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Mother Stiffs Gay Server On $100 Check: 'I Do Not Agree With Your Lifestyle'
Well isn't this a gem? Apparently a New Jersey mom with two kids at a Gallop Asian Bistro had no problem shoveling $100 worth of food into her family's mouths, but she had a big problem with tipping her androgynous lesbian waitress.
Dayna Morales, a former U.S. Marine posted this on the "Have A Gay Day" Facebook page:
Dayna writes:
I'm a server at Gallop Asian Bistro in Bridgewater, NJ and THIS is what happened to me today.....
The note says "sorry I cannot tip because I do not agree with your lifestyle & the way you live your life"
NEVER in a million years did I think this would happen. Not only was it a family with two kids, but as I introduce myself and tell them my name is Dayna - the mom proceeds to look at me and say "oh I thought you were gonna say your name is Dan. You sure surprised us!"
I am THOROUGHLY offended mad pissed off and hurt that THIS is what her kids will grow up learning and that I served in the Marines to keep ignorant people like them free. Sorry lady but I don't agree with YOUR lifestyle and the way you're raising your kids but you didn't see me throwing that in your face and giving you shitty service. Keep your damn mouth shut and pray we never cross paths again.
Dayna M.
How classy of this mom to explain her reasons behind stiffing the server who just spent time on her feet putting food on your table.
Dayna later told her Facebook supporters (and there are many):
Thanks everyone for your support - it took very fiber of my being not to spit in their food and say something. (Not gonna lie if kids weren't there it would of been a totally different story)
How would you have reacted, Instincters?
(H/T: Gaily Grind)
Best thing you could do.... Take a picture of her. Text it to all of your friends. You work in foodservice. That means most of your friends do too. That's just an industry thing. She won't be able to eat out anywhere anymore. You can post the check on FB or wherever as long as it's scrubbed, but her picture is fair game to text around EVERY food service establishment in the area. Or you could just spend a lil cash and get dirt on her with a Private Investigator. Wouldn't be tough. It would be vindictive.
To whomever "Me" is: That is the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Typical American myopia and self-righteousness. Your reaction here is really no better than the customer's insensitive remarks and stingy, non-existent tip.
Are you really that typically lowest-common denominator American? It's comments like yours that have me worried for my country. Wow.
The most ridiculous thing about this is how ignorant the general public is about how a server actually gets paid. When a server stiffed on a bill it is actually costing them to serve that ignorant guest. There is typically tipout to a bartender and various other people. You think servers make minimum wage? Wrong. In most cases it is under 3$ an hour which goes to taxes. YES it is optional to tip, but what is really grounds for getting no tip? Its not like the server didn't do the job, they just sucked at it. So leave 10%. That's actually way more hurtful in my opinion than stiffing the server. That just proves ignorance and EVERY single server will never see why it was deserved. Just makes you the asshole. So think before you act people.
Wow $87.43 and the taxes on that are $6.12!!!!! That is awesome. Here where I live taxes would have been around $9.88. My wife and I do not go out to eat at places like this a lot but when we do have the money to we take enough to tip atleast 15%, 25% if we're very pleased. I'm a Blue Collar worker and I respect hard workers like servers. Regardless of their sexuality. That's ridiculous.
Thank you for serving our country, so that people can speak their minds so freely. But it doesn't always mean they should. I am also greatful you had the courage to post this, I hope people see this and realize the awfull people that are out there and think they are free at No cost to them.
TO everyone that says its the diner's prerogative whether she wanted to tip or not. What 99% of people who SAY that actually don't know is that on the worker's income statement, the IRS automatically assumes she got tipped 20% and is charged tax on that whether she got tipped or not. That's the way it is in property-accounted establishments.
SO to anyone that is not leaving tips, you are also costing the server money on income tax too.
As someone who has waited with lifetime professional servers (i.e. they've been serving 15+ years), I have been told repeatedly to claim 8-10% with IRS or their experience is the govt. will audit. I don't know if it's true.
BUT, the point made earlier about actually losing money IS true when it comes to tipping out at the end of the night. The bartender at the restaurant (and sometimes the host/hostess) always got tipped out of our retail totals at the end of the night. They typically received 20% of my 15% tip. If I got stiffed, then I would have to pay the 1/5 of the expected tip to them out of my pocket -- always. So, on a $90 check I would have to tip them out around $2.70. That is the truth. For those who have not waited tables in the U.S. before, it really is more than optional. In other countries this is true, but their hourly wages are higher. The plates of food cost a lot more too. That's because the gratuity is figured into the menu prices. In the U.S. servers get paid less than $3 USD/hour. Yes, you heard that correctly. I've gotten served by people who were absolute train wrecks but I always have left a tip if they delivered my food. Compromising their livelihood because you don't agree with their choices in life is just pathetic.
And we all know the food you get at a fast food chain is just as tasty and the same quality as the food you get at an establishment that actually has servers that come to your table, take your order, bring you your food, check to be sure everything is ok, refill your drinks, clear your plates, etc. Yeah, it would be a lot more than $10 per person if servers were paid an hourly wage they could actually live on. Fucking moron!
Yup it's pretty much the same quality and still satisfies KB! If u don't like getting paid like a waiter/waitress, don't be one! It's that simple you fucking moron! You have no input on the actual debate here, you're just a mad server...and it's ok...I don't hold it against, you are entitled to your own opinion, AS AM I!!
"Pretty much the same quality " that statement alone disqualifies you from any intelligent conversation about fine dining, and If KB is a server, she is far more qualified to comment on the hardship of trying to live off of a waitresses salary, yes, they live on tips, and YES, the quality of their service to others should be a barometer on how well they live, but even a waitress at IHOP, deserves the same respect as someone working in a four star restaurant, this was an Asian Bistro, which would signify somewhat more than your average dining experience, and usually, servers in such establishments, are trained to serve a formal clientele, this was a simple case of bigotry, based on the antiquated religious premise, that homosexuals are lesser people, and not entitled to exist along side the "enlightened" good Christian customer, who was teaching such a fine lesson to her children, who will no doubt, grow up to be just as enlightened, mores the pity!
"Pretty much the same" is exactly what i meant mike...let me explain it to you since you lack intelligence. Pancakes from McDs pretty much taste the same as pancakes from IHOP...the $1 dr.pepper at Mcds tastes exactly the same as the $3 dr. Pepper at any "fine dining" restaurant...like I said before...if KB can't survive on a server's income, maybe she/he should change employment...if she/he were intelligent enough to do so! As far as Christian values and morals...they are all retrieved from the good book...everyone should be respected, even if they are bigots. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even if it's not like yours Mike!!
I fully embrace the concept that people's opinions differ from mine, and please tell me again about my intelligence, yours was never in question here, I spoke to the lesson of intolerance, and not everyone believes in your " good book", but that's another can of worms all together, I swore an oath to defend this country, and the rights of its citizens wherein, so please save yourself the embarrassment of continuing to doubt my motives in defending this waitress, the mother was showing her children that it is alright to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation, which is her right as a parent, but sets up an awfully painful lesson for her children, further down the line, all this based on the misguided notion that Jesus taught his disciples " love thy neighbor as yourself, (excepting of course, your neighbor is gay" then it's Okie dokie to shun them" ) I must have missed that part of the Ten Commandments , you know..those ten laws from which your good book sprung!? ( and please tell me again about my intelligence, my IQ would boggle your feeble mind!)
Your IQ is more than likely a single digit number Mike! If you fight to protect the constitution, then you must believe that the person who wrote the note on the receipt has all the right in the world to express her opinion...I stand behind my god, I have principles and morals and accept people how and what they are, but I have no obligation to force my beliefs on any one...the writer feels the need to voice her opinion...more power to her...the waitress had to put this on blast....more power to her...if you don't get that peoples opinions will always differ, I'm sorry I can't help you understand the greater picture here!
How is this openly discriminating? She wrote it on the ticket meant for the waitress...did the waitress have to put it on Facebook...ummmm....NO! The waitress could have scratched it out and that would be the end of it, but no...she just wants to be labeled a victim...well get the fuck over it!
@Opinionanted I feel so sorry for you right now and whoever raised you with those ideals, your parents did an extremely lousy job, if you are their reflections, they were or are HORRIBLE, and I really feel sorry that you grew up to be the inadequate persona you HAVE BECOME with such narrow mentality, I just hope you never have the possibility to have kids in case you turn them like that as well. I'm embarrassed I have people like yourself living in this country calling themselves Americans. Good day to you and the other guy Justin FOR SUCH DISGUSTING SELFISH MENTALITY
Are you judging me Cristian? Do you know me or how I was raised? No. I have opinions and I share them...this is what makes me American! Part of the reason I love being American is being able to voice my opinions, hopefully without having people get offended...but if they do, it's their problem..and I for one will still have my opinions and it doesn't affect you or your life one bit...you Christian are an idiot, a moron, and very uneducated...but alas, this is only my opinion! Justin...you are very intelligent! Finally a real American!
We could make this very easy if we just made everyone who wanted to voice an opinion first take an IQ test. In my perfect world, only people with viable intelligence should be allowed to post an opinion. Poor Opinionated would be locked in a box, screaming to get to the keyboard. We could stick that box in a cage and derive hours of endless fun watching the Opinionated's irritation and annoyance. I'll even buy the popcorn.
I think that it is crazy that someone believes they can refuse to tip for service based on someone's sexuality. When you apply for jobs it is illegal for them to discriminate based on race, sex, sexuality, religious beliefs etc. This person in a nutshell is paying the server her wages, but yet they believe they have the right to discriminate. Despicable. Welcome to the real world, you may not want to be like everyone that you meet and their decisions, but that's why they are their decisions. Live the life you want to live, be the person you want to be, and if you want to be a judgmental piece of shit, then keep it to yourself and leave your children and everyone else out of it.
"Everyone" is making such a big deal out of this because this woman crossed a line. Let's face it, there will always be ignorant, self-righteous, obnoxious individuals out there. These people drill their hatred into their kids heads and then those kids will do the same some day, It sucks, it's wrong, but to some degree, sadly, it will always be a part of life.
