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A new report released by the General Accountability Office says the U.S. Forest Service is well aware that the number of available air tankers to fight wildfires is dwindling.
The federal government's large air tanker fleet has dropped from 44 aircraft in 2002 to about eight this year. [Related: Read the full GAO report (PDF)]
The GAO said it blames bureaucracy and bidding problems for the delays in getting a new fleet.
There's been a lack of oversight on the entire process, including not budgeting properly for the new fleet's operating costs, the report stated.
In addition, the report finds the air tankers that have ordered to replace the aging fleet have never been fully tested and approved for actually fighting wildfires.
Since 1995, federal agencies have produced nine different studies on air tankers with varying recommendations and conclusions about the right composition and size of the wildfire aircraft fleet.
The report also stated federal agencies need to do a better job of recording missions and measuring the effectiveness of different types of aircraft in dropping retardant. The GAO notes that the Forest Service says it could take many years and hundreds of missions in different terrain conditions to analyze each aircraft's unique strengths and weaknesses.
In the wake of the report, U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) released the following statement:
"We applaud the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for its sensible recommendation that federal agencies must coordinate when updating their needs-based wildfire aircraft plans. A shared strategic vision should be developed and acted upon as rapidly as possible considering that the current large air tanker fleet has dropped from 44 aircraft in 2002 to about eight this year.
"Nationwide, but especially in states like Arizona, the number and severity of wildfires is expected to increase. Therefore, it is vitally important that the Forest Service, in coordination with the Department of the Interior, articulate the current strategic posture of the air tanker fleet around the country. These agencies should work together to quickly establish the strategic requirement for air tankers nationwide, assess what combination of assets would best satisfy that requirement, and jointly determine how such a fleet should be most effectively deployed around the country to help ensure the protection of persons and property.
"The last thing we need is to study this issue indefinitely. There have already been nine different studies on air tankers since 1995 and GAO notes it could be years before enough data is collected to fully analyze each aircraft's performance capabilities. Americans deserve better than to hear that more research is needed while wildfires destroy their homes and firefighters risk their lives. Federal agencies need to implement options that improve our wildfire fighting capabilities immediately."
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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — Harrison Barnes wore his layer of new muscle in Las Vegas last week like a superhero wears his costume. He tried to act natural, like nothing had changed since the last time we saw him. But it's hard to hide the obvious, especially when it's 10 to 15 pounds of new muscle.
Barnes has bulked up considerably since his breakout showing against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. With the addition of Andre Iguodala this summer, Barnes knows that the time he spent working at power forward in the Warriors' small ball lineup could be a more common occurrence during the 2013-14 season.
So he had no choice but to go to work on his physique. The gains were on display throughout USA Basketball's mini-camp for the Men's Senior National Team, and specifically in the Blue-White Showcase (just ask Ryan Anderson).
Warriors coach Mark Jackson will have to sort out his rotation and find creative ways to use Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Barnes and Iguodala in a way that capitalizes on all of their individual talents. That could mean a sixth man role for Barnes or a position switch and perhaps another move, possibly even trading David Lee or Andrew Bogut to create more time for that smaller lineup.
A key piece of the Warriors' core group, Barnes is prepared for whatever comes his way.
"I've really been working hard this summer to get ready for that," Barnes said. "I've really been working on my body. I need to get used to the toll it takes down low, boxing out and rebounding with the bigger guys. [Denver's] Kenneth Faried definitely served as an inspiration and great guy to help prepare me for what it takes to play that position when you are considered to be undersized by people. But it's like I said, I've been preparing for that change all summer."
Thompson participated in the mini-camp, too. He acknowledged that changes that will come with Iguodala's addition, and not just offensively.
"He's going to help make us a stronger unit defensively," Thompson said. "I think that's the first thing that jumps out at you when you add him to our mix. We'll adjust offensively. Coach Jackson can get creative with what he wants to do in that regard. Everybody will just have to wait and see what he comes up with."
Watching Barnes work throughout the mini-camp and in that Blue-White game should be required viewing before any decisions are made. He played inside and out, ran the floor as well as anyone, guarded on the perimeter and in the paint and held his ground routinely against bigger guys. He scored 18 points in the game without any designed scheme to get him involved, which might be his best trait. He can adapt his game to whatever style of play the Warriors decide to utilize.
"The [USA Basketball] experience is great for me," Barnes said. "It's different for sure. But it's kind of fun at the same time because you don't have expectations for yourself. I don't get game reps a lot at the [four], so I got to come out and here and just go on the fly. It was great, though. I've only had the chance to rock the USA on my chest one time, and that was in high school. So to come out here and get a chance to play against so many great players was fantastic."
Barnes said he'll take a similar approach to Warriors training camp. Instead of worrying about what he'll have to sacrifice with the arrival of another player who will chew up minutes at small forward, he continue to focus on the positives and what it takes for him to be effective in whatever role he's asked to fill.
"I don't think it takes long for us to figure it all out as players," Barnes said. "The best thing about Andre is he's a great passer. And he's got plenty of experience playing small ball. In my mind, our versatility is what's going to set us apart. The fact that we'll be able to play multiple guys at multiple spots is what will make us so dangerous, whether it's me at the four and David Lee at the five or whatever it is we do against certain teams. We'll have the advantage a lot of nights because we can match up basically with anybody."
That was certainly the Warriors' plan.

subset: commoncrawl


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Venezuela wraps up Caribbean Series with loss
By Alden Gonzalez /2/7/2013 2:32 A.M. ET
HERMOSILLO, Mexico -- Venezuela reliever Marcos Tabata gave up a go-ahead two-run homer to Dominican Republic first baseman Francisco Pena in the top of the ninth Wednesday, handing his team an eventual 4-2 loss at Estadio Sonora and eliminating it from participation in the Caribbean Series championship.
Venezuela's last Caribbean Series title came in 2009. This year, their Navegantes de Magallanes finished 2-4.
Thursday's championship game, taking place at 7 p.m. MT, will pit the Dominican Republic against 3-3 Mexico. The Dominican Leones del Escogido team, now 5-1, clinched a spot in the championship game Tuesday and is looking for its third title in the last four years.
On Wednesday, Escogido pitchers Carlos Pimentel, Lorenzo Barcelo, Armando Rodriguez and Jailen Peguero combined to give up two runs on five hits and one walk. Angels third-base prospect Luis Jimenez went 3-for-4.
Right-hander Angel Castro is expected to start for Escogido on Thursday.
Host Mexico to face DR for Caribbean Series title
HERMOSILLO, Mexico -- The people of Mexico got what they wanted: their team facing off against the powerhouse Dominicans for the Caribbean Series championship.
And they have Royals pitcher Luis Mendoza to thank.
Mendoza held Puerto Rico hitless through seven, before a leadoff double in the bottom of the eighth, and finished hurling 7 1/3 shutout innings, leading Mexico's Yaquis de Obregon to a 10-0 thrashing on Wednesday and setting up a matchup against the Dominican Republic's Leones del Escogido in the final.
Thursday's championship, the first of its kind in a Caribbean Series that used to be strictly double round robin, will take place at 7 p.m. MT, in front of an Estadio Sonora crowd desperate to see Mexico win a title while hosting the Caribbean Series for the first time since '05.
Mexican Rodrigo Lopez, who pitched 11 years in the Majors, will face off against Dominican Angel Castro.
"This is for the team," Mendoza said in Spanish. "We're one team, and everyone deserves this victory."
Obregon, the champion in 2011 and making its third straight trip to the Caribbean Series, is 3-3 and needed the win over Puerto Rico's Criollos de Caguas (2-4) to secure a trip to the final.
Escogido, searching for its second straight title and third in four years, is 5-1 and clinched a spot in the title with an 11-6 win over Obregon on Tuesday. Earlier on Wednesday, it beat Venezuela's Navegantes de Magallanes, 4-2, thanks to a go-ahead two-run homer by first baseman Francisco Pena in the top of the ninth.
Venezuela, whose last Caribbean Series title came in '09, finished 2-4.
One start removed from tossing six shutout innings, Mendoza gave up two hits on four walks and nine strikeouts in an outing that saw him expend 113 pitches. Heading into the eighth, he had retired 10 of his last 11 batters, five via strikeout. But Daniel Ortiz led off with a double to right-center field.
Then, after seeing Mendoza allow a one-out single to Jesus Feliciano, Obregon manager Eddie Diaz removed the 29-year-old right-hander, who got a standing ovation from a raucous sold-out crowd.
"I'm going to try to take this into Spring Training," said Mendoza, who will likely end up as the Royals' long reliever. "That and my health is most important. I finished strong and I felt good throughout, and that was the best part of this."
DR team plays despite Caribbean Series dispute
HERMOSILLO, Mexico -- The Dominican Republic's Leones del Escogido, a powerhouse team looking to win back-to-back titles, is once again dominating the Caribbean Series, winning five of its first six games and locking up a spot in the championship two days early.
But they're also in the middle of controversy here at Estadio Sonora, with gripes over compensation and the new format.
Throughout the tournament, Escogido players -- though not so much those who come from Major League organizations -- have taken issue with their team's organizers, alleging that they were promised more than they're being paid for their participation in the Caribbean Series and threatening to boycott.
On Wednesday, it almost came to a head.
Right up until game time -- with both lineups announced over the PA system, the anthems being played and Venezuela's Navegantes de Magallanes on the field -- Escogido was nowhere to be found. The entire team was in the clubhouse, having a players-only meeting regarding their compensation. Players say they were promised 15 days of pay, but are only going to be paid for seven days, plus practices and travel dates -- which adds up to 10 or 11 days.
At 4 p.m. MT, Escogido players rushed into the dugout, put on their helmets and went to the on-deck circle to hit as the visiting team without even warming up. They wound up eliminating Venezuela with a 4-2 win, and the game started only five minutes later than scheduled.
But the issue remained unresolved.
Escogido players are expected to meet with the club's higher-ups later Wednesday night, and a couple of players said they expect to come to an agreement prior to the championship, which will take place at 7 p.m. MT on Thursday.
"That's something between the team and organizers of the [Dominican Professional Baseball League]," shortstop Miguel Tejada said in Spanish. "I expect it to get resolved."
Escogido is also the victim of a new format.
In prior years, the Caribbean Series champ was the team with the best record after six days of double-round-robin play. This year, though, a championship game is being held, pitting the team with the best record against the team with the second-best record. Some Escogido players don't think that's fair, given that they'll go into the championship 5-1 and their opponent, Mexico, is 3-3.
"I don't think that has been a good decision on the part of the organizers of the Caribbean Series," veteran infielder Julio Lugo said in Spanish. "I don't think a team that has won [five] games should be knocked out by a team that has won only three. It's not right. I don't think that's been managed well."
D-backs impressed with new stadium in Mexico
HERMOSILLO, Mexico -- With a ballclub that plays just 350 miles away from this small town in North Mexico, Arizona Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall knows the importance of getting involved in this region. It's why his team has played several Spring Training games in Hermosillo before, and why Hall was so captivated by the construction of the brand new Estadio Sonora, where the Caribbean Series is being held this year.
"It's very important for us to play here and to have a presence here because we feel like there are so many Diamondback fans in [the Mexican state of] Sonora," Hall said in a press conference in front of mostly Mexican media Wednesday. "We're grateful for all of our fans here; we want to make sure we play in front of them as often as we can. We feel like this is our home -- at least our second home."
The D-backs have previously played nine Spring Training games at the now-vacant Hector Espino Baseball Stadium. Now, they'll look to utilize the new ballpark -- a $31 million investment that seats 16,000 fans -- as early as 2014.
The D-backs have been present throughout the seven-day tournament that served as Estadio Sonora's grand opening. On Monday, special assistant and former outfielder Luis Gonzalez hosted a clinic for about 50 youth players at a nearby field. On Tuesday, Roland Hemond, who's partly in charge of enhancing the club's initiatives in Mexico, threw out the first pitch. And on Wednesday, Hall came to Sonora to tour the finished product himself.
"It's beautiful," Hall said. "It reminds me of Salt River Fields."
The D-backs will be hosting Pool D of the World Baseball Classic's first round -- consisting of Mexico, Italy, Canada and the U.S. -- at their Spring Training site of Salt River Fields and their Major League venue, Chase Field, beginning March 7. The D-backs will also host Team Mexico in an exhibition game March 5.
Stadium organizers very much want the D-backs to play regular-season games at Estadio Sonora, perhaps an Opening Day. For that to happen, the capacity would have to increase to 30,000 to 35,000 to make up for lost attendance. Hall said this stadium is capable of such expansion and could see that happening down the road.
In the immediate future, though, is another Spring Training visit.
"We would definitely like to be back," Hall said. "We knew this would be a very difficult year, with the Caribbean Series [at Estadio Sonora] and the World Baseball Classic [partly in Phoenix]. We'll have those discussions shortly about returning, hopefully next spring. We'll see if that will work."


