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Does Industrial Intelligence Make Your Plant Smarter?
Last month at the SPS/IPC/Drives Show, I spoke to a Vice President of Operations for a large semiconductor manufacturer. He is responsible for the global operation of approximately 20 wafer fabrication facilities. He glanced at our logo and my name badge and with a puzzled look asked the following simple question, "Why is Cisco at the SPS Drives show and how can Cisco help my operation?"
Well, my first inclination was to enthusiastically communicate our whole offer converged Industrial Intelligence and Manufacturing solutions, but I paused and replied, " I'm not sure we can help you, but I have 7 years of previous experience working in your industry and I'm very interested in knowing …. What keeps you up at night these days?" The following is a summary of our conversation as it relates to his communicated supply chain, operational management, design and business value challenges. Are you experiencing the same headaches? And are they keeping you up at night? Does Cisco have a solution to cure those sleepless nights?
A narrative summary of his challenges…..
Managing the dynamic and short Product Life Cycles in an increasingly competitive globalized market is an extreme challenge. The average life cycles for some of our products have been reduced from 18 to14 months. So, it is extremely critical for our part suppliers, engineering/design partners, OEM machine builders and production teams to work in a tightly integrated and collaborative way. A system that supports real-time 24×7 management of our entire business and operational value chain is required.
If one line in our production facility is down for an hour it can cost us millions of dollars in lost "opportunity revenue." Our manufacturing process is becoming exponentially more complex as we move to sub-90nm technology. In addition, the economic challenges of the past few years have required our company "to do more with less." This has put pressure on the organization to improve our time to market performance and operational metrics that effect our overall Six Sigma performance, customer satisfaction and bottom line financial contribution to the company. How can we meet the demands of our customers with fewer resources?
We also require a platform that is secure and allows us to protect not only our Intellectual Property, but that of our partners. We view this as one of our greatest assets and value to our customers.
Cisco is addressing our customer's challenges with an Industrial Intelligence solution. Our Industrial Intelligence solution enables enterprises to more intelligently and responsively manage industrial operations globally. Cisco is leveraging IP-networked data and control flows converged with voice, video and virtualization to create a more intelligent platform for innovations that connect devices to measure, monitor, and manage resources for greater efficiencies, that connect people in less time and space, and that connect ideas to generate solutions to today's industrial, operational, and environmental challenges.
We've developed a resilient, secure, scalable and proven Converged Plantwide Ethernet reference architecture that seamlessly integrates data from the plant into business systems.
What are your thoughts and ideas around leveraging Industrial Intelligence to produce products that transform the way we take care of our environment and improve the quality of our lives?
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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The central economic importance of the world's natural assets is now firmly on the political radar as a result of an international assessment showcasing the enormous economic value of forests, freshwater, soils and coral reefs, as well as the social and economic costs of their loss, the head of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) said today.
"TEEB has documented not only the multi-trillion dollar importance to the global economy of the natural world, but the kinds of policy-shifts and smart market mechanisms that can embed fresh thinking in a world beset by a rising raft of multiple challenges," says TEEB study leader Pavan Sukhdev, a banker who also heads up the Green Economy Initiative of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). "The good news is that many communities and countries are already seeing the potential of incorporating the value of nature into decision-making."
He was speaking as the three-year TEEB study, which has involved hundreds of experts from around the world, launched its final report at the Convention on Biological Diversity's 10th Conference of Parties meeting (CBD COP10) in Nagoya Japan. Evidence of the impact of the study is shown by countries including India and Brazil, announcing plans for implementation of economic valuation of their natural capital and the inclusion of the value of nature's services in decision-making.
"Better accounting of business impacts on biodiversity – both positive and negative - is essential to spur change in business investment and operations. Smart business leaders realise that integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services in their value chains can generate substantial cost savings and new revenues, as well as improved business reputation and license to operate," adds Joshua Bishop, the TEEB for Business report coordinator and Chief Economist of IUCN.
The TEEB study calls for wider recognition of nature's contribution to human livelihoods, health, security and culture by decision makers at all levels (national and local policy makers, administrators, businesses and citizens). It promotes the demonstration and (where appropriate) the capture of the economic values of nature's services through an array of policy instruments and mechanisms.
The study has reviewed and synthesised thousands of studies, methodologies, policy options and examples of action from around the world. Startling figures have emerged through this work. The TEEB interim report in 2008 calculated that in a 'business as usual ' scenario, with deforestation continuing at present rates each year to 2050, we would lose between US$ 2 trillion - 4.5 trillion of natural capital per year. This number highlighted the scale of the problem if current practice is left unchecked. Over subsequent months TEEB teams have been working to identify solutions, and see how best the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity can be applied on the ground.
For more information or to set up interviews, please contact:
• Nicki Chadwick, IUCN Media Relations Officer, m +41 79 528 3486, e [email protected]
• Brian Thomson, Media Relations Manager, m +41 79 721 8326, e [email protected]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Styling Wet Station
Product Details
About this item
$99.00 Shipping
This wet station with flip-down hard cover provides lots of counter and storage space.
This wet station/styling station combo will allow you to organize your salon, maximizing and creating space. The shampoo sink can be mounted on the front of the unit (sink not included) and plumbed through the cabinet. It features a flip-down hard lockable counter over the top of your shampoo bowl for added space. Lockable handle located beneath counter for easy use. Shampoo well located behind sink area to hold hair products while sink is in use and counter top is flipped up. Double doors on the lower cabinet provide spacious storage for towels, shampoos and other supplies. Lower cabinet inside also has one fixed storage shelf. One small drawer and one large drawer will accommodate shears, brushes and other stylist tools. Station comes with three built-in appliance holders for two hot irons and a handheld blow dryer.
Policies & plans
1 year
Assembled Country
Assembled Size
Component Country


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This premium power cord is an extra long, 15' in total length, power solution which provides you with the freedom to place your equipment where you want! Constructed of high quality 14AWG wiring, and rated for 15 amps, this cord also has a 90° angle on the connector end, to provide stress relief.
A truly perfect replacement cord for your home gym equipment!
RoHS Compliant - LEAD FREE
Covered by our 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee* and includes an 18 Month Standard Warranty*
This product meets/exceeds OEM minimum power requirements.


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Everything we eat comes from nature. The global population, already over 7 billion, is growing by roughly 83 million people every year. And by 2030, about 1.4 billion people are expected to enter the global middle class. Feeding the planet while conserving the environment that underpins food production is one of the greatest challenges of our day.
Agriculture and fisheries are big business. An estimated one in three of all global workers are employed in agricultural jobs, many of them small-scale farmers and fishermen who are vital to feeding the world. In Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, small farms produce up to 80% of the total food supply.
CI's scientists are working to find solutions to the global food crisis. We're gaining a better understanding of how degraded fisheries can recover and how farmers can sustainably increase production. Around the world, we work to end unsustainable agricultural practices and overfishing — and promote more responsible activities. We work with our corporate partners to better understand the challenges of complex supply chains, answering questions like, "Where do all of a company's ingredients and products come from, and how were they produced?"
You can also help if you...


