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(Thanks to mute for the graphics!)
Finally the holiday season is upon us once again, and the spirit of giving has begun to enter our bodies through whatever orifices we're warm enough to leave exposed! Over the past three years, we here at r21freak have developed a tradition of celebrating the holidays with the one thing we do well: stepfiles! So it should come as no surprise that we are now hosting our fourth annual Secret Stepfile Santa! So what does that mean for you? Well, it means that come Christmas morning you'll not only be able to open presents from your real friends and family, but also your internet friends and family! Except your internet friends ran out of money so they just gave you a brand new stepfile! Woo!
So, with that, here's how the event will work. Obviously, even if you read all of this last year or the year before, read it again. As always a few things have changed.
From now until November 30th (11:59PM EST) is sign up time. If you're interested in joining this then simply post a reply in the Sign Up topic after you read all of this, and I will add you to the list. Once you're added to the list, you have until November 30th 11:59PM EST to send me a song of your choice that you want to be stepped, along with a .sm skeleton for it. The song should be in .ogg format (NOT PATCHED NOT PATCHED NOT PATCHED PLEASE GOD NOT PATCHED), and the skeleton should (of course) be in .sm format. The .sm skeleton MUST include the song title, artist, and the BPM(s), but that is ALL. Nothing else. NO STEPS! If your song drifts offsync or if you want to add in any BPM changes/stops or whatnot, you must do all of that yourself in the skeleton. You must sync it to your own satisfaction.
So for those of you who are new to this, you must be asking, why are we submitting a bunch of blank stepfiles to you Blazing? Well you see, therein lies the fun! On December 1st, I will take the names of all the people that have submitted me a file and randomly* pair them together (in the event of an odd number of people, I will assign one group of 3). Then later on December 1st, I will PM each person who submitted a file, linking them to the song that their partner requested to be stepped. You will then step the song for your partner on the difficulty and style (Singles or Doubles) that they requested. You can step more than one difficulty or style if you like, but you must at least step the one that they requested. You must also provide graphics (even if you don't have any graphical skills, you can just slap some text on an image in Paint) for your partner. Your file should be wrapped up, like a present!
So that is why I encourage EVERYONE to join this, even if you have barely any stepmaking skill. This is NOT a contest at all, it's a sitewide event that's open to everyone. If you need any help with any part of making the stepfile for your partner, just ask. That's what this forum was created for! Just don't be TOO specific. You don't want to give away who you're making the stepfile for. That is also why I require each person to sync their skeleton to their satisfaction before submitting. This is to ensure that no one picks a song that is so hard to sync correctly that they themselves could not even do it. Of course, your partner can add any additional BPM changes or change any of the ones already in the chart.
So I know you're excited so pick you're favorite song, slap on a skeleton and send it to me, but hold on one second. Just a bit more reading before you do so.
Once you've got your song selected and skeleton made, then you can either link me to it in a PM (just upload it in a .zip or .rar to Mediafire or some other place like that--don't host it on r21freak!), or send it to me over AIM. Included in your PM or AIM with me, tell me what difficulty you want to be stepped for your song (typically Novice [1], Easy [2-5], Medium [5-7], Hard [7-11] or Expert [9-14]). While it is up to your partner to choose exactly what difficulty to make the chart, you can choose which range it can fall into. You can be more specific and specify exactly what difficulty you want, or other specific things you want included in the file (lots of hands, no mines, etc), but there is no guarantee that they will be included.
Also, you can only choose ONE difficulty for your partner to step. If you want Doubles instead of Singles, then please specify that too, but then you can only choose one Doubles difficulty and none for Singles.
As for the song, it doesn't have to be Christmas or holiday themed, but it certainly wouldn't hurt! The song cannot be inappropriate (PG-13 language at worst), cannot be completely boring to step (as in, not a terrible song - funny songs are okay, but terrible songs are not), cannot be something that has already been popularly stepped, cannot be something that was stepped in the previous Secret Stepfile Santas, and must be between 1:15 and 2:15 long. Other than that, almost anything goes. I retain the right to not accept any song I do not see fit for this event.
Also, you will NOT know the name of your partner until your get your file on Christmas. The only way you would know who he/she is if they tell you. I HIGHLY encourage you NOT to do this, as it wrecks half of the surprise. If I find out that someone told someone else who they were making the stepfile for against their will, the person who let out the secret will not have their file released and will be punished accordingly. The same thing goes for someone who signs up and does not finish their assigned stepfile. They will be punished accordingly for wrecking someone's Christmas. If you know that someone else you know personally has signed up already, or if you think they might sign up (and it would be hard to not come in contact with during the stepping/testing process), then please tell me over AIM or through a PM, or just make a note in your sign-up post. I will make sure that you don't get assigned to them, in order to keep the element of surprise alive.
Another note: this isn't 1000% ZOMG ANONYMOUS like the competitions are. While we definitely don't want people discussing which song they got and which song they requested on the board (or anywhere else where they might be seen/heard), feel free to get help from your fellow non-signed up ITG playing friends if you need help making the file.
When you are done with the file and graphics, send it to me (again through a PM or over AIM), and I will compile them all together. All completed files are due by 11:59PM EST on December 20th! No files will be accepted after that time. I need a few days to make sure everything is perfect and set for Christmas. Then, on December 25th, I will release them all. I will put all of the files up for download in one, convenient zipped file in this forum. A list of who stepped what for whom will also be posted at that time.
SO, sounds like fun, right? HUH? Well obviously it sounds like the most fun anyone could ever have. So go sign up for it already!
If you have any questions, comments, concerns or whatever about this, then feel free to post about it in this forum. Just don't talk about what song you got and what song you chose! Feel free to contact me on AIM or though PMs concerning anything as well.
[Reveal] Spoiler: Random Pairing
This will not be 100% random pairing. I will first organize the members into groups based on what they requested (all the Singles Easys in one group, Singles Hards in another, Doubles Experts in another, etc.) and then randomly match them up within their groups. It would not be fair to assign someone who requested an Easy chart to someone who requested an Expert chart (and same goes for Doubles too, obviously). Other than that though, it will be completely random. It just wouldn't be as much fun or secret santa-y otherwise


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project directions:
1. Create a class called Student that has name, grade, house as instance variables
2. Create a constructor that take these (3) items as parameters and sets them to your private instance/global variables
3. Next, create a test class StudentTest
4. Inside of StudentTest create an ArrayList called myList
5. Create a loop that runs 5 times. It asks the user for the (3) pieces of information (name, grade, house). Take that info and create and Student object that will be added to the ArrayList
Test class
Code :
public class StudentTest { /** * main * @param args */ public static void main(String[] args) { Scanner keyboard = new Scanner(System.in); ArrayList<Student> myList = new ArrayList<Student> (); for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) { System.out.println("What is the name of the student?"); String name = keyboard.nextLine(); System.out.println("What is his/her house?"); String house = keyboard.nextLine(); System.out.println("What is his/her grade? Numbers only, please."); int grade = keyboard.nextInt(); myList.add(i, new Student(name, grade, house)); } } }
Student class
Code :
public class Student { //instance variables String name; int grade; String house; /** * student constructor * @param name * @param grade * @param house */ public Student(String name, int grade, String house) { this.name = name; this.grade = grade; this.house = house; } }
What is the name of the student?
What is his/her house?
What is his/her grade? Numbers only, please.
What is the name of the student?
What is his/her house?
I couldn't type in the name of the second student because the next line "What is his/her house?" came up with it.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Wabash County Special Olympic Bowling Team competed in the Area Five Regional Tournament in Logansport on Nov. 2 and 3.
The following athletes competed: Blade Christle, John Cox, Allen Davis, Steven Downey, Reggie Flitcraft, Miranda Hahn, Wilma Hinkle, Richard Hundt, Amber Hunt, Marion "Buddy" Ireland III, Charles Kreider, Kim Krom, Lee Lambert, Kenith Larrowe, Sean Larrowe, Jodi Lowdenslager, Kristin Leming, Darlene McCarty, Kathy McCarty, Gwen Mankey, Grace Parker, Blake Parrett, Michelle Pell, Tracy Riddell, Karen Ridenour, Linda Sands, Chester Shenfeld, Carla Stellar, Debora Stoffer, Steven Straitiff, Gabe Teems, Heather Thrope and Alley Traver.
Buddy Ireland led the athletes pledge at the Saturday games and Grace Parker led the pledge at the Sunday games. Several counties are represented at the Area Regional.
Advancing to state finals are: Blade Christle, John Cox, Allen Davis, Steven Downey, Reggie Flitcraft, Buddy Ireland, Charles Kreider, Kim Krom, Lee Lambert, Sean Larrowe, Jodi Lodenslager, Darlene McCarty, Gwen Mankey, Blake Parrett, Tracy Riddell, Karen Ridenour, Chester Shenfeld and Alley Traver.
Chester Shenfeld and Gwen Mankey will represent Wabash County ramp bowlers and the rest will represent single bowlers.
The Wabash County Special Olympic Bowling team bowls Sunday afternoons at Cannonball Lanes September through February. Bowling is open to qualified athletes age 8 and up. Qualified individuals wishing to participate on the bowling team may call Pay Lynn at 260-563-5469 for information.


