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![endif]--> (CNN) -- The South Korean presidential office accepted the resignation of the chief of the Army Tuesday, the Yonhap news agency reported. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Hwang Eui-don had received criticism about a property investment before submitting his letter of resignation, Yonhap reported. Hwang was named to the position in June and was quickly accused of using insider information to make money off of a property investment, Yonhap reported. This resignation comes weeks after the country's defense minister resigned. Kim Tae-young, a former general, came under heavy criticism after the March sinking of the South Korean war ship Cheonan and again after North Korea struck Yeonpyeong Island in November. Kim resigned in late November and was replaced.

Story highlights - "A Navy plane just went down on 24th Street," a caller told dispatchers - "Oh my God! It's like something keeps exploding," another woman told 911 - Seven people, including two pilots, were injured, but no one died in the crash - The service will compensate people whose homes were destroyed Emergency calls highlight the confusion in a Virginia Beach, Virginia, neighborhood after a Navy fighter jet crashed last week, with one woman reporting that a pilot was on her patio awaiting medical aid. Authorities released recordings of the calls on Monday, three days after the F/A-18 Hornet slammed into an apartment complex about two miles from the naval air station where it took off. "Nobody's here, and I keep calling and there's no ambulance," one woman told a 911 dispatcher from her condominium a few blocks from the crash site. She said one of two fliers who ejected from the stricken warplane was outside, that he was conscious and that she had already called for help. "He's still on my patio, but they told me to evacuate, and there's other guys there helping him," the unidentified woman says. "My neighbor's there helping him." Seven people, including the two-person crew of the Hornet, were injured when the aircraft crashed into a Virginia Beach apartment complex on Friday. But there were no fatalities, a fact that Adm. John Harvey called a "miracle" over the weekend. "A Navy plane just went down on 24th Street," a man says in another call to dispatchers. "It hit an apartment complex and I saw the, um, the pilot bail out. The pilot did bail out -- I saw it -- but it hit the apartment complex." The aircraft experienced a "catastrophic mechanical malfunction" during takeoff from Naval Air Station Oceana on Friday, raining jet fuel over Virginia Beach before plunging to the ground, according to residents and Navy officials. It landed upright and in flames in the middle of the courtyard of the Mayfair Mews apartment complex, setting five surrounding buildings on fire. "There's a terrible fire at the Mayfair Mews apartment building. ... Oh my God! It's like something keeps exploding or something," another woman tells dispatchers. The jet carried a student pilot in the front seat and an experienced instructor behind him, and the leakage of jet fuel was "one of the indications that there was a mechanical malfunction," Navy Capt. Mark Weisgerber told reporters. The plane was part of a training squadron at Oceana and was not carrying live ordnance. The Navy said Monday that investigators have recovered the flight recorder from the Hornet. The device, which records flight data but not cockpit voices, has been sent to a Navy air base at Patuxent River, Maryland, for analysis, Navy officials said in a written statement Monday afternoon. The wing and part of the fuselage of the plane were being moved to Oceana for further study, but the remains of the jet's twin engines will remain at the crash site for now as investigators study them, the U.S. Atlantic fleet's aviation arm reported. The Navy expects to finish removing most aircraft debris by the end of the week as part of its investigation. And the service will soon begin cutting compensation checks to the people who lost their homes in the crash, said Rear Adm. Tim Alexander, commander of the Navy's Mid-Atlantic region. "We are committed to doing the right thing to address the needs of these families, who through no fault of their own have endured an incredible hardship," Alexander said. "We owe it to everyone affected by Friday's accident to help them get their life back together." Initial payments will begin at $2,300 per person to cover immediate needs, such as housing, meals and clothing. The amount will increase for additional family members. Counseling and legal services also will be available, Alexander said. Residents who completed claims by Saturday could receive payments by Monday.

The Money Trail: Democracy For Sale (10/7/97) AllPolitics' Gavel to Gavel: Fund-Raising Hearings Center for Responsive Politics report: "The Big Picture: Money Follows Power Shift on Capitol Hill" (11/25/97) WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Nov. 25) -- A new study by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics documents what the watchdog group says was an historic shift in patterns of political contributions that followed the Republican Party's capture of Congress in 1994. The report -- "The Big Picture: Money Follows Power Shift on Capitol Hill" -- shows how political giving follows the party in power. When Democrats controlled Congress during 1993-94, 51 percent of all individual and political action committee (PAC) contributions to federal candidates from business interests went to Democrats, with Republicans pocketing 49 percent, according to the study. But with the GOP in control during 1995-96, 63 percent of all business PAC and individual contributions flowed to the Republicans, the study found. In 1993-94, business PACs gave slightly more to Democrats than Republicans, but Republicans collected nearly 70 percent of all business PAC money in 1995-96, the study says. The GOP held a narrower 54-46 percent advantage over Democrats in raising soft money from business interests, reflecting aggressive White House fund-raising efforts, the study's authors contend. "The abrupt flip-flop of business contributions is clear proof that money follows power," Kent C. Cooper, the center's executive director, said in a statement. "Had ideology or philosophy been the primary motive for earlier business contributions, we would not have seen this sudden shift. But we now know that at least 20 percent of the earlier business contributions to Democrats were pragmatic business decisions, not financial support motivated by sympathy for the candidates' political views. Business contributors understand that those in power control the agenda for setting the policies that impact their bottom lines." The study, released today, was based on a computer-assisted examination of more than 1.2 million individual contributions of at least $200 and 230,000 PAC contributions to federal candidates and political parties. Whenever possible, researchers classified the donation to reflect either the political action committee's interest or the occupation or employer of the donor. The study puts a final price tag of about $2.2 billion on the 1996 election, the most expensive in American history, the center says. Business interests made $653.4 million in soft money, PAC and individual contributions. That was more than 11 times the $58.1 million that labor contributed and 19 times the $34.3 million contributed by donors the center classifies as ideological. Sixty percent of all business contributions went to Republicans, 93 percent of all labor contributions went to Democrats, and 52 percent of all ideological contributions went to Republicans. Other highlights of "The Big Picture" report include:.

<! --- Ads by googale -----> <! -- Google Banner --> * Sri Lanka's Colombo University to reopen the two faculties closed due to protests Tue, Apr 1, 2014, 11:35 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka. Apr 01, Colombo: The faculties of Arts and Education at the University of Colombo that were closed indefinitely last month will be reopened after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year holidays, the university administration announced. The Chairperson of the university authority in Sri Lanka, University Grants Commission (UGC), Professor Kshanika Hirimburegama told the local media the two faculties will soon be reopened for the fourth year undergraduates. The faculties of Arts and Education at the University of Colombo were closed indefinitely and educational services were suspended following a tense situation that erupted on March 24 during a protest staged by the students. The protesting students demanded the university administration to take steps to reduce the hostel fee from Rs. 3000 to Rs. 800. The Chairperson of the UGC pointed out that hostel fees are "quite cheap" for although there is an issue of lack of enough space as the students enrollment has gone up. Meanwhile, the new batch of students who have been enrolled for this year will begin their classes soon after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year holidays. ** Related Story :: Two faculties of Sri Lanka\'s Colombo University closed due to student protests

Shelby County ballot coming together for Nov. 6 election A referendum on a half-cent countywide sales tax increase will be on the ballot in the Nov. 6 election, asking voters if they want to use the bulk of an anticipated $60 million in revenues to fund schools. The Shelby County Commission approved the countywide referendum, which was vetoed by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, then reinstated by the commission Monday in an 8-4 override of the mayor's veto. Shelby County elections administrator Richard Holden said Tuesday he expects the county commission to formally request this week, possibly today, that the referendum be placed on the ballot, allowing voters in Memphis, Millington and unincorporated Shelby County to weigh the tax increase. Other pieces of the schools puzzle still are coming together with U.S. Dist. Judge Samuel "Hardy" Mays planning a Sept. 4 trial on whether creation of separate municipal school districts is constitutional. The election commission Tuesday certified candidates running for school board seats in those municipal school districts. One candidate, Dale Viox, was disqualified Tuesday after complaints that he is not a resident of Arlington. Commission chairman Robert Meyers read a letter from Arlington administrators saying Viox is not a resident. Election commission staff said they were unable to contact Viox, and a recording for his telephone number said Tuesday the number has been disconnected. The commission also unanimously approved a request by Collierville school board position 4 candidate John Mark Hansen to change his name on the November ballot to "Mark Hansen". He said he failed to notice when he signed his full name on election commission records that the name he used would be the way his name would appear on the ballot. "Most people know me as Mark," he said. Need Help? Call us at 1-888-789-0831. Monday-Friday: 6am-5pm / Saturday: 6:30am-11:30am / Sunday: 6am-1pm

Ethics committee clears Bradgon of intentional wrongdoing in taking LGC job Former Senate president Peter Bragdon did not intentionally violate any ethics rules when he accepted a position as executive director of the Local Government Center last August, the Legislative Ethics Committee ruled yesterday. “I think it’s pretty clear that the ethics committee has tossed this complete complaint aside, and I’m certainly relieved for that as well as a closure of the situation,” Bragdon said in an interview after the ruling. Rep. Rick Watrous, a Concord Democrat, filed five complaints against Bragdon last year, alleging that he was hired by the LGC because of his ability to influence legislation. Bragdon resigned from his role as Senate president, but kept his seat, shortly after accepting the job. The LGC has since reorganized into HealthTrust, which Bragdon now heads, amid a legal battle that found it owed millions of dollars to local governments it insured. The ethics committee is made up of two lawyers, a public member and a senator and representative from each party. The committee voted unanimously to dismiss three of Watrous’s complaints, saying they lacked clear evidence. Two of those complaints alleged Bragdon knew or believed the LGC hired him so that he could influence legislation dealing with risk pools and that Bragdon used his official position as Senate president to get the job. The third alleged Bragdon attempted to improve his chances of hiring by appointing Sen. Jeanie Forrester, a Meredith Republican, to head a legislative committee tasked with re-examining the rules governing risk pools while the LGC was locked in its legal battle. wrote in his complaint. On the two other complaints, the ethics committee voted unanimously to enter an informal resolution process. Those two complaints alleged Bragdon knew that the LGC and HealthTrust were likely to become interested in matters before the Legislature and that his $180,000 salary is related to his position within the Senate and is therefore a prohibited gift. On both, the committee members believed “if there was a violation, then the evidence indicates it was inadvertent,” Chairman Martin Gross said. Now the committee will work up the informal resolutions, which could range from a written admonishment to detailed recommendations. If Bragdon doesn’t consent to the resolutions, the committee could enter formal proceedings. A report detailing how the committee came to each decision will be available to the public shortly. Bragdon said yesterday’s unanimous votes on all counts show the complaints had little merit and will likely discourage people from continuing to file complaints. He has repeatedly said he’ll recuse himself from legislative dealings related to HealthTrust and believes the informal resolutions will ask him to agree to similar conditions. After the ruling, however, the New Hampshire Democratic Party released a statement calling Bragdon’s actions “questionable,” specifically his decision to appoint Forrester to lead a committee overseeing laws that could affect HealthTrust. “Regardless of your party, we can all agree that Bragdon shouldn’t have given his political pal Jeanne Forrester regulatory authority overseeing his new taxpayer-funded $180,000-per-year job in the midst of interviewing for it,” party spokesman Harrell Kirstein said. “In New Hampshire, public office is a public trust, and no committee in Concord will be able to protect them from voters in November.” In an email, Watrous said he was disappointed in the committee’s choice not to pursue a formal investigation. “These are serious charges that should have been looked into. It’s a sad day for governmental ethics but a good day for blatant conflicts of interests,” he said. (Kathleen Ronayne can be reached at 369-3390 or kronayne@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @kronayne.) - Discussion FAQ - Report a comment You must be registered to comment on stories. Click here to register.

Johnny Griffin had over a decade of valuable performing experience (with Lionel Hampton, Joe Morris, and Art Blakey) and several albums as a leader under his belt when he joined the Riverside roster in 1958. It was his Riverside work, however, under his own name and with Thelonious Monk, that finally established the Chicago native as the Little Giant of the tenor sax and one of the most exciting jazz soloists on any instrument. This was his first release for the label, a typically hard-blowing encounter with talented partners in the front line and an equally sympathetic rhythm section that allows Griffin to display his full emotional range, as well as the supercharged solo lines that became his trademark. with Donald Byrd, Pepper Adams, Kenny Drew, Wilbur Ware, Philly Joe Jones

EL MONTE - Officials found and removed a large graffiti message cursing the Los Angeles Police Department, which they believe to have been inspired by the recent manhunt for former LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, authorities said. The spray-painted graffiti was first reported about 10:30 a.m. on a wall surrounding a home in the 4800 block of Dyson Street, at Lower Azusa Road, El Monte police Cpl. Aram Choe said. "The graffiti was approximately three feet tall, and it was critical of the Los Angeles Police Department," the corporal said. He estimated the message was about 6 feet wide. It read, "(expletive) LAPD," officials said. Investigators suspected the graffiti was scrawled by a "Dorner supporter" in response to the recent manhunt, and ultimate killing, of quadruple-murder suspect and ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, Choe said. Dorner wrote in an online manifesto that he was engaging in a war against his former colleagues in law enforcement in retaliation for his termination from the LAPD in early 2009. Before he was ultimately tracked to a cabin near Big Bear, where his body was found following a lengthy gun battle and massive fire, Dorner killed Cal State University Fullerton assistant basketball coach Monica Quan, 28, and her 27-year-old fiancee, Keith Lawrence, near their Irvine home, authorities said. In the 10 days that followed, he went on to fatally shoot a Riverside police officer and a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy as law enforcement agencies throughout Southern California mobilized to hunt for Dorner, officials said. Another Riverside police officer and another San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy were seriously wounded by Dorner's gunfire.

The. But across the Charles River in Cambridge, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and his brother Dzhokhar, 19, were busy.. The call to the police dispatcher came in at 10:20 p.m. Thursday: shots fired on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Cambridge. When police arrived to investigate, they found university officer Sean Collier shot multiple times inside his cruiser. Witnesses reported seeing two men. Fifteen minutes later, another call came in of an armed carjacking by two men.. When the captors went into a Cambridge gas station, the man escaped and called police, said Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas.. But after all the gunfire, the second gunman had vanished. Officers, their guns drawn, cordoned off the area. the second suspect, authorities announced they were shutting down not just Watertown, but all of Boston and many of its suburbs, affecting more than 1 million people. Train service was cancelled. Taxis were ordered off the streets. But as the hours went by Friday, and the house-to-house search continued, investigators found no sign of their quarry. Finally, at about 6:30 p.m., they announced the shutdown had been lifted. Across Watertown, people ventured out—including a man who took a few steps into his Franklin Street backyard, then noticed the tarp on his boat was askew. He lifted it, looked inside and saw a man covered in blood. He rushed back in to call police. Again, the neighborhood was awash in officers. The man hunkered down inside the boat, later identified as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, traded fire with police for more than an hour, until at last they were able to subdue him. Around 8:45 p.m., police scanners crackled: "Suspect in custody." Bostonians applauded police officers and cheered as the ambulance carrying Tsarnaev passed. But on Boylston Street, where the bombing site remained cordoned off, tears were shed. "I think it's a mixture of happiness and relief," said Matt Taylor, 39. Attorney Beth Lloyd-Jones, who was 25 blocks from the bombings, was planning her wedding inside the Boston Public Library, adjacent to where the bombs exploded. "Now I feel a little safer," she said. But she couldn't help but think of the victims:

DUBLIN -- Slain federal criminal investigator Sandra Coke and career criminal Randy Alana were a loving couple who shared a home, attended church together the day she went missing and had plans to wed, Alana, the person of interest in her killing, claimed Saturday in a lengthy, exclusive jailhouse interview with this newspaper. Speaking by telephone from behind a glass partition at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, where he is being held on a parole violation, Alana said the pair met while she investigated a capital murder case two decades ago and started a relationship. He repeatedly denied harming Coke who disappeared Aug. 4 from Oakland. Her body was found five days later in Vacaville. Alana paints a vastly different picture of the pair's relationship than Coke's family, who have said the two briefly dated more than 20 years ago. It also begs the question why Alana received a parole stay-away order, revealed at his Friday parole hearing in Oakland, that attempted to prevent him from seeing Coke. He is accused of violating his state prison parole by having "numerous contacts" with Coke. "We recently talked about getting married," said Alana, adding that her family and friends largely did not know of his criminal past. He was charged with two separate killings in the 1980s and was paroled from a 15-year robbery sentence in June 2012. Coke's younger sister, Tanya Coke, disputes all of Alana's claims. "This is a man with convictions for murder and kidnapping. He was the last person seen with my sister, but claims he has nothing to do with her disappearance and killing," she said in a written statement. "He is clearly someone who thinks nothing of lying and manipulating to serve his purposes. Why would we or anyone else believe what he has to say?" Since his release last year, Alana admits to violating his parole at least five times, sending him back to Santa Rita where deputies said Saturday morning that Coke, 50, was a "regular visitor" of Alana. During the interview, Alana said the pair occasionally attended Harmony Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland together on Sundays, including the morning of her disappearance. Interim Harmony pastor Germaine Anderson on Saturday confirmed both Coke and Alana were "visitors" not "members" of the church. He could not confirm that they attended the Aug. 4 morning worship and said he did not know them. During a 30-minute interview Saturday, the 56-year-old Alana indicated several times by shaking his head that he did not harm or kill Coke and had nothing to do with her disappearance. He said his attorney advised him not to speak to anyone, but he wanted to talk: "I have nothing to hide." However he declined to speak about what happened after Coke was last seen by her 15-year-old daughter about 8:30 p.m. Aug. 4 after leaving their home in the 600 block of Aileen Street in North Oakland. "Sunday, Aug. 4 is the day I can't talk to you about for obvious reasons," he said. He declined to speak further on the matter. Police have said Alana was the last person seen with Coke after she told family she was picking up a prescription and meeting someone with information about her missing dog. Sources said that video has been recovered showing Coke's Mini Cooper crossing the Carquinez Bridge after her disappearance. The car was later discovered in a West Oakland parking lot, and one of her cellphones was found in Richmond last week. Police have not said how she died or offered any more information on a possible link between her death and Alana. Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson was not available for comment Saturday on Alana's jailhouse interview, which ran the spectrum of emotions. His eyes wet with tears, Alana jumped between anger over his perceived poor treatment since his arrest -- "I'm being treated like a suspect" -- to claims that he is thankful to even be alive at age 56, to a request for details on Coke's funeral and a copy of her obituary. He also said he worries about access to his belongings if he's released because they were at Coke's house. "When I'm not here (in jail), I'm there," he said. Oakland resident Jerry Pittman, 56, said his mother lives next door to Coke's home, and he had done handyman work at her house. He said Alana resurfaced in Coke's life three months ago. One morning, Pittman said Alana was outside acting "peculiar" and hiding behind cars. "He looked real spacey," Pittman said, and Coke confronted Alana and said, "Face me like a man." By all accounts, Coke was a loving mother, career woman, caring neighbor and friend. She worked for the federal public defender's office in Sacramento as an investigator working on mandatory death penalty appeals. The pair met 20 years ago when she interviewed him while he was incarcerated as part of a death penalty investigation, said Alana, who is in solitary lockdown at Santa Rita because he is considered one of the jail's most dangerous inmates. In 1983, Alameda County prosecutors charged him with beating a young woman to death with a hammer in her North Oakland apartment. He was later acquitted. While in custody awaiting trial for the slaying, Alana and a fellow inmate were accused of fatally stabbing another prisoner. A jury in Alana's trial deadlocked, and he later pleaded no contest to the killing and was sentenced to six years in prison. He is considered a high-risk sex offender, according to a state-run sex offender registry, which lists undated convictions for two counts of rape, kidnapping with intent to commit a sex offense and oral copulation. Alana has not been named as a suspect in the killing of Coke but with his parole revoked, he stands to be in jail up to 180 days. Alana was arrested on Aug. 6 at a BART station in Pittsburg after a confrontation with officers and police dogs, which left him with large bites on his right thigh and left arm. Reach Kristin J. Bender at kbender@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/kjbender. Staff writers Matthias Gafni, Harry Harris and David DeBolt contributed to this report.

SOCIAL REPORT 40% This CoolSocial report was updated on 18 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Anashede.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team Social Media The total number of people who shared the anashede homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the anashede homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the anashede homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if anashede has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the anashede homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the anashede homepage on Twitter + the total number of anashede followers (if anashede has a Twitter account). Add a widget like this on your site: click here. Basic Information Domain and Server The language of anashede.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server. anashede.com anashede.com The registar is the authority where anashede.com is registered. Domain age is a measure of how much a site is old. Older sites have normally more importance and are more trustworthy than young ones. The next date anashede.com will expire. The owner usually renews every year its domain, but some prefer buying more than a year only. The date anashede.com was registered for the first time. The IP of a server identifies it. It can be unique or shared between multiple sites. Server location specifies where it is physically.

Artist lets his fans choose album cover art. Step Inside Taylor’s World Taylor Swift gives fans a glimpse into her public and private worlds on CMT Insider Special Edition: Taylor Swift, Thursday, Nov. 27, on CMT at 10:30 a.m. ET. TSwift3.jpg Host Katie Cook steps inside Taylor’s tour bus and talks with Taylor about her recent album, Fearless, and her transition into adulthood. The special will re-air several times, including Saturday, Nov. 29, at 1:30 p.m. ET and Sunday, Nov. 30, at 11.

VANCOUVER, B.C. (CN) - A Vancouver, B.C. police officer assaulted and falsely imprisoned a fellow officer after pulling over his unmarked police car during a plainclothes surveillance operation, the officer claims in court. Gregory Kodak, a sergeant with the Vancouver Police Department, sued fellow Officer Alison Hill, the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Police Department, the Police Board and Police Chief Jim Chu in British Columbia Supreme Court. Kodak claims that in July 2012, as a supervisor with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, he was on duty during a surveillance operation on a vehicle in downtown Vancouver. He was in an unmarked station wagon conducting surveillance, according to the complaint, and had to go through red lights to maintain contact with the target. A marked police car followed him and turned on its emergency lights. Kodak says he pulled over and "signaled the operator of the police vehicle by waving his portable police radio out of his driver's side window, which the plaintiff says is widely understood standard practice used by plainclothes police officers to notify other police patrol vehicles that an unmarked vehicle is engaged in a surveillance function." The marked car turned off its emergency lights, and Kodak pulled away after concluding that the officers understood the signal. But after driving away, Kodak says, the marked car turned on its siren again and motioned him to pull over despite his flashing his police badge. After pulling over, Kodak says, he opened his door, showed Hill his police badge and told her he was a police officer conducting surveillance. But Hill ordered him out of the car, and he complied after putting his badge in the driver's side door map pocket, Kodak says. As he stood next to the car telling Hill he was a police sergeant, she grabbed his arm and handcuffed him in an "inappropriate and painful manner," Kodak says in the complaint. "As the defendant Hill applied the handcuffs to the plaintiff's person, she violently struck the plaintiff's rear right upper thigh with her knee on at least one occasion, telling the plaintiff loudly to 'stop resisting,'" the complaint states. Another member of Kodak's unit approached Hill while Kodak was still handcuffed and identified himself and Kodak as police officers. Hill told the other officer to back away and ignored requests to have a supervisor come, Kodak says in the lawsuit. Kodak claims Hill incorrectly applied the handcuffs and held his wrists in a "painful and unnaturally elevated manner, causing significant, severe pain to the plaintiff's wrists," causing nerve damage, numbness, and pain in his arms, hips and legs. He seeks general, special, aggravated, exemplary and/or punitive damages for assault and battery, unnecessary force, negligence and other charges. He is represented by Leslie J. Mackoff, of Vancouver.

A 1980s Cold War spy movie versus a 21st Century conspiracy thriller. Who will win in a Remake Rumble? November 3rd, 2011 William Bibbiani Welcome back to Remake Rumble, where we pit an original film against its remake in a bout of mortal combat. Two films enter, one film leaves. The original, despite popular belief, isn’t always the victor. Sometimes remakes actually improve on the source material, damn it. Usually they don’t, but hey… That’s what we’re here to find out. This bi-week on the Remake Rumble we’re pitting two spy films against each other in a battle for supremacy… Bourne supremacy. That’s right. It’s The Bourne Identity vs.The Bourne Identity, aka “A Movie You Love” vs. “A Movie You Probably Didn’t Know Existed.” When director Doug Liman released his version of The Bourne Identity in 2002, few remembered that Robert Ludlum’s classic spy novel had been adapted before – and more faithfully – in 1998, as a two-part TV movie. Starring Richard Chamberlain and former Charlie’s Angel Jaclyn Smith, the globetrotting Cold War adventure earned an Emmy for its music and a Golden Globe nomination for its lead actor and then promptly vanished into obscurity. 14 years later, Doug Liman’s version came out after a well-documented, disastrous production period which involved heavy reshoots which required the 2001 release date to be pushed back almost a year. It wasn’t a sure thing, but ultimately opened to critical and box office success, warranting two sequels and an upcoming spin-off called The Bourne Legacy. So popular culture, perhaps, has declared the 2002 Bourne Legacy the winner, but is it actually the better film? Let’s get ready to rumble… WHAT ARE THEY ABOUT? Both versions of The Bourne Identity begin pretty much the same way, with a mysterious man found in the ocean off the coast of France, pumped full of bullets and with no memory of his real identity. The only clue to this mystery is found lodged in his hip: a series of digits, easily identified as a Swiss bank account number. The mystery man makes his way to Switzerland and opens the account, finding millions of dollars and a name… “Jason Bourne.” But no sooner is the account opened than his life is endangered. Mysterious men are out to kill Jason (Richard Chamberlain in the original, Matt Damon in the remake), who soon sets out with a lovely accomplice, Marie (Jaclyn Smith, then Franke Potente), who quickly finds herself wanted by the authorities too. As the film plays out and Bourne evades both the authorities and a mysterious organization known as “Treadstone,” he begins to suspect that before his memory loss he was a coldblooded assassin. He fends off wave after wave of hired killers as he uncovers the truth, falls in love, and eventually discovers the truth behind “The Bourne Identity.” WHAT’S DIFFERENT? The original and the remake of The Bourne Identity are pretty similar from a plot perspective until the second half, in which the 2002 version begins to divert pretty heavily from Robert Ludlum’s original novel. In contrast, the 1988 version hews pretty close to the source material, for better and worse. In both versions of The Bourne Identity, the man we come to know as “Jason Bourne” suspects he’s an assassin. In the 1988 version, however, Bourne comes to believe that he is the assassin: “Carlos the Jackal,” the most famous hired killer in history, who in real life currently serves a life sentence in France for assassinating two French secret agents and a Lebanese informant back in 1975. In the events of The Bourne Identity, however, he is still on the loose, and the most wanted man on the planet. Nobody has even seen his face, so Bourne’s specific skill set leads him to believe that he’s actually been Carlos all along. Eventually we learn that Carlos the Jackal is an entirely different person, and that “The Bourne Identity” was created by the U.S. government to flush him out of hiding by creating a copycat killer, thus forcing Carlos to show himself in order to prove his dominance in the criminal underworld. It ends with a final confrontation between Bourne, who turns out to have been a loyal, heroic government agent all along, and Carlos (Frantic’s Yorgo Voyagis), in a shootout very similar to the climax of Liman’s later version. In the 2002 remake, the events of the original film are so condensed that Bourne and Carlos literally became the same person. Although the name “Carlos the Jackal” is never mentioned, in Liman’s darker version of The Bourne Identity the hero’s greatest fears are actually realized: he’s been the bad guy all along, working for a Black Ops unit of the CIA by assassinating world leaders for the corrupt American government. The update conveys the radically shifting loyalties of the audience who, after the end of the Cold War, started looking for enemies at home rather than abroad. The depiction of Treadstone itself confirms this: in the 1988 version they’re a group of lovable old men and women who meet for tea in a stylish New York brownstone, and want to believe that Bourne hasn’t gone rogue. In the 2002 version, they’re huddled in a basement office at the CIA and genuinely desperate to kill the hero in order to keep their secrets safe. The head of Treadstone is a lovable father figure to the hero in 1988’s The Bourne Identity, and a mysterious political player in the remake. The other big shift comes in the form of the female protagonist, played by Jaclyn Smith in the original film as a doctor of economics, just like in the book. The 2002 version replaces her character with a more down-to-earth loner played by Run Lola Run’s Franke Potente. Smith is kidnapped by the hero and spends most of the first hour trying to escape Bourne’s clutches before he saves her from being raped and murdered by his enemies. In Liman’s The Bourne Identity, Potente is politely asked to accompany Bourne in exchange for $10,000, making her a willing accomplice who sympathizes with the hero right from the start. Beyond that, The Bourne Identity remake reflects a number of other changes in the times, with Bourne’s pursuers taking advantage of computer technology to stay hot on the hero’s heels throughout the entire film. The 1998 version takes place over a much longer period, more befitting its three-hour running time. The remake introduces a series of assassins born out of the same training program as Jason Bourne, two of whom have memorable, action-packed confrontations with the hero (and one of whom is played by a pre-stardom Clive Owen). WHICH VERSION IS BETTER? The remake of The Bourne Identity is faster-paced, action-packed, easier to follow and builds more audience sympathy for the protagonist despite, or perhaps even because of, his more villainous past. But before we get to that, we need to explain that the 1988 Bourne Identity is actually a pretty good movie in its own right. Most folks who’ve seen the 1988 Bourne Identity these days did so after Doug Liman’s version came to theaters, and were disappointed by its stodgier pacing and sometimes radically different plotline. Frankly, it’s not particularly fair to compare that version of The Bourne Identity to the new one, at least in a vacuum. Roger Young’s original version was a product of its time period, and as a Cold War era spy picture it holds up reasonable well with the rest of its then-contemporary brethren. It’s not as good as, say, Three Days of the Condor, but they’re clearly more closely related to each other than to the whizz-bang shoot ‘em ups released in theaters today. The 1988 Bourne Identity is too long for its own good, outstaying its welcome particularly in the second half, when the plot gets a little too complicated and the action sequences get further and further apart. But the more eventful and involving first half, which finds our hero saddled with an irate kidnapping victim, bouncing from one mysterious location to another as he tries to figure out his identity, is a fairly exciting romp, and there are a handful of memorable chase scenes and shootouts, including a climactic showdown with Carlos the Jackal which is arguably more thrilling than Liman’s own, fairly rushed finale. Chamberlain is an older, more sedate Jason Bourne but as the events of the film wear on him he nicely conveys his character’s conflicted emotions, almost going completely mad by the end of the movie. The only moment of actual, honest-to-god badness comes in the form of a protracted, utterly boring sex scene between Chamberlain and Smith. You can blame the fact that it was a Made-for-TV movie all you want, but the fact remains that you’ve probably seen more sensuous margarine commercials. Doug Liman’s film doesn’t have much of a sex scene, but Damon and Potente have moments of genuine intimacy, generating more sex appeal from dying Potente’s hair the original film could by taking off the same character’s clothes. There’s no denying, however, that the 2002 Bourne Identity is the more entertaining movie in almost every regard. Liman keeps the action sequences intense and varied, with shootouts and car chases and fist fights and more elaborate games of cat and mouse preventing the film from ever feeling monotonous. Damon is also – sorry Mr. Chamberlain – the better actor, selling the hero’s physical prowess and inner struggle with more subtlety, although he owes a lot to Saar Klein’s impeccable editing, which deftly conveys each element of the story that commands Bourne’s attention, from essential plot points to the minutiae of his surroundings that affect his frame of mind. Obviously Liman’s film is radically condensed compared to the three-hour 1988 original, but beyond mere pacing the decision to condense the character of Jason Bourne with his original villain, Carlos the Jackal, is an inspired one that prevents the hero from ever seeming like a conventional action movie do-gooder. The inner turmoil this creative decision forces upon the protagonist creates a darker Jason Bourne for a darker time, and a more believable hero and anti-hero simultaneously. THE FINAL VERDICT:. But if you want a faithful retelling of Robert Ludlum’s original novel, told in the style of spy movies from that same era, the 1988 Bourne Identity isn’t that bad at all. Be sure to come back in two weeks for another installment of Remake Rumble! If you have any suggestions for future columns, please make your suggestions in the comments below.

Anti-US books find an eager audience among German youth MUNICH, GERMANY — Wenzel Mielke doesn't trust the United States. And he has begun devoting an increasing amount of his free time searching for confirmation of his suspicions. In the past six months, Wenzel, a teenager from the eastern German town of Strausberg has read four books by his new favorite author - American filmmaker, humorist, and vocal critic of President Bush - Michael Moore. Wenzel recently attended one of two sold-out appearances by Mr. Moore in one of Berlin's largest concert halls. "Not only do I really like what Michael Moore is saying, but I can really imagine that Bush had something to do with the [Sept. 11] attacks," says the ninth-grader. "It could, of course, be a coincidence - but a really good one for Bush; it is too good an excuse for his wars. The Americans needed a good reason to attack so that they could exploit other countries for oil or whatever." The US Embassy in Berlin has begun to take notice of the increased wariness toward the US among young Germans like Wenzel. Citing a fear that an entire generation of young Germans is coming of age politically amid an atmosphere of anti-Americanism - and what officials are calling a growing potential for violent anti-Americanism - the Embassy's public-affairs department has recently started sending Americans into German schools to talk to children and youth about life in the US. Embassy officials, who declined to go on record for this article, are focusing on eastern Germany because of an increased tendency there to believe in conspiracy theories. Many observers attribute this attitude to a residual anti-Americanism from the education easterners got in communist East Germany. "I have heard from many that among young people - especially from eastern Germany - that such theories [regarding Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and US motives abroad] have reached the level of common sense," says Klaus Hillenbrand, editor in chief of an influential Berlin daily, Die Tageszeitung, who has written about the anti-Americanism phenomenon. "They honestly believe that the Americans were behind 9/11." A survey carried out in the spring by the Forsa Society for Social Research, an independent polling firm, shows that 1 in 3 Germans under the age of 30 says that the US government had something to do with the terrorist attacks, which sparked Bush's war on terror. Books critical of the US are selling rapidly in Germany and elsewhere. Moore's newest book, "Dude, Where's My Country?" has topped German nonfiction bestseller lists since its release on Nov. 14, and is second overall only to the new Harry Potter book. And books promoting the idea that the US itself was behind the Sept. 11 attacks, including "The CIA and the 11th of September," by Andreas von Bülow, the minister for research under former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, remain stubbornly high on German bestseller lists. Likewise, "The Frightening Fraud" by French author Thierry Meyssan, has sold 200,000 copies in France since its publication in 2002. Packed houses greeted Moore on his recent tour of Germany to promote the book, which is heavily critical of how the war on terrorism has been conducted and questions the honesty of the US government's campaign leading up to the war in Iraq. "I have the impression," says Mr. Hillenbrand, "that a number of people here concluded that [Secretary of State Colin] Powell knowingly lied in front of the United Nations [about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq], and out of that comes the belief that the United States is a threat and even likely to lie again." While gatherings held by these and other authors are well attended, most of the discussion among conspiracy theorists takes place on the continually growing number of Internet forums dedicated to the topic. While mistrust of the US has pushed many Europeans to embrace such theories, some observers say that there is a uniquely German aspect to their proliferation here. "I think that some - not all - of the people who believe in these theories see a certain pardon for Germany's history there," says Hillenbrand. "They see that Germany is still measured against the Holocaust, and they have now found a point where the Americans are also very evil and that we Germans then don't have to feel inferior to them."

Assad pulling Syria troops out of cities by Tuesday? (+video) Kofi Annan seems to think so. But there are strong grounds for doubt. - Syrian youth stand in a building damaged by tank shells in a neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, after a raid by Syrian troops killed several rebels and civilians April 5. Syrian troops launched a fierce assault Thursday, days ahead of a deadline for a U.N.-brokered cease-fire, with activists describing it as one of the most violent attacks around the capital since the year-old uprising began.APView Caption Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, now the UN point-man on the civil war in Syria, says he has full agreement from the regime of Bashar al-Assad that the fighting there will end next week. "What we expect on April 10 is that the Syrian government will have completed its withdrawal from populated centers ... and then we begin a 48-hour period during which there will be a complete cessation of all forms of violence by all parties," Mr. Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said in Geneva earlier today. This prediction should be taken with a very large grain of salt. Mr. Assad is in a fight for regime survival. While large chunks of his country have fallen out of central government control, and the opposition has defied his military for over a year now in towns like Idlib, Homs, and Hama, his security establishment has largely hung together and hasn't suffered the sort of mass defections that undermined Muammar Qaddafi's forces during the uprising in Libya. The application of force against his opponents is Assad's go-to means of keeping control, just as it was for his father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad. With at least 9,000 Syrians dead from the fighting, and scores in detention, where many have been tortured, it's hard to see the calls for his overthrow dying down. And if he really does give up the use of political terror against his enemies, the chorus demanding his demise will probably grow louder still. There are already strong signs that Annan is not going to get his way on the cease-fire. The daily Al-Watan, linked to Syria's government, quoted an unnamed government official as saying "there is no... deadline" for pulling troops out of cities. Opposition activists said that tanks remain active in Deraa today, despite government claims to the contrary, and said dozens have died in ongoing fighting. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 62 Syrians were killed across the country yesterday. Syrian opposition figures aren't the only ones who don't share the UN's optimism. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé said Assad "is deceiving us" and warned of a push for tougher international action against Syria. The UN is currently trying to negotiate the dispatch of 250 or so unarmed military observers to determine if a cease-fire is achieved. Mr. Juppé said further steps will be considered at the UN Security Council if Syria doesn't allow observers in soon. Action at the Security Council is something that Assad may fear, and may push him to accept the measures being sought now. But his government has been shielded from tough action there until now by permanent members Russia and China, who have vetoed two Security Council resolutions on Syria to date. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that his country might consider voting for a resolution now, but his comments came with a major caveat. "When we consider a document at the Security Council, we shall proceed from the principle of not doing any harm," Mr. Lavrov said. "It would be good if we are able to reach a consensus aimed at helping Kofi Annan's mission and not use ultimatums that would escalate tensions." For now, sadly, fighting looks set to continue in Syria next week. Annan's career is littered with over-optimistic public assessments of the situation in violent regions, and of the impact of his own diplomacy. I remember attending the press conference in Dili, East Timor, given by Jamsheed Marker, Annan's personal envoy to the territory, shortly after voting closed in the Aug. 30, 1999, referendum on independence from Indonesia. I and others in the months before the election had chronicled how the Indonesian military was distributing weapons to street gangs and appeared to have a plan in the drawer to punish the territory's people if they chose independence as a warning to other restive parts of the sprawling nation. Indonesian special forces officers were providing logistical help and training to pro-Indonesian Timorese, while the Indonesian Foreign Ministry had dispatched diplomats to work with the militias on the political side. This was all pretty much out in the open – there are few secrets in a place as small as East Timor. Yet the UN had waved off concerns about widespread violence or suggestions that perhaps the vote should be postponed until better security arrangements could be made. In the run-up to the vote, Mr. Marker and Annan repeatedly told reporters they'd received Indonesian "assurances" that the vote could go ahead safely. That evening, as reports streamed in of violent outbreaks around the countryside (a UN worker was being stabbed to death as Marker spoke), Marker intoned: "The eagle of liberty has spread its proud wings over the people of East Timor.'' The eagle of violence was also spreading its wings. Within days, what was left of the foreign press was cowering in the UN's Dili compound (I made my way there past the bodies of Timorese hacked to death by machetes) and much of the country's paltry infrastructure was on fire. In the roughly two weeks until an Australian peacekeeping force landed in Dili, at least 1,000 Timorese were killed and more than 100,000 of the country's than 700,000 were driven across the border into Indonesian West Timor. I dig into this history because it's a reminder that Annan has taken the word of governments involved in conflict in the past. And been badly wrong. Follow Dan Murphy on Twitter.