This rude woman had the right to stiff the waitress. What she did not have the right to do was put her pathetic excuse for not tipping on the bill. Furthermore, if she was so disturbed by the server, why didn't she leave or sit elsewhere.
Karma's a bitch, and so was this woman.
What? She had just as much of a 'right' to include an excuse on the bill, as she did to stiff the poor woman, I dont like your comment at all. It's too easy to sit back and go 'hey, that's always gonna be that way'. That's not how change happens. The reason this is news is because it's shocking behavior that the majority of society is no longer willing to accept. It's important to share this and let others know, this is NOT okay.
This is unacceptable behavior!! Reasons I wouldn't tip would be down to the service, not sexuality, race or any other stupid excuse. I will say however, someone mentioned earlier that they hope one of her kid's turns out to be gay..I disagree. I sincerely hope neither Of her children turn out gay, as they will be made to feel ashamed of themselves. I wouldn'. Wish that on anyone. But Dayna, I am sorry you had to deal with discrimination like this. You demonstrated you have better morals than this poor excuse for a human being, by simply keeping your opinions to yourself. I have so much respect for you and I hope you never have to deal with anything like this again. Hold your head high, all us lesbians have your back xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx much love from England!!
Ok as a bartender let me make clear, the name is covered, no vital info is shown, and signature a scribble so it's fine to post online. Also anyone who says that being blatantly cruel is ok because it must have been so obvious she was gay, you're a douchecanoe and should become a hermit. I am adopted by a blatantly gay man but that doesn't give this twatwaffle a reason to be on her high horse. Those poor kids! I hope one turns out to be gay.
Its not cool to stiff someone who depends on tips for most of their income, BUT look at all the Hypocrites who don't have a problem with ripping Chick Fil A and costing them money just because of their choice to support "traditional" marriage hating on this lady for doing the exact same thing....Time to reflect on the fact that when you claim that you want to be treated equal you have to accept the fact that others are allowed to be whatever way they want to be also, which includes bigoted jerks.
You're comparing apple to oranges. Not giving a business your business is not the same as accepting services, and then making some weak "moral" stand as an excuse to not pay for them. Bad service is one thing, but that isn't the case here. If this woman is so righteous in her beliefs she should have just gotten up and left before eating! If she had done that your analogy would be true, as it stands you pose bad logic.
Not defending her....just pointing out that everyone is allowed to have an opinion without all the hate. a Hypocrite is a hypocrite. It's just funny how the ones who claim to be hated and discriminated against are so quick to hate and discriminate and think it's justified on their behalf. No Matter what the income level.
There is having opinions, and then there is accepting this server's service only to have it be for nothing. If she was uncomfortable with the server, she should have asked for another at the beginning. Clearly she had that impression from the start. Servers count on those tips as income. It's not extra money. It is THE money they make. Also, it's not discrimination to call someone out for being an unacceptable human being.
Money has nothing to do with it, and you are making up facts. stick to the topic. Hate is wrong from BOTH sides and just because this lady is Ignorant and has misplaced hatred doesn't mean she doesn't have the right to her opinion. Plus it's obvious she's not too bright she makes a redundant and ridiculous statement by saying she "doesn't agree with her lifestyle" as well as she "doesn't agree with how she lives her life" both of which are the same thing said two different ways. Personally I commend Chik Fil A for backing their beliefs and standing up for them. This is America right?
EVERYTHING Ashley stated is true. Research the facts before you claim that others are making their's up. The "lady" who stiffed the waitress didn't pay for services rendered. Not eating at Chik FIl A because they support hate groups isn't hate, it's not giving money to or patronizing an establishment that uses those profits to hurt others like me.
After the racist receipt article, it kind of just seems like all of a sudden everyone is suddenly having all these things to post on the internet about there server problems. This sh!t happens everyday everywhere and not just to waiters some people actually get told to there face, why all of a sudden is it a big deal? Probably because the case with the racist comment the waitress made a lot of money off of it. Now everyone wants to do it. Just seems like you're trying to raise money honestly.
Servers shouldn't have to rely on tips and particularly not if issues other than good service come into play. "Sorry I couldn't tip you, I don't like your hair/teeth/tattoos etc" the list could be never-ending.
It's time for American hospitality workers to organize and demand fair pay and conditions. Your employers can raise prices 10 to 20 per cent and simply tell customers the price includes tip.
Get active and organize your workplaces.
"Thanks everyone for your support - it took very fiber of my being not to spit in their food and say something." So, Dayna, it's pretty clear that you knew from the outset how the experience was going to play out, so why didn't you switch tables with another server? It's not okay to post people's receipts online, regardless of the circumstances.
of course your comment would be anonymous,,I think name and shame is the game here. No human should have to put up with the ignorance demonstrated by the diner,,,, and the saddest thing of all is that she has had children.
I wonder if the ladies opinion would be the same if a GLBT Doctor was saving the life of her child,,, different story?? thought so,
Why should we, LGBT people, have to swap tables, shifts etc? If (as a white person) I didn't want to serve a black person, would that be acceptable? Didn't think so. You serve whomever comes to your table / counter etc. I've had to serve those I don't like (including Margaret Thatcher) - that made me a better person, not a bitter person.
Not tipping for this reason is wrong but how did the mom know the waitress was a lesbian? If it was 'that' obvious then how is this different to flaunting your religious or political beliefs at your customers?
Also, the bill would have been paid (not not tipped) after the meal, so how could the waitress have refrained from spitting in the food? There was no food left to spit in.
Honestly, have you ever thought about how often you advertise your sexuality? Serious question, because every time you mention a significant other, even in a conversation that has nothing to do with sex, it announces who you sleep with. It's not purposeful, but if you're a woman telling me you have a boyfriend, I now know you sleep with men. A very short skirt seems to announce the sexuality of a woman just as much as a short haircut, and it's very much different than flaunting your religious or political beliefs because your religious/political beliefs involve words being spoken.
If it makes you uncomfortable that a woman has short hair because they might be a lesbian then you have issues - and those issues aren't the fault of someone who can wear their hair however the f**k they want to.
It would be flaunting her sexuality if she was telling this woman and her kids all about it and offering unsolicited details of her life.
Some gay people are obviously gay. Some gay people are not that obvious. But being obviously gay isn't flaunting it anymore than wearing a cross is flaunting your religion, or appearing black is flaunting your race. What you're really implying isn't that she should refrain from flaunting her sexuality, it's that she should actively hide it -- similar to never wearing your cross in public, or outright denying that you're a Christian, or covering your dark skin with makeup. Hiding one's identity is a terrible thing to *ask* someone to do, much less demand it.
I imagine she wanted to spit in the woman's food after she told her that she thought her name was Dan. That was...ridiculously rude.
It probably wasn't that she knew she was a lesbian. She probably would have assumed any women that was not dressed feminine was a lesbian. So she was stereotyping. It just happened to be that she was correct. The woman made the assumption that how a person dresses or looks like has a correlation with which gender they prefer to be romantically intimate with.
And then for your second comment, the waitress was already insulted when she took the order. The women said to her face (and it sounds like rudely as well) that the women thought she was a guy. In polite society, even if one mistakenly takes one for a male or female when they are in fact the opposite, it is seen as a great insult or misgrievance to be told that to their face.
In the case of flaunting your religious or political beliefs to your customers: that can either be seen as talking with them about those beliefs, lecturing about those beliefs, or wearing some sort of propaganda about those beliefs. This women did none of the above, she just wore the clothes she felt comfortable in and looked a certain way. A straight woman could have dressed the same way and been insulted as well.
There are rude people out there who will use any excuse to not tip a server and be cheap and greedy. Fact is the server's sexual choices have absolutely NOTHING to do with the service he/she performed for the customer. There are people out there who also believe this rude person has a right to use this as a "reason" to not tip. I was actually unfriended on Facebook by a person who believes just that and she got uppity when I explained the minimum wage for servers and how restaurants could not afford to to pay national minimum wage and keep prices low enough for the average person to dine out. It takes all kinds. This person was just a cheap bastard!
This is an outrage. I'd like to say first to Dana, Thank you for your service to our country.
Second, being in the food service business for most of my life I have seen people leave without tipping for one reason or another. But never this. I don't care what your lifestyle is or what color your skin is, You are doing a job that is extremely demanding. The public stinks. We are here to serve you not to be your servant. I want to get paid just like the next person. I hope that this persons children will realize how wrong their mother is and make different choices as they grow older. I will pray that you Dana have a wonderful life no matter what. Know you are loved. Take care and may your next tip be double what you think it should be. Give your best service, that's all you can do. Happy Holidays to you.
Yes her money her choice but that just left the server dayna to pay to serve those ignorant people. she has to tip out bartenders bussers and pay taxes on that $93.00 tab. So if she did her job correctly and gave proper service she should be tipped for it. Servers make $4.00 an hour and for that woman to make that server pay to be insulted is just wrong, and you are too got agreeing that that ok..,
$4.00 an hour? Jesus christ that would have been wonderful. 6 years ago I was working at Ruby Tuesday for a pissant $2.30 an hour. It was literally the worst job I've ever had, mostly because of customers like this, who would order food and then send it back "because it wasn't what they expected" or they "didn't like the taste". I had a guy order and drink two beers then refuse to pay "because they weren't cold". I would come home from a 7-hour shift with $23 in my pocket, didn't even pay for gas. Restaurant work in a right-to-work state (read: Anti-union) is absolute hell.
This made me livid. It was rude enough that the person didnt leave a tip, but to leave a hurtful message as well? She had no intention of sharing her opinion.. the only reason anyone says stuff like that is to hurt feelings, and that was her sole intention.
Im gay myself, and it hurts me to see when people are mean to others just because of their sexual prefference.
Wrong. No freedom "allows" her to be a lesbian, because it's not something you can/have to be allowed to do. You simply are a lesbian or not. Just like you're either gay, or not, or bi or not, etc. Furthermore, while the mother has the right to her opinion, that does not translate to allowing her to be a bitch. She should have tipped her.


