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The King
Sarah Springer 3/31/2009 10:06:13 AMWhat a beautiful portrait of this majestic lion. :) #1106775
Cary Rogers 3/31/2009 11:27:51 AMNice lighting, great details and image composition, Karen! #7356718
Emily Cook 3/31/2009 2:58:36 PMBeautiful capture Karen. Love the wind in his hair, his expression, and the lighting. #7357293
Kristina L. Jacobs 3/31/2009 4:33:28 PMWow, what a beautiful photograph. Looks like you could reach right out and pet him! #7357556
Judy A. Lawhon 3/31/2009 5:59:45 PMOh, he is magnificent and so is your image of him, Karen!!! #7357846
Karen Talasco 3/31/2009 6:07:11 PMThank you, Sarah, Cary, Emily, Kristina and Judy for your wonderful comments. #7357862
Melissa G. Meiselman 4/22/2009 1:58:50 PMCongratulations on your stunning finalist!!! #7433080
A P 4/22/2009 4:36:13 PMOutstanding and Congratz on your wonderful Finalist #7434574
Kristina L. Jacobs 4/22/2009 4:49:11 PMWell deserved! Congrats!! #7434669
Jeff Robinson 4/22/2009 5:08:42 PMHe is Beautiful - Congrats Karen on your Finalist! Jeff #7434827
Karen Talasco 4/22/2009 5:22:36 PMThank you, Melissa, Ann, Kristina and Jeff, for your comments. So glad you liked my photo. :) #7434947
Carol Engstrom 4/22/2009 9:23:58 PMWonderful shot, Karen! Congrats! #7436625
Karen Talasco 4/23/2009 10:37:38 AMThank you, Carol. #7440336
Bill Houghton 4/23/2009 4:47:39 PMKaren, this is such a beautiful finalist. Congratulations. Bill
Check out my website:
Bill Houghton Photography #7441668
Karen Talasco 4/23/2009 4:54:55 PMThank you, Bill. I'll be sure and check out your pics. #7441693
Cheryl E. Molennor 4/23/2009 7:30:18 PMCongratulations on your well deserved finalist! #7442238
Karen Talasco 4/24/2009 7:47:16 AMThank you, Cheryl. Love your gallery. #7444232
Eugenio Diaz 4/24/2009 9:49:35 AMCongratulations on your wonderful Finalist!!! #7444744
Karen Talasco 4/24/2009 12:11:11 PMThanks, Eugenio. #7445204
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 4/26/2009 2:22:27 PMCongratulations on your finalist Karen!
Nikkor 70-300mm f4-5.6 VR Zoom
Uploaded on 3/31/2009 8:19:43 AM
Camera: Nikon D200 Digital SLR Camera
Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Karen Talasco. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
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In these nostalgic times, nobody would be too surprised (or even disappointed) if Madness continued to please their many fans by re-visiting old classics such as "Our House", "Baggy Trousers" and "My Girl". Instead, some 30 years after their glory days, they have triumphantly reformed to deliver possibly their finest album, the intriguingly titled "The Liberty of Norton Folgate".
Like Ali against Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle, Madness have ripped up the form book and delivered a knock-out album. The ageing tasty geezers have somehow found enough energy and inspiration to upset the odds one more time.
With The Specials also dazzling in a series of blistering gigs, the 2 Tone revival is alive and kicking. The last time this music was in the ascendant the economy was down in the dumps and the streets were ska'd by inner city riots. This sounds eerily familiar, and the Madness music perfectly captures this mood of sentimentality and rueful realism. People sometimes forget that Madness were not just about fun and hilarity, but were the masters of maudlin, bittersweet music.
"The Liberty of Norton Folgate" is, of all things, a concept album about London, the city of nations, and is a historical and musical tribute to its lively mixed-up mongrel culture. It might be argued that every song Madness have ever written is about London in some way, but this album makes explicit the group's special relationship with the capital city, especially in "We Are London", a glorious appreciation of the city's eclectic mix of cultures, a call to arms for the citizens to come together and a journey through "its inner city to its furthest parts". The London theme runs through the album with tracks like "NW5", "Clerkenwell Polka" and "Seven Dials". Even a song about "Africa" manages to name check Holloway.
"No undertakers required today, thank you"
The album takes its name from an area in Spitalfields, located between the jurisdiction of two police stations, therefore making it impossible to enforce the law. As such, in Victorian times, Norton Folgate was a thriving hub of artists, poets and bohemians, occupying their own 'city' under their own rules. It all sounds rather fun and romantic, which probably explains why Madness have used the concept of the Liberty to influence their new album.
All the trademark musical elements remain in place: ska and reggae overtones, tinkling keyboards, mournful sax and the whiff of the music hall (complete with bowler hats!) The boys have always been great musicians, but have found another dimension on this record, which swaggers along with a deserved confidence. The songs have emerged from a veritable melting pot of influences: imagine an impresario asking Peter Ackroyd and Charles Dickens to write lyrics for The Kinks, getting Kurt Weill and John Barry to arrange the music and then inviting Ian Dury to guest on vocals. However, the sound unmistakably belongs to Madness, pure and simple.
This superb piece of musical story-telling features some cracking tales: "Sugar and Spice" chronicles a disintegrating relationship; "Forever Young" laments advancing years; "Idiot Child" is a short, sharp character sketch about the boy who never grew up; "Dust Devil" refers to the party loving woman who refuses to grow old gracefully; "That Close" pines for a summer love; "Rainbows" is about seizing the day.
"Nice whistle, Suggs"
However, the title track is the obvious jewel in the crown, a mini musical about crime, immigration and the hustle and bustle of life in the Liberty of Norton Folgate. It's ten minutes long, which is unusual for a tune by one of our greatest ever singles bands, but it's also a bold and brilliant masterpiece, morphing into several different movements. Suggs sits us down and regales us with the history of the Liberty with "a little bit of this and a little bit of that". Musically, the song features fairground oompah, pub piano, a Viennese waltz and an upbeat jig ("have a banana") before a rip-roaring climax straight out of Bollywood. The lyrics are exquisite, including Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem, a Chinaman "trying to sell you moody DVDs" and a great argument against racism that makes you proud to be British ("in the beginning was a fear of the immigrant"). Fantastic stuff.
The Nutty Boys have grown up. While this record obviously chronicles London in all its moods, it also maps out adult life in all its complexity, disappointment and anxiety. It's an exceptional thing – a truly great album in the autumn of the band's career that will put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. While encompassing everything we thought we knew about Madness, it's actually gone One Step Beyond.