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Dakotah Holt, a multi-sport athlete who graduated in 2011 from Lake Roosevelt High School, was electrocuted Aug. 29 in Kansas.
Holt, of Coulee Dam, and others were installing a new power pole in south central Kansas. A wind
came up and twisted the pole from hooks on their boom truck, causing it to against a nearby power line, an online story by KWCH said.
Holt, 20, was an apprentice lineman. He was touching the pole when the other line energized it.
In the first wave of responders was Sheriff Justin Rugg of Barber County, who performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. Holt died later at a hospital.
In one of Holt's final baseball games, he struck out 8 in five innings and yielded only 2 hits in a 13-1 win in the first game of a doubleheader against Oroville on May 6, 2011.
In the second game, Holt was 2-3 with a double and triple.
"I had the pleasure to have him as both a student and an athlete," Holt's baseball coach, Brandon Byers, said. "He was a wonderful individual that would consistently want to be pushed both in the classroom and on the field because he always strove to better himself."
Byers said Holt was a leader on the team, doing whatever it took to win including laying down a bunt or changing position.
"These characteristics he showcased on the team, were the same ones I saw him use in everyday situations. In short, he was a remarkable young man that will be greatly missed by the Raider family."
Holt played his senior year on the basketball team, which reached the state 2B tournament, and was on the football team for at least two years. He was an all-league honorable mention last year as a defensive back.
As a sophomore, he ran cross country in the fall and was on the golf team in the spring.
Tyler Peasley of Omak won the Indian Relay bareback horse racing at the World-Famous Pendleton Round-Up Sept. 11-14 in Oregon.
Peasley competed on the Omak Express team, which won both of its heats and was first in a final race with the four best teams.
A dozen teams competed in heats Sept. 11 and 12.
The four best combined times after the heats competed in the finals, which included Peasley's Omak Express, Grizzly Mountain Express, Mountain Timber and White Calf teams.
During a race, a rider switches horses twice while traveling bareback three times around a track on different horses.
"I like the prestige of the horsemanship that comes with it when you win a race," said Peasley in an East Oregonian story.
Peasley has been competing in relays for 10 years.
In another heat, Oliver Pakootas of Omak on the Grizzly Mountain Express, led from start to finish despite his second horse not wanting to stand still during a switch.
Early reports for fall Chinook salmon find the best run in the past 75 years returning to the Columbia River.
Based on the latest forecast, 664,000 to 835,000 upriver bright adult Chinook are expected to return to the Columbia River this year, well above the record of 420,000 fish set in 1987.
On Sept. 7, more than 48,700 Chinook from a variety of upriver stocks crowded up the fish ladders at Bonneville Dam, setting a new daily record.
That record was broken two days later when 63,870 upriver Chinook moved past the dam, followed by 56,044 the next day.
"This will be a fishing season to remember," Norman said. "This year's run of upriver fall Chinook is through the roof, and a positive sign that regional efforts to rebuild this salmon population are making a difference.
"These new rules will increase fishing opportunity for anglers, while providing protection for the wild fish returning to the lower Columbia tributaries."
"This year's huge run is starting to show up in fisheries hundreds of miles upriver," said state fish biologist Joe Hymer.
Hymer noted that 92,000 fall Chinook have already crossed McNary Dam south of the Tri-Cities and 26,000 have been counted at Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River.
"Fishing is still great" at the Conconully lakes, said Gene Bussell of Liar's Cove Resort. "We had three different groups of fishermen that caught their limit of rainbow's this weekend. Some were fishing in shallow water and some in deep water by the dam."
Bill and Helen Bradley of Marysville caught their limit using green Power Eggs, Bussell said.
"I wish I had pictures of all the fish that were caught this weekend. The water in both lakes is still high for this time of year, no algae yet and the water is clear."
Bass fishing has not been good the past week or so, and Bussell was not sure why.
"So we need some good bass fishermen to come up and show everybody how to catch bass," he said.
The Colville Tribes Youth Diversion Program is hosting a bingo night for youth and elders 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Omak Meal Site, 601 S. Benton St.
The primary goal of the program is to work in partnership with tribal service programs, schools in Okanogan County, local elders and the Okanogan County juvenile courts to reduce recidivism rates
Brewster High School initially started the fall sports season without a cross-country team.
Soon, five runners were signed. That led to the team expanding to 13 by last week, Athletic Director Greg Austin said.
"We are doing our best to get a program started here at Brewster," Austin said.
Kelly Brown is the coach.
Al Camp is the sports editor for The Chronicle. Email him at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.


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In this special, Visionaries takes you to China to tell the story of how a tiny non-profit organization, National Committee on United States-China Relations, has played a critical role in bringing two of the most powerful nations in the world together in a stunning array of programs that span 45 years. Visionaries team was given rare access to meetings in the Great Hall of the People, Interviewed Henry Kissinger as well as ambassadors, legislative leaders in both nations, but the real story unfolds in classrooms in China and America where teacher and student exchanges bond people and communities across a great cultural divide.
Visit the Website: http://www.acui.org/
Episode #1706 / Length: 27 minutes


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UMW News Bureau
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced that 124 Division I women's basketball student-athletes were named 2012-13 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes. The list included three of Montana Western's women's basketball players, Sammi Bignell, Brittney Leibenguth and Kassi Kerbs. Montana Western men's basketball player Tyler Miller also made the list.
In order to be nominated by an institution's head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must achieve junior academic status.
Sammi Bignell, a junior from Helena, Mont., led the UMW Bulldogs this season by scoring 482 total points this year, which included a season-high 34-point performance against Great Falls in January. Bignell also lead the team in rebounding with 201 and grabbed 40 steals this season for the Bulldogs.
Brittney Leibenguth, a senior from Missoula Mont., ended her senior season scoring 236 points for the Bulldogs and had a career-high 14 points against Dickinson State. Leibenguth grabbed 96 rebounds and 24 steals this year.
Kassi Kerbs, a senior fro Burley, Idaho, ended this season scoring 151 total points and had the best free throw percentage on the team with 85 percent. Kerbs also chipped in with 24 steals and 59 rebounds. Kerbs scored a career-high 15 points on two different occasions, once against the University of Lethbridge and again against Warner Pacific in November 2012.
Tyler Miller, a junior from Chandler, Ariz., scored a total of 316 points this season for the Bulldogs. He had a career-high 23 points against Carroll College in February and most recently he scored 22 points at the NAIA national tournament to help the Bulldogs win and advance to the NAIA Sweet 16. Miller also grabbed 150 rebounds and had 42 steals on the year.


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Check out Jim Cramer's latest trading recommendations on "Action Alerts Plus".
( Updates from 10:25 am ET with closing information.) NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Here's what Jim Cramer had to say on CNBC's "Squawk On The Street" Wednesday: Cramer's not turning positive on JC Penney ( JCP), even after PVH ( PVH) CEO Manny Chirico told him on Mad Money last night that sales have been good at Penney's newly remodeled stores. But Cramer was more positive on American Eagle Outfitters ( AEO), saying the teen apparel retailer had a great month and is going higher. Investors are still buying JC Penney, sending its shares nearly 5% higher at the Wednesday close. But they were more impressed with American Eagle, whose stock flew over 7%. Hertz ( HTZ) is also on Cramer's bull list, as Hurricane Sandy has left no rental car to be had in the Northeast. But he is not impressed by positive comments on Wynn Resorts ( WYNN) even if the stock is getting very inexpensive. Shares of Hertz drove 4.6% higher while Wynn was up 3.2%. Finally, Cramer said that high-end retail is doing better, which is good news for Tiffany ( TIF), while Rowan Companies ( RDC) is going to trade in lockstep with the price of oil. Tiffany stock closed the day nearly 2% higher while Rowan stock was flat. To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter, with all of his latest articles and videos, please click here. -- Written by Scott Rutt in Washington. To email Scott about this article, click here: Scott Rutt Follow Scott on Twitter @ScottRutt or get updates on Facebook, ScottRuttDC


text:
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LONGMONT -- The St. Vrain Valley School District Board of Education on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution supporting Amendment 66, the expected ballot proposal that would raise income taxes to restore education funding.
Amendment 66, if voters approve it, would create a two-tier state income tax, with the minimum rate increasing to 5 percent from 4.63 percent. For those with taxable incomes of more than $75,000, their income above that amount would be taxed at a rate of 5.9 percent.
School board president John Creighton wrote the board's resolution, which notes that families are paying fees and expenses for "basic education services" and taxpayers approved two mill levy overrides.
Amendment 66: What it does, what it costs
What it does
Raises an estimated $950 million for K-12 education in the first year through an increase in Colorado income taxes. For 2013-14, the state budgeted $3.55 billion; there were 863,561 students enrolled in October 2012.
Early childhood education: Full-day kindergarten will be available for any child who wants to attend, while more low-income student will be able to attend preschool.
English language proficiency: If passed, Initiative 22 would extend funding for English-language learners to five years from the current two years. This year, the state budgeted $15.2 million for approximately 100,000 students -- an estimated 20 to 25 percent of the cost.
Special education programs: Initiative 22 would increase spending by $80 million, nearly 50 percent more than the $157.2 million allocated this year for the state's 88,000 students.
Gifted and talented education: Funding would increase to about $16.6 million from the current $9.6 million for approximately 63,000 students. Of that, $1 million would be allocated to identifying gifted and talented students.
What it costs
Income tax rates would increase to 5 percent on the first $75,000 of taxable income and to 5.9 percent on taxable income above $75,000, from a flat rate of 4.63 percent.
What you would pay:
A resident who earns $56,278 -- the median household income in Longmont in 2010 -- would pay $1,756 per year, up from $1,626, an 8 percent increase.
A resident who earns $100,000 a year would pay $3,365 per year, up from $3,116, also an 8 percent increase.
A resident who earns $150,000 a year would pay $5,856 per year, up from $5,125, a 14 percent increase.
For more information
From the Colorado Department of Education: Visit http://tinyurl.com/coloinitiative22
In support: Visit http://coloradocommits.com
In opposition: Visit http://compasscolorado.org
"We've asked a lot of our communities over the last several years," Creighton said. Parents have paid more fees, employees have taken on extra work and residents have paid additional taxes, he said.
The amendment would help school districts across the state, as well as St. Vrain. Creighton said. State officials estimate SVVSD would receive about $25 million more per year, but district officials don't think it would be that much, he said.
Also during Wednesday's meeting, school board members voted to cancel November's election because only one candidate has petitioned to run for each seat on the board that is open.
Chief financial officer Terry Schueller explained that by not having the election, the district will save $65,000.
Victoria Camron can be reached at 303-684-5226 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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If he's going to be a #1 receiver like he wants to then yeah I'd like to see those catch numbers go up too. Ultimately it's all about touchdowns and yards after the catch, but you gotta catch the ball first.
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Father Thomas Richard "Dick" Saale, 86, a resident of Kansas City, Mo., formerly of Chillicothe, Mo., died Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, at Little Sisters of the Poor, Kansas City, Mo.
Richard was born the son of Ed and Grace (Thorpe) Saale on Oct. 13, 1925, in Chillicothe, Mo. He was a 1943 graduate of St. Joseph's Academy in Chillicothe. Following high school, Richard entered Conception Seminary in 1943. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of St. Joseph on May 25, 1950. In the late 50s, Fr. Saale was appointed assistant at Immaculate Conception, the German national parish in St. Joseph, Mo. He was named pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Hamilton, Mo., in 1961. In 1963, Fr. Saale was appointed pastor of Blessed Sacrament in Kansas City, Mo. He served in Kansas City until his retirement. He served as secretary for the 16-member Board of Directors of the Heart of America Boys Club. In 1965, he encouraged the parish to begin a program designed to enable area residents who had not graduated high school to pass their GED; this program stared in Feb. 1966. Fr. Saale became pastor of Holy Cross in the late 1970s. Mayor Rihard Berkley, of Kansas City, Mo., appointed him to the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners in 1979. In 1980, he was abbouped pastor of Guardian Angels parish. Fr. Saale became pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1988, where he served until his retirement in 1995.
Fr. Saale enjoyed sports growing up, especially baseball, softball, and basketball. In high school, he and his brothers learned how to box, and he was very good at it. He boxed for the Golden Gloves, where he won a Bantam weight trophy at a match in St. Joseph, Mo. In his later years, he enjoyed playing golf and cards.
Survivors include: two sisters, Rita Moling of Chillicothe and Pat Clonan of Dublin, Calif.
He was preceded in death by his parents and seven brothers — Ray, Vinnie, Ed, Jr., Jack, Bob, Jimmy, and Larry Saale.
A mass of Christian burial will be held at the St. Columban's Catholic Church, Chillicothe, on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012, at 10 a.m. A parish rosary will be held at the Lindley Funeral Home, Chillicothe, on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012, at 7 p.m., with a family visitation to follow until 9 p.m. Friends may call at the Lindley Funeral Home, Chillicothe, on Tuesday, from 3 until 9 p.m. Burial will be held at St. Columban's Catholic Cemetary, Chillicothe.
Memorial contributions may be left to the St. Columban's Catholic Church, and may be left at or mailed to Lindley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 47, Chillicothe, MO 64601. Online condolences may be made at www.lindleyfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements are under the direction of Lindley Funeral Home, Chillicothe.
Kansas City, Mo. resident Fr. Thomas Richard "Dick" Saale, 86, died Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012
Father Thomas Richard "Dick" Saale, 86, a resident of Kansas City, Mo., formerly of Chillicothe, Mo., died Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, at Little Sisters of the Poor, Kansas City, Mo.