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Call to Action from the Prophet
- "My dear brothers and sisters, may your homes be filled with love and courtesy and with the Spirit of the Lord. Love your families. If there are disagreements or contentions among you, I urge you to settle them now" (Thomas S. Monson, "As We Close This Conference," April 2012 general conference).
Families under Covenant
- "President Ezra Taft Benson taught:
" 'In an eternal sense, salvation is a family affair. …
" 'Above all else, children need to know and feel they are loved, wanted, and appreciated. They need to be assured of that often. Obviously, this is a role parents should fill, and most often the mother can do it best.'
"But another crucial source for that feeling of being loved is love from other children in the family. Consistent care of brothers and sisters for each other will come only with persistent effort by parents and the help of God. You know that is true from experience in your own families. … Give children opportunities to pray, when they can pray, for each other in the circle who need blessings. Discern quickly the beginnings of discord and recognize acts of unselfish service, especially to each other. When they pray for each other and serve each other, hearts will be softened and turned to each other and to their parents" (Henry B. Eyring, "Families under Covenant," April 2012 general conference).
- "One hundred years ago, President Joseph F. Smith connected happiness directly to the family and admonished us to focus our efforts there. He said: 'There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from the home. … There is no happiness without service, and there is no service greater than that which converts the home into a divine institution, and which promotes and preserves family life. … The home is what needs reforming' " (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 382, 384). …
"When people make family and religious commitments to gospel principles, they begin to do better spiritually and often temporally as well.
"And, of course, societies at large are strengthened as families grow stronger. Commitments to family and values are the basic cause. Nearly everything else is effect. …
"Put everything you do outside the home in subjection to and in support of what happens inside your home. Remember President Harold B. Lee's counsel that 'the most important … work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes' (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee [2000], 134) and President David O. McKay's timeless 'No other success can compensate for failure in the home' (quoted from J. E. McCulloch, Home: The Savior of Civilization [1924], 42; in Conference Report, Apr. 1935, 116).
"Organize your personal lives to provide time for prayer and scriptures and family activity. Give your children responsibilities in the home that will teach them how to work. Teach them that living the gospel will lead them away from the filth, promiscuity, and violence of the Internet, media, and video games" (M. Russell Ballard, "That the Lost May Be Found," April 2012 general conference).
The Role of the Church and Family Life
- "Husbands and wives, you should be equal partners in your marriage. Read often and understand the proclamation on the family and follow it. … Use the family resources of the Church. In raising children, families can draw upon the help of the ward. Support and work in tandem with priesthood and auxiliary leaders, and take full advantage of the Church's youth and family programs. Remember another of President Lee's insightful phrases—that the Church is the scaffolding with which we build eternal families (see Teachings: Harold B. Lee, 148)" (M. Russell Ballard, "That the Lost May Be Found," April 2012 general conference).
Making Sacrifices
- "A faithful Latter-day Saint father on a remote island in the Pacific did heavy physical work in a faraway place for six years to earn the money necessary to take his wife and 10 children for marriage and sealing for eternity in the New Zealand Temple. President Monson explained, 'Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings.' …
- "Perhaps the most familiar and most important examples of unselfish service and sacrifice are performed in our families. Mothers devote themselves to the bearing and nurturing of their children. Husbands give themselves to supporting their wives and children. The sacrifices involved in the eternally important service to our families are too numerous to mention and too familiar to need mention. …
- "The Lectures on Faith teach that 'a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. … It [is] through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life' " (Dallin H. Oaks, "Sacrifice," April 2012 general conference).
Examples of Parents
- "Religious observance in the home blesses our families. Example is particularly important. What we are speaks so loudly that our children may not hear what we say. When I was nearly five years old, my mother received word that her younger brother had been killed when the battleship on which he was serving was bombed off the coast of Japan near the end of World War II. This news was devastating to her. She was very emotional and went into the bedroom. After a while I peeked into the room to see if she was OK. She was kneeling by the bed in prayer. A great peace came over me because she had taught me to pray and love the Savior. This was typical of the example she always set for me. Mothers and fathers praying with children may be more important than any other example.
"The message, ministry, and Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Savior, are our essential family curriculum. No scripture characterizes our faith better than 2 Nephi 25:26: 'And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins' " (Quentin L. Cook, "In Tune with the Music of Faith," April 2012 general conference).
Scripture Reading
- "I hope we are reading the Book of Mormon with our children regularly. I have discussed this with my own children. They have shared with me two observations. First, persistence in reading the scriptures daily as a family is the key. … It requires great effort from every family member every day, but it is worth the effort. Temporary setbacks are overshadowed by persistence.
"We know that family scripture study and family home evenings are not always perfect. Regardless of the challenges you face, do not become discouraged" (Quentin L. Cook, "In Tune with the Music of Faith," April 2012 general conference).
Bearing Your Burdens
- "President James E. Faust, my boyhood stake president, said: 'I have a great appreciation for those loving parents who stoically bear and overcome their anguish and heartbreak for a child who was born with or who has developed a serious mental or physical infirmity. This anguish often continues every day, without relief, during the lifetime of the parent or the child. Not infrequently, parents are required to give superhuman nurturing care that never ceases, day or night. Many a mother's arms and heart have ached years on end, giving comfort and relieving the suffering of her special child.'
"As described in Mosiah, … 'And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord' " (Ronald A. Rasband, "Special Lessons," April 2012 general conference).
Teaching Our Children to Understand the Doctrine
- "This divine privilege of raising our children is a much greater responsibility than we can do alone, without the Lord's help. He knows exactly what our children need to know, what they need to do, and what they need to be to come back into His presence. He gives mothers and fathers specific instruction and guidance through the scriptures, His prophets, and the Holy Ghost.
"In a latter-day revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord instructs parents to teach their children to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Notice the Lord doesn't just say we are to 'teach the doctrine'; His instructions are to teach our children to 'understand the doctrine.' (See D&C 68:25, 28; emphasis added.)
"Teaching our children to understand is more than just imparting information. It's helping our children get the doctrine into their hearts in a way that it becomes part of their very being and is reflected in their attitudes and behavior throughout their lives. …
- "Sometimes the most powerful way to teach our children to understand a doctrine is to teach in the context of what they are experiencing right at that moment. These moments are spontaneous and unplanned and happen in the normal flow of family life. They come and go quickly, so we need to be alert and recognize a teaching moment when our children come to us with a question or worry, when they have problems getting along with siblings or friends, when they need to control their anger, when they make a mistake, or when they need to make a decision. (See Teaching, No Greater Call: A Resource Guide for Gospel Teaching [1999], 140–41; Marriage and Family Relations Instructor's Manual [2000], 61.) …
"Learning to fully understand the doctrines of the gospel is a process of a lifetime and comes 'line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little' (2 Nephi 28:30). As children learn and act upon what they learn, their understanding is expanded, which leads to more learning, more action, and an even greater and more enduring understanding.
- "We can know our children are beginning to understand the doctrine when we see it revealed in their attitudes and actions without external threats or rewards. As our children learn to understand gospel doctrines, they become more self-reliant and more responsible. They become part of the solution to our family challenges and make a positive contribution to the environment of our home and the success of our family" (Cheryl A. Esplin, "Teaching Our Children to Understand," April 2012 general conference).
Moral Agency
- "Wise parents must weigh when children are ready to begin exercising their own agency in a particular area of their lives. But if parents hold on to all decision-making power and see it as their 'right,' they severely limit the growth and development of their children.
- Our children are in our homes for a limited time. If we wait until they walk out the door to turn over to them the reins of their moral agency, we have waited too long. They will not suddenly develop the ability to make wise decisions if they have never been free to make any important decisions while in our homes. Such children often either rebel against this compulsion or are crippled by an inability to make any decisions on their own.
- "Wise parents prepare their children to get along without them. They provide opportunities for growth as children acquire the spiritual maturity to exercise their agency properly. And yes, this means children will sometimes make mistakes and learn from them. …
- "In raising our family, we decided that our most important goal would be to help our children establish their own connection to heaven. We knew that ultimately they would need to depend on the Lord, not on us. Brigham Young said, 'Were I to draw a distinction in all the duties that are required of the children of men, … I would place first and foremost the duty of seeking unto the Lord our God until we open the path of communication from heaven to earth—from God to our own souls' " (Larry Y. Wilson, "Only upon the Principles of Righteousness," April 2012 general conference).
A Message to Single Parents
- "My message is for the single parents in the Church, the majority of whom are single mothers—you valiant women who, through the varying circumstances of life, find yourselves raising children and running a home on your own. …
"We hope that when you attend meetings and see seemingly complete and happy families or hear someone speak of family ideals, you will feel glad to be part of a church that does focus on families and teaches of their central role in Heavenly Father's plan for the happiness of His children; that in the midst of world calamity and moral decay, we have the doctrine, authority, ordinances, and covenants that do hold out the best hope for the world, including for the future happiness of your children and the families they will create. …
"Although you often feel alone, in truth you are never totally on your own. As you move forward in patience and in faith, Providence will move with you; heaven will bestow its needful blessings.
"Your perspective and view of life will change when, rather than being cast down, you look up.
"Many of you have already discovered the great, transforming truth that when you live to lift the burdens of others, your own burdens become lighter. Although circumstances may not have changed, your attitude has. You are able to face your own trials with greater acceptance, a more understanding heart, and deeper gratitude for what you have, rather than pining for what you yet lack" (David S. Baxter, "Faith, Fortitude, Fulfillment: A Message to Single Parents," April 2012 general conference).
Power of Love
- "The Father's plan designated the pattern of the family to help us learn, apply, and understand the power of love. On the day my own family was organized, my sweet Ann and I went to the temple and entered into the covenant of marriage. How much I thought I loved her on that day, but I had only begun to see the vision of love. As each of our children and grandchildren entered into our lives, our love has been expanded to love each of them equally and fully. There is seemingly no end to the expansive capacity to love" (Paul E. Koelliker, "He Truly Loves Us," April 2012 general conference).

