an hour, as well as access to the Bee-Line bus system that runs throughout Westchester county and can take you to major metropolitan areas like nearby White Plains. Port Chester itself has a few great shopping options like a Costco, Walgreen's, Marshall's, A.I. Friedman (a wonderful store that sells both creative art supplies and office materials, even gifts and furniture to boot); Bed Bath & Beyond; Khol's, and a Verizon Wireless. Awesome restaurants include Sonora (an award-winning, 5-star restaurant of Latin food by award-winning Master Chef, Raphael Palomino, who is from the country of Columbia in South America); Tarry Lodge, where you can enjoy the warm, relaxing atmosphere with traditional Italian food with a twist: like Clam Pie or Pizza with goat cheese, pistachio and honey; the Q Restaurant & Bar (a great place for kids during the day; a fun place for adults at night); Inca & Gaucho's (South American food of Incan Empire old-world charm) and others like Edo Japanese Steakhouse, Bar Taco, Los Gemelos, and the Willet House. You won't be without great shopping and eating choices in Port Chester!
Port Chester is an upper-to-middle class area where most of the homes cost over $400,000, but the school district and amenities and easy-made commute make it all worth it. You'll be glad you came. You might not even want to leave!
Waterfront bars and restaurants
Convenient public transportation
Diversity in demographics
Diverse recreational activities
Good shopping
School system doesn't rank very high
Not the safest area in Westchester
The large minority communities are underrepresented
TracyD
"A work in progress"
Port Chester is located on the border of New York and Connecticut, not far from Greenwich. Unlike its surrounding towns, Port Chester has a working-class vibe and a selection of lower-priced housing.
By 1950, Port Chester was well-established as one of the region’s leading factory towns, with Lifesavers, Fruit of the Loom and Arnold Bread among the many businesses. However, by the 1970s most of the factories had moved to other locations, beginning a decline that the town is only recently recovering from. During the town’s factory heyday, immigrants from Europe arrived and put down roots. The town’s immigrant base has shifted today, with most new arrivals hailing from Central and South America. Developing new retail centers has been part of the town’s revitalization strategy. The Waterfront at Port Chester has a multiplex cinema, Costco, Marshalls, and Bed, Bath and Beyond.
The town’s diversity has resulted in a great selection of ethnic restaurants, drawing people from all over while serving to enhance the town. Some of the choices include Brazilian, Indian, Italian, and Mexican. Many eateries participate in Westchester’s Restaurant Week, which gives diners opportunities to dine out for great prices. The town also puts on its “Taste of Port Chester” event, whose proceeds benefit the school district.
The Port Chester Public Schools educate approximately 4,000 students. Nearly half of the district’s students live in poverty, according to the New York Times. However, the district performs impressively; while its scores are not as strong as neighboring, affluent districts, the district reports 90% of its students are college bound. The district is in good standing with the state, and has good scores on state exams despite the challenges that come with so many students in poverty.
Port Chester has excellent cultural offerings. The Capitol Theater, which hosted Janis Joplin in 1970, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The theater has not held a concert in fifteen years, but is preparing to reopen and bring excellent music back to the area. The Port Chester Fest, held annually, is an outdoor event featuring art workshops, performances, and vendors.
The town’s real estate offerings include several multi-family towns. Many of the single-family homes are older, with charming details. There are also many condominium units available.
Beach Lovers
Svish
"A Different Side of Rye"
The Village of Port Chester is in the City of Rye. As the name suggests, the village originated as a port and harbor town in the 18th century. Today the village has a reputation as a relatively moderately priced section of Westchester County with a remarkably diverse population. Port Chester is more middle income than wealthy. The houses sitting on well-maintained lots are not sprawling and there is a sense of a neighborhood rather than those unseen estates which are par for the course in some other Westchester communities. Port Chester offers economic and ethnic diversity.
The diversity in population is reflected in the interesting restaurants and eateries of this village. This is a big draw for people who want to try varied cuisine, particularly South American. This budding image as a foodie destination has also be augmented by the many other new areas opening up here such as the Mario Batali venture mentioned by another reviewer. The water front setting also adds to the charm of some of the restaurants such as the Bar Taco.
If the promise of reasonably priced property and cultural richness intrigues you, it may be good to know that Port Chester is also commuter-friendly as it is a train station on the New Haven Metro North train line.
The school system here is the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District and it has an average rather than a spectacular reputation. There are three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Interestingly there is also one magnet school.
Port Chester also offers great shopping options – it has one of the few Costco’s in the Westchester area. DSW Shoe Warehouse is here also. There is a AMC Movie complex for those looking for an evening at the movies.
Anjanette
"Port Chester is a down-to-earth gem in the rough"
Port Chester is a village in the town of Rye, NY. It is well-populated with a relatively profound Hispanic population of hard-working immigrants who add a flair and spice to the neighborhood well exemplified by the amazing array of authentic Latin American restaurants in the area. People from neighboring towns come specifically to check out the varying regional cuisines in everything from tapas restaurants to fine dining establishments to mom and pop store front eateries. In that sense, Port Chester has shed some of its previous negative aura and become an appealing culinary destination. Proof positive of that is world-renowned Food Network and Iron Chef, Mario Batali, renovated an old restaurant in the area and adjoining corner to make the stunning Tarry Lodge and Tarry Market. Tarry Lodge serves delectable Italian cuisine, gourmet pizzas that can be taken-out and a slew of fine wines from the famed vineyards of Lidia’s son, Joe Bastianich. There are also pizzerias, a watefront gourmet seafood restaurant, a taco bar by the water, and a very cool chili cheese dog joint called Pat’s Hubba Hubba that has dollar bills affixed all over the walls and a tried and true silver lunch counter.
The housing is definitely more affordable here, at least in comparison to its more affluent neighbors and there are a good deal of condos, co-ops, rental properties, and multi-family and single-family homes here. Port Chester is a popular choice for blue collar workers, families, students, artists and young families looking to buy their first home in Westchester County.
The shopping here is pretty darn good, too, and is a close second choice to bustling metropolis, White Plains. The shopping area by the waterfront in the center of town has a Costco, a Famous Footwear store, a Marshall’s and a large Stop & Shop. Elsewhere around Port Chester you will find Home Depot, Kohl’s, an A.I. Friedman, a quality wine and liquor store, a great discount store and Salvation Army with pretty good furniture, Nine West, and of course, the very cool Empire State Flea Market, with discounted finds of all kinds that gets relatively busy on the weekends when it is open. There is also a nice multiplex which shows all the latest and greatest films.
Port Chester still has its pockets of crime but if you avoid the rougher areas at night and use the buddy system, you should be fine.
The school system hasn’t quite caught up with the burgeoning businesses, but hopefully it will get there in coming years. For now, it is decent at best.
The median household income is $59,224. The median home value is $353,484 and the median rental rate is $1,400.
Port Chester is 60% Hispanic, 32% White, 5% Black and 2% Asian which definitely makes it a more ethnically diverse melting pot of a village than most in the area.
The population is 28.967 with the median age being 32.
AudreyM
"Struggling working class community"
Port Chester is a village that has been struggling for years to shake its slightly negative image. The town is well maintained and has lots of diverse and affordable housing. However, its reputation keeps it from attracting higher income residents because it has mainly been known as a place for poor immigrants and low income workers. While there is a significant percentage of low income households here, the median income is still well above the American average. The people here just make less than the people in Westchester's more affluent towns. There is a strong immigrant working class community here; about half of the town's residents are Hispanic or Latino. Port Chester does have a lot of shopping; there is the relatively new shopping district by the river, and there are lots of small ethnic shops and family businesses on Westchester Avenue. There are a lot of great ethnic restaurants; there is better and more Spanish/South American food here than in any other part of Westchester. The housing is relatively cheap here; there are lots of condos, co-ops, rental properties, and multi-family homes. However, this certainly isn't to say that everything in Port Chester is cheap. There are some nice areas within Port Chester, where the houses cost more. The school district here isn't very good.
moodyxel
"More of a city than a village"
Port Chester is a pretty densely populated town with houses that are close together. This is a very diverse village with a lot of hispanic immigrants. It's known to be geared toward the working class community so there isn't a whole lot of funding. It's probably part of the reason the school system doesn't rank very high.
The town isn't the safest but is still lower than the national average. As long as you stay away from the bad areas you don't have anything to worry about.
The small area of Port Chester by the water has some nice bars and restaurants. It's becoming the new trendy area to go to and is nice for a low-key Friday or Saturday night. Since it's on the waterfront expect to pay a few extra dollars for drinks. Away from the waterfront there are some great ethnic restaurants. Port Chester also has some of the best Mexican bakeries in the state.
There are various programs and activities organized through the recreation department like arts, sports, and summer camps that take place throughout Port Chester. It's not the typical small village where everyone knows each other but there still seems to be a sense of community.
Popular Questions in Port Chester
Does Port Chester have a specialty health food store?
Are there any good bars in Port Chester?
What are the schools like in Port Chester?
Does Port Chester have any night clubs?
How long is the commute from Port Chester to NYC?
Unanswered Questions in New York
Why do houses on College Avenue appraise so low? Compared to Tamarack right down the street?
What is the best pizzeria in Port Chester?
Is there a good day care center in or around Port Chester?
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Which is better? Having the ‘Best Offence’ or the ‘Best Defence’?
This blog has had a number of contributions on factors which could be used to predict the English premier league winners (see here, here and here). Here is another one. Which will give you the greatest chance of winning the premier league – having the best offence (in terms of the greatest number of goals scored) or having the best defence (in terms of the lowest number of goals conceded)? It’s a topical question at the moment given that the current top 4 in
the premier league have two teams with the best offensive records in the league (Manchester City and Liverpool) and one team with the best defensive record in the league (Chelsea although one could arguably also add Arsenal, the other top 4 team, to this category if you exclude their big defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool). So who will triumph in the end?
Let’s look at long term trends first. Table 1 provides summary statistics based on data for the past 50 seasons of the English league. The table also gives similar statistics for the German, Spanish and Italian leagues for comparison purposes. In the table there is information on the proportion of times the best offensive team has won the league, the proportion of times the best defensive team has won the league, the median final position of the best offensive and defensive team (as there is on occasion some extreme outlier’s in the final position of the best offensive and defensive team) and the associated standard deviation.
The figures suggest that a greater proportion of English winners have been the best offensive team although the difference between this figure and the proportion of winners with the best defensive record is small. The median position of the best offensive team is also higher relative to the best defensive team. In Germany, we have the opposite trend with the best defensive team winning a significantly greater proportion of titles and having a higher median position. In Spain, offensive teams are more successful, while in Italy, defensive teams are slightly more successful. So in ranking from most offensive to least offensive we have Spain, England, Italy and Germany. It is interesting that this ranking would bear our preconceived notions regarding football in these countries.
Table 2 presents the same data but this time for just the past 20 seasons of each league. In the English and German leagues there is a clear move toward more offensive teams winning the league title and having a higher median position in the league. In the Spanish league offensive teams are just as successful while defensive teams are becoming less successful with a relatively lower median position in the league. Finally, Italy appears to buck the trend
with defensive teams becoming relatively more successful over the last 20 seasons relative to the last 50 seasons. It would be interesting to see how this correlates with success at European and International level but that is left to another day.
Back to our initial question. There does appear to be clear trend toward more offensive teams winning the English premier league (and other leagues) so that would favour Manchester City and Liverpool. Defensive strength is still clearly important and out of these two Manchester City have the best defensive record. So a tentative nod to Manchester City to win the premier league 2013/14. In Germany, Bayern Munich are clear favourites having the best offensive and defensive records so far. In Spain, the analysis suggests that it’s a shoot-out between Barcelona and Real Madrid (not so much of a surprise there), while in Italy Roma could be an outside bet given that they currently has the best defensive record.
To Sack Or Not To Sack? That Is The Question
Few things are surprising in football. Speculation surrounding the futures of David Moyes and Pepe Mel is now rife. The latter has been in charge for just 45 days!
That said, the sacking of René Meulensteen last week did catch me by surprise. The renowned and respected coach was given just thirteen games in charge of Fulham before it was decided to let him go.
Fulham no doubt will argue they had little choice given that the Dutchman failed to arrest the London club's slump which started under former manager Martin Jol. With relegation looking more likely by the week, Fulham’s new owners must fear becoming the next Bolton, Blackburn or even Portsmouth.
Meulensteen has become the eighth manager to leave his post since the season started in August. This logic appears quite convoluted. If the players play badly sack the manager. If the players continue to underperform under the new managers, sack the new manager.
Maybe it's the players are the problem, not the manager? What do the stats suggest? The table below presents data on the points per game for ‘old’ and ‘new’ managers for the eight teams that have parted company with their manager this season.
On balance Fulham may have done the right thing. Meulensteen had an indentical record to Jol. If Jol was sacked, why not Meulensteen? Four teams have done better following the sacking of their manager; Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Spurs and Swansea.
The two harshest sacking (in my opinion), that of Malky Mackay and Steve Clarke, appear to have backfired. Cardiff are now second from the bottom and West Brom are in a fight for survival. Sometime, it would seem, change doesn’t work.
Phil Prendergast and Harry Potter
Yesterday I received a text message telling me that Phil Prendergast (MEP) had called for the protection of Irish hurley manufacturing under the guise of the hurley being a cultural tool (or “hurl” if you are from Leinster). My initial reaction, probably based on my training in economics, was that this was an interest group seeking to avoid competition. Of course, the fact that a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) was making noises in the run up to the European elections was not surprising. I read the material reported online (here) and the following words stuck out like a sore thumb - “the protective status would prevent others from making and marketing the hurley outside of Ireland”.
I then visited the website of Labour's Phil Prendergast (here). It says that Phil sits on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. I followed the link and found the ‘Welcome Words’ of the Committee Chair, Malcolm Harbour, The first two sentences of those welcoming words read “The Single Market and its free movement of people, goods and services is one of the absolute foundations of the EU. It has provided prosperity and growth, jobs, mobility and freedom of choice to Europe's citizens and businesses.” These words seem at odds with what one of its members is suggesting.
We are more than happy to import ash to make the hurleys in Ireland. Imagine if other countries banned the export of timber for hurley manufacturing.
During the boom years many citizens from eastern Europe came to work in Ireland. Some worked at making hurleys with imported timber. I remember reading newspaper stories about how some were returning home to eastern Europe make hurleys with timber from their own countries. The idea was that they would then export them to Ireland. Is Phil Prendergast proposing we ban such imports?
What about consumer protection? If banning cheaper imports means kids and their parents have to pay higher prices then is this promoting hurling? Is it promoting consumer protection?
I’m probably being too harsh on our European representative. I can understand why she might seek to ensure that current and future generations of Irish kids have the opportunity to experience the magic of interacting with a local hurley manufacturer. It is magic. For those who have not had the experience, the best way I can describe it is to compare it to the moment when Harry Potter got his first wand (see it here). If you think I’m stretching the point then compare the Harry Potter clip with what you find in superb documentary From Ash to Clash (go to about 4:30 here).
You never forget the experience of buying your first hurley in such a setting. In my case it while visiting my grandparents’ house in County Laois. My uncle brought me to Sean Brophy’s workshop and it was better than being let loose in a sweet shop. A couple of years later, I was even lucky enough to get a stick made by Mick McCarthy in Riverstown, County Cork. Legend had it that Mick made hurlies for the hurling great Christy Ring (and other great inter-county hurlers). Under normal circumstances he would not have wasted his time making a stick for me as he knew well his efforts would be served making a stick for better players. However, my father was a woodcutting machinist who specialized in maintaining the saws that cut timber. In return for my father’s help, Mick delivered one of his unmistakable McCarthy hurlies. I’m convinced I can still feel the way it felt in my hands. This type of experience does not need to be protected by legislation. It can’t be protected by legislation.
The next best experience is to buy a stick made by prominent inter-county hurler (usually a family business). In my time there was a year or two where some of us bought hurlies made by the Galway hurling family the Connollys. If it came with the approval of John Connolly then it must have had something. In recent years kids have flocked to buy hurlies made by Ben & Jerry (the O’Connors of Newtownshandrum rather than the ice-cream makers). In the last few weeks my son purchased a Canning hurley (another Galway hurling family). This stick is brought indoors to protect it from the elements. I’m sure he believes he will light up the summer with the aid of a Canning hurley. It was the exploits of Joe Canning on the hurling fields that prompted that purchase. He could care less if Joe was from Portumna or Poland. No legislation is needed to protect the Cannings when it comes to making and marketing hurlies.
I guess Phil Prendergast hopes future generations of kids experience the magic of searching for the stick that is made for them. I think likewise. Unlike Phil Prendergast I do not believe that legislation should be enacted to ensure that kids can only play hurling with sticks made and marketed in Ireland.
Boredom Fuels Dip In Global F1 Audience Numbers As Vettel Drives Fans Away
Competitive balance has long been a problem in the world’s premier category of motorsport which is due largely to the spending power of the big teams such as Red Bull and Ferrari. In a previous post here. I eluded to the huge differences in spending between the smaller and larger constructors.
One result of low competitive balance is a fall in the number of global fans tuning in. Formula One Management published a media report in January confirming that viewing figures have fallen by 50 million to 450 million viewers. The drop is due to F1’s unattractiveness to the casual viewer. In seasons of close racing casual TV audience members boost up the numbers, but those viewers will tune in only if the show is exciting. It would be akin to the prawn sandwich brigade staying away from Old Trafford during a prolonged period of mid table finishes.
In TV audience terms Formula One doesn't get anywhere near the Premier League. The reason for this is because the teams are very unbalanced due to their spending capabilities. This financial difference, if compared to football, would equate to a Premier League made up of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Leeds United, MK Dons, Gillingham and Walsall. Efforts are underway with the FIA to try to limit how much money teams can spend in one season with a planned resource restriction agreement; however, this is unlikely to reach unanimous consent among F1’s heavyweights.
The Barclays’ Premier League has more global viewers than any other domestic league in the world, broadcasting to 212 territories with 80 different broadcasters. The TV audience for Premier League games over a season is 4.7 billion and the broadcasting contracts for 2013-16 will be worth £5.5 billion. F1 TV rights, in comparison, bring in £300 million per season – about as much as the Turkish Premier League.
What attracts viewers to the Premier League is the propensity for teams to be relatively evenly matched. On a far greater scale than in F1 any team can potentially beat any other team on any given match day. Norwichcan be demolished 7-0 by ManCity, but then hold them to a goalless draw at home, as happened recently. Some F1 teams have been competing for four seasons and have never scored a point in an era when points are awarded to the
top 10 drivers instead of the top six. The chances of an F1 'giant killing' are not on the cards.
F1 has enjoyed large audiences in Germany which is due in part to the dominance of Vettel, Schumacher and Mercedes. What is striking, however, is that during these periods of dominance viewing figures had an upward trend. The graph shows that between 1992 and 2009 German audiences were highest when Schumacher was most dominant. More fans tuned in to watch him pick up his 7th World Title than watched the dramatic climax of the 2008 season when Massa lost out to Hamiltonin the final corner of the final lap of the championship.
Globally, it seems there is the desire to see a close duel at the top of the standings but within individual territories a
high level of competitive balance is not the priority for the viewers. Formula 1 needs to be more competitive, the FIA needs to turn up the heat to put the fans in a spin!
Y axis: Viewers in millions; X Axis: Number of career races contested by Michael Schumacher (308 GP)
The Franchise Tag
A‘Franchise Tag’ is a concept that exists in the NFL that allows each team (franchise) a once off mechanism to restrict the movement of a player that is (generally) due to become a free agent. This restricts from a player in that year from moving to another team. The window to apply the tag opened on Monday 17th February and will close on the 3rd of March.
Due to the differences in wage caps and not having transfer fees, it is almost impossible to apply to concept to association football but is a novel idea to think about all the same.
There are two types franchise tags, exclusive and non-exclusive and can get quite complex as there is also a transition tag. I’ll focus on explain the exclusive and non-exclusive tags here. Contracts in the NFL work as per association football but transfer fees are not offered to contracted players to move to other teams and once a contract ends a player becomes a free agent and thus is free to discuss, with other teams, terms and conditions. The equivalent of a footballer who is out of contract. There is also restricted free agency where the NFL team in which the player is currently playing for has the option to match other offers made to that player. Finally an NFL franchise can apply one ‘Franchise Tag’ per annum to one player to keep them at the team for at least one more year. There is set ‘Franchise Tag’ wages for the player depending on their position. For it to be an Exclusive Tag According to the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, the player must be paid the average salary of the top five players at his position or 120 percent of the player's previous year's salary, whichever is greater. The player is guaranteed his salary for the next season and the club is guaranteed his services.
A non-exclusive Franchise Tag, allows the player to negotiate contracts with other teams with their current team is given the right to match whatever contract they sign, if the team decides not to match the contract they are given two first-round picks as compensation for the loss of the franchise tag that year. The contract salary formula for a non-exclusive Franchise Tag is based off the average of the last five years of salaries for the top 5 players at that position.
Teams can keep prized assets for another year so new longer term contracts can be negotiated or they can position themselves for when the player eventually leaves.
The economics behind the concept is important as the mechanism is designed to reduce player movement. As with the Draft system in the NFL, it does not allow dominant markets (teams) to emerge as have happened in football. Coupled with salary caps, it promotes competitive balance.
A team can tag the same player for consecutive years but will have to pay 120% in the second year of the salary and 144% of the second tag salary if the wish to pursue a third year which is highly unlikely.
Problems do occur of course. At the moment the biggest story stateside is that of New Orleans Jimmy Graham. The New Orleans Saints wish to apply the tag to Graham but as a Tight End. Graham believes he is a Wide Receiver. The salary disparity is nearly $5m depending on whether he is designated as a tight end or wide receiver.
So applied to Association Football, what franchise tag would you apply to your team to restrict a player leaving in another year? With Wayne Rooney’s reported£300,000 per week contract almost agreed, assuming an opportunity cost of a large transfer fee for Rooney maybe Manchester United would have been better served allowing him to become a free agent in 2015(when current contract is up), apply the franchise tag and keep his services until 2016 when he would be 31 that October? Instead they will probably contract Rooney until 2019 when Rooney will be in his 34th year.
Irish Sports Council Funding: Local Sports Partnerships
In a previous post (here) I examined the geographical distribution of the 2012 Sports Capital Grants. The top five counties in terms of per person allocations were Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Kilkenny and Cavan. These counties also did relatively well when it came to the Local Sports Partnership funding by the Irish Sports Council last week (here).
The table opposite reveals that the Leitrim, Sligo, Longford, and North Tipperary got the highest per person funding whereas Dublin City, South Dublin and Fingal got the lowest per person funding. Leitrim is getting €4.36 per person whereas Dublin City is getting one-tenth of that (€0.43). This is a massive difference in per person funding. Initially, I believed that these results might be purely driven by the population of each region. However, population only explains only part of the difference. If we examine the column with the absolute amount of LSP funding going to Leitrim we can see it is getting €138,735 for a population of 31,794. By contrast, South Dublin is getting €127,580 for a population 8 times larger than Leitrim. Sligo has a population of 65,393 according to the 2011 Census of Population. Sligo is going to get €242,556 in Local Sports Partnership funding for 2014. This is a larger absolute amount than Dublin City, South Dublin and Fingal. These regions have populations of double and triple that of Sligo. The result is that Sligo is getting €3.71 per person while South Dublin is getting €0.48 per person.
When compared to other areas of funding, Local Sports Partnership have not been hit as badly by the current fiscal crisis as some other areas of Irish Sports Council funded sport. One third of the regions (10 out of 30) have a higher level of funding in 2014 than they had in 2011. The table opposite presents those regions with the largest increases and decreases. Again, Leitrim has cause for celebration. Cavan, Mayo and Wicklow did even better. Unfortunately for Dublin City, it is again at the wrong end of the table. It lies in third last position with its 2014 funding 82.4% of its 2011 amount.
Regardless of whether it is Sports Capital Grants (allocated directly by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport) or Local Sports Partnership funding (allocated by the Irish Sports Council) it seems that Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan and Mayo are amongst the best for attracting sports funding.
Football Perspectives
Myself and David had a piece recently published by the UK based Football Perspectives. The work examines differences in the allocation of additional time in the English Premier League during the 2009-2010 season and can be viewed here.
The Wisdom of Crowds & 'Money' Mayweather
In 2005 American journalist James Surowiecki wrote the book The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations. The book was an instant hit and the author gained worldwide recognition for his explanation of how ‘the many’ are smarter than ‘the few’, an idea he introduces by telling the intriguing story of how Francis Galton was shocked to find that the crowd at a county fair accurately guessed the weight of an ox when their independent individual guesses were averaged.
A similar experiment could be run for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil. If one were to ask people independently how many goals will be scored in the entire competition, the mean value of all the guesses should be the ‘best guess’.
Undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr took a similar approach on Twitter last week. The Grand Rapids native tweeted the following to his followers last week:
Mayweather reckons his followers know what fight is best for him next- exactly what James Surowiecki would say. Luckily (or maybe unluckily) for Amir Khan, he came out on top. 60% of the 35,000 voters opted for the Bolton fighter, according to ESPN.
Goal Kicking Performance in International Rugby Union Matches
This just goes to show why New Zealand are the best rugby team in the world – their attention to detail. Ken Quarrie who works as an analyst for New Zealand rugby has carried out research on the goal kicking performance of international rugby players using data from 582 international rugby matches played between 2002 to 2011. The research is about to be published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (February 2014 see here).
I first noticed this on the score.ie and you can read what they think of the research (here). They also provide a link to the rankings spreadsheet on the All Blacks’ official website but for convenience it can be found (here). Quarrie first ranks goal kickers based on their percentage success rate (a raw rank) and then adjusts this ranking (modelled rank) for factors that include kick distance, kick angle, a rating of the importance of each kick and venue-related conditions. Based on this modelled rank the top three goal kickers over the period 2001 to 2011 are Morne Steyn (South Africa), Federico Todeschini (Argentina) and Dan Carter (New Zealand). From an Irish point of view, David Humphreys is the top ranked Irish goal kicker (15th) followed by Ronan O’Gara (34th), Paddy Wallace (39th) and Jonny Sexton (90th). O’Gara was the second best ranked goal kicker in 2010 and 2011. What is interesting is that apart from Morne Steyn (who it appears stands head and shoulders above everybody else with an adjusted success rate of 87%), there is not too much difference in the goal kicking performance of say the top 50 players. Todeschini has an adjusted success rate of 80% while Gavin Williams (Samoa) in 50th place has an adjusted success rate of 73%. So as expected not much separates the top goal kickers at international level.
Quarrie also provides what he calls an importance ranking which ranks the goals kickers solely on the success rate for kicks under pressure. He defines an important kick as one that is likely to reflect affect the outcome of the match. Specifically, the score difference at the time of the kick and the time remaining in the match are used to measure the overall kick importance. Based on this ranking the top three goal kickers are James O Connor (Australia), Morne Steyn (South Africa) and Stirling Mortlock (Australia). Ronan O’Gara (39th) is now the most highly ranked Irish player followed by Jonny Sexton (42nd), then Paddy Wallace (51st) and finally David Humphreys (86th). A lot of reports picked up on this ranking but again it is important to note that the difference in the success rates on these kicks under pressure across all the kickers in the sample is not great. So while David Humphreys is ranked 86th, his actual success rate on pressure kicks is 71% compared to James O Connor at 76%.
One final interesting titbit from the research is the fact that over the matches studied, goal kicks comprised 45% of the total points scored, with penalties accounting for 29% and conversions 15%. This can be compared to 53% of scores that come from tries, and 2% that come from drop goals. This in itself highlights the important of the goal kicker in modern day international rugby.
Revenue Sharing and Competitive Balance in the GAA
By Paul O'Sullivan
On page 36 of his recent report to the GAA’s Annual Congress, GAA director general, Paraic Duffy outlines what he believes is an imperfect system of financial re-distribution from the GAA’s Central Council. Mr Duffy is quoted in this
Irish Times article as saying that “We treat all of our counties exactly the same. We give Leitrim the same direct financial support as we give any of the large-population counties. I think there’s an issue of fairness here.”
Duffy’s argument is that the ‘weaker’ counties, with lower population and funding resources, must incur similar levels of
expenditure to ‘stronger’ counties in terms of travel, meal and medical costs, as well as having to fund players’ expenses for travelling to training from large population areas. Consequently, Duffy would like to see “a county like Leitrim or Longford…… getting more money from us. Some of the bigger counties……could do with less from us”.
With the current redistribution system, ‘stronger’ counties are already subsidising the ‘weaker’ counties as most Central Council gate revenue is generated by the former, yet distributed equally among all counties. In economics jargon, weaker counties are net beneficiaries from the revenue pool.
This idea of re-distribution is usually justified in terms of ‘promoting competitive balance’. Many sports have some form of revenue-sharing mechanism or constraints on talent accumulation, e.g. salary caps and player drafts, that seek to minimise the gap between the large/rich and small/poor clubs in order to‘level the playing field’ and maintain fan interest.
If such a proposal were to be implemented, would it be successful in improving the outcomes, in terms of playing success, of weaker counties? One of the biggest problems for many GAA counties is that their talent pool is restricted by geographic location and there is no transfer market as in professional sports. Given these constraints, providing more financial resources may not translate into much greater playing success, however ‘success’ is defined.
While Duffy talks in general terms about amending the re-distribution mechanism, and rightly foresees complaints from those that would have their funding cut, he offers little indication as to what criteria might be used to assess whether one county receives more than another. While the report makes reference to differences in population size, the number of clubs in the county and what division of the National League a county is in, what other criteria might be used? Previous spending? Average attendance at home games? The number of championship games won over a given time period? As well as this, if counties are to receive different allocations, how much different will these allocations be? Whatever criteria are used, the GAA will need to ensure that there are no perverse incentives whereby a county may find it in its interests not to exert maximum ‘effort’ on the field in order to benefit financially.
As Gaelic football and hurling are amateur games for players, the GAA cannot impose a salary cap to control spending on talent. Instead, Duffy talks about regulating spending on county teams. As it is likely that the interests of Central Council will be in direct conflict with those of many county boards, it will be interesting to see how successful the GAA would be in effectively tracking all spending on teams and what penalties would apply to those counties that break any spending regulations.
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A Winter Break
Unlike the English Premier League, this blog is taking a winter break until Monday 6th January 2014. We would like to wish our readers seasonal greetings and best wishes for 2014.
Sales of Sports Book
The weeks leading up to Christmas are critical for publishers and booksellers. More than 70% of book sales by volume take place in the last quarter of the year. It can be even more important for sports books with up to 85% of the
sales coming in the same period.
According to Fergal Tobin (Gill & Macmillan) the typical sales-cycle of a sports book involves publication from early September to about the third week of October. Any later than that and the sales window on the run in to Christmas begins to close. The launch is usually accompanied by press-releases and other promotional activity. These activities are compressed, if possible, into a period of a week or two following first publication for maximum media effect. This is important no so much in immediate sales terms as in establishing the book in the public consciousness. And you only get a week or so, for next week someone else’s book will be clamouring for attention.
This year Gill & Macmillan published a book on the economics of the GAA. GAAconomicsis not a traditional sports book but its sales-cycle can be expected to have a similar pattern. The book was launched on October 15th. The most up-to-date figures suggest the distribution of sales as in Figure 1. The importance of the last three weeks of sales are crucial (the last two weeks figures are estimates based on current sales).
Gill & Macmillan has a record of publishing sports books with an Irish interest. The company has published books on the Irish journey in Italia 90, the Irish winners of golf’s major tournaments, and on Ireland’s 2012 Olympic medal winner Katie Taylor. It has also publishes books on gaelic games. Hurling is covered in books by authors like Seamus King, Michael Moynihan and Gavin Mortimer. Mortimer has written an “ultimate guide” to hurling and a second book with a similar title on gaelic football. Other gaelic football books in the Gill & Macmillan stable include Deadlocked by Eoghan Corry and A Parish Far From Home by Philip O’Connor. These books can be accessed here.
The Yellow Card League Table
Here’s a quick look at some referee statistics from the 2012-2013 Premier League season. The table below presents data on the average number of yellow cards distributed per games by the sixteen Premier League referees. The data covers 373 games last season, excluding the games refereed by referees Roger East (5), Robert Madley (1) and Craig Pawson (1).
The referee most likely to produce a yellow card last season was Martin Atkinson, who brandished a total of 94 yellows across 25 league games. The most lenient referee, according to this data, was 51 year old Chris Foy. The St. Helens native dished out just 2.14 yellows per games. He was closely followed by the oldest Premier League referee, Mark Halsey, whose average was 2.17 yellow cards per game.
It’s interesting that the two oldest referees in the league are found to be the most lenient. Maybe this is because they have mellowed in their ‘old age’ or believe they command the respect of players, without requiring enforcement.
What’s even more interesting is that the 3rd and 4th most lenient referees are the two youngest; Michael Oliver (28) and Anthony Taylor (35).
This suggests a non-linear effect is at play. Maybe younger referees are less likely to book players out of inexperience, whilst older refs could feel they can control the game without the need for additional punishment. The plot thickens.
Pay As You Go, Go, Go – What It Costs To Be In The Driving Seat
It’s very hard to get into Formula 1 and it’s even harder to stay there. There are only 22 men in the world that can claim to be an F1 driver during any given season. However, the scarcity power is with the teams and not with the drivers as the business model for mid and lower grid teams has a pay as you go contract system. It’s a mechanism which is akin to an average footballer at an average Premier League team, say Scott Parker, having to find €5 million of sponsorship money to gain a place in the Fulham squad. It would certainly avoid a repeat of a Winston Bogarde situation but realistically would never happen in top flight football. It has been common practice in F1 for years. Our very own Eddie Jordan signed Michael Schumacher and gave him his F1 debut in 1991 over more experienced drivers because the German’s $150,000 in sponsorship money was too good an offer for the Irish team to turn down.
The drivers of the top 4-5 teams in the championship will generally command huge salaries as can be seen in the table beside. The top 9 drivers on the list will have had a large amount of bargaining power with their agents pushing to get the highest salaries possible before putting pen to paper. But for the drivers below there is a different approach entirely. The race seats at the mid to back of the grid will be auctioned off to the highest bidder i.e. the driver who can bring the most sponsorship money to the table. It isn’t a question of being quick enough for F1 it’s more about being rich enough or having the wealthiest sponsorship backing. Pastor Maldonado, who scored just 1 point in 2013, managed to bring $8 million in Venezuelan government oil sponsorship to the Williams F1 team (the driver receiving $1million of that as salary). Without that cash it would have been difficult for the team to keep its doors open.
Liquidity is becoming a problem that is racing its way through the grid at an alarming rate. As previously mentioned in an earlier article there are mechanisms in place to ensure no F1 will get into debt, however, to enable a stable liquidity flow a lower ranked team may opt to compromise on out and out speed by selling its seats for anything between $5-8 million rather than selecting the most talented available driver. The end result is that the overall product to fans, F1 being a spectator driven sport, is of a lower quality. It will create a talent bottle neck in about 5 years ’time when the most experienced drivers in F1 will have spent the large part of their careers as payers rather than payees who were not necessarily the best of their generation.
One solution is for teams at the back end to receive a parachute payment similar to the NFL draft which gives the lowest placed squad the first pick of emerging talent for the next season. If the FIA are looking to keep the grid populated and help finances then the bottom five F1 outfits could be given a prize fund which enables them to buy the best of new driver talent rather than selling a contract to the highest bidder.
Until this takes place a quick driver will be worth maybe a tenth of a second over a rival but a wealthy driver truly is worth his weight in gold.
Added Time in the Premier League
In a recent ITV documentary Keane & Vieira: The Best of Enemies, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira take time out to discuss the epic battles between Manchester United and Arsenal from 1996 to 2005. Both men were steadfast in the belief that their team had emerged victorious from the long running feud between the two clubs, which started following the arrival of Arsene Wenger to the Premier League in 1996.
What was interesting about the Keane/Vieira conversation was the belief that both men held regarding referee favouritism. Keane argued that Arsenal were always given the benefit of the doubt in home games, while Vieira claimed United were always treated differently by referees, almost suggesting that United were clearly 'liked' by certain officials.
All football fans probably get the feeling that the ‘other’ team gets more decisions from the referee. Most non-United fans would claim the Red Devils are always in receipt of ‘kind’ decisions, while Man United fans will argue that opposite and claim, like David Moyes did with the fixture list this season, that others are ‘out to get’ the league champions.
A raft of literature exists on the extent of referee bias in football (for further works see here, here and here). The examination of referee decision-making has ranged from the likelihood of a referee awarding a penalty to a visiting team, to the probability of a referee being more susceptible to influence from home supporters located in closer proximate to the playing pitch.
With this in mind, I have collected data on one variable where refereeing bias could exist, the allocation of injury time, for all 380 games in the 2012-2013 Premier League season when a team is winning, drawing and losing home games. In addition, I have data on the number of substitutes, yellow and red cards, attendance and referee, which form the body of a working paper (to follow).
The data presented in the first scatter plot below shows the number of seconds of added time (X-axis) for each team when losing a home game and their finishing league position. This is when extra added time is beneficial to the home team. No bias can be observed towards the big clubs. In fact, while Liverpool and Everton do very well, Manchester City and Chelsea are among the least favoured.
The second scatter plots presents data for 267 games last season when games were tied or just one goal separated the teams as the game entered added time. Again no bias is evident towards the top four clubs with Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City in particular all at the lower end of the scatter plot. Liverpool have little to complain about as they get the most time when losing at home.
It appears when it comes to the allocation of added time, Premier League referees are highly impartial. More to follow...
IRFU Keeps World Cup Bid Report Under Wraps
In a previous post I looked forward to the release of the report on which Minister Varadkar sought government support for a 2023 RWC bid by Ireland. Now it seems that the report will not be released to the public. It is disappointing that taxpayers cannot get access to the report.
I emailed the Minister’s office asking for a copy of the report. The reply pointed out the report was commissioned by the IRFU and, as a result, the Minister would not give me the report. Therefore, I emailed the IRFU. They also told me they will not release the report.
Tradition and shirt sponsorship - Intel Inside
With remarkable timing after yesterday's post on stadium naming rights and tradition in sport by John Considine, it is reported today that Barcelona have agreed to a deal with Intel to have the chip-maker's logo on the inside of their players' shirts. The positioning is not just a play on the Intel slogan but will, according to media accounts, be strategically placed to be seen if and when players put their shirts over their heads in a traditional goal celebration.
It is notable that this deal involves Barcelona, a club that for so long refused to have sponsorship on their shirts. In 2006 they agreed to put UNICEF's logo on their shirts. Their first commercial sponsorship was not until the 2011/12 season when Qatar Sports Investments, which saw Qatar Foundation on their shirts for two seasons followed by Qatar Airways this year. For comparison, Manchester United's first sponsor, Sharp, appeared in 1982/3, Liverpool (the first professional club) had Hitachi in 1979 and Real Madrid started with Zanussi in 1982/3.
Naming Rights and Culture
At the weekend, Everton’s Gerard Deulofeu scored an equaliser to stop Arsenal going seven points clear at the top of the Premier League. Deulofeu is on loan at Everton from Barcelona. After the game, his manager Roberto Martinez, said the player was benefitting from the different refereeing culture in English football. Martinez claimed that Deulofeu was learning that one cannot always look to the referee for assistance.
Cultural differences also seem to be surfacing off the field in the Premier League. In the last couple of days, Assem Allam applied to change the name of the Premier League team Hull City to Hull Tigers (here). Opponents have a point when they say that Allam does not understand the culture of the club or the game. However, these opponents might not realise how quickly that culture can change. It was only in the late 1970s that professional clubs like Liverpool started to change the culture of English football when it came to putting sponsors names on team shirts. Almost overnight it became accepted practice.
To see the differences in cultures one need only look at the naming of sporting stadiums. At the start of this month, American Appraisal (a company focused on valuation-related advisory services) released their estimates of the potential value of stadium naming rights in the Premier League. Their estimates are provided in the table in this blog post. Their analysis is well worth reading and is available here.
It is appropriate that a company with “America” in the title should provide the estimates of the stadium naming rights. Like so many other innovations is the business of sport, American has led the way. The American experience also shows how quickly things change. Michael Sandel says that in 1988 “only three sports stadiums had naming rights deals worth a total of $25 million” (here). Over the next 15 years things changed dramatically. He says that by 2004 “there were sixty-six deals, worth a total of $3.6 billion”.
Will the dominance of American sporting culture wash out the difference in stadium naming traditions in Europe? If it does then what will be lost? On a rough approximation, the grounds of English Premier League clubs tend to have a geography element – in the same way as the clubs have a geography element in their title. Words like “road”, “lane”, and “park” feature in the stadium names. Many fans do not want to lose these names. Change has occurred slowly so far - although some clubs have taken the opportunity of a move to a new stadium to introduce naming rights deals. Arsenal moved from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium. Manchester City moved from Maine Road to the City of Manchester Stadium before renaming it the Etihad Stadium.
In Ireland, GAA grounds tend to have the names of culturally significant people. The names of early patrons of the GAA such as “Croke” and “Cusack” feature prominently. Cork county teams play in two stadia that carry the names of two of the county's more famous sons. One stadium is named after the legendary hurler Christy Ring. The main stadium is named after Padraig O Caoimh who was General Secretary of the GAA for 35 years in the middle of the 20th century. Significantly, these stadia carry the Irish language version of the names.
It would be a pity if all of these cultural differences were lost. Cultural differences have an important place in sport.
Off the field they can help fans identify with the team and with the game itself. On the field, they can help the development of players like Gerard Deulofeu.
The Press Advisor and the Professor
In the context of the current debate about the salaries and "top-up" payments, Professor Brian Lucey (Trinity College Dublin) highlights the €105,835 paid to the Press Advisor to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (here). Professor Lucey says "lets not cut funds to the CRC when we are paying the press advisor for the minister for sport over 100k PA".
Five More Strikes For Moyes?
By Robbie Butler & David Butler
Manchester United fans are probably starting to understand what it’s like to be a supporter of any other club. Back-to-back home defeats at Old Trafford in the Premier League have left many fans questioning what is to come this season and what can and can’t be achieved in the years ahead. While even the most partisan of fans will struggle to defend a position of a successful title defence, many fans are now starting to wonder about a top four place. Of course, it’s impossible to know precisely what will happen in the months ahead, but we’ve complied some data to give fans an idea of what might be in store for David Moyes' team based on previous years.
The race for '4th spot' has existed since 2002 when English teams were offered an additional Champions League place by UEFA (via a qualification route). Since then the average number of points required for 4th place has been 70 (See here). However, since 2008 the standard has risen slightly, with 71.33 points required for what is usually the last Champions League spot. With United currently on 22 points, the Red Devils need to capture 2.15 points per game from here to May, in order to hit the magic 70 point mark. That's roughly seven wins from every ten games.
Having lost five games so far the omens don’t look good. Since 2007, no team has lost more than 10 games and finished inside the top 4 places. Mind you, Newcastle lost 11 games and finished 3rd in 2003 while Everton lost a 13 (that's one-third of all league games!) and still beat Liverpool to 4th spot in 2005. However, 61 points was enough for 4th that year; the second lowest total ever.
An increasingly competitive Premier League since 2008, thanks to the performances of Tottenham and Manchester City, suggest that stats since 2008 are probably the best guide to what lies ahead for Manchester United. The table below shows the number of games the 4th placed team has lost and points accumulated from 2008 to 2013.
The mean number of losses since 2008 has been 7. This has the current champions under serious pressure. Assuming a best case scenario, they can probably afford to lose another five games.
Here are the fixtures that Manchester United still have to play against teams currently ranked above them in the Premier League, that could be a source of potential losses: Home to Tottenham (Jan 1st), Away to Chelsea (Jan 19th), Away to Arsenal (Feb 11th), Home to Man City (March 1st), Home to Liverpool (March 15th), Away to Newcastle (April 5th), Away to Everton (April 19th), Away to Southampton (May 11th). This is not to mention other 'surprise' defeats that could occur in the league over the next 25 games.
While Champions League qualification is certainly within the grasp of this Manchester United squad, the stats would suggest that they can't afford to make things any harder than they are. Otherwise, they could find the easiest route of entry will be to win the Champions League outright this year.
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https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Blaster-worm-attacker-gets-18-months-1165231.php
Blaster worm attacker gets 18 months
By PAUL SHUKOVSKY, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Published 10:00 pm PST, Friday, January 28, 2005
Jeffrey Parson, the Minnesota man who brought the Internet to its knees with a Blaster worm virus, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison -- the lowest possible sentence under his plea agreement.
U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman noted in sentencing Parson that mental illness led him to virtually imprison himself at home, the only refuge where he could avoid human contact. Pechman likened the Internet to a dungeon for people like Parson, who she said has also had to contend with the loneliness of having neglectful parents.
Federal prosecutors had wanted Parson to serve 37 months -- the highest sentence under the plea deal.
Variants of the Blaster worm caused computer networks around the world to collapse in 2003. Parson unleashed a particularly vicious version of the worm in August 2003 that infected more than 48,000 computers, according to a sentencing memo by Assistant U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes.
Parson admitted guilt last August to a single count of intentionally causing damage to a protected computer.
His admission was part of the plea agreement that lays out how he modified the worm by inserting a "backdoor" that would give him future access to infected computers, then launching a denial-of-service attack in a failed attempt to overwhelm a Microsoft Web site. Microsoft says it cost the company $1.2 million to clean up Parson's mess. The case was prosecuted in Seattle because Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, is considered his primary victim.
Parson's attorney, Nancy Tenney, said her client wanted to warn other young people about the folly of his actions. So he created a video with Seattle Public Schools in which he talks about "how wrong it is," Tenney said.
Pechman asked Parson about his video during yesterday's sentencing. He said he wanted to create something that his peers would pay attention to. And he said producing the video made him "extremely scared, but I felt very good after it was done."
"I know I've made a huge mistake, and I've hurt a lot of people, and I feel terrible," Parson said, adding an apology to Microsoft.
Before sentencing Parson, Pechman told the young hacker he had done "a terrible thing. You shook the foundation of the system" by damaging trust in the Internet. But the judge noted that Parson had just turned 18 when he launched his attack and that his psychological evaluation indicates that he had the maturity of someone much younger.
"The Internet is a wonderful thing," said the judge. "But it has created a dark hole, a dungeon if you will, for people who have mental illnesses or people who are lonely."
And Pechman -- who said Parson's home "sounds much grimmer than some prison camps I know of" -- asserted that Parson's father led him into that hole.
His parents were not at the sentencing, Tenney said. "Jeff's parents are unable to provide guidance and support," she said.
Pechman requested that the federal Bureau of Prisons put Parson in a prison camp in Duluth, Minn., or at one in South Dakota known for having the best educational programs in the federal prison system.
Once Parson gets out, he will be put under the supervision of a probation officer who will require that he get mental-health treatment.
Pechman also ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service, in part as a way to force the young man to have as much contact with other people as possible.
She also barred Parson from using computers for video games or chat rooms. Only educational or business computer use will be allowed.
"We're not going to have imaginary friends," said Pechman. "I want you to have real friends."
Pechman postponed dealing with the complex issue of restitution to Microsoft until Feb. 10.
The judge allowed Parson to return home to Minnesota until the Bureau of Prisons orders him to report to serve his sentence.
After the court proceedings, Parson said he is "grateful the judge gave me a very fair sentence."
"I feel that the judge understood me. I hope young people can learn from my mistakes, and I am really sorry to anyone who got hurt in any way by what I did."
At a news conference, Nancy Anderson, Microsoft vice president and deputy general counsel, expressed appreciation for Pechman's recognition of the seriousness of the crime.
She said that although the Blaster worm caused millions of dollars of damage to Microsoft, the damage to the "Internet ecosystem" was far worse by shaking the faith of computer users in the Internet.
Both Anderson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Sullivan said they are satisfied with Pechman's rationale for sentencing Parson to the bottom of the range.
Blaster worm sender bound for prison
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Ryan P. O’Donnell
Seasonal anorexia in the male red-sided garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
Ryan P. O’Donnell, Richard Shine, Robert William Trainer Mason
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Many animals show seasonal shifts in behaviors that coincide with breeding, migration, or hibernation. These behavioral shifts provide ideal opportunities to study the regulation of behavior. The… (More)
Improved Methods for PCA-Based Reconstructions: Case Study Using the Steig et al. (2009) Antarctic Temperature Reconstruction
Ryan P. O’Donnell, Nicholas Lewis, Steve McIntyre, Jeff R. Condon
A detailed analysis is presented of a recently published Antarctic temperature reconstruction that combines satellite and ground information using a regularized expectation-maximization algorithm.… (More)
Recommendations for Eradication and Control of Non-indigenous , Colonial , Ascidian Tunicates in Newfoundland Harbours
D. Ronald Deibel, Cynthia Mckenzie, +10 authors Brooks B. Pilgrim
............................................................................................................................. VII RÉSUMÉ… (More)
Cryptic invasion of Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens) across phylogeographic boundaries and a dilemma for conservation of a declining amphibian
Ryan P. O’Donnell, Charles A. Drost, Karen E. Mock
Biological Invasions
Anthropogenic introduction of species is a major contributor to loss of biodiversity. Translocations within the range of a species are less frequently recognized, but have the potential for negative… (More)
Two frog species or one? A multi-marker approach to assessing the distinctiveness of genetic lineages in the Northern Leopard Frog, Rana pipiens
Ryan P. O’Donnell, Karen E. Mock
Conservation Genetics
A genetic boundary at the Mississippi River, USA, has been suggested for the Northern Leopard Frog, Rana pipiens, which was recently proposed for listing as federally threatened in the western USA.… (More)
Learning Monotone Functions from Random Examples in Polynomial Time
Ryan P. O’Donnell, Rocco A. Servedio
We give an algorithm that learns any monotone Boolean function f : {−1, 1}n → {−1, 1} to any constant accuracy, under the uniform distribution, in time polynomial in n and in the decision tree size… (More)
C C ] 1 7 M ay 2 01 5 How to refute a random CSP
Sarah R. Allen, Ryan P. O’Donnell, David Witmer
Let P be a nontrivial k-ary predicate over a finite alphabet. Consider a random CSP(P ) instance I over n variables with m constraints, each being P applied to k random literals. When m ≫ n the… (More)
SIV-induced impairment of neurovascular repair: a potential role for VEGF
Gigi J. Ebenezer, Justin C. Mcarthur, +5 authors Joseph L Mankowski
Journal of NeuroVirology
Peripheral nerves and blood vessels travel together closely during development but little is known about their interactions post-injury. The SIV-infected pigtailed macaque model of human… (More)
Analysis of Boolean Functions ( CMU 18-859 S , Spring 2007 ) Lecture 26 : Influences and Decision Trees
Observation 1.2 (“The Decision Tree Observation”) Let T be a deterministic decision tree (henceforth DDT). The following method constructs a random input x distributed according to {−1, 1}(p): 1.… (More)
k + DECISION TREES
James Aspnes, Eric Blais, Murat Demirbas, Ryan P. O’Donnell, Atri Rudra, Steve Uurtamo
Consider a wireless sensor network in which each node possesses a bit of information. Suppose all sensors with the bit 1 broadcast this fact to a central processor. If zero or one sensors broadcast,… (More)
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Needed, pragmatism in land and labour laws
Virendra Kapoor
Vital structural reforms find no mention in the agenda of Modi 2.0.
Economic reforms did not find much mention in President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament last Thursday. These are clearly a low priority for Modi 2.0—as they were for Modi 1.0. The address detailed various welfare schemes already in operation, and a few more which are to be launched soon. Outlays are to be increased for cash assistance to hard-pressed sections, investment on the farm sector is to be vastly augmented, provisioning for loans to self-employed businesses to be increased, etc., etc. And of course there is a lot of self-congratulation, maybe justified after the huge mandate. And even the promise to explore the seemingly tough pet theme of one-country, one-poll receives a mention. But what is missing in all of those 7,000-plus words of Kovind is economic reforms, how to get the corporate sector out of the rut, out of the current slowdown, the unremitting burden of indebtedness.
It should not surprise those who know Narendra Modi. He is not an economic reformer, the way A.B. Vajpayee was. Or the way the life-long implementer of draconian socialism, Manmohan Singh, was obliged to become under the irresistible pressure of the IMF-World Bank combine. Those hailing him as the father of the reforms ought to know that only a few weeks before the “dream budget”, at a South-South meeting, Singh sang paeans to controlled economy, while he was under no compulsion to do so. Of course, Vajpayee was a votary of free but regulated enterprise. While bitterly opposing the licence-permit-crony-capitalist Congress samajwad, which turned quite a few paupers overnight into billionaires, thanks to the generosity of the powers that were, Vajpayee’s faith in a liberal economic order grew further.
As Prime Minister, he undertook several structural reforms, sold off a number of non-performing public sector units and generally liberalised foreign investment and, above all, opened up the telecom sector. This, despite the voodoo economists of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch constantly snapping at his heels. The founder-president of the BJP-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Dattopant Thengdi, was so unhappy that he called the Vajpayee government “the worst in my lifetime”. And the Chennai-based chartered accountant, who had the ears of L.K. Advani, wrote newspaper columns criticising the opening up of the economy.
Modi is fortunate not to have anyone in the wider Sangh Parivar to offer a word in criticism of whatever he might choose to do. He is virtually an all-in-all. Unlike Vajpayee, who had to watch over his shoulder constantly to see what his presumed number two was up to, Modi’s overbearing persona deters his fellow party men from saying a word edgeways even in the privacy of their homes. Yet, he fails to undertake two key structural reforms which he neglected in his first term and which, as is clear from the President’s address, he seems to have no intention of taking up in his second five-year term as well.
Yes, he did try to undo the mischief the previous government, nay, actually Jairam Ramesh did under the influence of the noisy jholawala crowd, by taking the land acquisition law from one extreme to the other. If the 1894 law empowered the State to grab anyone’s property even for no real public interest in mind and to pay pittance in compensation, the 2013 law, framed in the backdrop of the Anna Hazare anti-corruption protest, went to the other extreme, making it willy-nilly impossible to acquire land even for urgent national security. Modi was persuaded early in his prime ministerial stint in 2014 to try and moderate the provisions so that public and private sector development does not suffer for want of land. Even an ordinance was promulgated to inject pragmatism in the Jairam Ramesh law.
But he beat a retreat once Rahul Gandhi mouthed that clever line from one of his aides about “suit-boot ki sarkar”. And the stringent, no-go provisions of land acquisition law continue to hugely constrain growth. Indeed, the provision of outrageously high compensation and pre-polling of land owners having become huge obstructions, Ramesh must bear some blame for the sky-high prices of land even for lower- and middle-class housing.
But Modi can correct the excesses of the UPA, which, acting under siege following various corruption scams, went out on a limb to enact a retrograde law. Making it balanced will help revive the real estate sector, free up vast tracts of land for industrial growth, and generally provide relief to millions of Indians in search of a roof over their head. It is notable that the Kamal Nath government only this past week has reduced the reserved price of land in Madhya Pradesh, never mind the puffery that accompanied the lowering of the land price. And that despite bullet train being a prime project, in more than four years it has been able to acquire only 39% of the land required.
Again, another key reform pertains to labour. Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister had first talked of an “exit policy” back in the early 1990s. He failed to move ahead on this even after becoming Prime Minister. Several expert studies have unequivocally concluded that freeing up employers from the shackles of the socialist era labour laws would actually lead to greater, yes, greater employment. Flexible labour markets would incentivize regularization of payrolls, ensure greater discipline on the shop floor and increase productivity. Thanks to the antiquated labour laws, even prosperous employers resort to the subterfuge of contract labour and off-the-rolls work orders in the full knowledge of the factory inspectors. It is a con trick sanctioned by authorities thanks to the outdated labour law.
Reform of land and labour laws constitutes the core of structural reforms at this juncture. Modi was successful in freeing petroleum prices from the straitjacket of administrative controls. He has injected a measure of transparency in the financial markets. The banking code is a revolutionary step in ensuring that borrowers pay up or do time in prison. And GST was a long-overdue reform. Yet, Modi shows no inclination to revive the sclerotic land and labour markets, essential, along with the capital markets, to rev up the economic engine.
President Kovind, in his address, noted how in the last five years India had moved up on the Ease of Doing Business 65 positions to 77 and the objective now is to feature among the top 50 countries. Undertaking reform of land and labour laws is the simplest way to ensure that India gets into the top 50 bracket sooner rather than later. Modi can now afford to ignore that jibe about suit-boot ki sarkar, not because the “jiber” is down in the dumps, but because his credentials as a pro-poor leader who has put money in their pockets are well and truly established. Besides, a strong leader never fears doing the right thing by the country regardless of what the self-interested critics might have to say.
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NASA's new Horizons probe will approach Ultima Thule in the New Year
Ultima Thule, or 2014 MU69, is a Transnetunian object (small body of the Solar system orbiting the sun at an average distance greater than that of Neptune) that will be, very soon, visited by the New Horizons probe
Ultima Thule, or 2014 MU69, is a Transnetunian object (small body of the Solar system orbiting the sun at an average distance greater than that of Neptune) that will be, very soon, visited by the New Horizons probe — the same as the nasasent to study Pluto and its moons. It is predicted that the probe will undergo Ultima Thule at the turn of the year, exactly.
In recent days, mission controllers have adjusted the trajectory of the ship so that it remains on the ideal path, with the result being an intimate overflight near this object that is still somewhat unknown to us. The overflight will take place on January 1, 2019, and then we will begin the year knowing much more about what is in the confines of the Solar system.
Currently, New Horizons flies at an impressive speed of 50,700 kilometers per hour — and any grain of dust the size of a grain of rice could destroy the ship altogether. So NASA's controllers needed to check everything that was on the probe's trajectory to ensure that no obstacle, as much as it was, was in its path. ADVERTISING
With no threats detected, NASA then gave the green light to New Horizons heading for Ultima Thule. The probe will reach three times closer to the object than it was possible to do with Pluto. And that's great news; After all, the closer you can get, the more detailed data will be provided. It will be able to record images with resolution from 30 to 70 meters per pixel (in Pluto, the resolution was approximately 183 meters per pixels). Namely: we will see Ultima Thule with an even greater richness of detail.
Art shows New Horizons close to Ultima Thule (Image: NASA)
And the exciting thing is that we know little about the object — we don't even know if it's a nearby binary system (with two small objects orbiting each other), a binary contact system (when two parts of the objects are touching), or a single object whose format is " Different ". Either way, it is known that the object (or objects) is only about 30 kilometers in diameter and fairly irregular shape. Therefore, the images sent by New Horizons will certainly be fascinating.
The transmissions from New Horizons take approximately 6 hours to reach Earth, with the probe being approximately 9.5 billion kilometers away. So, for the first few hours of 2019, we can wait for the first photos of Ultima Thule being received by NASA — and we hope that their disclosure won't take long to happen. In fact, the space agency intends to release the world a sharper picture of the object the next morning on January 2.
Curiosities about Ultima Thule and the New Horizons journey
The MU69 Object 2014 will be the most primordial ever visited and its actual appearance can tell scientists more about the gas and dust disk that formed the Solar system more than 4.5 billion years ago. Very different from Pluto, which is a dwarf planet, Ultima Thule, although residing in the same Kuiper belt, must be geologically "dead"; However, it may reveal impact craters that are still unknown to us.
It is speculated that the object is dark, red in tone, and irregular in shape, but its true shape can be quite different from the imagined by us. The space rock is so small and distant that terrestrial telescopes see it as a pixel amid darkness, only, and even the powerful Hubble space Telescope "suffered" to discover it in 2014. And, as New Horizons was already in the region, mission scientists needed to run out of time to discover as much as possible about the object so that this time of New Horizons had its trajectory adjusted in order to go through Ultima Thule — after all , this deviation was not in the initial plans, since the probe was sent to space at 2006.
The highlight in the animation shows the 2014 MU69 being discovered by Hubble (Image: NASA)
And, unlike Pluto — whose orbit is inclined towards the solar system's plane — Ultima Thule orbits the sun in an almost undisturbed path, suggesting that it is in the deep freezing of the external solar system since its formation. Along with other objects in that region, it is regarded as remnant of the original disc of the material around the sun that gave rise to the planets. So, studying it means understanding even more about how the system we live in has formed.
Source: NASA, Nature
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2000-Year-Old Bone of St. Clement Found in London Trash Bin
TERRA PLANA: Deputados de MS reconhecem importância de pesquisas sobre o formato da Terra
Tubulação se rompe e deixa águas cristalinas de Arraial do Cabo turvas e impróprias
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HomeMercedes-BenzMercedes-Maybach SUV spied testing
Mercedes-Maybach SUV spied testing
April 12, 2018 Karl Peskett Mercedes-Benz, SUV News
The latest crossover to join the super-luxury crowd is the forthcoming Mercedes-Maybach SUV and it has been caught testing in the wild.
Video captured this week, in Maybach’s home town of Stuttgart, shows the hulking giant SUV meandering in everyday traffic, and while the footage doesn’t reveal much about the vehicle, there are a few details which make us certain that this is the new Maybach SUV and not just a Mercedes-Benz GLS update.
The overall side profile is very similar to the GLS, but with detail changes, and with Mercedes-Benz’s design language for its new generation products a bit more curvy, to retain the larger, blocky shape seems a bit underdone.
What it looks like is an old GLS body fitted over the top of the Mercedes-Maybach interior.
A view of the side as the SUV drives past also gives us a clear shot of the door handles, which look more premium than the standard GLS fitment, and the wheel-arches are fractionally more flared than the GLS, along with a scalloped body line.
LED laser lighting features in the headlights, while a different front bumper sits up front, and a mock grille takes the place of what Maybach will slot in there. The rear quarter window has also been altered, with plenty of foam padding to disguise its features.
What’s interesting is that Maybach has said that it will offer a more saloon like experience, which means this may not be the body we’ll see after all.
We’re also thrown off the scent by the GLS’s roof rails, which will be undoubtedly ditched when the new Maybach SUV goes into production next year.
Another interesting detail is that you can’t hear it at all. Normally, in these spy videos, you get a sense of what’s under the hood from the sound, but this one is unusually silent.
Could it be an electric drivetrain, or at the very least a hybrid? We’ll have to wait and see.
You can read more info on the new Mercedes-Maybach SUV here, but it will be built to compete with the Bentley Bentayga, Range Rover SV Coupe and Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
Currently, we’re looking to see it revealed as a concept at the Beijing Motor Show late this month, with a production version to be possibly shown in November at the Los Angeles Motor Show.
Under the bonnet will almost certainly be the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 found in Mercedes-AMG applications, with a nine-speed automatic.
SUV Authority will bring you more details when they come to hand.
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Mercedes-Benz GLB to fill gap between GLA and GLC SUVs
January 10, 2018 Karl Peskett Mercedes-Benz, SUV News
A new small SUV from Mercedes-Benz has been been doing the rounds, testing in both cold and warm weather conditions ahead of a possible 2019 launch. To be called the Mercedes-Benz GLB, it fills in the gap between the compact Mercedes-Benz GLA and the mid-sized [Click to read more]
2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class specifications
The 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class – the longest running passenger vehicle ever built by the German car-maker – has finally had its official unveiling at the 2018 Detroit Motor Show (NAIAS), with all the details and specifications being released. The new G-Class builds on the heritage [Click to read more]
2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class off road specifications revealed
January 8, 2018 Karl Peskett Mercedes-Benz, SUV News
Before the 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class is unveiled next week at the Detroit motor show (NAIAS 2018), Mercedes-Benz has outlined the new SUV’s off-road credentials, along with some camouflaged shots of the vehicle. We’ve already seen the new G-Class with no covering, but the statistics make [Click to read more]
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WhatsApp, Scourge of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Communities
The Hasidic community is debating the same thing Internet pundits are: What is WhatsApp, really?
Alexis C. Madrigal
Satmar Hasidic schoolflickr/Bonnie Natko
Very religious communities tend to have a fraught relationship with technology. The Amish's eschewal of electrical power and cars is merely shorthand for the conflicts and compromises that arise when new human things test the oldest human things.
And so it is written in the The Jewish Daily Forward that WhatsApp is the latest scourge among ultra-orthodox Jews, picking up on a story in Der Blatt, a Yiddish-language newspaper with the headline, "The rabbis overseeing divorces say WhatsApp is the No. 1 cause of destruction of Jewish homes and business."
Even before Facebook bought the company for $19 billion, the Satmar Hasids of New York were struggling to come to terms with what WhatsApp is. Is it a messaging service, which might be allowed within the community norms of technological adoption, or is it something more forbidden, like Facebook itself?
A June 2012 ban on Facebook and other social-media sites by community leaders drew attention to the various attitudes that orthodox Jews have toward Internet use. Some clearly support the bans, and Satmar Hasidic schools "require that parents use Web filters on their smartphones." But others find ways around the restrictions, according to the Forward. This latter group argues that WhatsApp does not have the deleterious social features that other social tools do.
"It’s self-created media, it’s not the outside media,” one member of the community told the newspaper. “[It’s] an inside ghetto media, not outside.”
It's fascinating, too, that the debate within the Hasidic communities of New York parallels the one that Internet pundits have been having for months: Is WhatsApp just cheap text messaging? Or is there more to it?
If all this sounds strange, consider that we all have implicit norms for technology adoption that invite ridicule if violated. This is, in fact, the focal point resistance to Google Glass. Personally, I admire communities of any type that have tried to make collective, non-market decisions about technologies. They might not work, but at least they're honest attempts to grapple with the intended and unintended effects presented by new ways of doing things.
Because sometimes it makes sense to do less than what it is technically possible. My colleague Becca Rosen argues that law, itself, is "a system for allowing less than what is possible." And what law does for official political units, norms do for subcultures.
Alexis C. Madrigal is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology.
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BRING BACK THE CROWN
U.K. Conservatives May Involve Queen in Brexit: Report
Senior Tory officials are reportedly considering the plan out of fear that the new prime minister will ignore the will of Parliament.
Belgium Swears in New P.M.
Updated 04.24.17 12:52PM ET / Published 12.06.11 1:55PM ET
Georges Gobet / AFP / Getty Images
And we thought the U.S. Congress was gridlocked. Belgium swore in Elio Di Rupo as the new prime minister on Tuesday, after a record-breaking 541 days without a government. Also sworn in by Belgium’s Prince Albert II were 12 cabinet ministers and six secretaries of state, the first central administration officials since the last government resigned in April 2010. Belgium’s political deadlock has become somewhat of a joke among its citizens, stemming from a disagreement over voting rights by French and Flemish voters. The delay eventually evolved into a disagreement over budget and immigration issues, and many wondered if the country would ever reach move past the impasse. Indicating the country’s long-standing language difficulties, Di Rupo, a French-speaking Socialist, took the oath of office in French, Dutch and German.
Read it at BBC News
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Junior Seau and Life After Sports
The transition from sports star to retirement shouldn’t be a prison sentence. By Doug Glanville.
Kent Horner / Getty Images
The suicide of the legendary San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau is all too familiar. I didn’t know Seau, but I knew versions of his story in the lives of athletes who have been trying to find their way once playing the game became no longer an option.
Seau played the game with a fury. As a Denver Broncos fan, I know this well as he followed Broncos quarterback John Elway like he was Elway’s shadow. He stalked him into bad passes and rushed decisions. Seau’s teammates and those who worked with him raved about his energy, his leadership, his charisma, his childlike enthusiasm for the game. It never wavered from his first season to his 20th.
But like most professional athletes, there comes a time when the phones stop ringing. The offers stop coming in, the starting role is no longer on the table. It marks a moment of deep reflection and deep fear. Who will I be without the game that I love and a passion I cannot express?
I had the good fortune of playing major-league baseball for nine seasons and after I chose to leave the game, I found out that I had to take each day on its own because nothing would ever be quite like the life I had when I played. I could not just summarize a day in a win or a loss, I could not get the instant feedback a bad route or a hanging curveball could give. It took patience. It took understanding of the human factor in every situation. It took time to see how to find a new passion or a new way to share the game I loved.
Although the work ethic, the leadership, and the camaraderie gained while being committed to the game may translate to having a basis for success in other endeavors, nothing measures up to playing a sport that embodies you. You hear ad nauseam about your time in the game being the “best years of your life,” as if there is no joy to be found after your spikes go neatly inside a box in your basement. What in the world do you have to look forward to?
The frenetic and colliding nature of football does not fit very well outside of the stadium. You can’t chat with your kids like you would when trash-talking the running back you just flattened. You can’t address your spouse in a disagreement like you would when you want to straighten out that young linebacker’s lack of attention to detail after a blown coverage in the AFC Championship. You have to relearn how to engage people in a way appropriate for society after years of reinforcing habits that allow you to survive in the NFL.
And so often, a player does not arrive at his new destination willingly. No one truly rides into the sunset in the NFL, even if they were the greatest player who retired after scoring the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl. There is real tangible emptiness, real self-doubt, real anger, real pain that accompanies one’s departure. Your health has been compromised, your family may not know you, your debt may have mounted to an unsustainable level once the paychecks stop coming in. And whatever it is you are doing next is not playing football.
Like many players, Seau became a divorce statistic. One that is much larger than a “live happily ever after” statistic. When leaving the game, most players have spent countless hours and years denying their emotions to be able to perform: I am not hurt; I am not tired; I do not have doubt; I do not need drugs; I do not feel empty. NFL warriors don’t embrace vulnerability. Accepting those feelings is like having one foot out the career door, but counter to the culture, it is the key to having a reciprocal relationship with a spouse or a child.
In fact, most players have to first figure out the relationship they have with themselves before even beginning to learn how to share a new postcareer dynamic with someone else. They have been absentee often as the game travel and commitments mount. Then at a young age, they have to re-engage their relationships as they fight a broken body and a feeling of being discarded when they were not ready.
Ready or not, a career in sports ends. Just like that. Poof. In the wind, relying on the memory of fans or your own memory to live on, which may or may not be compromised from the many blows to the head you have taken. You profoundly know something is missing, but you can’t quite place it. A vicious circle ends viciously.
Seau was suffering in the most devastating way. Internally. Then he had no hope left; he saw no options. He weighed what he was leaving behind and could not make a calculation that left himself alive in the end. The epitome of extreme, irreversibly so, and in the wake, few seem to have any inkling of how conditions got so terminal for him so abruptly.
But it probably began some time earlier in the toll the game takes out your body. In the overlooking of nagging twinges, or maybe even depression. All of which are enemies to success on the field, and enemies to your life when you don’t address them.
Seau’s family has elected to donate his brain for study. Maybe that is the connection of his shooting himself in the chest. He may have wanted to preserve his brain for study as he fought the pain.
He marked the eighth player to be lost from the 1994 AFC Champions. Young men with time on their side—but time means nothing if you are trapped in a loop of pain so intense that you would rather trade it in for an unknown peace. Even when it hurts the love ones you leave behind.
Despite all this, playing sports is also a great love—you commit, it holds you forever, and you always find yourself looking back at those days of magic when you cannot compete anymore. It’s difficult not to make that sequence a prison sentence for your future, especially when you both physically and emotionally are tormented in deafening silence.
Something is truly broken in how players end up after a life in professional sports. For many, a child’s game, a child’s love, ends in a premature or elected death. An innocent love turns into a death sentence. One that we never see coming.
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Speak Out - July 13, 2013
Wednesday - 10:39 a.m.
Yeah, this is Bobby. I was just looking in (another newspaper) today. It looks like the powers that be are determined to tell people what they can and can't do with their own property. I don't know what makes them think they know best.
They live in a fishing and boating, RV community, yet they don't want to park where they can see it. I don't know why it would be somebody's business to tell you what kind of ground cover you've got to have to park a boat on.
They said they could make exceptions to keep from cutting down trees. Well if you can make exceptions, then it should be okay. One person got an exception so he could park in the front yard. The other people don't have exceptions, so it's so terrible, they've got to get rid of theirs.
People ought to leave other people alone. Or either move up north somewhere away from the water. Thank you.
Yeah, this is Bobby. I just wanted to say a few words about what's happening to Paula Deen for using the n-word 20-30 years ago. I grew up in the south, in Milton, my whole life.
When I was growing up, it was a common word. And didn't mean anything terrible. It meant the same as negro, black, Afro American or African American. It just meant that the person is black. It didn't mean that he was a bad person.
And that's what people don't understand. Especially people up north. It does not mean anything bad. It's just denoting that they're black. So, I don't see why it's such a bad word but we don't say it now because black people don't want to hear it, which is fine.
But they shouldn't crucify somebody that used it, when they didn't mean anything derogatory by it.
Thursday - 6:15 a.m.
Yeah, this is Bobby. After reading the Wednesday paper. I'm going kind of get this straight. The county bought the Whittle building for almost $100,000, because it's close to the courthouse to store records in.
They been saying they have been so short of money, they wanted to make the little kids in little league pay the light bills at the parks. But now, all of a sudden, they got enough money that they going to lease that building out for $10 a year, which will be no property taxes, instead of selling it.
And they're going build a new building somewhere, when they don't know where the new courthouse will be. So, depending on where it is, I guess they'll have to build another one close to the courthouse when they get it built. Makes no sense to me.
Thursday - 10:51 a.m.
Yes, this is David in Pace. I see a lot of comments in here that a person named Maria in Milton leaves. And I would really like to know what year she escaped from Chattahoochee. Because I think that's where she used to live at. Thank you very much.
Thursday - 12:34 p.m.
I'd like to thank Mr. Jerry Couey for looking out for our best interests. Indeed, the county does need to be consistent with its policies and use a request for proposal for consultants. Furthermore, I think a 25-year lease is absolutely too long. Thank you for now and bye.
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U.S. border patrol: confiscated firearms and ammunition, by sector FY 2018
Number of firearms and rounds of ammunition confiscated by the U.S. border patrol in the fiscal year of 2018, sorted by sector
by Erin Duffin, last edited May 15, 2019
This statistic represents the number of firearms and ammunition rounds confiscated by the United States Border Patrol in the fiscal year of 2018, by sector. In the fiscal year of 2018, a total 314 firearms were seized by the Southwest border sectors.
Ammunition (rounds)
October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018
Murder in the US - number of victims by weapon 2017
Gun ownership in the U.S. 1972-2018
Number of registered weapons in the U.S. in 2018, by state
Mass shootings in the U.S.: legality of shooter's weapons, as of May 2019
Statistics on "Firearms in the United States"
Firearm ownership
Firearm production and sale
Firearm related crime, deaths and injuries
Public opinion on firearms
Percentage of households in the United States owning one or more firearms from 1972 to 2018Gun ownership in the U.S. 1972-2018
Percentage of population in the United States with at least one gun in the household in 2017, by genderGun ownership in the U.S. 2017, by gender
Percentage of population in the United States with at least one gun in the household in 2017, by ethnicityGun ownership in the U.S. 2017, by ethnicity
Percentage of population in the United States with at least one gun in the household in 2017, by ageGun ownership in the U.S. 2017, by age
Percentage of population in the United States with at least one gun in the household in 2017, by education levelGun ownership in the U.S. 2017, by education level
Percentage of the population in the United States with at least one gun in the household in 2017, by proximity to urban centersFirearm ownership rate, by proximity to urban centers U.S. 2017
Percentage of population in the United States owning at least one gun in 2017, by geographic regionGun ownership in the U.S. 2017, by region
Percentage of population in the United States owning at least one gun in 2017, by political party affiliationGun ownership in the U.S. 2017, by party affiliation
Number of firearms manufactured in the U.S. from 1986 to 2016Number of firearms manufactured in the U.S. from 1986 to 2016
Number of total firearms manufactured in the U.S. in 2016, by firearm categoryNumber of total firearms manufactured in the U.S. in 2016, by firearm category
Economic impact of the U.S. sporting arms and ammunition industry in 2017 (in billion U.S. dollars)Economic impact of U.S. sporting arms and ammunition industry 2017
Number of exported firearms manufactured in the U.S. from 1986 to 2016Number of exported firearms manufactured in the U.S. from 1986 to 2016
Number of exported firearms manufactured in the U.S. in 2016, by firearm categoryNumber of exported firearms manufactured in the U.S. in 2016, by firearm category
Number of imported firearms to the U.S. from 1986 to 2017Number of imported firearms to the U.S. from 1986 to 2017
Number of imported firearms to the U.S. in 2017, by firearm categoryNumber of imported firearms to the U.S. in 2017, by firearm category
Number of background checks performed by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in the United States from 1998 to 2018NICS background checks performed in the U.S. 1998-2018
Number of homicides by firearm in the United States from 2006 to 2017Number of homicides by firearm in the U.S. 2006-2017
Percentage of homicides by firearm in the United States from 2006 to 2017Homicides by firearm in the U.S. 2006-2017
Homicide by firearm rate per 100,000 population in the United States from 2006 to 2017Homicide by firearm rate in the U.S. 2006-2017
Percent of murders involving firearms in the U.S. in 2017, by stateMurders involving firearms in the U.S. in 2017, by state
Number of murder victims in the United States in 2017, by weaponMurder in the US - number of victims by weapon 2017
Number of victims of the worst mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and May 2019Worst mass shootings in the U.S., as of May 2019
Number of mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and May 2019, by legality of shooter's weaponsMass shootings in the U.S.: legality of shooter's weapons, as of May 2019
Deaths by firearm-related injuries per 100,000 resident population in the U.S. from 1970 to 2016Deaths by firearm-related injuries in the U.S. 1970-2016
In general, do you feel that the laws covering the sale of firearms should be made more strict, less strict, or kept as they are now?U.S. public opinion on the strictness of laws covering firearms sale 1990-2018
Do you support or oppose stricter gun control laws in the United States?Support for stricter gun control laws in the U.S. 2018
Do you think it's more important to protect or to limit gun ownership rights?Support for protecting or limiting gun ownership rights in the U.S. in 2018
Do you think there should or should not be a law that would ban the possession of handguns, except by the police and other authorized persons?U.S. public opinion on a law that bans private handgun possession 1990-2018
Do you support or oppose banning assault-style weapons?Support for banning assault-style weapons in the U.S. in 2018
Do you support or oppose banning bump fire stocks?Support for banning bump fire stocks in the U.S. in 2018
Do you support or oppose banning high-capacity ammunition magazines?Support for banning high-capacity ammunition magazines in the U.S. in 2018
Teachers: If certain teachers and staff members were armed with guns, do you think schools would be safer or less safe?American teachers on the safety at schools if they carried guns 2018
U.S. border patrol: value of confiscated currencies, by sector FY 2018
U.S. border patrol: confiscated drugs, by type of drugs FY 2018
U.S. border patrol - confiscated marijuana, by sector FY 2018
U.S. border patrol - confiscated cocaine, by sector FY 2018
U.S. border patrol - apprehensions in fiscal year 2018, by sector
U.S. border patrol - assaults by sector FY 2018
Firearms stolen in Victoria in Australia FY 2008-2017
Firearms stolen in Australia FY 2008-2017
Firearms stolen in New South Wales in Australia FY 2008-2017
U.S. border patrol - apprehensions through UAS 2006-2014
U.S. border patrol: seized conveyances, by sector FY 2018
U.S. border patrol - accepted prosecutions, by sector FY 2018
Use of firearms in crime in England and Wales, by weapon type 2002-2016
Firearms stolen in Northern Territory in Australia FY 2008-2017
U.S. border patrol: drug seizures, by type of drug FY 2018
Violent crime involving firearms in England and Wales, by weapon type 2015/2016
Firearms stolen in Australian Capital Territory FY 2008-2017
U.S.: laws for the sale of firearms
Support for teachers being equipped with firearms in the U.S. in 2018
Number of pistols manufactured in the U.S. from 1986 to 2016
Firearms in the U.S.