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Free Desktop Communities come together at the Gran Canaria Desktop Summit
This year's Gran Canaria Desktop Summit represented the first time the GNOME and KDE communities have co-located their annual conferences in the same location. 852 free software advocates from 46 countries gathered together last month to discuss and enhance the free desktop experience at the first ever Gran Canaria Desktop Summit."The Gran Canaria Desktop Summit was a milestone not only for the KDE and GNOME communities, but also for the free desktop in general." said Cornelius Schumacher, president of KDE e.V., "New collaboration efforts were started and existing ones revitalized. We already have seen results for example in the area of the semantic desktop, and on improving the specification processes on freedesktop.org. I'm sure we'll see more results in the near future."
The summit accomplished its goal of increasing co-operation between GNOME and KDE to improve the Free Desktop experience. Throughout the conference there were many examples of successful collaboration including shared technologies, community co-operation and growth of the local free software community
"I was really excited to see all of the energy at the conference - 800 free desktop supporters in the same building!" said Vincent Untz, Director and Chairman of the GNOME Board. "I heard conversations about search technologies, recruiting developers and marketing. Both our communities benefited and I look forward to seeing the benefits passed on to GNOME users."
Shared Technology
KDE and GNOME benefit from shared technologies in multimedia, metadata storage, desktop search, application messaging and hardware integration. These shared technologies provide users with improved integration and a consistent user experience. Discussions during the summit resulted in agreements to continue to work on shared technologies, shared interfaces and shared code. In particular, several working sessions around the freedesktop.org initiative resulted in clearer processes for for sharing specifications and technologies which will accelerate the ability of both projects and the greater free desktop community to collaborate and communicate with other projects.
Community Co-operation
In the domains where KDE and GNOME share technology, global teams came together to work on more effective ways of collaborating. Members of both communities came together to discuss issues that affected desktop projects, from recruiting and maintaining bugsquad team members to free desktop marketing efforts to kernel technologies that affect both projects. Teams in areas as diverse as the bug squad, accessibility and multimedia teams shared experiences and knowledge, and resolved to work more closely together. The projects share many values like an interest in providing free accessibility to people around the world that can be accomplished better by working together.
Local Free Software Community
Co-locating GUADEC and Akademy resulted in a large number of key free software developers congregating in Gran Canaria. They attracted developers from related projects world wide and invigorated the local software community. GUADEC-es and Akademy-es took also place during the event, as an effort to increase the number of spanish developers involved. The devolpment of an introductory program in spanish for local students and developers allowed the a record number of local free software supporters showed up - over 300 free software supporters from the Canary Islands showed up to listen, participate and discuss free desktop issues with the GNOME and KDE communities. The Gran Canaria Desktop Summit was supported by the local free software community which includes strong GNOME and KDE presence through GNOME Hispano and KDE España, including support from The Cabildo of Gran Canaria, both local universities (ULPGC and ULL), ESLIC, ASOLIF, and GULIC, among others.
The Gran Canaria Desktop Summit was a success. The conversations that started at the summit will have an impact on the upcoming release of the GNOME and KDE desktops and will continue to foster cooperation between the GNOME and KDE communities. The communities are planning cross desktop hackfests to implement the ideas discussed at the summit. Free desktop users can expect to see the results of this conference in upcoming releases of the GNOME and KDE desktops.
GNOME and KDE plan to join together again in future years to make sure they are working effectively together to share technologies and advance the free desktop. The cooperation and conversations that began between the KDE and GNOME communities will continue into the future and in events like hackfests throughout the year, but next year the conferences will be hosted separately. GUADEC and Akademy hope to see both GNOME and KDE developers at their events as their communities work more closely together on joint technologies.
Both projects believe that the co-location of the GNOME conference GUADEC and the KDE conference Akademy was a successful event that brought the two communities together and they look forward to more co-located events in the years to come.For more information on the organizations mentioned in this press release:
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did you decide to co-locate in 2009?
The GNOME and KDE communities decided to co-locate Akademy and GUADEC so that they could build the free desktop community and cooperate on technologies that make sense for both desktops.
Why did you decide not to co-locate in 2010?
Will you co-locate in the future?
Was the conference a success?
You said the co-location was a success but you've decided not to do it again, why?
Sharing technologies and specifications can only help both desktops. I think it was a great idea to co-locate Akademy and Guadec. From what I read in blogs and on mailing lists, it has done some good things, for example with regard to the semantic desktop. I hope that this renewed willingness to cooperate will be strong enough to inspire more cooperation despite separate conferences in 2010.
We users certainly profit from such initiatives. Thank you to all involved!
By Mutlu Inek at Thu, 2009/08/06 - 3:55pm
Not again next year ;(
Well, maybe Gnome really needs to concentrate on 3.0, but I would have loved to see even more collaboration.
I common Freedesktop HIG would be a great archievement for example.
By kragil at Thu, 2009/08/06 - 7:21pm
Separate desktop layers, common system layer
I really like the idea (and think and hope that is what is happening) of a clean separation between a system layer, which takes care of all interaction with the operating system beyond file access and suchlike, and a desktop layer. With the system layer completely independent of the windowing system, so that it can be used from the command line without an X server even running (like gnome-mount and friends). And the system layer should of course be entirely shared. So out with gnome-mount and in with desktop-mount!
By Michael at Thu, 2009/08/06 - 7:33pm


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David L. Shapiro
David L. Shapiro
William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law, Emeritus
David Shapiro is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law (Emeritus) at Harvard Law School. He earned his B.A. from Harvard College, magna cum laude, in 1954, and his LL.B. from Harvard Law School, summa cum laude, in 1957. After working as an associate at the law firm of Covington & Burling, he clerked for Supreme Court Justice John M. Harlan prior to joining the Harvard Law School faculty in 1963. He served as Deputy Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice from 1988-1991. He is the author of several books, including Federalism: A Dialogue (Northwestern Univ. Press, 1995) , and Civil Procedure: Preclusion in Civil Actions (Foundation Press, 2001), a co-author of Hart and Wechsler's The Federal Courts and the Federal System, the most recent (sixth) edition of which was published by Foundation Press in 2009, and the author of several dozen articles on a range of subjects including federal jurisdiction, civil procedure, and legislation. His service on a number of projects for the American Law Institute includes work as a Reporter and Adviser for the Restatement, Second, of Judgments.
Areas of Interest
- Civil Procedure
- Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
- Federal Courts
- Legal Profession
- Legislation: Statutory Interpretation


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Employers need to know what skills you have to offer them, and your resume must showcase those skills! This workshop is an overview of the different types of resumes. We'll help you discover and highlight your strengths in order to best market yourself. You will create skills that can be focused towards specific jobs and fields of work. We even type your resume for you and save it into our computer system, so you can access it anytime! This workshop is not restricted to students, everybody is welcome to attend!
Inscrivez-vous afin de recevoir des renseignements de votre YMCA.
C'est simple et vous pouvez annuler en tout temps.
Copyright © 2012. All Rights Reserved.
YMCA of Sudbury - Building healthy communities.


text:
For Spring/Summer 2010 CdG Homme Plus presents an assortment of color blocked backpacks, totebags and belts. Featured in heavy canvas and leathers, each piece comes in a fairly classic shape with hits of eye catching color. Available now from Cliff Edge.
Take a leap for more looks at the Comme des Garcons Homme Plus Spring/Summer 2010 Accessories.


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Project Portfolio
English for Heritage Language Speakers (EHLS)
CAL designed and manages English for Heritage Language Speakers (EHLS), an intensive program that enables adult native speakers of critical languages to develop the English proficiency they need to succeed in professional positions in the federal government. EHLS is funded by the National Security Education Program and is conducted in partnership with Georgetown University.
World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortium Partnership
CAL collaborates with the 39-state WIDA Consortium in its work to provide standards-based assessments for English language learners, most prominently on the Consortium's assessment of English language proficiency, ACCESS for ELLs®. The test is currently taken by over 1,000,000 students annually.
STARTALK was created in 2006 to provide learning opportunities in the critical languages for students (K-16) and professional development for teachers of the critical languages, mainly through programs offered during the summer.
Promoting Educator Networks: Standards-Based Instruction for Secondary English Learners
CAL is partnering with the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education, University of Oregon, on this two-year project to provide support for secondary teachers working to implement the Common Core with English learners.
Investigating Language Policies in IB World Schools
CAL conducted research on behalf of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization to examine language policy development and implementation in IB schools.
Our Projects
CAL's experienced staff conduct large-scale and small-scale projects on a wide variety of topics related to our mission, with as many as 50 projects at any given time, with periods of performance from a few days to 5 years or more.
|Enhancing Secondary Education in the Central Valley: Success and Access for English Language Learners
|The James Irvine Foundation
|ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics
|U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Library of Education
|European Speakers of Other Languages: Professional Development for Teachers of Adult Immigrants (EU-Speak 2)
|European Commission, United Kingdom
|Exemplary Programs for Newcomer English Language Learners at the Secondary Level
|The Carnegie Corporation of New York
|Features of Dual Language Immersion in High Achieving Programs
|International Research & Studies, U.S. Department of Education
|Federal Trade Commission Accessible Language Projects
|Federal Trade Commission – Division of Consumer & Business Education
|Firebirds Reinventing STEM Teaching (Project FRST)
|National Science Foundation, via the University of the District of Columbia
|Foreign Language Assessment Directory
|U.S. Department of Education, International Research and Studies Program
|Ghana - Improved Quality and Access to Basic Education
|U.S. Agency for International Development, via subcontract from the Education Development Center
|Great Lakes East Comprehensive Assistance Center
|U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, via subcontract from Learning Point Associates (LPA)


text:
OSWEGO — SUNY Oswego has launched an Oswego County branch of the college's global GENIUS Olympiad competition for high school student projects aimed at highlighting or solving environmental issues.
The new science competition among students from area high schools will take place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 17, in the Campus Center arena, concurrent with Quest, the college's day to celebrate the scholarly and creative activities of students, faculty and staff.
"It's very exciting, and the winning school will receive a $2,000 stipend to do a sustainability project at their school," said Tammy Elowsky, assistant director of the SUNY Oswego Office of Business and Community Relations, helping organize the fledgling competition for the Civic Engagement Coalition at the college.
The winning student or two-student team in the Oswego County competition will receive an automatic entry for the 2013 global GENIUS finals, June 16 to 21 at the college, Elowsky said.
Students and their projects from G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton and Paul V. Moore High School in Central Square are among early entrants for the local GENIUS competition.
Encouraging education
Elowsky said that initially she spoke with Fehmi Damkaci, GENIUS founder and associate provost for graduate studies at the college, about putting together a traditional science fair to encourage young minds toward further education.
"How do we keep students studying here, perhaps staying here?" wondered Elowsky. "By getting them interested in and thinking about college."
Damkaci suggested she consider organizing a local GENIUS competition. The GENIUS Olympiad, in its third year, invites high school students from around the world to compete for finalist spots each June in a juried exhibition and weeklong series of educational events. Nearly 300 finalists, accompanied by 139 mentors, participated in 2012 from 49 countries and 30 states.
Elowsky, who began working at the college a year ago, recalled being impressed last year when she toured the GENIUS exhibition and spoke with students.
"I was blown away by how intelligent these high school students are," Elowsky said. "It really started me thinking."
The local competitors will set up their new exhibition in the midst of the annual Sustainability Fair, which also takes place on Quest day. Among the high school entries are "The Effects of the Round Goby on Local Fish Populations," "The Footprint of a Domestic Cat" and "How Economic Status Influences Environmental Views."
"Everything at the Sustainability Fair will be going on around us," Elowsky said. "The (energy-saving) cars will be right behind us. So the students will get a lot of exposure."
Parking is free April 17 for visitors to Quest, whose hundreds of talks, panel discussions, demonstrations and concurrent events, such as the local GENIUS competition and the Sustainability Fair and Symposium, will take place largely in the Campus Center and nearby Lanigan and Snygg halls.
For more information, contact the Civic Engagement Coalition at 312-5745 or [email protected]


