OKLAHOMA CITY – Central Oklahoma residents won’t get a trial in September in a case against an oil company that allegedly triggered earthquakes, damaging homes and buildings.
A Cleveland County judge outlined the rules for the class-action case brought by Jennifer Lin Cooper against New Dominion LLC. Judge Lori Walkley issued a journal entry on the limited class certification on July 13, allowing the defendant to begin the appeal process.
Surface and mineral owner attorney Terry Stowers, who is not affiliated with the case, said it’s a big deal any time a class is certified at trial court level. It shows the plaintiffs’ attorney Scott Poynter can establish liability against New Dominion and carry the burden of proof, Stowers said.
“A bunch of certified classes often settle because of the risk of liability and the risk of exposure,” he said.
Cooper’s house rattled and shook in early November 2011, as a swarm of strong earthquakes swept through nine counties over three days. The strongest was a magnitude 5.7 temblor with its epicenter in Prague, affecting 174 homes and destroying four.
That temblor series was the first sign of what would become a regular occurrence in a state not previously familiar with earthquakes.
Read more about Oklahoma earthquakes.
Cooper alleged New Dominion, Spess Oil and 25 John Does injected oil-field wastewater into underground disposal wells, causing the Prague temblor swarm. New Dominion’s wastewater disposal activities are ultra-hazardous and come with strict liability, court documents alleged. Disposing of wastewater and triggering quakes is a private nuisance that interferes with residents’ ability to enjoy their homes, businesses and land, according to her petition.
“Whether or not plaintiff ‘has the science’ to prove her case is a question of fact for the jury,” Walkley wrote in a summary order on May 18.
But if the jury agrees with New Dominion in the case’s first phase, then the trial is over, Stowers said. If they side with the plaintiffs, then individual plaintiffs can proceed with damage cases in a series of mini-trials. That’s fairly common procedure, he said.
Poynter negotiated a settlement with Spess Oil and several John Does before the class was certified. A representative from Spess Oil was not available for comment. New Dominion attorney Fred Buxton said he will appeal the certification, but otherwise declined to comment.
Oklahoma oil and gas operators rely on wastewater disposal wells as part of hydrocarbon production. Extremely salty water resides underground with oil and gas and is brought to the surface when those commodities are produced. Injecting that briny, toxic substance into deep disposal wells helps reduce the risk that the fluid will contaminate surface water or underground aquifers.
Scientists established in the early 1970s that injecting fluid into underground faults could lubricate those structures and trigger an earthquake. A series of strong temblors outside Denver in the late 1960s were the result of a Department of Defense project that injected waste chemicals into the Rocky Mountain Arsenal well.
Former Oklahoma Geological Survey scientist Austin Holland said in a 2017 deposition in the Cooper case that the cause of the Prague swarm was the result of wastewater disposal in the region. New Dominion operated high-volume disposal wells in the area. Oklahoma Corporation Commission staff members have directed changes since then, and the majority of the company’s wells in the area have been shut down or the approved injection volumes were lowered.
A trial in her case was initially scheduled for September. Poynter told Walkley in a hearing earlier this year that he would agree to remove the trial from the court’s calendar if it was certified. In his last case, the appeal took nine months.
He said he expected to finish the settlement agreement documents with Spess Oil and the other defendants soon.
Stowers is the executive director of the Coalition of Oklahoma Surface and Mineral Owners and has settled class-action lawsuits on royalty payment issues. His last class certification appeal lasted nearly two years. He said the plaintiffs are likely to keep the case certified, despite New Dominion’s expected appeal.


MLGW data shows that customers in large sections of North Memphis and South Memphis see significantly more power interruptions than other parts of Memphis.
Memphis has significant disparities in what parts of the city see the most power interruptions, according to data released by Memphis Light, Gas and Water this week.
A map showing customer minutes interrupted by ZIP code was released by utility officials this week, at the request of Councilman Martavius Jones.
"It told the story. I was ashamed," said Memphis City Councilwoman Patrice Robinson, the chair of the council's MLGW committee, of the map.
The city's Southwest corner, parts of North Memphis and parts of Shelby County north of the city are more heavily affected than other parts of the city, with ZIP codes in those areas seeing from 5,784,661 to 9,020,820 total customer minutes interrupted, based on data from the four-year period from 2014 to 2018.
Whitehaven and Frayser are among the most heavily-affected areas.
The ZIP codes that saw the fewest power interruptions during that time period had between 69,960 and 1,519,200 total customer minutes interrupted, according to MLGW data.
"We've turned a blind eye on some of the constituents," Robinson said in a Wednesday interview. "These are areas with older infrastructure and we need to do more investment there. They're also probably some of the poorest people."
In some of the hardest-hit areas of the city, homes need to be weatherized, and the share of income residents put toward their utility bills is "higher than it should be," Robinson said. "And then we turn around and say we're not going to fix it."
The map's release comes a month after the city council voted down phased utility rate increases, aimed at funding what have been characterized as badly-needed infrastructure upgrades.
Robinson and Jones were among the council members who voted for MLGW's rate increase plan that didn't pass.
“This is who we told ‘no’ to,” Jones said.
When council members were mulling the rate increase proposal and five-year plan, MLGW President J.T. Young told them that continuing to put off infrastructure upgrades could mean more expensive fixes and longer and more frequent power outages.
Some of the council members who voted the plan down contended they did so because their constituents can't afford higher utility bills.
The infrastructure upgrades over the five years in the plan Young proposed would have been roughly $740 million in new investment, he said.
A series of studies have recently been released that say MLGW could save hundreds of millions of dollars by pursuing an alternative to its current agreement to purchase power from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland is calling for a "very public" discussion about those studies.
Strickland said Wednesday he hopes a process for a public vetting of those studies' findings can be announced at the next City Council meeting, he said.
The council's next meeting is April 2.
Meanwhile, some council members, including Robinson, are traveling to Chattanooga next week to meet with TVA.
"I know it’s not as easy as unplugging from TVA and plugging into somebody else. It’s a very complicated issue," Strickland said. "And we may end up wanting to stay with TVA. They’ve been a good partner. But we need to have a very open and frank discussion in public about those issues to get the whole community engaged in this process."


This year's AIPAC convention faced the growing divide between the traditional pro-Israel Democratic base, which is still in the majority, and its growing anti-Israel wing.
If you thought the divisive battle between Republicans and Democrats over the JCPOA (Iran nuclear agreement) was over, think again. Democrats and Republicans are about to go at it again over Obama’s foreign policy legacy, concluded in 2015, and withdrawn by Trump three years later.
Since politics is going to force us to consider the merits and failings of the JCPOA again, its time for a refresher course in what makes the JCPOA so contentious.
• Despite President Barack Obama’s assurances that the JCPOA would only be about Iran’s nuclear aspirations – while sanctions for Iran’s missiles development, human rights abuses, and its state support of terrorism would be pursued independent of the nuclear deal – the administration chose not to pursue any new sanctions or hold Iran accountable for its continued malevolent behavior, especially as the primary patron of the genocidal regime in Syria.
• The JCPOA outsourced compliance of the deal to the IAEA without any American inspectors, who unsurprisingly, never inspected a single Iranian military base, which is of course where the Iranian military performs its R&D for nuclear weapons.
• Despite assurances that the JCPOA would end Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons, the deal’s restrictions sunset over the next one to 15 years, literally guaranteeing Iran can become a nuclear power with international legitimacy at any time of its choosing.
Senator Cory Booker, speaking in favor of the JCPOA, said the deal would be a “denuclearization of Iran,” while Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s spokesperson said the JCPOA was necessary “to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.” These characterizations of the agreement were and are just plain false.
Many progressive members see any Israeli settlement over the Green Line as illegal. President Obama, just as he was leaving office, abstained from voting on one of the long line of anti-Israel UN resolutions, UNSC Resolution 2334, insinuating that he didn’t object to the proposition that any Jewish presence over the 1949 Armistice line is illegal, including the Western Wall, which the PA claims has no Jewish roots.
A non-politicized reading of international law that usually doesn’t see the light of day in our hyper-polarized climate, gives Israel a strong claim to legal rights over the Green Line. UNSC Resolution 242 made clear that Israel was never supposed to return to its indefensible ‘67 lines, as the territory acquired was in defensive wars, without a legal stakeholder.
Many members of the Progressive Caucus choose to ignore that Israel has offered multiple times between 92%-100% of the disputed territory to the Palestinians with land swaps. This was never accepted for the simple reason that most Palestinians think Israel has no right to exist in any entity as a non-indigenous people, while the PA never prepared its people for the hard choices for peace. It has chosen the path of all authoritarian regimes, scapegoating to deflect attention away from its own incompetence and corruption.
J Street, a Jewish progressive organization along with anti-Israel organizations like Code Pink and MoveOn took on the centrist AIPAC pro-Israel organization, demanding Democratic candidates not share a stage on which Netanyahu stood. It is one thing to profoundly disagree with his views, but the condemnation bordered on delegitimization of him, as the democratically elected leader of an ally, not a disagreement with his policies.
It is not too late to stem the tide. Going forward toward 2020, Democratic candidates who previously supported Israel need to step up and say unequivocally that Israel’s right to exist is not up for discussion, and America not only shares values with Israel, but American interests require a strong and secure Israel.
The writer is director of MEPIN™ (Middle East Political and Information Network™), and a regular contributor to The Jerusalem Post. MEPIN™ is Middle East research analysis read by members of Congress, their foreign policy advisers, MKs, journalists, and organizational leaders.