subset: commoncrawl


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About Us
Morgan Business Consulting was established in 2001, MBC serves a wide array of clients from government agencies to commercial businesses that seek leading Management and IT consulting with focused attention. With over 150 consultants on staff with an average of over 15 years of experience, across 12 locations, MBC is able to respond to our clients' demands wherever they may be.
Morgan Business Consulting focuses on delivering solutions that meet our clients' needs, and exceed their expectations. MBC has deep experience in delivering Business Transformation, Information Technology, and Program Management solutions.
Since founding MBC, we have held to a very simple philosophy: exceptional service to our customers in order to exceed our customers' expectations. We have been successful in delivering on that commitment because of the individual contributions made by each of our employees. If you join the MBC team, it is because you have the skills, ability, and commitment to help us deliver the finest service available to our customers.
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Lockport City Court, Niagara County
Tenant's Rights
Information Distributed By:
Niagara County Legal Aid Society
775 Third Street - PO Box 844
Niagara Falls, NY 14302
Phone: 716-284-8831
Your Security Deposit
When A Landlord Does Not Repair
Proper Notice
Utility Shut-offs and Breakdowns
When you rent an apartment, the landlord will often want a security deposit. Your landlord will hold your security deposit until you move out to pay for any damage you might cause to your apartment, or to pay any rent you might owe.
Before you move into an apartment, you should carefully inspect the condition of the apartment with your landlord and a third person (as a witness). Use a checklist to note any problems that you see. For example, if you see a hole in the wall or a cracked window, mark it down. If possible, take photos. Ask your landlord to sign the checklist. These steps will protect you later, when you move out, so your landlord does not keep your security deposit to pay for damage that you did not cause.
before moving out, you should also ask a witness to inspect the apartment with you and again, if possible, take photos.
You can make up your own checklist to use. After each item, leave enough room to write your remarks. If possible, make two columns, one for the move-in inspection, the other for the move-out inspection. Include the following items:
- GENERAL: doors, locks, windows, window screens, furnace, basement, carpets, drapes, window shades, entryway, yard.
- KITCHEN: refrigerator, stove, oven, sink, counters, cupboards and drawers, floor, walls, plumbing.
- EACH BEDROOM: closet, floor, walls, ceiling, light fixtures.
- BATHROOM: sink, toilet, tub, shower, tiles, plumbing, floor, walls, fixtures and towel bars, cabinets, mirror.
Finally, you, the landlord, and any witness should sign and date the list after both the move-in and move-out inspection.
The security deposit is usually equal to one month's rent. This is paid to the landlord in addition to your first month's rent. It is a good idea to pay the security deposit by a separate personal check or by a bank money order. If you pay by check, you should write 'for security" on the check or money order. If you pay cash, get a receipt for the security deposit. This receipt should state specifically that it is a receipt for the deposit. Save your canceled check or the carbon copy of your money order or the receipt that you received from your landlord. This is proof that you paid the security deposit.
No. Your landlord is not required to use your security deposit for payment of rent However, your landlord can agree to let you use your security deposit for one month's rent. If this occurs, ask your landlord to give you a paid-in-full receipt for that month. If your landlord does not agree to this, however, your failure to pay rent (even if your landlord has one month extra security) may result in your being evicted before you are ready.
If your apartment building has six or more apartments, your landlord must place your security deposit in a separate savings account and notify you in writing of the name and address of the bank. The landlord may keep 1% of the interest on that account, but the rest belongs to you. The landlord does not have to give you the interest each year, but must, at the very least, return the interest with the security deposit when you move.
If there are fewer than six rental units in the building where you live, the landlord is only required to put the security in a separate bank account. This account does not have to pay interest. But if it does, the interest is again divided: 1% for the landlord and the rest for you.
1. If you cause damage to your apartment, the landlord may keep some or all of the security deposit to pay for the reasonable cost of the repairs. The landlord should show you the receipts for the repairs and then return to you the amount of the security deposit that he did not need to pay for the repairs.
2. If you owe rent, the landlord can keep all or part of the deposit. But he should return any unused amount.
Your landlord does not have to return your security deposit before you move out, or on the day that you move. The landlord has a "reasonable time" to inspect the property to see whether you have caused any damage. If you think that your landlord will claim that you have damaged the apartment and not return the deposit, it is very important for you to bring a witness to carefully inspect the condition of the apartment. Also, be sure to return the key promptly.
You should ask your landlord to inspect the property with you right before you move. If he will not inspect it with you, and you have witnesses that the apartment was in good condition when you left, you should win if you sue your landlord for the deposit because the damage could have happened after you moved out.
You are not entitled to get your security deposit back from your landlord until you actually move out of the apartment. If the landlord refuses to return the security deposit after you have left the apartment or house, you can sue him in Small Claims Court. You should go to Small Claims court if:
1. Your landlord claims that you caused the damage.
2. If the landlord claims that you owe back rent and you feel that all of the rent money has been paid.
Going to Small Claims Court is a simple procedure in which you can sue another person without having a lawyer represent you. If your landlord is refusing to return the security deposit because he or she claims that you damaged the apartment, you should bring witnesses to court to prove that you did not cause the damage. If your landlord refuses to return the security deposit because he claims that you owe back rent, you should bring with you to court copies of rent receipts, money orders and canceled checks that you used to pay your rent.
An eviction is a court action that a landlord must use to remove a tenant from a rented apartment or house. If you have lived in a rooming house or hotel for at least 30 days, the landlord must use the eviction process to make you move.
An eviction case is started when the landlord serves the tenant with 2 papers, the "Notice of Petition" (tells the time, date, and place of the court hearing) and the "Petition" (tells the reason the landlord wants to evict). You must be served with these papers at least 5 days before the court date.
Just because a landlord starts an eviction action doesn't mean that the landlord will win! Tenants have certain rights, and there are several defenses to an eviction action.
NO! The landlord must go to court, must win the case, and must get a court order, called the "Warrant of Eviction". This is true even if you owe rent or your lease is up.
It is a criminal violation for a landlord to illegally evict you by:
- changing the locks,
- padlocking the doors,
- taking out your furniture or other property,
- turning off the electricity or water,
- removing the door,
- doing anything else that keeps you out of your house or apartment (Real Property Law 235).
If your landlord tries any of these things, call the police. In Niagara Falls call 286-4711. Tell them that the landlord does not have an eviction warrant, but has tried to throw you out anyway.
If you are told, "Sorry, that's a civil matter," don't give up. Ask for the officer's name and badge number. Then ask to speak to the officer's supervisor. The police have been trained on illegal evictions and have the duty to help you.
If the police can't take care of the problem, call a lawyer at once. If the landlord won't let you back in, it is possible to get 1) a court order telling the landlord what he must do, and 2) triple damages for any losses or cost caused by the illegal action.
Written Lease: if you have a written lease, you can be evicted only if:
- the lease is up, or
- you owe rent, or
- you have seriously violated the terms of your lease.
Your landlord must prove in court that any of these are true.
Month-to-month Tenant: if you don't have a written lease, and pay rent on a month-to-month basis, you can be evicted only if:
- you owe rent, or
- you were given a month's notice to move out. (For more information, see our leaflet "Proper Notice").
Again, the landlord will say, "I just want the tenant out." That is not a legal reason to evict. The landlord must prove one of the reasons listed above.
If you live in public housing or subsidized housing (also called "HUD housing") or Section 8 housing, there are special rules on evictions. See our leaflets on these programs, and be sure to call a lawyer if you get court papers.
Possible defenses depend on the reason for the eviction action. The reason should be listed on the Petition.
"Non-payment" case? If any of these apply, tell the judge:
1. You paid the rent. Bring proof (receipt or witness) to court.
2. You offered the rent, but the landlord refused to take it. Bring the money to court.
3. You are holding back the rent because the landlord won't make repairs. (See our flyer "When a Landlord Won't Repair" before withholding rent.) Bring a copy of the housing inspector's report, photos, and other proof.
4. The welfare department is holding back the rent because the landlord won't make repairs. Bring a copy of the notices from your worker.
"Holdover" case (landlord says lease is up)? Tell the judge if any of these apply:
1. You are a month-to-month tenant, but were never given a month's notice.
2. The landlord gave you proper notice, but did it because you complained about poor conditions or called the housing inspectors (see our flyer "Retaliation" for more information). Again, bring a copy of the housing inspector's report to court.
If you are served with eviction papers, GO TO COURT. Even if you agree with what the landlord says you can still ask the judge for extra time to move. If you don't go to court, you will get a 72 hour notice (see page 6) right away.
Your court papers will tell you the location of the court and the time you must appear. In Niagara Falls, eviction cases are held in the Public Safety Building, 520 Hyde Park Boulevard, on the second floor at 9:00 a.m. In North Tonawanda, cases are held in City Hall, 216 Payne Avenue, at 9:30 a.m. Eviction cases in Lockport are held in the Municipal Building, 1 Locks Plaza, at 9:00 a.m. If you don't live in the city, check your court papers for this information.
BE ON TIME! Better yet, be early. Your case may be the last one called, or it may be the first one. If you are even a few minutes late, the judge may have already called your case and made a decision.
When your case is called, answer "Here" loud and clear. Go to the front to the courtroom. When the judge asks for your side of the story, briefly tell the facts of your case and any defenses. Be polite and calm, and don't talk while someone else is talking. (This can be hard when you are nervous or angry, but it helps your case.) Show the judge any proof you brought to court with you.
The judge may decide the case right then, or may tell you to come back another day for a hearing.
If the judge agrees with you, the case will be dismissed. You win, and do not need to move out.
If the judge agrees with the landlord, you will lose, and must move. You may also owe the landlord money. The judge gives the landlord a "warrant of eviction", which is the court order that allows you to be put out if you don't move on your own. The judge decides if the warrant can be issued right away, or if it will be "stayed" for a while.
On the day that the warrant can be issued, you will be given a 72 hour (3 day) notice by a city marshal or county sheriff. This is your warning that you have 3 days to move.
The marshal comes back after the 72 hours are up, unless it is a Sunday or holiday. (Some marshals will do evictions on Saturdays. Check with the marshal who gives you the notice to be sure.) If you have not moved out, the marshal can remove your property and change the locks.
Problems with getting repairs done are probably the most common complaint by tenants. If you follow the advice given here, you have a better chance of getting the needed work done. Also, you will protect yourself in case there is trouble later on with the landlord, and the case ends up in court.
New York has a law called the "Warranty of Habitability" (Real Property Law 235-b). "Warranty" means promise. "Habitability" means that a rental unit is a safe and decent place to live. Any landlord who rents you a place to live must keep it in safe and decent condition, and must do needed repairs. This is true whether or not you have a written lease.
Further, YOU CANNOT GIVE UP THIS RIGHT. Even if you signed a lease that says you did, the courts will not enforce that agreement.
When you move in, be sure to get the landlord's name, address, and phone number. Find out who you should contact for repairs.
If there is a problem, tell the landlord. Ask when you can expect the work to be done. Always put all requests for repairs in writing, even if you spoke to the landlord by phone or in person. Be sure to put your name, address, and date on the letter. Be sure to keep a copy of your letter.
Don't be afraid to send several letters to your landlord, always keeping copies. Even if the repairs are not done, you will have proof that the landlord knew about the problem.
If your landlord does not fix the problem, the next step is to call the Niagara Falls Housing Inspectors at 286-4450 or the Niagara County Health Department at 439-7444.
NOTE: Many tenants are worried about calling the inspectors. They are afraid that their landlord will get mad or try to evict them. It is ILLEGAL for the landlord to get back at you for complaining about your conditions.
Set up a time and date to meet the inspector. Be home when the inspector comes so you can point out the problems. If the inspector finds violations of the city's housing code, he or she will send a letter to your landlord. It lists all code violations, and tells the landlord how soon the problems must be fixed.
You will be not be given a copy of the letter, but your attorney can obtain a copy.