subset: commoncrawl


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The economic and demographic shifts driving surge in rentals despite the housing market's recovery.
Karen Golden has a new outlook on life.
The real estate agent of 30 years is sketching out the final details of her move from Vermont down to Sarasota to work toward retirement.
She's always been a proponent of homeownership. She built her family's wealth through equity and property appreciation. Her career is founded upon the idea.
Yet, for the first time in decades, Golden finds herself scouting the classified ads for rentals -- skipping right over what she knows to be hot deals in the housing market.
Golden doesn't want the maintenance that comes with owning a single-family home, and she can't justify condo association dues to herself. But mostly, she says she's finally ready just for a little freedom.
"I'm just not sure what my ultimate plans are, and I want to be able to pack up and leave anytime I want," Golden said. "I'm a firm believer in owning your own home, but for the first time in 40 years, I'm renting."
Golden is not alone. Today, real estate firms across Southwest Florida that feature rentals are packed with those eager to sign leases.
On the heels of a year that had the best sales since the industry's historic slide in 2007, the residential rental market quietly has built some equally forceful gains.
A rise in demand
Retiree uncertainty, a tight supply of available homes for sale and bruised credit scores have pushed a rise in demand for residential leases. Monthly rents have gone up, as well.
The favorable conditions have investors, such as the venture-capital giant Blackstone Group, flocking into Southwest Florida to acquire foreclosures that, for now, are still at deep discounts to replacement costs.
But instead of flipping the homes for a quick profit, investors are now using them to feed a hungry rental pool led by rush of families dependent on a lease for housing.
"We're seeing a huge demand from people who want and need to rent," said Marge Hollinger, a broker at Stringer Management, which operates rentals in Sarasota. "Almost anything we get doesn't stay in our inventory very long."
When Southwest Florida's home market was inflating to dangerous heights a decade ago, the rental market took a back seat.
Wide-eyed developers were converting apartment complexes into condos, life-long renters were qualifying for lofty mortgages on a whim, and flippers sought out buyers rather than appreciation and income.
The painful collapse that followed dumped half a million foreclosures onto the Sunshine State's economy -- a trend that continued throughout 2012, when 9,310 new defaults poured into Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte County courts, records show.
Although the market has made significant strides since the Great Recession, tight lending restrictions and bad credit scores resulting from foreclosures and lost jobs have prevented many from buying again. Others are still too fearful to try.
"People are still a little leery of jumping back into the market, and banks are requiring more money down, so it takes a little more capital to get started," Andrew Harrington, broker of Oak Leaf Property Management, in Bradenton, said. "Everyone kind of got a little nervous after the bubble burst on us like it did."
Improving job market
Harrington attributes the surging rental demand to an improved job market, which has fanned an increase in new household formations for the first time since the downturn. Southwest Florida's jobless rate has dropped more than 2 percentage points in the past year, to 7.8 percent in December, according to state statistics.
That progress has empowered college students, low-wage workers and consumers who roomed with friends and family to get back out on their own. Those demographics all favor renting over buying.
To adjust for the demand, Harrington has increased monthly rents on his properties $25 on average this year, with his typical two-bedroom unit now leasing for $823 a month. His company has a robust 98 percent occupancy rate.
At Coldwell Banker, the rental division also is thriving. Demand has pushed rents on a two-bedroom apartment in the Sarasota and Bradenton area up 13 percent, while rates for a three-bedroom, single-family home have jumped 14.7 percent.
Brokerage firm Michael Saunders & Co. reopened its rental division in 2011, after shuttering it in the early 2000s.
Michael Saunders' units now have a 70 percent occupancy rate. The agency's annual rentals in Sarasota, including Siesta Key, fetch an average of $1,800 a month.
Opposite trajectories
Historically, home sales and rentals follow opposite trajectories. When real estate sales are strong, renter demand typically wanes. When the housing market sputters, the rental market usually reaped the benefits.
Amy Chapman, rental division director at Michael Saunders, said that's no longer the case. Southwest Florida's housing market rebound, along with builders' inability to quickly roll out new projects, has left the area with a supply of just four months' worth of single-family homes for sale -- the lowest in a decade. With little inventory from which to choose, many homebuyers are simply renewing leases, Chapman said.
The demand has been especially strong among families seeking single-family homes for the privacy and space they offer. Condo rentals in areas like downtown Sarasota, meanwhile, also have come alive of late.
"A lot of people may not want to rush a purchase, so they're taking their time to decide and renting in the interim," Chapman said. "Annual rentals are definitely filling up."
That trend has spread across the U.S., with aggregate vacancy rates for rental properties projected this year by mortgage backer Freddie Mac to sink to 2002-2003 levels, as household formation outpaces new construction. In the Tampa Bay area, it already is more affordable by an average of $333 a month to own a home than it is to rent one of comparable size, location and amenities, according to a study by Florida real estate consultant John Burns.
Some of world's largest real estate investors have taken notice.
Blackstone launched an ambitious campaign in late 2012 to buy distressed properties in Southwest Florida and elsewhere and rent them out.
Between October and December, the New York-based investment firm acquired 1,459 rental homes in seven Florida counties, including 131 in Sarasota and 75 in Manatee under a subsidiary THR Florida LLC, property records show.
Housing analysts say other investors, on a smaller scale, are doing much of the same. Seeing the immediate profits in rentals, they're buying up homes with the long-term goal of selling them as a packaged portfolio for big gains down the road.
And because construction activity has not yet resumed on capital-intensive multi-family projects such as apartments and condos, most market watchers expect single-family homes to continue to dominate Southwest Florida's rental sector for the near future.
"You have tremendous increases in demand, while the supply has been constrained the past five years," said Jack McCabe, a real estate consultant in Deerfield Beach.
"You have all these people who lost homes to foreclosure or short sale, others who had credit downgraded during the recession, and then have those who rent by choice. They still need a roof over their head."


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Proposals Invited for Faculty Preparation Project
The AHA invites proposals for a new program—Shaping the Preparation of Future Social Science and Humanities Faculty—launched by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), which have received a private gift for this purpose. The program addresses the doctoral preparation of future faculty in the social sciences and the humanities. CGS and AAC&U will direct the highly collaborative project, coordinating the work of six social science and humanities disciplinary associations involved with the initiative—the American Historical Association, the American Political Science Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association, the National Communication Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English.
The initiative builds on and extends the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program that CGS and AAC&U have led since 1993 with support from the Pew Charitable Trusts and the National Science Foundation.
The new program brings research universities, the "producers" of PhDs, and colleges and universities, the "consumers" who hire PhDs, into partnership. The partners will offer faculty preparation that highlights the broad mission of undergraduate education and the diverse needs and characteristics of students entering the academy. Doctoral degree-granting departments will form partnerships with similar academic departments in institutions ranging from community colleges to comprehensive universities to create departmental clusters as learning laboratories to train graduate students in the broad range of faculty responsibilities.
Each professional society involved in the project—including the AHA—will select at least four doctoral degree-granting departments to receive grants of $10,000 a year for two years. Over a two-year period, the departments will create innovative faculty preparation programs based on Preparing Future Faculty concepts. Throughout the implementation of the new programs, the societies and higher education organizations will disseminate their findings to their constituencies and promote new thinking about the professional development of future faculty.
The proposals from departments must be received by the AHA on or before March 24, 2000. Questions may be addressed to Noralee Frankel at firstname.lastname@example.com. For details about the project, please visit the AHA web page or the PFF web site at http://www.preparing-faculty.org.
Tags: Graduate Education
Please read our commenting and letters policy before submitting.