CSN defense: Defensive line Adewale Ogunleye Following the 2009 season, Ogunleye signed with the Houston Texans. In his lone season in Houston, he recorded just one tackle. Ogunleye's name was brought back into the spotlight this past month when Cameron Wake sacked Andy Dalton in the end zone for a game-winning safety, it was the first game to end on a safety since Ogunleye tackled Fred Miller who pounced on the ball in the end zone in the Bears' victory over the Titans on Nov. 14, 2004. Alex Brown Brown signed with the Saints in 2010 and started all 16 games for New Orleans at left defensive end, registering two sacks. Brown worked briefly with CSN, contributing to Bears Pre/Postgame coverage in 2011. Mark Anderson Anderson burst onto the scene with a 12 sack rookie campaign. His numbers dipped each year following his spectacular 2006 season. He recorded a combined 15 sacks with the Texans, Patriots and Bills since being released by the Bears in 2010. He's currently listed as a free agent. Israel Idonije Idonije was a key cog on the Bears defensive line from 2007-2012, recording 26.5 sacks. He signed with the Lions this past offseason and got revenge against his former team by helping Detroit complete a season sweep of Chicago. Tommie Harris Harris was one of the most dominant defensive tackles during his time in the NFL, but his career was cut short due to multiple knee injuries. His last stint in the NFL was with the Chargers in 2011 where he registered three sacks. Tank Johnson Johnson was released from the Bears following the 2006 season due to off-the-field issues. He resurrected his career with the Cowboys (07-08) and Bengals (09-2011). Johnson left the league in 2011 because he wanted to spend more time with his family. Dusty Dvoracek Dvoracek was another member of the Bears defensive line that couldn't stay healthy. He was released after spraining his MCL in 2009. He had a brief stint with the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL in 2010. Currently, he hosts "The Rush with Dusty Dvoracek and Teddy Lehman" on SportsTalkNetworkOK.com. [RELATED: Bears Classics: Why did the Cardinals kick to Devin Hester?] Linebacker Brian Urlacher On March 20, 2013 the Bears parted ways with Brian Urlacher after failing to reach a contract agreement that worked for both sides. The future Hall of Fame linebacker announced his retirement from the NFL on May 22, 2013. Urlacher currently serves as an analyst on Fox Sports 1's Football Daily with Jay Glazer and Curt Menefee. Lance Briggs Briggs is the only linebacker from the 2006 Bears who's still with the team. Hunter Hillenmeyer Hillenmeyer's last season in the NFL was with the Bears in 2011. He's contributed to Comcast SportsNet as an analyst on Bears Postgame Live through 2012. Also, Hillenmeyer has an app called @TheRealOverDog connecting fans with athletes to play their favorite video games. Darrell McGlover McGlover finished his career with 83 special teams tackles, two blocked punts and a forced fumble. He now does business development at Capital Transportation Solutions. And he has a really creepy Wikipedia picture. Jamar Williams Williams was traded to the Panthers in 2010, but was released the following season. He last played with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL. Brandon Ayanbadejo Ayanbadejo won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013. He was released the following preseason. Currently, he's dabbling in the music industry with the debut of a music video. [MORE: 'Bears Classics' to debut Nov. 27 on CSN] Defensive back Charles Tillman Tillman is the only defensive back from the 2006 roster who's still on the Bears. Nathan Vasher After leaving the Bears, Vasher spent time with the Chargers and Lions in 2010. He's been out of the NFL since his release by Detroit in 2011. Vasher spent the summer of 2013 helping out the University of Texas football team. Ricky Manning Jr. Manning Jr. had brief stints with the Rams and Raiders before leaving the NFL. In 2012 he was the head coach of the football team at Edison High School -- his alma mater -- in California, but was asked to leave after just one season following a police investigation. Dante Wesley Wesley played for the Panthers from 2007-2009 after being released by the Bears. His only highlight, well lowlight, is being ejected and fined for a vicious hit on Buccaneers returner Clifton Smith in 2009. Mike Brown Brown was another Bears' defender who's once promising career was cut short by injuries. In 2009 he played in all 16 games for the Chiefs, registering 79 tackles and three interceptions. Brown has been out of the NFL since 2009. Chris Harris The Bears traded Harris away following the 2006 season and he went on to become a Pro Bowl safety with the Panthers. He was dealt back to Chicago in 2010 and was released the following season. Harris now serves as a defensive quality control coach for the Bears. Danieal Manning Manning was given a lucrative four-year, $20 million contract with the Houston Texans in 2011. He's recorded 124 tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles, four interceptions and a touchdown with the Texans. He's currently on Houston's injured reserve with a hyperextended knee. Todd Johnson Johnson retired from the NFL following the 2010 season. Currently, he's the head coach for Riverview High School Football in Sarasota, Florida. Cameron Worrell Worrell bounced around after the 2006 season. He had stints with the Dolphins and Jets, before returning for a second run with the Bears in 2008. Worrell is now an analyst for the Fresno State football team. [ALSO: 2006 Bears-Cardinals history has both good, bad memories] Special Teams Robbie Gould Gould is still busy setting field goal records for the Bears. Brad Maynard After displaying his displeasure in the Bears not re-signing him following the 2010 season, Maynard would go on to play for the Texans and Browns. He's currently a free agent. Devin Hester Hester is still busy trying to set return records for the Bears. In 2013, Hester has unfortunately had multiple return touchdowns called back due to penalties. Patrick Mannelly Mannelly holds the franchise record for most games played and is still long-snapping the football for the Bears. MORE: Where are they now? 2006 offense | Where are they now? 2006 personnel

Not surprisingly, the Philadelphia Eagles aren’t content going into the 2014 season with Alex Henery as their kicker. The problem the club keeps running into is he’s not very easy to replace. The Eagles tried Carey Spear, but after seeing Murderleg live at training camp, it’s safe to say he is a decidedly worse option than Henery. So, with that competition settled, a new challenger appears. On Wednesday, the Eagles traded running back David Fluellen to the Indianapolis Colts for kicker Cody Parkey. Fluellen was a long shot to make the team, although he did touch the ball seven times for 39 yards and a touchdown in a Week 1 preseason game against the Chicago Bears. Much like Spear, Parkey is an undrafted rookie. Parkey has a little bit better of a resume, though, at least in terms of kickoffs. The Auburn product led the nation with 69 touchbacks as a senior. Then again, Parkey’s touchback rate didn’t far exceed Spear’s. Parkey boomed 70.4 percent of his kicks for no return in 2013, while Spear managed to on 64.4 of his. It hasn’t translated for the Vanderbilt product, who was bested by Henery on a consistent basis. Henery was tied for 20th in the NFL last season at 41.1 percent. The difference between Parkey and Spear is Parkey was actually experiencing some success in Indianapolis. While Spear has yet to so much as appear in a game for the Eagles, Parkey has boomed six kickoffs for touchbacks on 10 tries—60 percent for you math majors out there. Parkey is also two-for-two on field goals this summer, which is more than can be said for Henery. Parkey has connected from 45 and 31 yards, while the incumbent pushed a 47-yard try wide against the New England Patriots last week. Despite his recent success, Parkey wasn’t much better than Spear in terms of field-goal accuracy in college. Parkey was 39 of 53 lifetime (74.6%) compared to 39 of 50 (78%) for Spear. Obviously, Spear’s relative success in college hasn’t carried over to the pros. His release is inevitable at this point. It’s not really realistic to compare Henery to Parkey because kicking field goals is different in college—arguably more difficult due to wider hash marks that create more extreme angles. However, Henery’s 82.1 percent accuracy last season was considered a disappointment. The reason Parkey was available is because the Colts have Adam Vinatieri. Parkey was brought to camp to help keep the 41-year-old fresh for the regular season. Of course, if the kid was that good, why wouldn’t the Colts have opted to get younger at the position when the opportunity presented itself? It’s hard to say, but one thing is clear, and that is the Eagles realize Henery isn’t very good. He hasn’t been very accurate on field goals of late, he can’t even be trusted to attempt a 50-plus yarder and he’s never been very good on kickoffs, either. That being said, Parkey’s NFL.com scouting report raised some similar concerns about his leg strength, so while the reviews are good coming out of Indy, stay skeptical. You can’t complain about the Eagles adding more competition at a position of need—perhaps even the biggest hole on the roster. Unfortunately, free agency just didn’t have a lot to offer in terms of a reliable veteran kickers, so for now, the Birds have to continue holding tryouts. Godspeed.

A collection of news and information related to ABC Family (tv network) published by this site and its partners. Top ABC Family (tv network) Articles Displaying items 78-88 Golden Globe nominations out! Weinsteins and Warner Bros. tussle. Best of 2013: Robert Lloyd picks 'Drunk History,' 'The Returned' Dish and Disney agree to extend distribution contract talks Hillary Clinton projects DOA at NBC and CNN! Fall TV hits & misses. Disney Channel sets 'Girl Meets World' premiere date ABC names James Goldston president of ABC News Role of renaissance man fits new Disney/ABC TV chief Ben Sherwood Smooth sailing for 'Noah.' ABC's Josh Elliott jumps to NBC. ABC Family renews 'Melissa & Joey' and 'Baby Daddy,' adds 3 dramas 'Divergent': 5 things to know about the Shailene Woodley movie 'Divergent' delivers. Comcast and Apple talk streaming.

IRWIN - Retroavantgarde 2000, Installation, Digital print on paper, 350 x 700 cm, Courtesy of IRWIN and the artists © IRWIN, 2009 Gordon Matta-Clark - Window Blow-Out 1976, Document of action, installation, 8 black-and-white photographs (exhibition prints), Each 26,8 x 34 cm, framed 84,5 x 182 cm Generali Foundation Collection, Vienna, © The Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark, VEGAP, Barcelona, 2009 John Knight - Logotype (project for documenta 7), 1982, Courtesy of the artist and Rüdiger Schöttle Gallery, Munich Falke Pisano - Performance Posters, 2005-2008, Courtesy of the artist and Ellen de Bruijne Projects, Amsterdam Runa Islam - Empty the pond to get the fish, 2008, Film installation, Courtesy of the artist and MUMOK, Vienna Armando Andrade Tudela - Camión, 2003, Slide projection, 60 images, 35 mm slides, Courtesy of Gallery Carl Freedman, London Modernologies: Contemporary Artists Researching Modernity and Modernism February 12th - April 5th, 2010 With works by: Anna Artaker, Alice Creischer/Andreas Siekmann, Domènec, Katja Eydel, Ângela Ferreira, Andrea Fraser, Isa Genzken, Dan Graham and Robin Hurst, Tom Holert with Claudia Honecker, Marine Hugonnier, IRWIN, Runa Islam, Klub Zwei (Simone Bader and Jo Schmeiser), John Knight, Labor k3000 (Peter Spillmann/Michael Vögeli/Marion von Osten), Louise Lawler, David Maljković, Dorit Margreiter, Gordon Matta-Clark, Gustav Metzger, Christian Philipp Müller, Henrik Olesen, Paulina Olowska, Falke Pisano, Mathias Poledna, Florian Pumhösl, Martha Rosler, Armando Andrade Tudela, Marion von Osten, Stephen Willats, Christopher Williams Curated by: Sabine Breitwieser unfolds. For more information please visit: The Modern Museum of Art in Warsaw

Herefordshire woman strikes a pose for Royal Marine's Wives and Girlfriends calendar 6:00pm Saturday 22nd December 2012 6:00pm Saturday 22nd December 2012 THE partner of an injured Hereford soldier has posed for the cameras for charity. Angharad Parry is “Miss July” in the Royal Marine wives and girlfriends fundraising calendar for 2013. The 22-year-old’s partner Luke Darlington suffered a brain injury after being hit by shrapnel from an improvised device blast in Afghanistan in August. The Royal Marine, 23, is currently undergoing rehabilitation work with the Hasley Company in Plymouth. “He has a device at the back of his knee that shocks his foot, which makes a massive difference as he struggles to walk,” said Angharad, who is originally from Madley but now lives with Luke in Wye Street, Hereford. “He is also going on a sailing trip to Rio de Janeiro, which is funded by the Jubilee Sailing Trust. “They take both able and disabled people on trips and it really builds their confidence.” Angharad said the calendar last year raised just over £4,000 for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund. “We’ve also set up a Royal Marine WAGs calendar support network group on Facebook,” she added. “It is designed to support women who may find themselves without anyone who understands what they’re going through.” Back

It's apparent that Taylor Heinicke is far more comfortable in the choreographed chaos of a football game than in front of a room full of stationary reporters and microphones. Old Dominion's reluctant celebrity quarterback found himself in the latter position Monday afternoon because of his performance in the former. Unfortunately for Heinicke, there was no avoiding the rush of questions or passing downfield to teammates. Such is the case when you set national records in one of the wildest games anyone has ever seen and receive interview requests from Bigfoot media around the country. Asked if he enjoyed the kind of attention he's receiving, Heinicke sheepishly replied, "Honestly, I don't, not at all. I would much rather be at home right now, eating some chips and watching some TV, rather than being here in front of all these cameras. It's kind of nerve-wracking, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts." Heinicke and the ODU offense broke a slew of records in Saturday's 64-61 win against New Hampshire, a nearly four-hour affair that left everyone exhausted and grasping for descriptions. "Here it is, almost 48 hours after he did it, and I'm still at a loss for words, in terms of being able to quantify exactly what he did," ODU coach Bobby Wilder said. "Specifically, what he did in the second half." A few numbers: Heinicke set Division I records for passing yards in a game (730) and total offense (791), eclipsing marks set by former Houston quarterback David Klingler (716 and 732, respectively) against Arizona State in 1990. Heinicke threw for 480 yards in the second half, 293 in the fourth quarter alone, both of which were NCAA Division I records. He completed 55 of 79 passes, the most attempts in a game without an interception in Division I history. "I haven't seen anything like that," Wilder said. "I watched the video back when Houston was chucking it around, run-and-shoot, and Klingler throwing it. It's one thing to do it when you're just piling up stats, and a lot of times Houston used to just pile up stats. But this one, every throw was, the game was on the line. He didn't have a throw in that game that wasn't important. Every one of them counted, every one of them was big, every one of them we needed it." All of that landed his game highlights on ESPN and NBC on Saturday. He did interviews with Sirius XM satellite radio, Sports Illustrated.com and the Associated Press. He's had requests from Fox Sports, ESPNU Unite, Yahoo Sports and ESPN's GameNight. A producer from Dan Patrick's nationally-syndicated radio show emailed about his availability. "After the game, people asked, did you see yourself on ESPN?" Heinicke said. "I was like, naw. So I was sitting there watching ESPN and it never came up. Finally, I started watching NBC and at the halftime of the Notre Dame-Michigan game, I saw myself. It was just unreal." Heinicke's humility and sense of wonder endear him to coaches and teammates, who routinely say that there's nothing in his off-the-field demeanor or approach that suggest he's a record-setting quarterback for a top-10 team. That was evident again in Sunday's team meeting. "He thanked the O-line, the receivers, the coaches," Wilder said. "I think he thanked the guy who served popcorn at the stadium. He's a pretty genuine kid. He's a pretty humble kid. He doesn't look upon that performance Saturday as, he did that all by himself. I've been around some quarterbacks and seen some in the past that might have thought they invented the game after that performance, but that's not him." Heinicke prefers to lead by example, but went a bit out of character Saturday. The Monarchs were getting run out at home by New Hampshire, trailing 30-10 in the first half and 47-24 early in the third quarter. As Heinicke put it, he started "getting in people's butts" about the magnitude of the game, the importance of defending home turf, beating a quality opponent, the ramifications for a team that must continue to win because it cannot win the CAA title and automatic playoff berth. He even approached the defense in the third quarter and said: Give us one stop. The Monarchs were down by 16 at the time. He told the defense that he and the offense were going to score on every possession. The defense needed to make a couple of stops, to get the offense the ball, to get the crowd back into the game, to lift them past New Hampshire. Indeed, the Monarchs scored on their last six possessions, with the shortest drive 74 yards on the game-winning field goal and three touchdown drives of at least 89 yards. Heinicke made a believer of New Hampshire coach Sean McDonnell, whose teams have been to the FCS playoffs eight consecutive years and who has coached his share of top-shelf quarterbacks. McDonnell praised not only his accuracy, but his improvisation and his ability to make plays. Three plays, McDonnell cited. In the second quarter, on fourth-and-inches at the UNH 15, Heinicke was hemmed in, rolled right and lofted a pass left to an open Antonio Vaughan for a 15-yard touchdown. Later in the period, on first-and-goal from the 9, he moved to his left and found himself facing a UNH linebacker, who he feinted with a ball fake and then dove for the pylon and a touchdown. Midway through the third quarter, on fourth-and-three from his own 46, Heinicke avoided a heavy pass rush and scrambled 11 yards for a first down, extending a drive that resulted in a touchdown and cut the deficit to 47-31. "If they keep him healthy, they've got a great chance to win," McDonnell said. Wilder said after Saturday's game, and he repeated Monday, that while 730 passing yards is a phenomenal number, he believes that Heinicke is capable of plenty of remarkable games. He averages 480.3 yards passing per game, a number inflated by some lesser competition early in the season but validated by a performance against the No. 18 team in the nation in New Hampshire. "I'm trying to enjoy this opportunity, the past two days," Heinicke said. "But again, (Tuesday) we have to focus on Richmond and the rest of the week. This was just one game. We came back and won, and that was the most important part. But we start on Richmond (Tuesday) morning."Copyright © 2015, Daily Press

None. Clemson took all those faults Saturday night and turned them into one huge nightmare for No. 11 Tech, as the Tigers came into Lane Stadium and posted a 23-3 victory. The only time Tech (4-1 overall, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) has lost by more points at home under Beamer was in 1989 — a 41-7 loss to Florida State. It was No. 13 Clemson's largest margin of victory against a ranked team on the road in school history. Clemson (5-0, 2-0), which defeated No. 21 Auburn and No. 11 Florida State in the two weeks leading up to the Tech game, also became the first ACC team in history to defeat ranked opponents in three consecutive weeks. Tech failed to put a touchdown on the scoreboard in a game for the first time since 2006, when it lost 22-3 to Boston College. It was also the first time Tech went touchdown-less at home since '95 — a 16-0 loss to Cincinnati. "I think this game makes next week real important," said Beamer, whose team plays its first game against an ACC Coastal Division opponent next Saturday when Miami (2-2, 0-1) comes to Blacksburg. "When you don't take advantage of some opportunities, and you get behind the chains against these guys and then (the Tigers turn) their ends loose, that's not a good position for us to be in." Even the band didn't cooperate with Tech's offense. Trailing 3-0 in the second quarter, Tech looked poised to take advantage of cornerback Jayron Hosley's interception of quarterback Tajh Boyd, a Phoebus High graduate. Tech took over at Clemson's 31-yard line and moved to the Tigers' 2. Facing third-and-goal, Tech was called for a false start penalty when left guard Greg Nosal jumped, pushing the Hokies back to the 7. Apparently, the band was the culprit. Tech had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Cody Journell. "I think the band was playing and the center just didn't get the snap count," said Thomas, who completed 15 of 27 passes for 125 yards and an interception. Thomas, who was sacked four times, said center Andrew Miller didn't snap the ball, but the rest of the offensive line moved anyway. Tech's only other trip inside the red zone ended via turnover on downs with 9:48 left in the game at Clemson's 12 when the Hokies were trailing 17-3. Tech, which managed 258 yards, got 123 yards on 20 carries from running back David Wilson, but Wilson's fumble in the first quarter ended up being a costly one. Clemson opened the scoring with a 31-yard field goal after Wilson's fumble. Tech had possession 13 times, not including a one play drive at the end of the first half. It ended up punting eight times, losing the ball via interception once, turning ball over on downs once and getting the ball stripped away once. Tech was also just 4 of 16 on third down conversions. Tech didn't get much help in the field position department from punter Scott Demler, who averaged just 29.4 yards per attempt on eight punts. Only one of his punts came to rest inside Clemson's 20-yard line. Clemson wasn't nearly the same offensive juggernaut it was in the first four games, when it averaged 503 yards per game. Tech's defense was able to hold Clemson to 323 yards, but Boyd made the most of opportunities when he had them. On Clemson's only touchdown drive of the first half, Boyd, who completed 13 of 32 passes for 204 yards, a touchdown and an interception, converted a third-and-10 with an 11-yard completion to Andre Ellington and a third-and-8 with a 23-yard pass to Sammy Watkins. Leading 10-3 in the third quarter, Boyd led a three-play, 66-yard drive with a 27-yard completion to wide receiver Jaron Brown and a 32-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dwayne Allen. Finally, after Tech turned the ball over on downs in the fourth quarter, Boyd helped Clemson cap the scoring on a drive that featured a third-and-5 conversion via 13-yard completion to Brown. Clemson was 7 of 17 on third down conversions in the game. "He probably didn't have his greatest game, but he made plays when they needed him to," said Tech linebacker Bruce Taylor regarding Boyd. "We've just got to do a better job of getting off the field, especially on third and long."Copyright © 2015, Daily Press

News of Riverton, Lander and Fremont County, Wyoming, from the Ranger's award winning journalists. Aug 1, 2014 - By Katie Roenigk, Staff Writer Local officials on Friday still had not confirmed the identity of the man who was fatally shot by a federal officer Tuesday on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The deceased was autopsied Thursday in Loveland, Colo., but Coroner Ed McAuslan said fingerprint samples were not returned to Fremont County with the body. "The (Federal Bureau of Investigation) kept them down there," McAusland said of the fingerprints. "But they're putting them overnight Fedex, so I hope to have them today. As soon as I get them, I'll make a comparison." He said he would let the FBI release information about the cause of death. When asked for an update Friday, FBI media coordinator Dave Joly had no additional information. "Once the investigation is complete, we would be able to answer most of your questions," he said in an email. "Until then I just cannot violate the integrity of the investigation." It will be up to McAuslan to determine whether the death was accidental or the result of a homicide. He could not comment on those details Friday. "I can't make that (decision) until I have all of the information and reports," he said. "It's way too early to be even talking about that kind of thing. The autopsy report itself will be four to six weeks before I can sit down and read that, so we're looking at at least that long before any decisions will be made." RELATED STORIES March 18: Police interview of second subject at site of cop-involved shooting gives detail Dec. 11: BIA releases documents in officer-involved shooting death Dec. 7: Man shot by police had gun Oct. 14: No charges to be filed in police shooting July 30: Man shot to death in altercation with police on reservation Copyright (c) 2012 - 2015 The Riverton Ranger, Inc. All rights reserved. Fremont County's Daily Newspaper

Breaunna Addison continued her impressive streak in singles over the weekend, as she won her seventh straight match. The freshman improved to 12-5 in dual match singles. Against SMU, Addison and Noel Scott led the way at No. 1 doubles. The pair nearly won in eight straight games, going up 7-0 before splitting the last two to win 8-1. The Longhorns claimed the doubles point with an Aeriel Ellis/Elizabeth Begley win at No. 2 doubles, 8-3. Begley put the Longhorns up 2-0 with a win at No. 4 singles over Elena Fayner (6-1, 6-1). Her win came just before the rain drops did, as a little precipitation fell onto the courts, suspending play for 25 minutes. When play resumed, Ellis, No. 41 singles, defeated Edyta Cieplucha 6-1, 6-4 after trailing in the second set 2-3. With the 3-0 lead, Lina Padegimaite and Lana Groenvynck won at No. 5 and No. 6 singles to clinch the match for the Longhorns. Scott attempted to complete the sweep of SMU, but lost in a third-set tiebreaker. The 6-1 win moved the Longhorns to 9-8 on the season. The team will finish its home stand this weekend with three matches, including one against Big 12 opponent Texas Tech.

AUSTIN — The Legislature’s top budget writers indicated Thursday that they are pessimistic about the state’s chances of winning in a lawsuit brought by hundreds of school districts, though they said they haven’t seen harm to public schools from budget cuts enacted two years ago. Sen. Tommy Williams and Rep. Jim Pitts said that the state should set aside money in the budget — or leave money unspent — in case the Texas Supreme Court rules against the state late this year or next year. The districts’ suit argues that state school aid formulas are unconstitutionally unequal and their funding inadequate. “We’re looking at … an epic battle on this in 2014,” said Williams, R-The Woodlands. He and Pitts appeared Thursday at a forum sponsored by the Texas Tribune. He added that some school officials have told him the cuts helped them eliminate unneeded staff. “I’ve had some superintendents from very large school districts say, ‘Thank you, I never could’ve fired these administrators unless you cut my funding,’” Williams said. “They won’t say it publicly but they say it privately.” Pitts, a former school board member, said he’s also not seen devastation from the Legislature’s $5.3 billion in school cuts last session. “I have not seen the layoffs,” said Pitts, R-Waxahachie. “I haven’t seen the teachers and the school superintendents having to come to me and say, ‘Oh, woe is me.’” He quickly added, “I’ll probably get the calls now.” Williams said he agrees with an idea floated by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst several weeks ago that budget writers set aside a couple of billion as a reserve against a court loss. Williams said the set-aside might be between $1.8 billion and $2.2 billion. Pitts indicated lawmakers will probably have unspent revenue because of the constitutional cap on spending. He didn’t estimate how much. Pitts, though, said the school lawsuit’s outcome — and Texas’ recent experience with an up and down economy and volatile revenues — gives him pause about Gov. Rick Perry’s call for $1.8 billion in tax relief this session. “I don’t want to tell Texans that we’re going to do a tax relief [package] when we’ve got all these expenses that we need to cover,” he said. Pitts also criticized Perry’s proposal to draw $840 million for the unspecified tax cuts from the state’s rainy day fund. For a tax reduction not to be temporary, “it’s going to have to be a continuous draw on the rainy day.

As president of the Dallas Police Association, Ron Pinkston must express skepticism at every thought that could lead to a new directive from commanders. That skepticism includes his view of the department’s under-construction policy on foot chases. The new policy, expected to become official early next year, directs officers to not: Continue a foot pursuit if they are acting alone and would be chasing two or more suspects at the same time. Continue a foot pursuit if they lose their weapon. Split up to chase multiple suspects. The policy also would encourage officers to consider visibility, the availability of cover, whether they are in a hostile area, whether the suspect is armed and whether they know the suspect’s identity. These seem to be fairly common sense rules, as even Pinkston concedes. Still, he worries that the policy would place “unreasonable limitations” on officers. “This is something you can’t put in a box, and they’re trying to put it in a box,” he said. “It’s not going to work.” Not to mention that new rules mean something else to hold over officers’ heads in disciplinary hearings. While that’s a reasonable suspicion, the new policy sounds more like something positive to come out of the shooting death of James Harper on July 24 in the Dixon Circle neighborhood of South Dallas. Harper was among four suspects who ran from a known drug house after police were sent on a kidnapping call that would prove bogus. Officer Brian Rowden chased and fought with Harper over three fences on a brutally hot Dallas afternoon. According to the officer, when they reached a horse corral, Harper told him, “You’ll have to kill me” and appeared to reach toward his pocket. An exhausted Rowden — losing the fight and unsure if the suspect had a gun — fatally shot him. Harper was unarmed. The shooting nearly led to a riot, with an angry crowd fueled by rumors — later proved false — that Harper had been shot in the back. Harper had a long history of drug arrests, and police found ample evidence that the house was being used to sell drugs. But at the moment he took off running, police knew only sketchy outlines of that story. The new foot chase policy, if followed, almost certainly would have changed what happened that day. It’s fair to argue that the officers themselves would have been in less danger. The quick second-guess is whether Rowden should have shot Harper. A larger question is whether it was worth chasing him at all, with other suspects already under police control. It’s easy to consider the situation academically today. At the moment, less so. Yet that’s the point at which training and, yes, policies have to inform an officer’s split-second.

Three things you should know about the new CBS-Turner Sports deal to broadcast March Madness: • Starting next season, every game will be available across the country. No more shuttling between games, hoping CBS shows what you want. That is, of course, if you have cable. CBS will broadcast games, as will Turner's TBS, TNT and truTV cable networks, which might be wise to change its name back to Court TV. CBS College Sports network didn't make the cut because it is only available in 38 million homes. The three Turner networks are all in at least 90 million homes. • For the first five years of the $10.8 billion bonanza for the NCAA, cable's Turner networks will carry only early round games. It's not until 2016 that Turner gets regional final games and begins alternating Final Four coverage with CBS. Remember, college football's BCS games, including the title game, become the exclusive property of ESPN this season. • Your cable bill is likely to go up. Right now, TNT gets about $1 per month per subscriber from your cable or satellite company. TBS gets about 50 cents, and TruTV gets about a dime. Turner will be calling on your provider for more money to help it pay for this marquee event. Your provider will pass the increase on to you..

From Wire Reports SALVADOR, Brazil - For two weeks, much of the country - those who love soccer but also those who simply appreciate high drama - was captivated by the U.S. team's wild ride through the World Cup. U.S. Soccer Federation officials saw ratings and interest soar. Fans from coast to coast filled not just bars and living room coaches, but packed stadiums and public spaces, just to watch the action on a big screen. "We're not going to be able to continue this level of excitement and interest the day after the World Cup," said Sunil Gulati, U.S. Soccer president. What the federation will do is take stock of its successes and try to capitalize on the interest: Keep the national team in the public eye, push the public into MLS stadiums, try to make year-round stars out of these summertime heroes. Mostly, they'll try to remember that this World Cup isn't defined by a single deflating loss. Tuesday's overtime setback against Belgium "doesn't change what four years looks like," Gulati said. "It changes the perception." Defender Matt Besler said the U.S. "took a giant step this World Cup." "We really wanted to make a deep run in the tournament," he said. "We're close." Eight players on this U.S. squad are over age 30, but Tuesday also offered a glimpse into the future. DeAndre Yedlin, 20, came off the bench in the first half and provided an immediate spark. And Julian Green, all of 19, made his World Cup debut in extra time and scored the only U.S. goal. More hamstring trouble: U.S. forward Jozy Altidore, who strained his hamstring in the World Cup opener, did not play again. Klinsmann had announced Monday he would be available, but the coach said after the game the forward wasn't quite ready. The U.S. effort suffered a blow in the 32nd minute when Fabian Johnson left with a strained right hamstring - the third American to have hamstring issues in the tournament. But that paved the way for Yedlin, who did well in all three of his appearances as a substitute. Controversy averted: The U.S. seemingly had a chance to win in the dying seconds of regulation when a goalmouth scramble brought the ball to Chris Wondolowski, who skied his shot over the ball from the 6-yard line. But it might not have mattered. The referee's assistant had his flag raised, indicating that Wondolowski was offside. It would have been a call charged with controversy, since a TV replay showed that Wondolowski was clearly onside..

North of the Dial Monday nights are slow ones at the clubs in Denton. School started a couple weeks back, and it seems the kids at the city's two universities haven't yet abandoned hope that they may end the semester with a few A's. Well, that and they're still recovering from the weekend. At Hailey's Club on a recent Monday night, the girl checking IDs at the door sits quietly reading Pride and Prejudice while waiting to hand out wristbands, and the bartender, too, brought some reading material—a textbook called Constitutional Law and Politics—to read between pouring beers and mixing wells. There are only a handful of people wandering about the dimly lit club at the moment. The stage in the room adjacent to the bar is empty because, like most weeknights at Hailey's, the only one performing tonight is a DJ. His name: Austin Brown. Brown's stage name is Young Doc Gooden. He's only been DJing for a few months now, and he's not shy about admitting that he's a better businessman than a DJ. Last May, he organized the first Stay Cool Swag School night, a monthly event held at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios. The show featured perhaps Denton's most famous act du jour, Midlake, as well as sets from a laundry list of other DJs from the area. Quite cleverly, they offered free beer and Champagne until 10 p.m. and free admission to anyone who rode a bicycle to the show. "I thought it would just be a one-time thing," Brown says. "But when 200 people showed up for the first one, I figured we'd try it again." And he's organized another SCSS event each month since. "I want Stay Cool to be more than just a show," Brown says. Each time, his show's boasted a different theme or gimmick. In August, he hosted a beard pageant (which is easy to do in Denton); that night, Rubber Gloves reached its capacity of 250 and was forced to turn people away as Denton's In Dot Dat and Grapevine's Mount Righteous played to the crowded house. Wait times to get drinks at the bar were upward of 15 minutes (one girl was so drunk, she fell on the floor; it was awesome). The next SCSS takes place Friday night at Rubber Gloves. Denton's Heartstring Stranglers will headline the show, which will also feature a scavenger hunt. Like August's SCSS event, Brown expects a good turnout—one far greater than the one he inspired on this fairly dead Monday night Hailey's set. "I gotta get people out here on the floor dancin'," Brown says. "Or eventually I'll get fired, and they'll find someone else to do it." Lucky for him, the Rubber Gloves gig seems pretty safe—for

KARACHI, June 21: Javed Siddiqi's play Aap ki Soniya, a sequel to the critically acclaimed Tumhari Amrita, follows the same form, that is, two people exchanging letters over the course of their relationship. Only this time, the relationship is between an older man, a retired politician and lawyer, in and out of the hospital because of his failing health, and a young woman in her late 20s, living in Paris. The correspondence is initiated by the woman, Soniya, played by Mehwish Hayat, who wants to learn more about the relationship between the man, Nawabzada Syed Zulfiqar Haider, played by Sajid Hasan, and her mother. The mother, we learn over the course of letters exchanged between the two, had died a while ago in India, having left her daughter in France with the man Soniya believes to be her father. Bitter at the mother's betrayal, as she sees it, Soniya claims to hate Haider, believing he is the reason her mother left her. Haider, meanwhile, had not known of her existence and takes a while to believe that his close friend and lover had a child she never told him about. Over the course of the play, Soniya's and Haider’s relationship transforms, gradually moving from hostility and suspicion to mutual dependence and grudging affection as they come to rely on each other's presence through letters received and sent. The beauty of the play, directed by Alyy Khan, is that there are no sudden shifts in perceptions and emotions; the evolution in the relationship is gentle and believable over the course of two or three years. Hasan was clearly the stronger actor, able to infuse his dialogues with emotions ranging from amusement, disbelief and humour to longing and tenderness. The dialogues belonging to his character were also stronger, better written. Hayat's dialogue delivery was weak in comparison, and her dialogues often seemed better suited to an older character. Given that the reading of the letters is the only 'action' taking place on stage, a lot more work should have been put into getting it right. At the same time, the play never becomes tedious, no mean feat when the set over the two acts remains the same, two writing tables and some books, and the characters for the most part remain seated, reading from their letters. In fact, the writer is able to generate a lot of curiosity about Soniya's hostility, a curiosity that is wonderfully mirrored in Haider, and where this unlikely correspondence is headed. The minimalist approach is also a pleasant change from plays filled with characters and busy sets. For fans of Sajid Hasan, in particular, this play is a great and rare opportunity to watch the wonderful actor practise his craft live. A few managerial shortcomings let the production down. The venue (Southend Club) was obscure and not suited to a serious production with noises from the lobby disturbing the performance every time the doors opened; the production could not start on time and people were not allowed to take their seats till just before the play started; and in the absence of a programme, an announcement was made before the start of the play about the actors, writers, technical support and sponsors — disturbing the perception of make-believe so essential to a good production. With so many plays being put up and the audience being charged high ticket prices, it's time productions become more professional.