Some landlords will obey the city's order. Others will ignore them. Even if you do not think that your landlord will do the repairs, get an inspection done anyway. It is the best proof that there are problems that need to be fixed.
If the needed repairs is something simple, you may want to do the work yourself (or pay someone else to do it). You pay for the work, and then deduct the cost from the next month's rent payment. If you do this, be sure to:
1. Write the landlord again, telling him that if the work is
not done, you plan to do it and deduct the cost. Keep a copy of this letter.
2. Get receipts for all parts or labor.
3. The costs of all repairs must be reasonable.
4. When you pay the next month's rent, include a letter that says the work you did, why, how much it cost-which is the amount you will deduct. Send copies of the reaccepts; keep the original.
If the landlord tries to evict you for not paying all the rent, you will have good records of what you did, and why.
If there are very serious problems that effect health and safety, you may want to withhold the rent. TALK TO A LAWYER BEFORE YOU DO THIS. The landlord will probably try to evict you, so you want to protect yourself as much as possible.
These steps must be followed for rent withholding to work:
1. Send a letter to the landlord (keep a copy), saying that no more rent will be paid until the repairs are done.
2. Gather proof of the problem and the landlord's failure to fix them. PROOF: copies of earlier letters to the landlord, a copy of the letter from the housing or health inspectors, photos, if possible, witnesses who have seen the problems.
Rent withholding means just that: holding the rent, not spending it. If possible, put the rent money in the bank or a lawyer's trust account. If the case goes to court and you do not have the money, you will lose, even though there are code violations.
If you get public assistance (welfare) and your rent is on voucher, will need to ask your worker to take the rent off voucher before you can withhold. This must be done by the 15th of the month. THE PROBLEMS CANNOT BE CAUSED BY YOU, YOUR FAMILY, OR GUESTS.
Some landlords will do the repairs if you withhold rent but, many others will just start an eviction action, saying you did not pay the rent.
If you cannot get a lawyer to go to court with you, you will need to tell the judge that you have withheld the rent because of poor conditions in your apartment. You should also say that you have proof of the problems, and that you do have the money put aside.
The judge should hold a hearing to find out the facts of the case. Under the Warranty of Habitability law (see pay 1), you are only required to pay as much rent as the place is worth. The judge decides whether the landlord has failed to keep your house or apartment in good shape, and how much rent the landlord has the right to charge you. You must then pay whatever rent the judge say you owe. The rest of the rent money goes back to you.
If the hearing is not held right away, the judge may tell you to deposit the rent money with the court. For more information on the eviction process, see our leaflet "EVICTIONS".
Another law can also help you get repairs done: Social Services Law 143-b. If the Welfare Office learns that there are very serious problems at your apartment, they have the right to hold back the rent share from your public assistance grant. By law, the landlord cannot evict you because of this.
If the Welfare Office is holding back their share, you can hold back your share also. But again, you must hold that money, and not spend it. Example: the rent is $250.00. Welfare pays $200.00; you pay $50.00. You can withhold the $50.00.
If the entire rent is on voucher, you will get a bigger check while Welfare is withholding. Example: Welfare pays the landlord the full rent of $250.00. When they hold back their share, they will only hold back $200.00. The extra $50.00 will be sent to you. As before, hold the extra money. DO NOT SPEND IT. TALK TO A LAWYER ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH THE MONEY YOU ARE HOLDING BACK ON YOUR OWN.
In some cases, the law works very well. Both landlords and judges seem to take Welfare's withholding more seriously than when tenants withhold all the rent on their own. However, it can the Welfare Office two - three months to withhold the rent after they first learn that there are serious problems. Also, if the landlord fixes the problems within three months, Welfare will pay him all the rent. If the tenant had withheld rent under the Warranty of Habitability Law, some of this money might have gone to the tenant instead of the landlord.
It can be hard to decide which law will work best in your case. Try to talk to a lawyer about it.
Your landlord cannot just raise the rent or tell you to move at any time he wants to. He has to follow certain rules. If you signed a written lease, one set of rules applies. If you do not have a written lease, but just rent on a month-to-month basis, then another set of rules applies.
The purpose of a written lease is to make it clear what the tenant and landlord expect from each other how long the tenant will live there, the rent, who pays utilities, etc. Therefore, the landlord cannot change any of the terms during the time of the lease.
Rent Increases:
Your rent cannot be raised during the time of your lease. Even if the building is sold, you pay the same rent to the new owner until the lease is up.
During the lease, you can only be evicted for two reasons:
1. You do not pay the rent;
2. You cause serious problems, which violate the terms of the lease.
Your landlord must prove this in court. After the lease is up, your landlord can make you move out. He does not need to give you advance notice before starting an eviction case in court. If you want to renew the lease, talk to the landlord before the lease is up. Try to get something worked out at least one month before the lease ends.
If the landlord accepts rent from you after the lease is up, but a new lease is not signed, then you are renting on a month-to-month basis.
Special rules for tenants in public or subsidized housing (also called RHA housing, HUD housing, or Section 8). Tenants in any kind of government housing cannot be told to move just because the lease is up. They have the right to stay unless the landlord proves in court that there have been serious problems. Be sure to talk to a lawyer if you are told you must move because the lease is up.
Rent Increases:
If you rent on a month-to-month basis, the landlord can raise the rent as long as you get "proper notice". You must be told about the higher rent at the right time.
If you pay rent every month, the landlord must tell you at least one month earlier that he wants to raise the rent. He must tell you
or send a letter before you pay the rent.
Example: You pay rent on the 1st. The landlord wants to raise the rent starting June 1. He must tell you before May 1. If he only tells you on May 5 or May 10, then the rent increase cannot start until July.
If you pay rent every week, the landlord must tell you that he wants to raise the rent at lease one week earlier. Again, he must tell you before the day you pay the rent.
If the landlord tries to raise the rent without giving proper notice, you do not have to pay the extra rent. But you must still pay the regular rent. If the landlord refuses your rent, hold on to it. If he takes you to court for not paying the higher rent, you can show the judge that you are willing to pay the correct rent.
If you rent from month-to-month, the landlord can evict you for almost any reason if you are given proper notice. This is true even though you have paid all the rent, or have lived there for a long time. (The main exception to this rule is if the landlord is trying to get back at you for calling the housing inspectors. See our leaflet on "retaliation" for more information.)
To make you move, the landlord must give you a definite and clear notice at least one month ahead of time. The notice does not have to be written, although the landlord may have a hard time proving that he gave an oral (spoken) notice.
This notice is legal:
April 29 - Dear Ms. Jones: This is your notice that you must move out by May 31. Signed, Landlord
This notice is not good enough to hold up in court:
Dear Mr. Brown, You might have to move in a month, if I decide to sell the building. Signed, Landlord
You must pay rent up until the time you move out. If you do not, you can be evicted before the notice period is up.
Sometimes the landlord will give a month's notice, but then accepts the rent after you were supposed to be out. If this happens, he cannot evict you that month. He must give you another notice if he still wants you to move out.
If you do not move out when the notice period is up, the landlord must file an eviction action in court. If the landlord did not give proper notice, be sure to attend the court hearing and tell this to the judge. Ask the judge to dismiss the case.
REMEMBER: Your landlord must always go to court to evict you. This is true even if the lease is up, or if you owe rent.
It is illegal to try evicting a tenant by changing the locks, shutting off utilities, or taking out your furniture. Call the police right away if this happens.
Your landlord must supply running water and reasonable amounts of heat and hot water unless you and your landlord have agreed that you are to pay for the heat and hot water. In any case, your landlord must keep all electrical, plumbing, heating and other systems working safely. If the landlord is supposed to pay for the heat, the temperature in your apartment must be at least 65 degrees.
First, try to contact the landlord. Ask him what he intends to do and when he will have the problem fixed. If you do not get results from the landlord, try the following.
Your landlord is responsible for providing a working furnace, hot water heater, etc., no matter who pays for utilities. A landlord's intentional failure to provide these working utility systems is a criminal violation. (Real Property Law Section 235.)
Therefore, if your landlord fails to provide a working furnace, hot water heater or electricity, you should call the police. The police will usually try to persuade the landlord to make repairs or to take other necessary steps. If the landlord still refuses to fix the problem, you may wish to "swear out" a warrant for your landlord's arrest.
You should also call the Niagara Falls Housing Inspectors at 286-4457 or the Niagara County Health Department at 439-7444. They are responsible for enforcing the housing and health codes. When heating equipment does not work, they will usually inspect it immediately.
It is a criminal violation for your landlord to fail to provide fuel when heat is included in your rent. You should call the police if your landlord fails to pay utility or fuel bills.
If you reside in a building which has three or more apartments, you have certain other rights.
If your landlord has failed to pay the utility bill or the fuel bill, you can make payments yourself, or make the payments with other tenants, and deduct the amount you pay from the rent.
If your landlord fails to pay the bill for utilities and, because of the failure, you have to spend extra money (for example, to stay in a motel), you may sue your landlord to try to recover those expenses and punitive damages. (Real Property Law Section 235-a(2).
If you live in a building with only one or two apartments, you may still decide to pay your landlord's utility or fuel bill and to deduct this from your rent. However, if your landlord tries to evict you for nonpayment of rent, it will be up to the court to decide whether your payment of the bill was reasonable.
CAUTION: When you withhold any amount of rent, you run the risk of eviction for nonpayment of rent. If the landlord tries to evict you, you will have to prove to the court that you withheld rent for a good reason recognized under law, and that you took all the required steps to notify your landlord before you withheld the rent. If possible, check with an attorney first. As a general rule, withholding rent is an emergency measure that you should use after all other attempts to make the landlord take action have failed.
Tenants who complain about conditions at their apartments or who join a tenants' association sometimes find that their landlord reacts by trying to evict them. The practice, known as "retaliatory eviction", is clearly prohibited by New York law.
New York law (Section 223b - of the Real Property Law) states that a landlord may not harass or penalize a tenant in retaliation for any of the following:
1. The tenant has made a complaint to a governmental agency like the Niagara Falls Department of Housing Inspections or Welfare Department about housing conditions.
2. The tenant has started a legal action against the landlord to enforce the right to live in decent housing.
3. The tenant has complained to the landlord about conditions.
4. The tenant has joined a tenants' organization.
If a tenant has taken part in any of these protected activities, a landlord may not "get back" at the tenant by taking any of the following actions:
1. Serving a 30 day notice to vacate or asking the tenant to move.
2. Refusing to renew a lease or to continue a tenancy.
3. Changing the terms of the rental agreement (for example, raising the rent).
If the landlord does try to evict the tenant or to raise the rent, and the tenant believes the landlord's reasoning is retaliatory, the tenant can raise this as a defense in any court proceeding. The landlord will have to take the tenant to court in a holdover action after giving the tenant a 30 day notice to vacate. In court, the tenant should tell the judge that the reason for the eviction is retaliation and the tenant can ask for a hearing. The tenant should bring proof to the hearing to show that the landlords motive is retaliatory. Proof could be the tenant's testimony, other witnesses, a Notice and Order from the City of Niagara Falls, etc.
Once a tenant shows a judge that within the past six (6) months the tenant complained to a government agency or worked with a tenant's group, it is up to the landlord to prove that his purpose in evicting the tenant or raising the rent is not to "get back" at the tenant for the tenant's action.
In the end, the judge will decide whether the landlord was acting in good faith or was retaliating against the tenant. If the judge decides that the eviction is retaliatory, the matter will be dismissed from court.
CAUTION: To use the defense of retaliatory eviction, the tenant must live up to all the obligations under the lease or oral agreement, including the payment of rent.
Lockport City Court - Tenant's Rights
|775 Third Street, P.O. Box 844
Niagara Falls, NY 14302
|Phone: 716-284-8831
Niagara County Legal Aid Society, Inc. is a not-for-profit agency providing legal assistance to low income residents of Niagara County in non-criminal matters (i.e., public assistance, social security disability benefits, landlord/tenant, divorce, bankruptcy and utility shutoffs). Clients may open a file over the phone or in person and receive assistance ranging from counsel and advice to representation in court. Clients must meet income and asset eligibility guidelines. There is no charge for the program's legal assistance.
Program hours:


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Hello again OSM Fans! We've got some great social media stories from the past couple of months, some from sports, and others are just too good not to bring up. Technology keeps pushing our ideas to the next level, so let's look at some great ways brands are upping the ante.
I want to give a quick digital "shout" to a friend Caleb Mezzy for this great interview with the Director of Digital Media with the Tampa Bay Lightning, James Royer. Among other things in this fantastic interview is how the Lightning are "light years" (pun intended) ahead of others in the digital realm, who James looks to across the sporting platform for inspiration, what he sees as the future of social media, and more - check it out....
Social Media In Sports Review: June 2013
Posted by Matthew Vinson June 17, 2013


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- Went to the bank early morning and I was their first customer! Yayyyy! :)
- Had a long chat with dad this morning. I'm happy that we think alike when it comes to the meaning of life and family.
- Running in the rain from the salon to my house. It felt so joyful! :D
- Prepared S's outfit for his beach-themed day at office. Costumes and dresscodes are always fun!
- Watched Silver Linings Playbook with S. I am in love love love with that movie it is so romantic OMG :D
- Had lunch twice yesterday without feeling guilty. I was so hungry!
- Asked S to say "I love you" 23 times and he said it 43 times yayyyyy...we're silly like that, you know? :D
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Little Things That Made Us Happy #14
13 comments:
I was kak, be the first costumer at bank is such a champion! ;) and ask to a kiss get kisses... you rite that little things make us happy ;) always inspired by you kak.
- January 31, 2013 at 11:24 PM
- bonitaayu said...
Love is make us silly, u know :)
- January 31, 2013 at 11:26 PM
- Adeline Yang said...
reading little things that made us happy posts of yours constantly reminds me to be grateful for what i have in life. so thank you, kak di :) you're such an inspiration!
- February 1, 2013 at 4:03 AM
Both of you are so cute! Xoxo
- February 1, 2013 at 7:37 AM
i love the last one the most : )
i should try it to my husband, hihihi
- February 1, 2013 at 8:35 AM
- Puput said...
you two are romantic couple :)
always enjoy reading this session
- February 1, 2013 at 9:09 AM
- Sinéad Odessa said...
And checking the bank and realizing you didn't spend nearly as much as you thought!
Sounds like you have a lot to be happy about!
- February 1, 2013 at 11:52 AM
- PONDOK PRINT said...
Love will make you feel happy and feel comfortable
- February 1, 2013 at 1:34 PM
- PONDOK PRINT said...
It's true!!
Love will make you happy and feel comfortable.
- February 1, 2013 at 1:37 PM
- pondokprint p said...
It's true!!!
Love will make you happy and feel comfortable.
- February 1, 2013 at 1:42 PM
- pondokprint p said...
It's true!!!
love will make you happy and feel comfortable
- February 1, 2013 at 1:42 PM
- Mitha Komala said...
i love the last little thing! it is just so cute to imagine! :D
Letters To Juliet
- February 4, 2013 at 11:44 PM
=) just wanna let u know whenever I'm having one of those blue days, I automatically click on ur blog. Reading ur blog reminds me to be grateful*after all, things may go pffft sucked and all but I'm still healthy;)*, and helps to make my world round again. Keep up the good work and best wishes for u always xoxo
- February 7, 2013 at 5:00 PM


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Message Board
Louise Ulmer Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Ulmer has written!
Author Ulmer's Book Reviews
Shaker Winter
The gentle Shakers come to tug at the heart of Daisy Webb when she and her younger brother are taken by her Aunt Paratine from their Kentucky home to live with the Shakers during the turmoil of the Civil War with her daddy missing in the fighting and her mother dead. Daisy finds herself in a strange world of work, simplicity, and religious life given over to celibacy and devotion. Over the months Daisy learns to be more than just a "winter Shaker", one ...