People over 50 form a significant demographic that politicians would be remiss to overlook.
With the last gubernatorial debate having just taken place, Mainers 50 and older, Maine’s most active voting demographic, are left with limited answers on the key issues of concern to them.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, turnout for Maine voters 45 and older in the last midterm election, in 2010, was among the highest in the country, with the numbers increasing significantly with age. Not surprisingly, in the 2012 election, the numbers were even higher. This is not the demographic to overlook in 2014.
Lori Parham, Ph.D., is state director of AARP Maine in Portland.
Yet the issues that are of paramount importance to Maine’s older residents were largely ignored in the debates.
Respondents to AARP Maine’s recent survey of Maine registered voters age 50 and older clearly indicated that candidates must address certain issues during the 2014 midterm election in order to win their votes. The respondents weighed in on issues important to them, which include financial security, consumer protections, age-friendly communities and long-term care.
AARP has over 231,000 members in Maine, and we consistently listen to their needs and concerns. Our 2014 survey revealed that Mainers 50 and older continue to be worried about financial and health security and maintaining their independence as they grow older.
These concerns are even more striking for Mainers earning less than $20,000 a year and for women, a majority of whom believe they may never be able to retire.
AARP staff and volunteers have been on the road for the last three weeks traveling across Maine listening to Mainers’ concerns. Not only are residents tired of the attacks and negativity, but they also truly want to hear what the candidates plan to do to build an economically strong, multi-generational Maine.
It is disappointing that the candidates’ discussion of economic security for Maine families has largely ignored Mainers 50 and older. Maine is the oldest state in the nation, and these issues must be represented. While AARP recognizes that Maine faces challenges in being the oldest state, people over 50 offer Maine chances to grow and thrive in many sectors.
Recent state-specific data on the Boomer Economy (also known as the Longevity Economy) shows that people over 50 make a significant contribution to Maine.
For example, 68 percent of people 50 to 64 in Maine are employed, compared to 76 percent of people 25 to 49. Among employed people, 16 percent of those 50 to 64 are self-employed entrepreneurs, compared with 12 percent of those 25 to 49. In fact, people between the ages of 50 to 64 are the largest growing age group of entrepreneurs.
Beyond the workforce, however, the purchasing power of boomers is of critical importance to Maine. Mainers over 50 comprise 52 percent of Maine’s GDP. Sixty percent of consumer spending in Maine is driven by boomer households. Boomers also feel a powerful sense of legacy to make their communities stronger for their children, grandchildren and future generations.
AARP is strictly nonpartisan. We have no political action committee, and we do not endorse candidates or contribute money to their campaigns. AARP’s priority is ensuring that Americans 50 and older and their families know where each candidate stands before Nov. 4.
We all have a vested interest in hearing the candidates deliver straightforward answers to the questions that are important to us. In the case of older voters, candidates should be offering solutions that will help Mainers save so they can secure their future and live independently as they age.
In Maine, almost 200,000 unpaid family caregivers help seniors and loved ones live independently at home – as opposed to costly nursing homes – saving the state billions of dollars. Considering the stress on many family caregivers to hold down full-time jobs while attending to their loved one’s needs, what would the candidates do to help them continue to safely provide this in-home care?
Mainers 50 and older also want to hear how the candidates will ensure that electric service continues to be provided at rates that are stable, predictable and affordable. These issues are covered in AARP’s Voters’ Guides (www.aarp.org/yourvote), but the candidates should be publicly addressing them as well.
Older Mainers will be counting on leadership in Augusta to address these very prevalent concerns. Considering the data of past elections, the results of the 2014 election will likely be contingent upon the votes cast by Mainers 50 and older. With less than two weeks left before Election Day, now is the time to hear straightforward ideas from the candidates.


THE pine marten is now being looked after at the charity's National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, where he has been named Caillen.
THE Scottish SPCA is caring for an adorable pine marten found orphaned in the Highlands.
Scotland's animal welfare charity was alerted after the eight week old male kit was discovered at an industrial site in Nigg.
Centre manager Colin Seddon said, "Caillen is doing well and is already self-feeding.
"We are hopeful he will be back in his natural habitat by the end of summer once he is fully developed and able to fend for himself.
"Caillen will be released in an area of low pine marten density to strengthen the existing population and encourage growth."
Anyone who discovers an injured or distressed wild animal should call the Scottish SPCA animal helpline on 03000 999 999.


June 29-30 — Orange County Buddhist Church,909 S. Dale Ave., Anaheim, hosts its Obon Festival, from 2 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and 2 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. Bon odori dancing from 7 to 8:3o p.m. both nights. Daion Taiko performs at 6:30 p.m. both nights.
The traditional obon dance expresses joy for the teachings offered by the Buddha. The movements depict the livelihood of the villagers such as fishermen, coal miners, and farmers. Your participation with other temple dancers is welcome.
The bazaar-carnival will feature many games for the young and old. We will have handicrafts and farm fresh produce at bargain prices. Delicious Asian dishes such as beef and chicken teriyaki, sushi, udon (Japanese noodles), won ton, chow mein, corn, teriburgers, oriental chicken salad, Okinawa Dango (donuts), Imagawa Yaki (Sweet bean dessert), oden, soft drinks, snow cones and other treats will be available.
The Hondo(sanctuary) will be open to any interested visitors and hosts from the Buddhist Education Center will be available to answer any questions. Books on Buddhism will be sold at the entrance of the Hondo.


Reba McEntire, who will host the ACM Awards at 7 p.m. April 7 on CBS, was incensed that no females were included in the top category of Entertainer of the Year.
Reba McEntire revealed a portion of the nominees for the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS Wednesday morning. But her delivery of the names didn't come without criticism.
McEntire, who will host the ACM Awards at 7 p.m. April 7 on CBS, was incensed that no females were included in the top category of Entertainer of the Year.
McEntire has been nominated for the honor nine times and won the Entertainer of the Year category in 1994. Her criticism is part of a larger conversation about female singers being boxed out of country music. There were no female nominees in the category in November's CMA Awards. In fact, the nominees in the category are identical at both shows: Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton and Jason Aldean.


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday dismissed Benjamin Netanyahu's outline of a peace deal as a non-starter and said he's now setting his sights on U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state in the fall -- unless the Israeli prime minister softens his stance before then.
Despite strong U.S. objections, the Palestinians are counting on growing international support for bypassing Israel en route to statehood, saying Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday showed he is not a partner for peace.
However, Palestinian leaders also want to avoid being blamed for the failure of U.S. mediation efforts, especially after President Barack Obama met a key Palestinian demand last week when he said border talks should be based on the pre-1967 war lines, with mutually agreed land swaps.
In an apparent attempt to show good faith, Palestinian officials said Wednesday they would ask the U.N. Security Council and the Quartet of Mideast mediators -- the U.S., the U.N., Europe and Russia -- to call for renewed negotiations based on Obama's border proposals with a September deadline for a deal.
But Netanyahu has rejected the 1967 lines as a starting point, and it's unlikely talks would get off the ground.
He told Congress that while he is willing to make "generous" land concessions, Israel must keep east Jerusalem and other key areas it captured in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians insist on a capital in east Jerusalem -- home to key Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites.
Netanyahu also said Abbas must tear up his reconciliation deal with the Islamic militant Hamas before any negotiations can begin. Abbas has said that he -- not Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel -- would determine Palestinian negotiating positions. Hamas wrested Gaza from Abbas in a violent 2007 takeover.
After his return to Israel on Wednesday, Netanyahu said he encountered strong support for his positions in the U.S. and called on the Palestinians "to recognize the justified demands of Israel."
Abbas, in turn, said Netanyahu's stance on territory closes the door to serious negotiations.
Netanyahu's speech was filled with "falsehoods and distortions," Abbas told leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization and his Fatah movement. "He did not say anything we can build on positively."
Abbas will meet over the weekend with Arab League representatives in Qatar to discuss the next steps.
Obama has said a Palestinian state should arise from negotiations, not a U.N. vote. The U.S. will likely veto a request to the Security Council to accept the state of Palestine as a full member of the world body.
Abbas said Wednesday that negotiations remain his first choice, but that if that option is closed, "we are going to go to the option of (U.N. recognition in) September."
Currently, Palestine has U.N. observer status as an "entity," and Palestinian officials said they may go for the lesser option, of having Palestine recognized by the U.N. General Assembly as a non-member observer state if a U.S. veto derails the full membership bid.
The General Assembly vote requires support from at least two-thirds of the 192 U.N. member states. Palestinan Foreign Minister Riad Malki said Wednesday he believes the Palestinians are assured of such a majority.
"I can tell you that the indications I am getting are positive," said Malki, who was attending a meeting of foreign ministers of non-aligned countries in Indonesia. "Many of the foreign ministers are mad about the speech of Netanyahu, and I can tell you we are making good use of this bad speech in our favor."
In Israel, reaction to Netanyahu's speech was mixed.
In an opinion poll among 450 Israeli Jews, 10 percent said Netanyahu should have supported the president's remarks, 46.8 percent said he should have backed them with reservations, and 36.7 percent said he should have opposed them. The survey, published in the Maariv daily. had an error margin of 4.5 percentage points.
In other developments Wednesday, Egypt announced that it will open its only crossing with the Gaza Strip this weekend, significantly easing a four-year blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory but setting up a potential conflict with Israel.
Hamas officials said they had not been notified of the change, and declined comment.