Crime in the United States
Violent crime in the U.S.
Firearms Commerce in the United States 2013
Defense spending and arms trade
Percentage of households in the United States owning one or more firearms from 1972 to 2018
Percentage of population in the United States with at least one gun in the household in 2017, by gender
Percentage of population in the United States with at least one gun in the household in 2017, by ethnicity
Percentage of population in the United States with at least one gun in the household in 2017, by age
Percentage of population in the United States with at least one gun in the household in 2017, by education level
Percentage of the population in the United States with at least one gun in the household in 2017, by proximity to urban centers
Percentage of population in the United States owning at least one gun in 2017, by geographic region
Percentage of population in the United States owning at least one gun in 2017, by political party affiliation
How often do you carry a gun on you?
Number of firearms manufactured in the U.S. from 1986 to 2016
Number of total firearms manufactured in the U.S. in 2016, by firearm category
Economic impact of the U.S. sporting arms and ammunition industry in 2017 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Number of exported firearms manufactured in the U.S. from 1986 to 2016
Number of exported firearms manufactured in the U.S. in 2016, by firearm category
Number of imported firearms to the U.S. from 1986 to 2017
Number of imported firearms to the U.S. in 2017, by firearm category
Number of background checks performed by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in the United States from 1998 to 2018
Number of background checks done by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in the United States in 2018, by state
Number of background checks done by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) per 100,000 residents in the United States in 2018, by state
Federal denials resulting from background checks done by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in the United States from 1998 to 2019
Number of homicides by firearm in the United States from 2006 to 2017
Percentage of homicides by firearm in the United States from 2006 to 2017
Homicide by firearm rate per 100,000 population in the United States from 2006 to 2017
Percent of murders involving firearms in the U.S. in 2017, by state
Number of murder victims in the United States in 2017, by weapon
Number of victims of the worst mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and May 2019
Number of mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and May 2019, by legality of shooter's weapons
Deaths by firearm-related injuries per 100,000 resident population in the U.S. from 1970 to 2016
Deaths by firearm-related injuries per 100,000 resident population in the U.S. from 1970 to 2016, by gender
Male deaths by firearm-related injuries per 100,000 resident population in the U.S. from 1970 to 2016, by ethnicity*
Number of firearms discovered by screeners at airports in the United States from 2005 to 2018
In general, do you feel that the laws covering the sale of firearms should be made more strict, less strict, or kept as they are now?
Do you support or oppose stricter gun control laws in the United States?
Do you think it's more important to protect or to limit gun ownership rights?
Do you think there should or should not be a law that would ban the possession of handguns, except by the police and other authorized persons?
Do you support or oppose banning assault-style weapons?
Do you support or oppose banning bump fire stocks?
Do you support or oppose banning high-capacity ammunition magazines?
Teachers: If certain teachers and staff members were armed with guns, do you think schools would be safer or less safe?
Teachers: Do you favor or oppose a proposal for teachers to receive special training to carry guns in schools?
Value of currencies confiscated by the U.S. border patrol in the fiscal year of 2018, sorted by sector (in U.S. dollars)
Drugs confiscated by the U.S. border patrol in the fiscal year of 2018, sorted by type of drug (in pounds)
Marijuana confiscated by the U.S. border patrol in the fiscal year of 2018, sorted by sector (in pounds)
Cocaine confiscated by the U.S. border patrol in the fiscal year of 2018, sorted by sector (in pounds)
Apprehensions by the U.S. border patrol for fiscal year 2018, sorted by sector
Assaults on the U.S. border patrol in the fiscal year of 2018, sorted by sector
Number of stolen firearms in Victoria, Australia from financial years 2007 to 2018
Total number of stolen firearms in Australia from financial years 2007 to 2018
Number of stolen firearms in New South Wales, Australia from financial years 2007 to 2018
Number of apprehensions through UAS missions for the U.S. border patrol in the U.S. from 2006 to 2014
Conveyances seized by the U.S. border patrol in the fiscal year of 2018, sorted by sector
Prosecutions accepted by the U.S. border patrol in the fiscal year of 2018, sorted by sector
Number of offences recorded by the police in which firearms were reported to have been used in England and Wales (UK) from 2002/2003 to 2015/2016, by weapon type
Number of stolen firearms in Northern Territory, Australia from financial years 2007 to 2018
Drug seizures by the U.S. border patrol in the fiscal year of 2018, sorted by type of drug
Breakdown of violent crimes involving a firearm in England and Wales in 2015/2016, by type of principal weapon
Number of stolen firearms in the Australian Capital Territory from financial years 2007 to 2018
Should the laws that relate to the sale of firearms rather be exacerbated, attenuated, or should they rather remain as they currently are?
Do you support equipping teachers and school staff with concealed firearms to respond in the event of a school shooting?
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Import value of dairy, eggs and honey from Germany to Egypt 2010-2017
Import value of dairy, eggs and honey products from Germany to Egypt from 2010 to 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)
by Amna Puri-Mirza, last edited Apr 18, 2019
This statistic presents the import value of dairy, eggs and honey products from Germany to Egypt from 2010 to 2017, by commodity. In 2017, the import value of these commodities amounted to 35.7 million U.S. dollars, compared to 25.5 million U.S. dollars in 2010.
Import value in million U.S. dollars
Germany, Egypt, MENA
Commodity price of eggs in the United Kingdom (UK) 2013-2017
Free-range egg sales revenue in the United Kingdom 1999-2016
Eggs and egg products import value in the United Kingdom (UK) 2006-2017
Liquid egg products produced in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2017
Statistics on "Egg industry in the United Kingdom (UK)"
Egg packing
Commodity prices: average price of eggs per ton in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2013 to 2017 (in euros per 100 kg)Commodity price of eggs in the United Kingdom (UK) 2013-2017
Average expenditure per person per week on eggs in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2006 to 2017 (in pence)Weekly UK household expenditure on eggs 2006-2017
Average output price of eggs in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1994 to 2017 (as producer price index)Producer price index of eggs in the United Kingdom (UK) 1994-2017
Number of enterprises for the wholesale of dairy products, eggs and edible oils and fats in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017Dairy, eggs, oils and fats: Number of wholesalers in the United Kingdom 2008-2017
Turnover from retail sale of milk, cheese and eggs in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2015 (in million GBP)Milk, cheese and eggs retail sales turnover in the United Kingdom (UK) 2008-2015
Annual turnover of dairy products, eggs, edible fats and oil wholesalers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in million GBP)Wholesale turnover of dairy products, eggs, fats and oils in the UK 2008-2017
Sales value of egg products* manufactured in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in million GBP)Egg products: manufacturing sales value in the United Kingdom (UK) 2008-2017
Sales volume of egg products* manufactured in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in metric tons)Egg products manufacturing sales volume in the United Kingdom (UK) 2008-2017
Sales price per metric ton of egg products* manufactured in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in GBP)Manufactured egg products: sales value weight in the United Kingdom (UK) 2008-2017
Annual production of liquid egg products in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2017 (in tonnes)Liquid egg products produced in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2017
Annual production of hard boiled and other non-liquid egg products in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in tonnes)Production of hard egg products in the United Kingdom (UK) 2008-2017
Value of egg production in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2018 (in million GBP)Eggs production value in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2018
Annual value of eggs output in Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2017 (in million GBP)Output value of eggs in Northern Ireland 2010-2017
Import value of eggs and egg products in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2006 to 2018* (in million GBP)Eggs and egg products import value in the United Kingdom (UK) 2006-2018
Annual import volume of shell eggs in the United Kingdom from 2003 to 2016 (in 1000 cases)Annual shell egg import volume in the United Kingdom 2003-2016
Annual import volume of egg products into the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2016 (in 1000 cases)*Annual egg product import volume into the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2016
Annual export volume of shell eggs from the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2016 (in 1000 cases)Annual shell egg exports from the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2016
Annual export volume of egg products from the United Kingdom from 2003 to 2016 (in 1000 cases)*Egg product export volume from the United Kingdom 2003-2016
Income from the output of eggs in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2018 (in million GBP)UK farming income: output of eggs in the United Kingdom 2000-2018
Annual output value of eggs for food in Scotland from 2003 to 2017 (in million GBP)Output value of eggs for food in Scotland 2003-2017
Annual output value of eggs from laying cages in Scotland from 2003 to 2017* (British pence per dozen)Eggs: output value from laying cages in Scotland 2003-2017
Annual number of eggs packed in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017, by type (in 1000 cases)Egg packing station: Egg throughput in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017, by type
Number of eggs packed annually in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2017* (in 1000 cases) Egg packing station: Total throughput in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2017
Annual number of enriched eggs packed in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2017 (in 1000 cases) Egg packing station: Enriched eggs throughput in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2017
Annual number of barn eggs packed in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2017 (in 1000 cases) Egg packing station: Barn eggs throughput in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2017
Annual number of free range eggs packed in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2017 (in 1000 cases) Egg packing station: Free range eggs throughput in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2017
Sales revenue of free-range eggs in the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2016 (in million GBP)Free-range egg sales revenue in the United Kingdom 1999-2016
Annual number of organic eggs packed in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2006 to 2017 (in 1000 cases) Egg packing station: Organic eggs throughput in the United Kingdom (UK) 2006-2017
Annual output volume of free range eggs in Scotland from 2003 to 2017* (in million eggs)Eggs: free range output volume in Scotland 2003-2017
Annual output value of free range eggs in Scotland from 2003 to 2017* (in British pence per dozen)Eggs: free range output value in Scotland 2003-2017
Value of dairy products, eggs and honey exported from Spain to OECD 2015, by country
Export value of dairy, eggs and honey from Spain worldwide 2012-2015
Import volume of dried egg albumin into Norway 2012-2017
Import value of birds eggs without shell and egg yolks into Sweden 2007-2017
Value of sugars, molasses and honey imported into Iceland 2007-2017
Main import partners of Sweden for sugar, molasses and honey 2017
Import value of organic sugars, molasses and honey into Denmark 2008-2017
Import value of sugars, sugar preparations and honey into Denmark 2007-2017
Import volume of eggs to Germany 1990-2017
Import value of birds eggs and egg albumin into Sweden 2007-2017
Hatching egg import value in France 2008-2015
U.S. egg imports and exports 2001-2017
Chicken egg production in France 2008-2015
Egg sales of Egg Farmers of Canada 2012-2018
Main import partners of Sweden for eggs in shell 2017
Egg production in China 2000-2010
Shell egg import value in France 2008-2015
Advertising expenses of Egg Farmers of Canada 2012-2018
Honey market worldwide
U.S. Agriculture
Specialty Foods Market
U.S. import
Poultry Pocketbook 2017
Imports Work for America
Commodity prices: average price of eggs per ton in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2013 to 2017 (in euros per 100 kg)
Average expenditure per person per week on eggs in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2006 to 2017 (in pence)
Average output price of eggs in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1994 to 2017 (as producer price index)
Number of enterprises for the wholesale of dairy products, eggs and edible oils and fats in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017
Turnover from retail sale of milk, cheese and eggs in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2015 (in million GBP)
Annual turnover of dairy products, eggs, edible fats and oil wholesalers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Sales value of egg products* manufactured in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Sales volume of egg products* manufactured in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in metric tons)
Sales price per metric ton of egg products* manufactured in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in GBP)
Annual production of liquid egg products in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2017 (in tonnes)
Annual production of hard boiled and other non-liquid egg products in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in tonnes)
Value of egg production in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2018 (in million GBP)
Annual value of eggs output in Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Import value of eggs and egg products in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2006 to 2018* (in million GBP)
Annual import volume of shell eggs in the United Kingdom from 2003 to 2016 (in 1000 cases)
Annual import volume of egg products into the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2016 (in 1000 cases)*
Annual export volume of shell eggs from the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2016 (in 1000 cases)
Annual export volume of egg products from the United Kingdom from 2003 to 2016 (in 1000 cases)*
Income from the output of eggs in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2018 (in million GBP)
Annual output value of eggs for food in Scotland from 2003 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Annual output value of eggs from laying cages in Scotland from 2003 to 2017* (British pence per dozen)
Annual number of eggs packed in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017, by type (in 1000 cases)
Number of eggs packed annually in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2017* (in 1000 cases)
Annual number of enriched eggs packed in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2017 (in 1000 cases)
Annual number of barn eggs packed in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2017 (in 1000 cases)
Annual number of free range eggs packed in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2017 (in 1000 cases)
Sales revenue of free-range eggs in the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2016 (in million GBP)
Annual number of organic eggs packed in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2006 to 2017 (in 1000 cases)
Annual output volume of free range eggs in Scotland from 2003 to 2017* (in million eggs)
Annual output value of free range eggs in Scotland from 2003 to 2017* (in British pence per dozen)
Distribution value of dairy products, eggs and honey exported to the different member countries of the OECD from Spain in 2015 (in 1,000 US dollars)
Annual value of dairy products, eggs and honey exported from Spain to the rest of the world between 2012 and 2015 (in 1,000 US dollars)
Volume of dried egg albumin imported into Norway from 2012 to 2017 (in kilograms)
Value of birds eggs without shell and egg yolks imported into Sweden from 2007 to 2017 (in million SEK)
Value of sugars, molasses and honey imported into Iceland from 2007 to 2017 (in million ISK)
Main import partners of Sweden for sugar, molasses and honey in 2017, by import value (in million SEK)
Value of organic sugars, molasses and honey imported into Denmark from 2008 to 2017 (in million DKK)
Value of sugars, sugar preparations and honey imported into Denmark from 2007 to 2017 (in million DKK)
Import volume of eggs to Germany from 1990 to 2017 (in millions)
Value of fresh and preserved birds eggs and egg albumin imported into Sweden from 2007 to 2017 (in million SEK)
Value of hatching egg imports to France from 2008 to 2015 (in million euros)
U.S. egg imports and exports from 2001 to 2017 (in million dozen)*
Total chicken egg production in France from 2008 to 2015 (in billion eggs)
Egg sales of Egg Farmers of Canada from 2012 to 2018 (in million Canadian dollars)
Main import partners of Sweden for eggs in shell in 2017, by import volume (in metric tons)
Egg production in China from 2000 to 2010 (in million metric tons)
Value of shell egg imports to France from 2008 to 2015 (in million euros)
Advertising and promotion expenses of Egg Farmers of Canada from 2012 to 2018 (in million Canadian dollars)
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The following is the schedule for the St. Johns County Public Library System's Bookmobile for the week of
Feb. 25: 9 a.m. - World golf Village Town Center; 10 a.m. - Coral Landing; 10:15 a.m. - Roots and Wings, school stop; 12:30 p.m. - Allegro; 12:45 p.m. - Winn Dixie at St. Johns Commons Plaza, 210 West; 2:15 p.m. - Spanish Trail.
Feb. 26: 9 a.m. - Brandt's, school stop; 10 a.m. - Players COA; 10 a.m. - Victory Prep/Little Blessings, school stop; 11:30 a.m. - Stratford; 12:30 p.m. - Vicars; 1 p.m. - St. Paul
School of Excellence, school stop; 3 p.m. - Ponce Harbor; 3 p.m. - Summer Breeze.
Feb. 27: 9 a.m. - Childtime, school stop; 10:15 a.m. - Cambridge Prep, school stop; 11 a.m. - Stephens; 11:15 a.m. - Kinder Care, school stop; noon - Moultrie Oaks; 12:30 p.m. - Accotink Academy, school stop; 2:30 p.m. - Coquina Crossing; 2:30 p.m. - Crookshank, after school stop.
Feb. 28: 9 a.m. - Tutor Time, school stop; 10:30 a.m. - Brooks San Marco Terrace rehab; 11:15 a.m. - Grafton House; 12:45 p.m. - Publix at 210 West; 1 p.m. - Samantha Wilson Nursing Home; 2:30 p.m. - Buckingham Smith Home; 3:30 p.m. - American Legion Post 194, after school.
March 1: 9 a.m. - turning Point Christian Academy, school stop; 10 a.m. - COA, Trout Creek; 11 a.m. - Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home; 12:30 p.m.- Publix, Murabella at Pacetti Road.
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Home News Help save the Adelong Men’s Shed
Help save the Adelong Men’s Shed
Jack Beattie and Ian Elliott are two of the few remaining members of the Adelong Men’s Shed.
The Adelong Men’s Shed is in crisis, according to the man synonymous its name, Ian Elliott.
He started the shed over eight years ago, and has been its president for nearly a decade. He’s been there every Wednesday, often every Tuesday and Thursday too, woodworking and making tea and writing grant applications, and there’s a lot to show for his tireless work. The Men’s Shed is fantastic, and a gift to the Adelong community – but its future is in doubt. Ian’s cancer has returned, and sapped him of his ability to run the Men’s Shed. It needs a new president and more members.
Ian has seen first hand the positive effect the men’s shed has had on others, by giving them people to hang out with and something useful to do for the community, and it’s frustrating that he can’t get more people to get involved.
“On paper we’ve got about 20 members, but in actual fact we’re down to eight to ten people coming along on a Wednesday. We just can’t get people to come along,” he said.
“There’s only another fellow and myself that’s fit enough to really do things and make things, and we have to get some money coming in to pay the power bill.
“We’d like to look at different ways of getting them. Maybe the women in the town could come up and have a ‘Hen’s Shed’ here, which is what they’re called in a couple of other places. We’d love younger men with families who work, they can come in the evenings and the weekends, and they can bring their kids along.”
The Men’s Shed has space and equipment for metalworking, woodworking, gardening, upholstery work, stained glass and lead lighting, leatherwork, or even just “sitting on your bum.” There’s a DVD collection and music, and plenty of spots to sit if all you want is to get out of the house. Members can use the facilities whenever they want, and the group gathers on Wednesday mornings from 9am to 11am at 39 Lockhart Street.
It’s been an important place for many familiar Adelong faces over the years, and Ian often thinks the members who have used the shed as an anchor in times of physical and mental affliction.
“There’s one fellow up there, Bobby Webber, he got cancer of the lungs, and his doctor said to him you’ve got twelve months to live – and he almost made it. One week beforehand he passed on…” Ian said.
“But he openly stated that the shed had given him an extra couple of years of life, and even when he was bedridden before the end, he would still get up and get dressed and his wife would bring him in, and we’d half carry him in the door and sit him down.
“But he came. He was a great bloke, and that’s what it’s about, keeping them going and giving them a better quality of life.
“There’s one fellow who has very, very big problems with depression. He’s elderly and he’s single. The last couple of years he’s really been in the bottom of a deep hole, and every Wednesday he would come along here for morning tea. You wouldn’t get boo out of him, but he comes and he sits and has morning tea and then he just quietly disappears, but the biggest thing is that he comes.
“We’ve got fellows who are getting quite old and frail now, but they come in the door for morning tea and go off home again, it’s just about bonding and being together.”
It’s also a spot for skills that are becoming rarer and rarer to be passed on. A quick inspection of the Men’s Shed reveals old gas bottles reworked into heaters and useless scrap metal transformed into camping stoves. Ian would love for young men – or women – to come along and learn these skills from those who have been refining them over a lifetime.
Mostly, though, he wants to be able to believe that after his cancer catches up with him, as it has so many of the Men’s Shed original members, that the shed will continue on, and provide bonding and solace for the next generation of Adelong residents.
Ian can be contacted on 0428 474333, or otherwise pop into the Men’s Shed for a cuppa and a chat on Wednesday mornings. They’d love to have you.
Moving on: No more residents at Cabramurra
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O Rey Chhori - A. R. Rahman, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan & Vasundhara Das
A. R. Rahman, Alka Yagnik, Sehar, Shaan, Shankar Mahadevan, Sukhwinder Singh & Udit Narayan
A. R. Rahman, Alka Yagnik, Srinivas, Sukhwinder Singh & Udit Narayan
A. R. Rahman, Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan & Vaishali Samant
A. R. Rahman, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan & Vasundhara Das
Waltz for a Romance (In a Major)
A. R. Rahman, Lata Mangeshkar & Udit Narayan
Lagaan..... Once Upon a Time In India
A. R. Rahman & Anuradha Sriram
Saans - Mohit Chauhan & Shreya Ghoshal
Radha Kaise Na Jale - A. R. Rahman, Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan & Vaishali Samant
Chale Chalo - A. R. Rahman & Srinivas
Maahi - Sharib-Toshi & Toshi Sabri
Tu Meri - Vishal-Shekhar & Vishal Dadlani
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More Bang, Less Buck: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Says Price of PCSK9 Inhibitors Needs to Drop by Two-Thirds
Price has long been the elephant in the room with PCSK9 inhibitors, and new cost-effectiveness data are only fueling the fire of critics who claim the cost of the novel injectable cholesterol-lowering medications is not sensible compared with cheaper alternatives.
It has been about 1 year since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved both alirocumab (Praluent; Sanofi/Regeneron) and evolocumab (Repatha; Amgen)—monoclonal antibodies delivered via subcutaneous injection—for particular types of patients who require LDL lowering.
The indications for the agents are similar, with alirocumab approved for patients who fail to achieve sufficient LDL cholesterol lowering through diet and maximally-tolerated statin therapy, including those with heterozygous or homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). The FDA approved evolocumab for use in addition to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy in adults with heterozygous and homozygous FH or clinical evidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who require further LDL-cholesterol lowering.
Yet these drugs haven’t come to dominate the marketplace, mostly due to the fact that they each cost more than $14,000 per year per patient and statins are priced generically at a fraction of that, according to Kevin Schulman, MD (Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC), who was not involved in the study. “I think overall the idea of taking a chronic therapy for thousands of dollars more, probably tens of thousands more, than oral therapy is very hard to justify,” he told TCTMD.
Moreover, “the science is still out. We’ve got these two clinical trials that show a benefit in terms of cholesterol reduction, which is great,” Schulman said. But even if PCSK9 inhibitors reduced all cardiovascular events, they are still “too expensive,” he stressed. “We’re paying more to treat the disease with these drugs than we are without the drugs. They are not saving us any money.”
Cost-effectiveness data published in the August 16, 2016, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association indicate that the mean annual price of PCSK9 inhibitors in 2015 needs to be reduced by about two-thirds—from more than $14,000 to $4,536—to meet standard acceptable thresholds ($100,000 per quality-adjusted life-year [QALY]).
Dhruv S. Kazi, MD (University of California, San Francisco), and colleagues used the Cardiovascular Disease Policy model to calculate that adding these drugs, instead of ezetimibe, to statins in patients with heterozygous FH and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease results in the prevention of 316,300 and 4.3 million MACE, respectively. This equates to respective costs of $503,000 and $414,000 per QALY in these populations.
Additionally, though PCSK9 inhibitors were predicted to reduce cardiovascular care costs by $29 billion over 5 years if used in all eligible patients, their model showed drug expenditures increasing by about $592 billion, which represents a 38% increase over 2015 drug costs. In contrast, they estimated that oral statins would save $12 billion if given to all high-risk populations of statin-tolerant patients who aren’t currently taking them.
“Our concern is that PCSK9 inhibitor therapy is relevant to a very large section of the US population and is meant to be taken as preventive therapy for life. So the drug expenses we’re talking about now are on a completely different scale,” said Kazi in an audio interview published to the JAMA website. “Our hope is that our findings will prompt a national debate about how we price drugs in the United States.”
Are PCSK9s the New Sovaldi?
“What this article points out is that it’s hard to understand the value of these products,” Schulman said. Although he is “100% sure” that the manufacturers reviewed similar cost-effectiveness analyses before setting their prices, “to my knowledge,” he said, “they haven’t come out to justify the price that they set by the value that they are creating for individuals.”
But Schulman noted that even $4,500 is “actually a little too generous” a price for PCSK9 inhibitors given that millions of people could potentially take one of the drugs. “At $50-$100,000 per QALY, your premium is going to go up,” he said. “Most of us are not very happy with healthcare costs today. You could actually price this so that your premium would not go up at all.”
Although he admitted to not having seen the current sales figures, Schulman said he imagines they “are not as robust as [the drugs’ manufacturers] would have hoped.”
He guessed that for the near future, use of PCSK9 inhibitors will “stay restricted” unless the price drops. Schulman said he would not even consider prescribing these drugs to the patients cited in the study, instead only opting for them in the case of a “very rare genetic mutation,” and encouraged other physicians to “stand firm on this one. There’s no way to finance this product at this price for broad segments of the population.”
Given the apparent disconnect between pharmaceutical companies and cost-effectiveness, Schulman said consumers and tax payers will have to decide when enough is enough. He likened this situation to what happened last year with the hepatitis C drug Sovaldi (Gilead), which was priced at $84,000. “You can look at the profits Gilead made last year off Sovaldi and their margins got up to about 50%, so basically your taxes went to those profits,” he said.
But the healthcare community has learned from the past, according to Schulman. “Because of that, this one didn't just slide through,” he said. “This one met a lot of resistance because people were upset with that one. People were ready to deal with the pricing issues.”
PCSK9 Inhibitors: Good Early Responses With Pricey Drugs, but Doctors Still Waiting on Real Data
Optimal Risk Factor Control Translates Into Less Expenditure on Healthcare, Use of Resources
Statins Lower but Don’t Erase the Excess Risk of Coronary Disease and Death in Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Kazi DS, Moran AE, Coxson PG, et al. Cost-effectiveness of PCSK9 inhibitor therapy in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. JAMA. 2016;316:743-753.
Kazi and Schulman report no relevant conflicts of interest.
CAD Pharma
Plaque Modification
ICDs Do Not Reduce Mortality in Patients With HF Not Caused by Coronary Artery Disease: DANISH
NOACs as Effective as Warfarin for Reducing Stroke, but Apixaban and Dabigatran May Carry Lower Bleeding Risk: Registry
NIPPON: With Nobori Stent, 6 Months of DAPT as Safe and Effective as 18 Months
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Spotting DNA Repair Genes Gone Awry
News Apr 15, 2016
Researchers led by Ludwig Cancer Research scientist Richard Kolodner have developed a new technique for sussing out the genes responsible for helping repair DNA damage that, if left unchecked, can lead to certain cancers.
Genome instability suppressing (GIS) genes play an important role in correcting DNA damage involving the improper copying or reshuffling of large sections of chromosomes. Called gross chromosomal rearrangements, or GCRs, these structural errors can disrupt gene order or even result in an abnormal number of chromosomes.
“Mutated GIS genes have long been suspected of playing a role in the development of many types of cancers, but identifying them has been difficult due in large part to a lack of comprehensive GCR tests, or assays, in mammalian systems,” said Christopher Putnam, an associate investigator at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, San Diego and one of the first authors of the study.
In the current issue of the journal Nature Communications, Putnam, Kolodner and their colleagues describe a novel two-pronged approach that combines methods from genetics and bioinformatics to identify GIS genes—first in yeast and then in humans.
“This is one of the first large-scale studies to integrate these two methods,” said co-senior author Sandro de Souza, a professor of Bioinformatics at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte’s Brain Institute in Brazil, who received Ludwig support for this study.
In the first step, the scientists used assays and technologies developed by Kolodner—who is director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, San Diego and a distinguished professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine—and his lab to screen thousands of mutant yeast strains for genes that suppress GCRs. They identified 182 GIS genes, 98 of which had not been described before. “Ours is probably one of the most comprehensive lists of GIS genes in yeast to date,” Putnam said.
The team also uncovered more than 400 previously unknown cooperating Genome Instability Suppressing genes (cGIS) genes, which only affect genome stability when combined with other mutations. “Before our experiment, only a few dozen cGIS genes were known. Now we know of hundreds,” said Putnam, who is also an adjunct assistant professor of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
“These results have highlighted the complex genetic network that maintains genome integrity in normal cells,” said first author Anjana Srivatsan, a postdoctoral fellow in Kolodner’s lab at the Ludwig San Diego Branch and UC San Diego School of Medicine.
To determine how many of the yeast GIS genes had human counterparts implicated in cancers, the researchers searched The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)—a compilation of genomic data from thousands of patients—for such human gene homologues.
They also supplemented their candidate list with human genes that are not found in yeast but that participate in the same pathways and protein complexes as the yeast GIS genes. “We didn't want to just look for the human equivalent of yeast GIS genes because there are human GIS genes that don't have yeast homologs,” Putnam said.
Three cancers in the TCGA were selected for screening: ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer and acute myeloid leukemia. The scientists hypothesized that a greater number of GIS gene defects should be implicated in ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer because these two cancers tend to involve numerous large-scale rearrangements of the genome. Leukemia served as an important control because it is a cancer with little genome instability, and thus should not involve any GIS gene defects.
As expected, the team found that 93% of ovarian cancers and 66% of colorectal cancers had genetic defects affecting one or more of the predicted GIS genes, whereas acute myeloid leukemia did not appear to have defects involving GIS genes.
The researchers are already screening more than a dozen other human cancers in the TCGA for GIS gene defects. “Understanding this process allows us to think more about how carcinogenesis proceeds and it might give us insights into defects that could be therapeutically actionable in the future,” said Putnam.
Thieving Red Algae Steal Genes From Bacteria to Cope With Environmental Stresses
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10 events that will shape the new space race
By Jamie Carter 2017-11-04T10:30:31.307Z World of tech
The next couple of years promise to be captivating for space fans
Artist's rendering of SpaceX's Big Falcon Rocket. Credit: SpaceX
The new space race
The new space race is about Hollywood actors going into orbit for five minutes for a million dollars, right? Wrong. Space tourism might grab the headlines, but it's just the fluff. It's the space industry happily taking money off millionaires while its launch and landing tech gets proven, and a few satellites are launched while no-one's looking.
Space tourism will be a driver for innovation, cost-reduction and initial profits, but what most space industry companies are really interested in what happens next. That includes mining the Moon and asteroids for precious resources lacking on Earth, and generally building infrastructure in space to bring the cost down of doing business in space.
This is about so much more than the rich elite going on sub-orbital trips; this is about man reaching out to space for new sources of energy so human civilisation can continue to flourish. This is about survival. The next 12 months or so will see some key steps taken that will take the space industry from a potential new growth area to a bona fide boomtown.
Prev Page 1 of 11 Next Prev Page 1 of 11 Next
SpaceX's 'Mars rocket' will debut in November. Credit: SpaceX
1. Space X tests it Falcon Heavy
After working wonders over the last few years by figuring out how to launch a rocket and then bring back the expensive first stage to be reused, SpaceX has been at the forefront of the new space race. It's been launching Falcon 9 rockets every few weeks recently, but in November 2017 its most ambitious project so far will get an outing: the Falcon Heavy 'heavy-lift launch vehicle'.
Able to lift 54 metric tons into orbit, the Falcon Heavy will launch from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Its two reusable side boosters will then attempt to land simultaneously just down the coast at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, after which the main booster will attempt to land on a barge as the spacecraft heads for orbit. It's going to be awesome – and one day it's going to Mars.
NASA's Orion capsule will eventually travel beyond the Moon. Credit: NASA
2. NASA flies its Orion capsule around the Moon
While SpaceX gets all the headlines over on Pad 39A, Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center is also be seeing some action. NASA still wants to be involved in the really big stuff, and that means a manned mission to Mars. Originally slated for 2017, NASA's landmark Exploration Mission EM-1 will see an un-crewed Orion spacecraft launched on NASA's new and untested (and bigger than a Falcon Heavy) Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, heading off on a three-week journey in a retrograde orbit around, and 40,000 miles beyond, the Moon.
However, decisions have been put back and now EM-1 doesn't look like it will take place until 2019. The first crewed mission in the Orion spacecraft is planned for the early 2020s.
Boeing's CST-100 crew capsule will take US astronauts to the ISS. Credit: Boeing
3. Boeing tests its CST-100 Starliner
A U.S. astronaut has not flown to space from his or her own country since the Space Shuttles retired in 2011. While SpaceX gets all the headlines for its reusable rockets, Boeing has NASA contracts for six crewed flights to the International Space Station (ISS).
It spacecraft is designed to take five astronauts comfortably (and even has Wi-Fi), and August 2018 should see an un-crewed CST-100 launch atop an Atlas V rocket, a use-once 'expendable launch vehicle' from United Launch Alliance (a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin). The first crewed test flight of the spacecraft could take place in early 2019.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon will also help resurrect the US human spaceflight program. Credit: SpaceX
4. SpaceX tests its Crew Dragon
Boeing's CST-100 isn't the only spacecraft in NASA's commercial crew program. Famously good at marketing, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is bound to make much of the six crewed flights to the ISS also planned for his company's Crew Dragon capsule.
A fully autonomous spacecraft that can controlled by its astronauts and by SpaceX mission control, Crew Dragon is scheduled to be tested in 2018. Musk may be obsessed with Mars, but the bedrock of SpaceX's business is going to be low Earth orbit for decades to come.
Blue Origin is moving in next door to SpaceX and NASA. Credit: Blue Origin
5. Blue Origin opens its rocket factory
Do not underestimate Jeff Bezos. Having already proven reusable rocket technology on its New Shepard, his company Blue Origin has hugely ambitious plans to build a rocket almost as big as SpaceX's Falcon Heavy – and it's building it next door.
Blue Origin is now constructing a rocket manufacturing facility at Exploration Park, Cape Canaveral, just a few miles from Kennedy Space Center. Here it plans to assemble the company's massive New Glenn heavy-lift reusable rocket.
It won't fly until 2020, but the two-stage version will lift 45 tons to low Earth orbit and 13 tons to geostationary transfer orbit – and there's also a three-stage version in the works.
Will 2018 see Virgin Galactic begin sub-orbital flights? Credit: Virgin Galactic
6. Virgin Galactic finally takes tourists to space
Putting the October 2014 crash of the original SpaceShipTwo behind them – a crash that killed co-pilot Michael Alsbury – hasn't been easy for Virgin Galactic. However, in May 2017 its new SpaceShipTwo – VSS Unity – successfully tested a revamped re-entry system above California's Mojave desert.
Though the space industry has far bigger goals than taking tourists to space, it is going to be a big revenue-generator, not just from the passengers but from the satellites most flights will also carry. So when Virgin Galactic finally takes six people paying $250,000 each, and two pilots, just above Earth's atmosphere – as the company plans to do during 2018 – the entire space industry will undoubtedly experience a surge in self-belief.
Could the Moon Express MX-1E lander win the prize? Credit: Moon Express
7. The Google Lunar X Prize deadline looms
It's almost 49 years since the landmark Apollo 11 Moon-landing mission, and although there are no firm plans for a re-run, another race to the Moon is hotting up. Designed to get the first privately funded spacecraft to the surface of the Moon, the Google Lunar X Prize deadline will award US$20 million if anyone makes it before March 31, 2018.
Will anyone succeed? India is one of the countries in the running with TeamIndus, with Japan's HAKUTO, Israel's SpaceIL, the USA's Moon Express, and the international team Synergy Moon also in the running. For Moon Express, it's a first step to starting a lunar mining operation.
Tiangong-1 will deorbit in the next few months. Credit: CMSE
8. Tiangong-1 comes crashing back to Earth
It's been orbiting Earth for six years and has hosted six taikonauts, but China's 'Heavenly Palace' space station could soon become a major hazard to us on Earth. While it has little to do with the space race per se, it's indicative of both China's expected dominance of space, and the increasing danger that space junk is already bringing to missions to low Earth orbit.
Tiangong-1 has been in a decaying, uncontrolled orbit for over a year, and will fall to Earth by April 2018 at the very latest, and possibly at the turn of the year. Now that's going to be some shooting star.
China landed its Yutu Rover on the Moon in 2013. Credit: CMSE
9. China heads for the Moon's far side
Did nobody tell China that the space industry has gone private? While billionaires plan to colonize other planets, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSE) is warming up for a manned lunar mission, with the first test phase coming in 2018, when it attempts to land the first ever probe on the far side of the Moon.
China recently joined the heavy-lift vehicle race with its Long March 5 (CZ-5) rocket (though its maiden flight in July 2017 was a failure), and also wants to send a rover to Mars by 2020.
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The Moon's south pole is on India's to-do list. Credit: NASA
10. India goes for the Moon's south pole
If China's lunar mission is a symbol of that nation's growing stature and confidence, the same applies to India's plans. Having already visited the Moon in 2008, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will send its first Rover, Chandrayaan-2, to the lunar surface in March 2018.
A lunar orbiter, lander and rover, Chandrayaan-2 will land near the Moon's south pole and study lunar dust, which could be a major hazard for potential permanent lunar bases.
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Obama student loan offer ends tomorrow
Jun 29, 2012 at 11:00 AM Jun 29, 2012 at 6:08 PM
Borrowers hoping to consolidate their student loans through a special program created by President Barack Obama last year have just until Saturday to apply.
To much fanfare, Obama used executive authority in October to launch a short-term initiative to allow borrowers to consolidate multiple loans into a direct government loan — and to knock off as much as a half percentage point from their interest rate in the process. The window to apply opened in early 2012 and ends Saturday.
About 440,000 borrowers with loans totaling $10.6 billion have applied for the program, Education Department officials said. It's a far cry from the 5.8 million borrowers the White House said in October could be helped by the program. But education policy analysts called it an impressive response from a notoriously hard-to-reach population: recent graduates.
"It's a fairly large and disbursed population, and how you get the information into their hands is always a challenge," said Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education.
The problems of paying down student debt and the government's efforts to make it easier have been largely overshadowed by a longstanding congressional stalemate over a deal to prevent interest rates for student loans from doubling on Sunday, the day after the special consolidation program closes. The House and Senate were poised to vote on a deal Friday to avert the increase.
Borrowers who miss the deadline can still apply for a regular consolidation, but they won't get the interest rate deduction.
The student debt issue is one Obama hopes will resonate on the campaign trail, where he is counting on avid support from students and young voters who helped him claim victory four years ago. According to 2008 exit polling, voters ages 18-24 broke for Obama 66 to 32 percent. They made up 10 percent of the electorate.
Obama promoted the student loan plan as an economic stimulus measure when he unveiled it in October, using his "We Can't Wait" slogan to argue that his administration would sidestep Congress when necessary to bring relief to struggling Americans.
"Our economy needs it right now, and your future could use a boost right now," Obama said.
About two our of three college graduates borrow to pay for undergraduate education, and the average borrower graduates with about $26,300 in debt, the White House says.
Borrowers can simplify the repayment process by consolidating multiple loans into one monthly payment. But the process isn't seamless.
To consolidate, borrowers must sort out every individual loan they took out for their education — as many as 20 for some borrowers, who may have moved several times since leaving school and may not have their original documents. Some loans can be consolidated, others cannot. And loans may have been bought and resold by various servicers, making it hard to keep track of which loan is which.
Among those who felt overwhelmed by the process was James Thompson, who finished a graduate degree last year at Stanford University and is in between jobs as a product designer. Thompson got an email from the Education Department alerting him to his eligibility for the special consolidation, but said he couldn't muster all the information needed to apply.
"It's like this odd thing that just exists in my life. I really have no idea how it works or what I owe to whom or how I even pay for the loan. It's all just a mess," Thompson said in an interview. "I feel very disempowered to actually get in there and just pay the thing."
Education Department spokesman Justin Hamilton said officials contacted almost the entire population of eligible borrowers to encourage them to take advantage of the program.
Even if Obama wanted to extend the special program to allow more borrowers to apply, his hands are tied. Legislation enacted in 2011 precludes the government from offering the interest-rate deduction as an incentive after July 1.
Education Department site: http://studentaid.ed.gov/specialconsolidation
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President writes moving letter in memory of those who died and stood up against Communist oppression during Poznan Uprising 63 years ago today
News & Politics | History | Life
Marzanna Robinson June 28, 2019
Protestors storm the office of the secret police Public domain
The June 1956 events in Poznan were one of those moments in our history that revealed the power of the Poles' spirit of freedom, President Andrzej Duda wrote in a letter to participants in the 63rd anniversary celebrations of the anti-communist protests.
The demonstration broke out on 28 June 1956 in the city's renowned Cegielski engineering plant as the first mass protest against Poland's post-war communist regime.
Demanding better working conditions, about 100,000 protesters, mainly workers, rallied in the city's downtown section near the local security ministry building, where they were confronted by 400 army tanks and a 10,000-strong force of military and security police units under the Polish-Soviet general Stanislav Poplavsky.
The communist authorities cracked down on the protesters with extreme force.PAP
Ordered to suppress the protests at all costs, soldiers and security corps opened fire on the demonstrators, killing 58 people, including a 13-year-old boy, and injuring hundreds. According to some accounts the death toll was much higher and ran to over a hundred.
The Poznan protests were a major step towards the so-called Polish October of that year, which brought the weakening of hardline Stalinism in Poland and the installation of a less Soviet-dependent government.
Locals turned out in their thousands to protest against the despotic regime.PAP
In his letter, Duda said that the Poles' post-World War II hopes for a better life were soon quashed under the country's Soviet-dependent communist regime.
"In 1945, when the nightmare of warfare, crime, destruction, disease and hunger came to an end, European hearts filled with hope for the reconstruction of their homes and countries, for a return to peace, work and a life in dignity.
Over a hundred people were killed and hundreds sustained injuries.Public domain
“These hopes, although accompanied by serious misgivings, were also shared by those who found themselves in the Soviet 'prison of nations'," the president wrote, observing that it only took a few years for hope to "go up in smoke."
Nine of those involved in the uprising which saw a massacre of the population by security forces, were put on trial. Public domain
Duda recounted that the 1956 events were the first of several freedom struggles in Poland, which ultimately led to the country's regaining of its independence in 1989.
In a heartfelt message to those who survived the Uprising,the president recalled that the Poles' post-World War II hopes for a better life were soon quashed under the country's Soviet-dependent communist regime.Andrzej Duda/Twitter
"June 28 1956 was the first of several dates which mapped out our path to freedom, a path that led through 1968, 1970, 1976, 1980 and 1981, right up to the new chapter in Polish history which opened in June 1989 (the fall of the communist system - PAP)," Duda wrote.
Tags: Andrzej Duda, Poznan, Anniversary, 1956 Poznań Uprising, 1956
Polish exhibition to be shown worldwide on WWII outbreak anniversary
Lithuanian president's visit important sign of friendship - President Duda
President meets with diaspora youth from East
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Forbes Travel Guide Awards Marco Polo Ortigas Manila
Marco Polo Ortigas Manila General Manager, Frank Reichenbach, received the hotel’s Five-Star award from Forbes Travel Guide, the global authority on luxury travel since 1958, in The Pierre, New York.
With over 1, 468 winners in 42 countries across the globe, 22 of these are newly rated as Five-Star hotels. It is the first time that a property from Manila has made it to the list.
To celebrate this year’s award, Star-Rated winners were invited to the Forbes Travel Guide All-Star Celebration. Attendees enjoyed selections of dishes prepared by award-winning chefs and legends of the international culinary world, including: Jose Garces, Amada; Christian
Pratsch, Asiate; Daniel Boulud, Daniel; Mario Batali and Joe and Lidia Bastianich, Del Posto; Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Jean-Georges; Geoffrey Zakarian, The Lambs Club; and Michael White, Vaucluse.
"This year’s Star-Rated properties—the largest and most global group in the company’s history—achieved an impeccable standard of excellence in hospitality, underscoring our overall mission of positively contributing to the international tourism industry as well as the individual hotel experience,” said Gerard J. Inzerillo, Chief Executive Officer of Forbes Travel Guide. “We are excited to recognize the 2017 Star Rating recipients, an exceptional collection of hotels, restaurants and spas with a strong culture of service. In an online environment of confusion and clutter, Forbes Travel Guide is the most trusted source of information to assist guests in making informed decisions,” Inzerillo said. “We are proud to congratulate everyone who showed dedication to their guests and employees.”
Considered as the Olympics in the hotel industry, Forbes Travel Guide is a prestigious award giving body that recognizes the most luxurious hotels, restaurants, and spas worldwide. Marco Polo Ortigas Manila earned the coveted Five-Star rating — the mark of ‘outstanding, iconic properties with virtually flawless service and amazing facilities.’
“To be one of the two hotels in Manila that received the Five Star rating is a great pride for the hotel, the Marco Polo Hotels group, and the hospitality industry in Manila and the Philippines. This definitely raises the bar on how we provide luxury services to our clients. We will continue to live and exceed guest expectations in terms of service and facilities. Our Forbes Travel Guide Five Star ranking will definitely boost business and will give us the marketing advantage, which will have a positive impact in all aspects of the hotel,” General Manager of Marco Polo Ortigas Manila and recipient of the 2016 General Manager of the Year (ASEAN Region) Award, Mr. Frank Reichenbach said.
To find out how the Forbes Travel Guide inspects and rates properties, go to www.forbestravelguide.com/about/ratings.
Connect with Forbes Travel Guide:
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Posted by The Food Alphabet at 11:53 PM
Labels: Forbes Travel Guide , Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas
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Film How Ivan Reitman brought Ghostbusters back from the dead
How Ivan Reitman brought Ghostbusters back from the dead
Ivan Reitman, producer of the new Ghostbusters movie, poses for a picture in Toronto, June 30. Reitman has plans to launch a franchise on the back of the reboot.
Mark Blinch/The Globe and Mail
Barry Hertz
Published July 14, 2016 Updated May 16, 2018
It's two weeks before the new Ghostbusters is released – two weeks of industry hand-wringing, 3-D touch-ups, wax-figurine unveilings, virtual reality walk-throughs and endless whinging from Internet trolls concerned that their childhood is being zapped to a Hell dimension – and Ivan Reitman is quietly enjoying a buffalo mozzarella, tomato and basil pizza in a corner booth of Toronto's Montecito, the restaurant that Zuul built.
For children of the '80s, Ghostbusters is an adolescent touchstone. For Hollywood, it's a case study in how to fuse two disparate genres. For Reitman, it's a cash cow.
Although rumours have been circulating of a new Ghostbusters film ever since the original foursome saved New York from a haunted painting back in 1989, the director of the original series has mostly been cool to the idea – and due to rights issues, there could be no ghostbustin' without unanimous approval from himself, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis.
So, although there was a brief flurry of activity in the late aughts before Ramis died (including one version that took place in "Manhellton"), Reitman has mostly been content to let things stay crystallized in time and pink slime for the past 27 years.
But then Sony, which released the first two Ghostbusters back when it was called Columbia Pictures, birthed a series of flops and found its franchise possibilities wanting. Who, ahem, was the studio gonna call?
"I talked to my colleagues, my fellow owners, and said, 'Look, we're not going to do any more of these ourselves – we should find a way to work something out with Sony where we get taken care of forever, and our children get taken care of forever, and let [the studio] be free to find ways of doing something with this wonderful brand,'" Reitman says between pizza slices. "That went smoothly, believe it or not. And that's what led to Ghost Corps."
Ghost Corps might sound like a joke – well, perhaps not much more than "Ghostbusters" – but Reitman's production company just changed Sony's sagging fortunes and introduced a new power player in Hollywood's franchise arms race. At the very least, it promises more iterations of Ghostbusters than even the most Ecto-Cooler-addicted kid could have imagined. Oh, and it will, of course, make the Toronto-bred Reitman – whose family donated the land for the TIFF Bell Lightbox – an even wealthier man.
"The Paul Feig movie is kind of the first thing out of the box," says the 69-year-old, who took a producing back seat on the new film, with director Feig and co-writer Katie Dippold managing the creative aspects. "Last week, we announced Ecto Force, which will be an animated television series that takes place in the future, with Ghostbuster teams all over the world. And there are lots of goodies still to come."
For even the most casual industry observer, it's clear that Ghost Corps is aiming to become the new Marvel Studios, with its very own ever-expanding canon ready to launch spinoffs and sequels, reboots and retcons – though Reitman is wary of the much-used "cinematic universe" label.
"I hate using those terms – it diminishes what we're going to end up doing," he says. "But we're hoping we can make sense of these two parallel movies [the original series and the Feig reboot] – we have an idea for it, we're working on it."
What Reitman is definitely not working on, though, is a male-led Ghostbusters reboot to compliment Feig's Melissa McCarthy-starring film. When Ghost Corps launched last March, trade publications reported that a Channing Tatum/Chris Pratt Ghostbusters was also in the works from the Russo brothers (Captain America: Civil War) – which immediately led critics to wonder if Sony had already lost confidence in its female-centric version.
"I was never involved in that, it was never real," says Reitman, who's stayed quiet during all the years of varied speculation and development. "There was a writer hired by the studio who did 30 pages, and it wasn't very good … The biggest misconception was that we were creating a parallel film in case the girls version didn't work out. But the only movie we were making was Paul's movie. It never faltered."
Reitman is also quick to play down accusations of gender bias among a certain core of original Ghostbusters fans, some of whom have mounted impressively toxic Internet campaigns against the new film.
"I don't think it was that. I think it was mostly focused on, well, men who were the ones to take it up – these are guys in their forties who were seven to 10 years old when the first movie came out, and it was more an attribute to the power of the first movie, in which it was a seminal film for them, for whatever reason," says Reitman. "So just the idea that there was going to be another Ghostbusters, male or female, made a lot of guys of a certain moment in their time nervous."
One hurdle that Reitman won't deny is the difficulty in getting Bill Murray back onboard. The actor has long complained about the sequel, and is notoriously difficult to wrangle if your name isn't Wes Anderson. "It's all absolutely true. It's a famous story that Bill didn't show up until a day before on Meatballs. I didn't have him for Stripes until just two weeks before we started shooting. On a personal basis we have always been really close, but I knew not to bring [another Ghostbusters] up," Reitman says.
After the tepid reception of Ghostbusters II, Reitman adds, Murray's "head was in a different place. It was this period where he went to France, where he was discovering who he was as an actor, and he had the right to do so. The fact was we all had the right to be unreasonable in our own way. Which is the reason another one didn't get made for 25 years. That's the true story of it."
Yet somehow – and this is where adding a spoiler alert is only polite – Murray acquiesced for Feig's version. "Well, it's a secondary part, only a few days of shooting," says Reitman, "and Bill loves, loves the women."
Women who, Reitman adds, should be getting their own Ghostbusters sequel, too – if everything goes according to Sony and Ghost Corps's long-term plan. "Paul came to this with Kristen [Wiig] and Melissa in mind, two of the funniest women – no – people, in the world, and created something that's great fun. It's a film that families will see together, and just like ours did, will work for adults on one level and kids on another," Reitman says. "I think there's a search for that, for audiences who have returned from that grungy darkness of what's become the current, most popular way of doing big films, comic book films … I think this time, we're the freshest thing out there."
Whether that freshness can or should last for years to come is a question that doesn't seem to concern the interested parties, at least not yet. Already, Reitman's fellow producer Amy Pascal has called the franchise possibilities "endless – people are going to love this movie so much that they're going to demand more and more."
In the meantime, Reitman can rest easy knowing that the Ghostbusters legacy – whatever it will become – remains in good hands: his own. In fact, the filmmaker seems so relaxed that, despite all the online vitriol and industry crowing, there remains only one question on his mind, at two weeks from release: "So … did you like the pizza?"
Ghostbusters: This reboot is a revelation – and it ain’t afraid of no misogynists
This summer’s movie season is in need of a hero
Summer movie preview: The Globe’s guide to what’s coming to theatres
Follow Barry Hertz on Twitter @hertzbarry
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Sir Edward du Cann obituary
Controversial Conservative MP and businessman who was once a contender for the party leadership
Edward Pearce
Thu 7 Sep 2017 10.29 EDT Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 12.22 EST
Sir Edward du Cann in 1966. After he pulled out of the Conservative leadership race he assembled the ‘Milk Street mafia’, which promoted Margaret Thatcher. Photograph: ANL/Rex/Shutterstock
Everyone has their moment. Edward du Cann, who has died aged 93, had his after the second general election in 1974. Although he had never held cabinet office, he was for a brief period a serious candidate for the leadership of the Conservative party. It was Du Cann himself, for reasons that were never quite clear, who withdrew on the grounds that his wife would not enjoy being married to a party leader (an early version of wanting to spend more time with the family).
But by this time, Du Cann was chairman of the 1922 Committee, the Conservative party’s parliamentary group. He had already been chairman of the party in 1965 and had joined the government in the latter days of Harold Macmillan. Having entered parliament for Taunton aged 32 in 1956, he became economic secretary to the Treasury (1962-63), then minister of state at the newly expanded trade and industry department. And in opposition after 1964 he was spokesman on trade and shipping.
That was an excellent run so far, especially when paralleled by a lucrative career in the City. He was also making a public name as a regular presence on the radio programme Any Questions? But a hiatus opened in Du Cann’s career.
He had been deputy to Edward Heath at trade and industry, standing at the threshold of the leadership. From 1963 onwards, Heath was the most serious candidate against the never far distant date of Sir Alec Douglas-Home standing down. If Du Cann sought to ingratiate himself with the coming man it did not work. Heath used the word “slippery”.
Du Cann was, if anything, a man of the right – over the aftermath of Suez, and on moral issues (he had worried about the growth of strip clubs) – and he had been an early opponent of entry into the Common Market on the reasonable, if narrow, grounds that it would harm horticulture. In 1967 he called for Britain to drop its application for entry into Europe. But how far early modest doubts about Europe influenced him against Heath and how far resonant dislike of Heath turned him permanently off Europe is a nice point.
He was famous at this time as a businessman, inaugurator of the unit trust with his Unicorn Group. In 1973 Heath coined the phrase “the unacceptable face of capitalism” (and directed it at Lonrho, on whose board Du Cann sat; he became chairman in 1984) and probably had more reservations about business and its ethos than any Tory leader since Stanley Baldwin. Then again they were different types, Heath brusque, with the outlook of a meritocrat without social connection, Du Cann sleek, polished and given to flattery.
Heath was not, then, happy on becoming Tory leader to inherit from Douglas-Home a new party chairman whom he could not immediately dispense with. What followed proceeded from the logic of that dislike. Heath sacked Du Cann as soon as he could – in 1967 – and offered him neither shadow office then, nor substantive office in 1970. Conversely, Du Cann’s election as chairman of the ’22 expressed parliamentary discontent with a struggling prime minister.
It was natural enough when Heath, confronting a perplexed electorate and losing two elections in a year, should find Du Cann prominent among those moving against him. Hugo Young, in his admirable book on Margaret Thatcher, One of Us, describes Du Cann at this time as “having something of the American political boss about him”. He was near the top of his business career, untouched by the mistakes of the Heath government, yet as a former chairman he had cabinet equivalence. His position was a little analogous with that of Michael Heseltine after his 1986 resignation – whatever was bad for the leadership advanced his position.
Not that loathing for Heath had hindered the administration of unguents. During the October election he had told Heath before some candidates: “You do not only lead but you command the party, you command more than men and women. There is no one here who does not reflect your own devotion to our cause ... we know that we can count abundantly on you, equally you know that you can count on us.” Other words soon after – “Do you know, dear boy, I think I may be Ted’s only remaining friend” – spoke more of the truth.
The son of Charles, a writer turned successful barrister, and his wife, Janet (nee Murchie), Edward attended Woodbridge school in Suffolk, then took a wartime degree in law at St John’s College, Oxford, before serving on a Royal Navy motor torpedo boat. After the second world war he worked for an investment firm while climbing the Tory ranks. He stood unsuccessfully in two elections, Walthamstow West in 1951 and Barrow-in-Furness in 1955, before succeeding in Taunton the following year.
In 1975 his own candidacy for the leadership came into the frame. It seemed like serious politics, with “Du Cann for leader” a chattering topic for the press, while he worked hard to cultivate the wider party, promising it a greater say in future leadership contests. Then quite suddenly, he pulled out. Possibly his business position, always frailer and more dependent on the patronage of the likes of Tiny Rowland than the Rolls-Royce front suggested, inhibited his candidacy. Most likely, he discovered that he had quite a few enemies.
Instead, from the offices in Milk Street of the failing merchant bank of which he was chairman, Keyser Ullman, he assembled the camarilla – the “Milk Street mafia” – that promoted Thatcher. His role was smaller than that of Airey Neave, who ran the Commons campaign. But he started the ball rolling, doing so not as any kind of Thatcherist but as an enemy of Heath.
The rest of Du Cann’s career was anti-climactic or worse. He continued as chairman of the ’22 until 1984, but he got no ministerial job from Thatcher, settling in the way of dignified retreat for the chairmanship of the Treasury select committee. He was knighted in 1985, and left the Commons in 1987.
As for Du Cann’s business career, it came dreadfully unstuck, stripping him of much of his wealth and leaving him in dispute over an unpaid mortgage. He had always been more of a business advocate in politics than a serious business force himself. A Department of Trade and Industry report into the failure of Keyser Ullman adjudged him to have been “incompetent” as chairman.
He resigned as a director of the mortgage broker Homes Assured just before it failed in 1989 with debts of £10m. Two years later he quit as chairman of Lonrho when the DTI began proceedings to disqualify him as a company director.
In 1962 he married Sallie Innes, and they had two daughters and a son. The marriage was dissolved in 1990 and he then married Jenifer Cooke, who died in 1995.
He published his autobiography, Two Lives: The Political and Business Careers of Edward du Cann, in 1995. In his later years he lived in Cyprus, where he invested in a vineyard in Lemona.
His children survive him.
• Edward Dillon Lott du Cann, politician and businessman, born 28 May 1924; died 31 August 2017
Politics past
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https://www.theintelligencer.com/commentary/article/Chamber-connects-SIUE-to-community-12793604.php
Chamber connects SIUE to community
Segue • SIUE
Published 9:00 am CDT, Friday, March 30, 2018
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville plays a pivotal role in strengthening the regional economy. Likewise, the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce, as a member-driven organization, stands as the voice of business by supporting its members’ success and championing community prosperity.
On this week’s episode of Segue, the University’s premier radio show on WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound, SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook, PhD, has a conversation with Desiree Bennyhoff, president and chief executive officer of the Ed/Glen Chamber, about her position and how the organization serves the community.
This episode of Segue will air at 9 a.m. on Sunday, April 1.
An SIUE alum, Bennyhoff earned a bachelor’s in liberal arts and a master’s in speech communication (now applied communication studies). As president and CEO, she oversees the strategic direction of the 500-member organization. She is credentialed by the Institute for Organization Management, a premier nonprofit development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and is also an Accredited Chamber Executive through the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. She presents frequently at conferences, and as a guest speaker and panelist in several SIUE classes. In her spare time, she volunteers as a mentor in the Illinois Regional Office of Education #41’s Give 30 program and the Illinois Metro East Small Business Development Center.
Pembrook starts their conversation by asking Bennyhoff what drew her to civic work.
“It was completely by accident,” Bennyhoff explains. “I used to work for a local media establishment, and they had classified ads. I wasn’t looking for a change, but a co-worker suggested that I take a look at an ad for a communications director position with the chamber.
“I thought it sounded interesting, so I sent in my resume and other materials. The moment I walked into the interview, I knew it was a perfect fit. Nine years later, here I am.”
Bennyhoff joined the organization in 2009 as its communications director. By early fall 2012, she was promoted to the position of interim director. In January 2013, she became the Ed/Glen Chamber’s president and CEO.
“For our listeners who might not know, what exactly does a chamber of commerce do and what does an average day look like for you?” Pembrook asks.
“Each chamber of commerce is unique,” Bennyhoff says. “Our chamber is known as the voice of local businesses, which leads to a lot of advocacy work. We have networking opportunities for businesses and leaders to gain relationships. There are also a number of marketing and promotional opportunities, as well as professional development and educational offerings.
“My primary role consists of government affairs and advocacy, so I spend a lot of time behind-the-scenes, while our membership director, Katie Haas, is more front and center, dealing one-on-one with our members, running our education programs, and coordinating our ribbon cuttings and Business After Five events. Our administrative assistant, Kathy Hentz, keeps our office going on a day-to-day basis and assists with visitor questions.”
The Ed/Glen Chamber is also led by a board of directors, which consists of several business leaders from around the region. Sam Guarino, partner at Bella Milano Restaurants, serves as the board’s chairman.
Recently, the organization has adopted a new tagline, “Business Builds: Economies. Leaders. Communities.”
“Our old motto used to be ‘It’s everyone’s business.’ It sounded a bit nosy, or had a gossipy undercurrent,” Bennyhoff says. “When we started to look at the new mantra, we wanted something that encompassed our mission.
“If we don’t have jobs for people, we don’t have the opportunity to build a community, and that goes for the entire region. SIUE plays into that role, as well. We feel the new mantra conveys the story we are trying to tell.”
“Businesses also play the huge role of building our community’s leaders,” Pembrook continues. “The individuals who start these companies have the opportunity to come forward and engage with their community in ways that might be outside their comfort zone. We try our best at SIUE to encourage our students to get involved in their community and help shape a better world. It sounds like you’re really plugging into that!”
The Ed/Glen Chamber not only encourages business leaders to get involved in community activities and philanthropy, but also works directly with connecting them back to the University to provide opportunities to students.
“We get a lot of questions about internships from local businesses,” Bennyhoff says. “We direct them to the Career Development Center on campus, which helps them sign up and gather student information to find a good fit for their business.
“There are thousands of students right here that need experience, so when they graduate, they will have already set foot in a business and might not require a lot of soft-skills training. In many cases, if a student performs well during an internship, there may be a job waiting for them at that organization come graduation, which is ideal.”
Bennyhoff encourages business owners from throughout the region, who are interested in joining the Ed/Glen Chamber, to visit EdGlenChamber.com or call 618-656-7600 for more information.
By Madelaine Gerard, SIUE Marketing & Communications
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Taimur Khan
Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s warning to Iran
In an hour-long television interview, the 31-year-old prince provided an unvarnished look into how Riyadh views its increasingly hot political conflict with Tehran, writes Taimur Khan
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said there would be no negotiations with Iran. Nicolas Asfouri / Getty Images
ABU DHABI // Saudi Arabia’s powerful deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, ruled out any rapprochement with arch-rival Iran and defended the ambitious economic transformation plan he is leading, in a wide-ranging interview aimed at reassuring Saudis.
The hour-long interview by the 31-year-old prince, who is responsible for a swathe of key policy portfolios including defence and the economy, was an unvarnished look into how Riyadh views its increasingly hot political conflict in the Middle East with Tehran.
Prince Mohammed framed the rivalry, which has played out via proxy forces in Syria and Yemen, in theological terms, and said that Tehran’s ultimate aim is to wrest control of Islam’s holiest site in Mecca. “We won’t wait for the battle to be in Saudi Arabia,” he said, without elaborating on policies. “Instead, we will work so that the battle is for them in Iran, not in Saudi Arabia.”
He made repeated references in the interview with a journalist from MBC to the Shiite ideology of the Iranian state, and said it was impossible for there to be dialogue with an entity that believes its policies are divinely-guided to prepare conditions for the return of the Imam Mahdi – who Twelver Shiites believe will return from hiding before the end of times and establish just rule across the world.
“How do you have a dialogue with a regime built on an extremist ideology … which [says] they must control the land of Muslims and spread their Twelver Jaafari sect in the Muslim world?,” Prince Mohammed said.
The deputy crown prince has, in terms of his public prominence and control of the kingdom’s most important policies, risen to become Saudi Arabia’s most powerful figure after King Salman.
But ownership of the war in Yemen and the Vision 2030 economic diversification plan to end the Saudi economy’s reliance on oil has also come with risks including growing concern among Saudis as both undertakings face ongoing complications.
Tuesday’s interview appeared to be largely intended for a domestic audience, and to address concerns among citizens and show that the economic reform plan, despite painful austerity measures, as well as the war, are proceeding as planned and are justified.
The war in Yemen has stalled, with an increasing amount of fighting with Iran-backed Houthi rebels spilling across Saudi Arabia’s southern border, killing security forces and civilians. It is also a drain – however manageable – to public finances at a time when the cash used to sustain the operation in Yemen could be put to domestic use.
The UAE, Russia and western diplomats have been working to try and get the political negotiations between the internationally recognised government and the rebel alliance that broke down last summer back on track.
But the Saudi deputy crown prince ratcheted up the rhetoric of confrontation against Iran, and also said the Saudi-led coalition had time on its side in the fight with the Houthis and the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
“We can uproot the Houthis and Saleh in a matter of days,” Prince Mohammed said. “We can mobilise Saudi land forces alone in days but the casualties in our forces will be in the thousands and the other result will be Yemeni civilian casualties in high numbers.”
The prince also addressed other regional issues that have caused controversy, including reported tensions with Egypt and the issue of the Tiran and Sanafir islands that Cairo planned to return to Saudi sovereignty before a court halted the plan. He appeared to suggest that despite the court order, the islands were Saudi possessions.
“The islands are registered in Egypt as Saudi islands and they are registered in Saudi Arabia and international centres as Saudi islands,” he said. “What happened was setting up maritime borders. Neither Egypt nor Saudi gave up any territory.”
Riyadh has given billions of dollars in aid and support to Cairo since president Abdel Fattah El Sisi came to power, including through direly needed oil shipments that were suspended six months ago. But those shipments have reportedly resumed and Prince Mohammed said media outlets “that criticise the relationship between Egypt and Saudi Arabia are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood … our relationship with Egypt is concrete, strong and one of the deepest ever”.
The interview largely focused on the most pressing issue for Saudis – biting austerity measures and how and when they will be offset by economic growth. In a recent report, the IMF stated that the kingdom’s economic growth had shrunk from 1.4 per cent last year to 0.4 per cent, due to falling oil prices.
The slashing of state salaries, vastly reduced spending and other austerity reforms reduced the budget deficit by nearly US$20 billion (Dh73.4bn) to $79bn last year, which Prince Mohammed said allowed the country to reverse the unpopular moves.
Calls by Saudis on social media to end the measures had been increasing until the reversal earlier this month, but Prince Mohammed said that public anger had not forced the decision.
“The suspension of allowances was temporary and was to be reviewed periodically,” he said. “It was reviewed in the appropriate time after our oil revenue improved.”
A welfare system called the citizen’s account is planned to help 10 million poorer citizens cope with slashed subsidies and increasing public service costs and taxes. The prince said “side effects” such as unemployment should be expected, but that “these new programmes, which are being launched, will start yielding results by the end of 2017 and more strongly in 2018 and 2019”.
He also highlighted how the planned initial public offering for around 5 per cent of the state oil company Aramco will be used to bolster growth in non-oil sectors of the economy. Between 50 and 70 per cent of the offering, which has been valued between one and two trillion dollars will be invested within the country through its new sovereign wealth fund. Defence production, mining and other industries and entertainment would all be developed, he said.
Responding to what he called “socialist and communist” criticism of the IPO, he said it will “give us a shortcut … to create jobs”. He added that despite the offering and the potential demands of shareholders, Riyadh will still control oil production policy and that Saudi Arabia’s oilfields will remain sovereign assets.
He also vowed to fight corruption and said that no one would be immune from punishment if caught conducting graft. “No one involved in corruption will be spared no matter who they are, I assure you,” he said.
“Whether a minister, a prince, or anyone. Anyone who is guilty of corruption will be held accountable.”
tkhan@thenational.ae
Updated: May 3, 2017 04:00 AM
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Discovery Of Neolithic Gift Shop Suggests Stonehenge Always Meant As Tourist Attraction
WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND—In a significant finding that sheds new light on the mysterious monument’s past, a team of archaeologists working near Stonehenge this week unearthed the remnants of a primitive gift shop, suggesting that the site had always served as a tourist attraction. “After uncovering piles of Stone Age goblets, deer-hide tunics, and animal-bone bracelets all etched with images of Stonehenge, we realized that this was not an ancient Celtic ritual site or Druidic pilgrimage destination as previously thought, but instead a popular attraction for Neolithic vacationers,” said lead researcher Amelia Stroud of Oxford University, who explained that preserved footprints found at the site indicated that ancient visitors had to walk through the gift area on their way out of the circular stone structure. “We also found a wide array of ancient coins at the site, clear evidence that large bands of Romans and Anglo-Saxon tribesmen came from far away to visit the attraction and were charged exorbitant prices while there.” Stroud went on to speculate that numerous small rocks found scattered around the site were most likely the remains of prehistoric “Make Your Own Stonehenge” kits.
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Home News Snapper turns his focus on preserving Pioneer history
Snapper turns his focus on preserving Pioneer history
THE tranformation of Dewsbury’s Pioneer House is to be documented in a photography project by a former Kirklees College student.
The iconic town centre building is being renovated as part of the college’s new Dewsbury Learning Quarter, due to open in 2018.
Photographer James Brook, who studied Level 3 visual communication at Batley School of Art, will be working with the college to showcase the changes.
Said James, who lives in Dewsbury: “I have kept in touch with the college and tutors as they really pushed me hard and opened my eyes to many different creative practices that now include my specialist area of photography.
“When I heard that the historic Pioneer House was to become the new home for creative art, I wanted to document the finer details in the building that most people will not get to see once work is complete.”
Working with Oliver Boothroyd, the college’s programme leader for visual communication, the plan is to exhibit James’s work as part of the opening in 2018.
Dewsbury Learning Quarter is being developed in partnership with the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Kirklees Council, and as part of the wider North Kirklees Growth Zone (NKGZ) regeneration programme.
The college is also creating a new building – the Springfield Centre – next to Lidl supermarket on Bradford Road.
James added: “Kirklees College has done a lot for me and for the creative world, changing lives including mine, as it enabled me to study for a degree.
“I am simply photographing the shell of building that holds many memories for people, as these are the things I don’t want people to forget with the passing of time.
“I hope the photographs will show this whilst also showing future students the building in an artistic, creative way. I hope the work is remembered for many years to come.”
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Matt Haig preview
By Aisling McGuire, The Wee Review
Matt Haig had already been a successful writer for some time when his debut non-fiction memoir, Reasons to Stay Alive, published in 2015 thrust him into the limelight as a man at the forefront of improving the nation’s mental health. Seemingly overnight he became a social influencer and one of the most respected writers on mental health that the UK has perhaps ever seen.
In Reasons to Stay Alive, Haig explored his own experiences of depression and provided, in perfect bite-sized chunks, some wonderfully quotable excerpts which had the potential to provide a real comfort to readers and yet were wrapped up with a raw truth which is so often missing from the so-called ‘self-help’ genre.
Haig then returned to his fiction writing (also well worth reading and profound) and fans of his Sunday Times best-selling work were made to wait... read the rest of the article here
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Top Moments From the BET Awards
Lynette Holloway
Host Chris Tucker at the 2013 BET Awards show (Mark Davis/Getty Images for BET)
Did you watch the BET Awards show last night? If so, you know there were a lot of memorable moments at the Staples Center in Los Angeles that are worth chatting about. The Associated Press lists five, including Charlie Wilson's red coat. Kendrick Lamar and Miguel. Nicki Minaj's chair. And where was Chris Tucker?
CHARLIE WILSON: The Gap Band singer and hip-hop producer's best friend, dubbed "Uncle Charlie" years ago by Snoop Dogg, wasn't content to just accept his lifetime achievement award. After dancing through a tribute from Stevie Wonder, Indie.Arie and Jamie Foxx and giving a long, inspiring speech, Timberlake persuaded Wilson to grab a mic. Wearing a fantastically bold red jacket and white pants, the 60-year-old took command of the show, performing a number of hits with assistance from Timberlake, Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams, including "You Dropped a Bomb on Me." We're not going to say Uncle Charlie showed up that group of modern-day superstars …
THE FUTURE: Aside from Wilson, the night's most memorable stars were Los Angeles rapper Kendrick Lamar and R&B singer Miguel, who both took victory laps after breakout years. Miguel won the night's first award, best male R&B/pop star over Chris Brown, and performed three times — including once with Lamar on "How Many Drinks." And Lamar was the night's top winner tied with Drake with three awards, including best male hip-hop artist and best new artist.
Read the complete list at ABC News.
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Maiysha Kai
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Understanding the difference between science and scientism
by Chaitanya Charan dasJuly 31, 2012
Question: When I talk about God, soul, rebirth, people often question why discuss such unscientific things in this modern age of science?
Answer: Their question betrays their basic misconception: science has a monopoly on human knowledge and that only things that are “scientific” are true. This misconception is not a result of science, but of scientism, the peculiar school of thought that places around science a halo of “omniscience.” However, scientism itself is unscientific! There is no scientific experiment to prove that scientific knowledge is the only true knowledge. Thus, their question itself, being based on an unscientific assumption, is not scientific. So, if they feel that people should not discuss unscientific things, then firstly they themselves should stop raising this question.
Nonetheless, now that the question has been raised, let’s explore its answer further. Pointing out the proper place of science in humanity’s quest for knowledge is sometimes misunderstood as an insult to science and to the human intellect itself. But far from being an insult, it is a tribute to the human intellect. The same extraordinary human intellect that has led us humans to the heights of scientific knowledge has also led to us to remarkable insights in many other fields. As Albert Einstein stated, “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.” By acknowledging this all-round accomplishment of the human intellect and not letting scientism monopolize human knowledge, we open for ourselves the door to a holistic understanding of ourselves and the world we live in.
Question: But isn’t science the most reliable way of acquiring knowledge?
Answer: That depends on the field one is considering. Noble Laureate Physicist Erwin Schrodinger eloquently stated the abilities and the inabilities of science: “I am very astonished that the scientific picture of the real world around me is very deficient. It gives a lot of factual information, puts all our experience in a magnificently consistent order, but it is ghastly silent about all and sundry that is really near to our heart, that really matters to us. It cannot tell us a word about red and blue, bitter and sweet, physical pain and physical delight; it knows nothing of beautiful and ugly, good or bad, God and eternity. Science sometimes pretends to answer questions in these domains, but the answers are very often so silly that we are not inclined to take them seriously.” To better appreciate Schrodinger’s remark, let’s consider an example. Suppose a brain surgeon returns home to find his wife upset with him. If science were to be his only means of acquiring knowledge, he would have to do a brain scan of his wife to find why she is annoyed. Would that help? Obviously not; it would compound his wife’s annoyance into rage.
Here’s another example. Consider the experience of seeing a beautiful sunset. We can directly experience the beauty of the sunset. But can any scientific experiment measure that beauty? Science could perhaps measure some parameters like the intensity of the sunlight, but such measurements would do little to convey or explain the actual experience of the beauty.
To summarize, science does have its utility and authority in certain fields, but extrapolating that authority to judge all fields of knowledge is unwarranted, unproductive, and sometime even counterproductive. We can save ourselves from the misleading spell of scientism while simultaneously maintaining due respect for science by bringing to mind the sage advice of Copernicus about what constitutes knowledge: “To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.”
Question: Isn’t science more reliable than other branches of knowledge because it deals with factual things?
Answer: Science doesn’t reserve itself to the study of factual things, if by factual, we mean things that are seen by our eyes or otherwise perceived by our senses. Let’s see just two categories of such areas of study within science
1. Study of unperceivable objects: Most of the objects studied in modern physics are not perceivable at all: electrons, mesons, neutrinos, hadrons, to name a few. Moreover, in some cases, this non-perceivability is not just a practical limitation imposed by insufficiently sophisticated instruments. Quarks, for example, are considered non-perceivable even in principle; they are so tightly bound inside the protons and neutron that nothing can make them break out on their own. Yet all these particles are treated as scientifically factual, and their existence and behavior is given as a scientific explanation for many direct physical observations.
2. Study of abstract mathematical conceptions: Additionally, with the increasing use of mathematics in physics, the gap between the concepts studied by science and the factual objects of the world has widened. This trend was noted by Nikola Tesla nearly a century ago: “Today’s scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality.” Since Tesla’s made this insightful observation, the trend has only aggravated further.
Question: Isn’t scientific knowledge more reliable because it is objective? After all, the observations of one scientist can be verified by others.
Answer: Not all scientific knowledge is objective or verifiable. Here are a few such categories:
Difficult to observe: Not all scientific observations are so easily verifiable. For example, when physicists claim to have observed a fundamental particle using a high-energy particle accelerator, their observation can be verified only by those who have access to those expensive equipments and can understand the complex technical jargon intrinsic in the claim of the observation.
Impossible to observe: Further, in quantum physics, objectivity is widely thought of as impossible because the very act of observation is said to change the observed object.
Subjective bias in observation: Moreover, observations are not as objective as they seem to be, as is pointed out by the English astronomer Arthur Eddington: “A scientist commonly professes to base his beliefs on observations, not theories. Theories, it is said, are useful in suggesting new ideas and new lines of investigation for the experimenter; but ‘hard facts’ are the only proper ground for conclusion. I have never come across anyone who carries this profession into practice – certainly not the hard-headed experimentalist, who is the more swayed by his theories because he is less accustomed to scrutinize them… It is better to admit frankly that theory has, and is entitled to have, an important share in determining belief.” The pioneering quantum physicist Max Planck was even more forthright in stating the role of subjectivity: “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see light, but rather because its opponents die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” The subjectivity inherent within the scientific enterprise is systematically documented by historian of science Thomas Kuhn in his eye-opening book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. He shows that scientists, like the rest of us, are also fallible human beings, who are often motivated by their personal interests and preconceptions, constricted by the beliefs and biases of their superiors, subject to peer pressure and concerned about the availability and continuance of research grants.
Question: Isn’t scientific knowledge preferable because it is free from dependence on faith?
Answer: Science demands faith both in its general method as well as in its specific theories. Let’s analyze a few of the elements of faith in science:
Its underlying assumptions: Consider the following statement of physicist Gerald‘t Hooft: “We [physicists] are trying to uncover more of that [the universality of our scientific theories]. It is our belief that there is more.” Obviously, “our belief” means “our faith.” Scientific research is based on the implicit faith that nature behaves according to laws that can be uncovered by human intelligence. This implicit faith is just an assumption without any actual proof or without even any theoretical possibility of proof. In fact, the behavior of many of the fundamental particles in atomic physics defies description by any scientific laws. Nonetheless, physicists toil on hoping to find out some such laws in the future. To hope for the existence of unseen and unproven things: isn’t that what faith is all about?
Its dependence on the inductive method: Moreover, most scientific knowledge is acquired using the inductive method, in which patterns discerned from finite observations are extrapolated into universal laws. The 18th century Scottish philosopher David Hume argued powerfully that the use of induction can never be rationally justified, and his arguments have never been persuasively refuted. Inductive reasoning is thus a fundamental, indispensable article of faith in science.
