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At a time when the freedoms many Americans once took for granted are under concerted attack, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-New York) - a vocal proponent of civil liberties over his nearly 20 years in office - has a lot on his plate. Most recently, Nadler spoke out against the political maneuvering leading up to the debt deal. In a statement after his vote against the final "compromise," he criticized the Congressional "blackmailers" and their "unbalanced, callous plan that will strangle the middle class and working poor, to say nothing of the elderly and kids." As the country waits to see how the Congressional "supercommittee" will divvy up the required $1.5 trillion in cuts, Nadler spoke with Truthout about the political upheaval that has accompanied our ongoing economic turmoil.
Alissa Bohling: Under Obama, civil liberties have eroded even further than they did under Bush. He broke his campaign promise to close Guantanamo and approved extending the most controversial PATRIOT Act provisions, among other things ...
Rep. Jerry Nadler: I think the president is subject to a lot of criticisms on civil liberties. I don't think breaking his campaign promise on closing Guantanamo is one of them. They have tried that, and they've been stymied by Congress. Everything else I'd probably agree with you.
AB: So, focusing just on the fact that he's approved extending the PATRIOT Act provisions, and that overall we've seen things erode under him - why do you think Obama's performance on civil liberties has received less attention than Bush's? Is it just the economic crisis or are there other factors?
JN: I don't know. I've certainly tried to raise concerns. You've got a number of things: they have a war on whistleblowers which is much more extensive than previous administrations. They're trying to extend, as a matter of law, the Espionage Act, although they're losing in court on that. The Espionage Act of 1917 makes it a crime to divulge secret information. Now, that's always been interpreted in the United States to mean that, if I am a government employee or CIA employee or Defense Department worker, and I have secret information and I give it to you and you publish it, I'm guilty of a crime, but you aren't. Because it's my duty not to divulge the information. You got the information, you're free to publish it: freedom of the press.
Now, that is not true under the Official Secrets Act in Great Britain. Attempts have been made from time to time in the United States to pass a law analogous to the Official Secrets Act and have always been rebuffed. The administration is trying, through a number of court prosecutions, to get the courts to interpret it as criminal for you to publish, as well as for me to give you the information. They haven't succeeded yet, but that would be very, very dangerous because that would shut down much of the information that we get.
For example, it's certainly a crime for whoever gave WikiLeaks the information if it was classified. It's not a crime, or it's never been considered a crime, for WikiLeaks to publish the information or to give it to The New York Times. And we don't want to extend that, because you'd really shut down freedom of the press to a large extent.
The worst issue is the state secrets issue. Obama hasn't been worse than Bush, but he's been equally bad, which is pretty bad. The real issue with state secrets is - I've got to give you a little history here, too, so you can put it in context. There are various evidentiary privileges. You can't be forced to testify against yourself in court - that's the privilege against self-incrimination; it's constitutionally based. You can't be forced to testify against your spouse: common law privilege. There are various privileges against testimony, against introducing evidence. In 1948, an Air Force bomber crashed in Georgia, killing everybody aboard. Among those killed were three civilians, allegedly on contract with the CIA, doing some sort of civilian research. The widow of one of the civilian workers sued the Air Force for wrongful death. In discovery, she asked the Air Force to produce the accident report. The Air Force comes back and says, "No, we cannot give you the accident report because it would reveal too much of the secret nature about the secret research they were doing, and it's a danger to national security, and it's a state secret." This goes up to the Supreme Court, which, in 1953, agrees with the Air Force and thus establishes the new common law privilege of state secrets. You can't be forced to reveal a state secret in a court. That's the original State Secrets Doctrine.
Now, it turns out that in 1996, the daughter of the plaintiffs found the now-declassified accident report on the Internet, and it said nothing about secret research or anything else. So, the case that established the privilege was a fraud. In fact, there was no issue of secrecy. The Air Force simply made it up because they didn't want to have to pay damages, or they didn't want to be embarrassed. The accident report did show the multiple careless errors that caused the plane to crash, which was really what the Air Force was hiding.
So, along comes the Bush administration. This use of the State Secrets Act had been used to say that you can't have this piece of evidence in a civil trial because it would reveal a state secret, and it was used very sparingly. The Bush administration made two changes. One, they started using it all the time, and two, they extended it. They used it not only to deny evidence in a court proceeding, but they also said, "O.K., you bring a lawsuit. Sue the CIA for torturing you, or kidnapping you," or whatever, and they would move to dismiss the case right up front, before anything happened in the case, on the grounds that the case itself is a state secret, or that hearing the case would necessitate the revelation of a state secret. And many courts said, yes, we'll dismiss the case merely on the assertion, without requiring the administration to prove it, even to the satisfaction of the court.
The danger of this is that, with respect to any right that any of us has, whether guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, the statute, whatever - how do you enforce it? There's an ancient maxim in law that says, "There is no right without a remedy." If you can't enforce a right, it doesn't mean anything. The only way you enforce a right, ultimately, is by suing, either for injunctive relief - stop doing that, says the court - or damages - give me damages because you should have done it, and don't do it again. If the administration can stop any lawsuit, right up front, by simply intoning the magic words, "state secrets," then there's nothing to protect any of our rights.
That's what Bush did, going through the courts. Now, I introduced legislation, as did Senators Kennedy, Leahy and Specter, back in 2006 or 2007, to make two changes to the State Secrets Act. One was to say you couldn't, on the basis of state secrets, move to dismiss a case right up front. You could move to suppress evidence and maybe the case gets dismissed because all the evidence gets suppressed, but you couldn't dismiss the case. Second, if you're asking that evidence be suppressed, you have to prove to a court in camera - the court is given authority to appoint security-cleared attorneys, a magistrate, and so forth - but you have to prove to the court that it is necessary to suppress this evidence. And if the court ultimately agrees, then is there a summary of the evidence that can substitute? And if the court ultimately says that you can admit the evidence, and the administration still says it's too dangerous, then O.K., you don't admit the evidence, but the point of fact to which the evidence is relevant is decided automatically against the government. And if the evidence is ultimately suppressed by the court because it really is too dangerous, then you have a more difficult situation. The court is instructed to act in the interest of justice, whatever that is.
Now, the administration has doubled down with the Bush administration in going into court and opposing any restriction on the State Secrets Act. And they came out with a statement a year ago May, essentially saying that they would be much more careful in its use, and they would be limited in it use, and only a committee including the deputy attorney general could authorize it.
AB: And have they followed through on that?
JN: Well, maybe, but it doesn't matter, because it's essentially still saying, "Trust us." And the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in ruling on this question, at least the three-judge panel said - it was overturned later, 5-4, by a full panel - but the three-judge panel said that the executive could not be its own judge. And that's the key: no branch of government can judge its own actions.
So, essentially what they've put into place are things that are supposed to say, "Don't worry, we'll handle it better," and maybe they will, but what about their successors? Or maybe they won't. So far, they have used the State Secrets Act to frustrate everybody who's tried to get into court to allege torture or to allege rendition or illegal wiretapping.
AB: And the next question becomes, because that enables this now entrenched pattern of impunity, what does that mean, for people in other countries and for Americans?
JN: It's terrible. It's ultimately tyrannical. You cannot have anybody - certainly not the executive branch of government - have impunity. And that's what I meant when I said you have no rights unless you have a way of enforcing the rights. So far, there have been cases ... Canadian Parliament voted $10 or 12 million indemnity to Maher Arar for their role in giving the wrong information to the FBI, which then kidnapped him and he was rendered to Syria, where he was tortured. They eventually figured they got the wrong guy, and he was let go. He tried to sue in this country and he was stopped by the State Secrets Doctrine. So, our government doesn't admit anything. It's not held accountable for it's wrongdoing and it's not stopped.
AB: And they're so brazen about it. So, something I'd like to hear about from an insider like yourself is, what message do they think they're sending to the public, or do they care?
JN: I don't know. They've tried to send the message that they're going to behave better, that they're going to be more restrictive. But the fact is, on a lot of these civil liberties issues, they have essentially been the same. And the real problem with that is that it's worse when they do it than when Bush does it, because by their doing it, they institutionalize it.
In other words, when Bush did it and we screamed about it, we hope the Democrat who gets elected will repudiate it. By their going along with it, it becomes accepted. It's very much like Social Security and the Wagner Act - the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) - instituted by the New Deal. You have the Democrats in power from 1932 to 1952 and they put this in. Republicans hate it, and they fulminate about it. In 1952, Eisenhower gets elected as a Republican, and, much to the chagrin of the right wing of the Republican Party, he doesn't seek to destroy Social Security and doesn't seek to repeal the NLRA. He trims it at the edges a little, but he basically accepts it. So, it becomes institutionalized; it becomes not controversial anymore. Same thing with Medicare. Johnson puts it in; the Republicans hate it. Nixon gets elected; he keeps it on, and by the time Reagan, who hates it, gets elected, it's too entrenched to do anything about it.
My great fear is that this very negative civil liberties stuff gets institutionalized because the Democrat goes along with it and doesn't do anything about it, and Democrats who might have been screaming when Bush did it now are sort of silent, and it becomes accepted, and it's precedent.
AB: And now that we're approaching the tenth anniversary of 9/11, what have we sacrificed over the last ten years in the name of national security? Can we ever get it back?
JN: Ever is a long time, so I'm not going to comment on that. But yeah, we had a torture regime under Bush. The torture has been at least nominally repudiated, but no one brought to task, no one prosecuted, except a couple of very low-level people at Abu Ghraib, and we now know that that was authorized from higher ups that no one touched. We also had state secrets used suddenly to stop trials; and we passed the Patriot Act, which has all the problems you know about; and we passed legislation to legitimize the illegal wiretapping that was done and to say you couldn't sue the telephone companies. All that is being institutionalized now. Things that wouldn't have been possible before 9/11 are now possible, and done - now what you read in the library can be surveilled. National Security Letters have been grossly abused, but they're still there, without the safeguards we tried to put on them.