The actress recently spoke about how Ducky was like a sister to her son.
Aw! This is way too sad, especially for animal lovers. Selma Blair is having quite the year. Two years after adopting a rescue dog, which she and her son Arthur named Ducky, it unfortunately passed away.
A source tells OK! exclusively that the Chihuahua-pug died from an unexpected accident.


Including at 6.54 and 7.50 Travel news, What's on, and (6.50 only) Keep Fit; Weather and programme news at 6.55 and 7.55. At 7.0 and 8.0 News and more of Today with Sports-desk at 7.25 and 8.25; Today's Papers at 7.35* and 8.35*; and Thought for the Day 7.45-7.50.
From time to time in every family there are jealousies, rows, conflicts of interest, problems of discipline, differences of opinion on responsibilities and obligations. Also, the pattern of family life is changing, bringing new freedoms and new stresses.
BBC correspondents throughout the world report on the societies they live in - the politics and the people.
Rural Bliss? IAN HYAMS finds out what it's really like living in one of those idyllic holiday scenes.
How I started worrying about The Bomb - again!: MIKE hart -LEY-BREWER reports on the present state of our Civil Defence.
Back where I was born: HOPE HAY spent her 64th birthday in the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru.
Behind the Mind (5): ROSALIND HEYWOOD talks about extrasensory perception.
Did impressions of men like James Mason.
As the Trades Union Congress meets in Brighton, ring George Scett to put your questions to leaders of the Trade Union movement on wage policies, the social contract, union militancy and the chances of a strike-free winter.
A child-murderer recalls his crime; a psychiatrist discusses it.
In 1944 Sidney Smith , a soldier in the British Army, was sentenced to death in South Africa for assaulting and murdering an 11-year-old girl. He was reprieved and served over 20 years in prison before returning to a life of petty crime in Britain.
Shortly before his death he recorded the story of his crime and imprisonment for MERFYN TURNER, who discusses it with ARTHUR HYATT WILLIAMS , a psychiatrist who has made a special study of psychopathic murder.
2: Jules Verne predicted the submarine; a Roman writer described journeys to the moon.
JANE FINNIS describes how modern science fiction writers -many of whom are scientists as well - see the relationship between fact and fantasy in their work.


Accra, June 21, GNA - Mr Kwamena Ahwoi, Research Director of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), on Monday testified at the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) and stated that about 350 people were to be sent to the United States in the Michael Soussousidis affair in 1985. He said nobody was denaturalised, and Major Awuakye, who had alleged in evidence before the Commission that he had extradited him, had rather been grateful for the exit.
Major Awuakye had told the Commission that Mr Ahwoi had accused him of being a spy of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and had consequently extradited him along with others in 1985.
Mr Ahwoi, then Co-ordinator of the Revenue Commissioners, Investigations and Tribunals in the erstwhile government of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), was reacting to the evidence of Major Awuakye at a public hearing of the NRC in Accra. Mr Ahwoi, who was cross-examined by his is legal team Bram and S.A Vanderpuije denied any extradition allegations and explained that Major Awuakye had agreed voluntarily to offer himself in the incident. Mr Ahwoi said, following the Michael Soussosudis spying affair in the United States (USA), the US Government listed a number of people, who were CIA agents and assets and demanded that they should be swapped for Michael Soussoudis.
Mr Ahwoi said the total number of the people, and their families, who were to have been sent to the US numbered about 350, and that, based on intelligence analysis, a number of them were left out without appearing before the body set up at the CID Headquarters for interrogations. Mr Ahwoi said that the names on the list included Mr Christian Appiagyei, now a Member of the NRC, but Mr Appiagyei was not invited for interrogations.
He said Mr Atteh Allotey, a top security person and one Mr Abel Adusei were also invited, and Mr Adusei even challenged his link with the CIA in court.
Witness said Major Awuakye, who then was worried over his discharge from the Military, denied that he was a CIA spy and asset, but voluntarily accepted to be offered for the exchange with the conditions attached, including any visit to be made possible only if it were approved by his home government.
Mr Ahwoi said they interpreted the action of those who accepted to go as really CIA spies and assets adding, " I don't know of any evidence we could have used to prosecute them in a Ghanaian court."
He said if the US, which he described as a 'bastion of democracy" was negotiating an exchange then the US might, have "something more of judicial limits "if the negotiations were rejected.
He said the Government negotiated the exchange but rejected its responsibility for the exit of the four, who chose to go to the US, and added that he did not know if Major Awuakye's passport was seized. Mr Ahwoi said at nowhere was pressure put on the Major during the negotiations, and said Major Awuakye's was not made to sign any document for his consent to be exchanged, but was on video and audio tapes. Witness said the tapes might be with the Bureau of National Investigations.
Mr Ahwoi said the failure of the US Soussoudis Affairs, had been rated as the 12th most serious intelligence failure in the history of the CIA, and that 12 million dollars were spent on that investigation.
Meanwhile, Mr Ahwoi, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said he had called off his intended press conference because the Commission did not in any way try to stop him in his evidence, adding that it even gave him the opportunity to add anything he wished to say.
He, however, said he was not the happiest of men because his evidence had breached a mutual agreement on the confidentiality between the two countries on the issue, stating that he had been pushed to the corner to speak.


CBD doesn't fall on anyone's desk, and the tiny Board of Pharmacy couldn't crack down, even if it wanted to.
Because I was curious and because I could, I bought some cannabis the other day.
Me and everybody else in Minnesota, it seems.
While the politicians in St. Paul debate whether and when to legalize recreational marijuana, the rest of the state is getting into the cannabis business in a big, big way.
CBD, a cannabis extract that won’t get you high, is everywhere, ever since Congress legalized hemp late last year. Congress didn’t say anything about hemp extracts and marijuana extracts like CBD, but before anyone could object, retailers had slipped through the loophole and set up shop in a legal gray area.
You can buy CBD in grocery stores and pet stores and online and in mom-and-pop shops all over the state. Customers come looking for something to ease their aches and pains, anxieties and illnesses, and they leave with CBD oils, ointments and edibles. There’s talk of a CBD coffee shop in Dinkytown.
“The proverbial genie’s out of the bottle, and it would be very hard to put it back in at this point,” said Cody Wiberg, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, who watched the hempsplosion from the sidelines.
The Minnesota Department of Health oversees medical marijuana and the Agriculture Department monitors hemp farming, but CBD doesn’t fall on anyone’s desk, and the tiny Board of Pharmacy couldn’t crack down, even if it wanted to.
Before the Nothing But Hemp shop opened its doors at the corner of Lyndale and Lake in Minneapolis, CEO Steven Brown went looking for proper paperwork and red tape.
The shelves at Nothing But Hemp are lined with CBD tinctures, CBD-infused coffee beans, CBD gummies, CBD bath bombs, CBD for dogs. Brown targets his businesses to customers aged 45 and older, which makes a cutting-edge cannabis purchase feel less than edgy, honestly.
“People will come in and spend more money on their pets than they will themselves,” said Brown’s business partner, Giovan Jenkins, who is leaving his job as dean of students at a Minneapolis high school to go into the hemp business full-time.
Business is brisk. There are four Nothing But Hemp retail locations in and around Minnesota and Brown has plans for more. They buy their merchandise from states where cannabis is regulated and from suppliers they trust to lab-test their products.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has approved only one CBD product to date — an anti-seizure drug called Epidiolex. So retailers can’t legally tell you what their product is good for. They can tell you their customers come seeking relief from pain, anxiety, seizures, PTSD, ADHD, migraines, psoriasis or just hoping for a good night’s sleep.
Nothing But Hemp and the Board of Pharmacy offer customers the same advice. Take a few common-sense precautions. If you’re on other medication, talk with your doctor to make sure it won’t interact with the CBD. Research retailers and their suppliers to make sure they’re reputable. Last November, Virginia Commonwealth University tested CBD products and found some of them tainted with additives ranging from cough syrup to synthetic cannabis.
Armed with this knowledge, I made my purchase — 500 milligrams of CBD oil infused with mint.
It tasted musty and minty and cost me 49 bucks that my boss isn’t likely to reimburse. Squeezing a few drops of the stuff under my tongue gave me the same warm, self-satisfied glow I experience every few weeks when I remember to take a multivitamin.
I repeated the dose every day for the next five days and by the end of the week, I had completed this column.
If you want to check out Nothing But Hemp, the address is 617 W. Lake St., Minneapolis. If you would like to read the Board of Pharmacy’s CBD advisory, it’s online at mn.gov/boards/pharmacy/public.
Suddenly, Minnesota has an issue that doesn't break along party lines and doesn't spark a bitter debate: The time change affects everyone.