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RUMSFELD: Thank you very much. (Applause continues.) Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate that. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, folks. Bob, thank you so much for those kind words. Kind of makes me sound like I can't hold a job. (Laughter.). (Laughter.) "Rumsfeld is distinguished principally by his total lack of social, financial and political standing in the community." (Light laughter.) I woke up my wife and said, "Listen to that, Joyce. Isn't that terrible?" And she said, "Yes, but go back to sleep, because it's tough to argue with." (Laughter.). (Applause.). They operate on six continents, and have cells and networks in friendly as well as hostile nation-states. They combine medieval views and modern tools and technologies. And they deny women a opportunity to participate in society. One has to ask, how could any society hope to succeed while denying half of its population the opportunity to participate? in the Beirut barracks in 1983 -- 18 -- 1983, in the Khobar Towers in 1996, or the African embassies in 1998, or when they attacked the USS Cole in the year 2000. we will not surrender Iraq or Afghanistan to terrorists, that we do not apologize for our countries' meaning in the world, and that we will not betray the principles of freedom that at bedrock define our nation. These enemies would not be placated by a surrender, by an apology, or by a betrayal of our values, or of our free way of life. Indeed, I would submit that they would be emboldened. 8. They tried to occupy Fallujah and carve out a terrorist safe haven in Iraq and they failed. They launched a campaign of violence to stop the January election, and they failed. They tried to intimidate, every week, every month, and murder recruits going into the Iraqi security forces, to keep more from enlisting. And they are failing. They've tried to force the coalition to withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq, and with the single exception of Spain pulling out its forces from Iraq, they have failed. And they're desperate to stop the forward march of freedom in the Middle East and beyond, including Central Asia. And they're failing at that as well.,. (Applause.) RUMSFELD: Now I'd be delighted to answer some questions. MODERATOR: We have enough here that it should keep you entirely busy for your -- RUMSFELD: They don't look very well organized on your table top there. [Laughter]. QUESTION: On Monday's Hardball Chris Matthews said that there are two stories when he interviews troops in the field -- one for the camera and the other that questions your strategy. What is your comment on the need for more troops in Iraq? Rumsfeld: The question of the number of troops in Iraq has been one that has been up for public discussion from the very outset. The President and I and the senior military leadership in the Pentagon spent weeks and weeks and weeks with General Tom Franks and his team going over the number of troops that he believed would be appropriate. It turned out that we supported his decision. In retrospect, I think it was the right decision. The debate continues, and people now say should there be more or should there be fewer troops in Iraq? And it's a fair question. It's not an easy, simply subject. There's no book you go to that says for this situation that's the right way to do it. You have to worry your way through it all and take the advice, ultimately, of the people whose judgment you respect. The number of troops in Iraq at the present time are 138,000 plus. They're down from a high, I believe, of 170,000. They are the number that the senior military leadership, General George Casey and General J. R. Vines and General John Abizaid have recommended be there. The tension that they are wrestling with is the following: The more troops you have in that country, the more physical presence you have, the more force protection you have to have for those troops, the more support and combat support and combat service support you have to have for those troops, the more visible they are, and the more they seem to be an occupying force. Therefore, the more it feeds into the insurgents' argument that the United States and the coalition nations are in fact there as an occupying power, which we are not. We seek no one else's real estate, we're not interested in their oil, we are simply there to try to take that situation and put them on a path towards a freer system that's respectful of all the people in that country and is at peace with its neighbors. If you have more people, you feed that argument. If you have too few people, the security is insufficient for the political and economic progress to take place. Success will only occur if there's progress on the political front so that the Iraqi people see that in fact it is their country, it is a sovereign nation, they are in control of it and they will as they draft this new constitution by August 15th, and then have a referendum nationally by October 15th, and then elect new government by December under that new constitution, people will feel they have a stake in that nation. We are training the Iraqi security forces as fast as they can be trained. We are passing off pieces of real estate to the Iraqis as fast as they're capable of taking it over. I don't have any problem. In life if you do something, somebody's not going to like it. And on the other hand, if you don't do anything -- If nobody's criticizing you I suppose it's because you're not doing anything.. They're the number that the Iraqi government thinks is about the right number. They're the number that the President and I both agree is about the right number. And our goal is to be able to bring them down as the Iraqi security forces develop greater capability and as the political process goes forward so the Iraqi people help to suppress the insurgency. [Applause]. QUESTION: The Defense Department is exceptional at warfighting and has a lot of people. The State Department is very good at diplomacy but has few people. What agency in our government has the people and the knowledge -- culture, economy, religion, political, language -- to do the nationbuilding that we need in Iraq. RUMSFELD: The answer is that we don't have a cadre of people who are organized, trained and equipped and readily deployable to do the non-military functions that countries need help with. We never have had that kind of capability, we don't today. Let me just say a word about nation building. The implication of the question is that it's possible for one nation to go in and build another nation. I'm a little cautious about that construct. I think people of their nation have to be the ones that build their nation, and I think the task of other countries is to try to create an environment where that's possible. But the Iraqis are going to end up with an Iraqi constitution, not an American constitution. They're going to have an Iraqi election, not an American election. They're going to have an Iraqi Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Agriculture that fits Iraq, not the United States. And all we can do it seems to me is to recognize that we have a chance -- Think of Afghanistan. We were attacked on September 11th. In October we put troops halfway around the world in a land-locked country and the front page of the New York Times said we're in a quagmire after we'd been there for three weeks. Above the fold. [Laughter]. Three or four weeks later Kabul fell. Today they have the first popularly elected President in the 5,000-year history of their country. On September 18th they're going to have a parliamentary election and provincial election. Did we build that nation? No. Did we help create an environment where it could be done? You bet. The soccer field instead of being used for beheadings is being used for soccer today in Kabul. The people are voting. They had eight million people vote in the last election and I'm told another 1.5 million have already registered for the September 18th election. Is that country going to look like the United States? No. Is it going to look like Afghanistan used to look? No. It's going to look like an Afghanistan there in Central Asia that is going to be different than it has ever been, that is going to be respectful of all the people in that country and they are on a path that is representative and respectful of all the diverse ethnic and religious groups. We did not build that nation. That nation is getting built and it's getting built by Afghans and it's getting built by people because people like the United States were willing to go in there and throw the al-Qaida out and throw the Taliban out and give the responsible people of that country a chance to build their own country. It won't be easy, it's a tough business. Democracy is not easy as we all know. Look how long it took us for our constitution -- 1776 to 1789. These things don't happen immediately, and we had a civil war thereafter. And our first constitution still had slavery and women couldn't vote. This isn't easy stuff. It's hard stuff. We could benefit as a country with a larger cadre of people who could go in, for example, to Iraq today and help the Ministry of Finance develop the kinds of capabilities to function in the modern world. We don't have those people. We've gotten a lot of volunteers and we've sent a lot of people in, a lot of people have gone voluntarily at no pay. But we continue to be short in some of those Ministries, for example. It's a good question and I don't know that I've got the majority view the way I answered it, but I've watched enough in these countries to have a strong sense that one of the dangers is that Americans will be Americans. If they see a ditch that needs to be dug, they'll go dig it. And the task is not to go dig every ditch for every other country in the world. The task is to create an environment and encourage them to dig the ditches and encourage them to help train the trainers to dig the ditches or build the ministries or provide border patrols, whatever it may be. Create an environment so that they can do it themselves and create that institutional capability so that they can sustain it thereafter. QUESTION: Since it is obvious that the insurgency in Iraq is not all home-grown and that the infiltration of terrorists from border nations, especially Syria, is prolonging the conflict, what can be done that has not been done to prevent Syria from aiding and abetting the enemy? RUMSFELD: Syria, as you point out in the question, has been notably unhelpful, indeed harmful, to the situation in Iraq. They've refused to give the Iraqi funds that are in Syria, in Damascus, back to the Iraqis. They have housed and permitted hospitality for the Ba'athists who fled the Saddam Hussein regime that are still functioning and operating out of there and undoubtedly financing some of the insurgency. There's a relatively steady flow of people across the border from Syria into Iraq who are part of the insurgency. Syria, of course, has been on the terrorist list for many many years. Syria has been in close cooperation with Iran and has funded the Hezbollah that have come down through Damascus into Beirut and then down towards Israel. They have a long record, a long pattern of doing that. The United States and the world, obviously, has to create a better clarity in the minds of the leaders of Syria that what they're doing is harmful ultimately to themselves. They're going to have to live in that neighborhood and Iraq doesn't like what Syria's doing, and Iraq's going to be in that neighborhood for a very long time and it's a bigger country, a richer country, and it will be a more powerful country. It's not, in my view -- the Syrians are not behaving in a wise manner at the present time. Other countries and the United States are simply going to have to continue to try to put pressure on them so that they understand the disadvantages that accrue to them by their behavior. QUESTION: You earlier mentioned the New York Times. This questioner asks, is the press coverage of the war fair, and would you recommend embedding press with the troops again in the future? [Laughter]. RUMSFELD: Thank you for asking, mother. [Laughter]. Whoever you are. Torie Clark was Assistant Secretary of Defense, came to General Myers and me and said I really think this is important that we from the very beginning embed reporters in every aspect of the Iraq war, the invasion and the conduct of the war. We talked about it a great deal. She persuaded Dick Myers and me that we would do it. It was a big roll of the dice. We did it. And I think it was a wonderful thing to have done. I think it was a big success. What you had was a group of people who never served in the military, reporters, who a lot of them, they got to live day in and day out and see what wonderful young men and women these are, these soldiers are, sailors and marines and airmen. The rest of their lives they will remember that experience. The rest of their lives they will have had that insight into how professional and how brave and how competent and how capable these young men and women are. The tasks they have where they get up every morning and have to call audibles. There's no one smart enough in Washington, D.C., or in the command center in Central Command to tell everyone what they should do when they get up every morning. These folks have a tough job. They have to simultaneously be warriors, be humanitarians, be diplomats, be builders, and helpers to the Iraqi people and they're doing it. So the embedded reporters saw all of that and they'll be affected by that the rest of their lives. They'll have a body of knowledge they never would have had. There was a problem with it because each one of those reporters would be with a single unit and they would see a slice of reality. They wouldn't see even 90 degrees of reality let alone 180 degrees everywhere in the country. It's a big country, the size of California. Twenty-eight million people. It's geographically about the same size as this state, I believe. But those reporters saw a slice of reality and reported it accurately. The American people then had the task of taking all of those disparate, varied slices of reality and integrating and synthesizing them and coming to some judgments about what was really going on. Now the problem, you say is the reporting fair. You mean -- [Disruption from audience]. RUMSFELD: I suppose on a scale of good, fair and bad we could say they're fair. But it's not for me to judge the press. I will say if you look at where they stand in the judgments and the views of the American people, the United States military is right up here and the press is way down there. QUESTION: How much governmental and private corruption is interfering with the reconstruction in Iraq? RUMSFELD: I would say a great deal. Why do I say that? Well, in much of the world that's a very serious problem. Corruption, the people here who have been in business and know the way the world works know that we're very fortunate in our country to have a relatively low level of corruption, and when one looks across the globe, and people who have to do business in other parts of the world recognize that there's a relatively high level of corruption in a number of parts of the world. You get a disrupted situation like a war, and a post-war recovery, and it offers all kinds of opportunities for corruption. And corruption is so corrosive. It just makes everyone feel they don't want to be a part of that. Or on the other hand, they have no choice but to be a part of corruption. And so is there corruption in that part of the world? You bet. Are the coalition countries that are working there trying to do everything possible to see that the generosity of coalition nations isn't wasted, to see that the resources of the Iraqi and Afghan people are not wasted? You bet they are. They're doing an awful lot to try to see it. But it exists and as more order is restored and more discipline and the ministries develop competence and cadres of people who are accountable to each other, the level of corruption clearly will go down. QUESTION: How do you reconcile our relationship with Saudi Arabia, where on one hand we consider them an ally but on the other hand they are one of the world's great supporters of terrorism through the Madrasas and Wahabiism? RUMSFELD: It's a hard question to answer. We have a situation in that country where without question Crown Prince Abdullah and as of yesterday King Abdullah, clearly recognizes the threat -- The principle threat from al-Qaida is not against the West. The principle threat is against moderate Muslim nations and that is their goal. The al-Qaida's goal is to reestablish a caliphate, to throw out the moderate leaders in every Muslim country, and the King understands that. Ever since the al-Qaida attacks in Saudi Arabia they have been very aggressive in trying to round up terrorists and see that they're put into prison. It's also true that the extremist philosophy and people, not the Saudi Arabian government but people in Saudi Arabia, have funded these Madrasa schools, some of which have been ones run by radical clerics and the ones that have trained terrorists. And the money has come not just from Saudi Arabia, from other countries as well. And that is a problem. It's a problem they understand, it's a problem we understand, and my sense is that the leadership in Saudi Arabia recognizes that that is as much a threat to them as it is to anyone else in the society, in the world -- civilized society in the world, and are working to assist and cooperate with us and the other members of the coalition to try to stop it. QUESTION: Of the 1800-plus men and women who have been killed since the beginning of the war, can you tell us how many are active duty regulars versus the number of guardsmen and reservists? And how were the Guard troops trained before they deployed? RUMSFELD: It would be, I think you said 1800-plus. As of yesterday the actual number that have been killed in action in the country is 1366. There have been another 400 that had non-hostile deaths. That is to say an automobile accident or something that was not war-related even though they were in the area of responsibility. It's a lot of people. I cannot off the top of my head give you the number as between active duty, Guard and Reserve. The largest numbers are clearly from the active duty force because they're the largest numbers of people there. The training of people, the other part of the question, varies dramatically from skill set to skill set. The Guard and the Reserve have, I was in the Reserves for, I don't know, 10-15 years and you would train one weekend a month and then you would go for two weeks active duty for training and develop a level of proficiency in whatever it was you did. I happened to be a Navy pilot. That was at a certain level. It obviously is not the same level that you have if you're on active duty and you're doing it every day. On the other hand, the people in the Guard and Reserve in large measure had served previously on active duty so they had come up to a certain level of capability and competence. The one thing I would add in this regard is that the armed forces of the United States were organized and trained and equipped for the 20th Century, not the 21st Century. The skill sets that existed were, in many instances, not the ones that the world needs today. They were skill sets more appropriate to the Cold War, to major combat between big armies, big navies and big air forces, and insufficient numbers of people and skill sets like civil affairs and military police and the kinds of security, foot soldier type activities that are very much in demand today. We've been rebalancing those skill sets, both within the active force and with the Guard and Reserve and also as between the Guard and Reserve, the reserve components and the active components. We're making very good progress on it. It will probably take another year to two years to get them balanced in a way that we think will have the capabilities we need. But the short answer is the training varies, runs across the full spectrum and it depends on the individual circumstance. QUESTION: There are now more reports of prisoner abuse in Iraq. The death of General Moash, for example. Who and what are Scorpion Squads, and what are we doing about them? RUMSFELD: What kind of squads? QUESTION: Scorpion. RUMSFELD: I don't know. [Laughter]. The question is an interesting one because it says there are new reports. The truth is there have been practically no new reports. What we're seeing is first the reports which uniformly, almost uniformly, were put out not by investigative reporters and not by congressional investigations, but put out by the United States Army, military, at the Central Command, announced it themselves and said we have had allegations of improper conduct against detainees and here's what they've been and we are now conducting an investigation against the people who the allegations have been leveled against. Then what you get down the road is you get e-mails where people are talking back and forth and then that gets released and it sounds like it's new allegations. The ones that were in the paper I believe you're talking about today, I was just told about this morning, and I'm told that they are the direct result of trials. First, you have alleged misconduct. Then you end up with a trial at some point and the person is prosecuted. Then over time there's a hearing and people make the charges. The defense lawyer says this, and the prosecutor says that. What you're seeing in the press today, it's my understanding, is simply a report that's coming out of the trials that resulted from the discoveries made by military personnel, initiated their investigations, asked for a court martial, the court martials go forward, and then there's a trial, and at that point they keep reporting it and it sounds to the American people and the world as though it's the fourth time they've seen this type of thing, and it's actually the same thing that's been reported previously. QUESTION: Should the European community fail to convince Iran to halt its enrichment program, and should the UN sanctions fail, what should the U.S. do to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions? RUMSFELD: The United States should do exactly what the President and the Congress decide it should do. [Laughter]. It certainly looks that that country is on a path where they're quite determined to have nuclear weapons. The Europeans and the United States and the rest of the world have to make a judgment about what kind of a world that's going to be given the fact that they're on the terrorist list and that they're sponsoring terrorism continuously, that they're causing difficulties for Afghanistan, they're causing difficulties for -- We mentioned Syria earlier,. But the one thing we have to know as a country is that we as a nation can do a lot. But there's an awful lot we can't do alone and we simply have to recognize that when it comes to something like proliferation of dangerous weapons -- biological, chemical weapons, nuclear weapons, advanced technologies for the delivery of these weapons -- the only way those technologies can be restricted is with the tremendous cooperation of other countries working together. You cannot manage to interdict, for example, something on land, sea or air without the cooperation of a lot of countries, and that is why the President's initiative on the counter proliferation initiative which is now, has dozens of countries involved in it and more every month, I think is an enormously important activity and one that offers promise for at least reducing the flow of those terrible technologies and weapons to a great extent if not perfectly. QUESTION: Before Mr. Eckhart comes back to close the program we're going to have time for just one last question. There are several here on China. Let me, if I can try and put them together. Could you comment on where the balance lies between interests of national commerce and national security, obviously looking at the now non-acquiral of Unical by CNOOC? Also, could you comment on what the U.S. is prepared to do if Taiwan were to be invaded particularly in light of comments over the last couple of weeks by some of the PLA senior members? RUMSFELD: Let me just take a minute or two and first deal with the Taiwan piece of it. The relationship between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China and the United States has been set and has been relatively clear and relatively well understood and relatively stable for a good many years now. In fact there's legislation, the Taiwan Act prescribes what the United States will or will not do. And the essence of it is that whatever is done between those two entities, it will be done peacefully. Now with respect to the People's Republic of China generally, it's complicated. This is a big country. It's a country that's economy is growing at a good clip, double digits. Its defense investment is going up in double digits. They are deploying in -- We issued a report, we're required by law each year to issue a report on their defense capabilities. So to the best of our knowledge that's been published and we can see what they're doing, and they obviously are moving from a continent power to a regional power and have interests in expanding beyond that. Now where is it all going to end? I don't know. Maybe I'm basically just an optimistic, hopeful person, but as I see it, it could be something like this: to be highly successful in the economic side you've got to have a relatively free economic system. That means you're going to have businessmen and tourists and people crawling all over your country, and people are going to be coming in and out with cell phones and with computers and with all kinds of things. Over time, if you want to maintain that success you're going to have to be tolerant of a degree of freedom of expression, a degree of freedom of interaction with the rest of the world. And if you want to continue to grow you're going to have to conduct yourself -- and if you want to have the Olympics -- you're going to have to conduct yourself in a way that doesn't make you a pariah nation, a state that people don't want to be involved in. Money is power. Money does not want to go to a place that is inhospitable to investment and return. On the other hand they've got a communist political system that is not open, it's closed. It is a repressive system. It restricts freedom of religion, it restricts freedom of the press, it restricts a great many of the kinds of freedoms that all of us are so blessed to enjoy. Now as you go down this road, there's going to be a tension. There's going to be a tension between the demands of a freer economic system if they want success. And if you want to perpetuate the kind of regime that exists, you're going to have to maintain a relatively closed political system. So the question is, which is going to give? Well, on the one hand if the economic system gives and it becomes less successful and much slower growth rate, then obviously the People's Republic of China will be much less of a threat to the world. To the extent the political system is what gives, and they have to open it up because they no longer can control it and they can't stop satellite television or they can't stop computers or e-mails or all the ways that people can learn things and interact and educate themselves as to what's going on in the rest of the world, tourists, all of these things, if that gives, then obviously the economic system will continue to grow. It seems to me our task in the world, and the nations of the free world is to hope and to interact with the People's Republic of China in a way that encourages that it's the free economic system that affects the closed-ness in the political system. And try to work with them in ways that the world demonstrates to the People's Republic of China that their future is a much brighter one to the extent that they move towards that more open economic system and political system rather than the opposite. Thank you very much, folks.

- Filed Under BONN — Rheinmetall will become contractor on the Canadian Forces Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) project under a 160 million euro ($207 million) contract signed with Textron Systems Canada. Rheinmetall Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of the Düsseldorf, Germany-based company, will earn 120 million euros during the TAPV program’s production phase, performing the final assembly and test of the vehicles. It will also integrate subsystems, such as the remotely controlled weapon station, the vehicle navigation system and the driver vision enhancement system. The production phase is expected to span from July 2014 to March 2016. When fielded, Rheinmetall Canada will provide in-service support (ISS) for the entire TAPV fleet at the same facility, earning another 40 million euros. ISS will start with the initial operational capability when the first 47 vehicles are delivered, which is planned for 2014, and is expected to end in 2021, five years after the last vehicle is delivered. “This partnership with Textron Systems is of strategic importance to Rheinmetall Canada,” said Rheinmetall Canada’s president and CEO, Andreas Knackstedt. “We are extremely pleased to work with Textron Systems delivering state of the art equipment to the Army, and value for taxpayers’ money, while creating highly skilled jobs in Canada.” Rheinmetall Canada will also fulfill a portion of Textron’s participation in Canada’s Industrial and Regional Benefits (IRB) policy arising from the government’s purchase of 500 Textron TAPV. The Textron TAPV team was selected in June 2012 to manufacture 500 vehicles with an option for up to 100 more. The team also includes Kongsberg Protech Systems Canada and EODC — Engineering Office Deisenroth Canada. As the prime contractor, Ottawa-based Textron Systems Canada will provide the overall program and configuration management, act as design authority for change management, coordinate the vehicle integration activities by Canadian subcontractors, and manage the ISS contract. It will also implement a pan-Canadian IRB program designed to bring new expertise and opportunities to Canadian companies.

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College men’s tennis team played its final match of the regular season on Saturday morning, as the squad hosted Hanover in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup. The Panthers were too strong on this day and defeated DC by a final of 9-0. Unlike the previous three HCAC matches, the Yellow Jackets were unable to get off to a fast start in doubles play against Hanover. The Purple and Gold fell in all three matches to put themselves in an early 3-0 hole. Cord Speelman and Ryan Nelson nearly won at the one doubles position but came up just short, falling by a score of 8-6. In singles action, Defiance was competitive at the top of the lineup, as the numbers one and two matches went into a third set super-tiebreaker. Unfortunately for the Jackets, neither DC player was able to pull out the victory as Nelson fell at one singles by a final of 6-4, 2-6, 11-9 and Speelman dropped the two singles match 6-3, 5-7, 10-5. The other four matches were not nearly as competitive. The Purple and Gold lost each of the bottom four singles matches in straight-set fashion to the visitors from Hanover. The loss gives Defiance a final regular season record of 8-11 and a mark in the Heartland of 4-5. The Jackets will go into the HCAC Tournament as the six seed and will most likely meet Franklin in the first round in the three versus six matchup. The match is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 4 at the West Indy Racquet Club in Indianapolis.

Monday, October 2, 2000 Death Toll Rises in the Occupied Territories At least 36 people are now dead and more than 700 wounded in the gunfire that has been sweeping the occupied territories in Israel for the past five days. Of those killed, 34 were Palestinians and Arabs. The First General Strike in Yugoslavia Since Wwii. California’s New Dna Laws Exonerate the Innocent Yesterday in Geneva the International Commission of Jurists condemned the United States for 80 documented cases where innocent people were wrongly sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit. This came as California last week became the sixth state in the U.S. to permit DNA testing for prisoners who claim they were wrongly convicted. After many years of struggle, The Burton Bill was passed, inspired by Herman Atkins, a Los Angeles man who was wrongly convicted of rape and spent 12 years in a California prison until DNA evidence tests proved his innocence. The Presidential Exclusive Debates and Nader’s Super Rally in Boston Tomorrow

[tag: science] Obama health idea could mean better care, savings March 31, 2011 Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar Associated Press The Obama administration on Thursday outlined a new approach to medical care that it said could mean higher quality and less risk for patients, while also saving millions of dollars for taxpayers. The plan involves accountable care organizations, which are networks of hospitals, doctors, rehabilitation centers and other providers. They would work together to cut out duplicative tests and procedures, prevent medical errors, and focus on keeping patients healthier and out of the emergency room. "We need to bring the days of fragmented care to an end," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said as she announced a proposed regulation that defines how the networks would operate within Medicare. If things work out, medical providers would share in the savings. If the experiment fails, they're likely to get stuck with part of any additional costs. Sebelius said early estimates are that Medicare could save as much as $960 million over three years. That's not a whole lot for a $550-billion-a-year program, but officials say it's a start. The estimate was prepared by Medicare's office of the actuary, known for its independence. Eagerly awaited by the health care industry, the new approach was called for in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The first networks would open for business next year. Unlike some managed care plans, such as health maintenance organizations, these networks would not lock in patients. "The beneficiary has not lost any choice at all," said Medicare administration Donald Berwick. The U.S. spends about $2.5 trillion a year on health care, more per person than any other advanced country. Yet people in the U.S. lag in some common measures of health and well-being. Researchers estimate that as much as one-third of U.S. spending goes for services that aren't really needed, and that's what the networks are supposed to address. If the idea succeeds in Medicare, it is expected to spread quickly to employer-provided health insurance. Already in some parts of the country, such as the Minneapolis area, insurers, hospitals and doctors have set up similar networks for privately insured patients. But there are risks. The networks could end up costing more money because of the intensive work involved in coordinating among different providers. Medicare recipients now may see four or five different doctors, who never talk to each other or compare notes. There's another potential problem. What if a network of hospitals and doctors acquires monopoly power in its community and starts raising prices? Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney said the administration won't allow that to happen. "We believe there is no area of the economy that can benefit more from collaboration than health care," said Varney. "Those who collaborate to fix prices inappropriately will be prosecuted." Doctors, hospitals and other service providers will decide whether join a local network. They will have to make a three-year commitment to care for a group of at least 5,000 patients. The Justice Department said providers that control less than 30 percent of the market for a given service in their community probably would not face scrutiny for possible anti-competitive concerns. Those with a market share of 50 percent or more would undergo a mandatory review before their network could be approved. For those in between, the department issued a list of things to avoid if they don't want to face questions from the government. Once the government has approved a network, Medicare administrators will monitor performance on costs and quality. If the network succeeds in saving money over what its patients' care would have otherwise cost, Medicare will share a portion of the gains. If it loses money, providers could get stuck with a bill. Providers are required to let their patients know that they are part of an accountable care organization and to get permission to share personal health information within the network. The experiment is focused on traditional fee-for-service Medicare. "We are committed to getting the details right," said Sebelius. "The rules we are proposing today are just the first step in a long process." It's unclear what would happen to the experiment if Obama's health care law is overturned in court or repealed. "I've never seen a time when there was as much positive work being done, although we don't have enough statistical data to show results yet," said Jim Eppel, a senior executive of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, which has several networks of its own. "I think providers in our area have come to the realization that they need to reduce their cost of doing business. This provides a platform for them to do that.

Archived Story Food bank assists neighbors in needBy Staff Reports Published 12:00am Friday, May 19, 2006 The Demopolis Food Pantry was established in the early 1980′s, and was started to help provide food for elderly residents in the local community that were unable to qualify for other food programs. The volunteers, who solely operate the mission, are from several different churches in the area. Trinity Episcopal Church plays an important role in the charity. Food is packed into paper bags and distributed by volunteers every Wednesday from 8 a.m. until 9 a.m. Besides canned goods and non-perishable food items, the food pantry always needs paper bags to distribute the food. New volunteers are welcome to participate, and anyone interested can come by at 8:30 a.m. on any Wednesday. “We are all volunteers and this is a community effort,” Byrd Rish said. Most of the people receiving food from the charity are disabled or are elderly citizens. Eligible recipients are residents of Demopolis, and also meet the income guidelines set out by the USDA. In the late 1980′s, the food pantry was moved to the back room of the Jewish Synagogue, B’Nai Jeshurun, where it is still located. When the group first started, they would distribute food to approximately 12 people every week. The food pantry has grown a great deal since it was first established a number of years ago. In 1997, the organization distributed food to over 4,500 people, and for 2003, the organization had distributed food to over 7,000 people. The Demopolis Food Pantry currently distributes food to approximately 200 people every week. The Demopolis Food Pantry is dependent on contributions to function. Food that is not donated has to be purchased. A large portion of the food the organization provides is purchased from the West Alabama Food Bank and costs 16 cents per pound to buy. The Demopolis Council of Church Women made generous financial contributions to the Demopolis Food Pantry. The Bargain Box, which is operated by the Demopolis Council of Church Women, sells donations they receive from the community, which includes clothes and a wide range of other items from magazines to stuffed animals. The Demopolis Council of Church Women also made contributions to other organizations and causes. “This is a service group and it is all volunteer help. We recently gave $5,000 in scholarships to DHS students,” Iona Watts, Bargain Box volunteer, said. Donations of all kinds (such as clothes and household items) would be helpful, and new volunteers would be greatly appreciated. “We have a drop box for donations and Mondays is work day,” Ion Watts said. The Bargain Box is open on Mondays through Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. until noon, and 8:00 a.m. until noon on Saturdays.

A mother who admitted slapping her children with a belt has had a six month sentence suspended for two years. The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children, pleaded guilty to four charges of common assault on October 23 and 24, 2012. Derry Magistrates Court heard the victims were aged four and seven-years-old at the time of the incident and are now in the care of Social Services. Police were called after a teacher noticed bruising on the four-year-old’s leg. When he was asked what had happened he told his teacher that his mother had hit him with a belt. The mother was arrested and during police interview claimed she had noticed bruising on her son’s leg, but ‘dismissed it’ as her children had been playing wrestling, hitting and kicking at each other. She was interviewed a second time and admitted she ‘cracked-up’ because there was food on the floor when she got up from her bed and her sons were throwing eggs at a fence. She admitted hitting both of her sons with the belt. Defence counsel Steven Mooney told the court this offence happened at a time when his client was addicted to prescription medication and her parenting skills were ‘wholly inadequate’. He added that the woman ‘disciplined her children in an outrageous fashion’. The barrister told the court his client has been on remand for a ‘significant’ period of time in relation to other offences and her children are not due to be returned to her. Suspending the six month sentence, District Judge Barney McElholm said ‘there is no doubt her parenting skills left a lot to be desired, even without resorting to violence to chastise her children’. He said if a mother did not get up from her bed, ‘the children are going to feed themselves and play and leave things lying around’. He said the children are now ‘safe’ and while the case is ‘deserving’ of an immediate custodial sentence he had to take into account the amount of time the woman has been on remand. Almost Done! By registering you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions of the website.

[, how-to] Sort by Displaying reviews 1-8 Back to top Wonderful Nail Polish By suzie2 from Naples, Florida About Me Classic, Dramatic, Natural, Trendy See all my reviews The brush is perfect for easy application, and I don't even need a base or top coat. It lasted several days and still kept that luster. The colors are outstanding. In my opinion, Estee Lauder nail polish is the best. Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend Was this review helpful? Yes / No - You may also flag this review Comment on this review (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful) Didn't chip for 2 weeks! By Jackie S. from Houston, TX About Me Trendy I bought this about 6 months ago and have applied 2 coats without a top coat. I live in Houston where we can swim until October and my husband and I have been doing work around our new house (painting, hanging things, etc). This polish took a pretty good beating and didn't chip for over 2 weeks! I have used many different kinds of nail polish and, so far, this one is the best. Lasting Color About Me Classic, Natural This is one of only a few polishes that you don't have to spend forever with, meaning I don't need a base or top coat for a lasting, lovely color. There are great choices for matching any wardrobe, and I haven't used another brand in ages. Chipped with base and top coat By Pookierat from Atlanta , GA About Me Classic Used base and top coat. shine and color are beautiful. Chipped in under 24 hours. took 3 coats to get coverage. Color Le Smokin. Maybe it's the color. Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend love it!!! By helena from west palm beach,FL About Me Classic, Professional i love it!all my life i been bought drougstore brands,and this is my first hig end nail polish but it work for the money!formula is easy apply very smooht,very shinny finish ,exelent brush and long lastin ..what else can I say...i love it! Adore!! By Aunt Tay from Fayetteville, AR About Me Classic, Natural, Professional I love this nail polish so much!! It always takes me a while to do my nails though because the pigmants could stain. But that's what makes this polish so wonderful! It's long lasting and timeless. (2 of 2 customers found this review helpful) Very Pleased By suzanne2 I purchased Estee Lauder nail polish for the first time in Satin Gold and wore it to dinner the other night. I received compliments from two women. It is a lovely color without being too shiny. It's especially pretty at night, but can be worn any time. Smooth application and dries fast. What more could one ask for? Another wonderful product from Estee Lauder. I will be purchasing more colors. (4 of 4 customers found this review helpful) Polish in "Rosa, Rosa" By Floridagrandmommiex2 from Fort Lauderdale, FL I have use this color and this polish brand for around 15 years or more. This color just looks great with my skin color and the polish is the best when it comes to applying and staying on. I dont mind paying this price when it is this good. I am not into wild colors but do like fashionable change so depend on Estee Lauder to help me with this!