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HONG KONG--(Marketwire - Jan 22, 2013) - Goodman Group ("Goodman" or "Group"), the integrated property group which owns, develops and manages industrial space, is pleased to announce that it will be hosting 'Goodman Interlink Magic Mile Charity Ramp Run' for the second consecutive year at its flagship property in Tsing Yi on Sunday, 10 March 2013.
At this charity event, corporate teams and individual participants will race to complete the 15-floor cargo ramp of Goodman Interlink, a landmark warehouse and distribution building in Hong Kong's strategically important Tsing Yi port district.
Following the success of this event last year, Goodman will again raise funds for Benji's Centre, which provides professional speech therapy services to children and teenagers from low-income families in Hong Kong. Each corporate team will raise/donate HK$5,000 while individual participants will raise/contribute HK$500 to participate in the event.
Mr Philip Pearce, Goodman's Managing Director, Greater China, commented, "We are extremely proud to continue to host this event to support and raise funds for Benji's Centre, a charitable organisation very close to our hearts. This year, we are opening up the event to individual participants to give more people in Hong Kong the opportunity to be part of this worthy cause."
There was overwhelming support at the Goodman Interlink Magic Mile event last year, with more than 300 people in attendance, and over 60 corporate teams competing in the charity ramp run which raised HK$400,000 for Benji's Centre.
Those interested to participate in the event can download the enrolment forms at www.goodman.com/cn.
Company Logo
About Goodman Interlink
Goodman Interlink is the fourth largest warehouse and distribution development in Hong Kong with 2.4 million sq ft of lettable floor area. Located in the heart of Tsing Yi and immediately adjacent to Container Terminal 9 and Stonecutter's Bridge, Goodman Interlink is strategically close to Hong Kong's container ports, the International airport and major highways to mainland China. It is the only warehouse and distribution development in Hong Kong awarded a Gold Standard certification from the HK BEAM and a pre-certification from LEED.
About Benji's Centre
Benji's Centre was founded in 2004. It is a charitable organization providing specialized professional speech therapy to children and teenagers with communication problems from low-income families in Hong Kong.
The Centre is providing over 260 children with intensive individual therapies and has helped more than 1,300 children since its establishment. 70% of the children in the Centre enjoy free remission and the remaining 30% pay a fee of half of private therapy charge.
For further information, please visit www.benjiscentre.org.hk
Contact Information:
For further information, please contact:
Besy Leung
Marketing Director, Asia
Tel + 852 2249 3149 / 6111 9452
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Jasmine Yap
Co-Managing Director
Tel +852 3103 0108 / 9325 3363
Ricky Tam
Tel +852 3103 0118 / 6605 9808


text:
ViaSat's satellite internet services have been built from the ground up to provide customers with a better class of internet, wherever they are. Bringing together some of the best and brightest professionals in the industry under one roof, and backed by decades of experience in satellite communications and consumer internet technology, ViaSat delivers lightning fast speeds to customers in cities, suburbs, rural towns, and more, and does it at a price / performance level the competition cannot match.
Visit our Installation Page and watch the video to learn about installation of ViaSat Internet. Relax, all ViaSat Installations are performed by a certified ViaSat technician. You choose the date and time that works best for you, and a certified ViaSat technician will take care of the rest.
ViaSat also offers Internet Phone Service. Visit our Voice page for the details on bundle savings and ViaSat's feature-rich, reliable, voice service.
Speaking of bundles, you can Bundle ViaSat Internet with DIRECTV and save even more. See our Bundle page for the latest promotional offers.
A hundred times faster than dial-up, and up to ten times faster than DSL connections, ViaSat's high speed internet network provides customers in rural areas and suburbs with far faster speeds than the competition, and at extremely competitive pricing. Save more every month, and get some of the fastest speeds around with plans in your area with the right amount of data allowance for your needs. ViaSat high speed satellite internet delivers. Compare ViaSat against other internet services and feel the difference with various everyday internet activities.
We've helped thousands of people get ViaSat Internet and the vast majority are very happy with their service. But please be aware ViaSat is not for everyone. ViaSat is fast but round trips from your home to the satellite in space and back make gaming problematic. Some games will work, others not. Steaming of movies can be a problem because movies, especially in high-definition, can use a large amount of your monthly data allowance. ViaSat Liberty Plans help reduce this problem with late nite downloads, but don't eliminate it. VPN's - some will work with ViaSat, some not. If you will be working from home using a VPN, talk to us about that before you order. Let us help make sure you'll be a happy ViaSat subscriber.
If you're sick of dealing with rising costs every month for your internet or telephone, we hear you. ViaSat provides a 3 year price lock guarantee on all internet plans. No increases in the base price of your service for three years. Promotional prices will expire before three years, after that you will pay the base price for the plan you've chosen. The base price of that plan is protected for three years.
Before you commit to ViaSat Internet Service please visit our Legal page and read the ViaSat Customer Agreement and Policies.If you're unsure about any part of ViaSat Internet please give us a call and let us help.


text:
LOS ANGELES — A man high on meth and suspected of stealing an SUV was arrested in South Los Angeles today after a vehicle pursuit followed by a 200-yard foot chase by six Los Angeles police officers on the Century (105) Freeway,authorities said.
A quarter-mile stretch of the freeway's westbound lanes was closed just west of South Figueroa Street after the suspect, a 25-year-old man, left the stolen green Suburban and two passengers in lanes and took flight around 12:50 a.m., LAPD Sgt. Scott Stevens said.
Stevens, who was one of the pursuers, said the suspect had been on a meth binge and appeared to have decided he had no choice but to try to escape on the freeway.
Stevens, who is based at the LAPD's Southeast Station, said the suspect was caught when he "ran out of juice and collapsed on the hood of a car." But the suspect continued to resist, Stevens said, and an officer suffered a possible dislocated finger after the suspect rolled onto his hand as he was being cuffed.
LAPD Sgt. Angela McGee said the pursuit began after officers tried to intercept the vehicle around 12:45 a.m., some 20 minutes after it was reported stolen.
The Suburban was pursued on surface streets east of the Harbor (110) Freeway near the 105 before it was driven onto the westbound lanes of the freeway, where it stopped.
The Los Angeles Police Department stopped cars on the westbound freeway lanes just west of South Figueroa Street around 12:50 a.m., said California Highway Patrol Officer Francisco Villalobos.
Two passengers in the stolen vehicle — a woman in her early 30s and a man in his mid-20s — were questioned and released, Scott said.
The suspect was hospitalized and immediately booked, Scott said.


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Posted by Jack Smith on June 28, 2019 at 9:00am
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Aluminium sliding doors are perfect additions in new homes as they offer several benefits and can add style and elegance to any property. They allow optimum levels of natural light to enter a room ensuring adequate light and visibility. These doors also prevent heat and cold transfer from the outside to the interiors of the home. They are a lot more functional than the other door options.
Aluminium sliding…
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An office chair is an integral part of any organisation, without which it is impossible to work comfortably. The employees work for the whole day, sitting on the chairs. Hence, the chairs need to be comfortable and offer the much-needed support, which is necessary for long working hours. If a person sits in an uncomfortable chair, it can have adverse…
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Plastic is one of the most commonly used materials in the world. It is readily available at an affordable price. Various industries like food and manufacturing industries have grown immensely and are continuing to grow thus, the need for containers to preserve items well is more than ever. There are many plastic containers suppliers in Cape Town, who offer high-quality…
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The process of scaffolding can be described as a temporary yet critical process utilised to elevate, offer positional advantage and support, and supply materials during the vital stages of the construction process. A construction process is generally conducted to either clean or repair an existing structure. The scaffolding is installed before the commencement of the maintenance work. Thus, irrespective of the size and shape of the building – the procedure of using a scaffolding is…
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We apologize, but the preview for this color is not yet available.
Florentine Twist Strap Hobo
- Mauve 3 payments of $109.33 with dooneypay
- Natural 3 payments of $82.00 with dooneypay
- Brown Tmoro 3 payments of $82.00 with dooneypay
- Chestnut 3 payments of $82.00 with dooneypay
- Black Black 3 payments of $82.00 with dooneypay
Style #: 8L540
Designer Notes
Supple Florentine leather has the look and feel of fine saddlery and, like saddle leather, it develops a rich patina over time. Featuring a relaxed, slouchy crescent-shaped construction, this shoulder bag is the epitome of casual, fashionable style.
Product Details
One inside zip pocket. Two inside pockets. Cell phone pocket. Strap drop length 9". Zipper closure.Measurement Guide
Approximately measures H 9" x W 5" x L 12" and weighs 1 lb 15 oz.
Care & Cleaning
Florentine leather has not been specifically treated for water repellency. Thus, the leather will temporarily darken when wet, and return to the original tone once completely dry. The waxed surface may assist in staving off some dirt. With continued use, a lovely shine or patina will develop, only enhancing the beauty of this leather. It is also characteristic for lighter colors to darken with use over time, and with exposure to light.
Minor abrasions may be removed or lessened with the use of a very soft cloth and a gentle buffing action.
This collection requires no creams, polishes or leather conditioning products to maintain its beauty.