Rocker suffered from "a severe bout of diverticulitis" but is expected to fully recover within four to six months.
Eddie Van Halen is recuperating from emergency surgery for a severe bout of diverticulitis, his band said.
Eddie Van Halen is on the mend!
Fortunately, the band's website says that "no further surgeries are needed and a full recovery is expected within 4 - 6 months."
In the meantime, Van Halen's planned November 2012 tour of Japan is in the process of being rescheduled. Per their website, the band "looks forward to seeing and playing for their fans in 2013."
We wish Eddie a continued and quick recovery!


North High School graduate Leo Kowal and his wife Mary Rudakas beat more than 2,000 other businesses to win the audience choice award in the Martha Stewart American Made contest this fall.
DOWNERS GROVE – North High School graduate Leo Kowal's crafty business beat more than 2,000 others to win the Martha Stewart American Made audience choice award this fall.
Kowal, his wife and business co-owner Mary Rudakas are in New York this week to meet Stewart and receive their $10,000 prize. The business also might appear in Stewart's magazine.
Their business, SVGCuts, sells downloadable designs for two-dimensional paper crafts like cards and scrapbooks in addition to three-dimensional paper projects that can be used for home decor or center pieces for events.
Users at home download the design templates and send the information to electronic paper cutters about the size of a printer. The machine cuts the pieces, which can then be assembled into striking designs, like a three-story haunted house – Kowal's favorite, or a mini hot air balloon, among others. The intricate designs look more sculptural than paper-made, and the selection of colored and patterned paper available at hobby shops adds an extra "pop."
"People will use some of the crazier 3D things for parties or events," Kowal said. "And most of the time we'll make it so that you could put something inside of it, if you want to use the actual box as a gift box. There's so many applications I probably don't even know about that people have adopted for their businesses. ... The possibilities are endless."
The couple started the business in 2009 after greeting cards designed by Rudakas became popular, nearly overnight, on their Etsy.com online store, Kowal said.
"One night when she was laying in bed she said, 'Why don't I sell the digital designs that I create?'" Kowal said. "We put the files on Etsy and made a couple hundred bucks in a weekend.
"And before you know it, our business evolved from creating two-dimensional shapes for scrapbooking and card making to 3-D, off-the-page stuff."
For Kowal and Rudakas, it's a quick four-year ascent after finding themselves unemployed after the 2008 recession.
Kowal was working in IT for Chrysler when he was laid off during the auto industry collapse, and Rudakas had recently left her job.
The couple discovered the world of die-cut paper crafts when Kowal's mom bought Rudakas, a self-taught graphic designer from Western Springs, an electronic cutter for Christmas in 2008.
Rudakas has been designing the couple's projects ever since, and Kowal, who has professional photography experience in addition to his IT career, handles the web, marketing, photos, videos, customer service and everything else involved with an online business.
The website has attracted more than 800,000 unique visitors, Kowal said, garnering 16 million page views.
Kowal credited long-time North High School biology teacher David Jakes with getting him interested in digital photography when the technology was new.
"He was the first guy to hand me a digital camera back when photos were being saved to floppy disks," he said. "I still talk to him to this day."
Kowal and Rudakas run the business from their St. Charles home.


While the ancient Egyptians may be the best-known mummy makers, they were far from the first. A very sophisticated fishing tribe called the Chinchoros, who lived on the north coast of what is now Chile, were embalming their dead as early as 5000 B.C.
Chinchoros embalmers disassembled their corpses, treated the internal organs to prevent decay, and then reassembled the pieces. They often added cane or wood supports along the spinal column, arms and legs, filled in the body cavity with fiber or feathers, and coated the exterior of the body with clay, on which they painted or sculpted. Infants, children and adults of both sexes were mummified, though some corpses received more attention than others.
Further north, another coastal group at Paloma were mummifying their dead as early as 4000 B.C. The Palomans used salt to stop decay and carefully positioned their dead with knees drawn to the chest and hands clasped. The bodies were then wrapped in reed matting and buried under the floor of their existing homes.
By the time of the Inca civilization, which lasted from approximately 1100 to 1500 A.D., the Andean tradition of preserving the dead was still intact. Most Inca mummies were arranged in the familiar fetal position and were either wrapped in leather or cloth, or placed in baskets or under huge ceramic jars. These "mummy bundles" were often brightly decorated and buried with food, clothing and other items. Some archaeologists believe that the Inca mummified all their dead, not just the elite.
In 1875, archaeologists did manage to uncover a huge burial site at Ancón on the Peruvian coast. Hundreds of shafts, some eighteen to twenty feet deep, led to tombs where extremely well-preserved mummies bundles were found. Apparently, the dry climate and high salt content of the region had helped to prevent decay. The mummies were wrapped in cloth, seaweed, leaves, grass matting and furs. Many bundles were topped with a sort of false head, decorated with eyes that stared out into the darkness of the tomb.
Perhaps the most remarkable Incan mummies have been those found on high mountain peaks, where the Inca offered human sacrifices to their Gods. Over the years, some 115 of these sacrificial mummies have been found in the high Andes. In 1995, Dr. Johan Reinhard stumbled upon the body of a young girl, barely into her teens, on top of Mount Ampato in the Peruvian Andes. Named "Juanita," she is the best-preserved Incan mummy ever discovered. With long black hair, a graceful neck, and well-muscled arms, Juanita was found wrapped in a cocoon of fine textiles and surrounded by gold and silver statues, bags of corn and other offerings. The goal of this, Reinhard's latest expedition, is to locate more of these mummies and expand our understanding of Incan sacrificial rites.
Photos: (2) courtesy The Mountain Institute.


Huge 4 BR House for rent in very convenient location! Right off of Delsea Drive, blocks from US 322, a few miles from Highway 55, and a few miles from Rowan University. Huge backyard and big bedrooms. STUDENTS encouraged to apply! You must have good credit (score greater than 650) or be able to get a cosignor in order to rent. You and/or your cosignor's income per week must be equal to or greater than the rent price per month. This property has NOT been approved for HUD/TRA Vouchers or Section 8 in the past.


An underlying social condition in Asbury Park is being exacerbated by a membership-based pool club on the land east of Ocean Avenue between Sixth and Seventh avenues.
Waterfront developers iStar and Madison Marquette gained approval for the pool club through an outdated 2002 Waterfront Redevelopment Agreement and a 2004 dated CAFRA permit. The pool club parcel was not in the FEMA VE Zone when the permit was issued. It is now in a high flood area because of flooding caused by superstorm Sandy in 2012, and as recent as 2018 due to the effects of climate change.
The history of beach/swimming clubs shows racial segregation in Asbury Park and the nation. Even after Jim Crow laws were abolished, segregated swimming facilities remained in New Jersey until the 1970s. A membership-based beach club is an insult to the majority of our low-income year-round residents. The majority of Asbury Park’s year-round residents are African American or Hispanic/Latino.
More than 70 percent of them cannot afford daily or seasonal beach passes to swim in our ocean or sit and play on our public beaches. They wait until lifeguards leave in order to enjoy one of the treasures of our coastal city. In addition, a pool club brings back memories of denied access to a public pool on the public beach in the 1950s.
A membership-based pool club will only serve our wealthier residents, who already have pools in their condo complexes or can afford to put them in their backyards. Membership in the pool/beach club will not be available to the majority of Asbury Park’s year-round residents. Rising rents, home ownership costs, taxes and lack of affordable housing is already displacing many of the city’s residents from the waterfront area.
The undercurrent of a membership-based pool/beach club is socioeconomic segregation. It runs counter to the pride that Asbury Park takes in being a culturally and economically diverse city. Building a membership-based pool/club on a possible illegal land acquisition or conveyance of a once public land parcel on Asbury’s oceanfront is shameful.


Myrtle Cottage is a charming period cottage built of Shaftesbury green sandstone with a slate roof which is very light and full of period features. The current owners substantially extended the property about 10 years ago creating a large kitchen/dining room and boot room.
To the front of the house are the two reception rooms in the original part of the house. Both rooms have window seats, exposed beams and large fireplaces (one with an open fire and the other with a wood burner). To the rear of the house is the kitchen/dining room which overlooks the pretty gardens and fields beyond. There is a good range of bespoke wood units, a butler sink and underfloor heating. Bi-folding doors open to a terrace. There is also a study, boot room/utility and cloakroom.
On the first floor are four good size bedrooms and a family bathroom with separate shower.
Myrtle Cottage is situated towards the edge of the village of Semley with rural views to both the front and rear of the house. Semley is a pretty and sought after village and has a good pub, shop, church and a highly regarded C of E primary school. Tisbury high street has a number of independent shops and a mainline station to London Waterloo. Shaftesbury is within easy reach and caters for most daily requirements while Salisbury offers a wider range of cultural, shopping and entertainment facilities.
While Semley is peacefully tucked away, the A303 is 5 miles to the north and provides access to the national motorway systems and airports via the M3. Access to the coast is via the A350, some a mile to the west.
Several well regarded schools are within close proximity, including Port Regis, St. Marys Shaftesbury, Sandroyd, Clayesmore and Bryanston whilst Bishop Wordsworth for Boys, South Wilts Grammar School for Girl, Godolphin and Chafyn Grove are located in Salisbury.
To the front of the house is a gravel path leading to the front door with parking for two cars and an attached single garage. To the rear of the house is a pretty garden, mostly laid to lawn with established flower beds. There is a terrace adjacent to the house. A bridge over the small brook leads to the remainder of the garden which was recently purchased and is laid to lawn.