And it's insidious, because rights gradually taken away aren't noticed until one day you say, "Wait a minute, where are we?" and it's usually too late.
AB: You're closely involved with civil rights issues, including gay rights. At the Senate hearing on your Respect for Marriage Act, it was pointed out that most Republicans under age 45 now support equal marriage rights. Public opinion seems to be shifting, but what do you think the prospects are for the bill?
JN: I think we will pass the bill eventually, not in this Congress because the Republicans won't allow us to take it up in the House. Maybe it'll go somewhere in the Senate this year, I don't know. It's certainly going to pass in the next few years. The question is, will the courts beat us to it? They may declare the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional before we get a chance to repeal it. The Respect for Marriage Act basically is a repeal of DOMA, as you know. There's a fair number of lawsuits that precede it; I think there's a fair likelihood that we'll win even at the Supreme Court level, and this may happen before we're able to pass the legislation. I just hope whichever can be faster goes.
AB: Former Weather Underground member Susan Rosenberg published a book this March about the years she spent in prison serving a 58-year sentence for weapons possession before Bill Clinton commuted the sentence in 2001.
JN: I was just reading the book last night!
AB: Rosenberg writes about the interest you took in her case. What motivated you to get involved?
JN: I was called up by Rabbi Roly Matalon, who's in the book, asking me to help her. The story was that she was in jail for a long time, her father was dying, she was an only child, her father desperately wanted to see her before she died. Prisons have a program under which, if the family pays for the armed guards, at the Bureau of Prison's discretion, you can get out of jail for a few hours to see your dying parent. Rosenberg's family had agreed to pay the $5,000 or whatever it was, and they were just refused. And I thought, this is ridiculous.
I spoke to the head of the Bureau of Prisons, and I said, "Be human. How can you not do this?" And he said to me, "Well, you know, she's still in contact with some of her terrorist friends from the outside." I said, "So?" And he said, "Well, you know, they're terrorists." Well, maybe they are, maybe they aren't, but again, "So?" And he said, "Well, it's very dangerous." And I said, "Wait a minute. She's going to be escorted by armed guards? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that her terrorist friends - if they are in fact terrorists - will come and machine gun the guards and set her free on the way to the hospital or on the way back?" And he said, "Yes, that's exactly what we're afraid of." And I said, "O.K., let me ask you this. Susan's been moved from prison to prison; she's been in three or four prisons. How did you move her?" He said, "With armed guards." And I said, "Well, how come you weren't afraid of the same thing then?" And he said, "Well, we didn't tell anybody that we were going to move her, or where or when." I said, "Fine, don't tell anybody she's going to visit her father. Don't tell me, don't tell anybody, just make it happen."
AB: And did you ultimately help and pressure for her sentence to be commuted in 2001?
JN: I couldn't pressure, but I certainly helped, because I thought it was a failure of due process. She was accused of involvement in the Brinks robbery, in which a couple of cops were killed. She proclaimed that she was innocent of that. There were two Brinks trials. And in the second trial, which she could have been a member of, the evidence was so overwhelming that five of the seven accused were acquitted by the jury. Meanwhile, she was caught red-handed in possession, and of having transferred over state lines, dynamite and small arms, and other stuff. For this, she was sentenced to 58 years in jail, which was a hell of a sentence, you know, 59 months for this stick of dynamite, 59 months for that stick of dynamite.
AB: The sentence itself shows a certain political ...
JN: Listen, they should have been hostile to her. She went into court and she called the judge a pig, she advocated violence, she made all kinds of crazy statements. And the judge quite properly said she should not be considered for parole as long as she maintains her current attitudes.
Anyway, she's in jail for about 15 years. But meanwhile, she proclaims innocence in the case of the Brinks robbery, and she demands to be tried. US Attorney Rudy Giuliani says, "I'm not going to waste money trying her, she's in jail for 58 years anyway." But she claims she was innocent, and she was never convicted or tried. She goes to jail, goes through a lot of hell, changes her attitude, etcetera, etcetera.
Then she comes up for parole. The statute says that the parole board is supposed to ask three questions and grant parole if the three questions get the right answers, in its judgment. Question one: is the prisoner rehabilitated? Question two: would the prisoner's release at this point pose a threat to society? Three, would the prisoner's release at this point demean the gravity of the offense - in the other words, we don't let murderers out after two years even if they're no threat to anybody and they're rehabilitated.
The parole board makes a finding that she deserves parole under the statutes. However, they said, we will not grant parole now, and we will recommend that she not be considered for parole for another 15 years, because of the Brinks robbery. In other words, they were sentencing her for 15 years for something she denied and was never convicted of. And I thought this was just wrong.
AB: And she was held in an unusual prison at one point.
JN: It comes out in her book. I was just reading this last night. I didn't really know this too much. She and others were held under terrible solitary confinement in very severe conditions; there were three women held, in a three-woman jail, essentially, in Lexington, Kentucky. They built the jail specially for political prisoners. Hauling dynamite over state lines is not a political crime - it's a real crime, but they did it for political reasons. In any event, these so-called political people were kept in this prison, which was painted all white, sensory deprivation, separated from everybody else, in conditions designed to produce mental deterioration.
AB: Sounds like Guantanamo Bay.
JN: Well, arguably worse, I don't know. In any event, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Prisoner's Rights Project ultimately brought a lawsuit, and the courts ordered that prison destroyed. They said it was cruel and unusual punishment, a violation of international as well as American law. So, I urged the commutation because I thought it was a failure of due process.
There's one other failure of due process where I have urged, along with many others, that a prisoner ought to be freed, and that's Jonathan Pollard. This was the guy who spied for Israel. In 1985 or 1986, he comes up for sentencing. He makes a plea bargain with the government. In return for pleading guilty, they will not recommend the maximum sentence; that's the deal. The maximum sentence is life in prison. And, of course, the deal is made with the US attorney's office. So, he enters a plea of guilty. After he enters a plea of guilty, the Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger, sends a memo to the court, saying this guy did all sorts of terrible things, and he's responsible for the deaths of American spies or whatever - which turned out not to be true - makes all sorts of allegations, and says it is imperative he receive a life sentence. This does seem to break the government's plea deal. The US attorney did not break the deal, but the secretary of defense came in over his head. Pollard asks to withdraw his plea; he says in those circumstances, I'll plead not guilty and let's go to trial.
They refused to let him withdraw his plea. He goes to jail. It's now been 25 years. And I think that the government broke its word. It's a failure of due process. It also gets involved with the Israeli issue, but forgetting that, the federal government should obey its word.
AB: Do you think you'll ever be heard on that?
JN: I don't know, but he's sick enough that it may not be a question pretty soon.
AB: Your district includes ground zero, which has been caught up, especially symbolically, in the struggle you're engaged in between security interests and civil liberties. Does that have an effect on your work?
JN: Yes and no. I was in the middle of the whole controversy over the Islamic cultural center, and I supported the right of the people to build it without interference. My position was, you know, religious freedom is at stake here, and people were looking to deny it for pretextual reasons, landmarking - they didn't really care about the landmarking. They were really looking to deny it because they were anti-Islamic, or because, you know, "It's a sacrilege; how dare you build a mosque" - not that it was really a mosque, but never mind small details - "how dare you build a mosque near hallowed grounds where the Muslims attacked us?" But wait a minute, the Muslims didn't attack us, al-Qaeda attacked us. You can't blame all Muslims, and you can't say you aren't going to permit religious liberty for Muslims in this country. I very much supported them. Of course, my Republican opponent last year tried to make that the major issue. In parts of my district, that would be effective, but frankly, you have to protect religious liberty.
AB: You also recently criticized this bill from Rep. Peter King that would protect terrorism tipsters from being sued by anyone they reported for suspicious activity.
JN: Yes, but that bill is widely misunderstood, and the criticism is widely misunderstood. There are principles of indemnity in law right now: if you, in good faith, complain to the police, or the airline pilot, about possible illegal activity, you're already protected; you're already indemnified. You don't need a new law for that purpose. The real problem with this bill - let's put it this way. Let's assume you think that I am a suspicious character, and that the satchel I'm carrying, oh my god, it may be a bomb. In fact it's my violin but, you know. So, you point it out to somebody. You're perfectly entitled to do that.
Now, I get really angry because the police hassled me as a result of this. Now, as long as you did it in good faith, you're going to win the lawsuit. On the other hand, I'm entitled to sue anybody for anything. O.K., however: the normal procedure is that you have to pay your attorney's fees. What Peter's bill says, is that in such a case, I would have to pay your attorney's fees, which would make it very, very dangerous for a victim of an improper identification. Let's assume that you weren't in good faith, that you just hated people who look like maybe they're Muslim, or had swarthy skin. Before I sue you, I have to be very careful, because if I lose the lawsuit, that could get expensive. It shifts the burden, and there's no good reason to do that. We're already protected, and the real issue is the attorney's fees, not the protection.
AB: So, you do think it would open things up more for profiling people based on national origin and so on?
JN: It would open it up somewhat more to profiling, but the fact is, you're already indemnified. And all the propaganda for the bill is, "You should be protected, you should be free to make a complaint." You already are.
AB: So what do you think their motivation is for trying to push it through?
JN: They want to make it easier for frivolous people, on a frivolous basis, to make a complaint.
AB: As we've seen with a bill like this, it's almost become taken for granted that people are going to be profiled as terror suspects based on their religion, based on their national origin. But you remain an outspoken critic of these types of practices. What is it like to work against the kind of momentum that's built up in this country since 9/11?
JN: You do what you can do. And you have to keep fighting. And you make progress slowly. Hopefully, you make progress eventually.