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Christmas Carollers bring Christmas Cheer to Priory Meadow
Published on by Eden Olivia Lord (author), Yasmin Thomas (author)
Today Priory Meadow indulges in some Christmas cheer as six local primary schools as well as Hastings locals each take turns to sing Christmas carols.
Hastings Ice Skating Rink Opens
Published on by Meg Reeves (author), Cydnee Holder (author)
The Hastings Ice Skating Rink has opened its doors for the first time this year.
David Cameron - Should he stay or should he go?
Published on by Iara Kaiser (author), Ryan Daly (author)
David Cameron has become the talk of Twitter over the past two weeks, and just yesterday the campaign #CameronMustGo proved more popular than #VoteYes, which was used by pro-independence campaigners during the Scottish referendum.
Owen calls for sense to prevail in Bus cuts row
Published on by Daniel King (author)
Labour's Parliamentary candidate, Sarah Owen, has called for East Sussex County Council to reject controversial cuts to subsidised buses.
Supporting World AIDS Day and beating the Stigma
Published on by Jordan Hogan (author)
Today marks the 26th anniversary of World AIDS Day and people all over the globe are donating money to support the cause.


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One of the nine fires burning in San Diego County suddenly flared Thursday afternoon and burned close to homes, trigging thousands of new evacuation orders.
The flare-up near the city of San Marcos occurred after a half-day lull in winds that firefighters had seized as an opportunity to make progress against flames that have scorched thousands of acres this week.
Ash-laden smoke was so thick that visibility was limited to a few feet at times. On one semi-rural street, five horses wandered nervously in a paddock as firefighters worked to protect nearby homes and barns.
County Sheriff Bill Gore said new evacuation notices were transmitted to 12,952 phone numbers. They were in addition to more than 20,000 evacuation orders issued Wednesday.
State fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser said the fire was running east along hillsides behind California State University San Marcos.
The fire was being driven by fuel and topography, said Division Chief Dave Allen of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
"It's created its own weather pattern there as it sucks oxygen in," he told a news conference.
The 1,000-acre blaze was only 5 percent contained. The fire, which broke out Wednesday, forced the evacuation of the California State University campus where nearly 10,000 students were in the middle of final exams. Graduation ceremonies were canceled.
Fires began erupting in the county Tuesday amid high heat, extremely low humidity and gusty Santa Ana winds. By Wednesday, nine fires were burning.
Asked about the possibility of arson, the sheriff said he wouldn't prejudge the investigations. He noted that sparks from vehicles can easily ignite brush in such dry conditions.
Emergency officials said a significant number of firefighting aircraft had become available, including four air tankers and 22 military helicopters, in addition to local agency helicopters.
Ten of the military helicopters were being used to battle a blaze that grew to 9.37 square miles on the Marine Corps' Camp Pendleton. Despite its growth, the fire was 20 percent contained and was no longer considered a threat to communities.
Twelve other military helicopters were available to the county.
Since the fires began, 125,000 evacuation notices have been sent, officials said. Schools also have been shut down and the Legoland amusement park had to close Wednesday. It reopened Thursday.
Firefighters contended with temperatures approaching 100 degrees and gusty winds as they tried to contain flames fueled by brush and trees left brittle by drought.
There was extreme heat again Thursday, with temperatures ranging in the high 90s to 100 in the northwestern area of the county where the fires burned.
The heat was so intense that records continued to be broken in Southern California and horse racing was canceled at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, east of Los Angeles.
Officials said a Carlsbad-area blaze was 75 percent contained and had burned 400 acres. The wildfire destroyed an 18-unit condominium complex and four residences, Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall said.
Some evacuation orders were being lifted in Carlsbad, but a major power outage and hotspots were still a concern.
Tuzo Jerger was one of thousands told to evacuate because of the Carlsbad fire. The 66-year-old real estate broker packed files, a surfboard, golf clubs, clothes and photos and sought solace at a friend's hilltop house in nearby San Marcos, only to see a wildfire break out there and force thousands from their homes.
"I thought, 'Oh my God, it's going to come this way,'" Jerger said at a San Marcos restaurant where he found relief in a slice of pizza.
The blaze in the coastal city of Carlsbad, about 30 miles north of San Diego, was the most destructive of the fires so far.
Many schools across the county were closed Thursday. Officials expected some wouldn't reopen until next week.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for San Diego County, which would free up special resources and funding for the firefight, and state fire officials were creating a central command center for the blazes.
Drought conditions have made fire danger extremely high throughout much of California. Officials have encouraged residents in fire-prone areas to prepare evacuation plans and clear brush from near their homes.
Carlsbad's fire chief said the blazes were unprecedented in his 27-year firefighting career because they are so early in the year.
"This is May. This is unbelievable. This is something we should see in October," Chief Michael Davis said. "I haven't seen it this hot, this dry, this long in May."
Watson reported from San Diego. Contributing to this report were AP photographer Lenny Ignelzi and videographer Raquel Maria Dillon in San Marcos, and AP writers Robert Jablon and John Antczak in Los Angeles.