MOVIES SOUTH BEND-MISHAWAKA ELKHART -ENCORE PARK 14: An American Haunting, 1:10, 3:15, 5:20, 7:25, 9:30. Hoot, 1:15, 3:20, 5:25, 7:35, 9:45. Mission Impossible III, 12:30, 1, 1:30, 3:10, 4, 4:30, 5:50, 7, 7:15, 8:30, 9:40, 10. Akeelah and the Bee, 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10. R.V., 1, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10. United 93, 1:30, 4, 7, 9:45. Silent Hill, 1:50, 4:30, 7:20, 10. Stick It, 1:30, 4, 7, 9:30. Scary Movie IV, 1:15, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15. The Wild, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. The Benchwarmers, 1:10, 3:20, 5:30, 7:40, 9:50. Ice Age: The Meltdown, 1, 3:05, 5:10, 7:15, 9:20. GOSHEN NILES PLYMOUTH SYRACUSE WARSAW Times are subject to change. Please call theaters to confirm showtimes. The daily movie listings are posted each day in the Entertainment section of the Tribune's Web site at www.southbendtribune.com/entertainment.
"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs"


What does it mean when you have a cold nose?
It is normal for the hands, feet, nose, and ears to feel cold before other parts of the body. This is because it usually takes longer for blood to circulate to these extremities, especially in cold temperatures.
A person can have a cold nose for several reasons besides. Often, it is not a cause for worry. But, in some cases, it may be a sign of an underlying health condition.
What causes a cold nose?
The nose does not have a lot of insulating fat and will be one of the first body parts that feels cold.
The body conserves heat and energy by reducing blood flow to the extremities in cold temperatures or weather. Instead, the blood is directed toward the vital organs to keep them warm and to allow them to function properly.
The reduced blood flow to the hands, feet, ears, and nose causes them to feel cooler than, for example, the stomach or chest, as a result.
The nose is likely to feel cold first when temperatures dip because it is composed mainly of cartilage tissue and does not have a lot of insulating fat.
An underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism, is a condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough of the hormones that control the way the body uses energy.
An autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto's disease damages the thyroid gland and is the most common cause of hypothyroidism.
Raynaud's disease causes excessive narrowing of blood vessels, which results in little or no blood flow in the extremities.
It is usually triggered by exposure to cold or even stress. The disorder usually affects the fingers and toes, but it can also occur in the nose and ears.
The skin may turn white and then blue, briefly, during an attack. The affected areas may turn red and be accompanied by throbbing, tingling or numbness once the blood flow returns.
It is not clear what causes Raynaud's disease. But diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis can cause a more severe form of the condition called Raynaud's phenomenon.
Being in cold temperatures, for example, during outdoor sports, can result in a cold nose.
When prolonged exposure causes the body to lose heat faster than it can generate it, the result is hypothermia. This occurs when the body's heat is lower than the normal body temperature of 98.6°F or 37°C.
Other parts of the body that can get cold are the toes and feet. Learn more about the causes and symptoms of cold feet here.
A cold nose could signal the early stages of frostnip or frostbite after prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures, such as freezing water or wind.
Frostbite commonly affects extremities such as the nose, ears, cheeks, fingers, or toes.
Hypothermia, frostnip, and frostbite are potentially dangerous conditions, and it is important to seek medical help immediately if they occur.
A cold nose could also be a sign of working too hard.
One study found a direct link between facial temperature and stress from a challenging workload.
The scientists who studied the neurological functions of 14 volunteers, found that the more mental pressures they faced, the colder their noses became.
The nose temperature dropped by an average of 1°C (33.8°F) as the mental tasks became more challenging. The research suggested this could be the result of blood flow from the face being diverted to the cerebral cortex.
Wearing hats and scarves can keep the face warm.
All these methods help keep the body warm and the blood flowing to the extremities, including the nose.
People who think their cold nose could be caused by hypothyroidism should see a doctor. A physical examination and blood tests can determine if they have the disorder. Treatment involves taking thyroid hormone medication.
There is no cure for Raynaud's disease and Raynaud's phenomenon. Adopting simple lifestyle changes can, however, help avoid triggering an attack.
Wearing warm clothing when in cold temperatures.
Using gloves or mittens when taking food out of the refrigerator or freezer if this causes a reaction.
Putting hand and foot warmers in mittens, boots, socks, or pockets.
Warming up a vehicle before driving in cold weather.
Taking medicines that improve blood flow to fingers and toes or surgery in some cases.
Some medicines, such as beta-blockers and certain migraine drugs, can cause attacks. People should consult a doctor if this is the case.
People who show symptoms of hypothermia, frostnip or frostbite should seek medical treatment immediately.
If someone shows visible signs of hypothermia, they should be immediately moved into a warm room or shelter. Any clothing that is wet should be taken off, and the individual should be kept dry and wrapped in a warm blanket.
They should be given a warm beverage to help increase their body temperature, but this must not include any alcohol.
People who show signs of frostnip or frostbite should not be allowed to walk, as this may damage the tissue of their feet or toes if these are affected.
Their cold bodies should not be rubbed or massaged, and heating pads or heat lamps should not be used either. They can be helped to immerse the affected areas of their body in warm, but not hot, water.
Work-related stress may contribute to a cold nose.
According to a 2012 survey, 65 percent of Americans cited work as a main source of stress.
Those who think their cold nose is caused by work-related stress can take steps to manage these pressures.
Developing healthful responses: Turn to exercise or a hobby instead of fast food or alcohol when dealing with stress at work.
Establishing work-life boundaries: Do not check work email in the evening.
Get support: From friends and family or stress management resources if offered by the employer.
Take time to recharge: Take a vacation to relax and unwind.
A cold nose should not be a cause for worry in many instances. It is normal for a nose to feel cold during chilly weather. It may simply mean someone needs to wrap up more when the temperatures drop.
A constantly cold nose could, however, be a sign of an underlying health condition, even in warm weather. It is recommended to see a doctor if the symptoms continue and cause pain and discomfort.
People should avoid smoking as this narrows the arteries and makes clots more likely to form, which can cause circulation problems, a heart attack, or stroke.
Ponsford, Soccy. "What does it mean when you have a cold nose?." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 15 May. 2018. Web.


Whatever else is said about malware authors, it’s becoming clearer and clearer of late that they are learning from their mistakes and adapting to new defensive tactics at an increasingly rapid rate. The latest example of this is a recently discovered version of the Carberp malware, which now includes a new encryption scheme and improved administrative capabilities.
Carberp is a somewhat obscure piece of malware–at least relative to media darlings such as Zeus and Clampi. But the authors behind Carberp have been tweaking and refining the capabilities of the malware in recent months, and a new version of the Trojan has appeared that makes it more difficult for users to defend against it. The original version of Carberp was just a typical Trojan designed to steal users’ sensitive data, such as online banking credentials or usernames and passwords for other high-value sites. All of the traffic sent back to the command-and-control server was in the clear. Simple and straightforward.
But as the malware’s creators learned what worked and what didn’t, they adjusted their tactics, according to an analysis by researchers at Seculert. The next iteration of Carberp boasted a couple of plug-ins, one that removed anti-malware software and another that would attempt to kill other pieces of malware found on an infected PC.
But the really interesting adjustments appeared in the most recent version of Carberp, which Seculert’s researchers came upon in recent days. The newest release includes the ability to encrypt all of the traffic between infected machines and the C&C server.
Carberp is mainly spreading in Russia right now, but many of the more successful banker Trojans and information-stealing pieces of malware targeted one specific country and then went on to spread in other countries over time. Don’t be surprised to see a similar evolution from Carberp.


Reality Winner isn't fearless, because she never expected the FBI to knock on her door.
She emailed a reporter. Whoops!


Published: April 30, 2016 at 07:31 p.m.
Updated: May 2, 2016 at 12:13 p.m.
CHICAGO -- There were 253 players selected in the 2016 NFL Draft who now have a place to call home. But for those who didn't hear their name called over the three days, it doesn't mean hope of making an NFL roster is lost. In fact, in 2015, more than 50 undrafted free agents were on opening-day rosters. For this year's crop, they are now free to sign with any team that wants them.
Here is my position-by-position list of the best priority free agents available following the 2016 draft (by rank). We'll keep it updated as the undrafted players sign with teams.


Fantasy Football season is almost upon us, and owners across the country will do just about anything to make sure they've got the best squad in their league.
One man, however, took his dedication to another level.
They say relationships are about compromises, and there are few better examples of that axiom than this couple.