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(Neb.)-Neb. Bill Would Give Preference To Disabled Vets
By: Jeremy Anderson Posted at: 02/01/2013 02:25 PM LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Disabled veterans who live in Nebraska would receive a preference when competing for state contracts, under a bill presented to a legislative committee.
Sen. Charlie Janssen of Fremont, a veteran himself, pitched the proposal Friday to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.
The bill would give a competitive edge to resident, disabled veterans who are vying for state contracts against other resident and nonresident bidders. The federal government has enacted similar preferences.
Supporters of the bill say veterans acquire valuable skills in the military, but the service also robs them of time when they could have been working in the private sector or building a business.
The Nebraska Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America opposes the measure.

subset: commoncrawl


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John Hedgecoe's complete photography course
Simon and Schuster, 1979 - Photography - 208 pages
For the beginning photographer who wants to take clear, sharp, and imaginative photographs, step-by-step instructions, photographs, diagrams, and line drawings demonstrate all the basics
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text:
Survey Says… People Want Broadband! (Shocking, I Know…)
Ok, I have to admit, I'm beginning to think that the government would have some grounds to give a few billion dollars to get broadband to the underserved in the US (see my previous post for more details). After all, even at our best, we are years behind other countries for their normal Internet services. Furthermore, at this point in time, the best way to resolve the need for broadband services is to move. So… there is an argument there that bringing broadband to a desolate rural community would boost its economy.
Sure, I'll allow myself to see the point to it all, granted that these communities are actually being helped in the best way (here's a previous post on how well the government is accomplishing this so far!). I'm keeping my ears and eyes open for news about the broadband stimilus plans. The FCC has had a few things to say. I want to see what other people are saying and where we're going with this. This is all I'm getting:
They're taking surveys! They are asking people if they want broadband. Well of course they do! If you walked up to 100 people who had to walk to work every day and asked them if they would prefer to drive a car to work, 95 percent of them would probably say yes! Who wouldn't be a fan of the speed, comfort, and convenience of a car? Do we really need to pay people to go around asking these people this and writing us a pretty report about it?
Ask these same people if they want to buy a new car, and that they'll only get to pick from two types of cars, and that it will be quite an increase on their monthly expenses, and that they will have to wait 5 years to get the car available in their area, they'd probably say, "Forget it! I'll keep walking!"
These rural people are getting all excited and writing articles in their local papers about how wonderful this broadband access will be, but has anyone told them that they will have to pay a fortune for it and that it will take years for all of this to happen? Do they know that this 7.6 billion dollars from the government won't even cover half of the necessary expenses? You won't read that in the news!
Some of these stimulus funds will be used to take more surveys and create awareness about broadband (wow…). These digital communications companies are asking for grants to make maps of the greatest need for broadband (more surveys), and submit plans of actions, etc., etc., etc.
People. Isn't there a better way? There's enough surveying and reports and grant requests and more surveys to keep us busy for the next two years! And with every "act" and "program" the government establishes, that billion dollar budget is looking smaller and smaller. Don't hold your breath people. Nobody's going to be digging any holes, setting up any towers, or doing any other real work towards spreading broadband for a long time.
Broadband Rollout is Coming… on the Government's Horse and Buggy
If you heard about the government stimulus package that plans to spend over 7 billion to get broadband in rural areas, don't get too excited. This is the government we're talking about afterall.
Here's a few things we need to keep in mind.
- The current halt on afforable broadband service to rural areas is due to lack of interest for companies and for customers. Basically, it costs way too much money to get broadband way out to the boonies when not everyone wants to pay for it even if they did!
- Anytime the government hands out money, it has to jump so many hurdles and run through so much legislation that by the time they get around to it, we could probably have done it faster on our own with a big garage sale! Ok, ok… slight exaggeration. Anyway.
- There are a lot of big companies involved that will all be lobbying for their interests, and a lot of them are more concerned about their pockets than a few rural farmers waving their arms for a broadband bailout.
Here's some of the things we dial-up users in the sticks have to look forward to:
*crickets chirp*
So anyway… The FCC has been given until February to (get this!) define "broadband" so the government can properly dole out the funds. Yes February. As in next year. If you can't guess, it's going to take at least several years for this promised broadband to reach your rural little computer.
Why do we need to define broadband? Well because all these "high-speed" companies are giving customers such low-quality service that it's hardly fast enough to be considered fast in today's age. Check this out:
*Satellite services can drop your connection speed to that equivalent to dial-up as a penalty for using the service excessively.
*Wireless can become so overcrowded with users that it is actually slower and more unreliable than dial-up.
*Many "low-cost" DSL plans have connection speeds that are no more than 10 times faster than dial-up (keep in mind that advertised speeds are not guaranteed actual speeds).
You might as well just stay with dial-up at that rate! Oh and get this!
*Our fastest connection speeds here in the U.S. is much slower than the normal connection speed in other countries. So much for being an advanced country!
So now the FCC is asking some of these Internet services providers to help them decide how fast broadband should be (or how else to determine what makes broadband what it is–long story), and phone companies like AT&T are trying their hardest to keep the standards low. They want broadband to be defined as being able to achieve basic tasks (like web page loading) and not even including video streaming and gaming capabilites!
Guess what? That, my friends, is dial-up. And we already have that. Yes, this is going to take a while. Looks like I'm going to keep going to the library to get videos… But I'm ok with that. I never had my hopes up from day one anyway. 🙂
The Broadband Stimulus argument continues–An Economical Standpoint
In recent posts, I have been discussing my opinion of the stimulus money being designated to the spread of broadband to "underserved" rural areas. I live in said area and I'm not jumping up and down for joy. It seems to me that it's going to be more work and money and time than the government can handle. And I'm not convinced that installing broadband should be the government's priority.
Regardless, one aspect that I haven't delved into as thoroughly is the economics of pushing broadband to rural areas. Supporters of this broadband initiative says the financial outcomes will be well worth the money the government is spending and the profits will be enormous.
I recently came across a blog post by Shane Greenstein, a Professor at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. This post and many others Greenstein wrote in his blog, Virulent Word of Mouse, are based on his experience is a professional researcher and economist.
I had the opportunity of discussing these posts and his work further in an interview with Prof. Greenstein. His interest in the economics in relation to broadband began three years ago, during "a project to update statistics about the diffusion of broadband and dial-up," Greenstein said. "There is not a lot of data measuring the economic impact of broadband, so that allows for the survival of a wide range of passionately held beliefs," including those have made extravagant claims about the profits gained from pushing broadband to rural areas.
Over about 18 months, Greenstein collected data and wrote a research paper with the help of colleague Prof. Ryan McDevitt, The Broadband Bonus: Accounting for Broadband Internet's Impact on U.S. GDP. The study was presented to various organizations, including the National Bureau of Economic Research. Several of his blog posts I read included facts based on the data shared in this paper. Clearly, this guy knows what he's talking about!
The post I referenced above is not opposing the stimulus plan, but advocating reason among the lofty claims of a supposed 'economic transformation' that will take place from getting broadband to rural areas. Greenstein basically explained a realistic summary of the benefits (and disadvantages) of this broadband initiative. Those who make up the rural population who do not have any access to conventional broadband access are so few (about 5 percent of the U.S. population) that the economic impact will be small.
In addition to detailing the feasible profits gained directly and indirectly from increased Internet services, Greenstein mentioned other factors negatively effecting the success of this initiative. The lack of broadband adoption (just because its available doesn't mean everyone will want it), the costs of equipment and work needed, and the loss that some local businesses (including newspapers and post offices) will experience from their customers shopping online to save money are a few of the losses that must be considered when calculating the profit that can be had from spreading broadband.
Greenstein has not opposed to the stimulus bill since was first announced. "We were in the midst of the worse downturn since the great depression," he explains. " In principle, there was nothing else for the administration to do except something like a stimulus bill." Greenstein didn't really seem concerned with taking sides, but is interest to see how the push for broadband will turn out.
You can read Greenstein's posts and others he linked to if you are more interested. I found these posts to be easy to understand, yet informative and supportive of previous opinions I have given on my own blog. Let me know what you think!