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On the third and final day of the Vri Christi Collegiate Classic in Wichita, Kan., the No. 59 women's tennis team shutout Louisville 4-0 Sunday at the Wichita Country Club.
Due to weather conditions, the match was relocated from host Wichita State's outdoor Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex to indoors at the Wichita Country Club. Due to time availability of the courts, the singles matches between sophomore Lais Ogata and Natalia Baez in the No. 4 position, sophomore Caroline Stevens and Sarah Miller in the No. 5 position and sophomore Aodhnait Lombard and Amelia Harris in the No. 6 spot were unable to start.
Senior Caroline Bailly picked up her second consecutive win in the No. 1 singles position by defeating Lindsey Jones 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. Sophomore Florence De Vrye defeated Lauren Imre 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the No. 2 spot. With the win, De Vrye is one away from tying her career-high singles wins in a season.
Junior Maria Mizyuk defeated Jo-Ann Van Aerde 6-0, 6-2 in the No. 3 position and with the win she has now tied Ines Zouabi (1998-2003) for fifth in Nevada's all-time career singles win list with 48.
Bailly and Mizyuk picked up another win together in No. 1 doubles, defeating Jones and Van Aerde 8-1. Lombard and Stevens picked up a win together in the No. 3 position by topping Miller and Harris 8-4.
"Once again the doubles point was very important and once again they were up to the challenge," Nevada head coach Sylvain Malroux said. "They showed some fantastic plays over the weekend. We have been playing a lot of good teams and it is exciting to see them getting better week after week. They are ready to start the conference matches and happy to be playing at home next weekend."
The Wolf Pack (5-7, 0-1 Western Athletic Conference) opens its home schedule next weekend for four WAC matches. At Lakeridge Tennis Club, Nevada will open the weekend against San Jose State followed by New Mexico State on Friday in a doubleheader.


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Here are spoilers for this Thursday's Impact Wrestling:
*Impact opens with a James Storm promo. He talks about the PPV win, thanks his supporters and haters. Bobby Roode interrupts with two bottles of beer. He offers some cheers on pinning Styles not Roode and using his hard rock. Roode cheers him, drinks beer and Storm nails him. Roode offers to fight him and put his title shot on the line. Storm says no at first but then changes his mind when Roode insults Storm's daughter.
*Kid Kash is introduced, but is interrupted by an Aces & 8's promo. They take Gallows' vest. Devon throws the dart to destroy someone else.
*X-Division champion RVD defeated Kash with 5 Star Frog Splash.
*Eric Young & ODB promo. ODB says she's gonna become TNA Knockouts Champ again. They kiss.
*Backstage Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco offer to be Kurt Angle's tag partner tonight. Kurt picks Garrett.
Jesse Godderz defeats Eric Young with a modified stunner, after a distraction from Tara/ODB.
*Dixie Carter promo, talking about AJ Styles not being able to compete for the title until Bound for Glory.
*Magnus comes out to face Joe. Aces and Eights come out and take out his knees with a hammer. Agents and Bully Ray stop Devon from hitting him with a bat. Stretcher job.
*Kurt Angle & Garrett Bischoff vs Devon and masked man (pretty sure it's Mike Knox).Pre match, Angle says he doesn't need a dart to know whose ass he wants to kick. Angle with schoolboy on larger member. Luke Gallows tries to interfere with hammer, Briscoe makes save.
*Tara & Godderz go to Brooke Hogan's office. She is with Bully Ray and it was sort of intimated something was going on with them.
*They held a Knockout Battle Royal with Mickie James winning.
*AJ Styles cut a promo. He wasn't thankful for anything this year or the people that doubted him. Out came Daniels and Kazarian, who ripped him. Daniels challenged Styles to face him one more time next week.
*Bobby Roode vs. James Storm for World title shot. Roode wins after throwing Storm into an exposed turnbuckle and uses a school boy with tights.
*Spoilers* TNA Impact Wrestling Taping Results For 11/25 (Thanksgiving)


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As the mercury rises, Rockford's downtown walking mall springs to life, with musicians, vendors and outdoor cafes. But an effort is underway to reopen this stretch of Main Street to cars, which isn't popular some residents.
"I think it's just a great place to hang out. If you look at small and average size towns across the country, everyone has a common square," says Ryan, a musician.
But many business owners say opening the walking mall to cars could give them more exposure and bring more customers through their doors.
"People drive everywhere. If you can go downtown and drive through the center of town, it's good street exposure for the businesses," said Jerry Kortman, the owner of the J.R. Kortman center for design.
Kortman believes it could also improve traffic flow and send a message of downtown revival. "So they can actually see what we have in this two block area," said Kortman.
The river district group has held hearings on the proposal but hasn't taken a stance on the issue.
Wheeler says one roadblock could be the high cost of making the change. And says more research is needed to assess the benefits.
But Jerry Kortman is ready for change now, change he says that could mean big dollars for downtown Rockford.
Rockford city leaders say the plan is on the back burner for now. It would be very costly and would affect traffic flow throughout downtown.


