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It's hard to believe that one of my favorite burlesque shows is already celebrating it's second anniversary. That would be the case with Gorilla Tango's "A Nude Hope: A Star Wars Burlesque" which is celebrating a stunningly successful 2-year run this July.
I remember attending one of the very first shows, and I was just charmed by the cast and the creative ways they interpreted different elements from the sci-fantasy film.
(Read my original review here.)
Now, if you haven't had a chance to check out any of their wonderfully-nerdy shows, they are offering a special discount for select shows in the coming month. Check this out:
Chicago, IL (July 2013): Gorilla Tango Burlesque's (GTB) extremely popular Star Wars parody, A NUDE HOPE: A STAR WARS BURLESQUE celebrates its second anniversary this July 9! In honor of this momentous anniversary, GTB is offering 20% off all Gorilla Tango Burlesque show tickets during the month of July with the code: happybirthday2013. Code must be redeemed in advance, online at www.gorillatango.com. Good to any GTB show. (Fine print: no cash value and no exchanges once redeemed. Not good retroactively and not redeemable 'at the door.')
The special anniversary code is good for 20% off tickets to the following shows:
Fridays at 9pm - Don't Blink: A Doctor Who Burlesque
Fridays at 10:30pm - Temple of Boobs: An Indiana Jones Burlesque
Saturdays at 9pm - A Nude Hope: A Star Wars Burlesque
Saturdays at 10:30pm - The Empire Brings Sexy Back: A Star Wars Burlesque Sequel
Saturdays at 11:59pm - Holy Bouncing Boobies: A Batman Burlesque
All performances take place at Gorilla Tango Bucktown, 1919 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago IL 60647. Tickets regularly priced $35 ($28 with discount code). 18 and over only.
Performing continuously for the last two years, the burlesque parody A NUDE HOPE has performed to thousands - over 7,600 as a matter of fact - audience members since its opening on July 9, 2011.
A NUDE HOPE: A STAR WARS BURLESQUE revolves around a sexually frustrated farmer, Luke Skywalker, who is longing to rescue the luscious Princess Leia, prisoner of the sadomasochistic villain, Darth Vader. He receives some help along the way from a few malfunctioning droids, a rouge she-hunk named Han Solo and a Wookie companion (who never wears pants!) to rescue her heiney-ness. Of course, along to guide them is the senile but sensual Obi-Wan-Kenobi. Join this motley crew of geek girls as they take you on a burlesque parody journey of bad haircuts, oddly sexy aliens, cheap special effects, and disco groves. Don't make us FORCE you to come!
Featuring a rotating cast of GTB performers including Bottom-Heavy Betty, Dottie Comma, Estrella Von Trapp, Juicy Lucy, Kaylee Williams, Kitty Kaboom, Lucita Bonita, Mai Atari, Miss Kitty Oaks, Mo Less, Peaches N. Cream, Ruby Bourbon, Slightly Spitfire, Sweet Ginger Rose, Tallulah Twist, The Dame of Chance, Whiskey Collins, and Zatanna Zor-Elle.
I haven't had a chance to see the new cast in A Nude Hope, so I'm going to make a point of doing so. I've also been meaning to check out the Indiana Jones-themed show, and the Doctor Who one as well. (I just wish Stella Cheeks was still with the troupe. I miss her C-3PO. Sad panda.)
Be sure to give one of these shows a try! You're gonna have a fun time, and the Force will be with you...always.
Elliott Serrano is a Redeye Special Contributor and Chicago's Top Geek. His burlesque stage name is "Brown Sugar Bear."
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
Angel Child
Recorded January 29, 1957
Track Time 2:54
Written by George Price, Benny Davis and Abner Silver
Recorded in New York City
Louis Armstrong, trumpet;Geoge Dorsey, Phil Urso (alto saxophone, flute); Lucky Thompson; tenor saxophone; Dave McRae, baritone saxophone; Billy Kyle, piano; George Barnes, guitar;Sid Block, bass; Rudy Taylor , drums; Unknown, harp; Unknown strings, Unknown choir - three male and four female - vocals; Lillian Clark, lead vocal; Sy Oliver, arranger, conductor.
Originally released on Decca DL 8488
Currently available on CD: On Louis and the Angels"
Available on Itunes? Yes
Thought I was through with "Louis and the Angels," huh? Never! In case you don't know what I'm talking about, two weeks ago I posted an appreciation of Louis's 1957 Decca album of angel-related songs, one that can be read here. In it, I chose four representative songs from the album and basically said that if you like these, check out the rest of the album and you'll love it. The end.
But almost as soon as I hit "Publish Post," I had regret because I didn't include "Angel Child." That's always been one of my favorite tracks on the album and I originally wanted to include it but as is often the case in my life, I had a three-hour window with my daughters sleeping to pump out that blog and I had to be happy with four songs. Thus, "Angel Child" got the axe.
Two days later, I had to drive to Queens to give a lecture on Louis for the Queens Historical Society. On the way there, I listened to "Louis and the Angels" again. And for some reason, this time "Angel Child" nearly made me drive off the road. I had heard it dozens of times and always loved it but it was like someone was telling me to PAY ATTENTION. I couldn't believe the power and glory of that trumpet and couldn't believe I didn't write about it. Especially after I listened to it five times in a row on the way home....
So it was settled, I'd write about "Angel Child." And then life began and I was drowning, putting the blog on the back burner, except for a rehash of my annual "That's For Me" post. I wanted to write about "Angel Child" but I needed a kick in the butt.
Cut to Valentine's Day and a groggy Ricko getting home at 8:10 in the evening, 15 1/2 hours after I left. I checked the mail and there was a letter waiting for me, a handwritten letter written by Reverend Harry S. Finkenstaedt, an 88-year-old Episcopal Priest, who was knocked out by my book. I cherish every complimentary e-mail and Facebook comment I get about the book but there's something about a handwritten, mailed letter that is extra special.
And Rev. Finkenstaedt's letter was extra special in every way. In addition to simply telling me how much he enjoyed the book, he added some personal touches: he met Louis and Lucille in Honolulu in 1954, right after Lucille was arrested for marijuana possession. He became friendly with them and enclosed a typed transcript of a beautiful, personal letter Louis wrote to him in April 1955, thanking him for his support during Lucille's ordeal, detailing a gig with Guy Lombardo and bragging that he had lost 77 pounds. "Lucille said to be sure and give you her fondest regards," Louis concluded. "And the love's for me also. I have your address in my personal address book. So you might here [sic] from me almost anytime. I am so happy since I had time to at least say hello, to you. I shall be praying for you everyday, that you're safe + sound and happy. Always your boy, Louis Satchmo Armstrong."