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MORE solar power is heading for the Test Valley.
Wiltshire-based Solstice Renewables Ltd has announced plans to set up a medium size solar farm just east of Romsey.
Around 32,000 solar panels will be installed on agricultural land at Warren Farm between North Baddesley and Ampfield, if the scheme gets the green light.
Solstice Renewables say the farm will produce enough energy to power 2,400 average sized homes.
Director of Solstice Renewables Giovanni Maruca said: "Warren Farm is a great site for a solar park as it will be well screened from the surrounding areas. The site is low-grade land which offers exciting opportunities for biodiversity improvement and it will remain in agricultural usage for the lifetime of the project."
The proposals will go on show to the public at North Baddesley Sports Pavilion on Monday, July 14 between 4.30pm and 8pm. "We are looking forward to meeting as many members of the local community as possible and welcome their suggestion for how this scheme can be improved," said Mr Maruca.
Solstice is currently developing 10 sites across the UK from Devon to Leicestershire this would be its first in Hampshire.
Mr Maruca added: "We are also offering a community benefit fund of approximately £8,000 a year for the solar park's life and we would be interested in hearing about any local social or environmental projects which we could support. We will be consulting all the neighbouring parish council about the best way to allocate the community benefit fund."
The proposed site is 14 hectares and is currently used for grazing livestock.
Solar panels will be installed 2.5mm above the ground and laid out in rows east to west. Solstice plans to sow wildflowers and create natural habitats between the panels.
A planning application is likely to be submitted to Test Valley Borough Council later this summer say Solstice which hopes to get the solar farm up and running by next spring. Building work will take three to four months.
Hampshire County Council's leader Roy Perry said: "Clearly there is a need for energy and sustainable energy such as solar power, is good in principle. However, much depends on the details of the scheme and its visible impact. Also the area between Romsey and North Baddesley is an important rural gap that needs to be retained and that is a factor that needs to be taken into consideration."
Source: http://www.romseyadvertiser.co.uk/news/11320089.Plans_for_fourth_solar_farm_in_Test_Valley_unveiled/?ref=var_0


text:
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 13th Nov 2012 22:24 UTC
"Advanced Micro Devices has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co to explore options, which could include a potential sale, as the chipmaker struggles to find a role in an industry increasingly focused on mobile and away from traditional PCs, according to three sources familiar with the situation." Woah. Bad news for competition in the x86 space.
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RE[3]: God forbid...
by Kivada on Thu 15th Nov 2012 17:19 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: God forbid..."
VIA/S3 is still around, but to get any of their Nano, C7 or Eden CPUs or Chrome 500 series GPUs you will have to go out of your way to find them.
VIA/S3 has focused more on embedded x86 and ARM SoC designs.
Sure, you could get yourself a VIA Nano Quad core http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/processors/quadcore/index.jsp and an S3 Chrome 540GTX PCI-E GPU http://www.s3graphics.com/en/products/class3.aspx?productId=19 just to say you have the fastest VIA/S3 hardware on the market, but it ain't saying much and even though they claim Linux support, don't expect much, it's best suited to Windows, but doesn't like that much either last I checked...