Why We Don't Need a Government Bailout for Broadband Internet Access
In the past few posts, I've been talking about this idea of it being the government's responsibility to pay for the cost of getting broadband access to "unserved and underserved" rural areas. The initial simplified look at this logic seems to make sense, but if you look at the truth behind the broadband stimulus argument, you will see that some over-generalizations have been made. Wrapping up, here is my conclusion, and a summary of the false assumptions that have been made in the creation of this idea.
False Assumption #1: Many people (especially rural residents) don't have Internet access.
True Statement: Many people don't have affordable broadband Internet services in their homes. But most of them can get Internet access in one way or another. There are thousands of rural homes who use dial-up because that's the most affordable option to them, and certain types of broadband is not available to them. Sure, dial-up has limited capabilities, but you can still read news and other educational resources, send and receive emails, and load the majority of webpages.
False Assumption #2: Since the Internet provides so many educational and business-related resources and outlets, providing broadband to more homes would increase education and business.
True Statement: That's a nice thought, and maybe in a small degree that would be true. But business and education are not the primary uses for the Internet. Most people use the Internet for fun and personal interests. People with broadband have even more fun. With live audio/video streaming at a flawless rate, you can watch movies, play games, listen to the radio, chat live using webcams with friends and random strangers, and the list goes on.
Top 10 most popular websites—see what the majority of online users are doing.
Top 25 uses for the Internet—see this list for more ways to waste time on the Internet.
When you have Internet access, you use it. When you have faster Internet access, you use it more—but don't expect everyone to start being any more productive, smarter, or richer. How is this a pressing issue for the government (to the tune of over 7 billion dollars), considering what the majority of us are doing online?
False Assumption #3:The increasing use of the Internet for education and business justifies the government to grant billions of dollars to help make it available to everyone.
True Statement: Lets assume that everyone did use the Internet productivity, and that making it more available would boost the economy. Is it really the government's duty to expand our educational and business resources? Let's not pretend that education and business aren't already in place! We are a capitalistic society, we're supposed to do that for ourselves! Even if this stimulus plan did a world of good—and maybe ten years from now we'll see that benefit—the government does not have a responsibility to pay for our Internet services.
Where is the government getting all this money anyway? Considering we are deeply (that's an understatement!) in debt to multiple countries and our accumulated government debt balance grows by gigantic leaps and bounds, I'm afraid to ask!
This "lack of broadband" issue does not present some terrible crisis—people are just tired of dial-up or don't want to spend a bunch of money for satellite. We aren't dying or being threatened here! We are still farming, educating, conducting business, and communicating—even if some of us are still using books or have to go to the library to check our email. We'll find ways to connect to the Internet and develop new ways of spreading broadband to rural areas on our own. Please. Leave the government out of this!
The Truth Behind the Broadband Stimulus Argument
In my last post, I discussed an article that proposed that the government has a duty to provide broadband Internet to rural areas. Here are the reasons leading up to this conclusion—but this time we're looking at the whole picture. This information is based on my knowledge as a technician for an Internet provider and my extensive research on the subject.
More and more people are using the Internet. Yes, this is very true. In fact, the U.S. is nearly saturated with Internet services and one of the leading countries with broadband access. The growth of Internet usage just within the last five years is staggering, with many people signing up for more Internet access daily.
The Internet is becoming a larger venue for business and education. The majority of businesses have websites, and many of them take and ship orders online. Online college classes are still being taken with people getting degrees later in life. Private education for grade-school ages are offering online courses. The Internet provides a vast, no, gargantuan collection of educational information that was once contained only in books and libraries. Read my post about "necessities" that have been replaced by the Internet and technology. The Internet has, in a very short time-span, transformed our language, social habits, culture, and communication. Its actually kind of overwhelming to think about. And the advancements and changes not slowing down one bit!
People who do not have access to the Internet lack the ability to gain from these advancements. Quite true! It would be foolish to deny this. But how many people truly have NO access to the Internet? There are MANY ways to access the Internet:
Home/relative/friend's house
Library/Coffee shops/other Public areas
Cell phones/any area with a wireless hotspot
ANY home/building with a land line phone (dial-up)
ANY home/building with a clear view of the Southern sky (satellite)
Granted, there are some people who have many more options than others. I am not denying that there are "underserved" U.S. residents. I am saying that it would be foolish to assume that just because many people can't get common types of broadband in their home doesn't mean that a) they have no access to the Internet elsewhere, or that b) they don't have any form of Internet access in their home, or that c) people without Internet access in their homes must have it in their homes in order to become educated and conduct business.
Most people do have some form of Internet access even if it isn't broadband or isn't provided directly to their home. Those that have no access any type of Internet services whatsoever are a very small percentage of U.S. residents. The number of businesses in this situation is even smaller.
Many Internet and phone companies have essentially given up on being able to afford providing broadband to certain areas. There are some places, like my house, where they don't bother to install cable or DSL lines for obvious reasons.
The cost of installing the equipment necessary to provide these services to scattered rural homes would be enormous.
The income from rural customers willing to order the service would never pay the costs of installation.
Even if they did bother to run all these lines, etc., we are too far away from the source of the digital provider for a strong enough signal to reach our house.
These companies are not being petty losers. It's just really not within reason. There are many more complications that would take more time to explain (and perhaps I will post about it later). The stimulus money will help, but it's not going to solve our problems alone. We're going to need even more money–and probably several years if we really want to provide affordable broadband to all the rural and low-income areas. There's a long road ahead of this ambitious venture.
In the next few days I'd like to wrap up this discussion. Stay tuned! And feel free to comment! I'd love to hear from you!
Government Duties: Protect, Defend, and Provide Broadband Internet?
I recently read an article and was simply appalled. Unfortunately, this is not some loony outspoken voice, but a common conclusion of many recent articles I've read. Here is, basically, the premise of this writer's (and other's) logic.
More and more people are using Internet services. True!
The Internet is becoming a larger venue for business and education. True again… among other things!
People who do not have access to the Internet lack the ability to gain from these advancements. Well, of course!
Many internet and phone companies have essentially given up on being able to afford providing broadband to certain areas. Very true! This includes my area.
THEREFORE… It is the government's duty to provide broadband Internet to the unserved and underserved areas of the U.S. What?!
The duty of government is to protect the people. I don't know why that's so hard to grasp. Why should the government do any more than that? We are a free people. Free to create our own homes, jobs, and families around our preferences, choices, and beliefs. We are free to decide how to invest (or waste) or own money. The foundation of this nation was based on that idea. Freedom, and capitalism.
Sure, there are plenty of scenarios where people do not benefit from a capitalistic society. We all know the stories of the filthy rich and the dirt poor all because of capitalism (although that is not exactly true—it's because of injustice and poor decisions). We live in a flawed world—we can't escape flaws. Every other type of government also has flaws and disadvantages—perhaps more than ours.
But back to the duty of government. There are three essential ways that the government can protect the people:
Protect them from threats against them from the outside.
Create and enforce laws that create a safe and orderly environment from the inside.
Collect taxes from the people to fund these operations.
The government has since added providing education and supporting the disabled and unemployed to their list of duties. Regardless, since when is it the goverment's duty to provide broadband Internet?
America has forgotten their rights and freedoms and chosen a route of dependency and self-insufficiency. We are willing to give up freedom so we have less responsibility. We want to be taken care of and have things done for us. We don't want to work. We don't want to make wise choices so we have good enough credit to buy our own houses and cars. What if we educated our own children or fed and clothed our own poor? What if we were willing to sweat and smell to pay our own bills? The government would have no choice but to do the job they were originally meant to do—protect us.
This article that I read had many truths that are clearly agreed upon by the majority of us. I am not saying that providing broadband to "unserved and underserved rural areas" is a bad thing or that I am against the spread of broadband. I am simply proposing that our country is a little too dependent on being bailed out by the government. Unfortunately, the more things we leave up to the goverment to run, the less freedoms we have. Is that what we really want?