Annual Report for 1998 California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Workers' Compensation Steve Smith Director of Industrial Relations Richard Gannon Administrative Director Division of Workers' Compensation Peggy Sugarman Chief Deputy Administrative Director Division of Workers' Compensation Executive Summary * Recent History * Division of Workers' Compensation * DWC Audit and Enforcement * California's workers' compensation system changed dramatically during the 1990s. With the passage of reform legislation during 1989 and 1993, continuous implementation of regulatory and administrative changes led to progress toward the goals of reducing overall system costs, improving the efficiency of the program, and increasing benefit levels. Problems remain in the areas of benefit adequacy and equity, and of system efficiency. After several years of rapid growth in the late 1980s and early 1990s, workers' compensation premium costs in California fell significantly from 1993 through 1998. Insurance costs that were approaching five percent of payroll in 1993 dropped first with a legislatively mandated 7 percent reduction as part of the 1993 reform act, and a further reduction of 12 percent in minimum rates declared by the Insurance Commissioner in November 1993. In 1994 minimum premium rates were reduced further?the largest reductions in history?a drop of 16 percent effective October 1. These decreases foreshadowed elimination of the minimum rate law, effective January 1, 1995. Since open rating began, yet not necessarily because of it, a combination of reduced injury and claims rates, price competition, and some reductions in the scope of the law have driven the average employer premium rate to levels last seen in the mid 1970s. While employer premium rates have fallen, benefit levels for disabled workers have increased. Temporary disability benefit levels, as mandated by the statutory changes, have risen sharply?from a maximum of $224 per week in 1989 and $336 per week in 1993?to a current maximum of $490 per week. Currently, California's maximum benefit covers approximately 75 percent of the average weekly wage in the state. This is a significant change from the pre-1993 reform level, when California's temporary disability payment ranked in the bottom two of the 50 states. Despite the improvement, California still ranks 42nd in wage replacement rates for temporary disability. The changes in 1989 were characterized by a desire to raise benefit levels by financing them through increased system efficiencies. In 1993 the goals were more closely related to controlling costs. In the wake of the reform legislation, the Division of Workers' Compensation and other affected agencies implemented sweeping changes in the law and administrative process. At that time, most public attention was on getting costs under control. Access to certain benefits, such as vocational rehabilitation, was pared down or capped in price. Broad definitions of injury and eligibility were somewhat narrowed for psychiatric stress cases, and post-termination injury cases were curtailed. Certification and monitoring of managed care organizations and other initiatives during 1994 began the task of controlling medical costs in California's workers' compensation. In addition, units within the Division of Workers' Compensation were targeted for administrative improvements. The Disability Evaluation Unit concentrated on reducing large backlogs of cases seeking consultative ratings. The Rehabilitation Unit shifted toward more responsibility for resolving disputes. The Claims Adjudication Unit began to address means of reducing unacceptably long delays between requests and actual dates of hearings and trials. The mandated changes in the 1993 law were intended to save $1.5 billion per year, half of the savings paying for increased benefit levels and the rest reducing employers' costs in the system. The cost savings were expected to be accomplished through better management of medical care, reductions in fees paid for medical-legal evaluation reports and the numbers of them allowed, capping case costs for vocational rehabilitation, stricter standards of eligibility for psychiatric injury claims, and reductions of litigation through early intervention by state information and assistance officers. Corollary savings were expected from workers' compensation reforms that affect other government agencies. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health was expected to use funding generated through the reform act to set up units to target workplace safety inspections of the most hazardous workplaces, and to assure that workers' compensation insurance carriers have effective programs of loss control consultation for employers. The period since 1993 has seen dramatic reductions in the reported numbers of injuries and new claims, and in the systems costs paid by employers. From 1990 to 1997, the last year for which injury frequency statistics are available, the rate of injuries leading to time away from work dropped 45 percent. It now appears that the expected savings have been exceeded. Employer costs which were approaching $11 billion per year are now below $9 billion. Much of the current attention of the system relates to assessing and proposing action regarding the adequacy of permanent disability benefits. The challenge for the future is maintaining access to high quality medical care and adequate compensation after workplace injury, without letting costs get out of control. Recent History Recent reform of the workers' compensation system began in 1989, when the Legislature enacted a series of changes that signaled a desire to begin controlling runaway costs and to reduce fraud and abuse. The legislative goal was to redesign the system so that injured workers were assured of adequate and timely compensation, the regulatory structure of workers' compensation insurance was reformed, and a link was renewed between state mandated occupational injury/illness prevention programs and compensating injuries that occurred. 1989 Reform As a result of the 1989 reform effort, the Division of Workers' Compensation was formed from the previous Division of Industrial Accidents. Organizational and regulatory changes included: 1993 Reforms In the early 1990s the Legislature passed several bills which began the process of addressing these concerns. In July 1993 a wide range of system changes were enacted with the intention of reducing the number of claims in the workers' compensation system as well as average costs per claim. To reduce the number of claims, new tools were added to curtail fraud, to make changes decreasing the number of post-termination psychiatric injury cases, and to implement strategies that prevent injuries. The goal of reducing costs per claim was expected to be achieved by introducing managed medical care techniques, by lowering the number and costs of medical-legal evaluations, and by capping the costs of vocational rehabilitation. As a result of these reforms, the state's responsibilities increased in virtually every area of the workers' compensation system. DWC information and assistance officers are now increasingly relied upon to give injured workers help on all aspects of claims, including rehabilitation cases, and information guides are being developed and disseminated. Since the 1993 changes, DWC has been overseeing the operation of medical providers offering managed care, and has been revising the medical fee and medical-legal fee schedules. The division has also begun pilot programs combining the medical aspects of workers' compensation with group health coverage. The demands for medical care cost reduction and control programs have apparently been mediated by overall lower costs in workers' compensation, yet the experience of these programs is extremely valuable for assessing their effectiveness. In 1993 the division was also mandated to revise the permanent disability rating schedule which governs payments to permanently impaired workers. A new schedule encompassing broad changes in the nature of occupations and types of injuries has been in effect since 1997. Much research and debate regarding permanent disability benefits characterize the past few years. In addition to its own responsibilities, DWC is also involved in assuring that related agencies accomplish the objectives of reform. The 1993 legislation decreed deregulation of the premium rate-setting process for workers' compensation insurance. Competition has helped drive down rates over the last few years. But along with price competition among workers' compensation insurers, there may be greater pressures on claims examiners, loss control consultants and others. Care must be taken to assure availability of workers' compensation coverage for all sizes and types of employers, at a reasonable price. Through its regulatory and oversight functions, the division can assure that claims administrators meet standards of claims processing and information provided to injured workers. Other reforms permit groups of employers to self insure their compensation liability for the first time, and allow for alternatives to the formal dispute resolution process of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board for certified construction contractors operating under a collective bargaining agreement. Many of these functions entail monitoring and oversight responsibilities within the division or associated programs of the Department of Industrial Relations. Another important policy change of the 1993 reforms was reconfiguring the Commission on Health and Safety from a grants making organization, oriented toward production of educational materials, to an eight-member labor-management evaluative Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation. Changes During 1998 The year 1998 was a year of change, bringing new law and regulations in California's workers' compensation system. There was clarification of the general prohibition against settling or commuting vocational rehabilitation services unless all compensation was at risk.1 Private firefighters were assured the same workers' compensation protections as those employed by a public agency.2 Protections were enacted against improper use of individually identifiable information held as public records.3 Workers' compensation judges, officially renamed referees in 1993, were now to be workers' compensation administrative law judges.4 They were also formally placed under the oversight of the Code of Judicial Ethics.5 The medical fee schedule was mandated to include physician assistants and nurse practitioners.6 After several years of near-sunsetting of the law, the Legislature permanently added acupuncture to the list of medical treatments available to injured workers.7 Other laws were put into place.8 Regulatory changes were made in several programs, clarifying the provision of vocational rehabilitation services9 and changing audit regulations to attempt a refocus of resources.10 Also, responding to a governor's executive order, benefits from the Uninsured Employers Fund and Subsequent Injury Fund, both originally intended to protect injured workers regardless of immigration status, were to be withheld from aliens.11 The California Economy and Workers' Compensation Labor Force12 In 1985 approximately 12 million Californians were in the labor force and employed, of which 10.8 million were in nonagricultural labor. By 1990 overall employment had grown to 14.3 million. Growth then stalled and by 1993 overall employment had fallen back to 13.9 million. Since then, increasing growth has pushed up total employment to 15.3 million in 1998. (Chart 1) The unemployment rate for the same period began at 7.2 percent in 1985, dropped to a low of 5.1 percent in 1989, then steadily rose to 9.4 percent in 1993. The rate has now fallen for five years and currently stands at 5.9 percent. (Chart 2) Shift in Industry Orientation13 A large portion of the growth in the California labor force in recent years has been in the service industry. From 1985 to 1997, manufacturing employment actually decreased in the state, from 2.0 to 1.9 million, while the service sector increased from 2.6 to 4.1 million. While employment in the service sector increased from 25 to 31 percent of the total, the manufacturing share fell from 19 to 14.5 percent. Wholesale and retail trade increased over 470,000, government increased 350,000 and construction was up 120,000. The shift from blue to white collar employment affects the nature and types of injuries seen in the state's work force. The nature of work force hazards also shifts within broad categories, as more jobs involve high technology, different hazards, and telecommuting. (Chart 3) Injury Rates and Trends The state Division of Labor Statistics and Research (DLSR), in conjunction with the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, uses surveys of a stratified sample of California employers to estimate the incidence and frequency of occupational injuries and illnesses statewide. At the present time, there is no compilation of first reports of injury by employers or doctors. The division also maintains a program to document the number and causation of occupational fatalities in the state. Fatalities14 At least 600 Californians die on the job each year. Two out of five of these persons die in transportation-related injuries. About 200 a year die from assaults or violent acts suffered on the job. Approximately another 50 each die from falls, contact with objects and equipment, and exposure to harmful substances or environments. In a typical year, 10-20 persons perish in fires and explosions.15 While the 1996 statewide numbers went below 600 for the first time in five years, all would agree that the record could stand significant improvement. (Chart 4) Injuries and Illnesses By every available measure, there has been a reduction in reported cases of occupational injury and illness in California during the years since 1990. From 1988 to 1997, the rate of disabling cases, involving lost workdays and days away from work, declined 45 percent in California. In mining and manufacturing the rate declined over 50 percent. In the fast growing service sector, California's lost workday rate declined 41 percent over the past decade. (Chart 5) Construction, transportation and public utilities continue to be the most dangerous working environments in terms of injury frequency. Despite the large decreases of recent years, each year over 4 percent of the workers in these industries lose at least a day of work from an occupational injury. (Chart 6) The most recent statistics available to study the demographics of injured workers are from 1996. Sixty-six percent of injured workers were male. (Chart 7) Nearly three-quarters were under 44 years of age, 14 percent under age 24. (Chart 8) About 11 percent of reported lost time injuries happened to those who had been on the job under three months, with a full 30 percent having under one year of service. One-third of those injured had been on the job between one and five years, and 38 percent longer than five years. (Chart 9) Days Away from Work Approximately 27 percent of workers who experience lost time due to an injury stay out 1-2 days, while another 18 percent are out 3-5 days. Approximately one-fourth of injured workers are out of work 6-20 days and 6 percent are out from three weeks to a month. Almost one-quarter of injured workers are still away from work a month after their injury. (Chart 10) Type of Injury The most common lost time injuries are to the trunk, including upper and lower back, accounting for more than 70,000 lost time cases per year. These are followed by 45,000 disabling upper extremity injuries and 36,000 lower extremity cases. (Chart 11) Occupation More than 70,000 private sector operators, fabricators and laborers suffered disabling injuries in 1996 in California, along with 37,000 technical, sales and administrative workers, 32,000 production, craft and repair workers, and 29,000 service workers. (Chart 12) Benefits and Costs Technical Note: Data Sources The estimates of injury frequency and incidence rates of the Division of Labor Statistics and Research are supplemented by other data that focus on claims activity. Not all job-related injuries become claims against an employer or insurer, and it is argued that some claims are filed where there are no occupational injuries. There is currently no single reliable source of information on the number and types of claims for workers' compensation in California. The Workers' Compensation Information System (WCIS) being developed by DWC will serve that vital purpose when it begins collecting and compiling information later this year. Until then, in order to make estimates it is necessary to procure and compile data from several different sources. The Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) regularly publishes information that aggregates the claims experience for insured employers.16 The state Office of Self Insurance Plans (SIP) compiles annual report information from several thousand self insured employers in both public and private sectors. Their published information is generally restricted to figures on the cost of medical care and indemnity benefits for self insurers and does not count the number of injuries. The DWC Audit Unit receives an Annual Report of Inventory (ARI) of workers' compensation claims from each claims administrator, and uses this information to identify and select sample sizes for audits.17 The insurance industry supported California Workers' Compensation Institute (CWCI) surveys its members quarterly to estimate the incidence of new claims and to look at trends over time.18 And the state Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) offices see cases which, for one reason or another, need state assistance, oversight, or dispute resolution. Workers' Compensation Claims DWC estimates that in the insured sector of the market, claims have been cut by a third, dropping from over 900,000 per year in 1990 to just over 600,000 in 1996. (Chart 13) Total statewide employment for the two years is very comparable. Projecting these estimates in the insured sector to the entire work force, it appears that claims in California have dropped from approximately 1.3 million per year to about 900,000. In the insured sector, claims costs (the total of medical care, death benefits and indemnity costs for permanent and temporary disability) are approximately $4 billion per year. (Chart 14) The total employer cost of these claims plus overhead and operating expenses currently stands at approximately $9 billion. (Chart 15) Workers' compensation cases can be categorized by types of benefits received. Medical only cases are ones in which no indemnity or lost time payments are made, meaning either the injured worker only had medical expenses, or the disability lasted less than three days and thus involved no other payments. Temporary total cases are those in which a person is hurt and requires medical attention, is off work for more than three days and collecting lost time payments, and after a period off work returns fully to the prior job without any remaining disability. Permanent partial cases usually include both medical and temporary total disability payments, and also involve a remaining and compensable disability after the healing phase has ended. For the relatively small group each year of permanently and totally disabled, who will not return to work in any capacity, there is an ongoing lost income benefit. And for the dependents of those killed on the job, there are survivors' benefits and funeral allowances. Workers' compensation benefits are of three major types: medical care to relieve the effects of work-related injury, income benefits to replace loss of wages or wage earning capacity, and rehabilitation benefits to help pay for training and rehabilitation costs when a person cannot return to prior employment after an injury. Medical Benefits In 1996 the costs of workers' compensation medical care in California were about $3 billion. (See Chart 16. Note: Cost figure in chart for insured payment in 1996 is at first report and can be expected to grow as claims mature.) Of this amount, approximately half went to doctors, one-quarter went to hospitals, one-seventh reimbursed patients for their direct payments with 6 percent paying for medical-legal evaluations and 4 percent for pharmacy services.19 (Chart 17) Medical expenses are a part of nearly every workers' compensation case, and currently comprise about 29 percent of the system costs. Another 39 percent covers indemnity benefits and vocational rehabilitation services, and 32 percent covers the costs of administration of benefits?including loss adjustment expenses, insurer overhead, operations, commissions and brokerage, profit, taxes and general expenses. Looking only at benefits, medical services take 42 percent and indemnity benefits including vocational rehabilitation 58 percent of all benefits. Among physician speciality areas, California's payments go to: physical therapists, 21 percent; orthopedists, 21 percent; family practice, 16 percent; chiropractors, 16 percent; clinics, 19 percent; and radiology, 7 percent.20 (Chart 18) In the insured sector, workers' compensation medical benefits cost between 0.6 and 1.4 percent of payroll during the period since 1977. (Chart 19) The number of medical only cases dropped 25 percent between 1989 and 1996. (Chart 20) Because indemnity claims fell even faster, medical only claims now are approximately 69 percent of the total number of claims, up from 62 percent in 1990. On average in California, medical only cases now cost about $450 apiece. In the inflation-adjusted figures of 1982 dollars, these claims cost about $275. (Chart 21) Indemnity Benefits The chart (Chart 22) indicates the overall breakdown of costs on the indemnity side for a recent year. Benefits paid out for permanent partial disability awards were nearly the same as those paid out for temporary disability. Temporary Disability Benefits In 1972 the National Commission on State Workers' Compensation Laws recommended that states index their workers' compensation benefit levels to the state's average wage. In this way, benefit levels would stay constant through inflationary times. Currently 44 states, but not California, set them this way for temporary total disability.21 The National Commission also recommended that states adopt a standard of 100 percent of the state average weekly wage; 34 states meet or exceed that standard. California ranks tied for 42nd among states on the replacement rate of the maximum benefit. (Chart 23) The reforms of 1989 and 1993 granted significant increases in benefit levels for temporary total and fatality cases, and for some permanent partial disability cases. In 1990 temporary total disability benefits were $224 per week, while the state average weekly wage was $473. The maximum benefit was replacing less than half of lost income for the average injured worker. The 1989 reforms contained a two-step increase in the temporary disability rates, raising the maximum to $266 in 1990 and $336 in 1991, a 50 percent total increase. Without legislation to change them, the maximum rates stayed level until a three-step increase was included in the 1993 reform act. In July 1994 maximum rates rose to $406; a year later they were increased to $448, and in July 1996 they were raised to the present $490 per week. (Chart 24) As a percentage of the state average weekly wage, the temporary disability benefit rose from under 50 percent in 1989 to approximately 80 percent in 1996. Without any further benefit level increases, this percentage has now fallen to about 75 percent as average wages have grown. (Chart 25) Temporary disability cases in the insured sector are down from 180,000 to 110,000 per year since 1990, a decrease of 39 percent. The average cost of a temporary disability case has gone from around $1600 in 1982 to over $3700 in 1996, including both medical and indemnity costs. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the cost has risen to about $2300. (Chart 26) The 1996 increase is in part due to the increases in benefit levels for temporary disability in 1995 and 1996. Permanent Total Disability Benefits Weekly payments in permanent total disability cases in California are the same as those for temporary disability, currently up to $490 per week for injuries on or after July 1, 1996. Permanent total disability is often not recognized at the beginning of a claim. The table below shows how the number of cases seen as permanent total disability increases as the time from injury progresses?the first report for a given year occurs six months after the close of policy year, the second and third reports at one year intervals after that. Approximately 400 persons in the insured sector, or 600 statewide, become permanently and totally disabled from job-related injuries each year. Permanent Partial Disability Benefits Maximum benefits paid for permanent partial disability depend on the rating assigned; for disabilities rated under 15 percent, the benefit ranges from a minimum of $70 to a maximum of $140, a level that has been in effect since 1984. The 1989 reforms created a new tier: for those with over 25 percent disability, the maximum rate rose to $148 per week. The 1993 reforms further subdivided the partially disabled into a total of four groups. Currently those with disabilities rating under 15 percent still get $140 maximum, those with 15 to 25 percent receive a maximum of $160 per week, those with 25 to 70 percent disability receive $170 per week, and those with ratings above 70 percent get $230 per week during the period of disability. (Chart 27) Disabled workers at this level are also eligible for a life pension of as much as $154 per week. The number of permanent disability cases in the insured market has declined nearly 50 percent in the past five years, with the largest annual decreases in 1992 and 1993. Currently there are approximately 85,000 such cases per year from insured employer work forces, with an annual cost of approximately $3.5 million. These cases account for the overwhelming majority of costs of workers' compensation; since approximately 1987, permanent disability cases have accounted for about 85 percent of all benefit costs. (Chart 28) Fatality Cases Benefits in fatality cases are according to the number of dependents: Currently the family of a fatally injured worker leaving three or more total dependents receives a maximum of $160,000 plus a burial expense of $5,000. Death benefits for single dependents are now $125,000. Per Labor Code Section 4702(b), death benefits are payable in installments in the same manner and amounts as temporary disability indemnity. Where there are one or more dependent minor children, death benefits beyond the maximum amounts continue at the temporary disability rate until the youngest child reaches age 18. According to frequency and cost statistics published by the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, covering insured employers only, fatality cases are costing an average $132,000 each, with about $115,000 in indemnity or survivors' benefits and $17,000 in medical care costs. These figures are from first estimates on policy year 1996 claims. Projecting from the amount of death benefits to dependents of insured employees, approximately $75 million per year is paid out for all fatality cases in California. (Chart 29) Coverage for Workers' Compensation Virtually all California employers are covered by the workers' compensation laws. Private employers must buy insurance coverage from a licensed insurer authorized to sell the coverage, or establish an approved self insurance program through the Office of Self Insurance Plans. Employers buying insurance are generally relieved from liability for workplace injuries, and liability is assumed by the insurance carrier. The Insurance Market Until recently, California's workers' compensation insurance rates were regulated by the Insurance Commissioner under the minimum rate law which stated that "an insurer shall not issue, renew, or continue in force any workers' compensation insurance under a law of this state at premium rates which are less than the rates approved or issued by the Insurance Commissioner."22 Under that system the Commissioner, through its statistical agent, the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, gathered and analyzed premium and losses data, classified businesses, did actuarial projections, assessed market conditions and competitive forces and determined final, fully developed, premium rates that included all the costs of benefits and administrative overhead. The reform act of 1989 created an academic commission to study the workers' compensation insurance market, the insurance ratemaking process in California, and the relative effectiveness of ratemaking systems in other states.23 In 1992 the Rate Study Commission recommended and in 1993 the Legislature adopted, effective January 1, 1995, the system currently in use which is known as open rating or competitive ratemaking. Under open rating, the Commissioner sets recommended, nonmandatory pure premium rates that are expected to cover the costs of benefits and loss adjustment expenses. Other administrative overhead and expenses are to be added by individual companies.24 More than 100 private for profit insurers and one public nonprofit insurer sell workers' compensation insurance coverage in California. The State Compensation Insurance Fund is the largest carrier in the state, currently writing about 21 percent of the insured market. According to the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, the market share of the top few insurers has increased incrementally over the period beginning just before open rating. In 1994, 43 percent of the market went to the top five carrier groups; by 1997 it was up to 48 percent. In 1994 the top 20 groups took 79 percent of the total trade, and by 1997 the top 20 handled 87 percent of the market. (Chart 30) Traditionally, approximately two-thirds of total payroll in the state has been covered through insurance policies, while the remainder is through self insurance. The portion of payroll insured through insurance rose slightly from 1994 to 1996, from about 66 percent to nearly 70 percent of the total. (Chart 31) Most of the decrease in the self insured market share was in the public sector, as many public employers took advantage of low insurance rates. State agencies may also be considered "permissably uninsured" for workers' compensation.25 Profitability of workers' compensation insurance carriers, as measured by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, has fluctuated greatly in the past decade. (Chart 32) During the 1988 to 1990 period, workers' compensation insurers in California had profit levels of nearly three times the national average. Profit margins fell to equal or less than the national average for 1991 and 1992, then jumped in 1993 to a return on net worth of over 15 percent. With deregulation and open competition, California insurers have experienced lower than average margins since 1994, and in 1997 had the lowest return of any state. From 1988 to 1997, California insurers averaged a return on net worth for workers' compensation of 9.4 percent, compared to a rate of 8.0 percent for all insurance lines combined.26 Costs of Workers' Compensation Coverage The total cost to California's employers for workers' compensation can be estimated by adding together the premium costs for insured employers and the benefit and administrative expense costs for self insurers.27 Information is available on public self insured employers only for the period beginning 1994. System costs peaked in 1993 when the total expenditure for insured and self insured employers was approximately $11 billion. By just two years later, it had dropped to about $8 billion. Currently employer cost is between $8.5 and $9.0 billion. (Chart 33) Among insured employers and using the base of paid costs in 1998, the breakdown of costs is as follows. Medical care takes about 29 percent of the total, and indemnity costs about 37 percent. The remaining 34 percent is for administrative overhead and expenses. (Chart 34) Chart 34a shows a more complete breakdown of the administrative overhead and expenses of California workers' compensation insurers during 1998. Aggregate employers' costs of workers' compensation dropped after 1993 for two years. Since that time there has been growth in these costs?most of the increase in premium is driven by wage increases, growth in the work force, and the movement from self insurance to insurance. As expressed in dollars per hundred dollars of payroll, equivalent to a percentage of payroll, the costs were still falling in 1997 and perhaps into 1998. Average premiums in 1998 are just over half of what they were in 1993, and are now the lowest since the mid 1970s. (Chart 34b Division of Workers' Compensation The Division of Workers' Compensation monitors administration of workers' compensation claims, attempts to minimize disputes, and provides administrative and judicial services to assist in resolving disputes that arise in connection with claims for workers' compensation benefits. Responsibility for the operations of the California workers' compensation system is split between the Division of Workers' Compensation and the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. In 1965, the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation was given the responsibility for overseeing the "conciliation, advisory, educational, medical and rehabilitation services" of the system, as well as for furnishing the WCAB with quarters, equipment & supplies, the recruitment and supervision of workers' compensation judges and the provision of administrative support. This allowed the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board to concentrate on judicial deliberations in contested cases, and retain the authority for adopting rules of practice and procedure for judicial proceedings. Over the years, other units were added based on legislative changes. The statutes mandating vocational rehabilitation benefits required the Administrative Director to create a Rehabilitation Unit in 1975. The next year, Information & Assistance officers were added to provide the workers' compensation community and injured workers with help in navigating through the workers' compensation system. The two major workers' compensation reforms of 1989 and 1993 provided additional programs and responsibilities. The Audit Unit was created to audit claims administrators to insure the proper management of claims, and the Managed Care Program was created to certify health care organizations to provide treatment for injured workers under a voluntary managed care system. New mandates required the creation of fee schedules for vocational rehabilitation providers and interpreter services, in addition to the responsibility for creating a fee schedule for in-patient hospital services and pharmaceuticals. The Administrative Director also has ongoing responsibilities for revising the medical treatment fee schedule and the medical-legal fee schedule. The Legislature, concerned over conflicting reports of workers' compensation costs and the adequacy of benefits to injured workers, also mandated that the Administrative Director create a workers' compensation information system. The system will not only provide needed information to policy makers but will replace paper submissions of Employer First Report of Injury and Physician First Report of Injury with electronic submissions using standards set by the International Association of Industrial Accidents Boards & Commissions. The new programs and responsibilities created a need for additional funding and positions within the Division. These needs have been addressed with the submission of several major budget change proposals. Changes in law have also increased the complexity of issues that are presented in the litigation process, requiring funding for additional judges, information officers, disability raters, and support staff. The budget increases, however, were also accompanied by rising costs for facilities and other overhead expenditures, and exacerbated by "across the board" reductions resulting from a scarcity of General Fund dollars in the early 1990's. These fluctuations presented particular challenges, and prompted the Division to explore ways of decreasing overhead costs while increasing efficiency. After an external review of its business process, DWC made changes in its organizational structure to facilitate the goals of improving public service. The changes now being implemented include opening three regional centers, beginning with San Bernardino, to receive all general incoming calls to the division, to provide information and assistance to callers, and to perform disability ratings for unrepresented injured workers. Each of these changes is planned to assist in resolving disputes without litigation. The district office staffs are then freed up to support litigated cases. The restructuring plan also includes transfer of supervision of some staff from separate unit managers to local presiding judges, and forming a headquarters unit to evaluate the work product in the district offices, identify problem areas, develop training curricula and set policy for assigned functions. The first stage of reorganization began in November 1998. Budget The budget for the Division of Workers' Compensation and the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board was raised significantly after the 1989 reform and given another boost after the 1993 legislative changes. Since fiscal year 1994-95, the budget has remained at approximately $90 million for the agencies. (Chart 35) Personnel Division staff work in 25 locations around the state. Most employees are involved in adjudication of disputed workers' compensation cases as judges, legal counsel, hearing reporters, clerks, and disability evaluation specialists. Information and assistance officers in each office help injured workers, employers and others understand the system and directly help workers who are not represented by private attorneys. Rehabilitation specialists in most offices oversee development of plans designed to help injured workers get back to work. Teams of the Audit and Enforcement Unit oversee the process by which claims are paid and attempt to ensure that proper benefits are delivered accurately and in a timely manner. A headquarters staff includes unit managers, attorneys, health care specialists and policy analysts. There are more than 1000 employees in the DWC/WCAB. (Chart 36) The number peaked at just over 1200 authorized positions after the 1993 legislation gave DWC added responsibilities for administration, although these positions were never completely filled during the state recession. Approximately two-thirds of the DWC staff are assigned to the claims adjudication unit, which holds hearings and trials and supervises the settlement and stipulation process of disputed cases. Information and assistance officers are the next largest group with 9 percent, followed by disability evaluators and Rehabilitation Unit staff with 7 and 6 percent respectively. (Chart 37) Claims Adjudication Incoming Workload The Division of Workers' Compensation has seen some reduction in volumes of new cases filed, requests for hearings, and hearings held during the past four years. New filings have dropped 23 percent, although a large segment of this reduction is due to fewer separate cases involving liens for medical care payment. The number of requests for hearings through a Declaration of Readiness to Proceed has stayed more constant, only falling 5 percent over the period. The number of hearings held, however, has gone down by over 100,000 during this period. The composition of new filings at the WCAB has recently changed. Much of the reduction is in the number of new filings for settlement approval. Nearly no new filings involve pre-applications, and in the past two and a half years the number of cases filed as original compromise and release and original stipulations with request for award have decreased. (Chart 38) The number of new applications for adjudication have remained relatively stable during these last 30 months. Approximately one in five new case filings is by an injured worker not represented by an attorney, in pro per. In 1998 there were 40,089 pro per filings, down from the 42,940 in 1997. (Chart 39) In 1998 there were over 230,000 requests for hearings filed with the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, a decrease of about one percent from the prior year. A Declaration of Readiness to Proceed must be filed in order to request a hearing before a workers' compensation judge. There has been a small decrease in the numbers of such declaration filings during the past few years, but not the same dramatic decreases as seen in injury rates. (Chart 40) Hearings, Conferences and Trials In 1998 there were 174,549 conferences set for hearing and 64,117 cases set for trials, for a total of 238,666 formal hearings before workers' compensation judges in California. This is a reduction of 6 percent from the prior year. It appears that most of the decrease is from a reduction in the number of continuances and second conferences and trials. The number of initial conferences (Labor Code Section 5502) dropped only 1.2 percent from the prior year, and number of initial trials was down 2.6 percent. (Chart 41) Though the length of time between request and hearing has been substantially shortened in the past few years, there is still much room for improvement. The system goal is to get cases to conference within 30 days of a Declaration of Readiness to Proceed and to trial within 75 days. In the fourth quarter of 1996, it took an average 78 days from request to scheduled hearing, and 184 days to scheduled trial; only 14 percent of hearings were held within 30 days of request, and only 15 percent of trials within 75 days. By the end of 1998, these times had been cut to 62 days for a conference and 121 days for a trial, and 24 percent of conferences and 29 percent of trials were held within their respective time goals. (Chart 42) On average, there were 1.53 hearings per closing case in 1998, compared to 1.47 in 1997. The number of formal trials per case stayed constant at approximately 0.54 during this time. Claims Adjudication Decisions There were 153,886 closing decisions made in 1998, a 6.4 percent reduction from 1997. Over 57 percent of cases were closed with a compromise and release settlement, 33 percent were closed with a stipulated finding and award. Fewer than one in ten cases were closed with a judge's finding and award or finding and order. (Chart 43) By the end of 1998, compromise and release agreements were being finalized within an average of 75 days of the request; in the first quarter of 1997 these had taken over 100 days. For stipulated settlements, the time to final decision dropped from 73 to 50 days during this period. Findings and awards decisions were issued, on average, 314 days from hearing request in the first quarter of 1997, and an average of 228 days by the last quarter of 1998. (Chart 44) Information and Assistance District Office Services The Information and Assistance Unit provides a continuous program of information and assistance to employees, employers, labor unions, insurance carriers, physicians, attorneys and other interested parties concerning the rights, benefits and obligations under California's workers' compensation laws. This unit plays a major role in reducing litigation before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. The offices are often the first contact between injured workers and the DWC, either by phone or in person. During the 1998 calendar year the 46 information and assistance officers at district offices and headquarters responded to more than 392,000 phone calls, handled over 42,000 letters from the public, and assisted another 53,000 injured workers in person. The unit also assisted 35,000 workers by facilitating a medical evaluation of permanent impairment. The unit's activities are supplemented by a centralized toll-free number. Since May 1993 the division has provided pre-recorded information messages and a way to request forms and other printed information from DWC. This advanced system allowed the division to handle multiple calls simultaneously, and currently gives information to as many as 1000 callers daily, a vast improvement over the 40 to 50 calls per day that were previously answered on the 800 number. During 1998 the toll-free information and assistance line handled approximately 240,000 calls. Approximately two-thirds of calls were seeking information on injured worker benefits and claims processes, while 11 percent sought information on workers' compensation insurers, 9 percent on employer rights and responsibilities, 5 percent on medical care fees and information for providers, 5 percent on how to report fraud or complain about claims handling, and 3 percent on locations of WCAB offices. Regional Centers DWC is establishing three regional centers to handle the bulk of initial and general information telephone contacts. In the past, individual district offices had usually one or two information and assistance officers whose job responsibilities involved dealing with persons directly at the counter, speaking with them on the phone, answering correspondence, and conveying information accurately and courteously. Because in-person contacts, often for persons in the midst of litigated claims, assumed urgency over phone calls, contact by phone was a frustrating experience to callers, especially newly injured workers with many inquiries. Callers were often shunted to a menu-driven general information service or to voice mail, or got busy signals, or were put on long holds. The regional centers are intentionally staffed to handle the peaks and valleys of call volumes, and to have real persons answering all phone calls during expanded office hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. A new personnel classification, trained program technician, provides initial and general information and can assist callers in getting some specific information on their case. Journey-level information and assistance officers and disability evaluation specialists also staff the regional centers to provide specialized services to incoming callers. Information Materials In response to legislative mandates, the Information and Assistance Unit has developed and is distributing new information pamphlets and packets to employees, including information on other state and federal rights for disabled persons. Division staff are also working closely with the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation and their research and education consultants to produce other worker education materials and useful guides to the system.28 Information and Training Outreach Due to the broad changes brought about by the 1993 reform, DWC considered ways to instruct the workers' compensation community on regulatory and statutory changes that would affect claims handling. The first DWC Educational Conference given in 1993 in five geographic locations was so successful that it has become an annual event. DWC is preparing for its seventh conference in February and March of 2000 in two locations. These programs extend over two days and feature courses on updated case law, audit procedures, new regulations, medical report writing, use of fee schedules, rehabilitation, and other changes that have occurred over the prior year. Partnering with the International Workers' Compensation Foundation, these programs boast enrollment of over 900 participants. Most of the training is given by DWC staff experts, supplemented with guest speakers from the Industrial Medical Council, the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, the Commission on Health & Safety & Workers' Compensation and from the community. DWC Rehabilitation The Rehabilitation Unit determines services needed to help injured workers return to suitable gainful employment when unable to work in their former jobs, and resolves disputes regarding rehabilitation benefits and services. The division distributes a pamphlet entitled Help in Returning to Work - 1994, available in English and Spanish, to help workers understand their rights and obligations in the rehabilitation process, as well as identify available remedies in the event of a dispute. In 1998 the Rehabilitation Unit opened 23,804 new files and reopened another 2513 cases. Of cases filed for plan approval, 6,216 were approved unmodified with no determination by the unit, and another 3,481 were approved with a determination. The Rehabilitation Unit disapproved 1,828 filed plans. Of the files closed, 5,430 workers returned to work in a job corresponding to their rehabilitation plan, while another 305 completed their plans with work in a job other than that in the plan objective. Another 8,237 workers completed their rehabilitation plan but were not working at the time of completion. Rehabilitation services were terminated prior to the plan in 37 cases, and while in the plan for another 815 persons. The open caseload decreased from 66,049 to 60,013 files during the year. Regulations regarding the rehabilitation program were revised during 1998. Commonly used rehabilitation terms, such as "modified work" and "alternate work," were defined. Entitlement of employees to living expenses, English language training, vocational rehabilitation temporary disability, and vocational rehabilitation maintenance allowance have been clarified. The Rehabilitation Unit procedures for determining the cost effectiveness of rehabilitation plans outside of California was also addressed. New timeframes for parties to file position statements and for the Rehabilitation Unit to issue determinations are also covered in these regulations.29 As a result of legislative changes in 1997 (AB 237), the counseling fee schedule was changed to allow the qualified rehabilitation representative (QRR) greater flexibility within the $4500 cap during evaluation of vocational feasibility and plan development. Specifically, subject to an overall limit of $4500:: a) up to $3000 may be spent on vocational evaluation, assessment of vocational feasibility, initial interview, vocational testing, counseling and preparation of DWC Form 102; and b) up to $3500 may be spent on plan monitoring, job seeking skills, job placement research and counseling. Also, for employees injured on or after January 1, 1994 who initiate rehabilitation benefits or services on or after January 1, 1998, the period of job placement in a rehabilitation plan may be up to 90 days where the plan exclusively uses the employee's transferable skills and experience for direct placement. Under prior law the limit was a 60 day job placement. The law change is intended to reduce unnecessary efforts and expenses associated with providing extra services to injured workers who are job ready. By eliminating the too-short time period for performing direct placement services and allowing a little more time, via flexibility in the dollar caps on placement activities, more productive time will be spent on directly placing the injured worker in an appropriate new job. This can reduce the amount of dollars spent on vocational rehabilitation services and return workers sooner to productive employment. As part of the administrative reorganization of the DWC, staff were distributed to some district offices that previously did not have a rehabilitation consultant on site. These additions in Anaheim, Riverside and Salinas provide more efficient use of rehabilitation staff and better service to the community. DWC Disability Evaluation The Disability Evaluation Unit recommends permanent disability ratings by assessing physical and mental impairments. The evaluations are used by judges, injured workers, and workers' compensation insurance administrators to provide permanent disability benefits. Passage of reform legislation in 1989 established a new method for determining permanent disability through reliance on reports issued by qualified medical evaluators selected by the Industrial Medical Council. Under the law, the Disability Evaluation Unit is expected to prepare summary evaluations of permanent disability within twenty days of receipt of employer-employee forms and the qualified medical evaluator's report. This program was revamped during the 1993 reform. Most of the summary ratings are done for workers who are not represented by an attorney. Written consults are also requested by parties to workers' compensation cases who seek a formal rating of medical evaluations submitted by physicians. During 1998 the Disability Evaluation Unit staff received nearly 39,548 requests for written consultations on medical reports, and 33,518 unrepresented summary requests. Another 5,554 cases came in with requests for represented summary ratings and other reports. This total of 78,620 incoming files was a decrease of 2.2 percent from the 1997 incoming caseload. (Chart 45) Unit staff issued a total of 110,472 ratings during 1998, an increase of 3.5 percent over 1997. Of these, 58 percent were written consults and nearly 35 percent were unrepresented summary ratings. (Chart 46) The unit also assisted parties to workers' compensation proceedings by doing 29,021 verbal consultations. In 1998, 1,737 ratings were appealed through a request for reconsideration. This accounts for 1.6 percent of all cases rated. In contrast during 1997, 2,095 cases or 2.0 percent were submitted for reconsideration. DWC Audit and Enforcement The Audit and Enforcement Unit, formed under the 1989 reform legislation, promotes prompt payment of workers' compensation benefits to injured workers. The unit audits insurance companies, self insured employers, and third-party administrators to ensure that they have met their obligations under the Labor Code and the Administrative Director's regulations. By assessing penalties and ordering that unpaid compensation be paid, this unit within DWC ensures that proper benefits are delivered accurately and in a timely manner. Penalties range from $100 to a maximum of $5000 per violation. The amount of each penalty is determined by considering the gravity of the violation and the good faith of the claims administrator, as well as the frequency and history, if any, of violations. Audit regulations clarify the responsibilities of claims administrators and specify in detail how mitigating and exacerbating factors are applied to determine the penalty amounts. In addition to these penalties, a civil penalty of up to $100,000 may be assessed if willful improper claims handling is found to constitute a business practice. On April 1 of each year the Audit Unit issues an annual report to the Legislature covering the prior calendar year's results. In 1998 the Audit Unit completed 34 audits and reviewed 6,493 cases. Twenty-nine of the audit subjects were selected randomly, while the remaining five were selected based upon results from a prior audit or following an investigation of claims handling practices resulting from complaints received by DWC. Of the 6,493 cases audited in 1998 by compliance officers, 2,425 were cases in which indemnity benefits were paid or were expected to be paid, 2,283 were medical only cases, 1,621 were cases in which the employer or insurer denied all liability, 108 were selected based on complaints, and 56 were designated as "additional" files. (These are generally companion files to those selected for audit in which it was necessary to audit the companion file to determine if all benefits were provided in the file selected.) In the 1998 audits, the unit issued 7,774 administrative penalty assessments totaling $1,069,285. Unpaid compensation was found in 423 claims and totaled $356,787, an average of $843 per file in which there was unpaid compensation. Most assessments were found in the indemnity, complaint, and denied claims. Very few penalty assessments were found in medical only claims, and the time involved in reviewing them was minimal. As in prior years, the most frequently assessed violations were for failure to issue or late or inaccurate issuance of a benefit notice to the injured worker, and for late or inadequate payment of compensation. Benefit notices are important for keeping injured workers informed of the status of their claim, and failure to provide benefit notices increases the chance of unnecessary litigation. The average number of penalty citations per insurer audited was 229, and the average amount in penalty assessments per audit was $31,454. Penalties carried an average assessment of $138. In 1998 unpaid compensation was found in 16.3 percent of indemnity and complaint cases reviewed. For every claim audited in 1998, 1.2 violations were found and penalized by auditors. Late first temporary disability payments were found in 20 percent of all indemnity files reviewed, compared to 13 percent of files reviewed in 1997. Among cases where liability was denied by claims administrators, auditors found no support for the denial in 1.6 percent of cases, by far the largest percentage since the audit program began. A record amount in penalties for one audit was assessed in 1998 against a large retail grocery chain headquartered in Los Angeles, which was assessed 1,179 penalties totaling $217,530. The non-random audit of this self administered, self insured employer was initiated in 1997 and revealed $106,017 in unpaid compensation in 76 claims. The audit was conducted after a 1996 complaint investigation. Also in 1998, the Audit Unit asked the Administrative Director to issue an Order to Show Cause as to why three civil penalties of $100,000 each should not be assessed against Fremont Compensation Insurance Company pursuant to Labor Code Section 129.5(d). The complaint alleges that three separate adjusting locations of the company have engaged in practices that would warrant imposition of civil penalties. Increased staffing for the Audit Unit is included in the governor's 1999-2000 budget. The full audit report is available on-line at the Division of Workers' Compensation Web site: DWC Claims The Claims Unit authorizes payment of workers' compensation benefits to injured workers under two special programs. Uninsured Employers Fund Claims are paid from the Uninsured Employers Fund (UEF) when illegally uninsured employers fail to pay workers' compensation benefits awarded to their injured employees by the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. Certain steps must be taken before and after issuance of an award in order to receive benefits from the UEF. Guidelines are available from DWC's Information and Assistance Unit. In 1997 there were 1,366 cases opened before the UEF. In 1998 the number of new cases had fallen to 1,012. (Chart 47) Total benefits paid out during 1997 by the UEF were $19.5 million, while in 1998 there was a slight reduction to $19.3 million. (Chart 48) The UEF receives revenue from uninsured employer recoveries and penalties, inmate without dependent payments, and escheats. In 1997 collections by the Claims Unit came to $4.4 million, while in 1998 the amount was up to $5.3 million. (Chart 49) Subsequent Injuries Fund The Subsequent Injuries Fund (SIF) is a source of additional compensation to injured workers who already had a disability or impairment at the time of injury. For benefits to be paid from the SIF, the combined effect of the injury and the previous disability or impairment must result in a permanent disability of at least seventy percent. The fund enables employers to hire disabled workers without fear of being held liable for the effects of previous disabilities or impairments. SIF benefit checks are issued by State Compensation Insurance Fund after issuance of an award by the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board and upon authorization by DWC's Claims Unit. In 1997 there were 511 new cases brought to the SIF, and in 1998 there were 482 cases. Total benefit payout for calendar year 1997 was $6.3 million and for 1998 was $7.6 million. The SIF collects revenue from cases in which there are occupational fatalities without any payments to dependents. In 1997 the unit collected $2.7 million from such sources, while in 1998 the amount was slightly higher, $2.9 million. DWC Legal With passage of hundreds of pages of new law in 1993 and subsequent years, the DWC Legal Unit was busy drafting and coordinating new regulations to interpret and clarify the statutory intents of reform. The following is a list of topics of all the regulations issued by the division since 1993 to implement the law: During 1998 the committee received a total of 18 complaints concerning current DWC employees. This is a decline from the 33 complaints filed during 1997. As of the last committee meeting in November 1998, 16 of the 18 complaints had been presented to the committee for review and recommendation, with the other two held over to the first scheduled meeting of 1999. There were four complaints filed in December 1997 that were first heard during 1998. In 8 of the 16 complaints reviewed, the committee found insufficient showing of ethical misconduct to warrant further investigation. The committee recommended formal investigation in 8 cases. Of these, 7 were finalized during 1998. In the cases carried over from 1997, two were found to warrant investigation. The complete committee report may be obtained from the DWC Administrative Director. Petitions for Change of Physician In 1993 the Legislature enacted Labor Code Section 4062.9, which provides that the conclusions of an injured worker's treating physician are presumed to be correct regardless of the conclusions found in a later comprehensive medical examination by a qualified medical examiner. An opposing party can rebut this presumption if a preponderance of medical opinion is provided indicating a different level of impairment. The statute has been interpreted as designed to expedite the resolution of medical issues by reducing the number of physicians involved in a case, particularly with respect to medical level evaluations.30 In the Minniear case, the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board found that the presumptions of Labor Code Section 4062.9 applied to all medical issues, not just those of impairment, increasing the standing of the injured worker's treating physician.31 Because Minniear made it more difficult to challenge a treating physician's conclusions regarding an employee's injuries, employers and insurers have increased their efforts to change the treating physician when it is first believed that the physician's conclusions may be favorable to the employee and adverse to the insurer. The Legal Unit is responsible for considering requests for change of physician. During 1997 a total of 637 petitions were filed for orders requiring an employee to select an employer-designated physician. In 1998 the number of requests had grown dramatically to 948, an increase of 49 percent. (Chart 50) The growth in petitions may have some impetus from defendants seeking to remove primary treating physicians, with their presumption of correctness, from a case prior to the filing of a permanent and stationary report. Some of the petitions also allege improper or untimely reporting of the treating physician. The numbers of cases seeking this administrative remedy may have increased following DWC presentations on the remedy at the division's annual educational conference for claims administrators. Division attorneys handling these petitions estimate that approximately 25 to 30 percent of the petitions filed are dismissed for technical defects, requiring less staff time than those petitions which get a full review. Dismissed petitions require an average 30 minutes of staff time. Petitions that are granted or denied after full review involve approximately two hours of staff time. Such review includes the injured worker's medical file, review of opposing written arguments, analysis of the timeframes to determine whether proper procedures have been followed, and legal research for complex issues related to medical treatment. Complex or significant case records can dramatically increase the amount of time needed to review and make a determination?some files require up to four hours for completion. Reconsideration of Ratings The Legal Unit received and processed approximately 1,737 requests for reconsideration of summary ratings in 1998. Including cases left over from prior years, 1,353 requests were denied, 520 were granted, and 402 were closed when cases went before the WCAB. The volume of requests has decreased significantly since the high point of more than 4000 requests for reconsideration in 1995. Other DWC Initiatives Construction Industry Collective Bargaining Agreements Pursuant to Labor Code Section 3201.5, the division oversees the construction carve-out program.32 The program allows unions and employers engaged in construction to create alternatives to the traditional, state-supervised workers' compensation system. The law allows collective bargaining agreements to establish alternative dispute resolution processes that bypass the state workers' compensation administrative law judges, and allows establishment of exclusive lists of medical providers and examiners for injured workers within a specified construction work force. The Administrative Director reviews all collective bargaining agreements negotiated under the provisions of this bill. Through 1998, the Division of Workers' Compensation had issued letters of eligibility to the parties of thirteen collective bargaining agreements. Five of the agreements may be viewed as project labor agreements, which cover all construction employees, regardless of the employer, who work at any time on the covered project. The two original project agreements covered massive reservoir construction projects lasting for several years and employing different workers?and different numbers of workers?during different phases of the construction. Other large project labor agreements now cover the construction of the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Labs, and the Inland Feeder project of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The other agreements between unions and contractors are of two types: the first is a single employer and a union engaged in construction; the second involves a construction trade union and multiple employers all participating in a collective bargaining agreement. Building trades involved in these projects include electricians, painters, laborers, pipe trades and carpenters unions. In 1998 approximately 9500 employees were covered by the twelve current agreements Carve-out Participants Twelve programs are certified as eligible and were active during 1998: - An agreement between the District Council of Painters No. 36 and the Los Angeles County Painting and Decorating Contractors Association. Each contractor chooses whether to sign the master carve-out agreement. - An agreement between the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry, Local Union No. 342 and Cherne Contracting Corporation for the construction of an oil refinery. - An agreement between the Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County and Parsons Constructors, Inc. This is a project labor agreement covering all contractors and subcontractors on the $1.2 billion, multi-year National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. - An agreement between the California Building and Construction Trades Council and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. This is a project labor agreement covering all contractors and subcontractors on the $1.1 billion, multi-year Inland Feeder Project. - contractor chooses whether to sign the master carve-out agreement. - An agreement between the Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO, and the Contra Costa Water District. This is a series of three project labor agreements covering all contractors and subcontractors on a $200 million, two and one half year dam project called the Los Vaqueros Project. - An agreement between TIMEC Co., Inc., and TIMEC Southern California, Inc., and the International Union of Petroleum and Industrial Workers. - An agreement between the Southern California Pipe Trades District Council No. 16 and a multi-employer group called the Plumbing and Piping Industry Council, Inc. Each contractor chooses whether to sign the master carve-out agreement. - An agreement between the Southern California District of Carpenters and its 19 local unions and six different multi-employer groups consisting of about 1000 contractors. Each contractor chooses whether to sign the master carve-out agreement. - An agreement between the District Council of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and its 20 local unions and a multi-employer group called the National Electrical Contractors Association, consisting of about 300 contractors. Each employer chooses whether to sign the master carve-out agreement. - An agreement between the California Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO, and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. This is a project labor agreement covering all contractors and subcontractors on a $2 billion, five-year reservoir construction project in Hemet, California. - An agreement between the Los Angeles Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO and Cherne Construction - ARCO. The Division of Workers' Compensation, as well as other policy makers with responsibility in this area, needs to acquire accurate, credible information concerning the operation of the workers' compensation system, in order to effectively carry out its responsibilities under the law. The Research and Evaluation Unit, formed in 1992 to assist the Administrative Director, is designed to fill this need. The unit is responsible for planning, implementing and evaluating several special projects. Since 1993 the Research Unit: The Workers' Compensation Information System Background The California Legislature enacted sweeping reforms to California's workers' compensation system in 1993. The reform legislation was preceded by a vigorous debate among representatives of injured workers, their employers, insurance companies, and medical providers. All parties agreed that changes were due, but they could not reach agreement on the nature of the problems to be corrected nor on the likely impact of alternative reform proposals. One barrier to well-informed debate was the absence of comprehensive, impartial information about the performance of California's workers' compensation system. Foreseeing that debate about the strengths and weaknesses of the system would continue, the Legislature directed the Division of Workers' Compensation to put together comprehensive information about workers' compensation in California. The result is the WCIS - the Workers' Compensation Information System. The WCIS has been in development since 1995, and its design has been shaped by a broad-based advisory committee. The WCIS has four main objectives: The WCIS will also use information from DWC's existing case tracking system. DWC has extensive computerized files on adjudicated cases and on claims that have been submitted for disability evaluation or for review of vocational rehabilitation plans. This information will be linked with EDI data to help shed light on the differences between adjudicated and non-adjudicated cases. Finally, WCIS will conduct periodic surveys of a sample of injured workers, their employers, and medical providers. These surveys will supplement the standard data, and allow WCIS to address a wide variety of policy questions. Status The first phase of the WCIS has recently been completed, and data has begun to be accepted on a pilot basis. WCIS regulations have been approved by the state Office of Administrative Law effective November 5, 1999. The new regulations require all California claims administrators to begin electronic transmission of First Reports of Injury by March 1, 2000 and electronic versions of benefit notices by July 1, 2000. Claims administrators with significant and documented difficulties with making the change can apply for a one-time variance which would delay reporting until December 31, 2000. DWC Managed Care The Workers' Compensation Health Care Organization (HCO) program was enacted as part of the 1993 workers' compensation reform legislation. The HCO program is designed to help lower employers' workers' compensation costs and assure quality of care for injured workers by bringing managed care techniques into the workers' compensation arena. Under the direction of DWC's medical director, the Managed Care Unit reviews applications from health care organizations and certifies them for the delivery of managed care services under California workers' compensation law. Three types of organizations are eligible to apply for HCO certification: full service Knox-Keene health care service plans licensed by the state Department of Corporations (HMOs); disability insurers licensed by the state Department of Insurance; or Workers' Compensation Health Care Provider Organizations (WCHCPOs). Self insured employers and insurers may contract with a certified HCO to provide medical and disability management services to injured workers. Employees must be provided a choice of at least two HCOs,, those services and providers must be used for between 90 and 365 days after an injury or illness occurs. At the start of 1998 nine HCOs were certified. During the year three more were certified and four certified HCOs withdrew from the program. By the end of 1998 there were eight certified HCOs in the state. Six are WCHCPOs, one is an HMO and one a disability insurer. For a number of reasons, the HCO program was slow to develop. Complex enrollment requirements and other disincentives combined with significant reductions in workers' compensation premiums kept interest in the program relatively low. Financial uncertainties among several large health care companies who owned HCOs caused some of them to withdraw from the program. More recently, there has been renewed interest?four new HCOs were approved for operation in the first half of 1999. Administration of the HCO program is funded through an enrollment fee paid by certified HCOs and applicants. Under legislation passed in 1998 amending Labor Code Section 4600.7, future funding and a full repayment of the original start-up loan from the state general fund is assured by providing an additional per-enrollee surcharge over the next five to eight years. The revised funding mechanism went into effect with new DWC regulations in May 1999. During 1998 the division released a patient satisfaction survey developed expressly for injured workers receiving medical care in the workers' compensation system. One of the first developed in the country for this specific audience, the survey will be used by HCOs and is available for use by employers, claims administrators or medical care providers. Footnotes: 1 Vocational Rehabilitation Services, SB 1965, Chapter 524. Settlement or commutation of prospective vocational rehabilitation services is not allowed, except upon finding that there are good faith issues that if resolved against the employee would defeat the employee's rights to all compensation. 2 Firefighters, AB 2173, Chapter 617. Firefighters employed by a private entity are entitled to the same workers' compensation protections as those employed by a public agency. 3 Privacy of Records, SB 1430, Chapter 624. With respect to public records covered under the Public Records Act, "individually identifiable information" may not be provided to any person or entity who is not a party to the claim unless that person or entity is identified and states the reason for the request. If the purpose of the request is related to pre-employment screening, the Administrative Director must notify the person about whom the information was requested that it has been provided. 4. WCJ New Formal Title, SB 453, Chapter 448. The new name for former workers' compensation judge or referee is workers' compensation administrative law judge. 5. Judicial Ethics, AB 2164, Chapter 95, and SB 453, Chapter 448. All workers' compensation referees must follow the Code of Judicial Ethics. 6. Official Medical Fee Schedule, SB 1940, Chapter 388. Services provided by physician assistants and nurse practitioners must be included in the official medical fee schedule. 7. Acupuncturists, AB 204, Chapter 440. Acupuncture is now added to the list of available medical treatment provided to injured workers. 8. Work experience education, SB 1817, Chapter 541. An educational agency may elect to provide workers' compensation coverage to registered student apprentices, or, for up to three months, to students paid a cash wage or salary by a private employer in supervised work experience education or cooperative vocational education. Public Employees: Death Benefits, AB 2342, Chapter 770. The limitation on death benefits in Labor Code Section 4707(a) does not apply to patrol members, as defined in Government Code Section 20390 of PERS. 9. CCR 10122, 10125.2, 10125.3, 10126, 10127, 10131.1, 10132, 10132.1, 10133.1, 10133.2. 10. DWC Audit Regulations, CCR 10106, 10106.5, 10107, 10108, 10111.1, 10113. 11. UEF and SIF Benefits to Aliens, CCR 15740, 15741. 12. Employment and unemployment rate 13. For more detail on employment trends in California, visit these Web sites maintained by other California state agencies: By industry: By occupation: Top ten growth areas By industry: By occupation: 14. 15. 16. Annual Bureau Bulletin on Policy Year Data, usually around April. 17. Reports of inventory are collected each year by April 1 for the previous calendar year. 18. See Claims Monitoring Survey, CWCI, quarterly, summarized at 19. Estimated from data on insured populations. See WCIRB, California Workers' Compensation Losses and Expenses, June 1997. 20. Estimates based on reported physician speciality, WCIRB, Workers' Compensation Losses and Expenses, June 1997. 21. The states that set maximum levels by statute rather than an automatic adjustment are New York, Minnesota, Tennessee, Georgia, Alaska, Arizona and California. 22. Insurance Code Sections 11736 and 11737 of Division II, Chapter 3, Article 2, in effect through 1993. 23. Insurance Code Section 11746. 24. Insurance Code Section 11730 et seq. 25. Labor Code Section 3700 begins "Every employer except the state shall secure the payment of compensation in one or more of the following ways." 26. National Association of Insurance Commissioners, "Report on Profitability by Line by State in 1997." (December 1998) 27. For purposes of estimating ultimate employer cost, this document uses an administrative overhead and expenses add-on of 15 percent of costs. 28. See, for example, 29. See 8 CCR Sections 10122, 10125.2, 10125.3, 10126, 10127, 10131.1, 10132, 10132.1, 10133.1 and 10133.3. 30. See, for example, Ralph's Grocery Co. v Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (1995) 38 Cal. App 4th 820,831. 31. Minniear v. Mt San Antonio Community College District (1996) 61 CCC 1055. 32. Established by Senate Bill 983 (1993). NOTE: This web page version of the report does not include the 50 full color charts that appeared in the printed version. You can download the charts as an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf, 220k). You can also download the narrative portion of the report in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf, 216k) format.