When Malala left Mingora it was with a Taliban bullet wound to her head. On Saturday she returned as a Nobel Prize winner.
When Malala Yousufzai left her hometown in 2012 it was with a Taliban bullet wound to her head.
But the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize winner was greeted with cheers and tears on Saturday as she finally returned to Mingora despite the ongoing threat to her life.
The 20-year-old global advocate for girls' education arrived with her family in the Swat Valley town in a helicopter provided by the Pakistani military.
It is part of her first return visit to Pakistan; she flew into the capital, Islamabad, before dawn on Thursday flanked by heavy security and plans to return on Monday to Britain where she has been receiving long-term treatment and education.
Malala won international acclaim after she was shot by the Taliban for her campaign to improve education for women. She was riding home in her school van.
On Saturday, she returned to her childhood home accompanied by her father, mother and younger brother. She sobbed upon entering the home where relatives, former classmates and friends had been anxiously waiting since morning to welcome her with flowers and hugs.
"I am happy you, the people of Swat, are united to fight for peace," Malala said on Saturday. "We can't forget that worst period when female education was banned and our schools were blown away in Swat. It is part of our history and will remain in the history when people were terrorized and were deprived of living a peaceful life."
Malala said she waited for the moment for more than five years and said she often looked at Pakistan on the map, hoping one day to return. She said she plans to permanently return to Pakistan after completing her studies in Britain.
"It is still like a dream for me, am I among you? Is it a dream or reality," she said.
Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, a former teacher in a school that educated girls, told NBC News how excited the family had been to finally return to the area.
"I kissed the land and couldn't control my emotions," he said.
A relative told NBC News on condition of anonymity that Malala wanted to visit her hometown during this week's trip "at any cost."
"There are extraordinary security arrangements," the relative added.
Security was visibly increased in Mingora on Friday. The Pakistani Taliban had warned that it would target Malala again if they got the chance.
She had asked authorities to allow her to go to Mingora and to Shangla village, where a school has been built with aid from her Malala Fund.
Malala ended her whirlwind visit with a trip to an an all-boys cadet college before immediately returning to the Islamabad.
Malala has delighted in telling the Taliban, that instead of silencing her, they have amplified her campaign voice. She has also written a book, spoken at the United Nations and met with refugees.
"I believe our next generations will learn from the past and will go to schools and get education," Malala said on Saturday. "If we don't learn from the past experience then we would never be able to learn."
She received initial treatment in Pakistan and later was taken to England for further care. She stayed on to continue her education and became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
Malala is nonetheless a polarizing figure in Pakistan, where some critics on social media have tried to undermine her efforts to promote girls' education. She told reporters Friday that she expected criticism from militants, who had a particular mindset, but doesn't understand why some educated Pakistanis oppose her.
"Those who do criticize have an absurd kind of criticism that doesn't make any sense," she said in an interview publuished Saturday in Pakistan's English-language newspaper, The News.
"What I want is for people to support my purpose of education and think about the daughters of Pakistan who need an education," she said. "Don't think about me. I don't want any favor or I don't want everyone to accept me. All I care about is that they accept education as an issue."
Nevertheless, Malala is proud of her country and elated to be home. "I had never been so excited for anything. I've never been so happy before," she told Reuters.
"I miss everything about Pakistan ... right from the rivers, the mountains, to even the dirty streets and the garbage around our house, and my friends and how we used to have gossip and talk about our school life, to how we used to fight with our neighbors."
Mushtaq Yusufzai reported from Pakistan, Alice Tidey reported from London.


Lord Mayor hopeful Nic Frances..
Nic Frances Gilley is running for Lord Mayor.
And the former priest, who’s also worked in juvenile justice, came armed with a five-point plan for Melbourne when interviewed by Tom Elliott on Friday.
We want our Indigenous culture at the heart of our City: for sake of our Indigenous people, the rest of our citizens, and our visitors.
We want Melbourne to actually utilise the current environmental policy (Energy Upgrade Agreements) that we do have to create thousands of jobs in this sector, to extend this to domestic households, and to become the world’s leading sustainable city.
Homelessness has become a significant issue in Melbourne. We plan for immediate short-term solutions and longer-term engagement with all stakeholders to ensure the situation is completely turned around.
Improving tourism, education, and business opportunities for our Asian neighbours with stronger engagement than we use right now, so our city benefits from the extraordinary growth in this region.
Our campaign is using a deliberative democracy platform to provide an example of how Council can involve all citizens in the decision-making process of council over its whole term.


Srjdan, our Serbian innkeeper, is a perfect host. Knowing that we are bound to lose ourselves in the streets of Sombor, a Serbian town near the Hungarian border where the night before we had checked into his bed and breakfast with its opulent furnishings and paintings of lush Italianate beauties, he leads us to a dusty crossroads and points in the direction of Rastina, a tiny village where the road peters into a dusty track by a rickety watchtower. From here we can see the sparkling fence built by Hungary as it marches across vast acres of newly harvested fields of corn. We make our way toward the fence—a formidable ten-foot-high structure with double coils of razor wire affixed to metal posts sunk deep in the ground—and follow it for half a mile or more in the direction of a ruined farmhouse surrounded by bushes.
There are signs of activity on the Hungarian side—diggers and tractors creating clouds of dust as a second layer of fence is prepared. A police car draws up on the other side, and seeing our camera and tripod, an officer asks—in English, the lingua franca—what we are doing. “We are taking pictures for an exhibition,” we tell him. “We have permission from the Serbian police.” “You do not have permission,” he says, “because you are standing on Hungarian soil.” He points through the wire to a small white post that marks the official border, five feet on our side of the fence. International law requires that both countries must agree to the construction of border barriers. The Hungarians did not ask the Serbians for permission to build their fence. Instead they erected it more than three feet inside Hungary, ceding a de facto ribbon of territory to their Balkan neighbor.


Milwaukee diners feasting at Sanford Restaurant.
The city's seen an explosion of new, widely-recognized restaurants over the last 40 years, and its residents' palettes are maturing alongside them.
"Milwaukee is in its early 20s as far as if it were a person," says "Wisconsin Foodie" host Kyle Cherek. "We know who we are, we're not scared about talking about our culinary scene anymore. We're starting to move into some dining trends and claim our own identity as a city of both chefs and eaters."
Cherek says this new dining enthusiasm had him thinking about how Milwaukee's dining scene developed since the 1970s. Back then, Milwaukee had a few fine dining restaurants based on the Escoffier/French style of fine cuisine.
But Cherek says the city lacked, what he called, "really engaging, inventive, terrific dining."
"We sort of did it with a few bright lights, but nothing amazing, and then our German trumped everything except the Germans," he says.
Then came Sanford D'Amato. He was among the first Americans to break into the French kitchens in New York in the 1970s and quickly made a reputation for himself. When he came back to Milwaukee to open his signature restaurant, Sanford, in 1989, Cherek says it represented a "crack of the first bright light that changed the dining scene in Milwaukee."
Cherek says it's hard to overstate how crucial the James Beard award-winning D'Amato was for changing Milwaukee's dining culture. Along with wife and business partner Angie, D'Amato early on managed to make a Milwaukee restaurant one of the 10 best dining institutions in the country, Cherek says - something that wasn't entirely recognized here at the time.
"It was, thank goodness, a type of cuisine that resonated on a national level so quickly that I think in some ways the foodie - we didn't have that term - intelligentsia of the nation caught up to their cuisine before some Milwaukee diners did," Cherek says. "Though they ate it and loved it, they didn't quite appreciate it for what it was in a broader sense."
D'Amato's transformative restaurant was followed by Joe Bartolotta's Ristorante Bartolotta in 1993 and Lake Park Bistro in 1995. By the early 2000s, more inventive restaurants were being opened by chefs who had trained under these talented, top chefs.
"When I talk to chefs about what did Sanford meant to you, in essence, the answer was everything," Cherek says. "He or they were the linchpin that made us believe or gave us a chance to imagine a different kind of dining scene in Milwaukee."
By the 2000s, new restaurants like The Social, Crazy Water and La Merenda had been opened by this new generation of chefs, who shifted toward "comfort casual food but with this better cooking etiquette," Cherek says.
But in 2008 Milwaukee's dining scene became an anomaly, Cherek says. Most cities saw restaurants fold due to the bad economy, but the opposite happened in Milwaukee.
"During the recession, we kept opening up all these great places as compared to the rest of the country and outpacing the rest of the country and they're staying open," he says. What's more, these restaurants are nationally recognized and feature award-winning chefs.
As the city becomes known as one that creates, and consumes, innovative food, chefs are beginning to experiment. Molecular cuisine is being introduced, and many chefs are pushing back against "corporate concepts."
"We're starting to move into some dining trends and claim our own identity as a city of both chefs and eaters." -Kyle Cherek, host and producer of "Wisconsin Foodie"
"Go to a lot of cities B-tier cities like us, their downtowns are filled with Applebee's and P.F. Chang's," Cherek says. "Instead we've got things that are owned here. There's that identity that we're really clinging to because it's there for us, and in other cities of our scale and population, they're filled with big guys who fly in from 30,000 feet."
As chefs are getting creative, Milwaukee's diners are also willing to try new things, Cherek says. That's crucial for the city's restaurant scene to keep up the pace, which Cherek isn't sure can last.
"This enthusiasm over the last four or five years of places opening up...is going to kind of have to implode a little bit, or this supernova will grow for another 10 or 12 years, and it really has everything to do with the dining public," he says. "It's our time to have great food, but we've got to go out and embrace it."
Cherek will be talking with Milwaukee chef Sanford D’Amato Saturday afternoon at the Wine & Dine event at the Wisconsin Center.
A week-long conference includes and awards cheese makers from all over the world and Wisconsin comes away with the most awards.
Madison turned into the cheesiest place in the country last week- at least for the duration of the American Cheese Society annual conference and contest.
For the 30th anniversary event, all the big cheeses were on hand - but they didn't stand alone. So were hundreds of expert cheesemakers, distributors, food scientists and writers, and other cheeseheads.
Lake Effect's Bonnie North interviews Chef Curtis Stone.
Many cookbooks claim to speak to our busy lives and the need to simplify cooking without compromising quality and flavor.
Lake Effect's Stephanie Lecci interviews Milwaukee chef Michael Feker.
For many of us, summer cuisine means steaks, or chicken breasts, or kebabs, or brats, outside, over an open flame.
For such an unassuming culinary city, Milwaukee is gaining steam in the trendy restaurant scene - thanks to its chefs.