Its use of hypothesis: Further, when scientists propose a specific hypothesis to explain a set of observations, they have faith that their hypothesis is correct and that it will be verified by future observations. Often, even when subsequent observations don’t support the hypothesis, they continue to believe it, hoping that future observations will. For example, evolutionists believe that all species have evolved from a common ancestor, but the fossil record doesn’t show any evidence of transitional links (intermediate species that are supposed to have existed in the past and that formed the evolutionary link between two existing species). So, some evolutionists claim that evolution occurs too slowly to be seen by the human eye, and too fast to be seen in the fossil record. Even the most dull-witted person can understand what this claim boils down to: faith – faith despite the absence of supporting evidence.
Its hype among the masses: Far greater than the faith that scientists require in their research is the faith that common people have in the findings of scientists. The extent of unquestioning faith that scientific findings command is seen in the following observation of Einstein: “Tell a man that there are 300 billion stars in the universe, and he’ll believe you…. Tell him that a bench has wet paint upon it and he’ll have to touch it to be sure.”
Question: Isn’t science special because it follows the scientific method?
Answer: Let’s consider the typical steps that comprise the scientific method:
Observe some aspect of the universe.
Form a hypothesis that potentially explains the observation.
Devise testable predictions from that hypothesis.
Conduct experiments that can test those predictions.
Modify the hypothesis until it is in accord with all observations and predictions.
Arrive at a conclusion of whether the hypothesis is true or not.
Now consider the reasoning of a cricket fan:
Observation: A cricketer X hits sixers frequently.
Hypothesis: His ability to hit frequent sixers is due to his strong arms and his swift, smooth arm swing.
Experiment: When cricketers with strong arms and swift, smooth arm swing are examined, they are seen to hit sixers frequently. When cricketers without these bodily attributes are examined, they are seen to not hit sixers so frequently.
Conclusion: Hypothesis confirmed.
Clearly, the above reasoning parallels, in an abbreviated way, the scientific method. This parallel shows that the much-touted scientific method is not unique to science; it can be used and is often used in many other fields. In fact, the scientific method is nothing more than a systematized version of common sense, as is confirmed by Albert Einstein, “The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.” Just as common sense can give us right answers, so can science. And just as common sense can give us wrong answers, so can science. That’s why the notion that scientific knowledge special and privileged because it is acquired using some reverence-worthy “scientific method” is fallacious. There’s no such method.
Question: Isn’t the fact that science works the proof of the truth and the speciality of scientific knowledge?
Answer: The history of science reveals many theories that worked, but were subsequently shown to be wrong. The phlogiston theory of combustion is a classic example. Oxford University Press’ Philosophy of Science explains: “This theory, which was widely accepted until the end of the 18th century, held that when any substance burns, it releases a substance called ‘phlogiston’ into the atmosphere. Modern chemistry teaches that this is false: there is no such substance as phlogiston. Rather, burning occurs when things react with oxygen in the air. But despite the non-existence of phlogiston, the phlogiston theory was empirically quite successful: it fitted the observational data available at the time quite well.” The American philosopher of science Larry Laudan has listed more than 30 such theories that worked, but were wrong. Many modern scientific theories have met the same fate, but because these are generally phrased in technical jargon and mathematical symbols, most people are unable to even understand what the theories are, leave alone understand how they have been shown to be wrong.
Question: Do you mean to say that all scientific knowledge is wrong?
Answer: Not at all. Scientific knowledge has its utility and value. Scientific technology has astonishingly transformed almost every aspect of our daily living. Science should undoubtedly be given credit where credit is due. At the same time, understanding how science works helps us to see its findings in proper perspective. In the vast panorama of sensations that nature presents us, scientists choose in advance their parameters of study: the measurable, quantifiable properties of nature. While this approach helps in manipulating a certain slice of nature, it gives a significantly incomplete picture of reality. That’s why philosopher of science Karl Popper remarked, “Science may be described as the art of systematic oversimplification.”
The reputed physicist Fritjof Capra in his well-known book The Tao of Physics explains how science is like a map. Just as a map helps – and helps immensely – in navigating the mapped territory, science helps in manipulating the physical world. However, a map, no matter how exhaustive, is neither the territory, nor a complete description of the territory. Similarly, science, no matter how exhaustive, is neither the reality, nor a complete description of the reality. If the map helps us to precisely reach a particular house in a city, where we meet the owner of the house, will we decide that the owner of the house is non-existent and imaginary because he is not shown in our map? Obviously not. We will recognize that the map has now served its purpose and will switch to another knowledge-source, perhaps skillful communication, to know more about the owner. Similarly, science may efficiently guide us in our exploration of the physical world, but when we encounter essential features of our world that are not found in the world of science –emotions, consciousness, free will, the quest for meaning and purpose, should we reject these features as unscientific and so unreal? Obviously not. We should instead seek other knowledge-sources that help us know more about these features.
The danger of scientism, of mistaking the map to be the territory, is eloquently stated by former US President Theodore Roosevelt: “There is superstition in science quite as much as there is superstition in theology, and it is all the more dangerous because those suffering from it are profoundly convinced that they are freeing themselves from all superstition. No grotesque repulsiveness of medieval superstition, even as it survived into nineteenth-century Spain and Naples, could be much more intolerant, much more destructive of all that is fine in morality, in the spiritual sense, and indeed in civilization itself, than that hard dogmatic materialism of today which often not merely calls itself scientific but arrogates to itself the sole right to use the term. If these pretensions affected only scientific men themselves, it would be a matter of small moment, but unfortunately they tend gradually to affect the whole people, and to establish a very dangerous standard of private and public conduct in the public mind.”
Question: Can science by its onward march discover spiritual principles?
Answer: Every field of knowledge has its own distinctive methods. Attempting to gain knowledge of that field without adopting its methods is generally difficult and sometimes impossible, especially with regards to advanced concepts in that field. To illustrate, let’s consider different scientific instruments of increasing complexity:
We can measure our bodily weight quickly using a weighing machine. However, to measure the weight without using the machine, we have to adopt the cumbersome process of standing on one side of a weighing scale and stacking one kg weights on the other side until the two sides balance.
We can measure the distance from the earth of a particular star in a distant galaxy with a telescope. However, to measure that distance without using the telescope, we have to adopt the expensive and impractical process of boarding a spacecraft and flying until there while keeping an eye on the distance meter – assuming of course that we stay alive until then.
We can measure the speed of a fundamental particle using a particle accelerator. However, measuring that speed without the accelerator is impossible.
Just as science has its distinctive methodology, so does spirituality. Without using the spiritual methodology, we can gain some understanding of basic spiritual principles like the existence of soul and God using scientific means. However, to understand advanced spiritual principles, like the identity and personality of God, we need to adopt spiritual methods.
Srila Prabhupada inspired his scientist-followers to not only establish the basics of spirituality as scientific in the terms of modern science, but also to show how the entire process of Krishna consciousness was scientific, in the broad sense of the term “systematic, logical study of a subject.” Subsequently, many ISKCON scientists like Dr T D Singh, Dr Michael Cremo and Dr Richard Thompson have written several books to fulfill the mandate given by Srila Prabhupada.
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Braja-Raja-Suta Dasa
Haribol.
Good article. Thanks. Read it just now during lunch.
Lots of good quotes.
great article. excellent presentation. just a small doubt – Could not understand ” ideand personality of God” mentioned in the second last para ?
It was a typo; i have corrected it to “the identity and personality of God.” Thanks for bringing this to my attention
Jayendran
Hare Krishna prabhu,
Your articles are excellent prabhu. Thank you for bringing a new perspective to the whole topic..
K S Subramanian
Brilliant article. Your contributions bring science to an intelligible level for the common man and removes the undeserving aura surrounding it. By offering a well stocked armory to all devotees, you are empowering them to defend themselves and other innocents against attacks of scientific hooligans and perhaps to bring the latter around to experiencing the real world in a refreshing way too.
Kamesh Gadia
Thank you Prabhuji for the article !!
always i used to read smaller articles that also clear their motive,
and that is also happening with this article which I am reading now.
Excellent web site. A lot of helpful info here.
abhijit toley
Brilliant!!!
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Ferry breakdown highlights isolated reserve’s urgent need for all-weather road
By Chinta PuxleyThe Canadian Press
Thu., Oct. 20, 2016timer3 min. read
SHOAL LAKE, MAN.—The chief of an isolated reserve under one of Canada’s longest boil-water advisories says construction on a road linking his community to the outside world must begin now.
Shoal Lake 40 First Nation land straddles the Ontario-Manitoba boundary and was cut off from the mainland a century ago when an aqueduct was built to supply fresh water to Winnipeg. The reserve has no all-weather road and has been under a boil-water advisory for 18 years.
Chief Erwin Redsky says the First Nation’s only aging ferry broke down three weeks ago, cutting off the community entirely.
This time, it was the ferry’s engine. In May 2015, the ferry failed to pass a federal inspection and was taken out of service, which prompted the reserve to declare a state of emergency and fly out its elders.
The ferry resumed operation on Wednesday, but the most recent breakdown underlines the vulnerability of the reserve and the need to get an all-weather road built, Redsky said.
“The ferry is not too reliable. Hopefully it will hang in there,” he said in an interview.
“We want to do something fast. We want to do it as soon as we can while the weather is in our favour.”
People who live on the reserve use a treacherous ice road in the winter and people have died falling through the ice.
In the summer, the reserve’s ferry runs up to 18 hours a day.
Health-care workers and ambulances won’t risk going to the community and children have to leave the reserve to continue their education past Grade 8. A water treatment plant is prohibitively expensive, as are housing and sewer upgrades, without a road to transport the necessary equipment.
Ottawa, Manitoba’s former NDP government and the City of Winnipeg all promised last December to split the cost of building what residents have dubbed Freedom Road. At the time, the project was expected to cost about $30 million, based on an old estimate.
Construction costs have since been reassessed at about $45 million.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who called the reserve’s lack of road inexcusable during the federal election campaign a year ago, has reiterated his government’s commitment to construction despite the increased cost.
Manitoba’s new Conservative Premier Brian Pallister has said he’s committed to the project as well, but provincial funding is still being reviewed.
“We recognize that this is an important project,” he said Thursday. “We’ll get it built.
“We’ll do that by working with our partners and I won’t do that through the media.”
Pallister said he expects work to get underway this winter, but said the project’s price tag is still a concern.
“Taxpayers are paying for it,” he said.
Redsky said he’s in talks with the federal government to move ahead with construction on reserve land this winter while waiting for the province to follow through on its commitment.
Two-thirds of the road is on provincial Crown land but the other one-third is on the reserve and under the jurisdiction of the First Nation and the federal government.
“Why can’t we do the federal portion right away while we’re waiting?” Redsky said. “We’re ready to go. The federal commitment’s there. The federal dollars are in place. Let’s get ‘er going.”
Sabrina Williams, a spokeswoman for Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett, said in an email that the government continues to be committed to construction of the road.
The statement did not address whether construction could begin on reserve land without a firm commitment from Manitoba.
“Our government is committed to improving the quality of life for Shoal Lake No. 40 First Nation residents,” the statement said.
“Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada is working with its funding partners, the province of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg, as well as the first nation, to finalize funding commitments for the construction of Freedom Road.”
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Source: Drexel hires Zach Spiker as m. bball head coach | The Triangle
Source: Drexel hires Zach Spiker as m. bball head coach
By Adam Hermann
Zach Spiker. (Photo courtesy West Point Academy’s Flickr)
Drexel has hired Zach Spiker to be its next men’s basketball head coach, a source told The Triangle.
Spiker will succeed James “Bruiser” Flint, the winningest head coach in Drexel men’s basketball history.
Spiker was head coach of the Army men’s basketball team for seven years, from the 2009-10 season to the 2015-16 season. He compiled an overall record of 102-112 in his seven years.
Under Spiker, Army had its first four-year streak of 15-plus wins (from 2012 to 2016) since 1920 to 1924.
Spiker was named the 2013 Patriot League Coach of the Year.
This past season, Army went 19-14 and played in the first round of the CIT tournament.
Wagner head coach Bashir Mason, St. Joe’s assistant coach Geoff Arnold, and Notre Dame assistant head coach Martin Ingelsby had been connected to the job opening as well.
Drexel announced the hiring Friday morning, and said Spiker will be formally introduced Tuesday, March 29, at noon.
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Home > Newsroom > Tidelands Health, CCU to turn stadium into a sea of pink Saturday
Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital named one of nation’s Top Hospitals
Tidelands Health, CCU to turn stadium into a sea of pink Saturday
Football players won’t be the only people in motion Saturday at Coastal Carolina University’s game against Presbyterian College.
Tidelands Health, the official health system of the CCU Chanticleers, and CCU will turn Brooks Stadium into a sea of pink – and Chanticleer teal –and give fans the opportunity to don pink gloves and dance for breast cancer awareness.
Everyone who attends the 2 p.m. game against Presbyterian will get a pink, latex-free exam glove. During Chauncey’s Interlude before the start of the third quarter, the crowd will break out the pink gloves and dance in the stands to raise awareness of breast cancer and show support for those who are fighting the disease.
”Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the Palmetto State,” said Pam Maxwell, Tidelands Health’s chief nursing officer. “The Pink Glove Dance is a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of breast cancer and to show our support for our friends, our neighbors and family members who are battling this disease.”
The Pink Glove Dance phenomenon started six years ago when the team at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Ore., recorded a music video of staff members wearing pink gloves and dancing. The video was viewed by people around the world, and in 2011, Medline launched a video competition open to anyone who wanted to make a Pink Glove Dance video. Since that time, nearly 200,000 people have danced in the competition.
Tidelands Health is the region’s largest health care provider, serving the Carolinas at four hospitals and more than 50 outpatient locations. More than 2,500 employee, physician and volunteer partners are working side by side with our communities to transform the health of our region – promoting wellness, preventing illness, encouraging recovery and restoring health.
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Joie de Vivre: Caribbean Paradise Inn
By Kathy Borsuk
I was prepared to be angry with Jean Luc Bohic, owner of Caribbean Paradise Inn. When I had arrived at 9 AM for our first meeting, an employee named Raoul simply said, “Boss still sleeping, make big party last night.” I passed some time running errands and returned about an hour later, bemoaning my habitual promptness in a country that usually runs on “island time.” I was all set to be in a snit.
It didn’t happen. Jean Luc was wide-awake and busy attending to the business of running the hotel. He apologized profusely and explained that the parties that keep him up so late are actually Dionysian banquets he regularly throws for his guests. I quickly fell under the spell of the charming Frenchman’s ebullient friendliness and ever-present grin, and I realized that hotel guests would certainly enjoy his joie de vivre.
Caribbean Paradise Inn Hall ViewLocated 250 yards from world-renowned Grace Bay Beach (behind Grace Bay Club), Caribbean Paradise Inn is among the few small hotel properties on Providenciales, and the only one that is owner operated. Jean Luc lives on-premise and goes out of his way to make each guest feel at home.
The France-born Jean Luc and his companion Monique Gillet first came to the Turks & Caicos from Martinique in 1996, although Monique’s father had lived in the country for 20 years and worked on laying one of Provo’s original roads. At first, they were involved in a storage business, which they still operate. In 2003, however, Jean Luc heard that the Caribbean Paradise Inn was for sale and decided to take a chance and buy it, although he had never run a hotel before.
It was Don’t Stop the Carnival all over again. Jean Luc recalls, “The hotel had been closed for some time and everything was a mess when I took over. We worked every day for two to three months to replace most of the furniture, redecorate the rooms and clean up the gardens.”
Caribbean Paradise Inn PoolHis efforts were well spent. Today, the inn’s bright orange walls are crisply accented with white latticework surrounding private balconies and patios. The fresh-water pool and its surrounding terrace glisten in the brilliant sun, shadowed and colored by the gorgeous tropical gardens that surround the premises.
Monique’s eye for decor is revealed in a tour of its spotless rooms. Each sports a unique look; all are decorated in soothing, sophisticated tones with unexpectedly elegant touches in the accent pieces. Guests can choose second floor “Baywatch” rooms for ocean views and peeks at the pool or take a lower level “Paradise” room for the garden’s shade and easy patio access. There is a choice of king, queen or two full-size beds and each room has a full bathroom with shower. All are air-conditioned and include ceiling fans, cable television, mini-refrigerators, phones, hair dryers and in-room safes. There is one suite with separate living room and kitchenette.
Caribbean Paradise Inn InteriorWith the beach only a stroll away, that’s where most guests head first. There is an easy access path and the inn provides guests with beach chairs and towels; umbrellas, coolers and snorkel gear are available. Caribbean Paradise Inn is also situated close by to the variety of restaurants, shops and the Provo Golf and Country Club that mark the Grace Bay area as Provo’s own “Gold Coast.” Jean Luc says he is happy to drive guests for dining, grocery shopping or to their favorite snorkeling sites whenever it is possible.
Included in the reasonable room rate is a daily breakfast buffet served on the shaded patio by the bar. Drinks are on the honor system. And of his famous parties, which take place several times a week during the busy season, host Jean Luc says, “All of our guests are invited and we sit together at one long table on the patio. I like to barbecue lobster when it’s in season and we have salad, cheese, dessert, wine and music. Everyone has a fantastic time.” (After looking at the pictures Jean Luc keeps on file, I don’t doubt him for a minute!)
In fact, Peter and Sue from Colorado commented in the inn’s on-line guestbook: “We spent a blissful week at the Inn and wish it could have lasted much longer. Our room was lovely and scrupulously clean. The Inn is beautiful, but the people who own and run it make it the extraordinary place it is. Jean Luc is a fine cook. We were treated to two wonderful dinner parties he hosted where we met many lovely people — guests at the Inn and local friends of the owners — people from Canada, T&C, England, Switzerland and the States. The grilled lobster was fantastic and the company was better. We all had a smashingly good time.”
The rest of the time, however, Caribbean Paradise Inn seems nestled in a peaceful embrace. Its circular design and buffer of vegetation keep the rest of the world at bay and because there are only 16 rooms, it never feels noisy or crowded and guests are assured of their privacy.
So how does Jean Luc like running a hotel? Although he complains about the rough start and long hours, I sense that hospitality is in his blood. He says, “You know, even though our guests come from around the world, it’s really not difficult to make them feel at home. It’s just like having friends and family visit.” Obviously, he is doing something right. Jean Luc says that many guests from their first season have already made reservations for this year.
I left Jean Luc to juggle the tasks of his day . . . and perhaps plan his next party. I hope to be invited!
For more information, call (649) 946-5020; e-mail inn@paradise.tc or visit www.paradise.tc.
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We will ensure that all children have opportunities for success and are supported so they can reach their full potential, building on their strengths and interests.
We will provide each child with a curriculum which meets their needs and the requirements of the National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage and inspires a love of learning.
We will ensure we support the health and well-being of all members of our school community, working with families and outside agencies as well as supporting this through the curriculum and our own provision.
We will celebrate the success of all of our children in equal measure, both in and out of school.
We will provide an environment where everyone is equally valued and feels a sense of belonging which leads to happy and confident individuals.
We will encourage our children to develop personal independence and to respect the rights and views of others in terms of their beliefs and cultures, as well as their rights to make personal choices.
We will continue to work closely with families in order to form a positive partnership for the mutual benefit of the children, their families and the school staff.
We will ensure we fulfil our commitments relating to the ‘Home/School Agreement’ and support parents to fulfil their expectations in relation to it also.
We will develop and strengthen our community links and involve the local community in school life whenever possible.
We will aim for the highest possible standards of work and behaviour from all in our school.
We will be consistent in our values and expectations.
We will invest in our children’s future, in order to prepare them for life in the modern world, and ensure the children have access to high quality resources and equipment.
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Helen Wong’s Tours Slashes Prices By $400 A Couple
Due to popular demand, Helen Wong’s Tours has extended its 2014 Year of the Horse celebrations by making further $400-a-couple discounts on its group tours to China and Vietnam.
And as a bonus, this offer will be available until the end of August, for travel to China until the end of June 2015, to Vietnam until the end of March, 2015.
The latest offer means a12-day China Discovery tour has been slashed to a starting price of $3930 per person, twin share, including return air fare from Australia.
The Asian specialist of 27 years has also discounted such popular tours as the 15-day Yangtze Wonders to a starting price of $4750 per person, twin share from Australia.
Meanwhile, the price of the 12-day Glimpse of Vietnam tour has been reduced to begin at an enticing $3260 per person, twin share from Australia.
“We created a similar program ($200 per person discounts) in February which proved a resounding success,” said founder and managing director Helen Wong.
“For such a short period the response was extremely healthy, and we anticipate this new promotion will take that one step further in attracting Australians to China and Vietnam,” she said.
Details: Helen Wong’s Tours on 1300 788328 or www.helenwongstours.com
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Emanuel employees rally for union vote
More than two dozen employees of Emanuel Medical Center gather outside the hospital Wednesday to show support for the efforts to unionize. - photo by SABRA STAFFORD / The Journal
Sabra Stafford
Updated: March 29, 2013, 6:28 p.m.
Mark Eusey comes from a family of healthcare workers, so naturally he became an auto mechanic.
“I was not going near a hospital,” Eusey jokes of his career path.
But life had another plan for Eusey — one that led him to take a position at a hospital.
“Wouldn’t you know it, I fell in love with it,” Eusey said. “I didn’t choose this job — it chose me. I believe in patient care and I believe in taking care of the sick and tired.”
Lately some of the joy Eusey has felt in doing his job as a floor technician at Emanuel Medical Center has been tempered because he says he has been made a target for his pro-union views.
Eusey was one of about 30 EMC workers who gathered outside the hospital Wednesday night for a pro-union rally.
“Without a union we can’t get this job done to the best of our abilities,” Eusey said.
About 400 unlicensed EMC employees, which includes kitchen and maintenance staff, technicians, respiratory therapists, and aides, were scheduled to vote in January on whether to join the Service Employees International Union — United Healthcare Workers West. But the vote was postponed when allegations of unfair labor practices were made to the National Labor Relations Board.
The union charges accuse the hospital administration of intimidating and threatening workers who have shown support for the union. The SEIU-UHW said the practices made a fair election impossible.
The hospital maintains it has followed all labor laws.
The NLRB has been investigating the claims and anticipates a ruling in a few weeks time, said George Velastegui, the regional attorney for the NLRB.
In February, Tenet Healthcare Corporation announced an agreement to acquire EMC.
“In violation of federal law, hospital management repeatedly told workers that if they voted for the union, Tenet would not buy the hospital and it would be shut down,” said SEIU-UHW spokesperson Sean Wherley.
Eusey said the upcoming purchase by Tenet makes the choice to join the union even more critical.
“We’re going up against a big corporation now, “Eusey said. “They treat us like batteries running the machine for their shareholders, but we want a piece of the pie. We want a voice.”
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Seadogs see first loss in three seasons
Turlock swimmers seek redemption at season finale today
The Turlock Seadogs have a history of winning. In fact, the summer swim program was riding a three-season win streak going into Saturday's meet against Ripon and Tracy. However, all good things must come to an end. In this case, it was at the hands of the Ripon Sea Lions.
The Sea Lions took the victory in their home pool with a score of 1372.5, followed by the Turlock Seadogs with 1199.5 and the Tracy Tritons Swim Club placed third with a score of 647.
“We were humbled by the loss, but Ripon has an outstanding program. It was an honor to lose our streak to them as they are an amazing team and organization,” said Seadogs head coach Michaela Solario.
One of the big victories of the day came from the Boys 15-18 division in the 200 yard free relay where Allan Quinn, Zach Glidden, Cameron and Nathan Olson finished in first place with a time of 1:39.09.
In the girls division from the 13-14 age group, the Seadogs took first in the 200 yard free relay after a very close match where the team of Izzy Romeo, Fatima Ibarra, Jacqueline and Jillian Vierra topped out in first place with a time of 2:00.22.
Romeo also placed first in the 50 free event with a time of 27.72.
Henry Garcia and Michael Tobin each took first in their respective events, but it was just not the team's day.
The Seadogs will have a chance at redemption in their season finale tri-meet against Tracy and Ripon at the Mid Valley Swim League Championships at 9 a.m. today at the West High Pool in Tracy.
“All I can say is congrats to Ripon on the victory in the first battle, but in the war the Seadogs are coming back with a vengeance and it will be a fight to the end,” Solario added. “Our kids were upset by the loss, but now have a fire under their bellies.”
Turlock American 12s capture District 73 title
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UFO Casebook Magazine Issue 562, Issue date, 05-20-13
China’s UFO Invasion
By Eric Fish
On Monday (May 13) a series of “UFO” photos emerged after people in several Chinese cities reported seeing a strange light in the sky.
This was just the latest in a wave of UFO sightings that have happened throughout the country in recent years.
So after a relatively quiet 5,000-year history in the field, why are UFOs all-of-a-sudden becoming so common in China?
In 1947, three highly-publicized UFO sightings happened in the United States within a two-week span culminating with the Roswell Incident, where some alleged that the U.S. government had recovered and hidden an alien ship wreck.
In the years that followed, hundreds more sightings were reported, official inquiries were launched and the idea of alien visitors captured America’s imagination.
The conditions that existed in America at the time may help explain the influx of UFOs in China.
When UFO sightings are investigated, they’re usually found to have been one of four things:
1. Something that’s easily explained (ie – a weather balloon, airplane, science experiment or natural phenomenon)
2. A military test
3. A hoax
4. A genuine unidentified flying object that nobody can explain, meaning the possibility of an extraterrestrial origin can’t be ruled out.
According to famous theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, 95 percent of all UFO sightings fall into the first three categories.
“It’s the 5 percent that give you the willies,” he said in an interview with MSNBC.
These tend to be cases where several credible witnesses using multiple mediums (like eyesight and radar) see something inexplicable through our understanding of physics and human technology.
For post-1947 America, each of the four possible UFO explanations had fertile ground. It was right after the end of World War II when the U.S. found itself with a stockpile of leftover military aircraft.
Many of these planes were repurposed for carrying paying passengers, giving rise to a boom in commercial flight and filling America’s skies with lights that people had never seen before.
This period was also the beginning of the Cold War, when the U.S. military was testing all sorts of new airborne technology while remaining hyper-sensitive about its secrecy.
Many UFO sightings turned out to be military-related operations yet unknown to the greater public and unacknowledged by the U.S. government.
With the press sensationalizing UFO encounters during this time, plenty were primed to assume the lights they saw in the sky were from alien worlds; not to mention all of the hoaxsters and fame-seekers who emerged to capitalize on and perpetuate the UFO craze.
But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the American UFO avalanche was the idea that there were actually alien visitors; and that naturally, they took a keen interest in the emerging superpower and its development of planet destroying nuclear technology.
Now look back to modern China. Its economic development has meant, in one form or another, more lights in the sky. The UFO sighting this week, for example, now appears to have been a rocket science experiment conducted by the National Space Science Center.
Likewise, in 2012, witnesses reported hundreds of mysterious flying objects on the Sino-Indian border that were likely just festive floating lanterns.
But there have been other flying objects documented that remain much more mysterious.
2010 may have been to China what 1947 was to the U.S. In July that year, flights were grounded in Hangzhou when a mysterious object was seen floating above Xiaoshan Airport.
Some experts speculated that it was a military aircraft and officials later said it was just an illegal private flight. But those explanations didn’t satisfy many who’d seen the strange photographs.
A week later, a UFO was seen hovering over Chongqing for more than an hour. That also has yet to be explained (and this wasn’t the first UFO sighting in Chongqing, or the last).
Then that September, another airport was shut down when a flying object was seen hovering in Baotou, Inner Mongolia. Again, it vanished after about an hour.
There was a subsequent investigation, but the results reportedly couldn’t be disclosed because there was a “military connection.” In 2010, there were altogether eight major UFO sightings reported.
With all these incidents, and a media that’s shown no hesitation in covering them, China is well on the way to developing its own American-style UFO craze. According to Global Times, UFO associations around the country now have about 50,000 members altogether.
With this influx of interest and a newfound access to editing technology, a number of Chinese hoaxsters have also jumped on the UFO bandwagon (here and here for example).
China even has the variety of witnesses claiming very intimate alien encounters, like the man who says he slept with a 3-meter-tall alien woman with braided leg hair.
But if alien crafts were actually coming to study Earth, China would certainly be an increasingly likely point of focus. With its emergence as a world power and its rapidly growing destructive capability, the China of today in many ways mirrors the America of 1947.
So whether China’s UFO encounters are the result of real aliens or more Earthly phenomena that accompany development, expect more to come.
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2013/chinaufoinvasion.html
http://www.eeo.com.cn/ens/2013/0516/244065.shtml
Did You See UFOs Over Bethlehem on March 3?
By Daryl Nerl
UFO investigator is checking a sighting of about 100 'bluish' objects floating over South Mountain.
Several people standing outside of the Square One Exxon market on W. Broad Street saw something in the sky that was difficult to explain.
It was March 3 at about 8:50 p.m. and the witnesses were looking toward South Mountain when they spotted about 100 objects floating west to east, according to Dan Medleycott, a senior field investigator and a state section director for the Mutual UFO Network in Pennsylvania.
Some of the objects appeared to be in formation, while others were not, a witness told Medleycott. Then the objects suddenly accelerated vertically and disappeared within a second.
It is possible that the objects were sky lanterns, though the descriptions by witnesses of how the objects moved do not fit with that hypothesis, said Medleycott, who is seeking others who either saw the phenomenon or can explain exactly what people saw.
A December 2011 sighting of possible UFOs near Sam's Club on Airport Road was ultimately debunked as sky lanterns that had been released from nearby Cedar Hill Memorial Park.
Did you see the objects described on March 3? Do you know what they were?
MUFON investigates sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects in the Lehigh Valley and across the country.
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2013/ufosoverbethelem.html
http://bethlehem.patch.com/articles/did-you-see-ufos-over-bethlehem-on-march-3 bethlehambluelights
graphic - www.ufocasebook.com
Arthur Sollitt Films Mystery UFO over Ipswich
Joel Gould
A GREEN UFO that lit up the night sky over Ipswich has the man who saw it and experts in the field baffled.
"I've never seen anything like it before," UFO Research Queensland president Sheryl Gottschall said.
Booval's Arthur Sollitt took a video recording of the bizarre object and after replaying the video many times he is still none the wiser.
"As far as I am concerned it is an unidentified flying object, but whether it is earth-made or something from outer space... you just wouldn't know," he said.
The QT has seen Mr Sollitt's video recording and it can be found on our website.
The green UFO swoops across the sky with what appears to be a set of wings at times before morphing from other angles into a saucer shape.
A white light moves around the UFO.
Mr Sollitt, a former speedway racer who won the world derby in 1980, was moved to come forward with the recording after the QT received texts and a letter about strange lights in the sky.
Mr Sollitt, 83, takes up the story:
"This happened on the night of the 24th of February at approximately seven o'clock," he said.
"I went outside to have a breather and I saw a green light in the sky.
"I didn't take much notice of it at the start, but when I came back out I noticed it was there so I got a camera to record what was happening and try and work out what it was.
"From some angles it is like a green rectangle, and then it has a white object above it almost in a T shape in some angles. At times the white image is above it and at times it is below it. It is almost as though it is turning upside down. It is real hard to explain."
Mr Sollitt said he saw the object swooping about "in the general vicinity of Swanbank".
"It may be a remote-controlled object. But it is something in the sky and it is flying like a plane," he said.
"I don't know whether it is concerning or not.
"When I was trying to get some footage of it a lady walked past and said, 'It's strange isn't it. I've seen it before'. It has apparently been seen three times.
"I noticed in a letter to the paper that people from out at Chuwar had seen it in the sky, which is a fair distance from here."
Mr Sollitt's son sent the video to UFO Research Queensland where Ms Gottschall has examined it.
Ms Gottschall speculated that it had some resemblance to a gliding craft of some description.
"But why it is green, I don't know," she said.
"I've seen a lot of things, but I haven't seen anything like that... not even on the internet. It remains unidentified. I can see a flashing light on it and it is a strange shape. In some images it is slightly curved... the longer part of it.
"We'd like to hear from others who have seen it, but at this stage it is a mystery."
To contact UFO Research Queensland go to uforq.asn.au
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2013/sollitt.html
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/arthurfilms-mystery-ufo-overipswich-morphing-objec/1872434/
How UFO Believers Make our Government More Transparent
By Dana Liebelson
"Every major military agency receives an enormous amount of requests about UFOs."
There is a group of people in America that may be more committed to prying documents from the government than just about anyone else: People who believe that Unidentified Flying Objects are real.
UFO believers have been dutifully trying to prove the existence of alien life forms for decades, largely by submitting countless Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. These requests are so exhaustive; they've actually spawned new laws for how government decides to give up its other (more mundane) secrets.
"There are individuals who file FOIA requests every single time a new report of a UFO comes in, asking all the relevant agencies to look for mentions of a triangular object" says Kel McClanahan, an attorney specializing in national security and privacy law. "Every major military agency receives an enormous amount of requests about UFOs."
One of those FOIA requesters is 32-year-old John Greenewald Jr., a television producer and writer in North Hollywood, Calif. He says he's filed hundreds of FOIA requests about UFOs. He filed his first request when he was 15, and received a four-page document detailing the 1976 Tehran UFO encounter that read "like an X-Files episode."
After that, he says he "was hooked," and has since amassed more than 700,000 pages of government documents, most of which he's posted online.
He's not the only one. Larry Bryant, who spent decades writing for U.S. Army publications, claims that he has "filed more UFO-related lawsuits in federal court than has anyone else in the entire universe."
It's not unusual for a UFO FOIA case to make it to court. In a 1981 case, Ground Saucer Watch v. CIA, William Spaulding, head of a small UFO group, alleged that the CIA was hiding information about the "Robertson panel," a government intelligence advisory committee that met in 1953 to investigate a spate of UFO sightings.
The group filed a FOIA lawsuit, which forced the CIA to conduct a search of all UFO-related documents — even if it was a piece of paper stuck under a secretary's desk.
According to the CIA's website, "It was much like the John F. Kennedy assassination issue. No matter how much material the Agency released and no matter how dull and prosaic the information, people continued to believe in an Agency cover-up and conspiracy."
McClanahan says the real implication of this case came in determining how far down the rabbit hole an agency has to go to find a document. "While the court ended up ruling against Ground Saucer Watch, it took for granted that the agency had to do a full, comprehensive search for requested documents.
And it also set a line where if you're looking for, say, every document about Martin Luther King Jr., and one of those document mentions a church burning, the government is not expected to reasonably find the document related to the church." Today, the original 1981 case has been cited in hundreds of other decisions, and the CIA proactively puts UFO documents dating all the way back to the 1940s on its website.
Like the CIA, other government agencies are expected to search in every nook and cranny for a FOIA request, even one about aliens. In a 2007 case, Kean v. NASA, a plaintiff requested historical documents concerning an object that allegedly fell from the sky and crashed in Kecksburg, Pa., in the 1960s.
The court ultimately determined that NASA didn't adequately search for the documents, and directed NASA to come up with a plan to look for them again.
Even when a UFO group doesn't win a case, like what happened in 2001 in Citizens Against UFO Secrecy v. DOD, it still provides useful information for Americans wishing to file future FOIA requests. In UFO Secrecy, the plaintiff produced dozens of eyewitness accounts of the alleged UFO, but the court determined that "speculation that documents exist is insufficient to create a genuine issue of material fact."
So even if Benghazi conspiracy theorists produced dozens of eyewitnesses to support a certain allegation, it makes no difference if the government doesn't have any documentation of it. "Because of this case, you'll see plaintiffs fighting about whether or not something happened — but a judge working by the book will rule against them, because they didn't fight the right fight," says McClanahan.
Finally, say that a concerned American is looking for all information related to harmful contaminated water at the Marine Corps Camp Lejeune military base. Would the more effective search be "water tanks and toxins," or "water tanks or toxins?" Thanks to Citizens Against UFO Secrecy, the government ultimately has to choose the conjunction that is not unusual and unreasonable, so the hypothetical requester doesn't end up with a lot of information about random water tanks.
Whether or not you fall into the camp of the 36 percent of Americans who believe that UFOs are zooming around Earth, you've got to hand it to the persistence of the believers — the CIA and the National Security Agency are actually dumping UFO-related cables on their public websites.
"What other advocacy group can say that they're getting the government to proactively disclose everything there is to know about a subject?" says McClanahan.
As John Greenewald Jr. puts it: "I would say all of my requests have been successful, in a way. Even a negative response tells a story and offers evidence... In regards to UFOs, there is always something to look for."
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2013/moretransparent.html
http://theweek.com/article/index/244172/how-ufo-believers-make-our-government-more-transparent graphic - www.ufocasebook.com
Domed Disc Near Airliner, Confirmed By Radar, 1973 in McAlester, Oklahoma
February 14, 1973-McAlester, Oklahoma:
An airline DC-8 cargo flight was en route from St. Louis to Dallas on February 14, 1973, at about 2:30 a.m.
At a point near McAlester, Oklahoma, the copilot noticed what he first thought was another aircraft just below the leading edge of the right wing about 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) away.
The object was on the same course and speed, keeping a constant position. Only its steady amber light seemed unconventional.
Suddenly the object rose straight up like an elevator, made a sharp turn and approached the plane, taking up a position about 300 yards (270 meters) away and slightly above them.
It was disc-shaped with a transparent dome on top, its silvery, highly polished surface reflecting the moonlight. Besides some stubby protrusions no other features were visible.
The captain switched on the weather radar and it confirmed that something real and solid was there. When the radar beam hit its surface, the object reacted immediately, ascending straight up, then moving sideways over the DC-8 and briefly out of sight.
The object reappeared quickly, descending straight down and taking up a new position just below the leading edge of their left wing. It then dropped below and behind the plane, abruptly reappearing only about 300 feet (90 meters) below them.
Looking down into the dimly lit dome, the pilots saw two or three shadowy entities moving around. The object then darted out in front, performed various oscillatory motions and another sharp (noninertial) turn before speeding out of sight.
It disappeared off the radar scope at a distance of 50 miles (80 km).16
by Richard Hall:
Source: Volume II, The UFO Evidence, A Thirty-Year Report, Richard Hall, (2001), page 131
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UFO Magazine Issue 369, Issue date, 07-27-09
Russian Navy UFO Records Say Aliens Love Oceans
Published: 21 July, 2009, 18:56
The Russian navy has declassified its records of encounters with unidentified objects technologically surpassing anything humanity ever built, reports Svobodnaya Pressa news website.
The records dating back to soviet times were compiled by a special navy group collecting reports of unexplained incidents delivered by submarines and military ships. The group was headed by deputy Navy commander Admiral Nikolay Smirnov, and the documents reveal numerous cases of possible UFO encounters, the website says.
Vladimir Azhazha, former navy officer and a famous Russian UFO researcher, says the materials are of great value.
“Fifty percent of UFO encounters are connected with oceans. Fifteen more – with lakes. So UFOs tend to stick to the water,” he said.
On one occasion a nuclear submarine, which was on a combat mission in the Pacific Ocean, detected six unknown objects. After the crew failed to leave behind their pursuers by maneuvering, the captain ordered to surface. The objects followed suit, took to the air, and flew away.
Many mysterious events happened in the region of Bermuda Triangle, recalls retired submarine commander Rear Admiral Yury Beketov. Instruments malfunctioned with no apparent reason or detected strong interference. The former navy officer says this could be deliberate disruption by UFOs.
“On several occasions the instruments gave reading of material objects moving at incredible speed. Calculations showed speeds of about 230 knots, of 400 kph. Speeding so fast is a challenge even on the surface. But water resistance is much higher. It was like the objects defied the laws of physics. There’s only one explanation: the creatures who built them far surpass us in development,” Beketov said.
Navy intelligence veteran, Captain 1st rank Igor Barklay comments:
“Ocean UFOs often show up wherever our or NATO’s fleets concentrate. Near Bahamas, Bermudas, Puerto Rico. They are most often seen in the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean, in the southern part of the Bermuda Triangle, and also in the Caribbean Sea.”
Another place where people often report UFO encounters is Russia’s Lake Baikal, the deepest fresh water body in the world. Fishermen tell of powerful lights coming from the deep and objects flying up from the water.
In one case in 1982 a group of military divers training at Baikal spotted a group of humanoid creatures dressed in silvery suits. The encounter happened at a depth of 50 meters, and the divers tried to catch the strangers. Three of the seven men died, while four others were severely injured.
“I think about underwater bases and say: why not? Nothing should be discarded,” says Vladimir Azhazha. “Skepticism is the easiest way: believe nothing, do nothing. People rarely visit great depths. So it’s very important to analyze what they encounter there.”
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2009c/aliensloveoceans.html
http://www.russiatoday.com/Top_News/2009-07-21/Russian_Navy_UFO_records_say_aliens_love_oceans.html
UFO Reported over Monkton, Ontario, Canada
Monkton, Ontario, Canada - July 14, 2009
My name is Azierena Louise McQuaker-Lee. I saw an unidentified flying object outside my window yesterday night. It was at least 2:23 AM when I glanced out my window before I was going to sleep.
I looked at the stars, but one of them looked strange to me, so I stared at it. At first it was a white-yellow cream color, but it flashed green, red, and blue as I watched.
I thought that maybe it was a plane, until the object which was the shape of a star with a ring around it moved straight up and down and side to side in a matter of seconds.
The best way that I can describe how fluent the movements were is like dropping something in water and pushing it back up again. There was no sound, but as I watched, it disappeared and reappeared in a matter of one second, almost like I'd blinked.
There was only one of them, and there was a white aura type shading around it. The object emitted lights and it looked like someone was signaling someone else with a multi-colored flashlight. My sight was dulled a bit as I watched it, and I could hear a high pitched ringing the next day when I woke up in the morning.
I don't know when the object was gone, because I was trying not to think of it, and I fell asleep. The sky was very clear that night. I do not need glasses, so aside from the weariness due to staring at the bright object, my sight and hearing were not impaired.
McQuaker-Lee
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2009c/ontario071409.html
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Abducted Alien Returns to Tuross
Published: 22/07/2009 11:03:00 AM
An “alien” abducted from outside a Tuross home earlier this month has returned from its adventure unscathed. For more local news and photos grab a copy of the Bay Post or Moruya Examiner.
Last Friday night science fiction screenwriter and film director/producer Gary Keady was about to sit down to enjoy a glass of Merlot with his wife Mai when the phone rang.
Anticipating a birthday greeting call from a mate, Mr Keady answered the phone. To his surprise it was the Moruya police who assured him that “Bip the Alien”, would arrive home within the hour.
The news triggered rejoicing among the Keady household.
“It made my birthday complete to learn that Bip was coming home and that the police had done such a mighty job in finding him,” Mr Keady said.
Bip, a metre and a half tall grey resien alien statue, was a favourite prop from a science fiction series.
“We took Bip inside and looked him over. There were no visible signs of damage, he was in excellent shape, obviously treated well by his abductors,” Mr Keady said.
“We have spoken little about the mystery of the abduction since his return, thinking it best to put it behind us with faith restored in the conscience of our local community. We’re just happy to have him back.”
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2009c/abductedalien.html
http://www.batemansbaypost.com.au/news/local/news/general/alien-returns-to-tuross/1574886.aspx
Doctor Reveals Dreams and Bright Light Event
Published: 9:57 AM 7/21/2009
Horseshoe Bay, just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
There are two parts to this: one is the "dreams", the other the actual (sort of semi-encounter) with what I believe was a spaceship.
The Dreams
Well, since I was about 6 years old, I've had lots of dreams of living on another planet. The dreams occurred in chronological sequence, sometimes years apart. They all pertain to the same "storyline" so to say.
I used to tell my parents about them. My dreams were so vivid and detailed, I'd talk and talk, and they'd indulgently listen. My dad was a dentist, my mom a real estate agent. I am a doctor now. Nothing much was made of these dreams.
Once, in medical school, I typed up a long letter and sent it to Prof. Heyneken (sp?). I waited with baited breath for a reply, but none came. Anyway, since then this is the first time I'm telling someone about them again, I should say that I believe in dreams that are "vision" dreams, that people get at times.
I've had a number of those also as a child, predicting events, and visions of scenes of my future life which then came to pass. Anyway, my point is, I believe that my dreams of another planet and associated events were vision-type dreams, not made-up images like other dreams.
Without going into too much detail, this is in essence, what I dreamt: I lived on another planet. It was a huge planet, divided essentially into a highly advanced part, technologically and culturally, and a "third world" part.
I dreamt of scenes of different people's lives on this planet, maybe 3 or 4 different individuals. One was where I lived in a very tall skyscraper type of building on the "lower side" of the planet. The scene was that I and my family were looking out the window at night, and watching a triangular formation of spaceships fly by overhead.
They made no sound, and it took less than a second for them to traverse the huge expanse of the sky. We knew that these spaceships were on a test flight, from the "advanced part" of the planet, which we would never get to see. It was legendary to us.
I don't think that I ever saw a formation of planes fly in such a way when I had in that dream. I'm now 46, and I must have had it at about 8 or so. We didn't live anywhere near an airport, and I didn't watch anything other than Lassie and Flipper, pretty much, on TV. So the dream image of this formation flying was very new and interesting to me.
Another scene was that of an aeronautical engineer I think now, that's what it must have been), a person supervising the building of spaceships. It was highly technical of course, and when I woke up, it just all seemed to be like Chinese to me.
I remember explaining mathematical formulae and scientific things to someone. I was never good in sciences, and for me to dream of being a spaceship engineer at the age of 8 or thereabouts, is pretty farfetched.
Another scene was that of me being someone of a team going on a long trip on one of our spaceships. I was talking to/ or being given telepathic information about the trip. I was going to be one of a team of surveillance staff, going to a planet called Earth.
I remember how foreign that name sounded, as if I never heard it before. The other person explained that Earth was a tiny planet that "we" had been observing for a very long time. We had a "no interference" policy for the most part, but intervened strategically at times to steer the development of Earth and its inhabitants. (This is before I ever watched Star Trek).
I don't recall the exact words used, other than the name earth. But that was the gist of it. I also got the impression that we were very fond of earth and its inhabitants, almost like they were much younger siblings. I was excited to go on that trip, even though it would take a very long time.
Another scene, which I believe I dreamt quite a long time afterwards, was me actually being on a spaceship on our way to earth. I was looking out a window and marveling at the beauty of space. We then stopped at a (brace for this) zoo of some kind, with species collected from other planets.
One of the next scenes I dreamt was arriving at earth. Everyone was excited, some of us had been there a few times before. I clearly remember earth suspended in space, against the pitch black background. We were still far away, so its diameter was that of about a tennis ball, or not even.
What I noticed was a large reddish-brown patch on earth, and that's what I most remembered when I woke up. I didn't know what it was, but I found it weird. I always thought earth would be blue. Many years later, it popped into my head, that most likely that was Africa.
Anyhow, I had no further dreams beyond that, in that particular sequence of dreams. I had many many other dreams of life on other planets, and spaceships. Like seeing life through different people's eyes, people who live in those places.
Like standing on a shore of the sea on my planet, at night, and seeing 3 moons all at once. But not thinking anything about it, because it was normal to me in my dream. Only when I woke up I thought "hang on."
When I was a student at university, in my undergrad program, I had a very powerful dream one night. It was just a split-second thing, but I woke up with it in my head, and it kept popping up in my memory for days. It was "me", as in someone standing on another planet, looking at the stars in the sky at night (again), and seeing a large V, formed by stars.
It wasn't anything intrinsically exciting or interesting, but somehow there was a special meaning associated with it. Again a few years later, I was at the university library, being bored. I was browsing through book stacks, and grabbed a book on astronomy.
I opened it up randomly and read the words "the stars as seen from a planet near Antares would look like a "V." I don't remember the exact words. But I was stunned. I had instant goose bumps all over me, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me my jaw dropped.
It's like someone having a revelation about something very important to them, an epiphany of some kind. I thought that I understood at that point that all my "crazy" dreams since childhood, that were so clear, detailed and powerful, and that I drove my poor parents nuts with, those dreams were maybe more than just dreams.
You know how people always say or feel like they don't belong here, like they could feel more at home on another planet. I had always felt that way, but thought that's just normal teenage angst. But that feeling was always strong in me, until I met my husband in 1983.
Slowly, slowly, that feeling faded and I stopped having dreams of space/other planets etc. (Only on occasion now, but nothing as powerful as when I was a child).
Anyway, next thing of interest was the "event". Nothing as exciting or interesting as an abduction, but to me, it was very personal and important. I was perhaps 18 years old, staying overnight at my boyfriend's house. He owned a house overlooking a large bay, near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
My bed faced a huge window, in fact the whole wall was a window, overlooking the bay. That night, I had been sleeping fast. I "woke up", i.e. became conscious, and I was already sitting up in bed, expecting something.
I felt like I was being "summoned" into consciousness, like someone saying "wake up for a moment." I was wondering how I got into the sitting position, awaking from deep sleep already sitting up, waiting for something. I stared out the window into the night darkness over the bay (there were no curtains or blinds).
I remember seeing all black, but nevertheless patiently waiting for something I knew would come, and at that time I wasn't questioning anything at all. Suddenly a very bright light appeared from window-left, and traversed the long window-wall swiftly in a straight line from left to right, then disappeared again.
I knew it was close by, but there was no sound whatsoever. I felt a strong connection to that light, as if it was a car with people inside it who were my dear friends that I hadn't seen in ages, and no time to stop and say hello. That's the feeling I had.
I suddenly felt very sad and lonely, and was going to start crying... but I think what happened is that I fell right back into my deep sleep, without ever really fully waking up, like in a trance, I think it would be. Only when I woke up the next morning, right away everything came back to me, and that's when I started to question what had happened.
I think that's it, really. The nuts and bolts. I believe that one day we will acknowledge the existence of a type of energy that we can't as yet measure or explain, but which allows telepathy, ESP, and prophecies.
Once we do, we can work out the Unified Field Theory. I think that, as little or near-nothing that I know about particle science, that energy I am talking of is the exact same force that makes it possible for the principle of ENTANGLEMENT to exist.
That energy, I believe, is instantaneous and acts outside the realm of distance, just like with two entangled particles. It's the same energy that I believe allowed me to "see life on other planets" through the eyes of other beings.
Also for my mother to wake up from a nap on her sofa in Canada, in utter panic, knowing something terrible had just happened to her son in Germany -- she ran to the phone, dialed his cell phone number in Germany, and he was sitting by the side of the Autobahn, in tears and in shock; he had just had a high-speed accident with his BMW, had to brake in order to avoid a collision with another car, and all of his 4 tires blew in the process. But he was unhurt.
My mother also "psychically" heard in her sleep one early morning the screams of hundreds of people. I remember how disturbed and puzzled she was by this, until we heard in the news that the space shuttle had exploded.
We believe that she had "heard" the screams of the crowd witnessing the event, simultaneously, regardless of distance. Just like the mysterious energy connecting two entangled particles.
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2009c/doctorsdreams.html
Stargazer Spots UFO above Paisley
Published: Jul 21 2009
by Kenneth Speirs, Paisley Daily Express
AN eagle-eyed believer yesterday told of a strange sighting of UFOs flying high in the sky above Paisley.
The 45-year-old Buddie was mystified when he spotted what appeared to be two unidentified flying objects as they soared over the town on Saturday night.
He was standing at the back door of his home in the Brodie Park area when he saw two orange-coloured shapes glowing in the sky.
The stargazer, who has asked not to be named, told the Paisley Daily Express: “At first, I thought they were fireworks but they just kept on coming towards Brodie Park, in the direction of Neilston Road.
“I was thinking that they might be shooting stars but they were in the sky for a good three or four minutes. “They definitely weren’t lights from an aircraft. We get quite a lot of helicopter traffic round here because the RAH is nearby, so I know what they look like. These lights were just different. It was weird.”
The man said the objects, which he saw at around 10.45pm on Saturday, finally vanished from the sky without trace.
Yesterday, Strathclyde Police said they had received no reports of UFOs over Paisley on Saturday night.
However, this sighting is just one of many that have been made in the Paisley area over the past year. During that time, there have been reports of separate UFO sightings in Elderslie and Renfrew. And, in February, the Express told how a top UFO-spotting website detailed a sighting in Barrhead.
Brian Vike, a leading UFO expert, told the Express that such sightings are becoming more common in the Renfrewshire area.
And he urged Buddies to be on the alert amid suggestions that aliens could be keeping an eye on Paisley.
Brian, director of the HBCC UFO Research organisation, added: “In Renfrewshire, there are sightings being reported but, for each case, there may be many more UFO sightings not being reported for many reasons.”
Almost 300 incidents involving UFOs were reported to the Ministry of Defence last year.
That represents a massive increase compared to the 2007 total of just 135 sightings.
The reports included a mystery craft with green, red and white lights that was spotted hovering opposite the Houses of Parliament for abouthalf an hour on February 12, last year.
Did you spot any mystery lights in the sky close to Brodie Park on Saturday night? If so call Kenneth Speirs on 0141 847 8633 or email pde@s-un.co.uk
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2009c/stargazer.html
http://www.paisleydailyexpress.co.uk/renfrewshire-news/local-news-in-renfrewshire/2009/07/21/stargazer-spots-ufo-87085-24198554/
UK Police Officers See Balls of Light in Woods
05-10-2003 - Boscastle, Cornwall, UK
I am a police officer stationed in Cornwall, UK. About 3 am on Sunday, 5, October, my shift partner and I get a call to check out a disturbance on the Tintagel/Boscastle road. Report indicated a motorist had passed an area close to the Boscastle end, and had seen a lot of flickering light beyond the main road.
Normally around this time of year we get reports of this nature because of the sale of fireworks everywhere during the build up to Guy Fawkes night. Kids somehow get hold of them, and can be a real pain causing all sorts of problems and sometimes fires due to misuse.
We headed toward the area from the south and arrived at 03:35 approx. About a quarter of a mile before Boscastle, we pulled into a small parking area opposite a tea-house on the main road. By the tea-house there is a small gathering of houses/buildings all which were in darkness.
We started to walk up the main road toward Boscastle, but after walking for five minutes my partner called my attention to the area back toward the tea-house. Above the visible horizon at the back of the tea-house, we observed low level flickering of amber/white light. So we turned and headed back toward the tea-house.
We then continued to walk up alongside the tea-house in the direction of the lights. After passing a few more buildings, the path sloped downward toward a wooded area. As we approached the wooded area, the flickering was still visible just above the outline of the treetops.
We followed the path along crossing a small stream and heading further into the woods. After about ten minutes we could see that some of the trees ahead were being lit up by dim flashes of light, so we carried on toward these trees.
I think we were both expecting to find a bunch of drunk teenagers fooling around with fireworks as in years gone by, but it was not the case. I was first to see what looked like round, white lights moving at all kinds of speeds in and around the trees.
We walked another ten yards or so then stopped and crouched down by a large fallen tree to assess the situation. Each ball of light was a little larger than a tennis ball, and the way they flew reminded me of the way a fly does with no true path of flight, they were all over the place.
I tried to count them but it was very difficult due to the speed and way they were flying, but I think there must have been around 40 of them. After another ten minutes, a few of the balls flew in the same direction just inches above the ground toward one end of the area in which they had been flying, and seemed to join up making a larger ball of light which intensified and hovered in that one area.
Looking at the ball of light, I could make out 7 black specks in a circle in the center. These black specks started to rotate and the light got brighter and was too bright to look at. I looked away from the main ball and back to the flying smaller ones. Each of these had intensified also and went berserk, flying at incredible speeds in such an enclosed area.
I could hear the noise of leaves being sucked into the air when they flew inches from the ground. My partner shifted his position and broke a branch on the fallen tree with his arm making a loud crack. Immediately the lights stopped and rose to tree top height and then, a few at a time quickly faded out like a headlight going off until there were none left.
We heard continuous cracking of branches high up and moving away from us through the woods. I got quite unsettled, and insisted that we return to the car though my partner insisted that we examine the area with our torches. In the leaves were trenches, spirals, and small piles of sticks.
Some areas had earth scooped out with more twigs and sticks in piles around these areas. All the while in the distance we could hear the sound of breaking branches, and I was feeling really not good about being there so I shouted at my partner now was the time to leave.
We returned to our car. I don't know what the hell it was. Surely UFOs are big things, but these were tiny. We have not reported the incident and I have not even told my wife, and my partner does not want to talk about it either. I don't even know why the hell I have typed all this here as I don't feel any better for it.
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2009c/ukforestlights.html
originally posted: www.nuforc.org
(last update, 07-24-09)
Great Britain - Ten Glowing Objects
2:25pm Tuesday 21st July 2009 - By Gazette News Desk - UFOs Spotted in Cartmel
A couple from Cartmel believe they saw a UFO fly across the sky in the village at the weekend. The pair saw about ten glowing objects floating across the sky at 10.50pm on Saturday.
They claim that the lights were moving from West to East at an elevation of several hundred feet and at a steady speed.
Did you see the lights in the sky? If so email: rachel.ryan@kendal.newsquest.co.uk or post a comment.
source: www.newsquest.co.uk
Great Britain - Orange Lights
July, 2009 - COLIN Strong, of St Paul's Road, Honiton, has become the latest person to report a UFO sighting over St Cyres Hill. Mr Strong spotted an orange light in the sky at around 11 pm on Saturday, quickly followed by a second light.
"First of all, I thought it was kids mucking about with a flare," he said.
"The first orange light flickers, then went higher. The second light went off at exactly the same angle."
Mr Strong said he saw exactly the same phenomenon three weeks ago.
source: http://www.midweekherald.co.uk/
Great Britain - Strange Lights
Published Date: 22 July 2009 - UFO sightings becoming more frequent
A Wigan woman has emailed wigantoday with the latest in a growing number of UFO sightings from across the borough.
The woman's email reads: "While staying at a friend's in Standish on Saturday evening, I saw a number of strange lights in the sky that eventually faded and disappeared. Some of them rose higher then stopped and eventually went out, and a couple of others looked as if they were desending and then disappeared.
"I cannot recall the exact time, but it was well after midnight. They definitely were not fireworks or even flares. The only thing I could think they could possibly be are hot air balloons, but for them to be out so late, in the dark and in such a number, (there were at least seven), seems odd even for Wigan.
"Did anyone else see these lights and can anyone tell me what they were."
source: J Wilson, http://www.wigantoday.net/wigannews/
Great Britain - Ongoing Reports
July, 2009 - In north Cornwall, there have been some very strange events happening, very loud sonic booms which was in the papers. Also no sources could be found at RAF St Mawgan base. In others words, the base denied the sonic boom had anything to do with them.
This was a joint USA & English Base now closed down. A friend of mine told me that there is a very large underground facility attached to the base. As most personnel have gone now, not sure what has happened to the underground base
Also from the same area there have been a lot of UFO sightings generated, also 1 witness told me that they had heard some very strange noises that they could not explain.
Just the other day I had a sighting from that area of a very large orange object, the witness told me that it was not a fire balloon which has been seen in other areas of Cornwall.
source: Dave Gillham, Chair founder of the Cornwall UFO research group. www.cornwall-ufo.co.uk
Great Britain - Strange Lights, Sounds
June, 2009 - A friend of mine saw lights in the Camelford area last week (I think Paul emailed you) and I understand others saw lights on the 12th. This may not be connected but it was very odd.
Two days earlier on the 10 June, I returned home in the afternoon to find my daughter in the garden very uneasy because she had heard strange noises which she described as sounding like something incredibly large walking (she is 25 and doesn't share my interest in UFOs).
My husband was next door with her partner and a neighbour, and she shouted to them across the hedge and they had also heard it and were unsettled by it, my husband said it was not like earth tremors we have experienced, in fact he had never heard anything like it before.
We have a deaf dog who started barking with its tail between its legs. We live near Camelford in Michaelstow.
That night on the news it told the sad story of the dolphins dying in Falmouth, the following evening on the News (11th) lots of people from all over Cornwall rang in to say they too had heard strange noises which caused their dogs to bark, and they wondered if it was this that affected the dolphins.
I find it interesting that the noises, dolphins, and lights all happenrf close to the coast, and over the period 10th to the 14th of June. It may be unconnected or just another piece in the jigsaw puzzle. It's good to have someone like yourself to pass the info onto as you can see the bigger picture. source: www.ufocasebook.com
THE UFO CASEBOOK Domain is owned and operated by Casebook Productions.
Legal: The names, UFO Casebook, UFO Casebook Productions, and the UFO Casebook logo are registered with the proper agencies of the United States patent, and copyright offices. Any use of these names or logo without the expressed written consent of owner B J Booth is prohibited by American and International law.
Editor B. J. Booth is a member of MUFON.
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UFT, DOE announce paid parental leave policy
Mayor de Blasio and United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew today announced an agreement to provide paid parental leave for thousands of UFT-represented New York City employees.
The new deal provides six weeks of time off at full salary for maternity, paternity, adoption and foster care leave; when combined with current sick leave provisions, new mothers could have a total of 12 to 14 weeks of paid leave.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew said: “Our educators give so much to the children in their classrooms. Now, New York City has a way for educators to spend more time with their own children. I give credit to Mayor de Blasio. He knew this was important for our city. No mayor before him was willing to do it, but he got it done.”
For the first time, fathers as well as non-birth parents – foster, adoptive and surrogate – are eligible for paid time off with the arrival of a child: under the new agreement they would now be eligible for six weeks paid parental leave at full salary.
The agreement provides birth mothers with up to 12 to 14 weeks paid time off, at full salary, by combining six weeks of paid parental leave with accrued sick days.
The deal takes effect Sept. 4, 2018. The estimated $35 million cost to the union will be funded by a 73-day extension of the existing UFT contracts, which had been scheduled to expire on November 30, 2018. The new agreement does not require the loss of an expected raise, reduced vacation time, or similar contract concessions.
The UFT represents more than 120,000 city workers including teachers, paraprofessionals (teachers-aides), guidance counselors, nurses and other positions such as supervisors of school safety who would be entitled to paid parental leave. On average, between 3,000 and 4,000 UFT members each year use the current system of up to six to eight weeks of accumulated sick leave for pregnancy and childbirth.
The agreement is subject to approval by the UFT Delegate Assembly, the union’s highest policy-making group.
In the early years of the city’s Board of Education, female teachers could be fired for getting married or getting pregnant In 1913 Bronx teacher Bridget Caufield Peixotto was fired for becoming pregnant. She fought the decision, won back her job and established the right of pregnant teachers to take a leave of absence.
1967: The UFT contract won the right for teachers on maternity leave to apply for per diem paid teaching positions.
1973: The national Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) established that a new parent (including foster and adoptive parents) could be eligible for 12 weeks of leave (unpaid, or paid if the employee has earned or accrued it) that may be used for care of the new child.
1973: The NYC Board of Education adopted new bylaws regulating the “terms of absence for maternity child care” in order to comply with new federal discrimination laws.
1976: NYC Board of Education policy outlines the use of sick days to be used for maternity leave.
1978: Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act to make clear that discrimination based on pregnancy constituted unlawful sex discrimination.
2016: New York City mandated paid parental leave for 20,000 non-unionized city managers.
Related Topics: Paid Parental Leave
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Anti-MS group aims to block Vista
10th Aug 10:26 A public interest lawyer who is also intending to run as a Republican in the 2006 Illinois gubernatorial race is taking his fight to Microsoft in hopes of preventing the company from releasing what he calls "bad code." Andy Martin of The Committee to Fight Microsoft on Tuesday announced his intentions to block Microsoft Corp. from releasing its Windows Vista operating system. Martin said he intends to ask Microsoft for an unconditional warranty that the operating system is free of bugs that could result in security vulnerabilities. "Bill Gates sells the public defective products, and then expects us to spend years being his guinea pigs, while he corrects the myriad of defects and vulnerabilities in his defective code. "This is mass consumer fraud," Martin argued. "It is unacceptable corporate behavior. Over four years after Windows XP was released I still receive regular 'updates' and 'bug fixes,' which reflect a product that was originally scandalously defective." The article come courtesy of BetaNews – read the full article here. UKFast is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.
"In a comparison between two hosting providers, the deciding factor for Regis was UKFast's wholly-owned UK-based data centres. All of Regis UK's sites are now hosted with UKFast."
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"We're online 24-hours a day, which is essential for a 24-hour business like ours!"
Printerland
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Dec 19, 2018 | Africa, Agriculture, Apparel, Asia, Child Labor, China, Compensation and Hours, Food and Beverage, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking, Human Rights, Japan, Labor Supply Chains, Manufacturing, Migrant Workers, Southeast Asia, Sub Saharan Africa, Technology, Verité, Worker Empowerment
Verité’s vision is a world where people work under safe, fair, and legal conditions. Our work helps to make it a reality.
In 2018, we conducted ground-breaking research, amplified our impact, and engaged with multinational brands to help eliminate labor and human rights abuses in global supply chains. The breadth and depth of Verité’s work in dozens of countries and across the full range of business sectors can be hard to summarize, but we hope that you’ll find the following selection of our achievements in assessments, consulting, policy, research, and training illuminating and informative.
Verité’s ability to continue to share our knowledge and insights about how to effect change in global supply chains is directly dependent on donations and grants, so we respectfully request that you please donate to support Verité’s work and advance our vision in 2019.
Donate to Verité
Over the past year, Verité has:
Conducted over 400 audits.
Shared research on over 10 sectors and 40 commodities.
Trained over 150 people in the RBA Labor & Ethics Auditors course.
Engaged 350 participants in supplier trainings.
Built our capacity by adding eight staff members to help meet our growing demand for services and expansion of programming.
A Selection of our Notable Accomplishments:
We Launched the Sub-Saharan Website
Verité launched the website Trafficking Risk in Sub-Saharan African Supply Chains. The core of the website consists of 22 reports on key export commodities produced in the region, and 49 reports on all the individual sub-Saharan African countries. These resources should enable companies and governments to better understand trafficking risk in African supply chains, and to identify the kinds of legal/policy frameworks and corporate practices that are most effective for combating trafficking risks associated with them.
We Conducted Trainings for Safe & Fair Migration from East Africa to the GCC
Verité and partners IOM Kenya and the Fair Hiring Initiative held two training workshops in Nairobi to increase capacities of recruitment agents and government officials to encourage development, implementation and enforcement of new legislation and bilateral agreements aiming to protect Kenyan migrants working in Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
We contributed to Work on Policy
Verité participated in conferences, panels, and roundtables, contributing to work on policy with numerous stakeholders, including the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking; Government of Qatar; International Labour Organization; U.N. Political Forum on Sustainable Development; U.S. Department of Defense; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Department of Labor; and U.S. Department of State, among many others.
We Partnered with Gap Inc. to Engage Workers to Drive Supplier Social Responsibility Performance
Gap Inc. and Verité’s white paper Employing Workers’ Sense of Value as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to Drive Facility Improvement in Social Responsibility, demonstrated that taking a worker-centric approach to sustainable supplier performance improvement can be mutually beneficial to both workers and management.
We Explored Forced Labor Risk in Japan’s Technical Intern Training Program
The results of Verité’s analysis pointed to patterns of exploitation that entailed elements of forced labor vulnerability. The findings were presented as a contribution to the understanding of the nature of exploitation in the TITP program where it occurs; and to help inform targeted interventions by government, business, and civil society in seeking to remedy exploitation experienced by trainees and prevent further abuse.
We Contributed to KnowTheChain’s Benchmark Reports
KnowTheChain released their 2018 reports on the technology, food and beverage, and apparel and footwear sectors. Verité’s role in these collaborations was to provide advice and resources for companies to improve their performance in the areas research identified as lacking.
We Unveiled the CUMULUS Forced Labor Screen™
Verité announced the CUMULUS Forced Labor Screen™ membership platform at the Global Forum for Responsible Recruitment and Employment 2018 in Singapore. CUMULUS is a technology-driven approach to using shared data for labor supply mapping and forced labor risk screening in supply chains.
Verité’s CUMULUS provides member companies with shared access to a secure, online platform where they can cost-effectively map the labor supply chains of their suppliers and analyze, assess, and prioritize forced labor risks introduced by the recruitment practices of their suppliers and recruitment agents in both receiving and sending countries.
We Piloted Levi’s Worker Well-Being (WWB) Program in China
As the local partner organization to carry out Levi’s WWB program in China, Verité supported four Levi Stauss & Co. suppliers as they launched the program, providing guidance and recommendations to improve strategies for management, conducting Training of Trainers, establishing virtual learning communities among workers, and implementing WWB project activities.
We Opened a New Office in Ghana
Verité and our partners will work collaboratively with the government of Ghana, companies, and civil society organizations to improve systems for identifying and addressing forced labor and labor trafficking. The project will leverage the infrastructure already in place to monitor child labor, particularly in the cocoa sector, to help stakeholders in a variety of sectors address forced labor in a coordinated and resource effective model.
We Created a Training Program to Help Labor Inspectors Fight Child Labor
Verité, in partnership with Winrock International and with the support of the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), developed a training program to help labor inspectors fight child labor. This past May, the curriculum launched in Nepal with five modules containing lessons and interactive exercises designed to help labor inspectors apply their learnings to real life situations. Additional curriculums to fight child labor for Belize, Burkina Faso, Liberia and Panama are forthcoming. This training program is part of a larger USDOL-funded project called Country Level Engagement and Assistance to Reduce Child Labor II (CLEAR II).
We Celebrated Long-Term Partner ASK’s 25th Anniversary
Since the late 1990s, Verité has worked with the Association for Stimulating Know-how (ASK). Together, ASK and Verité have provided auditing, training, consulting, and research services to a wide variety of companies from multiple sectors in India and in places where Indian workers migrate.
Please donate to Support Verité’s work and advance our vision in 2019
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Home Blog I’m Sorry, You’re Too Fat To Model
I’m Sorry, You’re Too Fat To Model
Claire Louise
Don’t worry. This isn’t my real opinion. I’m very much of the opinion that beautiful bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and that the fashion world should reflect that. However, the above title sadly reflects a lot of people’s views in the industry, views that I can say with vehemence that I don’t share. Whilst I appreciate that the very nature of modelling arguably allows for striving towards certain ideals and standards, I’m totally opposed to unhealthy expectations and body shaming.
Why, then, am I not surprised to hear that a Victoria’s Secret model came forward this week to talk about her experiences of being forced into a body weight which isn’t natural for her? Yes, bodies can be naturally slim (these girls are genetically smaller, in most cases), but when you’re having to starve yourself to reach a certain weight, it’s completely unacceptable and not the way that things are supposed to be at all!
The claims are that former Victoria’s Secret model Erin Heatherton was pressured by the lingerie brand into losing more weight. Despite being on a strict diet and exercise regime, Erin felt that her body was letting her down. Of course, this wasn’t really the case – her body looked fantastic. But because she was being told it wasn’t good enough, it triggered a battle with depression, which she said made her feel as though she had to speak out.
Despite being featured in campaigns for the world’s top designers and having her pick of the world’s most sought after men outside of her impressive career, Erin was under a constant watch. Her agents told her to stop eating, as though this is somehow normal. In modelling, sometimes it is. She says she looks back now and realizes it was ridiculous, and she doesn’t want people who aspire to be like her to think that it’s an easy ride.
This isn’t the first time though that we’ve heard of models who are looked up to all around the world being called fat, and that’s really sad. On the one hand, these women look AMAZING. On the other hand – should ‘fat’ be such a feared word?
If we can’t all learn to accept ourselves and diversity – which we certainly need to see represented more on catwalks – then this cycle will continue. Why do some people feel the need to bring others down?
With Victoria’s Secret, they’re all supposed to be a certain height and weight. Essentially, they’re supposed to be unattainable.
I personally don’t believe this is the best way forward. These women look gorgeous, so they deserve their place, but so do women with a few extra pounds. And no, that’s not ‘fat’; that’s pretty normal.
However, normal is different for everyone. And, with Victoria’s Secret being a worldwide seller of lingerie to ordinary women, you’d think they’d realize that and show that women can be beautiful no matter what!
Posted by Claire Louise
I'm a creative writing obsessive who likes to affectionately think of herself as a hurricane. Among the organised chaos, I can be found thinking about fashion, food, feminism, music, travel or my kidnapped kitten.
How Do Models Get Signed to a Model Agency?
What is Freelance Modelling?
Can Models Have Tattoos?
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Trump Cuts Aid to South American Countries
The US has a long history of sending financial aid to poorer countries. In fact, we’ve been sending payments to Central America for decades. But are those payments really helping people… or are they simply being swallowed up by corrupt leaders?
If our financial aid is so useful, why do we still have thousands of “desperate migrants” (their term; not ours) flowing toward the border every single day?
Seems a little suspicious…
Just where is all that money going?
Now, we’re apparently expected to send aid, take on thousands of refugees, pay them to live here, support them when they have children, and allow them to flow through our borders unchecked. And how dare we even suggest they might be unsavory individuals or criminals, even if they commit violent crimes against our citizens.
It’s time for this to stop.
The good news? Apparently President Trump agrees.
Last Saturday (March 31), Trump made a decision to cut aid to several Central American Countries, including El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. All three of these zones have been receiving hefty support payments from the US, with the goal of reducing poverty, for several years.
The State Department officially notified Congress of the plan to end financial aid on Saturday. But unconfirmed sources close to Trump say he’s been considering the move for some time.
The announcement comes just a day after the President also threatened to close the US-Mexico border “entirely” for an indefinite amount of time. “If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States through our Southern Border,” he tweeted, “I will be CLOSING … the Border, or large sections of the Border, next week.”
The issue? Nearly all of the migrants flowing toward the border come from one of these three Central American countries. Some come from Mexico, but the vast majority are from three key zones receiving an immense amount of aid from the United States government.
Despite how much we send, it clearly isn’t helping. Some of these countries won’t even make an effort to stem the tide of criminals and illegal immigrants trying to force their way over our border. Thousands of their people continue to show up at key border points in Mexico every single day to claim asylum.
The US Government sends aid to help countries and the less fortunate; that’s just a part of who we are. No one is saying that should stop, but like the President, we aren’t foolish enough to keep giving when we don’t even get respect in return.
Instead, we’re left to spend millions on housing people from the very countries we’re sending money to support. Where’s our money going — and why aren’t they talking responsibility for fixing their own issues in-house with it?
If a friend asked you for $50 every day because they were desperate, yet didn’t even have the courtesy to try and change their situation, what would you do? President Trump knows we can’t just continue saying “yes” and giving cash hand-over-foot forever with no effort from the receiving end.
But not everyone sees Trump’s announcement that way. In fact, Sen. Bob Menendez, (D-N.J.), who is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, blasted the President for being irresponsible and hasty. “Foreign assistance is not charity,” he said. “It advances our strategic interests and funds initiatives that protect American citizens.”
And that’s really the problem. Foreign aid should fund initiatives that keep our citizens safe, but that clearly isn’t happening here. Instead, El Salvador and other key countries take the money and continue to do nothing while we fork over millions to house, feed, and care for their people in detention centers.
Maybe if we cut off the flow of money, they’ll finally take notice — and action.
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Download Free In The Garden Of Beasts Love Terror And An American Family In Hitler S Berlin Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online In The Garden Of Beasts Love Terror And An American Family In Hitler S Berlin and write the review.
Erik Larson
Erik Larson has been widely acclaimed as a master of narrative non-fiction, and in his new book, the bestselling author of The Devil in the while City turns his hand to a remarkable story set during Hitler's rise to power. In 1933, a year that would prove to be a turning point in history, William E. Dodd becomes America's first ambassador to Hitler's Germany. He brings his family with him to Berlin, where they experience days full of excitement, intrigue, romance, and - ultimately - horror. The ambassador's daughter is at fist entranced by the pomp and parties, and by the young men with their infectious enthusiasm for the 'New Germany'. As evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, however, Dodd telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. He watched with growing alarm as Jews are attached, the press is censored, and a climactic spasm of violence and murder reveals Hitler's true character. Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of historical figures such as Göring and Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts lends a stunning eyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognise the grave threat posed by Hitler until Europe was awash in blood and terror.
Quicklet on Erik Larson s In the Garden of Beasts Love Terror and an American Family in Hitler s Berlin
Arwen Lee Adams Bicknell
ABOUT THE BOOK Erik Larson paints a compelling picture of 1933 Berlin, a time when Adolf Hitler was rising but did not yet hold absolute power and, in fact, few expected his government to survive. Larson explores the rise of Nazism from the perspective of the newly arrived U.S. ambassador and his family. William E. Dodd, a circumspect professor and unlikely candidate for Americas first ambassador to Nazi Germany, struggles with the protocol and conflicting demands of his heart, his nation, and his duty while his daughter, Martha, finds the social scene vibrant and thrilling. In time, they come to see the ugly truth about Hitler and his plans but even then their efforts to raise the alarm are largely discounted back home. MEET THE AUTHOR With degrees in journalism and history from the University of Southern California, Arwen Bicknell has worked on newspaper copydesks across the country for more than 20 years. In her free time she writes novels and tries to get them published. You can read her blog at arwenbicknell.com. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Protocol and promiscuity. These are the two angles from which Larson chooses to explore the power-grabbing days of Adolph Hitler leading up to the Night of the Long Knives, when Hitler purged his enemies and laid the last bit of groundwork to seize complete power in Germany. Tired of being overworked at the University of Chicago and in search of a sinecure, mild-mannered professor William E. Dodd historian, Jeffersonian Democrat and would-be author of the definitive work on the antebellum South instead lands in a job he is woefully ill-equipped to perform. Tapped to serve as the U.S. ambassador in Berlin, he packs up his family and together they all make the journey into a foreign land and an even more foreign culture: that of the diplomatic and political elite. Larson does a good job of balancing the diplomats headaches and blunders with the effusive enthusiasm of his socialite daughter, who manages to land as lovers several of the leading U.S. and German luminaries, from Carl Sandburg and Max Delbruck to Gestapo chief Rudolf Diels and Soviet spy Boris Winogradov. While the characters naivete is believable, that doesnt necessarily mean they are entirely likeable. William Dodds assessment of the situation appears credible, if sweetly foolish. Martha Dodd, on the other hand, comes off as almost obstinately flighty and shallow, and the fact that she turned her allegiances from Hitlers Nazis to Stalins Communists without appearing to have learned anything simply bolsters that impression. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin + About the Book + About the Author + An Overall Summary + Commentary and Summary + ...and much more
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson Summary Analysis
Instaread
In the Garden of Beasts: by Erik Larson | Summary & Analysis Preview: In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson explores several crucial years in Berlin through the eyes of the US ambassador and his family. Their experiences serve as both a cautionary tale about the insidiousness of evil and a harbinger of the hard realization that the rest of America was forced to make in a few short years. In 1933, George Messersmith, US Consul General in Berlin, awaited the naming of a new ambassador amid increasing brutality, fanaticism, and corruption under the Nazi regime. Messersmith was frustrated that no one back home realized how bad it was. Most US officials figured that Adolf Hitler would become more moderate over time. Their chief concern was getting Germany to pay back $1.2 billion owed to US bond holders in the aftermath of World War I. Hitler talked of paying, but Messersmith thought he was just buying time to re-arm Germany… PLEASE NOTE: This is a summary and analysis of the book and NOT the original book. Inside this Instaread Summary & Analysis of In the Garden of Beasts • Summary of book • Introduction to the Important People in the book • Analysis of the Themes and Author’s Style
Sundays at Eight
Brian Lamb
For the last 25 years, Sunday nights at 8pm on C-SPAN has been appointment television for many Americans. During that time, host Brian Lamb has invited people to his Capitol Hill studio for hour-long conversations about contemporary society and history. In today's soundbite culture that hour remains one of television's last vestiges of in-depth, civil conversation. First came C-SPAN's Booknotes in 1989, which by the time it ended in December 2004, was the longest-running author-interview program in American broadcast history. Many of the most notable nonfiction authors of its era were featured over the course of 800 episodes, and the conversations became a defining hour for the network and for nonfiction writers. In January 2005, C-SPAN embarked on a new chapter with the launch of Q and A. Again one hour of uninterrupted conversation but the focus was expanded to include documentary film makers, entrepreneurs, social workers, political leaders and just about anyone with a story to tell. To mark this anniversary Lamb and his team at C-SPAN have assembled Sundays at Eight, a collection of the best unpublished interviews and stories from the last 25 years. Featured in this collection are historians like David McCullough, Ron Chernow and Robert Caro, reporters including April Witt, John Burns and Michael Weisskopf, and numerous others, including Christopher Hitchens, Brit Hume and Kenneth Feinberg. In a March 2001 Booknotes interview 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt described the show's success this way: “All you have to do is tell me a story.” This collection attests to the success of that principle, which has guided Lamb for decades. And his guests have not disappointed, from the dramatic escape of a lifelong resident of a North Korean prison camp, to the heavy price paid by one successful West Virginia businessman when he won 314 million in the lottery, or the heroic stories of recovery from the most horrific injuries in modern-day warfare. Told in the series' signature conversational manner, these stories come to life again on the page. Sundays at Eight is not merely a token for fans of C-SPAN's interview programs, but a collection of significant stories that have helped us understand the world for a quarter-century.