Moderators: Timko, Solty, Frank Delicious, Blake_T, Fritz, Booter Easy to say that now after he confirmed it was form related. =)Easy to say that now after he confirmed it was form related. =)brittwink wrote:Would definitely say OAT... especially if you're using a power grip. Try loosening your grip a tad; part of the problem could be grip lock. Also try not putting your whole body into your throw like you would a drive. My best advice would be try throwing standing still; if you're still torquing it, it's probably your grip. If you find you can throw it properly, it might be your foot. AcesAZ wrote:It was a plane problem. Elbow breaking and coming across a touch. Little tweak and the discs are flying perfect. And I wanted to blame the discs, JR wrote:If i understood him correctly he meant that his arm from the elbow to the finger tips rotated clockwise from the elbow during the throw. Another issue could be that the arm dropped lower in the follow through than the plane his arm was moving on at and before the rip. A great tip to allow a long follow through with the arm moving on the same plane is to quickly rotate the thumb to point down (counter clockwise) starting right after the disc has ripped out. Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot] and 2 guests

[tag: science] Red Cross Rethinks Regional Call Center Emphasis for Blood Donation The telephone has been a component of donation drives for at least 20 years, bringing in 12 to 45 percent of total blood donations, according to Joyce Williams, national director of donor services for the American Red Cross, Rosslyn, VA. The remainder of donations come mainly from sponsor organizations such as companies or community organizations. Outbound calling is used to bring back previous donors, convince current donors to donate more and, sometimes, to recruit new donors. Drives based in the workplace or in community organizations such as churches are the most common ways Americans give blood. As these organizations change due to less community identification and involvement, the Red Cross expects telerecruitment to assume a larger role in attracting donors and is examining ways to improve its use. "We're looking to grow collections right now,'' Williams said. "This is one of the avenues where we have some opportunity if we learn how to do it better." Each of the 38 Red Cross blood regions in the United States use call centers, but at different levels of proficiency. For instance, 14 regions use predictive dialer technology while most of the regions continue to dial manually. For regions with less calling expertise, the Red Cross provides simple training manuals but stops short of furnishing scripts. For the last six months, it has been developing a standard system to measure results. The goal is to identify regions adept at telerecruitment and transfer that knowledge across the country. One strategy is to pool call centers, having the ones with expertise cover more than one region. The Red Cross is testing pilot programs to determine whether an in-house or outsourcing arrangement would work best in these situations. "I don't see us moving to one or two call centers, but I do think the time will come when we don't have centers in every region,'' Williams said. "We are several years away from making that kind of a change. Everybody is leery of messing with things that work.'' Weather is the chief factor that drives blood donations. People are less likely to give during times of excessive cold or heat or during national weather emergencies. Telerecruitment can make a difference in these situations, according to Debra Reese, co-president of Spectrum Marketing, Philadelphia, which handles call center operations for the Red Cross in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey region. Due to mild weather in the East this year, Reese said her company has done the least amount of calling since 1990. Volunteers are more likely to donate blood without the need of a reminder during mild weather. Because of the lowered need for blood, Spectrum currently assigns to donor calls just two call-center representatives in its 40-phone center two days a week. Local, outsourced call centers like Spectrum call donors to inform them of upcoming blood drives and to schedule appointments. Representatives ask if the donor is capable of giving blood, verify the donor's address and ask if other family members would be willing and able to donate. Questions from donors about medical conditions or medications that could prohibit giving are referred to trained supervisors or medical personnel. Reese said it is the same 5 percent of the population that continually gives blood, which makes donation calls much easier to conduct than sales calls. "Everybody is very receptive," Reese said. "It is a non-threatening telemarketing call, and it is very easy to get caller representatives to do it. [Calling for blood donations] is all the things you dream about in a call center. There is no apprehension and the donors are very polite.''

FOREST HILLS — Five children and their parents gathered in a room in the back of the North Forest Park Library Monday afternoon, their their heads buried in paper as their teachers walked around them. Tommy Cusack, 10, scribbled furiously as his father, Tom Sr., looked on. When he asked what kind of story the boy wanted to write, Tommy looked up and said calmly, "It's supposed to be action-packed." After a bit more writing, Tommy asked his father, "Can I use the iPad now?" When Tom Sr. said yes, his son put down the paper, picked up the tablet in front of him and started swiping away. The iPad time was not a reward for a few minutes of work. Rather, Tommy, who is autistic, was using the Apple tablet to learn the basics of storytelling as part of a tech-centric enrichment program. The five-week program, run by the Queens Museum of Art's Autism Initiatives, lets autistic children and their parents use the iPads to create stories every week with recorded sound, cartoon images and effects. Jennifer Oppito-Candiano, the Associate Coordinator of Autism Programs for the museum, helps run the iPad storytelling class and says its goals are two-fold; teaching children the basics of storytelling while placing them in a social environment. According to Oppito-Candiano, the iPads are used because they are familiar to the children. “Many students have access to iPads for their communication devices, she said. “We wanted to find a way to help families learn to use the iPads in a creative and educational way.“ Tom Sr., who attended the class with his wife Mary and their twin sons Tommy and Nicky, was a big fan of the program. "It's interactive and educational and fun for kids," said Cusack, who lives in Williston Park, LI. Cusack said the iPads helped draw the kids into the class. "Once they can manipulate something and see the results, they get this sense of excitement," he said. The hour-long classes start off with a greeting exercise, in which every child says hello to another child in the class. The children are then introduced to the week's topic; Monday's was the concept of a problem or conflict in the story. The iPads are off during this point, and are only touched when the children get the all clear from their teachers about midway through the class. Throughout the latter half of the class, parents and teachers help the children craft their interactive stories, which the kids create using Bookabi, a free iPad app that allows kids to add photos and record their voices to the stories. When the stories are done, kids can present their masterpieces, which play back the recorded audio each time a page is flipped, in the front of class. "We wanted to make them feel like they were making a book," Oppito-Candiano said, “and we really wanted them to be able to record sounds.” The program, which was made possible by a grant from the Queens Library, is limited to five families at a time, to ensure each child can get the attention needed. "Kids need that one-on-one attention to help them develop their ideas further," said Michelle Lopez, the class' other instructor. And according to Lopez, the kids did successfully expand their ideas. “A lot of them come in with an idea that they’ve seen somewhere else,” Lopez said. “But after a few weeks they’ve got their own ideas.” Each session is capped at five families, so interested parents cannot join the next class. But for further information on similar programs offered, parents can contact Autism Initiatives at 718-592-9700 ext. 130 or by emailing autisminitiatives@queensmuseum.org.

After Mayor de Blasio gave $42 million in raises to bus drivers, preschool teachers want raises too. School bus drivers will go back to work Feb. 20 after the union called off the strike, officials said. School bus drivers are planning to begin picketing Wednesday morning. Passengers on a Boston-to-Manhattan Megabus ride were stuck at a Bronx rest stop for more than two hours on Monday. Each year, about 27,000 charter buses circle through western Midtown, damaging air quality and traffic flow. The MTA will reportedly outfit 400 Manhattan buses with surveillance cameras in an effort to deter crime. The city rehired more than 100 bus drivers after they were laid off just two months ago. Bus drivers who are spat on by disgruntled passengers are reportedly able to take months of paid time off. Get our daily New York City news and alerts! Thank you for signing up! Would you like to sign up for additional newsletters? Thank you for signing up for additional newsletters.

Retro feel keeps Ralph real Posted: February 06, 2013| VIRTUAL WORLD: John C. Reilly is the voice of Ralph in Wreck-It Ralph N OW that the games industry is reaching its fourth decade, there has been a growing nostalgic movement among a certain generation to play "retro games", from which Disney has drawn inspiration to create Wreck-It Ralph. The film to become a hero in another. After accidentally crashing a spaceship from Hero's Duty into racing game Candy Rush, he meets Venellope (Sarah Silverman) – an outcast racer who is refused entry into the races. Working together they plan to enter the race, hoping that completion will lead to Venellope being accepted as a racer and Ralph as a hero. Like all good animation, Wreck-It Ralph sticks by its own internal logic. Thus games are filled with characters who are aware that their jobs are to "act" as avatars for the players and any problems with the game play may result in downtime or removal. This is the fate of old-school gaming character Q*bert and friends. It gives a real sense of threat in a world where death can be countered by an "extra life" or two. Keen eyed observers will notice plenty of other recognisable characters, from Street Fighter's Zangief to Pac-Man. It's this keen attention to detail that shows that the makers of Wreck-It Ralph actually have an interest in their source material. So while the actual narrative may be a standard buddy road trip film, it retains an element of unique freshness. is not one of them. While this sort of advertising is simply a given in today's film-making environment, in Wreck-It Ralph it leads to other, more sinister thoughts. It's tough to truly throw yourself into the narrative when there's a sneaking suspicion that businesses are pushing their goods upon an unsuspecting audience of children. Fortunately there are still enough laughs and quality to keep these thoughts bubbling beneath the surface. Mixing the retro game love with great characters and a funny script, Wreck-It Ralph further proves that animation is one of the most competitive and rewarding styles of film-making. Plus, who doesn't love a film with Frogger in it? Tom Patrick Do you have something to say? Leave your comment here...

Back to Quick Reviews "God makes all things good; man meddles with them and they become evil." Rousseau, Emile Young Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly ran with an interesting crowd. The quiet English girl, just nineteen, was having an affair with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelly, and the couple were friendly with Lord Byron, a poet of even higher renown. Passing a June evening at a house on Lake Geneva in Switzerland during 1816, Wollstonecraft, Shelly, Byron, and others decided to trade ghost stories, which was a favorite pastime. After some consideration, Mary delivered the story of a Dr. Frankenstein, who was obsessed with bringing the dead to life and not just a dead body, but a collection of dead body parts stolen from fresh graves. All present agreed that it was the best story of the night, and the nineteen-year-old soon committed it to paper as her novel Frankenstein, published in 1818. She later married Shelly, but Frankenstein was her only novel, and it remains her only contribution to world literature. Yet it was enough to immortalize her as a major figure of the Romantic age, and the tale has been told and retold ever since. Shelly's Frankenstein is firmly rooted in the Romantic/Gothic genre, which was a reaction to the essentially positivist, rational world that the Renaissance introduced a few hundred years earlier. Gothicism, a facet of Romanticism, was not concerned with the tangible or the discernible, which were regarded as limiting, shortsighted concepts (and a little dull, too). Gothicism investigated a metaphysical netherworld (or perhaps a super-world) where unfathomable powers held sway over the acts of men, good and bad. Shelly's Dr. Frankenstein, by his desire to bring the dead to life and thus become like a God, tampers with this paradigm, causing his own eventual downfall. Drawing from Milton's Paradise Lost and Ovid's Prometheus (hence the alternate title of her book, "The Modern Prometheus"), Shelly's Faustian tale has become as influential as the Faustian legend itself. It must be noted (and it is no small point) that Shelly's Frankenstein is radically different than both the 1931 Universal horror film and the well-known physiognomy of the Frankenstein monster from that film, a clumsy, mostly mechanical (and electrical) figure that bears little resemblance to Shelly's cadaveresque horror. Nor are Shelly's many profound themes present in the film (such would be impossible in this 71-minute excursion). The Faustian ideas remain intact, but the Romantic/Gothic qualities are discarded, and there are several feminist interpretations of Frankenstein that claim Shelly was examining the impossibility of reproduction without women in the context of current-day scientific advancements, along with what can happen to neglected or abused children who are raised without female influence (interpretations not without merit both Shelly and her mother were well-known figures in the 18th- and 19th-century women's rights movements). Frankenstein is a tale of deformity, but not merely a physical one. It examines both the moral deformity of a doctor intoxicated by science and the practical deformity of his creation, a hack-job of spontaneous generation that cannot possibly integrate itself into a dynamic society that relies on developmental processes, not developmental events. Nowhere in Shelly's novel is it suggested that the creature's brain is a criminal mind a plot point in the film that suggests the doctor's experiment could have worked, provided his hunchbacked assistant (also not in the novel) had pilfered a healthy specimen from the medical college rather than a jar of psychotic gray-matter. But despite the many profound readings that Shelly's Frankenstein offers, the fundamental story soon became a popular spook-show yarn, almost instantly arriving on the stage in numerous adaptations. In fact, while some high school and college students today are often introduced to the original novel in a classroom setting before seeing the 1931 film (as this writer was, years ago), for nearly 200 years the theater was where a lot of folks first met the misguided doctor and his creature. Underplaying the most trenchant Gothic themes, these many plays concentrated on the shocks and thrills that persist today as a fundamental component of most contemporary Hollywood movies. They also had the greatest influence on James Whale's Frankenstein the script is an adaptation of a 1927 stage production by Peggy Webling. Shelly's Frankenstein is merely a distant cousin. * * * The fascinating story of James Whale is probably best-told elsewhere (Bill Condon's brilliant Gods and Monsters is as good a place to start as any), but he was a pioneering director with a gift for composition, which was an extension of his passion for painting, and especially portraits. It is Whale who is most responsible for making Frankenstein such an influential film, since the acting is nothing special (at times its even a bit shrill), and the script only skims a surface of weighty ideas at a rapid pace. But while the fundamentals of Frankenstein may be potboiler-horror stuff, Whale takes. Whale, along with legendary makeup-artist Jack Pierce,. Even Whale's introductory shots of the monster are oddly intimate. Despite the repellent visage, we still are treated to a series of close-ups that are little different than what traditionally happens when a romantic lead first appears on the screen. To Whale (who reputedly thought of Frankenstein as a comedy of sorts), the monster is Doug Fairbanks. He's Valentino. It was not happenstance that Whale only allows us to share an intimate moment with Karloff and no other actor. After that moment, we can't take our eyes off him. Universal's DVD edition of Frankenstein, part of their "Classic Monster Collection," is a first-class item. The entire 71-minute version of the film is on board (cut by the Hayes Office in 1937 but restored in 1986 to include the line "Now I know what it feels like to be God," as well as the complete lakeside scene between the monster and the little girl),." RW - Black-and-White - Academy ratio (1.33.1) - Single-sided, dual-layered disc (SS-DL) - Dolby Digital English 2.0 mono, French 2.0 mono - English and French subtitles - Documentary How Hollywood Made a Monster - Commentary track by film historian Rudy Behlmer - Stills with an audio track taken from the film - Universal comic short "Boo!" with footage from Frankenstein and Nosferatu - Two trailers - Production notes - Cast and crew bios and filmographies - Keep-case [Back to Review Index] [Back to Quick Reviews] [Back to Main Page]

Get DVD Talk Feeds Takayoshi Toyama (Hironobu Nomura) is the president of a large corporation who is struggling with life at home with his beautiful wife, a famous dancer, Shizuko (Aya Sugimoto), and at work where some shady business transactions land him in trouble with the yakuza. His wife is beautiful but cold. Her career puts her in the public light and draws the attention of a much feared and powerful gangster Ippei Tashiro (Renji Ishibashi). Morita (Kenichi Endo), a representative for boss Tashiro delivers Takayoshi an ultimatum, either let them "borrow" his wife or they will publicly reveal his dirty business dealings and ruin him. Though a hired bodyguard, Kyoko (Misaki Mori), does a good job protecting his wife, Takayoshi decides to play their game and give in to their demands because he figures there is not much a 95 year old man can really physically do. However, Shizuko is taken to a dark underground S&M club called The Coliseum where she is subjected to various tortures while Boss Tashiro and a black robed, masked audience of select clientele watches. The tortures in The Coliseum are, pretty much, the bulk of the film. A blank circular gray stage, black background, illuminated by spotlights, the atmosphere is somewhere between Robert Mapplethorpe and Cirque du Soleil. The ringmaster is a bespeckled geek who appears in various get-ups from schoolgirl, to pink tutu, to a Sailor Moon-ish outfit. Shizuko is suspended from a cross-like contraption, forced to drink a diuretic, worked over by two dwarves wearing phallic masks, put into a leather bondage outfit and made to make out with her similarly captured body guard, she's temp tattooed and kinky-crucified, dressed like a geisha and put into extreme bondage positions and edo torture situations, and finally gang-banged by the various patrons. Obviously not very politically correct and overtly sensational, the forced torture and sex flick has been a staple of Japanese cinema since the 60's when audiences clamored for more extreme films after the censorship laws relaxed. For all its perversity Flower and Snake doesn't stray into the more grotesque areas like a Shogun's Joy of Torture or Guinea Pig: Devil's Experiment. The film makes some remarks in the end that are typical cliches of the genre, like, "She still hasn't shown her true face." Basically this alludes to the frigidity of the character and that somehow through being tortured sexually she will have some kind of awakening. Yeah, right. This reasoning is, of course, total bullshit probably concocted by sexually ineffectual or insecure males. I am not particularly reviled by this kind of stuff. I'm not really turned on by it either. I do tend to lean towards the side of seeing why most people would be sickened by it, but I think that has more to do with people not wanting to recognize the twisted, slobbering sections of their psyche. The demeaning "true face" reasoning aside, Japanese kink flicks like this do recognize that part of our nature, that no matter how much we may love our loved ones, there is some little part of us that wants dominance over them or sublimation for ourselves. That I can respect. Yes, it is the woman who is victimized for most of the film, but the men do not fare much better. One of the films more lasting images is that of the old impotent yakuza boss literally crawling, fumbling, and salivating in desperation, even in old, dementia-riddled age, still consumed and transfixed by feminine beauty. Takashi Iishi does quite a good job, finding that line between sex as either a dark, elegant, velvety mystery or... you know, just about sticking things in lubricated holes. Technically his direction is very solid, though the films final act has a sloppy rhythm like some of the sequences weren't fully completed. Aya Sugimoto should be commended to for all the punishment she had to endure and flesh she had to expose. It was no doubt difficult to maintain some sort of noble face in the midst of all that sleazy action. It should be noted that Takashi Iishi has already begun (possibly finished?) shooting a sequel with much of the same cast. The DVD: Media Blasters Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen. First thing to note for you flesh mongers out there, showing pubic hair is a no-no in Japanese cinema, but Flower and Snake gets away with showing a lot of it, with only a few bits of minor optical fogging. Overall, the image is very crisp and detailed. Sharpness and colors are especially vibrant. I wasn't expecting an import of a cheaper budgeted Japanese film to be quite this rich and expressive. The only glaring technical fumble is with some contrast and grain issues. Perhaps more due to the actual filming than a conversion issue, darker lit scenes (of which there are a lot in the last half of the film) exhibit heavy grain and weak contrast. Sound: Dolby Stereo, Japanese language with optional English subtitles. Good audio, sticking to the basics. Dialogue is nice and clear and the subtitle translation appears to well converted. The musical score has some very carnival-ish themes that add a light underscore to the seedy onscreen antics. Extras: Trailer— Photo Gallery— Making of Featurette (26:28). We get the usual interview stuff and behind the scenes footage, but with this kind of salacious material it is more interesting than usual to hear the cast discuss it and see the footage (including a doc cameraman with an eye that seems to always roam to the women's groins). — Interview with lead actress Aya Sugimoto (15:18). Again, considering the material and what she was subjected to, a very intriguing feature. — Press Screening (14:05). The entire cast is present, along with director Iishi and writer Oniroku Dan, who starts things off with an amusing, embarrassed introduction that ends with his insisting the film is too much for him to watch. Conclusion: Well, clearly this is not for everyone. If just reading "she was hung up, spread eagled, so that two dwarves with phallic masks could forcibly rape her vaginally and anally until she ejaculated" then you certainly don't want to watch it. But, for the rest of you, the ones that dine on fetishistic art and go to museums naked except for a trenchcoat, this one is right up your alley. The DVD is a solid presentation with good audio and visual quality and some informative extras.

Oakland, Berkeley, And East Bay News, Events, Restaurants, Music, & Arts Nearly 60 million acres of national forests were put off-limits to motor vehicles, road building, and logging during the Clinton administration. And a bill was introduced recently in Congress that would turn that rule into law. According to US Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), a sponsor of the bill along with US Representative Jay Inslee (D-Washington), the Roadless Area Conservation Act would protect "hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country." Various forms of this bill have been introduced by Inslee and Cantwell since 2002. "There is an urgent need to safeguard the remaining undeveloped forest lands as a home for wildlife, a haven for recreation, and a heritage for future generations," Cantwell said. But not everyone is convinced. And one California congressman wants to make sure that bill never sees the light of day. Instead, US Representative Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, introduced a bill — the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act — in April that would release about 43 million of those acres to be used for oil and gas development, motorized recreation, and logging. "Millions of acres of land across the United States are being held under lock and key unnecessarily," McCarthy said. "My bill acts on recommendations made by government agencies managing these lands so they are opened up for increased public use." The recommendations upon which McCarthy's bill relies are from a 1979 US Forest Service report that the US Environmental Protection Agency had called "inadequate because of its use of unsupported and undocumented statements, its lack of related data on demands for resources, and its unbalanced economic approach." The report recommends keeping 15 million acres protected, allocating 36 million for non-wilderness and holding an additional 11 million aside for further planning. "This is just common sense," McCarthy said. "By opening these lands up to the residents of our local communities and across the country for their use and enjoyment, we can help create jobs, boost local economies, and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires." But Joe Walsh, a spokesman for the US. It added DC," she said. She added that the bill "does not terminate existing, congressionally designated wilderness areas, nor does it release wilderness study areas or roadless areas deemed suitable for wilderness." The roadless rule, which was issued by President Bill Clinton, was the result of the largest public lands review process in US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in favor of the Clinton rule. Then in 2008, a federal judge in Wyoming blocked the rule. That ruling then went to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which in October." Contact the author of this piece, send a letter to the editor, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter. Seven Days - June 29, 10:02 AM Seven Days - June 26, 12:16 PM Seven Days - June 26, 11:48 AM Seven Days - June 26, 9:42 AM Seven Days - June 25, 1:00 PM

The 5-star NH Amsterdam Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky enjoys a perfect location on Dam Square, in the heart of Amsterdam’s characteristic old city centre. Trend-setting shopping streets are just around the corner, as well as cultural tourist attractions such as the Royal Palace, Beurs van Berlage and the Nieuwe Kerk. Amsterdam Central Station is only 7 minutes away on foot, and it is only a half-hour journey from there to Schiphol Airport. The hotel also has its own landing dock for boats. NH Amsterdam Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky hotel's 'Wynand Fockink Distillery', which dates back to 1679 and allows you to taste and buy jenevers and liqueurs, is the eldest distillery in Amsterdam. The hotel's lounge offers connoisseurs its house tea selection, liqueurs and a royal view of the Dam, and the hotel's Golden Palm Bar offers assorted top-class cocktails. The hotel's team of concierges is happy to answer all your questions and fulfill all your wishes during your stay; ranging from bike rental to a boating tour along the canals from the hotel's private landing jetty to discover the city’s many faces. Furthermore, NH Amsterdam Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky has a fitness centre and sauna, massage service, valet parking, free Wi-Fi throughout and in-house security. The hotel disposes of its own guarded parking lot (at extra charge), with all bus and tram connections directly opposite. To reach Amsterdam Central Station it only takes 5 minutes. Please provide this reference number to our customer service center representative on request, so we can help you better

Relax, stay awhile People going to the Viking Plaza Mall may find themselves lingering a bit longer these days. New improvements are encouraging shoppers to stay awhile: Comfortable chairs, couches, love seats and coffee tables have been placed in 10 locations throughout the mall. Free WiFi access is now available from anywhere in the mall. A children's soft play area was added. Kids can burn off energy climbing on play trucks. There's no need to worry about scraped knees - the enclosed area is covered with thick, soft carpeting. There are also four video screens showing cartoons and kid-friendly movies, along with seating areas for parents to watch their children. Other kid friendly additions include an arcade area and outside kiddy rides. A new entrance was added off South Broadway near JC Penney, along with new signs and lighting, designed to make a more attractive and convenient entry point. Three and a half acres of land between the mall and South Broadway was cleared of trees, making the mall much more visible from that direction. There are also new stores to visit: Famous Footwear is planning a soft opening this month; Northern Lights Art opened in the space once occupied by Bradley's Shoes; and Jo-Ann's Fabrics and Crafts is moving into the former Thrifty White spot. Other stores in the mall have upgraded their look with remodeling projects, including Maurices and Tradehome Shoes. Shoppers are noticing the mall's new-and-improved look, according to managers Ann and Bruce Butler. "We can safely say that visits at the mall have increased tremendously," said Ann Butler. "People are lingering too and that's good." It's also what the new management of the Viking Plaza Mall, Lexington Realty International, envisioned. The company took over management of the mall in January of 2009. Representatives from New Jersey-based Lexington, Alan Retkinski, president, and Ira Einhorn, leasing executive, recently visited the mall to look over the improvements, along with Alex Schleider, one of the owners of the mall. "We want to make the mall a family destination," said Schleider, "a place where people can sit and relax while their spouse goes shopping." While planning the improvements, the mall focused on protecting the environment while enhancing the atmosphere and ambience of the shopping experience, Retkinski said. "We're taking another step forward to create tomorrow's mall," Retkinski said. Many of the ideas to upgrade the mall came from local shoppers, said the Lexington representatives. Just as Schleider, Retkinski and Einhorn were discussing that point with the newspaper, a shopper approached and asked if they were the owners. "I just want you to know how much I appreciate the new seating you have here," he said, shaking their hands. Lexington has invested about $1.2 million in the recent improvements. They hired local companies to do the work and partnered with local businesses on the mall's new look. The furniture, for instance, was provided by Douglas Furniture, and the playland is sponsored by Ellingson Plumbing and Heating. Lexington sees a bright future for the mall. Einhorn said he expects the mall to be 100 percent occupied within six or seven months. "We're getting new stores in and relocating some other stores that will meet both male and female shopping trends," Einhorn said. "Since all the improvements started taking place, many stores have reported increased sales," said Schleider. More improvements are in the planning stages. Benches may be placed outside near a pond to create a restful spot to have lunch or enjoy the weather. Electronic readerboards may be added to the new, streamlined signage on South Broadway and Highway 29 to let people know about big events that are taking place. A future expansion is also possible. By relocating a pond, the mall created an additional 40,000 square feet of buildable space - an ideal spot for a national retailer to move into, Retkinski said, adding that talks are taking place with a number of potential businesses. Meanwhile, shoppers, customers and walkers are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas about the mall with management. According to the Lexington representatives, the goal is to make the mall not just a concrete box to shop in but a place to relax, visit often - and linger.

Mark S. Weiner. The Rule of the Clan: What an Ancient Form of Social Organization Reveals About the Future of Individual Freedom. (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux), 2013. ... the belief that individual freedom exists only when the state is frail misunderstands the source of liberty. The state can be more or less effective in the pursuit of its goals—it can be stupid or smart—and it can be used for illiberal, totalitarian ends. But ultimately a healthy state dedicated to the public interest makes individual freedom possible.2 Weiner looks at the problem of social order from the perspective of legal history and anthropology. He finds a pattern of order that he calls the rule of the clan, which does not require a strong central state. However, he shows that rule of the clan relies on a set of rules and social norms which are inconsistent with libertarian values of peace, open commerce, and individual autonomy. He argues that the atrophy of the state would lead to an undesirable resurgence of the rule of the clan. ... in the absence of the state, or when states are weak, the individual becomes engulfed within the collective groups on which people must rely to advance their goals and vindicate their interests.... And for most of human history, the primary such group has been the extended family, the clan. The clan is a natural form of social and legal organization—it is far more explicable in human terms than the modern liberal state—and people quickly, reflexively turn to it in want of an alternative... we humans naturally build legal structures based on real or fictive kin ties or social networks that behave much like ancient clans.3 According to Weiner, rule of the clan entails three phenomena: First, and most prominently... extended family membership is vital for social and legal action and in which individuals have little choice but to maintain a strong clan identity... Second... founded on informal patronage networks, especially those of kinship, and traditional ideals of patriarchal family authority. In nations pervaded by clannism, government is coopted for purely factional purposes and the state, conceived on the model of the patriarchal family, treats citizens not as autonomous actors but rather as troublesome dependents to be managed... Third... the antiliberal social and legal organizations that tend to grow in the absence of state authority or when the state is weak. These groups include petty criminal gangs, the Mafia, and international crime syndicates, which look a great deal like clans and in many respects act like them.4 Weiner grounds his analysis in the tradition of legal historian Henry Maine, who distinguished between the Society of Status and the Society of Contract. In the former, law is oriented toward the extended family as a group. In the latter, law is oriented toward the individual. The Society of Status is an example of an honor culture. Weiner writes, In honor cultures, a person's social worth, including his or her self-worth, is inextricably bound to the perceived honor of his or her extended family and each of its members. By the same token, members of the family are held collectively liable for wrongs of any member... members of a kin group are deeply dependent on each other for their general social standing. This value system supports a decentralized constitutional structure for two reasons. First, it fosters the ability of kin groups to enforce their own internal rules—it exerts powerful pressure to conform. Second, it helps diverse kin groups within a single region to coexist in some measure of harmony.5 A problem with this form of social order is that disputes that arise between members of different clans can escalate. Ideally, clan elders will agree to a settlement. If not, they may agree to use a mediator. However, if neither of those approaches works, then, Weiner writes: ... the principles of clan society demand vengeance. A well-placed act of vengeance generally renews intergroup peace... because when retribution is proportional to the original offense, it reestablishes equilibrium in the economy of group honor... But sometimes, whether by accident or design, retribution is not proportionate to the original offense... In such cases, the reciprocal exchange of violence between clan groups can swiftly escalate, and, in the absence of central authority more powerful than the clans themselves, it can spin out of control. This is the logic of feud, and it is the Achilles heel of clan-based government.6 Weiner contends that this logic explains the "unhappy fate" of medieval Iceland. In discussions of libertarianism on the Web, I have seen many people cite medieval Iceland, as well as other clan societies described by Weiner, as demonstrating that order is possible without a central government. Weiner agrees. Weiner also writes about the Nuer of South Sudan: ... while the Nuer lack a central political power—the society is, in technical terms, acephelous, or without a head—they do not lack political order. The absence of a state does not create a Hobbesian war of all against all... They exist in a condition that Evans-Pritchard describes as 'ordered anarchy.' ... In modern terms, each chief is like the director of a regional office of alternative dispute resolution. 7 Later, Weiner writes: The Nuer are democrats, with all members of the tribe participating in common affairs. They are committed to egalitarian ideals, with no man acknowledging the superiority or inferiority of another.8 Returning to the topic of feud and violence in clan societies, Weiner gives the example of the Palestinian territories. He writes: In Gaza under the rule of the clan, incidents such as a crash between a car and a donkey cart, or an argument about whether a vendor can change the equivalent of a five-dollar bill, lead to protracted feuds in which scores of people die. In 2006 alone, human rights observers in Gaza traced 214 acts of revenge, resulting in 90 deaths and 336 injuries, to clan feuds.9 Thus, although rule of the clan provides order, it is not necessarily a peaceful order. Another contrast between liberal states and clan-based societies concerns shame and guilt: People in Western societies are of course capable of feeling shame. But the far more common and powerful equivalent of that emotion in the West is guilt... In shame cultures, it is not a person's behavior that creates shame. It is instead the fact that the person's community has witnessed or learned of the behavior. Shame is a response to harsh external judgment... Guilt, on the other hand, is solitary. It stems not from a disapproving community but from a bad conscience, and it can be suffered entirely in secret.10 This difference between shame and guilt affects the way people treat strangers. In many clan societies, a household is expected to be a generous host to strangers, offering the household's best food and sleeping quarters. Not to do so would bring shame upon the household and on the entire clan. However, in a commercial transaction with such a stranger, there is no sense of guilt from failing to live up to one's bargain or from cheating the stranger. In the West, the value system is reversed. We feel no obligation to show ultra-generous hospitality to strangers who come to our neighborhood. However, we would feel guilty about cheating a stranger in a commercial transaction. contends: in traditional societies the overriding purpose of law is to maintain the group's identity and solidarity... Rather than striving to give each person his or her due, law seeks to preserve the coherence of the community. It establishes a powerful set of internal norms, and it creates a strong sense of differentiation between the group and outsiders.11 When the purpose is to maintain group identity, a law that prescribes a ritual (for example, for prayer or cleansing or sacrifice) is every bit as meaningful as a law that governs property. Weiner notes that in parts of India where traditionalism runs deep, people tend to obey local clan councils rather than the official court system. Weiner also devotes a chapter to the institution of feud: When modern legal tools aren't available, the most effective legal mechanism for maintaining order is a tool that was invented millennia ago: a culture of group honor, collective kin responsibility, and feud. The structure of feud is identical in all the societies that practice it. While there are, of course, local variations, feud's basic form is the same in stateless societies, societies with an incomplete state, and societies where the state is weak... you will find substantially the same story told over and again: lost honor, targeted killing, the formation of kin alliance, reciprocal killing, peacemakers, blood money, harmony.12 Order based on feud is illiberal and anti-individualist, Weiner argues: The goal of feud, indeed the goal of all the traditional mechanisms of customary dispute resolution in clan society, is to reestablish interfamilial harmony and community solidarity. ... The heart of the feuding process beats with the principle that individuals have no legal identity independent of their kin. Harms they suffer are recognized as injuries to the group. Actions taken in response to those harms are pursued by the group on its own behalf. Solutions are defined in collective terms.13 But Weiner also suggests that clan values have enduring appeal: Societies of Contract enable citizens to forge their own professional lives and personal identities, but societies of Status provide their members with deep social and psychological security. Societies of Contract foster the economic growth that comes from individual competition, but societies of Status advance the principle of social justice. Societies of Contract liberate citizens from the dead hand of tradition, while societies of Status initiate kinsmen into a profound communion across generations. At bottom, liberal societies offer citizens personal freedom, whereas the rule of the clan provides its members with a powerful feeling of community and solidarity. ... From a legal perspective, societies of Status are not a distant Other. Instead, they are what liberal societies would quickly become, in a process of evolutionary reversion, if we lost our political will to maintain an effective state dedicated to public purposes.14. For me, Weiner was most insightful and persuasive in presenting his arguments for point (2). That is, his anthropological descriptions of various clan societies made a credible case that their illiberal aspects are a source of their political stability. On the other hand, while I found point (3) to be plausible, I did not find it fully persuasive. That is, it could be the case that if government were reduced along libertarian lines, a clan-based society would emerge. However, it strikes me as an exaggeration to suggest that the rule of the clan is the only alternative to a strong central government. To those of us who might ask just how activist a central government must be in order to preserve the society of Contract, Weiner would offer no specific answer. Weiner never directly engages with Friedrich Hayek, James Buchanan, David Friedman, or others who have thought about political orders and arrived at more libertarian conclusions. None of these authors believes that a society of Contract requires the sort of activist central government that Weiner favors. In The Machinery of Freedom,15. Mark S. Weiner. The Rule of the Clan: What an Ancient Form of Social Organization Reveals About the Future of Individual Freedom. (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux), 2013.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Oct. 12 (UPI) — U.S. academic researchers say they are working with the U.S. Defense Department on software meant to improve missile defense during an enemy attack. Scientists at Purdue University say the work is meant to manage the large volume of incoming data during an enemy attack for better battle management and command and control of the missile defense system, a university release said Tuesday. “New software algorithms are needed to determine if it’s a missile and what type, then engage our missile defense system to bring it down,” Saurabh Bagchi of Purdue’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering said. The project will create software that will analyze data from radar, satellites, reconnaissance aircraft and ships and compare it to aerospace modeling of the flight characteristics of enemy missiles and interceptors, researchers say. The Purdue research is being funded by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency with $4.8 million for the three-year project. “The key aspect we’re reaching out to universities on is how to handle larger ballistic missile attacks, which we refer to as raid events,” Lt. Col. Reid Vander Schaaf, program manager, said. Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.

King’s Lynn Sunday League round-up: March Saracens book their place in TGWU Cup final 07:45 06 February 2014 Joe Jackson, black and white, in action for his Saturday side Swaffham Town. Picture: Eddie Deane. Archant The TWGU Cup will see two new finalists this year after March Saracens became the first team to reach this year’s prestigious final. In a game held in Lincolnshire, against a team from Cambridgeshire, the winners progressed to the Norfolk-based King’s Lynn Sunday League final. Long Sutton went into the game confident of reaching the Clipbush Park showcase with March having somewhat temperamental recent form but it wasn’t to be as Saracens marched to the final by virtue of a 4-2 scoreline. Paul Newcombe and Joe Harrison got the Lincs side on the scoresheet but it wasn’t enough as D Moore and a back-to-form Jermaine Watson hat trick sealed their passage to the Fakenham final against either CR Eastern Province or Hunstanton who play this Sunday. In the Hardy/Sheen quarter-final CR Eastern took on the only remianing Division One side, and undoubted favourites, Terrington. Unfortunately for the hosts, they found the visitors ready to come back from last week’s shock Cherrington Cup exit. Matt Prudence’s treble and singles from Joe Jackson, Robert Palmer and player/boss Gavin Caney set up their side’s semi-final at March this weekend. In Division One, FANG exacted revenge for one of only two league defeats all season, by brushing past CSKA Emneth 6-0, to ease the memories of their 4-1 defeat. The hosts also showed great bouncebackability after last week’s 5-0 humbling at home to Chilvers. Jo Malby grabbed a brace and the other goals were shared out between Alex Vincent, Corey Brady, Sam Garner and Michael Wood. Chilvers moved top for the first time as they thumped Wisbech Wanderers 7-2. Ricky Hunt notched twice for basement boys Wanderers with Neil Goodbourn scoring three for Chilvers, and Danny Jezeph going one better and scoring four. All three games in Division Two went ahead but only courtesy of a late pitch change at all three. Hustlers, moved from River Lane to Kingsway, went down 3-0 at home to Fleet in a battle between the bottom two. Hardy (2) and Thurlow helped Fleet to their third win of the season. Maids Head, also moved to Kingsway, went down 4-2 to a resurgent Adrian Flux. Kieran MacKender nabbing a three-piece with Shaun Dickerson getting the other. S Hunt and C Barrett were on the scoresheet for Maids. West Lynn played their home fixture with Flitcham Bell at Flitcham, and were seen off 3-0, Dan Fuller scoring all three.