INDIANOLA, Iowa -- After years of budget battles and failed votes, Warren County will finally be getting a new courthouse and jail, but Tuesday’s special election victory isn't the end of the story.
The Warren County Board of Supervisors’ proposal to bond for under 30 million dollars worked. The measure passed with nearly 70% support. However, the 29.9 million-dollar proposal is less than the initial estimates for what the courthouse would cost to build.
Now there's a question of where they make up the difference.
“The board of supervisors has committed $1.2 million, so that makes $31.1 million that is devoted to this. So where is the $1.9 million that's going to be needed to make it to the $33 million and that's not including the steel tariffs that may affect this price” said County Supervisor Crystal McIntyre.
Aside from making it less of a burden on tax payers, McIntyre says staying under 30 million dollars was a sticking point for board chair Doug Shull. The question now will be whether to make up the remaining 1.9 million by cutting costs or using the money they pledged plus reserve funds; McIntyre wants the latter.
“I'm hoping we'll be able to use that plus more to make up any other gaps so that our users can get the building that they need, again, to protect the taxpayer because they don't want to come back and redo this building because we ran out of space for them” she said.
Brenda Easter is president of the Indianola Chamber of Commerce. She says keeping the courthouse downtown is huge for the businesses surrounding it.
“It'll bring more foot traffic, there's going to be a lot more awareness, the businesses will always benefit by having more street traffic and foot traffic” she said.
With the old courthouse coming down and the new one to be built in its place, Easter says it's a chance to rebrand the square and build for the future.
“When you think about it, we're building for tomorrow, so what we put on the square today is something that generations will enjoy” said Easter.
Meanwhile, residents are just happy that the old building closed due to mold, overcrowding, and ventilation issues, is coming down.
“It's old and it was shut down because it was unsafe. So, if it's unsafe what's the point of keeping it around?” said Brenda Bassanmas.
The project will raise property taxes by about 100 dollars per year for the average homeowner. McIntyre hopes to have a plan submitted for bid by December or January.


Millions of families will take off this week to do something Americans do less than almost any other country -- go on vacation. If you plan on spending lots of money, you're probably doing it right.
Vacations are expensive. You know that already. Traveling costs money. Hotels cost money. Being pampered costs money. How much? Travel surveys by Visa, AAA, and Money Magazine have all put the median cost somewhere around $1,600. It should be much more.
Our brains are hard-wired to think we need to spend a lot on summer vacations to be happy. But underneath what you might call biases and miscalculations, there is a good deal of wisdom. The fact is that economic and psychological research suggests we would be happier if we devoted more of our time to buying brief experiences on vacation rather than buying even durable stuff to wear and keep around us.
There are at least three reasons why families with means are already likely to spend considerable sums on their brief vacations, already. The first reason is in that adjective, brief: Americans don't go on vacation that often compared with other countries. We're the only advanced economy in the world without a federally-mandated minimum number of vacation days, and more than 50% of workers don't use all their vacation days, anyway. According to the law of diminishing marginal utility, this should make vacation especially valuable for us. The same way the first sip of lemonade on a hot day is more refreshing than the 15th, a brief once- or twice-a-year vacation appears more valuable than a routine long weekend.
The second reason some of us feel okay spending lots of money on vacation is that, given how precious breaks are, we want to leave nothing to chance. The technical term for this is "risk-averse": We don't want little things to go wrong, and we're willing to pay to ensure they won't. But as anybody who's been on vacation knows, things go wrong all the time. The hotel room has too few beds. The restaurant messed up the reservation. The Disney World lines are eternal. Vacations are supposedly releases from stress, but they are also often stressful -- not least because we've investing so much time, money, and expectations in them. And yet, every year, we return to the scene of the stress, expecting better. Why?
An explanation might be the "peak-end rule." When we reflect on a complex experience like a vacation, we're likely to discount the mundane or mildly uncomfortable experiences and keenly recall the the highs. If you've been to an amusement park, ask yourself: Are you more likely to remember the hour you spent in line or the two minutes you spent on the ride at the end? The ride, of course. You might have spent 30X more time complaining about your legs hurting than feeling exhilarated while flying at 70 miles-per-hour upside-down. But it's the upside-down flying that you have in your mind when you take out your wallet and make plans to return to the park.
These small psychological ticks and biases influence how think about, and pay for, vacations. But just because they're biases doesn't mean they're bad. In fact, the abundance of research on money and happiness suggests should probably spend more on experiences.
Occasionally "we favor objects because we think that experiences can be fun but leave us with nothing to show for them, but that turns out to be a good thing," says Daniel Gilbert, the renowned psychologist and author from Harvard University. "Experiences are like good relatives that stay for a while and then leave. Objects are like relatives who move in and stay past their welcome."
The other nice thing about vacations is that they are social occasions. Most of us travel with friends and family and share our stories, which allows us to relive our vacations in memory. "We are social animals, and the best predictor of happiness is the goodness and extent of our social relationships," Gilbert says. "Experiences are more likely to be shared than objects are."
At every tourist hot-spot, there are those families that walk around with a camera in front of their eyes. These families obviously place a high value on creating memories. On the other end of the spectrum, some people (like myself) take very few pictures, preferring instead the real-time experience of the vacation to the knowledge that every moment will be captured for posterity. Which strategy is best? Far be it for me to say. I guess it just depends on what you're paying for.


Udupi/M’Belle, 13 April 2018: The Heath Commission and Women’s Commission of St. Lawrence Parish, Moodubelle along with Mayor Polaris Company conducted two days long Bone Density and Obesity Checkup Camp at the Church Aided Higher Primary School Hall on 12 and 13 April 2018.
The Bone Density and Obesity Checkup Camp was inaugurated on Thursday, 12 April 2018 at 9.30 am. Fr. Lawrence Cutinha, Assistant Parish Priest presided over the inaugural function. Prakash Andrade-Convener of Health Commission of Mother of Sorrows Church, Udupi who helped in organizing the camp, Madhav Upadhyaya-Sales Representative of Mayor Polaris Company, Mrs. Monica D’Souza-Coordinator of 18 Commissions of St. Lawrence Parish, Moodubelle, Mrs. Precilla Alva-Convener of Health Commission and Mrs. Gretta Fernandes-Convener of Women’s Commission were on the dais.
The camp was formally inaugurated by the dignitaries on the dais by lighting the lamp.
In his introductory remarks, Prakash Andrade explained that with passing age the bones in the body undergo changes due to lack of calcium and other nutrients. Deficiency of calcium leads to brittleness of the bones resulting in osteoporosis. Hence, the measurement of bone density and obesity is important so that remedial measures can be taken in order to lead healthy and happy life.
Fr. Lawrence Cutinha complimented Health and Women’s Commissions for organizing the Bone Density and Obesity Checkup Camp so that the parishioners can get an opportunity to find out the health of their bones and take precautionary measures to prevent osteoporosis.
Mrs. Gretta Fernandes welcomed the guests and the gathering. Mrs. Precilla Alva proposed the vote of thanks and Mrs.Ainis Castelino compeered the programme.
There was great response to the camp from the parishioners of Moodubelle. During the two days, altogether 145 men and women took advantage of the Bone Density and Obesity Checkup Camp.


Children born abroad to Danish jihadists will no longer receive Danish citizenship, the minority government announced Thursday after striking a deal with its populist ally the Danish People's Party.
"Contrary to current rules, children who will be born in regions prohibited to Danes... will not automatically receive Danish nationality," the immigration ministry said in a statement.
"As their parents have turned their back on Denmark, there is no reason for the children to become Danish citizens," Immigration Minister Inger Stojberg was quoted as saying in the statement.
The proposal must still go through parliament. No date has been set for the vote but it is expected to pass.
The fate of foreign fighters with the Islamic State group and their families has become a major international headache since the fall of the last vestige of its so-called caliphate in Syria.
Since 2016, it has been a criminal offence under Danish law to have fought in conflict zones for a terrorist group.
The courts have already convicted 13 people for having joined or tried to join a terrorist organisation.
Nine of those were stripped of their Danish nationality and expelled from the country. The others could not be stripped of their citizenship as they did not hold dual nationality.
Under the new rules, holders of dual nationality can lose their Danish citizenship by simple administrative order.
There are around 40 jihadists with links to Denmark in what used to be territory held by the Islamic State group in Syria, 10 of whom have been captured, according to the government.
The exact number of Danish children born there remains unknown.