Exposing the Third Reich
Henry G. Gole
As World War II recedes from living memory, there remain untold stories of important behind-the-scenes operatives who provided vital support to the leaders celebrated in historical accounts. Colonel Truman Smith is one of the most compelling figures from this period, but there has never been a biography of this important and controversial man. In Exposing the Third Reich, Henry G. Gole tells this soldier's story for the first time. An American aristocrat from a prominent New England family, Smith was first assigned to Germany in 1919 during the Allied occupation and soon became known as a regional expert. During his second assignment in the country as a military attaché in 1935, he arranged for his good friend Charles Lindbergh to inspect the Luftwaffe. The Germans were delighted to have the famous aviator view their planes, enabling Smith to gather key intelligence about their air capability. His savvy cultivation of relationships rendered him invaluable throughout his service, particularly as an aide to General George C. Marshall; however, the colonel's friendliness with Germany also aroused suspicion that he was a Nazi sympathizer. Gole demonstrates that, far from condoning Hitler, Smith was among the first to raise the alarm: he predicted many of the Nazis' moves years in advance and feared that the international community would not act quickly enough. Featuring many firsthand observations of the critical changes in Germany between the world wars, this biography presents an indispensable look both at a fascinating figure and at the nuances of the interwar years.
Israel Is It Good for the Jews
Richard Cohen
A very personal journey through Jewish history (and Cohen’s own), and a passionate defense of Israel’s legitimacy. Richard Cohen’s book is part reportage, part memoir—an intimate journey through the history of Europe’s Jews, culminating in the establishment of Israel. A veteran, syndicated columnist for The Washington Post, Cohen began this journey as a skeptic, wondering in a national column whether the creation of a Jewish State was “a mistake.” As he recounts, he delved into his own and Jewish history and fell in love with the story of the Jews and Israel, a twice-promised land—in the Bible by God, and by the world to the remnants of Europe’s Jews. This promise, he writes, was made in atonement not just for the Holocaust, but for the callous indifference that preceded World War II and followed it—and that still threatens. Cohen’s account is full of stories—from the nineteenth century figures who imagined a Zionist country, including Theodore Herzl, who thought it might resemble Vienna with its cafes and music; to what happened in twentieth century Poland to his own relatives; and to stories of his American boyhood. Cohen describes his relationship with Israel as a sort of marriage: one does not always get along but one is faithful.
His Majesty s Hope
Susan Elia MacNeal
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER For fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Laurie R. King, and Anne Perry, whip-smart heroine Maggie Hope returns to embark on a clandestine mission behind enemy lines where no one can be trusted, and even the smallest indiscretion can be deadly. World War II has finally come home to Britain, but it takes more than nightly air raids to rattle intrepid spy and expert code breaker Maggie Hope. After serving as a secret agent to protect Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, Maggie is now an elite member of the Special Operations Executive—a black ops organization designed to aid the British effort abroad—and her first assignment sends her straight into Nazi-controlled Berlin, the very heart of the German war machine. Relying on her quick wit and keen instincts, Maggie infiltrates the highest level of Berlin society, gathering information to pass on to London headquarters. But the secrets she unveils will expose a darker, more dangerous side of the war—and of her own past. “You’ll be [Maggie Hope’s] loyal subject, ready to follow her wherever she goes.”—O: The Oprah Magazine From the Trade Paperback edition.
LEGO DC Super Heroes Character Encyclopedia
The Littlest Hitler
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A Quiet Belief In Angels
Worse Things Happen At Sea
Plan B: A Novel
Nepal - Culture Smart!
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 15
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La Reina En El Palacio de Las Corrientes de Aire
First World Cat Problems
Cities Without Ground
Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence
The Confessions Of Saint Augustine
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Cold Case Recruit (Cold Case Detectives)
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Living in a Mindful Universe
Drop The Worry Ball
Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes to
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2017 Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
A program that focuses on the scientific study of the structure, function, and regulation of cells as individual units and as components of larger systems. Includes instruction in cell chemistry, cellular dynamics, cellular replication and reproduction, cell anatomy, membrane function, organelles, cell adhesion and extracellular matrices, cell dynamics and motility, meiosis and mytosis, signal transduction, regulation, recognition and defense mechanisms, the cell cycle, cell metabolism and respiration, gene expression, and studies of cell types and characteristics.
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Dec. 26, 2012 / 3:30 AM
Today is Wednesday, Dec. 26, the 361st day of 2012 with five to follow.
The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury, Venus and Saturn. Evening stars include Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus and Mars.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include English poet Thomas Gray in 1716; English inventor Charles Babbage, who developed the first speedometer, in 1791; Adm. George Dewey, the U.S. Naval hero of Manila, in 1837; British writer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Angell in 1872; writer Henry Miller in 1891; Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese communist revolution, in 1893; actor Richard Widmark in 1914; entertainer Steve Allen in 1921; college football Hall of Fame member Frank Broyles in 1924 (age 88); comedian Alan King in 1927; puppeteer Caroll Spinney in 1933 (age 79); "America's Most Wanted" creator John Walsh in 1945 (age 67); baseball Hall of Fame member Carlton Fisk in 1947 (age 65); TV journalist Candy Crowley in 1948 (age 64); and baseball Hall of Fame member Ozzie Smith (age 58) and dogsled racer Susan Butcher, both in 1954' actor Jared Leto in 1971 (age 41).
On this date in history:
In 1776, American forces under Gen. George Washington, having crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night, defeated Hessian mercenary troops fighting for the British at the Battle of Trenton, N.J.
In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first African-American to win the world heavyweight boxing title when he knocked out Tommy Burns in the 14th round near Sydney, Australia.
In 1917, the federal government took over operation of U.S. railroads for the duration of World War I.
In 1972, Harry Truman, 33rd president of the United States, died at age 88.
In 1974, legendary comedian Jack Benny died of cancer. He was 80.
In 1990, Nancy Cruzan, the focus of a right-to-die case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court, died in a Missouri hospital.
In 1996, child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, 6, was found slain in a basement room of her family's Boulder, Colo., home.
In 2001, the man captured as he tried to ignite explosives hidden in his sneakers aboard an American Airlines jet was identified as Richard Reid, a 28-year-old unemployed British citizen.
In 2003, more than 26,000 people were killed and thousands injured when an earthquake struck the ancient Iranian city of Bam.
Also in 2003, the death toll reached 135 in the crash of a Boeing 727 in Benin.
In 2004, a powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami in South and Southeast Asia, with waves 40 feet high slamming into India, Thailand, Indonesia and other countries, killing thousands of people.
Also in 2004, Ukraine opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko claimed victory in the court-ordered second vote in the country's presidential runoff. The earlier vote, which favored Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, was annulled after allegations of fraud.
In 2006, former U.S. President Gerald Ford died at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at the age of 93.
Also in 2006, more than 200 people died when a gas pipeline being vandalized exploded in the Nigerian capital of Lagos.
And, a Baghdad appeals court upheld the death sentence for deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for a 1982 massacre of 148 Shiite men.
In 2008, Israeli officials reopened crossings into the Gaza Strip to allow transfer of medicine, food and other goods despite an escalation of violence along the border in recent days.
In 2009, the U.S. Senate approved raising the debt ceiling by $290 billion, enough to keep the government going into February. The debt ceiling had been set at $12.1 trillion.
Also in 2009, the Nigerian man who allegedly tried to blow up a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner on Christmas Day, identified as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab who said al-Qaida sent him, already was on the American government's watch list after his banker father told officials of his son's increased extremism.
In 2010, a suicide explosion that killed at least 46 people at a U.N. food distribution point in Pakistan was the work of a teenage girl, an official reported.
In 2011, an Arab League delegation arrived in Syria to see whether the government was keeping its promise to end a violent crackdown on protesters. Delegates arrived on a day when 42 people were killed in fighting between the military and dissidents.
Also in 2011, a Florida doctor warned that some airport scanners may pose a cancer threat for people over age 65 and women genetically predisposed to breast cancer.
A thought for the day: Michel Eyquem de Montaigne said, "A man of understanding has lost nothing if he has himself."
Carlton Fisk
George Dewey
Michel Eyquem de Montaigne
Nancy Cruzan
Ozzie Smith
Richard Reid
Thomas Gray
Tommy Burns
Umar Farouk
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Viktor Yanukovych
Authorities seek baboon on the loose in South African city
Police called to boy's 'ice cold beer' stand find 'root beer' instead
7,046 packs of gum used as dominoes to set Guinness World Record
Postcard shows up at Illinois home exactly 26 years after postmark
Large snake caught crossing Minnesota road
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July 15, 2017 / 9:17 PM
PGA: Patrick Rodgers holds two-shot lead at John Deere Classic
The Sports Xchange
Patrick Rodgers carded a 3-under-par 68 on Saturday to maintain his two-stroke lead through three rounds of the John Deere Classic at Silvis, Ill.
Rodgers, who surged to the top of the leaderboard with a superb 64 in the second round, moved to 16-under 197 entering Sunday's final round at TPC Deere Run.
Seeking his first victory on the PGA Tour, the 25-year-old Rodgers had five birdies and two bogeys in his round to stay two shots clear of fast-closing Daniel Berger and Scott Stallings.
"This is a nice course to play with the lead to be honest with you because you have to keep the pedal down all day, 16 under is not going to win tomorrow so I need to go out and make a lot of birdies," Rodgers said. "It was nice to be able to have that mindset today. You're not ready holding on, you're still trying to be aggressive and make birdies."
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Rodgers also held the 54-hole lead at the Farmers Insurance Open in February before finishing in a tie for fourth place.
Berger, who won at the FedEx St. Jude Classic last month, birdied seven of his first 11 holes en route to matching the best score of the day with an 8-under 63 as he pursues his third victory of the year.
Stallings, who opened with a 71, shot his second consecutive 64 to join Berger at 199. Stallings had just one birdie on the front side before shooting a blistering 30 on the back that including four birdies and an eagle at the par-5 17th.
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Nicholas Lindheim is alone in fourth place after shooting a 66 while Jamie Lovemark (66), J.J. Henry (68) and Bryson DeChambeau (70) are in a three-way tie for fifth at 12-under 201.
A cluster of 10 players, including local favorite Zach Johnson (70), Charles Howell III (70) and Rory Sabbatini (67), are bunched five shots off the lead.
Daniel Berger
J.J. Henry
Zach Johnson
Charles Howell III
Rory Sabbatini
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Dec. 9, 2018 / 1:14 AM
Bucks, Raptors will have top players on floor for this meeting
Larry Millson, The Sports Xchange
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks face the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks will be going with their best this time -- Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, respectively.
The first time the teams met in Milwaukee on Oct. 29, neither played as the Bucks defeated to Raptors 124-109 to win their seventh straight game to open the season.
The teams meet again Sunday in Toronto, and both are expected to play.
"I think it's intriguing in general just because they are both going to want to go at each other a little bit," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said Saturday. "Guard each other and go at each other and, while we don't want it to be a personal battle, I'm assuming there will be a little personal-ness going on between them.
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"I would imagine both of them are going to be excited to play and play with a lot of energy and force and try to get a lot of things done. They are both talked about (as being) among the best players in the East, both are in MVP talks now, so I think this is a game for them to see what happens."
Both teams are coming off losses. The Raptors fell 106-105 in overtime on Friday night at Brooklyn to the Nets, who ended an eight-game losing streak.
"We put ourselves in a tough position in the first place," said Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, who had three points on 1-of-8 shooting and 11 assists. "Not rebounding, they outrebounded us (60-41). Everybody was missing shots.
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"But we just have to keep playing hard. I think we can do a little bit better job of coverages and we need to play a little bit harder."
The Bucks lost 105-95 at home Friday to the Golden State Warriors.
"Offensively, I think we can be better," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We didn't move very well or play with very much force. Just we weren't very good tonight offensively. But I think you have to give their defense credit. They make things difficult on you. I think we'll learn from both ends of the court."
The Bucks added two players, guard George Hill and center Jason Smith in trades involving the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards.
Milwaukee traded point guard Matthew Dellavedova and center John Henson along with their 2021 first- and second-round draft picks to Cleveland for Hill and Sam Dekker. Then Dekker was traded to the Wizards for Smith and a 2021 second-round pick. The new Bucks are not expected to play Sunday.
Budenholzer was an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs while Hill, 32, played there from 2008 to 2011.
"We're really excited about adding him," Budenholzer said. "Just another guard that can kind of play both positions. Attack off the dribble. Shoots the 3-pointer at a high percentage. Defensively, I think he can guard multiple positions. I've been around him a lot. So there's a great comfort level with me. The human is off the charts."
Antetokounmpo said, "He's a great point guard, he can find guys. I don't think he's scared -- he's been in the league for so long. ... I know he's a good person, also, so it's good to have a team with a lot of talent and good people around. It's going to be nice getting to know George Hill even more and playing with him."
As for Smith, 32, Budenholzer said he is "somebody who has done a lot of good things in the league and fits how we play."
Antetokounmpo, who missed the first game against Toronto because of concussion protocol, scored 22 points on 8-of-13 (.615) shooting Friday, grabbed 15 rebounds and added five assists. It was his 10th game this season with 20 or more points and 15 or more rebounds, which tops the NBA.
Leonard scored 32 points Friday on 10-of-21 (.476) shooting. He has scored 30 or more points in four of his past five games and 30 or more points in eight games this season overall.
Leonard, who was rested Oct. 29 for the first game of a back-to-back set, is averaging 33.2 points and shooting .532 (58 of 109) from the field, including .500 (17 of 34) from 3-point range in his past five games.
Meanwhile, Lowry, who has been an important part of Toronto's early-season success, is shooting only 5 of 27 (.185) from 3-point range in his past five games.
"Missing shots; have to play better," Lowry said. "I don't make excuses and I don't have any excuses to make. I'm just not playing well. So it's as simple as that. I have to play better.
"I hold myself to a high standard and I have to play better. As the leader of this team, I have to figure out how to play a lot better offensively."
John Henson
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Pitt Receives $5.8 Million for Opioid Research in Appalachia
Courtney Caprara
capraracl@upmc.edu
Wendy Zellner
zellnerwl@upmc.edu
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh Division of General Internal Medicine received a $5.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to facilitate opioid research in Appalachia, a region of the United States that has been significantly impacted by the ongoing opioid epidemic.
In partnership with Judith Feinberg, M.D., of West Virginia University, and Sarah Kawasaki, M.D., of the Pennsylvania State University, Jane Liebschutz, M.D., chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Pitt, will establish the Appalachian Node of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network (CTN) to conduct opioid-related research in the region over the next five years. The emphasis will be placed on reaching rural and other underserved populations.
“Historical and cultural factors have caused Appalachia to experience the negative consequences of the opioid epidemic at a disproportionally high rate, including overdoses, neonatal abstinence syndrome and death,” said Liebschutz. “Oftentimes, research does not include data from rural populations, meaning that the findings don’t always apply in the same way they would to an urban population. This grant will help to ensure that we are addressing the opioid epidemic in a way that truly helps those who are most impacted.”
As a CTN node, the team will use its funding to work with individual clinical practices throughout Appalachia to enroll patients in national studies related to opioid use and treatment. On their own, these clinics would lack the infrastructure to navigate their patients through such research, but additional support will allow them to contribute data that is critical to understanding the opioid epidemic and its impact on the Appalachian region specifically.
The team plans to propose and facilitate studies that will use existing resources in new ways, including local pharmacies, peer navigators, coaches and digital technology, with the goal of extending more advanced care into regions with limited resources. They ultimately hope to use their findings to inform local policy makers, practitioners and community members about evidence-based improvements in care for opioid use disorder.
“In the last several years, the CTN has supported trials and research initiatives that have led to breakthroughs in substance use disorder treatment, ultimately changing clinical practice and impacting peoples’ lives for the better,” said Liebschutz. “The knowledge we obtain from this research will help not only the Appalachian region, but also people across the country.”
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No Mutation Needed: New Treatments Being Developed for a Small Group of Parkinson’s Patients May Work for Most People with the Disease
Arvind Suresh
suresha2@upmc.edu
Madison Brunner
brunnerm@upmc.edu
PITTSBURGH – A gene linked to 3 to 4 percent of people with Parkinson’s disease could play an important role in most, if not all, people with the disease, according to new study findings from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC. The gene, called LLRK2, was previously thought to only cause disease when mutated, but researchers have found that it may be just as significant in the non-hereditary form of the disease, according to the study published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
“This discovery is extremely consequential for Parkinson’s disease because it suggests that therapies currently being developed for a small group of patients may benefit everybody with the disease,” said senior author J. Timothy Greenamyre, M.D., Ph.D., Love Family Professor of Neurology in Pitt’s School of Medicine, chief of the Movement Disorders Division at UPMC and director of the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (PIND).
Parkinson’s affects one million people in the U.S. and as many as 10 million worldwide and has no known cause, but is thought to involve both genetic and environmental factors. In 2004, researchers discovered that mutations in the LRRK2 gene (commonly pronounced as “Lark2”), overactivated the protein and caused Parkinson’s in a small group of people, often in a hereditary fashion. However, the LRRK2 protein is difficult to study because it is present in extremely small amounts in nerve cells that are affected in Parkinson’s.
To overcome this problem, Greenamyre and his team engineered a molecular ‘beacon’ that attached to LRRK2 and glowed red under a microscope only if the protein was active. This allowed them to also reveal the nerve cells in which LRRK2 was active in the brain.
The researchers applied the test to postmortem brain tissue donated to science by Parkinson’s patients, none of whom had mutations in LRRK2, and healthy individuals of approximately the same age.
Remarkably, the test indicated that in ‘dopamine neurons,’ which are the brain cells most commonly affected in Parkinson’s, LRRK2 was highly active in individuals affected by the disease, but not in the healthy individuals. This suggests that LRRK2 overactivity may be important in all people with Parkinson’s, not just those who have a mutation in the gene.
A second major finding of the study was that it connected two proteins that have separately been recognized as important players in causing Parkinson’s – LRRK2 and alpha-synuclein. Accumulation of alpha-synuclein leads to the formation of structures called ‘Lewy bodies,’ a hallmark of Parkinson’s.
While enormous efforts have been focused on alpha-synuclein, the cause of its accumulation is still poorly understood. Using a rodent model of Parkinson’s induced by an environmental toxin, Greenamyre and his team discovered that activation of LRRK2 blocked the mechanisms that cells use to clear excess alpha-synuclein, leading directly to its accumulation. The researchers then treated the animals with a drug currently being developed to treat familial Parkinson’s patients by blocking LRRK2 activity. The drug prevented the accumulation of alpha-synuclein and formation of Lewy bodies.
“LRRK2 ties together both genetic and environmental causes of Parkinson’s, as we were able to show that external factors like oxidative stress or toxins can activate LRRK2, which can in turn cause Lewy bodies to form in the brain,” noted lead author Roberto Di Maio, Ph.D., an assistant professor in Greenamyre’s lab and a researcher at the Ri.MED Foundation.
In the future, Greenamyre expects to build on these findings to discover how neurodegeneration caused by LRRK2 overactivation can be prevented, and identify how oxidative stress and environmental toxins cause LRRK2 activation.
Study co-authors include Eric K. Hoffman, Ph.D., Emily M. Rocha, Ph.D., Matthew T. Keeney, Briana R. De Miranda, Ph.D., Teresa G. Hastings, Ph.D., Alevtina Zharikov, Ph.D., and Amber Van Laar, M.D., from PIND; Antonia Stepan, Ph.D., and Thomas A. Lanz, Ph.D., from Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development; Julia K. Kofler, M.D., of Pitt; Edward A. Burton, M.D., of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and PIND; Dario R. Alessi, from the University of Dundee; and Laurie H. Sanders, Ph.D., of Duke University and PIND.
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants NS100744, R21ES027470, NS095387 and AG005133, the Blechman Foundation, the American Parkinson Disease Association, University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, Michael J. Fox Foundation grant 6986, Medical Research Council grant MC_UU_12016/2, and friends and family of Sean Logan. The University of Dundee’s Division of Signal Transduction Therapy Unit received support from pharmaceutical companies Boehringer‐Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, and Merck KGaA. Greenamyre briefly held an advisory position at Pfizer. The authors declared no further competing financial interests.
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High School Student Who Left To Fight In WWII Just Received His Diploma This Year, At The Age Of 90
When he was just 17, this Indiana man dropped out of high school to serve in World War II; 70 years later, he finally got his diploma.
by Staff Writer
Some things are more important than a high school diploma.
That’s what Lou Schipper realized back in the 1940s. He was a high school student then, just 17, and he sacrificed a lot for his education.
Schipper lived in Aurora, Indiana, far from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. Every morning he walked a full mile from his rural home to the train station. Then he rode into Cincinnati in time for his first class of the day.
Before he could graduate, though, Japanese forces attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Schipper was just 17, but he knew he had to do something to help in this epic struggle for freedom. He took his last commute home from St. Xavier and walked into the recruiter’s office. Instead of graduating, Schipper elected to serve his nation.
AFP / STF
Schipper shipped out with the United States Naval Construction Forces, nicknamed the Seabees. He served in the Pacific Theater, where he built roads and took care of the war machines that helped save the West from fascism.
The Seabees earned the gratitude of other branches of the military as well as the folks back at home.
“The Marines had a sign on the side of the road that said, ‘When we march into Tokyo, it will be on the road that the Seabees built,” Schipper told news site Cincinnati.com.
After the Allies’ victory over the Axis, Schipper took his discharge from the Navy.
That was in October 1946. He went back home and found work as an electrician.
Schipper never worried about his lack of a high school diploma. The economy was booming. Schipper has a knack for fixing things, and he was always able to find good-paying work.
For fun, Schipper restored Model T cars. He once built an entire bus using wood from trees on his family farm.
The National WWII Museum
Schipper retired in 1984—more time to work on his vehicles. Then, when he was 90 years old, he ran into an old high school friend of his.
George Wood remembered Schipper fondly.
“He was the only freshman in the class who was interviewed with callouses on his hands because that farm boy knew how to do a day’s work,” Wood told Cincinnati.com. “We were comfortable high school kids sitting on our you-know-whats when he was fighting the war over there in the Pacific.”
Wood had heard rumors of a program that awarded high school diplomas to World War II veterans.
He thought of Schipper. Wood contacted the administration at St. Xavier High School, who readily agreed to issue a diploma to this veteran.
Schipper played it cool. His wife, Dottie, said that he acted indifferent to the piece of paper.
He said, ‘What the hell do I need with a diploma,'” she said. “‘I’m 90 years old! Do you want me to get a resume and go to work now?’ He didn’t act like he was really excited, but he was really excited.”
Getty Images News / Mark Wilson
Behind his joking facade, Schipper understood that this diploma symbolized a nation’s gratitude for his service during World War II. He attended a celebration in his honor at the residential facility where he lives. Tony Schad, vice president of advancement at St. Xavier High School, made the trip to deliver the diploma in person.
Schad was almost too overwhelmed to get through his speech.
“Mr. Louis Schipper, on behalf of your classmates from St. Xavier High School, class of 1946, the faculty, staff, and administration, I’m happy to officially welcome you to the long blue line, St. X,” a choked-up Schad said.
Schipper sat dressed in a black graduation robe. He even wore the standard-issue mortarboard hat.
At 90 years old—nearly 70 years after he dropped out of school to fight the good fight—Schipper finally received his diploma. He expressed gratitude to the school and his community.
The DC Register
“I really appreciate it,” Schipper said. “I never thought I’d make it.”
He very nearly didn’t. When he was first deployed in the Pacific, Schipper’s platoon came under enemy fire. He took refuge behind a log on the beach.
“I can still see the log I got behind when I got off the troop carrier,” he said. “I can still see that thing. I think I could draw it. It saved my life.”
Thanks to that log, Schipper returned home to a full, happy life, complete with a high school diploma. He just had to wait a few decades for the honor.
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Chants of 'classrooms, not cages' as hundreds gather for DC 'Lights for Liberty' vigil
Hundreds of people gathered Friday night for Washington’s “Lights for Liberty” event and vigil, one of more than 700 that were planned worldwide.
Chants of 'classrooms, not cages' as hundreds gather for DC 'Lights for Liberty' vigil Hundreds of people gathered Friday night for Washington’s “Lights for Liberty” event and vigil, one of more than 700 that were planned worldwide. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/07/12/lights-liberty-dc-immigration-vigil-hundreds-gather-protest/1710297001/
Olivia Sanchez, USA TODAY Published 8:26 p.m. ET July 12, 2019 | Updated 5:13 p.m. ET July 13, 2019
Lights for Liberty protests around the country against ICE migrant actions
"Lights for Liberty" protest against migrant detention camps in Lafayette Square across from the White House in Washington, D.C. The event is part of nationwide "Lights for Liberty" protests taking place on July 12, 2019. Yehyun Kim, USA TODAY
Clara Long and her son Sage Adams, 2, stand next to the sign Uncage Kids. "Lights for Liberty" protest against migrant detention camps in Lafayette Square across from the White House in Washington, D.C. The event is part of nationwide "Lights for Liberty" protests taking place on July 12, 2019. Yehyun Kim, USA TODAY
A large crowd gathers for the "Lights for Liberty" protest against migrant detention camps in Lafayette Square across from the White House in Washington, D.C. The event is part of nationwide "Lights for Liberty" protests taking place on July 12, 2019. Yehyun Kim, USA TODAY
Rabbi Esther Lederman, Ari, 8, and Zoe, 5 hold electric candle lights during the "Lights for Liberty" protest against migrant detention camps in Lafayette Square across from the White House in Washington, D.C. The event is part of nationwide "Lights for Liberty" protests taking place on July 12, 2019. Yehyun Kim, USA TODAY
"Lights for Liberty" protest against migrant detention camps in Lafayette Square across from the White House in Washington, D.C. The event is part of nationwide "Lights for Liberty" protests taking place on July 12, 2019 Yehyun Kim, USA TODAY
Dennis Gormley of Action Together New Jersey speaks as demonstrators gather at Knight Park Friday, July 12, 2019 in Collingswood, N.J. Joe Lamberti, Courier Post/USA TODAY Network
Demonstrators gather at Knight Park Friday, July 12, 2019 in Collingswood, N.J. The protest is part of the national "Lights For Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Concentration Camps" movement to close the Trump Administration’s detention centers at the border and elsewhere. Joe Lamberti, Courier Post/USA TODAY Network
Lottie the basset hound protests with her owner Molly Cervini at Knight Park Friday, July 12, 2019 in Collingswood, N.J. Joe Lamberti, Courier Post/USA TODAY Network
Demonstrators gather at Knight Park Friday, July 12, 2019 in Collingswood, N.J. Joe Lamberti, Courier Post/USA TODAY Network
Alison Ford, of Franklin, Tenn., holds a sign during a vigil in support of immigration rights at Public Square in Franklin, Tenn., Friday, July 12, 2019. Andrew Nelles, The Tennessean/ USA TODAY Network
Deanna Bowden, of Brentwood, Tenn., holds a sign during a vigil in support of immigration rights at Public Square in Franklin, Tenn., Friday, July 12, 2019. Andrew Nelles, The Tennessean/ USA TODAY Network
Demonstrators gather to pray during a vigil in support of immigration rights at Public Square in Franklin, Tenn., Friday, July 12, 2019. Andrew Nelles, The Tennessean/ USA TODAY Network
Mark Russell, of Franklin, Tenn., holds a sign during a vigil in support of immigration rights at Public Square in Franklin, Tenn., Friday, July 12, 2019. Andrew Nelles, The Tennessean/ USA TODAY Network
Tony Johns of Hideaway takes a final look at her poster showing the word "no" and a drawing of people in a cage before starting another poster during a poster and postcard making event held by the Democratic Club of Smith County at the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce building in Tyler, Texas on Friday July 12, 2019. The event was organized to make posters for the Lights for Liberty candlelight vigil being held in Longview on Friday night encouraging the end of human detention camps for migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border. Sarah A. Miller, Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP
Avery Miller of Kilgore writes the words "we should all care" around an illustration of kids behind cars during a poster and postcard making event held by the Democratic Club of Smith County at the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce building in Tyler, Texas on Friday, July 12, 2019. Sarah A. Miller, Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP
Nancy Nichols of Tyler has signed a postcard to be sent out to Texas government leaders opposing the treatment of migrants in Texas are set out on a table for people to take and mail during a poster and postcard making event held by the Democratic Club of Smith County at the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce building in Tyler, Texas on Friday July 12, 2019. Sarah A. Miller, Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP
A girl sits, holding a sign, during a "Lights For Liberty" rally to demand Border Patrol facilities and migrant detention centers in the United States to be closed down, at Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington, DC, on July 12, 2019. Alastair Pike, AFP/Getty Images
WASHINGTON – Hundreds of people gathered Friday night for Washington’s “Lights for Liberty” event and vigil, one of more than 700 that were planned across five continents to raise awareness of conditions in immigrant detention facilities in the southern United States.
A large group from the American Federation of Teachers marched to the event, chanting “classrooms, not cages.” They were welcomed by the executive director of CASA, Gustavo Torres. CASA is the nation's largest advocacy group for Latino immigrants.
“Si se puede,” Torres said. “Yes, we can!”
Organizers of “Lights for Liberty” said that D.C. was one of the first cities they planned a vigil in, specifically to “demand action from Congress to end concentration camps and impeach the President,” according to the group's website.
Hillary Clinton speaks: Lights for Liberty vigil in Chappaqua, New York
Pence lauds border conditions: 'Care every American would be proud of'
People take part in a "Lights For Liberty" rally to demand Border Patrol facilities and migrant detention centers in the United States to be closed down, at Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington, DC, on July 12, 2019. (Photo: ALASTAIR PIKE, AFP/Getty Images)
At least 30,000 immigrants are detained on any given day in the United States, just in the five states with the highest numbers, according to an organization called Freedom for Immigrants.
Shyamali Hauth, 53, who served in the Air Force for 10 years, attended Friday's event with with a local chapter of the progressive Indivisible movement.
“The way we’re treating people seeking asylum here is absolutely atrocious,” Hauth said. She held a large, neon orange “A,” helping to form the word "immoral" alongside her peers.
“It’s not why I served in the military. It’s not the kind of America we should have.”
The vigils take place amid growing criticism of the conditions in detention facilities. United Nations’ human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said the family separation and inhumane conditions in the facilities “should never happen anywhere.”
A girl sits, holding a sign, during a "Lights For Liberty" rally to demand Border Patrol facilities and migrant detention centers in the United States to be closed down, at Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington, DC, on July 12, 2019. (Photo: ALASTAIR PIKE, AFP/Getty Images)
The New York Times reported massive Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids of undocumented communities could begin as soon as Sunday. Officials said the Trump administration may be executing the raids as a show of force to discourage families from crossing the border, according to the New York Times.
Before the vigil, a series of speakers took the stage, including Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., the only member of Congress born in Central America; Ruby Corado, the founder of LGBTQ+ immigrant support organization Casa Ruby; Hope Frye, an immigration attorney and Torres.
Donald Trump: Immigration raids begin Sunday, will target criminals 'as much as we can'
Torres called on law enforcement officers to stand up for what is right and urged protections for whistleblowers: “We need more of them to come forward and tell us what is really going on.”
Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Services, shared her story of fleeing the Sri Lankan civil war with her family when she was an infant.
So many immigrants, she said, just want to live safe and normal lives in the U.S.
“We admit them not because they are American,” she said, “but because we are American.”
After faith leaders spoke to the crowd, they gathered on stage with photos of immigrant children who have died recently.
One by one, speakers read out the names of the children. They rang bells after each child.
Later, organizers led the crowd in singing “This Little Light of Mine,” while people waved their electric candles in the air.
Contributing: Joel Shannon, John Bacon
Swans are carried to be released after being weighed, documented and measured during the annual Swan Upping Census on the River Thames at Staines, west of London on July 15, 2019. Swan Upping is the annual census of the swan population on stretches of the River Thames and dates from the twelfth century when the Queen claimed ownership of all mute swans and is overseen by the Queen's Marker. The census takes place over five days on the third week of July every year. Tolga Akmen, AFP/Getty Images
A girl disguised as St. Fermin takes part in the 'encierro' called 'Villavesa' in the morning after Sanfermines festivities in downtown Pamplona, northern Spain, July 15, 2019. Inaki Porto, EPA-EFE
Zapata CEO Franky Zapata flies a jet-powered hoverboard or "Flyboard" over the old harbour as part of Bastille Day celebrations in Marseille France on July 14, 2019. Boris Horvat, AFP/Getty Images
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Sgt. Maj. James G. Sartor at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on July 15, 2018. According to the Department of Defense, Sartor, 40, of Teague, Texas, died July 13, 2019, in Faryab province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from enemy small arms fire. Steve Ruark, AP
Revellers raise red scarves and candles as they sing the song 'Pobre de Mi', marking the end of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain on July 15, 2019. Jaime Reina, AFP/Getty Images
People sit on the Belvedere d'Auriac motorway rest area as they wait for the fireworks over the city of Carcassonne, southern France, during the celebration of the Bastille Day on July 14, 2019. Eric Cabanis, AFP/Getty Images
Demonstrators from the "Extinction Rebellion" climate environmental activist group, protest outside of The Royal Courts of Justice on The Strand in central London in London on July 15, 2019. Niklas Halle'n, AFP/Getty Images
A motorist drives past a destroyed house after a large earthquake that hit Surigao City, in southern island of Mindanao on July 15, 2019. Erwin Mascarinas, AFP/Getty Images
A lineman works on the electricity power transmission line in Ampang in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur on July 15, 2019. Mohd Rasfan, AFP/Getty Images
Villagers travel on a boat in the flood affected Jhargaon village in Morigaon district of India's Assam state on July 15, 2019. Biju Boro, AFP/Getty Images
China's Banding Niu and China's Juntao Lian compete with their buggy during the nineth stage of the Silk Way Rally 2019 from Alashan to Jiayuguan on July 15, 2019. Damien Meyer, AFP/Getty Images
Emergency personnel move part of a wing and other airplane wreckage retrieved from the crash site at Ume river outside Umea, Sweden, on July 15, 2019. A Gipps Aero Airvan aircraft with nine parajumpers on board crashed July 14 with no survivors. Erik Abel, AP
Squatters set a barricade on fire outside a former occupied school in Via Cardinal Domenico Capranica in Primavalle Rome, Italy, July 15, 2019. Massimo Percossi, EPA-EFE
A woman walks through flood water at a village near the Kyauk Taw township area in Western Myanmar, July 15, 2019. Nyunt Win, EPA-EFE
People flee the areas affected by monsoon rains, in Neelum Valley, Kashmir, July 15, 2019. At least 22 people were killed, five injured, and 150 houses damaged in floods following heavy rain. Amiruddin Mughal, EPA-EFE
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, patron of 'The Big Lunch' talks to members of a steel band during the tenth anniversary celebration of the initiative at the Eden Project during an official visit to Devon & Cornwall on July 15, 2019 in St Blazey, United Kingdom. WPA Pool, Getty Images
Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/07/12/lights-liberty-dc-immigration-vigil-hundreds-gather-protest/1710297001/
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Frank Clarkson
Ordinary Joy
Sermon given by Rev. Frank Clarkson, June 17, 2018.
It has been such a joy and a blessing for me to be singing with our choir these past few months. It feels my soul. A few weeks ago, Lisa introduced us to the piece we just sang, and I loved it’s invitation, in the midst of pain and strife, to let peace flow down like rain.
A couple of weeks ago I was in the car, listening to a conversation on the radio about the trouble at our Southern border, where people fleeing violence and poverty, some of them having walked over a thousand miles, are trying to get into this county. And our government’s response is this new policy of separating children from their parents, in a effort to discourage them from trying to come here at all. One of the people on the radio asked, “Where are the faith communities?” And I said back, “We’re coming!”
I said this because I knew that a few days from then, I’d be down in Burlington, participating in a protest at the Immigration (ICE) offices there, a place immigrants fear these days, because it’s where they have to show up for hearings, which can means being detained and deported. The protest was called a Jericho Walk, from the story in the Bible when Joshua and his followers marched around the city of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down.
The walk began with prayer, first in Spanish and then translated into English by our own Jane Hucks. The walking, over a hundred of us for about an hour, was done in silence, and then we prayed again, and several rabbis sounded their shofars and we lifted a loud unison cry at the ICE building, praying that the walls of injustice will, one day, come tumbling down.
The anthem our choir just sang was written two summers ago, as our nation faced violence and injustice, and I hear it as a prayer for these days too:
Let peace, like welcome rain, flow freely down, flow freely down,
to heal this dry, parched land.
Come soothe the summer’s wounded soul
and flood the burning fears we hold
with truth, and hope, and deeper understanding…
for all are thirsty here.
(“Peace, Like Welcome Rain,” by Mark Patterson, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Bwn_FUpWo)
To live in this world, in these days, you need to be able to hold the pain and suffering, and keep your heart open, and keep asking, “What can I do about this?” And at the same time, you have to be able to make room for peace, and even joy. Because if you don’t, you won’t be able to carry on.
I sense that’s at least part of why you come here—to be reminded of the goodness that’s in you, and in our world. That in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, there is reason for hope, and even for joy.
Here on the cusp of summer, I want to lift up the blessings of ordinary joy—not the big, dramatic joys, but the quieter, everyday moments that come, like gentle rain upon a parched land. Like a longed-for visit with a family member or friend, or a small act of kindness, or some moments of unexpected peace.
In our reading today we heard an old pastor writing to his young son: “Sometimes I have loved the peacefulness of an ordinary Sunday. It is like standing in a newly planted garden after a warm rain. You can feel the silent and invisible life. All it needs from you is that you take care not to trample on it” (Gilead, by Marylinne Robinson).
We live in a world with so much noise, so much rancor, so much conflict. We can forget that peace is possible, that joy is available, if we will slow down, and notice; if we will put ourselves in its presence when it flows down, like rain; if we will take care not to trample on it.
Only you know what brings you joy. The question is, are you making enough room for joy in your life? I know it can be hard these days, when there is so much to be concerned about. Joy can seem like an indulgence.
But I think it’s a necessity. Because how can you help others when you’re anxious and afraid? We need assurance, don’t we, that these troubles won’t last; that in the end, Love wins. I need the hope that people of faith have had, down through the ages, that God is on the side of love and justice, and that we are called to give our hands to struggle, and help move things toward where they ought to be.
When you despair, and we all despair sometimes, please try to remember that we have this world, and this season that offers such moments of beauty—green grass and blooming flowers, birds singing and warm summer evenings. And we have this faith tradition that we are part of, the hope of people down through the ages; we have their songs and their stories of struggle and persistence.
This week, several of our leaders quoted the Bible to support their agenda of separating children from parents. They did this because people of faith, across the theological spectrum, are coming out against this heartless policy. Even Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham, who’s about as theologically narrow as they come, even he’s against it, he called it “disgraceful.” You know that both the Hebrew and the Christian scriptures are full of texts saying that God is more inclined toward the poor and the marginalized than toward the rich and powerful. Deuteronomy says, “Do not deprive foreigners and orphans of their rights… Remember that you were slaves in Egypt…” (Deut. 24:17-18).
One day Jesus looked at his disciples and said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.” (Luke 6:20-21).
We are all hungry people. We are all longing, thirsty souls. But isn’t it incumbent on us who aren’t as hungry, who do have some resources and who do have some access to joy and peace and freedom, isn't it up to us to do all that we can to lift our voices and use our strength so that others can be free too? To find the joy in doing what’s right, working for the common good. Sharing our joy with a world so hungry for it.
May this be our prayer:
Let peace, like welcome rain, flow freely down,
Newer PostSighs Too Deep for Words
Older PostJoy as Resistance
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anywhere ...video gamesmy video gamescompaniesgroups / tagsforumnes games
a.k.a. / Pyramid Cleopatra Kiki IppatsuSA-009 Pyramid / SA09 金字塔方塊 / 金字塔1 / ピラミッド クレオパトラ危機一髪 /
published by American Video Entertainment / Milmar Indústria / Sachen / Hacker International / HES in 1990-07-10, developed by Thin Chen Enterprise / Hacker International, running on Nintendo Entertainment System
type: puzzle, action/reflex
genre: Falling blocks
perspective: other fixed camera
......................................W e
....................................h a v e
..................................known for
................................decades that
..............................the ancient Egyp-
............................tians were the first
..........................to play games, but who
........................would have ever guessed they
......................could create a game that was this
....................much fun to play. With bombs, hidden
..................surprises and game play that requires both
................planning and quick reflexes this is truly the most
..............challenging game of its kind. ▲ There is just one
............rule to playing PYRAMID, don't let the pit fill up with
..........stones. As each stone falls from the sky it must be turned,
........twisted and carefully fit together perfectly. Like the great pyramids,
......the stones must fit together so precisely that not even a feather
....could slide between the cracks. ▲ How much mind-bending video game
..excitement can modern game players handle? There is only one way to
find out. Play PYRAMID, the ancient Egyptian game from the Queen of Fun.
Zerothis - # 2008-08-12 03:26:49 - official description - back of box
Published 1990 in USA by AVE
Published 1990-07-10 in USA by Sachen (according to the patent)
Published 1990 by Sachen
Published 1990 by Hacker International with additional development (porn version)
Published 1991 in Brazil by Milmar Indústria
Published by HES in Australia
The premise of this game is that it was invented by the ancient Egyptians. Its a Tetris like game that includes shapes with bricks cut in half diagonally. This makes it extremely difficult to build a row. It could have been better titled "Curse of the Bricks". The description of the game on the back of the box is uniquely laid out in the shape of a triangle. Despite the official description, pieces function like the original Tetris bricks and cannot be "twisted" into place.
While there is proof that AVE published this game in the USA, its possible Thin Chen Enterprise did so also. There are 72-pin NES carts in NTSC format of this game marked Sachen, but no proof they were sold in the USA. Thin Chen Enterprise did however, file a US patent for the game, which makes a US release much more likely. Also, Thin Chen Enterprise Company, Ltd (Sachen) registered a US copyright (TX-3-038-106) 1990-06-16 for "Pyramid I" and recorded that the work was published on 1990-07-10 (the Japanese publishing date)
The Hacker International version includes nudity but is not immediately distinguishable from the other famicom versions. Usually they have a blue & gold label.
(Zerothis) - # 2008-08-12 02:59:03
L. C. Tchacvosky
egyptian-theme
consoleclassix grid grid-square langinsignificant noasin * spatiallogic
abstract-location
fallingblocks
Xrefs (3)
SKU: HKI-03
SKU: SA-009
15-in-1 MaxiVision (NES)
prequel of
Pyramid II (NES)
AndreaD
Pyramid in-game screen.
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https://www.yourconroenews.com/neighborhood/moco/news/article/Conroe-s-Muse-Building-damaged-in-storm-13263655.php
Conroe’s Muse Building damaged in storm, renovation planned
Published 2:45 pm CDT, Thursday, September 27, 2018
The roof of the Muse building beside the Crighton Theater collapsed in September. The space is being renovated to add new concessions and additional restrooms to the downstairs of the Crighton Theatre.
Photo: Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer
While the Muse Building in downtown Conroe sustained catastrophic damage from thunderstorms last weekend, officials with the Crighton Theater Foundation say the roof collapse falls right in line with renovation plans for the historical building.
The city of Conroe Building Department posted the building, located at 212 N. Main St., as unsafe Monday, but Crighton Theater Foundation Executive Director Jim Bingham said his organization had already closed the building due to safety concerns.
“For the safety of anyone who would normally be entering the building, the building is posted as unsafe ‘Do Not Enter’ by the chief building official,” said Director of Community Development Nancy Mikeska. “The city has requested that structural engineers be consulted as to how to stabilize the building. The building was built sometime before 1920 and has had many renovations to it over the years.”
While the State Historic Commission informed the city in 2004 the building was not eligible for inclusion in the National Register for Historic Places, the building is a part of downtown history, Mikeska said.
“I certainly hope it can be saved,” she said.
For Bingham, there is no question the building will be renovated.
“We are going to re-birth the Muse Building,” he said. “It’s not going anywhere.”
Bingham said the Foundation has planned for some time to remove the roof and replace it with steel. Additionally, the walls were going to be reinforced in order to save the existing exterior structure.
“It’s basically going to be a building within a building,” Bingham said.
The project, estimated to be about $500,000 to $750,000, will also double the size of the current lobby of the Crighton Theater and add much needed restrooms to the building. Funding will be several methods including fundraising efforts and grants.
“We believe this is the proper use of the building,” he said. “We are going to take our time and do it right.”
Bingham didn’t have a timeline on the project but it was originally scheduled to begin in November.
“Obviously, Mother Nature thought we should start it now,” he said.
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2K Games, Bioshock Series, Irrational Games, Review
Review: Bioshock Infinite (Xbox360)
Gaming today, especially on the Xbox360, has been a flood of first person shooters that have aimed for "realistic" military themes that focus on multiplayer while happening to remember they have a single player portion in there somewhere.
Bioshock Infinite is not of this kind of game and I couldn't be happier for it.
Ken Levine wowed all of us with his previous games in the "shock" series starting at "System Shock" with its dark techno future, then "Bioshock" let us believe in a city under the waves, and now he has returned to (in a twist of the old Superman saying) make us believe a city can fly with"Bioshock Infinite". The people, buildings, music...everything lends itself wonderfully to the complete illusion of the early 1900's time while still weaving in steampunk inspired machinations with technology that seems out of place and right at home all at once. After a bit seeing a building simply float up and connect the street so you may continue becomes common place and when something that is impossible today seems mundane then you have managed to create a very convincing world for us to inhabit.
You play as "Booker Dewitt" a man sent on a hunt to bring back a girl from the floating city of "Columbia" in the year 1912. Over the course of his search, you will face off against the "Prophet" Zachery Comstock who wields religious control and segregation on the city as a means to control the populace and keep them in line. He has worked to form a glistening floating Eden above the earth for his flock. With all of this beautiful detail in the world and its people, this makes it all the more ironic when the game quickly takes a turn and really shows you how dark this world can be. While Bioshock went by the idea that everyone could succeed if they were willing to work, Infinite shows us just how different America was in 1912 by showing the full extent of racism in many forms including delving into iconography most people just won't even reference and want forgotten, as well as religions dark sides, are all brought to your face like a raw open wound. This leads into the darker side of Bioshock Infinite and what I would describe as the true Mature content of the game which is the dark oppresion of religion on a people in a zealots hands, and a discussion of race and class that is brought into your face in a way people have to talk about and hopefully learn from these past mistakes that people made against each other.
Your joined in your travels amongst the clouds by a strange woman named Elizabeth that somehow is a key to everything that is going on. She is a character that is by your side for most of the game, yet never ONCE does she come off as weak or gets in your way. When a lock needs to be picked, it's her that does it. She is always on the look for supplies that she will call out and throw to you in the heat of battle or just as you explore around. And she will spot and mark items or dangers so you won't be caught off guard. Even right from the get go they make it clear that she can take care of herself and you don't have to watch over her. I honestly haven't seen a partner this fleshed out and functional since Alex from the Half-Life series and I believe that says a lot about her creators.
All in all, Bioshock Infinite manages to come up with a surprisingly deep and complex story that will give you all of the twists and turns you expect, even as you are going in expecting them after Bioshock. I can tell you many moments my jaw dropped and I uttered a few choice words of surprise as a revelation hit, or new locations where discovered. And in the end it leaves you with questions that guarantee you will be talking about it with friends and trying to figure out what all is going on in this floating city over early 1900's America.
Bioshock Infinite is a game that shows the Xbox360 is hitting it's stride when it comes to the bigger is better games strictly from a graphics stand point. Don't get me wrong...this world is simply BEAUTIFUL, but when you compare it to the PC release you really start to see the limits for textures as well as the extended use of clouds to hide the distance in some areas. The world still feels even with a little texture pop in here and there, but there were a few instances when I would stop to wait and see what a store front display may look like and the full resolution texture was either not loading or just not present at all and sacrificed to keep the rest of the world looking good. The Xbox360 still has years of great games left in it, but we will start to see the limitations when compared to people running high end PC's.
Irrational Games chose to bring what I believe is a more animated art design to their faces which works beautifully for Elizabeth and helps you see what she is feeling as she talks to you or just takes in her surroundings as you are face to face with her for most of the game. You can tell when she is upset, scared, angry, or just sad at seeing how different classes of people are treated in this supposed "floating Eden" mixed in with her innocent wonder of the world as well.
The larger enemies are nicely animated in unique ways that helps to tell each of them apart and also gives hints at what they are or who they were. The "Handyman" seems to be one of the saddest once you discover the nature in which they came to be along with how society thinks of them from off the cuff remarks people will say through your journey. But their lumbering and grotesque frame really work to show the suffering as well as the limited technology they had to work with. As much trouble as they were to fight, I found myself wishing I could see them more so I could see how they moved and were designed in greater detail.
In stark contrast to what people came to expect with the dark, dirty, and always wet worlds that Bioshock 1 & 2 brought us Bioshock Infinite starts off with so many bright colors on buildings, flowers, and even just the beautiful sky that surrounds you on this floating city. A lighthouse much like Bioshock's greets you in the very opening, but I believe this is just to get you expecting one thing while they toss you into something so different. Irrational Games really worked with the larger open spaces they were afforded in Columbia by creating impressive large detailed statues and building exteriors that tower both above and below you while you ride around with the Skyhook. You will get a great sense of movement when you traverse this new world and as you go through it, inside and out, you will have to keep an eye out for the hidden items and expanded story pieces littered around which will answer questions and bring up new ones at the same time.
Irrational thankfully paid as much attention to the audio as they did the visuals because there is always things to hear that will catch your attention. You will stop to listen to conversations just to hear the great voice acting they did throughout, you will come to learn the unique sounds of enemies to help track their movements in combat, The voice acting throughout shows a great level of detail was paid where everyone sounds unique and easily identifiable. Be it the way Elizabeth talks to you, the screech of the giant Songbird as it attacks, or just the wind as you swing around in the air...everything sounds fantastic. A nice little treat is to listen to the radios as you play because the announcer will change his tone and what he is saying depending on what is going on in the story which makes for a continuous little bonus as you go along.
Control / Gameplay
Control for this game is one of my mixed bags and seems like it could have been resolved by making a few button changes on the controller. The normal moving and aiming handles as it always did where you can adjust speed and direction in the menu easily. The problem is with the "X" button having too many actions attached to it sometimes. I would find myself in the middle of a heated battle holding "X" to have Elizabeth make some cover to find I walked over a gun and just swapped my sniper rifle for a machine gun I may not have wanted. This only became a problem for me a total of three times in the entire game which isn't a deal breaker, but I still feel like it should be brought up.
The gameplay on the otherhand I had no issues with. Plasmids from Bioshock are now replaced with "Vigors" that basically do similar functions but you drink them once instead of seeing yourself jab needles into your arm every few minutes. The other change with them is that each of their attacks can be charged up and turned into traps along with their traditional more direct interactions. You are able to upgrade each of them at special vending machines throughout the game using money you have collected to add new effects or boost the power of your existing powers so you can expland how you use each one. It becomes key later in the game to learn ways to combine the attacks for more devastating attacks, but since only two of the attacks can be queued up at any time on the 360 version, I found myself not using it as much as I wanted to.
You find a variety of weapons over the course of the game, all of which are also upgradeable at vending machines much like the Vigors, that will help you fight your way through the people and monsters that are thrown your way. I found myself sticking to the fully upgraded handgun and a sniper rifle but would pick up some heavier guns from time to time to try and turn the tide in a battle. Your limited to just normal ammunition as the specialty ammo from Bioshock is nowhere to be seen. Most of their functions have been moved over to the Vigors which work well along with the gun play.
Bioshock Infinite was a great surprise to me from the moment I started the story with a simple voice clip that helped show the brevity of a relationship down to the final moments of the game and the questions I now wait for others to see so I can discuss the implications with them. I was sucked into this game that I ended up pulling the first all nighter I have had in awhile just because like a good book, that next chapter kept calling to me and I needed to know what was around the next corner. The detail of the world made me feel like I was wandering about this city in the sky both fitting in and being so out of place it was uncomfortable that will make people think not only about how good a game they just played, but may even have you walk away with real sociological and humanitarian ideas you could have ignored before. Ken Levine and the team at Irrational Games have produced a masterpiece that needs to be played and talked about...and probably will be for years to come just like the original Bioshock way back in 2005.
Also...pay attention to the conversation in the row boat. Because "He doesn't row".
Final Score: 9.0 out of 10
Tagged: Bioshock, Review
Newer PostPac-Man - You Just Don't TOUCH Him. Period
Older PostBioshock Infinite - Opening and First Area (Xbox 360) - Jeremy's Gameplay
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PRESS RELEASE September 17, 2007
World Bank Issues New Eco Bond
Washington, DC, September 17, 2007 – The World Bank today announced its partnership with ABN AMRO to sell “World Bank Eco 3+ bonds” exclusively through ABN AMRO’s branch network in The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Starting today, investors will be able to purchase from ABN AMRO World Bank EUR denominated six-year notes. The total amount of the notes will be determined by demand on the closing date of the subscription period (October 26, 2007). The notes pay a floating rate annual coupon of at least 3% per year. The coupon is linked to an equity index, the ABN AMRO Eco Price Return Index, comprised of companies that produce alternative forms of energy, engage in water and waste management, or are involved in the production of catalysts used to reduce pollution.
The notes are the World Bank’s first public offering linked to such an environmentally-focused equity index. This offering is part of the World Bank's efforts to provide regionally focused investment products that combine financial and social returns especially important to investors with ethical or social investment strategies. The issue seeks to appeal to investors in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg who are interested in contributing through their investment to the World Bank’s sustainable development mandate, and indirectly supporting companies in the equity index.
"September is Eco-Sustainability Month in The Netherlands. We’re pleased to partner with ABN AMRO to bring to market a product that will both help fund the development activities of the World Bank, and indirectly support the financing needs of the companies in the index. Investors will find with the Eco-3Plus notes a product that has a sound return, and at the same time addresses pressing global issues, such as the environment, through its link to the equity index," said Kenneth G. Lay, Vice President and Treasurer, World Bank.
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WPF Report: Many Failures – A Brief History of Privacy Self-Regulation | Report Home Page
The report Many Failures: A Brief History of Privacy Self-Regulation, was published October 14, 2011.
Report authors: Robert Gellman and Pam Dixon
You are at the report main page, where you can download the full report or navigate to parts of the report. The Background and Executive Summary is in the text below.
Report Links:
Download Full Report (PDF)
Read the Report Front Matter, Table of Contents, and Executive Summary, below
Jump to other sections of the report: I. Introduction and Summary | II. Industry-Supported Self-Regulatory Programs for Privacy | III. Government Privacy Self-Regulatory Activities |IV. Combination Self-Regulatory Efforts | V. Conclusion
Brief Summary of Report
Major efforts to create self-regulatory, or voluntary, guidelines in the area of privacy began in 1997. Industry promoted privacy self-regulation at the time as a solution to consumer privacy challenges. This report reviews the leading efforts of the first self-regulatory wave from 1997 to 2007, and includes a review of the life span, policies, and activities of the Individual Reference Services Group, Privacy Leadership Initiative, Online Privacy Alliance, Network Advertising Initiative, BBBOnline Privacy Program, US-EU Safe Harbor Framework, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and the Platform for Privacy Preferences. A key finding of this report is that the majority of the industry self-regulatory programs that were initiated failed in one or more substantive ways, and, many disappeared entirely. The report concludes with a discussion of possible reforms for the process, including a defined and permanent role for consumers, independence, setting benchmarks, and other safeguards.
Robert Gellman is a privacy and information policy consultant in Washington DC. (www.bobgellman.com.) Pam Dixon is the Executive Director of the World Privacy Forum. Gellman and Dixon are the authors of Online Privacy A Reference Handbook (ABC CLIO, 2011.)
About the World Privacy Forum
The World Privacy Forum is a non-profit consumer education and public interest research group. It focuses on a range of privacy matters, including financial, medical, employment and online privacy. The World Privacy Forum was founded in 2003. www.worldprivacyforum.org.
I. Introduction and Summary
Characteristics Common to Privacy Self-Regulation
Summary of Self-Regulatory Privacy History
Industry-Supported Self-Regulatory Programs
Government-Supported Self-Regulatory Efforts
Combination Self-Regulatory Efforts
II. Discussion: Industry-Supported Self-Regulatory Programs for Privacy
Individual Reference Services Group
The Privacy Leadership Initiative
The Online Privacy Alliance
The Network Advertising Initiative (1999-2007 version)
BBBOnline Privacy Program
III. Discussion: Government Privacy Self-Regulatory Activities
Department of Commerce Safe Harbor Framework
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
IV. Discussion: Combination Self-Regulatory Efforts
Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P)
V. Conclusion
What is at stake: Implications for current privacy self-regulatory efforts
What Could Improve the Process?
Current online privacy debates focus on respecting the privacy interests of Internet users while accommodating business needs. Formal and informal proposals for improving consumer privacy offer different ideas for privacy regulation and privacy self-regulation, sometimes called codes of conduct. [1] Some in the Internet industry continue to advance or support ideas for privacy self- regulation. Many of these same players proposed and implemented privacy self-regulatory schemes that started in the late 1990s.
Missing from current debates on self-regulation in the online privacy arena is a basic awareness of what happened with the first round of industry self-regulation for privacy. Also missing are the lessons that that should have been learned from the failures of past privacy self-regulatory efforts.
This report reviews the history of the leading efforts that comprised that early wave of privacy self-regulation, which occurred from 1997 to about 2007. One purpose of this report is to document the facts about that first wave of self-regulation. The other purpose of this report is to inform current discussions about the recent past. A key finding of this report is that the majority of the industry self-regulatory organizations that were initiated have now disappeared. The disappearance of a self-regulatory organization constitutes a failure of the self-regulatory scheme.
This is not the first World Privacy Forum report on privacy self-regulation. In 2007, the World Privacy Forum (WPF) issued a report on the National Advertising Initiative’s early efforts at business-operated self-regulation for privacy. The report was The NAI: Failing at Consumer Protection and at Self-Regulation. [2] In 2010, the WPF issued a report on privacy activities of the Department of Commerce, The US Department of Commerce and International Privacy Activities: Indifference and Neglect. [3] The Commerce report reviewed in some detail the government supervised self-regulatory Safe Harbor Framework for personal data exported from Europe to the US. Unlike most other privacy self-regulatory efforts, the Safe Harbor Framework continues to exist, largely because of the government role. But the Safe Harbor Framework is deficient in enforcement and some other areas, and it cannot be counted as successful.
The privacy self-regulation programs reviewed in this report were effectively a Potemkin Village of privacy protection. Erected quickly, the schemes were designed to look good from a distance. Upon closer inspection, however, the protections offered were just a veneer. The privacy Potemkin Village fell down soon after the gaze of potential regulators drifted elsewhere. Efforts such as the Individual Reference Service Group (IRSG) and the National Advertising Initiative (NAI) are examples of classic, failed privacy self-regulatory efforts. These and other poorly designed privacy self-regulation schemes had limited market penetration and insufficient enforcement. Still, that was enough to fend off regulators until political winds blew in other directions.
Many participants to the debate are new to the issue and are unaware of recent history. Even the Federal Trade Commission has a short memory. The FTC appeared to acknowledge the limits of self-regulation when, it concluded in 2000 that self-regulatory programs fell “well short of the meaningful broad-based privacy protections the Commission was seeking and that consumers want.”[4] But in 2010, a staff report from the FTC continued to show support for self-regulation as an alternative to legislation, seemingly ignoring the Commission’s own experience from ten years earlier. [5] The pressure to believe that “this time, things will be different” remains significant. This belief is fueled by industry pressure, industry desire for no formal regulation, a continually shifting political environment, and the absence of meaningful rulemaking authority at the Federal Trade Commission.
This report offers a simple and clear history lesson. Industry self-regulation for privacy as it has been done in the past has failed. Past industry self-regulatory programs for privacy have lacked credibility, sincerity, and staying power. This report does not propose a new model for self- regulation, but it does conclude with some suggestions for a different approach that is based on a a defined role for consumers, more transparency, better definitions, and firmer commitments by those subject to self-regulation. [6]
It is beyond the scope of this report to consider whether the public’s demands for greater privacy protections should be met with legislation, self-help mechanisms, some yet untested form of activity (regulatory, co-regulatory, or otherwise), or nothing at all. [7] This report is offered as a resource to help those who are debating these questions today.
This report reviews early industry self-regulatory activities for privacy during the years just before and after 2000. This period was the high watermark for privacy self-regulation. This report distinguishes between industry efforts at self-regulation, and government efforts. For most industry-supported self-regulatory efforts for privacy, a clear pattern developed in the years covered by this review. Feeling pressure from Federal Trade Commission scrutiny and from legislative interest, industry self-regulatory efforts for privacy developed quickly in an attempt to avoid any formal regulation. It can be observed that the self-regulatory activities typically were characterized by some or most of the following qualities:
Self-regulatory organizations were most often based in Washington, D.C, where potential regulators are.
Self-regulatory organizations formulated their rules in secret, typically with no input from non-industry stakeholders.
The governing boards of privacy self-regulatory organizations typically had no non-industry board members of these groups. There were typically few or no consumer representatives.
Privacy self-regulatory rules covered only a fraction of an industry or covered an industry subgroup, leaving many relevant business practices and many players untouched.
Privacy self-regulation organizations were short-lived, typically surviving for a few years, and then diminishing or disappearing entirely when pressure faded.
Privacy self-regulation organizations were loudly promoted despite their limited scope and substance.
Privacy self-regulation organizations were structurally weak, lacking meaningful ability to enforce their own rules or maintain memberships. Those who subscribed to self-regulation were usually free to drop out at any time.
Privacy self-regulation organizations were typically underfunded, and industry financial support in some cases appeared to dry up quickly. There was no long-term plan for survival or transition.Not all of these characteristics were present in government supervised self-regulatory efforts, although those efforts were not necessarily any more successful.
Summary of Privacy Self-Regulatory History
Self-regulatory efforts do not fall neatly into narrow categories. However, some generalizations may be made that efforts fell into two broad categories, industry-supported and government- supported. One exception exists that is a mix of government, civil society, industry, and academia.
The early industry-supported privacy self-regulatory efforts included:
• The Individual Reference Services Group was announced in 1997 as a self- regulatory organization for companies providing information that identifies or locates individuals. The group terminated in 2001, deceptively citing a recently- passed regulatory law as making the group’s self-regulation unnecessary. However, that law did not cover IRSG companies.
• The Privacy Leadership Initiative began in 2000 to promote self-regulation and to support privacy educational activities for business and for consumers. The organization lasted about two years.
• The Online Privacy Alliance began in 1998 with an interest in promoting industry self-regulation for privacy. OPA’s last reported substantive activity appears to have taken place in 2001, although its website continues to exist and shows signs of an update in 2011, when FTC and congressional interest recurred. The group does not accept new members. [8]
• The Network Advertising Initiative had its origins in 1999, when the Federal Trade Commission showed interest in the privacy effects of online behavioral targeting. By 2003, when FTC interest in privacy regulation had diminished, the NAI had only two members. Enforcement and audit activity lapsed as well. NAI did not fulfill its promises or keep its standards up to date with current technology until 2008, when FTC interest increased. [9]
• The BBBOnline Privacy Program began in 1998, with a substantive operation that included verification, monitoring and review, consumer dispute resolution, a compliance seal, enforcement mechanisms and an educational component. Several hundred companies participated in the early years, but interest did not continue and BBBOnline stopped accepting applications in 2007. The program has now disappeared.
Not all privacy self-regulatory efforts were solely industry supported. Some were government sponsored in some manner, and there is one effort that involved consumers, academics, public interest groups as well as industry. These efforts included:
• The US-EU Safe Harbor Framework began in 2000 to ease the export of data from Europe to US companies that self-certified compliance with specified Safe Harbor standards. Three studies have documented that compliance was spotty, with many and perhaps most companies claiming to be in the Safe Harbor not meeting the requirements. The Department of Commerce continues to run the program but has undertaken negligible oversight or enforcement. Thus, the Safe Harbor Framework is a form of government-supervised self-regulation but with little evidence of active supervision. Some EU data protection authorities recently rejected reliance on the Safe Harbor framework because of its lack of reliability.
• The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which passed in 1998, involves both legislation and self-regulation. It is technically a form of government-supervised self-regulation. The COPPA law provides for a safe harbor provision [10] that is sometimes cited as a self-regulatory program. Industry participation in the COPPA safe harbor program is not widespread. Under COPPA, the same statutory standards apply whether a business is in the COPPA safe harbor program or not.
• The Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P) is a standard for communicating the privacy policies of a website to those who use the website. A user can retrieve a standardized machine-readable privacy policy from a website and use the information to make a decision about how to interact with the website. Sponsors presented a prototype at an FTC Workshop in 1997, and the first formal technical specification came in 2000. Major web browsers still support P3P in part, and there is some usage by websites. A 2010 study found that there are widespread errors in implementation of P3P requirements and that large numbers of websites that use P3P compact policies are misrepresenting their privacy practices, misleading users and making the privacy protection tools ineffective.
This report does not aim to be comprehensive. We have limited the scope to the early, leading efforts. Some privacy self-regulatory efforts developed or revived more recently. [11] The Network Advertising Initiative began in 1999 and nearly disappeared a few years later. NAI revived around 2008, when FTC interest in online privacy reawakened, and industry felt threatened once again by regulation and legislation. This report discusses the early iteration of the NAI. The NAI issued a new set of self-regulatory principles in 2008, and membership increased. The revival of NAI follows the earlier pattern so far. Because the new NAI effort is still underway, this report does not attempt to evaluate the NAI’s post-1998 efforts. The new NAI looks a lot like the old NAI, however. Also not reviewed in this report is TRUSTe. [12]
This section offers a historical review of privacy self-regulation that occurred in the years just before and just after 2000. For a variety of reasons, it is not necessarily fully comprehensive. Some self-regulatory efforts may have disappeared without a trace. Activities within existing trade associations are difficult or impossible to assess from evidence available to those outside the associations. However, this discussion captures the leading organizations of the time. [13]
This review does not generally attempt to complete a comprehensive analysis of the quality of each self-regulatory effort. The standards promulgated by the self-regulatory programs were often general and quickly became outdated because of technology and other changes. It appears that audits or reviews of compliance with self-regulatory standards were often not attempted, not completed, not credible, or not transparent. Finding original documents is often difficult or impossible now. However, there is enough available information to describe the programs, their rise, their activities, and in some cases, their demise.
The creation of the Individual Reference Services Group (IRSG) was announced in June 1997 at a workshop held by the Federal Trade Commission. [14] According to a document filed with the FTC, the group consisted of companies that offered individual reference services that provided information that identifies or locates individuals. [15] The IRSG reported fourteen “leading information industry companies” as members, including US Search.com, Acxiom, Equifax, Experian, Trans Union, and Lexis-Nexis. [16]
The IRSG described its self-regulatory activities in this manner:
The core of the IRSG’s self-regulatory effort is the self-imposed restriction on use and dissemination of non-public information about individuals in their personal (not business) capacity. In addition, IRSG members who supply non-public information to other individual reference services will provide such information only to companies that adopt or comply with the principles. The principles define the measures that IRSG members will take to protect against the misuse of this type of information. The restrictions on the use of non-public information are based on three possible types of distribution that the services provide. [17]
A principal purpose of the IRSG plan appeared to be to avoid any real regulation. It was successful in achieving that goal. In its 1999 report to Congress, the FTC recommended that the industry be left to regulate itself despite some significant shortcomings:
A. Recommendations Regarding the IRSG Principles
The Commission recommends that the IRSG Group be given the opportunity to demonstrate the viability of the IRSG Principles.
The present challenge is to protect consumers from threats to their psychological, financial, and physical well-being while preserving the free flow of truthful information and other important benefits of individual reference services. The Commission commends the initiative and concern on the part of the industry members who drafted and agreed to the IRSG Principles, an innovative and far- reaching self-regulatory program. The Principles address most concerns associated with the increased availability of non-public information through individual reference services. With the promising compliance assurance program, the Principles should substantially lessen the risk that information made available through the services is misused, and should address consumers’ concerns about the privacy of non-public information in the services’ databases. Therefore, the Commission recommends that the IRSG Group be given the opportunity to demonstrate the viability of the IRSG Principles. ***
The Commission looks to industry members to determine whether errors in the transmission, transcription, or compilation of public records and other publicly available information are sufficiently infrequent as to warrant no further controls. While the Commission believes the IRSG Principles address most areas of concern, certain issues remain unresolved. Most notably, the Principles fail to provide individuals with a means to access the public records and other publicly available information that individual reference services maintain about them. Thus, individuals cannot determine whether their records reflect inaccuracies caused during the transmission, transcription, or compilation of such information. The Commission believes that this shortcoming may be significant, yet recognizes that the precise extent of these types of inaccuracies and associated harm has not been established. An objective analysis could help resolve this issue. The IRSG Group has acknowledged the Commission’s position, and has demonstrated its awareness of this problem by (1) stating that it will seriously consider conducting a study of this issue and (2) agreeing to revisit the issue in eighteen months. The Commission looks to industry members to undertake the necessary measures to establish whether inaccuracies and associated harm resulting from errors in the transmission, transcription, or compilation of public records and other publicly available information are sufficiently infrequent as to warrant no further controls. [18]
One of the IRSG principles called for an annual “assurance review” for compliance with IRSG standards. [19] The IRSG also required that a summary of the report and any subsequent actions taken be publicly available. While the IRSG website contains some evidence that at least some IRSG members conducted reviews, the IRSG did not make the reports public on its website so it is not possible to determine whether the reviews were properly conducted, comprehensive, or otherwise meaningful. [20]
Once the threat of regulation evaporated or diminished, the IRSG continued in existence for a few years. In September 2001, approximately four years after it was established, the IRSG announced its termination. [21] The stated reason was that legislation made the self-regulatory principles no longer necessary.
“We are operating in a much different regulatory environment than we were when the IRSG was created in 1997,” said Ron Plesser with Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe LLP, whose firm represents the IRSG. “It doesn’t make sense to maintain a self-regulatory program when this information is now regulated under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.” [22]
However, the legislation cited as the reason for termination (The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) did not in fact regulate IRSG members. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act provided that each financial institution has an “affirmative and continuing obligation to respect the privacy of its customers and to protect the security and confidentiality of those customers’ nonpublic personal information.” [23] A financial institution is a company that offers financial products or services to individuals, like loans, financial or investment advice, or insurance. [24] The IRSG companies – companies that provide information that identifies or locates individuals – are not financial institutions under GLB. It is also noteworthy that GLB became law almost two years before it was cited as the reason for the end of the IRSG. GLB was a fig leaf that covered the lack of continuing industry support for the IRSG.
Why did the IRSG issue a deceptive statement about the reason for its termination? According to reports current at the time, the members of IRSG lost interest in supporting an expensive self- regulatory organization because they no longer felt threatened by legislation or regulatory activities.
The IRSG.org website is now owned by a link farm. [25]
A group of industry executives with members including IBM, Procter & Gamble, Ford, Compaq, and AT&T established the Privacy Leadership Initiative (PLI) in June 2000. [26] PLI promptly began an ad campaign in national publications to promote industry self-regulation of online consumer privacy. According to a contemporary news account, the PLI initiative “follows a recent Federal Trade Commission recommendation that Congress establish legislation to protect online consumer privacy.” [27]
A description of the PLI from its website in 2001 stated:
The Privacy Leadership Initiative was formed by leaders of a number of different companies and associations who believe that individuals should have a say in how and when their personal information can be used to their benefit.
The purpose of the PLI is to create a climate of trust which will accelerate acceptance of the Internet and the emerging Information Economy, both online and off-line, as a safe and secure marketplace. There, individuals can see the value they receive in return for sharing personally identifiable information and will understand the steps they can take to protect themselves. As a result of sharing, individuals will have the power to enhance the quality of their lives through personalized information, products and services. [28]
Another statement from the PLI website provides a more expansive statement of the origin and purpose of the organization:
The PLI was formed to provide consumers with increased knowledge and resources to help them make informed choices about sharing their personal information. We also help businesses, both large and small — in all industries — develop and maintain good privacy practices. Trust and choice are the foundation of good privacy practices, yet research shows that there is currently a lack of trust between consumers and businesses. Individuals must trust responsible businesses to use personal information in ways that benefit them — such as better, less expensive and personalized products and services — while also providing them with choices about how much personal information is gathered and by whom. Through the establishment of a common understanding about the benefits of exchanging personal information and how it can be safeguarded, the PLI will begin to restore consumer confidence.
Given that privacy is a question of trust and behavior, the PLI is developing an “etiquette”–model practices for the exchange of personal information between businesses and consumers. We will help create this code of conduct by engaging in a multi-year, multi-level effort to educate consumers and businesses. Specifically, the PLI will:
1. Conduct original research to measure and track attitudes and behavior changes among consumers and to better understand how the flow of information affects the economy and people’s lives on a day-to-day basis;
2. Compile and refine existing privacy guidelines and create The Privacy Manager’s Resource Center, a new service for that assists businesses in developing their privacy programs
3. Design an interactive Web site — understandingprivacy.org — to make privacy simpler for consumers, businesses, trade groups, journalists, academics, policymakers and all other interested parties; and
4. Educate consumers about technology and tools that protect their interests without diminishing the benefits of exchanging personal preferences with responsible companies.
Whether online or off, the flow of information is critical to the growth and success of our economy. Members of the PLI recognize that businesses must take an active role in ensuring that privacy practices evolve to meet consumer needs. While there is no simple answer for an issue this complex, for PLI members that means understanding what individuals want, tackling those challenges and initiating change, while being accountable and building confidence. These are the keys to creating a climate of trust between responsible businesses and consumers. [29]
Other accounts from the time support the notion that PLI was intended to promote self- regulation. A 2001 story on Internet privacy from a publication of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania focused on the self-regulation goal:
While Congress debates legislation on Capitol Hill, the business community is actively promoting other options. Chief among these is self-regulation.
Earlier this month, for example, the Privacy Leadership Initiative (PLI) – a group of executives from such companies as AT&T, Dell Computer, Ford, IBM and Procter & Gamble – announced a $30-$40 million campaign aimed at showing consumers how they can use technology to better protect their privacy online. [30]
By the middle of 2002, the threat of regulation has diminished enough so that PLI “transitioned” its activities to others. The BBBOnLine, a program of the Better Business Bureau system, [31] took over the PLI website (understandingprivacy.org). The BBBOnline privacy program, which lasted longer than the PLI, is no longer operational, and its details are discussed elsewhere in this paper.
By the middle of September 2002, the transition of the website to BBBOnLine appeared to be complete. [32] However, by January 2008, the understandingprivacy.org website had changed entirely, offering visitors an answer to the question Can microwave popcorn cause lung disease? [33] By the beginning of 2011, the understandingprivacy.org website was controlled by Media Insights, a creator of “content-rich Internet publications.” [34] Other Media Insights websites include BunnyRabbits.org, Feathers.org and PetBirdReport.com. [35] It is an ignominious end point.
The Online Privacy Alliance36 was created in 1998 by former Federal Trade Commissioner Christine Varney. [37] OPA’s earliest available webpage described the organization as a cross- industry coalition of more than 60 global corporations and associations. [38]
The first paragraph of the background page on its website stated clearly its interest in promoting self-regulation:
Businesses, consumers, reporters and policy makers at home and abroad are watching closely to see how well the private sector fulfills its commitment to create a credible system of self-regulation that protects privacy online. One of the most important signs that self-regulation works is the growing number of web sites posting privacy policies. [39]
In July 1998, OPA released a paper describing Effective Enforcement of Self-regulation. [40] In November 1999, a representative of the OPA appeared at an FTC workshop on online profiling and participated in a session on the role of self-regulation. [41] OPA self-regulatory principles were cited by industry representatives before the FTC and elsewhere. [42]
It is difficult to chart with precision the deterioration of the OPA. By all appearances, the OPA is defunct. It no longer accepts members, and the primary evidence of its activity is continuing small changes to their website. A review of webpages available at the Internet Archive shows a decline of original OPA activities starting in the early 2000s. For example, the first webpage available for 2004 prominently lists OPA news, but the first item shown is dated March 2002 and the next most recent item is dated November 2001. [43] The OPA news on the first webpage available for 2005 shows four press stories from 2004, but the most recent OPA item was still November 2001. [44] By 2008, The OPA news on the first webpage available for that year shows 2 news stories from 2006, and no reported OPA activity more recent than 2001. [45] There is little or no evidence after 2001 of OPA activities or participation at the Federal Trade Commission. [46]
The threat that fostered the creation of the OPA apparently had disappeared. Wikipedia categorizes OPA under defunct privacy organizations. [47]
The OPA website continues to exist and appears to have been reformatted and updated at some time after 2008. The website has some links to recent new items, but a More OPA News link at the bottom connects to a webpage that shows no item more recent than 2001. [48] The main OPA webpage also includes links to old OPA documents such as Guidelines for Online Privacy Policies (approximately 533 words) and Guidelines for Effective Enforcement of Self-Regulation (approximately 1269 words). The website continues to offer old items, such as an OPA Commentary to the Mission Statement and Guidelines dated November 19, 1998. [49]
The list of members on its website as recently as May 2011 included at least one company (Cendant) that no longer existed at that time. [50] The membership page was not dated, and members number approximately 30, or less than half the number reported in 1998. The website now reports that membership is “closed”.