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The wildly successful class eliminations for Stock and Super Stock will continue for the third season and will expand to 11 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events. The class elimination events also will take place in conjunction with the three JEGS SPORTSnationals races. This program has seen expanded participation from the racers and many are targeting their projected events.
New for the 2013 season will be bonus points awarded to the class winner at each national event who goes furthest under their class index on a class winning run. One bonus point will be awarded to the class winner at each event who goes furthest under their class index on a winning run in Super Stock Automatic, Super Stock Stick, Stock Automatic, and Stock Stick. This also includes the combo.
Racers will earn points at their best four of six races that they enter. All events where class eliminations take pace will be points eligible events. Full details on the points and tie-breaker programs will be posted on NHRAracer.com.
Winners of the combo and natural classes will receive one of the most coveted trophies in all of motor racing, a NHRA Wally as well as contingency awards that will be part of the class competition at the JEGS SPORTSnationals events and the NHRA U.S. Nationals held at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.
Year end points champions are eligible for a minimum of $500 from each of their sponsors who post for class competition. Contingency sponsors in the class racing program include Comp Cams and Weld Wheels.
"We've been involved in class racing forever and now that we are seeing it get back strong I'm super excited," said Scooter Brothers, chairman of the SEMA Board of Directors and chief operating officer, Comp Cams. "Something that really excites me now is people are actually building cars to run the classes that might be part of the Combo, that's exciting. It becomes a race within a race and it is really cool the racers like it."
"For Weld Wheels 2012 was the first year paying class in our company's long history with the NHRA," said Kyle Fickler, vice president at Weld Wheels. "The stars lined up and we dove in head first and as a first year class contingency sponsor we were very happy with the results."
The 2012 champions were Rock Haas in Super Stock Automatic; Bill Dyer in the Super Stock Stick category; Leonard Mattingly was the Stock Automatic champion; Charles Downing took home top honors in Stock Stick.
"I'm very pleased with what we have seen the past two or three years and very optimistic about the future for class racing," said Mike Gruber, Performance Aftermarket Advisory Council committee member. "With what the NHRA has going on right now I think it is going in the right direction. There is a certain element that runs just for class and is charged up about it."
Champions in each category will be honored during their respective division award banquets and the end of the year.How Points Are Earned
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On 5 September, as Bibb and Campbell raced toward their rendezvous, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had declared a Neutrality Zone along the East Coast of the United States. Initially it was a 300-mile-wide strip of ocean bounded on the north by Canadian territorial waters then running south through the Caribbean. The U.S. Navy was to patrol this expanse to report on belligerent activity and prevent British, French, and German warships from attacking merchant ships within the zone's boundaries. The Navy, however, did not have enough ships to watch the vast area effectively and immediately asked for Coast Guard assistance.
The Coast Guard assigned numerous vessels, including six of the seven Secretary - (or Treasury -) class cutters—the Bibb , Campbell , Duane (WPG-33), Alexander Hamilton (WPG-34), Ingham (WPG-35), and Spencer (WPG-36)—to the force. (The seventh, the Taney [WPG-37], would spend most of World War II in the Pacific.) Named after secretaries of the Treasury, the ships were roomy but relatively slow (19.5 knots maximum speed). After the Coast Guard commissioned them in 1936 and '37, one of their main prewar roles had been high-seas search and rescue, and at one time each housed a floatplane in a main-deck hangar.
Beginning in the fall of 1939, the large white-hulled cutters were assigned the outer limits of the Neutrality Zone. As well as other tasks, most of the ships served on weather station patrols, monitoring conditions in specific areas of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, medium-size Coast Guard cutters and U.S. Navy destroyers covered waters closer inshore. To prevent anyone mistaking their identity at night, the cutters steamed with all lights on and each flew a large American flag illuminated by a spotlight.
In 1941, as U-boat attacks on British and Canadian convoys in the central Atlantic increased, the United States was drawn into a more active role in the conflict. Early that summer, President Roosevelt agreed to protect Iceland, and U.S. Marines replaced a British occupying force on the island. Several months later, the President also ordered the U.S. Navy to help escort Allied convoys.
Faced with a shortage of escort ships, the Navy requested on 31 October that all Coast Guard cutters be transferred to its control. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau argued that turning over just the ships would result in logistical and administrative chaos. Consequently, later that day, Roosevelt signed an order transferring the entire Coast Guard to the Navy. With that change came the order to paint the gleaming white cutter hulls regulation Navy haze gray. In addition, the Coast Guard ships' commissioning pennants were replaced with the Navy flags. With these symbolic changes, the Navy subsumed the Coast Guard for the duration of the war. Less than six weeks after the transfer, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States formally entered World War II.
"327s" Become Escorts
The Alexander Hamilton was one of the first cutters actively engaged in convoy escort duty. Following a tumultuous eastbound Atlantic crossing as part of the escort group for Convoy HX-170, she was detached to take in tow the Navy storeship Yukon (AF-9), which was disabled 600 miles southeast of Iceland. For six days the ships battled heavy seas. As they neared Reykjavik on 29 January 1942, the Hamilton turned the tow over to a British tug. Shortly thereafter, at 1313, a torpedo fired by U-132 ripped into the cutter's starboard side, exploding between the boiler and engine rooms and rupturing steam pipes. Twenty of the 21 men in those spaces were instantly killed. The next day the Alexander Hamilton capsized and was sunk by destroyer gunfire, the only Secretary -class cutter lost during the war.
By February, organization of the ocean escorts had been formalized into American, British, and Canadian groups. The Royal Navy primarily covered the western approaches to England, the U.S. Navy protected the mid-Atlantic from its bases in Newfoundland and Iceland, while the Royal Canadian Navy protected the convoys as they departed or arrived off Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
Also in early 1942, Secretary cutters began running a convoy shuttle as part of U.S. Navy Task Force 24. Based at Hvalfjordur, Iceland, the Bibb , Duane , and Ingham covered small convoys out from Reykjavik that were joining westbound ON convoys. The cutters would then usually escort fully loaded ships from either an SC or HX convoy back to Iceland.
The Campbell and Spencer , meanwhile, worked out of Argentia, Newfoundland. They would pick up an eastbound convoy from a Canadian escort group, protect it through storms and U-boats, and then turn it over to a British escort group off Ireland. The American ships then headed to Londonderry, Northern Ireland, for supplies, training, and, hopefully, liberty. From there, they picked up an outbound convoy and battered their way west to Newfoundland.
By the autumn of 1942, the main U-boat menace had moved from the U.S. East Coast back to the North Atlantic. Allied long-range shore-based aircraft extended their patrols as far as 600 miles, but there remained a significant gap in their coverage. This area—known as the Devil's Gorge, the Black Hole, or Torpedo Junction—was a prime hunting ground for U-boats. By December, at least six convoys were simultaneously in the North Atlantic, and the available escort ships were not enough to stop the U-boats' slaughter.
The Ingham Records a Kill
On 17 December, the Ingham was on the western edge of the air gap, sweeping ahead of eastbound Convoy SC-112. Two days earlier, while helping escort eight ships from Iceland to a rendezvous with westbound ONS-152, the cutter had dropped a single 600-pound depth charge on a sound contact. On the night of the 17th, the Ingham 's sonar was turned off and her sonarman, Mike Sasso, was listening for screw noise with the hydrophones. The ship's CO, Commander George McCabe, knew from hard experience that the sonar's pinging could be heard by a U-boat beyond the range an escort could detect the sub.
Suddenly, at 2315, Sasso heard the screw beats of a U-boat only 1,200 yards ahead. "The contact was fast; there was a lot of motion, a lot of movement," he recalled. As the cutter neared the target, however, Sasso lost the contact. The officer of the deck, Lieutenant Ed Osborne nevertheless ordered a depth charge dropped. "It was a shallow charge, and as that thing exploded, the ship quivered, really quivered," Sasso said. Two more depth charges were quickly dropped, and at full speed the Ingham turned and headed back to make another attack.
With the active sonar switch on, Sasso again picked up the U-boat: "It was beautiful, a metallic sound, real clear." But suddenly, there was no movement from the boat, and the Ingham passed over her without dropping any charges. But on her third pass, the cutter again attacked, dropping 5,000 pounds worth of explosives. A subsequent sonar sweep failed to find a contact, and with the convoy approaching the area, McCabe broke off the search.
While Commander McCabe was certain he had sunk a U-boat, the Navy was not convinced. But after a postwar examination of German records, the Navy and British Admiralty credited the Ingham's single 15 December depth charge with sinking U-626. The Coast Guard, however, maintains that the cutter's attacks two days later destroyed the same U-boat.
The Campbell's Night Encounter
The winter of 1942-43 would be the Battle of the Atlantic's most bitterly fought season. The mid-ocean U.S. escort groups were built around either the Campbell or Spencer , supported by a few U.S. Navy destroyers and corvettes from the Canadian, Free Polish, and/or Free French navies. The Bibb , Duane , and Ingham were also still operating from Iceland.
On 21 February, the Campbell was on her way to rejoin Convoy ON-166 after rescuing 50 survivors of the torpedoed Norwegian freighter Nielson Alonso . At 1955 her radar picked up the convoy about 16,000 yards ahead. Fifteen minutes later, however, the radarman reported a contact at only 4,600 yards on a bearing well clear of the convoy. It soon became clear that it was traveling in the opposite direction of the convoy. Commander James A. Hirschfield, the cutter's skipper, believed the target might be a submarine that had run between ON-166's columns of merchant ships, firing torpedoes at the vessels, and was now making her escape on the surface. In fact, U-606 had torpedoed three of the convoy's ships, but the Polish destroyer Berza counterattacked with depth charges, driving her down to dangerous depths, more than 750 feet, and causing extensive external and internal damage. Shortly after the U-boat surfaced, the Campbell 's radar found her.
The night was overcast with the seas running six to eight feet as the Campbell went to general quarters. By the time her gun crews saw U-606 to starboard, the submarine was so close the 5-inch guns could not be depressed enough to fire at her. The ship's 20-mm guns and aft starboard 3-incher, however, took her in their sights and opened up. Full right rudder was ordered, and the cutter closed to ram the submarine. Instead, she struck a glancing blow and the U-boat's hydroplane opened a large gash in the Campbell 's hull. As U-606 cleared her stern, the cutter dropped two depth charges set at 50 feet. Their detonations practically lifted the U-boat out of the water and badly shook the cutter, which was rapidly losing speed.
While the vessels drifted clear of each other, the Campbell 's 20-mm and 3-inch guns raked the U-boat's conning tower and deck. The gunfire continued for about 10 minutes until a German sailor flashed a distress signal. Twelve members of the U-boat's 47-man crew were rescued by the Campbell and Burza . At 0420 the next day, the wrecked and scuttled U-606 disappeared beneath the waves. The disabled cutter, meanwhile, was towed to Newfoundland for repairs.
The Spencer's Lopsided Fight
The last significant encounter between U-boats and 327s took place on 17 April, as the Spencer and Duane were escorting Convoy HX-233. Just before 1100, one of the Spencer 's sonarmen detected a U-boat attempting to slip past the convoy's escort screen. Commander Harold S. Berdine, the cutter's commanding officer, ordered a barrage of 11 depth charges set to explode at only 50 to 100 feet. U-175 was 65 feet deep when the explosions cracked and twisted her pressure hull. The boat began an uncontrolled dive, and when her skipper, Lieutenant Heinrich Bruns, and crew were able to bring her under control, another barrage of Spencer depth charges caused further damage. Battery containers were smashed, releasing toxic chlorine gas, and two of the bow torpedoes began hot runs but could not be fired because of the sub's depth. Without waiting for Bruns' order, the U-boat's engineer gave the command to surface.
At 1138, U-175 popped up 2,500 yards from the Spencer , and the cutter's gunners opened fire. Lieutenant Bruns was one of the first killed as the U-boat crew began climbing out of the sub and attempted to abandon ship. None of the Germans hoisted a white flag, and the one-sided close-range battle continued. Earl Skinner, a crewman in the Spencer, observed a 5-inch shell hit the conning tower of the surfaced U-boat as survivors jumped into the water. "The periscope had probably been knocked off," he recalled. "The tower was a mass of twisted steel."
The Duane soon joined in, firing all her gun batteries. Simultaneously, Armed Guard gunners on merchant vessels in the rear columns of the convoy also opened fire. A member of the Duane 's crew, Victor Bogard, remembered that "Whenever a shell exploded on the German submarine, many crew members would shout and cheer. . . . When thinking about it at a later date, you wonder how a human can cheer at the sight of another person being killed. But the rules of warfare are: Kill or be killed."
After seven minutes, the ships ceased firing and a Coast Guard boarding party from the Spencer headed for the smoking U-boat. By the time it reached the submarine, she was quickly sinking and boarding her was too dangerous. Instead, the party began picking up German survivors. Along with the Duane , the Spencer rescued 41 of U-175 's 54-man crew.
In April, the British and Canadians assumed full responsibility for escorting the North Atlantic convoys, while the U.S. Navy took control of the transatlantic route between the United States and the Mediterranean. Also at this time, long-awaited American destroyer escorts (DEs) and patrol frigates (PFs) appeared in significant numbers, augmenting or replacing older cutters and destroyers. The Coast Guard would man 30 DEs, organized in five escort divisions, and 74 PFs, primarily assigned to weather-station duty.
The valuable wartime contributions of the Bibb , Campbell , Duane , Ingham , and Spencer , however, did not end when they were relieved of North Atlantic convoy duty. The 327s were later converted to amphibious-force flagships and served in the Pacific theater. After the war, the ships reverted to Coast Guard control and were reconfigured as peacetime cutters.
Arnold Hague, The Allied Convoy System 1939-1945 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2000).
Reg Ingraham, First Fleet (Cornwall, NY: Bobbs-Merill Company, 1944).
Arch A. Mercey and Lee Grove, eds., Sea, Surf and Hell (New York: Prentice-Hall, 1946).
Jurgen Rohwer and Gerhard Hummelchen, The Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939-1945 , rev. ed. (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1992).
Robert L. Scheina, U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1982).
U.S. Coast Guard Public Information Division, The Coast Guard at War: Transports and Escorts V, Vol. 1 (Washington, DC, 1949).
Dan Van der Vat, The Atlantic Campaign (New York: Harper & Row, 1988).
CAPT John M. Waters, USCG (Ret.), Bloody Winter , rev. ed. (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1987).
Ships' logs, war diaries, and after-action reports for the Coast Guard cutters: USS Bibb , Campbell , Duane , Alexander Hamilton , Ingham , and Spencer ; National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD (hereinafter cited as NARA).
Commander-in-Chief, U.S.; Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic; and Eastern Sea Frontier Operations logs, message logs, and after-action reports; NARA.
The Campbell's Saltiest Dog
Sinbad was 24 pounds of attitude who never failed to bring a smile to Coast Guardsmen—or bar patrons. The dog had been smuggled aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Campbell late one night in 1937, when he was six weeks old. Before Sinbad was caught, the ship sailed into the North Atlantic on international ice patrol. Ten years, one war, and thousands of sea miles later, he would leave the Campbell for the last time as the Coast Guard's most famous mascot.
—Michael G. Walling