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2/11 Split Veins (UK), Burnt Skull, Commoners, Gutter, Body Pressure
February 11, 2016 by
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$2 Tall boys!
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Patio Vibez!
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Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
Today's Top SOA Links
From the Wires
Takeda Announces Mutual Termination of Amylin / Takeda Worldwide Agreement to Co-Develop and Commercialize Compounds for Obesity
By: PR Newswire
Dec. 24, 2012 06:00 PM
OSAKA, Japan and DEERFIELD, Ill., Dec. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE: 4502) today announced that it has mutually terminated its worldwide agreement with Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., originally signed in October 2009, to co-develop and commercialize compounds for obesity.
The companies announced in August 2011 their decision to discontinue the development of pramlintide/metreleptin, an investigational combination therapy for the treatment of obesity. That joint decision was based on a commercial reassessment of the pramlintide/metreleptin program, which had been in Phase 2 development as a twice-a-day injection formulation. The companies have since determined to formally terminate the partnership at this time. Having greatly benefited from the Amylin team's collective experience and scientific expertise, Takeda will continue to enhance its R&D activities in the area of obesity as well as its other core therapeutic areas to meet the needs of patients.
Takeda's consolidated financial statement for the fiscal 2012 will not be impacted by the termination of this partnership.
About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding Takeda's plans, outlook, strategies, or results for the future, and other statements that are not descriptions of historical facts. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may," "believe," "will," "expect," "project," "estimate," "should," "anticipate," "plan," "assume," "continue," "seek," "pro forma," "potential," "target," "forecast," "guidance," "outlook" or "intend" or other similar words or expressions of the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by management that are believed to be reasonable, though they are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on such forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or experience to differ materially from that expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Some of these risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, (1) the economic circumstances surrounding Takeda's business, including general economic conditions in Japan, the United States and worldwide; (2) competitive pressures and developments; (3) applicable laws and regulations; (4) the success or failure of product development programs; (5) actions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; (6) changes in exchange rates; (7) claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates in development; and (8) integration activities with acquired companies.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release, and Takeda undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or circumstances after the date of the forward-looking statement. If Takeda does update or correct one or more of these statements, investors and others should not conclude that Takeda will make additional updates or corrections.
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|Austin To Host 2nd Annual Distillers Conference
AUSTIN, TX - April, 16, 2014 - Scott Stewart, Executive Director of the Texas Distilled Spirits Association (TDSA) announced today that Austin will be the host city for the 2nd annual American Craft Distillers Convention and Vendor Trade Show, February 14 - 16, 2015.
Following the heels of the hugely successful inaugural convention and trade show held in March by the American Craft Distillers Association (ACDA) in Denver, the selection of Austin will bring the largest gathering of licensed distillers in the U.S. to a city renowned for its artistic independence and excellence. "Hosting the 2015 ACDA Convention and Trade Show is an amazing opportunity for Texas," Stewart stated, "and will be a great place to showcase the uniqueness and originality of our own craft spirits producers."
The Convention and Trade Show will be held at the Hyatt Regency Austin. A consumer event where the public can sample craft-distilled spirits and enjoy local fare is also planned as an adjunct to the convention and as a benefit for the TDSA.
"Austin is the perfect fit for artisan producers," states Penn Jensen, Executive Director of ACDA. "According to Nielsen Associates, Austin is the number one city in the country for craft by percentage of resident young adults. Craft is spoken here."
Echoing Jensen's statement, Stewart noted that until 2008 only eight distilling permits existed in Texas. "Today there are more than 50. We look forward to putting on a show worthy of this great state and this fast growing industry."


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Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012 02:59 pm
Tuning in to others
Lincoln Land Community College presents Hootenanny with Ken Bradbury, Barry Cloyd and friends. This is a free and fun evening of music and sing-a-longs to benefit the Jacksonville Area Community Food Center. In lieu of an admission charge, bring nonperishable food items or a monetary donation. All money and goods received go to this great cause. Bradbury is a local musician, composer and playwright. Barry Cloyd is a Midwestern-based singer/songwriter.
Saturday, Nov. 24, 7pm
Grace United Methodist Church
400 W. Morgan Avenue


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UBS news
Wealth management is the focus of UBS Strategy Seminar on January 16
The upcoming annual UBS Strategy Seminar, to be held on January 16, will focus on the group's global wealth management plans.
The event will give investors and media an in-depth explanation of UBS' global approach to wealth management, giving them first-hand information on the strategy and focus of one of the group's core businesses.
The seminar will feature presentations by Group Executive Board President Peter Wuffli, UBS PaineWebber Chairman and CEO Joe Grano and UBS Private Banking CEO Georges Gagnebin on the strategy, focus, and objectives of UBS Global Wealth Management. A panel discussion with the recently created Wealth Management Board will be another one of the event's highlights.
Attendance at the event is by invitation only, but the presentations can be viewed live on the internet from 9.00am CET.
Zurich / Basel, 10 January 2002


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Imagine a school where the vast majority of teachers and administrators are men and where competitive sports are compulsory.Well, I would have loved a school like that when I was a kid, but the point is, on the average, that would favor boys and hurt girls.
Imagine that students get rewarded for being overtly aggressive in school and that there is a zero tolerance policy for being passive.
Imagine getting extra credit for resisting authority, and having points deducted for being compliant with arbitrary rules and meaningless deadlines.
"A zero tolerance policy for being passive" -- that's my favorite part of Horseman's visualization. It's what law school once was, before we backed off. Change one letter in "Horseman" and you get "Houseman."
I can't resist ending this post by saying one of my favorite teachers was a poetry professor -- a male! -- who especially loved to quote the line:
Cast a cold eye
On life, on death.
Horseman, pass by!


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NEWS: ArcTanGent Festival confirms its first wave of bands for 2016, including SikTh!
February 1st, 2016
ArcTanGent Festival has announced it's first wave of acts for its 2016 lineup. The event will take place at Fernhill Farm, Bristol between August 18-20th, and you can check out the new additions below:


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Rolling Stones Recreating Famous Hyde Park Stage Set
The Rolling Stones will perform at London's Hyde Park today (July 6), and the band wants the stage, and its view from it, to look exactly like it did 44 years ago, when they famously played a free gig there.
The Stones are preparing for the concert, part of the Barclaycard British Summer Time celebration, by placing huge trees and bushes onstage and on top of equipment, reports The Sun.
"When Mick and the band looked out from the stage back in the '60s, all they could see was a sea of people and a load of trees," a source is quoted. "But many of those have been cleared or replanted since. So they want to recreate the woodland … They want it to look as authentic as possible."
So that means 70-foot tall oak model oak trees, including 10,000 branches, are being installed onstage and on the sound desk and other gear.
The Stones' appearance marks the anniversary, almost to the day, of the band's famous 1969 shows at the royal park — their first with Mick Taylor as part of the lineup (Brian Jones, already out of the band, had died only two days before).
Mick Jagger kicked off the 1969 concert with a tribute to Jones by reading a poem, which concluded with more than 2,000 butterflies being released. No word on whether or not he will repeat these decidedly late-'60s acts at this weekend's show.


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- SCU Home Page
- About SCU
- Admission
- Academics
- On Campus
- News & Info
- Alumni
In this Issue, Summer 2007
Also in this issue
- From the editor
- About Santa Clara Magazine
About our cover: A defining moment (of "sustainable," that is) with Lacey Schauwecker, a junior English major from Tempe, Ariz. Read more in John Farnsworth's essay. Photo by Charles Barry.
Featured Articles
The buzz about sustainability
By John Farnsworth. When we talk about "sustainability," what are we really talking about?
The green tax shift
By Fred Foldvary. Want an environmentally sustainable economy? Start making polluters pay.
A space that talks to nature
By Miriam Schulman. A team of SCU students aim to win the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon. And save the planet.
Delivering the goods
By Dashka Slater. A pair of SCU alumni mentor two Kenyan entrepreneurs trying to clean up the environment and save lives.
Epitaph for the Journey
A poem by Paul Mariani.
A century of Bronco basketball
By Jed Mettee and Steven Boyd Saum. Celebrating the first hundred seasons.
A family show
By Steven Boyd Saum. Meet new men's basketball coach Kerry Keating.
An auspicious moment
By Karyne Levy and Karen Crocker Snell. The Campaign for Santa Clara has given a new sense of possibility to the University's mission.
Mark Twain's cats and other Califauna
Excerpts from Califauna: A Literary Field Guide, a new addition to the California Legacy Series, edited by SCU's Terry Beers and Emily Elrod '05, published in collaboration with Heyday Books.
Mission: Sustainable
Building green, recycling, and changing attitudes for the future. How's SCU walking the sustainability walk?
Read a Q&A with Sustainability Coordinator Lindsey Cromwell.
Read a Q&A with Assistant Vice President University Operations Joe Sugg.
Join a discussion about the economics of sustainability and a green tax shift.
Solar nexus
Applied Materials President and CEO Mike Splinter calls solar energy the next big opportunity for Silicon Valley. Read more, or listen to a podcast of his April 20 address at Santa Clara.