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As I've stated before, however, none of this would invalidate the fact that
Fox's protocells are alive. So at this point we should now examine the
evidence that should establish this. In his symposium to the Pope and his
scientific staff, Fox listed a number of protophysiological properties of
proteinoid microsphere protocells: electrotactism (the ability to sense an
electrical field), protometabolism (the ability to perform catalytic
reactions), aggregation (the ability to collect into colonies), protomobility
(the ability to move more or less at will), osmosis (the ability to absorb
material from the environment), permselectivity (the ability to selectively
pass materials across a semi-permiable barrier), fission (the ability to
break about into smaller functional units), protoreproduction (the ability to
create functional copies), conjugation (the ability to join and pass material
directly to another), protocommunication (the ability to pass information to
another) and excitability (the ability to generate and utilize energy,
especially electrical fields). Some research that establishes these
properties includes:
Masinovsky Z, Lozovaya GI, Sivash AA, Drasner M. "Porphyrin-proteinoid
complexes as models of prebiotic photosensitizers." _BioSystems_ 1989;
22(4):305-10 [This paper demonstrates that complexes of porphyrins like heme
and proteinoids are able to catalyze photochemical reactions, even when
biosynthetic porphyrin precursors were used.]
Vaughan G, Przybylski AT, Fox SW. "Thermal proteinoids as
excitability-inducing materials." _BioSystems 1987; 20(3); 219-23 [This
paper demonstrates that the portion of a mixed proteinoid-lipid microsphere
that the electrical activity of an excitable protocell is caused by the
proteinoids and not the lipids.]
Przybylski AT. "Excitable cell made of thermal proteinoids." _BioSystems_
1985; 17(4):281-8 [This paper demonstrates that proteinoid microsphere
protocells can have electrical properties such electrical polarization across
the membrane, electrical discharges, current-voltage characteristics,
negative resistence and even certain light characteristics.]
Matsuno K. "Electrical excitability of proteinoid microspheres composed of
basic and acidic proteinoids." _BioSystems_ 1984; 17(1):11-4
Przybylski AT, Stratten WP, Syren RM, Fox SW. "Membrane, action, and
oscillatory potentials in simulated protocells." _Naturwissenschaften_ 1982
December; 69(12):561-3 [This paper demonstrates that protocells have the
property of electrical potential.]
Matsuno K. "Self-sustaining multiplication and reproduction of microsystems
in protobiogenesis." _BioSystems_ 1981; 14(2):163-70 [This paper
demonstrates that not only can protocells reproduce, they can sustain it
through several generations.]
Ishima Y, Przybylski AT, Fox SW. "Electrical membrane phenomena in spherules
from proteinoid and lecithin." _BioSystems_ 1981; 13(4):243-51 [This paper
demonstrates that ceratin types of protocells exhibit electrical phenomena
resembling membrane and action potentials in natural excitable cells.]
Bahn PR, Fox SW. "Models for protocellular photophosphorylation."
_BioSystems_ 1981; 14(1):3-14 [This paper demonstrates that certain types of
protocells can convert light energy into chemical energy.]
Brooke S, Fox SW. "Compartmentalization in proteinoid microspheres."
_BioSystems_ 1977 June; 9(1):1-22 [This paper demonstrates that certain types
of protocells can create internal compartments that can pass materials
between them.]
Hsu LL, Fox SW. "Interactions between diverse proteinoids and microspheres
in simulation of primordial evolution." _BioSystems_ 1976 July; 8(2):89-101
[This paper demonstrates that protocells can absorb and utilize a variety of
proteinoids with different catalytic functions, both from their environment
and from other protocells.]
Fox SW, Hsu L, Brooke S, Nakashima T, Lacey JC Jr. "Experimental models of
communication at the molecular and microsystemic levels." _Int J Neurosci_
1972 April; 3(4):183-92 [This paper discusses the ability of microspheres to
associate, form junctions and pass endomicroparticles back and forth as a
model for intercellular communication.]
Fox SW, McCauley RJ, Montgomery P, Fukushima T, Harada K, Windsor CR.
"Membrane-like properties in microsystems assembled from synthetic
protein-like polymer." In Snell F, Wolken J, Iverson GJ, Lam J, eds.,
_Physical Principles of Biological Membranes_. New York:Gordon & Breach
(1969) pg. 417-30 [This paper explains how proteinoids have amphiphilic
properties that allow them to form biological membranes.]
For additional references, see Fox and Dose 1977.
Also in his symposium, Fox listed a number of protobiochemical properties of
proteinoid microsphere protocells: esterolysis (the ability to break ester
bonds), phosphatation (the ability to remove phosphate groups from
biomolecules), decarboxylation (the ability to remove CO2 groups from
biomolecules), peroxidation (the ability to use hydrogen peroxide to perfom
oxidation-reduction reactions), synthesis (the ability to create biomolecules
-- specifically peptides and polynucleotides using phosphate groups or ATP)
and photodecarboxylation (the ability to remove CO2 groups from biomolecules
using light energy). Some research that establishes these properties
Nakashima T, Fox SW. "Formation of peptides from amino acids by single or
multiple additions of ATP to suspensions of nucleoproteinoid microparticles."
_BioSystems_ 1981; 14(2):151-61 [The paper demonstrates that microspheres
made from lysine-rich proteinoids and acidic proteinoids can in the presence
of ATP synthesize small peptides and high-molecular-weight fractions of
substituted proteinoids.]
Nakashima T, Fox SW. "Synthesis of peptides from amino acids and ATP with
lysine-rich proteinoid." _Journal of Molecular Biology_ 1980 May;
15(2):161-8 [This paper demonstrates that an aqueous solution of lysine-rich
proteinoids can synthesis peptides from free amino acids and either ATP or
Lacey JC Jr, Stephens DP, Fox SW. "Selective formation of microparticles by
homopolyribonucleotides and proteinoids rich in individual amino acids."
_BioSystems_ 1979 March; 11(1):1-7
Lacey JC Jr, Yuki A, Fox SW. "Coprecipitation of thermal lysine-rich
proteinoids with polyribonucleotides." _BioSystems_ 1979 March; 11(1):9-17
Ryan JW, Fox SW. "Activation of glycine by ATP, a divalent cation, and
proteinoid microspheres." _Current Models in Biology_ 1973 December;
Junck JR, Fox SW. "Synthesis of oligonucleotides by proteinoid microspheres
acting on ATP." _Naturwissenschaften_. 1973 September; 60(9):425-7 [This
paper demonstrates that proteinoid microspheres can make small
Nakashima T, Fox SW. "Selective condensation of aminoacyl adenylates by
nucleoproteinoid microparticles (prebiotic-lysine-model system-genetic
code)." _Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA_ 1972 January;
69(1):106-8 [This paper demonstrates that microspheres made from lysine-rich
proteinoids and polynucleotides can synthesize polymers of amino acids
cojugated with adenylates, which could serve as the bridge between
proteinaceous information and genetic information.]
Osterberg R, Orgel LE. "Polyphosphate and trimetaphosphate formation under
potentially prebiotic conditions." _Journal of Molecular Evolution_. 1972;
Wood A, Hardebeck HG. "Light enhanced decarboxylations by proteinoids." In
Rohlfing DL and Oparin AI, eds., _Molecular Evolution_. New York:Plenum
Press (1972) pg. 233-45
Rohlfing DL, Fox SW. "Catalytic activities of thermal polyanhydro-amino
acids." _Advances in Catalysis_ 1969; 20:373-418
Fox SW, Wang C-T. "Melanocyte-stimulating hormone activity on thermal
properties of amino acids." _Science_ 1968; 160:547-8 [This paper
demonstrates that proteinoids made from mixtures of amino acids that contain
the residues found in the active site of melanocyte-stimulating hormone
possess specific hormonal activity themselves.]
Hardebeck HG, Krampitz G, Wulf L. "Decarboxylation of pyruvic acid in
aqueous solutions by thermal proteinoids." _Archives of Biochemistry and
Biophysiology_. 1968; 123:72-81 [This paper demonstrates that acidic
proteinoids can remove carbon from pyruvate and convert it into acetate.]
Karmpitz G, Baars-Diehl S, Haas W, Nakashima T. "Aminotransferase activity
of thermal polylysine." _Experientia_. 1968; 24:140-2 [This paper
demonstrates that lysine-rich proteinoids can transfer amino groups between
pyruvate and alanine and between alpha-ketoglutarate and glutamate.]
Oshima T. "The catalytic hydrolysis of phosphate ester bonds by thermal
polymers of amino acids." _Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysiology_.
1968; 126:478-85
Rohlfing DL. "The catalytic decarboxylation of oxaloacetic acid by thermally
prepared poly-aminoacids." _Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysiology_.
1967; 118:468-74 [This paper demonstrates that basic proteinoids can remove
carbon from oxaloacetate and convert it to pyruvate.]
Usdin VR, Mitz MA, Killos PJ. "Inhibition and reactivation of the catalytic
activity of a thermal-amino acid copolymer." _Archives of Biochemistry and
Biophysiology_ 1967; 122:258-61 [This paper demonstrates that catalytic
proteinoids have very good enzyme-like behavior.]
Fox SW, Krampitz G. "The catalytic decomposition of glucose in aqueous
solution by thermal proteinoids." _Nature_. 1964; 203:1362-4
For additional references, see Fox and Dose 1977.
So, what conclusions can we draw from all this research? 1) Proteinoids have
amphiphilic properties (both polar and nonpolar character in the same
molecule but in different places); the microspheres they form are stable and
durable, have Gram-negative or Gram-positive character depending upon
composition, respond to osmotic gradients, form structured boundaries,
contain ultrastructures, are capapble of selective passage of molecules
through the boundary and are able to associate, form junctions and transfer
informational molecules between themselves. These are the properties of
cells, so proteinoid microspheres are cellular. See Fox and Dose 1977 for
more details.
2) Proteinoids possess a variety of enzyme-like catalytic activity; the
microspheres they form are able to integrate these individual activities to
form simple pathways that can breakdown molecules for energy, store the
energy in the form of other molecules, then use this energy to synthesize
macromolecules. These are the basic properties of metabolism, so proteinoid
microspheres possess metabolism. See Fox and Dose 1977 for more details.
3) Proteinoid microspheres are able to undergo fission and can bud off
microparticles that then grow into microspheres. Microspheres also have the
ability to propogate through these methods. These are the properties of
reproduction, so proteinoid microspheres are capable of reproduction. See
Fox and Dose 1977 for more details.
4) Proteinoid microspheres display the ability to control their movements,
which would be necessary for them to avoid danger or seek out concentrations
of proteinoid to grow and reproduce. This along with their ability to
respond to osmotic pressure suggests that they can react to external stimuli.
See Fox and Dose 1977 for more details.
Modern cells are cellular structures that possess an integrated metabolic
system, reproduce and respond to external stimuli; according to the
conclusions outlined above, proteinoid microspheres are also cellular
structures that possess an integrated metabolic system, reproduce and respond
to external stimuli. As such, it is valid to label proteinoid microspheres
as (proto)cells. (The qualifier recognizes that they are not modern cells,
but that they were probably the first original cells and that modern cells
could have evolved from them.)
The basic characteristics of life are cellularity, metabolism, reproduction
and response to external stimuli; according to the conclusions outlined above
proteinoid microspheres possess these basic characteristics. As such it is
valid to say that proteinoid microsphere protocells are alive.
However, proteinoid microspheres are not made from biotic processes, but from
abiotic processes, taking advantage of the ability of amino acids and
proteinoids to selectively self-assemble into nonrandom functional
structures. Furthermore, these abiotic processes can be reproduced in the
lab. Therefore, it is valid to say that proteinoid microsphere protocells
are living systems that have been abiotically synthesized in the lab.
So while I may have failed to prove that the consensus of the biological
community is that Fox synthesized life in the lab, I believe I have shown
that he in fact did exactly that.
Kevin L. O'Brien