The Network Advertising Initiative [51] (1999-2007 version)
The network advertising industry announced the formation of the Network Advertising Initiative at an FTC workshop in 1999. NAI issued its standards, a 21-page document, the next year. [52] The core concept – the opt-out cookie – has been criticized as a technical and policy failure, and it remains highly controversial. [53] The NAI is of particular note because the Federal Trade Commission voted on its creation.
When it began, NAI membership consisted of 12 companies, which was a fraction of the industry engaging in behavioral ad targeting. By 2002, membership hit a low of two companies. [54] This was a significant lack of participation by the industry. When the NAI created a category of associate members who were not required to be in full compliance with the NAI standards, membership increased, with associate members outnumbering regular members by 2006. Eventually, NAI eliminated the associate membership category. [55]
The NAI delegated enforcement of its standards to TRUSTe, an unusual action given that TRUSTe was a member of NAI for one year. [56] Over several years, the scope of TRUSTe public reporting on NAI complaints decreased consistently until 2006, when separate reporting about NAI by TRUSTe stopped altogether. [57] There is no evidence that the audits of NAI members that were required by NAI principles were conducted. No information about audits of members was ever made public. [58]
Much of the pressure that produced the NAI came from the Federal Trade Commission. Industry reacted in 1999 to an FTC behavioral advertising workshop, and the NAI self-regulatory principles were drafted with the support of the FTC. [59] Pressure from the FTC diminished or disappeared quickly, and by 2002, only two NAI members remained. When the FTC again showed interest in online behavioral advertising in 2008, the NAI began to take steps to fix the problems that had developed with its 2000 principles. [60] One of those steps was “promoting more robust self-regulation by today opening a 45-day public comment period concurrent with the release of a new draft 2008 NAI Principles.” [61] NAI never sought public comment on the original principles.
Because we remain in a period of renewed Federal Trade Commission and congressional interest in privacy, it is too soon to evaluate the new NAI efforts. Only when the pressure for better privacy rules has faded will it be possible to evaluate the new NAI activities fairly.
There were substantive problems with the original NAI principles as well. The conclusion of the World Privacy Forum Report summarizes the NAI failures:
The NAI has failed. The agreement is foundationally flawed in its approach to what online means and in its choice of the opt-out cookie as a core feature. The NAI opt-out does not work consistently and fails to work at all far too often. Further, the opt-out is counter-intuitive, difficult to accomplish, easily deleted by consumers, and easily circumvented. The NAI opt-out was never a great idea, and time has shown both that consumers have not embraced it and that companies can easily evade its purpose. The original NAI agreement has increasingly limited applicability to today’s tracking and identification techniques. Secret cache cookies, Flash cookies, cookie re-setting techniques, hidden UserData files, Silverlight cookies and other technologies and techniques can be used to circumvent the narrow confines of the NAI agreement. Some of these techniques, Flash cookies in particular, are in widespread use already. These persistent identifiers are not transparent to consumers. The very point of the NAI self- regulation was to make the invisible visible to consumers so there would be a fair balance between consumer interests and industry interests. NAI has not maintained transparency as promised.
The behavioral targeting industry did not embrace its own self-regulation. At no time does it appear that a majority of behavioral targeters belong to NAI. For two years, the NAI had only two members. In 2007 with the scheduling of the FTC’s new Town Hall meeting on the subject, several companies joined NAI or announced an intention to join. Basically, the industry appears interested in supporting or giving the appearance of supporting self-regulation only when alternatives are under consideration. Enforcement of the NAI has been similarly troubled. The organization tasked with enforcing the NAI was allowed to become a member of the NAI for one year. This decision reveals poor judgment on the part of the NAI and on the part of TRUSTe, the NAI enforcement organization. Further, the reporting of enforcement has been increasingly opaque as TRUSTe takes systematic steps away from transparent reporting on the NAI. If the enforcement of the NAI is neither independent nor transparent, then how can anyone determine if the NAI is an effective self-regulatory scheme? The result of all of these and other deficiencies is that the protections promised to consumers have not been realized. The NAI self-regulatory agreement has failed to meet the goals it has stated, and it has failed to meet the expectations and goals the FTC laid out for it. The NAI has failed to deliver on its promises to consumers. [62]
The NAI self-regulatory effort that began in 1999 was a demonstrable failure within a few years.
The BBBOnline Privacy Program began in 1998, in response to “the need identified by the Clinton Administration and businesses for a major self-regulation initiative to protect consumer privacy on the Net and to respond to the European privacy initiatives.” [63] Founding sponsors included leading businesses, such as AT&T, GTE, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Procter & Gamble, Sony Electronics, Visa, and Xerox. [64] The program was operated by the Council of Better Business Bureaus through its subsidiary, BBBOnLine. There may have been some consumer group participation in the development of the BBBOnLine privacy program.
The BBBOnline Privacy Program was much more extensive than many other efforts at the time. It included “verification, monitoring and review, consumer dispute resolution, a compliance seal, enforcement mechanisms and an educational component.” [65] To qualify, a company had to post a privacy notice telling consumers what personal information is being collected, how it will be used, choices they have in terms of use. Participants also had to verify security measures taken to protect their information, abide by their posted privacy policies, and agree to an independent verification by BBBOnLine. Companies had to participate in the programs’ dispute resolution service, [66] a service that operated under a 17-page set of detailed procedures. [67] The dispute resolution service also reported publicly statistics about its operations. [68] As noted above, the BBBOnLine Privacy Program took over the Privacy Leadership Initiative website (understandingprivacy.org) when PLI ended operations in 2002. The BBBOnline Privacy Program was considerably more robust than most, if not all, of the contemporary privacy-self- regulatory activities.
It is difficult to determine how many companies participated in the BBBOnline privacy program. A 2000 Federal Trade Commission report on online privacy said that “[o]ver 450 sites representing 244 companies have been licensed to post the BBBOnLine Privacy Seal since the program was launched” in March 1999. [69] Whether the numbers increased in subsequent years is unknown, but the number reported in 2000 clearly represent a tiny fraction of websites and companies. It may be that the more rigorous requirements that BBBOnline asked its members to meet was a factor in dissuading many companies from participating.
BBBOnline stopped accepting applications for its privacy program sometime in 2007. [70] The specific reasons the program terminated are not clear, but it seems likely that it was the result of lack of support, participation, and interest. Self-regulation for the purpose of avoiding real regulation is one thing, but the active and substantial self-regulation offered by BBBOnline may have been too much for many potential participants. BBBOnline continues to operate other programs, including an EU Safe Harbor dispute resolution service, [71] but there is no evidence on its website of the original BBBOnline privacy program. Interestingly, some companies continue to cite the now-defunct BBBOnline privacy program in their privacy policies. [72]
This section reviews several other privacy self-regulatory activities that share some characteristics with the industry self-regulatory programs discussed above, but these activities differ in various ways. The most noticeable differences are the role of the government in the programs. The Department of Commerce is involved in the Safe Harbor Framework, and the Federal Trade Commission is involved in the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
Department of Commerce Safe Harbor Framework [73]
The Safe Harbor Framework operated by the Department of Commerce started in 2000 with an agreement between the Department and the European Commission. [74] The Safe Harbor Framework differs somewhat from the other self-regulatory activities discussed in this report because of the role played by the Department. However, the Department’s role in the Safe Harbor Framework did not prevent the deterioration of the Safe Harbor over time or stop the lack of compliance by companies that participated in the Safe Harbor.
With the adoption of the European Union’s Data Protection Directive [75] in 1995 and its implementation in 1998, much of the concern about transborder data flows of personal information centered on the export restriction policies of the Directive. Article 25 of the Directive generally provides that exports of personal data from EU Member States to third countries are allowed if the third country ensures an adequate level of protection. [76] While the EU determined that some countries (e.g., Argentina, Canada, and Switzerland) provide an adequate level of privacy protection according to EU standards, the United States has never been evaluated for adequacy or determined to be adequate.
Restrictions on exports of personal data from Europe created some significant problems and uncertainties for both US and EU businesses, including online businesses. Pressured by the American business community, the Commerce Department intervened to resolve the threats to US business presented by the Data Protection Directive.
The Safe Harbor framework [77] was the result. It allows US organizations to publicly declare that they will comply with the requirements. An organization must self-certify annually to the Department of Commerce in writing that it agrees to adhere to the Safe Harbor’s requirements. There are seven areas of privacy standards covering notice, choice, onward transfer (transfers to third parties), access, security, data integrity, and enforcement. Safe Harbor documentation describes the requirements and provides an interpretation of the obligations. [78] To qualify for the Safe Harbor, an organization can (1) join a self-regulatory privacy program that adheres to the Safe Harbor’s requirements; or (2) develop its own self-regulatory privacy policy that conforms to the Safe Harbor. The Safe Harbor Framework has its own standards, voluntary certification, and some external method of enforcement so that it is similar to the self-regulatory activities considered earlier this report.
The International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce now operates the Safe Harbor framework. The Commerce Department website maintains a list of organizations that filed self-certification letters. Only organizations that are subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission or the Department of Transportation are eligible to participate. This limitation means that many companies and organizations that transfer personal information internationally cannot qualify for participation either in whole or in part.
Three studies of the Safe Harbor Framework were conducted since the start of Safe Harbor. The first study was conducted in 2001 at the request of the European Commission Internal Market DG. [79] The second study, completed in 2004, was also conducted at the request the European Commission Internal Market DG. An international group of academics conducted the study. [80] The third study was prepared by Chris Connolly, director of an Australian management consulting company with expertise consultants in privacy, authentication, electronic commerce, and new technology. [81]
Overall, the three studies found the same problems with Safe Harbor. Companies that claim to meet the Safe Harbor requirements are not actually in compliance with those requirements. Evidence from the three reports suggests that the number of companies not in compliance has increased over time.
There is no evidence of improvement in the administration of the Department’s Safe Harbor activities. Perhaps the most prominent response to the reports of noncompliance was the addition of a disclaimer on the Department’s Safe Harbor website indicating that Department cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information it maintains. [82] It appears that the Department has made some changes to its website over the years, but there remains a lack of evidence of any substantive efforts by the Department to monitor or enforce compliance.
While the Safe Harbor Framework is not a pure industry-run self-regulatory activity because of the role of the Department of Commerce, it shares characteristics of industry self-regulatory activities, namely interest in the Safe Harbor Framework diminished over time, and business support and participation deteriorated. Enforcement has been rare, and the Department never conducted or required audits of participants.
The shortcomings of the Safe Harbor Framework have come to the attention of some data protection authorities in Europe. In April 2010, the Düsseldorfer Kreis, a working group comprised of the 16 German federal state data protection authorities with authority over the private sector, adopted a resolution applicable to those who export data from Germany to US organizations that self-certified compliance with the Safe Harbor Framework. The resolution tells German data exporters that they must verify whether a self-certified data importer in the US actually complies with the Safe Harbor requirements. [83]
Essentially, the action by the German state data protection authorities rejects in significant part the Safe Harbor Framework, particularly the self-certification as it appears on the Department of Commerce website. The Düsseldorfer Kreis makes this clear when it states that the reason for its action is that “comprehensive control of US-American companies’ self-certifications by supervisory authorities in Europe and in the US is not guaranteed…” [84]
The Department has ignored repeated evidence that many or most Safe Harbor participants are not in compliance with the requirements. Instead, in a recent green paper, the Department claimed that the Safe Harbor Framework was “successful.” [85] It is not clear what standard the Department used to measure the success of the Safe Harbor Framework. All available evidence strongly suggests a substantial lack of compliance with the Safe Harbor Framework.
The safe harbor provision in the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) [86] is sometimes cited as a self-regulatory program. For that reason, COPPA is discussed here. However, it is crucial to note that COPPA self-regulation is significantly different from the others discussed in this report. The companies in a COPPA safe harbor must follow all the substantive standards established in the COPPA statute and FTC regulations, meaning that a participant in a safe harbor program must do everything that a non-participant must do plus bear the cost of the safe harbor. The standards cannot be changed by the participants in the self- regulatory program. The FTC formally oversees and approves COPPA safe harbor programs, a characteristic that other self-regulatory programs reviewed here lacked. [87]
In effect, the COPPA safe harbor programs mostly engage in limited enforcement of the statute and relieve the Commission of some of the burden. This may have some benefits overall. It should not be surprising that industry participation in the safe harbor aspect of COPPA is limited. Whether COPPA self-regulation is a success or failure is a subject for reasonable debate, but COPPA has fewer characteristics of failure than the industry self-regulation discussed earlier. For example, there is a formal input procedure for consumers, the safe harbor program has not disappeared, and there has been COPPA enforcement by the FTC. The COPPA model does not appear to be a model in current use outside of this instance. The reason may be that self- regulatory activities under a legislative scheme have little attraction when the principal purpose of industry self-regulation for privacy has been avoidance of regulation in the first place.
The self-regulatory efforts in this category include projects that have many components, including input from government, industry, academia, and civil society.
The Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P) is a technical standard for communicating the privacy policies of a website to those who use the website. A user can retrieve a standardized machine-readable privacy policy from a website and use the information to make a decision about how to interact with the website. Each user can match the privacy policy against the user’s individual privacy preferences.
P3P allows a browser to understand a website privacy policy in a simplified and organized manner, without the need for a user to find and read a lengthy privacy policy. With the proper browser settings, P3P will automatically block any cookies from a website with a privacy policy that the user determined to be objectionable.
The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) supported the early work that eventually resulted in P3P. [88] CDT convened an Internet Privacy Working Group that drafted a mission statement, with companies, trade associations, and consumer groups participating. A presentation of a prototype was presented at an FTC Workshop in 1997. [89]
Later in the same year, P3P became a project of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web. The working group included representatives of companies, academia, and government. [90] The work of drafting the formal specification took some time, and version 1.0 was finally published at the end of 2000. [91] A later specification was published in 2006. [92]
Microsoft included some support for P3P in its browser, Internet Explorer. [93] The Firefox browser from Mozilla also provides some support. [94] The E-Government Act of 2002 [95] included a requirement that federal agency websites translate privacy policies into a standardized machine- readable format, [96] and P3P is the only specification that meets the requirements. [97] It was a promising start.
However, the extent to which commercial websites and even government websites attempted to implement P3P or succeeded in doing so in the long term is highly uncertain. A 2008 published review of P3P by Professor Lorrie Faith Cranor found P3P adoption increasing overall but that P3P adoption rates greatly vary across industries. Other findings are that P3P had been deployed on 10% of the sites returned in the top-20 results of typical searches, and on 21% of the sites in the top-20 results of e-commerce searches. Review of over 5,000 web sites in both 2003 and 2006 found that P3P deployment increased over that period, although there were decreases in some sectors. The review also found high rates of syntax errors among P3P policies, but much lower rates of critical errors that prevent a P3P user agent from interpreting them. Privacy policies of P3P-enabled popular websites were found to be similar to the privacy policies of popular websites that do not use P3P. [98]
An analysis published two years later by the CyLab at Carnegie Mellon University looked at over 33,000 websites using P3P compact policies and “detected errors on 11,176 of them, including 134 TRUSTe-certified websites and 21 of the top 100 most-visited sites.” [99] The study also found thousands of sites using identical invalid compact policies (CP) that had been recommended as workarounds for Internet Explorer cookie blocking. Other sites had CPs with typos in their tokens, or other errors. Fully 98% of invalid CPs resulted in cookies remaining unblocked by Internet Explorer under its default cookie settings. The analysis concluded that it “appears that large numbers of websites that use [compact policies] are misrepresenting their privacy practices, thus misleading users and rendering privacy protection tools ineffective.” [100] The study concluded that companies do not have sufficient incentives to provide accurate machine-readable privacy policies. [101]
In other words, the self-regulatory aspects of P3P do not appear to be working, with the CyLab study suggesting that lack of enforcement by regulators is a problem. [102] Neither P3P nor any industry trade association offers a P3P enforcement method.
P3P has some of the indicia of industry self-regulation in that it was inspired in part by FTC interest and motivated in part by an industry interest in avoiding legislation or regulation. [103] The involvement in P3P’s development and promotion by consumer groups and the White House together with industry representatives differentiates P3P from the other industry efforts discussed earlier in this report. Another differentiator is the legislative requirement that federal agencies use P3P or similar technology. P3P shares sufficient characteristics with the self-regulatory programs discussed in this report to warrant its inclusion here.
Some privacy groups opposed P3P from the beginning, largely because of concerns that it would prevent privacy legislation from passing. Company views of the project also varied. [104] It is not clear how much attention P3P has received in recent years from companies or privacy groups.
Unlike some of the self-regulatory activities discussed in Part II of this analysis, P3P remains in use. However, given the findings of the 2010 study of widespread misrepresentation of privacy policies by those using P3P, it is hard to call P3P any kind of success. Further, the study provides strong evidence of deliberate deception in implementation of P3P at some websites. Internet users appear to have little knowledge of P3P, although public awareness may not be essential since the controls are built into browsers and users appear to be concerned about the privacy policies that P3P is designed to convey. [105] Like the Commerce Department’s Safe Harbor Framework, P3P continues to exist, but both programs are so lacking in rigor and compliance that neither is fulfilling its original purpose.
Is there any reason to think that privacy self-regulation will work today when it did not work in the past? Privacy self-regulation done in the same way that it has been done in the past, without sufficient consumer participation, and with the same goals of simply evading real regulation and effective privacy controls will continue to fail.
What should be done if privacy self-regulation cannot succeed is beyond the scope of this report. This report does not advocate for regulation or against improved self-regulation. The point is that there is no reason to believe that this time will be different when it comes to privacy self- regulation done in ways that have been proved to lead to failure. New approaches are needed if the goal is to offer consumer valuable, effective, and balanced privacy protections that last.
If privacy self-regulation today is constructed in the same way as in the past, will it fail in the same way as before? Questions abound. Should self-regulation cover website advertisers? Internet service providers? Data brokers? Social networking sites? Companies using location information? Apps providers? All websites? Defining the Internet universe is daunting, and even within slices of that universe, definitions and boundaries will be difficult to establish. The past history of even the best-intentioned of self-regulatory efforts shows how quickly policy can be outdated by industry and Internet developments.
The web is changing too rapidly to expect that any given form of traditional industry-supported privacy self-regulation will make sense in a year or two. Companies track the activities of individuals today in ways that were not contemplated even a year or two ago. Companies often have no reason to expose to public view their data processing functions for definition or measurement lest they reveal a marketplace advantage.
In most areas of online activity that involve personal information, the number of companies is unknown and highly variable. To determine the penetration of self-regulation coverage, there has to be both a known, demonstrable denominator of companies that fall within the self-regulatory scheme and a numerator of those companies that are participating in the scheme. Without this basic information, there is no real way to measure the penetration of privacy self-regulation. For example, if a list of Internet advertising companies exists at all, that list will go out of date almost immediately. Thus, it is difficult to determine what percentage of the defined universe has agreed to any specific self-regulatory scheme. Even if it were possible to calculate these numbers for past privacy self-regulatory activities, the penetration would likely be low and highly variable over time.
Measuring activity though another measure (rather than the number of companies) would probably require access to information that industry would argue to be proprietary. Thus, it is harder than ever to even make basic judgments about the scope and effect of any industry- supported privacy self-regulation.
There is more at stake financially today. Revenues from personal data activities are huge. If a self-regulatory scheme had any real effect on revenues or profits, those who stayed out of the scheme could profit at the expense of those who participated. It is hard to see how a race to the bottom effect would be avoided. Still, because there are so many companies and so much money involved in the Internet space, only a small percentage of companies need to participate in a privacy self-regulatory scheme to provide an impressive amount of resources that will make the self-regulation look better than it is. Millions for show, but pennies for substance.
A poorly designed privacy self-regulation scheme that has limited market penetration and insufficient enforcement may be good enough to fool potential regulators once again. Industry is well aware that a little will go a long way for public relations purposes. Industry knows that it only needs to keep a self-regulatory program alive for a limited period. Current debates about privacy self-regulation do not place the burden on industry to prove how proposed self- regulatory privacy programs are going to be substantively different than past efforts, at least in public view.
The Federal Trade Commission has no effective means of issuing privacy regulations because of current limits on its statutory authority. This is a structural problem that essentially compels the agency to look favorably at self-regulation because it has no alternative to offer. The FTC can always recommend legislation, but it is not clear that an FTC recommendation will be influential, that privacy legislation can pass the Congress, or that the FTC can manage to support any legislative recommendation.
Privacy self-regulation as supported by industry today suffers from the same lack of tension as in the past. Without meaningful, independent participation (e.g., by privacy and consumer advocates) in the development and oversight of privacy self-regulation, the self-regulatory standards and enforcement will be just as insufficient as they were in the past. Industry-financed oversight will not succeed because industry does not want it to be effective. For-profit privacy standards will not succeed because the pressure for profits overwhelms the efforts of would-be enforcers.
Privacy self-regulation cannot be meaningful if companies are free to drop out of any self- regulatory scheme at will or to join a different self-regulatory scheme that has weaker standards. Would-be self-regulators are not likely to sue former members. Privacy commitments typically come with a caveat that they can be changed at will at any time without notice. For-profit companies overseeing privacy standards will not be likely to discipline paying members effectively lest they lose revenues or deter participation from new players.
The threat of Federal Trade Commission action is loudly touted by self-regulators as an effective enforcement method. Reliance on Commission enforcement of self-regulation is a challenge, as industry knows that the Commission does not have the resources to enforce a self-regulation scheme covering hundreds or thousands of companies.
This is the case notwithstanding the absence of meaningful Commission activity against those who ignored or discontinued privacy self-regulation. How can the Commission take action against an industry-supported self-regulatory program that has lost all industry support?
The history lesson here poses challenges to the present efforts for codes of conduct or self- regulation. Self-regulation, done in the same ways as it has been done in the past, is not a hopeful way forward. However, the history lesson is not without hope. This report notes key factors that have been salient in the self-regulatory failures. These factors need to be studied and avoided. This report also notes factors that might lay groundwork for success, gleaned from observation of what has not worked. No matter what, one thing is quite certain: there is no need to repeat the past again.
It is not the primary purpose of this report to put forward a set of criteria for a meaningful and effective privacy self-regulatory regime. However, it is clear from past experience that some approaches are more likely to produce more positive results and some are not likely to result in a change from the past. In looking at past challenges to success (lack of membership, short duration, no consumer representation, etc.) we are able to set out some basic qualities needed for improvement.
Tension in the Process
Successful privacy self-regulation requires standards responsive to the actual problems, robust policies, meaningful enforcement, and effective remedies. Privacy self-regulation of industry, by industry, and for industry will not succeed. Tension in self-regulation can be provided by a defined and permanent role for consumers who are the intended beneficiaries of privacy protection. Government may also be able to play a role, but government cannot be relied upon as the sole overseer of the process. The past has shown that the interest of the FTC waxed and waned with the political cycle, and the Department of Commerce did not provide sufficient oversight.
The scope of a self-regulatory regime must be clearly defined at the start. It must apply to a reasonable segment of industry, and it must attract a reasonable percentage of the industry as participants. There must be a method to assess the penetration of the self-regulatory regime in the defined industry.
Any self-regulatory regime should be based on Fair Information Practices (FIPs). Implementation of FIPs will vary with the industry and circumstances, but all elements of FIPs should be addressed in some reasonable fashion.
Open Public Process
The development of basic policies and enforcement methods should take place to a reasonable degree in a public process open to every relevant perspective. The process for development of privacy self-regulatory standards should have a reasonable degree of openness, and there should be a full opportunity for public comment before any material decisions become permanent. Consumers must be able to select their own representatives. Neither government nor those who are to be regulated should select consumer participants – the selection should be up to the consumers.
The organization that operates a privacy self-regulatory system needs to have some independence from those who are subject to the self-regulation. Those who commit to comply with privacy self-regulation must make a public commitment to comply for a term of years and a financial commitment for that entire period.
Past self-regulatory efforts and codes of conduct lack benchmarks for success. What constitutes success? Is it membership? Market share? Is it actual enforcement of the program? Without specific benchmarks for a privacy program, it is much more difficult to gauge success in real- time. Without the ability to accurately assess activities within a current program, both success and failure are more difficult to ascertain and may only be gleaned in hindsight.
A Note on Methods
This historical review of privacy self-regulation is based on an extensive literature review, both online and offline, and includes information that was publicly available. This report covers the leading self-regulatory efforts. Some self-regulatory efforts may have disappeared without leaving a public record. Also, privacy seal programs arose during the period of this review, but some disappeared entirely and none developed sufficient credibility or public recognition to warrant investigation in this report beyond those noted in the report. Some activities within existing trade associations are difficult or impossible to assess from evidence available to those outside the associations.
This report was published October 14, 2011. The full report is available at www.worldprivacyforum.org/pdf/WPFselfregulationhistory.pdf. Any updates to the report will be posted to this URL.
http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/2005/07/appendix-b-source-code-of-the-redirects-at-misleading-domains/
[13] Also, privacy seal programs arose during the period of this review, but some disappeared entirely. None beyond BBBOnline and TRUSTe developed sufficient credibility, reliability, or public recognition to warrant investigation in this report.
[14] Federal Trade Commission, Individual Reference Services, A Report to Congress (1997), http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/privacy/wkshp97/irsdoc1.htm (last visited 9/20/11).
[15] Individual Reference Services Group, Industry Principles — Commentary (Dec. 15, 1997), http://www.ftc.gov/os/1997/12/irsappe.pdf (last visited 9/20/11).
[16] http://web.archive.org/web/19990125100333/http://www.irsg.org (last visited 9/20/11).
[18] Federal Trade Commission, Individual Reference Services, A Report to Congress (1997) (Commission Recommendations), http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/privacy/wkshp97/irsdoc1.htm (last visited 9/20/11).
[19] http://web.archive.org/web/20020210151622/www.irsg.org/html/3rd_party_assessments.htm (last visited 9/20/11).
[20] See http://web.archive.org/web/20020215163015/www.irsg.org/html/irsg_assessment_letters–2000.htm (last visited 9/20/11). Whether the reports were made public in other ways has not been explored.
[21] http://web.archive.org/web/20020202103820/www.irsg.org/html/termination.htm (last visited 9/20/11).
[23] 15 U.S.C. § 6801(a).
[24] 15 U.S.C. § 6809(3). See also Federal Trade Commission, In Brief: The Financial Privacy Requirements of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (2002), http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus53-brief-financial-privacy-requirements- gramm-leach-bliley-act (last visited 9/20/11).
[25] See www.irsg.org (last visited 9/20/11).
[26] See Marcia Savage, New Industry Alliance Addresses Online Privacy, Computer Reseller News (06/19/00), http://technews.acm.org/articles/2000-2/0621w.html#item13 (last visited 9/20/11).
[28] http://web.archive.org/web/20010411210453/www.understandingprivacy.org/content/about/index.cfm (last visited 9/20/11).
[29] http://web.archive.org/web/20010419185921/www.understandingprivacy.org/content/about/fact.cfm (last visited 9/20/11).
[30] Up for Sale: How Best to Protect Privacy on the Internet, Knowledge@Wharton (March 19, 2001), http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=325 (last visited 9/20/11).
[31] Press Release, Privacy Leadership Initiative Transfers Initiatives to Established Business Groups (July 1, 2002), http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1872940/Privacy-Leadership-Initiative-Transfers-Initiatives.html (last visited 9/20/11).
[32] http://web.archive.org/web/20020914095335/www.bbbonline.org/understandingprivacy (last visited 9/20/11).
[33] http://web.archive.org/web/20080118171946/http://www.understandingprivacy.org (last visited 9/20/11).
[34] http://www.mediainsights.com (last visited 9/20/11).
[36] The main webpages for the organization are at www.privacyalliance.org. However, for a brief period starting in 2005, the Internet Archive shows that the organization also maintained webpages at www.privacyalliance.com. The first pages reported by the Internet Archive for www.privacyalliance.org are dated December 2, 1998.
[37] http://web.archive.org/web/19990209062744/www.privacyalliance.org/join/background.shtml (last visited 9/20/11).
[39] http://web.archive.org/web/19990209062744/www.privacyalliance.org/join/background.shtml (last visited 2/8/11).
[40] http://web.archive.org/web/19981202200600/http://www.privacyalliance.org (last visited 9/20/11).
[41] http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/profiling/991108agenda.htm (last visited 9/20/11).
[42] See, e.g., Statement of Mark Uncapher, Vice President and Counsel, Information Technology Association of America, before the Federal Trade Commission Public Workshop on Online Profiling (October 18, 1999), http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/profiling/comments/uncapher.htm (last visited 9/20/11).
[46] www.ftc.gov (last visited 9/20/11)
[47] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_Privacy_Alliance (last visited 9/20/11).
[48] http://www.privacyalliance.org/news (last visited 9/20/11).
[49] http://www.privacyalliance.org/news/12031998-4.shtml (last visited 9/20/11).
[50] http://web.archive.org/web/20110512024943/http://www.privacyalliance.org/members (last visited 9/20/11)
[51] This summary is adapted from a comprehensive review of the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) published by the World Privacy Forum in 2007. The WPF report is THE NETWORK ADVERTISING INITIATIVE: Failing at Consumer Protection and at Self-Regulation. The WPF report contains citations and support for the conclusions presented here. http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/pdf/WPF_NAI_report_Nov2_2007fs.pdf (last visited 9/20/11).
[52] Id. at 7-8.
[53] Id. at 14-16.
[54] Id at 28-29.
[56] Id. at 25.
[59] Id. at 9.
[60] See, e.g., Network Advertising Initiative, Written Comments in Response to the Federal Trade Commission Staff’s Proposed Behavioral Advertising Principles (April 2008), http://www.ftc.gov/os/comments/behavioraladprinciples/080410nai.pdf (last visited 9/20/11).
[62] World Privacy Forum NAI Report at 39.
[63] New Release, Better Business Bureau, BBBOnLine Privacy Program Created to Enhance User Trust on the Internet (June 22, 1998), http://www.bbb.org/us/article/bbbonline-privacy-program-created-to-enhance-user-trust- on-the-internet-163 (last visited 2/10/11).
[65] The earliest web presence for the BBB Online Privacy Program appeared at the end of 2000. http://web.archive.org/web/20010119180300/www.bbbonline.org/privacy (last visited 9/20/11).
[66] http://web.archive.org/web/20010201170700/http://www.bbbonline.org/privacy/how.asp (last visited 9/20/11).
[67] http://web.archive.org/web/20030407011013/www.bbbonline.org/privacy/dr.pdf (last visited 9/20/11).
[68] See, e.g., http://web.archive.org/web/20070124235138/www.bbbonline.org/privacy/dr/2005q3.asp (last visited 9/20/11). While the BBBOnline privacy program dispute procedures were better and more transparent than other comparable procedures, the BBBOnline dispute resolution service was controversial in various ways. In 2000, for example, questions were raised when the BBBOnline Privacy Program, under pressure from the subject of a complaint, vacated an earlier decision and substituted a decision more favorable to the complaint subject.
[69] Federal Trade Commission, Privacy Online: Fair Information Practices in the Electronic Marketplace, A Report To Congress 6 (2000), http://www.ftc.gov/reports/privacy2000/privacy2000.pdf (last visited 9/20/11).
[70] http://web.archive.org/web/20070830164536rn_1/www.bbbonline.org/privacy (last visited 2/10/11).
[71] http://www.bbb.org/us/european-union-dispute-resolution (last visited 9/20/11). It is not clear if BBBOnline has actually handled any US-EU Safe Harbor complaints.
[72] See, e.g., the Equifax Online Privacy Policy & Fair Information Principles, http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/pdf/equifaxprivacypolicydec5.pdf (last visited 9/20/11); Good Feet, http://goodfeet.com/about-us/privacy-policy (last visited 9/20/11).
[73] This summary is adapted from an analysis of the Department of Commerce’s international privacy
activities published by the World Privacy Forum in 2010. The WPF report is The US Department of
Commerce and International Privacy Activities: Indifference and Neglect. The WPF report contains
additional citations and support for the conclusions presented here. See: http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/pdf/USDepartmentofCommerceReportfs.pdf (last visited 9/20/11).
[74] All Safe Harbor documents can be found at http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/eg_main_018237.asp (last visited 9/20/11).
[75] Council Directive 95/46, art. 28, on the Protection of Individuals with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data and on the Free Movement of such Data, 1995 O.J. (L 281/47), http://eur- lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31995L0046:EN:HTML (last visited 9/20/11).
[76] Other grounds for data exports are not relevant here.
[77] http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/eu/eg_main_018476.asp (last visited 9/20/11).
[79] The Functioning of the US-EU Safe Harbor Privacy Principles, (September 21, 2001). This study was reportedly published by the European Commission, but a copy has not been located on the EU’s data protection webpage or elsewhere on the Internet. The study author is not identified in the document, but a Commission official publicly identified Professor Joel R. Reidenberg, Fordham University Law School, as the author, and the 2004 Study also identified Professor Reidenberg as the author. See 2004 Study at note 2.
[80] Safe Harbour Decision Implementation Study (2004), http://ec.europa.eu/justice/policies/privacy/docs/studies/safe-harbour-2004_en.pdf (last visited 9/20/11). As identified in the paper, the authors are Jan Dhont, María Verónica Pérez Asinari, and Prof. Dr. Yves Poullet (Centre de Recherche Informatique et Droit, University of Namur, Belgium) with the assistance of Prof. Dr. Joel R. Reidenberg (Fordham University School of Law, New York, USA) and Dr. Lee A. Bygrave (Norwegian Research Centre for Computers and Law, University of Oslo, Norway).
[81] The US Safe Harbor – Fact or Fiction? (2008), http://www.galexia.com/public/research/assets/safe_harbor_fact_or_fiction_2008/safe_harbor_fact_or_fiction.pdf (last visited 9/20/11).
[82] See https://www.export.gov/safehrbr/list.aspx (last visited 9/20/11) (“In maintaining the list, the Department of Commerce does not assess and makes no representations to the adequacy of any organization’s privacy policy or its adherence to that policy. Furthermore, the Department of Commerce does not guarantee the accuracy of the list and assumes no liability for the erroneous inclusion, misidentification, omission, or deletion of any organization, or any other action related to the maintenance of the list.”).
[83] Supreme Supervisory Authorities for Data Protection in the Nonpublic Sector (Germany), Examination of the Data Importer’s Self-Certification According to the Safe-Harbor-Agreement by the Company Exporting Data (revised version of Aug. 23, 2010), http://www.datenschutz- berlin.de/attachments/710/Resolution_DuesseldorfCircle_28_04_2010EN.pdf?1285316129 (last visited 9/20/11).
[85] Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force, Commercial Data Privacy and Innovation in the Internet Economy: A Dynamic Policy Framework at 44 (undated; released in December 2010), http://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2010/december/iptf-privacy-green-paper.pdf (last visited 9/20/11).
[86] 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501-6506.
[88] For a fuller history of P3P and details on the actual technical standard, see Lorrie Faith Cranor, Web Privacy with P3P (2002).
[92] http://www.w3.org/TR/P3P11 (last visited 9/20/11).
[93] See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms537343%28VS.85%29.aspx (last visited 9/20/11).
[94] See http://www-archive.mozilla.org/projects/p3p (last visited 9/20/11).
[95] Public Law 107-347.
[96] See Office of Management and Budget, Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002 (2003) (M-03-22), http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda_m03-22 (last visited 9/20/11).
[97] See, e.g., Department of Health and Human Services, HHS-OCIO Policy for Machine-Readable Privacy Policies at 4.2 (Policy 2010-0001, 2010), http://www.hhs.gov/ocio/policy/hhs-ocio-2010_0001_policy_for_machine- readable_privacy_policies.html (last visited 9/20/11).
[98] Lorrie Faith Cranor et al., P3P Deployment on Websites, 7 Electronic Commerce Research and Applications 274- 293 (2008).
[99] Pedro Giovanni Leon et al, Token Attempt: The Misrepresentation of Website Privacy Policies through the Misuse of P3P Compact Policy Tokens (CMU-CyLab-10-014 2010), http://www.cylab.cmu.edu/files/pdfs/tech_reports/CMUCyLab10014.pdf (last visited 9/20/11).
[100] Id.
[101] Id. at 9.
[103] See, e.g., Simson Garfinkel, Can a labeling system protect your privacy?, Salon (July 11, 2000), http://www.salon.com/technology/col/garf/2000/07/11/p3p (last visited 9/20/11) (“But P3P isn’t technology, it’s politics. The Clinton administration and companies such as Microsoft are all set to use P3P as the latest excuse to promote their campaign of “industry self-regulation” and delay meaningful legislation on Internet privacy.”).
[104] Lorrie Faith Cranor, Web Privacy with P3P 56 (2002).
[105] See Serge Egelman et al., Timing Is Everything? The Effects of Timing and Placement of Online Privacy Indicators (2009), http://www.guanotronic.com/~serge/papers/chi09a.pdf (last visited 9/20/11).
Posted October 14, 2011 in Privacy Ethics, Reports, Safe Harbor (EU), Self-regulation
Report: Many Failures: A Brief History of Privacy Self Regulation | Section: Introduction and Summary
Public Comments: October 2011 – WPF urges HHS to do more to protect the privacy of medical research subjects
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Sublette County group continues considering wilderness study areas across the county
Written by Saige
Pinedale – The Sublette County Advisory Committee of the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI) is getting down to the nitty-gritty with ongoing discussions about the future of the county’s three wilderness study areas.
A Feb. 21 meeting of the group led to a working proposal for the Scab Creek Wilderness Study Area (WSA), a “national conservation area” with management prescriptions for the Bureau of Land Management to follow, pending answers to a question about whether or not grazing permittees might be affected in the future.
The group also discussed the Lake Mountain WSA, opting to continue discussions about the Shoal Creek WSA – the most contentious of the WSAs being considered – at future meetings.
Scab Creek
The Scab Creek WSA sits east of Boulder, and members of the public familiar with the area shared their insights on the WSA during the meeting, noting access to the area is extremely difficult at best on foot or horseback.
Cotton Bousman of Eastfork Livestock Inc. in Boulder, noted “a sad decline” in the Bridger Wilderness surrounding the WSA, with old signs gone and trails impassable. His family owns private ranch lands near the WSA and grazes cattle above Scab Creek.
“It can take a full day to go two miles to get cattle out of there,” he said of the WSA, adding, “It’s a de facto wilderness.”
As chair of the Pinedale Grazing Board, Bousman said, “We have extensive wilderness discussions. The position of the Wyoming State Grazing Board would be to either make it wilderness or release it back to multiple-use.”
Amid tense discussions, Sublette County Conservation District Member Mike Henn offered one proposal, commenting, “Turn it all back as a ‘soft release’ for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to run under its resource management plan.”
A “soft release” would mean it could be reintroduced for wilderness, while a “hard release” means it goes back to BLM’s current management.
Henn suggested having “no surface occupancy” and leaving the trails and roads open in a soft release.
Concerns from recreation members on the board included potential lack of access, as the WSA is only accessible through private land.
Dave Bell, general public member, spoke up, saying, “I’ve gone around and around like a cat chasing its tail on Scab Creek, from 100-percent wilderness to a hard release. I’m still undecided. The only thing that makes sense to me is a national conservation area with prescriptive management. It would be a gain for everybody and satisfy a lot of concerns. I really struggle with this one personally.”
Coke Landers, who represents agriculture on the committee, asked Henn about “legal ins and outs” of how permittees might be affected in the long run with prescriptive management. “I want to make sure it’s in order.”
“We’ll have the same kind of questions for each WSA,” Henn agreed, adding the sole Scab Creek grazing allotment is currently vacant.
Steve Smutko of USFS, who serves as facilitator, asked if the committee was willing to move forward with the “middle” management prescription proposal until they get a clear answer to that question.
“We’ve had the most constructive, fluid conversation of the three proposals on proposal three,” Landers agreed.
Lake Mountain
Moving on to the Lake Mountain WSA, an emphasis on give and take by all members of the group was heard.
Previously, co-chair Dan Smitherman, conservation member, proposed adding 5,500 acres of adjacent “land with wilderness characteristics” to the Lake Mountain WSA, commenting, “We’re missing an opportunity with the land outside Lake Mountain even though it’s not part of the WSA.”
Bill Lanning, motorized recreation member of the group, outlined “a national conservation area (NCA) designation versus the current Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC)” to protect a pure strain of Colorado cutthroat trout in the Rock Creek drainage.
His proposal included adjusting the NCA boundary to “hydrographic breaks,” not allowing off-highway vehicles or mountain bike use, withdrawing mineral entry, not permitting new surface disturbance or new oil and gas leases, only allowing directional drilling from existing oil and gas leases outside the boundary, keeping it open to hunting and fishing and allowing no road or motorized fire trails, no vegetation treatments except those that maintain or benefit the Colorado cutthroat trout habitat and population and no geophysical exploration.
For the rest of the WSA, Lanning proposed a “hard release,” meaning it could not be re-designated for wilderness and recommended making it the Lake Mountain Management Area.
The group agreed on Rock Creek protections, but Mike Smith, a member of the group representing the energy industry, said, “I didn’t see anything that justifies any kind of strong preventative protective management. I don’t think we plop a wilderness area next to a historic gas field, but I’m comfortable making some sort of designation on Rock Creek.”
“There are 14,000 acres protected here as a WSA,” Smitherman said. “So now I’ve lost 9,000 acres of protected land without any gains in the region.”
After more back and forth, Smutko paused the discussion, saying, “I want this committee to continue with this. Lake Mountain is at a good holding point.”
Joy Ufford is a reporter for the Pinedale Roundup and Sublette Examiner and writes for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Legal ramifications of transferring public lands considered by legislature
Casper – The legal considerations in transferring public lands to state ownership were addressed by Utah Assistant Attorney General Tony Rampton during the Oct. 31 Task Force on the Transfer of Public Lands Meeting.
“This is a very complex issue,” commented Rampton, “but it is one that I think has merit.”
Rampton continued that the issue is also emotionally charged for both sides.
“The media answer is that this is clearly unconstitutional and will not fly,” he said. “The claim we will make is based on the enabling acts.”
Enabling acts
Each state, he explained, was formed when the U.S. Congress passed enabling acts setting forth the terms under which a territory could become a state and pass a constitution.
“In other words, these enabling acts were like contracts,” he said. “Once the state has passed a constitution conforming to the enabling act, the Congress would allow the state into the union, with the final sign-off being by the president of the United States.”
The provisions in the enabling act of Wyoming read, “The people inhabiting said proposed state do agree and declare that they forever disclaim all right entitled to the un-appropriated public lands lying within the boundaries thereof until entitled thereto…”
Rampton noted, “That provision can be read two ways. It can be read that the state is forever giving up any claims to the lands, the federal government gets the lands, and they can do with it what they please.”
However, the other interpretation of the clause dealing with title suggests the federal government would do something other than retain that title.
In the original union, Rampton added that the federal government utilized the federal lands to pay back their debt, primarily debt to European countries.
“The only asset that was owned by the federal government was land,” he said, referencing the time when the U.S. was first settled. “The original union decided that the only way to pay off the public debt was by the sale of this land.”
The same language, Rampton noted, carried over to enabling acts.
“It was a mechanism to do what the federal government wanted, which was to dispose of the public lands to raise money,” he explained.
While each state’s enabling act differs slightly in language, Rampton noted that many are largely similar.
One of the key provisions of the acts states that, in disposing of the lands, a percentage was to be given to the state for the purpose of public schools.
“We have two provisions in the enabling acts that infer the federal government was somehow obligated to dispose of the public land,” Rampton continued, “but there is another argument that could be made, as well, regarding the same language.”
The resulting ambiguity has the potential to create legal confusion.
“As we moved through the 1800s, we see, at various times, this question is raised at the federal level and state level,” Rampton added. “Each and every time it was raised, the federal government conveyed that it was their policy to dispose of these public lands.”
Additionally, Congress drafted mechanisms to dispose of the lands, including cash sales, credit sales, homestead acts, mining acts and other avenues.
Rampton further explained that the ambiguity in the enabling acts can be cleared up by looking at history and the circumstances of the situation.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has, in the case Andrews versus the state of Utah, likened that state enabling acts to a contract,” Rampton said. “When we have an ambiguous contract, we can go outside the scope of the document and look at the circumstances.”
Circumstances, he noted, include the history and events surrounding the intent of the contracting parties.
“I’ve alluded to the fact that the United States initially intended to sell these public lands and retire them,” Rampton said.
History, however, is not so cut and dry.
Debate in the Continental Congress, which established the U.S. Constitution, held two opinions. One group at the time believed public lands should be sold to pay off debt, while their rivals argued that public lands should be settled.
Rampton commented, “Either way, we are talking about the disposal of public lands.”
Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Syngenta CEO Michael Mack: Answers lie in sound science
Written by Jennifer Womack
Washington, D.C. – While biofuels remain just a fraction of the world’s fuel consumption, experts predict growth in both production and technology in the near future.
“The biofuel industry is chipping away at petroleum’s market share, especially in recent years as we see a rapid growth in production,” says Aaron Brady of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, Inc. In the U.S., ethanol now accounts for eight percent of the U.S. gasoline market. Some, with the support of Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, are pushing to end the current ten percent blend cap on ethanol use in the U.S.
“If we were to imagine all of the world’s biofuel producers as one country, this biofuel nation would have been the number three source of incremental liquid fuel supply over the last two years,” says Brady. “This is really an indication of the important role of biofuels, especially ethanol.” Brady says that without ethanol, fuel prices in recent years would likely have climbed higher than they did.
Biofuels aren’t without challenges, but in most cases those challenges are coupled with science-based opportunity. Brady sums them up as:
The need to use land efficiently, harvesting the most liquid fuel per unit of land. Brady says the most optimistic predict that corn yields will once again double by 2030.
Economic challenges in the price of biofuels compared to the cost of fossil fuel.
Product quality, which he explains in saying. “Ethanol has only about 70 percent of the energy content as petroleum.” He says the next generation of biofuels needs to have performance levels equal to fossil fuels.
Brady says biofuels need to be produced in a sustainable fashion. He mentions water use in particular.
“The inherent solution to these challenges is increased technology,” says Brady.
Syngenta CEO Michael Mack agrees. “It is technology that can provide the solution to the persistent and growing problems in food security and environmental sustainability that the world faces today,” says Mack. “To be clear, for us at Syngenta, technology means an entire portfolio of products, techniques and expertise that bring out the best in biotechnology, crop protection products and seed care.”
Syngenta has several promising developments that Mack says “are just around the corner.”
“One,” says Mack, “which can power our cars as opposed to our bodies, is a Syngenta product called Corn Amylase, which we hope will be approved soon by the USDA. It could bring enormous bottom-line benefits to ethanol producers, about eight to 15 cents a gallon, which is a major impact on an industry that is struggling. By reducing the amount of water and energy needed to produce the same amount of ethanol Corn Amylase could improve the carbon footprint of ethanol plants by 10 percent or more.”
The company is also working on new enzymes that can convert the green material of corn, and not just the grain, so that the corn crop itself will be of greater value in ethanol production.
“We’ve also introduced a new variety of sugar beet that produces yields similar to sugarcane but needs less water, can tolerate the tropical climates of India and could be used for food or biofuel,” says Mack. “Plants can be an efficient and truly renewable way of translating the sun’s energy into our gas tanks, and with technology we don’t have to be forced into a no-win choice between growing more food or producing more fuel.”
Mack says, “Take sugar: Today, Brazil has become one of the world leaders in the production of ethanol from sugar, and no one bats an eye. The world is so awash in sugar, which is available from a variety of sources, including corn and beets, that people no longer think of it exclusively as a food crop, and sugar growers have had to actively seek and create new markets for their product.”
“The entire driver is productivity,” says Mack. “One hundred years ago, sugar was a coveted commodity. Twenty years from now, people will scoff at the idea that plants should be used exclusively for food.”
Long-term Brady predicts plants will be required to meet the worldís growing demand for fuels. “The world will likely need a more diversified energy platform for transportation if supply is going to keep up with future demand,” he says. “Undoubtedly, the biofuel industry is going through a painful time right now. There’s overcapacity and low oil prices are hurting the industry. But, at the same time it’s likely the huge growth we’ve seen in the biofuel industry is laying the groundwork for this diversified energy platform of the future, especially if the next generation of biofuels evolve and become a reality over the next several years.”
Noting some country’s opposition to genetic modification of key crops, Mack says, “So far, the United States regulatory system has been the gold standard on encouraging innovation through technology, and I have no doubt that if this nation can hold to its insistence on science-based regulation, we’ll find that other countries, such as Brazil, Argentina and others in Asia, will follow the U.S. lead.”
Michael Mack and Aaron Brady were speakers at the 2009 Agricultural Outlook Forum held late February in the nation’s capitol. Jennifer Womack is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Conway says Trump 'Apprentice' role will be in spare time
Posted: 9:48 AM, Dec 09, 2016
<p>Kellyanne Conway on Friday defended President-elect Donald Trump's decision to remain an executive producer on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" even as he takes office, arguing that "presidents have a right to do things in their spare time."</p>
(CNN) -- Kellyanne Conway on Friday defended President-elect Donald Trump's decision to remain an executive producer on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" even as he takes office, arguing that "presidents have a right to do things in their spare time."
"He's a very transparent guy. Everyone can see what he's doing, and the fact is that he is conferring with all types of experts who tell him what he can do and not do as president of the United States," Conway, a top Trump adviser and his former campaign manager, said on CNN's "New Day." "If this is one of the approved activities, then perhaps he will consider staying on."
Trump's agreement with the show, first reported by Variety and confirmed by sources at NBC and the Trump campaign, means the president will have an interest in a show aired by a media company that also reports on his presidency -- a major conflict of interest for the network.
"Were we so concerned about the hours and hours and hours spent on the golf course of the current president? I mean presidents have a right to do things in their spare time, in their leisure time," Conway argued.
"I heard you object to Mr. Obama playing golf. Will Mr. Trump not be playing golf for the next four years?" host Alisyn Camerota countered.
"Well, maybe he will be," Conway answered. "It certainly seems like there is a lot of time to do based on recent precedent while you're president the United States. But the point is the same. Whether it's President Obama or president Donald Trump, the idea that these men are going to be all work and nothing else all the time is just unrealistic because it's never happened in our lifetimes."
The former Trump campaign manager said that the president-elect's "work is his work and work his hobby," adding that his "preferred time is with his family, but it's followed very closely behind with his work."
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Detroit Public School students sue state, say constitutional right to literacy is being violated
By: Kim Russell
Is the opportunity to learn to read a constitutional right in the United States of America? A federal lawsuit filed today by students in Detroit says it is.
The first of its kind suit accuses the state of violating the constitutional rights of students by underfunding education.
The class action suit was filed by five kids who went to some of the lowest performing public and charter schools in Detroit.
One of them is a senior at Osborn High School named Jamarria Hall. He says he was thinking about how he could make a difference in his schools when an attorney out of California with the Opportunity Under Law Project asked if he would like to be part of this lawsuit.
“I just hope it leads to change,” said Hall.
He says he sees great inequity in the resources for students in wealthier school districts and inner city districts.
He says he can’t even seem to get a teacher in every class. He is sick of being sent to the gym to play basketball during Spanish class because he has no Spanish teacher.
“I feel like I am getting cheated,” said Hall.
He says there have been times when he didn’t have an English teacher. He says he can read because of support at home, but other students aren’t as lucky.
“We don’t even have books for them to practice reading,” said Hall.
The lawsuit says the state has created an education system of inequity where inner city schools are less likely to provide opportunities for all kids. It names the state, state education officials and Governor Rick Snyder as defendants.
“Would Governor Rick Snyder send his kids to Detroit Schools?” asked Mark Rosenbaum, Director of Public Counsel’s Opportunity Under Law Project.
The suit says that by under-funding education - the state is denying kids their constitutional right to literacy. It makes the argument that the opportunity to learn to read is guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment.
“For more than a decade, the educators of this city have been raising the red flag about Detroit Public Schools: Our schools are falling apart, our classrooms lack the basic resources needed to educate children, and we have been forced to do more with less to give our students a shot at the American dream,” said Detroit Federation of Teachers Interim President Ivy Bailey.
Detroit-based WXYZ reached out to the Michigan Department of Education and Governor Rick Snyder’s office for comment.
"We are concerned with the literacy levels of all children in Michigan," said State Superintendent Brian Whiston. "However, we do not comment on pending litigation as this goes through the process.”
A spokesperson for the governor also said there would be no comment provided on pending litigation.
You can read the lawsuit below.
Complaint against DPS by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
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Remembering the man who didn't kill Kennedy
Belmont postmaster, police help thwart plot against president-elect
Updated: 6:39 PM EST Nov 19, 2013
Josh McElveen
Political Director, News Anchor, Reporter
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated 50 years ago this month, but if not for the work of a small police department and a town postmaster, his assassin might have come from New Hampshire.Click to watch News 9's coverage.Kennedy was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. But a man in Belmont almost carried out a plot to kill Kennedy before he was sworn into office.Belmont's Earl Sweeney was a young police sergeant in Belmont 53 years ago, and he said he remembers that his first impression of resident Richard Pavlick was that he was a malcontent."He had a very anti-government outlook," Sweeney said. "He didn't get along well with the town officials. He was at war with the selectmen. He would go to town meetings and complain about things."One of those things was the presidential candidacy of Kennedy, the junior senator from Massachusetts. Sweeney said Pavlick often made his feelings known to the town postmaster, Tom Murphy, whom Pavlick apparently considered the closest thing to a friend."He was particularly concerned that Kennedy was a Catholic," Sweeney sad. "He would say that if he got elected, the pope was going to run the government of the U.S. from Rome. That somebody should shoot him if he was to get elected."Most in town chalked it up to bravado, but after Kennedy was elected, Pavlick left Belmont almost immediately. He made one stop first."He went to the hardware store and bought some dynamite," Sweeney said. "He said he was going to blast some stumps on his property, and he actually gave his property away to the Spaulding Youth Center in Northfield and abruptly left town."It wasn't long after that, Sweeney said, that people around town started getting postcards from Pavlick. They all had a common thread."If Kennedy was in St. Louis, Pavlick would send back a postcard from St. Louis," Sweeney said. "If Kennedy was in Detroit, he would send back a postcard from Detroit."But Sweeney said one postcard in particular got the attention of Murphy."He said, 'Watch the news. You are going to be hearing from me in a big way soon,'" Sweeney said.Murphy informed the police."The postmaster and I and the police chief put our heads together and decided we should call the Secret Service," Sweeney said.That decision proved critical. Investigators learned that Pavlick was in Florida stalking the president-elect just weeks before the inauguration."Pavlick had the car wired with seven sticks of dynamite and a setup so that he could be a human bomb," Sweeney said. "He was going to ram Kennedy's vehicle, set off the bomb and blow the president-elect and himself up."The investigation later revealed that Pavlick passed on an opportunity because Jackie Kennedy and the children were in the car.Pavlick was arrested within days with the explosives still in his car.Pavlick never faced charges because he was found incompetent to stand trial. After spending six years in various mental institutions, Pavlick passed away at the Veterans Hospital in Manchester in 1975 at age 88.
BELMONT, N.H. —
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated 50 years ago this month, but if not for the work of a small police department and a town postmaster, his assassin might have come from New Hampshire.
Click to watch News 9's coverage.
Derry man remembers meeting JFK
Kennedy was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. But a man in Belmont almost carried out a plot to kill Kennedy before he was sworn into office.
Belmont's Earl Sweeney was a young police sergeant in Belmont 53 years ago, and he said he remembers that his first impression of resident Richard Pavlick was that he was a malcontent.
"He had a very anti-government outlook," Sweeney said. "He didn't get along well with the town officials. He was at war with the selectmen. He would go to town meetings and complain about things."
One of those things was the presidential candidacy of Kennedy, the junior senator from Massachusetts. Sweeney said Pavlick often made his feelings known to the town postmaster, Tom Murphy, whom Pavlick apparently considered the closest thing to a friend.
"He was particularly concerned that Kennedy was a Catholic," Sweeney sad. "He would say that if he got elected, the pope was going to run the government of the U.S. from Rome. That somebody should shoot him if he was to get elected."
Most in town chalked it up to bravado, but after Kennedy was elected, Pavlick left Belmont almost immediately. He made one stop first.
"He went to the hardware store and bought some dynamite," Sweeney said. "He said he was going to blast some stumps on his property, and he actually gave his property away to the Spaulding Youth Center in Northfield and abruptly left town."
It wasn't long after that, Sweeney said, that people around town started getting postcards from Pavlick. They all had a common thread.
"If Kennedy was in St. Louis, Pavlick would send back a postcard from St. Louis," Sweeney said. "If Kennedy was in Detroit, he would send back a postcard from Detroit."
But Sweeney said one postcard in particular got the attention of Murphy.
"He said, 'Watch the news. You are going to be hearing from me in a big way soon,'" Sweeney said.
Murphy informed the police.
"The postmaster and I and the police chief put our heads together and decided we should call the Secret Service," Sweeney said.
That decision proved critical. Investigators learned that Pavlick was in Florida stalking the president-elect just weeks before the inauguration.
"Pavlick had the car wired with seven sticks of dynamite and a setup so that he could be a human bomb," Sweeney said. "He was going to ram Kennedy's vehicle, set off the bomb and blow the president-elect and himself up."
The investigation later revealed that Pavlick passed on an opportunity because Jackie Kennedy and the children were in the car.
Pavlick was arrested within days with the explosives still in his car.
Pavlick never faced charges because he was found incompetent to stand trial. After spending six years in various mental institutions, Pavlick passed away at the Veterans Hospital in Manchester in 1975 at age 88.
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A Glimmer of Hope for Obama in Jobs Report?
By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times
The unemployment rate dipped to 8.1 percent in August for the worst possible reason: 368,000 Americans dropped out of the workforce and another 213,000 never even bothered to join it, a reflection of the underlying weakness that President Obama told the Democratic National Convention Thursday night would take several more years to fix.
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney glommed onto the discouraging jobs report released Friday morning as evidence of how the economy has stumbled to emerge from the Great Recession under Obama’s leadership.
“If last night was the party, this morning is the hangover,” Romney said in a statement. “For every net new job created, nearly four Americans gave up looking for work entirely.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the creation of 96,000 net new jobs in August — well below Wall Street expectations of gains of roughly 125,000, which would have been in line with population growth. Many economists had projected a surge in hiring after a private payrolls number issued on Thursday by ADP showed an increase of 201,000.
The meager increase was enough to push down the unemployment rate from 8.3 percent in July only because of the massive exodus from the labor pool. Manufacturers shed 15,000 jobs, half of them in the auto sector celebrated by Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in their convention speeches. Government fired another 7,000 workers. And jobs reports from June and July were revised downward by a combined 41,000.
“Summer’s over, here’s your slap in the face,” read the headline from JPMorgan Chase’s assessment.
In the report’s current population survey, the labor force participation rate dropped to 63.5 percent — its lowest reading since September 1981. When the rate last hit that level — in the middle of a recession — women who once stayed at home were still entering the job market in droves. The participation rate for women peaked around 60 percent in 2009 and now rests at 57.6 percent. For men, the rate is at its worst level in the history of this metric, falling from 86.7 percent in 1948 to 69.8 percent last month.
By estimates from the Romney camp, the unemployment rate would have ticked up to 8.4 percent if labor force participation had stayed constant.
Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, did not address the decline in his morning blog post, choosing instead to repeat his monthly call for additional stimulus proposals from Obama that have not garnered support from the Republican majority House of Representatives.
His predecessor, University of Chicago economist Austan Goolsbee, noted the report was in line with the modest growth in gross domestic product, tweeting a simple reassurance: “Folks, chill.”
If there was any upside in the numbers, it was the possibility that the Federal Reserve will approve another round of quantitative easing next week in order to bolster hiring, potentially taking hundreds of billions of dollars of debt out of the market to further lower interest rates.
“The weak job market is also pushing down real earnings,” wrote Kevin Logan, chief U.S. economist at HSBC. “The Fed is looking for ‘substantial and sustainable’ improvement in labor conditions. Today’s report moved in the other direction.”
The prospect of Fed action buoyed the stock market following the letdown, with the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index up 4 points, or 0.28 percent, in midday trading.
Jim O’Sullivan, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, summarized today’s jobs report as “clearly a disappointment relative to raised expectations after yesterday’s numbers.” He noted, though, that “the net result is still somewhat faster employment growth so far in Q3 – 119k per month – than the 67K per month in Q2.”
If there’s one faint glimmer of hope for the president, it might be that the new report presents the possibility that the unemployment rate could fall below the 8 percent threshold by Election Day — a positive development for Obama, unless you consider the economic pain and workforce departures that made it possible.
“I’m sure the president would rather not get there this way, but it does prompt the question: How many people need to drop out of the labor force for the unemployment rate to dip below 8 percent by Election Day?” wrote Tony Fratto, a former Treasury official in George W. Bush’s administration and now the managing partner of Hamilton Place Strategies.
“It’s certainly possible that the supply of labor falls enough that the unemployment rate actually gets below 8 percent before the election, but it would be like sneaking into the party through the out door.”
The End of the Jobs Crisis May Finally Be in Sight
In another solid monthly report, 215,000 new jobs were created in March, according to the preliminary estimate from the...
Consumer Purchasing Power Rising Faster Than Wages
The big question from last week's pre-holiday jobs report, given the drop in the unemployment rate and a further drop...
Mediocre Jobs Report Sends Mixed Signals to Federal Reserve
The U.S. economy continued its aggravatingly slow recovery from the Great Recession in June, according to the Bureau of...
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Archived threads in /tg/ - Traditional Games - 1452. page
BecomeTheQM
Become The Vampire Quest 10 2015-11-30 04:31:23 Post No.43903045
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Become The Vampire Quest 10 BecomeTheQM 2015-11-30 04:31:23 Post No. 43903045 [Report] [View thread]
Become The Vampire Quest 10
You decide to head back to your room to study since your Latin class is cancelled. You pull out your phone on the way and text Sammy to make sure she's doing alright, and when you get back to your room you've got a reply.
"Doing fine. Literature was boring. I should transfer to the creative writing class."
You look at your schedule for a moment. Either you went to the wrong classroom, or you were signed up for the wrong course. You could change it and have another class with Sammy, or continue sharing a class...
255 Replies / 6 Images View Thread
255 replies and 6 images submitted. Click here to view.
BecomeTheQM 2015-11-30 04:32:31 Post No.43903067
BecomeTheQM 2015-11-30 04:32:31 Post No.43903067 [Report]
Same system as Become The Dragon Quest. If you don't know what that is, it's best of three d20 rolls. I name a stat that sums up what you're trying to do, and if I don't name a relevant skill, you try to fill in the blank based on what you're trying to accomplish. “Break open the door” might be Strength based, but if you've been playing baseball after school and there's a lead pipe nearby, you could apply your Baseball skill to the roll. A 20 on the die is a crit threat, and if either of the other two rolls is 20 or higher...
Anonymous 2015-11-30 04:34:06 Post No.43903088
Anonymous 2015-11-30 04:34:06 Post No.43903088 [Report]
Rolled 19 + 1 (1d20 + 1)
rolling with a deep fear of /tg/ dice
The Monster is you! 2015-11-30 04:28:25 Post No.43902976
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The Monster is you! Anonymous 2015-11-30 04:28:25 Post No. 43902976 [Report] [View thread]
What's the worst thing you did to a player, group or npc /tg/ ?
I got a party member to open a door into nothingness, triggering a spike trap (not to my knowledge) coated in deadly poison, which killed the rogue. Shouldn't have stood there, we had bad experience with doors already that game.
Convinced an entire village to commit suicide trapped there souls and infused them into the forest animating them with magic and binding the souls to my will raised there bodies and had there zombie body's ride there tree body's into battle
Trapped another PC in a crystal of congealed time by drawing all the power out of an ancient arcane battery.
My character did this so that he would be able to keep the object of his admiration and desire safe and secure. Forever. That the side effect was a wave of distortion that devastated a highly populated area about twenty miles across didn't even enter into the equation.
(ID: !!oBbl71QoFCS)
ORK QUEST 2015-11-30 04:27:59 Post No.43902969
File: 01.jpg (160 KB, 800x600) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
ORK QUEST (ID: !!oBbl71QoFCS) 2015-11-30 04:27:59 Post No. 43902969 [Report] [View thread]
You are an Ork. What do?
Hit on the orcs playing cards.
Rape elves
seconded
40k general 2015-11-30 04:06:51 Post No.43902674
File: general.jpg (353 KB, 1014x761) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
40k general Anonymous 2015-11-30 04:06:51 Post No. 43902674 [Report] [View thread]
>Rules databases
https://mega.co.nz/#F!pFgm0RKR!J06C1gVYcjzNGsF8YNLsjQ
https://kat.cr/warhammer-40k-pdf-library-t9575373.html
>FAQs
http://www.blacklibrary.com/faqs-and-errata.html
>40k 7th edition quick reference sheet(s)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4104995/Games/7edRef_V6.pdf
>Forgeworld Book index
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Forge_World_and_Apocalypse_Rules_Index
Phantom Tit-an edition
File: skub.jpg (433 KB, 1019x784) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
Daily reminder.
So how do people feel about the new Cadian formations?
The actual formations are cool but the decurion setup was a bit disappointing. You're forced to dump massive amounts of points into either guardsmen or tanks which limit your ability to take anything else.
File: knightcodexcover.png (3 MB, 1138x1126) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
So did the Obsidian Knight finally bite the dust in the Imperium's firebombing?
Pathfinder General /pfg/ 2015-11-30 03:05:55 Post No.43901524
File: 1431285024999.jpg (152 KB, 1000x529) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
Pathfinder General /pfg/ Anonymous 2015-11-30 03:05:55 Post No. 43901524 [Report] [View thread]
Pathfinder General /pfg/
If you are asking for build advice, please mention which third-party books are allowed. If you do not say anything, we will assume DSP/SoP is allowed.
Unified /pfg/ link repository:
http://pastebin.com/HwxEjiKW (embed)
Old thread
Where is your character from, /pfg/?
HOT STEAMY QLIPPOTH LOVING
>Rise of the Runelords
He's from Andoran, but he's been traveling a while now.
>Hungry are the Dead
He's from Kintargo. Never liked the place, and he bailed out recently - the town was seriously going to the dogs if the higher-ups needed to call in somebody like Bazzy. That's when he got a call about two things: heretics hiding out somewhere in Andoran, and a bunch of undead in the same area.
IT'S CEPHALOPOD TIME
http://pastebin.com/vG3T508Z
Infinity General 2015-11-30 01:30:02 Post No.43899552
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Infinity General Anonymous 2015-11-30 01:30:02 Post No. 43899552 [Report] [View thread]
>Infinity is a 28mm skirmish game by Corvus Belli where you kick ass and chew bubblegum, but you never run out of ass.
>Official site:
http://www.infinitythegame.com/
>All the rules are for free. Buying the books is only relevant for fluff:
http://www.infinitythegame.com/archive.php
>Provisional Catalog where you can look at pretty pictures of the miniatures you're thinking of getting:
http://www.infinitythegame.com/catalogue/
File: Infinity butts.jpg (691 KB, 1000x943) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
full version of compile
how much terrain should be on the table?
>Infinity General: Greasy neckbeard edition
World Building 2015-11-30 00:42:22 Post No.43898547
World Building Anonymous 2015-11-30 00:42:22 Post No. 43898547 [Report] [View thread]
Any more stuff like his?
Also, World building general
File: map terrains.png (3 MB, 1655x3842) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
That's a pretty sweet reference.
Should also mention that rivers never split up except at their deltas or in marshes (and marshes hardly count really). Tributaries feed INTO a main river, they never split off from one.
W O R L D B U I L D I N G
CYOA General 2015-11-29 23:58:49 Post No.43897626
File: Tattoo of Power.png (3 MB, 3000x3000) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
CYOA General Anonymous 2015-11-29 23:58:49 Post No. 43897626 [Report] [View thread]
Last Thread >>43873392
FAQ: http://pastebin.com/MhAQAJiw
Here's a dropbox with a LOT of CYOA's:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9ijwopa42ke49q1/AAA40vUS2BzstD9eHyyBLTr8a?dl=0
IRC Chat Channel
https://client01.chat.mibbit.com/?url=irc%3A%2F%2Firc.rizon.net%2Fcyoa
Here's Beri's OC (genie cyoa+)
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bxbrh3Q2CTiyfjM3SjU2TWNJQ3VpZ2pWYk0xRUJ4LVZYRkgyTTlwUTQwZjZhN0FNTTJ3LUE
Here's Liminal Phrenic's blog with most of his cyoa...
the white tattoo seems like the best option.
File: magicsmith1.png (5 MB, 1000x2500) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
Gotta agree, especially against the abominations
/5eg/ - Fifth Edition General 2015-11-29 23:57:40 Post No.43897599
File: asventuring_party_by_artikid.png (232 KB, 600x580) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
/5eg/ - Fifth Edition General Anonymous 2015-11-29 23:57:40 Post No. 43897599 [Report] [View thread]
Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition General Discussion
Previous thread >>43866872
>All official WotC content here (now including the SCAG)
https://mega.nz#F!UVkTnT5b!FJ34UZ98BMY2mEtexenS7g
>Tools for 5e, other stuff, miscellaneous homebrews
http://pastebin.com/X1TFNxck (embed)
>Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide Map:
https://mega.nz/#!CowGWLKT!yiwaLeoLWcsV4d8uY5DmqsmPxTw3ZIdpz8xAzaYkQ5II
>What are some classes, if any, you'd like to see added to 5e?
Proper artificer.
I've always been a fan of psionics, and it seems that it won't be quite as not-magic judging based on the UA.
Other than that, i would actually prefer more archetypes for core classes, generally speaking, than entire full new classes, unless they have really good ideas and unique mechanics.
Don't really want any new classes, except maybe psionic stuff for people who like that sort of thing. Some new subclasses could be neat.
2015-11-29 23:56:02 Post No.43897565
File: borkan_recruits_by_ameeeeba-d7sbspz.jpg (220 KB, 948x842) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
Anonymous 2015-11-29 23:56:02 Post No. 43897565 [Report] [View thread]
Assuming the Tau replace the Imperium as the dominant power. What would be your reaction?
What's with all the Tau cocksucking in 40k lately?
They just become necrons 2.0
I wouldn't really care so long as GW keeps producing new, awesome models with neat and interesting rules to play them with, and allows me to continue playing as I do now.
CYOA Thread 2015-11-29 23:53:31 Post No.43897500
File: pngMegamanCYOA1.png (337 KB, 1200x1904) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
CYOA Thread Anonymous 2015-11-29 23:53:31 Post No. 43897500 [Report] [View thread]
Here's Liminal Phrenic's blog with most of his cyoa stuff theouterworlds.blogspot
Here's...
File: CYOA - Artistic Genie - Gallery 04.png (5 MB, 1000x5910) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
Have a fun genie one, too, to get the thread started.
File: Travellers Tale, one point 0.pdf (1 B, 486x500) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
1 B, 486x500
If anyone has any suggestions for this the guy working on the picture version was asking,
Jumpchain CYOA Thread #602: Dualcasting Edition 2015-11-29 23:05:59 Post No.43896389
File: Jumpchain CYOA Collection.pdf (1 B, 486x500) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
1 B,
Jumpchain CYOA Thread #602: Dualcasting Edition Anonymous 2015-11-29 23:05:59 Post No. 43896389 [Report] [View thread]
>Google Drive
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B20r6rsFLOg_Zk5RdVdya3hJNnc&usp=sharing
>IRC
http://client00.chat.mibbit.com/?server=rizon.mibbit.org&channel=%23JumpchainCYOA
https://kiwiirc.com/client/irc.rizon.net/?#JumpchainCYOA
>Rules
http://pastebin.com/Gqj3iKyn
>Last Thread
There's Conjoined Conjuring (Card Captor Sakura) and Dual Casting from Skyrim. What other dualcasting perks are there?
banchô-Anon (ID: !AbZbuuBYdo) 2015-11-29 23:11:50 Post No.43896529
banchô-Anon (ID: !AbZbuuBYdo) 2015-11-29 23:11:50 Post No.43896529 [Report]
Genesis, I even Designed a von Neumann machine that would cast it nonstop Alternating In the universe it's in And the universe the spell makes.
File: jimmy the jumper cheats at hide and seek.png (199 KB, 540x768) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
Jumpers, what is the most inane use of incredible power you've managed?
/tg/ designs a pantheon 2015-11-29 21:20:59 Post No.43894252
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/tg/ designs a pantheon Anonymous 2015-11-29 21:20:59 Post No. 43894252 [Report] [View thread]
The premise of this thread is simple: /tg/ designs a pantheon, post by post. Posts can contain new gods, heroes, monsters, myths and much more.
I'll start us off:
Myrea is the goddess of war and mourning. Also dubbed the queen of tears, she wreacks havoc with her radiant sword, but she never does so with pleasure. She was one of the first gods, and used to be a human girl. She fought so well on the battlefield that even her enemies venerated her. This caused her to ascend.
>/tg/, do my work for me
I've got all the pantheons I need, this is just supposed to be a fun little game like /tg/ designs a setting...
File: AO72raG.jpg (277 KB, 1366x768) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
Taj yr Akna
God of time, truth, and stars. Name is derived from a now dead contextual language, simultaneously means both "Line without End" and "Line without Beginning". A solitary philosopher monk of unknown background attained enlightenment and ascended to godhood, his followers attempt to replicate his understanding of reality but none have succeeded. He is complete understanding of reality and as such his touch his anathema to mortals, so he lacks any direct prophets. If he were to...
Archwizard Antruthiu
Mages' Guild: SUPER ANTS ON THE LOOSE EDITION! 2015-11-29 20:49:18 Post No.43893700
File: 1402269184278s.jpg (8 KB, 197x250) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
8 KB,
Mages' Guild: SUPER ANTS ON THE LOOSE EDITION! Archwizard Antruthiu 2015-11-29 20:49:18 Post No. 43893700 [Report] [View thread]
Hear ye, hear ye. I hereby call to order this meeting of the most illustrious Mages Guild! Now because some slut, who shall remain unnamed, could not pick up after herself when induldging in her bagel addiction we now have a super ant investation in the guild. Many ants. handle it.
Welcome to the Mages' Guild. Pick a name and join in! Conflicts are resolved with d20s when needed, or with playing it out. When the thread dies on /tg/, we keep it going on 4plebs. For additional resources, please visit http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Mage%27s_guild
Xijian, Worm-that-Wa 2015-11-29 20:51:45 Post No.43893738
Xijian, Worm-that-Wa 2015-11-29 20:51:45 Post No.43893738 [Report]
Excellent. A proper source of prey.
How large are these ants?
Gluglobul, Head of O 2015-11-29 20:52:49 Post No.43893752
Gluglobul, Head of O 2015-11-29 20:52:49 Post No.43893752 [Report]
. . . . . . . .
>Looks around for ants
Conspierre, Esteemed 2015-11-29 20:53:04 Post No.43893759
Conspierre, Esteemed 2015-11-29 20:53:04 Post No.43893759 [Report]
She's NOT remaining unnamed, it was goddamn Jill!
/swg/ - Star Wars General: Twi'lek Waifu Edition 2015-11-29 20:30:45 Post No.43893388
File: twi_lek_ii_by_vavalika-d76ucyk.jpg (8 MB, 3456x2592) Image search: [iqdb] [SauceNao] [Google]
/swg/ - Star Wars General: Twi'lek Waifu Edition Anonymous 2015-11-29 20:30:45 Post No. 43893388 [Report] [View thread]
Post about X-Wing, Armada, FFG's Star Wars RPGs (Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion and Force and Destiny), d6, d20 (Saga), movies, shows, books, comics, vidya, lego, lore and everything else star wars related
Previous Thread: >>43876241
Fantasy Flight Games’ X-Wing and Star Wars: Armada Miniatures Games
>http://pastebin.com/Wca6HvBB
Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars RPG System (EotE/AoR/FaD)
>http://pastebin.com/v77AhEFV
Anyone got a standard list of reasons for a jedi to survive order 66 or something like an npc/bounty target generator?
kotor 2 is best kotor game
>reasons for a jedi to survive order 66
If your nowhere near Clones, or at the Temple, your chances of surviving 66 are pretty high
That is assuming of course you didn't return to the temple, answering the distress signal
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You can save even more money by shopping with discounted gift cards. “Companies like CardCash and Raise offer gift cards up to fifty percent off, so a one-hundred-dollar gift card could be purchased for only fifty dollars,” says Conway of Slickdeals. “Some gift cards to popular merchants may be a lesser savings, but every dollar counts, especially if you're making a larger purchase.”
While Amazon was expanding into streaming video, hardware, and cloud computing, it simultaneously maintained an aggressive push into even faster shipping and all new retail formats. The company started its same-day shipping initiative, Prime Now, in New York City in 2014, and it’s since expanded it to dozens of cities around the world. Around the same time, Amazon began a program called AmazonFresh to stock and ship groceries — including vegetables and refrigerated and freezer products — that it used as a way to stay competitive with traditional big-box retailers like Walmart and Target and Uber-like logistics newcomers like Instacart. The company now sells its own line of meal kits through Fresh to rival ready-to-cook options from companies like Blue Apron and Plated.
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In addition to pulling in hosting revenue from companies like Disney, Netflix, and Spotify, AWS is also the backbone of the company’s own internal infrastructure and the underlying foundation for its Alexa digital voice assistant. It is a major competitor to Microsoft and its Azure platform, as well as Google’s cloud computing division and the cloud businesses of IBM and Oracle. AWS is so important to the integrity of the apps and websites we use that a rare S3 outage, which is the web hosting pillar of AWS, took out large swaths of the internet.
With over 230 million active customer accounts, the online giant, Amazon, is the most popular online store at the time of publication, and even ranks as one of the ten most popular websites on the entire Internet. Even if Amazon's own warehouses don't have what you're looking for, one of its third-party Marketplace sellers might -- though potentially at a high price. Whether you want to shop from Amazon directly or in the Marketplace, head to Amazon's website to start browsing the shelves or use a sky mall that curates different products from Amazon.
Amazon.com's product lines available at its website include several media (books, DVDs, music CDs, videotapes and software), apparel, baby products, consumer electronics, beauty products, gourmet food, groceries, health and personal-care items, industrial & scientific supplies, kitchen items, jewelry, watches, lawn and garden items, musical instruments, sporting goods, tools, automotive items and toys & games.[citation needed]
Our Shoprite From Home Department at ShopRite of Chews Landing offers customers a new and convenient way to shop. Instead of shopping the traditional way, in-store, you now have the option to do all your shopping online from the comfort of your own home. That’s right! Once you purchase your items, our friendly Zallie’s Associates will do all of your shopping for you and have it ready for your scheduled pickup or delivery time. Grocery shopping doesn’t get more convenient than this! Try Shoprite from Home today!