Sleep, the Daily Mail examines ten of the most common and explains how to tackle them. Tossing and turning (GETTY IMAGES) Likely cause: You’re probably too hot. "Our bodies follow a strong natural rhythm, rising in temperature through the day and falling overnight," explains Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep expert. "At around 3am we have the biggest dip and anything that makes it difficult for us to lose heat at that point will cause disturbed sleep." One problem is central heating. "Although people set their central heating [or cooling] to 21 degrees because that’s comfortably warm [or cold], our bedroom feels very hot [or cold] and we become restless, moving around to try and cool down [or warm up]." Women also tend to be more restless at night during menopause and their menstrual cycle because their body temperature rises. What you can do: "The temperature under the covers should be around 29 degrees," says Dr Stanley. "Given enough time you will heat your bed up to the right temperature because you are always burning calories, which generates heat. On a cold night your body has to work harder, so people use electric blankets or hot-water bottles - but you can overheat your bed. "Make sure the bedroom is about 16 degrees because you need to lose temperature out of your head." So let your room cool by turning the heating off in the evening or opening a window. Grogginess on waking (GETTY IMAGES) Likely cause: A change of routine or oversleeping. "The body craves regularity and wants to get up at the same time every day. It prepares for waking an hour beforehand," says Dr Stanley. "But it can only prepare if it knows when you’re going to get up.. "This will help synchronise with your body’s natural rhythms and also prevent the feeling of 'sleep drunkenness', where you over sleep and don’t feel good afterwards," says Prof Morgan. Walking/talking in your sleep (GETTY IMAGES) Likely cause: Alcohol, medication, genetics or having something on your mind can all trigger these night time activities, known as parasomnia. "Everyone is capable of sleepwalking or talking," explains Dr Stanley. "The (GETTY IMAGES) Likely cause: If you’ve had sufficient sleep, tiredness may be a result of weight gain (leading to sleep apnoea) or anxiety, which disrupt sleep without you realising it. "Sleep. "Sufferers are not usually aware of the problem, but they don’t get refreshing sleep," says Mullins. Another cause is anxiety. Dr Stanley says: "This makes sleep lighter and reduces the amount of deep sleep, the most restful part. Some people accept feeling sleepy during the day as being their natural state, but nothing could be further from the truth - sleepiness isn’t natural. "If you’ve had a good night’s sleep you should feel brilliant. Unexplained tiredness during the day is always indicative of something." Other causes are chronic disease and teeth grinding. What you can do: "If week after week you feel sleepy, then something is going on you need to look at," says Dr Stanley, who suggests speaking to your doctor. Waking in the night (GETTY IMAGES) Likely cause: Intermittent waking without obvious cause is probably due to changes in your environment, stress or age. "From an evolutionary point of view, you could only sleep well if you felt safe and secure," says Dr Stanley. . "Throughout adulthood your sleep becomes progressively lighter and more fragmented," says Prof Morgan. "This is because of changes in the nervous system and hormones." What can you do: Rebecca Mullins says: "Avoid drinks as these fill the bladder. Don’t eat late as your body will still be digesting." Waking too early (GETTY IMAGES) Likely cause: Depression-induced insomnia or your environment are the usual triggers. "Everyone thinks insomnia is not being able to fall asleep, but there are three types - not being able to fall asleep, waking up and waking too early," says Dr Stanley. "The latter is one of the classic signs of depression, though no one knows why." Changes in your environment can also wake you too early, as we wake easily in the morning anyway as sleep becomes lighter. "You almost certainly won’t wake up for the first three hours of night as you are deeply asleep," says Dr Stanley. "But later sleep is much lighter and more prone to be disturbed by noises." What you can do: "The big caveat is that if you feel fine during the day then whatever’s happening isn’t a problem," says Dr Stanley. If you think the issue is insomnia, speak to your doctor. Teeth-grinding (AGENCY) Likely cause: Known as bruxism, teeth-grinding varies from jaw clenching to ferocious grinding that wears teeth down to stumps. It is usually due to genetics or stress. "There’s nothing serious underlying teeth grinding," says Dr Stanley. "Though it can be caused by stress, it is often just due to genetics.’ What you can do: "Treatment is important, as people who grind their teeth have dental problems but also tension headaches," says Dr Stanley. Usual treatment is a gum shield, though some people grind through these. If teeth-grinding is caused by stress, then the cause should be addressed. Nightmares (GETTY IMAGES) Likely cause: Stress may be a factor, but otherwise they are a random occurrence. "Nightmares are luck of the draw," says Dr Stanley. "We. "If (GETTY IMAGES) Likely cause: A common cause of hypersomnia is disease. "Lots of people with long-term conditions tend to sleep longer," says Professor Francesco Cappuccio, a sleep expert at the University of Warwick. "It is a marker of ill health." This also occurs in the chronic stage of long-term depression (while the early stages are characterised by insomnia). What you can do: Tell your doctor. "Long sleep could be a marker for your GP," says Prof Cappuccio. "Unfortunately, doctors never ask how many hours you sleep - but problems can be picked up from that. If someone sleeps too much, they may have a health problem." Though we all have our own sleep need, you should take notice if you’re sleeping significantly more over a prolonged period, napping during the day or have trouble waking up. Can’t sleep until late (GETTY IMAGES) Likely cause: If you find you don’t want to go to bed until very late at night and you then struggle to get up in the morning, this could be due to a late natural body clock. "Everyone has an internal biological clock," says Prof Cappuccio. "But. "There is also another sleep/wake cycle regulated by light," he adds. "Mel you. - All pictures used for illustrative purposes only

The Ohio Supreme Court issued a decision in State ex rel. Rouan v. Indus. Comm., last month making it clear that employees who retire, and thereby remove themselves from the workforce, for reasons unrelated to their workers’ compensation claims are ineligible to receive Temporary Total Compensation. ("TTC"). Patricia Rouan, a social services inspector for Mahoning County, hurt her leg at work on May 24, 2004. She received Temporary Total Disability compensation benefits through May 15, 2005, at which time the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation ("BWC") terminated her benefits. On June 1, 2005, the BWC issued an order stating Rouan’s allowed conditions had reached maximum medical improvement ("MMI"). Rouan did not appeal the order. In December of 2004, Rouan submitted an application for disability retirement to the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System ("OPERS"). Accompanying the application was a Report of Attending Physician, which listed the diagnosis as "Major Depressive Disorder" and stated the medical condition was "permanently disabling." OPERS approved Rouan’s application for disability retirement benefits on May 18, 2005, with a retroactive effective date of February 1, 2005. Rouan left the workforce shortly thereafter and has not worked since. While Rouan was awaiting the OPERS decision, she filed a claim with the Industrial Commission ("Commission") requesting an additional allowance for a psychiatric condition. On July 18, 2005, after Rouan had already been approved for disability retirement benefits, the staff hearing officer ("SHO") denied the additional allowance. In 2007, Rouan filed an application for permanent and total disability ("PTD"). The Commission denied the application, finding "Rouan’s allowed conditions did not preclude sustained remunerative employment." After successfully moving for the additional allowance of two arthritic knee conditions, Rouan renewed her request for TTC. The Commission denied TTC after finding that Rouan had "voluntarily abandoned the work force when she took disability retirement for a condition that was unrelated to her workplace injury." The Franklin County Court of Appeals agreed. Rouan filed an appeal in the Ohio Supreme Court. The Ohio Supreme Court affirmed the court of appeals ruling, relying on its prior decisions in State ex rel. Corman v. Allied Holdings, Inc. and State ex rel. Pierron v. Indus. Comm.. The Court explained, "TTC compensates claimants ‘for the loss of earnings which he [or she] incurs while the injury heals.’ There ‘can be no lost earnings, however, or even a potential for lost earnings, if the claimant is no longer part of the active work force.’" The Court also held, "a claimant who retires for reasons unrelated to his or her injury cannot receive TTC since it is the claimant’s own action, not the industrial injury, that prevents a return to the former position of employment." There is no dispute, Rouan left the work force permanently based on a "major depressive disorder" which was specifically disallowed in her claim and unrelated to her workplace injury. Employer take-away This decision reaffirms that a claimant who permanently abandons the work force for reasons unrelated to the workplace injury, even if they are medical reasons, cannot collect TTC.

Okay, before y'all fall over yourselves telling us that he's using a special cartridge allowing him to pipe in a video signal to his Game Boy Advance, let us beat you to the punch -- we know that. It still looks pretty cool playing the Wii on a GBA screen. Though why you would even want to do this is an entirely different matter. Also, just forget about that sucker being portable. For now, it's just a nifty little "Gee whiz!" feature that'll make you pine for a Wii Boy Portable one day. We can dream. Peep the vid after the jump and imagine everything else you can play on that tiny screen, thus destroying your eyesight and/or going blind. You've been warned. - Game Boy Advance Nintendo Game Boy 1st-gen

It's always nice to see an old tech stage a comeback and this time it's happening around the coasts of Europe, with nine low-frequency radio transmitters substituting for GPS' satellite-based system. eLoran's radiowave-based system is stronger than satellite signals and less jammable, based on the Loran system that was previously used for shipping navigation by both the British and US navy over 50 years ago. But despite its age, the tech has proven remarkable hardy against unwanted interference. In trials conducted by the General Lighthouse Authorities of UK and Ireland, a 1.5W radio jammer was able to knock out GPS signals over a range of 30 kilometers. However, to do the same to the Loran system, you'd need a 40ft tower -- and around 25kW of juice to power it. The basics behind Loran and GPS are largely the same, with devices measuring the time it takes for a signal to travel between a transmitter and your receiver. Loran requires three singles, with locations then calculated through "trilateration". More signal input subsequently equals a more secure position read-out, with the elderly base system offering initial location accuracy to around 100 meters. However, the updated eLoran signal (currently only being broadcast on the east coast of the UK, around Dover) will narrow that down to the nearest 10 meters. The GPS back-up will be gradually rolled out across the entire British coastline.

Unreasonable at Sea: Entrepreneurs Dock at the State Department Editor's Note: This post marks the fourth in a short series we're featuring on the Unreasonable at Sea program. Check out the first installment "Entrepreneurs Take on the World -- By Cruise Ship," the second "Unreasonable at Sea: An Update From Cesar Harada of Protei" and the third "Unreasonable at Sea: An Update From Mouhsine Serrar of Prakti Design." After four months of sailing on the high seas and forming partnerships in countries from Myanmar to Ghana, the 11 companies that participated in Unreasonable at Sea have docked. And while they're finally getting their land legs back, these intrepid entrepreneurs aren't slowing down. The Unreasonable at Sea entrepreneurs and their super-star mentors -- which at sea ranged from the Archbishop Desmond Tutu to Matt Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress -- met in Washington, D.C. today and yesterday for an event dubbed Unreasonable at State. With hosts that include the Unreasonable Group, the White House, the U.S. Department of State, the Institute of Design at Stanford and the Aspen Institute, the plan is to debrief the sea-faring entrepreneurs and examine how entrepreneurship and design-thinking can be leveraged to solve pressing global challenges. Related: Entrepreneurs Take on the World -- By Cruise Ship Additionally, the goal is to help the Unreasonable treps find funding. At today's event around 150 venture funds, foundations, philanthropists, angels and banks are expected to attend the event. "The whole goal is to ignite the flow of capital into these companies," says Unreasonable at Sea founder, Daniel Epstein. Some companies will be seeking investors, while others have a different objective altogether. Protei, the environmental-cleanup drone maker, which we followed for YoungEntrepreneur.com's Unreasonable at Sea series, for example, has enough of a budget to manufacture a first round of robots. So, instead of landing funds, CEO Cesar Harada says he plans to focus on philanthropy, sponsors, partners and clients. "They have a brilliant technology. They are one of the smartest teams I've seen in my life," says Epstein. "But they didn't have a business model behind it. Now they do and can take that to scale." For its part, Protei will relocate its headquarters to Hong Kong, a decision made during the voyage by Protei's founder and CEO Cesar Harada, who believes the city's seaside locale and reputation as a center for global commerce is key to the company's evolution. "The ocean is Protei's market, and there are so many challenges and opportunities -- from plastic debris cleaning, to radioactivity sensing, detection of oil spill, climate research and more." Related: Unreasonable at Sea: An Update From Cesar Harada of Protei Similarly, Mouhsine Serrar of Prakti Designs (another young trep we followed over the past four months) found his experiences along the Unreasonable at Sea route business altering. The cook-stoves maker plans to move forward with its current distribution efforts in India, Haiti and Nepal, as well as support new partnerships in the Congo and Bangladesh, all the while continuing research and development on the next generation of stoves. Still, adds Serrar, the greater take-away from the voyage was the opportunity to build a vibrant community with an impactful group of social entrepreneurs, staff and mentors. "Learning and practicing best innovation and design process techniques is a great asset," he says. Indeed, "it was a radical experiment," says George Kembel, the co-founder of Institute of Design at Stanford (known as "the d.school") who co-taught a Sustainable Global Entrepreneurship class with Epstein to the entrepreneurs and 100 Semester at Sea students. "I think we have the ability to install a different point of view, to shift the way people think," Kembel says. Related: Unreasonable at Sea: An Update From Mouhsine Serrar of Prakti Design The State Department is hoping to pick up a few pointers from the program too. According to Kembel, the diplomacy-focused department has an entrepreneurship initiative it hopes to launch imminently. "We have this hunger for innovation," says Kembel. "What's the next big idea that's going to save our company or the country or education?" What impact do you think traveling around the world could have on your startup? Let us know with a comment.

Well, look who's engaging in a public display of affection. Henry Cavill and Kaley Cuoco, just days after being outed as Hollywood's latest adorable new couple, were spotted holding hands outside a Gelson's market in Sherman Oaks, Calif. They could try to hide behind shades, but... PHOTOS: They dated? See some surprising star couples There was no missing the beefy Man of Steel and the lovely star of The Big Bang Theory. But after being the subject of some heated speculation, apparently they've decided to go all-the-way public: The were also out hiking together in L.A. this week! Cavill most recently dated MMA star-turned-actress Gina Carano and Cuoco, who broke up with fiancé Josh Resnik last year, briefly dated Pepper bassist Bret Bollinger. "Everyone go see 'man of steel'. It's fantastic in every single way," Cuoco tweeted on June 14, along with a pic of herself gazing at a poster of Cavill-as-Superman. Little did we know that she was auditioning for the role of real-life Lois Lane. PHOTOS: See more celebrity PDA

Post & Courier, TV Week Issue link: 29: Friday, January 10, 2014_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Post and Courier The Biggest Loser 15: Second Chances HIGHLIGHTS Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 8 p.m. on ABC Coulson and May discover startling information about Skye's mysterious past while the team find themselves in the middle of a storm at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. The Originals 8 p.m. on CW While the French Quarter prepares for the annual Casket Girls Festival, Davina helps free Cami of Klaus' compulsion; Elijah and Marcel form a united front. Dads 8 p.m. on FOX Eli attempts to cure a sick Veronica with the hope that she will sleep with him after a germophobic Warner sends her home to get better. Dance Moms 8 p.m. on LIFE Abby Lee Miller prepares her dance troupe for a performance that benefits a cancer non-profit, but it's their first competition since failing to win Nationals. 8 p.m. on NBC The remaining contestants travel to train like Olympians in Utah, where they meet and exercise next to some of the most prolific American athletes. Bad Girls All Star Battle 8 p.m. on OXYG During the Captain's Challenge, the girls must earn money; an alliance forms between two members of opposing teams; one girl considers leaving. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 8 p.m. on WGN A strange visitor from another planet has a profound effect on a boy as the duo attempts to contact the alien's home so that he can return to his family. Brooklyn Nine-Nine 8:30 p.m. on FOX Jake and Amy's bet to see who can make more arrests is settled; while dosed up on pain medication, Charles tells his colleagues what he really thinks of them. NCIS: Los Angeles 9 p.m. on CBS Kensi and Granger reunite Trophy Wife the NCIS Los Angeles team after the murder of a federal agent is connected to an ancient money transfer system. Supernatural 9 p.m. on CW Following the aftermath of losing Kevin, Dean must turn to Crowley for help in exorcising Sam of Gadreel by separating his brother's brain from the angel's. New Girl 9 p.m. on FOX Nick becomes defensive when Jess and Coach bond over his opposing basketball team; Schmidt mentors a new hire at work; Winston finds his new calling in life. Building Wild 9 p.m. on NATGEO The Cabin Kings build a hunting lodge that will accommodate a group of 12 friends and save some money by reusing a 100-year-old barn that is about to fall down. 9:31 p.m. on ABC Kate needs Diane's help when trying to discipline Hillary and Warren for misbehaving; Pete and Jackie try to set a good example by taking Bert on an outing. Shipping Wars 10 p.m. on A&E Roy takes a big risk when he decides to ship the world's largest drum set; Chris and Robbie challenge each other in a bet to see who the best transporter is. Killer Women 10 p.m. on ABC Molly is on the trail of a suspect killing off abusive husbands after the latest one is killed at a black-tie gala; Jake is trying to delay the divorce. 100 Days of Summer The Mindy Project 9:30 p.m. on FOX Trouble ensues when Mindy, Danny, Peter and Morgan travel to Los Angeles to receive a certification for cosmetic injectibles per the request of Jeremy. 10 p.m. on BRAVO Vince and Lonnie continue preparations for their annual White Party, but Pascale hopes to bring a little fun to the soiree. Justified 10 p.m. on FX Dewey's demented cousin arrive in Harlan County; Raylan tries to clean up a friend's mess; Boyd's desperately tries to free Ava from jail. American Restoration 10 p.m. on HIST Rick entrusts Brettly with a client's 1970s popcorn machine; the crew is challenged when an ejection seat from a 1950s F106 fighter jet arrives at the shop. Kim of Queens 10 p.m. on LIFE Tomboy Hope needs a complete makeover before beginning, but her mother dislikes the idea; Angie takes over coaching duties for her daughter. The Shadow Military 10 p.m. on MILIT Private Military Contractors, also known as the "Shadow Military," provide an in-depth and rare look into what they do and how they get it done. Chicago Fire 10 p.m. on NBC Casey tries to convince himself and everyone at the firehouse that he fine after having had a near death experience; Boden assists a woman with her landlord. The contestants are off on the adventure of a lifetime, headed to Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah, where trainer Dolvett Quince will introduce them to Olympic gold medalist Apolo Ohno, who talks about his own "Second Chance" – this season's theme – on "The Biggest Loser," airing Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NBC. JANUARY 14 Shark Tank Gourmet food. Shark Tank The Profit: Wisconsin vs Indiana (Live) College Basketball: Kentucky vs Arkansas (Live) SportsCenter (3:00) 2014AustralianOpenTennis"FirstRound" SportsNation College Basketball: Oklahoma vs Kansas State 2014 Australian Open Tennis "Second Round" (Live) NCAA Bball (Replay) NCAA Basketball: Indiana vs Wisconsin (Replay) Who's # 1? Who's # 1? Who's # 1? Who's # 1? Who's # 1? SportsCenter SportsCenter Outside Interruption SportsCenter SportsCenter SportsCenter SportsCenter ESPN FC Interruption Wrld Poker (Replay) Xterra Adv. Outdoor N.C. State Burton Wrld Poker (Replay) Golden Boy Live "Antonio Tarver vs. Mike Sheppard" UFC Ultimate Insider Wrld Poker (Replay) Wrld Poker (Replay) Xterra Adv. Outdoor N.C. State Burton Wrld Poker (Replay) Golden Boy Live "Antonio Tarver vs. Mike Sheppard" UFC Ultimate Insider Wrld Poker (Replay) NASCAR Crowd Goes Wild FOX Football Daily College Basketball: St. John's vs DePaul (Live) College Basketball: Butler vs Creighton (Live) FOX Sports Live European Tour "Volvo Golf Champions: Final Round" Golf Cntrl PGA Tour Golf Acdmy Golf Acdmy PGA TOUR Golf "Humana Challenge: Final Round" (Replay) Golf Cntrl Golf Acdmy Americana Americana Pro Football Talk Crossover Crossover Premier League To Be Announced Info unavailable. To Be Announced Info unavailable. Wom. College Basketball: Texas vs West Virginia Glf Amer. Tee it up Fight Sports World Class Championship Boxing Fight Sports: Knockouts! 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(:45) aaaOblivion('13,ScienceFiction)TomCruise,MorganFreeman.Thelast True Detective "Bright Dark" Girls "Females Girls "Truth or True Detective "Bright Dark" Huntsman Warrior The adopted son. (PG-13) dronerepairmanonEarth. (PG-13) Past case discussed. Only" Dare" Past case discussed. (PG-13) (:25) aacDodgeball:ATrueUnderdogStory aac Meet the Fockers ('04) Robert De Niro, Ben (3:05) aaaTheLovelyBones('09)Mark The Bourne Legacy ('12) Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz. For a Good Time, Call... ('12) Wahlberg,RachelWeisz. (PG-13) ('04)ChuckNorris. (PG-13) Stiller. Focker's in-laws meets his parents. (PG-13) Agent seeks to expose CIA crimes. (PG-13) Ari Graynor. (R) Zane's The (:35) Girl's aa Sanctum ('11) Richard Roxburgh, Ioan (:50) aaaPrometheus('12,ScienceFiction)NoomiRapace,MichaelFassbender. Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous ('05) Sandra Banshee Expeditiontolearnhumanity'sorigins. (R) Bullock, Regina King. Pals kidnapped. (PG-13) Jump Off Guide Gruffudd. Team stuck in caves. (R) (:50) aaaTombstone('93,Western)KurtRussell,ValKilmer.TheEarpbrothers aaa The Debt ('11) Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson. (:55) aacWetHotAmerican (3:00) Me,Myself&Irene('00) aac City by the Sea ('02) Robert De JimCarrey. (R) Niro, Frances McDormand. (R) fighttheClantons. (R) Agents track down Nazi war criminal. (R) Summer('01) (R) Stagecoach aaa Deeply ('00) Kirsten Dunst, Lynn (:15) aacContinentalDivide('81,Comedy)JohnBelushi,Blair aaa King of California ('07) Michael (:35) aacStagecoach('86,Western)Willie (:15) Madison('05,Drama)Jim Redgrave. Young girl copes. (PG-13) Brown.Writerfindslove. (PG) Douglas. Treasure hunting. (PG-13) Nelson,KrisKristofferson. (NR) Caviezel. (PG) (NR) ac Diary of a Mad Black Woman ('05) Kimberly Elise, House of Episodes Shameless "Simple House of Episodes Shameless "Simple aa Mimic ('97) Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam. Shemar Moore. A scary grandmother. (PG-13) Lies Pleasures" Lies Pleasures" Man-eating bugs mimic human prey. 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A simple meatless appetizer that never fails to impress. Starts with frozen bread dough, spiffed up with lemon, the sweetness of caramelized onions, the creamy tanginess of Gorgonzola cheese, the tasty texture element of walnuts, all topped off with an arugula/pear mixture. Greater than the sum of its parts! YIELD: Makes 1 tart which yields about 6 to 8 appetizer s Ingredients1 (1 pound) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed according to package directions Juice and grated zest of 1 fresh lemon 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided usage 2 large onions, thinly sliced Salt and freshly ground black pepper, as desired 4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese ½ cup chopped walnuts 1 cup baby arugula leaves (or torn larger arugula leaves) 1 red pear, stemmed seeded and diced PreparationPreheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a medium baking sheet. Place thawed bread dough into a large mixing bowl; add lemon juice (reserve zest for later use) and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, working into the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place while continuing with recipe. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy skillet placed over medium heat. Add the onions, blending well. Cook until golden, stirring occasionally, about 20 to 30 minutes. Season as desired with salt and pepper. Punch down dough; remove from bowl and place on prepared baking sheet. Starting at center, press out dough with greased hands to form an approximate 11 x 10-inch rectangle. With fingers or the handle of a wooden spoon, make "dimples" in dough every 3 inches. Remove onions from skillet with a slotted spoon and cover dough with onions, distributing evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese and walnuts and return to the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the bread is lightly browned. Toss together the reserved lemon zest, arugula and the diced pear. Reserve. Remove tart from oven; cut into squares and top with pear/arugula mixture. Serve right away.

Thursday, October 15, 2009 JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 15, 2009) - Sitting one spot ahead of Atlantic Sun Conference rival Mercer, the ETSU women's soccer team host the Bears in critical 1:30 p.m., league contest Friday at Summers-Taylor Stadium. The Buccaneers (4-10-0, 3-3-0 A-Sun) enter the match with nine conference points, after dominating USC Upstate 5-0, Monday afternoon. In the match against the Spartans senior forward Jordan Monty (Mesqute, Texas), opened the Bucs three-match homestand with a goal and two assists. Overall, the Buc captain's five points on the day, sits as the second highest among A-Sun players this season for one match. Defensively, sophomore keeper Megan Masch (Virginia Beach, Va.), posted her season's third shutout against Upstate with five saves. Overall, the second-year starter leads all conference keepers with 99 stops, while sitting second in the A-Sun with a .825 save percentage. Mercer (5-6-3, 2-4-1 A-Sun) enters the match with seven conference points. The Bears - who were picked second in the A-Sun Preseason Poll - had its best offensive performance of the season with a 6-1 win over Lipscomb, Sunday. Defensive has been the key to Mercer's success as the Bears rank third in the A-Sun in goals allowed (15) and goals against average (1.04). Individually, sophomore forward Olivia Tucker leads the Bear attack with 12 points (6 goals). The second-year all-conference player had her first multi-goal match against the Lady Bisons with three scores on the day. Mercer leads the all-time series with ETSU 2-1-1. In their last meeting the 2008 A-Sun Regular Season champs defeated the Bucs 1-0 as Tucker headed home the game winner in the 80th minute. Live stats will be available at the start of the match. To access the update scoring fans can click on the link.

A bus carrying 40 elementary students to school Wednesday morning caught fire in Codorus Township, prompting an evacuation but causing no injuries, police said. Police said the bus was carrying the students to Friendship Elementary School, along state Route 216, about three miles east of Glenville. The bus was southbound on state Route 516 near the intersection of Tannery Road at about 8:27 a.m. when somebody in a vehicle following the bus noticed smoke and alerted the bus driver, according to a news release from the Pennsylvania State Police in Loganville. In a released statement, the Southern York County School District said the fire was in the bus' engine comparment, which is in the back of the bus. The district said the bus' driver pulled the bus off the road and safely evacuated all students from the side and front exits. The students were evacuated to a field, away from the bus, the district said. Police identified the driver as Tara D. Hickey, 31. Following the evacuation, the bus sustained disabling fire damage, and had to be towed from the scene, police said. The students were taken to school in a second bus, evaluated by school nurses and sent to class, the district said. Police are investigating the cause of the fire, which they said was quickly extinguished by firefighters from companies in Jefferson and Spring Grove.

US fast food chain Five Guys heading to Silverburn The leading American burger and fries fast food chain has gained a cult following in the UK since its launch in London last year - and the 3,637 sq ft restaurant will be in Silverburn's new leisure extension, the first phase of which opens this year. The firm also plan to open up a restaurant in Glasgow's St Vincent Street Chris Daly, Catering Leasing Executive at Hammerson, added: "Five Guys' decision to open in Silverburn is confirmation of the centre's status as a leading retail and leisure destination in the Glasgow region. Their arrival completes the leisure extension's offer, and will significantly add to Silverburn's already strong retail success. Furthermore, it highlights the desire amongst leading brands to open flagships in Silverburn." Richard Collier, Property Director at Five Guys, added: "Silverburn was identified immediately as we planned the expansion of the Five Guys brand in Scotland. "It is a highly successful destination popular with consumers from throughout the region and the leisure extension creates the perfect opportunity for Five Guys. "Our fast casual concept adds something new to the tenant mix and will appeal to existing customers and attract new visitors, driving Silverburn's appeal as both a day-out and evening destination." Five Guys is the latest restaurant to sign for Silverburn's leisure extension, creating a total of nine new restaurants, including the recently announced Chimichanga, Carluccio's, TGI Friday's, Cosmo, Pizza Express and Zizza, in the new 100,000 sq ft leisure destination anchored by a 14-screen digital Cineworld.

HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS back-row forward Dale Ferguson has joined Super League rivals Hull KR on a month’s loan. The move has been made following the arrival of Giants marquee signing Ukuma Ta’ai, who began training with his new club yesterday and is already pushing for a start in Sunday’s home clash against London Broncos. "Dale Ferguson needs game time and Hull KR are suffering some injuries at the moment, so the loan arrangement benefits everyone in all our opinions here at the club," explained Giants managing director Richard Thewlis. "Our head coach, Paul Anderson, currently has his forwards fit, and keeping them all match-ready will be a challenge, so he was delighted to be able to accept Hull KR’s request and have one of our players playing Super League week in, week out. "It is only for a month at this stage and Dale knows he remains a Giant contractually and we look forward to watching him play. "There is the opportunity for Batley to take our players using the partnership system, but all understand that should Super League clubs wish to take any of our fringe players and play them to help their fitness and experience, then that is naturally preferable."

Amber that contains insects is a rarity. Amber that contains two species of ancient insects engaged in a life-and-death struggle is a phenomenal find. David Coty, Romain Garrouste, Frédéric Legendre, André Nel from the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France and colleagues are the first to describe termites and ants in battle preserved in a piece of amber. The discovery was published in the journal Public Library of Science on Aug. 20, 2014. The amber was found in the Totolapa deposit in Chiapas, Mexico. The amber depicts a battle between Azteca ants and Nasutitermes termites that occurred during the Miocene. The insects could be 20 million years old. Evidence of a conflict is substantial including an ant holding a termite in its mouth and a termite that is almost bitten in half. The piece of amber is small. It measures 1.6 centimeters long, one centimeter wide, and 1.2 centimeters high. The researchers used sliced CT scans to provide the resolution necessary to extract the details of the insect conflict form the amber. The amber depicts a raid of army ants on a termite colony. The amber is called a syninclusion because it contains more than one species. Ants and termites continue the same type of combat over territory today. This discovery indicates that ant and termite species that exist at present were living in Mexico between five million years ago and 20 million years ago. The same ant species from the same time period has been documented in amber from Venezuela in 1855. Insects in amber vary in price depending on the insect, where the amber comes from, and the state of preservation of the insect fossil based on the selection presented at the Amberica West website. One might expect this newly discovered piece of amber to fetch more than the usual price due to the uniqueness of two species engaged in battle. The significance of the find is the first hard evidence that ants and termites have been warring against each other for at least five million years and that both species have lived in Mexico for at least that long.

[tag: science] The evolution of fish from having no jaws to having jaws was presented as a process for the first time in the Feb. 12, 2014, issue of the journal Nature by a team of French and Swedish researchers led by Vincent Dupret of Uppsala University in Sweden. There are presently about 50,000 species of jawed vertebrates on Earth and only two jawless vertebrates. The researchers tracked the turning point in the development of jaws to an armored fish called Romundina that lived 410 million years ago. The researchers used a specimen of Romundina originally discovered in Canada that was stored in the collections of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle of Paris. Romundina had a short front end to the brain like jawless vertebrates but had two nostrils and no jaws like most modern vertebrates. Romundina was the first vertebrate to have all the necessary structures to form jaws and faces like the majority of vertebrates have today. A comparison of Romundina with fish and other vertebrates that lived before and after Romundina did show that the development of a larger front brain produced the necessity for two nostrils and jaws. The evolution of jaws, brains, and faces was produced using x-ray analysis of the animal’s skulls at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France

The U.S. State Department on Friday notified the members of the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee that Secretary of State -- and former Massachusetts Democrat U.S. Senator -- John Kerry will testify sometime during the month of June regarding what he knows about the Benghazi massacre at the hands of terrorists on Sept. 11, 2012. A State Department spokesperson claims Kerry's appearance before Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and other committee members would free Kerry from having to testify before the new congressional select committee headed by Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.. The select committee was established to thoroughly investigate the terrorist attack that left four Americans dead, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens. . Gowdy said his committee. "One can only hope that Kerry is more honest and forthcoming during his testimony before Issa and his panel than he was 43-years-ago when he testified -- many claim lied -- before a Senate hearing on the Vietnam War," said former U.S. Marine and New York police official Wayne Lewis. Lewis said Kerry's testimony was based on hearsay and not first hand knowledge, which is evident in the video of his testifying: ." Suggested Links - Secretary Kerry: U.S. on board with U.N. gun control treaty - State Dept. report says al-Qaeda in decline, hails Obama's actions - Kerry promises $123 million to Syrian jihadists fighting Assad - John Kerry concedes Obama's spy team 'reached too far' - Benghazi: Speaker Boehner reacts to criticism of his non-actions

[tag: how-to] How we test Washing Machines Find out how we test a machine's performance When it comes to testing washing machines there are two key factors to look at: how clean it gets your clothes and how much it will cost you a year. The first is obvious, but the second point is one that bears a lot of thought. Simply put, the more efficient your machine is in terms of electricity and water consumption, the less it will cost you to run and the more money you'll save every year. With that in mind, our tests are designed to give both points a thorough workout and help you distinguish the good machines from the bad. You can see all of our results in our washing machine reviews. WASHING MACHINE TESTS Our washing machine tests use a 3kg load, which has a representative mix of clothing including underwear, jeans, a towel, a bed-sheet, a jumper, a shirt and a t-shirt. We'll run at least three test cycles on each machine: 30C cotton load wash for economy, easy-care 40C and 40C cotton. We believe that these are the most common settings for today's washing machines and let us get a decent baseline comparison we can use across all machines. We'll test individual and special wash cycles for each machine, as well, such as the 15C wash on Samsung Ecobubble washing machines. For each wash cycle we'll use a specially-prepared stain strip with the most common types of stain on it: * Cotton soiled with carbon black/olive oil * Cotton soiled with blood * Cotton soiled with cocoa * Cotton soiled with blood/milk/ink * Cotton soiled with red wine The strip will be put into the machine along with a standard wash load that includes t-shirts, sheets and towels. This strip will be scanned using a high-resolution scanner before and after the wash in order to accurately compare wash power. We use a standard supermarket brand detergent on each machine. See the best washing machines to buy SPIN PERFORMANCE We'll weigh the clothes before and after the wash cycle to find out how efficient the spin cycle is and how much water the wash load has retained. The less water that's retained, the quicker the clothes will dry. EFFICIENCY For each wash cycle we'll record the total power usage and the amount of water consumed. This will tell us how efficient each machine is and, more importantly, how much it will cost to run a year in an average household. We also calculate running costs using the manufacturer-provided EU Energy Label figures. This figure gives a total yearly amount of energy and water used per year by the machine. It assumes a full-load, so a 12kg machine will most likely use more energy and water than a 6kg machine. We work out a running cost based on washing the same amount of clothes per year, assuming full washing machine loads: in other words, a 12kg machine requires less wash cycles per year than a 6kg machine. Our running costs, therefore present a level playing field. All costs are based on the UK average energy costs in kW/h. Water costs are worked out based on the UK average cost per cubic metre, and also include waste water costs. It assumes a water meter is installed. Actual running costs will vary depending on your tariff. NOISE Our tester will rank each machine for noise: both how loud and how invasive it is. This is particularly important if you plan to site your washing machine in a commonly-used area, such as a kitchen-diner. EASE OF USE We'll test each machine to find out how easy it is to load, how accessible the detergent drawer is, plus how simple the control panel is to use.

What Makes You Beautiful! The Queen meets One Direction star Niall Horan THE Queen may not be the most devoted fan of the world’s biggest boy band but for a couple of hours tonight at Buckingham Palace singer Niall Horan was part of One’s Direction. One Direction star Niall Horan met the Queen at Buckingham Palace [AP] Horan, 20, a teenage heartthrob, was invited to greet the 87-year-old monarch when he joined 300 members of the Irish community at a palace reception ahead of an historic first State visit by their country’s president to Britain. They have met before but it was still a thrill for the County Westmeath-born singer. "I might ask her if she wants to come to a show", he joked. "It's an absolute honour to be here with two great countries coming together. I couldn't believe it when I got the invitation. To have met Her Majesty again was a great experience." The singer was invited to greet the Queen when he joined 300 members of the Irish community [AP] I might ask her if she wants to come to a show His country’s President Michael D Higgins will be in the UK in April following the Queen's visit to the Irish Republic three years ago, when she became the first British monarch to visit the country. The Queen and Prince Philip, along with Princess Anne, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent, chatted with Irish guests from the world of sport, business, politics, the arts, and community work, who have all made a positive contribution to Britain. Other guests included X-Factor judge Louis Walsh, fashion designer Orla Kiely, racehorse trainer Jonjo O'Neill and former Formula One racing boss Eddie Jordan. Reality TV judge Walsh said the Queen told him she would love to come back and visit his country," he said. At the reception, the Queen was reunited with a fishmonger she met in Cork three years ago and asked if he had brought any fish with him. Cork fishmonger Pat O'Connell recounted how he met the Queen at the English Market in Cork during her visit to Ireland in 2011. Barry McGuigan and Niall Horan at Buckingham Palace [PA] Mr O'Connell made quite an impression during that visit, when he shared a joke with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh about an unattractive monkfish, which he said was nicknamed "the mother-in-law fish". This evening, he said he was "surprised" to be so swiftly recognised by the Queen, who." President Higgins’s visit promises to be another historic step in the reconciliation process between the two nations. A palace spokesman said: ." He added: “It was a really fun evening – great company and extremely relaxed. Her Majesty seemed to enjoy the craic.”

Vintage Kiprusoff performance — with one minor blip — enough for Flames to clip Wings Calgary’s 3-2 victory throws a wrench into Detroit’s plans of extending 21-year playoff streak The glove shot up, in the blink of an eye, like Superman catching a silver bullet between his fingers or Brooks Robinson moving effortlessly to snare a liner down the third-base line. Just in the nick of time. Just like old times. “Yeah, it felt good,” admitted Miikka Kiprusoff. “Especially after I made it . . . a little more interesting at the end there.” That spectacular save off Detroit defenceman Jakob Kindl, with 16.6 seconds remaining, the Red Wings’ net empty and Curtis Glencross taking up space in the penalty box, saved the day in a 3-2 Calgary victory that leaves Detroit’s precarious playoff hopes still hanging in the balance. On a night the Flames were officially eliminated from post-season contention — as if there was any doubt — Kiprusoff was in vintage form, in what may very well be his second-last appearance as a Calgary Flame at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Inside the Flames’ dressing room afterwards, as the man of the hour walked through unnoticed as media crowded around two-goal hero Steve Begin, Kiprusoff spotted a kid wearing a red No. 34 jersey and a Kipper ball cap. “Good job, Kipper,” the kid said. “Thanks buddy.” Mere minutes earlier, 19,000 plus had engaged in a vaster, more public show of affection, standing up to salute the finest goaltender this franchise has ever seen for the kind of jaw-dropping performance that’s become his custom here over the last decade. “It was an unbelievable feeling,” said Kiprusoff. “I think the crowd has been great for me since I came here and again tonight was a pretty nice feeling in front of them. “It means a lot.” For the Wings, a crushing loss that, coupled with Columbus’ win, plunged Detroit into ninth in the Western Conference. “Well, I don’t pull out any tricks,” said boss Mike Babcock when asked what rabbits he could yank from a hat after a game in which the urgency level was left far too late. “I deal in realism and facts. And the facts speak pretty clear that this is an urgent moment for us. You’ve got to win your way in. You can’t watch your way in.” Too little early push and too much Kiprusoff. That recipe spelled disaster for the Wings. Outside of that crazy Johan Franzen backhander from just across centre that skipped behind him at 12:53 of the third period (that “interesting” moment Kiprusoff mentioned earlier), the silent Finn was exemplary to sensational. He has, of course, become accustomed to battening down the hatches when confronted by the relentless tempest the Red Wings can conjure up. He withstood another storm Wednesday, 36 saves in all. “They’re always a pretty smart road team. And there’s always traffic. It’s always tough against them.”’ With his future as a Calgary Flame very much the topic of conversation, the 36-year-old franchise puck-stopper made Wednesday a night to remember. Friday he starts again, against the Anaheim Ducks. “I’m aware of that (the speculation). I’m not gonna lie. With everything that’s going on. I haven’t played in a few games, and I haven’t win lately, so I was (motivated) by that, too.” In a strange evening, the Wings gifted Calgary the decisive two goals in the third period. Wings’ ‘keeper Jimmy Howard and defensive pal Jonathan Eriksson getting their wires crossed, each leaving the puck for the other, allowing veteran campaigner Steve Begin to nip in, tap the puck off the goalie’s right skate and in a mere 2:20 into the third period to give Calgary a 2-1 lead. Mighty embarrassing stuff, to put it mildly. Then, with just under eight minutes left, going back to collect a dump-in, Howard lost control of the puck behind his cage, allowing that imp Begin to collect and cash a wraparound into a wide-open net. More mighty embarrassing stuff, to put it mildly. “I made a mistake on the third one, simple as that,” lamented Howard. He looked down at his hands and wiggled them: “Last time I checked, I’m human. And that was a tough one tonight because it was a game winner. (The second one) is an unfortunate break. Nobody’s fault. Big E said it handcuffed him a little bit. And the third one? A total mistake by me.” “It’s a tough thing to swallow. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so I’ve got to forget about this.” For Begin, meanwhile, one to remember. Two, actually. “Guys think I made a deal with the goalie on the other side,” he joked. “But I didn’t. Just lucky bounces. I don’t know what to say.” While Howard was imploding, Kiprusoff was just warming up, Franzen swinging around the net and with Justin Abdelkader virtually sitting in his lap Kiprusoff denies Pavel Datsyuk, mighty quiet on the evening up that point, with his left pad. Later, with the Wings handed a power play for too many Flames inhabiting the ice surface, Kiprusoff denies Datsyuk again, this time from a sharp angle, via the blocker. Then, with Detroit piling on the pressure, he throws himself across the crease to get an arm on a Henrik Zetterberg shot that had back-of-the-net written all over it. “We couldn’t get more pucks behind Kipper,” sighed Zetterberg. “He made some key saves. He was real good tonight. He’s a real good goalie — one of the best goalies we’ve had in this league. He showed that again tonight. When he’s hot, he’s really making key saves. “Of course, it’s frustrating to be on the other side.” gjohnson@calgaryherald.com Follow George Johnson on Twitter/GeorgejohnsonCH

Fairmont State's fourth Festival of Chamber Orchestras to be held during the week of June 12 includes three orchestras rehearsing and performing. The professional Festival Chamber Orchestra will play three concerts, the first at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, in the Turley Center Ballroom; the second at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 17, in the Turley Center Ballroom; and the third at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 19, at Prickett s Fort. The Youth Orchestra and Prep Orchestra will combine for one concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 16, in the Turley Center Ballroom, and members of the orchestra will have an opportunity to play with the Festival Orchestra for the June 17 concert. The June 14 concert, conducted by the festival's Artistic Director John Ashton, will feature Cheryl Priebe Bishkoff, oboist, performing Benedetto Marcello's Concerto in C minor. Bishkoff, who has been described as "a musician of incredible artistry" by the Richmond News Leader. Her recent appearances include performances of J.S. Bach's "Oboe d'amore Concerto" at the Bach and Beyond Festival and Beethoven chamber music at the renowned Newport Music Festival. She is currently in her ninth season as principal oboe of the Rhode Island Philharmonic. In addition, she is also principal oboe of the New Hampshire Symphony and the Fredonia (N.Y.) Chamber Players and assistant and principal of the Bethlehem (Pa.) Orchestra. Before her appearances in Rhode Island, Bishkoff served as acting principal of the Buffalo Philharmonic and as principal in many other orchestras, including the Albany (N.Y.) Symphony, the Lancaster (Ohio) Festival Orchestra, the Bedford Festival Symphony Orchestra, the Wheeling (W.Va.) Symphony and the Virginia Symphony. Other works on the program will include "Harmony," a poem for the Chamber Orchestra by award winning composer Andrzej Panufnik, an early symphony by Mozart and the "Italian" Symphony of Felix Mendelssohn. The June 17 concert by the Festival Orchestra will feature Pittsburgh Symphony hornist Zachary Smith playing the 1950 Concerto for Horn and Orchestra by Paul Hindemith. Born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Falls Church, Va.,. Other works on the concert will include Felix Mendelssohn's Overture to William Shakespeare's"A Midsummer Night's Dream;" a rather obscure work by Henry Purcell, "The Gordian Knot Untied;" and the Symphony No. 60 "Il Distratto" by Franz Joseph Haydn. During the festival the 40 plus members of the youth orchestras will have an opportunity to take a theory class offered by John Ashton. The class will include a survey of Western music notation and scale and harmonic development from the 10th century on, and will provide a foundation for any of the young musicians who might be considering a career in music. The youth orchestras will be conducted by M. Todd Wilson, assisted by violinist Jenee Wright. Wilson graduated magna cum laude from Fairmont State in 1990 and was granted numerous academic and performance awards. He was a graduate assistant at Ohio University from which he received his Master of Music degrees in Performance and Education. While at Ohio University, Wilson was endowed with the Kinder Orchestral Fellowship. He came to Kanawha County at the invitation of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra as part of the artist in residence program. He served as conductor of the West Virginia Youth Orchestra Strings from 1996 to 2002, and he currently continues his work with young orchestral musicians as the conductor of the Capitol High School Orchestra. Wilson performs with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, the Ohio Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Seneca Chamber Orchestra. He is a frequent performer, adjudicator and clinician in the Kanawha Valley and Ohio Valley region. Wright is a native of Honduras, Central America. She holds an M.A. in Foreign Languages and Literatures from the University of Southern Mississippi and a B.A. in Foreign Languages and Literatures from the same institution. Currently she is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh in Applied Linguistics. Wright was trained in violin performance at the Victoriano Lopez Escuela de Musica, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. As a performer she has been a member of various orchestras including the Honduras National Symphony, Mobile Symphony, Mobile Opera, Pensacola Symphony, Mississippi Symphony, Natchez Opera, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Fairmont State University-Community Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Opera, Gulfcoast Symphony, Biloxi Opera and the Meridian Symphony. She has also performed with Luciano Pavarotti, Itzhak Perlman, Natalie Cole, Bobby Vinton and Robert Plant/Jimmy Page.