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Following is the prepared text of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's 2008 State of the City address as provided by the mayor's office.
Thank you, Helen, and good afternoon. It's great to be in Queens. Home of Louis Armstrong, Simon & Garfunkel, and the great Count Basie, who wrote my entrance music today – 'One O'Clock Jump.' I'm especially glad to be here at the brand-new public pool and ice rink in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. I was hoping to ride in on a Zamboni but I couldn't get it through the Midtown Tunnel.
Speaker Quinn and members of the City Council, Comptroller Thompson, Public Advocate Gotbaum, Borough Presidents, Mayors Dinkins and Koch. I want to welcome you and all our distinguished guests here today. And I'd like to start by introducing you to some guests of my own. Five special families: the Ramóns, who came to New York from Colombia 20 years ago; the Chens, originally from Ningbo, China; the Snreenivasans, originally from Madras, India; the Bias family, who moved here in 1953 from South Carolina; and finally, the Farruggios, who came from Sicily, and are here today with the newest member of their family – Sienna – born just two weeks ago.
Five different families. Five different backgrounds, origins, even native languages. Yet they all live, just blocks apart, right here in Flushing. And they share something else: Immigrant – or native-born all of them have hitched their dreams to this great city. I wanted to invite these families today, and a number of others in the front rows, because the diversity they represent is what makes our town special. This is New York City.
These families – like all of us – do not know what the new year will bring, especially as the economy appears headed for difficult times. Family budgets are tightening, and so are budgets for businesses and governments. But these families have put their faith in our city. They believe in the promise it has always offered. And our challenge – those of us in this room who work for them – is to make it just a little bit easier to redeem that promise, a little bit easier to get through these uncertain times.Continue reading the main story
Their presence is a two-way street. New York gives them unlimited opportunities and these families help make New York the nation's economic engine, its financial hub, its fashion center, its media mecca, and its cultural capital. And that's one of the messages I've been speaking out on, to those who are wailing against immigration, to those politicians who, all of a sudden, have embraced xenophobia, I say: open your eyes.
Take a look behind me. This is what makes America great. This is New York City. This is Freedom. This is Compassion, and Democracy, and Opportunity.
We are in a competitive struggle. And the stakes couldn't be higher. Over the past year, I've seen cities from London to Paris to Shanghai, pushing the frontiers of progress. They are doing everything they can to attract the best and the brightest in every field: medicine; engineering; construction and more. These cities are not putting up barriers; they're not looking inward or blaming someone else. They're not afraid of the new or the different, and we shouldn't be either. If we are, we won't have a future.
Keeping New York City and America at the front of the pack begins with an openness to new energy, meaning immigration, and to new ideas, meaning innovation. It means thinking about problems in new ways, and using the most powerful new technology from every place to solve them. It means recognizing what we do well and how - with education - we can improve and be the beneficiary of change, not its victim.
That's how I built my business and that's the approach I've brought to a City government that was insular, and provincial, and married to the conventional. To stay competitive, this year New York will continue implementing the most ambitious agenda of any city in the country, and doing something that too often doesn't happen in government: following-through on promises.
We are committed to making our City government quicker, leaner, stronger, better, and to giving all New Yorkers a city that matches their ambition and honors their dreams. What I'm going to describe today is not just about programs and applications. It's about helping people like the families behind me who live the State of the City every day, and who feel the State of the City when they're walking down the street, when they're paying their bills and when they're sending their children off to school.
So let's talk about the State of our City for these families – and yours. Let's begin with government's most fundamental responsibility: public safety.
In 2007, we made the safest big city in the nation safer than it has been in generations. The fewest traffic deaths in nearly a century. Historic lows in jail violence. Historic lows in fire fatalities. And the fewest homicides recorded in modern history. This is New York City today.
Sadly, just three days into our new year, we got a heartbreaking reminder of the risks our first responders take every day: We lost FDNY Lieutenant John Martinson while he was battling a fire in a 25-story building. And last August, we lost firefighters Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino to a fire at the old Deutsche Bank Building. These heroes left us more than an inspiring example of sacrifice. They left us with a job to do: Providing our police officers and firefighters with the best new tools and training – so that when they walk into an emergency situation, they'll have the best possible chance of walking safely back out.
This year, Commissioner Scoppetta and the FDNY will pioneer a state-of-the-art high-rise fire simulator that will play an important role at our new 23-week training academy. That's nearly double the length of the old training program. And starting this year, the fire academy will begin welcoming the most diverse classes in its history.
We'll also take a major leap forward in modernizing and improving emergency communications. By placing GPS-systems in every fire truck and ambulance, we can now track and deploy them more effectively – which has helped reduce ambulance response times by 21 seconds over the past 18 months. That makes a big difference in saving lives. But we can do better.
This year, we'll be launching the New York City wireless network – which allows first responders to get more information, more quickly. Maps, mugshots, rap sheets. It will move us from slow dial-up to high-speed broadband with 100 times the capacity of the old analog system. At the same time, we'll expand its functions to serve all of City government – even the more mundane things that influence our quality of life.
For instance, it will allow us to read water meters remotely or improve control of traffic signals. To further reduce police and fire response times and improve emergency communications, we'll move past the old agency-centric way of handling 911 calls.
Right now, if you call 911 to report a fire, you first speak to a police operator then you're transferred to a fire operator – in a completely different location – and you have to tell your story all over again wasting precious seconds. This year, to begin streamlining the call-taking system, operators and dispatchers will move into the first of two new centralized facilities, working side by side, saving time, and possibly even lives.
We'll also have 'Digital 911' up and running by this summer, allowing New Yorkers to send digital photos to the police from their cell phones. These new communication tools will enable the NYPD to continue driving crime down to historic lows. Because, whether it's one murder or 496 we are not satisfied we are not finished and we are not letting up in the fight against crime – not for one second.
In the year ahead, we'll use the latest technology to continue turning up the heat on criminals – and, to more quickly exonerate the innocent. The single most powerful way to do both is through DNA analysis. Two years ago, we convinced the State Legislature to expand DNA testing to cover all convicted felons, and some misdemeanors. This year, we will urge Albany to follow the lead of the federal government – and a growing number of European countries – by taking DNA fingerprints from all those who are arrested. This would help keep the innocent out of jail and the guilty off our streets.
In the months ahead, we will also challenge the private sector to speed up DNA fingerprinting so that when DNA is left behind, officers can identify suspects more quickly and avoid wrongful arrests. And to do this, we will establish a six-figure prize for anyone who can invent a device tailored to the NYPD that analyzes DNA right at the crime scene. It's just one more way we are trying to bring private sector innovation into the public sector.
This year, we'll also use technology to fight the #1 public safety threat in our city – and in all cities: illegal guns. In less than two years, our bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 members to more than 250. Together, we've put the issue of illegal guns back on the national agenda – and against all odds, we have made important progress: Beating back federal legislation that would have made it easier to traffic in illegal guns. Convincing the federal ATF to release some of the critical trace data our officers need to track the flow of guns across state lines. And most recently, in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, we helped pass a major upgrade to the federal background check system.
The Virginia Tech murders showed what happens when state governments fail to share mental health records with the ATF. But Virginia was not alone. Right now, thousands of New York's mental health records are not in the federal background check system. So, this year, we will push for new State legislation requiring all State agencies to supply these records to federal authorities – and I say: Let's get it done before the April 16th anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre and before another senseless tragedy takes place.
Two years ago, under Commissioner Kelly's leadership, the NYPD created a special Gun Suppression Squad to improve our anti-trafficking intelligence. Now, to take this work to the next level, we will begin creating a comprehensive database of firearms evidence – something no other city in the country has. It will become the latest addition to our revolutionary Real Time Crime Center.
We will also seek to follow Governor Schwarzenegger's lead in passing legislation that requires manufacturers to use microstamping technology, which helps police better connect crime scenes to guns. Criminals are hoping we don't pass it – so what are we waiting for?
We'll also deploy the latest technology against those who seek to attack our city a possibility that, unfortunately, is just as strong as it was before 9/11. In the year ahead, Commissioner Bruno and the Office of Emergency Management will help every City agency draw up plans that guarantee continuity of operations during a wide-scale emergency. At the same time, the NYPD will expand its Lower Manhattan Security Initiative by deploying 30 vehicles Downtown with automated license plate reading devices. The NYPD deserves the world's best counter-terrorism tools and we're going to make sure they have them.
We've brought new technology to every level of city government to improve customer service and employee performance. I've always believed that achieving these goals begins with providing the information people need to hold our feet to the fire. That's the idea behind the streamlined Mayor's Management Report, and behind the progress reports we've released on both our campaign promises and PlaNYC. A government that is more open, more responsive, and more accountable: This is New York City.
In the months ahead, we will take that philosophy to new heights with a major new addition to our most popular customer service innovation 311. Since 2003, we've logged more than 60 million calls. Now, we haven't been able to satisfy everyone, of course. Someone recently called trying to buy tickets for a Hannah Montana concert. But today, I'm pleased to announce a new and improved 311. The citizens' hotline will soon go on-line. From now on New Yorkers will be able to track the progress of their service requests on the web.
By this summer, the public will also be able to go online to monitor the progress of SCOUT, our roving team of quality-of-life inspectors who hit the streets last fall. SCOUT has already covered every city street three times over – and we even have one of their scooters here today.
Over the coming months, we'll go even further. Working with Public Advocate Gotbaum, we will conduct a massive public opinion survey and reach out to 100,000 New Yorkers to get their feedback on how well City government is serving them. We'll also roll out the mother of all accountability tools, which we call Citywide Performance Reporting. It's going to put a wealth of data at our fingertips – more than any other American city has ever made available. Fire response times, noise complaints, trees planted by the Parks Department- you name it.
More than 500 different measurements from 45 City agencies – all available with a few clicks of the mouse. I like to think of it as a Bloomberg terminal for City government – except that it's free to the public. And no future mayor will ever be able to walk away from it because the public won't let them, and rightly so. Good government is about transparency and accountability. We're doing everything we can to make them both permanent.
Modernizing City government also requires a comprehensive look at its structure and operations, something that hasn't happened since Mayor Koch appointed a Charter Revision Commission 20 years ago. Since then, a lot has changed, and we've come to see redundancies, antiquated regulations, and areas for cost-savings. It's time to apply those lessons in order to make government more open, accountable, and efficient – not just this year, but permanently. Today, I am pleased to announce that we will appoint a new Charter Revision Commission that will conduct a top-to-bottom review of City government over the next 18 months. We'll consider any proposal that will improve the life of New York and New Yorkers.
Unfortunately, a Charter Revision Commission can't affect an area that desperately needs modernization: The Board of Elections, perhaps the only agency that still has the party bosses directly calling the shots. But this year, we will work with Citizens Union to build a nonpartisan coalition that unites the left and the right around a very basic idea: Hiring should be based on merit, not party ties. 2008 is the 130th anniversary of the death of Boss Tweed. Let's also make it the year we finally put to rest his style of politics.
All of our work to make government more accountable stems from a simple principle: Serving our citizens is our most basic responsibility. That goes for every citizen at every income level. In 2008, we will use technology to continue breaking down barriers to City services. For too long, individual agencies have looked at their clients in isolation – even though many New Yorkers interact with City government on a whole spectrum of issues.
For instance, today, the Human Resources Administration has no way of knowing that a woman who is seeking help finding work might also have a history of homelessness and a child in foster care. This year, in a first for any municipal government, we will link the computer systems at more than a dozen City agencies. They'll be able to share client information without compromising confidentiality.
Under this new system – called Health and Human Services Connect – New Yorkers will have to give us their information only once, and their case file will be updated online as needed. For the caseworkers this will mean less time pushing paper more time with their clients and, most importantly, a more comprehensive picture of the people we are trying to help.
We need to give New Yorkers the best service we can because New Yorkers give their best to the city they love. They give their time, their talent, and sometimes, they give more than anyone can imagine. Luís and Yolanda Ramón moved to 45th Avenue, not too far from here, where they raised their three sons, and sent them to P.S. 24. Their eldest boy, who was born in Colombia and emigrated here, joined the United States Marines in 2003, to defend his new country.
As many of you might remember, three years later, Corporal Julian Ramón gave his life in Anbar Province. Luís and Yolanda, on behalf of all eight and a quarter million of your neighbors, we honor your son, and all of the brave soldiers who've served our country, and city so valiantly. The bravery of Julian, the strength of Luís and Yolanda – This is New York City. And that's why we're going to do more than ever to protect New Yorkers here at home when they're most vulnerable.
To step up our fight against domestic violence, we will open the City's second Family Justice Center in Kew Gardens giving victims another place where they can find all the services they need under one roof. And to press the battle against homelessness, we will establish nearly 500 beds for the toughest cases: Those who avoid the shelter system because they don't want to be bound by a curfew or forced into a substance abuse program. We can't be afraid to flip the conventional wisdom on its head when it comes to intractable problems like homelessness or poverty. And that's exactly what our Center for Economic Opportunity is doing.
Over the past year, it's put more than 30 innovative strategies into motion, representing the best new ideas in the field, ideas that have the potential to unlock new solutions to poverty. This work has also helped us build on the progress we've made in reducing the number of welfare recipients to the lowest it has been in nearly half a century.