Jump up ^ "Pitch Perfect". On The Media. January 1, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-01-09. Retrieved 2010-01-16. He figured out that he could build brand recognition by blanketing the airwaves with cheap direct-to-consumer commercials, and then take the product into retail stores where he slapped an "As Seen On TV" logo on them, which he designed himself. It’s a very lucrative formula, he told me, so that’s what he’s been doing ever since.
Customers will find products like the card game Codenames (4.8 stars, with more than 2,000 customer reviews), which 88% of reviewers rated 5 stars, and a Lodge 3.5 Inch Cast Iron Mini Skillet (4.4 stars, with more than 10,900 customer reviews), which 76% of reviewers rated 5 stars. Of course, Amazon 4-star shoppers can also find Amazon devices like the Echo Spot (4.5 stars, with more than 5,600 customer reviews), and the Fire TV Stick (4.4 stars, with more than 197,000 customer reviews). Customers can test-drive dozens of Amazon devices and smart home accessories that work with Alexa, and shop a curated selection of speakers, fitness tech, and other highly rated consumer electronics.
The first Echo came out in late 2014 as a Prime member exclusive, but in the four short years since, Amazon has developed dozens of different smart home products that revolve around the speaker and voice assistant format. Today, thousands of products integrate with the company’s Alexa platform to make use of its voice search and query capabilities. Just as it once foresaw e-commerce, streaming, and cloud computing as the future of the internet, Amazon saw AI as not just something that could live within the smartphone — as Apple established with Siri and Google with its Assistant — but also in the home.
Looking for an amazing gift for a birthday or holiday, or perhaps a treat or new gadget for yourself? The As Seen On TV collection from HSN features some of our most incredible items from a wide range of categories. From premium cosmetics and grooming supplies that will have you looking stunning on date night, to handy electronics that will make everyday tasks easier, to gear for both working out and relaxing, there's literally something for everyone in this innovative selection of As Seen On TV products.
A9.com, Inc.[3]AbeBooksAmazon AirAlexa InternetAmazon BooksAmazon Game StudiosAmazon Lab126Amazon Logistics, Inc.[3]Amazon PublishingAmazon RoboticsAmazon.com Services, Inc.[3]Amazon StudiosAmazon Web Services, Inc.[3]Audible Inc.Body LabsBook DepositoryDigital Photography ReviewGoodreadsGraphiqIMDbRingSouq.comTwitch.tvWhole Foods Market[4]WootZappos
Perhaps the most prominent Prime perk, however, is access to Amazon Prime Video. The video on-demand service started in 2006 as Amazon Unboxed, but was rebranded in 2008 and integrated into the Prime service three years later, where it became a huge selling point for Amazon’s annual subscription. It now boasts thousands of free TV shows, films, and games, all accessible on pretty much every screen available.
In 2014, Amazon expanded its lobbying practices as it prepared to lobby the Federal Aviation Administration to approve its drone delivery program, hiring the Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld lobbying firm in June.[210] Amazon and its lobbyists have visited with Federal Aviation Administration officials and aviation committees in Washington, D.C. to explain its plans to deliver packages.[211]
Since its founding, the company has attracted criticism and controversy from multiple sources over its actions. These include: supplying law enforcement with facial recognition surveillance tools;[154] forming cloud computing partnerships with the CIA;[155] luring customers away from the site's brick and mortar competitors;[156] placing a low priority on warehouse conditions for workers; participating in anti-unionization efforts; remotely deleting content purchased by Amazon Kindle users; taking public subsidies; claiming that its 1-Click technology can be patented; engaging in anti-competitive actions and price discrimination;[157] and reclassifying LGBT books as adult content.[158][159] Criticism has also concerned various decisions over whether to censor or publish content such as the WikiLeaks website, works containing libel and material facilitating dogfight, cockfight, or pedophile activities. In December 2011, Amazon faced a backlash from small businesses for running a one-day deal to promote its new Price Check app. Shoppers who used the app to check prices in a brick-and-mortar store were offered a 5% discount to purchase the same item from Amazon.[160] Companies like Groupon, eBay and Taap.it countered Amazon's promotion by offering $10 off from their products.[161][162] The company has also faced accusations of putting undue pressure on suppliers to maintain and extend its profitability. One effort to squeeze the most vulnerable book publishers was known within the company as the Gazelle Project, after Bezos suggested, according to Brad Stone, "that Amazon should approach these small publishers the way a cheetah would pursue a sickly gazelle."[122] In July 2014, the Federal Trade Commission launched a lawsuit against the company alleging it was promoting in-app purchases to children, which were being transacted without parental consent.[163]
Make sure there are enough funds in the account. Amazon tends to cancel orders until all funds can be paid out of your account. Contact Amazon for full details of what you can do to help them create the order, so you can get it to ship. Amazon doesn't take any money from you until the item ships. For those that are not "fulfillment by Amazon," you'll have to wait at least 30 minutes for the item to complete the transaction - These Marketplace sellers don't see any of your order until that window is clear.
Barnes & Noble sued Amazon on May 12, 1997, alleging that Amazon's claim to be "the world's largest bookstore" was false because it "...isn't a bookstore at all. It's a book broker." The suit was later settled out of court and Amazon continued to make the same claim.[36] Walmart sued Amazon on October 16, 1998, alleging that Amazon had stolen Walmart's trade secrets by hiring former Walmart executives. Although this suit was also settled out of court, it caused Amazon to implement internal restrictions and the reassignment of the former Walmart executives.[36]
In September 2017, Amazon announced plans to locate a second headquarters in a metropolitan area with at least a million people.[45] Cities needed to submit their presentations by October 19, 2017 for the project called HQ2.[46] The $5 billion second headquarters, starting with 500,000 square feet and eventually expanding to as much as 8 million square feet, may have as many as 50,000 employees.[47] In 2017, Amazon announced it would build a new downtown Seattle building with space for Mary's Place, a local charity in 2020.[48]
Amazon employs a multi-level e-commerce strategy. Amazon started by focusing on business-to-consumer relationships between itself and its customers and business-to-business relationships between itself and its suppliers and then moved to facilitate customer-to-customer with the Amazon marketplace which acts as an intermediary to facilitate transactions. The company lets anyone sell nearly anything using its platform. In addition to an affiliate program that lets anyone post-Amazon links and earn a commission on click-through sales, there is now a program which lets those affiliates build entire websites based on Amazon's platform.[147]
That’s a lot of people to compete with, but it can pay off. While smaller items like clothing, consumables, and books won’t see that large of a price cut, Black Friday is still worth the pre-dawn alarm if you’re after deals on big-ticket items. Think: Household appliances, grills, TVs, and other electronics. “Stores use the doorbusters to whip you into a bargain-shopping frenzy in hopes that you'll buy more than the advertised bargains,” says Lisa Lee Freeman, co-host of the Hot Shopping Tips podcast. “The stores often barely break even or even lose money on doorbuster specials, but they make it back when shoppers stick around and buy other items that may not be such great deals.”
Amazon was founded in 1994 around Bezos’ desire to start an internet-based business, with the goal of selling items online emerging as an early and obvious inroad into the dot-com boom. A former Wall Street worker with electrical engineering and computer science degrees, Bezos zeroed in on books as a viable initial product category for his online store due to the universality of literature, the existing stock of print books, and the relatively low price of each unit. Bezos briefly considered naming his company Relentless.com — an early sign of the man’s tenacious business mindset — but friends and family suggested it was too malevolent sounding. Relentless.com, which Bezos bought roughly 24 years ago, still redirects to Amazon.com. The company now controls almost half of all print book sales in the US.
Robert Nava is the owner of National Parks Depot and an ex-con who never thought he’d end up a highly successful ecommerce storeowner. Today, National Parks Depot pulls in $80,000 a month selling all kinds of outdoor gear and wear for camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, cycling, rafting and scuba activities. Robert says building his ecommerce store through Shopify was one of the easiest things he’s ever done.
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A Celebration of the Infant Child at Mareeba ()
Standing room only was the situation once again when the Filipino community of St Thomas of Villanova Parish celebrated its thirty-fourth Sto. Nino Festival on 21 January 2019 in Mareeba, Queensland, Australia.
Santo Santo Niño de Cebu, is a celebration of prayer, thanksgiving, intercession and adoration in honour of the beloved Senor Santo Niño, the King and Saviour.” The Festival traditionally commences with a nine-day Novena and cumulates with festive celebrations on the third Sunday of January.
Devotion to the Santo Niño (the Holy Infant, Jesus) in the Philippines traces back to the year 1521 with the introduction of Christianity to the Philippine nation by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Each province in the Philippines has developed its own way of celebrating the feast of the child Jesus, the Santo Niño. Street dancing and merrymaking mark this event. One particular regional glimpse of a Filipino festival can be seen in the central Philippines, this time in Iloilo City. The festival is called Didagyang, meaning revelry or merry-making. The Dinagyang Festival began in 1968 when the model image of Senior Sto Nino was brought from Cebu City. Dinagyang is celebrated every fourth weekend of January to honour the Christianisation of the natives and to respect the Holy Child Jesus. On this day, streets of Iloilo City will once again come alive as the Ilonggos celebrate the annual festivity. It is a very colourful parade coupled with a dramatization in honour of the patron Saint Senor Sto. Niño as the devotees perform offerings and prayers amidst the cracking of drums and shouts of "Viva Señor Santo Niño." The thundering of "HalaBira" by the tribe members makes the celebration a lively one. It is also a very popular tagline used by Ilonggos to express their warm participation during the "Dinagyang" celebration. This is all a tribute in honour of Señor Sto. Niño whom Ilonggos believe was miraculous in times of famine and drought.
At the annual Mass in honour of the Santo Nino at Mareeba, Australia (as mentioned in the first paragraph above), people are invited to have their family statuettes of Señor Sto. Niño blessed in the church before the congregation then joins in a procession around the church and school grounds to the grassed area where the celebrations end with a shared meal. The priest invited to lead the Señor Sto. Niño religious celebrations of 2019 was Fr Perrcival Sevare O.S.A. The Festival in January 2010 will be the thirty-fifty such annual Santo Niño celebration in Mareeba. En119
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On Wings of Commerce The Wright brothers were first. Lindbergh made it sexy. But it was the Boeing 707 that brought air travel to the masses--and changed the world.
By Paul Lukas
(FORTUNE Magazine) – On Oct. 26, 1958, a Pan Am flight made the trip from New York to Paris in eight hours, 41 minutes. Today that time would be nothing special, maybe even a little slow. But in 1958, such a short transatlantic flight was revolutionary, and so was the plane that achieved it: the Boeing 707, America's first passenger jet.
The Wright brothers may have gotten aviation off the ground, and Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart may have popularized it, but it's no exaggeration to describe the coming of the 707 as the single most transformative event in the annals of 20th-century flight. Prior to the 707, air travel was primarily for the rich, and even they had their doubts about its safety. The propeller planes of the day were also slow, needed frequent refueling stops, and vibrated like crazy. No surprise, then, that only four out of ten passengers crossing the Atlantic in 1952 went by air. And although the inaugural edition of the FORTUNE 500 in 1955 didn't include transportation companies (until 1995 the list was restricted to industrial firms), the magazine's separate transportation rankings for that year found the top ten spots all occupied by railroads. The highest airline was American, at No. 12.
The 707 changed all that. Its turbofan jet engines made it suitable for high altitudes and high speeds, and its sleek, streamlined design exuded a palpable sense of security. (The ultimate validation of this came in 1962, when the White House began using a 707 as Air Force One.) Its large cabin could accommodate up to 200 passengers--enough to change the economics of ticket pricing--and its cruising speed of 575 miles per hour was nearly two-thirds faster than any propeller-driven passenger plane. With nonstop flights becoming more the rule than the exception and rides becoming smooth enough for passengers to keep a cocktail glass on their tray tables, the 707 transformed the romance of flight from daring and adventure to a sense of cosmopolitan sophistication. It even changed the language, giving rise to terms like jet lag, the jet set, and the New York Jets.
But the plane's revolutionary effect wasn't limited to the flying public. By essentially launching modern air travel, the 707 sent a ripple effect through American business, affecting everything from heavy industry to tourism. It delivered a body blow to the railroads (in 1959, the first full year of the Jet Age, three airlines appeared among FORTUNE's top ten transportation companies) and sounded a death knell for ocean liners. It also transformed an industry that soon threatened to become too successful for its own good. And for better or worse--some of both, really--it created a travel culture that's become seamlessly integrated into countless facets of American life, eventually turning something miraculous and exciting into something, well, miraculous and banal.
The 707 got its chance in large part because of the failure of another jet, the de Havilland Comet. This pioneering British plane, which debuted in 1952, was poised to occupy the place in history that the 707 now holds, but a series of catastrophic accidents--triggered by metal fatigue exacerbated by the plane's square windows--grounded the Comet fleet and opened the door for Boeing. Still, putting the 707 into production was a huge gamble: There were no orders, so the project was done completely on spec, and Boeing's estimates projected development costs of $16 million--20% of the company's value and more than twice its 1951 profits. As it turned out, by the time Pan Am took delivery of the first 20 planes in August 1958 (the airline had placed its order in 1955, a year after Boeing demonstrated its prototype), the development costs had exceeded Boeing's net worth. But the gamble paid off: In 1958, the year of the 707's debut, Boeing jumped from No. 32 to No. 19 in the 500 rankings; it wouldn't fall as low as 32 again until the oil crisis of 1973.
In the world beyond Boeing, the 707 made all sorts of things possible. As Pan Am president Juan Trippe put it, "In one fell swoop we have shrunken the earth." As if to prove him right, in 1960, FORTUNE ran a feature story entitled "The World Is Their Territory," about the exciting new trend of American executives taking business trips abroad--imagine that!--where they encountered such exotic problems as foreign languages and weak martinis. Such provincialism sounds laughable measured against today's road-warrior business travelers, but from those humble beginnings came one of the Jet Age's major outgrowths: multinationalism, as companies found it easier to move people and resources around the globe.
While some companies were shipping their executives hither and yon, others were shipping freight. Airborne deliveries had once consisted of little more than airmail letters. (Boeing, in fact, had its own airmail route in the 1930s, until the government decreed that plane manufacturers couldn't simultaneously be carriers.) But the 707, with its shorter flying times and larger cargo holds, made the skies much friendlier for packages: From 1955 to 1965, airborne freight ton-miles increased by 382%. UPS, whose initial attempt at air service had been scuttled by the Great Depression, resumed flying for good in 1953 and saw its air business shoot upward during the Jet Age. But it was Federal Express, which began operations in 1973, that really exploited the jet's capabilities by creating the overnight-delivery market. In 1981, FedEx went beyond packages by introducing the overnight letter, and the following year UPS began offering next-day service as well. You probably know both companies are now FORTUNE 500 mainstays; what you may not know is that their air fleets both rank among America's ten largest. As for airmail, once a premium offering of the Postal Service, the classification no longer exists and the term is a quaint anachronism: Today nearly all mail is airmail.
Of course, jets' primary cargo was people, and as jets made travel more accessible, more people took advantage of it--too many, in fact. From 1955 to 1972, the number of airline passengers grew from 42 million to 205 million, resulting in clogged airport runways and routine flight delays. By 1966, FORTUNE was calling airport congestion a "disturbing national problem"--and a permanent one, apparently, as indicated by subsequent articles like "The Worsening Air Travel Mess," "Airports: The Dark Side of the Travel Boom," and "How to Cure Those #@*&! Airline Delays." Boeing's 747 jumbo jet, which debuted in 1970 (and would eventually drive Lockheed out of the passenger-jet arena and lead Boeing to acquire its other chief rival, McDonnell Douglas), was supposed to ease the overcrowding, but instead it exacerbated it by making air travel more accessible. By 1974, 45 million more Americans had flown than in 1968.
This influx of new travelers, plus the 747's need for longer runways, set the stage for the development of the modern airport, which has now become an important yardstick of urban viability and has spawned its own on-site service economy. Hotels, which used to be clustered downtown, are now clustered around airports as well; so are rental cars, which didn't become airport mainstays until the Jet Age. Think of this planes/hotels/cars troika as the hospitality-industrial complex. United Airlines tried to capitalize on these synergies in the 1970s and '80s by merging with the Westin hotel chain and then acquiring Hertz, creating a one-stop-shopping company for business travelers. Although that experiment failed--United sold off the hotel and car units--the concentration of airport-driven hotel business has vaulted chains like Marriott, Hilton, and Starwood into the 500 listings.
Meanwhile, with conference rooms and other business facilities increasingly available within airports, business travelers can now arrive, attend their meetings, and return home without ever leaving the terminal's hermetic seal. So instead of being a gateway to a destination, the airport has become a destination itself. But the modern road warriors living this lifestyle aren't exactly the fanciful globetrotters that the Jet Age's pioneers envisioned. "Business travel is pretty context-free today," says Gary Hamel, a strategy consultant who at one point traveled about 150 days per year (he's now down to 100). "You arrive in a city, often after dark, you go to a hotel that's like any other hotel, and by lunchtime you're in a car going back to the airport."
Ironically, supertravelers like Hamel often get little sense of where they're traveling. "If I go to Helsinki, even in winter, I don't bother to take an overcoat, because I'll be going from the airport to a car to an office building," he says. "It's not like you walk anywhere or really see anything." For these contemporary jet setters, the world has shrunk so much that flying has essentially been reduced to long-haul commuting. Service industry consultant Linda Novey, who has traveled 200 days a year for two decades, says, "My friends get up in the morning, go to the garage, get in the car, and go to work. Well, I get up in the morning, I go to the airport, I get on the plane, and I go to work. The end result is very much the same."
This parallel world in which people live from airport to airport, combined with modern air terminals' massive size (Chicago's O'Hare employs more than 50,000 people, and Dallas's DFW has its own Zip Code), has led many cultural observers to describe airports as cities. Which is true enough if you mean a city with crummy food, boring shops, no emotion or creativity, and a Cinnabon on every corner. The more apt comparison is a mall, with all the suburbanized blandness that implies--it's T.G.I.Airport. And it wasn't supposed to be this way: In 1958 FORTUNE described New York's Idlewild airport as an "inspiring aerial gateway" with a new renovation that promised "striking architecture and landscaping." If that doesn't sound like any New York airport you've ever experienced, that's because Idlewild is the overcrowded monument to tedium now known as J.F.K., its once-proud TWA terminal, designed by Eero Saarinen, now sitting dormant (although JetBlue is hoping to revive it as a lobby).
Given the huge number of people an airport has to process, this lowest-common-denominator environment was probably inevitable. And there's no escape--even the most well-appointed airline club lounge is ultimately just a generic limbo with no sense of place. If this really were a city, they'd call it Nowhere.
Most of the airlines did boom business in the early years of the Jet Age: The average value of airline stocks jumped 250% between 1960 and 1965. But with complaints mounting about delays and deteriorating service, a reckoning was inevitable, and it arrived in the form of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Since 1938, the federal Civil Aeronautics Board had controlled the industry's routes, schedules, and prices, which were generally kept artificially high to protect the airlines. This left the carriers with little to compete over except whose flight attendants had the sexiest outfits (a trend begun in 1965 as a marketing stunt by Braniff, whose stewardesses would shed several layers of their uniforms during a flight, a routine known as the "air strip").
But with deregulation, the big airlines suddenly had to compete with an array of low-cost, no-reservations carriers moving in on their long-established territories. The blueprint for this type of service had been laid out in the early 1970s by Southwest, which wasn't subject to price regulation because it flew exclusively within Texas and therefore didn't qualify as interstate commerce. This head start helped Southwest navigate through deregulation's initial chaos and emerge as the consistently successful operation it remains today. Other cut-rate pioneers, like Laker Airways and People Express (the latter of which was so no-frills that passengers paid their fares on the plane), didn't survive the revolution they helped start, but you can draw a straight line from them to contemporary outfits like JetBlue and AirTran, with a dotted line to the major airlines' new budget-priced subsidiaries, like Delta's Song and United's Ted.
Deregulation was supposed to be good for consumers, and in many respects it was. The average fare, as measured by the cost per mile flown, decreased by 28% from 1979 to 1993. And while many complained about the hub-and-spoke route system that deregulation fostered (cue joke: "When you die and go to heaven, you have to change planes in Atlanta!"), it had some unsung advantages: In 1978, 50% of passengers changing planes on domestic trips also had to change airlines; by 1993, that figure was down to 1%. But removing the industry's governor wheel led to even more overcrowding: Deregulation's first two decades saw a 70% increase in commercial flights (and more articles about those #@*&! delays).
All that frequent flying led to the advent of frequent-flier programs. The first one, which awarded first-class trips to Hawaii for elite-level travelers, was announced by American Airlines in May 1981. United followed with its own version a week later, and TWA did likewise the week after that. "We were pretty convinced that some form of what we were developing would hang around for a long time," says Rolfe Shellenberger, who helped create American's AAdvantage program and is considered by many to be the father of the frequent-flier phenomenon. But neither he nor anyone else could have foreseen that one day consumers would be earning miles by switching long-distance phone carriers and using airline-branded credit cards, that they'd be redeeming those miles for magazine subscriptions and charitable donations, or that the whole system would become a sort of independent barter economy.
Meanwhile, by encouraging price wars that led to razor-thin margins, deregulation turned what had been a relatively staid industry topsy-turvy. This led to a new breed of airline executives, epitomized by the notorious Frank Lorenzo, who took a regional operation called Texas Air and built it into a national powerhouse by purchasing other airlines, including Eastern, Continental, and People Express. His signature move came in 1983 when he broke Continental's unions by moving the airline into Chapter 11 bankruptcy--despite its $60 million in cash reserves--which allowed him to annul the company's labor contracts and then resume operations under significantly less generous terms. Eastern's unions were so afraid of him that they tried, unsuccessfully, to arrange an employee buyout before he could acquire the airline.
If Continental's bankruptcy was a calculated maneuver, Eastern's subsequent plunge into financial ruin and eventual 1991 liquidation--at the cost of 40,000 jobs--showed that Lorenzo's strong-arm tactics didn't always work. Not that anyone else had a magic touch during this period, either: America West, TWA, Braniff, Midway, and even the venerable Pan Am all filed for bankruptcy protection between 1989 and 1993, with the latter three joining Eastern in shutting down for good. (TWA, whose last profitable year was 1988, emerged from its 1993 bankruptcy but was permanently grounded in 2001, with American eventually purchasing most of its assets.) Nine of the nation's ten largest carriers lost money during this stretch.
The industry was just stabilizing when it was hit by something much bigger than deregulation: 9/11. The disaster didn't just expose how vulnerable the air transport system was to attack; it also showed how dependent the economy had become on air transport. We found out, if only for a few days, what life was like without airplanes: stranded travelers, canceled conferences, no overnight packages, nonexistent parts deliveries leading to idle factories. When flights resumed, many travelers were reluctant to fly, just as in the old days. The shrunken world became big again.
So what happens next? Industry analyst Michael Boyd expects passenger traffic to return to pre-9/11 levels around 2006. Among those hoping he's right is European aerospace manufacturer Airbus, because that's the same year it will introduce the A380, a double-decker megajet that can carry 555 people. But aviation's future won't just be about getting bigger: The main selling points of Boeing's next major passenger plane--the 7E7 Dreamliner, expected to launch in 2008--are fuel efficiency and Internet connectivity. By then the industry may also be seeing an increased trend toward small, short-range planes called microjets. Particularly well suited for the smaller airports that the major carriers are abandoning in favor of urban hub consolidation, microjets may end up functioning as a sort of air-taxi system, which would relieve overcrowding at the hubs and provide a new aviation network for domestic business travelers. In some ways, this is already happening with JetBlue, whose use of long-neglected secondary airports--Long Beach instead of LAX, Oakland instead of San Francisco--shows how even an industry as elephantine as this one can still be nimble and responsive when a bit of creativity is applied.
As for the 707, Boeing stopped producing it in 1991, although it's still in service here and there, mostly in Africa and South America. The era it ushered in promised to be suave and cultured--think about that the next time you're walking through security in your socks or standing in line at Pretzel Time. But if the Jet Age never fully delivered on that promise, that's not because it failed--it's because it succeeded too well, generating a public demand that has constantly outstripped the industry's capacity. It's also because travelers craved an unattainably romantic notion of what air travel could represent, a notion that was slowly eroded by decades of delayed flights and then destroyed entirely by 9/11. So while we'll no doubt keep flying, any lingering view of the skies as a picturesque fantasyland is gone. As Federal Aviation Administration chief Jane F. Garvey said two months after the World Trade Center attacks, "Americans have long known that 'eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.' Now we know it is the price of mobility as well." In retrospect, maybe it was the big world that was more romantic after all.
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The greatest money manager of our time
What do ant colonies, novels and river systems have to do with making money? Ask Bill Miller, the man who's topped the market 15 years running. Fortune managing editor Andy Serwer reports.
By Andy Serwer, Fortune managing editor
November 28 2006: 10:58 AM EST
(Fortune Magazine) -- Have you heard the story about the money managers and the three bears? It was a gorgeous afternoon last June on a ranch outside Cody, Wyo. Legendary investor Bill Miller was riding horseback with Chris Davis of Davis Funds and Michael Larson, who runs Cascade, Bill Gates' investment company.
The three had been out about an hour when dead ahead of them, no more than 100 yards off, appeared three grizzly bears. Larson gently pulled up on his reins and quietly began to back his horse away. But Miller had other ideas. "Let's see how close we can get," he said, and edged ahead. Larson stayed back. "I don't know what Bill was thinking," Larson said later. "I guess he figures he's on a horse and can ride faster than Chris Davis."
Larson, Miller and Davis escaped. And Miller had no intention of turning his friend into bear bait. What Miller was doing out there in the wilds of Wyoming was pretty close to what he does every day in his office overlooking the inner harbor of Baltimore: taking extraordinary, calculated risks, ones that most people - whether nature lovers or investors - would find unimaginable. The thing about Miller is that more often than not, he turns out to be right.
In case you haven't heard of him, Bill Miller is one of the greatest investors of our time. Refreshingly, he isn't some sort of billionaire hedge fund recluse. Miller runs an ordinary mutual fund, the $20 billion Legg Mason Value Trust, where he has produced extraordinary returns.
As it stands now, Miller has compiled one of the most remarkable records in the history of investing: His fund has outperformed the stock market for 15 straight years. That's right, 15 years, starting in 1991 - during George Bush the elder's presidency - through the tech bull market, then the crash and now the recovery.
That puts him in the same league as Peter Lynch, George Soros, even Warren Buffett. In recent years Miller has inadvertently added to the drama of his DiMaggio-like streak by falling behind in the first half, only to come roaring back in the fall and pass the market at the last minute.
This year Miller's fund again got trounced by the market in the spring, and since then it has come back, only this time there's a difference. As of early November, Miller was still about 10 percentage points behind the S&P 500. So it is almost certain that he has too much ground to make up and that the streak will be broken. If you don't believe me, ask Miller: "It's unlikely I'll beat the market this year," he says, though he certainly thinks the condition will be temporary.
Running a tight ship
It goes without saying that Miller is an iconoclast. You simply can't do what he's done in the supremely competitive, ultra-efficient world of stock picking by following the pack.
On the outside Miller and his operation look like a standard-issue money management firm - it's a buttoned-down, conservative-looking crew - but spend some time with the man and his brain trust, and you realize that this is more like some sort of academic enclave or wonk house.
Miller's group is just as likely to be discussing the functionality of ant colonies or river systems as P/E ratios. The man runs a required book club for his investment team, for which he assigns works like "Deep Survival," by Laurence Gonzales, and "The Landscape of History," by John Lewis Gaddis.
Miller is chairman of the Santa Fe Institute, a think tank founded to study complexity, for goodness' sake. "The depth and breadth of Bill's intellect is pretty amazing," says Robert Hagstrom, who works as a portfolio manager at Legg Mason. "You watch the guy converse with someone like [American Nobel laureate in physics] Murray Gell-Mann and you ask yourself, 'This guy's a money manager?'" The fact is that Miller has spent decades studying freethinking overachievers, and along the way he's become one himself.
"What we are really trying to do is to think about thinking," Miller tells me. "Understanding how groups behave is central to understanding how complex adaptive systems - such as the stock market - work."
Miller is obsessive about studying what makes certain people and systems different. In simpler terms, Miller, his scholarly protégé, Michael Mauboussin, and the rest of the employees of Legg Mason Capital Management (the arm of Legg Mason over which Miller holds sway) try to understand how investors are wedded to certain beliefs about a stock - say, Amazon.com - that are completely wrong.
If Miller and his people think deeply about it, really deeply and cast aside their biases and maybe their oh-so-human need to think as others do, they might come to the conclusion that Amazon (Charts) is vastly undervalued.
This leads Miller to a dog's breakfast of stocks. Most of what he holds ordinary investors wouldn't dream of owning, everything from newfangled Internet stocks with nosebleed P/Es - yes, he owns Amazon - to butt-ugly down-and-outers like Eastman Kodak (Charts). It's very risky business stuff. Like dancing with a grizzly bear.
Luck or skill?
But how far-out is this really? There are all kinds of money managers who say they "think different." Miller would argue that his group is able to see the world through a truly unique set of lenses by studying how tree limbs grow and how infectious diseases spread and the like, and that this is the value added that allows them to outperform the market.
Does it really? One person who's a little skeptical of the whole business is Miller's boss, Chip Mason, CEO of Legg Mason (Charts), a large asset management company, which has been on a run nearly as spectacular as Miller's fund. I recently spoke with Mason, a no-nonsense type, about Miller's passion for unconventional thinking:
Is it a bunch of malarkey?
Does it matter on the investment side? Marginally, but I do think it's a great escape. It's a way to relax a little or a way to take the pressures away, a way to think outside the box a little bit.... Bill loves that stuff. He's into chaos.
So if you had a money manager who said what we need to do is work for an hour a day and then go surfing for the rest of the day, and I need to take my people with me, and he'd beaten the market 15 years in a row, you would say....
Everybody better get surfing.
Bill Miller owes a debt of gratitude to Pope Gregory XIII. In 1582 the Pontiff decreed that the Catholic world switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar that most of the world uses today. Miller seems to have had an uncanny ability to beat the market on a calendar basis.
Two years ago, my colleague Jon Birger wrote in Money magazine that "if the calendar year ended in March, April or any month other than December, there'd be no streak."
In some years he barely squeaked by; last year he beat the S&P 500 by less than half a percentage point. Furthermore, Miller's fund hasn't produced positive returns every year. Like the market, Value Trust was down in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Another point is that Miller's fund has hardly been a spectacular performer lately. His numbers this year have been so lousy that the fund actually trails the market over the past three years and barely beats it over five.
"It's funny," a knowledgeable New York hedge fund manager tells me. "Bill's thing is to own large-cap U.S. stocks. Those stocks were out of favor for the past few years, and now they're coming back, but not the ones Bill owns."
Why is that? Just bad luck, really. Miller has been doing the same thing he always does, buying stocks he believes in and holding them for years. His turnover rate of about 13 percent barely constitutes trading in his business.
"That implies a holding period of about eight years," Miller points out. "We look for what [Baltimore Oriole manager] Earl Weaver used to love, three-run homers." If Miller likes a stock at $40 and it drops to $30, he likes it even more and often keeps buying as the stock continues to sink. "You don't want to short a stock that Bill owns," says Michael Larson. "You don't have to be long, but betting against him is tough because you'd always be thinking in the back of your mind, 'He must know something I don't.' "
Miller famously backed up the truck and bought AOL in the 1990s when it fell into Wall Street's doghouse. Later it came back with a vengeance. Chip Mason recalls the time: "Bill's basically got ice water in his veins, and he was buying AOL in buckets and it was crashing every day. Scared me. I thought, 'My God, this company's going to go out of business, and we'll have bought a million shares in the last two weeks.' But he was right."
Then there was the time a fund manager asked Miller how low he would keep buying a certain stock. "As long as it still has a quote," Miller replied.
But how does Miller know if a beaten-down stock will be a survivor or a flameout? (The latter is known in the biz as a value trap.) I asked Miller that question back in October one drizzly night in Baltimore's Camden Yards.
Moneyballing
The Orioles, a passion of Miller's, were suffering through another dismal stretch, the stands were only a third full, and Miller had no problem following the game and talking stocks too: "You never know for certain, but the nature of value traps is, they tend to have certain characteristics. Typically, one is that the valuation of the business or the industry is lower than its historical norms. The company or business normally has a fairly long history, so the historical normal valuations provide a lot of comfort. Therefore, when you get down toward the lower end of these valuations, value people find them attractive. The trap comes in when there's a secular change, where the fundamental economics of the business are changing or the industry is changing, and the market is slowly incorporating that into the stock price. So that would be the case over the last several years with newspapers. They are a good example of where historical valuation metrics aren't working."
The conversation turns from investing to baseball - which are connected, of course, in that both are susceptible to statistical analysis. In Miller's mind, baseball is another venue for unconventional thinking. ("Moneyball," by Michael Lewis, is a favorite book.)
Miller - a baseball pitcher himself at Washington and Lee, as was Chip Mason in high school - makes no secret of his disappointment with the Orioles' performance. Someday, Miller says, if owner Peter Angelos wanted to sell, he would like to join with Mason and Oriole great Cal Ripken to buy the O's.
(When you suggest to Miller that his streak is DiMaggio-like, he'll tell you he prefers that it be described as Ripken-like.) Miller's dream team to run the Orioles would include Harvard-educated baseball exec Paul DePodesta, who uses nontraditional, so-called sabermetric principles to analyze baseball.
Do Miller and Mason have the cash to buy a Major League Baseball team? Oh, yeah. For starters, Mason owns some $270 million in Legg stock. As for Miller, think about it this way. The Value Trust charges its investors a 0.66 percent management fee. Off a $20 billion base, that's some $132 million of revenue a year. Miller and Legg executives won't say, but certainly Miller gets a major cut of that. And there's more.
As chairman of Legg Mason Capital Management, Miller oversees $40 billion more. Plus Miller is very much the public face of Legg Mason and a constant presence in the company's marketing efforts. Add all this up, and you can be sure Miller makes out just fine as far as compensation goes.
In fact, Miller recently plunked down tens of millions of dollars on a huge yacht called Utopia. It features a heliport, a gym, and a Jacuzzi (and it's available for charter).
Some on Wall Street wonder why Miller has never left to start a hedge fund, but why should he? Sure, he might get even wealthier flying solo, but he does just fine at Legg Mason without the risk of running his own shop. And Miller has created a micro-environment at Legg, in which he appears to have a high comfort level.
At the baseball game that night, Miller is surrounded by a dozen or so young analysts in the Legg Mason box who seem to be acutely aware - almost in a cultlike way - that they are working for the Great Man.
"This is Bill Miller you are talking about," says one of them in a conversation. It's not unusual for Miller to have drinks and socialize with this group until well after the dinner hour.
Miller may be one of the most cool, calm and collected guys you'll ever meet, but he still likes to have a good time. In the morning he often reads at home for a few hours and generally doesn't roll into the office until after 10 a.m. At lunchtime he and his core team - including portfolio managers David Nelson and Robert Hagstrom (who wrote the book "The Warren Buffett Way") - head off to the Grill Room of the Center Club right there on the 16th floor of the Legg Mason building. And the talk is about stocks, baseball and why certain members of the Equidae family don't get stomach pains.
And then there's the male sex organ. "So how do erections work?" says a tiny, longhaired man from a podium. It's a few weeks later, and I'm at the Legg Mason Capital Management Thought Leader Forum, really a behavioral finance conference in Baltimore for a group of about 240 clients and employees, where brainiacs like Emory University psychiatry professor Gregory Berns and Columbia University psychology professor Elke Weber explain their work.
The aforementioned speaker this evening is Stanford neural biologist Robert Sapolsky, a MacArthur fellow (he looks like a character straight out of "Lord of the Rings") and the author of a book called "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers."
Zebras are part of the Equidae, or horse, family. Sapolsky is an expert on behavior and stress, and the attendees listen raptly as he explains that zebras are free from ulcers because they get into high-adrenaline states only when they are, say, escaping from a lion.
This is in contrast to some humans who get agitated when they choose the slow checkout line at Whole Foods and then snap at the person ahead of them. The take-away for the Wall Street folks is that stress can affect everything from cardiovascular health to memory to erections, and can also cause bad decision-making.
Most of the money managers in the room seem enthralled by the program. "It's a smorgasbord of brain candy," says Josh Wolfe, a managing partner at Lux Capital. "It makes you wiser, not just in investing but in everyday relationships."
But not everyone has drunk the Kool-Aid. "[Miller's] three-year average has caused some eyes to look his way," says A.C. Berry, an investment analyst with San Antonio Fire and Police Pension Fund. "There is concern [about] performance. I'm here to make sure nothing has changed and to see what the conference has to offer."
The conference is organized by Legg Mason's Michael Mauboussin, a former food analyst and investment strategist at CSFB who's the author of several books and an adjunct professor of finance at Columbia Business School. Mauboussin serves as Miller's intellectual search engine, always looking to bring his master new, brain-stretching ideas.
"There's a never-ending search to figure out ways to gain better insights," Mauboussin tells me. "So I think you look for inspirations, for insights, pretty much anywhere you can think of. Whether it's psychology or science or literature, it's a never-ending search. Bill's currency is ideas. You want to turn him on, give him a good idea. He doesn't care where it comes from. If a Nobel Prize winner gives him a dumb idea, he'll flag it Dumb Idea. And if a junior person gives him a good idea, he flags it Good Idea."
I asked Mauboussin - a tall, handsome sort who worked as a car salesman at his father's dealership growing up - how he measures the effect of what he does. "I think it's inherently very difficult to do. Honestly, that's an ongoing ... not an issue, but it's an ongoing point. The bottom line is whether Bill feels that the work that I'm doing contributes to what he's doing to the organization, to our ability to communicate with our clients and to the broader world. And if he feels those things are being met that would be of value. But I think there's no question that there would be some degree of subjectivity in that assessment."
Miller has a crack team of more traditional stock analysts - co-headed by Randy Befumo, previously employed by the Motley Fool - who blend their work with that of Mauboussin's.
Not long ago it all coalesced beautifully for Miller when the team hit upon buying the Google (Charts) IPO in August 2004. "We were at the Santa Fe Institute in May of 2004 at a lunch buffet," Mauboussin recalls. "And we said we have some incredible people here, let's go to a side room and discuss Google."
The group included Joy Covey, former CFO of Amazon; Gary Bengier, former CFO of eBay; Jim Rutt, former CEO of Network Solutions; John Miller, an economist at Carnegie Mellon; and David Weinberger, a mathematician and former Goldman Sachs arbitrageur. "We kicked it around for a while," Mauboussin says.
"Later that evening, Bill waves me over to speak with David Baltimore, [then] president of Caltech, and he tells us about a great auction theorist he has on his faculty. And we spoke with that guy too."
In July 2004, Legg Mason Capital Management established a Google task force. Befumo wrote a 40-page report, and Mauboussin worked more on the auction theory. "And you may remember Internet stocks were doing poorly then, and the popular press said not to touch this IPO with a ten-foot pole," Mauboussin says.
The Legg Mason team came up with a weighted, laddered bid based on what they believed Google was worth. They bid in three tiers: $150 million, or 1.3 million shares at $116 a share; $100 million, or one million shares at $100; and $50 million, or 561,000 shares at $89.
As it turned out, Miller and his crew were way off - their valuation of the company was much higher than the final price, which was $85 per share. In this case, of course, that meant they hit the jackpot. Legg Mason ended up getting 2.3 million shares (an 80 percent allocation) at $85 - much less than what the team thought Google was worth - and then the stock took off. Today that initial investment of $196 million made in the summer of 2004 is worth $1.1 billion.
Now that's some serious Moneyball.
The end of a winning streak
Not every stock works out like that for Bill Miller. While Qwest (Charts) and AES (Charts) have shone for Miller this year - and energy stocks have come back to earth just as he predicted they would - his portfolio just isn't working for him the way it usually does.
Legg Mason Capital Management owns $1.5 billion worth of Eastman Kodak stock - a staggering 20 percent of the company. Miller began buying the stock in the first quarter of 2000, and it has been nothing but a millstone around his neck (though it's perked up a bit since August).
"That was one where we were wrong to buy it when we did because we underestimated the depth and the speed of the transition," says Miller. "Kodak had known that film was going away long [ago] - they introduced a digital camera, I think, in the early 1990s or late 1980s. The market's not willing to look out a couple of years on anything. We think the probabilities are extremely high that Kodak will have well over $1 billion of free cash flow in two years, but the market isn't going to care until they report that free cash flow."
Other stocks in which Miller has big stakes that have been beaten up this year include Aetna (Charts), which has crashed twice, and UnitedHealth Group (Charts), where longstanding CEO Bill McGuire was forced out over an option-backdating scandal. "McGuire and his team were the real architects of growth there, and the stock attracted a lot of dumb money - that is, money in there just because it goes up every year. If something goes wrong they sell it." Sprint has also been a major drag on his portfolio.
And so it's likely to be a rather glum New Year's Eve this time around for Legg Mason Capital Management. The Streak is probably over. Wouldn't Miller actually prefer that it end to take the pressure off? "No," Miller answers quickly and unequivocally. "I wouldn't be glad that it was over, because it would mean that we didn't add any value to clients that year."
But is the streak a burden? "You mean does it eat at Bill?" asks Chip Mason. "Yes. I don't think horrendously, but it certainly eats at him. Bill and I really don't agree on this. My view last year was, maybe you don't make it and you miss it by 20 basis points - close, it's over, the pressure's gone. His view was, 'You've got to be kidding me. If I'm close, I've got to win!' And certainly I'm not against his winning - my view was, sooner or later, this has got to end. It can't go on forever. Cal Ripken just walked in one day and said, 'That's it, I'm not going to play today,' which was probably right. Just get it over with."
Though the Oriole-crazed Miller might not like to hear it, his streak is really much more like DiMaggio's. Ripken's streak, though mighty impressive, was about showing up to work every day and avoiding injury.
DiMaggio's was about stars aligning. Here's how that streak unfolded: On May 15, 1941, the Yankees hosted the Chicago White Sox, and in the second inning, the home team's unflappable 26-year-old center fielder rapped a single. DiMaggio hit safely in the next two games against the Sox too, and then continued to rap the ball game after game through May. In June he reached base in 20 straight games, then 30, then 40. On July 2, DiMaggio hit safely in 45 games, smashing the record set by Wee Willie Keeler in 1897.
After that the Yankee Clipper was in uncharted territory. No baseball player had connected with a baseball as frequently as this. The nation was captivated and followed every game, and yet even with the pressure mounting day after day, DiMaggio continued to smash the ball. Finally, in Cleveland on July 17, DiMaggio failed to get a hit, lining into a double play with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. By then he had hit in 56 straight games, a record that has stood for decades without really being threatened.
Like Miller, DiMaggio took no comfort in the streak ending. "I can't say I'm glad it's over," DiMaggio said. "I wanted to go on as long as I could." And do you know what DiMaggio did next? He started another streak, hitting safely in 16 straight games.
Reporter associates Corey Hajim and Ellen Florian Kratz contributed to this article.
Magellan is off course
From the November 27, 2006 issue
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Healthy Convenience Store Initiative
State: NY Type: Model Practice Year: 2012
The Healthy Convenience Store Initiative is sponsored by the Albany County Strategic Alliance for Health (ACSAH), a chronic disease prevention program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and coordinated by the Albany County Department of Health. Our goal is to enable communities to reduce the burden of chronic disease through sustainable, evidence-based chronic disease prevention and health promotion programs that focus on policy, systems, and environmental change. Our focus area is the City of Albany’s South End, West Hill, Arbor Hill, and North Albany neighborhoods (zip codes 12202, 12204, 12206, 12207, 12210) with a high incidence of chronic disease. In 2010, the Albany County population was 304,204 and the City of Albany was 97,856. The target population for the Healthy Convenience Store Initiative (HCSI) is low-income residents of urban neighborhoods who are underserved by produce retail options near their homes.
Albany County Department of Health
The Healthy Convenience Store Initiative is sponsored by the Albany County Strategic Alliance for Health (ACSAH), a chronic disease prevention program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and coordinated by the Albany County Department of Health. Our goal is to enable communities to reduce the burden of chronic disease through sustainable, evidence-based chronic disease prevention and health promotion programs that focus on policy, systems, and environmental change. Our focus area is the City of Albany’s South End, West Hill, Arbor Hill, and North Albany neighborhoods (zip codes 12202, 12204, 12206, 12207, 12210) with a high incidence of chronic disease. In 2010, the Albany County population was 304,204 and the City of Albany was 97,856. The target population for the Healthy Convenience Store Initiative (HCSI) is low-income residents of urban neighborhoods who are underserved by produce retail options near their homes. Some City of Albany neighborhoods are food deserts where customers are habitually left with few options but to buy less expensive, less nutritious, high calorie, and more heavily processed foods to satisfy their daily caloric needs. Food availability is a larger issue as the lack of accessible and affordable healthy food undoubtedly contributes to the chronic disease burden in our communities as well. The rate of overweight and obesity in Albany County is 63% (compared to New York State at 59%) and only 24% of Albany County adults eat five or more fruits or vegetables per day (compared to New York State at 27%). (NYSDOH BRFSS, 2009.) The HCSI, a partnership of ACSAH and Capital District Community Gardens (CDCG), is a strategy to provide the community with sustainable healthier and affordable food options in neighborhood convenient stores. CDCG conducted extensive outreach in targeted areas of the City of Albany to identify potential corner stores to participate. The HCSI supplies local stores with fresh produce to stock in a customized display. During the growing season, a large percentage of produce is purchased from local agricultural producers. Through compact in-store displays, site specific marketing, and twice-weekly stocking and rotation of produce, the HCSI is increasing the availability of local and culturally appropriate produce, making it easier for families to include fruits and vegetables in their diets. The first produce unit was installed in February 2011. Prior to the installation, the owners signed an agreement which ensured: the produce unit would be prominently placed in the front of their store, used exclusively for fresh produce, retail prices would be set by CDCG, and marketing materials provided by CDCG would be prominently displayed. This program is designed to make healthy food sales profitable and thereby sustainable for convenience store owners. Store owners pay wholesale price for produce and are allowed to charge a nominal increase for resale and profit. The ultimate goal is to empower disadvantaged populations to make better purchasing decisions that level the nutritional disparities that exist between low-income and higher-income families, as well as racial minorities and majorities, and decrease the statistically imbalanced rates of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Albany County. Marketing by CDCG includes a custom poster prominently hung in the store window, a sandwich board placed on the sidewalk in front of the store and neighborhood promotion. Between February and September 2011, CDCG installed units at five convenience stores in identified food deserts. During that period almost $10,000 in fresh produce (8,464 pounds) was purchased through these stores. ACSAH continues, with CDCG, to add new stores to the Initiative. Though no additional data is available at this time because the HCSI is a new initiative, in the future we hope to calculate the number or percentage of our target population that we are able to reach with the Healthy Convenience Store Initiative. The HCSI has been a success on many levels. CDCG has a solid reputation and long history of working in our community and understands the issues related to dealing with fresh produce that most small independent store owners are not attuned to. They provide expertise, a delivery system and pricing structure that works for the stores and for the customers. CDCG supports the program with a strong marketing effort to let the community know that fresh produce is now available. Additionally, monthly reports document that store owners are pleased with the produce sales and increased traffic into their stores as a result of stocking and promoting the availability of fresh produce. Families in the neighborhoods are grateful to have access to healthy food for their families at an affordable price.
Health Issues The Healthy Convenience Store Initiative addresses the need for more affordable and healthier produce options in urban minority communities.Typically, driving factors behind obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease include both a lack of physical activity and poor nutrition. The particular geographic focus area was chosen based on an analysis of chronic disease (diabetes, heart disease, and obesity), minority health disparities, socioeconomic indicators, and an assessment of the availability of resources that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. CHANGE (Community Health Assessment and Group Evaluation, a CDC tool) assessments of the community documented an absence of supermarkets; low consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables; and dependence of families on convenience stores for food purchases. In addition, according to the USDA Food Desert Location, 11,500 households in Albany County reside in food deserts. This means that residents of this County (specifically of the City of Albany) have both high rates of nutrition-related chronic disease and limited access to healthy food. More specifically, a survey of food retail stores and farmers’ markets in inner city Albany determined that weight-adjusted density (per 10,000 residents) of fruit and vegetable stores was 4.6 in the City of Albany’s minority neighborhood and 11.4 in the City of Albany’s racially mixed neighborhood. The study recommended public health interventions in urban minority neighborhoods to aid in the mitigation of these disparities. The Healthy Convenience Store Initiative supplies convenience stores with fresh produce to stock in a customized display with Capital District Community Gardens and Albany County Strategic Alliance for Health branding. Through compact in-store displays, site specific marketing, and twice-weekly stocking and rotation of produce, the Healthy Convenience Store Initiative is increasing the availability of healthy and culturally appropriate produce, making it easier for families to include produce in their diets. The cost of the produce is also kept low for both the business owner and customer through start-up funding from the ACSAH. This ensures that businesses can make a profit while families can gain access to affordable, high-quality food. Innovation Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Community Guide (Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States) cites access to affordable healthy food options as a health promotion and prevention strategy: “Local government offers at least one incentive to new and/or existing food retailers to offer healthier food and beverage choices… in underserved areas.” The Albany County Strategic Alliance for Health partnered with Capital District Community Gardens (CDCG), an existing community agency with the means and knowledge to deliver fresh produce, to develop the Healthy Convenience Store Initiative. CDCG operates community gardens and also runs a successful mobile produce delivery program (Veggie Mobile) in the Capital District community. Using a combination of wholesale and local produce, CDCG is able to offer the underserved urban community fresh fruits and vegetables at an affordable price. When a store signs on to the HCSI, they are offered free delivery of produce and culling of expired produce for a limited time. In addition, store owners receive a free display unit, pay the same wholesale price CDCG pays for produce, and are allowed to retain the profit from nominal mark ups on produce. The Healthy Convenience Store Initiative is an innovative use of existing convenience stores (and communities purchase patterns) to build fresh produce capacity in food deserts. Unlike food markets, HCSI allows for establishment of fresh produce hubs for a modest startup expense. Furthermore, HCDI directly complements and integrates with companion means of nutrition delivery (i.e. community gardens, mobile markets). There is no single definition of what constitutes a healthy corner store project, but they all share a common goal: working with small business owners to make healthier choices easily available in underserved communities. The efforts reflect any of a number of approaches: Conducting full-scale “corner store conversions,” in which corner stores make infrastructure changes (such as acquiring refrigeration units) to sell fruits and vegetables; Improving the nutritional profile of foods currently offered; Creating new or tapping into existing distribution networks to make locally grown/organic produce available in corner stores; Implementing social marketing tactics in the store and its surroundings to promote healthy choices available in the stores. The ACSAH did not find a template for implementing a corner store initiative. Instead, through a literature review and issuance of a Request for Proposals, the ACSAH and Capital District Community Gardens (awarded agency) designed all elements of the Healthy Convenience Store Initiative. REFERENCES/ SUPPORTING EVIDENCE/ LITERATURE REVIEW a. Food Trust http://www.thefoodtrust.org/php/programs/corner.store.campaign.php b. Planning for Healthy Places http://www.phlpnet.org/php/products/healthycorner-Stores c. Healthy Corner Stores Network www.healthycornerstores.org d. “Assessing Retail Fruit and Vegetable Availability in Urban and Rural Underserved Communities,” Preventing Chronic Disease Public Health Research, Practice and Policy ; Vol 5: No. 4 (October 2008) http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2008/oct/07_0169.htm e. “Access to Healthy Foods in Low-Income Neighborhoods Opportunities for Public Policy”, Rudd Report, Yale University; Fall 2008. f. Delridge Healthy Corner Store Project, http://healthycornerstores.org/wpcontent/uploads/resources/Delridge_HCS_Toolkit.pdf f. “Snacking in Children: The Role of Urban Corner Stores,” Borradaile, et. al; Pediatrics 2009; v.124; 1293-1298 Unlike farmers’ markets and community gardens, the Healthy Convenience Store Initiative stores can offer fresh produce year-round and at an affordable price. In addition, rather than offer incentives to large grocery chains to establish stores in urban areas, the HCSI enables small business owners, an existing resource in the community, to provide more nutritious and culturally appropriate produce for their neighborhoods. The Healthy Convenience Store Initiative is expanding upon the work that Capital District Community Gardens is doing in our Region to provide greater access to affordable fresh produce in our inner-city neighborhoods. Since 2007, CDCG has been operating a mobile produce market (The Veggie Mobile) in urban food deserts in our region. The Veggie Mobile provides weekly service to 23 locations throughout our Region. The produce is sold at wholesale cost – which is about half the cost of local supermarkets, if residents had a market nearby. The Initiative is augmenting this food access in the same neighborhoods by providing an opportunity to purchase produce seven-days-a-week.
Primary Stakeholders Albany County Strategic Alliance for Health Albany County Department of Health Capital District Community Gardens local convenience store owners Role of Stakeholders/Partners The ACSAH awarded Capital District Community Gardens (CDCG) a sub-contract to implement the Healthy Convenience Store Initiative. Thus, CDCG outlined the design, implementation, and sustainability strategies for the HCSI. The HCSI would not be possible without the expertise of CDCG. Capital District Community Gardens is a non-profit community service organization that has been helping Capital District residents improve their neighborhoods through healthy food access since 1975. LHD Role The Albany County Department of Health (ACDOH) was awarded the Albany County Strategic Alliance for Health (ACSAH) grant from the CDC and is the fiscal agent. All goals, objectives, and financial decisions are determined by the ACSAH coalition. Under the direction of ACDOH as fiscal agent, the Albany County Strategic Alliance for Health is a coalition of community agencies, worksites, healthcare, schools, governmental and community based organizations. All work plan activities are coordinated by Albany County Department of Health staff with assistance from coalition partners. The Healthy Convenience Store Initiative (HCSI) was chosen by the ACSAH as a viable strategy to increase the availability and affordability of healthier food options in the City of Albany. Capital District Community Gardens is a member of the Albany County Strategic Alliance for Health. As fiscal agent, the Albany County Department of Health awarded Capital District Community Gardens the funding for the Healthy Convenience Store Initiative as a result of their response to a Request for Proposals. Lessons Learned CDCG was responsible for establishing five stores as HCSI locations in the City of Albany proximate to schools and within neighborhoods designated as food deserts. Recruiting stores required visiting potential stores to gauge appropriateness for the Initiative, speaking with store owners about the benefits of the Initiative, and ensuring that store owners signed all necessary agreements to participate. It was crucial to have a HCSI Coordinator to spearhead all activities. In addition, while store owners kept any profit from produce sales, it was imperative that they price items reasonably to maintain affordability for the community. Therefore, CDCG required that store owners sign an agreement where prices for each produce item were established. The HCSI is a demanding endeavor as each store receives new produce twice a week, the old produce needs to be culled out, and the unit needs to be properly maintained. Ideally, the store owners will ultimately take ownership over the display and decide what items need to be restocked, thus saving CDCG staff some time; time that could be used to recruit additional stores. CDCG is progressing towards a model that will put more ownership and responsibility into the hands of the store owners. Implementation Strategy CDCG surveyed the community to determine if there were convenience stores selling fresh produce, the quality and price of that produce. If stores were filling the need ACSAH did not implement its Initiative nearby so as not to compete with a store that was already selling affordable produce. CDCG then identified potential stores to work with, talked to store owners about the project and reviewed the agreement with them. Once the agreement was executed, CDCG worked with the store owner to find a highly visible location for the produce unit and window signage. The unit was installed and stocked, and a schedule was established for twice a week restocking. Data was collected and reported on a monthly basis to the Albany County Strategic Alliance for Health. CDCG spent three months creating the customized produce unit for the project and the marketing materials (signage and flyers). Two months were spent surveying the target community to determine which stores we were going to target for the Initiative. Depending upon the store location, it took between one to three months to obtain a signed agreement and install the unit in the store.
Process & Outcome Increase access to fresh produce in inner-city convenience stores in the City of Albany. Objective 1: The performance measures used to achieve this objective include surveys done with potential stores and data tracking of amount of produce / value of produce sold in stores involved in the HCSI program. Prior to bringing the Initiative into a store, CDCG’s Project Coordinator conducted a written site survey to determine if the store had the appropriate characteristics (space for a produce unit, enough overall products for sale, adequate lighting, and minimal loitering). In addition, CDCG documented whether the store offered any produce for sale and what other healthy food options (i.e. low-fat milk, whole-grains) were available. As part of the Initiative, the amount of produce sold, dollar value of the produce and amount of produce waste for each store was tracked. Results from the initial site surveys helped CDCG determine which convenience stores had the most inviting environment for customers. CDCG was particularly concerned about any potentially inappropriate activity that might be occurring. This was determined by visiting the stores and taking note of important performance indicators. As a result of the surveys, CDCG was able to locate the Initiative in stores which were appropriate for children and families. Tracking the amount of produce sold and sales have been key indicators of the success of the project. Since installing the units, each month there has been an increase the amount of produce sold and a decrease in the amount of produce wasted. Particular outcome measures (as of September 30, 2011) include an increase in stores participating in the Initiative from zero to five; sales of fresh produce ($10,000); and pounds sold (8,464).
Making healthy food sales profitable for convenience store owners is a practical method of achieving program goals. Marketing and products are tailored to the needs and clientele of individual stores. CDCG is also experimenting with new product development, such as sliced fruits, prepared salads and the distribution of healthy snacks (e.g. nuts, trail mixes and dried fruits). The greater success store owners experience in selling healthy foods the more likely they are to continue making them available to their customers. At first, participating stores purchase produce at CDCG’s wholesale cost, are stocked with produce free of charge, and absorb 100% of the profit from produce mark-ups for resale. This provides a demonstration period to show store owners how healthy foods and fresh produce can be profit centers for their stores. After six months, store owners are offered the opportunity to stay in the program by agreeing to pay a small weekly restocking fee that will contribute to future delivery expenses (i.e. vehicle, gas, staff time) and the overall sustainability of the program. CDCG anticipates that convenience stores will opt to remain involved given the easy profit that The Healthy Convenience Store Initiative will bring in. Word of the Initiative has spread to neighboring cities about the success of this effort which has resulted in store owners approaching CDCG about adding fresh produce to their sites. CDCG is now working hard to educate store owners about fresh produce so that they can take a more proactive role in the operation of the Initiative. This will be critical to the long-term success of the project and ACSAH and CDCG’s mutual ability to continue to expand into additional locations.
E-Mail from NACCHO
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Tim Ryan Wants Social-Emotional Learning in Every Public School Nationwide
June 19, 2019 June 18, 2019 Anthony Gockowski
2020 hopeful Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) wants to introduce social-emotional learning standards to every public school in the country.
The Ohio Star’s Beth Lear recently did a deep dive on the Ohio State Board of Education’s efforts to bring social-emotional learning to the state.
“This is part of a national movement to psychologize education falsely advertised as improving academic achievement and preventing violence and suicide,” said Dr. Karen Effrem of Eagle Forum. Effrem said she was concerned that social-emotional learning standards would lead to an erosion of parental rights, over-medication of vulnerable students, and inaccurate mental health assessments from personnel not trained as mental health experts.
“Many of us on the state board of education are concerned about the state getting involved in social and emotional learning for a variety of reasons,” State School Board Member Kirsten Hill told The Ohio Star. “Measuring children’s feelings, values, attitudes, dispositions and behaviors is difficult to do and then sharing this highly sensitive and personal information with parties beyond the teacher and the school breaches privacy. There are student surveys being conducted that parents aren’t aware of. Is the school role going to expand into mental health treatment?”
If it’s up to Tim Ryan, then the answer is yes.
“When it comes to K-12, we’ve got to reform it in the sense that the first thing we have to do is deal with the kids’ trauma. Most of the kids—my wife’s a first grade teacher—most of the kids that come in are in some kind of trauma,” Ryan said during a recent appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
“They have adverse childhood experiences that we never deal with, and I want to push a social and emotional learning curriculum in every school in the United States, a trauma based curriculum,” he continued. “I want a mental health counselor in every school in the United States, so we can start dealing with the root causes of our kids’ inability to learn.”
Ryan reiterated those claims in a tweet Tuesday morning.
“This is incredible. Here’s how social and emotional learning is helping 88,000 students across 168 Metro Schools in Nashville,” he said. “SEL is creating an environment where students and teachers are thriving as lifelong learners. This should be a part of every school’s curriculum.”
This is incredible. Here's how Social & Emotional Learning is helping 88,000 students across 168 @MetroSchools in Nashville. #SEL is creating an environment where students and teachers are thriving as lifelong learners. This should be a part of every school's curriculum. https://t.co/jLSXjy8uJe
— Congressman Tim Ryan (@RepTimRyan) June 18, 2019
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to anthony.gockowski@gmail.com.
Photo “Tim Ryan” by Phil Roeder. CC BY 2.0.
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Presley v. Georgia: A Ruling on Public Trials
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that jury voire dire proceedings should be open to defendants and the public. The high court also said that a trial judge has a duty to seek alternatives that will preserve openness even when, for example, it appears that there are so many prospective jurors in a courtroom, that there is no room for observers to sit. "Trial courts are obligated to take every reasonable measure to accommodate public attendance at criminal trials," the court majority wrote. "The public has the right to be present whether or not any party has asserted the right." Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Antonin Scalia, diessented, asserting that the case should have been decided only after full briefing and oral argument.
The case is: Presley v. Georgia, U.S. S. Ct, 1/19/10, 09-5720
Case Update: United States v. Yip (calculation of loss for tax fraud)
Following a conviction for federal tax fraud, the Ninth Circuit held that the district court properly included defendant's unpaid state taxes in the tax loss computation on which his term of imprisonment and his restitution order were based. Moreover, the defendant was not entitled to an imputed deduction for his unpaid state taxes. The 9th Circuit concluded that the district court properly applied the sentencing enhancement because defendant's actions obstructed an IRS audit.
The case is: United States v. Yip, 08-10235.
People v. Moret: Condition of Probation Prohibiting Use of Medical Marijuana Affirmed
In this case, a trial court's condition of probation prohibiting the use of marijuana (pursuant to a medical marijuana card) was held to be valid if it is reasonably related to future criminality and defendant has been found to consent to it. Appellant pled no contest to carrying a concealed firearm (Pen. Code, sec. 12025, subd. (a)(2)), and was granted three years probation with a condition prohibiting him from the use of marijuana and requiring him to give up his medical marijuana card. When interviewed by the probation officer preparing the presentence report, the 19-year-old defendant explained that he found the gun in some bushes and had recently obtained the medical card to enable him to use marijuana for treatment of migraine headaches. At sentencing, when appellant objected to the marijuana restrictions, the court indicated that he did not find appellant credible and offered him the choice of accepting the condition or going to jail. The appellate court upheld the conditio…
Roman Polanski Case - Appeals Court Rejects Bid for Dismissal
Case Name: Polanski v. Superior Court, Opinion Date: 12/21/2009 , DAR #: 17703
A California Appeals court held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in applying the fugitive disentitlement doctrine and dismissing without prejudice Mr. Polanski's motion to dismiss his case. Director Roman Polanski entered a plea to statutory rape, went to prison for a 90-day diagnostic study, but then fled the country before sentencing because he believed the judge was going to send him to prison as a result of public criticism. Around the same time, defense counsel filed a motion to disqualify the judge. The judge denied bias, but agreed to transfer the case.
In 1997, the parties met with a different judge who agreed to sentence Polanski to no further jail time; but because the judge insisted the proceedings be televised, Polanski did not return for sentencing. In 2008, Polanski filed a motion to dismiss in the interests of justice, due to judicial misconduct. One year later, his attorne…
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Roman Polanski Case - Appeals Court Rejects Bid fo...
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Now displaying: April, 2018
#038 - Gerald Ratner, Hot Cross Buns and Sweaty Assets 0
It's the Easter edition of the Big Idea Podcast, so it's only natural that we talk about... Hot Cross Buns!
Specifically, how Hot Cross Buns can teach you a thing or two about growing your business - especially if you think you only sell one "thing" and can't possibly branch out into other products or cross sell something similar to people who currently HATE what you sell.
We talk about asset creation, and why EVERYBODY should be creating, building, buying and sweating assets on a weekly, if not daily basis. We give an insight into one of the latest assets in OUR arsenal - the audiobook recording of Big Ideas for Small Businesses, where John recently spent two days in the studio, recording an asset that will still be bringing in constant revenue 20 or 30 years from now.
This month's Book of the Month was "The Rise and Fall... and rise again" by Gerald Ratner. It's a fascinating insight into the world of a man who had it all, the world at his feet, and then told one "crap" joke, and lost it all.
More specifically, it's a great insight into how Gerald Ratner had everything taken away from him - apart from the knowledge between his ears, and his drive to succeed - and how he clawed his way back to become successful again.
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The doctors with a cutting edge
Following is the top ten surgeon in India, in the five most common surgical specialities: heart, orthopaedic, neurosurgery, ophthalmic surgery and reconstructive surgery from HindustanTimes article.
Dr Vipul Gupta, 41, Head, Neuro-intervention, Medanta – The Medicity
Vipul Gupta watched his 33-year-old brother die of a malignant tumour in the brain eight years ago. “We knew it was hopeless but we went all the way. He was operated on thrice, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in India and Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. That’s when I realised that even when the chips are down, the family does not give up, so you have to give it your best,” says the Delhi-based Gupta. He’s a little embarrassed about the emotional outpouring. “Surgeons can’t be emotional, it won’t help the patient on the table. You have to be calm and think clearly,” he says. At 41, Gupta heads neuro-intervention at Medanta – the Medicity, where he moved after doing his MBBS from Delhi’s Maulana Azad Medial College in 1996 and training in neuro-radiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for three years. “I’m out-doorsy and enjoy swimming, rafting and rock-climbing. I broke my knees twice in school. The operation and forced bed-rest for six months slowed me down, forcing me to study which helped me crack the MBBS easily,” he laughs.
Dr Deepak Agrawal, 40, Associate professor, Neurosurgery, AIIMS
He’s the guy at the frontier, treating accident victims at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, best known for treating some of the bloodiest and most bizarre accident cases in the country. “Most accident victims we get are people with severe head or spinal injuries that are often fatal. It does get you down, but nothing can beat the high of seeing a patient everyone including your colleagues had given up on, walk into your clinic for a follow-up. That’s when you know that miracles do happen,” says Dr Agrawal. Agrawal did his MBBS at the University College of Medical Science in 1994 – where he met his onco-surgeon wife Swati – and his training in neurosurgery at AIIMS. “My professional high was being awarded the ‘Young Neurosurgeon of the Year’ Award by the American Congress of Neurosurgeons in 2008. The personal one was my daughter Ayushi, who is five,” he says. His father Dr Ved Prakash was also a neurosurgeon at AIIMS, so Agrawal’s becoming a surgeon was almost pre-determined. “I like to catch up on my emails before breakfast, so I begin work at 5.30 am. I leave home at 7.30, doing rounds of the ward for three hours, which is followed by surgeries that usually go on till 7. Then come the evening rounds, which finish at 9 pm. Add to this administrative work, teaching and writing and correcting research papers, and my day never seems to end,” says Agrawal.
OPHTHALMIC SURGERY
Sri Ganesh, 44, Eye surgeon and chairman, Nethradhama Hospital, Bangalore
Bangalore residents are used to seeing Dr Sri Ganesh zooming down the streets to his farm on his Suzuki Intruder, which he exchanges for his Audi Q7 or BMW 5-Series when he visits the hospitals he set up. “Both my grandmas were blinded with cataract, one because of a botched up surgery. I think seeing them faltering around the house made me decide I wanted to do all I could to help people see,” says the 44-year-old. Eye surgery techniques have become much safer now. “Back then, there were no intraocular lenses (artificial lenses put inside the eye in place of the natural ones) and the failure rate of a simple cataract surgery was 30 per cent, largely due to infection. Now, less than 0.1 per cent cataract and vision-correction surgeries have complications,” he says. Sri Ganesh met his wife Sumanshree at a paratrooping camp in Agra. He was 17, she was 16. “Someone stole my things and she was very sweet,” he says. They married six years later, in 1990, after Sri Ganesh did his MBBS. The couple have three children, Supriya, Sushant and Skanda. Apart from running six hospitals – four in Bangalore, one in Mysore and one in Mangalore – Sri Ganesh runs a 90-bedded charitable hospital in Padmanabhanagar that does 8,000 free cataract surgeries a year.
Dr Mahipal S Sachdev, 52, Centre for Sight Group of Hospitals
Mahipal S Sachdev, eye surgeon to the rich and powerful, never invests in anything but health. “My last investment was Harshad Mehta and I burnt my fingers there,” says Dr Sachdev. His investments in healthcare – time, energy and money – have shown better results. Sachdev was told he was crazy when he quit as associate professor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to join the newly-opened Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi in 1996. He was 37. The skeptics got it very, very wrong. Within 15 years of that, he’s running 17 eye hospitals that have become one-stop shops for eye disorders in north India. A year-long fellowship to Georgetown University in Washington DC in ’89-’90 opened his eyes, literally, to the technological imaging and surgical revolution happening in the field of ophthalmology. “I realised less invasive radical surgeries were the way forward, but I needed equipment and trained staff for that. I could not get that in a government set-up. So I set up my own centre, which started in a 8×10 foot room in Safdarjang Enclave in 1996, but we’ve grown a little since then,” he says with obvious pride. Sachdev is arguably the best person to go to for cataract and lasik surgery in India. “This is all I want to do, medicine is in my genes. My mother and brother are doctors, so is my wife Alka and daughters Ritika, 29, and Gitansha, 25,” says Sachdev. Sachdev also has an unexplored, fun side to him. “I did my MBBS from AIIMS, where I was the secretary of the students’ union. We were the ones who threw open Pulse, the students’ festival at AIIMS, to fashion, jam sessions and music. Before that, it was a sporting event. We made it socio-cultural,” he says.
Sunil Choudhary, 42, Aesthetic and Reconstructive surgeon, Max Speciality Hospital, Delhi
Quite like modern day Dr Frankensteins, attaching a hand and replacing chopped fingers with toes is all in a day’s work for reconstructive surgeons. Some, like Sunil Choudhary, who head the aesthetics and reconstruction at Max Speciality Hospital, start a conversation with, “Today, I attached two toes and one finger in the right hand of a 16-year-old who’d lost his fingers in a farming accident. He’ll be able to write now”. This is followed by an MMS of a surgery to fix a congenital defect in which a child’s skull stops expanding naturally, squeezing the brain and making it bulge out of the forehead. Unlike popular perception, silicone implants and other cosmetic procedures make up less than a third of a cosmetic surgeon’s case load. “A lot of what we do is related to reconstruction after cancer surgeries and accident cases, including burns and acid attacks,” he explains. Choudhary grew up in Delhi, went to school in DPS RK Puram and did his MBBS from Maulana Azad Medical College, after which he joined the training programme of the UK’s National Health Service.
Dr Shahin Nooreyezdan, 49, Plastic & reconstructive surgeon, Indraprastha Apollo
He insists on giving you a business card. “I’m the only one in the world with this name, so people often get it wrong,” says Dr Shahin Nooreyezdan. There is, however, a little boy called Shahin Sharma, who was called Golu before his grateful parents renamed him after the surgeon who reattached his finger. “It was deeply touching, but also strange. I guess now there’s another person in the world with a very unusual name,” he says. Nooreyezdan grew up in Mumbai, where he lived with his parents in a flat above Russi J Manekshaw, the granddaddy of plastic surgery in India. “Each day, I’d walk past his door on my way home from school and pass this display box with before- and after-surgery pictures, which kept changing every week. I was hooked and decided this was what I wanted to do,” says the Delhi-based Nooreyezdan. He moved to London in 1996, where he worked at St Andrew’s Hospital for three years and met his wife Neda, a British citizen. “When we decided to move back and I went to the Indian High Commission for a visa for my wife, the clerk there said, why are you going? You have a great future here!” he laughs. Most of his work in India is reconstruction. “Unlike other surgeons who can walk in to do the critical part of the surgery, I have to be there from the first incision to the final stitch because what I do is for everyone to see,” says Nooreyezdan, who gets women as young as 19 who need reconstruction after breast cancer surgery. The deft fingers that reconstruct tissues and reattach blood vessels 1.2-1.5 mm in diameter also help him pursue his hobby: collecting and repairing antique clocks. Nooreyezdan has a collection of over 125 pendulum clocks from all over the world, including grandfather clocks from the UK, clocks from ships and railway stations. “It started when I was 17, when I noticed an old, broken, clock at an Irani dhaba. I bought it for R170, got it home and fixed it. I still do it, though I have to pay a guy to wind them up in rotation once a week,” he says. He clearly knows how to wind down.
Dr Vijay C Bose, 44, Head of orthopaedic surgery, Apollo Chennai
He was part of British orthopaedic surgeon Derek McMinn’s crack team that developed the ‘Birmingham Hip’ – a hip implant that allows people to play contact sports and twist without shouting after a hip transplant – in the late ’90s. Yet what gives Dr Vijay Bose the greatest joy is recognition from his peers. “Three weeks ago, a renowned joint replacement surgeon from the US got his son to our centre for surgery. He’s one of the best in the world and could have done it himself, he could have got it done by the best in his own country, but he still came to India. That’s the quality India offers to the world now,” says Bose. Bose, who joined Apollo Hospital in Chennai in 2000 after six years in Birmingham and Liverpool in the UK, now routinely gets so many patients from overseas that he’s became the face of medical tourism in India for 60 Minutes on CBS News. “I did the first implant in Apollo in 2000 and since then, I have demonstrated the technique across 80 hospitals in India,” says Bose, who did his MBBS from Madras Medical College in 1990. Apart from hip replacement, he does knee and shoulder joint reconstructions.
Dr Suraj Guruv, 36, Orthopaedic surgeon, Asian Heart Institute, Mumbai
Dr Suraj Guruv’s last holiday was spent shooting wildlife at Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, but he did not break any laws. Guruv is an amateur photographer and rarely leaves home without his Nikon Digital SLR. “I’m crazy about wildlife photography,” he says. When he’s not shooting, Guruv is fixing damaged hips and knees using minimally invasive bone-conserving surgeries in India that make it possible for people to run, drive and work just as they did before, after hip or knee replacements. Guruv is a Mumbai boy, who grew up in Prabhadevi, went to a neighbourhood school, did his MBBS at Mumbai’s Topiwala National Medical College and worked in Bombay Hospital before going to train in Singapore General Hospital. “I belong to a family of chartered accountants, my dad is one, so is my older brother. So when dad said try something else, I thought, why not?” says Guruv, who aced his entrance exam. “Even though I don’t invest in the markets, I still follow financial news very closely, perhaps because that’s what I’ve grown up hearing,” he says. He returned to India because he wanted to be part of the boom in medical care that India is witnessing. “We now have medical facilities at par with any other in the world, with better care,” he says.
Dr Raja Joshi, 40 Paediatric cardiac surgeon, Apollo
He’s called the ‘bandana guy’ because he wears a bandana instead of a surgical cap while operating. Apart from his training as a paediatric heart surgeon during a five-year stint at Cleveland Clinic in the US, what defines Raja Joshi is his bandana collection. “You have to strike a chord with the kids you’re treating, and a bandana with Dalmatians on it sure helps to break the ice,” says the Delhi-based Joshi who, at 36, became one of the youngest surgeons in the country to set up a paediatric cardiac surgery unit in a major hospital. “My dad was in the air force, I grew up wanting to be a fighter pilot. It was after my class 10 boards that my dad told me there were other ways to earn a living,” he recalls. The idea of being a heart surgeon for children came a year later, after a Doordarshan show on a hole-in-the-heart being fixed. “It was so dramatic, the lights and the surgeons in scrubs, this child being immersed in ice to bring the body temperature down. Suddenly, that was the only thing I wanted to do,” says Joshi. He’s had no regrets. “It’s one of the few surgeries where the patients outlive the surgeons. You won’t believe the number of birthday invites I get. Anyone can do adult heart surgery, paediatric is what separates the boys from the men,” said Joshi. His wife Reena Joshi, 36, is a paediatric anaesthetist who’s helped him introduce innovations such as letting the mother stay with the child in the operation room till he sleeps. “Taking away a baby from the mother makes anxiety levels shoot up. Keeping them together till the baby is anaesthetised improves surgery outcomes,” says Joshi.
Pranav Kandachar, 37, Paediatric heart surgeon, Asian Heart Institute, Mumbai
Heart surgery is one of the cleanest surgeries there is, it’s like mathematics. The result is directly related to what you do, there are few surprises,” says Pranav Kandachar, the newest heart surgeon to join Asian Heart Institute’s team of surgeons. “Of course, there are some conditions in which you cannot play god, but in most cases, children can lead active, normal lives after surgery,” he says. After doing his MBBS from Bangalore Medical College in 1997, Kandachar worked at Sion in Mumbai, Apollo Chennai and Colombo, did a year long stint in New Zealand, returned to Bangalore to work at Shirdi Sai Baba Charitable Hospital, and joined the Asian Heart Institute, Mumbai, in January this year. “When you’re training, one institute can’t offer you everything. I’ve trained with the best,” he says. Kandachar describes himself as a nature kind of guy, being big time into hydroponics, a scientific method of growing plants in water – without soil – using mineral nutrient solutions. “I have a virtual vegetable garden in my little balcony, where I grow spinach, beans, cauliflower, coriander and mint. I’m planning to grow strawberries next,” he says. He’s also into ornithology and is part of a nature club that goes birdwatching to sanctuaries at least once a month.
Source: HindustanTimes, April 10
Labels: Apollo Chennai, Best cardiac surgeon, Fortis Hospitals, India, Top orthopedic surgeon
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Blogs Centre for Trials Research
The Changing Landscape Of Medical Devices And Clinical Investigations: Medical Devices Regulation (MDR)
Claire Johnson
A strong contingent of Centre for Trials Research staff, including representation from trial managers, senior trial managers, pharmacovigilance and safety, and quality assurance attended the medical devices training day hosted by Health Care Research Wales and presented by Professor Pete Wall in March 2019. This is reflective of our need to understand and develop knowledge of the regulations around clinical investigations and evaluations of medical devices as the Centre Trials Research’s research portfolio expands to include research of this type.
The day was split into two halves: the morning session covering clinical investigations and the afternoon session covering clinical evaluation. Clinical investigations are defined as a systematic investigation involving one or more human participants, undertaken to assess the safety or performance of a device. A clinical evaluation is a systematic and planned process to continually generate, collect, analyse and assess the clinical data pertaining to a device in order to verify safety and performance, including clinical benefits of the device when used as intended by the manufacturer. This blog only talks about clinical investigations, I hope to follow-up with a second blog on clinical evaluations soon.