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The Brigade did cut Matt loose this morning........they just didnt tell him. If Matt figures it out this week, then Hayden is the most dangerous of the Brigade to him. None of them can win anything........Hayden's HOH was a team deal. But Hayden is the most athletic and probably the biggest threat.
I hope he puts up the amazing Enzo-matic, it talks and talks but does nothing else. Time to go.
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In Vietnam, laws regulating land leases expired this year. As uncertainty, conflict, and corruption fill the void, Beloit students have the opportunity to learn from a country in transition
A farmer in Hoa Binh Province in Northwestern Vietnam
utilizes a water buffalo to plow his rice paddy after harvest.
The flooded portion represents his allotment. In the north,
farmers often support their families on less than an acre.
Photo by Chris Fink.
Vietnam is in the midst of a land-tenure revolution, and a carp farmer named Doan Van Vuon is the crystallizing point at the center of it. After government officials ordered him and his family to vacate land they had legally farmed for a decade, Vuon fought back against armed police and soldiers, using homemade guns and land mines. With his farm now in ruins, Vuon and members of his family are in prison, personifying the thorny issue of land rights in a country undergoing dramatic change.
This summer, three Beloit College professors traveled to Vietnam to research the country's land conflict and write a case study on international development for political science and economics courses this fall. Professors Diep Phan (economics), Rachel Ellett (political science), and I (English) did so in the hope that the urgency of the land conflict in Vietnam—as opposed to canned case studies or hypothetical examples—will inspire students to recognize issues of human rights and economic inequality unfolding all around them.
For 10 days, we traveled in northern Vietnam, conducting more than a dozen interviews with different stakeholders in the land-rights conflict, from local farmers and their representatives to high-ranking officials in Vietnam's Communist Party.
What we found was a quagmire of complexity and corruption that dates back to the penning of Vietnam's contentious 1993 land law, and beyond that to the end of the "American War" in 1975 and reunification of the country. How bad is the land battle in Vietnam? According to Can Pham, one of the authors of the law, 90 percent of all civic petitions and complaints in the country are related to land conflict. Land-related corruption in Vietnam, he said, "may be worse than China. It may be worse than Korea. It may even be worse than Myanmar."
2013 marks the crucial year in Vietnamese land reform. The original 1993 law, which gave farmers the right to use the land while the state retained ownership, had a sell-by date of 2013. As of now, the law has expired and no new law has been written to replace it. To complicate matters, the country's constitution is also being overhauled because certain provisions in the land law contradict the constitution. The land law, for example, allows the state to recapture agrarian land for economic purposes, while the constitution allows the state to take back the land only in cases of national security or civic improvement.
"In fact, the land law violates the constitution," according to Binh Vo at the Center for Agricultural Policies, a government think tank. The unclear law has invited corruption and widespread clashes between farmers, investors, and local authorities. "We need around a thousand prime ministers to handle all the cases of land dispute," Vo said.
Photo by Chris Fink.
While many people in Vietnam, including members of parliament, argue for private ownership of the land, Vo and other experts agree that privatization is off the table for this year given the importance of land ownership in the ethos of the Communist Party. "What is the rationale for the existence of the Party?" Vo asks, if not land ownership. Most stakeholders believe that the new land law should focus not on privatization, but on good governance, transparency, public participation, longer leases of up to 50 years, and fair compensation as well as retraining for farmers whose land is taken for development. In the meantime, Doan Van Vuon and tens of thousands of other small farmers like him find their livelihoods in jeopardy as they await a new law.
How can a Vietnamese farmer lose the land he doesn't own to begin with? That's a complicated question in a country that's been transforming its economy from centrally planned to market-driven since the late 1980s. The People's Republic of Vietnam is now a socialist-oriented market economy. According to the expired land law, the people own the land with the state as their representative. Hanoi Oxfam official Jeff Colby explained it this way: "If the government owns the land, it means the people own the land, which means no one owns the land."
Photo by Chris Fink.
In theory, the 1993 land law was a necessary step toward liberalizing the Vietnamese economy. Farms in Vietnam had been communal since the end of the American War, productivity was poor, and the country was starving. The 1993 law created a kind of quasi-ownership, whereby farmers owned a lease that granted them most rights to the land they farmed and the crops they produced. Success from liberalization was immediate. Productivity skyrocketed as farmers managed their own crops from seed to sale. The populist catchphrase for this movement is doi moi, or renovation, and the success of doi moi was based partly on the popular assumption that farmers would have their leases renewed after 20 years or that they would be compensated for improvements they had made to "their" land.
But over the course of 20 years the country has changed. Driving across the countryside, one has the impression that the whole republic is under construction. Rural land that was most useful for farming in 1993 is suddenly more valuable for industrial purposes. Farmers have flocked to urban centers, giving rise to successful street markets in cities like Hanoi but putting a massive strain on urban infrastructures.
My colleagues and I saw land conflict manifested in different ways across the northern part of the country, from the gigantic Ecopark housing development on the outskirts of Hanoi to a new tourist development in the rural Ninh Binh province, to the impending removal of a regionally famous "floating village" on Ha Long Bay. Now, as farms are replaced by factories and housing developments across the country, what happens to the farmers? How are they compensated for their land? And how do urban areas deal with the influx of workers with a rural skill set?
This is the set of questions Professors Ellett and Phan are putting to Beloit College students this fall in their case study. Students play the role of the different stake-holding groups and argue that position. "The case study shows how difficult it is to build institutions for economic development," says Ellett, noting the process of reform has evolved over many decades. "Policy recommendations will require an interdisciplinary, analytical lens and interdisciplinary solutions," she says.
Students will learn through the case study that there are no easy answers to land conflict in Vietnam. "Land is complicated," Vo states. "Land is always personal."
"We do need to see land conversion," Colby says, wary of romanticizing the country's agrarian heritage. But land conversion needs to be accompanied by due process, he added. The case of Doan Van Vuon of Tien Lang, a story that gripped the nation, is a stark example of the shortcomings of the land law that all parties hope will soon be amended.
Tien Lang is a rural district 60 miles east of Hanoi and bordered by the South China Sea. In the late 1990s, Vuon saw an opportunity to develop some unclaimed, fallow land around the tidal flats there. He was given a lease on 24 acres, and over the course of a decade he and his family improved the land, turning it into a successful aquaculture business. In fact, Vuon's carp farm was so prosperous he was seen as an economic hero in the region and a shining example of the triumph of doi moi. Others followed his lead and soon 20 families in Tien Lang were developing fish farms over more than 600 acres.
Floating village in Ha Long Bay. Photo by Chris Fink.
Certain district officials, however, coveted Vuon's successful enterprise. Using the vagueness of the land law to their advantage, they refused to renew the lease on Vuon's land.
"They see a very good profit from this farm and they want to take it," said Pham. A long administrative melee ensued, but Vuon was eventually told he would need to relinquish the land. Unlike other farmers across the country who had been victims of land grabs, Vuon refused to vacate. With improvised weapons, including muskets bought on the black market, he and his family members fought back against the squad of 80 armed policemen and soldiers who came to enforce the eviction. When the shooting was over, two soldiers and four policemen were injured. Vuon was taken into custody and later imprisoned. His farm was ransacked: three houses bulldozed and his impressive carp stock looted.
After the confrontation, Vuon and three male relatives were charged with attempted murder and eventually sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to five years. Vuon's wife and another female relative were convicted of obstruction charges but were paroled. Local officials involved in the case were convicted of multiple charges, including "irresponsibility" and "destroying citizens' property." They were also paroled.
Ha Long Bay, on Vietnam's northeastern seaboard, is
considered one of the world's most beautiful bays. UNESCO
named it a World Heritage Site in 1994. Photo by Chis Fink.
The firefight is over, but the flames it ignited are just beginning to spread. "Mr. Vuon woke up the whole system," Vo said, and his case reinforced the need for a new land law that will be fairly interpreted and executed. One prominent Hanoi defense attorney we interviewed noted that the charges and sentences in the Vuon case were so unjust they actually resulted in two wrongs. On the one hand, he noted, the charges of attempted murder were too harsh, given that Vuon and his family were defending their land against unjust intrusion. On the other hand, he said, given the guilty verdict of attempted murder—which in Vietnam carries a maximum penalty of death—the sentences were too light.
"It's all political," explains Phan. "Obviously they couldn't just let him go."
Even though there is pressure to enact a new land law immediately, lawmakers are wary of proceeding too quickly. "If we don't amend the land law carefully and seriously, we will end up with more Mr. Vuons," Vo said, adding that, "logically, you should have the constitution revisited before the land law is revisited."
Ha Long Bay is home to four floating fishing villages like the
ones pictured here, whose residents have subsisted on
fishing and aquaculture for hundreds of years. Photo by
Chris Fink.
What's next for Vietnam? In a developing country, land conflict is certainly not going to disappear overnight, even with the most crystalline of laws. In this latest round of constitutional and land reform just two things are clear, according to professor Phan. "The Communist Party will still be in power, and there will be no privatization." She adds, "This is a developing country trying to build its institutions for economic development. The United States has a different history. Vietnam just has to find its own path."
Chris Fink is an associate professor of English at Beloit College, where he edits the Beloit Fiction Journal and coordinates the Lois and Willard Mackey Distinguished Professorship of Creative Writing. His novel, Farmer's Almanac, was published this spring. Fink helped plan and document the Vietnam land reform case studies.
Editor's note: Due to the sensitive nature of the material in this story, names of the interviewees have been changed to protect their livelihood.