French riot police now using semiautomatic weapons, live ammo against protesters. UPDATE: Full auto?
Last week, when we looked at the French government’s plans to “crack down” on the yellow vest protesters and rioters, it sounded like they were just passing new laws to allow for jail time for unauthorized marches. While a bit on the heavy-handed side, it still sounded like typical law enforcement in a more socialist-style government. But now the concept of a “crackdown” has definitely been taken to the next level. The riot control officers are breaking out the semiautomatic rifles and issuing live ammunition to deal with the crowds. (Daily Mail) See update at the end of the article.
French riot police have deployed semi-automatic weapons with live ammunition against Yellow Vest protestors for the first time.
Officers were filmed brandishing Heckler & Koch G36 weapons by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Saturday afternoon. The presence of semi-automatic rifles at a demonstration by unarmed French citizens shows how President Emmanuel Macron’s law and order crisis spirals.
It comes after former conservative minister Luc Ferry called for live fire to be used against the ‘thugs’ from the Yellow Vest movement who he says ‘beat up police’.
Here’s a picture of the H&K G36 that the riot police are sporting.
Hey, wait a minute here. Isn’t that an… “assault rifle?” The left-side American media has been awfully quiet about the use of tear gas and pepper spray in France while describing similar tactics in use at our southern border as the deployment of “chemical weapons.” I wonder if this news will attract their attention.
Here’s some video that a Twitter user recorded of the riot police stepping out with their new toys.
If the normal routine of unarmed police with batons and riot shields wasn’t doing the trick, you might understand if they escalated the arms race a bit by going with tear gas, bean bag guns or rubber bullets. But jumping straight to live ammo sounds a bit… excessive, doesn’t it?
While I understand the need for the government to maintain order, keep in mind that many of the yellow vest squads are not engaged in rioting. (Though some clearly are.) They are out in the streets petitioning their government for a redress of grievances. That video you just watched is how their government is responding.
I don’t want to put too fine of a point on this, but the current situation in Paris is a good reminder of why the United States originally formed the type of government we have with certain rights defined for its citizens. Once you allow the government to take away your guns while they keep theirs, the balance of power is too far gone to overcome. And the next thing you know, your protest is being met in this fashion.
It’s certainly possible that France is ordering special, custom-made weapons without the fully automatic mode, but that would seem like an odd choice, not to mention costing more. So it’s at least possible that the riot squads are out there with fully automatic rifles.


Italy's first World Cup of Golf as Molinaris edge out McIlroy and Stenson in China.
Brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari won a dramatic three-way final round tussle with Sweden and Ireland to claim a first World Cup of Golf for Italy by one stroke.
The duo found their putting touch on the back nine as their rivals faltered to finish with a four-under-par 68 for a total of 29-under for the $5.5million tournament at Mission Hills in China.
Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, who had led all week after an opening 58, carded an error-strewn 70 to share second with defending champion Swedes Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson, who shot a 69.
Edoardo leapt around the 18th green after securing victory with a two-foot par putt before embracing his younger brother – becoming the first siblings to lift the John Jay Hopkins trophy in the 55 versions of the event.
"It's amazing, we don't really have any words," 27-year-old Francesco, who will share a cheque for $1.7million with his brother, said in a greenside TV interview on Sunday.
"It's been really tough all day, we were playing against some of the best golfers in the world. It was really tough until the last green. But it's even better when it's like this."
Ireland had started the final day foursomes in Shenzen with a one-shot cushion but were drawn into the chasing pack when world number 10 McIlroy went into the trees with his drive at the third.
The Ulstermen looked to have recovered their nerves, however, with a string of four birdies from the fourth to surge three shots clear.
Sweden, who shot a final-round 63 to win last year, had picked up two shots before dropping their first and only shot of the tournament at the eighth.
Calamity struck for the Irish around the turn, however, when they chalked up two more bogeys at the eighth and 10th holes, the latter when McIlroy missed a two-foot par putt.
The Molinaris, meanwhile, had gone through 10 holes at a steady one-under before three successive birdie putts from Francesco, the second a curling beauty from 30 feet, broke the three-way tie then put the Italians ahead by two.
The Swedes and Irish cut the lead to one shot with birdies at the 15th and there was more drama at the 18th.
First Stenson's birdie putt tracked around the lip of the hole and out and then Edoardo's second shot went into a greenside bunker, while the Irish carved out a birdie chance.
World number 37 Francesco, however, came up with a beautiful sand wedge to two feet and, when McDowell's putt came up short, Edoardo had a simple shot for championship.
Francesco had seven top 10s finishes on the European Tour this year, while his brother Edoardo, the 2005 US Amateur champion, was the Challenge Tour champion.
After his victory in a playoff over Karlsson at the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan last week, 28-year-old Edoardo has now won four of his last six tournaments.
England's Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher finally lived up to their billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites with a 64 for fourth place on 26-under.
World number eight Sergio Garcia missed a two-foot putt as Spain finished a miserable week with a double bogey that left them 22 shots behind the winners with only the hapless Scottish duo (78) behind in 28th and last place.


Danger from chemical facilities: "Hurricane Harvey's winds and floodwaters have created emergencies at chemical facilities across the Houston area, from an Exxon Mobil roof collapse at its massive Baytown complex to the risk of an explosion at a chemical plant northeast of Houston," via a report from the Houston Chronicle last night. Shell reports it has released 100 pounds of benzene and toluene each due to a sinking roof.
Increased pollution from spike in air releases: Politico looks at chemical releases that are triggered from the shut down of petrochemical plants, as well as other impacts from the storm.
"Hobbled oil refineries and damaged fuel facilities along the Gulf Coast of Texas from Tropical storm Harvey have released more than two million pounds of dangerous chemicals into the air this week, adding new health threats to Houston's already considerable woes," including carcinogenic benzene and nitrogen oxide, they report.


Save money and stay healthy by making smoothies at home.
Whether it's waking up in the morning or coming off a hard workout, there's nothing quite like freshly made smoothie. But if you want a truly good beverage, the right blender makes all the difference.
The Ninja Fit Blender is currently on sale at Walmart for $29. Normally, the blender goes for $54.99 at the listed price, which means you'll save $25.99 during the sale.
The Ninja Fit provides a nice addition to the kitchen thanks to it's compact design, making it ideal for use as a personal blender. That said, it doesn't slouch on the power, packing a 700W power pod to break down those tougher fruits and veggies. It's strong enough to even get through ice and frozen ingredients. And if you want to prep and go, the blender includes two 16-ounce cups with sip lids.


That's all we need, some more gold flooding an already sinking market.
How did it get to Thailand?
It is "Ciudad" .... not "Cuidad". The difference being "City" and "caution".


Transit-oriented developments typically go up next to, well, transit stations. Not this one near the Newton-Needham line.
Northland Investment Corp. wants its 1.4-million-square-foot, mixed-use project on busy Needham Street to be a transit hub — even though its nearly 23-acre site is a mile away from the nearest T stop.
To pull it off, Northland would pay for shuttle buses to bring residents of the complex to nearby train stations, and even to Boston and Cambridge. The big twist: The public, not just tenants, would be able to hop on board.
Northland will likely need to prove to Newton city councilors that it can solve the site’s traffic challenges to win approval for the project — one that calls for 800-plus apartments, stores, restaurants, and offices, and more than 1,900 parking spaces.
And its unusual approach could also serve as an intriguing model for other developers eager to strike gold with properties in Greater Boston that aren’t on the T. Much of the prime land within Route 128 is spoken for already, thanks to the hot real estate market. Northland’s bus concept offers a potential solution, with a promise to rewrite the definition of “transit-oriented” while reducing suburbanites’ reliance on their cars.
Sure, other local developers have kicked in money for transit: New Balance’s Boston Landing commuter rail stop, for example, or the new Orange Line station at Assembly Row in Somerville. But these are one-time investments that increase the value of the adjacent developments while providing a public benefit. In other cases, companies join together to pay for office shuttles that allow the public to piggyback for a price, such as the 128 Business Council buses or the EZRide that connects North Station with Kendall Square.
What Northland is proposing is something different: a single developer subsidizing the operations of a new bus system.
Northland and the 128 Business Council presented four key routes to a Newton City Council committee earlier this month: buses to Cambridge, South Station and the Seaport, and the Needham Heights commuter rail terminal, as well as a shuttle that would circulate within the city. The system would draw from nearby Newton neighborhoods, as well as the Northland apartments.
The presentation covered everything from the vehicle interiors to precise pickup and drop-off times. But something important was missing: the cost. Northland isn’t sharing any estimates yet of what a typical commuter would be expected to pay.
The bus fare likely would be cheaper to the public than at another new privately financed transit option — the new ferry from North Station to the Seaport. The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority pooled funds from several Seaport businesses to launch a ferry between Lovejoy Wharf and Fan Pier this month. The boat provides a smoother, more reliable ride than the shuttle it is replacing. The public will be allowed on board starting in late February, but for $12 a trip during peak times.
In Newton, Northland may need to prove its buses will be affordable enough to be popular. City councilors will weigh the inevitable concerns about size and scale, particularly in light of Needham Street’s notorious traffic jams. They have other questions, too. Rick Lipof, for example, wonders if the buses will be frequent enough — the Cambridge and Boston shuttles would run only once an hour in the itinerary provided to the council. And Andreae Downs worries about the system’s permanence: Can a privately funded bus service catch on if there’s no guarantee it will be here in the long run?
In the end, though, the council may need to make a leap of faith. The most fundamental question that Northland poses is this: Can enough people be persuaded to ditch their cars in the suburbs if given alternatives? Take all the surveys you want. That’s one question that probably can’t be accurately answered until it’s put to the test, in real life.