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Customer Reviews
All reviews are from people who have redeemed deals with this merchant.
What You'll Get
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The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Mar 21, 2013. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1 per person. Limit 1 per order. Online only. Shipping not included, but may use Groupon value toward shipping. Not valid with other offers. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
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So Wrong: Acorn Aid Workers Caught On Tape Advising On Prostitution, Calling It Performing Arts!
CNN reports "Two employees at the Baltimore, Maryland, branch of the liberal community organizing group ACORN were caught on tape allegedly offering advice to a pair posing as a pimp and prostitute on setting up a prostitution ring and evading the IRS. The video footage -- which has been edited and goes to black in some areas -- was recorded and posted online Thursday by James O'Keefe, a conservative activist. He was joined on the video by another conservative, Hannah Giles, who posed as the prostitute in the filmmakers' undercover sting. The video shows the pair approaching two women working at the ACORN Baltimore office and asking them for advice on how to set up a prostitution ring involving more than a dozen underage girls from El Salvado"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.


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Office Hours
Monday-Friday 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Click here to view Dr. Paul Wu's Webisode.
Click here to view an animation of how Dr. Wu performs TotalisTM Direct Decompression as treatment for Spinal Stenosis.
Focus Areas
Interventional Spine, Back Pain Management, Lumbar Spinal Stenosis, TotalisTM Direct Decompression, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Failed Spinal Surgery Syndrome, Headache, Intractable Peripheral Neuropathy, Painful Peripheral Nerve Injury, Degenerative Disc Disease, Chronic Post Surgical Pain, Spinal Compression Fractures, Spinal Arthritis, Facial Pain, Sciatica, Mid Back Pain
American Board of Internal Medicine
American Board of Pediatrics
American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Part I)
Residency / Fellowship
Fellowship, Pain Management - National Pain Institute - Birmingham, Alabama (2007-2008)
Residency, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation - University of Alabama - Birmingham, AL (2004-2007)
Residency, Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics - State University of New York - Stony Brook, NY (1997-2001)
Higher Education
University of Miami School of Medicine - M.D. - Miami, FL (1997)
Baylor University - B.S. - Waco, Texas (1993)
Professional Associations
American Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
"Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: From Bat to Physiatry" Grand Round Presentation, Dept of PM&R University of Alabama at Birmingham 2007
"Functional Anatomy of Lumbar Sacral Spine" Pain Fellowship Lecture National Pain Institute Winter Park, Florida 2007


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I hope you're not sick of Estee Lauder polishes just yet...I'm having a love affair! (See Tempestuous and Molten Lava too!)
Today I'm showing you Smashed - a lovely plum with some amazing glitter/shimmer that isn't too out there. I feel like the polish is *just* dark enough to carry off this level of sparkle and still look sophisticated. The formula on this one was just as excellent as the others. Bravo, Tom Pecheaux, bravo.
Have you fallen in love with a new brand lately? Let me know!
Like this? Click below to let us know!