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A search is under way for a new Lynbrook School District superintendent — but many community members and teachers believe that the hunt could end now and that the interim appointee, Dr. Melissa Burak, should fill the position.
At a search forum hosted by the district Board of Education on Oct. 16, residents suggested throughout the evening that the "interim" tag be removed from Burak's title. Burak was appointed in September, following the death of Superintendent Dr. Santo Barbarino on Aug. 27. She has also retained her title as assistant superintendent of business.
"I worked with Dr. Burak for six years," said David Herrmann, a Lynbrook resident and a school board member from 2001 to 2007. "I've never met an individual more knowledgeable on education and school finances than her."
Mary Kirby, a lifelong resident of the village and an English teacher at Lynbrook High School for 16 years, said that Burak is respected throughout the community. "Her exceptional dedication in all of her positions held, within all facets of the Lynbrook School District," Kirby said, "qualifies her as the only candidate for the position of the superintendent of schools."
The forum was open to the public, and was led by a panel comprising members of School Leadership LLC, a consulting firm hired by the board to conduct a superintendent search. For its services, School Leadership can be paid up to $18,000. The board approved the payment at its Oct. 10 meeting.
Dr. Charles Fowler, the firm's president, is the former superintendent of Nassau BOCES and the Hewlett-Woodmere School District. With him were Lawrence McGoldrick, former superintendent of Valley Stream District 30, and Dr. Kathy Weiss, former superintendent of the Baldwin School District.
Fowler asked those in attendance what makes Lynbrook a special place to live and work, and about the challenges the new superintendent will face and the skills and background they would look for in a district leader.
"We don't recommend who they hire — that's the board's job," Fowler said. "Our job is to try to do some staff work, the [human resources] work, that would be done with any other position in the school district."


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Regular Sunday Services at 8:00 & 10:00 a.m.
We are a small but active parish in Norwich, a 350-year-old city of 37,000 in southeastern Connecticut, known as "The Rose of New England."
We pride ourselves on our excellent music program and our efforts to assist those in our city who can use a helping hand.
We're young and not-as-young-as-we-used-to-be. Some of us grew up in the area and in the Episcopal Church, while others made their way here later in life. However we got here, we have all found a special home at Christ Episcopal Church.
We hope you'll join us for worship or perhaps to enjoy a Sunday afternoon concert and that you will feel at home here, too.
We are located at 78 Washington Street, Norwich CT 06360 and may be contacted at 860.887.4249 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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The EPA recently granted registration approval for Syngenta's Agrisure RW trait for control of rootworm in corn. Agrisure RW is being sold individually and in stacks with Agrisure GT (glyphosate tolerance) in corn hybrids from NK Brand, Garst, Golden Harvest and other brands for planting next spring. Agrisure RW is a modified synthetic Bt gene for control of northern, western and Mexican corn rootworms.
Syngenta is awaiting approval for Agrisure CB/LL/RW for corn borer and rootworm control with Liberty herbicide tolerance. The company also has applied for registration on a quad-stack hybrid called Agrisure GT/CB/LL/RW that includes glyphosate tolerance.


text:
Use mouse scroll wheel over image or pinch-to-zoom on touch devices. You can also click and drag around on image.
Concept Coupe
Parked toConcept Coupe (2013)
byVolvo Cars
Vehicle Info: 2016 Volvo Coupe
More from this Profile:
Project Volvo Concept Estate
Project Volvo Concept XC Coupe
Project Concept Coupe (2013)


text:
When in Greece I didn't see this on the menu at any of the restaurants. Maybe I was just in the wrong restaurants! It is a Greek "comfort" food and therefore perhaps made to enjoy at home with your family.. similar to macaroni and cheese or goulash (both of which I make regularly in the winter to comfort myself). There are probably as many recipes as there are cooks, but this is a really enjoyable version. I found it years ago in my Canadian Living magazine May issue. It was all about mothers and their traditional dishes. The best comfort foods are handed down from generation to generation!
1 lb uncooked bucatini or spaghetti
3 tablespoons flour
You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.


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Paper mills trust Rain for Rent for their planned projects and emergency needs. We provide equipment for routine maintenance, daily operations, bypasses and dewatering including pumps, pipe, tanks and filtration systems.
Learn more below or tell us about your project to get help now.
Randy Serwan, Regional Account Manager, has worked at Rain for Rent for the past 18 years. Randy presented a case study on Top Loading Sulfuric Acid in PEERS 2014 and will be presenting Water Reuse at PEERS 2015.
Call 225-673-6553 or email Randy (email@example.com) to learn more about how Rain for Rent can help your paper mill.
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Sewer line damage threatened to cripple production of the entire mill
Paper mill deploys Rain for Rent's retrofitted poly tanks to reduce risk of spills and tank ruptures during filling process
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Here are 5 tips to help you save time and money during mill maintenance:
Ensuring the material compatibility is very important. Not checking it beforehand can cause damage to storage equipment. Plus, choosing the right equipment the first time will save you money on extra installation and hauling charges you would have had to spend by changing the equipment in the middle of the project.
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When asking for quotes from vendors, ask for cost-saving solutions. Some vendors might offer a lower equipment rental rate, but you might end up paying more in the long run by ignoring potential options to save money.
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Tell us a little information below about your project and we'll contact you. We're backed by engineering support and can offer you a solution to meet your needs.


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Despite being red-carded in the Revolution's most recent U.S. Open Cup game in 2009, Nico Colaluca will be available to play against the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Fourth-year midfielder Nico Colaluca had high hopes entering the 2010 campaign, his first full season in New England after arriving in a midseason trade last year.
A local product out of Coventry, R.I., Colaluca acclimated well in the second half of 2009, slowly working his way into the first team and playing pivotal minutes in the Revolution's push for a postseason spot late in the season. He even earned his first professional start in a critical 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids, the club which drafted him in 2007 and traded him to New England two years later.
Colaluca continued his progression into the 2010 preseason, consistently flashing the skill and dogged determination which earned him a reputation as one of the hardest-working players on the team. He saw his fair share of action in the Revs' preseason matches, even earning an assist in the club's 2-0 win over the Charlotte Eagles (USL-2).
The speedy midfielder looked likely to play a role in New England's attack, perhaps coming off the bench as a late-game substitute to run at weary defenders. But just days before the season opener against the LA Galaxy, Colaluca sprained his left knee in training and was forced to watch from the sidelines for the first four games of the season.
Since returning from the injury, Colaluca has struggled to find consistent playing time. In the four games since his return to health, he's played just 14 minutes, that coming in a late substitute appearance in the 4-0 loss to Chivas USA.
Typically, this Wednesday night's U.S. Open Cup play-in match against the New York Red Bulls would provide the perfect opportunity for Colaluca to shine. He thought that even that chance would pass him by, however, because he was issued two yellow cards – and a subsequent red card – in the Revolution's most recent U.S. Open Cup match, a 2-1 loss to the Harrisburg City Islanders on June 30, 2009.
An ejection in a U.S. Open Cup game comes with a standard one-match ban. It follows, then, that Colaluca would serve his suspension when the Revolution resumes its Open Cup pursuit against the Red Bulls.
However, Colaluca will be in uniform and is expected to be in the starting lineup when the Revs take the field at Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night. The reversal of fortune was well-received by both Colaluca and the coaching staff, but it begs one important question.
Why isn't he suspended?
Even in its simplest form, the explanation is slightly convoluted. The match from which Colaluca was ejected in 2009 was a U.S. Open Cup game, which is officially sanctioned by U.S. Soccer. Wednesday night's match between the Revs and Red Bulls is a U.S. Open Cup play-in match – "play-in" being the operative term – sanctioned by Major League Soccer and used as a qualifying round to determine which MLS teams will reach the actual U.S. Open Cup tournament. Colaluca will be eligible to play against the Red Bulls – and against the Colorado Rapids in the next round of play-in games, should the Revs advance – but he would then be suspended if the Revolution qualified for a spot in the official tournament.
It's a bizarre set of circumstances which even Colaluca doesn't fully understand.
"I got a red card in last year's Open Cup game, so I thought I was suspended," Colaluca said. "(Vice President of Player Personnel Michael) Burns even told me I was suspended, and then the next day he told me that [I could play]. I guess it's since it's a play-in game for the Open Cup – this game, and if we win, the game against Colorado, they're both play-in games."
No matter the reasoning, the fact is that Colaluca will be eligible to play on Wednesday night. For a player struggling to find minutes and hoping to prove himself in a game situation, the opportunity has presented itself at the perfect time.
Colaluca knows that he must take advantage of the chance.
"I'm going to take any opportunity that I can get," he said. "I just have to be ready for when an opportunity comes my way. It seems like it will [against New York], so I've just got to be ready and perform well."
It's likely that no one was more excited than Colaluca upon hearing the news that he'd be eligible to play, but the Revolution's coaching staff must've jumped for joy, as well. The Revs have battled a slew of injuries in recent weeks, so much so that they were only able to travel 16 players to Columbus for this past weekend's meeting with the Crew – that's two fewer than the allotted 18-man game-day roster.
A couple more players picked up slight knocks in that loss to the Crew, and it's likely that the Revolution will once again have to travel with a shorthanded roster when the club departs for New York on Tuesday. Had Colaluca been suspended, it would've only added to the club's woes.
"I don't even think we're going to travel (to New York) with an 18-man roster," said Colaluca. "We've got a lot of guys beat up. We've had a bunch of games these past couple weeks, and we've got a bunch more coming up in the next couple of weeks. Some guys have got to get healthy, so I think it was definitely good for the coaches to have me available for this match."
The Revolution has the unexpected ruling on Colaluca's suspension to thank for his availability, but no one's complaining.
Especially Colaluca.
"It's a weird rule," he said. "But at least I get to play on Wednesday."