- Faith and Fear in Flushing - - Our Starting Five Posted By Greg Prince On November 10, 2006 @ 9:16 am In Main Page | Comments Disabled We didn't have any great, great superstar players where one guy got all the shots. It wasn't that kind of a team. —Willis Reed to Dennis D'Agostino, “Garden Glory [1]“ My earliest, most serious sports allegiances were to the 1969 Mets and the 1969-70 Knicks [2], both champions in the making. I haven't stopped since '69 where the Mets are concerned but I was never again the Knicks fan I was at ages 6 and 7. I can't say I'm a Knicks fan at all these days. Haven't been remotely enthusiastic about them for more than a decade. Why? Lots of reasons, but the one that comes back to me now is I was spoiled at an early age. Not so much by the success but by the personalities. My introduction to basketball was Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley and Dick Barnett. The starting five. After your first exposure to something comes at its highest, most sublime level, maybe everything that follows is bound to disappoint. I can still see and hear those Knicks. My parents were huge fans and holders of season tickets not that many rows from the floor. When they weren't at the Garden, they had the radio on and we'd listen to home games during dinner via Marv Albert on WNBC. If the Knicks were on the road, we'd watch on Channel 9. It was an article of faith in our house that Willis was exactly what his title said he was, The Captain; that Clyde was one cool customer; that Dave The Butcher (which is what I could swear they were calling him on TV) was tougher than Gus Johnson [3]; that Dollar Bill was brilliant; that quiet Dick Barnett with his “fall back, baby” jump shot was every bit as important as his more celebrated teammates. Every week the Post printed a list of the league scoring leaders. There never seemed to be any Knicks at the top of it. I once asked my father about it, and he explained it was because Red Holzman didn't want any of them to score all that much. He wants them each to pass the ball, to play smart, to hit the open man, to keep everybody involved, to play as a team on offense and to get back on defense. If the players wanted to, he said, they were each capable of scoring 30 points a game. The math as processed by my unnuanced, six-year-old way of looking at things — five guys each scoring 30 points every night would mean the Knicks would have 150 points in the bank — didn't add up to anything bad, but whatever Red was doing was working. The Knicks of Reed, Frazier, DeBusschere, Bradley and Barnett started the year 5-0, lost to the San Francisco Warriors and then won their next eighteen, an NBA record. They were 23-1 in a blink. If none of them scored as much as that Al Cinder guy from Milwaukee everybody made such a big deal about (turned out his name was Lew Alcindor and he would eventually become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), it didn't matter. They won together. Neither basketball nor the Knicks ever captured my fancy the way it did the first time around, but I still revere that starting five to a degree that remains almost unmatched in my affections. If I love how much larger than life the '86 Mets were (and I do), it was the way the '70 Knicks were perfectly lifesized — one inch equaled one inch — that stays with me to this day. I don't know that I'd seen anything like them until now. But now I have. The first five batters of the 2006 Mets composed a unit within a unit that I'd imagine has set an unreasonably high standard for Mets fans who have just taken their first steps on the orange and blue brick road. As marvelous as the entire team effort was, in the same sense that those champion Knicks needed the Minutemen contributions of Cazzie Russell, Dave Stallworth and Mike Riordan (and even backup center Nate Bowman whom my mother dismissed as if he were a proto-Danny Heep [4]), the 2006 Mets were defined in black ink by those who hit first through fifth most every night. Isn't every good baseball team, though? I suppose. You can't talk about 1986 without Dykstra, Backman, Hernandez, Carter and Straw, right? No, you can't. But Lenny and Wally were often spelled by Mookie and Teufel, and Ray Knight batted sixth and there was some very impressive pitching mixed in there. The '69 Mets were a platoonist's dream. Even the '99 Mets, who crafted their own ideal top of the order with Rickey, Fonzie, Oly, Mike and Robin, had everybody from Orel Hershiser to Pat Mahomes to Shawon Dunston saving their bacon when the pressure was on. This past year was absolutely a team effort as well. That wasn't just lip service paid to Greatest 2006 Mets Nos. 49 through 6 [5]. Glavine was important. Chavez was crucial. Pedro was Pedro. You could argue that Wagner, Sanchez and Heilman comprised the firewall that maintained the sanctity of the fortress. I wouldn't argue against the bullpen as an MVP candidate unto itself. Yet who was irreplaceable? No starter stayed healthy for the duration. Duaner gave way to Guillermo. And Endy…Endy was great. We don't win as much as we did without Endy. Or Valentin. Or, believe it or don't, Trachsel. Ah, but the Top Five was really the Top Five on this team. When I think of the Knicks of my childhood, I don't immediately think of Dave Stallworth, y'know? So when I think of the Mets who were the Mets as I settled into middle age, the first five guys who come to mind will be the first five guys on Willie Randolph's lineup card. 2006 was 2006 because somewhere within the first twenty minutes of any given game, depending on the site, Jose Reyes strode to the pate, Paul Lo Duca loosened in the on-deck circle, Carlos Beltran waited in the hole, Carlos Delgado hung around the bat rack and David Wright took practice swings. Those actions right there…that's why we had the kind of year we had. Individual players in other uniforms rolled up gaudier stats. Somebody from somewhere else will be named the National League's Most Valuable Player next week. But I'll take these five, our five, over any other five, starting last April and into eternity for as long as I'm capable of remembering 2006. Easy enough to point to the milestones they reached, but what impresses me about (in alphabetical order) Beltran, Delgado, Lo Duca, Reyes and Wright is they knew what they were doing. Talent? Sure, loads of it. But these guys knew how to work counts, where to hit to, why they should take and what they should be looking for. They knew who they were. You didn't hear it enough, but they were five smart players. They played both sides of the ball. We think of them as hitters, but they could defend. All right, Delgado isn't much of a first baseman, but after a half-decade that included more Vaughn and Phillips and Piazza and Jacobs and Offerman than Mientkiewicz, he was a pro. The rest were more than above average at their positions. Beltran earned his Gold Glove by floating through the air with the greatest of ease. Lo Duca was a ballast behind the plate. Wright and the third base line had an interesting relationship but when he closed the gap between him and it, it was something to see. Reyes? He's pretty handy in a hole. None of them was one-dimensional, not on the field, not off it. Wright was a touch wide-eyed and Reyes' joie de ball was as innocent as it was contagious, but you know they didn't get this far this soon without being savvier than their years. Beltran was stoic, but not beyond smiling widely when relaxed, which he usually was for his and our good. Delgado was the brains of the outfit, a de facto life and hitting coach, but the emotion of making it to a playoff series positively glittered off of him. Lo Duca was tough, was hot, was indomitable. One also assumes that with his divorce and his diversion making unlikely headlines, he was hurting. He did a good job of hiding it. Delgado (38 HR, 114 RBI) made the lineup dangerous. Lo Duca (.318 as a catcher batting second) replaced an icon and never looked back. Beltran (41 HR, 116 RBI, 127 R) radiated excellence. Wright (116 RBI, .311) demonstrated some mighty strong shoulders. Reyes (122 R, 64 SB, 17 3B, .300 along with 19 HR, 81 RBI from the leadoff spot…leadoff!) keeps running. These five, from the guy who finally learned to take four balls to the guy who was never stressed out by two strikes, acted as one. They built rallies. They built streaks. They built a season. Sports Illustrated picked the right five to feature when it wanted to spotlight the intrepid Mets. So who was the greatest Met of 2006? I'm tempted to say it didn't and doesn't matter. One lit up the basepaths and roused appreciative choruses. One lured the malleable into our lair and created an army of loyalists. One powered up at the plate and wrote down everything he hit. One demonstrated an uncommon facility for every aspect of his trade. One yielded not a single speck of ground to those who'd charge toward him or those who'd call him out. I like the sum, but each part has its merits. Take your pick if you must. If I wanted to give it to Carlos Delgado for providing all kinds of heart [6] to the order, I wouldn't be wrong. I have him fifth. If I wanted to give it to David Wright for busting out of the gate [7] and fronting the franchise, I wouldn't be wrong. I have him fourth. If I wanted to give it to Paul Lo Duca for playing through every kind of pain [8] and never not producing, I wouldn't be wrong. I have him third. If I wanted to give it to Jose Reyes for creating a renewable energy source and electrifying [9] all of our fanly impulses (not to mention being so irresistibly serenadeable), I wouldn't be wrong. I have him second. I want to give it to Carlos Beltran. I have him first. Carlos Beltran should have stood up sooner for that first curtain call and shouldn't have stood by staring at that last pitch, but otherwise, for my money, he did everything to the best of his ability [10] in 2006. And his ability is enormous. When the Mets ascended to the mountaintop, when they emphatically put the rest of the division and the league behind them in May (10 HR, 25 RBI) and June (8 HR, 25 RBI), it was Carlos Beltran who planted the flag so it and they would not be moved. When the Mets buried the curse of Turner Field [11] once and for all in late July, it was Carlos Beltran who turned over the heftiest spade of dirt (12 games vs. Atlanta, home & away: 9 HR, 19 RBI, .318). When the Mets refused to succumb in Houston, it was Carlos Beltran who pulled the plug on his old team, putting to rest his own personal demon even if it meant taking on a Minute Maid wall to deliver the last rites. He swung the single most dramatic swing of the year at home, the one that trumped Pujols and the Cardinals. He ended the longest game of the year, the one against Madson and the Phillies [12]. He hit more home runs, recorded more extra-base hit and scored more runs than any Met ever had. He answered almost every ball dialed into his area code and was rightly awarded by N.L. managers and coaches for it. He rose up from the kind of first New York year that would have crushed lesser spirits and made everybody just about forget it ever happened. He wasn't completely healthy in April or September, yet he had maybe the best year any Met has ever had. In a sport that values strength up the middle, it's no coincidence that Carlos Beltran hits third and plays center. Whatever surge or slump the two teammates who batted before him and the two teammates who batted after him were enjoying or enduring, every pitcher who faced the Mets had to worry about the man in the middle. I think I'm right in declaring Carlos Beltran the Greatest Met of 2006. But however you choose among Beltran, Reyes, Lo Duca, Wright or Delgado, I know you couldn't possibly go wrong. Up next from 2006: Something that doesn't matter anymore. Article printed from Faith and Fear in Flushing: URL to article: URLs in this post: [1] Garden Glory: [2] 1969-70 Knicks: [3] tougher than Gus Johnson: [4] proto-Danny Heep: [5] Nos. 49 through 6: [6] all kinds of heart: [7] busting out of the gate: [8] playing through every kind of pain: [9] electrifying: [10] he did everything to the best of his ability: [11] buried the curse of Turner Field: [12] Madson and the Phillies: Copyright © 2010 Faith and Fear in Flushing. All rights reserved.

I just ordered this on Amazon today. Has anyone read it? It seems like a fun reality television story. It got my interest! From Amazon.ca Quote: Originally Posted by Amazon.caCobbling together elements of TV reality shows and a few Blair Witch Project hijinks, this debut novel turns the camera on 12 contestants on a Caribbean island as they square off to solve clues and face their worst fears before a TV audience vote exiles one of their number. Dana Kirsten, a last-minute stand-in, is more than ready to fight for $2 million and "her heart's desire." As the cameras roll on the premiere, however, the host and crew collapse and die an agonizing death from an Ebola-like virus. A voice announces that "Control" has taken over the game, and each contestant is infected with the same virus and must receive an automated daily serum injection at noon to stay alive. The exiled player gets no serum and dies the same horrible death. The network yanks the show, but can't knock out the island broadcast, and the Internet runs the action while government "rescue" attempts are electronically thwarted. Dana bonds with sexy Justin Rourke as they struggle to stay alive and ID the mole in the group helping Control. Can Dana and Justin outsmart Control and escape the navy, which is trying to kill the contestants to prevent spread of the virus? Who is Control, and what are his motives? Brown stirs a busy pot with a surfeit of story lines, but keeps his tale more or less on track as contestants rip each other apart and the TV audience faces an ugly truth. Motivations are less than credible, and solutions are just short of miraculous, but the solid ending and likable, feisty characters should appeal to reality show addicts though they may underwhelm nonviewers. (Nov.)Forecast: Local fans of the news anchor author an AP Best Newscast Award winner with NBC in Eugene, Ore. should jump-start regional sales.

- - News - Calendar - Blogs - Sports - Entertainment - Business - Lifestyles - Community - Opinion - - Classifieds - Coupons - Local Savings - Green Editions - Legal Notices - Contests - Weekly Ads Connect with Us - - - - NEWSLETTERS State of the City: Federal Way needs transformative projects Federal Way Mayor Skip Priest outlined local government's past achievements and present challenges in his 2012 State of the City address. The speech took place March 7 at the Federal Way Chamber of Commerce membership luncheon at Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club. Now in his second year as Federal Way's first elected mayor, Priest discussed downtown development, public safety, the city budget and regional issues. In addition, he cited examples of embracing three critical qualities of a successful city: persistence, positive action and pride. Downtown development City leaders seek transformative projects that will bring much needed economic development to Federal Way's downtown core. Priest is optimistic about the proposed Crystal Palace project at the former AMC Theatres property on 20th Avenue South. This mixed-use development has the potential to bring visitors and serve as a catalyst for downtown. "I believe the Crystal Palace is the type of transformative project to shift our downtown," said Priest, who is confident that the developers will secure funding. "We can't afford to be left behind in economic development." Priest also supports a future performing arts center at the former Toys R Us site on 20th Avenue South. Such a facility would bring more cultural activities to downtown while serving as an economic development tool. The city will explore public-private partnerships this spring. "We won't sit on our hands and wait for something to happen," Priest said. Public safety Priest praised Federal Way police for reducing crime to one of King County's lowest rates, and the lowest rate in the city since 1996. The mayor noted the department's visible presence and beefed up patrols despite having less money. "Persistence is essential to a city because you never have enough resources," Priest said. "The Federal Way Police Department exemplifies persistence in innovation." Priest said the city will be unrelenting in pursuing public safety, which is essential to a strong economy and quality of life. He also complimented the spread of the Safe City surveillance program to Federal Way neighborhoods. "Public safety is the top priority in our city," he said. Budget matters The mayor cites his mantra of "frugal innovation" for maintaining services while saving $2 million in the city budget. Also, Federal Way has reduced staffing by about 15 percent. However, the state budget forecast may mean sizable cuts to city revenue. The state could cut between $500,000 and $800,000 a year in funding to Federal Way — the equivalent of five to eight police officers, Priest said. "It would be helpful if the state balanced its budget on its own back, rather than ours," he said. At the beginning of his speech, Priest highlighted one of Federal Way's most valuable assets — roads. He noted just how far Federal Way has come in improving access to the city center and maintaining roads through the asphalt overlay program. He is happy to see that Federal Way did not follow in the footsteps of Seattle, which he called "the pothole champion of the world." "Today, we have one of the best, if not the best, public works departments in the state," said Priest, sending kudos to department director Cary Roe. Regional issues The mayor noted Federal Way's dispute with Sound Transit as an example of why persistence is needed in city government. The city and transit agency have been at odds over the proposed light rail project that was delayed — despite voter approval — because of a lack of tax revenue from South King County. Federal Way leaders have been vocal in finding an acceptable solution for taxpayers. "This city will speak up when governments break their promises to you," he said, referring to Sound Transit as well as any other entity, from state to county government. "We will make no apologies for demanding accountability." Contact the mayor Federal Way Mayor Skip Priest's office can be reached at skip.priest@cityoffederalway.com or (253) 835-2411. Latest news, top stories, and community events, delivered to your inbox. Trending Stories Jun 22 - Jun 29 Read the Jun 26 Green Edition Browse the print edition page by page, including stories and ads.

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Creole Nature Trail Driving the Byway Beginning on State Highway 27 near Sulphur and Lake Charles, this 180-mile trail cuts through the marshlands of southern Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes and hugs the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Condensed Directions - Beginning in Sulphur, Louisiana, travel south along SH 27. - Cross the Intracoastal Waterway and continue south to Hackberry. - Travel on SH 27 south to Holly Beach. There, you can travel State Highway 82 west to the Texas State Line or travel east through Cameron, Creole, Grand Chenier, and the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge. - Traveling east on State Highway 82, travelers might opt to turn onto State Highway 27 at Creole and travel north to Creole, the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Charles. - At Holmwood, State Highway 27 will turn into State Highway 14, stay on LA-14 north and head to the City of Lake Charles. Detailed Directions From Sulphur to Holly Beach - Travel south on State Highway 27 from Sulphur. - The Cameron Parish line appears soon after crossing the Intracoastal Waterway on the Ellender Bridge. - Continuing south you will approach the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. - Four miles farther south is the refuge's Wetland Walkway. - After exiting the Sabine Refuge, travel approximately seven miles to Holly Beach. From Holly Beach to the Texas Border - From Holly Beach, one of two spurs off the trail's main loop veers westward on State Highway 82 along the Gulf of Mexico past natural sand beaches to the Louisiana/Texas state line. - A few miles west of Holly Beach is Johnson Bayou. From Holly Beach to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge - After returning to the main loop, take SH 27/82 east out of Holly Beach. - Cross the Calcasieu Ship Channel via a large public ferry before entering the town of Cameron. - Continue east on SH 82 for 6 miles until you come to a Y in the road. Straight ahead, Trosclair Road continues the byway east along the coast past Rutherford Beach to the junction with SR 82 just the other side of the Mermentau River. - To your left heading north, State Highway 27/82 heads toward Creole. In Creole, Highways 27 and 82 diverge, with 27 taking you north toward Lake Charles while 82 heads south to rejoin the coastal route. - Heading eastward from the junction with SR 82, the byway makes its way to Grand Chenier and Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge. - The byway ends near the county line past the refuge. From Creole to Lake Charles - Proceeding north on LA-27 from Creole, the byway gradually leaves the salt marshes behind for fresh water marshes. - Approaching the Conway LeBleu Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway again, the trail enters the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. - Immediately after exiting the bridge, the entrance to Pintail Wildlife Drive appears to the east. - The main facility of the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge appears soon after returning to the northern trek on Highway 27. - At the juncture of SH 384 and 27, there is an opportunity to take a loop west toward Lake Calcasieu (Big Lake) or continue north toward Holmwood. Either route will take you to Lake Charles. - By turning west on 384, the route crosses the Intracoastal Waterway, passes through lakeside communities such as Big Lake, then turns north on SH 385. Continue past the Lake Charles Regional Airport into Lake Charles proper until this leg of the byway ends at I-210. - Continuing north along Highway 27 takes you toward Holmwood. This side of the loop passes an area that served as an army pilot training base in World War I, formerly known as Gerstner Field. - Either route loops up toward Highway 14 in Lake Charles, the hub to five other unique communities in Calcasieu Parish: DeQuincy, Iowa, Sulphur, Vinton, and Westlake. From Lake Charles Regional Airport Distance: 180 miles Driving Time: 1-1/2 to 2 days, depending on route While there are five entrances to the Creole Nature Trail, the largest and most frequently traveled begins on State Highway 27, just south of Interstate 10 exit 20, in Sulphur, Louisiana. A thriving community, Sulphur rests midway between Houston, Texas, and New Orleans, Louisiana. The trail loops through 180 miles of bayous and marshlands and along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico before once again heading north. The remaining entrances are located on LA 82 at the Texas state line in the west and the Vermilion Parish line on the east; exit 36 from Interstate 10; and exit 6A on I-210 just north of the Lake Charles Regional Airport on LA 385.

By Francisco Salazar at ringside Super Welterweight Anthony Hirsch (11-3-1, 5 KO’s) won a workmanlike six round unanimous decision over Mario Evangelista on Friday night at the American Legion Hall in Reseda, CA. Hirsch controlled the action, beating the hard-hitting Evangelista (3-6-1, 3 KO’s) to the punch. All three judges scored the bout 59-55, 59-55, and 60-54 in favor of Hirsch. In the co-feature bout, Junior Welterweight Juan Alfonso Figueroa (6-7-1, 3 KO’s) won a six sloppy, foul-filled six round unanimous decision over previously-unbeaten Manuel Del Cid. Although Del Cid (3-1) scored a knockdown in the third round, he was deducted a point in the second and sixth rounds. All three judges scored the 57-53, 57-53, and 57-55 in favor of Figueroa. Full Report: Sometimes keeping things simple is the way to go. For Super Welterweight Anthony Hirsch, it was the winning formula. Hirsch successfully boxed his way to a six round unanimous decision over Mario Evangelista before a sellout crowd of about 300 at the American Legion Hall in Reseda, CA. The bout headlined a seven-bout “Brawl at the Hall 1” card, presented by Fulton Street Fight Club Promotions. Hirsch was coming off a four round unanimous decision over former contender Jose Celaya in Oakland in November. Evangelista was hoping to win for the first time in almost a year. In his last bout in August, he lost a four round majority decision to Stepan Zeytunnyan. From the opening bell, Hirsch set the tempo of the fight by using his jab and following up with right hands to the head or stomach. Hirsch would mix in a counter left hook to the body as Evangelista pressed forward. Evangelista went to the body, throwing hooks and right hands to the body of Hirsch in an attempt to slow down. Hirsch was content to box from the outside, fighting behind a jab. Hirsch rarely would throw more than a two-punch combination, mainly because of Evangelista’s defense of having his hands up high. “I wanted to throw more right hands, but he was curled up so I just stuck to left hooks to the body,” said Hirsch after the fight. Evangelista came on strong in the fourth round, going at Hirsch aggressively. His aggression was rewarded as he was able to land very effective blows to the body. Hirsch regrouped, giving himself distance and going to the jab again, followed by more right hands. Hirsch effectively alternated landing punches to the head and body, not particularly focusing on one particular part of Evangelista’s body. All three judges scored the bout 60-54, 60-54, and 59-55 in favor of Hirsch. Fightnews.com scored the bout 59-55 in favor of Hirsch. “His record doesn’t indicate how good of a fighter he is,” analyzed Hirsch, who has now won two in a row since a split-decision loss to Francisco Santana. “He can punch. He caught me with a couple of shots. With a fighter with his style, I just had to keep things basic. I give him credit. He’s a better fighter than I expected.” Hirsch, from Oakland, CA, improves to 11-3-1, 5 KO’s. Evangelista, from Los Angeles, CA by way of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, drops to 3-6-1, 3 KO’s. In the co-feature bout, Juan Alfonso Figueroa won a foul-filled, sloppy six round unanimous decision over previously-unbeaten Manuel Del Cid. Referee David Denkin did not expect to have his hands full with two fighters that grappled, tied up, and wrestled with one another during the six round fight. Both fighters were warned on numerous occasions of fouls or lowering their head. Denkin deducted a point from Del Cid in the second round for holding Figueroa after being warned numerous times not to. Del Cid would later be deducted a point in the sixth round for pushing down on the back of Figueroa’s head after being warned not to on numerous occasions. Del Cid scored a knockdown in the third round, as he landed a punch along with Figueroa losing his balance. Figueroa complained that it was not a knockdown, but a punch did land by Del Cid. When both fighters were not grappling or wrestling, Figueroa landed the more telling punches, particularly in the latter half of the fight. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Figueroa, with scores of 57-53, 57-53, and 57-55. Fightnews.com scored the bout 56-55 in favor of Figueroa. Figueroa, from Los Angeles, CA by way of Guanajuato, Mexico, goes to 6-7-1, 3 KO’s. Del Cid, from Los Angeles, CA, drops to 3-1. In a four round bout that saw three knockdowns, Welterweight Ernesto Ocon won a four round unanimous decision over Javier Garcia. Even though Ocon was making his professional debut, he would not have imagined entering the pro ranks in this manner. Both fighters had their moments in the first half of the first round, attacking one another with vicious shots. The southpaw Ocon dropped Garcia with a counter right hook to the head. After getting up, Garcia tried to even the score by trying to drop Ocon. Towards the end of the round, an accumulation of punches dropped Garcia a second time, this time to one knee. Garcia was able to finish the round. Garcia came back strong in the second round, increasing his punch output and landing more. Ocon began to slow down considerably in the second and third rounds. It was in the third round that Garcia dropped Ocon with a counter right hand to the chin. Instead of going to the body, Garcia wasted valuable time by trying to land another counter right hand to the head. Ocon, from Los Angeles, CA, came on in the fourth round, by being able to beat Garcia to the punch on numerous occasions. Garcia began to slow down, only throwing a punch at a time as Ocon finished strong until the final bell. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Ocon, with scores of 37-36, 37-36, and 38-35. Fightnews.com scored the bout 37-36. Garcia, from Oxnard, CA, drops to 1-1-1, 1 KO. Flyweight Gloria Salas won a four round decision over Katarina De La Cruz. The shorter Salas continuously beat De La Cruz to the punch throughout the fight. De La Cruz would throw wild hooks and crosses, which left her open to be countered by Salas. Although De La Cruz was game and tough, Salas landed the more effective punches, especially with straight hands to the head or the body. All three judges, including Fightnews.com, scored the bout 40-36. Salas, from Cathedral City, CA, improves to 2-3-1, 1 KO. De La Cruz, from Los Angeles, CA, drops to 0-3-1. Heavyweights Ethan Cox and Enrique Lobatos fought to a four round split decision draw. Although Lobatos, who was making his professional debut, had a 35 pound advantage over Cox, he was not able to physically hurt his opponent. Cox, who is best known for losing to 2008 Bronze Medalist Deontay Wilder by technical knockout, entered the bout in attempt to snap a six-bout winless streak. Cox started the bout well, actually outhustling Lobatos on the inside. The southpaw Lobatos, who resides in Bell, CA, increased his punch output in the last two rounds of the fight. Both fighters had their moments, but could not land decisive punches as they repeatedly tied up. As both fighters were on the inside, Lobatos attempted to score to the body. One judge scored the bout 39-37 for Cox, one judge scored the bout 39-37 for Lobatos, while the third judge scored the bout 38-38. Fightnews.com scored the bout 38-38. Cox, from Long Beach, CA, goes to 2-6-2, 1 KO. Super Flyweight Matthew Villanueva made his professional debut a successful one, scoring a devastating second round stoppage over Ludwin Mondragon in a scheduled four round bout. During the first round, Villanueva, from Palmdale, CA, did his best work to the body, as Mondragon tried to counter to the head. After the bell sounded to start the second round, Villanueva knocked down Mondragon with a hard right hand to the head. Mondragon lay almost motionless on the canvas as referee David Denkin immediately waved the fight over at 12 seconds. Mondragon was on the canvas and was taken out of the ring on a stretcher. He was alert as he was being wheeled out of the venue and was taken to a local hospital as a precaution. Mondragon, from Santa Ana, drops to 0-4. Junior Lightweight Oscar Chinchilla won a four round unanimous decision over Rene Torres, who was making his professional debut. Torres, from Pomona, CA, began to tire in the second round because of the punches Chinchilla would land to the body. The southpaw Chinchilla pinned Torres against the ropes and worked the body. Although Torres was able to land right hands to the head, it was not consistent enough to the amount of punches Chinchilla landed. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Chinchilla, with scores of 40-36, 40-36, and 39-37. Fightnew.com scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Chinchilla. Chinchilla, from San Fernando, goes to 2-1. Notes: – There was a 25-minute delay after the Villanueva-Mondragon fight due to paramedics transporting Mondragon to the hospital. California State Athletic Commission rules require for paramedics to be on site at a venue if a boxing or mixed martial arts event is taking place. – Unbeaten Super Featherweight Brandon Rios, unbeaten Featherweight Miguel Angel Garcia, and former kickboxing champion Benny Urquidez watched the action from ringside. – This was the first promotion for Fulton Street Fight Club Promotions. Promoter Fred McCurry, with the assistance of matchmaker Hervi Estrada, hopes to regularly promote quality shows in the San Fernando Valley at affordable prices. – Ring announcer was Jim Fitzgerald.

Monday, 29 June 2015 Last updated 37 min ago Dec 1 2005 | 9:34pm ET Investors in now-defunct hedge fund Bayou Group may have been burned by the scandal, but the recent spate of high-profile hedge fund dustups has been a boon for private investigation firms specializing in finance. "Bayou put it back on everyone's mind," said Kevin Jones, president of HedgeCheck.com, a firm that searches public records to provide background checks on hedge funds. "I have a lot of stable clients, but now I am getting more inquiries." Jeffrey Brenner, a principal at Intelysis Corp., an international financial investigation firm, says another reason for the increase in demand for hedge fund investigations could be fear of culpability. "There is a fear of being sued if you haven't done due diligence," said Brenner. "Fund-of-funds are doing it because they have exposure, and family offices are doing it because they are concerned on behalf of their clients." But what exactly do these services offer, and at what cost? For $750-$1,000 HedgeCheck.com will conduct a background check on one manager, which includes a search of public records for convictions, a credit check and verification of past employment and educational credentials. On the pricier side, Kroll Inc., one of the most well-known risk management firms in the business, provides enhances services such as forensic accounting, Patriot Act compliance and international background checks on fund managers. These services can cost a client $40,000 to $50,000 or more, according to Peter Turecek, managing director of the New York office of Kroll. Along with the wide-ranging cost if these firms, they also vary in their approach to investigations. While Jones rarely tells a hedge fund manager that he is being investigated, Turecek prefers to let a fund manager know. "It gives us more leeway when we do reputation investigations," he said, though the final decision about whether to disclose the investigation is up to the client. The most common anomalies investigators find when sifting though a manager's past include fictitious educational credentials, resume fraud and misdemeanor convictions for driving while intoxicated. "A few months ago we came across a prominent restaurateur who was out marketing his hedge fund," said Jones. "It was very strange, [the hedge fund] was coming from a chef, he no background in finance." Brenner said that one recent case that struck him as unusual was a hedge fund manager who was caught shoplifting and then resisted arrest. For the most part, however, Brenner said the firms he investigates are clean. "Sixty percent don't have any blemishes, 40% may have civil litigation or problems with employment history, and 5% you would really have to question," said Brenner. "It's a small percentage, but that can really ruin your reputation." Turecek advises anyone who is making a financial investment to approach their decision on a money manager like a consumer. "Just like when you buy a car, you have to do your research and your due diligence,"…

#Bayern Munich #football #KickingAround Striker Mario Gomez was on target in his first league appearance since surgery in August as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich crushed Hanover 96 5-0 and extended their advantage at the top to nine points. Superb first-half goals from Javi Martinez and Toni Kroos and another from Frenchman Franck Ribery gave the hosts a 3-0 lead at the break. Defender Dante headed in another on the hour and Gomez slipped past one defender to slot in seconds after coming on for his first league appearance this season after missing the first three months recovering from an ankle operation. "We fully deserved to win and played a great game because we stuck with it from the start and we were aggressive," said coach Jupp Heynckes after his 200th league game on the Bayern bench. Bayern Munich's Mueller, Martinez, Alaba and Schweinsteiger celebrate goal during German first division Bundesliga soccer match against Hanover 96 in Munich. Reuters "We had to stay focused especially in the back and the team was brave over 90 minutes." The show of force lifted Bayern to 34 points from 13 games with champions Borussia Dortmund, their opponents in seven days time, leapfrogging into second place nine points behind with a 2-1 win at Mainz 05 - their third straight win in the league. Schalke 04 dropped to third on 24 after drawing 1-1 with visiting Eintracht Frankfurt, who are fourth on goal difference. Frankfurt ended the game with 10 men after the sending off of Karim Matmour with a second booking. Having drawn their last two games in the league and the Champions League Bayern were eager to show they are in complete control of their season ahead of the derby with Dortmund next week. BICYCLE KICK Spaniard Martinez's fine bicycle kick - his first goal for the Bavarians since joining in the close season for 40 million euros, gave the hosts a fourth-minute lead. Kroos' spectacular 24th-minute volley from a Philipp Lahm pass made it 2-0 before Franck Ribery added another before the break. Bayern were in no mood to let off and Dante headed in their fourth goal in a one-sided encounter. Gomez was brought on in the 66th minute for Bundesliga top scorer Mario Mandzukic and showed he meant business a minute later, slotting in from the left. "The goal was just amazing," said a beaming Gomez. "The feelings of happiness come pouring out and you feel how important football is to you. For me it was a huge highlight," said the Germany international who scored 26 seconds after coming on. Werder Bremen and VfL Wolfsburg, who twice hit the woodwork, drew 1-1 with Klaus Allofs facing the team where he worked as sports director for 13 years before joining Wolfsburg last week. Werder had Lukas Schmitz sent off with a second yellow card for a foul on Vierinha. The Portuguese then fed Dutchman Bas Dost for his sixth goal of the season that cancelled out Bremen's 35th-minute lead through Marco Arnautovic. In a bad-tempered Bavarian derby, Nuremberg and Greuther Fuerth drew 0-0 but both had a player sent off. Nuremberg's Markus Feulner got a straight red card for a wild first-half tackle and Sercan Sararer was sent off with a second booking on the hour. Reuters more in Sports

Conservation & Research USS Narcissus was launched in July 1863 in Albany, New York and purchased by the United States Navy under the name Mary Cook on September 23, 1863. The tugboat was then commissioned into the United States Navy in New York City on February 2, 1864. Narcissus was a wooden hulled screw tug with an inverted, direct acting, single overhead cylinder steam engine with a slide valve and independent cut off. Her hull measured 81’6” long with a beam of 18’9” and a depth of 8’. When loaded, her draft was 6’ and she reportedly reached speeds of 14 miles per hour, although her average speed was about 6 miles. Her single boiler had one furnace and she was originally armed with one 20 pounder Parrot rifle and 1 heavy 12 pounder. In January 1864, Narcissus was sent from New York to New Orleans to report to Rear-Admiral David Farragut for duty in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. Narcissus served in operations in Mississippi Sound, New Orleans, Mobile Bay and Pensacola as a blockader, dispatch vessel, towboat and transporter of prisoners and captured vessels. Steam tugs were viable in the blockade because they were utilized for diverse tasks and proved cheaper than most steamers. In August 1864, Narcissus served near Fort Morgan during the Union victory at the battle of Mobile Bay. On December 7th of that same year, Narcissus while on picket duty at Dog River Bar, Mobile Bay, Narcissus she struck a torpedo while paying out her anchor line during a fierce storm. The torpedo caused an explosion that left a large hole in the starboard side of the hull amidships. Although the vessel sank in fifteen minutes, no lives were lost and all ammunition and arms were removed. On 28 December 1864, Narcissus was refloated and brought to the Pensacola Naval Yard for repairs where she remained until June 1865. After repairs were completed, Narcissus returned to Mobile Bay, Alabama. In October 1865, Acting Rear Admiral Henry Knox Thatcher no longer needed the many vessels previously required for an active blockade of southern ports. Thatcher stated in communication that USS Narcissus and other screw tugs were ready to be sent north for sale. On January 1, 1866, USS Narcissus and USS Althea, both screw tugs, began their journey along the eastern shores of the Gulf of Mexico on their way to New York to be decommissioned and sold. Unfortunately, USS Narcissus was lost in a storm off Egmont Key, Florida on January 4, 1866. According to personal communication about the deck logs of USS Althea, both Althea and Narcissus were caught in a storm off the coast of Tampa and their commanders decided to anchor outside the port and wait out the storm. Althea was briefly stuck on a sandbar while trying to anchor and after getting off the shoal the commander of the vessel, Acting Ensign W.F. Kilgore, decided it was too dangerous to attempt to anchor. At 6:15 pm on January 4, 1866 Narcissus burnt a No. 2 Coston Signal, which Althea returned at 6:30 pm with Coston Signal 48, yet received no response. At 7:00 pm Althea saw more signals from Narcissus, but could not understand them. Althea returned with Coston Signal 222, but received no more signals from Narcissus. The next morning Althea anchored off Egmont Key and noticed the beaches strewn with wreckage from USS Narcissus along with the body of one of the firemen and the papers of Acting Ensign Bradbury and Mate J. L. Hall. Althea stayed in Tampa for two more days to look for survivors, and, finding none, Althea continued on its journey to New York. The exposed remains of the USS Narcissus are comprised of the engine, stern assembly with the shaft, shaft log and propeller still articulated, a pillar block and cap, and fragments of the boiler. The engine is an inverted single cylinder type with direct action. It has a cast iron frame and has fallen over to port. The engine’s height when upright would have been 11’ 11” from the bottom of the frame to the cylinder cap. The stroke is 18”, with a 16” bore. The valve chest is located on the forward side of the cylinder with the steam inlet directly behind it on the starboard side. The cross head is in the down position at the bottom of the 18” slides. The connecting rod is broken below the cross head. The lower section of the rod is still articulated to the bell crank assembly on the shaft which has a diameter of 8”. The bell crank assembly was positioned below the lower frame platform in a well created by the engine bed. This assembly is completely exposed by the engine’s current, fallen position. Forward of the bell crank, at the distal end of the shaft is a turning wheel with off-set counter weight. It is 24” in diameter, with a thickness of 2”. On the aft side of the engine the shaft passes through a two piece block, 15” in width the cap bolted into place to secure the shaft. The shaft is broken 9” out from the aftermost face of the block. The stern assembly is comprised of the stern post, inner post, stern knee, two sections of deadwood, the keel, and the keel rider. The shaft, shaft log, propeller, shaft seal, and stuffing gland are likewise still articulated into the vessel fabric of this feature. The remains of copper alloy sheathing and the forward end of a skeg plate are affixed to this assembly. The stern assembly is located 9’8” aft of the engine and is heeled over to port. The shaft is broken just forward of the stuffing gland. The four bladed, iron propeller has two broken blades, one partially intact blade, and one blade completely buried. The stern post has a sided dimension of 13” at the rabbet, with a molded value of 15”. The forward molded surface is directly fayed to the inner post to create the rising rabbet. The rabbet is incised at 2 ½ ” by 3 ½”. The inner post is sided at 12” and molded at 7”. The inner post tapers into the fayed seam for the rising rabbet. The heel of the inner post is fayed directly onto the upper molded surface of the keel rider. The heel of the stern post is scarphed into the keel/keel rider join. It is affixed with a bronze alloy fish plate. (The presence of sheathing prevented the precise recordation of this arrangement.) The posts are supported by the stern knee and two sections of deadwood. Both pieces of dead wood are horizontal with beveled after surfaces fayed into the inner post. The dead wood and the horizontal arm of the stern knee are sided at 9”. The knee diminishes to 7” at the fayed seam along the top of the keel rider. The upper molded surface of the keel rider is 12” sided. The difference in these values creates the horizontal rabbet for the exterior hull planking. The keel rider is molded at 6”. The keel is also molded at 6” at this point in the vessel, and is sided at 12”. The concreted remains of the forward end of the skeg plate are fastened to the lower molded surface if the keel. All of these structural components are fasted with 1” diameter iron pins. Although no exterior planking remains were recorded, ½” by ½” square shank iron spikes were still present in the rising rabbet. The copper alloy sheathing was secured with ¼” copper tacks. The shaft log is fitted into the forward molded surface of the inner post, above the rising arm of the stern knee. It is 12” in diameter and 6’2” in length. The forward end terminates in a double clamped, bolted stuffing gland. The 8” shaft within the log passes through the post assembly and a shaft seal on the outer molded surface of the stern post. A four bladed iron propeller, with a 24” diameter hub is keyed onto the shaft. The single preserved blade is square tipped, with a preserved length of 27”. The curved base of the blade spans the 21” length of the hub. The boiler casualty that sank Narcissus completely destroyed the boiler. Scattered fragments litter the bottom, with the bed still articulated to the buried, lower hull. The best preserved pieces of the boiler exhibit spaced, double wall sections with 4” diameter fire tubes. A combing for a 12” scaling port is also present, slightly to starboard of the vessel centerline. Aft of these pieces are several fragment of the watch glass and relief valve assembly. Morris III, John W., Gordon P. Watts, Jr., Casey Coy, and Michael Terrell 2007 Tampa Bay Historical Shipwreck Survey Final Report. Report to Bureau of Historic Preservation, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida, from The Florida Aquarium, Tampa,.