I was nearly shaking when I went over the contents of Rev. Finkenstaedt's package again and again. But there was one line that jumped out at me. In an e-mail to Brian Peerless, Rev. Finkenstaedt wrote about how he had dinner with Louis and Lucille in Corona on January 1, 1956 and Louis, in turn, invited him to his upcoming Decca recording sessions for "Satchmo: A Musical Autobiography" and "Louis and the Angels." In the margin of this page, Rev. Finkenstaedt wrote to me, "Also I stood right behind him when he was recording 'Louis and the Angels'--the numbers 'The Night a Sinner Kissed an Angel' and 'Angel Child.'"
Okay, it was a sign. The craziest part was I knew he was the real deal. We have a photo in the Jack Bradley Collection at the Louis Armstrong House Museum of Louis signing an autograph in a recording studio. The recipient of the autograph's head is cut off in the picture but Jack's ex-girlfriend Jeann Failows wrote on the back of the photo, "Louis at Decca's recording sessions of January 1957, just after 'Heebie Jeebies' signing autographs for a clergyman fan." Well, I had to e-mail Rev. Finkenstaedt and I sent him a copy of the picture....and sure enough, it was him! And when I looked deeper in the Archives, I found a handwritten letter he wrote to Lucille in 1975, one that Lucille saved until her death in 1983. Wow!
After I wrote Rev. Finkenstaedt this morning, I went back to work, a very busy day. But when I got back to my e-mail, there were all sorts of goodies waiting for me: more stories, photographs, scanned Louis autographed photos....and even a blog comment on my "Louis and the Angels" post. It read, "I was right there with Louis,standing behind him, and apart from his 'attack' or power, I was impressed by his control of the music that he was coping with on the stand in front of him. Sy Oliver was there and I wondered if he had an influence in how that music swings, being such a great arranger. Louis was reading off the sheet too. It was not just improvising totally, Made me realize what a master musican! What beautiful Harmony and Control,.That was an unforgettable evening as was at the' Satchmo Autobiography" Harry Finkenstaedt, {a friend of Louis..)."
Well, that sealed the deal. I look forward to much more cherished correspondence with Rev. Finkenstaedt but for now, I think I HAVE to write about "Angel Child." But first a little background: what the heck is "Angel Child"? Well, the song was written in 1922 and popularized by the great Al Jolson. Jolie gave it a peppy uptempo treatment and I think it's great:
But other than a few "society band" recordings of it, there was nothing until Glenn Miller, gave it a spin, slowing down the tempo and giving it a more romantic, yet swinging feel:
And that was that. The song never seemed to become a standard and goodness knows if anyone else performed it after Miller. But someone remembered it when choosing songs for "Louis and the Angels" and it's a good thing they did! If you're the type of person who gets uncomfortable hearing Louis in a "commercial" setting, sit tight through the utterly charming vocal choruses and make sure you're sitting down for a trumpet solo that could move a mountain. Don't say I didn't warn you....here 'tis:
Right? Did you get the message? Holy geez, that is some powerful stuff. But first, there's the vocal choruses, which are really sweet. Louis sings right from the start, obviously enjoying the melody and giving the "shadows of gray" line a lot of emotion. Meanwhile, arranger Sy Oliver gives the proceedings a nice two-beat bounce with the strings popping in and out without ever becoming overbearing. Then the chorus shares the lead for the next go-around, with Louis taking more liberties with his phrasing. I'm sure there are people out there who hear the choir, get violent flashbacks to 1950s pop music and lament the fact that Louis "West End Blues" Armstrong had to suffer such an indignity. I pity those people....
Because after a brief Billy Kyle modulation, it's time for the main event. From his opening notes, you know he's going for it, he's going to play the melody an octave higher like he would have in 1929 or so. He hits every note right on the button--his "attack," as Rev. Finkenstaedt is something to marvel at. And Oliver's arrangement, even with the strings and voices, swings like nobody's business (notice that Rudy Taylor, not Barrett Deems, is on drums; no knock on Deems but Taylor sounds great throughout the album). As Louis approaches the halfway point, you might expect that maybe he'll pass the ball to Trummy Young or Kyle for a few bars to recuperate a bit. But nah, he just keeps going, higher and higher, stronger and stronger, changing up the phrasing, hitting and HOLDING those notes, right up until the perfect high-note ending. Bravo, Pops.
And bravo Reverend Finkenstaedt for sharing your memories of what it felt to be right behind Pops as he recorded masterpieces like this. But how many people know its a masterpiece? That's the sad fact, my friends: recordings like this have slipped under the radar for 55 years. Before writing this, I did a quick Google search for "Louis Armstrong Angel Child" to see if someone--anyone!--ever wrote about it. Couldn't find a word. Went to Google Books, searched magazines. Nada. Okay, how about YouTube? Ah, there it is....291 views. Hmmm, maybe it was recently uploaded? Nope, 291 views in TWO YEARS!
Well, hopefully others out there are as excited about performances like this one as I and Rev. Finkenstaedt are. If you are, again, please write in and let me know so I don't feel like the only nut out there! Thanks Rev. Finkenstaedt....and thanks Milt Gabler, Sy Oliver and Pops for making such a beautiful record in the first place.
6 comments:
- Lou said...
Ricky -
What can I say but another great one from the Great One!
Mille Grazie!
- February 16, 2012 at 10:49 PM
- Pete Kelly's Blog said...
Hi Ricky- The whole album is a winner,but that solo is a knoskout!
Yours,Dave Whitney.
- February 17, 2012 at 1:27 PM
- jm said...
i heard the song had my mind blown and went straight to i tunes and downloaded the album !!!!
unbelievable . i love the voices with Louis's .
- February 18, 2012 at 1:38 PM
Louis and the Angels, ¡espléndido álbum!. Tuve el placer de escucharlo y grabarlo completo en mi casetera luego de que lo transmitieran en la radio local, eso fue hace 7 años, y sin duda mi grabación favorita es "Angel Child".
Muchas gracias Ricky por escribir al respecto, Y felicitaciones por tu blog.
- February 18, 2012 at 7:38 PM
- Phil said...
Excellent blog again, great story about the Rev, and Louis's singing and trumpet-playing is out of this world... (with the angels perhaps?)
- February 19, 2012 at 12:25 PM
I bought this album in a remainder bin for less than a dollar when I was about thirteen. Still knocks me out. Having been lucky enough to play in some Lombardo styled bands, I can only hope that we have finally put the odd views of fifties and sixties critics to rest for ever! Good music is good music and getting to hear Pops play different melodies is the greatest lesson any musician could have.
- March 1, 2012 at 7:37 PM