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Penguin Pointlessly Annoys Readers With USB-Only eBooks
from the screw-you,-customers dept
Reader Jason Alcock alerts us to another example of a company taking a backwards approach to value-added services by putting artificial restrictions on their content. Apparently, while ebooks from the popular publisher Penguin are available to borrow from Kindle libraries, Penguin requires that they only be transferrable by USB, not wireless. This, in turn, means that they cannot be read with the free Kindle apps on platforms like iOS and Android, since USB transfer is only supported on the Kindle device itself.
I'm at a loss as to what this is supposed to accomplish. Kindle books are DRM-controlled regardless of how they are transmitted, so it has no impact on the potential for piracy. Presumably Penguin thinks this will spur more readers to buy rather than borrow, but in reality it has just created consumer confusion and angry backlash.
Of course, this isn't the first time a publisher has tried to place arbitrary restrictions on ebook lending. It's an especially frustrating trend, because the entire concept of "lending" ebooks is already one big artificial restriction. When will content companies learn that courting customers is about adding value, not taking it away?


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Best Bets
■ The Kenai Performers present "South Pacific," directed by Teri Zopf-Schoessler, Feb. 22, 23, and 24 and March 1, 2, and 3 in the Renée C. Henderson Auditorium at Kenai Central High School. Shows are 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $18 for general admission, $12 for seniors and students, and are available at Curtain Call Consignments in Kenai, River City Books in Soldotna, at the door and online at www.kenaiperformers.org.
Events and Exhibits
■ Peninsula Community Health Services is having an "Employee Art Show" in the Cottonwood Gallery, 2nd floor at 230 East Marydale in Soldotna, for the months of February and March. This will be a mixed media show with the employees of the agency submitting their own artwork for display.
■ There will be a screening of the film "Booker's Place: a Mississippi Story" at 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 in room 108 at the Kenai River Campus. The film follows the story of Booker Wright, an African-American restaurant owner and waiter, who became an unlikely activist of the Civil Rights Movement after speaking out honestly and openly about the realities of living in a racist society. This screening is free and open to the public and will be followed by a Q&A session with the film's co-producer, Yvette Johnson.
■ Kenai Peninsula College will hold the following upcoming Arts and Lecture Series. The three events meet at 7:30 p.m. in room 109:
Feb. 21 — Anchorage performance artist, poet, actor and puppeteer Brian Hutton's will present "Best of the 20th Century Man" and "In Their Own Words: Emma Goldman and Adolph Fischer." "The Best of 20th Century Man" features works from parts 1 and 2 of his 2008 plays as well as new material. "In Their Own Words" looks at the story of 19th century anarchist Adolph Fischer — Hutton's great-grand uncle — and 19th and 20th century anarchist Emma Goldman.
Feb. 28 — Bill Howell will sign and present on his book, "American craft beer phenomenon and its impact on Alaska."
March 7 — Musica Borealis will begin with musicians from the north will playing chamber music together.
■ An all acoustic jam takes place Every Thursday. The jam is as Christ Lutheran Church in Soldotna on the first Thursday of the month, and at the Kenai Senior Center during the rest if the month. Jam starts at 6:30 p.m.
■ Veronica's in Old Town Kenai has open mic Friday at 6:30 p.m. and live music with Barb Anderson and Lee Johnson, "Just We Two," at 6:30 p.m.
■ Odie's Deli in Soldotna has live music Friday from 6-8 p.m. and Pub Quiz night every Wednesday from 6-8 p.m.
■ The Studio Espresso Shop at Spur Highway and Nikiski Avenue in Nikiski hosts an open mic night on Saturdays starting at 7 p.m. Call 776-7655.
■ St. Elias Brewing Company has live music Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m.
■ AMVETS Post 4 in the Red Diamond Center holds steel-tip darts at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays; steak dinner from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday; and karaoke at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
■ The Bow bar in Kenai has karaoke at 9 p.m. Thursdays and live music Fridays and Saturdays at 10 p.m.
■ Hooligans Saloon in Soldotna has poker Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:30 p.m. and live music Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
■ The Duck Inn on Kalifornsky Beach Road has karaoke at 9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
■ Mykel's in Soldotna has live music Thursdays from 6-9 p.m. Robb Justice, and Fridays from 6:30-9:30 p.m. with Bob Ramponi and Dave Unruh.
■ Caribou Family Restaurant in Soldotna has live music by Wally Hyde 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays and 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturdays.
■ Main Street Tap and Grill has Wednesday karaoke with Mark Gage, Thursday acoustic music with Dave Boyle and Dustin Aaronson. and live music with 9Spine Friday and Saturday.
■ Call Orca Theaters at 262-7003 for listings and times.
■ Call Kambe Cinemas at 283-4554 for listings and times.
Down the Road
■ The Pratt Museum in Homer has winter hours, Tuesday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m. For more information and a schedule of events, visit www.prattmuseum.org.
Submissions may be emailed to email@example.com. The deadline is 5 p.m. Mondays.


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Yesterday brought in the beginning of a summer heat wave that is slated to last for a while. LO has entered a stage of great distractibility . . . that coupled with her feeling the heat a tremendous amount is making nursing a challenge. She's not wanting to nurse for as long - and her diaper output yesterday was drastically reduced. My concern is that she gets enough milk to keep her hydrated (she sweats like crazy!). Is there a valid reason for giving her water during this extreme heat and humidity? LL is 18 weeks tomorrow.
We stay indoors when it's very hot. I'm just concerned as the summer unfolds as to whether I should be offering her a little water or not.


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Agent Orange: Answering the questions
What are the Presumptions within VA associated with Agent Orange?
The Presumption of Exposure. VA concedes that any veteran who set foot on the ground - the so called "Boots on the Ground" rule - has been exposed to the chemical herbicide Agent Orange between the dates of January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975. The presumption of exposure relieves the veteran of the need to provide direct proof of being exposed to Agent Orange. Simply having boots on the ground during the affected period is enough for VA to concede exposure.
Recently, VA has liberalized the means of proving exposure for Navy veterans. For a long time there has been debate as to whether or not "Blue Water" Navy veterans should qualify for exposure. The American Legion has a resolution stating that the presumption of exposure should apply to Navy veterans who served on ships located in the territorial waters of Vietnam.
Although VA maintains that Blue Water Navy veterans must prove they actually set foot on ground in Vietnam in order to be afforded the presumption of exposure, it has relaxed restrictions in two instances. So called "Brown Water" Navy veterans, those veterans whose vessels traveled upriver into the inland waterways of Vietnam, are eligible for this presumption and VA is compiling a database of all vessels which meet this qualification.
Furthermore, Blue Water Navy veterans whose vessels actually tied up to a dock in Vietnam no longer need to prove that they disembarked from the ships, such as for shore leave. The simple act of docking in Vietnam is enough to entitle a veteran to this presumption.
The Presumption of Service Connection. VA concedes service connection for certain diseases and disorders found to be associated with Agent Orange without the need for a separate medical opinion linking the condition to exposure to the herbicide. Normally in the process of service connection, a veteran must have a medical opinion (called a "nexus opinion") linking their present medical condition with an incident in service. The VA maintains a list of conditions which qualify for a presumption of service connection related to Agent Orange here.
VA regularly adds new conditions to the list of diseases and conditions for which there is a presumption of service connection. VA is in the process of adding three new conditions to this list.
What are the New Conditions that VA has added to the Agent Orange presumptive list?
In October 2009, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki made a decision to add three illnesses to the current list of diseases for which service connection for Vietnam Veterans is presumed. The illnesses are B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson's disease; and ischemic heart disease. On March 25, 2010, VA published a proposed regulation providing for the implementation of the addition of these diseases on the presumptive list.
What is the difference between a Proposed Regulation and a Final Regulation?
The procedure for updating the Code of Federal Regulations requires VA to publish in the Federal Register a proposed regulation for a period of public comment. The procedure generally calls for a period of comment lasting 60 calendar days from the publishing of the proposed regulation, followed by a final regulation taking into account the public commentary 30 days after the public comment period has ended for a total time period of no more than 90 days from the publishing of the proposed regulation. In this case, VA has decided to provide only a 30-day period for public comment, for the stated purpose of "...facilitate[ing] expeditious issuance of final regulations and to promote rapid action on affected benefits claims..."
How is a condition added to VA's list of presumptive disorders?
Every two years, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) reviews the body of peer reviewed scientific data about a wide variety of medical conditions and determines what, if any, causative link can be made between these conditions and the herbicide Agent Orange. The findings of the IOM are published in the "Veterans and Agent Orange Update".
Conditions can be found to fall under several categories including Sufficient Evidence of an Association, Limited or Suggestive Evidence of an Association, and Inadequate or Insufficient Evidence to Determine an Association. Conditions previously found to be classified in a category can be upgraded to a higher category if later peer reviewed research supports the classification.
In the report Veterans and Agent Orange Update: 2008, IOM found B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia to meet the criteria for Sufficient Evidence of an Association, while Parkinson's Disease and Ischemic Heart Disease met the criteria for Limited or Suggestive Evidence of an Association.
VA is required to respond to the reports from the IOM, and to determine from the reports whether the addition of any condition mentioned in the reports merits addition to the list of presumptive service connected disabilities.
What, exactly, is "Ischemic Heart Disease"?
Ischemic Heart Disease is defined by VA's proposed regulation as "...a condition in which there is an inadequate supply of blood and oxygen to a portion of the myocardium; it typically occurs when there is an imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand. Therefore, for purposes of this regulation, the term ``IHD'' includes, but is not limited to, acute, subacute, and old myocardial infarction; atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease including coronary artery disease (including coronary spasm) and coronary bypass surgery; and stable, unstable and Prinzmetal's angina. Since the term refers only to heart disease, it does not include hypertension or peripheral manifestations of arteriosclerosis such as peripheral vascular disease or stroke..." This is the proposed definition, and subject to change in the final regulation.
I believe I have one of these conditions, what should I do?
If you have not already filed a claim for service connection for one of these disabilities and you have a medical diagnosis of the condition, The American Legion recommends filing for service connection with VA. Delays could result in a loss of back pay benefits, and could result in further delays in the processing of your claim. For help in filing a claim, you should contact your American Legion department service officer (DSO), contact information for a DSO in your home state can be found here.
The American Legion strongly recommends that veterans who believe that they are entitled to service connection for one of these conditions contact their DSO as soon as possible.


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With the 2011-2012 NHL season quickly approaching, the minds behind a few of the best Ottawa Senators Blogs on the interweb have gotten together to answer the five major questions going into this season.
Last week, we took a look at the future of Daniel Alfredsson and if it was time for him to be moved. This week, we take a look at the future of a few current Sens and if their time in a Sens jersey should come to an end for the betterment of the team going forward. So without further ado, here is question number two of our Sens blog round table.
Here's Stephen from SensTown and you can follow him on Twitter here.
To me this one is a no brainer, it's Nick Foligno. You have to look at the potential each player has and where they will top out at. MilanMichalek has proved that when healthy, he's one of the fastest players in the league and can pot 20-30 goals and is very valuable on the PK as well. Plus you can't discount that he was the valuable piece we got from the Heatley deal and trading him so quickly would make it look like they're admitting it was a failure.
Here's Peter from Silversevensens and you can follow him on Twitter here.
Here's Nichols from The 6th Sens and you can follow him on Twitter here.
Here's Jeremy from Black Aces and you can follow him on Twitter here.
Tune in next Wednesday for Question Number Three where we discuss the Sens hoisting this year's All-Star festivities.