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Dover Police will patrol all schools in the Capital School District indefinitely in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. tragedy that took the lives of 20 children and six adults.
The Dover Police Department has stepped up patrols this week within local schools in the wake of the tragedy in which 20 children and six adults were killed by a gunman in Newtown, Conn. Friday.
"As a precautionary measure, and after speaking with Police Chief James Hosfelt, we felt it would be in everyone's best interest to increase patrols," Dover Public Affairs & Emergency Management Coordinator Kay Dietz-Sass said. "We don't want parents to panic when coming to the schools and seeing police, we want them to feel a little more at ease dropping their children off."
Dietz-Sass called the Connecticut murders a "senseless tragedy."
Dover Police Captain Tim Stump said an officer had been assigned to each school in the city and would continue those assignments for a while.
"The purpose of our high visibility is hopefully to ease concerns for everyone," Stump said. "We have had a few calls from parents inquiring as to our presence. I believe most were comforted by the fact that officers were present."
Usually, only Dover High School and Central Middle School have so called school resource officers, Capital Superintendent Dr. Michael Thomas said. In addition, William Henry usually has a third Dover Police officer present working with REACH program, he said. In addition, many of Capital's schools reviewed their school safety and emergency procedures with staff and students.
Capital School District and Dover Police Department have worked together for many years to place school resource officers in some of the schools, Mayor Carleton Carey said.
"We want to make everyone aware that we are doing what we can as a city to aid in their enforcement efforts as well," Carey said.
Dover Police received nothing but positive responses to the increased police presence in schools, Stump said.
"We received a message from one parent who told us that her first grade daughter, understandably upset over recent events, was given a sense of security when she saw the officer at her school," he said. "If it helps to make that little girl feel better, then it makes us feel better."
The increased police presence on Monday was welcomed by Capital educators, including William Henry Principal Tory Giddens and Booker T. Washington Principal Dale K. Brown.
"We appreciated having them there this morning," Giddens said during the inaugural "Coffee With A Cop" event held at McDonalds at 1788 North Dupont Highway.
Brown said his students got to know Sgt. Jack Fortney, the police officer assigned to them on Monday. They found out through some chitchat that Fortney was also the fire chief until recently, Brown said.
Hosfelt credited Master Cpl. Todd Case for first suggesting the idea to increase patrols at schools last Friday evening. Case is the school resource officer assigned to William Henry Middle School.
'It is a drain on resources but it is worth it to us," Hosfelt said.
In addition, not one officer complained about the extra duty, Hosfelt said. Officers have been trained to drop by school to say hello to staff or even to just stop in school parking lots to fill out paperwork or take their lunch, he said.
"It's good for them and it's good for us."


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The following elections will take place in May/June 2013:
- Fedora Project Board (three seats)
- FESCo (Engineering) (five seats)
- FAmSCo (Ambassadors) (four seats)
- Fedora 20 Name (separate schedule from the committee elections)
All dates and times noted are UTC time.
FAmSCo elections May/June 2013
Current members of FamSCo are:
- Christoph Wickert
- Jiri Eischmann
- Clint Savage
- Nick Bebout
- Alejandro Perez
- Buddhika Chandradeepa Kurera
- Truong Anh Tuan
As per the FAmSCo_election_rules, these members finish their term and their seats are up for re-election:
For the last election, please see [| FAmSCo Nominations Nov/Dec 2012]
Candidates must be a member of the Ambassadors group in the Fedora Accounts System. This helps ensure that FAmSCo members have some experience with the processes of Fedora Ambassadors, but still allows relatively new contributors to sit on FAmSCo and bring fresh ideas to the table.
Ambassadors will be following the Fedora election timeline.
You may self-nominate. If you wish to nominate someone else, please consult with that person ahead of time.
Candidate template
- Please briefly describe your history with Fedora.
- What are your particular goals related to FAmSCo?
- Question1?
user 1 (user_1)
- Please briefly describe your history with Fedora.
- What are your particular goals related to FAmSCo?
- Question1?
- Answer1


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First Team Offense And Dez Bryant Not Playing Against Miami In Preseason Finale
I don't know if there has been larger pressure on any Dallas rookie than there is on Dez Bryant. Over the last several years television and NFL coverage has expanded which has put every NFL team under a microscope.
Combine that with the fact that Dez Bryant was suspended by the NCAA for lying about corresponding with Deion Sanders, and also the fact that he's such an amazing talent with a team that many believe will go to the Super Bowl where their own stadium is hosting, and you get a kid who's got a mountain on top of him.
Well, he's going to have to wait a little longer to show what he can do because Jerry Jones has announced to the press that Dez Bryant will NOT be playing this Thursday in preseason.
As many of you know, I had the opportunity to see Dez Bryant at the first training camp, and while I do not have a degree in psychology, I believe I can give you an insight as to his character.
I think Jerry Jones wants to ease Dez Bryant into the league, but Dez has a chip on his shoulder and wants to show the world why he's going to be the next great receiver.
He was the first player on the field at camp. He was practicing before everyone else, and he actually looked like he worked harder than everyone else. I saw him jumping for balls, diving to make catches, getting on his knees, and one-handed catches.
He refused to carry Roy Williams pads not because he wants to break tradition, but because he is so focused on coming into the National Football League and proving himself. I think he has the same attitude as Randy Moss did when he entered. He was spurned by many NFL teams, and he wants to say, "Look at what you passed up on. Choke on this."
Dez Bryant suffered a high ankle sprain, probably from over-exerting himself, and Jerry Jones has stated that he felt the Cowboys organization was rushing Dez. Well, I think Dez disagrees because he has spoken many times about how he wants to play in the preseason finale.
Well, Jerry Jones is going to intervene, and I think Dez will be upset, but he'll keep it to himself. I can empathize with his desire to help the team. He has a huge heart, and he wants to help his teammates.
He was the first guy in the top round to sign with his perspective team. His agent was the guy who orchestrated the holdout for Michael Crabtree, the receiver that the 49ers drafted, and yet, despite being in a situation where Eugene Parker, the said agent, could have milked the Cowboys for as much as possible; Dez Bryant is signed before anyone.
Please go here to read the rest of this article.


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Am all for the New Kids, totally. But have to say, these pictures are a little embarrassing. Or maybe it's just me. Apparently doing the boat thing is where it's at these days. John Mayer, right?
This weekend NKOTB launched their cruise in Miami, bringing back 80s cheese for photographers. Please, please, please let them be making a LOT of money for this. Please.
As for who's sailing with them – you'd be surprised. Our friend Jen B wanted to go. She pitched it hard too. Even though she's interviewed them, and attended at least 2 NKOTB concerts in the last 9 months, most recently 2 months ago, she made a case to go. And could find no one who, um, shared her enthusiasm.
New Kids fans are hardcore. Jen's not even close to the worst.
My current favourite story courtesy Jen and Laura who drove to a New Kids show recently somewhere in Pennsylvania: First of all some crazy roughneck with a perm and 4 kids from 3 dads kept tossing her beer in the air whenever Donnie came close to their end of the stage. Then, afterwards, somehow Jen and Laura ended up by the tour buses. Don't ask.
They were joined by other roughnecks similar to the beer spilling hag from inside the concert. Some of them were missing teeth, all were eager to catch a glimpse of the boys. The arena back doors opened and suddenly one of them starts screaming at a woman exiting:
"You f-cking whore bitch! You goddamn c-nt! I will CUT YOU! I will CUT YOU!!!!"
Even Roughneck's friend was taken aback. So she asked her – who you yellin' at, girl?
The answer:
"I think that's Joey's wife."
This is what Twi-hards will be like when Robert Pattinson finally confirms a girlfriend.
Photos from Wenn.com


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Online Exhibitions
Joseph Cornell's Wonderland
Our special exhibition Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination offers a unique opportunity to explore the workshop of the artist best known for his box constructions. The section titled "Wonderland" displays Cornell's source materials, box fragments, and unfinished works from his home in Flushing, New York. Use this QTVR to pan around and zoom in on our re-creation of Cornell's studio.
For about fifty years, this inveterate collector surrounded himself with approximately 4,000 books and magazines, hundreds of record albums, thousands of pages of diaries and correspondence, and countless examples of two- and three-dimensional ephemera. Believing that "everything could be used in a lifetime," Cornell gathered his materials as the conceptual and physical resources for his boxes, collages, and films. The basement studio was also home to his "spare parts department." Shelves filled with cookie tins, industrial packing cartons, and boxes held traditional art supplies and an array of objects, from clay soap bubble pipes to elements that he prefabricated in bulk for his box constructions.
All of the objects displayed in "Wonderland" are part of the Joseph Cornell Study Center of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
If you have comments or suggestions about this page please email us. The address is AmericanArtinteract[at]si.edu.
[ American Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Joseph Cornell ]


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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – This past weekend, the nationally-ranked No. 13 MIT men's volleyball team dropped only one set en route to its first MIT Invitational crown since 2007. With a 4-0 outing, the Engineers improved to 23-5 on the season, marking the program's seventh consecutive 20-win campaign. In addition, head coach Paul Dill registered his 200th career men's volleyball victory and 600th in the sport overall. Patrick Vatterott was selected to the All-Tournament Team while David Thomas was named the Tournament MVP.
MIT opened the weekend with a 25-15, 25-15, 25-17 win over Emerson College. Ken Siebert led the way with 12 kills and a .364 hitting percentage to go along with five digs. Thomas posted eight kills and a .400 hitting performance while Vatterott notched seven kills and two blocks. Billy Evans tallied seven kills, five digs, and two aces as Garrett Winther connected on four of his seven hitting attempts. Matt Hohenberger earned two aces in the opening set while Jeremy Velazquez collected a team-high 10 digs. Caine Jette tacked on seven digs and two aces as Tim Lee totaled 24 assists and five digs. Evan Wang rounded out the squad with 12 assists.
Thomas powered the Engineers with 18 kills, a .607 hitting percentage, and five blocks in their 25-17, 25-27, 25-23, 25-13, victory over Lasell College. Evans recorded 13 kills and two aces as Siebert contributed 10 digs and eight kills. Vatterott registered six kills and four blocks while Velazquez amassed 15 digs. Lee compiled 50 assists, eight digs, and three aces.
In a 25-9, 25-7, 25-13, decision against Mount Ida College, Vatterott was a force at the net as he racked up 10 blocks and six kills. Siebert had a team-high nine kills while Thomas posted six kills and five blocks. Evans chipped in five kills and three aces as Winther bolstered the attack with four kills. Jette and Velazquez both finished with four digs while Jette added three aces. Lee notched 14 assists and four digs as Wang totaled 11 assists and four blocks.
The Cardinal and Gray closed out the tournament with a 25-22, 25-21, 25-21 win over No. 12 Emmanuel College. Thomas put up 10 kills, five digs, and three blocks as Evans followed with nine kills and four blocks. Siebert tallied six digs, five kills, two blocks, and two aces while Velazquez and Jette chipped in six and five digs. Vatterott and Winther recorded six kills apiece in addition to three and two blocks, respectively. Lee capped things off with 32 assists, four digs, and two blocks.