Medical Devices Defined
The clinical investigations session defined a medical device and discussed the differences between medical device and drug trials and the current regulations that apply. The current regulatory framework in the EU (Medical Devices Directive – 93/42/EEC) is to be replaced by the Medical Devices Regulation (MDR) in 2020. We are currently in a transition phase from the Directive to the Regulation. Both the Directive and the Regulation define a medical device as:
Any instrument or apparatus, appliance, material or other article, whether used alone or in combination, including the software necessary for its proper application intended by the manufacturer to be used on human beings for the purposes of:
Diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, treatment or alleviation of disease,
Diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, alleviation or compensation for an injury or handicap,
Investigation, replacement or modification of the anatomy or of a physiological process
Control of conception
And which does not achieve its principal intended action in or on the human body by pharmacological, immunological or metabolic means, but which may be assisted in its function by such means.
Clinical Investigations
Clinical investigations can be split into 3 categories:
Pilot (feasibility studies)
Pivotal (objective evidence of the effectiveness of a device via single or multiple clinical outcomes – frequently the only clinical trial that medical device manufacturers will undertake)
Post-marketing
The practicalities of a clinical investigation are like drug trials, with respect to the essential documentation and approvals that are required. The protocol is defined as a “clinical investigational plan” (CIP) and the trial documentation (CIP, participant information sheet, consent form and advertising) require approval by an Ethics committee. Regulatory approval may also be required – this is dependent on the involvement of a commercial device company. Where a commercial device company is involved regulatory approval is required. The MHRA website provides some guidance on specific scenarios. Other documentation, such as the CRF and statistical analysis plan should be drafted prior to submission for approval, since they are sometimes requested as part of the regulatory approval process. Following the notice of receipt of an application by the MHRA, the 60-day clock starts. The application is reviewed by 2 assessors and questions usually begin around day 14, at which point the clock will stop and you will be given 10 days to respond. Following approval, any amendments to the trial (e.g. device, investigator, site, safety information) will require Ethical and where applicable Regulatory approval. Manufacturers are required to report all Serious Adverse Events occurring in the UK to the MHRA. The definition of an SAE in device trials is different to that in drug trials and they must be reported to the MHRA within 24 hours of receipt.
Regulatory and Marketing Approval
The standard for regulatory and marketing approval for medical devices (CE marking) is significantly different from the marketing approval of drugs. Proof of efficacy is not a fundamental requirement for medical device registration – demonstration of safety and performance only is required. Most devices in clinical use have no evidence for their efficacy, and those that have are usually more recent introductions to the market or devices that have been comparatively tested in post-marketing clinical trials. Regulatory and marketing approval of drugs require multiple trials and replication of clinical findings and trials may involve tens of thousands of patients. Devices frequently require a single pivotal study and studies rarely involve greater than 100 participants.
From a regulatory perspective, medical devices are distinguished from drugs by their mechanism of action. Devices operate via physical or mechanical means and are not dependent on metabolism to achieve their primary mode of action and effect. There are two important considerations for device trials, the effect of the device on the patient, plus the influence of the person operating the device on the variability of the clinical outcome. Being aware of and controlling for, the user influence on device performance is a critical consideration when designing a device trial. Training in the use of any clinical device used in a clinical trial is a fundamental component of any investigation of performance and the eventual marketing of the device post registration.
CE marking is a certification mark which symbols free marketability in the EEA. The need for clinical data in the CE marking process arises from the general requirements for demonstrating safety and performance. The CE mark is not a mark of efficacy or effectiveness.
The Medical Devices Directive specifies the “Essential Requirements” (ER) that must be met prior to any device being sold or used clinically. The ERs can be broken down into two groups:
General requirements for safety and performance that apply to all devices
Specific technical requirements regarding design and manufacturing that may or may not apply depending on the nature of the device (for example the requirement for electrical safety would not apply to a urinary catheter)
Only products complying with the ERs may be placed on the market and used clinically. To CE mark any device, compliance with the ERs must be demonstrated, this will usually require provision of clinical data via:
A critical evaluation of relevant scientific and clinical literature covering safety, performance, design characteristics and intended purpose to demonstrate:
Equivalence of the new device to the device data used and
ER compliance
A critical evaluation of the results of all clinical investigations made with the new device
A critical evaluation of the combined data from both the above sources.
Devices without a CE mark cannot be sold or marketed or used to treat patients unless:
They are part of a clinical investigation approved by the UK competent authority and labelled accordingly or
They have been approved by the UK competent authority for humanitarian use on a named patient basis or
They have been developed within a single Healthcare Trust without external commercial involvement and are intended to be used only on patients within the same Trust.
Medical Devices Regulation (MDR)
The MDR comes into force on May 26th, 2020 and is enforceable by law in all member states. It contains key changes related to clinical evidence including:
Less equivalence, more data for high risk devices
Safety and performance data must be published (the ERs will be replaced with Safety and Performance Requirements)
Post market clinical follow-up (i.e. who’s using it and what it is being used for)
Greater pre-market scrutiny for high risk devices
There will be more onerous requirements on labelling of the device, instructions for use and training materials which will need to be provided in the submission for marketing (not a current requirement of the Directive). There will be a new European database of clinical investigations, the “MDR Eudamed”, to which all sponsors will be required to register information on their clinical investigations. The current Eudamed database can only be accessed by the National Competent authorities of the EU and the European Commission, whereas the new database will have more transparency including access by the public and in relation to what medical devices are distributed where and who is responsible for them.
Next Steps for the Centre for Trials Research
In summary, the regulations controlling medical devices are changing, there are key differences and similarities to drug trials. Our next step within the Centre for Trials Research is for a Task and Finish Group to reflect on the learning points from this course and make recommendations to the Executive Group for improvements to our Quality Management System to reflect the key regulatory requirements.
Key Regulations and Guidance:
Medical Devices Directive (93/42/EEC)
Medical Devices Regulation (2017/745)
MEDDEV 2.7.1 – A guide for manufacturers and notified bodies under directives 93/42/EEC and 90/385/EEC
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/medical-devices-eu-regulations-for-mdr-and-ivdr
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The Centre for Trials Research is a UKCRC-registered clinical trials unit. It is publicly-funded to enable applied research that informs policy in health and social care in Wales and the UK, and is currently running studies across Wales, the UK and internationally. The Centre is funded through Welsh government by Health and Care Research Wales, and Cancer Research UK.
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Posts by Topic: Laurence Christian Levi RSS feed
Sources of Great Pride
In the words of co-chair Angela Davis-Robertson, the 32 young men who were presented at the 23rd Jack & Jill Beautillion have not only set impressive goals for themselves, but they also “understand the wisdom of accepting the knowledge of their families, teachers and clergy. (They) inspire other young people to achieve their dreams, too.”
The Beautillion is an annual event of Denver chapter of Jack & Jill of America, an organization dedicated to strengthening families in the African-American community. The honorees are male high school seniors who have distinguished themselves academically and through church and community service. Read more…
Categories: In General
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Parker's Richie Law inching his way to 'American Idol' finals — 6 comments
Denver Rescue Mission salutes Women Who've Changed the Heart of the City — 5 comments
All in good taste — 4 comments
Silent auction hits and misses: Do you agree? — 4 comments
Mad Men-inspired party harkens back to the Sixties — 2 comments
“I bet that was a fun wager to place! I like that they’re using these bets to do good things for the world though, by delivering flowers and goods. I hope they...”
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On It’s payoff time
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On Denver Rescue Mission salutes Women Who’ve Changed the Heart of the City
“Awesome party. Sam Cary Bar is a class act! Thanks for highlighting Joanne.”
— GalaGoer
On Sam Cary Bar Association’s 40th anniversary
November 3, 2013, 4:32 am
Joanne Davidson
Society Editor
Follow @GetItWrite
Study after study has shown that when it comes to charitable fundraisers, Denver has more per capita than any comparably sized city in the nation. Joanne Davidson has been covering them for The Denver Post since 1985, coming here from her native California where she'd spent the previous seven years as San Francisco bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report magazine.
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Denver Post columnist Joanne Davidson blogs about charitable fundraising events — and the people who make them happen — in the greater Denver area.
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Teacher Blogs > View From the Bronx: An Urban Teacher's Perspective See our Teachers news coverage
Ilana Garon (@IlanaGaron) is an English teacher at a public high school in the Bronx, N.Y., and holds masters degrees in both English education and fine arts. In the past 10 years, she has taught every level of high school English, including ESL and AP, SAT Prep, and even math in emergency situations. In addition to Education Week Teacher, her writing has appeared in Dissent Magazine, Huffington Post, PresenTense Magazine, The Guardian and Business Insider. She is the author of "Why Do Only White People Get Abducted by Aliens?": Teaching Lessons from the Bronx.
« Character Education Redux: Lessons Kids Need to Learn | Main | Advice to Education School Graduates »
Examining the GED Trend: Is a Lack of "Fun Courses" the Culprit?
By Ilana Garon on May 15, 2013 11:17 PM
Last week, before I was unceremoniously struck down by our school's current "epidemic" (an upper-respiratory infection that all the teachers and none of the kids seem to be getting--fodder for a conspiracy theory if ever there was one!), a bunch of the students were milling around in my room during my tutoring period, snacking, working on make-up assignments, and complaining about why school is "wack." For the most part their litany of complaints wasn't too shocking: too much homework, too many strict rules, boring dress code (which most of them aren't following anyway, so I don't see how they're complaining about that), not enough girls (or not enough boys), etc. A couple of them said we needed to have more field trips. One guy, a quiet one, had something interesting to say: "I came to this school because they used to have more electives," he said mournfully. "But now they've cancelled music, we share art teachers with other schools in the building, and there's nothing else available. It makes school boring to take away all the fun courses."
I really feel for this little guy, and think his point is well taken. It's not news that all across America music and art programs have been cut or trimmed in order for schools to scrape by with ever-tightening budgets. This issue is compounded in New York City, wherein almost all the formerly large public high schools have been closed down, and small high schools have cropped up to take their place; sometimes too many small schools are crammed into the same building, all vying (at times acrimoniously) for space and resources, let alone access to art studios, computer rooms, or science labs when available. The result is a lack of elective opportunities for kids, which is extremely disappointing and unfair to kids who love these subjects and come to high school with the expectation of being able to avail themselves of a broader range of educational options than they had in middle school.
I thought of this when I was laid up earlier this week and read this article about high school kids in the DC area who are dropping out to pursue GEDs in large numbers. Experts are worried that students are "missing out on the high school experience," and as a result, discussing making changes in the requirements to taking these exams so as to leave high school early. While I see the concerns about too many kids leaving school with a degree that is commonly viewed as "less valuable" than a normal diploma, I wonder if instead we should be asking this: Why are so many kids pursuing this option? In what way is school not serving these kids' needs? Given that the GED-pursuing crew is separate from the kids who simply drop out, it seems all the more important to ask what needs aren't being met by your average public high school curriculum, and how we it can be better aligned with more kids' professional and post-secondary goals.
This also brings me back to my other favorite soapbox issue, the lack of trade school or career-tech education options. College simply isn't what every kid wants or needs--and even if they do ultimately decide to attend college, some may wish to work first. But with the increasingly prevalent (and short-sighted) "college-for-all" philosophy, the opportunities to pursue vocational training dwindle ever more. When the kids are deciding, in high numbers, to cut their high school "experience" short by taking the GED test, then instead of focusing on loopholes to put the GED further out of reach, it's time to look at what they're not getting by following the traditional path--and figure out what types of educational options might persuade them to stay put.
A Weekly Round-Up, And Some Final Thoughts
School as Home, and the Unwritten Job Descriptions of Teachers in High-Needs Schools
Character Counts: Informing Students' Goals and Values
Talking Shop: How We Teachers Talk About Our Profession
The Dropouts No One's Talking About: Teachers
Select a Month... August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012
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by: John Berger (author)
In this luminous novel -- winner of Britain's prestigious Booker Prize -- John Berger relates the story of "G.," a young man forging an energetic sexual career in Europe during the early years of this century. With profound compassion, Berger explores the hearts and minds of both men and women,... show more
In this luminous novel -- winner of Britain's prestigious Booker Prize -- John Berger relates the story of "G.," a young man forging an energetic sexual career in Europe during the early years of this century. With profound compassion, Berger explores the hearts and minds of both men and women, and what happens during sex, to reveal the conditions of the Don Juan's success: his essential loneliness, the quiet cumulation in each of his sexual experiences of all of those that precede it, the tenderness that infuses even the briefest of his encounters, and the way women experience their own extraordinariness through their moments with him. All of this Berger sets against the turbulent backdrop of Garibaldi and the failed revolution of Milanese workers in 1898, the Boer War, and the first flight across the Alps, making G. a brilliant novel about the search for intimacy in history's private moments.
ASIN: 679736549
Publish date: January 8th 1992
Novels, Literature, European Literature, British Literature, Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, 20th Century, Contemporary, Modern, English Literature
Books by John Berger
http://booklikes.com/g-john-berger/book,477611
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You are here: Aarhus BSS About Aarhus BSS News show
Chemotherapy impairs your memory
Chemotherapy can affect the brain’s network and impair the memory according to a new study from Aarhus BSS and Aarhus University Hospital.
2017.08.11 | Tine Bagger Christiansen
Chemotherapy can affect the brain’s network and impair the memory according to a new study from Aarhus BSS and Aarhus University Hospital. Photo: Colourbox.com
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New research has explored how chemotherapy affects the brain’s network in a group of men who are being treated for testicular cancer. The study shows a significant impairment. Among other things, chemotherapy affects the memory.
“The study is the first to explore how chemotherapy affects the neural network of testicular cancer patients,” says Ali Amidi, postdoc at the Unit for Psycho-Oncology and Health Psychology at Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University - and one of the researchers behind the study.
A total of 64 men who had undergone surgery for testicular cancer took part in the project. 22 of the 64 men had chemotherapy after their operation while 42 only had surgery. The men were MRI scanned at the start of the project and after six months. In addition, they underwent a series of neuro-psychological tests of their memory and ability to concentrate. The result was clear. After six months, the groups who had had chemotherapy performed considerably worse cognitively. More specifically, this included memory loss, difficulties managing ordinary tasks or concentrating. The MRI scans also showed that the brain’s network capacity had decreased in this group of people.
Researchers still recommend chemotherapy
The results should be seen in relation to the healing effects of chemotherapy, and the researchers by no means recommend that you change the treatment in the future.
“Some people have trouble getting help with their cognitive problems after chemotherapy, and this study contributes to shedding light on the fact that the problem is real. Hopefully, this will make it easier for people to get help,” says another researcher behind the study, Bobby Zachariae, who is a professor at the Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences and head of the Unit for Psycho-Oncology and Health Psychology.
The cognitive abilities of the men in the study were tested right after the operation for testicular cancer and again six months later. In the period in between, 22 of these men had also had chemotherapy. This allowed the researchers to test whether the chemotherapy made a difference.
More research needed
Less is known about whether or not the memory continues to be impaired. The study only followed the patients for three months after they completed their chemotherapy, so more research is needed in this area.
Among other things, the results of the study have been published in one of the leading journals on cancer i.e. Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Professor Bobby Zachariae
The Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus BSS
Email: bzach@psy.au.dk
Ali Amidi, PhD.
Unit for Psychooncology & Health Psychology
Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital &
Department of Psychology, Aarhus University
T: (+45) 8716 5305
M: ali@oncology.au.dk / a.amidi@rm.dk
Latest news from Aarhus BSS
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Link between newborns with vitamin D deficiency and schizophrenia confirmed (2018.12.07)
Professor Jacob Lund Orquin receives Sapere Aude grant for project on consumer choices (2018.12.06)
EU awards prestigious grant to researcher at Aarhus BSS (2018.11.28)
Research into children and adolescents ensured for another four years (2018.10.26)
Are you a journalist? Click here for help to reach one of our many researchers and experts
Tine Bagger Christiansen
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ABC's GOP Debate Questions 6 to 1 Liberal, 25% on Contraception, Gay Rights
ABC's GOP presidential debate on Saturday overflowed with liberal questions. Of the 48 queries by George Stephanopoulos, Diane Sawyer and others, 20 came from the left, three were from the right and 25 were neutral or horse race questions. A whopping 25 percent (12 questions) revolved around contraception-related subjects or gay rights.
Although birth control isn't exactly a pressing 2012 issue (especially in a tough economy), George Stephanopoulos wasted seven questions on contraception. The former Democratic operative began by noting Rick Santorum's belief that there is no constitutional "right to privacy." He added, "And following from that, he believes that states have the right to ban contraception." The co-moderator repeated, "Governor Romney, do you believe that states have the right to ban contraception?
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2012/01/09/abcs-gop-debate...
Gingrich, Bachmann Spar on Abortion in Republican Debate
Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann sparred on the issue of abortion in Thursday night’s Republican debate with Bachmann making an accusation that Gingrich did not fully support pro-life efforts in Congress.
“All right. Congresswoman Bachmann, you say that Speaker Gingrich has a, quote, “inconsistent record on life” and you singled out comments he made recently that life begins with the implantation of a fertilized egg, not at conception. What is your concern?” a Fox News panelist asked her.
Bachmann responded, “Well, my concern is the fact that the Republican Party can’t get the issue of life wrong. This is a basic part of our party. Just last night we gathered in Des Moines to talk about this issue, because it’s that crucial to our party. And one of the concerns that I had is that when Speaker Gingrich was Speaker of the House he had an opportunity to de-fund Planned Parenthood. And he chose not to take it.
http://www.lifenews.com/2011/12/16/gingrich-bachmann-spar-on-abortion-...
GOP hopefuls passing on Trump debate
Donald Trump’s stature within Republican ranks appears to be waning, after most of the party’s presidential hopefuls have shot down the billionaire developer’s invitation to take part in a “debate” moderated by “The Donald.”
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann, of Minnesota, became the latest to announce they will take a pass on the Dec. 27 Newsmax-sponsored debate, following in the footsteps of Texas Rep. Ron Paul, of Texas, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, meanwhile, have said they plan to attend the event.
The announcements from the Perry and Bachmann camps coincide with a Rasmussen Reports poll released this week that found voters aren’t overly enthralled with the idea of having Mr.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/9/gop-hopefuls-passing-tr...
Gingrich on Top of GOP Polls, Takes Big Risk Articulating Illegal Immigration Policy
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich threw down the gauntlet to conservative Republicans at Tuesday night's presidential debate, challenging his rivals to upend his argument against mass deportations of illegal immigrants while also taking a huge risk with the law-and-order GOP base.
The Republican presidential hopeful, who has sprung to the top of the polling charts in the past two weeks, warned against a policy that proposes deporting illegals who have been in the country for 25 years.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/23/gingrich-on-top-gop-polls-t...
Perry Tries to Laugh Off Debate Mistake
NEW YORK – Texas Gov. Rick Perry, after offering up late-night fodder with his forgetful moment at this week's Republican presidential debate, opted to get in on the joke with an appearance on David Letterman's show Thursday night.
Capping a day of interviews in which he tried to laugh off the embarrassing moment, Perry gave the TV audience his own list of "Top 10 Rick Perry Excuses" for being unable to remember which three federal agencies he would eliminate.
In a separate interview on Fox News Thursday night, Perry explained that the campaign decided to have a "little bit of fun with it." His campaign website invited people to comment on which agency they'd like to forget -- Perry said the site got over 2,000 hits Thursday.
On Letterman, Perry chalked his brain freeze up to everything from Mitt Romney's good looks to a deficiency of energy drinks...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/11/perry-pokes-fun-at-debate-m...
GOP Candidates Target Housing Market, Tax Reform and Bailouts in Latest Debate
ROCHESTER, Mich. – If it's too big to fail, it's too big, several Republican presidential candidates said Wednesday, arguing in the latest 2012 debate that housing and tax reforms, as well as an end to government bailouts, are critical to stopping the U.S. economy's slide into mediocrity.
In what was largely a friendly debate -- with most of the candidates' ire directed toward the current administration rather than each other -- the most unforgettable moment of the night came when Texas Gov. Rick Perry stumbled in a moment of forgetfulness. Perry's brain freeze came when he couldn't remember the three agencies that he would pledge to get rid of as president.
"Sorry. Oops," he said, after recalling only the departments of Commerce and Education. He later said he also wanted to abolish the Energy Department.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/09/gop-2012-hopefuls-take-on-e...
Romney keeps after Perry on immigration
ORLANDO, Fla. — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney pressed his attack Friday on conservative concerns over presidential rival Rick Perry’s support of favorable tuition rates for some children of illegal immigrants, hitting the three-term Texas governor’s claim that critics of the law are simply heartless.
“I think if you are opposed to illegal immigration, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have a heart,” the former Massachusetts told a gathering here for a Conservative Political Action Conference. “It means that you have a heart and a brain.”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/23/romney-keeps-after-per...
AP: Key Moments in GOP Debate
WASHINGTON (AP) – Here are some of the key moments in Thursday night's GOP presidential debate, hosted by Fox News and Google:
Big moment:
A moderator asked Texas Gov. Rick Perry to explain how he would change Social Security -- and whether the plan could work if it was run by 50 states instead of the federal government. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has claimed that's what Perry wants to do.
Perry snapped back at Romney: "Now, it's not the first time that Mitt has been wrong on some issues."
Romney insisted again that Perry, in his book, "Fed Up!", says Social Security is unconstitutional and should be returned to the states. "So you better find that Rick Perry and get him to stop saying that," Romney said.
Perry had criticism of Romney's book, "No Apology," ready.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/ap-key-moments-gop-debate
Democrats Float Bill to Ban Pro-Life Mexico City Policy
Democrats in the U.S.
http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/22/democrats-float-bill-to-ban-pro-lif...
Mexico City Policy
After GOP Debate, Romney Leads Obama; Perry Now Trails
Following the second Republican presidential debate in which pro-life Texas Gov. Rick Perry appeared, he has seen his lead against pro-abortion President Barack Obama evaporate while rival Mitt Romney now runs ahead of the president.
“Before he entered his first debate as a presidential candidate, Texas Governor Rick Perry was the Republican frontrunner and held a modest lead in a hypothetical matchup against President Obama. Perry was the target for all the other candidates in the two most recent GOP debates, however, and he now trails the president by single digits,” says pollster Scott Rasmussen about his new national poll.
The Rasmussen national telephone survey of likely voters shows Obama picking up 46% of the vote, while Perry earns support from 39%. Fifteen percent (15%) are either undecided or prefer another candidate.
http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/16/after-gop-debate-romney-leads-obama...
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Catholic Senators are Decisive Factor in Denying Conscience Protection
Bottom line: Both conscience protection and a ban of federal funding would have passed but for the Catholic Senators.
News came out earlier today, that the Senate Finance Committee led by Senator Max Baucus refused to accept an amendment proposed by Senator Orrin Hatch specifically excluding federal funding of abortion in that committee’s version of health care reform. The vote was 10-13 against the Hatch Amendment. All Democrats on the committee, except Kent Conrad, opposed the amendment. All Republicans, except Olympia Snowe, supported it.
There is nothing surprising about the vote. Far more disturbing was a later vote by the same margin denying conscience protection to doctors, health care facilities and hospitals which refuse to perform abortions. Thirteen Senators, including Catholics John Kerry, Maria Cantwell and Robert Menendez, voted against a second Hatch Amendment which would have protected Catholics and other conscientious objectors to abortion from discrimination by the Federal Government.
Here are the Senators who opposed both amendments (Catholics in bold):
MAX BAUCUS
JEFF BINGAMAN
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE
CHARLES E. SCHUMER
MARIA CANTWELL
THOMAS CARPER
None of the Senators who voted for both amendments are Catholic. The margin was three votes – the same number of Catholic members of the committee who voted against both amendments – proving once again that on balance, it would be better for the unborn and for the interests of the Catholic Church if Catholics were barred from public office.
For the record, here is the conscience protection amendment they voted against:
Non-Discrimination on abortion and respect for rights of conscience
(a) NON DISCRIMINATION.-A Federal agency or program, and any State or
local government that receives Federal financial assistance under this Act ( or and amendment made by this Act), may not-
1) subject any individual or institutional health care entity to
discrimination, or
2) require any health plan created or regulated under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act), to subject any individual or institutional health care entity to discrimination, on the basis that the health care entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.
(b) DEFINITON.-In this section, the term "health care entity" includes an individual physician or other health care professional, a hospital, a provider-sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan.
(c) ADMINISTRATION.-The Office for Civil Right of the Department of Heath and Human Services is designated to receive complaints of discrimination based on this section, and coordinate the investigation of such complaints.
Cardinal Rigali - Death is No Solution to Economic, Health, Environmental Challenges
The USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat has released Cardinal Justin Rigali’s 2009 statement for Respect Life Sunday (pdf). In it, Cardinal Rigali again calls for the broadest protection for life in any health care reform and laments attitudes which “blind to the transcendent reality and meaning of human life could support killing human beings to mitigate economic, social or environmental problems.” He also joins the list of bishops calling for coverage of immigrants in health reform. The full text of his message follows:
STATEMENT FOR RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY
Cardinal Justin F. Rigali
Chairman, USCCB Committee on Pro-life Activities
Respect Life Sunday, this year celebrated on October 4th is a day set aside for Catholics in the United States to reflect with gratitude on God’s priceless gift of human life. It is also an occasion to examine how well we, as a nation and individually, are living up to our obligation to protect the rights of those who, due to age, dependency, poverty or other circumstances, are at risk of their very lives.
In the current debate over health care reform, it has become evident that a number of Americans believe that the lives and health of only some people are worth safeguarding, while other classes of people are viewed as not deserving the same protection. Such an attitude is deplorable, all the more so in the context of health care. Sanctioning discrimination in the quality of care given to different groups of people has no place in medicine, and directly contravenes the ethical norms under which Catholic hospitals and health care providers operate.
Unborn children remain the persons whose lives are most at risk in America: Over one million children each year die in abortion facilities. The Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 rendered states powerless to halt this killing. Thankfully Congress and most states acted to prevent public funding of abortions (with narrowly defined exceptions). Yet despite the opposition of 67% of Americans to taxpayer-funded abortion, all current health care proposals being considered by Congress would allow or mandate abortion funding, either through premiums paid into government programs or out of federal revenues.
It bears repeating: Abortion – the direct, intentional killing of an unborn girl or boy – is not health care. Abortion robs an innocent child of his or her life, and robs mothers of their peace and happiness. For 25 years, the Project Rachel post-abortion ministry of the Catholic Church has helped women move beyond their grief and remorse after abortion, helping them find peace by accepting God’s forgiveness and by forgiving themselves and others involved in the abortion decision. Abortion funding can only increase the number of dead and grieving.
Unborn children are not the only human beings disfavored under current proposals. Many people insist that undocumented persons living and working in the United States should not be allowed in any new system to purchase health-care coverage, and that poor legal immigrants be denied coverage for the first five years they are in the United States. Do immigrants forfeit their humanity at the border? How can a just society deny basic health care to those living and working among us who need medical attention? It cannot and must not.
While most Americans agree that those who cannot afford health insurance should have access to health care, some commentators have gone so far as to suggest offsetting the cost of expanded coverage by curtailing the level of care now given to elderly Americans. Other pundits have suggested that treatment decisions should be based not on the needs of the elderly patient, but on the patient’s allegedly low “quality of life” or the cost-effectiveness of treatment calculated over the patient’s projected lifespan. Such calculations can ignore the inherent dignity of the person needing care, and undermine the therapeutic relationship between health professionals and their patients.
It should not be surprising that the neglect, and even the death, of some people are offered as a solution to rising health care costs. Population control advocates have long espoused aborting children in the developing world as a misguided means for reducing poverty.
Some environmentalists now claim that the most efficient way to curb global climate change is to make “family planning” more widely available in the developing world. They report that an average of 2.3 pounds per day of exhaled carbon dioxide can be eliminated from the atmosphere by eliminating one human being. As used by population control advocates, the innocuous term “family planning” includes abortifacient contraceptives, sterilization, and manual vacuum aspiration abortions.
Oregon, where health care for low-income patients is rationed by the state, has denied several patients the costly prescription drugs needed to prolong their lives, while reminding them that the assisted suicide option is conveniently offered under Oregon’s health plan.
Many scientists justify the manipulation and killing of embryonic human beings in stem cell research, based on unsubstantiated hopes of finding new cures. Yet the facts increasingly show this approach to pose risks to patients, and to women who may be exploited to provide eggs for the research.
Death is not a solution to life’s problems. Only those who are blind to the transcendent reality and meaning of human life could support killing human beings to mitigate economic, social or environmental problems.
The antidote to such myopia is to recover an appreciation for the sanctity and dignity of each unique human being. One could begin by spending a day with a young child. The average child is a wellspring of joy and giggles, capable of daring leaps of imagination, probing curiosity, and even reasoned (though sometimes self-centered) appeals for justice. Children delight in God’s creation and love their family unconditionally. God gave every human being these marvelous aptitudes, and children can help us recover and appreciate them anew.
Since the advent of widespread contraception and abortion, a cultural hostility to children has grown. They are often depicted as costly encumbrances who interfere with a carefree adult life. No fewer than six recent books are dedicated to defending the childless-by-choice lifestyle – for selfish reasons, or to counter “overpopulation,” a thoroughly discredited myth. In fact, if married couples were to have more children, Medicare and Social Security would not be hurtling toward bankruptcy. Since 1955, because of fewer children and longer life spans, the number of workers has declined relative to the number of beneficiaries, from 8.6 to only 3.1 workers paying benefits to support each beneficiary. Without substantially more young people to enter the work force as young adults, in 25 years, there will be only 2.1 workers supporting each beneficiary. Eliminating our young does not solve problems even on pragmatic grounds. It adds to them.
Children, and those who are dependent on us due to disability or age, offer us the opportunity to grow in patience, kindness, and love. They teach us that life is a shared gift, not an encumbrance. At the end of life, we will be judged on love alone. Meanwhile, in the midst of so many challenges to life, we look to "Christ Jesus our hope" (1 Timothy 1:1), who offers to all the world a share in his victory over death.
OSV Reports on Bishops, Subsidiarity and Health Care Reform
In its upcoming issue, OSV looks at the growing number of bishops who are urging adherence to the principle of subsidiarity in any health care reform package. Till now, OSV notes, the principal episcopal objection to reform proposals in Congress has been the failure of those bills to specifically exclude abortion coverage:
But the structure of the health reform is also drawing fire from a small but growing number of bishops, who are citing the long-standing Catholic principle of subsidiarity, which holds that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least-centralized competent authority.
The Pastoral Statement on Health Care Reform by Archbishop Joseph Naumann and Bishop Robert Finn gets top billing in the news analysis piece by Valerie Schmalz, but she refers to a number of other bishops as well:
Other bishops who have highlighted the importance of the principle of subsidiarity in solving the country's health care disparity include: Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.; Bishop R. Walker Nickless of Sioux City, Iowa; Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, N.D.; Bishop Thomas Doran of Rockford, Ill.; and Bishop James V. Johnston of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., who wrote in a Sept. 4 column: "One might legitimately ask if giving a large, inefficient, but powerful bureaucracy like the federal government control of health care is a wise move."
Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput also cited subsidiarity, writing in a Sept. 2 column, "Real healthcare reform need not automatically translate into federal programming."
Enough, it seems, for OSV to claim that consideration of subsidiarity is “providing a new wrinkle in the health care debate”.
The piece also provides the views of these bishops’ critics – So go read the whole thing.
Autistic Runner an Inspiration to His Team
Last week we had a post and video about Matt Ziesel, a high school football player from Saint Joseph, Missouri. Matt has Down Syndrome and the story and video about him were very inspiring because they demonstrated the love and acceptance for Matt in his community.
The Ziesel family are parishioners at St. Francis Xavier Parish in St. Joseph and they've been getting lot's of calls from media, as their video has gone viral with more than half a million views in less than two weeks. ESPN will be in St. Joseph to put together a story on Matt this week and CNN will be doing a segment as well.
Just this weekend, another inspiring story of a community's acceptance of a disabled youth was written up in the Examiner edition for Independence, excerpt:
Independence, MO — The two solitary figures strode side by side, past the tennis courts and junior varsity football field located just east of Fort Osage High School, and headed for the home stretch.
As parents, fans and fellow runners saw them in the distance they lined the cross country course and began to applaud.
The applause grew louder as St. Mary’s freshman Nathan Hoppman and his running buddy, Oscar Bichara, approached the finish line of the junior varsity race.
Hoppman finished the junior varsity heat of the Independence City Championships 6 minutes and 3 seconds behind the 39th-place runner, bringing an end to the 40-man event.
But in the minds of everyone in attendance, the young man who deals with autism on a daily basis was the biggest winner of the hotly contested race.
“Do you know how many people who don’t have anything wrong with them just sit around and do nothing?” asked freshman junior varsity runner Loki Lowki, a teammate of Hoppman’s. “What Nathan did here today is amazing. What he does every day at practice is amazing. He inspires every one of us. We’re proud to call him our teammate.”
Bichara, a sophomore runner on the varsity squad, makes it a routine to run the junior varsity race with Hoppman before competing in the varsity event.
“The first time I ran with Nathan, I went out and ran a PR (personal record), so Nathan is my good luck charm,” Bichara said, grinning from ear to ear. “He inspires me. He inspires the whole team.”
Hoppman has high function autism, which allows him to attend classes at St. Mary’s and mix with the student body on a daily basis.
“The St. Mary’s student body – especially the runners on the boys and girls cross country teams – have really accepted Nathan,” said Hoppman’s mother, Christa, who is also a runner. “He ran track in the seventh and eighth grade, and when we went to St. Mary’s, we asked if he could be on the cross country team, and he was accepted with open arms.”
Read the whole thing. Last week, when I ran the Ziesel story I commented that I was struck when I moved to Kansas City by the number of Down Syndrome kids here. You don't see hardly any where I'm from in San Francisco.
Last night, we had a block party and a neighbour asked me if there was anything positive about Kansas City that surprised me. While I didn't think about it at the time, I could have said "the way commuties are welcoming of children with disabilities." Certainly there are stories like these elsewhere, but the whole-hearted acceptance of children with disabilities is a part of the culture here in a way that makes it different.
We've written about the F.I.R.E. program in our paper several times, but I haven't introduced it to our blog audience. The Foundation for Inclusive Religious Education is a program that provides grants to Kansas City – St. Joseph diocesan schools allowing them to hire staff for students with special needs. Their mission says:
F.I.R.E is the only organization that provides financial assistance to parish schools for special education services that benefit children with special needs. Doing so, F.I.R.E. helps each child meet his or her highest potential, and enlightens and expands the lives of all children by teaching acceptance, compassion, and the value of every child of God. Our mission is to provide children with special needs the opportunity for an inclusive Catholic education in their home parish schools.
You can read more about them in The Catholic Key here and here. Then why not visit their website and make a donation.
Miracle Report Moves K of C Founder Closer to Sainthood
This sent in from Peter Sonski at K of C Headquarters, complete with pictures and cutlines. That’s a valuable communications director. Thanks:
Tribunal submits additional information on reported McGivney miracle to Vatican
Important step forward taken in the cause of Father Michael McGivney
(HARTFORD, CT)—The cause for sainthood of Father Michael McGivney, a parish priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford and founder of the Knights of Columbus, took a further step forward recently, with the transmittal of a supplemental report on a reported miracle attributed to Father McGivney’s intercession.
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, officials of a supplemental tribunal of the Archdiocese of Hartford formally sent the new report to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The tribunal gathered more testimony, interviewing additional witnesses, including several medical doctors, about the circumstances of a reported miracle.
The cause for Father McGivney’s sainthood was opened by Hartford Archbishop Daniel Cronin in December 1997 and was presented to the Vatican in 2000. Pope Benedict XVI declared him “Venerable” in March 2008. Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882 and died in 1890 at the age of 38.
The new report was signed and presented to Archbishop Henry Mansell at a small ceremony in the chapel at the chancery of the archdiocese. The postulator of the cause, Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, travelled from Rome to Hartford for the occasion. Dominican Father Gabriel O’Donnell, academic dean at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., joined in preparation of the supplemental report.
The event was attended by Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, other supreme officers, three relatives of Father McGivney and a number of archdiocesan officials.
Anderson said that submission of the new report “marks an important step forward. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints will now have valuable additional testimony that clarifies and adds significantly to the original submission. We believe that the Congregation will now have all the information it needs to complete its assessment of the case, although of course this review could take several years.”
“Father McGivney’s beatification would be an important event,” Anderson added, “not only for Knights of Columbus, but for the many thousands of parish priests who quietly do the Lord’s work in parishes each day and regard him as an outstanding example for priests everywhere. In this ‘Year for Priests’ it is an especially appropriate step forward.”
Photo captions:
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson talks with Archbishop Henry Mansell of Hartford and Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, postulator of the cause for canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus. The archbishop holds a container of documents pertaining to a reported miracle at Father McGivney’s intercession (Knights of Columbus photo).
Archbishop Henry Mansell of Hartford signs documents Sept. 22 detailing a reported miracle at the intercession of Father Michael McGivney, a parish priest and founder of the Knights of Columbus. The information was assembled in Hartford for submission to the Vatican’s Causes for the Canonization of Saints (Knights of Columbus photo).
Archbishop Nienstedt Says Health Reform Must Respect Subsidiarity
Minneapolis – St. Paul Archbishop John C. Nienstedt has joined several of his fellow bishops and the Catholic Medical Association in saying that any reform of health care must respect the principle of subsidiarity. Following up on his August 27 column on health care reform, the Archbishop today writes in The Catholic Spirit, excerpt (my emphases):
Reading the commentaries of my brother bishops, I realized that I did not mention another essential Catholic principle that should have been included in my last column: subsidiarity, which posits that health care ought to be determined, administered and coordinated at the lowest level of society whenever possible.
In other words, those intermediary communities and associations that exist between the federal government and the individual must be strengthened and given greater control over policies and practices rather than being given less and less control.
To usurp this “hierarchy of communities” is terribly damaging in the long run, both to society as a whole and the individual citizen (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1883, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, No. 185 ff).
Papal insights
Two quotes from Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI are instructive in this regard:
Pope John Paul II has written:
“By intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies, which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending” (Pope John Paul II, “Centesimus Annus,” No. 48).
Pope Benedict writes:
“The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person — every person — needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need . . . . In the end, the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man: the mistaken notion that man can live ‘by bread alone’ (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3) — a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human” (Pope Benedict XVI, “Deus Caritas Est,” No. 28).
To neglect the principle of subsidiarity inevitably leads to the excessive centralization of human services, which leads to higher costs, less personal responsibility for the individual and a lower quality of care.
See the whole column at The Catholic Spirit. Also be sure to check out Archbishop Nienstedt’s previous column on health care reform which was also excellent.
Archbishop Naumann Responds to Sebelius’ WaPo Interview Claim
Last week, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sat down for an interview with the Washington Post. When asked about last year’s request by Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph Naumann that then-Governor Sebelius not present herself for communion because of her repeated executive actions against human life, Sebelius said:
Well, it was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced in my life, and I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state, and I feel that my actions as a parishioner are different than my actions as a public official and that the people who elected me in Kansas had a right to expect me to uphold their rights and their beliefs even if they did not have the same religious beliefs that I had. And that's what I did: I took an oath of office and I have taken an oath of office in this job and will uphold the law.
The claim is outrageous, because Governor Sebelius was not corrected by her bishop for upholding the law of Kansas or the wishes of the electorate. Rather she repeatedly vetoed modest pro-life proposals passed by majorities in Kansas’ elected legislature.
Archbishop Naumann sets the record straight in reply to a query from Lifesite News today:
"Secretary Sebelius misrepresents the issue by her attempt to invoke separation of church and state," wrote Naumann. "At no time did I ask her not to execute her oath of office.
"Secretary Sebelius makes it appear that she was asked not to receive Holy Communion because she was the victim of merely upholding the law. In reality, Secretary Sebelius opposed even such modest restrictions on abortion as parental notification of minors, required waiting periods before an abortion, as well as meaningful regulation of abortion clinics to protect, at least, the mother's health."
Naumann said it was "very painful" to ask Sebelius not to receive Communion. "However, I had exhausted every reasonable means to convince her to change her position," he said. "I also had a serious obligation to uphold the integrity of the Eucharist and to protect other Catholics from being misled by the former Governor's support for legalized abortion.
"I continue to pray for Secretary Sebelius that she will accept the grace to acknowledge the grave evil in which she has been involved and will have the courage to take the necessary steps to correct the scandal created by her past actions."
See the full story at Lifesite for all the background.
New USCCB Survey - 68% Oppose Abortion Coverage, Public OR Private
The following is pretty exciting for two reasons. First it shows a majority of Americans support health insurance reform, while an even bigger majority oppose abortion in any form of insurance. Second, the fact that the USCCB conducted the poll shows a much appreciated pro-active approach by the conference.
From the USCCB Prolife Secretariat:
Two to one: U.S. adults favor ‘reform to provide affordable health insurance for all’
Sixty-eight percent do not want abortion coverage in their own policy, whether public or private
Sixty-three percent favor keeping conscience protection laws
NEW SURVEY: MOST AMERICANS WANT HEALTH CARE REFORM, OPPOSE ABORTION COVERAGE, SUPPORT CONSCIENCE PROTECTION LAWS
WASHINGTON—A nationwide survey commissioned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has found widespread public opposition to including abortion in health care reform and majority support for conscience rights protection – views shared by those who favor efforts to pass health care reform.
Conducted by International Communications Research (ICR) from September 16-20, 2009, the phone survey of 1,043 U.S. adults found that 60 percent favor – and only thirty percent oppose – “efforts to pass health care reform to provide affordable health insurance for all.” Focusing on that sixty percent, the survey found that:
Sixty percent of those favoring reform oppose – and only 25 percent support – “measures that would require people to pay for abortion coverage with their federal taxes.”
By a 49-39 percent plurality, those who favor reform oppose “measures that would require people to pay for abortion coverage with their health insurance premiums”; and
Among those favoring reform, those who favor maintaining “current federal laws that protect doctors and nurses from being forced to perform or refer for abortions against their will” outnumber those who oppose keeping such laws in place by a margin of two to one (60-30).
Opposition to abortion coverage was somewhat stronger in the total sample of U.S. adults – for example, 67 percent of the total sample opposed requiring people to pay for abortion coverage through their taxes and 56 percent opposed making them do so through their insurance premiums.
The survey also asked: “If the choice were up to you, would you want your own insurance policy to include abortion?” Sixty-eight percent of U.S. adults said ‘No’ and only 24 percent said ‘Yes.’
“The USCCB survey confirms other recent polls conducted by Public Opinion Strategies (August 30-September 1) and Rasmussen Reports (September 14-15) on health care policy and abortion,” said Deirdre McQuade, Assistant Director for Policy & Communications at the USCCB’s Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities. “With each passing week it gets clearer: The American public generally does not want to pay for abortion coverage and does not want health care reform used to promote abortion,” she said.
“Abortion is not health care. The bishops of the United States are working hard to ensure that health care reform serves the most vulnerable among us – especially the poor, immigrants, and the unborn,” McQuade said.
For more information on the U.S. bishops’ position on health care reform, visit www.usccb.org/healthcare.
ICR / International Communications Research, based in the Philadelphia suburb of Media, PA, is a top-ranked and nationally recognized market research organization. ICR fielded this study in their national, weekly EXCEL Omnibus telephone survey on behalf of the USCCB from September 16-20, 2009, interviewing a nationwide sample of 1,043 adults aged 18 and older. EXCEL is weighted to provide nationally representative and projectable estimates of the population ages 18+. At a 95 percent level of confidence, the margin of error for this sample of 1,043 is +/-3.0 percent. A full methodology and profile of the pollster are available upon request.
On a less positive note, the survey also seems to indicate that most people are probably unaware that their private insurance likely does cover abortion.
Thank God, it's Monday!
Following is a guest post by Scott McKellar, director of the Bishop Helmsing Institute in the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph:
My title is deliberately provocative. We are all familiar with the more common expression “Thank God, it’s Friday!” We all meet people who are forced to work at jobs they find difficult or unexciting and who seem to live for the weekend. The Genesis narrative makes it clear that the addition of “toil” to human work did not occur until after the Fall. As a punishment for the disobedience of our first parents the earth itself is cursed; “Cursed be the ground because of you! In toil shall you eat its yield all the days of your life. . . . By the sweat of your face shall you get bread to eat” (Genesis 3:17-19). While we may all sympathize with the person who wants to relax after a long work week, the “toil” of work is not God’s original plan.
Earlier in the Genesis narrative we are told God created man and woman in “the image and likeness of God” (Genesis 1:27) and told them to fill, subdue and have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28). We are specifically told that God placed man in the garden “to cultivate and care for it” (Genesis 2:15). Although “toil” is a result of the Fall, human work is part of man’s original vocation from God. Man is called to continue the work of creation by filling, subduing, having dominion over, cultivating and caring for creation. At the apex of creation is the call to enter into the fuller freedom of God’s Sabbath rest.
What does it mean to be created in the “image of God” and what is our vocation? The fathers of Second Vatican Council note;
The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of Him Who was to come, (Roman 5:14) namely Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear (GS 22).
It is Christ who fully reveals man to himself. Pope John Paul II chose this passage from the Council as the theme of his first encyclical, The Redeemer of Man. As the Council reminds us, “For by His incarnation the Son of God has united Himself in some fashion with every man. He worked with human hands, He thought with a human mind, acted by human choice and loved with a human heart” (GS 22). By virtue of being created in the image of God, the new Adam, man also shares in the three fold ministry of Christ as prophet, priest and king (Lumen Gentium 31). In this “Year of the Priest” we should be reminded that although we all share in the single priesthood of Christ, there is still an essential difference between the common priesthood of all the faithful and the ministerial priesthood. The lay faithful are called to live with a priestly soul in midst of their daily occupations. They are called to “make their contribution to the sanctification of the world from within, as leaven” (LG 31). In fact the Council reminds us, “The specific vocation of the laity is to make the Church actively present in those places and situations where the very salt of the earth can only be spread by their efforts (LG 33).
By his very nature man has a right and duty to work. As Paul reminds us, “If any one will not work, let him not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Jesus endured the hardship of working as a carpenter in Nazareth. Jesus called his earthly ministry “work.” “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work” (John 5:17). Work can also be redemptive (CCC 2427). Even in our suffering we can join our human work to Christ’s work at Calvary. “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Colossians 1:24).
Work then can be a means of our personal sanctification; a means of sanctifying others and a means of bringing about the sanctification of the whole world. One modern Saint who has emphasized these ideas is St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei. At his canonization, Pope John Paul II called him the Saint of ordinary life. Saint Josémaría repeatedly emphasized: "you have to sanctify your work, be sanctified in your work, and sanctify through your work." St. Josemaría noted that work is "the hinge on which our calling to holiness is fixed and turns." (Friends of God, n. 62)
For many of us the talk of holiness and sanctity seems very out of touch with our life. We are tempted to say, “Hey, I drive a Ford. I’m just an ordinary guy!” If that is the case then this is the type of holiness for you. We can begin by offering up the work we already do. Any honest profession can be a means of holiness. We can strive to do our work well, making our daily work an offering to our Lord. Saint Josémaría once reminded his sons,
“What use is it telling me that so and so is a good son of mine — a good Christian — but a bad shoemaker? If he doesn't try to learn his trade well, or doesn't give his full attention to it, he won't be able to sanctify it or offer it to Our Lord.” (Friends of God, n. 62)
Finally we can try to allow Christ to live through our work. We can be honest and sincere. We can maintain cheerfulness and offer up the difficulties we face. Our daily struggle will lead us back to that workshop in Nazareth where we can seek the prayers of Mary and Joseph and turn our eyes ever more up to their Son.
Touchdown for Down Syndrome Player in St. Joe, MO
One of the first things that popped out at me when I moved to Kansas City from San Francisco was the presence of Down Syndrome kids. You don’t see hardly any in San Francisco. Here in the heartland they are welcomed and loved in schools and communities and most importantly, born.
Here’s the story behind the video below which ran on the local news tonight, as explained by Matt Ziesel’s family:
Freshman Matt Ziesel scores a touchdown against Maryville. Below is a little write-up from the Ziesel family for those of you not familiar with Matt: Matt is a special athlete who has Down Syndrome. He loves football and has grown up in an environment surrounded by sports. His father is a coach/ athletic director, and all his siblings play sports. He grew up at athletic events, and has always been a cheerleader. He registered as a freshman at Benton High School -Saint Joseph, MO this year, and told his mother and father he wanted to play football. The team takes good care of looking after Matt, and he is still the cheerleader on the sidelines. He puts his pads and helmet on, stands next to Coach McCamy and waits for his turn to play. Over and over during the course of the game Matt will say, "Coach McCamy, I am ready! I am ready Coach!" On this Monday night coach gave him a chance. The Cardinals were down by a few touchdowns with 15 seconds left. Coach McCamy called a timeout and asked the coach of Maryville High School if they could run their "Matt Play". He agreed and this is where the video begins. Thanks to Coach McCamy and the freshman coach at Maryville, Matt and his family will cherish his moment forever!
- Sincerely The Ziesel Family
Bishop Finn Thanks Religious Jubilarians for 1000+ Years Service
Following is a homily given by Kansas City – St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn at a Sept. 6 Mass in honor of Religious celebrating jubilees. It is also a very fine reflection on religious life:
Dear brother priests,
Dear Jubilarians in Consecrated Life,
Dear friends in Christ all,
Today is a day of Jubilee, a day of thanksgiving to God. With those who have reached special anniversaries, we give thanks for the grace of perseverance in the Religious vocation. With the whole people of God we render our sacrifice of gratitude – the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass – for the prayerful apostolate and mission you continue to represent in the Church. As Bishop of the Diocese, I also wish to express the thanks of us all for your charity and faith, the contribution of your holiness and your service in this local Church. May God sustain you in His peace and give you strength for the work remaining.
The Jubilarians we honor today throughout our Diocese have cumulatively offered to God more than 1000 years of prayer and service. They have taught in our schools; worked in hospitals and homes caring for the sick and dying; advocated for the poor – bringing the Gospel message of hope to us all.
Day after day, our consecrated brothers and sisters have prayed the Liturgy of the Hours for the sake of the whole world. They have spent countless hours in prayer before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and offered themselves as a living oblation for the salvation of souls. The supernatural chronicle of your self-offering – known fully only by God - surpasses infinitely even the amazing tally of your years of service. Thanks be to God, dear Jubilarians! May He bless you with the grace of more years and, one day, life on high with Him for all eternity.
The 1996 Apostolic Exhortation on the Consecrated Life, Pope John Paul II’s Vita Consecrata, reminds us that you are chosen and called “to put your life at the service of the Kingdom of God, leaving everything behind and closely imitating Christ’s own way of life.” (no. 14)
Jesus, in His invitation to discipleship and His proclamation of the Gospel, bears witness to the lasting values of simplicity and poverty even in the midst of a world that regards them with cynicism. The life our Religious have chosen is a joyful embrace of service and holiness that helps them see, not only God, but God in their brothers and sisters. The lasting rewards for us all are in heaven. Dear Religious, the focus of your lives continues to help us look beyond passing satisfactions that so often entangle and confuse us. You continue to help us hear the Eternal Father calling us to seek Him out through love of our neighbor.
Your vocation, with its participation in the Cross, calls you upward to the hope of eternal life. Even now, by the faithful living out of your call, you proclaim all that God had done for you. His call resonates in you and beyond you, and we have been the beneficiaries of your witness.
Daily you are called to contemplate the face of Christ. (Novo Millenio Ineunte, no. 15). He is the source of holiness and a fountain of life that gives meaning to everything you do. Never allow yourself to be discouraged in this commitment to prayer so that all your actions may flow from a true supernatural intimacy with God.
This holiness is learned and fostered in a communion of your sisters or brothers, the life of community. The Church teaches us that this living communion is to be “the first thing that appears in consecrated life in every age.” (Pope John Paul II, 2001 address to the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, par. 169) The community is the place where each member learns to pray, and each member is educated in the radical gift of self for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
Throughout history your orders, societies, congregations, have served the particular and most urgent needs of the Church. Indeed, when you remain in faithful continuity with the spirit of your founders, you have the strongest assurance that the Providence of God will effectively connect the vocation of each Religious and the legitimate needs of the Church.
Your commitment to your authentic identity is a sacred trust which everyone must see. Your lifestyle, the way you dress, even the manner of your speech, must indicate to us all your trust in God, your communion with each other and with the bishop, and your identity as men and women fully consecrated in purity of body, mind, and heart, to God in the Church. Perhaps the clearest sign of this consecration is the joy and hope which characterizes the freedom of the sons and daughters of God. I wish you that joy and hope. I thank you and I thank God for the joy and hope you continue to bring to our Diocese.
As you unite yourself to the joys and hopes of all mankind; when you open yourself to share also the grief and anxieties of the followers of Christ, (cf. GS, no. 1) you accept your call to be heralds of the Gospel who hand on the prophetic promise that we have heard in our first reading today from Isaiah: “Be strong, fear not! Here is your God. He comes to save you.” (Is 35:4)
The Blessed Virgin Mary is a significant part of the identity of so many of our Orders of Consecrated life. In my own life, I have learned much about the meaning of the love of Mary from consecrated Religious. Now may she pray for you our Jubilarians who have sought to follow her Son for all your lives. May Mary intercede with her Son, Jesus, so that no vocation may be lost, so that the Church will be enriched with the full measure of those God invites.
For our sake, dear Jubilarians, and for the sake of your salvation, the Father of Mercies, has called you and made you a sign of selfless and tender love. May He who is your light and your spouse, sustain you in His joy and hope forever.
Picture Courtesy of Sister Connie Boulch. Some of the Religious celebrating jubilees are pictured with Bishop Finn - (l-r) Sr Vickie Perkins, SCL, Sr Janette Munsterman, OSF, Sr Theresa Svehla, RSM, Sr Raphael Speichinger, OSF, Sr Olive Louise Dallavis, CSJ, Sr Theresa Michel de la Visitation, lsp, Sr Celine Engeman, OSF, Sr Justa Izaguirre, MMB, Sr Loretta Luse, OSF, Sr Anna Schlett, CSJ
White House Won’t Support Exclusion of Abortion Coverage
It’s a positive sign that our President said he won’t include federal funding for abortion coverage in any health care overhaul. But honest players across the political spectrum know that if abortion coverage is not explicitly barred in health care reform legislation, it will eventually be mandated.
So it is very disconcerting to learn from American’s United for Life that the administration demurred on the possibility of specific language barring abortion coverage in health care reform at a recent White House meeting. From their release, my emphases:
Today Americans United for Life Action's President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest met with senior White House officials Melody Barnes and Tina Tchen. Dr. Yoest called on the White House to clarify President Obama's recent statement of support for keeping abortion funding out of health care reform. After the meeting, Dr. Yoest stated that the White House remained noncommittal on explicit language excluding abortion from the health care bill.
"After the meeting, we remain deeply concerned about abortion funding and the abortion mandate in health care reform. Ms. Barnes reiterated the President's statement about opposing abortion funding in his address before Congress last week but the White House would not commit to language that explicitly excludes abortion from health care reform. The reality on the Hill right now is that the health care bills do include abortion funding.
Without a specific statutory amendment that includes an explicit ban on federal funding and coverage, taxpayers will be paying for abortion. Including abortion in health care is something the pro-life movement will oppose vigorously."
Dr. Yoest provided the White House with a brief from the Americans United for Life legal team that documents why anything less than a explicit ban on abortion funding and coverage will allow government-funded abortion.
Dr. Yoest also delivered a petition with over 39,000 signatures from pro-life Americans telling President Obama that they urge him to veto any bill that does not specifically forbid mandating insurance companies to cover abortion. The petition also urges the President to veto any bill that could make taxpayers responsible for directly or indirectly paying for abortion.
We have seen in recent weeks how even a local EEOC official can mandate what is covered in even private insurance at even religious institutions. In August, a local office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission determined that a private Catholic College was required to provide prescription contraceptive coverage for its employees, claiming that not doing so was discriminatory against women. The EEOC found of Belmont Abbey College that:
“By denying prescription contraception drugs, Respondent (the college) is discriminating based on gender because only females take oral prescription contraceptives… By denying coverage, men are not affected, only women.”
There is nothing stopping a local EEOC official, judge or bureaucrat from demanding abortion coverage in government supported or even private health provision on the same basis, i.e., only women get abortions.
Our President may be entirely sincere in his claim not to want an expansion of abortion through health care reform. Without a specific exclusion, even sincere words are meaningless.
Santiago Ramos Reviews Buzz Aldrin's 'Magnificent Desolation'
Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon
Buzz Aldrin with Ken Abraham
336 pages / $27.00
Reviewed by Santiago Ramos
A sure sign of the decline of our Republic will come on the day when our schoolchildren no longer dream of becoming astronauts.
Not because these children would no longer be revering one of the greatest achievements of their country - though that is true. Even though the United States will one day suffer the same fate that befalls all countries this side of the New Jerusalem, it would be an easy wager to make that one of the things that the history books will record about us is our country’s space program.
Rather, the more important thing here is the desire to go to the moon, the same desire behind art and mysticism and the Everest climbers and the Pyramid builders. It is a spiritual drive that is as proper to humanity as its own flesh. Once we’ve lost it, we’re finished. We have an innate sense that it is good to know the universe because the universe, in some way, is for us. And after exploring it, we can return home and in a quiet hour understand the Psalmist a little better:
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
On the one hand, we are so puny; on the other, we are so wonderful. What are we?
Astronaut and moonlander Buzz Aldrin does not come off as a conventional religious believer in his recently published memoir, Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon, but he is nevertheless in touch with this desire that is at the core of wonder and the religious sense. He did, it is true, have Communion—bread and wine—on the surface of the moon, right after landing (Buzz is—was?—an Episcopalian). And it is also true that he has changed his religious beliefs somewhat since then. But the sheer awe he experienced hopping around the Moon, and the beauty of the Earth as seen from beyond it, did not turn him into a facile, poindexter atheist like Richard Dawkins. He became more “spiritual,” and while that is not a very intellectually rigorous category, he did feel what the Psalmist writes about—at once puny and wonderful, and still asking why.
This is the public service that Aldrin continues to make for his country, which he has already served so much. He wants people to keep asking why, to keep desiring for more, and, in his case this means, concretely, to want to go to Mars. But people with less passion for wonder, instead ask him to make a pragmatic case of the utility of space exploration. Testifying before Congress, Aldrin tried to make the case for space travel:
“We are not going to justify going to Mars by what we bring back. Whether there is life or not shouldn’t be a determining factor in whether we go to Mars. We are going to make a commitment and carry that out. And what is that commitment going to do to this world today that is so focused on the immediate payoff—the attitude of ‘What’s in it for me right now?’….People want to journey into space; they want to share that participation. Just ask them. I go around and they want to know when they can get into space. And it is doable.”
Perhaps not the most philosophically savvy defense of exploration, but Aldrin’s heart is bigger than his words. He has stood on the Moon (!), and he wants as many people as possible to feel what he felt, or something close to it. But this exchange in Congress comes near the end of the book, after Aldrin has developed a nonprofit organization called SpaceShare, which promotes the cause for space. The book begins with an amazing account of the moonwalk, of all the things going through Aldrin’s brain from liftoff to landing on the Moon to liftoff again and back to Earth. Several times I had to remind myself that I was reading a memoir and not a science fiction novel. There is no lack of suspense: see how, in the clutch, Aldrin and Neil Armstrong fix a broken circuit breaker in the Lunar Module. These were smart, tough guys, and it is interesting to see how, in spite of themselves, they also became poets in the face of the awesomeness that they were experiencing. Armstrong’s proclamation, “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind,” and Aldrin’s oxymoron, “Magnificent desolation,” should be taught in high school American Literature courses as two of the most significant poems of the last century.
Beginning the book with the main event might seem like a bad idea, because the reader might drop the book after reading about it. But Aldrin does this for a reason, forcing the reader feel what he felt, the same post-Moonshot depression that he felt. Because, with all his intense longing to go to the Moon, and after having that longing fulfilled—what’s next? Chapter four begins this way: “What now? I said aloud to myself as I chewed on the tip of the pipe I rarely smoked…What’s left?” The world is not enough, and the moon is not enough. That’s just how we were made.
After this follow the ups and downs in Aldrin’s life—the alcoholism, but also the finding of love. We see Aldrin with his solar visor raised up. He is human like us, and his heart is just like ours, though it might be flaring up a little more intensely due to that trip he took in 1969. He finds a path later in the book, in part through his mission to promote a manned landing on Mars. We should hope for him what we hope for ourselves, something that we can’t really name or even conceive, that is even greater than a trip to the Moon—the long journey home, fulfilled.
Papal Nuncio Opens School Year at Benedictine College
Benedictine College in Atchison is a gem among Catholic institutions of higher learning in the US. In its guide to “Choosing a Catholic College,” the Cardinal Newman Society said of Benedictine, “All the elements of a vibrant Catholic spiritual life are present at BC . . . While many Catholic colleges have de-emphasized their ties to religious orders, Benedictine College celebrates its Benedictine Heritage.”
Those are distinctions which haven’t gone unnoticed on high. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, made the same observations when he was treasured celebrant and guest at the school’s opening Mass of the Holy Spirit and Convocation on September 1.
Bishop Robert W. Finn, Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and recently installed Omaha Archbishop George Lucas joined other bishops and numerous priests and religious alumni of Benedictine in opening the school year. The entire Freshmen class and hundreds of upper-classmen and women packed the Abbey Church to overflowing and welcomed the Nuncio displaying exuberant school spirit.
In his homily, Archbishop Sambi gave an extensive reflection on the role of Catholic Colleges as “places of encounter with the Word, with the Good News, with Jesus Christ.” The Archbishop taught on Pope Benedict’s vision of the “liberating mission of a Catholic education, especially within societies where a secularist ideology separates truth and faith,” and of the Holy Father’s “desire to see that [the Church’s] schools at all levels maintain a strong Catholic identity.”
“Ultimately,” Archbishop Sambi said, “the success of Catholic education is something that cannot be measured in standardized tests or with academic statistics. Its success, according to Pope Benedict, rests in its ability to integrate faith and intellectual formation. . . Today, we pray in thanksgiving for one institution in particular: Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.”
Archbishop Sambi turned to praise Benedictine saying the college “celebrates a vibrant sacramental life and supports an active pastoral ministry. Confession, spiritual direction, Eucharistic adoration, retreats and campus ministry activities are readily available.” The Nuncio noted that 30 graduates have entered the seminary or discerned a vocation to religious life since 2000 and a new Benedictine novice has entered the Abbey each year since 2000.
“This, again, is the hope of the Church, as stated in the Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae,” he said.
The Nuncio also reflected on the specific Benedictine charism of the school with its emphasis on prayer, work and peace. “Just as this ‘indwelling of the Holy Trinity’ this ‘coming upon us’ of the Father and the Son and the Spirit, brings peace to the soul, so too the Lord’s ‘indwelling’ on the campus of Benedictine College nurtures the faith and promotes the sure path to peace, now, as he has done for over 150 years,” Archbishop Sambi said.
Per tradition, the Freshmen at Benedictine wear a beanie with the school colors during the first week of school. They are able to remove it at convocation when they become “full members” of the community. Straying from his prepared homily, Archbishop Sambi said, “I would like to tell you that I am a little jealous – because your cap is better than mine.” At the convocation, following Mass, the Nuncio was presented with his very own Benedictine beanie which he proudly wore.
Archbishop Sambi was also keynote speaker at the convocation held in the school’s student center. Sister Anne Shepard, Prioress of the Benedictines of Mount Saint Scholastica led the opening prayer for the convocation and Abbot Barnabas Senecal sang the benediction. President Stephen D. Minnis introduced the Nuncio. Shepard, Senecal and Minnis are themselves graduates of Benedictine.
In his Convocation Address, Archbishop Sambi spoke of his lengthy prior service in the Holy Land, including eight years as Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and Palestine. The Holy Land “is not a foreign place for us,” he said. It is “the privileged place where the Mystery of Salvation unfolded. For Christians, it is the Land of the patriarchs and the Prophets as well as that of Jesus Christ and the Apostles, and the birthplace of the Church.”
The Nuncio gave vivid descriptions of his personal experience of the Holy Places. “Walking in the footsteps of Jesus, reading the Gospel and meditating upon the mysteries of faith that are manifested in this these holy places, brings one to an even more personal encounter with the Lord, to a depth of one’s faith, and to a truly Christian perspective of life, so that one can see life, clearly and with joy, as a gift and a mission.”
He then turned his attention to the plight of Christians in the Holy Land who now represent only two percent of the population. The absence of real prospects for peace, economic instability, unemployment and poor access to housing are among the reasons Christians leave, Archbishop Sambi said. In addition, “The Israeli control on Palestinian youth makes them feel like prisoners in their own land,” he said.
The Nuncio urged Benedictine students to support Christians in the Holy Land by praying for them, encouraging pilgrimages and assisting them materially. But, “the greatest help that we can give to the Christian community, which would also benefit Jews and Moslems, is that of political pressure on the parties in conflict for a stable peace, accomplished by establishing two states – one for the Israelis and one for the Palestinians, both living as neighbors with a spirit of collaboration,” he said.
Following the convocation, students posed for pictures with bishops from their home dioceses and all then joined the Nuncio for lunch.
Follow link bit.ly/JVJa8 for the complete texts of Archbishop Sambi’s homily and Convocation Address and for more pictures from the event.
Photos by Laura Wadle:
Top - (l-r) Abbot Barnabas Senecal, OSB, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Bishop Robert Finn, Archbishop Joseph Nauman
Middle – Archbishop Sambi gives the Convocation Address
Bottom – Bishop Finn poses with Benedictine students and alumni from the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph
How to Leave the Church AND Keep the Deed
In 2006, two long-serving Benedictine Sisters from Wisconsin renounced their vows and left their order. The Vatican concurred in releasing them.
Nothing surprising there - Religious leave their orders all the time. What is unique about this case is that the two women figured out how to take all of their former order’s assets with them. In October, a group of leaders from men’s and women’s religious orders will learn how to do the same.
Here’s the background. In 2007, Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Laurie Brink gave the keynote address at the annual convention of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious held in Kansas City. Titled, "A Marginal Life: Pursuing Holiness in the 21st Century"(pdf), her talk looked at different ways various communities of women religious were dealing with decline and evolving. One possible way was to be a “sojourner”:
Sojourners have left the religious home of their fathers and mothers and are traveling in a foreign land, mapping their way as they go. They are courageous women among us. And very well may provide a glimpse into the new thing that God is bringing about in our midst. Who’s to say that the movement beyond Christ is not, in reality, a movement into the very heart of God? A movement the ecclesiastical system would not recognize. A wholly new way of being holy that is integrative, non-dominating, and inclusive. But a whole new way that is also not Catholic Religious Life. The Benedictine Women of Madison are the most current example I can name. Their commitment to ecumenism lead them beyond the exclusivity of the Catholic Church into a new inclusivity, where all manner of seeking God is welcomed. They are certainly religious women, but they are no longer women religious as it is defined by the Roman Catholic Church. They choose as a congregation to step outside the Church in order to step into a greater sense of holiness.
One problem with sojourning “beyond Christ” in a way “the ecclesiastical system would not recognize” is that you have to leave behind the good will of being a Catholic religious sister and begin anew. When you leave the Church, you also leave behind the trappings of the Church – the monastery, the land, the endowment. All of these things were entrusted for an ecclesial purpose and you have chosen to no longer serve that purpose. If you quit the convent, you have to find a new roof.
But the two Benedictine sisters in Wisconsin who wanted to leave their order were in a unique position. They were the last two active members of their community. They had no one to return the keys to. So they took them.
According to the National Catholic Reporter, Benedictine Sisters Mary David Walgenbach and Joanne Kollasch started thinking about leaving the Catholic religious life and starting a way of life the Church would not recognize in 1992. In 2006, they were officially released from their vows.
Between 1992 and 2006, they had a lot of work to do. According to public records, in 1998, they set up a Non-Stock Corporation headed by themselves called the Benedictine Women of Madison, Inc. The new corporation was non-canonical, ie., not connected to or bound by any of the laws of the Church.
In late 2000, the two sisters signed over the deeds for the various parcels of land belonging to their canonical, ecclesial religious order to the non-ecclesial corporation run by themselves. A separate, non-ecclesial foundation was also set up for the benefit of the new Benedictine Women of Madison, Inc.
When the two sisters finally were released from their vows in 2006, they had already transferred the ecclesial property of their order essentially to themselves. They took new vows to their non-Church related order and now run the Holy Wisdom Monastery on the property of their old order’s former high school.
Holy Wisdom Monastery has one other professed member, a Presbyterian minister. They are open to accepting “sisters” of other faiths, but so far no takers. Madison Bishop Robert Morlino has forbidden priests from offering Mass at the monastery, but in late August, they began “sharing the Bread of Life around a common table” at a weekly, inclusive, ecumenical Eucharist at their just-constructed $8 million eco-friendly monastery.
Are there any other religious orders contemplating quitting the Church and taking the Church’s patrimony with them? The Resource Center for Religious Institutes must think so.
RCRI is an organization formed by the merger of two religious resource groups sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. At their National Conference on October 23, participating religious leaders will have the opportunity to attend a workshop called “Going Non-Canonical”. It will be led by the former sister from Wisconsin, Mary David Walgenbach, and Benedictine Father Dan Ward, the canon lawyer who helped the Benedictines of Madison quit the Church. Here’s the description, my emphases:
The story of a small Benedictine community’s journey of becoming non-canonical. The content includes their ecumenical ministry, visioning process, development of an ecumenical board, relationship with the Federation of St. Gertrude and canonical and civil procedures for the transfer of assets.
Why would any leader of a religious community need to learn that?
Bishops Offer Various Criticisms of Current Health Reform Proposals
American Papist has been helpfully compiling a list of bishops’ statements on health care reform. Many similarly refer to the list of urgent concerns raised by Cardinal Rigali and Bishop Murphy, while several raise additional concerns.
Here’s Rockford Bishop Thomas G. Doran on the dangers of violating the principal of subsidiarity:
4. The fourth principle is subsidiarity which commands us to seek the most effective approach to solving the problem. Our federal bureaucracy is a vast wasteland strewn with the carcasses of absurd federal programs which proved infinitely worse than the problems they were established to correct. It perhaps is too extreme to say that competent government is an oxymoron, but sometimes it seems that way. The moral principal of subsidiarity implies decreasing the role of government and employers in health care when lower order groups can better serve individuals and families. We need to think of health care as more of a market than a system.
The Catholic Medical Association has warned that: “The clear historical experience in the United States assures that a unitary, or a single payer, system of health care financing and administration would profoundly subvert the sanctity of human life” (from the Association’s publication, “Health Care in America: A Catholic Proposal for Renewal” in Linacre Quarterly, 2004, available at www.cathmed.org/publications/health%20CARE.pdf).
It was observed by the ancients that usually the problem with totalitarian governments is not that they do not love their people; the problem seems to be that they love them too much — they just do not trust them. To establish control, these governments have always tried to control food. Remember why Jacob’s sons went down to Egypt in the Book of Exodus. But since homo sapiens is an omnivore, this proves increasingly difficult.
Modern socialist governments like to control not food but the means to protect and extend life. Some have called the current efforts of our federal government “senioricide” or “infanticide.” That perhaps is too severe, but we as Catholics should take care that health care does not morph into life control.
And St. Paul – Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt on a proposal that would grant:
authority to a “Medical Advisory Council,” appointed by the secretary of the Health and Human Services, to decide what procedures are funded.
This council would specify what services will or will not be included in the government’s insurance plans.
At present, the secretary of Health and Human Services is Kathleen Sebelius, allegedly a practicing Catholic, but an aggressively pro-choice politician. It is hard to imagine that her selection of candidates for membership on that council would be willing to restrict access to abortion services.
Of course, none of this should come as a surprise to anyone. Speaking to the Planned Parenthood organization during the presidential campaign, then Sen. Obama made clear his thinking on this matter, which was backed up by his voting record in the Senate.
He stated: “In my mind, reproductive care is essential care, basic care, so it is at the center, the heart of the plan that I propose.”
(In this context, “reproductive care” is a euphemism for “abortion.”)
Archbishop Nienstedt continues on the subject of end-of-life care:
In addition to Bishop Murphy’s four points, I would add a fifth. I believe that it should also be explicitly stated that euthanasia, either actively prescribed or passively encouraged, should not be permitted.
This is a serious matter for senior citizens. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions recently defeated an amendment that would have prevented the denial of health care benefits to patients on the basis of age, expected length of life, or of the patient’s present or predicted disability or quality of life.
Without such assurances, the same “Medical Advisory Council” could determine that those who are over a certain age limit are not worthy of further medical treatment and thus none would be provided.
Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik is similarly concerned about subtle pressure on the elderly:
We must also and especially keep in mind that true health care reform must protect itself from the subtle pressure that can be exercised on the elderly and the seriously ill to avoid “costly” medical care. Already, the arguments are being put forth that about 25 percent of Medicare dollars is being spent in the last year of life — as if this is wasteful spending that could be saved!
Fears that euthanasia could become part of American health care are based on the fact that the so-called “right to die” movement has a lot of powerful support. Remember that assisted suicide — so-called “mercy killing” — is already legal in the state of Oregon! That is no fabrication! And when we want to find out how we are going to pay for universal health care, there is a very real temptation by the healthy to look at the “savings” that could be realized if the elderly would just stay out of the hospitals, and the dying would die a little quicker.
In place of his column last week, Madison Bishop Robert C. Morlino offered for consideration the thought of Sioux City Bishop Walter Nickless, which included the concern that:
Preserving patient choice (through a flourishing private sector) is the only way to prevent a health care monopoly from denying care arbitrarily, as we learned from HMOs in the recent past.
While a government monopoly would not be motivated by profit, it would be motivated by such bureaucratic standards as quotas and defined “best procedures,” which are equally beyond the influence of most citizens. The proper role of the government is to regulate the private sector, in order to foster healthy competition and to curtail abuses. Therefore any legislation that undermines the viability of the private sector is suspect. Private, religious hospitals and nursing homes, in particular, should be protected, because these are the ones most vigorously offering actual health care to the poorest of the poor.
I’m sure there’s more to be mined in AMPapist’s list and that the list will grow. The point is that bishops have a right and a responsibility to teach in their own name. Exercising that responsibility in no way undermines their unity as expressed by the leadership of the USCCB.
Kansas City Bishops Issue Joint Health Care Reform Pastoral Statement
Following is a joint pastoral statement by Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Kansas City – St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn:
Principles of Catholic Social Teaching and Health Care Reform
A Joint Pastoral Statement
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Bishop Robert W. Finn
Dear Faithful of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph,
To his credit, President Barack Obama has made it a major priority for his administration to address the current flaws in our nation’s health care policies. In fairness, members of both political parties for some time have recognized significant problems in the current methods of providing health care.
As Catholics, we are proud of the Church’s healthcare contribution to the world. Indeed, the hospital was originally an innovation of the Catholic faithful responding to our Lord’s call to care for the sick, “For I was…ill and you cared for me.” (Matthew 25, v. 35-36). This tradition continues today in America, where currently one in four hospitals is run by a Catholic agency. We have listened to current debate with great attention and write now to contribute our part to ensure that this reform be an authentic reform taking full consideration of the dignity of the human person.
Some symptoms of the inadequacy of our present health care polices are:
1) There are many people – typically cited as 47 million – without medical insurance.
2) The cost of health insurance continues to rise, with medical spending in the U.S. at $2.2 trillion in 2007, constituting 17% of the Gross Domestic Product, and predicted to double within 10 years. (Source: Office of Public Affairs, 2008: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/proj2008.pdf).
3) The Medicare Trust Fund is predicted to be insolvent by 2019.
4) Mandated health insurance benefits for full-time workers have created an incentive for companies to hire part-time rather than full-time employees.
5) Similarly, the much higher cost to employers for family health coverage, as compared to individual coverage, places job candidates with many dependents at a disadvantage in a competitive market.
6) Individuals with pre-existing conditions who most need medical care are often denied the means to acquire it.
There are also perceived strengths of our current system:
1) Most Americans like the medical care services available to them. Our country, in some ways, is the envy of people from countries with socialized systems of medical care.
2) It is important to remember that 85% of citizens in the U.S. do have insurance. Forty percent of the uninsured are between 19-34 years old. (Source: Current Population Survey 2008 Annual Social and Economic Supplement) A 2007 study by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and Uninsured found that 11 million of those without insurance were eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP but were not enrolled. Those eligible but not enrolled include 74 percent of children who are uninsured. (Source: Characteristics of the Uninsured: Who Is Eligible for Public Coverage and Who Needs Help Affording Coverage?)
3) The competitive nature of our private sector system is an incentive to positive innovation and the development of advanced technology. Medical doctors and research scientists are esteemed. Doctors and other scientists immigrate to our country because of the better compensation given to those who provide quality medical care or produce successful research.
4) Medicare and Medicaid, while they have their limitations, provide an important safety net for many of the elderly, the poor and the disabled.
What Must We Do?
The justified reaction to the significant defects in our current health care policies is to say, “Something must be done.” Many believe: “We have to change health care in America.” Despite the many flaws with our current policies, change itself does not guarantee improvement. Many of the proposals which have been promoted would diminish the protection of human life and dignity and shift our health care costs and delivery to a centralized government bureaucracy. Centralization carries the risk of a loss of personal responsibility, reduction in personalized care for the sick and an expanded bureaucracy that in the end leads to higher costs.
A Renewal Built on Principles
We claim no expertise in economics or the complexities of modern medical science. However, effective health care policies must be built on a foundation of proper moral principles. The needed change in health care must therefore flow from certain principles that protect the fundamental life and dignity of the human person and the societal principles of justice, which are best safeguarded when such vital needs are provided for in a context of human love and reason, and when the delivery of care is determined at the lowest reasonable level. The rich tradition of Catholic social and moral teaching should guide our evaluation of the many and varied proposals for health care reform. It is our intention in this pastoral reflection to identify and explain the most important principles for evaluating health care reform proposals. No Catholic in good conscience can disregard these fundamental moral principles, although there can and likely will be vigorous debate about their proper application.
I. The Principle of Subsidiarity: Preamble to the Work of Reform
This notion that health care ought to be determined at the lowest level rather than at the higher strata of society, has been promoted by the Church as “subsidiarity.” Subsidiarity is that principle by which we respect the inherent dignity and freedom of the individual by never doing for others what they can do for themselves and thus enabling individuals to have the most possible discretion in the affairs of their lives. (See: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, ## 185ff.; Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 1883) The writings of recent Popes have warned that the neglect of subsidiarity can lead to an excessive centralization of human services, which in turn leads to excessive costs, and loss of personal responsibility and quality of care.