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A Guide To The Best Inside Jokes On HBO's Hit Comedy 'Silicon Valley'
Published 7:49 pm, Monday, April 28, 2014
HBO's new satire "Silicon Valley" is extremely funny to anyone who has spent time in or near Northern California's tech culture.
There's an inside joke hidden within almost every scene, character and line of dialogue.
And it looks like the jokes won't be stopping anytime soon. HBO last week said it was picking up "Silicon Valley" for a second season.
So, to help you better enjoy the humor, here's an insider's guide to the what some of the jokes really mean.
Peter Gregory is inspired by real-life billionaire investor "Peter Thiel."
Thiel is a co-founder of PayPal, whose wealth skyrocketed from his early Facebook investment.
- Breaking Down the NTSB's Tesla Investigations Fortune
- SpaceX Upgraded Rocket Soars For Bangladesh Associated Press
- How a keyless ignition system could turn your car into a silent killer FoxM9NJ
- Frederick businesses hit hard during devastating flooding Fox5DC
- Don't Get Burned! Your Sunscreen's SPF Label Isn't Always Right Buzz 60
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He's known for his outspoken libertarian political views. Like Gregory on the show, he encourages young genius geeks to leave school and start businesses.
However, he doesn't drive a strangely narrow smart car. He's been known to drive a luxurious Mercedes SL500.
Hooli CEO Gavin Belson is inspired by billionaire Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff.
On the show, the CEO of the fictional company Hooli is Gavin Belson, a hard-driving business man who hangs out with his spiritual guru.
While commuting on the Hooli bus, the startup founder and CEO protagonist, Richard Hendriks and his childhood best friend, Big Head, see a promotional video of Hooli. It shows Belson talking up the vision of Hooli while simultaneously saving children in Africa.
That's taken from the playbook of real-life billionaire philanthropist Marc Benioff, founder and CEO of Salesforce.com.
Benioff is known for his love of yoga and meditation. He also loves to talk about his vision for his company, the future of tech and the joy of the 1-1-1 model of philanthropy he created, where companies donate 1% of their equity, time and products to charity.
Benioff is even been known to speak out against other tech billionaires' philanthropic efforts that don't follow his 1-1-1 model.
Erlich's partying ways is a nod at a real-life Valley legend
Erlich Bachman represents the entry-level rung of the Silicon Valley venture fund world.
He sold a startup for enough money to buy a house and now rents his house out as a hacker hostel. Bachman takes a percentage of each company housed there.
Hacker hostels are a real-life concept best represented by a firm called ChezJJ. At ChezJJ, founders of early-stage startups share a house, pay cheap rent, and live and work together.
Erlich's favorite pastime, partying, is a reference to real-life entrepreneur and Valley legend Sean Parker.
Parker founded Napster and helped discover Facebook, joining as its first president. His stake in Facebook pushed him into the billionaire ranks.
Parker was once known for being a party animal.
Peter Gregory's creepy GPS tracking company is a reference to real tech
During the first episode, when Thiel's assistant, Monica, meets Richard outside the doctor's office. Richard asks her how he located him.
She says, "Peter Gregory has invested in a company that uses GPS and phones to track people."
Richard replies, "That's creepy."
Monica nods and says, "You don't know the half of it."
In real life, Peter Thiel has invested in a company called Palantir that's also funded by the CIA's investment arm. It helps agencies monitor for criminal activity and identify people through facial recognition software.
At one point, speculation circulated that its software was used by the NSA's Prism program, but Palantir denies that.
That's the word that Richard utters under his breath when two Hooli employees approach him in the break room.
A "brogrammer" is a macho dude programmer, not one of the more nerdy types who run around five-person packs on the Hooli campus.
A rock-star culture
In the Valley, the "rock stars" are the guys who built their own multibillion companies, not actual musician rock stars.
In Episode 4, Richard's lawyer picks up a guitar and proudly shows that it was autographed by both of the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
That's also a reference to an April's Fool joke about Brin deciding to learn how to play blues guitar. He was said to be given lessons by music icons like Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Ralph Macchio, TechCrunch jokingly reported in 2012.
Flash back to the opening scene in Episode 1 where an actual rock star, Kid Rock (played by himself), was singing at a private party, and being completely ignored.
"Making the world a better place"
The Silicon Valley ethos is that fabulous new technologies are developed in equal parts to save the world and get rich.
It's very uncool to say, or even to think, that making money is the company's primary goal, even though vast sums of money float around the tech industry for salaries, perks and acquisitions of unproven startups.
There's one scene where Erlich puts himself into a drug-induced meditative hallucination to come up with a better name for Richard's startup than Pied Piper.
But all he he winds up doing is chanting: "Making the world a better place. Making the world a better place."
The symbolism in that scene, with real Valley logos floating in the background, is hilariously right on the money.
Join the conversation about this story »
See Also:
- Meet The Therapist Who Turns Startup Co-Founders Into Silicon Valley Millionaires
- RadiumOne's Board Is Currently Trying To Figure What It Should Do About Its CEO Who Pled Guilty To Battery Charges
- This Guy Landed A Job Interview With A Tech Billionaire Because He Was Good At Poker
- Amazon Paid $300 Million For HBO's Old Shows
- Amazon Will Now Offer Old HBO Content For Prime Customers
SEE ALSO: This is what happened when I tried to use Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX tablet for work
SEE ALSO: This guy was fired and sued by his employer, so he launched a startup and got sweet revenge


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Police investigating a report of a truck parked in the road on the 100 block of Main Street on Sunday found a man passed out behind the wheel, according to reports. The man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
A girl passed a counterfeit $10 bill at a business on the 1000 block of South Hover Street on Monday, police reported. The case is open.
Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire set in the backyard of a residence on the 2000 block of Summitview Drive after a boy playing with matches sparked the flames, according to reports. The boy was referred to the Longmont Community Justice Partnership.


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Teamlist Tuesday is here with #NRL Teamlists and officials for Round 12 confirmed.
Head to bit.ly/L...
3 days ago
Pirtek Parramatta Eels re-sign Horo and Grothe
The Pirtek Parramatta Eels have received a boost on the eve of their clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs after today re-signing forward Justin Horo and winger Eric Grothe.
Horo, who made his NRL debut with the Eels this season after captaining Wentworthville in the NSW Cup last year, has signed for three more years, while Grothe has signed for the 2011 season.
Horo, 23, has impressed from the bench in 2010, playing 20 games and scoring three tries so far. While Grothe's season has been hampered by a knee injury, the 30-year-old is feeling stronger than ever after undergoing surgery earlier this year.
Both players carry on a family tradition, as their respective fathers Mark Horo and Eric Grothe Sr are former Parramatta Eels players.


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What do you think Irina saw in Laurent? Or vice versa?
I suppose the problem with these two characters is that we only see seconds of them, so we really have no idea what their traits are.
Do you think they were just thrown together to create a plot? I'm considering this; it's very plausible.


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Question: Do fertility drugs increase my risk for breast cancer?
Answer:One of the reasons for asking about fertility drugs is that often we prescribe hormones to help women become pregnant and there's a lot of scientific evidence that hormones are related to risk of breast cancer. With regard to fertility drugs though, there doesn't appear to be any evidence that it increases the risk of breast cancer.
Now, this is a really difficult question to answer, primarily because it's hard to sort out the fact that not having children increases risk for breast cancer. So is it the fact that that woman hasn't had a child? Or is it that she's had drugs to treat that infertility that is relating to breast cancer risk? And that's really a very difficult question.
Next: Does Abortion Increase My Risk for Breast Cancer?
Previous: Does My Age at First Pregnancy Affect My Risk for Breast Cancer?


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Search rates and availability at over 550 partner hotels, through our DISCOVERY loyalty program.
Book your hotel stay easily online or change/cancel an existing reservation. You can also make reservations for any of our hotels or resorts via telephone +1 877 544 0606, or by contacting your travel professional.
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Prices are inclusive 10% service charge, 6% tourism fee, 4% municipality charge and 5% VAT.


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I do not give any reproductions of Ruisdael because his work loses so much in the process.
Unlike the moment of Rembrandt and Ruisdael, which is fixed for all eternity, with Vermeer the moment vibrates in the light.
He is now regarded second to none but Ruisdael and his works are worth their weight in gold.
Though not always the most charming, Ruisdael is certainly the greatest and the most profound of the Dutch landscape painters.


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The 63rd Master Gardener Lecture Series on Thursday, Feb. 7, will have Stephen Brown, director of the University of Florida Extension for Lee County, return as guest speaker.
His topic for the Sanibel-Captiva Gardeners meeting, at 10 a.m. at the Sanibel Library, is "Current problems on Sanibel-Captiva and nearby barrier islands."
For more than 20 years, Brown has been the horticultural program leader and coordinator of the Master Gardener programs of Florida, which has graduated more than 250 master gardeners in Lee County. Additionally, he instructs and certifies all landscape professionals that apply fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides in Lee County.
He is the adknowledged expert on Southwest Florida palms, flowering trees, shrubs and all current insect infestations. Brown is a highly respected consultant to many cities, including Sanibel, destination resorts, parks, preserves and commercial nurseries.
In his spare time he writes a weekly Q & A newspaper column and monthly articles in "Florida Gardening." Brown maintains a current, informative and dynamic website with amazing videos and downloadable fact sheets.
He has established a strong working relationship with commercial nurseries, plantations and major retail establishments. He has been an invited guest to Sanibel's vegetation committee and to the City Council to offer his expert opinion.
His presentations are informative, current, lively and always accompanied by excellent digital powerpoint photography.
This is a real opportunity to listen, learn and ask questions of Southwest Florida's expert on horticultural issues.
The lecture series is free and open to the public, but seating at the library is extremely limited.


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ROGER Federer presumed the then-teenager Bernard Tomic might be intimidated by him when they first met. Then Tomic took a set off him and he figured the kid was confident enough not to be cowed as others might be by the weight of Federer's grand slam titles.
''There's certain characters and certain players that have an easier time to play against good players. I was one of those as well. There's other players who are much more overwhelmed by an occasion like that,'' said Federer ahead of his blockbuster clash with Tomic on Saturday night.
''To me, he seems to be more of a guy that likes to be on centre court, playing against the top guys, feels like he belongs there. I think it's going to be make it easier for him to play me.''
He recognises Tomic's record suggests he is a better player now - 10 straight wins this year. And Federer is mindful of the crowd support for the last remaining Australian. But after 1000 ATP tour matches there is little he has not experienced, weathered and overcome before.
''I don't think it matters whether he's the last Australian or 10 more. I think there's always excitement about Aussies playing here. I played him here last year. The crowd was great. I played him in Davis Cup. Crowds were fair there, too. I expect something similar. If it's not, if it's totally for him, that's fine too.
''I'm always excited when the crowd gets into it.''
Federer was dismissive of the slant on Tomic comments that could suggest he was baiting the former world No.1, cheekily cautioning that Federer had to beat Nikolay Davydenko first to reach him. Federer won in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours. Federer felt the young player might have been ''lured'' into making such comments and so they were irrelevant.
Apparently, though, there is a good time to play Federer and according to Tomic that time is now. ''I feel so confident. This is the perfect time to play him,'' Tomic said. ''I think I've got a good attitude to win. I've beaten a lot of good players over the past two weeks, especially Novak. I think I can do it.
''I'm ready. I mean, I'm not going to say I don't have the belief. I do have the belief now. It's possible. I showed that in Perth (when he defeated Djokovic in the Hopman Cup) that you can beat these players. Now I'm going to try to beat him.''
The easier-said-than-done approach to beating Federer requires breaking him in the first set and putting him on the back foot, Tomic said.
And his serve is now a major weapon. Tomic hit 26 aces en route to his 10th straight win of the summer on Thursday. ''That's probably the best I've ever served,'' Tomic said after beating German qualifier Daniel Brands 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-8) in two hours and 55 minutes.
The 20-year-old has now gone 76 consecutive service games without being broken. ''Tells you I'm serving really well,'' he said. ''I'm going to use all this confidence in the next round.''
To progress further, Tomic must now end Federer's record run of 34 consecutive grand slam quarter-final appearances.