The Florida Bar International Law Section (ILS) supported five Florida law school teams that made it to the finals of this year’s Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, held every March in Vienna, Austria. The ILS sponsored a pre-Vis moot dress rehearsal in Miami for teams from Florida International University, University of Miami, University of Florida, Stetson University, and Nova Southeastern University, and gave each of the teams a $2,500 stipend to defray their travel costs. After the last oral arguments were scored in Vienna, three of the ILS-supported teams — UF, UM, and Stetson — came away with significant wins: UF advanced to the round of 64, UM to the final 16, and Stetson to the elite eight. “The International Law Section and its members applaud the efforts of the Florida law school teams at this year’s International Arbitration Competition,” said ILS Chair Richard Lorenzo. “Though the law school teams and their respective members and coaches deserve the credit, the section is honored that it again supported the Florida Pre-Moot Competition and provided each participating law school a $2,500 stipend to help fund their travels and successes in Vienna.” The Vis Moot is one of the centerpieces of the international arbitration community. This year it drew together more than 1,800 students from 295 law schools from 67 countries, as well as practitioners, academics, and arbitrators, for an intense, six-day exercise in oral advocacy. Every year, the competition focuses on a problem drawn from the United Nations Convention on Contracts in the International Sale of Goods. This year, 49 of the teams in the competition were from the U.S., including one from each of the U.S.’s top-10 ranked law schools. After four days of preliminary rounds, UF’s Levin College of Law team fought its way to the round of 64 for only the fourth time since its Vis Moot program started 20 years ago. UM advanced to the single-elimination round of 64 for the second time in its history. It then made it to the final 16 after winning unanimous decisions against formidable opponents from the University of Munster (German) and Queens University (Canada), before falling in a split decision to Columbia University. UM concluded the competition with the third best performance among 49 U.S. schools. In addition, the team won an honorable mention for one of its briefs in the written component of the competition. On its way to the elite eight, the Vis Moot team from Stetson University competed successfully against the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Hungary, India, the Netherlands, and the U.S. Only one other U.S. team made it to the final eight, along with Stetson: Columbia University. Stetson was defeated in that round by Humboldt University of Berlin. No U.S. teams made it to the final four, and the City University of Hong Kong took first place. The Stetson team included Paul Crochet, Meagan Foley, Mike Rothfeldt, Lisa Tanaka, and Alexander Zesch, and coaches Professors Stephanie Vaughan and Joe Morrissey. (Crochet, Foley, and Zesch were recognized as some of the best individual oralists in the competition.) Miami’s Wamiq Chowdhury, who’s aiming for an LL.M. in international arbitration, won an honorable mention as best oralist in the competition. Other Miami team members included Bianca Olivadoti, Carlos E. Nuñez, Gabriela Pirana, and Eftihios Andronis. UM was coached by John H. Rooney and Paula Arias. UF team member Dane Ullian, who placed second in the Florida state competition in February, received an honorable mention in Vienna. Other UF team members included Alexis Leventhal, who served as captain; Julie deBruin; Phil Kegler; and coaches Professors George Dawson and Jeffrey Harrison, and adjunct coach Eduardo Palmer. [Revised: 06-22-2015]

The 'Jersey Boys' cast performs 'Sherry.' - Filed Under Bob Gaudio remembers feeling some apprehension when the smash hit musical "Jersey Boys: The Story of Franki Valli and The Four Seasons" was about to open in Melbourne, Australia. But all it took was a headline about mafia kingpins being arrested to set him at ease. "I thought, 'OK, they're going to get the story here,'" says Gaudio, a Nashville resident and member of the group that created songs such as "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man." "I guess that's the point. There's that underworld in pretty much every country, and the fight to rise above those elements. ... Everybody has ...

Following its announcement that it would merge with Here Network and Regent Entertainment, financially struggling Planet Out Inc., the former publisher of Out and Advocate magazines, reduced its overall workforce by 33 percent, according to a document the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It was not immediately clear exactly how many employees were affected by the layoffs. A spokesperson declined to comment. However, according to a 10-K document filed last year with the SEC, Planet Out employed 237 full-time and eight part-time staffers as of December 31, 2007. If those numbers were still accurate, as many as 80 were laid off. “These companies [Here and Planet Out] do a lot of the same things and we will rationalize that quickly,” Here founder and CEO Paul Colichman said during a conference call Monday. As part of the agreement, Here Networks and Regent will contribute at least a combined $4.7 million into the newly-formed Here Media Inc. and Planet Out will become a subsidiary. The merger is expected to close before the second quarter. In April, Planet Out sold Out and Advocate to Here for a reported $6 million. The company’s Web portals—gay.com and planetout.com—were not part of the initial deal. Through the first nine months of 2008, Planet Out reported a net loss of $43.1 million, compared to a loss of $14.1 million during the same period in 2007.

.” Educating girls also has a significant impact in reducing family size, an important issue in impoverished regions where access to basic resources can be a challenge. “In Zambia, in all of the schools in which we work, we’ve seen a reduction in pregnancy by 90 percent,” Cotton said. By funding the relatively minimal costs that it takes for a girl to acquire the school books and uniforms she needs to attend school, Camfed has enabled 400,000 young women to complete an education. Some 14,000 of those young women have gone on to be ambassadors for positive change in their countries and their communities. “When change is coming from the outside, it is far less likely to be significant,” Cotton told attendees. Girls who would have been resigned to a life of illiteracy and poverty are now influencing at the highest levels, speaking to organizations such as the World Economic Forum and the United Nations. When Cotton researched the issue of why girls in Africa were not educated as widely as boys, she discovered it wasn’t because of cultural attitudes, but because of poverty. “The opportunities are clearly profound, if we are not talking about attitudinal change, which is very difficult, but about the material costs of sending girls to school.” Camfed’s work is an example of how seizing on the right opportunities can enable widespread transformation, said Global Footprint Network President Mathis Wackernagel.

Vincent Kompany is likely to miss at least two games for Manchester City after straining a calf in the FA Cup win at Stoke. The City captain is certain to miss the trip to Queens Park Rangers on Tuesdaytomorrow and may still be doubtful for Liverpool's visit to the Etihad at the weekend. David Platt, City." Kompany himself did not seem too despondent, tweeting his congratulations to his team-mates on staying strong and recording a fifth consecutive clean sheet, though one way or another he seemed destined to take an enforced break at this stage of the season. No sooner had City's appeal against Mike Dean's harsh red card against Arsenal overturned a three-match ban than injury intervened to sideline the defender at a time when the club have already lost Kolo Touré to the Africa Cup of Nations and are slightly thin on cover. They survived at the Britannia by switching to a back three and then pressing Gaël Clichy into service as an emergency centre-half, though the chief irony in a disappointing Cup tie was that Stoke themselves should have been down to 10 men after Glenn Whelan perpetrated a flying, studs-up assault on Javi García's ankle that was far worse than the clean Kompany challenge on Jack Wilshere that was deemed so dangerous. If consistency is ever to be achieved in this vexatious area it can be only through the use of video replays and retrospective charges. Whelan can expect to hear from the FA after Howard Webb took no action, seemingly because he and his officials missed the incident that left García howling in pain. Replays quickly established it was as clear a red card offence as you will see, and Webb appeared to have a good view of it, though he may not have had the ideal angle to be sure that Whelan had left the ground. The Stoke player jumped two-footed for the ball and ended up making contact only with García, and while Webb may have been sensible in declining to make a decision based on guesswork, it was surprising, to say the least, that he did not even see fit to blow for a foul. The rest of the game followed a script that is becoming familiar to Manchester City fans, with their side effortlessly superior in most parts of the pitch but unable to translate their pressure into goals. It was the same in the league game against Fulham last week, when City were handed an early goal and responded by switching off for the next hour. At Stoke, as the game entered the last half-hour still goalless, Roberto Mancini removed a defender and threw on Sergio Agüero to boost City's frontline attack to four, yet still the decisive goal arrived only five minutes from time and it was a defender who scored it. There is no more popular player in the Manchester City camp at the moment then the tireless Pablo Zabaleta, however, and at least David Silva, Agüero and Edin Dzeko were all involved in the move that finally removed the threat of a wholly unwanted replay. Taking advantage of a nondescript touch by Dzeko that had the effect of taking out a defender and rolling the ball helpfully in his direction, Zabaleta arrived in the penalty area to stab the ball past Thomas Sorensen. "Pablo is always getting up in support of our attacks. It wasn't a surprise to see him come up with the winning goal," Platt said. "He gives us a lot in defence and attack, he's your eight out of 10 man every week." If anything, that sells the full-back a little short because what City are not quite getting from the illustrious names up front at the moment is similar consistency. Kompany is right to stress the importance of clean sheets and a tighter defence, but if City are to have any chance of catching United in the league, or adding another FA Cup to their honours under Mancini, they could do with one or two days when their front men manage to click. Man of the match Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City)

Nam June Paik, Magnet TV, 1965, television set and magnet, black and white, silent, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from Dieter Rosenkranz, © Nam June Paik Estate. Photo by Robert E. Mates. When Nam June Paik broke into television in the early 1960s, he didn’t have the most propitious background. His training was as an avant-garde composer, with a reputation for assaulting audiences. Network television, on the other hand, was the ultimate populist medium, where Bonanza and The Beverly Hillbillies competed for ratings. So Paik didn’t even attempt to woo studio executives. Instead he bought some old TV sets and literally broke into their casing. Hacking the electronics, he put the TVs on display, their pictures more distorted than Surrealist paintings. Paik has often been called the father of video art – a claim lavishly supported by a new Smithsonian American Art Museum exhibit – but he set out to be much more than that. As he wrote in a 1969 manifesto, he sought to shape TV “as precisely as Leonardo, as freely as Picasso, as colorfully as Renoir, as profoundly as Mondrian, as violently as Pollock and as lyrically as Jasper Johns.” In the right hands, he believed, television could put first-rate art into everybody’s home. One of his earliest experiments, in 1965, was to saddle a television with a large horseshoe magnet. The TV was rewired to ignore broadcast signals so that the magnet gave him full control of the image. Through careful positioning, he induced the cathode-ray tube to generate a geometric abstraction that wouldn’t look out of place beside the era’s best paintings, yet with a flicker that no oil could emulate. “The cathode-ray tube will replace canvas,” he proclaimed, and between 1969 and 1972, he and engineer Shuya Abe made his goal technically feasible by inventing a synthesizer that could generate imagery as fluently as a Moog made music. Crucially the synthesizer wasn’t limited to affecting only one television at a time, as the magnet had been. Sitting at a tabletop console, Paik could produce abstract TV for broadcast. Though it never rivaled Bonanza, Paik was able to get his version of television on the air. His first broadcast was produced by the Boston PBS affiliate WGBH in 1970. Installing an early version of the Paik-Abe Synthesizer in the studio, Paik mixed recorded video with live camera footage, freely tweaking colors and contours in a four-hour-long riff accompanied by a Beatles soundtrack. In a way, Paik’s Video Commune anticipated MTV, as did his later experiments broadcast by WNET in New York. MTV was certainly influenced by Paik (as well as other video pioneers such as Bruce Conner). However the aspects that MTV appropriated were only the most superficial qualities, such as quick cuts and psychedelic colors, which MTV repeated until they were more hackneyed than the worst network series. Paik’s vision of TV was never tied to one specific aesthetic. On the contrary, he wanted it to be as visually encompassing as painting had been previously. Since his death in 2006, the gamut of video art has increased dramatically, as has the accessibility, courtesy of YouTube. Yet the most provocative aspect of his vision, that avant-garde art could be a truly popular and collective experience, may be more distant than ever in the fragmentary multi-channel long-tail present. A Paik retrospective is fully merited, and the Smithsonian is the right place for it. Now we need to match our appreciation for what Paik achieved with a commitment to fulfill what he couldn’t. Video art must go prime time. Follow Jonathon Keats on Twitter… and purchase a copy of his new book, Forged: Why Fakes Are The Great Art Of Our Age, on Amazon.

Completed Screening Quinn Fabray Character Biography Quinn is re-instated as head cheerleader of the Cheerios, but she is still nursing a broken heart and a bruised ego over losing Finn to Rachel. She starts dating the new kid, Sam, with the hope of regaining her popular girl status. When Mr. Schue gives Quinn and Sam the lead duet of "I've Had the Time of My Life" at sectionals, the competition between her and Rachel escalates. Sue passes down an ultimatum to Quinn and her fellow Cheerios: they must choose between glee club and cheerleading. Finn persuades her to stay with New Directions, and she thanks him for helping her make the right choice by giving him a lingering kiss. Quinn and Finn start secretly dating, but when Sam finds out, he breaks up with her. Quinn and Finn go public with their rekindled relationship and announce their candidacy for prom king and queen. While dishing up dirt on her prom queen competitor, Lauren discovers that Quinn was formerly ugly duckling Lucy Q. Fabray, or "Loosey Caboosey," before transferring to McKinley High. Despite Quinn's best efforts, Kurt wins the title of prom queen when he is written in as a mean-spirited joke. And when Finn fights Jessie over Rachel on the dance floor, Quinn begins to realize that she's losing him again. Finn breaks up with Quinn, saying that he still feels tethered to Rachel. In New York for nationals, a jealous Quinn watches Finn romance Rachel. She decides to get a new lease on life, starting with an updated short haircut. Dianna Agron Biography. Agron recently starred in the feature film The Romantics opposite Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin and Elijah Wood and I Am Number Four, a sci-fi thriller produced by Steven Spielberg. Agron, 23 years old, grew up in San Francisco, and is a supporter of the animal rights organization PETA. She lives in Los Angeles.

WEBB CITY, MO.--- "Our zinc level is about two times what it should be," said Carl Francis, Webb City City Administrator. Since Webb City was a mining town, zinc has been running through the sewer pipes, flowing into the waste water treatment plant and getting discharged into Center Creek. City officials have been working on a plan for nearly three years with federal and state agencies to try and reduce their metal output from their sewer treatment plant. "We have come up with the idea of taking the wetlands and using it to treat for metals. And you can do that with certain types of vegetation in what's called a bio-cell reactor," said Francis. The bio-cell reactor will be next to the wetlands and will capture metals that come out of the plant. "We will be able to clean them out and dispose of them in hazardous waste sights," he said. Then the water will go into the wetlands and provide vegetation. "Vegetation that will go in there will help remove some of the heavy metals that are a by-product of the mining area," said William Runkle, Webb City Water Utilities Director. "It's going to help us. We believe bring our zinc level down specifically to a manageable level, that will bring us in compliance with our current waste water permit," said Francis. The EPA is working now to cleanup the mine waste in the area the wetlands will go. Runkle says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department is also helping them create a habitat for wildlife. "We are trying to establish a habitat that coincides with the waste water treatment plant," said Runkle. "We're in the process now of going over contractual arrangements to purchase these properties," said Francis. Though the location isn't finalized, the habitat will cover around a thousand acres of land. "We really think that the habitat area will be a big plus for our city, and we hope to build trails and picnic tables and have it there for the enjoyment of all," said Francis. These projects will be funded through a land reclamation lawsuit from decades ago. Construction will begin in the next 12 months and it could take

VEVEY, Switzerland (Reuters) - Nestle SA said a growing scandal in Europe over the use of horsemeat in products labeled as beef hurts the whole industry even though the world's biggest food company is not directly affected. "It has affected us because the whole industry is in question again," Chief Executive Paul Bulcke told a news conference after Nestle published 2012 results. "This is bad for so many people working hard to give safe and good food." The British unit of frozen foods group Findus began recalling its beef lasagne last week on advice from French supplier Comigel, sparking questions about the safety of the European food supply chain. Nestle, which sold the rights to the Findus brand in most of Europe in 2000 but retained them in Switzerland, launched a campaign this week to reassure consumers that Swiss Findus products were only made from Swiss beef. "Everything under our labels is not affected," Bulcke said, adding that Nestle had intensified checks on its suppliers in the wake of the scandal.)

While Easter may not be renowned for its delicious home cooked foods the way Thanksgiving and Christmas are, it does come with its own tasty treats. Most of these goodies are of the teeth-rotting-bouncing-off-the-walls-sugar-filled variety but that doesn’t stop most of us from indulging at least a little bit. What’s your favorite Easter candy? Gooey neon-colored marshmallow peeps? Melty caramel or creme filled Cadbury eggs? There’s a lot to choose from. My personal favorite is, without a doubt, Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs. That thin layer of chocolate containing a mouthful of rich peanut butter…just thinking about it makes me want to rush out to the nearest convenience store and clear the shelves. However, this year, instead of purchasing this delightful delicacy, I’ve decided to try to make my own Reese’s style Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs. Recipe: Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs (Reese’s Style!) Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker INGREDIENTS 1 cup creamy peanut butter ¼ cup unsalted butter ¼ cup light brown sugar 1¼ cups powdered sugar 2 cups milk chocolate chips (or 12 ounces milk chocolate, chopped) 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening DIRECTIONS 1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper, and set to the side. 2. In a medium saucepan, combine the peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar over medium heat. 3. Stirring constantly, heat until the combined peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar are completely melted and starting to bubble. 4. Remove the saucepan from the heat. 5. Add the powdered sugar a ¼ of a cup at a time, stirring until completely combined with the peanut butter mixture after each addition. 6. Set the mixture aside and let it cool to room temperature. 7. Using a medium cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon, scoop out the peanut butter mixture and shape it into an egg. Please note: This is where I deviated from the original recipe. I chose to make larger homemade Reese’s peanut butter eggs. Why you may ask? Because I love them so why not make them bigger? I was not nearly as successful at molding my eggs as I would have liked because I had a 2 year old not too pleased with the fact I was making this recipe instead of playing with him. Note to self: Next time practice my DIY skills during nap time. 8. Place the “egg” on the baking sheet and do additional shaping or forming as needed. 9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 until you’ve used up all of the mixture. 10. Place the cookie sheet in the fridge to allow the peanut butter eggs to set. This will take approximately 30 minutes. 11. Once the peanut butter eggs are set, melt the chocolate chips and shortening together in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted. 12. One at a time, dip a peanut butter egg into the chocolate. Tip: Instead of dipping your fingers in the chocolate, use a fork to flip your “egg” over and ensure both sides are completely chocolate covered. 13. Return the “egg” to the baking sheet 14. Repeat steps 12 and 13 until all of the peanut butter eggs are chocolate covered. Please note: Here again I deviated slightly from the original recipe. Though I did dip the peanut butter eggs in the melted chocolate, I chose to drizzle extra chocolate on top because I liked the appearance. I thought it made the eggs look like they were “decorated” rather than just having a perfectly smooth egg. It is personal preferance of course, you may decide to add festive sprinkles. 15. Return the chocolate-covered peanut butter eggs to the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to set. This will take approximately 30 minutes. 16. Store your homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs in the refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to serve and enjoy! Voilà ! Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs just in time for Easter. Well, maybe, I may need to make another batch before Easter. This recipe produces chocolate covered peanut butter eggs that are just as good as those you can purchase at the store – although, depending on your cooking skills, they may not look quite as good. In addition, this recipe for homemade Peanut Butter Eggs isn’t overly difficult to master. Heck, you don’t even have to bake anything. What is your favorite Easter candy? Do you have a homemade recipe for it? If so, share a link or recipe in the comments. Looks so good! Thank you for sharing the recipe with us.

© The Financial Times Ltd 2015 FT and 'Financial Times' are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd. A friendship that forged a business: Yinon Weiss (left) and Aaron Kletzing A group of RallyPoint members are concerned. Civilians have recently become more active on the so-called “LinkedIn for the US military”, sparking furious debate in an online forum. “RP [RallyPoint] should be a place where we shouldn’t need to defend or explain ourselves to civilians who don’t understand,” writes one. “I would hate to see this site for the military taken over by civilians,” adds another. As a civilian it is hard not to feel you are intruding on this online space that has clearly filled a niche for US military and veterans. Launched to the public 18 months ago by two Harvard MBAs, it now has 300,000 members. As it happens there are just a few thousand civilian members. About two-thirds of the total are active servicemen and women and one-third are veterans. To gain an idea of its traction, Aaron Kletzing, chief operating officer and co-founder, points out that one in seven individuals in the army is a member of RallyPoint. “And the army is the largest branch of the military,” he adds. RallyPoint groups individuals from the same part of the military together, making it easier to connect. As with LinkedIn, there is a careers section, but on RallyPoint the homepage is a feed of recent updates mainly from the discussions part of the website. Here members ask for advice and feedback on a vast array of topics, and attract many replies. They range from questions such as: “Why can’t an enlisted soldier date an officer?” to a post asking whether the second amendment to the US Bill of Rights enshrining the right to bear arms is outdated. “We get a lot of feedback from members. They are very engaged,” says Yinon Weiss, chief executive and co-founder. Mr Kletzing and Mr Weiss’s paths first crossed in 2008 when they were in the army and serving in Iraq. They were in different units. “Mine was quite a regular unit. Yinon’s was . . . a special forces team,” says Mr Kletzing. The units were assigned to the same operation. Both men left the army and their paths diverged. Mr Weiss joined the MBA programme at Harvard Business School but Mr Kletzing was stricken with cancer which he thinks was caused by exposure to hazardous waste while in Iraq. In 2010, however, he was given the all-clear and by 2011 was visiting HBS with other veterans and bumped into Mr Weiss again. “We didn’t recognise each other right away,” says Mr Weiss, who was graduating that year and helping host the veterans’ admissions weekend. The two men began chatting and recalled that they had both served in Iraq and been on the same operation. “Aaron is the only person I’ve ever met who has worked in the same place as me [in the army],” says Mr Weiss. That coincidence helped to forge a friendship that also gave birth to the business. RallyPoint was Mr Kletzing’s idea. A couple of months into his first semester at HBS he talked to Mr Weiss about his vision for an online social media network solely for the US military. Mr Weiss liked the idea but had already begun work for WiTricity, a start-up technology company. The answer was for the two men to give evenings over to putting together a business plan and building a prototype of the planned website. They posted their technical requirements on Elance, a popular global place that connects freelancers with clients, and selected a company from among those who bid for the work. Mr Weiss says the site was technically a failure, but was functional enough to give them something to show people. Meanwhile the plan, which was placed second in the Harvard Business School Business Plan Competition, meant they could also produce a convincing business case for their venture. They approached angel investors and by April 2012 had raised $550,000. Mr Weiss took the decision to resign from his job and Mr Kletzing postponed the final year of his MBA programme so that they could work together on the venture. They began searching for a company that would build a website that worked. This time they used personal recommendations. They made a wise choice and within 90 days RallyPoint had developed a closed beta site that was launched in August 2012. “Initially we invited our friends and immediate network and asked them to invite people they knew,” says Mr Weiss. Feedback was positive and the site was launched to the public in November 2012. RallyPoint’s business model, explains Mr Weiss, is similar to LinkedIn’s in that it is essentially selling advertisers access to people. The pair have recently been in discussion with universities seeking to market courses to veterans, and with Walmart, the US retailer. Marketing has been Mr Kletzing’s role. He says they have an effective system that they can deploy across the web and test what is working in real time. This includes use of Twitter and search-engine marketing. “We’ve experimented with just about everything,” says Mr Kletzing. He says the company is very data driven and they tend to go with what is working. One of the things that is working is the company’s development. RallyPoint now has a vice-president of engineering, board members and a team of advisers. It has been back to investors, raising a further $1m from angels in December 2012 and $5.3m in venture capital in October 2013 which is when RallyPoint’s userbase passed the 100,000 mark. With its membership growing the website appears to be continuing to meet the need first identified by Mr Kletzing in 2011. “That same passion is still what drives us,” he

Topic: Game Accessibility [AT] GDC'07 report Accessibility recently visited the 2007 Game Developers Conference. We have written a summary of everything that happened concerning game accessibility! Read it below: Sessions The Accessibility Foundation joined the activities of the IGDA Game Accessibility Special Interest Group at the 2007 Game Developers Conference to discuss game accessibility during several sessions. Below follows an overview of the different sessions. Serious Accessibility for Serious Games (March 6th) During the Serious Games Summit a panel with members of the GA-SIG and the Accessibility foundation (Richard van Tol) discussed several legal aspects of game accessibility. More often, serious games are used in the classroom and in training situations. When these games are not accessible for everyone, some students might be excluded from participation of the curriculum. After that, tips for developers were presented that help to design serious games that are accessible to a larger audience. Dimitris Grammenos presented the game 'Game Over', available for download in april 2007 as a great example of the most inaccessible game ever, as well as some guidelines for the development of accessible games. Grammenos also presented his theory about Parallel Game Universes. Michelle Hinn, chair of the GA-SIG, presented figures and statistics concerning the demographics of the target audience. Then Göran Lange of PinInteractive shared his insights on the value of games in education. Lastly, the speakers answered questions from the audience. Untapped Market of One-Button Mobile Games (Tuesday, March 6th) During this roundtable session, the value of one button games for the mobile games industry was discussed. Due to the limitations of mobile devices, developers may already be meeting the needs of some gamers with disabilities without knowing it. The speakers provided information on the convergence of gaming trends such as casual gaming (e.g. one button mobile phone games that use the same design principles as “one switch/button” games for those with mobility disabilities) to help attendees better understand that game accessibility can mean new innovations in game design. We intended to present several one button game prototypes and examples of one button interfaces, but due to technical difficulties we could only show a one button version of Tetris. The examples will be published on this website shortly, however. Accessibility Arcade (Three sessions, Wednesday, March 7th, Thursday, March 8th and Friday, March 9th) During this three day arcade several games and accessible hardware were presented. Barrie Ellis from Oneswitch.org.uk provided many accessible controllers for game consoles and PC-based games. Visitors could play games using only one hand, see ‘quad controllers’ (for quadriplegic gamers) in action and see all different kinds of other adapted controllers. Frank Cabanski of Cortex Gaming presented the Brainfingers system, which enables gamers to control games with the muscles in the forehead or brain waves. The system was demonstrated with simple games like Pong but also with first person shooter games and can have great value for quadriplegic gamers but also offers a very new and stimulating way of controlling games. Very interesting for developers is the possibility to use brainwaves that give information about the emotional state of the gamer as a controller as well. Dimitris Grammenos demonstrated 'Game Over!', The Most Inaccessible Game In The World that can be played by No-one. Game Over! is to be used as an educational tool for disseminating, understanding and consolidating game accessibility guidelines. Thomas Westin presented Terraformers, a game that is playable for seeing and visually disabled gamers, with the help of 3D sound and a sonar system for navigation. The Accessibility Foundation presented several accessible games for the visually disabled: Drive, an accessible racing game for the blind, Demor, a 3D-audio shooter game based on GPS technology which enables blind gamers to play on a football field, Sudosan, a blind-accessible version of Sudoku and more audio games. Reid Kimball presented Doom3[CC], a mod for Doom3 that makes the game accessible for hearing impaired gamers using closed captions and an visual sound source radar. Many more games were presented and the other speakers answered questions about game accessibility. We were really surprised by the numbers of people who visited the Arcade and the positive reactions. Accessibility Idol: Season Finale! (Thursday, March 8th) Game industry veterans have long been bemoaning the fact that they’ve already seen it all, done it all - what is possibly left to be done in gaming that they didn’t already do in 1970-1980, make that 1990. Then IGDA TV came to them with the challenge that they could not ignore the next chapter in total global gaming dominance making sure their games could be played by the 10-20% of the population with disabilities. The Accessibility Idol was a show in which five professional contestants presented their accessible game concepts to the audience as well as a strict panel of judges. Announcer Frank Cabanski introduced the contestants (Brenda Brathwaite and Chris Quinn, Ernest Adams, Noah Falstein, Sheri Graner Ray and Ellen Guon Beeman) and judges (Thomas Westin, Reid Kimball, Richard Van Tol and Eelke Folmer) with his great voice and Michelle Hinn presented the show. Brenda Brathwaite presented a multiplayer game for quadriplegics and their partners to help them explore sex. Ernest Adams showed a multiplayer flight simulator game with airships (“because they’re so cool!”), which were controlled by a head tracking device and voice control to launch bombs. Sheri Graner Ray presented a design which tasked the player with training baby dragons into fighting machines. The way players train the dragon is to watch for actions performed by the dragon and then play a tune in a certain pitch. The game could record 5 different pitches and so you’d have 5 actions. Noah Falstein talked about a game that uses a sip and puff device in order to play a game in an underwater world and Ellen Guon Beeman was represented by [name will appear here soon] and presented a game in a medieval setting where the gamers had to steal treasury, using a clever one switch interface in order to control several multiple ways of interaction. The Accessibility Idol of 2007 is Sheri Graner Ray who won a Brainfingers system, kindly donated by Cortex Gaming. The PBS camera crews kept the cameras rolling during the whole day, so we will be seeing some of it on television these days…we keep you informed! Media coverage We were able to attract a lot of attention the media. Below you can find the links we have found. Please contact us if you finds some more video or audio about game accessibility at the GDC. More: KQED Radio Coverage of Game Accessibility ABC Coverage of Game Accessibility Game Accessibility featured on Henry Jenkins MIT blog:

New CMO for German InnoGames Volker Dressel will develop mobile and cross platform sectors Tribal Wars developer InnoGames has appointed Volker Dressel as its new chief marketing officer. "The dynamic growth of InnoGames and enthusiasm of the staff and management are impressive; therefore, my decision to join the company was easy," said Dressel. "I'm delighted to be part of the success story of InnoGames, and look forward to developing new business areas to that, such as mobile and cross-platform gaming." Until recently Dressel was CEO of mobile marketing agency AppAtize and has also had roles as senior director of Just A Game and director of marketing and communications for Gamigo. He's also worked with AOL and Bauer Media. InnoGames recently added ex-EA executive VP Gerhard Florin and Armin Busen as CFO to its executive team. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz Florin explained the InnoGames strategy. "It's mainly about constant service for the main games," he said. "InnoGames doesn't release too many games each year; it has four main games and two that have been the main drivers of growth. These require a constant update, a constant service to that community, so it's about investment in a game after its release. That investment in the community is a strong foundation for growth."

Tuesday’s high school golf: Hopkins Academy improves to 5-0 with win over Granby The Hopkins Academy golf team took early command of the Bi-County East with a decisive 18-6 victory over Granby Tuesday at Cold Spring Country Club. The Golden Hawks (5-0, 4-0) won the No. 2 through No. 6 matches by scores of 3-1 or 4-0. Shane Hollenbeck earned medalist honors by shooting a 40 for the Rams (3-2, 3-1), the two-time defending league champions. Hopkins Academy 18, Granby 6 at Cold Spring CC, par 35 Medalist: Shane Hollenbeck (G), 40 No. 1: Hollenbeck (G) def. Andrew Omer 3-1; No. 2: Austin Brighenti (H) def. Max Humphrey, 3-1; No. 3: Joe Yusko (H) def. Jesse Molin, 4-0; No. 4: Caleb Farnham (H) def. Tristan Guzik, 3-1; No. 5: Spencer Butterfield (H) def. Tom Rezzani, 4-0; No. 6: D.J. Gardiner (H) def. Tyler Sullivan, 3-1 Hopkins (5-0, 4-0 Bi-County East); Granby (3-2, 3-1) Smith Academy 20, Ware 4 at Country Club of Greenfield, par 36 Medalist: Steve Bruscoe (SA), 44 No. 1: Bruscoe (SA) def. Jason Ouimette, 4-0; No. 2: Matt Muccino (SA) def. Sean Meegan, 4-0; No. 3: Ryan Swarts (W) def. John Holhut, 4-0; No. 4: Zach Vollinger (SA) def. Ivan Adams, 4-0; No. 5: Justyn Helstowski (SA) def. Liam Paul, 4-0; No. 6: Tyler Leary (SA) def. Dennis Ouimette, 4-0 Smith Academy (3-1, 3-1 Bi-County East); Ware (0-5, 0-3) So. Hadley 245, Northampton 264 at The Ledges, par 36 Northampton (3-2): Austin McCreary, 41; Theo Viola, 42; Mike Gross, 43; Ben O’Connor, 44; Gina Whelan, 46; Cam King, 48 South Hadley (6-2): Brian Bak, 35; Devin Hoagland, 39; Mike Miele, 40; Joe Ciolek, 41; Tommy Senecal, 43; CC Hebert, 47 Palmer 23, Easthampton 1 at Quaboag CC, par 36 Medalists: Nate Murphy (P) & Jason Sloat (P), 40 No. 1: Zach James (P) def. Brad Nadeau, 31/2-1/2; No. 2: Nate Murphy (P) def. Jake Laprade, 4-0; No. 3: Jason Sloat (P) def. Brandon Colpack, 4-0; No. 4: Matt Gazaille (P) def. Jeff Zuzula, 4-0; No. 5: Zach Handle (P) def. Brian Delany, 31/2-1/2; No. 6: Rod Squire (P) def. Chase Ouellette, 4-0 Easthampton (0-4); Palmer (4-0) Belchertown 280, Amherst Regional 296 at Hickory Ridge, par 36 Belchertown (3-5): Jason Krasinkiewicz, 42; Frankie Murray, 44; Carl Teschke, 46; Louis Tonelli, 46; Jordan Henault, 50; Zachary Reidy, 52 Amherst (2-4): John Noonan, 43; Jake Alrich, 46; Connor Nuelle, 49; Alex Cantor, 50; Harrison Wallace, 53; Stephen McCudden, 55 Frontier 21½, Greenfield 2½ at Cherry Hill, par 35 Medalist: Torsten Nelson (F), 38 No. 1: Nate Patterson (F) def. Riley Phelps, 31/2-1/2; No. 2: Nelson (F) def. Tyler Boissonnault, 4-0; No. 3: Ben Ruddock (F) def. Collin McGahan, 2½-1½; No. 4: Cam Blair (F) def. Christian LaPlante, 3½-½; No. 5: Alex Smiarowski (F) def. Zack Avery, 4-0; No. 6: Spencer (F) def. Griffin Rogzert, 4-0 Greenfield (2-3, 2-3 Bi-Country North); Frontier (5-1, 5-0) - Discussion FAQ - Report a comment You must be registered to comment on stories. Click here to register.

No charges in Northampton accident that sent pedestrian Pallav Parakh to hospital with head injury Accident on New South Street in Northampton Wednesday evening. Purchase photo reprints » Pallah K. Parakh of Hatfield suffered a head injury when he was struck by a truck on New South Street in Northampton just before 5 p.m. Wednesday. Parakh was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Purchase photo reprints » NORTHAMPTON — Police said Thursday that no charges have been filed in connection with the Wednesday afternoon accident that sent Pallav K. Parakh, 35, of Hatfield to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield with a head injury. Parakh, of 6 Bridge St., was crossing New South Street at 4:42 p.m. when he was hit by a truck driven by Derek J. Graves, 25, of 174 East St., Chesterfield. Police Capt. Scott Savino said he did not know Parakh’s condition. A spokeswoman for Baystate said the hospital had no information to release about Parakh, and could not confirm that he was a patient there. Savino said the Northampton Police accident reconstruction team remained at the scene this morning and is likely to complete its report later today. The road is open. Police Wednesday night said Parakh was crossing New South Street in the crosswalk by the west entrance to Pulaski Park. Graves and witnesses were questioned at the police station following the accident, and the road was closed between Main Street and Old South Street until about 8 p.m. Rebecca Everett can be reached at reverett@gazettenet.com. - Discussion FAQ - Report a comment You must be registered to comment on stories. Click here to register.

by Tyler Peck, sports information graduate assistant PENSACOLA, Fla. – The No. 11 Georgia College & State University men’s tennis team (9-4) took two doubles matches and five singles to beat No. 41 University of North Alabama 7-2 at the White Sands Tournament Wednesday morning. In doubles action, the Bobcats won the second and third slots to take the early 2-1 lead. The senior Bobcat twosome of Max Beliankou (Minsk, Belarus) and Giovane Nucci (Santa Catarina, Brazil) edged the Lions’ Clint Johnson and Carlos Cardenas 9-7 at second doubles. In third doubles play, the duo of sophomore Leo Bernades (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and freshman Johan Wadstein (Helsingborg, Sweden) won by the largest margin, 8-1, over T.J. Drake and Mirko Sommerfeld Senior Joao Casagrande (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and sophomore Jerome Leborgne (Coordimanche, France) paired at first doubles and fell 8-2 to Jan Miskos and Bruno Zuleta. Georgia College took second through sixth singles as Leborgne lost 6-1, 6-4 at first singles to Miskos. Wadstein defeated Zuleta 7-6, 6-1 at second singles and Beliankou blanked Sommerfeld in the first set 6-0 and then took the second set 7-5 in the third slot. At fourth singles, Nucci went three sets to beat Cardenas 1-6, 6-1, 6-1. Bernardes dropped Johnson 6-2, 6-1 at fifth singles while Casagrande also won 6-2, 6-1 over Drake at sixth singles. The Bobcats continue play at the White Sands Tourney against No. 7 University of West Florida.

In the ongoing grocery delivery cold war between Instacart and Amazon, Instacart has fired another salvo, saying that they’re launching Instacart Express, a new component to their service that’s like “Amazon Prime for Groceries,” according to a press release. An Instacart Express membership will cost $99, and with that, users will avoid a delivery fee that’s usually $3.99 for orders over $35, delivered within two hours of ordering. That goes for all the stores Instacart personal shoppers cover, including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Safeway and Instacart Plus, the company’s own bargain-priced shopping option. If you have an order that costs less than $35, or you want delivery within an hour of placing your order, you’ll still have to pay a fee. When asked about the Amazon Prime comparison, Apoorva Mehta, Instacart’s CEO and a former Amazon software engineer, said that his former employer’s delivery service is the best analogy for what Instacart is trying to do with Instacart Express. “People understand and love the convenience of Amazon Prime,” Mehta said in an email. “With Instacart Express we are doing the same — but, for groceries.” According to Mehta, Instacart Express will help frequent users save money on delivery fees, as well as increase their use of Instacart’s service. “When I was at Amazon, I saw firsthand how well the Amazon Prime model helped encourage customers to shop more frequently and to buy more at Amazon,” he said. “We think that same model can be applied in the grocery delivery business.” So does Amazon, if their recent pilot expansion into Los Angeles is any indication. An Amazon “Prime Fresh” membership in Los Angeles costs $299 a year, and provides people with all the benefits of Amazon Prime, as well as free delivery on orders of $35 or more. In Seattle, the only way to get free delivery at the moment is to use Amazon Fresh frequently enough to reach “big radish” status. While Instacart’s future expansion plans are still as non-specific as before, saying that the company plans to be in 10 new cities by the end of next year, Instacart Express will be coming with them at launch, according to Mehta. At some point, Instacart is going to have to get in on turf that Amazon has already covered, and we’ll see how the price and service differences affect things. For now, though, the company is still building its business in the Bay Area, which remains untouched by Amazon Fresh, for now. Previously on GeekWire: Still recovering from ‘painful’ Webvan deal, Sequoia bets again on grocery delivery with $8.5M Instacart investment … Q&A: Instacart CEO on competing with Amazon Fresh and the future of grocery shopping See MoreGeekWire Picks

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