subset: commoncrawl


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Arctic Cat NO BRAINER Sales Event Going Now until June 30th!
Bass Pro Shops and Arctic Cat team up for our biggest national sale ever.
Every in-stock Arctic Cat unit is on sale! Offers include financing as low as 0% for 60 Months on 2015 and 2016 models (On Approved Credit)*, or total savings up to $3,800 on ATVs, and $4,500 on Side by Sides! Other low financing options also available with huge savings.
Click a model below to view our online Arctic Cat inventory.
Finance offer on approved credit for well qualified buyers. Other finance rates and terms available. Total savings based on year and model. Selection and availability varies by location. Some offers may not be available at all stores. All specifications subject to change without notice. All units are subject to prior sale, transfer to another location or errors in data transmission. Please check with your dealer to confirm model availability.
ATVs can be hazardous to operate. For your safety always wear an approved helmet, eye protection, and protective clothing. Never engage in stunt driving; riding and alcohol/drugs don't mix and could cause serious injury or even death. Avoid excessive speeds and be particularly careful on difficult terrain. Arctic Cat recommends that all riders read and understand their operator's manual before operation. Do not shoot from or lean firearms or bows against the ATV. Never carry a passenger on a single-rider ATV. Only ride an ATV that is right for your age. Unless otherwise specified, ATVs are only recommended for users 16 years and older. Arctic Cat recommends that all riders take a training course. For safety or training information in the U.S., call the ATV Safety Institute at (800) 887-2887. In Canada, call the Canada Safety Council at (613) 739-1535 or see your dealer.


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Globally, mobile phones now outnumber computers by a ratio of 3:1. Recent innovations with smart phones – the Blackberry and iPhone – suggest the revolution has only just begun. Mobile devices now marry the power of the personal computer with the convenience and mobility of the cellphone. Emailing, web browsing, multimedia data gathering, social networking, location awareness, text messaging, and gaming are all possible on a mobile device.
Other devices, such as netbooks, ipods and Amazon's Kindle, provide new opportunities for mobile computing. How do mobile technologies impact education? What can educators do to take advantage of the powerful computing devices most students carry in their pockets? This symposium will explore the educational impact of mobile devices, drawing on examples of successful educational implementations and case studies.
8:00 - 9:00 / Registration and Breakfast
9:00 - 9:45
Keynote: The Diminishing Relevance of Place
George Siemens, Associate Director, Research and Development with the Learning Technologies Centre at University of Manitoba ; Founder and President of Complexive Systems Inc.
How important is "place" in networked learning? The internet, netbooks, and mobile phones answer with "not very important at all." Activities that only a few decades ago required physical presence – such as banking or purchasing a book – are now accessible without concern for the location of the individual. Mobile phones have far greater penetration than computers.
Many students now carry in their pockets computing devices more powerful than the desktop computers of only a decade ago. Information is at the fingertips of these students. What are the implications of the diminishing relevance of place for education? How can educators take advantage of mobile devices in improving learning, research, and interaction? This session will explore how mobile phones influence how people interact with each other and with information.
Emphasis will be placed on:
The educational implications of perpetual connectivity to information and peers
Suggestions for educators in incorporating mobiles into current teaching practices
Potential systemic impact of mobile learning
9:45 - 10:15
From the Ultimate Mobile Device to Ultimately Mobile: Libraries and Mobile Services
Karen Hunt and Richard Jones
You can carry it in your pocket, you can use it in your bath, you can write notes on it and share it with your friends. Libraries already provide access to (mobile) books, but how are we adapting to new devices and modes? From text messaging help services, podcasting, hear how libraries are adapting, thriving and the distances yet to travel. We'll also report on a new service at the University of Manitoba Libraries to lend notebook computers to students.
10:15 - 10:45 / Refreshment Break
10:45 - 11:30
The Evolution of Wireless
Mansell Nelson, VP Business Product Management, Rogers Wireless / Bruce Dagge, Apple Inc.
Hi-speed mobile Internet access is quickly becoming broadly available, empowering the ability of both students and educators to communicate, collaborate, and research online. As wireless network speeds accelerate beyond Third Generation (3G) levels, mobile Internet-ready laptops and powerful smartphones are now offering connectivity and application options beyond the boundaries of WiFi hotspots and wired desktops.
This session will explore the evolution of wireless network and mobile device capabilities and profile mobile usage trends.
11:30 - 12:00
Hands on session: Explore an array of mobile devices: netbooks, Kindle, iPhones, and others
12:00 - 1:00 / Lunch, Daily Bread Cafe
1:00 - 1:45
Are We Ready for Mobile Technologies and Their Impact on Pedagogy, Tool Development, and Assessment?
Thomas C. Laughner, Director, Educational Technology Services, Smith College / J. Scott Payne, Director of Academic Technology Services, Amherst College
The promise of mobile learning has recently attracted a great deal of attention among educational technologists. Numerous institutions have begun using a range of mobile technologies to support anytime, anywhere learning; however, the impact of the mobile web has been limited.
In this presentation, we will argue that the capabilities of the iPhone and iPod touch and emerging data on adoption rates of these devices may herald a shift in how students access information and instructional tools and interact with instructors and peers. We will discuss potential implications for pedagogy, tool development, and assessment.
1:45 - 2:15
Location Awareness and Data Gathering
Dr. Shirley Thompson, Sonesinh Keobouasone, and Larry Laliberty
Attaching photos or videos to a map is an excellent visual way to show both the pictures and where they were shot. Photos and videos from a camera phone or other camera can be geotaged to map with shared online photo albums, such as Flickr, Buzznet, or YouTube. A geotag from a geographic positioning system (GPS) allows the software to know where the pictures were taken and post them on a map at their exact geographic locations.
We will show you examples of photo journeys and explain how to save the track on the GPS unit, upload it to your computer, import the information into the geotagging software, import the photographs from the camera, find a digital mapping software, match all these components, and start all over the next time you want to attach photos on a map. As well, we will demonstrate how a phone or camera with a built-in GPS can upload a location-marked picture to Flickr, to automatically post the photo onto a map.
2:15 - 2:45 / Refreshment Break
2:45 - 3:15
Introduction of Cell Phone Technology in Open and Distance Learning of English: a Case Study
Irene Parvin, Assistant Professor of English, School of Education, Bangladesh Open University
Bangladesh Open University is offering formal as well as non formal programmes for different level of target groups through distance mode and it is providing tutorial support, printed text materials and audio-video programmes which is broadcasted through mass media. BOU currently delivers pre-recorded non-interactive TV programs for its lectures.
The effort of the Bangladesh Virtual Interactive Classroom is to test a method that would make these pre-recorded lessons interactive. They will also get feedback from the teacher using mobile. In any time of the day they can send SMS to the teacher and they will get feedback through SMS.
In VIC approach another concept is Learning Partner (LP) who will give support to each other outside the tutorial session also. This new method is introducing participatory approach in open and distance learning and introducing two way communications, which is reducing the gap of teacher and learner in distance education.
3:15 - 3:45
Theme: Future Trends: A multi-institutional panel
George Siemens (Moderator)
Paul Little, Dean, School of Learning Technologies, RRC / John Anchan, Executive Director, Centre for Teaching, Learning & Technology, University of Winnipeg
$75 / $ 40 (Student) [includes breakfast, lunch and refreshment breaks]
Registration is limited to 100 people.
Co-organized by the Learning Technologies Centre, Libraries, Learning Assistance Centre, Information Services and Technology, and Extended Education, University of Manitoba