Another 12 pioneering ideas will hit the ground this year – including a new partnership with our three public library systems to promote literacy among high school dropouts. It will be part of an emerging focus on New Yorkers who are a key part of the poverty puzzle: young fathers. Through a new campaign called 'NYC Dads,' for example, we will help more young fathers connect with their children, and with jobs. Congress should do its part too, by ending the marriage penalty in the Earned Income Tax Credit and lowering the qualifying age from 25 to 21. At the same time, Congress should withhold the money from any father who isn't up to date on child support payments. Bigger benefits, basic responsibilities. To me, that's the right way to fight poverty.
At the same time, let's face up to the hard fact: too many of today's young fathers have run afoul of the law. They face an uphill battle in getting their lives back on track – but if they don't, their children will suffer most.
That's why this year, we will build more classrooms at Rikers Island and make going to school there more attractive. And to keep inmates on the right path once they leave, we will link them to the benefits they need immediately upon release. They've paid their debt – but with no prospects, sadly, too many of them will return to jail. Let's help them build their future – which will help keep all of us safe.
A central part of reducing poverty is improving public health – and over the past six years we've helped New Yorkers of all incomes be proactive about their health. The results speak for themselves: 265,000 more New Yorkers now have a regular doctor; a record number are being screened for colon cancer; teen smoking has plunged an incredible 52 percent; and due to these accomplishments – and others – the average New Yorker is living longer than the average American. Think about that. On the other hand, why shouldn't we? This is New York City!
Now, we're stepping up our fight against New York's number one killer: heart disease. That's why, last year, we didn't just ban trans fats. Working with Speaker Quinn, we've increased the availability of healthy foods in neighborhoods where they are hardest to find and also introduced legislation to raise the number of street vendors who sell fruit and vegetables.
This year, we will raise the quality of food served in every City agency from our hospitals to our schools to our senior centers. That's nearly 1.5 million meals every single day of the year. We'll also continue opening parks and playgrounds in every neighborhood, so that every New Yorker has no more than a 10-minute walk to enjoy them.
Over the next 25 years, the number of New Yorkers over 65 is going to nearly double- growing to 20% of our city. That's an incredible statistic. Seniors bring both stability and vitality to our neighborhoods. Just take a look at John Bias. He's joined councils, clubs, and community boards. He retired and now he's busier than ever.
Today I'm announcing a major effort called 'The All Ages Project.' In collaboration with the City Council and the New York Academy of Medicine, this project will completely re-envision what it means to grow old in New York, for seniors like John and me!
"For instance: How can we ensure that more seniors are cared for in their own homes, rather than in institutions? And how do we make our city easier to get around in? Next month, we will begin to address that second challenge with traffic engineering improvements at 25 high-accident areas which are especially problematic for seniors, including some here in Flushing.
This will make the streets safer for all of us including our children. Everything we're doing, in fact, will create a better future for our children – because soon this will be their city. They'll be the ones sitting in your seats, voting, paying your Social Security benefits or even be up here giving the State of the City address.
That's why, from the beginning, we've pursued major education reforms that put 'children first.' That commitment has been the engine driving everything we've achieved in the past six years: Raising graduation rates by 20%; increasing reading and math scores by double digits; slashing the bureaucracy; funding schools more generously – and more equitably; rewarding principals and teachers for excellence; closing the shameful achievement gap between ethnicities; and giving all children a chance to fulfill their God-given potential. This is New York City.
The families of New York expect a lot from their schools – and they have every right to. They're entrusting us with their children. Five children, in the case of the Snreenivasan family. They're the people we have to answer to. That's why one of our first steps was putting parent coordinators in every school. It's why we reached out to 850,000 families in the biggest school survey ever. "It's why we've created school progress reports – in 10 languages.
And this year, we'll use the power of technology to give families another window into their children's schools. Recently, we unveiled a performance management database that allows principals and teachers to track student progress. This fall, we'll open up this web-based system to parents. No longer will kids be able to hide test scores from parents.
We will put technology to work in other ways, too. For instance, this year, we'll begin testing GPS systems on our school buses to help us measure on-time performance and keep track of our fleet in the event of a citywide emergency. Technology will also help us in our mission to ensure a first-rate teacher in every classroom. This year, we'll provide a new web-based 'tenure tool kit,' to empower principals to make tenure decisions the right way: Rigorously, fairly, and based on student learning and progress.
This will build on our work with the UFT to make teacher tenure what it is supposed to be- a reward for success, not an automatic right for punching the time clock. Make no mistake, we believe in our teachers. That's why we've raised salaries 43% and invested more than $2 billion in training and supporting them. But we're also going to be tough enough to give principals the authority to evaluate all teachers based on how well their students are actually learning. Students and parents deserve nothing less.
In 2008, we're also going to set higher student standards and make sure that every student entering high school is ready to do high school work. Last year, Speaker Quinn and the Council did a great service by spotlighting the challenges we face in our middle schools. We've begun implementing many of their recommendations and now, we're ready to take the next step.
Four years ago, I proposed ending the shameful practice of social promotion for 3rd graders in our city. Not everyone liked that idea, you may remember. But our 3rd graders rose to the challenge – and then, when we expanded the policy to 5th and 7th graders, they rose to the challenge, too.
Now I will ask the City's Panel on Educational Policy to end social promotion next school year in the 8th grade. We're going to give 8th graders the extra support they need to meet our higher standards. If they're going to succeed in high school, and in a competitive world they need to know the basics before they get there. Three years ago, we launched new vocational programs to engage young people who had either already left school, or were on the verge of dropping out. Thousands of them have now gotten their lives on track. This year, we're going to begin dramatically transforming how high school students prepare for technical careers in a number of growing fields. Traditionally, such career and technical education has been seen as an educational dead-end. We're going to change that. College isn't for everyone, but education is.
Building on work by the State Education Department, we'll do what no other public school system in the nation has done- create rigorous career and technical programs that start in high schools and continue in our community colleges. We'll offer the first of these new options in September 2009. And we'll lay the groundwork this year – a process that will be led by a task force I'm announcing today.
I'm glad to say it will include Merryl Tisch of the Board of Regents, and will be co-chaired by two great citizens: New York Life CEO and Chairman Sy Sternberg and my good friend, former Mayor David Dinkins. Thank you, Sy and thank you, Mayor Dinkins.
Finally, let's talk about the most pressing concern to the state of our city: the economy. This is likely to be a difficult year – as our great comptroller, Bill Thompson, and others have forecast. But, you should know, we haven't waited for the hard times to hit before taking action.
During the sunny days, we prepaid debt, saved for retiree's healthcare, and budgeted responsibly, and when clouds started forming last year, working with the Comptroller, we began to cut spending and freeze hiring. Now, we will not walk away from making the hard decisions about what we can and can not afford.
Next week, I will present our preliminary budget for Fiscal 2009. It will contain spending reductions we committed to last fall. It will also rely on support from our partners in State government and our municipal unions, which have always stood with the City during difficult times. But it will also offer something that more and more homeowners need continued tax relief.
We remain committed to extending the $400 property tax rebate to all homeowners. Also last year, working with the City Council, we offered a seven percent, across-the-board property tax cut for one year. Next week's preliminary budget will propose an extension of that cut. However, adopting it will depend on a variety of factors unknown today – from the health of our economy to the continued help we get from our partners in State government to the outlook for future years after our Administration has come to an end.
We've been through tough times before and come out stronger because we came together to make this city better for everyone. That is exactly what we will do once again by pushing ahead with a five-borough economic development strategy that has broken all the rules about the ability of City government to affect the economy. By investing in a diverse, growing slate of industries and by making our city more livable and more business friendly, this strategy has helped create 179,000 private sector jobs over the past four years alone.
In 2007 we set records in so many key economic areas: The highest bond rating in nearly 80 years; roughly $25 billion in new construction; a record 33 percent home ownership rate; and 46 million tourists. This is New York City. And since small businesses are the backbone of our city's economy, supporting them now is more essential than ever.
From my own experience, I know that the last thing small businesses want to deal with is a lot of red tape. That's why this year, our Business Express web site will make it much simpler for business owners to determine what permits and licenses they need from various agencies. And the Department of Consumer Affairs will also begin offering online applications and renewals for those permits and licenses. The growth of our small business community has been fueled by our population growth – and together, they're adding new urgency to the need for modern infrastructure.
That's exactly why we developed PlaNYC, our strategy for creating the world's first truly sustainable city. PlaNYC includes 127 proposals – many of them pioneering the latest technology to achieve our goals. This year, we'll work to increase our use of solar panels to continue greening government buildings and we'll join forces with the real estate industry to make new construction and old buildings greener.
This is the single most important thing we can do to reduce our carbon footprint – but it's not the only thing. With the State's blessing, we'll also use technology to create a system of congestion pricing - something no other American city has done. It will help us achieve four critical, inter-connected goals: reducing traffic congestion; raising money for mass transit; improving our air quality; and fighting climate change.
Better mass transit is key to our economic growth. That's why we refused to wait for the MTA to build the extension of the Number 7 line, and just last month broke ground on the first new mile of subway track that the city has funded since the 1950s. The 7 extension is a great example of our five-borough economic development strategy in action. That's New York City today.
"By rezoning some 40 blocks of underused land on Manhattan's West Side, we set the stage for the neighborhood's revival. That's New York City today. Now, by investing in infrastructure and public parks, we are unleashing the forces of the private sector. That's New York City, too. And that's been our story in every borough.
Over the past six years we've rezoned one-sixth of the city – more than the past six administrations combined. And we've invested more than $4.5 billion dollars in new infrastructure and public attractions. Just look at the building we're in today. In fact, this is the largest facility ever built inside a City park. The pool upstairs won't officially open until next month but if anyone wants to take a dip now, I'm sure we can work something out.
"This year, we'll keep charging ahead – rezoning the South Bronx and continuing to invest $3 billion in new infrastructure. We'll rezone 125th Street in Manhattan to make way for more jobs and more affordable housing. We'll do the same at St. George on Staten Island, catalyzing new jobs and economic growth. We'll also rezone Willets Point, a stone's throw from here, the first step in what will be one of the most significant environmental reclamation projects of our time. And, with our partners in City and State government, we'll work to bring the magic back to America's first playground: Coney Island. This is New York City. We can't lose it!
The list of investments could go on and on. It starts in Lower Manhattan, where we will do everything possible to pick up the pace at the World Trade Center site and, working with the State, finally bring the Deutsche Bank building down this year. At the same time, we will continue to revitalize Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan, and we'll open the first section of the hottest new park in the country: the High Line, which we hope will be anchored by a new Whitney museum.
We'll break ground on a new home for the Theater for a New Audience in Downtown Brooklyn and begin constructing Brooklyn Bridge Park. Not far from here, the Queens Museum of Art will expand, and construction will begin on a million-square-foot office complex at Queens Plaza. And not far from there, in Long Island City, we will work to turn some 30 acres of prime, waterfront real estate into the largest new development of middle-income housing since Starrett City more than 35 years ago.
As you know, affordable housing is the foundation of strong communities. That's why we created the largest affordable housing program ever undertaken by any city – 165,000 units by 2013 enough for 500,000 people more than the entire city of Atlanta. We've already financed construction and preservation of 69,000 units – and this year, we'll see the largest number of units financed since the mid-70s. We're also going to help more New Yorkers buy their own homes – families like the Farruggios. Joe, his wife Alexis, and their two kids, wanted to build their dream home and now they're building it on the lot right next to his father's.
To help even more families buy and keep their homes, we recently joined with the City Council to create the Center for New York City Neighborhoods. This month, the Center will open its doors and begin helping families who've been hit hardest by the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Keeping housing affordable is essential to remaining a city that welcomes the middle class.
And to help more New Yorkers enter the middle class, we will continue promoting an industry that offers tens of thousands of jobs for those on their way up the economic ladder: tourism. Last year, NYC & Company ramped up its global reach by launching the 'This is New York City' campaign and opening offices in places like Sweden, Russia, China, and Brazil. In 2008, we'll add new locations in India and Australia to keep us moving closer to our goal of attracting 50 million annual visitors by 2015.
There is no doubt what draws so many tourists to our city: arts and culture. No matter what your pleasure – from MoMA to Mamma Mia from Landmarks to sculpture parks you can find it here. This is New York City – the most diverse arts and entertainment community in the world.
Later this year, in what will be a major new work of public art, four man-made waterfalls – as tall as the Brooklyn Bridge – will rise out of New York Harbor; a fitting symbol of how our entire waterfront is coming back to life. And also this year in what will be an incredible send-off to America's greatest sports cathedral, Yankee Stadium will not only host Pope Benedict the 16th but also the 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game and, I have no doubt, the most dramatic Game Seven of the most thrilling Subway Series of all time.
The year ahead is not going to be easy – but as I stand here, I'm more optimistic about our future than ever. There's a great quote in the latest Philip Roth book: 'I came to New York,' the character says, 'and in only hours, New York did what it does to people; awakened the possibilities. Hope breaks out.'
What a wonderful description of our city. We believe in all of the possibilities. A city that constantly pushes the boundaries of innovation. A city that's open to everybody from around the world. A city that can compete with any place on Earth. A city where 'hope breaks out.'
Every January, when the mayor gives this speech, it's tradition to sum up the 'State of the City' in one word – one adjective. But today I look to the people behind me and say: The State of the City is as energetic as Julian Chen at the playground and as vibrant as a holiday dinner with the Snreenivasan. It is as inspiring as John Bias, as strong as the pride inside Luís and Yolanda Ramón; and as full of promise as beautiful little Sienna Farruggio.
"Energetic. Vibrant. Inspiring. Strong. Full of promise. This really is New York City. God bless you and God bless New York City."Continue reading the main story