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Listen to today's episode of StarDate on the web the same day it airs in high-quality streaming audio without any extra ads or announcements. Choose a $8 one-month pass, or listen every day for a year for just $30.
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Grote Reber
Scores of radio telescopes gaze at the universe these days. They study the aftermaths of stellar explosions, "jets" of particles from black holes, and many other powerful objects and events. And all of them are following the path laid out by the father of radio astronomy, who was born 100 years ago today in Chicago.
Grote Reber was interested in radio from the start. He built his own receivers, and got a job working for a radio company. In 1932, he read about the discovery of cosmic radio waves, and was instantly hooked. He tried to get a job with established observatories, but no one was interested in studying the radio sky.
So Reber saved his money, and in 1937 he built his own radio telescope in his back yard in Wheaton, Illinois — the first dedicated radio telescope in the world. It was a parabolic dish 31 feet in diameter. He had to do most of his observing at night, because the spark plugs of passing cars produced a radio "static" that interfered with cosmic signals.
With this pioneering instrument, Reber found that the center of the Milky Way galaxy is a strong source of radio waves. And he compiled maps of all the radio sources his antenna could detect.
After World War II, many other astronomers became interested in studying the radio sky. They applied new technology invented for the war to build better telescopes, establishing radio astronomy as a major new field of study — made possible by the backyard telescope of Grote Reber.
Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2011
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The initial refusal of government MPs on the all-party committee to follow this long-standing practice prompted an unusual outburst from MP David Christopherson, the NDP chair, who virtually threatened to quit if the custom was ignored.
Conservative members proposed deputy ministers and officials from four departments be the first witnesses. The public hearings will examine the auditor general's findings that National Defence and Public Works withheld the true cost of the stealth fighter and short-circuited the government's procurement rules.
Christopherson said a failure to hear from Ferguson at the outset of the hearings would result in a manipulation of the process. He pointed out that the government pulled a similar move when the same committee was trying to examine the auditor general's report into G-8 spending.
"This trend is dangerous in terms of the critical importance of (parliamentary) oversight," he told the committee.
The Conservatives, who kept their witness list close to the vest throughout Tuesday's planning meeting, said they were in favour of having Ferguson testify and eventually bowed to NDP and Liberal pressure to make him first.
"We are determined as a government to have a full and complete study of the auditor general's report and that's what we're doing," said MP Andrew Saxton, the lead Conservative member on the committee.
Ferguson will testify Thursday.
The government has clearly heard enough from the auditor general, said Newfoundland Liberal MP Gerry Byrne, who noted Ferguson's last appearance before another parliamentary committee saw him accuse cabinet of knowing the stealth fighter figures were being fudged.
The bombshell report, released April 3, said National Defence officials low-balled the cost of the F-35 in public by at least $10 billion by failing to include continuing expenses such as pilot salaries and fuel. Ferguson estimates the actual life-time cost of the U.S.-built stealth jet is approximately $25 billion.
Both Opposition parties kept up the attack later Tuesday in the House of Commons, accusing Defence Minister Peter MacKay of presenting Parliament with misleading figures.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper lay blame on National Defence and defended MacKay by suggesting the minister was working with the numbers he was given.
"The auditor general questioned the reliability and the completeness of information the department had provided on these costs. That's why the government has committed explicitly re-examining those numbers, as suggested by the auditor general," the prime minister said.
During the committee meeting, both Byrne and Ontario New Democrat Malcolm Allen said cramming four deputy ministers from Public Works, Defence, Industry and Treasury Board into one two-hour time slot would not allow for adequate time to question the officials.
"There's no point having them here, so I can look at the deputy minister for Public Works and look at him and say, 'you're a handsome-looking chap,' and the chair says 'your time is up' and I no longer have an opportunity to speak to him because the meeting is over," Allen said.
"I want to speak to every single one of them. Under this time limitation, I will not be able to do that unless I'm asking them to state their name and their title."
Ontario Conservative MP Daryl Kramp accused both opposition parties of wasting the committee's time by grandstanding.
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By Tiernan Ray
Here are some things going on this morning in your world of tech:
Shares of Twitter (TWTR) are down 97 cents, or 1.6%, at $60.47, after Cantor Fitzgerald's Youssef Sqauli cut his rating on the shares to Sell from Hold, writing that "While historically we've reserved our 'SELL' rating to business models with structural challenges, we find TWTR's valuation to be excessive and currently see materially more downside than upside."
"TWTR remains one of the fastest-growing companies and one of the few key plays on the Social Internet, but at the current valuation we prefer FB and GOOG."
Shares of Microsoft (MSFT) are down 58 cents, or 1.6%, at $35.83, following comments yesterday by Ford CEO Alan Mulally to the Associated Press that he will stay on at the company at least through this year.
In response, FBR & Co.'s Daniel Ives, who has a Market Perform rating on Microsoft stock, wrote that "we ultimately believe an outsider (versus an insider) is key as the company is in need of innovation and a set of fresh new strategies to drive the next leg of growth."
But Reuters's Deepa Seetharaman and Bernie Woodall report that the company is actually down to a short list of company insiders, including former Nokia (NOK) CEO Stephen Elop and Satya Nadella and Tony Bates, citing multiple unnamed sources.
Shares of memory chip maker Micron Technology (MU) are up $2.07, or almost 10%, at $23.80, after the company last night easily beat fiscal Q1 expectations, and said on a conference call with analysts last night that it is taking orders from some large customers in the form of committed wafers, rather than selling individual chips, given customers are indicating concerns about shortages of DRAM.
There are no ratings changes so far, that I can see, but extremely upbeat notes from most on the Street, with price target and estimate increases.
Drexel Hamilton's Richard Whittington reiterates a Buy rating and a $30 price target, writing "Selling today for roughly half its EV/free cash flow of the early-mid 1990s, Micron possesses greater upside than even ardent bulls have yet reckoned."
More of interest to some is the suspicion that Apple (AAPL) may be the company that made a large preorder for DRAM, something speculated upon by Jagadish Iyer, of Piper Jaffray, who reiterates an Overweight rating and raises price target a buck to $32, writing "Micron articulated a large customer (we think Apple) has since signed a DRAM supply contract with a $250m prepayment for securing stable DRAM supply , which further validates the ongoing supply constraint on the backdrop of timing uncertainty surrounding full recovery from the Hynix fire and MU's own capex plans remaining intact."
Iyer raised his estimate for this fiscal year to $16.1 billion and $2.80 per share in earnings from a prior $14.9 billion and $2.60.
Speaking of Apple, The Information's Jessica Lessin this morning writes that Apple's introduction of a smartwatch is experiencing issues in development, writing "a look behind the scenes shows a few apparent setbacks for the project."
Speaking even further of Apple, AppleInsider's Mikey Campbell wrote late yesterday that the company was seeking to have a federally appointed monitor in the e-books case against Amazon.com that it lost last year removed from his role overseeing the company's iBooks store.
Citing a court document filed on Apple's behalf by law firm Gibson Dunn, Campbell writes, that Apple accused the monitor, Michael Bromwich, of a personal bias against Apple, citing remarks Bromwich made against Apple: "Apple asserts that by filing the declaration, Bromwich raised red flags as to his impartiality in the ongoing monitorship, possibly suggesting personal bias against the company."
"His wholly inappropriate declaration in an adversarial proceeding is compounded by his conduct and the circumstances surrounding his appointment and activities, including his reliance on preappointment conversations with the Court and plaintiffs as grounds for expanding his mandate beyond the terms of the Final Judgment, his active collaboration with plaintiffs to broaden the scope of his mandate in this manner and oppose Apple's motion for stay, his financial demands, and his adversarial, inquisitorial, and prosecutorial communications and activities toward Apple since his appointment," Campbell cites the filing as saying.
Apple stock is up $4.31, or 0.8%, at $544.35.
Shares of Google (GOOG) are up $2.71, at $1,141.57, as the Street continues to sound positive notes regarding the company's Q4 prospects. R.W. Baird's Colin Sabastian, reiterating an Outperform rating, and an $1,1175 price target, writes this morning that "Our channel checks, in particular related to Google's Product Listing Ads, support our thesis that Google would benefit from significant growth in PLA, despite overall mixed e-commerce data points."
"Specifically, Google is now monetizing e-commerce related searches that previously generated free traffic for merchants."
Google is set to report results on January 30th.
Shares of networking equipment firm Riverbed Technology (RVBD) are up $2.01, or 11%, at $19.86, after activist investors Elliot Management, which holds 10.5 % of the shares, this morning made an offer of $19 per share to buy out the shares, 6% above yesterday's closing price.
Writes Elliot in its letter to the company's board, "Riverbed's valuation has been impaired by slowing growth in its core WAN optimization market and by significant investments in both acquisitions and operating expenses undertaken to diversify away from the core WAN optimization business."
"As a result, we believe the Company's stock, prior to the filing of our 13D, meaningfully underperformed its peers and indices over nearly every significant time period."
The stock's trading above the offer, obviously, and so some think another offer may be forthcoming. As FBR's Ives this morning writes, "we believe other strategic and financial buyers could enter the Riverbed bidding process over the coming months as this remains a core strategic asset within the broader technology food chain."
"In our opinion, if not Elliott, we see a financial/private equity buyer as the most likely bidder."


text: William and Denise (Murphy) Bartlett of Morris, Ill., will celebrate 40 years of marriage on July 28, 2013. Bill and Denise were married in Chicago. They are the proud parents of two sons and grandparents of five — William and Candice, who have three children, and Vince and Andrea, who have two children. William is retired from Exelon and Denise from the medical field, having worked for 40 years at various institutions. They will be celebrating their anniversary with family members.


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Tony Stewart revealed on Friday that Ryan Newman will not return to Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2014 Sprint Cup Series season.
Stewart, who is co-owner of SHR, said the team will not expand to a four-car operation next season. Earlier this year, Kevin Harvick confirmed that he is leaving Richard Childress Racing at the end of this season and joining SHR next year. Harvick will be teammates with Stewart and Danica Patrick.
Earlier in the day, officials from Anheuser-Busch and SHR announced that Harvick will drive the No. 4 Chevrolet, with Budweiser serving as primary sponsor for the team for 20 races as well as the preseason event at Daytona International Speedway next year. Budweiser also will serve as a major associate sponsor for Harvick in the remaining races on the Sprint Cup schedule.
Newman has driven the No. 39 car for SHR since the start of the 2009 season.
"We are not ready to expand to a fourth team," Stewart said during a press conference at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the site of this weekend's Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races. "Unfortunately, this will be the last year that we have Ryan with us. That's probably what has made this a bittersweet day. I'm bringing in another one of my friends to the organization, but also knowing that, I'm losing a friend at the end of the year to the organization.
"The number one thing when Ryan and I spoke is that our friendship will not change. This was a business decision that was Gene's (team co-owner Gene Haas) as well as mine, and it was a hard decision. There is a personal side, and there is a business side. For Ryan and I, we had to put the personal bit of it aside to work through the business part. I'll do everything I can to help Ryan in any way I can moving forward to try to help him in his effort to find another team next year. I'm behind him 100 percent."
Newman drove for Penske Racing in Cup from 2000-08, winning the Daytona 500 in his final year with Roger Penske's team. Three of Newman's 16 victories in the series came with SHR. He is currently 16th in the point standings and has yet to win a race this season.
"I've had a good run (with Stewart-Haas Racing), and I look forward to finishing out this year," Harvick said. "I look forward to the opportunity of making the Chase (for the Sprint Cup championship) and winning races and putting ourselves to have a chance to win the championship. That's my ultimate goal and always has been.
"I do not know what my future holds. I have no idea right now. And I didn't have any idea at this time last year. So I guess that is something that weighs on my shoulders. I have a little bit of homework to do."
Harvick has driven the No. 29 car for RCR in Cup since replacing Dale Earnhardt after Earnhardt's fatal crash in the 2001 Daytona 500. This is his 13th season with team. There had been a lot of talk about this being a do- nothing year for Harvick, but he has silenced his critics with a win in April at Richmond and then another victory in May at Charlotte. He is presently fourth in points.
"I think for me the Stewart-Haas piece was intriguing just for the fact that you have Tony as a teammate, and he has been a big part of what we did at (Kevin Harvick Inc.) to get it started," Harvick said. "We have a friendship that goes beyond the racetrack."
For more than 30 years, Budweiser has sponsored several drivers in NASCAR's premier series, including Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Geoff Bodine, Ken Schrader, Ricky Craven, Wally Dallenbach, Kasey Kahne and Harvick.
"Over the last three years, Kevin has been an amazing ambassador for Budweiser, both on and off the track," Blaise D'Sylva, vice president of media, sports and entertainment marketing, Anheuser-Busch, said in a statement. "We value that level of commitment, and we're proud to join him at Stewart-Haas Racing next season."
Additional sponsorship for Harvick at SHR next year has yet to be announced.
"It's nice to officially end the speculation about numbers and teams, and as far as the sponsorship, obviously we've had three years with Budweiser and looking forward to moving forward with them as a sponsor."