text: The 16th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando de Soto (c. 1496-1542) arrived in the West Indies as a young man and went on to make a fortune in the Central American slave trade. He supplied ships for Francisco Pizarro's southward expedition and ended up accompanying Pizarro in his conquest of Peru in 1532. Seeking greater glory and riches, de Soto embarked on a major expedition in 1538 to conquer Florida for the Spanish crown. He and his men traveled nearly 4,000 miles throughout the region that would become the southeastern United States in search of riches, fighting off Native American attacks along the way. In 1541, de Soto and his men became the first Europeans to encounter the great Mississippi River and cross it; de Soto died early the next year.


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When Thea Dodds, the award-winning photojournalist and founder of AuthenticEye.com called Kathryn Hamm, president of Gayweddings.com, to talk about an idea she had for a book on lesbian and gay wedding photography, little did the two women know that thousands of photos and seven months later they'd be publishing their debut book — Capturing Love: The Art of Lesbian & Gay Wedding Photography.
Created for same-sex couples looking to secure the right person for their own weddings and industry photographers looking to better their portraiture of the community, Capturing Love has been — from the start — a true collaboration.
After their initial meeting, the two authors spoke weekly on the phone to create a business plan and discuss their joint vision. Explains Thea:
"Before we even began digging through images, we talked conceptually about how to organize the content, what it's look and feel needed to be, and what we thought was working in traditional photography and what wasn't."
From there they posted a call for photos on photography forums and went through past submissions to Gayweddings.com to find images. It was a huge undertaking, but in the end they secured photos from 46 couples in 19 states as well as Canada, the UK and Italy.
Once the project was complete Thea and Kathryn spoke with contacts who provided insight on the benefits of traditional versus independent publishing. Both women anticipated that 2013 would be a big year for same sex marriage in the wake of gay marriage victories in Washington, Maryland and Maine, so they agreed to go independent to get the book to market sooner. Now, Capturing Love is available on Lulu.com and will soon launch in the iBookstore as well as on Amazon.com and BN.com.
Given their public call for photos, Kathryn and Thea couldn't keep project under wraps. They turned that buzz into an opportunity to build a fan base by launching a website and Facebook page almost immediately. They also decided to work with a communications firm that specialized in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender) community because, as Kathryn acknowledges, "for the book to have its best chance to be recognized and make the impact we hope it will, we would need extra support to get that message across." Last, but not least, the co-authors sent a PDF of Capturing Love around to several "thought leaders" pre-publication, with the hope that having "known" third-party reviews published on the back of the book would be helpful to us."
And their efforts have paid off. In the past few months they've been reviewed in Professional Photographer Magazine and featured on WeddingWire EDU Pro Blog and in Huffington Post's "Gay Voices" column.
Kathryn and Thea have come out of the publishing process with sage advice for aspiring authors:
"If you are writing a book that you'd like to see on a wider stage, spend some time researching the various components that go into publishing. There's a lot of work to do—from being a good writer and seeking feedback to understanding marketing, social media, distribution and retail. It's no small task, but if writing or producing a book is on your bucket list and you have a solid business plan, go for it!"
For now, Kathryn and Thea are spreading the word about Capturing Love by speaking at conferences where they also help educate photographers and others interested in same-sex wedding photography. Neither will rule out another book in the future because as Kathryn explains, "it's been fun!"
Jessica Schein writes for the Lulu Blog – Archived


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Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens took a poke at the controversial Citizens United decision Wednesday night and said his former colleagues have probably already had second thoughts about it.
Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens speaks at a lecture presented by the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, Ark., Wednesday, May 30.
The 2010 decision paved the way for the SuperPACs to which wealthy individuals, corporations, and labor unions can give unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose candidates. Stevens was among the justices who dissented in the court's 5-4 ruling.
In remarks prepared for delivery at the University of Arkansas, Stevens predicted that the court will soon be forced to issue rulings that will undermine a key part of the Citizens United ruling -- that the First Amendment "prohibits the suppression of political speech based on the speaker's identity," including the fact that the speaker is a corporation.
The court's decision left undecided whether the same free speech right applies to foreign corporations. In due course, Stevens said, the court will be called upon to decide that question, forcing it to craft an exception "that will create a crack in the foundation of the Citizens United majority opinion."
"The court must then explain its abandonment of, or at least qualify its reliance upon, the proposition that the identity of the speaker is an impermissible basis for regulating campaign speech. It will be necessary to explain why the First Amendment provides greater protection of some non-voters than to that of other non-voters," he said.
Stevens said a recent Supreme Court action may also undermine Citizens United. In January, the justices upheld a lower court ruling that said two non-citizens could not make political contributions to political candidates. It's therefore now settled, Stevens said, "that the identity of some speakers may provide a legally acceptable basis for restricting speech" through contributions.
Unlike most retired Supreme Court justices, John Paul Stevens has not been reluctant to criticize the rulings of his former colleagues.