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For Immediate Release
Joe Conn, Rob Boston or Sandhya Bathija
202.466.3234 telephone
202.466.2587 fax
Americans United Advises Churches to Reject Religious Right's Pulpit Politicking Scheme
Watchdog Group's Letter Campaign Counters Alliance Defense Fund's Misguided 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday'
WASHINGTON - Americans United for Separation of Church and State is urging houses of worship to reject Religious Right appeals to politicize their pulpits.
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a group founded and funded by TV preachers, is urging evangelical pastors to openly break federal tax law this Sunday by using the pulpit to endorse or oppose candidates. The ADF calls its stunt "Pulpit Freedom Sunday."
"This is the worst idea ever," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "Clergy serve as spiritual advisers, not political bosses. Pulpit politicking violates federal tax law and offends the vast majority of church-goers.
"The nation is already bitterly divided over politics this year," Lynn continued. "Now, Religious Right political hacks want to haul that divisiveness into America's houses of worship. Clergy should just say no."
A provision in the Internal Revenue Code bars all 501(c)(3) organizations, which includes houses of worship, from intervening in elections by endorsing or opposing candidates.
Americans United has been working aggressively to counter misinformation from the ADF. AU chapters, members and activists across the country are distributing informational letters to houses of worship about the provisions of tax law regarding nonprofits and electioneering.
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Americans United also has unveiled a new Web site - www.projectfairplay.org - that gives information about what churches can and can't do in the political arena.
Lynn notes that the American people overwhelmingly oppose partisan politicking in houses of worship. A recent survey by the Pew Forum found that 70 percent of Americans say churches should not endorse candidates during elections. Only 24 percent backed the move.
As Pew noted, "These opinions have changed little in recent years. More than half of every major religious group opposes such endorsements."
Opposition has also come from an unexpected quarter. Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck said July 1, "I'd walk out of a church that was telling me vote for a Republican or vote for a Democrat."
Lynn said pastors should be wary of schemes promulgated by the ADF and groups like it. He also vowed that Americans United will report any church that breaks the law to the IRS.
"The Alliance Defense Fund is asking pastors to take part in a reckless and unethical scheme," Lynn said. "Religious leaders should send the group packing and reject Pulpit Freedom Sunday."
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Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.