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A table-topping Tigres loss, coupled with draws for Atlas and America allowed Santos to close the gap in fourth to go level with America. Pumas' win over Tigres also saw them move into fifth.
Morelia also snared three points as they took sixth whilst at the bottom it was despair for Club Leon despite a creditable point from America as the surrounding teams picked up points to leave them propping up the rest.
Santos Laguna saw off Toluca at TSM Corona thanks to Oribe Peralta's 70th minute winner.
Rangy midfielder Lucas Silva had given the visitors the lead after half an hour, only for Cesar Ibanez to level four minutes before Peralta netted the crucial winner to send his side into fourth.
League leaders Tigres suffered their first defeat of the season, as they fell at Pumas. Despite Emanuel Vila's eighth minute header giving them the lead, the table toppers struggled to get a hold of the game and the hosts' were level just four minutes later thanks to Hugo Ayala's own goal.
Martin Bravo grabbed the winner in an entertaining first half when he acrobatically volleyed home from six yards after Dario Veron's flick-on.
Matias Britos' early penalty was not enough to keep America at bay, who soon levelled through top scorer Chucho Benitez.
The point was not really enough for either side, as Leon go bottom, whilst America saw their chance to put pressure on leaders Tigres slip away.
Chiapas distanced themselves from the bottom of the Clausura table with a win over Puebla. Luis Lorona had given Jaguares the lead after 14 minutes, but DaMarcus Beasley levelled matters with 20 minutes left to play.
Jorge Rodriguez was the match winner for the away side, dramatically netting in the final five minutes.
Late drama at Estadio Alfonso Lastras saw both San Luis and Atlas score as the match ended in a draw. Matias Vuoso put the second placed side ahead just past the half hour mark, but David Salazar restored parity with just over ten minutes to go.
Mauro Matos and Isaac Brizuela scored in added time (which scored first) as both teams went away with a point.
Francisco Uscanga snatched a dramatic winner for Atlante on their visit to the capital to face Guadalajara. Rafael Marquez's 27th minute penalty had given the home side the lead, which lasted until the latter stages when Luis Venegas levelled things up.
Uscanga stole the headlines though with his late strike, which kept Atlante off the bottom at the expense of Leon.
Tijuana suffered a thumping at the hands of Cruz Azul, as they shipped five goals and finished the game with ten men. Mariano Pavone broke the deadlock after half an hour and Teofilo Gutierrez doubled the advantage just after half time.
Cristian Pellerano saw red for the visitors before Azul made the most of the numerical advantage. Gerardo Flores made it three before a later Javier Orozco double put the gloss on the score line.
Morelia leapfrogged into sixth place, with a narrow victory over Queretaro at Estadio Morelos. Hector Mancilla was the hero as he curled a free kick into the top right hand corner with just over ten minutes to play.
With the season coming to a close, the three points pushes the home side into a play off position at just the right time.
Cesar Delgado's red card did not deter Monterrey on their pursuit of three precious points, as Jesus Corona and Neri Cardozo scored in opposite halves to lead Rayados to victory over Pachuca.
The win leaves the victorious home side level on points with their beaten opposition in eighth and ninth respectively.
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SMS-Controlled Malware Hijacking Android Phones 94
wiredmikey writes "Security researchers have discovered new Android malware controlled via SMS that can do a number of things on the compromised device including recording calls and surrounding noise. Called TigerBot, the recently discovered malware was found circulating in the wild via non-official Android channels. Based on the code examination, the researchers from NQ Mobile, alongside researchers at North Carolina State University said that TigerBot can record sounds in the immediate area of the device, as well as calls themselves. It also has the ability to alter network settings, report its current GPS coordinates, capture and upload images, kill other processes, and reboot the phone. TigerBot will hide itself on a compromised device by forgoing an icon on the home screen, and by masking itself with a legit application name such as Flash or System. Once installed and active, it will register a receiver with a high priority to listen to the intent with action 'android.provider.Telephony.SMS_RECEIVED.'"


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Submission + - Android Users Most Likely to Get Laid on First Dat (itproportal.com)
hypnosec writes: All those who want sex on their very first date and that too one night stands, choosing an Android user as their partner could do the trick — at least that's what a group of researchers are claiming. A recent Match.com survey observed that Android users are more fluent in their dating habits and are open to put out on their first date. The survey suggested that 62 per cent of Android users are ready to have sex after one date. The poll conducted by internet based match making website also reveals that there is a strong correlation between smartphone ownership and dating habits. The poll suggested that 75 per cent of Canadian singles think that their love lives have benefited from emailing and texting.


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Juventus have announced the signing of defender Federico Peluso from Atalanta on a six-month loan deal.
The 28-year-old arrived in Turin on Wednesday for a successful medical after he agreed personal terms with the Bianconeri in advance.
Juve have paid a fee of €1.5 million to take him on loan, and have the option to buy him permanently for €3.5m at the season's end.
"Obviously it's all really exciting and I'm delighted," he told the club's official website.
"I don't think there could be a better way to start off the new year. I'm enjoying the moment and hopefully there will be more good moments to come.
"[The last six months] have been, without a doubt, the best of my whole career, and that's what gave me the chance to come to Juventus.
"I'm grateful to everyone. It really is a dream come true for me to be here."
Peluso, who has three Italy caps to his name, joined Atalanta from AlbinoLeffe in 2009 and went on to appear 116 times in all competitions for the club, scoring four times.
Reports in Italy suggest that the Bergamese outfit have already identified Genoa duo Cesare Bovo and Michele Canini as potential replacements for the Juve new boy.
Source: Goal


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11 Oct
Giving thanks today, health because, buy seriously, life is really pretty awesome, notwithstanding the bullshit that we sometimes get distracted by, and also because someone else is making the turkey. And because I have the luxury of measuring daily happinesses against the amounts of random bullshit that I need to cope with and whether or not someone else is doing the cooking. And because the sun is shining, and my children are smiling, and those things in themselves are reason enough.
(Happy Thanksgiving from the Great And Currently Really Not All That White North.)


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A resident from Washington has been named the top horseshoe pitcher in the state. Austin Witt took first place in the Junior's Championship Class at the Iowa State Fair on Sunday. Winning second place in the Class A Junior Division was Michael Witt from Washington.
There are three classes that compete for the top spot including the Women's Championship Class and Open Singles. Taking fourth in the Class A Division of the Open Singles class was Tom Cranston from Keswick. The State Fair hosts both Championship and Open Class competitions every day of the Fair with Division winners crowned daily.
Some locals also placed well in the 4-H Horse and Pony competition. Mason Wiles of Wellman was named Champion in Miniature Horse Showmanship and Cheyanne Hunt of Wapello in Hunter Under Saddle.
4-H members from around the area were also named reserve champion in Pony Pleasure, Senior Showmanship, Junior Western Pleasure and Champion Trail. Judging was held between the 7th and 9th.


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Good Morning Nico, it looks like you have been hard at work on the computer, lol. My, what a handsome boy you are, your colors are magnificent. It sounds like you have two best friends there and you take care of them wonderfully, and run the house with an iron wing. lol Congratulations dear, sweet, handsome Nico Our Very Best Pet of the Day.
Jackie, Perry and Miss Daisy


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When faced with a major medical decision, it can be difficult for patients to determine when it's appropriate to seek a second opinion. Asking another doctor can help catch misdiagnoses or prevent unnecessary treatments, but they can also be a waste of time and resources.
When, And How, To Ask For A Second Medical Opinion
By editor • Jan 19, 2012


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BROOKSVILLE — A man reported running naked near Oakdale Avenue and Sharon Street Wednesday was arrested on fraud charges for giving a fake name to Hernando deputies.
Sheriff's deputies responded to the area, just west of Ponce De Leon Boulevard, around 4:45 p.m. after neighbors complained a man in various states of undress was running between yards.
Eddie Johnson, 28, was located about 10 minutes later, wearing clothes at that time, an arrest affidavit shows. He gave the deputies a false name and birthday.
Johnson, of Marion, N.C., was held until he gave his correct name and birthday.
Johnson was booked on a misdemeanor fraud charge of providing a false name to a law enforcement officer, and is being held on $250 bond.


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Pets and small children left unattended can be subjected to intense heat inside your vehicle.
With much to comment about these days, I hope readers won't feel my subject matter is trivial. Outside temperatures are on the rise, as exhibited over the recent Mother's Day weekend; beautiful sunshine and temperatures reaching near 90 degrees.
While some days are cooler and more comfortable, there is something you probably never thought about: The inside temperature of your vehicle. Pets and small children left unattended can be subjected to intense heat inside your vehicle. Rushing into the grocery store to pick up a few things can turn deadly for your precious cargo.
Leave your pets at home, take the kids inside the store while you shop and above all, use common sense. Even an outside temperature of 70 degrees elevates the inside temperature of your vehicle to near 100 degrees — windows open or not! If it's that hot inside your vehicle at 70 degrees, think of that same vehicle when outside temperatures are 80 or 90 degrees.
Palm Coast
I am terribly sad to hear of the plan to charge for parking at the beachside parks in New Smyrna Beach, and to restrict alternative parking. I have been vacationing in New Smyrna Beach for years. The small-town charm and unwillingness to "gouge the tourist" is what has made New Smyrna my favorite beach town. I spend a significant amount of money there each visit.
This plan makes New Smyrna Beach just like South Florida. Is it the beginning of making it hard to get to the beach, such as you see in Boca Raton and Pompano Beach? The "pay or go away" plan is extremely unfriendly, and I know it will hurt tourism in New Smyrna Beach very seriously. Charging for parking in public parks will likely hurt the reputation and prosperity of the town more than it generates in the kiosk income some city officials are so excited about.
Madison, Ind.
As a resident of the New Smyrna Beach area for 22 years, I am disappointed in how the city is ruining our way of life. I live in an area that is basically rural, although we are within a short distance of the present city limits.
Now the city is trying to annex everything south of S.R. 44 to the Edgewater line, and we resent it. Not only are they doing that, with promises they probably won't be able to keep — lower taxes? better representation? — but now they want us to pay to park at the ocean!
We have not gone down on the beach itself in many years, or go in the ocean due to age and physical limitations, but we do enjoy going to the Flagler Avenue parking lot and being able to see the beautiful ocean free of charge. If they put in paid parking only, we will no longer be able to do that.
Perhaps the city officials are trying to disperse some of the population with these tactics. We are certainly entertaining the idea of leaving this area now, with heavy hearts. We can no longer afford to live in our little paradise, where, even though our county taxes are the highest in the state, we have loved every minute. How sad that we are virtually being driven out of our home here. Shame on you, city officials. Money isn't the only thing in life. What about our right to pursue happiness — free?
New Smyrna Beach
Kudos to Holly Hill Commissioner Penny Currie for her solid and intelligent votes concerning the recent unrest over city flag-flying policies. As a 23-year resident of the city of Holly Hill, I have always been proud of the city motto, "A City With A Heart."
Why must that heart be filled with such pettiness?
Policies, regulations and amendments are always written with ways to enact change and re-evaluation. Certainly, our city has many more relevant issues than limiting the number of flags a property owner is permitted to display.
I agree with Currie's proposal to abolish the city's flag ordinance.
Let's stop the political nonsense and put the "heart" back into our city.
Holly Hill
During the last presidential election, the honorable Sen. Harry Reid said (and you know he would not lie) he had a "source" who told him Mitt Romney has not paid federal income taxes for 10 years.
I am wondering how that investigation is going?
Using the IRS to punish conservative political organizations is a perfect reason to implement the Fair Tax.
Port Orange
Why don't we learn? Your May 14 cartoon by Cagle Cartoons' Tom Janssen, depicting the U.S. stepping into traps labeled Iraq and Afghanistan, and Syria being the next catastrophe, is right on target. The only thing I would have added would be a picture of the grave sites of the 62,912 American soldiers who gave their lives needlessly in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
America is a great country, but we do not rule the world. We shouldn't interfere with other governments. And what happens after we have wielded our mighty swords of liberation? The countries go back to the way they were before our intervention. Why don't we learn?
Port Orange