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Betty's Deal of the Week: Discounted Custom M&M's CandiesPosted: November 29th, 2010 | Author: Danielle Morrill | Filed under: Candy, Chocolate, Deals, Gifts, Guilty Pleasures | View Comments
New to Betty's Deal of the Week? Deal details are at the end of the post, just scroll to the bottom.
Unless you managed to completely avoid the insanity surrounding Black Friday, you know the holidays are coming. I've been trying to figure out something cool to give my customers, and I realized that I could give them little company swag gifts that inevitably get thrown away, or I could spend the money on sometime really awesome.
Like chocolate.
When I was a kid, I remember how much I loved open a new bag of M&Ms and sorting them into different color groups or lining them up into patterns before devouring them. Something about an M&M that is just about to melt before you pop it into your mouth is so nostalgic.
Even now that we're all grown up, M&Ms in custom colors or with a custom design printed on top make a charming gift that people actually are excited to receive. I was hunting around on Flickr and found some pretty creative stuff, I thought this one to the right was especially sweet.
So go crazy! If you end up doing this, I'd love to see what you design – just post links to the pics in the comments until I get an email address set up for this domain. Once I get my delivery of custom M&Ms I'll make sure to post pictures, too!
Available Deals on M&M's Candies
- 1 Free Bag, with purchase of three or more Coupon Code; 1FREEBAG
- Buy 3 or more Bags Of Custom Printed MY M&M'S® And Get 1 FREE!
- Put Your Company Logo & A Message On MY M&M'S Candies. Free Logo Setup – $100 Value!
- 10% Off your Order! Coupon Code: WEDDINGS10
Create Personalized MY M&M'S® – The Perfect Party Favor for All Occasions.


text:
Asaofwpa had een nieuw logo ontwerp nodig en lanceerde daarom een wedstrijd op 99designs.
Een winnaar werd gekozen uit24 ontwerpen ingezonden door17 freelance designers.
American Subcontractors Association of Western PA
We are a subcontractor association that help our members in their contract negotiations, collections, insurance concerns and network with other subcontractors and general contractors.
Subcontractor Companies in the western PA area. Our name has gained recongnition in the area we now want to put an image with our name. One that will be recongnized throughout the construction community, not just subcontractors.
"We are the American Subcontractors Association of Western Pennsylvania, and we're seeking a new logo. We would like to have a logo that reflects our proud affiliation with our home town of Pittsburgh, PA. As such, we would love to see a logo that features the colors black and gold (Pittsburgh Steelers colors) – although you're free to use other colors as well. Additionally, we were thinking that featuring some kind of representation of our city's skyline would be nice. Pittsburgh is also known for it's many bridges. We'll leave the particulars of that up to your creativity – could be an outline, sketch, a shadowed background, lines incorporated somehow into our name or initials (ASA WPA), or whatever strikes you as interesting. Aside from those things, we're interested in any creativity you might bring to the project. Who knows… outside-the-box thinking could get you noticed, too. The logo should definitely include the words "American Subcontractors Association of Western Pennsylvania", "ASA Western PA", or ASA WPA. Winning logo should be supplied in (1) vector format so that we can easily scale it to suit our needs, (2) a high-res version in a format (such as .PSD) that we can open in Photoshop and work w/ the layers, if needed, and (3) a large high-res JPG so that we can easily drop it into web pages, Word docs, etc."
Bekijk hoe een ontwerpwedstrijd werkt of leer meer over logo ontwerpdiensten.


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If a weekend could take human form and walk around, mine would be a haggard and shuffling old man.
As I sat on the floor and rifled through old boxes of letters and journals from my past at my parent's house this weekend, I knew I was taking a risk. You see, my past is definitely tainted with things that bring me pain, things I won't name here, things that still sit in boxes, waiting to be healed.
They are ugly things, some that were out of my control and some that were in it.
So I ran down memory lane instead of strolling, holding my breath and leaping over pot holes, eyes scanning the pages in a bit of shock. At one point, I tripped. I took a sharp curve and landed face down in the dirt of my own mistakes and the mistakes of others in my life.
And there on the ground, I was struck with those things I can barely remember, written on the lines of my heart and on the pages I was rifling through. The scent of aged paper mixed with regret was billowing up and overwhelming me, bringing back emotions that I've never fully left behind.
It wasn't the most fun I've ever had, but I knew I needed to do it.
Then last night, after a stressful road trip, I carried our things in the house from the van while I ruminated over my figurative baggage. I was haggard and shuffling.
In the midst of all of the things from our trip, Miles immediately noticed some of the old notebooks, ones I had brought home from the wreckage of my keepsake boxes.
I had already been thinking about the irony of these particular notebooks, the kind that are barely used, the ones with only the first few lines filled with halfhearted attempts at doing something...and then...nothing. I had brought them home from my parent's house because I knew Miles and Asher would love them, all the blank pages for drawing and practicing letters.
Miles sat down next to the stack of notebooks and started asking question after question...
First I explained that the notebooks were from many years ago, when I was younger.
When was that?
When I was a teenager and a little older than a teenager, Sweetie.
Why did you only write in part of them?
I don't really know, I guess I just didn't get around to using the rest.
But you wrote a lot of things in some of them.
Yes, I made good use of some of them. And others...not so much.
Of course, the irony escaped him, and he excitedly hopped up to the table then, old spiral notebook in one hand and a pen in the other. He flipped the pages open to the middle of the nearly empty book, and for the first time ever, he asked me to spell something out. He wanted me to give him one letter at a time so he could practice spelling.
He said, "Can you spell out your name?"
Ha, I thought. This just keeps getting better.
So, letter by letter, we slowly spelled out Heather. Me.
I could feel it then, something in me was turning, pulling me closer to exactly what I needed. I slowly left the past and was fully aware of the meaning in this moment filled with grace.
I stopped the unpacking of our bags and stood frozen across the room, slowly speaking each letter from my own name while waiting for the beautiful thing I knew was coming without knowing exactly what it would be.
There was my little boy, on the very day I needed it so badly, thinking of my name and bringing it to life on pages from my past, ones I hadn't known how to fill while I searched for myself or grew scared or gave up.
I gave him the last letter and he sucked in his bottom lip, thinking hard about the shape of an R. Then he took a deep breath and seemed a bit disappointed that he couldn't remember how an R looks. So I helped him by writing in the R for him, reassuring him that he'd get it, one day he'll surely write the letter R all on his own.
Sometimes we can't finish things until we know how, and sometimes we need a little help from someone who loves us.
I can't accurately describe what moved me in that moment. It was beyond both of us, and it was good.
I looked down at our work, and I especially loved the second letter E with it's extra lines.
Sometimes errors are simply beautiful.
I beamed with pride and ruffled his hair, the scent of it wafting up, billowing over me, bringing with it redemption.
Then he ran his finger along my name on the once empty page and said,
"Look at that! It says Mama."
I buried my face in his hair and started to cry. Happy, overwhelmed tears.
It is hard work to overcome the past. It makes the present hard work. But I'm not done writing this story.
We are not done writing this story.
If you'd like to read another post about my old notebooks and forgiving the past, you can go here.


text:
Rise and Shine
Once again a near capacity crowd gathered in the warm weather to enjoy the annual Kids Day at Dunn Tire Park. This annual event was a sea of constant commotion as nearly 300 hundred buses poured thousands of students into the game.
They sat, they cheered, ingested a few dogs then section by section they stood and filed out the gates. Funny watching each color coded section of kids rise and retreat when there chaperone instructed.
The running joke for days like today in the biz… "Thousands saw the game without even knowing the final score." I beg to differ… the masses erupted both times the Bisons drove runs home early in the game. It was clear later when the Bisons turned a few double plays or rallies were snuffed out by the Clippers the majority of the nearly 16,000 watching the game was intent on the outcome.
For the Bisons, the end wasn't as good as the start. But after a day like today when you saw nothing but smiling faces it reminds you how young kids become fans of the game.
Kids do the simple things that make the game the great. They come, they cheer and they go home. That kind of innocent enthusiasm can only be found nowadays in the game of baseball.
Thanks to our young Bisons fans for a fantastic atmosphere. The sun was out and the ballpark was alive again.