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LAS VEGAS, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong let loose an expletive-laden tirade after being told his band's set was being cut short at a Las Vegas music festival.
Armstrong became furious, yelling and smashing a guitar, when the group was told to wrap up its performance of "Basket Case" at the IHeartRadio festival this weekend, E! News said.
The move was made to give Usher and Rihanna more time to perform, Gawker reported.
"One minute left. One minute [expletive] left. You're gonna give me one [expletive] minute? Look at that [expletive] sign right there -- one minute. Let me [expletive] tell you something, let me tell you something, I've been around since [expletive] 198-[expletive]-8. And you're gonna give me one [expletive] minute? You've gotta be [expletive] kidding me! You're [expletive] kidding me. What the [expletive!] I'm not [expletive] Justin Bieber, you mother[expletive]... I got one minute -- one minute left. Oh, now I got nothing left. Let me show you what one [expletive] minute [expletive] means. One minute. God [expletive] love you all. We'll be back," E! quoted Armstrong as saying.
A source at the show told E! Armstrong appeared to get over the incident rather quickly.
"Billy was backstage laughing and the fans loved it. A very rock 'n' roll moment," the insider said.


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Imbibe's first cocktail book, The American Cocktail, is available in bookstores across the country, or you can purchase copies by clicking here.
America has a long and storied history with spirits and cocktails. As immigrants from around the world settled in cities and towns across the country, they brought the culinary traditions that inform the way we drink today. Thanks to the industrious, whiskey-loving settlers of the South, we have Kentucky bourbon country, and if it hadn't been for nostalgic Italian immigrants, California's Bay Area might not have experienced its love affair with Italian amari. While these influences remain as steadfast as ever, America's melting pot of culinary traditions has also spawned new trends across the country, from the fresh, seasonal cocktails of the West Coast to the classically inspired drinks of the South. What's more, uniquely American ingredients have found their way into some of the country's best cocktails, from bacon-infused bourbon blended with ginger ale that was brewed in the country's oldest bottling facility to a loquat-and-lemon cocktail mixed with vodka made in Texas's oldest legal distillery.
Now you can experience these drinks for yourself. The 50 cocktail recipes featured in The American Cocktail come from some of the most talented bartenders across the country and feature regionally produced spirits, sodas, fruits and herbs. Whether it's a marionberry bramble from Jeffrey Morgenthaler in Portland, Oregon or a strawberry julep from Jenni Pittman Louisville, Kentucky, the cocktails that define the American landscape are deliciously diverse. Consider this book your personal cross-country tour of America's most intriguing regional cocktail flavors, traditions and stories.
What Others Are Saying About The American Cocktail
If you love cocktails and revere mixologists but don't always want to go out to enjoy your libations, you should thank your lucky stars that the editors at Imbibe have put together The American Cocktail: 50 Recipes That Celebrate the Craft of Mixing Drinks From Coast to Coast. From fresh takes on classics to completely new creations, this recipe collection will keep cocktail aficianados busy recreating drinks by mixologists from across the country.
The American Cocktail comes to us from the editors of Imbibe Magazine, and it often combines the unpretentiousness of See Mix Drink, the swank adventurism of PDT, and the photographic beauty of Bitters. Subtitled 50 Recipes That Celebrate the Craft of Mixing Drinks From Coast to Coast, it gathers a "St. Louis Southside" and a "Boston Bog," a "Copper Fox Cooler" from Virginia and a "Pig on the Porch" from South Carolina. From Louisiana, it collects the "Comfortably Old-Fashioned," which uses Southern Comfort as its base. In its sweetness, this one's on the grandmotherly end of the old-fashioned spectrum, but it has its charms—provoking nostalgia for one's youth, for instance. Southern Comfort is, of course, a peachy whiskey-based liqueur especially popular among college students, who drink it in prelude to preposterous behavior centered on SEC football games, ACC basketball tournaments, and Ivy League sorority pledge nights.
—Slate Magazine
Featured in the book The American Cocktail: 50 Recipes That Celebrate the Craft of Mixing Drinks From Coast to Coast by the editors of Imbibe Magazine, the Kelso daiquiri is described as "a perfectly charming Southern twist on a classic beach cocktail." It's the creation of Josh Habiger, owner of The Patterson House in Nashville. Habiger invented the Kelso daiquiri as a way to bring the traditionally tropical daiquiri to the whiskey-drinking South. An exotic cocktail without the exotic destination, this tasty treat is perfect for those breezy fall evenings spent on the patio at home or when you just need a quick getaway from life. Lucky for you, airfare rates do not apply.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
It's about time someone wrote a cocktail book that was geared towards both bartenders and serious cocktail aficionados and that home entertainers could relate to. Here you'll find fifty recipes that bartenders across the country have contributed — classic cocktails and modern twists on drinks your grandparents probably once enjoyed. Along with the recipes, there's a small peek into the history behind each.
—The Kitchn
Imbibe writing is spirits-heavy, but covers drinking broadly, so any given issue may have stories on tea, soda, coffee, wines, beer, cider, or even water. Producing a cocktail book was a natural course for them; I'm glad to see the editors finally got around to it. Headnotes on fifty recipes in the book give historical context, ingredient notes, and drinks origins. The recipes themselves are from bartenders across the USA and are broken into areas of the country where regional ingredients from sassafras to huckleberries lend a sense of place to all of them. Without getting to the elaborate preparations of molecular mixology, the book gives a pretty representative look at what drinking looks like in craft cocktail bars around the country. Wisconsin Kringle syrup to liven up your brandy, anyone? What about a persimmon margarita? An eight-page appendix of American craft distilleries is a particularly welcome addition, as is specifying particular spirits from local distilleries throughout the book. Yeah, yeah, distribution is limited for a lot of the spirits, so you can usually swap out the specific spirit with a similar one you've got on hand, but hats off to the bartenders and editors for making the point to call out local liquor in many of the recipes. Hunt around online; you can often find merchants willing to ship local wet goods to your door.


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Feb. 18, 2009
BOSTON, MA - The University of Massachusetts Boston will promote Cancer awareness through the national "Pink at the Rink" campaign during its women's and men's ice hockey games on Friday, February 20.
The women's ice hockey team will take on New England College at 4:00 p.m., followed by the men's ice hockey team playing Tufts University at 7:00 p.m. as part of the "Pink at the Rink" event. UMass Boston athletics will promote cancer awareness in a variety of ways. The women's ice hockey players will be wearing pink jerseys, laces on their skates and pink tape on their sticks. Statistics and information on cancer provided by the Dana Farber Cancer Institute will be announced throughout the games to educate fans about the dreaded disease and the ongoing fight to end its ongoing threat.
The UMass Boston athletic department will donate 50% of money raised through a 50/50 raffle to Cancer research and fans will also be encouraged to enter into a "Chuck a Puck" contest for \$1 per chance to win a pair of tickets to see a game of the first place Boston Bruins. All proceeds from the "Chuck a Puck" contest will be donated to breast cancer research. The game programs will be printed on pink paper and fans, coaches and administrators will be encouraged to wear pink attire as well.
The successful "Pink at the Rink" initiative, developed by ECAC Hockey and the American Cancer Society, will enter its second season of activity and began in February of 2009. This season's program has been expanded to include all ECAC Hockey men's teams as well. The variation of the "Coaches vs. Cancer" is a program originally founded by the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches. This season's program will also expand to include "Hockey Coaches Care", which is an organization committed to helping members of the amateur hockey community in times of need, as well as organizations within the amateur hockey community that seek to serve the best interests of its members. The program will provide critical outreach, while raising funds in support of the American Cancer Society's lifesaving cancer research, education, advocacy, and community service efforts.


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Runaway bus kills pedestrian at Medical Center
A woman died Wednesday when she was struck by an out-of-control shuttle bus at the Texas Medical Center, officials said.
The woman was hit shortly before 6 p.m. at Holcombe and South Braeswood. The bus pinned her against a traffic pole, officials said.
The bus driver lost control, said Deputy Chief Fernando Herrera of the Houston Fire Department. "It's possible that he had a medical condition that caused him to lose control."
Herrera said the driver and 10 other people were taken to hospitals.
"The bus driver suffered abdominal injuries and possibly internal bleeding," Herrera said.
A passenger on the bus saw that something was wrong with the driver and grabbed the wheel.
"He tried to steer the bus," Herrera said. "He had injuries to his wrist."
Police blocked off traffic in all directions, causing congestion and delays at the Medical Center.


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James Lovelock is an interesting character. He has a medical degree and has successfully designed a number of scientific instruments, but he's probably most famous for some of his big ideas, which range from specific geoengineering proposals to the Gaia concept, which proposes that the planet's geology, biology, and atmosphere interact in a complex, self-regulating system.
In recent years, his attention has turned to climate change and, unfortunately, he's largely decided to skip brushing up on science before making grandiose predictions. After having suggested that the human population on Earth would be whittled down to a handful of survivors this century, he's now backed away from these claims—and has gotten nearly as many things wrong in the process of doing so.
Lovelock's original projections weren't made in a scientific journal; instead, they graced the opinion pages of The Independent. And his views were rather opinionated. "As the century progresses," he wrote, "the temperature will rise 8 degrees centigrade in temperate regions and 5 degrees in the tropics." The consequence? Massive upheaval, according to Lovelock. "Before this century is over, billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic where the climate remains tolerable."
What did he base these figures on? It's very hard to tell. At the time, the most recent IPCC report had concluded that the planet would warm by between 1.4 and 5.8°C by the end of the century—well below Lovelock's estimates. And at the time he wrote, the work of preparing the follow-up report was well under way. That narrowed down the uncertainties on those values considerably, with the worst-case emissions scenario indicating a likely warming of about three degrees by the end of the century.
Even if Lovelock's seriously inflated estimates were right, it's not at all clear that the temperature increases he predicts would make the temperate zones completely uninhabitable.
But Lovelock is now working on a new book, and that's caused him to revisit these predictions. In an interview at MSNBC, he correctly recognizes that his earlier predictions were alarmist, but he apparently did not realize why he had gone so wrong. Rather than actually talking to the people who study the climate for a living, he's just decided that, since his own predictions didn't come to pass, nobody must know what's going on. "The problem is we don't know what the climate is doing," Lovelock told MSNBC. "We thought we knew 20 years ago." Later on, he claims that "we were supposed to be halfway toward a frying world now."
Except we weren't, at least not according to the best scientific estimates available at the time. And, in fact, we do seem to have some idea what the climate is doing. Most of the last decade has seen relatively stable temperatures, but many similar periods exist in the instrument records, despite the overall upward trend in temperatures. And scientists have also identified many factors that drive short-term variability in the climate. In fact, researchers have published a paper that indicates that, once the major drivers of short-term variation (El Niño, volcanos, and the Sun) are accounted for, the global temperature has continued a general upward trend.
In short, Lovelock's predictions never reflected the scientific consensus and, whatever prompted him to revise them, it didn't seem to involve talking to anyone who actually knows climate science.
For many, the debate over the climate has become a polarized one, with self-labeled skeptics facing off against alarmists. This view isn't very useful, in that it ignores the fact that the vast majority of climate scientists reside somewhere in the middle, and are producing research that suggests both extremes are wrong. But the view is helpful in that it highlights how Lovelock shares so many features with the extreme skeptics, including a misunderstanding of the state of climate research and a willingness to make big pronouncements that are based on little more than their own opinions.


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