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Sleeps 6
Sleeps 2
Sleeps 4 (6)
Set in the beautiful countryside of Dumfries & Galloway, in South West Scotland, Galloway House Estate covers 600 acres of countryside and coastline. The estate is organically farmed and boasts some of the most stunning scenery in the country.
We have four self-catering holiday cottages on the estate, close to the village of Garlieston, only 10 minutes from Scotland's "Booktown", which is perfect if you're looking for a holiday cottage in Wigtown Book Town during the annual festival.
Stables Cottage is a holiday cottage in a converted 18th century stables courtyard. High Lodge and Cruggleton Lodge, with a wood fired hot tub, are restored listed gate lodges, transformed into holiday cottages on the estate with stunning sea views.
Guests are welcome to use the all weather tennis court situated next to the stables courtyard.
You can view the holiday cottages availability and prices on our Calendar page, or contact us for more information on our holiday cottages in Dumfries and Galloway.
The L.A. Times , The Guardian 2014 and Condé Nast Traveller 2014


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Talk:Puerto Rico
...we've got all the hot-button issues covered. But of course I forgot Vieques! --Evan 15:01, 28 Jan 2004 (EST)
Yes, this really doesn't even cover half of the story. Also, Culebra has a similar story, though the Navy left in 1975.
I moved
to Vieques#Understand. -- Huttite 06:57, 20 May 2004 (EDT)
Visit Culebra![edit]
Culebra is a "Must-See" for all of those who travel to Puerto Rico. It is a tiny little island off the East coast of Puerto Rico. You can catch the ferry at Fajardo. The ride is about two hours or so, and well worth it! Definitely head to Playa Flamingo, which is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Culebra is uncommercialized, there is no McDonald's or Burger King. If you want to get away from it all, Culebra is the perfect place for you. Guaranteed...
Getting Around[edit]
I made a minor change to the section about needing to rent a car. If you're staying in San Juan, you don't have to get a car. My wife and I took the public buses (0.25 or 0.50) between our hotel and Old San Juan. A discussion of the bus system should probably go in the San Juan article, though, I suppose.
Article is a mess[edit]
This article is high POV. Is this US-Wikitravel or just plain WikiTravel? The article is written from a high POV, mostly written from a US travel perspective, there is no other perspective at all. Statements like:San Juan is not a safe area to venture out at night, nor are metropolitan area cities as well as the other big cities such as Ponce and Mayaguez. Women travellers should take extra care and always move around in a group and steer clear of Condado beach at night. A number of thefts take place on beaches, even in daytime. are strongly POV and instead of informing they are alarming, adding clichés and exagerating, they are short of saying this is the 'Island of Theft and flashy cars' which is not true at all.A mess. -- Vertical123travel 20:07, 13 Jan 2006 (EDT)
Get in by plane - too much info![edit]
Most of this I dont think is of much use, so Ive edited it out. This is the original text here (not sure where to put it) incase I get over zealous in editing it! Tsandell 15:25, 21 May 2006 (EDT)
Getting to Puerto Rico almost always means flying to San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU). The gleaming white terminal located just east of San Juan is ranked 34th among passenger airports in the United States and its territories. U.S. Immigration and Customs Laws and Regulations apply. U.S. citizens flying between the U.S. and Puerto Rico do not need to pass through Immigration nor Customs. It is almost exactly the same as flying from N.Y. to Atlanta or Chicago... except you can't shop duty-free in Chicago before flying back to New York.
Most U.S. and many international airlines offer direct flights to Puerto Rico, and making connecting flights is easy. SJU is one of the largest airports in the Caribbean and is a popular place for hopping over to the U.S. Virgin Islands and other Caribbean destinations.
If you have lots of luggage, beware there are no baggage carts -- not even for rental. Baggage porters may be available to help you for a tip or fee. The only exception is at U.S. Customs on International flights from outside the U.S. Eventually you'll reach a sign where it says "No carts beyond this point," but it is not enforced, and someone sitting there may tell you so as well.
Transferring from the airport to your hotel usually requires taking a taxi, although some hotels provide complimentary transportation to their properties in special buses. Puerto Rico Tourism Company representatives at the airport will assist you in finding the right transportation. Major car rental agencies are located at the airport, and others offer free transportation to their off-airport sites.
Duty Free One of the interesting facts about Puerto Rico that might not be emphasized enough in travel guidebooks is that since Puerto Rico is self governing due to it's Commonwealth status, there are no federal taxes or import duties paid on on commodities like gasoline (about $0.50/liter for 87 octane in San Juan, as of 4/27/05) or rum. This might be an important consideration when planning how much empty luggage to bring, as a 750 ml bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label costs only $120 in the duty-free airport shop vs. $200+ on the mainland. Bacardi liquor brands are very inexpensive as well -- paying $8.00 for a 750 ml bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin can be something of a shock, after paying $9.00 for a single 4 oz martini of the same booze at La Guardia only 4 hours earlier. A 750 ml bottle of DonQ Crystal (the local favorite) is only $10.00 -- bring one home with you.
From North America
2 ½ hours from Miami
3 ¼ hours from Atlanta
3 ¼ hours from New York City
3 ½ hours from Washington (D.C.)
4 ¼ hours from Toronto
4 ½ hours from Chicago and Dallas
7 ½ hours from Los Angeles
From Latin America
1 ½ hours from Caracas
5 ¾ hours from Mexico City
11 hours from Sao Paolo
From Europe
7 ¾ hours from Madrid
10 hours from Paris
10 ¼ hours from Brussels
12 hours from London
Driving in Puerto Rico[edit]
OK, this is such a big deletion that I think we need a third opinion. Does the deleted description sound like "any other big city", and/or which parts of it are "highly incorrect"? Please remember that being "POV" doesn't matter, what's important is being fair, and I thought the deleted bits were fairly informative-sounding. Jpatokal 23:47, 9 August 2006 (EDT)
I was thinking that perhaps the article's "Regions" section should be placed about in the order of the form of electoral districts? Below are the following municipalities grouped within their designated electoral district. UniReb 02:15, 14 January 2007 (EDT)
Electoral District of Bayamón
Electoral District of Arecibo
Electoral District of Mayagüez
Electoral District of Ponce
Electoral District of Guayama
Electoral District of Humacao
Electoral District of Carolina
I've toned down and introduced qualifiers in the paragraph about homosexuality in Puerto Rico. I find PR is far more open than other Carribean locations like Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, or Cuba. Conversely, is it not as open as more liberal areas of the USA, like New York or San Francisco. Somewhere in between.THD3 14:36, 10 June 2009 (EDT)
Tourism Brochure[edit]
This article reads too much like an advertisment "Puerto Rico is a drive-through buffet. All you need is a car, an appetite (the bigger the better), time, and the realization that your swimsuit won't fit as well when you get to your destination. The island has the most diverse culinary offerings in the entire Caribbean. There's something for everyone. You can enjoy the finest Puerto Rican food at most traditional town squares and also (for those of you who get homesick) have a steak at a place like Morton's." etc.
2/3 of the article looks like it could have been copied out of Lonely Planet, and not an encyclopedia.
—The preceding comment was added by 188.8.131.52 (talk • contribs)
Cellular and Internet[edit]
I updated this section with my experiences and with the foreign traveler in mind. —The preceding comment was added by GPSRider (talk • contribs)


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Alright Shopify store owners... get ready, this is big! Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads are a great way to drive traffic to your ecommerce site. They allow you to advertise to people while they are researching and looking for products and you only pay when someone clicks on your ad actually visits your site.
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7 comments
November 21 2011, 07:36PM
Great job!
But this is only open businesses based in the USA, right?
November 22 2011, 09:51AM
Would have loved to have used this app especially near the holiday shopping season, but they only support some categories. We sell baby hats and head-wear and Amazon does not offer this service for clothing or accessories. I hope they will in the near future. I am looking forward to giving it a try!
November 22 2011, 10:20AM
@Thomas – It's open to everyone, but you must sell in US dollars and ship to the US.
@Ramona – Yes, there are limitations on which categories can be included. Amazon, understandably, is a bit more strict than other ad platforms.
December 02 2011, 02:11PM
I'm excited about using this but I'm having a heck of a time getting my products downloaded. Out of 420 products it only shows 27 in the Amazon product list and 20 of those have errors. What am I doing wrong?
December 21 2011, 04:24PM
I have been trying for a half a day now to get my FTP credentials verified and the app keeps giving me a "something went wrong" message. I have tripled checked my FTP UserName and password as generated by Amazon, and have completed all the set-up steps in my Amazon account. This is getting quite frustrating.
April 08 2013, 07:40AM
Try the new Amazon Search Widget for Chrome:
October 06 2016, 03:16PM
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