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The Cotswold Painted King Size Bed is effortlessly stylish. Finished in a modern Grey colour with a satin lacquered oak top. This contemporary cottage range is a must for any room which you are looking to add a new lease of life to.
The Cotswold Painted King Size Bed requires some assembly. All drawers within the range also come with dovetailed joints.
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Zoellick: Protection for most vulnerable must be permanent part of financial architecture
Bank President Robert Zoellick told an overflowing room of journalists this morning that these annual meetings come at an important time for the work of the Bank Group and its members.
"The G-20 summit last week provided clear markers for the work of the World Bank. But more than 160 countries were not at the G-20 table," he said. "These meetings can therefore ensure that the voices of the poorest are heard and recognized. This is the G-186."
Zoellick began his remarks by expressing his sympathy for the people of Indonesia, the Philippines, Samoa and Tonga and others in the region, who have been battered by a series of cataclysmic natural disasters.
The Bank's President told reporters that developing countries are still suffering from the global economic crisis, and it is important for the G20 to scale up support. He said the meetings offer a platform to follow up on the proposal for a crisis facility for low-income countries—critical to ensuring that protection for the most vulnerable becomes a permanent part of the world's financial architecture.


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Selecting your vehicle's make, model, and year allows us to display only parts and items specific to your car's model and year.
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This Wilwood tandem chamber master cylinder has been precisely machined from one high-pressure die-casting of a premium aluminum alloy to guarantee top quality. Each master cylinder features a slotted mounting flange to accommodate mount centers between 3.22" and 3.40" and also features side-hole mounts on 6.40" centers. Each master cylinder has a full separation between front and rear chambers and dual outlets allow for right or left hand plumbing based on mounting location. The total piston stroke is 1.10" and the volume ratio between primary and secondary chambers is 2:1. Available in several finishes, the master cylinders are sold in a 1" bore for manual brakes and 1-1/8" bore for power brakes.


text:
- Study: Health risks low from Erie fracking
- CU-Boulder, NOAA study uncovers oil and gas emission's 'chemical signature'
- Erie's oil and gas agreements could serve as statewide model
- 'Bucket Brigade': Anti-fracking citizen effort to monitor the air in Erie
- Boulder County can't ban fracking, county staffer emphasizes
- In Erie, oil and gas companies to pay twice as much for water
- Anti-fracking group to provide air-monitoring equipment to Erie residents
- Details, timetable of controversial Encana drilling plan near Erie schools released
- Erie passes gas drilling moratorium, goes into effect immediately
- Fracking fury reaches fever pitch in Erie
The water required annually for new oil and natural gas well development in Colorado could serve 44,200 to 79,000 Colorado households.
The water capacity of the proposed expansion of Gross Reservoir -- 18,000 acre-feet -- is equal to the states' estimate of how much water is needed annually for fracking in Colorado.
Six thousand truck trips are needed to haul fracking water from a six-well pad and 3,000 trips to take out the wastewater.
Source: Western Resource Advocates
The volume of water required annually to develop new oil and gas wells in the state could supply up to 79,000 Colorado households for a year based on average residential use, according to a report issued Wednesday by Boulder-based Western Resource Advocates.
The report goes on to say that when re-use of water is factored in at the residential level, the amount of water used by the oil and gas industry could actually serve up to 118,400 homes in Colorado.
"Governments -- local, state and national -- really need to take a look at this and plan out drilling and make sure they do it right," said Jason Bane, spokesman for Western Resource Advocates. "We don't want to look around 10 years from now and say we shouldn't have used so much water."
But Tisha Schuller, president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, said the industry's water use is miniscule compared to all water consumption in the state.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Association estimates the industry will use 6.5 trillion gallons this year -- just over one-tenth of a percent of total water use in the state.
"I'm not sure it's helpful to single out our industry when there are so many users," Schuller said. "We're still just in the noise of Colorado's water use."
Todd Hartman, a spokesman with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, said water use by the oil and gas industry is on "orders of magnitude" less than other sectors of the economy, such as agriculture. But he said the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission still urges the industry to use the resource as efficiently as possible.
Water consumption by the oil and gas industry has come under greater scrutiny of late as the number of wells drilled in and near cities and towns in the state has exploded, prompting several municipalities to enact moratoria on new drilling activity.
In 2010, there were more than 43,000 active wells in Colorado.
Reliance on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, at those well sites has put even more strain on the water supply. Fracking involves injecting a water-sand-chemical mixture deep into the ground to force out pockets of natural gas trapped in tight rock formations.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Association says fracking a typical vertical well requires up to 1 million gallons of water, while a horizontal well can require up to 5 million gallons.
Western Resource Advocates calculated that the volume of water that would be added to Gross Reservoir as part of a proposed expansion project -- 18,000 acre-feet per year -- is equal to the amount of water the state estimates will be needed each year for fracking, starting in 2015.
An acre-foot, which is equal to 325,000 gallons, can supply two families for a year.
"It's enough water that you could essentially add a new city to the state," Bane said.
The group's report also states that, unlike residential water use, in which a large proportion of water ultimately is released to streams or reused, the water processed at well sites is too dirty to be used again.
"Water used for fracking is too polluted to be reused and must be permanently disposed of, typically in special underground wells," the report says. "As a result, there are no return flows available for other uses, greatly intensifying the impacts of oil and gas industry water use."
Schuller said industry critics fail to point out that water is created when methane is burned and that over the life of a well, more water is created as a byproduct of combustion than is lost to contamination.
Western Resource Advocates' report also cited a Douglas County study that concluded that one well pad with six wells requires 6,000 truck trips to haul fracking water and 3,000 trips for wastewater disposal.
And, Bane said, that traffic is happening closer to homes and schools than ever before. His group urges greater setbacks between drilling operations and schools and neighborhoods and better water testing around wells.
"The circumstances have changed," he said.