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How do you make your quilting work? What determines if all of the elements come together in a harmonious way? This episode looks at some of the ways to have a finished project where all of the "pieces" come together! First, Helen Gregory shares a patchwork computer bag-it's the choice of fabric that makes this project work. Next, Deborah Boschert offers a lesson on combining a linear background composition with organic shapes in stitch or paint-two very different elements that "work". Finally, Ana Buzzalino provides another machine stitching lesson: how to make perfect free-motion feathers.
Visit the Website: http://www.quiltingartstv.com/
Episode #1003 / Length: 28 minutes


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Nobody promoting the money bombs
Nobody using phone from home and the program is just sitting there eating money
No wonder the campaign can't keep up
You want to change the perception that Ron Paul is still in it to win it?
Blow up this next moneybomb.
Give all that you can
Get on phone from home
Start promoting money bomb and phoning right this second
Start organizing the state conventions
Site Information
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- RonPaulForums.com is an independent grassroots outfit not officially connected to Ron Paul but dedicated to his mission. For more information see our Mission Statement.


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2004 Baseball
At Transylvania (DH)
takes opening series from Beavers
By Ben Risinger, SID
baseball team (4-13, 0-3 HCAC) dropped two at
on Saturday in their HCAC opener, 9-2 and 4-3.
Senior Josh Underwood (Bluffton/Cory-Rawson) picked up his first loss of the year on the mound in the first game of the day (3-1). Junior Brad Moore (
Sophomore Riordan McClain (Upper Sandusky/Upper Sandusky) popped out two hits and double for the Beavers in the second game. Sophomore Randy Miller (Willard/Willard) received the loss at the mound.
Bluffton College will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Cedarville for one 9-inning game. Start time is scheduled for .


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The win seemed to confirm trainer Bobby Frankel's notion that the 5-year-old roan mare, once thought by the Hall of Fame conditioner to be "my next (2007 Female champion) Ginger Punch," may be best suited as a late-running sprinter.
Juddmonte Farms' homebred daughter of Mizzen Mast paid $5.40, $3.40 and $2.60 for the win while Christiana's Heat returned $12.40 and $6.20. The show price on Lethal Heat, ridden by Alex Solis, was $3.40.
"It looked like she might be beat," Humberto Ascanio, Frankel's chief assistant, said after the race. "I don't know how this guy (Gomez) found his way through. She was much the best, I guess. She's a nice filly."
"It took me a while," said Gomez, the nation's leading rider in money-earned the past three years, "but I had to ease my way out slowly. I wanted to split No. 12 (Christiana's Heat) and the three (La Tee) much earlier. But the 12 came down and tightened it up, so it took me about an eighth of a mile to get out. She's got good tactical speed, and I'm glad Bobby decided to run her here. It's just a matter of trying to find what suits her."
Three of Jibboom's four victories have been achieved sprinting, two of them on turf. The winning purse of $60,000 increased her career earnings to $337,600 for an overall record of 4-3-0 in nine starts.
The 40th running of the Grade II, $150,000 San Gorgonio Handicap, contested at 1 1/8 miles on turf, heads Sunday's nine-race card at Santa Anita with first post at 12:30 p.m.