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Secret Lives With Jane Velez-Mitchell
Aired October 18, 2013 - 19:00:00 ET
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pleasant Grove Police Department. Do you need medical? MARTIN MACNEILL, ACCUSED OF MURDERING WIFE (via phone): I need -- I need an ambulance. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. What`s the problem, sir? Sir, what`s wrong? M. MACNEILL: My wife`s fallen in the bathtub. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who`s in the bathtub? Who`s in the bathtub? M. MACNEILL: My wife. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Is she conscious? M. MACNEILL: She`s not. I`m a physician. I need help! UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, sir, I need you to calm down. Sir, I can`t understand you, OK? Can you calm down just a little bit? M. MACNEILL: I need help. JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: It was the 911 call that shatters one family`s perfect facade and spilled a lifetime of toxic secrets. A doctor, a lawyer, a devoted father of eight children, Martin MacNeill seemed to be all and have it all. JON LEIBERMAN, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: The MacNeills had a picture-perfect family, at least from the outside. They first met at a Church of Latter Day Saints event, because each of them was pretty religious. And they met, and basically, a love emerged from them meeting. They had children pretty quickly after they married. In fact, they ended up doubling the size of their family by adopting a number of kids from overseas, as well. So from the outside this family was a loving, picture- perfect, happy family full of life. But behind the scenes this was a family full of secrets. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. MacNeill`s secrets were safe until his wife Michele suddenly turned up dead in the bathtub. When his adult daughters started asking questions, they ripped open the lid on a lifetime of lies, exposing their father as a master of deceit. LEIBERMAN: As this relationship went on, many of the secrets began to be exposed. For example, this man, this doctor, it would turn out, was a doctor but, in fact, he had cheated his entire life to get to that point. He had faked transcripts to get into medical school. He had faked other transcripts to get into law school. So while he was a practicing doctor and lawyer for many years, he faked it to get there. And as this marriage went along, Dr. MacNeill ended up being more and more eccentric. VELEZ-MITCHELL: But did MacNeill`s toxic double life turn into a motive for murder? A Utah jury may soon decide exactly that. Here`s the affidavit where prosecutors lay out their case. LEIBERMAN: This is one of the most bizarre suspicious death cases, because there is so much circumstantial evidence pointing at the doctor as being a murderer. But there`s very little actual first-person physical evidence. But it appears that this doctor had planned all along that his wife would go in for plastic surgery, that he would talk to the doctor and have the doctor prescribe her a cocktail of medications that even a horse couldn`t survive taking in large doses. VELEZ-MITCHELL: On the surface it doesn`t seem likely. Why would Dr. MacNeill, who seemingly had been happily married to his wife, Michele, for nearly three decades, suddenly kill her? After Michele was discovered dead in the tub, Utah cops brushed off any suggestion that Michele had been murdered, convinced she`d simply drowned. LEIBERMAN: So police ultimately look at this case, the local police, and they sort of shrug their shoulders. They don`t question the neighbors; they don`t question anybody, because here is this prominent lawyer and doctor, so of course, we`re going to take his word for it. VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Dr. MacNeill`s oldest daughters knew something was off. Their mother was a stunning woman, a former beauty queen. Yet eight days before her death, she had undergone a facelift, a facelift she did not want but cops say her husband hounded her into getting. LEIBERMAN: The family was devastated, mainly because one of the MacNeill daughters had been having these intimate conversations with her mother, where her mother almost foreshadowed her own death at the hands of her husband. She knew she was having at least one affair. She knew there were problems in this marriage. And so when Michele ended up dead, the daughters and one of Michele`s sisters, the aunt, they became determined that they would not simply let this case go away and be classified as a natural death. JEAN CASAREZ, HLN LEGAL CORRESPONDENT: The family knew that something was very, very wrong when there was a determination that the manner of death was a natural death. They knew that that wasn`t the case. VELEZ-MITCHELL: As Dr. MacNeill`s wife healed from her plastic surgery, prosecutors say her physician husband administered a powerful drug cocktail that allegedly included Valium, Percocet and Ambien. He allegedly requested these drugs, even though the surgeon didn`t normally prescribe them: powerful painkillers and sedatives that, if served up too strong, can be dangerous. RANDALL SPENCER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: MacNeill has done a lot of bad things in his life. And just because you`re a bad man, however, does not make you a murderer. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did he or didn`t he? Those are the questions, the questions we`ll weigh over the next hour in the case of Utah vs. Martin MacNeill. ALEXIS MACNEILL, DAUGHTER: My mother told me -- I was helping her wash her hair, and she said, "Alexis if anything happens to me, make sure it wasn`t your father." (END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Your wife is unconscious? M. MACNEILL (via phone): She`s unconscious. She`s under water! UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Did you get her out of the water? M. MACNEILL: I can`t! I couldn`t lift her out. I let the water out. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. Martin MacNeill`s frantic calls to Pleasant Grove, Utah`s 911. His wife in distress in a bathtub. It`s April 2007. CASAREZ: A lot happened before Michele MacNeill was found in a bathtub by her little 6-year-old daughter. But once Martin MacNeill got to that bathroom, and according to legal documents, when Ada came downstairs and said, "Daddy, something is wrong with Mommy" that he just didn`t seem to be in a hurry. He told Ada to go next door to the neighbors and try to seek help. At the same time, then he called 911. But from documents, it doesn`t seem as though it was that standard 911 call. There was a lot of screaming, which can be normal. He was saying that he was doing resuscitation, but he kept hanging up. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Three calls to 911 from a doctor to save his wife? A doctor who sent his youngest daughter, just 6 years old, to seek help from neighbors. A doctor who failed repeatedly to give the 911 operator the right address, with each call disconnecting just before that crucial information was relayed. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, sir. The ambulance has been paged. They`re on their way. OK. Do not hang up. What? Sir? VELEZ-MITCHELL: Welcome to the "Secrets Lab." I have with me Dr. Gail Saltz, psychiatrist and the author of "Anatomy of a Secret Life: The Psychology of Living a Lie" I`m also joined by Dr. Robi Ludwig, a psychotherapist and author of "Till Death Do Us Part." The question for our experts: Was the doctor`s behavior when he purportedly discovers his wife`s body in the tub suspicious or not? Dr. Gail. DR. GAIL SALTZ, PSYCHIATRIST/AUTHOR: As a longstanding medical professional, I`d say this behavior was highly unusual. I mean, you have years of training. You`re basically dealing with emergencies. And then you`re in the emergency situation, and you`re flailing around and unable to stay on a call, unable to do CPR? That`s weird. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. Robi. DR. ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST/AUTHOR: It really felt like I was listening to a very bad soap opera. It was over-the-top. So I would say it sounded very dramatic. And given what Dr. Gail said, I would also say it appeared to be a bit manipulative. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s remember, he`s also a lawyer. LUDWIG: Right. Which could explain the manipulation. I don`t want to over speak, but it could. SALTZ: Well, I`m going to actually look at the other side, which is when people are in a traumatic situation, in emergency. They see their loved one. Maybe they`re dead. They can actually become hysterical. They can become overwrought, and even their training could be undone in the moment. So in that sense it still is plausible and believable. I could see why the police might believe that this is actually how he reacted, because he saw his wife drown in the bathtub. VELEZ-MITCHELL: But he sent his 6-year-old daughter to get help from a neighbor. I find that odd. Also, he`s a buff guy. He`s been working out. It`s just a tub. It`s not a well. SALTZ: Yes. Right. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why so much trouble, Dr. Robi? LUDWIG: Well, that`s why I wonder if he`s manipulating. He`s actually setting the stage for explaining why he didn`t do more. And I have a question. Even if it would be plausible, Dr. Gail, don`t you think anyone would try to give CPR? Like, was there any evidence that he tried to save his wife at all? VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well... SALTZ: For a physician it`s weird, but I will say this. No. Lots of people see people flat out who need CPR and don`t do CPR even if they later say, "Well, I kind of knew how to do it, but I felt in the emergency just frozen and I wasn`t able to do it." VELEZ-MITCHELL: Listen, his contention is he did everything in his power to save his wife. His adult daughters do not believe it. It would turn out the drama had started in the household months earlier. It seemed Dr. MacNeill was in the throes of a mid-life crisis, exercising constantly and gone for long stretches. Were these signs of fatal flaws in the perfect family, the beauty queen and the doctor who`d had four kids of their own and opened their home to orphaned children? CASAREZ: Michele MacNeill was special. I mean just to look at her, she was not only beautiful, but she had an inner soul, her friends said, that was giving, kind, thoughtful and dedicated. She originally was from California, and she met a dashing young man, very intelligent, that was on his way to become a doctor. So they married, and they had a total, finally, with adopted children, of eight different kids. VELEZ-MITCHELL: A perfect match, or so it seemed. But investigators say Dr. MacNeill`s so-called perfect life was masking secrets that went back decades. LEIBERMAN: Dr. MacNeill, by all accounts, has been a liar and a manipulator nearly his entire life, dating back to when he was 17 and in the military, where he was actually discharged, because he got doctors to believe that he had schizophrenia. VELEZ-MITCHELL: If Martin MacNeill`s life was purely a work of fiction, his wife`s was the exact opposite. RACHEL MACNEILL, DAUGHTER: Such a beautiful, wonderful, wonderful person, and I`ve written things and explained them. I don`t know one memory that I can explain in just a few seconds. But everything together is just -- my mother is just a wonderful human being. She deserves justice. She should never have trusted my father. VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s that love and dedication that would lead Michele MacNeill`s two eldest daughters to fight relentlessly to bring their own dad to justice. R. MACNEILL: Right away Alexis told me as soon as she could. She pulled me aside after my mother`s death and said, "Rachel, Dad murdered Mom." (END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir this is 911. Can I help you? M. MACNEILL (via phone): I need help. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Sir, they`re on their way. Is your wife breathing? M. MACNEILL: She is not. I am a physician. I`ve got CPR in progress! UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re doing CPR. Sir, how old is your wife? M. MACNEILL: My wife is 50 years old. She had surgery a couple of week -- a week ago. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of surgery did she have? M. MACNEILL: A facelift. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She had a facelift? M. MACNEILL: Yes. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Do you know how to do CPR? M. MACNEILL: I`m doing it. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Do not hang... VELEZ-MITCHELL: A facelift, loads of drugs. The insistence on caring for his wife. And then Michele dies in the bathtub. For Martin MacNeill`s family all too suspicious, but suspicions that fall on deaf ears. R. MACNEILL: Alexis told me as soon as she could, she pulled me aside after my mother`s death and said, "Rachel, Dad murdered Mom." And as time unfolded, I began to see so many different things unfold. LEIBERMAN: This family knew from the outset that Michele, something happened here that was much more sinister and cynical than simply a natural death drowning. And they were determined to fight. Now at first, nobody would listen to them. At first, in terms of the authorities, this was an open and shut case. VELEZ-MITCHELL: But even as the MacNeill`s family pleas went unanswered, they uncovered a shocking secret that would change everything. LEIBERMAN: As this marriage went along, Dr. MacNeill ended up being more and more eccentric. For example, he goes on a diet, and he loses 30 pounds. He starts tanning. And all the while his wife is accusing him of cheating, is confronting him, asking him, begging him, "Are you cheating on me?" And as it would ultimately turn out, Dr. MacNeill had lovers on the side. And these lovers weren`t just any sort of lovers. It would come out later that, according to at least one of the lovers, she thought he was, in fact, a serial killer. She thought, and he confided in her, according to her sworn testimony, that he had killed before. So underneath the surface, there were all of these secrets that were just waiting to emerge. And really, it all came to a head when Michele died one night. CASAREZ: Early on in his life he was in the military. He was discharged from the military, and he kept collecting disability checks, $3,000 a month he collected for many, many years. And he also then went on, when he was 21 years old, to actually be charged with check forgery, because he needed money. He didn`t have it, so he assumed an identity and forged a check. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lies, a secret life, alleged affairs. But was it Martin MacNeill`s last reported affair that dug his wife`s grave? A. MACNEILL: She had been concerned about an affair. (END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) A. MACNEILL: She had been concerned about an affair. She had confided in me that she thought he was having an affair with this woman. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Before her death Michele MacNeill had suspicions about her husband Martin and fears for her own safety. A. MACNEILL: A couple of days before my mother`s death, I was helping her wash her hair, and she started to cry and said, "Alexis, if anything happens to me, make sure it wasn`t your father." VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did Michele foresee her tragic end, or was she just paranoid about her secretive husband? A. MACNEILL: There were things my father wasn`t acting -- acting normally, and she was just very concerned. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Michele confided in her daughter and asked her to do some digging on her supposedly adoring husband, specifically his phone records. A. MACNEILL: My mom and I went through those phone records, and we found a number that he`d been calling, very often late at night. We called that number, and a woman answered. We did an online search and the name Gypsy Jillian Willis popped up. Her name is Gypsy. At first we were like, is this a stripper? Who`s named Gypsy. But yes, her name is Gypsy. Gypsy Jillian Willis. And my mom confronted my father about this woman, and he denied it. He told my mother that, no, this woman was a nurse that he was renting a home to. There`s nothing going on. VELEZ-MITCHELL: But there was apparently a lot going on between Martin MacNeill and his tenant, Gypsy. LEIBERMAN: The relationship between Gypsy and Dr. MacNeill was hot and heavy from the outset. It started, for her at least, as a simple affair. But it morphed into this sexual relationship that became extremely serious. The doctor was paying her bills, was paying for a place for her to live. In fact, two of her roommates would testify later that Gypsy confided in them that she, too, wanted Michele dead, and in fact, she was trying to brainstorm ways to have Michele out of the picture, as well. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she ever tell you about dating a man who was a doctor, a lawyer and a married man? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she say what this person`s name was? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She called him Neil, because she said she couldn`t tell us his real name because he was... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did Gypsy ever talk to you about cutting the brakes of Neil`s wife`s car? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell us about that. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: During one of her angry rants, she was saying -- she was saying that she was -- she wanted her out of the way. She was interfering with her relationship with him and that, if she cut her brakes, then she would just drive down the hill into a ravine. I said, "Gypsy, she`s got little kids in the car." And she turned around and she goes, "They`ll be in car seats. They`ll be just fine." GRUNANDER: Do you ever recall talking to Michele and/or Brandy about cutting the brakes of Michele MacNeill`s car? WILLIS: Absolutely not. GRUNANDER: Ok. And you don`t recall Michele responding with concern about children being injured potentially? WILLIS: No. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Martin MacNeill and Gypsy Willis lovers, but did their affair lead to murder? One thing is certain. Just after his wife`s death Martin introduced his family to a new live-in nanny named, you guessed it, Gypsy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALEXIS SOMERS, DAUGHTER: Right after her death he told me that he found the perfect nanny to come move in the home and he said her name is Jillian. I said "Dad, Gypsy Jillian Willis? Mom told me about that woman. She was concerned you were having an affair and you`re not to bring her into this home." (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Martin MacNeill did bring Gypsy into the home and according to his two eldest daughters, that`s what got them kicked out. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JEAN CASAREZ, HLN LEGAL CORRESPONDENT: When Gypsy Willis moved in, she just didn`t do the things that a nanny would do. I mean you think about "The Sound of Music", there`s a nanny right there who took care of the children. Gypsy Willis wasn`t that. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Gypsy in, family out. But that`s not the least of it if you believe what MacNeill`s own daughters have to say next. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SOMERS: As soon as my mother died my father tried to give my little sisters away to strangers. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELEZ-MITCHELL: April 2007 Pleasant Grove, Utah, prominent doctor and attorney Martin MacNeill`s stunning wife Michele dies mysteriously. Then Martin promptly moves in his mistress, Gypsy Willis, right into the family home as the new nanny and prosecutors say just as promptly he moves his once adoring children out. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SOMERS: As soon as my mother died my father tried to give my little sisters away to strangers. He moved the nanny in and then he moved all of the children out. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Not long after Michele`s death, Dr. MacNeill sent his 16- year-old adopted daughter, Gisele, back to the Ukraine for the summer to essentially fend for herself. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JON LEIBERMAN, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: Prosecutors say that Dr. MacNeill sent away one of his adopted daughters to spend time -- ostensibly to spend time -- in the Ukraine with her biological sister when in fact we now know that the real reason was so that Dr. Mac kneel and his lover Gypsy, the new nanny, could actually steal this girl`s identity to get new id cards made up, new social security cards, even new veteran`s benefits cards. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Gypsy took on the identity of Jillian Gisele MacNeill, and she and Dr. MacNeill they even used Michele`s funeral date as their supposed marriage date. But the two`s identity theft and fraud wouldn`t go unnoticed by federal and state authorities for long. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CASAREZ: The time game when both Gypsy Willis and Martin MacNeill both were convicted in federal court of charges around identity fraud and there were state charges too. Both served time in prison. LEIBERMAN: Investigators knew that proving that Michele`s death was a murder was going to be an uphill battle. What they had a much stronger case of was this identity theft and this fraudulent use of documents. So what prosecutors were ultimately able to prove and both Dr. MacNeill and Gypsy would ultimately plead to were felony charges of identity theft based on using Dr. MacNeill`s adopted daughter who is now over in the Ukraine, using her identity to procure all sorts of fraudulent documents. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. Robi and Dr. Gail back with me here in the Secrets lab. Now doctors, for some people getting away with things is a point of pride; it`s actually an ego trip. Even Dr. MacNeill`s critics say he`s brilliant. Let`s face it, he functioned as a doctor and a lawyer for decades before his secrets exploded. Do some people just enjoy living a double live and getting away, pulling something off on the rest of the world? DR. GAIL SALTZ, PSYCHIATRIST: Usually when someone is living a double life it`s because they`ve got intense urges to have whatever they want to have, sexually or otherwise, that are not acceptable and they are often unconscious. They`re often out of their awareness and it causes them to behave in ways that starts to create slowly but surely this double life. For instance, we saw early in his credentials in terms of getting into medical school were completely manufactured. Not on the level of murder but the urge to get to be something prestigious without doing the work and creating that double life. VELEZ-MITCHELL: And Dr. Robi, one thing I know for sure, water finds its own level -- DR. ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Oh, absolutely. VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- and then he hooks up with Gypsy and the two of them are a perfect match. LUDWIG: They really are. And I think for this doctor he really felt like he found somebody he could be evil with. And he really found pleasure in that. He could be himself. He found his other half. He found his partner in crime. And for a man who pretended to be this religious Mormon, doctor, lawyer -- you know, the -- VELEZ-MITCHELL: Taught Sunday school. LUDWIG: -- right exactly. That probably after a while felt too false for him. SALTZ: Actually what it probably felt was like a great defense -- LUDWIG: Yes. SALTZ: -- a defense strategy against these urges that would cause him -- LUDWIG: For a while. SALTZ: -- to do some bad stuff that meant a faulty moral compass. LUDWIG: But I`m going to disagree and say, after a while I think it felt like a shoe that was too tight. And I don`t know if he had a -- I think he liked the idea of getting over on people. He was smarter than everybody else. It was fun for him and -- VELEZ-MITCHELL: It was fun. LUDWIG: -- and it got him to feel very powerful. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Powerful. We`re getting somewhere -- digging deep. For Martin and Gypsy it was prison for two but not for the death of Michele MacNeill and that left her family pushing, pushing often uphill for justice. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SOMERS: There wasn`t an investigation. They never questioned my little sister who found my mother. They never questioned the neighbors. The whole police report is a paragraph and a half. That`s it. They never questioned my father. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: The dead woman`s daughters ran into a whole lot of resistance from authorities at first. They described the reaction from investigators as cold at best. And police refused to open the case. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SOMERS: Well we went to the Pleasant Grove Police Department and they didn`t even take notes. I told them my concerns about my father and his behavior and how it was suspicious. My aunts went in there. They didn`t take notes that time as well. They said, oh, those daughters are just upset that he had an affair. Lots of people have affairs. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Michele`s heartbroken family would not be ignored. They sent letters, e-mails, even contacted a former Utah governor and finally it all paid off. In January of 2008 the Utah County attorney`s office began investigating Michele`s death. And what they found as they dug into Martin MacNeill`s life was almost unbelievable. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SOMERS: There was so much my father had done. His whole life was a web of lies. (END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Martin MacNeill played the perfect husband, the perfect father, the perfect provider. But when his wife Michele died mysteriously and Martin and his mistress Gypsy were caught up in a federal identity fraud case and sent to prison, Martin`s secret and disturbing history of lies were exposed. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEIBERMAN: As prosecutors unraveled this forgery scheme, they started to unravel an entire past of lies and secrets from Dr. MacNeill. Not only did they now uncover that he had been discharged from the military at one point because doctors in the military suspected he had schizophrenia, he was given a lump sum of $3,000 a month that he collected over the next 30-some- odd years, taxpayer money that he got to collect because he had hoodwinked the military. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: MacNeill got benefits from the Veterans Administration and Social Security for his alleged disabilities even as he became a doctor and lawyer. In fact, he reportedly was getting VA benefits up until just a few years ago and investigators believe that`s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Martin MacNeill. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEIBERMAN: Not only did he fake his transcripts back in the day be, but he also had a felony conviction for writing bad checks at one point. And they also started to unearth woman after woman who claimed they too had an affair with Dr. MacNeill. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: But cops said MacNeill was also long obsessed with pulling off the perfect murder. And according to the search warrant he claimed he killed his brother years earlier by pushing his head under water after finding him in a tub. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEIBERMAN: Another one of Dr. MacNeill`s lovers testified in court documents that he confided in her that he wanted to kill his own daughter Vanessa because she had a drug problem and she was quote, "an embarrassment to his family". According to this lover Dr. MacNeill also confided in her that he killed his own brother and made it look like a suicide. In fact, this woman also says in court documents that she truly believes that Dr. MacNeill is a serial killer. PERKINS: Mrs. Walthall, the question I asked was whether you and Martin discussed killing. WALTHALL: Yes, we did. PERKINS: Was it a frequent topic of discussion or was it occasional? WALTHALL: It was fairly frequent. PERKINS: Did you ever discuss Martin`s brother with him? WALTHALL: Yes. PERKINS: Specifically Martin -- the death of Martin`s brother? WALTHALL: Yes. PERKINS: What did he say about his brother`s death at this point? WALTHALL: He said that his brother was a cutter, that he would cut himself to get attention. That his brother called Martin and told him that he had cut himself and Martin went over to his house and saw blood and his brother was in the bathtub and that Martin held him under the bath, under the water until he drowned. And I asked like, is that, like nobody thought anything about that? I mean -- and he said it was not unusual for cutters to drown because they lose enough blood that they don`t have the strength to stay above the water. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Welcome back to the Secrets Lab. I`m here with Dr. Robi and Dr. Gail. Here`s my question: can criminal behavior be addictive? Like addiction, would somebody need to commit more and more serious crimes to get the same rush -- Dr. Robi? LUDWIG: Absolutely. The thoughts can go through your head and actually it becomes obsessive so that a criminal can`t get that idea out of their head. VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. Gail? SALTZ: We`re talking psychologically addictive not physiologically addicted but what goes on in the brain can be very similar. It`s the chemical dopamine that makes you feel good about whatever you`re doing, so good that you want more of that neuro-chemical dopamine going on so you keep doing the behavior and more exciting behavior to elicit the same dopamine high. VELEZ-MITCHELL: But listen Dr. Robi, he got caught in the fraud. So you`d think that would be a slap on the wrist. Don`t do anything bad anymore. Instead according to prosecutors he seemed inspired to do something ultimately the worst crime that you can imagine. LUDWIG: I mean in some cases these criminals can`t help themselves and that`s why we call them very self-destructive. They end up not only harming others but they end up harming themselves. SALTZ: Or what you could say is, as Dr. Robi pointed out, obsessive behavior is usually followed by exactly the behavior that is compulsive. I just feel in a loop. I have to keep doing it. And I have to keep doing more especially if the unconscious urge that I referred to earlier is underlying and pushing you to do that behavior like "I just want this woman." VELEZ-MITCHELL: One thing I`ll say, once you start keeping secrets you`ve got to keep more and more and more. Secrets cause you to create other secrets. And secret lives. Convicted felon, fallen father, failed husband -- but does that make Martin MacNeill a killer? His family has certainly long thought so, but would he ever be officially be charged with murdering his wife Michele? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SOMERS: We know what he`s done. We know what his plan was, and so many people have come forward and my father`s been very much actively been a criminal since before I was born. So, I mean -- and we know who he is now. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Martin MacNeill was formally charged with his wife`s murder in August 2012 five years after Michele`s suspicious death and prosecutors allege he staged an elaborate cover-up. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEIBERMAN: MacNeill has also been charged with obstruction of justice for a number of different reasons. Everything ranging from they believe that he lied, and that he did not, in fact, perform CPR on his dying wife, because when the paramedics actually came and began to administer CPR, Michele had water coming up out of her lungs, and out of her mouth. That`s the first thing. The second thing is Dr. MacNeill admits that he asked a family member to flush the medication down the toilet prior to police arriving at the scene. He actually got rid of what could have been very important evidence, pill bottles and pills. He had it disposed of. That was another obstruction. Also, police believe he tried to clean up the scene by emptying the tub, by using towels to clean up the blood, and some of the murder using towels and cleaning up the scene, I might add, police believe in lieu of trying to save his wife`s life. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Martin MacNeill`s attorney says his client denies any wrongdoing and vows to fight all charges. But his own daughters have made their own conclusions long ago. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SOMERS: We know what he`s done. We know what his plan was, and so many people have come forward and my father`s been very much actively, been a criminal since before I was born. So, I mean -- and we know who he is now. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Investigators described Martin MacNeill as a lying adulterer who disguised an affair and fraud with a lucrative medical practice in Pleasant Grove, Utah and a beautiful wife and eight children -- four of whom were adopted, but -- (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEIBERMAN: The medical examiners look at this case and at first they rule that Michele died because of a heart problem, that she had a pre-existing heart problem, and she died from that. Then they sort of tweaked their ruling and say, well, she died because of -- a mixture of drugs and this heart problem in her system could have caused this. But ultimately they changed the ruling from natural death to a suspicious death. Police and prosecutors believe that despite the cause of death, only being suspicious right now, and not formally being declared a homicide, they do believe that Michele was either, A -- murdered or, that Dr. MacNeill`s negligence led to her death, which de facto is murder. So, in other words, prosecutors and police are challenging in some ways the medical examiner`s findings, but in another way, they`re leveraging the suspicious death part to try and show that Dr. MacNeill actually did commit murder. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: So many questions. One certain fact -- a beautiful mother is dead, missed. And her family and authorities believe she hasn`t gotten justice. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RACHEL MACNEILL, DAUGHTER: Everything was stolen from us -- everything. Our memories, even. Everything we ever thought we knew, based on the lies my father made. And I am just -- I`m grateful now that we know the truth that we`re able to live in reality. SOMERS: I know he`s going to be fighting this. He thought he could get away with the perfect crime and I think he`s upset that he`s been caught. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s adamantly professed his innocence from the beginning -- continues to do so. I`m confident when all the evidence in this case is heard that the jury will conclude that he`s not guilty. MACNEILL: The world now knows that my daughter has committed murder. (END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: Murder, or just a tragic accident? A mystery, years in the making that may soon be solved one way or the other. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell. Thanks for joining us for SECRET LIVES. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SOMERS: Kind of horrible to be so excited about, you know, your father being arrested, but this has been such a long, a long battle. MACNEILL: I know she wanted us to fight. My mother was a person just full of love and compassion. She raised four children and then opened her home and her heart -- wanted to help more kids, adopted our four beautiful sisters. You know, our mother -- she`s with us. She wants us to fight. (END VIDEO CLIP) END


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Lessons in Clear and Effective Writing
1) Mastering Compounds, Hyphens, and Dashes
2) Creating Coherent and Powerful Paragraphs
Alice LevineAlice Levine Editorial Serviceswww.alicelevine-editorial.com
9:00 am-12:00 noonMonday, 20 May 2013FL2, Room 1003
Is it bandwidth or band width? Should we hyphenate beamwidth and low frequency? Our first goal in this session will be to identify closed, open, and hyphenated compounds and learn how to handle compound nouns, compound adjectives, compound adverbs, prefixes, and suffixes. We'll explore the use of hyphens, en-dashes, and em-dashes to clarify meaning.
Our second goal is to examine how we construct paragraphs. Many of us begin a new paragraph simply by pressing the indent key, but that the approach is unlikely to result in an effective and coherent unit of thought. Paragraphs are like paper chains; each link holds one idea to the next one. Without a sturdy chain, a paragraph falls apart. We will analyze weak paragraphs and learn how to transform them into successful transmitters of our message.
If you would like to submit questions and text samples on these two topics, please send them to Alice Levine (firstname.lastname@example.com) by May 14, so she can address them in the session.
To be sure that there are enough handouts for all participants, please email Jielun Sun (email@example.com) if you plan to participate in this workshop.