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I have a redirect setup at a domain level where I forward traffic from www.crmpicco.co.uk to www.crmpicco.com.
I have re-encountered an issue where I can not browse to www.crmpicco.co.uk/ibrox and have that forwarded to www.crmpicco.com/ibrox.
This is the entry from my VHosts - is there anything wrong with it and is there anywhere else that I need to check the setup to ensure Apache is configured to handle the forwarding?
I have had confirmation from the people maintaining the domain that they don't deal with anything after the first /.
PHP Code:
<VirtualHost 172.26.x.x:80>
DocumentRoot "/var/www/vhosts/live_crmpicco/"
ServerName www.crmpicco.com
ServerAlias crmpicco.com
ServerAlias mobile.crmpicco.com
ServerAlias www.crmpicco.co.uk
ServerAlias crmpicco.co.uk
ErrorLog logs/www.crmpicco.com_error_log
CustomLog logs/www.crmpicco.com_access_log combined
LogLevel warn
<Directory "/var/www/vhosts/live_crmpicco/cgi-bin">
AllowOverride All
Options ExecCGI
AddHandler cgi-script .cgi .pl
<Directory "/var/www/vhosts/live_crmpicco/">
AllowOverride All
allow from all
Options -Indexes


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There are no events scheduled for today.
Sunday, May 20Today's Hours:
Courier Article by Pam Locker
Sunday, March 28, 2004
Enron and Friends
Enron, WorldCom, ImClone, Tyco, Martha. We can't get through a day without being bombarded with headlines about the latest big business scandal.
Having never taken a business class but being dangerously close to that time in my life when I will have to rely on my "investments," I'm getting a bit nervous about my ability to "skim the cream" (as Martha would say). Here are a few books that shed some light on the grubby innards of the recent business debacles.
Bad Business by Robert B. Parker (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2004).
For a quick and dirty grasp of the fall of Enron, read the latest Boston P.I. Spencer mystery. A routine divorce case turns into a probe of dubious accounting practices at energy giant Kinergy (think Enron), when two top executives are murdered.
Tucked among all the hilarious one-liners and eccentric characters that people Parker's mysteries are several important definitions. Mark-to-market accounting (pages 230-231) allows companies to count as current earnings profits they expect to earn in the future. A Special Purpose Entity or SPE (pages 278-281) is a separate legal entity created by a firm to "provide liquidity and/or obtain favorable external funding."
It turns out that Kinergy executives have been diabolically clever at utilizing mark-to-market and SPEs to the max -- thereby bankrolling new operations as well as masking incredible amounts of debt. When someone in their ranks threatens to blow the whistle, murder results.
The Smartest Guys in the Room: the Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind (Portfolio, 2004).
If you crave details, read this definitive 435-page investigative account. McLean, with her March 2001 "Fortune" article "Is Enron Overpriced?," was the first reporter to doubt Enron in a major journal.
This is not an easy read, especially for those of us who are financially-challenged, but the authors patiently explain key concepts over and over in the course of this fascinating saga. Ken Law, Jeff Skilling, and Andy Fastow sincerely believed themselves to be brilliant financial pioneers who were inventing a whole new industry – international energy trading. They lived for the deal, the next "big enchilada." They probably still believe they could have pulled it off – if only they could have closed just one more deal.
Origins of the Crash: the Great Bubble and Its Undoing by Roger Lowenstein (Penguin Press, 2004).
Lowenstein is a "Wall Street Journal" and "SmartMoney" journalist who has penned two previous financial best sellers.
Lowenstein chronicles how in the 1970s, "through four years on an Ivy League campus, (he) didn't hear a mention of the stock market." Stocks were considered too risky. The number of Americans who owned stocks actually declined by millions during that decade.
In the eighties this trend reversed itself, and by the nineties, of course, the stock market ruled. With it came an economy driven by stock price and EPS (earnings per share) and numerous opportunities for the greedy to excel.
Lowenstein blames outrageous executive compensation and lavish granting of stock options for fostering a climate where top company officials strove to keep stock prices up at all costs. He also shows how stock analysts, investment bankers, auditors, and accounting firms enabled and profited by their excesses.
Indeed, the entire economic climate favored the actions of executives who would soon meet resounding defeat. A leading industry magazine, "CFO Magazine," amazingly awarded its prized Chief Financial Officer Excellence awards to Enron's Andy Fastow in 1999, WorldCom's Scott Sullivan in 1998, and Tyco's Mart Swartz in the year 2000!
American Sucker by David Denby (Little, Brown, 2004).
"New Yorker" movie critic David Denby picked the absolute worst time to jump into the stock market – the year 2000. His wife of many years, author Cathleen Schine, had just left him, and he wanted to make enough money to buy her share of their upper West Side Manhattan apartment.
In an embarrassingly frank – and funny -- account, Denby describes the next year's emotional and financial turmoil. Of particular interest are his frequent visits to ImClone founder Sam Waksal's swanky digs (where he met Martha Stewart) and his stubborn contention that the big executives stole HIS money, not just some nebulous funds.
Pam Locker is a librarian with the Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library. The opinions expressed in this column are personal and do not reflect policies or official recommendations of EVPL.


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By Ann E. Marimow and Ben Pershing
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, April 21, 2010; B01
The decision by congressional leaders Tuesday to shelve a D.C. voting rights bill, just days after announcing plans to move ahead, scuttles what supporters say was the best opportunity in a generation to give the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives.
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) abandoned the long-sought legislation with the blessing of Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), who had pushed for the measure. Hoyer said they pulled the bill because of an amendment that would have repealed most of the District's gun-control laws and had caused deep divisions among city leaders, including two Democratic mayoral rivals, incumbent Adrian M. Fenty and D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray.
"The price was too high," Hoyer explained during a news briefing in which he said he was "profoundly disappointed" at "his inability to get this legislation passed."
It was an extraordinary reversal that came less than a week after Hoyer said he would revive the legislation on the House floor as early as Wednesday in spite of the gun language. Norton said she asked Hoyer to change course when she learned that gun-rights advocates were seeking to further loosen the city's firearms laws.
Norton said the "egregious changes" by Reps. Travis Childers (D-Miss.) and Mark Souder (R-Ind.) would "directly proliferate guns throughout the District" in addition to eroding support for the bill among liberal Democrats, particularly in the Senate. Norton said that legislation would have restricted the District from prohibiting concealed or openly carried firearms.
A year ago, the Senate passed voting rights legislation for the first time in three decades, but lawmakers attached language that would have limited the D.C. Council's ability to enact new gun laws and scrapped most of the existing ones. The bill stalled in the House when it became clear that it would be difficult to stop the gun amendment.
Under the voting-rights measure, favored by more than eight in 10 Washingtonians, according to a recent Washington Post poll, the House would add two seats. One would go to the overwhelmingly Democratic District and the other, temporarily, to Republican-leaning Utah until the completion of the 2010 Census.
Former representative Thomas M. Davis III, the Virginia Republican who drafted the original bill, said the measure is "absolutely dead" if it does not come up for a vote before the next Congress. The Democratic majority could narrow after the November elections, and the political compromise with Utah could unwind with the reapportionment of House seats based on the census.
Sen. Benjamin L.Cardin (D-Md.) said proponents would "continue the fight," but he expressed frustration that the issue was stuck yet again. "This was a compromise of a compromise, and then we had another compromise put on top of it," Cardin said. "This was a very modest proposal, and if you can't get this modest proposal moving forward, I don't know what it means in the short term."
Every indication was that the bill would reach the House floor this week. At Hoyer's news conference Tuesday, reporters were given a schedule saying the vote would occur. Minutes later, Hoyer said the measure had been pulled.
House Democratic leaders had planned an elaborate floor strategy that would have enabled the legislation to pass without forcing any liberal lawmakers to vote in favor of the gun-rights language they disliked.
Under the plan, the House would have voted on three separate bills -- one creating the new House seats, one changing the District's gun laws and one dealing with the cost of the measure -- that would have been automatically combined into one bill once the three had passed.
But even if that strategy had ameliorated the complaints of many Democrats in the House, the bill faced hurdles in the Senate. Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), a leading proponent of the Senate-passed bill, vowed to oppose the House version because it would give his state an at-large congressional seat rather than allowing Utah leaders to create the new district's boundaries.
Some Democrats in the Senate were also uncomfortable with the gun language. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a key gun-control supporter, said she would vote against a bill that included the firearms amendment. She said in a statement that the amendment would make the District "much less safe, and the opportunity for criminals, mentally unstable persons and juveniles to purchase weapons will increase dramatically."
After fiercely opposing the Senate gun language last year, Norton softened her position and announced last week that she was willing to accept a weakening of the District's gun-control laws if it meant seizing a fleeting opportunity that would give the District full voting rights in Congress. That strategy splintered a coalition of national and local organizations, in addition to elected officials.
Fenty backed Norton's approach, but Gray and the council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday reaffirming their opposition to the gun language.
Norton said she retrenched this week after reviewing the updated gun language that she received Friday night. Norton said she and the Democratic leadership were "shocked" by the changes.
Childers and Souder crafted the gun language in response to new gun laws passed by the D.C. Council after the landmark Supreme Court decision in 2008. Childers, in a statement, urged the House leadership to move forward with the bipartisan legislation to "end D.C.'s unconstitutional gun ban."
Andrew Arulanandam, a spokesman for the National Rifle Association, said the organization is trying to ensure that the District complies with the court ruling because the council and Fenty have "thumbed their nose at the Supreme Court" with the new laws.
A federal judge recently upheld the District's new gun laws, and Norton and voting rights advocates said Tuesday that they would regroup and develop new strategies for defeating the gun language and reviving a voting rights bill.
As Hoyer was making his announcement Tuesday, D.C. Council members at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue were decrying the gun amendment during a breakfast meeting. They called it an infringement on the city's limited powers of self-government and spoke passionately about District residents who have died from gun violence, including the four teenagers killed in a drive-by shooting on South Capitol Street last month.
"I've got to look people in the face, and when they look back at me, I want them to respect me," Gray said. "I honestly believe they will not respect me when they hear I traded their safety for a vote" in Congress.
Staff writer Tim Craig contributed to this report.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.