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Reducing Fractions
Date: 3/7/96 at 19:6:17 From: Mrs. Carmen C. Medina Subject: Fractions How do you bring a fraction to its lowest term: Example: What's the lowest for 5 ----- 8 and please explain the procedure. Yasmin Medina St. Peter and Paul School, Mt. Vernon 4 grade
Date: 3/24/96 at 23:53:5 From: Doctor Jodi Subject: Re: Fractions Hi Yasmin! Having a fraction in lowest terms means that the numerator (the top) and the denominator (the bottom) don't have any factors in common. (Factors are numbers that divide into another number without a remainder. Six, for example, has the factors: 1, 2, 3, 6. Does this make sense?) Do you know about prime numbers? Prime numbers have no factors other than 1 and themselves. 2, 3, 5, 7, 11... are all prime. In order to make sure that a fraction is in lowest terms, we need to know the factors of the numerator and the denominator. The best thing to know, I think, are the PRIME factors, since the PRIMES don't have any factors themselves. for example, if you looked at 12 --- 15 you might (mistakenly) think it was in lowest terms. There are a few things that you can do - Learn to count by various numbers (2, 3, 4, 5, etc). If the numerator and denominator are both on one "list," then they have a common factor. You can divide by the common factor to reduce the fraction. - Learn some divisibility tricks - see http://mathforum.org/dr.math/problems/7divisible.html for some, and for division by 7, look at http://mathforum.org/dr.math/problems/divide_by_7.html There's also a foolproof method (well, I THINK it's fool-proof, at least), in the sense that it always works - it might take a bit more time than the other methods, though: - Finding all the prime factors 1. choose any two factors 2. if they are NOT prime, find their prime factors. if they ARE prime, write them in your list of prime factors. 3. continue until you have used up all of the non-prime factors. Now your list of prime factors is complete NOTE: remember that duplicates count: the prime factors of 4 are 2 and 2 Okay. So, for 12, let's choose 6 and 2. 2 is prime, so that goes on our list. 6 is not prime, so we need to find its factors. Let's choose 3 and 2. Now we've found all the prime factors of 12. They are: 3, 2, and 2. (Note that you can multiply all of these together, 3*2*2, and get twelve. This is a good check.) Now let's do the same for 15. 15 = 3*5. These are both prime, so there is our list of prime factors. Since we know that 12 and 15 both have 3 as a factor, we can divide both by 3 to get 4/5. Can you find the lowest terms for 5/8 using this method? Write back if you have more questions or want to know more... -Doctor Jodi, The Math Forum
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PLYMOUTH, N.H. - One of only three home meets this season for the Plymouth State College women's swimming and diving team is a tri-meet this Saturday at the P.E. Center pool against Simmons College and Skidmore College (1:00 p.m.).
The Panthers are looking to extend their winning streak to six. The string of victories reach five last Saturday in the first meet of the semester, a 114-93 verdict at Regis College. After opening the dual meets last semester with a loss to Westfield State, PSC defeated Salem State, UMass Dartmouth, Bentley, and Eastern Connecticut.
PSC will have a pair of road contests before the final home meet of the season, an important Presidents' Trophy confrontation against Keene State on Feb. 4th.
Seventh-year head coach Al Switzer is pleased with the performance of the team. Five individuals have qualified for the New England Championships, and four school records have been set.
"Both the divers and swimmers have improved dramatically since the beginning of the season," said Switzer. "Some of the relays are now beginning to jell. The biggest challenge facing the team will be to improve some of the performances to a level which will score at the New Englands."
Leading the way for PSC has been senior Kathy Boyd (Manhasset, NY). She has been outstanding in both swimming and diving, qualifying for New Englands in both areas. She set the school record in the one-meter diving (voluntary) in November (174.45), and established the PSC mark in the 200 butterfly (2:26.52) last weekend at Regis. She also has been PSC's top swimmer in the I.M. and breaststroke events.
Sophomore freestyler Meaghan Buckley (Haverhill, MA) has been PSC's top sprinter, and has qualified for the New Englands. She is unbeaten in the 50 and 100 free in dual meets, and has twice set the school record in the 200 free (2:05.84).
Other top performers on the team include senior Danielle Paturzo (Marlow, NH), juniors Mamie Ramback (Franconia, NH), Christa Smith (No. Yarmouth, ME), and Sandra Twaddell (Jaffrey, NH) and sophomore Sara Lagasse (Haverhill, MA). Paturzo and Ramback both reached the New England qualifying times in the 50 and 100 yard backstroke events, as Paturzo is enjoying a fine senior season and Ramback is returning after a year's absence. Paturzo has also been strong in butterfly and I.M. races, and Smith and Twadell are looking to qualify in freestyle events. Lagasse has continued her solid improvement in diving, qualifying for New Englands and setting school records on both boards, giving PSC a threat on the three-meter board for the first time in years.
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This new version in the popular Nike SB Stefan Janoski features a unique Crystal Mint colour weave pattern to a synthetic canvas upper.
Although designed for skateboarding, all of the unique assets of this Nike shoe transfer to every day wear. It is made with a synthetic canvas upper with padded canvas ankle collar and a traditional autoclave construction (that's subjecting them to high pressure saturated steam for those not in the construction industry) which fuses the midsole and outsole for a low-to-the-ground fit and streamlined style. In short, they're built to last.The toes are perforated for ventilation, and they feature a moulded sockliner with a built-in Nike Zoom unit in the heel for cushioning. The ankle is a low-cut silhouette for non-restrictive fit but the upper is backed with foam for enhanced protection and comfort. Lastly the outsole is a tacky gum rubber with herringbone pattern for added traction.Lets digest that simply. They are designed to be two things, comfortable and tough as hell.** You can purchase leather laces here.* Leather upper with canvas tongue.* Nike swoosh logo embroidery* Nike cork inner soles. .* Vulcanized outsole construction.
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DUBLIN — It's looking like the Croke Park Classic against Central Florida might be the only quasi-bowl game Penn State gets to participate in this season, at least if one report is correct.
Citing two unnamed NCAA sources, the Sporting News reported Wednesday that Penn State's four-year bowl ban can be lifted before the 2015 season if the program continues to meet and exceed benchmarks set by the NCAA established in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.
That would mean the bowl ban could be lifted a year early, but fans and some around the university had hoped continued progress would lead to the lifting of the ban this season.
As a reward for its positive work in the initial years of the NCAA's sanctions, Penn State saw much of the crippling scholarship restrictions removed after the 2013 season, enabling the Nittany Lions to play just 10 scholarships short of the NCAA max this season. The program will be back to full strength next year, scholarships-wise.
Much will depend on the annual progress report athletic integrity czar George Mitchell, the former U.S. senator from Maine, is expected to release sometime soon, and perhaps as early as next week, according to the Sporting News report.
Trace's place
Penn State released its depth chart Tuesday afternoon, and the biggest surprise likely came at backup quarterback.
True freshman Trace McSorley, not the more highly touted true freshman Michael O'Connor, will serve as Christian Hackenberg's backup Saturday against the Golden Knights.
"I don't thin it was a clear-cut deal where one guy just completely beat out the other guy," head coach James Franklin said. "You could have made the argument for Michael as well. But for a guy who only had a certain amount of reps, (McSorley) picked things up really well mentally. He always seems cool, calm and collected and confident. He has made a lot of big throws, and we really haven't even factored in what he does with his feet, which is a huge dimension of his game."
A four-time participant in the Virginia state high school championship game, Franklin said he recruited the more mobile McSorley during his days at Vanderbilt mostly because he was "a winner."
"All those qualities we talked about when we recruited him showed up," Franklin said.
The depth chart is dotted with local stars. Valley View product
Nyeem Wartman, as expected, was listed as a starting outside linebacker. Also as anticipated, Wyoming Valley West's Eugene Lewis is the starter at the X receiver.
Noah Beh, the true freshman from Scranton Prep, is third-string at left guard. Brian Tomasetti, a redshirt freshman from Old Forge, is listed as the fourth strong safety, and Berwick's Zach Ladonis the third long snapper.
The surprise of the bunch is true freshman walk-on Joey Holmes of Scranton Prep making the depth chart as a true freshman walk-on. He's fourth at defensive tackle, behind Austin Johnson, Parker Cothren and Tarow Barney.
It's still possible that Beh and Holmes could redshirt, though.
Walking the grounds
Before heading over to the practice facility across town at University College Dublin, Penn State players got a chance to eat lunch and walk around Croke Park, the historic stadium that will host its season opener.
The one thing about the place that seemed to catch everybody off guard: it's sheer size.
"It was really a great stadium, a lot bigger than I expected it to be," linebacker Mike Hull said. "We got to go up on top of the roof, so that was great."
Typical football fields are 120 yards long by 53 yards wide, including both end zones. Croke Park, though, is 158 yards long by 96 yards wide, the traditional size for the sports the Gaelic Athletic Association hosts at the venue: Gaelic football and hurling.
Outlined in the center of the field, the football dimensions look like little more than a tiny rectangle in an ocean of green grass.
"It almost looked like it wasn't the right size," Franklin said. "I almost did the "Hoosiers" deal where you take the measuring tape out there and measure to make sure ... everything was right."
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Today's event, called Let's Fly Wisely, marked the first FAA approved delivery of medical supplies by drone in the U.S.
This research mission was overseen by the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, one of only six groups across the U.S. that won FAA approval to conduct Unmanned Aerial System research at sites across Virginia, New Jersey and Maryland. MAPP is headquartered at Virginia Tech's Institute of Critical Technology and Applied Sciences.
The mission began when NASA Langley Research Center flew about twenty prescriptions from Tazewell County Airport to the Lonesome Pine Airport in Wise, Va., in an SR22 aircraft. The plane was operated remotely, but had a pilot on board for backup and safety purposes.
The prescriptions were then transferred into smaller packages, flown in 10-pound drones provided by Australian company Flirtey Inc. and delivered to the Remote Area Medical tent at the Wise County Fairgrounds. Remote Area Medical has served the people of Wise County for more than 15 years.
This project demonstrates one of the humanitarian outcomes of UAS technology could include delivery of medical supplies to underserved or remote areas.
Flirtey Inc. Founder and CEO Matt Sweeney called this a "Kitty Hawk moment" for Wise County and the UAS industry.
The success of this event and its location in the Commonwealth furthers Virginia's leadership position in the aerospace industry. To learn why more than 260 aerospace companies have chosen to operate in Virginia, click here.
Governor McAuliffe holds one of the first medical prescriptions delivered by drone in the U.S. at the Let's Fly Wisely event in Wise, Va. Photo courtesy of Virginia Tech College of Engineering.
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An inventive way to enjoy your morning coffee, this Camera Lens Cup is the perfect gift for any photography nut. Essentially it's a Canon EF 24-105mm camera lens hollowed out and lined with plastic, ready for a steaming cup of tea. Drink at your desk or take it on the move with you - it's got a nifty lens cap lid to stop you from spilling it over your fellow commuters.
All the dials, measurements and details are present and correct, making this the photographer's cup of choice. Sip away from this snap-happy cup!
Please note: The cup is not an actual lens but is made to look like a realistic Canon lens. The lens cap lid is not a screw cap.
Please remember to add postal time (2-3 working days) to obtain a complete estimate of delivery to your door.
You will receive an email to confirm when your item has been sent.
You can also check the status of your order and individual items by accessing your account details and following the prompts.
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It's up for debate whether Bruce Arians is more of a father figure or a cool uncle to the players he has coached. Either way, it was overwhelmingly evident this weekend that his impact goes far beyond the football field.
The Cardinals' coach held his Arizona Celebrity Golf Classic charity event at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa on Friday and Saturday, and a who's who of NFL stars showed up for the cause.
"He's like a father figure to me, and I just feel truly blessed to have that type of relationship, as my coach for a long time, but even now," Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "Even though he's not my coach any more, we still talk frequently, we golf together. I'm the player I am today because of him."
The Cardinals were represented by quarterback
Other players included Roethlisbeger, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, Panthers quarterback Derek Anderson and former Rams running back Eric Dickerson. FOX analyst Jay Glazer, actor Anthony Anderson, analyst Rick Neuheisel and University of Arizona football coach Rich Rodriguez also attended the event.
"You can tell he cares about you outside of football, (more than just) what you can do for him on a football field," Luck said.
[RELATED: A photo gallery from Saturday's golf tournament]
Arians held the tournament to raise proceeds for the Arians Family Foundation, which supports Court Appointed Special Advocates who help out children in the court system. His wife, Christine, has been involved with the cause for the past 15 years.
"She's helped kids stay in their families, help the families improve," Arians said. "She's also made the decision with the judge to take them out of the home. She's been fortunate enough to get some kids out and adopted in Pittsburgh. Not just get them into foster care. Foster care is better, but it's not the end-all."
Arians said there are 10,000 kids in foster care in Maricopa County and a limited supply of CASAs. The money raised will help train the CASAs who will then hopefully become a stable presence in the child's life.
Arians said Christine still stays in touch with many of the families she has mentored in past years, including the mother and son from when she began in 1999 as well as a girl named April from their time in Pittsburgh.
"April talks to her almost every day still," Arians said. "She actually resigned from being April's CASA so she could take her on a trip out of state. It was fun. They have a good bond."
The event held special meaning to Glazer, who had to go through the process of adopting his son for seven years before gaining full custody."Too often these kids are stuck in this red tape," Glazer said. "They're kids. They shouldn't be stuck in red tape. If somebody wants to give them a loving home, it should be a lot easier than it is."
Anderson and his four teammates won the event, shooting an aggregate score of 54 in the best-ball format. Bettis' group finished in second place with a 55, followed by Dickerson's group, which shot a 56.


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Coffee for March delivery fell 1.95 cent to settle at $1.421 a pound Wednesday. The contract is down 4 percent so far this week.
Sterling Smith, commodities futures specialist at Citigroup in Chicago, said the coffee market may be close to finding a bottom. If the contract can finish the week above $1.40 a pound, he said, buyers are likely to return.
In other trading, metals and agricultural contracts were mixed.
Gold for April delivery rose $5.30 to $1,678.80 per ounce.
Silver for March delivery edged up 0.2 cent to $31.877 per ounce. March copper slipped 2.95 cents to $3.7405 per pound.
March palladium fell 65 cents to settle at $764.80 per ounce. April platinum gained $29.30 to $1,736.50 per ounce.
In March contracts, wheat rose 4 cents to $7.615 per bushel. Corn slipped 6.5 cents to $7.225 per bushel. Soybeans edged down 8 cents to $14.875 per bushel.
Benchmark crude for March delivery fell 2 cents to end at $96.62 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It dropped as low as $95.04 in the morning.
— Wholesale gasoline rose 0.23 cent to end at $3.0397 a gallon.
— Natural gas added 1.9 cents to finish at $3.418 per 1,000 cubic feet.
— Heating oil lost half a penny to end at $3.1858 a gallon.