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Microsoft appeals record European Commission fine
Once more unto the bench
Microsoft is appealing a record European Commission fine for not complying with a milestone European Commission anti-trust ruling.
Four months after the Commission ordered Microsoft to pay $1.39bn (899m euro) for not meeting the terms of its original 2004 ruling, Microsoft said Friday it's going to court to seek "clarity".
Microsoft has filed its appeal with the European Court of First Instance to annul the Commission's February ruling
A Commission spokesperson is reportedly "confident" the fine is "legally founded".
The Commission's February fine covered the period between the 2004 decision and 22 October, 2007. The decision found that Microsoft had charged competitors too much for interoperability information for its servers.
In February, Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes had said Microsoft was the first company in 50 years of EU competition policy that had to be fined for failure to comply with an anti-trust decision.®


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George W. Bush's Social Security privatization guru Charles Blahous — who now works for the Koch-funded Mercatus Center — is out with a new report alleging that the Affordable Care Act adds $340 billion to the deficit. The new math relies on the old "double counting" meme — an argument advanced by Republicans in Congress in the final days of the health care reform debate alleging that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) appropriated the same revenue for extending the solvency of the Medicare trust fund as it did for paying out benefits. The Washington Post's Lori Montgomery explains:
"Does the health-care act worsen the deficit? The answer, I think, is clearly that it does," Blahous, a senior research fellow at George Mason University's Mercatus Center, said in an interview. "If one asserts that this law extends the solvency of Medicare, then one is affirming that this law adds to the deficit. Because the expansion of the Medicare trust fund and the creation of the new subsidies together create more spending than existed under prior law." […]
Medicare is financed in part through a trust fund that receives revenue from payroll taxes. Before Obama's health-care act passed, the trust fund was projected to be drained by 2017 (later updated to 2016). Absent the health-care law, Blahous writes, Medicare would have been forced to enact a sharp reduction in benefit payments in the middle of this decade, or "other Medicare savings would have had to be found."
Enter the health-care law, which provides about $575 billion in Medicare savings — enough to automatically extend the life of the trust fund through 2029, according to estimates at the time, and avoid a sharp cut in benefits. But in cost estimates by the nonpartisan CBO, those savings also offset a dramatic expansion of Medicaid under the law, as well as new subsidies for uninsured people to purchase coverage.
What Blahous calls "double counting" is actually the "unified budget process," an accounting method that considers the spending and revenues of the entire federal budget over a 10 year period and the way Congress keeps track of its dollars. It's the same math that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) relied on to conclude in 2010 that the law "would produce a net reduction in federal deficits of $143 billion over the 2010–2019 period as result of changes in direct spending and revenues." Earlier this week, the CBO updated its estimate, reporting that the Affordable Care Act is expected to cost $50 billion less than they anticipated and Medicare actuaries reported that as a result of the savings in the law, the life of Medicare's Hospital Insurance (HI) Fund is extended to 2024, instead of in 2016.
Here is how the accounting process works: revenue or savings from the law enters the general fund of the federal treasury, where it is counted towards deficit reduction. The money is credited to the Medicare trust fund, which receives a treasury security that will be paid out in interest when necessary. Should the trust fund cash in its bond, that money is transferred from the general treasury to the fund. However, since the same revenue cannot be used to reduce the deficit and extend the life of the trust fund, Treasury would have to find that money somewhere else. But, given the principles of unified accounting, that money is said to reduce the deficit and extend the life of the fund.
As Jonathan Blum, the director of the Center for Medicare Management for CMS, explains, "I think it's been a historical, and longstanding budget convention that when you have less dollars paid to the Medicare program to pay for benefits, there are dollars that accrue to the overall federal treasury, that can be spent for other purposes. And this is an OMB, CBO budget convention."
The federal government has in fact used this kind of system from time immemorial — including in the GOP's latest budget proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) — and Republicans have long argued that they would use Medicare savings for deficit reduction AND strengthening the program. Consider this 1997 press release from the Senate Republican Policy Committee making this very same case about the Balanced Budget Act:
– Getting to a Zero Deficit: This legislation is necessary despite continued improvement in the federal deficit. Without the federal policy changes contained in the reconciliation bill, the deficit under CBO's most recent estimates (without the so-called fiscal dividend that balance will yield) would double to $139 billion by 2002. The deficit was $107 billion in FY 1996 and is currently projected to be $67 billion this year. However, without this legislation, it will not get to zero. The positive economic performance to date largely has been due to low inflation and business restructuring at home and the opening of new markets overseas that has resulted in higher-than-anticipated receipts.
– Medicare: The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA 97) makes the most significant changes to the Medicare program — the federal government's health care program for all seniors — since its inception in the 1960s. It modernizes the program by granting new health care options for seniors — while maintaining and strengthening the traditional system. Further, it more equitably distributes federal managed care and new Medicare Choice payments between geographic regions. It also extends the life of the program's funding mechanism, the Medicare trust fund (known as the HI or Part A trust fund).
Conservatives are now asking the federal government to embrace a different standard of trust fund accounting rules, which look at changes over a much longer period of time. But this argument is fundamentally disingenuous and it changes the rules in the middle of the game. Every member of Congress knows that the CBO's scores are "God" and that members of both parties rely on the budget office's numbers and models to move legislation.
Were Democrats to draft a health bill that comported to trust fund accounting rules, rather than unified budget accounting rules, they could have produced a poor CBO score and would have been criticized for increasing the deficit. Now, Republicans are demanding that the law meet the standards of new math that they themselves don't abide by. It's not surprising to see a partisan economist put forward these new numbers who, like his greatest supporter Mitch McConnell, is more interested in defeating Obama than working with him to solve the nation's health care problems.


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Le Sommet needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 301 designs submitted by 37 freelance designers.
Le Sommet (It means "the top" in French, like montain top)
We believe in the individuals, we inspire people to find the best of themselves.
To maintain results you need to maintain changes, and that's the challenge, most people quit for lack of "sustained motivation".
Our approach: Everyone is unique and has to find out what will ignite that kind of dedication in himself.
"Le Sommet" is a different kind of fitness center where people find inspiration, expertise and a supporting-platform. We encourage people to pursuit the challenging quest to a better life.
Our motto: A healthy-life is a healthy-body.
Safety (quality, consistency and expertise)
Cleanliness (equipments, facility and staff)
Fun (social, engagement and competition)
"Le Sommet" is a place where we encourage dialogue on every aspect of wellness like nutrition, sleep, stress management, social and inter-personal relationships and personal development trough conferences and speakers. We are also involved with the community in providing a safe house for many outdoor sporting community like bicycling and jogging clubs.
We offer many services under one roof: Gym, Crossfit, Yoga, Martial Arts, Boxing, Health-Bar and Massages.
Men and Women between 20 to 45 years of age.
Most of my clients are "no non-sense" young professional.
My clients are sports enthusiast from the week-end athletes in Golf, Tennis, Bike, Yoga and jogging to the pre-season varsity sports athlete in Hockey, Football and Mixe Martial Arts.
Give me something inspiring, balance and crisp.
The message received by the client need to be clear; " this Fitness Center is well structured, clean and professional".
The name should be predominant.
The name itself illustrate the achievement of your goal. (like reaching the top of the mountain)
It can also means being the best (Le Sommet) in every aspect of life. (best-shape = le sommet de ta forme)
I want to represent the challenging quest to change your life for the better.
I think a mountain top represent this well (plus the name) but if you have something else feel free to go for it. Show me what gives you butterflies and inspire you to bigger things.
Go for what you think is best in terms of colors. 2 colors + white
Keep in mind; one of the feature of the center is the indoor artificial turf (grass green) and will be used in the marketing.
I want colors that embodied and organic feeling.
# NO Red or Purple (those are the colors of my competition)
Something professional and balanced
a easily branded/recognizable font (be creative)
looks "crisp" on a cover head or business cards and shirts
a fresh and clean feeling
attract a female audience
GET AWAY from the traditional aspect of Weight lifting and muscular figures in the logo. Too big and too complex.
Feeling i like to provoke:
inspiration, desire to change, challenging yourself, pride, clarity, love and support.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Hey guys! My name is Zach, and I'm studying International Fashion Merchandising/Marketing in Florence for my 3rd year at FIT. I'm pleased to say that I'll be blogging for the FIT in Florence blog now! Today, us Merchandising/Marketing students took … Continue reading
October 9, 2012
by Zachary
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