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Quanta Services Closes the Sale of its Telecommunications Subsidiaries to Dycom Industries
2012-12-03 17:38 ET - News Release
HOUSTON, Dec. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE: PWR) today announced that it has closed the sale of its telecommunications subsidiaries to Dycom Industries, Inc. (NYSE: DY) for $275 million in cash plus an estimated $25 million to $40 million related to certain working capital and other adjustments. The subsidiaries included in the transaction comprise substantially all of Quanta's former domestic telecommunications infrastructure services operations. The after-tax net proceeds from the sale are estimated to be approximately $250 million to $265 million. Quanta intends to use the proceeds of the transaction to support its ongoing strategic growth initiatives primarily associated with the electric power and pipeline infrastructure markets and for general corporate purposes.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110810/MM50805LOGO)
"The completion of this transaction enables Quanta to strategically focus on the energy infrastructure markets, which we believe will undergo substantial development in the coming years. We intend to use the proceeds of this transaction primarily to support strategic growth initiatives for our electric power and natural gas and pipeline operations, including working capital for large projects, capital expenditures and opportunistic acquisitions," said Jim O'Neil, president and chief executive officer of Quanta Services. "We again wish to thank our former telecommunications infrastructure services employees for their significant contributions to our organization over the years and wish them well in their future endeavors as a part of Dycom."
AFFECTED OPERATIONS FINANCIAL INFORMATIONThe subsidiaries included in the transaction comprise substantially all of Quanta's former domestic telecommunications infrastructure services operations. The trailing twelve month revenues through September 30, 2012, associated with the subsidiaries in the transaction were approximately $535 million, which includes approximately $34 million for telecommunications infrastructure construction services performed within Quanta's Fiber Optic Licensing segment and approximately $39 million of revenues performed within other Quanta segments. Some of Quanta's remaining operating units will continue to derive domestic telecommunications revenues from various non-telecommunications customers and it is currently contemplated that these revenues will be combined with the existing Fiber Optic Licensing segment to form a new segment for disclosure purposes titled Fiber Optic Licensing and Other.
The company has concluded that the historical financial results of the disposed subsidiaries will be presented as discontinued operations and Quanta will revise its historical financial statements accordingly. Quanta intends to provide certain restated financial results reflecting these discontinued operations for investors and the investment community when this information is available.
EFFECT ON 2012 OUTLOOK Quanta expects this sale to result in a pre-tax gain after giving consideration to the effects of approximately $11 million to $13 million in transaction and severance costs. However, Quanta expects the sale to result in an after-tax loss of approximately $10 million to $20 million, or approximately $0.05 to $0.10 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2012. The anticipated tax expense related to this transaction is expected to exceed the pre-tax gain due to differences between Quanta's book and taxable gain associated with the transaction. Consistent with its prior fourth quarter 2012 outlook, Quanta expects adjusted diluted earnings per share (a non-GAAP measure) to be $0.40 to $0.42. This non-GAAP measure is estimated before the impact of the after-tax loss from the transaction, as well as certain other non-cash items such as amortization of intangible assets and non-cash compensation expense, net of tax, on a basis similar to the adjusted diluted earnings per share presented in our earnings release dated October 31, 2012. Considering the impact of the transaction, Quanta currently expects GAAP diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2012 to be $0.27 to $0.34.
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURESThe non-GAAP measures in this press release are provided to enable investors, analysts and management to evaluate Quanta's performance excluding the effects of certain items that management believes impact the comparability of operating results between reporting periods. In addition, management believes these measures are useful in comparing Quanta's operating results with those of its competitors. These measures should be used as an addition to, and not in lieu of, results prepared in conformity with GAAP.
ABOUT QUANTA SERVICESQuanta Services is a leading specialized contracting services company, delivering infrastructure solutions for the electric power and natural gas and pipeline industries in North American and in certain international markets. Quanta's comprehensive services include designing, installing, repairing and maintaining network infrastructure. Additionally, Quanta licenses point-to-point fiber optic telecommunications infrastructure in certain markets and offers related design, procurement, construction and maintenance services. With operations throughout North America and in certain international markets, Quanta has the manpower, resources and expertise to complete projects that are local, regional, national or international in scope.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release (and oral statements regarding the subject matter of this release) contains forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the "safe harbor" from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, projected revenues, earnings per share, margins, capital expenditures and other projections of financial and operating results and the impact of the sale of Quanta's telecommunications subsidiaries (the "Transaction") thereon; expectations regarding our business outlook, growth or opportunities in particular markets; the expected value of contracts or intended contracts with customers; the scope, services, term and results of any projects awarded or expected to be awarded for services to be provided by Quanta; potential opportunities that may be indicated by bidding activity or similar discussions with customers; the potential benefits from acquisitions; the business plans or financial condition of our customers; and Quanta's strategies and plans, as well as statements reflecting expectations, intentions, assumptions or beliefs about future events, and other statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Although Quanta's management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements can be affected by inaccurate assumptions and by a variety of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict or beyond our control, including, among others, the effects of disruption from the Transaction; the effects of industry, economic or political conditions outside of the control of Quanta; quarterly variations in operating results, including as a result of weather, site conditions, project schedules, regulatory and environmental restrictions, bidding and spending patterns and other factors that may affect the timing of or productivity on projects; adverse economic and financial conditions, including weakness in the capital markets; trends and growth opportunities in relevant markets; delays, reductions in scope or cancellations of anticipated, pending or existing projects, including as a result of weather, regulatory or environmental processes, project performance issues or capital constraints that may impact our customers; the successful negotiation, execution, performance and completion of anticipated, pending and existing contracts; the ability to obtain awards of projects on which we bid or are otherwise discussing with customers; the ability to attract skilled labor and retain key personnel and qualified employees; potential shortage of skilled employees; dependence on fixed price contracts and the potential to incur losses with respect to these contracts; estimates relating to the use of percentage-of-completion accounting; the ability to generate internal growth; the ability to effectively compete for new projects and market share; the failure of renewable energy initiatives, the economic stimulus package or other existing or potential legislative actions to result in increased demand for Quanta's services; liabilities associated with multi-employer pension plans, including underfunding of liabilities and termination or withdrawal liabilities; the possibility of an increase in the liability associated with Quanta's partial withdrawal in the fourth quarter of 2011 from a multi-employer pension plan, including as a result of successful legal challenges by the pension plan; unexpected costs or liabilities that may arise from lawsuits or indemnity claims related to the services Quanta performs; liabilities for claims that are self-insured or not insured; potential additional risk exposure resulting from any unavailability or cancellation of third party insurance coverage, the exclusion of coverage for certain losses, or potential increases in premiums for coverage deemed beneficial to Quanta; cancellation provisions within contracts and the risk that contracts are not renewed or are replaced on less favorable terms; the potential that participation in joint ventures exposes Quanta to liability and/or harm to our reputation for actions or omissions by our partners; our failure to comply with the terms of our contracts, which may result in unexcused delays, warranty claims, damages or contract terminations; the effect of natural gas, natural gas liquids and oil prices on Quanta's operations and growth opportunities; the future development of natural resources in shale areas; the inability of customers to pay for services; the failure to recover on payment claims against project owners or to obtain adequate compensation for customer-requested change orders; the failure of our customers to comply with regulatory requirements applicable to their projects, including those related to awards of stimulus funds, potentially resulting in project delays or cancellations; budgetary or other constraints that may reduce or eliminate government funding of projects, including stimulus projects, which may result in project delays or cancellations; estimates and assumptions in determining financial results and backlog; the ability to realize backlog; risks associated with operating in international markets, including instability of foreign governments, currency fluctuations, tax and investment strategies and compliance with the laws of foreign jurisdictions as well as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; the ability to successfully identify and complete acquisitions, to effectively integrate acquired businesses and their operations, and to realize potential synergies from acquisitions; the potential adverse impact resulting from uncertainty surrounding acquisitions, including the ability to retain key personnel from the acquired businesses and the potential increase in risks already existing in Quanta's operations; the adverse impact of goodwill or other intangible asset impairments; the adverse impact of impairments of investments in third parties; growth outpacing our decentralized management infrastructure; requirements relating to governmental regulation and changes thereto; inability to enforce our intellectual property rights or the obsolescence of such rights; risks associated with the implementation of an information technology solution; the impact of a unionized workforce on operations and the ability to complete future acquisitions; potential liabilities relating to occupational health and safety matters; our dependence on suppliers, subcontractors and equipment manufacturers and their ability to perform their obligations; risks associated with Quanta's fiber optic licensing business, including regulatory changes and the potential inability to realize a return on capital investments; beliefs and assumptions about the collectability of receivables; the cost of borrowing, availability of credit, fluctuations in the price and volume of Quanta's common stock, debt covenant compliance, interest rate fluctuations and other factors affecting financing and investment activities; the ability to access sufficient funding to finance desired growth and operations; the ability to obtain performance bonds; the ability to continue to meet the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; potential exposure to environmental liabilities; rapid technological and structural changes that could reduce the demand for services; the potential impact of incurring additional healthcare costs arising from federal healthcare reform, and other risks detailed in Quanta's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and Quanta's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2012 and June 30, 2012 and any other documents that Quanta files with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Should one or more of these risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are current only as of this date. Quanta does not undertake and expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For a discussion of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, investors are urged to refer to Quanta's documents filed with the SEC that are available through the company's website at www.quantaservices.com or through the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval System (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov.
Derrick Jensen, CFO
Investors - Kip Rupp, CFA
Media - Reba Reid
Quanta Services, Inc.
SOURCE Quanta Services
© 2018 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.