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Examples of Mobile Awesomeness
How to bring awesomeness to your mobile presence
Target audience: Small, mid-size and large businesses, social enterprises, mobile developers, social marketers, educators — and anyone with a mobile website.
Yesterday we discussed some of the choices you have when it comes to creating your mobile website.
Regardless of the solution you choose, there are some best practices that should be applied to all mobile websites.
Here are 10 important tips to get your mobile site off to a roaring start.
Keep it simple and prioritize content
1In general, keeping your site simple means eliminating most images; simplifying navigation, layout, and design elements; eliminating Flash and other proprietary software; keeping your site free of clutter; and breaking up text and other content.
Space is in high demand on a mobile site and site visitors are on the go, so you need to anticipate what content users will most likely want to access. Choose the three most important content items and make those items easy for users to find and act upon.
Recall that users are not browsing your mobile site — so make it easy for them to do the things they most likely want to do, like find store locations, buy or review products, review menu items, place calls to your business, or request additional information.
Take advantage of mobile features
2Like the click-to-call button, there are features specific to mobile devices that can be used to improve your site's user experience. The most useful of these features is location, both yours and the customer's. By accessing user location information, you can offer a more personable experience.
Think 'tap-able,' not 'clickable'
3Design your site's buttons, navigation items, and links for touch screens, not for a mouse. This will improve the user experience and prevent accidental navigation away from your site. Do not use hover-over features on your mobile site. A thumb cannot "hover" over an item on a mobile site. Continue reading


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Friday Nights @ OMCA
The Bay Area's most talked-about food truck party comes to Oakland! Join OMCA and Off the Grid on 10th Street every Friday for a family-friendly take on a festive night market. Savor California beer and wine around the Koi Pond while enjoying live music, art activities, and more! The galleries are open late featuring Customizer-in-Residence open studios in the we/customize exhibition. Bring the whole family to OMCA for a sampling of the best in Bay Area curbside cuisine—and all that OMCA has to offer!
What to expect on Friday, May 17:
- Local beer and wine specials in the Blue Oak beer garden featuring drink specials Dark & Stormy (Flor de Cana Rum and ginger beer) and Snakebite (Linden Street Common Lager and Crispin Hard Cider), and non-alcoholic beverages including Four Barrel Coffee throughout the month of April
- DJ from Amoeba Music spinning hits from 5 to 6:30 pm
- Live band The American Nomad playing California folk-fusion tunes from 7 to 9 pm
- Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam 2013 Finalists performing their winning slam poems in the 10th Street Amphitheater from 6:30 to 7 pm
- Customizer-in-Residence open studio with Daniela Rosner, exploring how to make discarded or "obsolete" materials beautiful, in the we/customize exhibition from 5 to 8 pm
- Makers & Tasters Series with OMCA's new neighbor, Pietisserie, leading a pie crust demonstration from 6 to 8 pm
- Family-friendly drop-in workshop from 5 to 8 pm: nature button-making inspired by the Gallery of California Natural Sciences, reopening May 31
- Extended hours in the galleries and special exhibitions
- The swanky East Bay Express lounge where you can kick back and take it all in
- Eleven gourmet food trucks from Off the Grid featuring the best in local cuisine:An the Go, Bao & Bowl, Curry Up Now, Ebbett's Good To Go, Five Ten Burger, Go Streatery, Hapa SF, Kinder's BBQ, KoJa Kitchen, Pacific Puffs, and The Creme Brulee Cart
Cost: Half-price gallery admission for adults, ages 18 and under are free. Admission for Members is always free. Cash bar. Prices vary for Off the Grid food trucks. Transportation: OMCA is located one block from the Lake Merritt BART Station. Event parking is available at the Museum garage for a $5 flat fee after 5 pm.
Presented in partnership with Off the Grid: Lake Merritt @ OMCA.
Sponsored by:
Made possible in part through the generous support of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund.


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Next to safety equipment, food might just be the most important item onboard any boat. Of course chips and sandwiches will always have their place, but what about those times when you're in the mood for something a little warmer? Grilling is a popular option, but I went in search for something that took up a little less room.
Hikers have known about Jetboil for years, but most boaters aren't that concerned if a product weighs only 28 ounces or not, so sometimes we don't always check the obvious places when looking for products.
The Helios from Jetboil had everything on paper I was looking for, so the next step was to order one so I could test it for myself. The fuel can is sold separately and I was impressed that everything can fit inside the compact unit, including that can.
For $149.95 the Helios system comes with a FluxRing Pot with neoprene cozy, supporting burner base, push-button igniter assembly, fuel can stabilizer, windscreen, a lid and a bottom that doubles as a plate.
It was extremely easy to ignite, and on a hot day it didn't take long to get the water boiling for my corn. However, one tip I learned quickly is to beach the boat before you start cooking. When I started the water was calm, but even a little wake can slow down the process.
Not just for hikers, the all-in-one cooking system works great for boating, too, and the fact that it is lightweight and takes up hardly any room onboard is just a bonus.
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Maybe some of you have wondered whether this approach was possible and if so, how to go about it, here is the guide that should put you on the right track. [note MG]
After reading Mike Sansone's blog about how he was inspired by my act to leave Facebook, but chose to convert his personal page to a fan page instead of deletion, I was inspired to create this how-to do it post. Facebook has what they call a "help section" on this, but as usual, it's completely unhelpful. Before I dive into the few steps it takes to do this, see what you think (left):
So, as you can see, it never really answers the question on how to convert my personal account to a Facebook page. I don't know about you but Help sections on websites that don't actually answer the question, I find quite frustrating.
Anyway, enough of my rant, here's how you do it
Read more: http://bit.ly/x0t3pO
Via Martin Gysler


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Thurman L. Noel, 85, of Warsaw died Nov. 19, 2008, at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood. Born June 24, 1923, he was the son of the late John David and Mae Poland Noel.
He married his wife of 60 years, Mary Tuttle Noel, Sept. 18, 1948. Mr. Noel served in the Navy during WWII, and was a retired factory worker and self-employed farmer.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Noel; a daughter, Addie Mae Caldwell; three sons, David, Calvin and Jeffrey Noel; a brother, Denton Noel; a sister, Alma Barnes; 10 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
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Dragon Knight 4 2nd PVP World Championship!
We're starting the 2nd World-wide PvP Contest! Join the fight now for prizes!
The best 30 warriors will be awarded with iTunes Gift Cards, and 3 lucky ones will win USB pocket hand warmer as well.
There are free gifts for every competitors. If you play PvP 5, 10, 20, 50 times, free gifts will be given! Don't miss this chance!
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Rachel Andrew
@ Jorge – I think it's a fairly rare thing that you might want to expose some of the CSS to the site admin, but I've had just this situation recently at work. The method we went with was generating static stylesheets (using PHP) for each color theme (the admin could set 3 main colors, background image and repeat) and it works well. It's a very specific usage though. However, what about creating a photo gallery site where photographers can customize their album page by changing the background and color theme? Sites like Yahoo Groups enable the group owner to customize the color scheme to an extent to individualize their community so I think there are places where generating CSS is useful and appropriate. I don't think it's something you'd want to sling into every CMS though!


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These are tough times for libraries. Given time and monetary constraints, you must be very selective about the training events that you attend. So why should you as a library staff member consider attending a workshop on "Stimulating Creativity"? Because only through finding creative solutions will libraries survive and thrive. No matter what your position in the library organization - but especially if you are a supervisor, manager, or director - you can help your library (and your career) by learning how to think and work creatively. Stimulating your own inherent creativity will help you to:
- Come up with new solutions to old problems,
- Challenge assumptions about how things are done,
- Relieve boredom and burnout,
- Motivate others to take on and complete new projects, and
- Avoid wasting time solving the wrong problem.
During this workshop you will discover that great ideas are all around if you learn how to see creatively. If you need creative solutions for handling increasing library workload, attracting new audiences, appealing to new funding sources, or restructuring existing services, this workshop can give you the tools you need to get unstuck and move forward.
Workshop Description: This is a highly interactive all-day workshop. Through engaging individual and small group exercises you will discover how to bring out the full creative potential in yourself and others. The instructor will introduce key topics with short presentations followed by small group activities. Worksheets and handouts will be provided. This program is fun, fast paced, and packed with practical tools and techniques such as appreciative inquiry, for tackling on-the-job problems. By the end of the day, you will be ready to face future challenges with practical tools plus creative confidence, an unstoppable combination!
Pre-workshop assignment (must do all three of the following):
- Bring an inspiring story of how creativity was used to create an opportunity or solve a difficult problem. This can be from a library experience or from another field. We can learn from both. Simply think of something that made you stop and say, "Wow! That's a great idea"! Example: NetFlix movie rental service through the mail.
- Choose a current challenge you face that needs a creative solution. The more impossible it seems, the better! This can be focused on how to stimulate creativity in others or another topic related to your work that needs some fresh thinking. We will select some of these to work on during the day.
- Bring a blank journal or notebook of any size to use as your visual idea journal during the program and beyond.
Preliminary Course Outline
- Stimulating Creativity Through C.U.R.I.O.S.I.T.Y.
- How to harness natural curiosity to spark creativity
- A simple three step approach: collect-connect-create
- Benefits include efficiency, engagement and excellence
- Keeping A Visual Journal
- How visual journals differ from traditional note taking
- How you can use this tool without being able to draw
- Setting up and using your own visual journal right away
- Learning From Stories (Collect)
- Discover the 8-innovation story plots.
- Sorting your stories using the C.U.R.I.O.S.I.T.Y. frame
- Finding ideas in other fields you can use right away
- Tools you can use to boost connection making (Connect)
- Crafting questions that stimulate creative thinking
- Making master mind maps to discover opportunities
- Using metaphors to find connections
- Wow! That's A Great Idea! (Create)
- How to generate great ideas
- How to judge ideas to take forward
- How to refine ideas so they will succeed quickly
Workshop Instructor: Suzanne Merritt