text:
David Ortiz needed a new stationery design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 127 designs submitted by 21 freelance designers.
Financial Chef
I am a trained executive chef turned Wealth Advisor/ Financial Planner. I educate pallets while protecting wallets. I teach clients about protecting their wealth and use food as a comforting way to remove the stress of finances. I hold lot's of interactive food and finance events. I am looking for something elegant that conveys an upscale image that resonates with High Net Worth clients. We are looking to turn this into a unique brand and positioning.
I am rebranding my current company. You can learn about me at http://www.trustedalliance.net
I need this done quickly and have increased the prize for fast turnaround.
High Net Worth Clients.
Crisp, upscale looking. Need to create a very professional image and trust. Needs to convey the image of a trusted advisor professional. I have increased the contest prize in hopes of expediating turn around. We are very serious and you can learn about me at http://www.trustedalliance.net.


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hai i want eat wet pussy &DRINK pussy milk ohhh
I'm straight and i'd love to have my tight dripping wet 18 yr old pussy licked by a female ;)
Me too I'm 57 and neve experience a woman always wanted to know how it feels.
I'm 18 now and would LOVE to lick your sexy pussy.
I'd like to fuck you!
I feel u
I want my pussy to b eatinq just like that
i can
i eould like to do that for you
well I have never had a girl to lick my pussy and I am starting to be interested...like to watch two women, just licking and kissing
I wish Carol would eat my pussy like this. I love girls. It's a wonderful feeling to have a woman's tounge on my clit.
I just wish someone would come over and due my wife like this. Sometimes i wounder if i doing good enough. There are time she just lays there and let me due what ever I what but there are times i wounder if i doing a good enough job because when we first have sex she use to cum but now she doesn't really cum like she use to due when i use lick her pussy so maybe you can show me how to lick her pussy and make her cum again like when we first started
I need a stiff licking rite now...so BAD...I need a pro to eat me hungrily. Till I cream.
I needa lick me some pussy soo horny right now! My head needs to be between some sexy thighs!!
I want a female to lick my pussy till it cum
I'm ready 4 U, Txt me!
Ill eat your pussy baby all day long
I will
ugh i'm 18 i would love to have an older woman lick my dripping wet pussy and let me suck her huge tits
@pusseey You can have my Hard cock right now. Just want to stick it in your wet juicy pussy..
hi sexy
I m dreaming two girls licking my pussy and nipples
I will! We just need to find one more!
want to be lick ohh my pussy is so delious
Can I Try?
I am straight also and I would love my pussy to be licked by this girl, yum,,,,nearly came just watching it.
The blonde lady looks like she really enjoys eating pussy! Hot!
she can lick my pussy any day....that was awesome
I'm an 18 year old girl, and I'd love to have a sexy older woman eat my pussy like this!!
I will lick the blondes cunt out as she licks cunt out
That pretty much made me cream my panties. So sexy!
omg i want to lick out agirl so much right now
I have never been with a girl neither, but after watching this (and a few others), I really want to now.
Noyb, You need to try it, you'll love it. As for me the 3rd time was even better,
Need a stiff licking til I cream...
I was masturbating while doing this and p.s. I'm a girl and I love these vids they are awesome and sweet
Same here, I'm so wet! I love to be with a girl to kiss & hug!
Really a thing of beauty here, breathtaking. My clitoris needs some attention righ now!
I'd love to do that 4 U!
I'm straight but I would love for a beautiful chick to lick my pussy like that
I'll take my turn after Anne! You need some loving girl!
I would suck and lick your big pussy lips until you cum
Carol I am horny oh suck my pussy hard and give me orgasm. your sucking is awsam
I love it! My pussy is so wet now! This is how I'd like to spend my afternoon!
I'm straight & this video made me finger myself. How I wish that was my pussy being licked
That was fucking so hot, got my pussy so wet, I fuck them both and eat thier pussy until they came
OMG what a fabulous gorgeous pussy the young girl has. So beautiful and exciting as the woman works her tong between her pussy lips on her clit. OMG that was absolutely fabulous! Excellent done video that captures the sensual erotic action. Perfect!
One of the best licked pussyes I have ever seen. Cute.. :)
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm me exita mucho
I will lick her clit as she licks hers
I'm so hot wet and horny I wanna lick that pussy ;)
I love licking pussy
Fucking Hot!!! Damn... Wilma is gettin' a hummer this afternoon for sure!!! Woot!!!
Would like that milf to teach me everything she knows, im a newbie to lesbian sex, only been with 1 girl and that was a friend at college, we dallied in fingering, licking and a bit of pussy rubbing, I want to learn so much more, what I like and what other girls would like and want to recieve from me, I need all the help i can recieve.
Damn, I think I fell in love with that milf.
Haha funny ending.... But other wise than that, it was fucking hott!!
good on mute, read thru c.c !
The blonde breasts are fabulous omg that clevage against my swollen shift would be wonderful. What gorgeous pussy and the close-up of the blonde's tongue against the juicy pussy lips is wonderfully erotic. oh fuck is the blonde fantastic eating her gorgeous pussy. OMG she is so beautiful with her mouth against her pussy, she is exciting to watch her satisfying the dark hair girl. Damn the close-up of the dark hair girl licking the blondes juicy pussy feels so good! My cock is so juicy from watching them it feels so good. The close=ups are absolutely fabulous. That was wonderful.
She is perfect just perfect I wısh I was rimming eating her and at the ans squirtin on me
Very good Pussy eating. I want to Lick and Fuck Both These Women
Hope they have part two with a three some
my dick is hard now i need a girl
That MILF looks like she is a very good teacher from the way her student was eating her out during the last couple minutes of video. Way it looked like most of the time she was putting her student in haven and driving her wild. I wish video would have been longer when I guess was the daughter walked in and caught them together.
The name of the milf is Carol Goldnerova.The girl might be Jodie ,the last name i didnt find it.
I am so fuckin wet right now i want a homework session with them. ooh fuck i need a nice pussy or a cock right now.
"Don't tell your father" HAHAHAHA
elles sont parfaites
i wish she would lick my pussy my tits my asshole
L'ho visto insieme alla mia ragazza che mentre mi ha fatto una sega mi ha confessato di averlo fatto con una sua amica. Alla fine ha voluto che gli arrivassi in bocca e mi ha ingoiato tutto lo sperma. Bellissimo!
i am M 29. During watching this movies, i was imaging that my both elder sisters are playing with each other
I want my pussy lick like that hmm
I will lick your pussy Horny girl - I will lick your slit until your juices start to flow
Im 18 and lovebeing eaten out by my 45 yr old neighbour.
fan-fekkin'-tastic got my cock throbbing mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!
bad translation:D
I'm a guy who loves pussy and cock. I LOVED this hot video. Any girls like to watch me get a mouth full sometime... and then maybe I can watch you lick "her" ;-)
Such a shame that the blonde had dark pussy hair. She would have been a perfect ten if she had fully shaved