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Say the words climate change or global warming and you usually draw a strong reaction from most people. Some call it junk science and a waste of time. Others wonder why more isn't being done to deal with the issue.
Here in North Carolina there has been a lot of research into just what climate change, or global warming, could mean for us. There's also been a lot of time and effort put in by others who say it's just not true.
While enjoying the beach is the perfect day for many in Eastern Carolina, could the beautiful coast and its inviting water we love so much, also be a threat to our way of life?
Dr. Stephen Culver is the chairman of the Department of Geological Sciences at ECU. He says, "Much of Eastern North Carolina is going to have problems being inundated with water more regularly than it is today."
A few years ago, at the request of the state, Dr. Culver and nearly 30 other faculty members, put together a report about global warming and coastal North Carolina. Other universities across the state did the same thing.
Dr. Culver's research is also published in the book, "The Battle For North Carolina's Coast."
Some of Dr. Culver's research is conducted in the core sampling room at ECU where they examine samples of earth taken from river bottoms across the east. Some samples date back thousands and thousands of years.
Dr. Culver says, "And what we do with this different data is reconstruct the past."
And Dr. Culver says knowing what has happened is one factor to help determine what may happen, like a rise in sea level, one of the risks outlined in the report. Dr. Culver says, "Based on geological data from North Carolina, we do know the rate of sea level rise varies through time. It can vary from a millimeter a year, which doesn't sound like much at all, to three to four millimeters a year. That's probably where we are right now."
That, and other research, led the Coastal Resources Commission to estimate that sea level will rise 39 inches by 2100, 87-years from now.
While the state asked for the research from ECU and other universities across North Carolina, the reaction from some state lawmakers, policy makers and other officials, has been less than enthusiastic, to downright denial.
Tom Thompson is chairman of NC-20, a group looking out for the interests of people, businesses and development in 20 coastal counties. He says there's good reason for the push back. Thompson says, "The science is based on speculation."
Thompson says all you have to do is look at the tide gauge in Wilmington, which he says has only gone up 8-inches in the past 100-years and not at all in the last 20, even as carbon dioxide levels, which are said to hasten the effects of climate change, have been steadily increasing.
There's enough doubt over sea level rise that state lawmakers agreed to legislation projecting only an eight inch sea level rise through 2100...seen as a victory for groups like NC-20.
Thompson says, "If we added 39 inches of sea level rise to our land use planning it would affect our homeowners insurance, road building, everything we do."
Dr. Culver says, "If you have an investment you want to protect it, that's absolutely understandable. You have a business, you want to protect it. From a scientific perspective I understand that. But it should not stop me trying to put the information out for people to react and deal with."
Thompson responded saying, "If the science were true we would be the first ones to jump in and say lets prepare for it."
Dr. Culver says the ECU report recommends the state does prepare now, to protect and preserve the very place we all treasure. He says, "The most important thing for us to do in the future is to adapt to climate change. You can't ignore it."
Regardless of what the science does or doesn't show, those enjoying the beach, like Carol Robinson of New Bern, understand the skeptics. "I do because for most of us it's not going to happen during our lifetime, but it will for our grandchildren and that does concern me."
Denny Fisher, vacationing with family from Pennsylvania, tends to lean towards believing the science. "Over the course of time I've seen a lot of changes in the weather. There has to be a reason behind it."
Some beach goers, like Amber Artis of Goldsboro, aren't sure what to make of it all. "I don't know. I'm not sure. Only time will tell."
While the debate continues on climate change and sea level rise, Dr. Culver says a new report is expected to come out in September by the worldwide Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the first since 2007, and will likely show sea level rise increasing more than than the current numbers being used.
The state legislation that bases planning on an 8-inch sea level rise expires in three-years.


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Georgia Southwestern pitchers surrendered five runs over the final three innings, while Hurricane hitters were held to just six hits on the afternoon without a walk as North Georgia claimed a Peach Belt Conference series win with a 7-0 victory on Sunday at Hurricane Field.
Craig Brisson put the visiting Saints on the board with a RBI double in the third inning. Brisson would score later in the frame on a two-out throwing error by GSW, giving NGCSU a 2-0 advantage.
The Saints added some insurance runs in the seventh inning off a two-run home run by Brission to left field. Chad Sage knocked in two more runs in the eighth inning for North Georgia and Brission rounded out the scoring with his second home run of the game, a solo shot to left.
Blake Hobby (4-4) threw the complete game shutout for NGCSU. Hobby, who entered the game with an 8.00 earned run average, struck out nine batters.
Hurricane starter Zach Whitman (2-5) allowed six runs - five earned - in 7.1 innings of work. He struck out seven and walked four. Whitman cruised through the first six innings, surrendering only two hits and one earned run. Jody Sellars pitched the final 1.2 innings. He stuck out two and did not walk a batter.
Brisson, the lone North Georgia batter with multiple hits, finished 4-for-5 from the plate with four RBI and three runs scored while belting the double and pair of home runs.
Chris Lingham and Bud Long finished with two hits apiece for GSW.
The Hurricanes are back in action on Wednesday (4/22) against Thomas University at Hurricane Field. The seven GSW seniors will be honored before first pitch, which is set for 6 p.m., as part of Senior Night festivities.


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This week, November 12-16th, SID THE SCIENCE KID series focuses on "Living Things."
Monday & Friday, November 12 & 16, 10:30-11 a.m.
Sid is very excited because he's going to babysit Grandma's dog Philbert for the weekend. This is a great way for Sid to show his parents that he's ready to take care of his own puppy. But there's only one problem…how exactly do you take care of a pet? Sid heads to school to investigate more, and is delighted to see the special guest. It's Gabriela's Mom, Dr. Rosalinda Cordova! She brought the class their very own pet…a praying mantis! And now the kids have to learn how to take care of it. That means investigating what the praying mantis needs to eat, drink, and what kind of home it needs. As Sid quickly discovers, taking care of a pet is a big responsibility!
Tuesday, November 13, 10:30-11 a.m.
Sid is ready to stay up all night so he and his stuffed animals can pretend to fly into space on a rocket ship! When his Mom insists that he can't stay up, Sid ventures to school to investigate more. He and friends explore how the body needs sleep to properly function, and most important, we need sleep to grow and stay healthy! Understanding that sometimes we feel too excited to sleep (like before an adventure into space), Susie presents a special Super Fab Lab where the kids practice calming down, and preparing their bodies for sleep. Susie lowers the lights, turns off all the sounds in the room, and teaches the kids how to breathe slowly to relax…and sleep!
Wednesday, November 14, 10:30-11 a.m.
At breakfast, Sid discovers seeds in his apple, and decides that seeds really get in the way when you're trying to eat the apple! This leads Sid to investigate seeds with his friends at the Science Center, where they learn that many living things grow in life cycles. And while many fruits start out as seeds, many animals start out as eggs. The kids investigate frog eggs, butterfly eggs, and chicken eggs, and then see the fully-grown animals they grow into. The kids are elated and empowered with their newfound knowledge about life cycles, and can't wait to get back to school so they can plant Sid's apple seed and watch it slowly grow into an apple tree.
Thursday, November 15, 10:30-11 a.m.
Sid wakes up and can't stop sneezing. He makes his way into the kitchen where he finds his Dad in the middle of a similar sneeze attack. Sid soon discovers that just like his Dad, he might be allergic to pollen! This leads Sid on a mission to learn more about allergies. Mom can think of someone who knows a lot about allergies… Grandma-she's a nurse! At school, Grandma helps the kids discover that sometimes our bodies can react strongly to something we touch, smell, or eat, so our bodies try to fight it off-and that's an allergy. Gerald tells everyone that he has a food allergy–he can't eat strawberries. Wanting to help their friend, Sid, May, and Gabriela decide to make their class a Strawberry-Free-Zone! Gerald is touched, and Susie suggests a special Super Fab Lab survey to discover if other people they know also have allergies.