Pope John Paul II wrote:
“By intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies, which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending.” (Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus #48)
And Pope Benedict writes:
“The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person—every person—needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. … In the end, the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man: the mistaken notion that man can live ‘by bread alone’ (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3)—a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est #28)
While subsidiarity is vital to the structure of justice, we can see from what the Popes say that it rests on a more fundamental principal, the unchanging dignity of the person. The belief in the innate value of human life and the transcendent dignity of the human person must be the primordial driving force of reform efforts.
II. Principle of the Life and Dignity of the Human Person: Driving Force for Care, and Constitutive Ground of Human Justice
A. Exclusion of Abortion and Protection of Conscience Rights
Recent cautionary notes have been sounded by Cardinal Justin Rigali, Chair of the U.S. Bishops Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William Murphy of the U.S. Bishops Committee on Domestic Justice and Social Development, against the inclusion of abortion in a revised health care plan. At the same time, they have warned against the endangerment or loss of conscience rights protection for individual health care workers or private health care institutions. A huge resource of professionals and institutions dedicated to care of the sick could find themselves excluded, by legislation, after health care reform, if they failed to provide services which are destructive of human life, and which are radically counter to their conscience and institutional mission. The loss of Catholic hospitals and health care providers, which currently do more to provide pro bono services to the poor and the marginalized than their for-profit counterparts, would be a tremendous blow to the already strained health care system in our country.
It is imperative that any health care reform package must keep intact our current public polices protecting taxpayers from being coerced to fund abortions. It is inadequate to propose legislation that is silent on this morally crucial matter. Given the penchant of our courts over the past 35 years to claim unarticulated rights in our Constitution, the explicit exclusion of so-called “abortion services” from coverage is essential. Similarly, health care reform legislation must clearly articulate the rights of conscience for individuals and institutions.
B. Exclude Mandated End of Life Counseling for Elderly and Disabled
Some proposals for government reform have referenced end of life counseling for the elderly or disabled.
An August 3, 2009 Statement of the National Association of Pro-Life Nurses on Health Care Legislation, in addition to calling for the exclusion of mandates for abortion, the protection of abortion funding prohibitions, and the assurance of conscience rights, insists that the mandating of end of life consultation for anyone regardless of age or condition would place undue pressure on the individual or guardian to opt for measures to end life, and would send the message that they are no longer of value to society.
The nurses’ statement concludes, “We believe those lives and all lives are valuable and to be respected and cared for to the best of our abilities. Care must be provided for any human being in need of care regardless of disability or level of function or dependence on others in accordance with the 1999 Supreme Court Decision in Olmstead v. L.C.” (www.nursesforlife.org/napnstatement.pdf)
Recently, Bishop Walker Nickless of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa, commented on the dangers inherent in the establishment of a health care monopoly, drawing a comparison to the experience of HMO plans in our country, where individuals entrusted with keeping the cost of health care at a minimum may refuse to authorize helpful or necessary treatment for their clients. (See Bishop Walker Nickless, Column in The Catholic Globe, August 13, 2009)
C. The “Right to Acquisition of Health Care” in the Teaching of the Church
The “Right to Health Care” as taught by the Church is a companion to the fundamental right to life, and rights to other necessities, among them food, clothing, and shelter. It may be best understood as a “Right to Acquire the Means of Procuring for One’s Self and One’s Family these goods, and concomitantly, a duty to exercise virtue (diligence, thrift, charity) in every aspect of their acquisition and discharge. This language of rights, coupled with duties toward those who ‘through no fault of their own’ are unable to work, is present throughout papal teaching, and only reinforces the idea that, in its proper perspective, the goal is to live and to work and ‘to be looked after’ only in the event of real necessity.” (Source: Catholic Medical Association, 2004 document, Health Care in America. – bold and italics our own)
The right of every individual to access health care does not necessarily suppose an obligation on the part of the government to provide it. Yet in our American culture, Catholic teaching about the “right” to healthcare is sometimes confused with the structures of “entitlement.” The teaching of the Universal Church has never been to suggest a government socialization of medical services. Rather, the Church has asserted the rights of every individual to have access to those things most necessary for sustaining and caring for human life, while at the same time insisting on the personal responsibility of each individual to care properly for his or her own health.
Indeed part of the crisis in today’s system stems from various misappropriations within health care insurance systems of exorbitant elective treatments, or the tendencies to regard health care services paid for by insurance as “free,” and to take advantage of services that happen to be available under the insurance plan. Such practices may arguably cripple the ability of small companies to provide necessary opportunities to their employees and significantly increase the cost of health care for everyone.
D. The Right to Make Health Care Decisions for Self and Family
Following both the notions of subsidiarity mentioned above and the sense of the life and dignity of every human person, it is vital to preserve, on the part of individuals and their families, the right to make well-informed decisions concerning their care. This is why some system of vouchers – at least on a theoretical level – is worthy of consideration. Allowing persons who through no fault of their own are unable to work, to have some means to acquire health care brings with it a greater sense of responsibility and ownership which, in a more centralized system, may be more vulnerable to abusive tendencies.
When the individual has a personal, monetary stake or a financial obligation to pay even a portion of the cost of medical care, prudence comes to bear - with greater consistency – on such decisions, and unnecessary costs are minimized. Valuing the right of individuals to have a direct say in their care favors a reform which, reflecting subsidiarity, places responsibility at the lowest level.
E. Obligation of Prudent Preventative Care
All individuals, including those who receive assistance for health care, might be given incentives for good preventative practices: proper diet, moderate exercise, and moderation of tobacco and alcohol use. As Bishop Nickless reminds us in his statement, “The gift of life comes only from God, and to spurn that gift by seriously mistreating our own health is morally wrong.” (Ibid.)
Some categories of positive preventative health care, however, may not easily be procured apart from medical intervention. Pre-natal and neo-natal care are particularly crucial and should be given priority in any reform. Because of the unique vulnerability of the unborn and newly born child, such services ought to be provided regardless of ability to pay.
In addition to the primordial Principle of the Life and Dignity of the Human Person delivered in a way which respects subsidiarity, we might look briefly at two other principles which promote justice in the consideration of health care.
II. Principle of the Obligation to the Common Good: Why We Must Act
The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of the obligation to promote the common good as “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and easily.” (CCC #1906)
It is very clear that, respectful of this principle, we must find some way to provide a safety net for people in need without diminishing personal responsibility or creating an inordinately bureaucratic structure which will be vulnerable to financial abuse, be crippling to our national economy, and remove the sense of humanity from the work of healing and helping the sick.
The Church clearly advocates authentic reform which addresses this obligation, while respecting the fundamental dignity of persons and not undermining the stability of future generations.
Both of us in our family histories have had experiences that make us keenly aware of the necessity for society to provide a safety net to families who suffer catastrophic losses. Yet, these safety nets are not intended to create permanent dependency for individuals or families upon the State, but rather to provide them with the opportunity to regain control of their own lives and their own destiny.
Closely tied to the Principle of the Obligation of the Common Good is the Principle of Solidarity.
III. The Principle of Solidarity: The Way We Measure Our Love
The principle of human solidarity is a particular application – on the level of society – of Christ’s command to love your neighbor as yourself. It might also be seen, in other terms, as the application of the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” Solidarity is our sense of “connectedness” to each other person, and moves us to want for them what we would want for ourselves and our most dear loved ones.
In regard to health care this might require us to examine any proposal in terms of what it provides – and how – to the most vulnerable in our society. Dr. Donald P. Condit in his helpful treatment of the principle of Solidarity in “Prescription for Health Care Reform” reminds us of the proverb attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.”
For example, legislation that excludes legal immigrants from receiving health care benefits violates the principle of solidarity, is unjust and is not prudent. In evaluating health care reform proposals perhaps we ought to ask ourselves whether the poor would have access to the kind and quality of health care that you and I would deem necessary for our families. Is there a way by which the poor, too, can assume more responsibility for their own health care decisions in such manner as reflects their innate human dignity and is protective of their physical and spiritual well being?
Conclusion: We Can Not Be Passive
These last two principles: Solidarity and the Promotion of the Common Good cause us to say that we cannot be passive concerning health care policy in our country. There is important work to be done, but “change” for change’s sake; change which expands the reach of government beyond its competence would do more harm than good. Change which loses sight of man’s transcendent dignity or the irreplaceable value of human life; change which could diminish the role of those in need as agents of their own care is not truly human progress at all.
A hasty or unprincipled change could cause us, in fact, to lose some of the significant benefits that Americans now enjoy, while creating a future tax burden which is both unjust and unsustainable.
We urge the President, Congress, and other elected and appointed leaders to develop prescriptions for reforming health care which are built on objective truths: that all people in every stage of human life count for something; that if we violate our core beliefs we are not aiding people in need, but instead devaluing their human integrity and that of us all.
We call upon our Catholic faithful, and all people of good will, to hold our elected officials accountable in these important deliberations and let them know clearly our support for those who, with prudence and wisdom, will protect the right to life, maintain freedom of conscience, and nurture the sense of solidarity that drives us to work hard, to pray, and to act charitably for the good of all.
We place this effort under the maternal protection of our Blessed Mother, Mary, who was entrusted, with Joseph in the home at Nazareth, with the care of the child Jesus. We ask Our Lord Jesus Christ to extend His light and His Mercy to our nation’s efforts, so that every person will come to know His healing consolation as Divine Physician.
Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann - Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas
Most Reverend Robert W. Finn - Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph
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The Revival of College Football Videogames?: Gridiron Champions
December 19, 2018 December 30, 2018 Zach Ferenchak News, Sports
IMV’s Gridiron Champions, the game that hopes to fill the void NCAA Football’s absence left behind. Image: imackulatevisiongaming.com
Imagine this: It’s 2013. You are on Christmas break and are eagerly awaiting the start of college football bowl season. You decide to kill some of your hunger for college football by firing up your Xbox 360 and starting up one of your favorite games: EA Sports NCAA Football 14. You play on your favorite mode — Road to Glory, and lead your favorite team to a championship win as a freshman. Life is good.
NCAA Football 14. Image: mobygames.com
Unfortunately for fans, this tradition would come to a screeching stop after the 2013-2014 college football season, as publisher EA Sports would decide to end its beloved sports series amid legal troubles concerning the use of college athlete likenesses without pay. Since then, there has been a collective call for a new game in the series, but EA seems to have no plans to bring the series back. This has left a significant void for many players around the country. Insert iMackulate Vision Gaming: a startup that is aiming to bring virtual college football back to the market with a new game titled Gridiron Champions.
The Birth of a New College Football Video Game
This new game is meant to be a spiritual successor to the NCAA Football series. Alex and Kameron Lewis, founders of iMackulate Vision Gaming, stress that they want to create a game for the community to enjoy. It all started in 2016 after the conclusion of the second annual college football playoff, when Alex and Kameron Lewis decided that they couldn’t wait any longer for a new college football video game. They decided to take matters into their own hands and founded a Kick Starter campaign to, as they say, #BringBackGreatness by developing their own new college football video game. Even though the campaign failed to reach its goal, the Lewis cousins decided to go ahead with the project anyway. The decision to go ahead with the project was partly inspired by the support of key endorsements from pro athletes: Vadal Alexander of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, and Spencer Dinwiddle of the Brooklyn Nets.
The graphics in NCAA 14 are starting to look dated when compared to today’s sports videogame grpahics. Images: sportingnews.com, operationsports.com, goodbullhunting.com, sportingnews.com
What will the Game Be Like?
Little details of game modes are known right now, besides a play now game mode that will function similar to the play now mode of EA Sports Madden series. There is one key difference between this game and the old NCAA Football games, though. The first game will NOT feature any official NCAA teams, but rather a list of fictional teams to use in the game’s various modes. This gets around the issue of licensing and using player likenesses in a video game, an issue that ultimately led to the demise of NCAA Football back in 2014. This left many fans scratching their heads, as their favorite part of playing NCAA Football back in the day was recreating their favorite college football moments in the game. The folks at IMV have thought of this, and they tout that their game will be the most customizable college football experience to date, featuring the ability to create custom uniforms, stadiums, players, and fan atmosphere. The creators say that this will allow for the fans to “recreate pageantry” through their college football video game experience.
An early in-game image of a prototype for Gridiron Champions. Image: imackulatevisiongaming.com
Conclusion: A New Era of College Football Video games?
The success of this game will come down to the community. One thing that has kept NCAA Football 14 alive throughout the years is the community-updated rosters, with new versions being uploaded to EA Sports servers every year. The updated rosters are nice, but with the game still running on PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 level graphics, a new title would definitely be well-received. The game is planned to ship in 2020, and if it is successful, IMV has already stated that they plan on making a sequel with officially licensed teams. They also have expressed interest in potentially expanding into college basketball, a genre of games that hasn’t seen a title since 2008. We will see if this new idea for a game takes off. I personally am hopeful for the future, though, and am excited to see that fans are working to bring college sports back to video gaming.
Tagged football Gridiron Champions iMackulatevisiongaming NCAA Football Videogames
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Mark Ruffalo to star in HBO adaptation of Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True
HBO has announced a TV adaptation of Wally Lamb’s acclaimed novel I Know This Much Is True.
Three-time-Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo will play twin brothers, Thomas and Dominick.
The story is a family drama about two brother living parallel lives. On the afternoon of October 12, 1990, Thomas enters the Three Rivers, Connecticut, public library, retreats to one of the rear study carrels, and prays to God the sacrifice he is about to commit will be deemed acceptable. . . .
There is no premiere date as yet but the series will be directed by writer and director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine).
You can buy the book here in Australia and here in the UK.
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The BBC is set to adapt Man Booker Prize-winning novel The Luminaries by New Zealander Eleanor Catton.
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Get Context with Current Events
News Source
John McCain’s Death Leaves Immediate Impact, Long-Lasting Legacy
John McCain died on August 25th, 2018. He was 81 years old. The senator was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in July 2017 and, until recently, had been treating the cancer with radiation and chemotherapy. Even during the treatment, Senator McCain continued to travel, correspond with loved ones, and serve in his role as U.S. Senator, most notably to cast the decisive No vote to preserve the Affordable Care Act.
The final passing set off a wave of memorials and tributes, as well as a few people who pushed back, albeit mildly, against the idea of actual sainthood. From the somewhat mischievous youth to his war heroics and time as prisoner of war—and then coming back to serve his country as a congressman, senator, presidential candidate, and stateman—the importance of his vote and the significance of his stature only increased throughout his life and political career. Surveying some of the most well-respected writers and publications, one of the most striking qualities that stands out is the longevity, not just of the man but of the legacy itself.
From Robert D. McFadden, The New York Times, in demonstrating McCain’s heroic posture while serving as a prisoner of war:
Once he was visited by a group of North Vietnamese dignitaries. A prisoner, Jack Van Loan, said Mr. McCain shrieked at them. “Here’s a guy that’s all crippled up, all busted up, and he doesn’t know if he’s going to live to the next day, and he literally blew them out of there with a verbal assault,” Mr. Van Loan told Mr. Timberg. “You can’t imagine the example John set for the rest of the camp by doing that.”
From Philip Elliott, Time Magazine, in describing McCain’s dark sense of humor and one his favorite sayings, ““It’s always darkest before it’s totally black.”
The accompanying glint in McCain’s eye captured the combination of fatalism, determination and comic relief that defined his distinctly American spirit. Few knew better than the former prisoner of war, veteran legislator and two-time presidential contender that life is cruel, the fates are fickle and the situation can always get worse. Best to call it like you see it, crack wise and forge ahead.
Original Sources: The New York Times, Time Magazine
Know Your News Source: Politico
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Taking Stock—Mutual funds: what we can learn from history
By Allen Ellstein
The following article discusses the history of mutual funds and what we can learn from it. While funds have been around since the 1920s, it was only in the 1950s that they started to become a popular vehicle for the average investor. Unless otherwise stated, the funds discussed are considered to invest in large capitalization companies.
In looking at the period 1950 to the current date, I will use several sources of information.
First, the seminal work that Forbes magazine did in the 1970s. Each year in the second issue of August, it did an annual mutual fund review. I re-examined the Forbes run from 1970 to 1979 for this article.
Second, John Bogle’s wonderful history in the January 2005 issue of the Financial Analysts Journal titled “The Mutual Fund Industry 60 Years Later: For Better or Worse.”
Third, James Farrell’s article in the Journal of Business, April 1974 titled “Analyzing Covariation of Returns to Determine Homogeneous Stock Grouping.” This work was based on his 1971 PhD. thesis at New York University.
And finally, I draw upon my own long history with funds, which began as a consumer and continued in my work in the insurance industry starting in the 1970s.
Forbes began to study mutual fund performance in 1962. By 1973 it had 11 years of mutual fund data to compare performance to the Standard and Poor’s 500. It was Forbes’ hypothesis that a long period of time was needed to see how funds compared to the overall market. Forbes looked at the overall return over that 11 years, and then graded mutual funds for up markets and for down markets compared to the S&P 500. At that time there were basically two fund styles: blend and growth. An example of a blend fund was Dodge and Cox Stock Fund. And an example of a growth fund was the T. Rowe Price Growth Fund.
Funds were graded A to F for two types of markets—up markets and down markets. A grade of C meant that the fund performed similar to the S&P. That is, the S&P got a grade of C for up markets and a C for down markets over that 11-year period. If the managers were kind of average, one would expect that a blend fund would get grades of C for up markets and C for down markets. For a growth fund, one might expect a B for up markets and a D for down markets. In the case of a growth fund, before expenses one would expect a higher rate of return than the S&P, as the fund had more risk of volatility (Beta risk). And in fact, many growth funds got grades of B for up markets.
In fact, unlike the past 15 years where funds did not beat out the index, the average mutual fund rated in 1973 by Forbes returned 6.3% versus 6% for the S+P. The period studied (1962–1973) was rich in data because there were some up and some down markets. Part of the 0.3% that funds had over the S+P, even after expenses, can be explained by the greater risk taken on by the growth funds—and part of it can be explained by the increasing popularity of growth funds, causing imitators in the second part of the period, pushing up the price-to-earnings ratio of growth stocks perhaps to levels beyond normal rationale (price–to-earnings expansion). Nonetheless, some of the excess return before expenses can be attributed to the managers of the day having some skills in picking stocks in the up and down markets of the time.
It should be noted that boutique managers or investment committees had a longer tenure than they do today, so the funds could be considered to be more or less managed the same over the longer period. Today, with management turnover, it becomes more difficult to assess long-term management of a fund—it may not be the “same” fund over an 11-year period.
For a fund buyer, it has become trickier. For a fund family, funds with bad records are often merged into better funds, often much smaller than the original fund, erasing bad records forever. Even worse, as I saw in my work as a regulator, is that mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that did not work out could just be liquidated, meaning that a person who dollar-averaged into the fund effectively “sold” all shares at a single point in time.
Further, for some mutual funds or insurance products with surrender charges, a company would map the fund to another fund. Thus, a government bond fund could be mapped to a corporate fund, for example. In one case in a 401(k), I saw a real estate fund mapped into a stock fund. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) criteria was basically that the new fund needed to have a better overall short-term record and a lower expense charge. Someone with a real estate fund or a Treasury fund bought it and dollar-averaged into it for a purpose, and they were now stuck with their strategy in tatters—and often a surrender charge if they wanted to get out of the replacement product.
It is interesting to note that when a fund is part of a sale, the original fund objective may stay the same, but as new managers are assigned, the first thing they do is to make a lot of changes in the portfolio and raise the expense charges in some way. One such change that I observed was a fund with an already too-large asset base sold to a financial firm. It immediately asked the shareholders to add a 0.25% 12B1 marketing fee so it could increase the assets under management. I wrote to the president that this was against the shareholders’ interest. He never wrote back, and there were enough votes and shares to override whatever small shareholders voted in any case.
Forbes did comment in 1973 that price-to-earnings expansion cannot continue forever. Today in what might be called the second wave of P/E expansion, one can point to a number of considerations. The original wave of investors that was drawn to stocks for the first time by being able to buy mutual funds probably has peaked, so it may not be much of a factor. But the move of companies to shutter their pension plans—which historically had only a relatively small amount in stocks (think bonds, mortgages, some real estate)—in favor of 401(k) plans with lots of stock options has created a demand for stock ownership, both in out of mutual funds, still seems to be in play.
Turnover Ratio
The turnover ratio for both mutual funds and the stock market was fairly benign and may have been in at a relatively low point in the early 1960s. The Forbes 1970 issue stated that before 1965 the average turnover rate for funds was about 16% compared to S&P 500 stocks of about 14%. Not surprising is that from the low point, the turnover rate of stocks went to 20% by 1969; it is perhaps surprising that mutual funds’ turnover ratio moved to an average of about 43% by that year.
Forbes and Bogle more or less concluded that when turnover rates approach 40%, there is more speculation than investing. Bogle stated that the average mutual fund had a 90% turnover rate from 1983 to 2003. However, for the funds that would be popular, in my opinion, the rate might be more like 50%, which is still very high.
In talking to experts over the years, I have struggled to come up with what good turnover ratios should be. In average markets, the consensus that I have heard for the typical fund for a typical year is 20% for a large-cap fund, 25% for a mid-cap fund, and maybe 30% for a small-cap fund.
However, one needs to be careful to understand the specific fund’s style in examining turnover rate. Many people initially avoided the Mutual Shares Fund because it had a turnover rate of 100% or so. But asset manager Max Heine was investing in distressed securities—his specialty—and thus a large turnover rate made sense.
Turning to the work of John Bogle, we can add some richness to how funds, advisers, and individuals behave. Equity fund investors before 1975 were truly long-term investors, with an annual turnover ratio of about 6% to 10%. For a while after that, the rates went up significantly, but much of that was due to fund companies allowing favorite clients to try to make late-day trades after the so-called closing price had been set. The SEC fined the companies and the practice, if not eliminated, was greatly reduced. As of 2004, the turnover ratio sat at about 25%, meaning that the average fund investor only kept the fund for four years.
Several factors help explain the short time investors are sticking with a fund. First, people are using financial advisers much more now, and they tend to justify their fees (and get some commissions) by moving money from so-called underperforming funds to new ones. Secondly, with 401(k)s and the like, there are no tax consequences to moving money. Also, to the fund holder, the so-called fund supermarkets allow what appears to be free movement within funds in the supermarket. Of course, the funds pay to be in Schwab’s or Fidelity’s supermarket, and one way or the other, expenses go up.
Mutual funds, as Bogle points out, as of 2004 owned about 25% of all stocks, but they are not typically active in annual stockholder meetings—so corporate governance suffers. Between mutual funds voting with management and many companies giving more stock to senior leadership in the company, I think it is small wonder that C-suite pay is high and not tied to long-term performance.
As Bogle points out, up until 1958 mutual fund companies were kind of boutique companies, in it for the long run. Starting in 1958, the regulatory landscape changed and management companies could be on the stock exchange, or bought and sold by larger financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies. Original owners could now make money by selling their companies, and the new entities had to worry about stockholder return and return to the parent company. And each time a company was sold, the new entity had an incentive to both raise fees and push for more assets under management, rather than just run a set of funds. The game had changed from performance to creating more assets under management—and more fees.
In discussing expense ratios, Bogle points out that the average expense ratio for a fund grew from 0.76% in 1945 to about 1.56% in 2004.
The Cost of Doing Business
Bogle tested the theory that the average mutual fund underperformance relative to the market could be explained by the expenses it charged and the cost of trading. He studied two periods. For the period 1945 to 1965, the market returned 14.9% and the average stock fund 13.2%. The difference is 1.7 percentage points. He said that was almost the same as his estimated value of 1.6%, which consisted of 0.8% for expenses and 0.8% based on the costs of a turnover ratio of 16%. (The total costs of trading were higher than today but at a much lower turnover ratio.)
Bogle did a similar calculation for the period 1983–2003. The market returned 13% and the average mutual fund returned 10.3%, for a difference of 2.7 percentage points. He estimated that the average fund had an expense ratio of 1.4% and cost of trading of 0.9% for a total of 2.1%. Bogle does not discuss the 0.6-percentage-point difference, but active managers need to have a cash position, to cover people entering and exiting, and to have some flexibility to avoid overpriced stocks and markets.
Bogle’s 0.9% for the cost of trading for the period 1983–2003 was based on a 1% cost of trading on a portfolio turnover rate of 90% in 1993. This translates to about a 1.1% cost for selling one stock and buying another for the portfolio. This is similar to the 1.2% cost of a round trip trade that I estimated from looking at supplemental materials provided by mutual funds and talking to fund managers in the early 1990s.
The cost of trading, which includes all of the implicit and explicit costs, is of course much higher than the brokerage fee. Today, of course, the direct brokerage fee is less, and despite high-speed traders, the bid-ask spreads have not increased. The actual cost of trading can vary widely and the use of average numbers can be misleading. On a particular sell-and-buy trade, it might be as low as 0.2% and as high as 4%.
The history of broker costs in itself contains some unintuitive results. Often a mutual fund might not choose the lowest-cost broker or method to do the trade. This may be because the chosen broker can provide some services to the fund that are valuable given the large resources of the firm. Or, it could be because broker fees are not counted in the expense charge—this might be a way of getting a lower expense charge for use in the prospectus. Nevertheless, if one does not use some estimate, there is no way of comparing the expenses including trading costs for a low-turnover fund to a high-turnover fund.
For purposes today of comparing the costs of portfolio turnover, as a rough measure I tend to use 0.6% of the turnover ratio. For those who might want to be a little more precise, one might use 0.5% for a large-cap domestic fund, 0.7% for a mid-cap fund, and 0.85 for a small-cap fund. I would add 0.2% to those numbers for foreign funds.
For example, consider two large-cap funds with expense ratios of 0.6%. One might have an average turnover ratio of 20% and the other a ratio of 50%. The first would have a total cost ratio of 0.72% and the second a total cost ratio of 0.90%. At a 100% turnover ratio, the total becomes 1.2%.
An expense of, say, 1% might not sound like all that much if one is earning 10% gross. But let us compare a 0% expense to that 1%. For 0% expenses and a tax rate of 20%, that would leave an 8% net gain on that 10% gross. If inflation was at 3%, that leaves a net return of 5%. For the 1% in expenses, after expenses, one has 9%. With a 20% tax that leaves 7.2%, or 4.2% net of inflation.
It should be noted that some turnover for an active manager who is buying for the long term can be beneficial. If a stock is now too big a position due to excellent performance, then trading to diversify the portfolio is likely good. And secondly, if a stock has now reached what is considered a very high price for its underlying fundamentals, it might be time to reduce or eliminate it. Similarly, if a stock has disappointed, there may be better alternatives. Finally, if the market is uncertain, it might be time to go to more cash—one of the advantages of an active strategy over an index.
Other Ways of Grouping Stocks
Farrell attempted to figure out whether grouping large-cap stocks by similar performance could create a portfolio that did better than throwing darts at the market as a whole. Earlier attempts to stratify stocks by industry type had led to mixed results; it was not clear that stocks in the same industry acted more like one another than other stocks in the sample, or at least enough to get a better portfolio by making sure that each industry type was represented through the selection process.
Part of the difficulty with industry type can be seen with the food industry. In the 1960s a company like McDonald’s might act closer to other non-food growth stocks than it would with the more stable supermarket companies in the food industry.
What Farrell did was to use cluster analysis on 100 large-cap stocks—all that computers of the day could handle—and see which stocks behaved similarly. He ended up with four groups: growth, cyclical, stable, and a leftover group of mostly oil companies. Out of his 100 companies, 31 turned out to be growth stocks, 25 stocks were relatively stable when economic conditions changed, 36 were cyclical stocks, and eight were oil-like stocks.
Given this breakdown, he then went back to see whether grouping for industry within each group could further explain the movement of prices. For the period 1960–1969—and it will vary by period—he documented that 45% of the return of a stock was due to its unique characteristics, 14% was due to its cluster type (growth, cyclical, etc), 30% to market conditions, and 10% to the industry type, if one first stratified by cluster type.
The current period is very different from the 1960s. If we assume that the roughly 25% of stock return attributable to the clusters and industry factors does not change much, then what can vary is the 75% attributable to market forces and the unique company. History has shown that the factor for market conditions will increase when there is a material movement up or down in the stock market, often due to economic factors, and the factor for individual stocks will tend to decrease.
Currently, with both the popularity of index investing as a strategy and the rapid increase in stock indices, one can postulate that the market factor is up and the company factor is down. If in the past 10 years the market factor were 40% (due to both indexing and the rapid rise of stock prices, where we have seen P/E expansion) and the individual stock price factor was 35%, it would have been very hard for many truly active managers to have beaten an index fund, unlike the period of the 1960s.
What all this suggests is that a portfolio that has 30% in growth stocks, 30% in cyclical stocks, 30% in stable stocks, and 10% in oils, can under average conditions outperform (on a risk-adjusted basis) a totally random portfolio—and that if one stratifies for industry type within the clusters, one might do somewhat better.
As might be expected for the period 1960–1969, Farrell showed that growth stocks returned the most, but with the most volatility. Mainly, the monthly average returns for growth stocks was 1.56% with a standard deviation of 5.36% and a regression coefficient of 1.24. For cyclical stocks the return was 1.05% with a standard deviation of 4.51%. For stable stocks it was 0.86% with a standard deviation of 3.77%. And for oil stocks it was 0.86% with a standard deviation of return of 4.24%. Regression coefficients for other than growth were between 0.85 and 1.11.
The implication of these cluster groupings is that for a given level of desired risk (beta), a portfolio can be created and risk-adjusted that would be superior to just a random portfolio of, say, 30 stocks.
Given that today’s mutual fund industry seems to divide portfolio styles into growth and value, with the so-called blend strategy being an amalgam of both, what can we learn from the works of Farrell? First, growth is a style that is more or less well defined. But what is this thing we call “value”? Apparently, “value” is everything that is not growth. As such it includes stable, cyclical, and oil stocks. It might also include stocks from any of the four cluster groups—including growth, fallen angels, or stocks that have had bad events that a manager thinks they can recover from.
Given Farrell’s work, it would appear that managers in the value world would do well to identify and modify their portfolios to get a representative selection from the three non-growth clusters, possibly making sure to allow for some level of industry diversification within each cluster, if the number of stocks in the portfolio is large enough.
In summary, over the last 50 or 60 years we have seen the mutual fund industry change from a sort of independent, results-oriented industry to one defined where the “owners” are to a large extent rewarded by optimizing assets under management. Much of the action in the industry is the buying and selling of funds and fund companies, and corporate owners trying to make money for their direct constituents. The individual fund holder may come second.
Low portfolio turnover and low expenses can, for most strategies, increase returns to fund holders. Given the obfuscation on the true cost of trading, it is useful to calculate a total expense number to include an estimate for the cost of trading. Dividing up stocks into clusters that act similarly can potentially improve risk-adjusted results in the long run.
Finally, a well-thought-out cash management strategy—especially where volatility can be high or increase—may help an active fund manager to create risk-adjusted value. This is over and above a portfolio that only deals with cash strategy as a consequence of cash coming in and potential cash going out from fund holders.
ALLEN ELlSTEIN, MAAA, FSA, is managing director of Life and Health Associates in Brookline, Mass.
Tags May/June 2019
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Home Tags Tame Impala
Tag: Tame Impala
Sampa the Great announces debut album ‘The Return’ along with brand...
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Theophilus London – Whiplash (feat. Tame Impala) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBzrKVlH8EE
Plastic Mermaids reveal new single video ‘Floating in a Vacuum’ and...
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Koi Child’s “1-5-9” Video, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker Produced & Mixed Debut...
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Koi Child's "1-5-9" Video, Tame Impala's Kevin Parker Produced & Mixed Debut...
Australian 7-piece jazz infused hip hop outfit based out of Fremantle, Koi Child will release their eponymous debut album March 18 on Pilerats Records....
Miguel "waves" (Tame Impala Remix)(Video)
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Reformed Confessions
Protestant Confessions
Five Solas
Sola Scriptura -- Scripture alone
Solus Christus -- Christ alone,
Sola Gratia -- grace alone,
Sola Fide -- faith alone, and
Soli Deo Gloria to the glory of God alone.
From the protestant perspective, the Reformation was a struggle to recover the essentials of the Christian faith that are taught in scripture (Sola scriptura in the five solas at right.). The notion was that the real message of Christianity had been buried under various layers of tradition, ritual and politics (the other box on this page). The Reformation actually started a discussion much of which continues today. Sometimes we rather smugly think that by this point in history we have finally got it right, but that is almost certainly not the case as this sort of confessionizing continues, although this page stops at 1983. Many struggles of this sort have plagued the Church over time and indeed all of mankind since the beginning. In addition to recovering the gospel, the other result of the reformation was the eventual separation of church and state. We see this story develope too as we go down the table. When Constantine "Christianized" the Roman Empire, the government and the Church became intertwined and that became a struggle for both. We see that many of these confessions were acts of different legislative bodies, this is because religious tolerance was not in vogue at the time. Through time, though consensus was not reached on theological matters but peace was. On the theology side several attempts were made to collect and harmonize all of the views and I have shaded some of those in the table.
For Constantine and those that followed him a united Christianity was thought to be necessary. The Creeds, as ordinarily defined, were an attempt to find that common Christianity and distill it into an easy to remember statement. We see on the creeds page that this sort of idea was actually older than the Church Councils. Through the time of the Ecumenical/Imperial Councils agreement was not universally accepted and there were groups departing from what was we now to be consider orthodoxy all along the way. Politics did not help things then as it did not help during the Reformation. So, when Luther tacked up his theses we got a theological discussion with political overtones. Zwingli had to go to the town council, and that was the point of his 67 theses, in order to depart from the prescribed order.
We note here that there were some 1200 years between Constantine and Luther which is ample time for the creativity of man to creep in to things. Rome had fallen in 476 and the Church had stepped in to unite Christendom (in the West.) There were 500 years between the fall of Rome and Luther's 95 theses where the Roman Catholic Church was the political power in much of Europe. Those years were not peaceful either. (Muslim conquest of Spain beginning circa 711 followed by the reconquiata beginning in 722. The Crusades from 1096-1291.)
Some General points of the Reformation:
Definition of the Church
Role of Government in matters of Faith
Role of the Pope
Definition of the sacraments/ordinances
The Reformers set what they called biblical faith over against that of Roman Catholic tradition and the Papal Magisterium. Pointing to the Bible as the exclusive source of doctrine as opposed to the acts of various councils and canon law. To do this they had to articulate their understanding of biblical teaching. In this sense, the Reformation confessions were a natural flowering of the Protestant commitment to the Bible. This is not to say the the Roman Church of the day had no commitment to the Bible, but tradition had, according to the Reformers, in some sense eclipsed it.
Tradition is a hard thing to overcome. This, I think, is part of the division between Calvin and Luther. Luther, and the Lutherans, remained quite Catholic and Luther was the singular voice of the Lutheran reformation. What we often call the reformed tradition today did not have a single voice but rather a debate among many. We see this in the various "councils" in the Reformed tradition. There were also the Anabaptist an other more radical reform groups who were generally not tolerated even by other protestants. They aslo shapped the debate.
As the Reformation spread across Europe the local dukes saw the fracturing of the Church as an opportunity to assert their own autonomy against the Holy Roman Empire. It seems an over simplification to say that "countries" were united by their religious affiliation because that too changed over time. The state/monarch had much to say about the religion of the people who lived there. That is why there are national confessions listed in the table below. The list is likely not complete as I add things when I find them. We see something of the history of the Reformation moving across Europe in the table. Each area had its own struggle.
Date Title Tradition Comment
529 The Canons of the (second) Council of Orange Catholic/Orthodox Really nothing to do with the Reformation or Reformed Churches. The council was to do with Pelagian or Semi-Pelagian theology. The notion that man could be good on his own. The canons highlight the importance of grace in salvation. Sola Gratia in the five solas above.
The Holy Roman Empire. Began when Pope Leo III gave Charlemagne that title Holy Roman Emperor in an attempt to revive the Roman Empire in the West. It occupied varying territory generally centered around present day Germany and France.
This body which called itself and which still calls itself the Holy Roman Empire was in no way holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. - Voltaire (1694 – 1778)
1517 Luther's 95 Theses Lutheran Not really a confession or creed, but rather an invitation for a theological debate. He got much more than he was intending. That debate rages until today.
1523 Zwingli's 67 Articles Reformed Even before Luther tacked up his 95 theses in 1517, Zwingli was openly opposing pilgrimages and indulgences, aspects of the then current Roman Catholic tradition. These 67 Articles were the basis for the debate in front of the Zurich town council.
1524 - 1525 The German Peasant's War was Europe's largest and most widespread popular uprising prior to the French Revolution of 1789. The fighting was at its height in the middle of 1525.
The war began with separate insurrections, beginning in the southwestern part of what is now Germany and Alsace, and spread in subsequent insurrections to the central and eastern areas of Germany and present-day Austria. After the uprising in Germany was suppressed, it flared briefly in several Swiss Cantons.
1527 The Schleitheim Confession Anabaptist
Schleitheim is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland, located directly at the border to Germany. The Schleitheim Confession was the most representative statement of Anabaptist principles, endorsed unanimously by a meeting of Swiss Anabaptists.
The Confession consisted of seven articles, written during a time of severe persecution:
Baptism is administered to those who have consciously repented and amended their lives and believe that Christ has died for their sins and who request it for themselves. Infants, therefore, were not to be baptized.
The Ban (Excommunication) A Christian should live with discipline and walk in the way of righteousness. Those who slip and fall into sin should be admonished twice in secret, but the third offense should be openly disciplined and banned as a final recourse. This should always occur prior to the breaking of the bread.
Breaking of Bread (Communion) Only those who have been baptized can take part in communion. Participation in Communion is a remembrance of Christ's body and blood; the real body and blood of Christ is not present in the sacrament.
Separation from Evil The community of Christians shall have no association with those who remain in disobedience and a spirit of rebellion against God. There can be no fellowship with the wicked in the world; there can be no participation in works, church services, meetings and civil affairs of those who live in contradiction to the commands of God (Catholics and Protestants). All evil must be resisted including their weapons of force such as the sword and armor.
Pastors in the Church Pastors should be men of good repute. Some of the responsibilities they must faithfully carry out are teaching, disciplining, the ban, leading in prayer, and the sacraments. They are to be supported by the church, but must also be disciplined if they sin.
The Sword (Christian pacifism) – nonresistance Violence must not be used in any circumstance. The way of nonviolence is patterned after the example of Christ who never exhibited violence in the face of persecution or as a punishment for sin. A Christian should not pass judgment in worldly disputes. It is not appropriate for a Christian to serve as a magistrate; a magistrate acts according to the rules of the world, not according to the rules of heaven; their weapons are worldly, but the weapons of a Christian are spiritual.
No (oaths) should be taken because Jesus prohibited the taking of oaths and swearing. Testifying is not the same thing as swearing. When a person bears testimony, they are testifying about the present, whether it be good or evil.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schleitheim_Confession
1528 The Theses of Berne Reformed Adopted in 1528 as the guiding principals of the Swiss Reformation. We see in this story the interaction of the Nobility and the Church. This is difference from what we would expect in our modern day of separation of Church and State.
1529 Luther's Long and Short Catechism
Short Catechism reviews the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, the Office of the Keys and Confession and the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Luther's Long Catechism is divided into five parts: The Ten Commandments, The Apostles' Creed, The Lord's Prayer, Holy Baptism, and The Sacrament of the Eucharist.
(see Catechism)
1530 The Augsburg Confession
The Augsburg Confession, also known as the Augustan Confession or the Augustana from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Protestant Reformation. The Augsburg Confession was written in both German and Latin and was presented by a number of German rulers and free-cities (those that were self governing) at the Diet of Augsburg on 25 June 1530.
The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V had called on the Princes and Free Territories in Germany to explain their religious convictions in an attempt to restore religious and political unity in the Holy Roman Empire and rally their support against the Turkish (Muslim) invasion. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augsburg_Confession)
1530 Tetrapolitan Confession
The Tetrapolitan Confession, also called the Confessio Tetrapolitana, Strasbourg Confession, or Swabian Confession, was the official confession of the followers of Huldrych Zwingli and the first confession of the reformed church. "Tetrapolitan", from the Greek "Tetra", meaning "four", and "Politan", meaning "city." They cities were: Strasbourg, Konstanz, Memmingen, and Lindau.
1534 First Confession of Basel Reformed Basel is a city in northwestern Switzerland. This confession is a act of the town council. It was an attempt to bring into line with the reforming party both those who still inclined to the old faith and the Anabaptist section, its publication provoked a good deal of controversy, especially on its statements concerning the Eucharist. Up to the year 1826 the Confession (sometimes also known as the Confession of Mühlhausen from its adoption by that town) was publicly read from the pulpits of Basel on the Wednesday of Passion week in each year. In 1872 a resolution of the great council of the city practically annulled it. (wikipedia)
1536 Helvetic Confessions Reformed
The Helvetic Confessions are two documents expressing the common belief of the Reformed churches of Switzerland.
The First Helvetic Confession (Latin: Confessio Helvetica prior), known also as the Second Confession of Basel, was drawn up in Basel in 1536 by Heinrich Bullinger and Leo Jud of Zürich, Kaspar Megander [de] of Bern, Oswald Myconius and Simon Grynaeus of Basel, Martin Bucer and Wolfgang Capito of Strasbourg, with other representatives from Schaffhausen, St Gall, Mühlhausen and Biel. The first draft was written in Latin and the Zürich delegates objected to its Lutheranphraseology. However, Leo Jud's German translation was accepted by all, and after Myconius and Grynaeus had modified the Latin form, both versions were agreed to and adopted on February 26, 1536.
1548 Consensus of Zurich The Consensus of Zurich or Latin Consensus Tigurinus was a document intended to bring unity to the Protestant churches on their doctrines of the sacraments, Lord's Supper. John Calvin, who stood in between the Lutheran view of Real Presence and the Zwinglian view of pure symbolism, wrote the first draft of the document in November 1548, with notes by Heinrich Bullinger. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consensus_Tigurinus)
1559 French Confession of Faith Reformed
The French Confession of Faith (1559) or Confession de La Rochelle or Gallic Confession of Faith or La Rochelle Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith.
Under the auspices of Geneva, a center of the Reformation, a church was organized in Paris in 1555 with a formal organization and regular services. Soon after other churches sprang up elsewhere in France. Its history begins with the statement of faith sent by the Reformed churches of France to John Calvin in 1557 during a period of persecution. Working from this, and probably with the help of Theodore Beza and Pierre Viret, Calvin and his pupil De Chandieu wrote a confession for them in the form of thirty-five articles. When persecution subsided, twenty delegates representing seventy-two churches met secretly in Paris from 23 to 27 May 1559. With François de Morel as moderator, the brethren produced a Constitution of Ecclesiastical Discipline and a Confession of Faith: Calvin's thirty-five articles were all used in the confession, apart from the first two which were expanded into six. Thus the Gallic Confession had forty articles.
In 1560 the confession was presented to Francis II with a preface requesting that persecution should cease. The confession was confirmed at the seventh national synod of the French churches at La Rochelle in 1571, and recognized by German synods at Wesel in 1568 and Emden in 1571. (wikipedia)
1560 Scots Confession Reformed
The Scots' Confession was written in 1560 at the direction of the Scottish parliament.
A bitter struggle had erupted between the supporters of the Roman Catholic Church led by the Queen Regent Mary of Guise and those who embraced the Reformation. Catholicism was disparagingly referred to as Papism. Mary had adamantly opposed all attempts at reformation of the church in Scotland. When Mary died in 1560, Protestant leaders petitioned the Scottish parliament to take action. John Knox, the leader of the Reformation in Scotland, and five other ministers drew up the Scots' Confession in four days, which was promptly ratified by the Parliament. Its central doctrines are those of election (predestination) and the nature of the Church. http://www.crivoice.org/creedscots.html
1561 Belgic Confession Reformed The Belgic Confession, written in 1561, owes its origin to the need for a clear and comprehensive statement of Reformed faith during the time of the Spanish inquisition in the Lowlands. Guido de Brès, its primary author, was pleading for understanding and toleration from King Philip II of Spain who was determined to root out all Protestant factions in his jurisdiction. Hence, this confession takes pains to point out the continuity of Reformed belief with that of the ancient Christian creeds, as well as to differentiate it from Catholic belief (on the one hand), and from Anabaptist teachings (on the other). https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/belgic-confession
1563 Heidelberg Catechism Reformed The Heidelberg Catechism, written in 1563, originated in one of the few pockets of Calvinistic faith in the Lutheran and Catholic territories of Germany. Conceived originally as a teaching instrument to promote religious unity in the Palatinate, the catechism soon became a guide for preaching as well. It is a remarkably warm-hearted and personalized confession of faith, eminently deserving of its popularity among Reformed churches to the present day. https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/heidelberg-catechism
1571 The Thirty-Nine Articles Anglican
The defining articles of the Church of England. Went through many revisions from the Excomunication of Henery VIII in 1533. There were at least 5 predicessors to the 39 Articles, they include:
Ten Articles (1536)
Bishops' Book (1537)
Six Articles (1539)
King's Book (1543)
Forty-two Articles (1553)
1595 Lambeth Articles Anglican
The Lambeth Articles (also known as the Nine Articles) were drafted by William Whitaker, Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift. Many think that they were meant more for discussion than a final product.
The eternal election of some to life, and the reprobation of others to death.
The moving cause of predestination to life is not the foreknowledge of faith and good works, but only the good pleasure of God.
The number of the elect is unalterably fixed.
Those who are not predestinated to life shall necessarily be damned for their sins.
The true faith of the elect never fails finally nor totally.
A true believer, or one furnished with justifying faith, has a full assurance and certainty of remission and everlasting salvation in Christ.
Saving grace is not communicated to all men.
No man can come to the Son unless the Father shall draw him, but all men are not drawn by the Father.
It is not in every one's will and power to be saved.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambeth_Articles
1610 Remonstrance Arminian
Remonstrance means "a forcefully reproachful protest."
The Five Articles of Remonstrance were theological propositions advanced in 1610 by followers of Jacobus Arminius who had died in 1609, in disagreement with interpretations of the teaching of John Calvin then current in the Dutch Reformed Church. Those who supported them chose to call themselves "Remonstrants". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Articles_of_Remonstrance
The five points of the Remonstrance asserted that:
election (and condemnation on the day of judgment) was conditioned by the rational faith or nonfaith of man;
the Atonement, while qualitatively adequate for all men, was efficacious only for the man of faith;
unaided by the Holy Spirit, no person is able to respond to God's will;
grace is not irresistible; and
believers are able to resist sin but are not beyond the possibility of falling from grace.
The crux of Remonstrant Arminianism lay in the assertion that human dignity requires an unimpaired freedom of the will.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arminianism
1618 - 1619 Canons of Dort Reformed
The Synod of Dort, a city the Western Netherlands, was convened in response to the Remonstrance of 1610 it produced what became known as the Canons of Dort. These became what we now call the five points of Calvinism:
total depravity,
unconditional election,
limited atonement (arguing that Christ's atoning work was intended only for the elect and not for the rest of the world),
irresistible (or irrevocable) grace, and the
perseverance of the saints.
These were in response to the Remonstrance of 1610.
1615 The Irish Articles of Religion.
The Irish Articles of Religion were probably composed by James Ussher, then Professor of Divinity in Dublin, and adopted by the Archbishops, Bishops, and Convocation of the Irish Episcopal Church, and approved by the Viceroy in 1615. This was four years before the Synod of Dort yet they show the prevailing Calvinism of the leading divines in that Church, which had previously been expressed also in the nine Lambeth Articles.
As the Church of Ireland is part of the Anglican Communion the Irish Articles have been superseded by the Thirty-nine Articles of the Anglican Church https://reformed.org/documents/index.html?mainframe=https://reformed.org/documents/irish_articles.html
1618 The Belgic Confession Reformed
Thr Belgic Confession, from the Latin Confessio Belgica is the primary confession of the Reformed Church in America. Belgica referred to the whole of the Netherlands, both north and south, which today is divided into the Netherlands and Belgium.
The confession's chief author was Guido de Brès, a preacher of the Reformed churches of the Netherlands, who died a martyr to the faith in the year 1567.
https://www.rca.org/belgic
1618 - 1619 Three Forms of Unity Reformed The Three Forms of Unity is the collective name given to the the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, and the Heidelberg Catechism. Together these reflect the doctrinal distinctive of what we often call Calvinism today. Calvin died in 1564 so much of it is later than Calvin himself. Nonetheless these were accepted as official statements of doctrine by many of the Reformed churches at the time.
The Thirty Years War
When Emperor Ferdinand II, a devout Catholic, came to power in the Holy Roman Empire, He decreed that all of his realm would be Roman Catholic. Being as it was 100 years into the reformation and earlier skirmishes had been settled with treaties that allowed local princes to determine the religions in their realm, things deteriorated, OK, got really bad for 30 years.
The Dordrecht Confession
The most influential of all Mennonite confessions was adopted at Dordrecht on April 21, 1632, at a peace conference of Flemish and Frisian ministers. Representation at this conference was large enough to draw a protest against "this extraordinary gathering of Anabaptists from all provinces" from the Reformed clergy.
The confession is still owned by the "Mennonite Church" and other conservative Mennonite bodies of America. Its chief significance to American Mennonites is "its value as a symbol of the Mennonite heritage of faith and way of life." http://www.reformedreader.org/ccc/abc.htm
1643-1649 Westminster Standards Anglican The collective name for the documents drawn up by the Westminster Assembly (1643–49). These include:
the Westminster Confession of Faith,
the Westminster Shorter Catechism,
the Westminster Larger Catechism,
the Directory of Public Worship, and
the Form of Church Government
1644 Baptist Confession of Faith Baptist The 1644 Baptist Confession of Faith, also called the First London Baptist Confession, was written by Particular Baptists, although they address themselves as "churches of Christ in London, which are commonly, but unjustly called Anabaptist." These churches held to a Calvinistic Soteriology in England to give a formal expression of their Christian faith from a Baptist perspective. The writers were concerned that their particular church organisation reflect what they perceived to be biblical teaching. The 1644 confession was revised in 1646. Among those that use this confession, the revised version is more commonly used than the original version. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1644_Baptist_Confession_of_Faith
1646 Cambridge Platform The Cambridge Platform is a statement describing the system of church government in the Congregational churches of colonial New England. It was written in 1648 in response to Presbyterian criticism and in time became regarded as the religious constitution of Massachusetts. The platform explained and defended congregational polity as practiced in New England and also endorsed most of the Westminster Confession of Faith. The document was shaped most directly by the thinking of Puritan ministers Richard Mather and John Cotton. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Platform
1658 Savoy Declaration Adaptation of Westminster confession by English Congregationalists
1560 Scots Confession
The Scots Confession (also called the Scots Confession of 1560) is a Confession of Faith written in 1560 by six leaders of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. The text of the Confession was the first subordinate standard for the Protestant church in Scotland. Along with the Book of Discipline and the Book of Common Order, this is considered to be a formational document for the Church of Scotland during the time.
In August 1560 the Parliament of Scotland agreed to reform the religion of the country. To enable them to decide what the Reformed Faith was to be, they set John Knox as the superintendent over John Winram, John Spottiswoode, John Willock, John Douglas, and John Row, to prepare a Confession of Faith. This they did in four days. The 25 Chapters of the Confession spell out a contemporary statement of the Christian faith as understood by the followers of John Calvin during his lifetime. Although the Confession and its accompanying documents were the product of the joint effort of the Six Johns, its authorship is customarily attributed to John Knox.
While the Parliament approved the Confession on 27 August 1560, acting outside the terms of the Treaty of Edinburgh to do so, Mary, Queen of Scots, a Roman Catholic, refused to agree, and the Confession was not approved by the monarch until 1567, after Mary's overthrow.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_Confession
1675 Helvetic Consensus Reformed Formula Consensus Helvetica, or the Helvitic Consensus is a confession of faith drawn up in 1675 by J. G. Heidegger at the request of the Calvinistic divines of Switzerland. It was chiefly designed to restrain the progress of the mitigated Calvinism of Amyraldus and the school of Saumur generally. Moise Amyraut, professor at Saumur, taught that the atonement of Jesus was hypothetically universal rather than particular and definite. His colleague, Louis Cappel, denied the verbal inspiration of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, and Josué de la Place rejected the immediate imputation of Adam's sin as arbitrary and unjust. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetic_Consensus;https://www.wscal.edu/personal-pages/helvetic-consensus-formula-1675
1689 Second London Baptist Confession Baptist Baptists of England adaptation of the Savoy Declaration
English Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Baptists would together (with others) come to be known as Nonconformists, because they did not conform to the Act of Uniformity (1662) establishing the Church of England as the only legally approved church, though they were in many ways united by their common confessions, built on the Westminster Confession.
1708 Saybrook Platform Congregational The Saybrook Platform was a new constitution for the Congregational church in Connecticut. Religious and civic leaders in Connecticut around 1700 were distressed by the colony-wide decline in personal religious piety and in church discipline. The colonial legislature took action by calling 12 ministers and four laymen to meet in Saybrook, Connecticut; eight were Yale trustees. They prepared fifteen articles that theologically put the church in the Westminister theological tradition. It rejected extreme localism or "congregationalism" that had been inherited from England, replacing it with a centralized system similar to what the Presbyterians had. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saybrook_Platform
1833 New Hampshire Confession of Faith Baptist New Hampshire Confession of Faith was drawn up by the Rev. John Newton Brown of New Hampshire, and was adopted by the New Hampshire Baptist Convention. It was widely accepted by Baptists, especially in the Northern and Western States, as a clear and concise statement of their faith. They considered it in harmony with, but in a milder form than, the doctrines of older confessions which expressed the Calvinistic Baptist beliefs that existed at the time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire_Confession_of_Faith
1905 Conclusions of Utrecht Reformed
The Conclusions of the Synod of Utrecht were the result of a 1905 synod of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. The debate surrounds the notion of election and the order of the decreees of God.
Lapsarian is an adjective that refers to the fall of man, it is from the Latin lapsus ("fall") + -arian ("believer, advocate"). Infra means further on and supra means before.
They included authoritative pronouncements on these disputed points:
Infralapsarian/Supralapsarian - Did God condem people before they were created?
justification from eternity - Were the elect selected in eternity past?
mediate/immediate regeneration - When is the heart regenerated?
presumptive regeneration - the notion that parents should baptize their children based on a presumption of the child's being regenerate. This is against the Anabaptist notion of what we now call believers' baptism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclusions_of_Utrecht
1913 Kansas City Statement of Faith Congregational The Kansas City Statement of Faith is a confession of faith adopted by the National Council of the Congregational Churches of the United States at Kansas City, Missouri. This concise statement of Congregational beliefs restates traditional congregational polity and endorses ecumenism, while also formalizing the drift from Reformed theology that had occurred in American Congregationalism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Statement_of_Faith
1966 Baptist Affirmation of Faith Baptist
The Baptist Affirmation of Faith 1966 also known as the Strict Baptist Affirmation of Faith 1966, is a confession of faith which was drawn up by the Strict Baptist Assembly in London on May 21, 1966. The Grace Baptist Assembly, which has succeeded the Strict Baptist Assembly, also commends this affirmation to the churches for their help and benefit.
The Strict Baptists churches (now the Grace Baptist churches) are churches that have largely stood in the Reformed Baptist tradition, many of whom hold to the historic confession the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. However, they would also hold to the practice of strict communion, which is more explicitly mentioned in the 1966 Affirmation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptist_Affirmation_of_Faith_1966
1967 Confession of 1967 Presbyterian One of the confession of faith of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), PC(USA). It was written as a modern statement of the faith for the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA), the "northern church", to supplement the Westminster Confession and the other statements of faith in its new Book of Confessions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confession_of_1967
1934 Barmen Declaration
The Barmen Declaration or the Theological Declaration of Barmen 1934 (Die Barmer Theologische Erklärung) was a document adopted by Christians in Nazi Germany who opposed the Deutsche Christen (German Christian) movement. In the view of the delegates to the Synod that met in the city of Barmen in May, 1934, the German Christians had corrupted church government by making it subservient to the state and had introduced Nazi ideology into the German Protestant churches that contradicted the Christian gospel.
The Barmen Declaration includes six theses:
The source of revelation is only the Word of God — Jesus Christ. Any other possible sources (earthly powers, for example) will not be accepted.
Jesus Christ is the only Lord of all aspects of personal life. There should be no other authority.
The message and order of the church should not be influenced by the current political convictions.
The church should not be ruled by a leader ("Führer"). There is no hierarchy in the church (Mt 20, 25f).
The state should not fulfill the task of the church and vice versa. State and church are both limited to their own business.
Therefore, the Barmen Declaration rejects (i) the subordination of the Church to the state (8.22–3) and (ii) the subordination of the Word and Spirit to the Church.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmen_Declaration
1982 Belhar Confession Dutch Reformed The Belhar Confession (Afrikaans: Belydenis van Belhar) is a Christian statement of belief written in Afrikaans in 1982. It was adopted (after a slight adjustment) as a confession of faith by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) in South Africa in 1986. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belhar_Confession
1983 Book of Confessions Presbyterian Collection of creeds and confessions of the Presbyterian Church first published in 1983 and since revised several times.
It contains: the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed, the Scots Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Second Helvetic Confession, the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Shorter Catechism, the Larger Catechism, the Theological Declaration of Barmen, the Confession of 1967, the Confession of Belhar, and the Brief Statement of Faith.
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/protestant-creeds-and-confessions/ 1/5/19
https://reformed.org/documents/ 1/5/19
http://theconversation.com/five-of-the-most-violent-moments-of-the-reformation-71535 2/15/19
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Plutko Finding Success in Carolina in Minor League Round-Up
July 19, 2014 | Todd Paquette
Adam Plutko was drafted last year in the 11th round of the First Year Player Draft out of UCLA. Unlike most players making their professional debut in the same year that they were picked, the Indians held Plutko out until the 2014 season as they were concerned over the amount of innings he had already thrown for the Bruins in the 2013 collegiate season.
In 2013 Plutko was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player, helping the Bruins win the College World Series. Plutko was on the same pitching staff with the Bruins as Pittsburgh Pirates starter, Gerrit Cole, and the Indians own, Trevor Bauer. Plutko actually came into college with what most scouts thought better stuff than both Cole and Bauer, with a fastball that sat around 95 m.p.h. as a freshman. Plutko saw his velocity drop down to around 90 m.p.h. over time for the Bruins and witnessed Cole and Bauer also become first round picks. As a junior in 2013, Plutko had become the workhorse and the ace of a staff in which many didn’t have high hopes for. While Plutko and the Bruins proved many wrong in 2013, it still didn’t help his draft status as the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series because he wasn’t taken until the 11th round by the Indians.
Rodriguez on Hitting Tear to Headline Minor League Round-Up
Nellie Rodriguez has been on an absolute tear lately. Rodriguez has been the hottest hitter out of all of the Indians minor league affiliates. Rodriguez for the week had 11 hits in 26 at bats hitting .423 while scoring eight runs, with two doubles, five homeruns and 12 runs batted in. Rodriguez is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak in which he scored 12 runs and added three doubles, six homeruns, 16 runs batted in with a .372 batting average. During the streak Rodriguez has seen his average go from the low .224 up to .249 and is now second in all of the Midwest League in homeruns with 15, which is also the most in all of the Indians minor leagues.
Rodriguez started out in Low-A ball for Lake County in as an 18-year old in 2013, which proved to be a tough task as he struggled out of the gate hitting only .194 with one homerun in 160 at bats. The Indians transferred him down to their Short-Season team the Mahoning Valley Scrappers during the middle of the season last year. Still only 18-years old, Rodriguez found success and regained his confidence, finishing the season leading the Scrappers in hits (75), home runs (9), doubles (16), RBIs (37), total bases (118), walks (29) and OPS (.818) and was named the New York-Penn League’s Player of the Week for July 22.This year as a 19-year old, Rodriguez found himself starting the 2014 season in a familiar place back in Lake County with the Captains. Rodriguez had a strong start to his 2014 season but has struggled since until the past week and a half.
Aguilar and Perez Add to Indians List of Minor League All-Stars
July 5, 2014 | Todd Paquette
The Columbus Clippers will be represented by two players this year at the 2014 Triple-A All-Star Game. Both first baseman Jesus Aguilar and catcher Roberto Perez were selected to be on the International League roster, and will be taking on … Read More
Deflated Ducks, Injuries Mount in Minor League Wrap Up
June 30, 2014 | Todd Paquette
Three days, that’s all it took for the RubberDucks to lose arguably their three best players.
Wednesday June 25, Indians top prospect and current RubberDuck shortstop Francisco Lindor took a bad hop on the infield directly to his face and suffered a small non-displaced nasal fracture. The good news on Lindor is he should only be out for 7-10 days. Thursday June 26, second baseman Joe Wendle, suffered a right hamate fracture which will most likely require surgery and is a couple month process to return. The hamate bone is a small bone located in the wrist and it is usually fractured while a player is hitting. Friday June 27, Tyler Naquin, the top outfield prospect in the Indians farm system, was hit-by-pitch fracturing his right hand.
Do the Indians Have Another All-Star Second Baseman in Wendle?
Akron RubberDucks second baseman was some kind of hot this past week. Joe Wendle went 11-21 for an obscene .524 average with three runs scored, three doubles, one triple, eight runs batted in and added a stolen base. Wendle got off to a slow start to the season having multiple hot and cold streaks. Over his last 26 games, however, Wendle has been consistently hot hitting .333 with eight extra base hits and 24 runs batted in during the time frame. Wendle leads the team with 41 runs batted in, one more than fellow prospect shortstop Francisco Lindor. Wendle has his batting average up to .264 with his recent surge but is still well below his career .307 minor league average coming into the season.
Wendle a sixth round pick in 2012 out of West Chester University has some uncanny similarities to a current Indians star Jason Kipnis. Both Kipnis and Wendle are listed at 5’11 190lbs, both bat left-handed and throw with their right hand. Take a look at the stats for both players in their first two years in the minor leagues.
Naquin’s Hitting Streak Headlines Minor League Round-up
To say that Akron RubberDucks centerfielder Tyler Naquin has been hot at the plate lately would be an understatement. Scorching, sizzling, scalding, searing might be a better way to describe his bat of late. Naquin the Indians first pick from the 2012 MLB First Year Player Draft hit .485 for the week with 16 hits in 33 at bats. Naquin scored eight runs, added a double, triple, two homeruns, four runs batted in and two stolen bases. Naquin is currently on a 15-game hitting streak, which he has maintained an unbelievable .453 average with 29 hits in 64 at bats.
Naquin’s hot hitting started before the 15-game streak, however. In his last 48 games Naquin has amassed 72 hits, leading to a .365 batting average while scoring 44 runs and adding 12 stolen bases as the leadoff hitter in the RubberDucks lineup. Interesting enough it took the first 16 games of the season for Naquin’s bat to get started. In his first 16 games he hit only .200 with 22 strikeouts, leading some to wonder if Naquin was indeed ready for the jump to Double-A to start the year. Naquin, sporting a robust .327 average on the season, has put that talk to rest and then some.
Haase Leads A-Ball All-Stars in Minor League Round-up
June 7, 2014 | Todd Paquette
This week the All-Star rosters were named for both the Carolina League and Midwest League. The Carolina Mudcats had three players named to the Carolina League team in LHP Ryan Merritt, SS Erik Gonzalez and OF Anthony Gallas. Merritt a left-handed starting pitcher is tied for the league lead in wins with fellow teammate Shawn Morimando with six. He leads the league with a 1.71 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Shortstop Erik Gonzalez, who has missed sometime with a finger injury, is sixth in the league with a .309 batting average. Gonzalez has 15 extra base hits, 26 runs batted in along with eight stolen bases and is a tremendous defender. Outfielder Anthony Gallas got off to a tremendous start to the season but has cooled off some lately. Gallas leads the league in doubles with 21 in only 54 games. Gallas sports a .279 average with seven homeruns and 27 runs batted in.
Despite Lake County struggling and sitting in last place, the Captains have three players representing them in the Midwest League All-Star game in RHP Robbie Aviles, RHP Jordan Milbrath and C Eric Haase. Aviles has been in another world leading the league with a 1.45 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. His ERA is so good the next closest pitcher is more than a half a run higher at 2.02. Aviles control has been outstanding giving up only seven walks in 56 innings pitched. Jordan Milbrath has been a pleasant surprise as a 35th round draft pick in last year’s first year player draft. Milbrath has a 2.92 ERA and has only allowed 42 hits in his 52.1 innings pitched. Eric Haase is third in the league in homeruns with 10 despite only playing in 37 games on the year. Haase along with the 10 homeruns has four triples on the year helping him to lead the league with a .522 slugging percentage.
Plutko Promotion Highlights Minor League Round-up
May 31, 2014 | Todd Paquette
Indians farmhand Adam Plutko may have started his professional career slower than expected, but he’s speeding up quickly.
Plutko was drafted last year in the 11th round of the First Year Player Draft out of UCLA. Unlike most players making their professional debut in the same year that they were picked, the Indians held Plutko out until the 2014 season as they were concerned over the amount of innings he had already thrown for the Bruins in the 2013 collegiate season.
In 2013 Plutko was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player helping the Bruins win the College World Series. Plutko was on the same pitching staff with the Bruins as Pittsburgh Pirates starter Gerrit Cole and the Indians own Trevor Bauer. Plutko actually came into college with what most scouts thought better stuff than both Cole and Bauer with a fastball that sat around 95 mph as a freshman. Plutko saw his velocity drop down to around 90 mph over time for the Bruins and witnessed Cole and Bauer also become first round picks. As a junior in 2013 Plutko had become the workhorse and the ace of a staff in which many didn’t have high hopes for. While Plutko and the Bruins proved many wrong in 2013, it still didn’t help his draft status as the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series wasn’t taken until the 11th round by the Indians.
Aviles finally showing why the Indians took a chance on him in Minor League Roundup
Lake County Captains right handed pitcher Robbie Aviles continued his impressive season to date as he made two starts this past week earning one win while throwing 13 innings, allowing just six hits, three runs, zero walks and striking out seven. Aviles—originally projected to be a first or second round pick out of Suffern High School in Suffern, New York—partially tore the elbow ligament in his right arm a week before the draft, undergoing Tommy John Surgery. The Indians took a chance on Aviles by drafting him in the seventh round of the 2010 Draft, not knowing if he would come back as the first or second round pick he was projected to be. Aviles was able to make his professional debut near the end of the 2011 season after a long rehab. It had to be wondered if Aviles would ever return to pre-Tommy John form that the Indians had gambled on, as he would struggle sporting a 5.22 ERA in the two and a half years after making his professional debut. Still only 22 years of age, Aviles seems to finally be back, as his 2014 season has been nothing less than spectacular ranking second in the Midwest League in both ERA 1.65 and WHIP 0.85 along with only allowing 32 hits and five walks in 43.2 innings of work. Indians fans are hoping that Aviles has regained the form that had him so highly touted before his injury. Read More
Tribe Draws on Youth in this Week’s Minor League Round-up
The Cleveland Indians have called up two of their more intriguing prospects this week in first baseman Jesus Aguilar and left-handed relief pitcher Kyle Crockett. The two couldn’t have taken much more of different paths to the Major Leagues than they did. Aguilar was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela at the ripe old age of 16. Aguilar has already spent six seasons in the minor leagues from the Indians Dominican Summer League team all the way up to Triple-A Columbus this year playing for all six minor league affiliates for the Indians. Kyle Crockett, on the other hand, has spent less than a year in the Indians minor league system. Crockett was drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Virginia and has made only 36 appearances for three different teams during his short minor league career. Crockett was pitching for Double-A when he got the call.
Lindor Headlines an Up and Down Week in Minor League Recap
With the NFL draft starting on Thursday and running through the weekend I thought I would try to incorporate a draft type feel to this week’s minor league recap. Every player I discuss below I am including the round the player was drafted, the team who drafted the player and the year they were drafted. There was a lot of movement throughout system this week. I’ll touch on a few of the bigger names. Of course, right-handed pitcher Josh Tomlin (19th round by the Indians in 2006) got the call up to the big league club from Triple-A Columbus and looked great getting his first win in the majors since 2012. Third Base prospect Giovanny Urshela (non-drafted free agent by the Indians in 2008) was having a huge year for the Double-A Akron RubberDucks was moved up to Columbus.
One of the most surprising moves of the week was the demotion of Lake County Captains shortstop Dorssys Paulino, (non-drafted free agent by the Indians in 2012) thought to be one of the Indians top prospects, getting sent down to Extended Spring Training to work on a position change. Since the start of last season, Paulino has committed 52 errors at shortstop for Lake County. Yes that’s not a typo 52 errors. Paulino is thought to be working on a switch to the outfield. Hopefully the switch on defense will help him at the plate as well where his was also struggling. The Indians are still incredibly high on his bat as he was already repeating at the Low-A level this season as a 19-year old which is still very young for the league. There is still plenty of time for Paulino to turn things around but this is certainly a discouraging development.
Ramirez Promotion Headlines Minor League Week
May 3, 2014 | Todd Paquette
No way, Jose!
Jose Ramirez is back after making his debut with the Indians as a 20-year old September call-up last year where he impressed hitting .333 with four hits in 12 at bats scoring five runs. The 21-year old prospect has been called up to Cleveland with All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis going on the disabled list with a right oblique injury. Ramirez has had an impressive start to the 2014 season at Triple-A Columbus. In 23 games at Columbus, Ramirez had a .319 average with 12 runs scored, 29 hits, three doubles, four homeruns, 17 runs batted in, eight stolen bases and eight walks.
Ramirez last season had only three homeruns in 482 at bats in the minor leagues. Already this season he has a career high of four homeruns in just 91 at bats. Power is not Ramirez’s game with his 5-foot, 9-inch, 165 lb. frame. He’s a tremendous contact hitter that offers above average speed and has great versatility being able to play many different positions on the field. Ramirez was mostly playing second base for Columbus this year but can also play shortstop, third base and even some outfield. Ramirez started the year by reaching base in the first 21 games that Columbus had played this season. It will be interesting to see how the Indians use him. Will he be the full time replacement for Kipnis at second while he’s out? Will he be in a time share of sorts at second base with Elliot Johnson and Mike Aviles? Finally will the Indians utilize him as a super utility man and play him all over the field? The kid just seems to have that it factor and will be exciting to watch.
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Andre Andreev
Kai Lenny
Energy of New York
I ❤ NY
Andre Andreev is a director raised on action movies and pick-up soccer. In his native Bulgaria his mother managed a local movie theater while his father worked as a graphic designer. These roots heavily influenced his own work, which is best described as cinematic storytelling crafted with a designer’s eye. After immigrating to the States as a teenager, Andre’s ability to grow a healthy beard helped him to leapfrog a few grades and he managed to graduate from California College of the Arts by the age of 20 with a degree in Graphic Design.
Andre began his professional career as a motion designer at MTV in New York. While at the network he directed a series of successful promos for the Video Music Awards, all of which were shot underwater despite the fact that much of the cast could not swim. The project garnered him recognition by the Art Directors’ Club as a “Young Gun” and set him on his path as a commercial director. In 2008 he founded the production company Dress Code with friend and frequent collaborator Dan Covert.
As a commercial director, Andre has filmed pro-surfers in twenty-foot swells for Hurley, re-imagined quantum computing for IBM, and poured hundreds of beers for Sam Adams — many of which actually were for filming. His work has been recognized by Adweek, Promax, the One Show, and his Mom as really good. His visual approach to storytelling led him to pick up the camera and begin filming himself, and it’s his combination of meticulous technical knowledge with sophisticated storytelling that’s made him a director who is equally as comfortable on a sound-stage as he is in a bush-camp in the heart of Mozambique.
Andre’s first documentary film Flame, which he shot and directed, won the audience awards at the Thessaloniki and Sofia film festivals. His personal documentary work often explores the experiences of traditionally marginalized populations such as political activists, sex workers, and maximum security inmates. His film projects have competed in SXSW, AFI, San Francisco, Seattle, Hawaii, and Hamptons Film Festivals. His latest film, I Heart NY, premiered at Tribeca and won the Jury Prize for best short documentary at the 2018 Webby awards. He is currently developing a long form documentary project on immigrants in New York.
Andre co-wrote a book about the transition from design to direction called Never Sleep and taught a class on the subject at the Pratt Institute for eight years. He continues to write about the intersection of film and design for NoFilmSchool. Andre still plays pick-up soccer but, disillusioned by contemporary action movies now only watches the classics.
East Coast: Simpatico
Jolie@wearesimpatico.com
Midwest: Jen Giles Reps
Jen@jengilesreps.com
Brad Edelstein / Executive Producer
Brad@dresscodeny.com
Jonathan Dontchev / Office Manager
Jonathan@dresscodeny.com
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Monday, June 28, 2010 0
VH1's You're Cut Off: Rehab for Spoiled Brats. By Nikky Raney
You're Cut Off on VH1 is a reality show worth watching. The show premiered Wednesday, June 9 at 9PM ET/PT.
There are so many reality television shows on the air that is can be difficult to sort out the ones worth watching. You're Cut Off can be classified as a mix between I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, The Simple Life, and The Bad Girls' Club.
You're Cut Off is like rehab for "spoiled brats." The nine young women on this show are self proclaimed princesses. They have relied and mooched off their families' money. The surprise comes in the first episode when life coach Laura Baron declines their credit cards and tells them what's really going on. The girls had originally thought they would be appearing on a reality tv show that filmed them shopping.
The nine ladies watch video testimonials from their family members. Each video ends with the phrase, "You're cut off!" This means that instead of living the ritzy lifestyle they are put into a house together (not one of those flashy mansions that most reality tv stars get to live in).
The girls are so surprised that there is not a maid there to wait on them. There is one bedroom with bunk beds that they have to share, and Baron gave each girl one duffle bag to fit all her things in. These women live like Paris Hilton, and now they are living like "middle class" citizens. The girls are given $200 a week for groceries if they follow their life coach.
The life coach hopes to teach some lessons that will instill values and make it known that money is earned. These girls are encouraged to become productive members of society, and Baron has them complete daily chores, among other things.
"Laura Baron is a professional lifestyle and relationship strategist who is regarded as a premier change agent. Laura's clients report greater success using her signature intuitive and customized methods over traditional therapy. Her clients include CEOs, entrepreneurs, celebrities and women in transition," VH1 informs.
In part of an episode the girls were cleaning Omarosa's house. One of the girls, Gia, got in Omarosa's face and refused to clean her house. That must be one of the most disrespectful moments caught on reality TV. That was Gia. Gia has a baby girl at home and refuses to change her diaper. Gia makes it known in the first half hour of the show that she will not cook or clean, ever. She says, "I don't even know what color my kitchen is!"
Gia is a wife and mother from California who also refuses to wake up in the middle of the night to take care of her baby. Her husband hires nannies while Gia smokes on her hookah all day. She claims she could not survive without her hookah, and when listing the most important things in her life she mentioned her family AFTER listening all the material items. Gia divorced her first husband, because he could not keep up with her lifestyle. Her current husband is extremely fed up with it and is cutting her off. He even admits he looks in the mirror some days and wonders what he's doing.
Gia is only one of the divas on this show. It's entertaining to watch, because it's hard to believe that this type of person exists. There rest of the divas include:
Chrissy, the rotten princess from LA. She is the most disrespectful of all the girls. She has the nerve to do her make up and stare at herself in her hand mirror while others are speaking. She does not think that it is rude at all to interrupt others or to constantly stare at herself while having a conversation with another person. Her highest goal in life is to be married THREE times so she can have three fabulous weddings, but she won't say "I DO" unless the ring costs at least $300K. Her grandmother says Chrissy is "acting a fool," and prays that by cutting her off she will learn some responsibility.
Leanne is a diva from California who is supported entirely by her father. She didn't like the color of the Mercedes S-Class her dad bought her, and she decided to buy a $375K Ferrari while he was out of time; she crashed the Ferrari a few weeks later. Leanne will not knave the house without her six bodyguards, a make-up artist, or her best friend. Her father is cutting her off, because he has had enough of her spending all his hard-earned money.
Pamela claims that she worked on Wall-Street. She is a New York girl that says she WAS a princess and now she's a QUEEN. Pamela is really good at spending her family's money. They are cutting her off in hopes she will make something of herself.
Erica is a pampered princess who will never be seen without a tiara. She is from Texas and her father is a plastic surgeon; she spends over half a million dollars of her dad's money ever year. Erica lives at home and consults her personal astrologer for every life decision. She can't imagine life without bottom and lip injections. Her family is cutting her off in hopes she will learn to value money and make something of herself.
Jessica belongs on The Jersey Shore. This girl could have some fun with Snooki and J-WOWW. This girl is a loud Italian, and she doesn't care what people think about her. She doesn't cook, clean or do anything to help society. She does however like to nag, insult others, and spend money. Her mother is cutting her off in hopes Jessica can learn to survive on her own.
Courtnee is the North Carolina "it-girl." This socialite is being cut off by her family, because they don't understand how their "little princess" turned into a demanding diva. Her father is cutting her off so that she stops treating him like an ATM, and she starts putting her people skills to good use.
VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip
Amber, the southern belle hails from Georgia and admits that she always judges people by what they are wearing. She took a semester off from college to catch up on her shopping. Her father is cutting her off in hopes that she will take school more seriously, and apply herself.
Jacqueline is the one to pay attention to. She is the daughter of a successful business executive. Her house is 10K square feet, and she has three walk-in closets. She says there's nothing wrong with checking a man's bank account before going out. Jacqueline got her first Chanel bag at age five, and now her parents are cutting her off. They hope their college graduate will stop with the endless partying and reckless spending.
At the end of the season (8-weeks) the girls will be reunited with the people who cut them off, and that will be the test to whether the girls PASS or FAIL. The girls will need to adhere to new guidelines if they want a chance of getting back in good graces with the loved-ones that put them on this show.
Give this show a try. You're Cut Off can be watched online or tonight, Monday, June 28, at 7PM, 8PM, and 9PM. There are three episodes total, and hopefully by the end of the season these unrealistically superficial barbies will become humble and hard working and respectful young ladies. Follow VH1 on Twitter for more updates. Psst. Perez even makes an appearance.
(All images courtesy of VH1 and Starcasm)
X-Posted at Zennie62.com
VH1's You're Cut Off: Rehab for Spoiled Brats. By ...
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Phoenix developer named among Forbes’ top small companies
Evergreen Devco Inc., which has been working on a slew of multifamily projects and retail developments around the Valley in the past year, has been named one of the top 25 small companies in the U.S. by Forbes magazine.
Forbes recently released its “small giants” report, and cited Evergreen for its policy of allowing employees to invest in the compay’s multifamily projects. The company also has a profit-sharing plan and international philanthropic efforts.
“It’s no surprise, then, that almost a third of the workforce has been there for over a decade,” the Forbes report said.
Andrew Skipper, an Evergreen co-founder and its CEO, said the company’s strategy is to “reap the benefits of being in business long-term, and not take short-term profit.” The other co-founder is Bruce Pomeroy.
The Forbes report said the company had 2018 revenue of $100 million and has 54 employees.
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