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If our planet is warming up, what does the future hold for Earth's frozen Poles? ESA's ice mission will precisely measure changes in ice thickness to help predict likely developments. All is explained in this VideoTalk, an exciting multimedia feature.
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- From the President
Secrets of Underground London
Secrets of Underground London
Sun, 06/22/2014 - 8:00pm
On the surface, London is a buzzing, modern metropolis — but underneath lies a hidden world, all but forgotten by the millions of people above. From ancient caves and preserved Roman remains to mysterious rivers and plague pits, Secrets of Underground London uncovers 2,000 years of subterranean history. It airs Sunday, June 22, 2014 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
The special unearths historical locations such as the London Silver Vaults beneath Chancery Lane and Prime Minister Winston Churchill's bunkers — where he conducted his strategic plan to win the war — directly under Westminster. Also revealed, among others, are the derelict elevators and platforms of Aldwych Tube Station, which not only provided citizens shelter during the WWII Blitz but housed the British Museum's priceless treasures in secret tunnels.
"As people go through their everyday lives, untold treasures of history and mystery are hiding in plain sight across the city of London," said Gareth Sacala, director at Pioneer Productions. "In never-before-seen footage, we take viewers to places that demonstrate the resiliency and ingenuity of the British throughout history."


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Q: How did the industry initially respond when Autodesk launched AutoCAD?A: The traditional CAD industry's first response to the introduction of AutoCAD was that the early PC CAD products were toys. The theory was that the CAD programs could only be run on a very sophisticated machine. However, when it launched at COMDEX 1982, AutoCAD garnered a great amount of interest, not only from CAD customers, but also from the PC industry as a whole. The software was a proof point in support of the viability of the democratizing power of the PC. At that time, it was already apparent that CAD would be a serious productivity tool for the industry.
Q: AutoCAD has served as the foundation for some of the industry's innovative products and solutions. Was this the expectation from the start? A: From the start, the company made a key decision: to build a customizable and extensible architecture for AutoCAD. This let the founders focus on building a broad horizontal platform for design and engineering productivity, which customers or other companies could extend to solve specific problems. This allowed a robust community of developers and CAD managers to be formed around AutoCAD, and that community continues to grow today. Our customers have customized or extended AutoCAD to build some very unique applications.
Q: What has given AutoCAD its staying power?A: In short, we have kept up with the needs of our customers. AutoCAD is Autodesk's flagship product, and it has delivered solid, useful functionality and ongoing innovation to the customers; it addresses the demands of various industry segments, including architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, power and process, government, and telco and utility organizations. AutoCAD has the largest community of users. And because customers have provided us with valuable feedback over the years, we have been able to make product improvements that better suit the needs of our customer base, while staying abreast of new industry trends.


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International recognition for Waikato dermatologist
Press Release – Waikato District Health Board
American honours: Long-time Waikato Hospital dermatologist Amanda Oakley has gained two prestigious honours this year.
It's been a big year for Waikato Hospital dermatologist Amanda Oakley.
She was recently awarded Honorary Membership of the American Academy of Dermatology. This is a rare honour and seldom conferred on a non-American. She will be presented with a plaque on 1 March 2013, at the annual meeting of the academy in Miami Beach, Florida.
Earlier this year Dr Oakley was nominated as an International Honorary Member in the American Dermatological Association. She was inducted into the ADA when attending its annual meeting in Washington DC in October.
The association is a small prestigious organisation of about 300 members. She has been a member of the 18,000-strong academy for 20 years as an international fellow.
"They both came as a bit of a surprise. Both are a huge honour," Dr Oakley says.
Although no reason was given for her elevation in the world of dermatology, she strongly suspects it is linked to her work with creating and managing DermNetNZ.org, the website of the New Zealand Dermatological Society. The site receives one million visitors each month and is popular among dermatologists and other health professionals worldwide.
Dr Oakley started work on the site in 1995, getting it up and running the following year. Since then there has been "non-stop expansion".
"It's a free, readily-available rapid-loading summary of information," says Dr Oakley who is still chief editor and website manager and puts in 30-40 hours a month on the site.
While she describes herself as a "cutter and paster" the site has helped revolutionise medical digital referencing. Dr Oakley has also been a trailblazer in "tele" dermatology and video conferencing.
She qualified from Bristol University Medical School in 1979 and then emigrated to New Zealand. Her postgraduate training in dermatology was undertaken in New Zealand and the United Kingdom (Westminster and Durham). She has been a specialist dermatologist for Health Waikato since 1987.
She is a general dermatologist particularly interested in the management of ageing skin including medical management of skin cancers, photosensitivity disorders, phototherapy, psoriasis and gynaecological skin disorders. Academic interests include health informatics (telemedicine and internet medicine), dermatoscopy, clinical trials and teaching.
Dr Oakley is president of the NZ Dermatological Society, president of the Australian and New Zealand Vulvovaginal Society, website manager of NZ DermNet, Honorary Associate Professor at Auckland School of Medicine, Fellow Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Dermoscopist for Molemap NZ Ltd, Member New Zealand Medical Association, website manager for Australian and New Zealand Society for Vulvovaginal Disease, Member of the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease, managing editor of the technology section of Medscape dermatology, and was co-editor of the first Textbook of Teledermatology. She also writes a monthly column for New Zealand Doctor.
Dr Oakley said she could not do all that without the help of her colleagues in Dermatology at Waikato Hospital. "I'd like to thank them for their support over many years. We are lucky to have such an excellent team."
Check out our media releases on www.waikatodhb.health.nz/news or
About Waikato District Health Board and Health Waikato:
Waikato DHB is responsible for planning, funding and providing quality health and disability support services for the 372,865 people living in the Waikato DHB region. It has an annual turnover of $1.2 billion and employs more than 6000 people.
Health Waikato is the DHB's main provider of hospital and health services with an annual budget of more than $701 million and 5238 staff. It has six groups across five hospital sites, three primary birthing units, two continuing care facilities and 20 community bases offering a comprehensive range of primary, secondary and tertiary health services.
A wide range of independent providers deliver other Waikato DHB-funded health services – including primary health, pharmacies and community laboratories.
Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz
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Olive Newson
A former Principal of International Affairs and Special Events for the Sports Council, Olive Newson is currently retired and sits as a Member of the Grand Council.
Her links with the ISTD date back to the late 1940's and were made via the Central Council of Physical Recreation. Miss Newson was a College Governor at London College of Dance & Drama from this time, and remained involved with the college until the management was transferred to Middlesex University in 1994.
In 1984, Olive Newson was appointed an Independant Member of the ISTD Council, and served in this role until 1998. She has also served as a Council Member for the Council for Dance Education & Training from its inception until 1998.
From 1938 through to the 1970's, Miss Newson has diligently worked to bring a wide experience of teaching and teacher training of post school physical recreation (including both Movement and Dance).
Through long experience of serving with the controlling boards of national governing bodies of sport and many international bodies concerned with physical education, she is more than familiar with the niceties of correct constitutional and management practices, which themselves provide such a proven foundation for true progress.
Grand council: Grand Council Member


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The Decline of UnionsComments
Not a good day for a labor person.
Labor Department figures released today showed that 11.3% of the American workforce belongs to a labor union. That is the lowest number since 1936. To put that in context, the National Labor Relations Act was upheld by the Supreme Court and the Congress of Industrial Organizations split from the American Federation of Labor in 1937. This is down from 11.8% in 2011. The sudden drop was two-fold. Continued losses in public sector work was one piece. Bigger was the Wisconsin and Indiana right-to-work laws, which led to major membership declines in union membership in those states. No doubt, the Michigan law (and potentially Pennsylvania) will lead to even lower numbers next year. Business has reversed the entire union gains of the New Deal. And of course their goal is to also reverse the policy changes and social programs labor helped create.
What kind of plans do AFL-CIO leaders have to turn around the labor movement? Not much. And what they have are bad. Take for instance the legendary union puppet Scabby the Rat.
You see Scabby at big labor rallies. It's a fun way to get the message across. But some in labor don't like it. Take Sean McGarvey, president of the powerful Building and Construction Trades Department. Today McGarvey tweeted this:
Meeting with our Presidents and state councils. Issued a call to retire the inflatable rat. It does not reflect our new value proposition.
Wow. A few big issues here. First, what the deuce is a "value proposition?" One thing it certainly is: corporate doublespeak. Does McGarvey also support leveraging some holistic change? Engineering some maximum synergies? What on earth is McGarvey doing parroting corporate language? How is that going to motivate people to join unions? Of course it won't. But it's also McGarvey's big strategy, according to Mike Elk :
The AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department did not respond to a request for elaboration. However, McGarvey and many other construction union leaders favor taking a "business-friendly" approach rather than adversarial approach to relationships with management. The council states on its website, "We will prove to contractors and owners that a partnership with North America's Building Trades Unions is the best investment they will ever make." Construction union leaders often publicly stress the value that their unions bring to companies, pointing to the fact that union projects are more likely completed on time without cost overruns.
In this context, abandoning Scabby the Rat appears to some union members like a call by such leaders to work out deals with management nicely, quietly and behind-the-scenes, instead of confrontationally, such as by placing giant 16 foot inflatable rats outside of corporate offices.
For rank-and-file dissident construction workers such as Gregory Butler, retiring "Scabby the Rat" symbolizes a turn back to the labor-management cooperation models that often left rank-and-file union members like him behind.
Ugh. Double ugh.