I would love to lick a new pussy. Since my wife not enjoying me licking her pussy i would love to fine someone to take her spot and show me what i doing wrong or maybe it her. I don't know what to due she just lay there when i lick her pussy.
This is a very hot clip even without the English language. I would love to see this entire vid with "dubbing" if necessary. The Brunette is a beauty,who is she ?
The Europeans approach to sex is great. So pure and honest.
Wow I would love that
My girlfriend loves when lick her sweet wet pussy. Now I just wish she would lick mine as good as I do her.
Ohhhh I fall In love with pussy
I look over the way they talk to each other!!! Best part!!!
I would love to have them come over and let me lick both of those pussy, Maybe they can due my wife when i licking them.
Stupid captions!
i dont have friends.i have my family.
I'd buy them for a dollar..
love dis site
I like it
Allles klar
I would love to help both of them, all their wet pussy over me
that brunettes pussy looks so darn delicious!!!
im so wet
yup... this made me cum in my panties
Ahh ah ah ahhhh
C'est inportequoi
SO amazing!!
i love to eat and lick pussy i love to fuck pussy my dick am from iraq
Hot where that girl come from!?
Instead of pussy i need 2 big tits girls ti give me hanjobs, blowjobs and cumshots, so who wants to suck my dick???
That's how my boyfriend does it and damn he is so good... Guys should learn from this :)
Who are these ladies?
Anyone keen so horny
this is so hot
I'm cumming.
I would love to have my upset licked.
Same I'm keen
no pro i will lick
Absolutely PERFECT! FINALLY...Some good tit sucking, not just kissing. Great job eating the pussies too.
sooo hot
I love that Pusey would you lick my clit
I would love to EAT your clit up and make you Squirt !! 8=======D~~~[()] Of you know what I mean!!
Love yes I can do I that right now kiss you wow cool Joel osteen
ho 20 anni e a volte scopo con la mia amica...( ma ho anche un ragazzo) e farmi leccare la figa da una donna di 35 40 mi piacerebbe tentissimo...anche leccarle io la figa ..adoro leccare mentre la figa si bagna tutta!!
I will be your sex slave I'm a lesbian @hornyslut
I need her name guys! The name of milf please!
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Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) is the process of evaluating materials to detect and measure the presence of defects without causing damage to the material being tested. In this lesson, middle and high school students are introduced to NDE,... (View More) refraction of light, and birefringence (the process in which light moving in different directions, or polarizations, travels at different speeds within a material). Students test a variety of transparent plastics using polarizing filters and analyze the extent and degree of stress the materials have undergone by examining the birefringence produced. Guide Lites are individual activities from NASA eClips™ Educator Guides that are developed for informal settings. Each Guide Lite follows the 5E model and includes lesson objectives, a materials list, and links to the supporting NASA eClips™ video segments. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $10 - $20 per group of students
Students will test various materials to determine if any can shield their "magnetometer" (compass) from an external magnetic field using their own experimental design. If no suitable material is available, they will devise another method to protect... (View More) their instrument. Includes background science for the teacher, worksheets, adaptations and extensions. Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are also identified. (View Less)
Students use a dipole magnet and compass to model and map Earth's magnetic field. They then induce a magnetic field to represent a Ring Current in order to observe the response to a fluctuating electric current caused by a solar storm. The lesson... (View More) includes background information, procedures, worksheets, answer keys and graphics. Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are listed. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $10 - $20 per group of students
This unit investigates asteroids, comets, and meteoroids, focusing on Vesta, a prominent asteroid in the asteroid belt. The unit of eleven lessons culminates in having students use engineering practices to design, build, and test devices that will... (View More) land on Vesta, collect and separate natural resources found there, and deliver a payload to a target. Teachers and students are also introduced to the Asteroid Mappers-Vesta Edition citizen science project that is part of the CosmoQuest online community. Lessons include background information for educators, reviews and assessments, and links to supplemental videos and websites. Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core Standards are listed. (View Less)
In this lesson students investigate the effects of black carbon on arctic warming and are introduced to a mechanism of arctic warming that is not directly dependent on greenhouse gases in the atmosphere: black carbon deposition on Arctic snow and... (View More) ice. It can also be used to introduce the concept of albedo. Prerequisite knowledge: students understand the concepts of absorption and reflection of light energy. This lesson is designed to be used with either an Earth/environmental science or chemistry curriculum. It may also be used as an enrichment activity in physics or physical science during a unit on energy. Includes suggested modifications for students with special needs and low technology option. Requires advance preparation, including freezing ice samples overnight. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $10 - $20 per group of students
This is a series of seven brief activities about Jupiter's atmosphere and weather. Learners will look at Jupiter's distinct banded appearance, violent storms, and clouds of many different colors. The activities are part of Explore! Jupiter's Family... (View More) Secrets, a series designed to engage children in space and planetary science in libraries and informal learning environments. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $10 - $20 per group of students
Learners will brainstorm ideas to be developed into a team skit, work cooperatively to assign duties and write the skit, and collaborate with team members to complete the Mars Rover Manual. The lesson uses the 5E instructional model and includes:... (View More) TEKS Details (Texas Standards alignment), Essential Question, Science Notebook, Vocabulary Definitions for Students, Vocabulary Definitions for Teachers, three Vocabulary Cards, the Manual Template, and a presentation writing Mini-Lesson. This is lesson 14 of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six week long curriculum. (View Less)
This 12-lesson unit includes inquiry-based lessons about the surface features of the Moon and the Earth and how these two worlds formed and continue to evolve. Students participate in real science as they help lunar scientists map the surface of the... (View More) Moon with MoonMappers, an online citizen science project that lets the public analyze real data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The lessons in this unit follow the 5E instructional model. Includes an overview of citizen science, glossary of lunar feature vocabulary, alignment to NGSS and NSES, and featured links. Each of the lessons addresses different topics and can be used together as a unit, or independently. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $10 - $20 per group of students
The Picture Post Network involves individuals, schools, organizations and communities in a systematic monitoring project of their local environment, especially vegetation health. Digital photographs - taken from the same location and positioned in... (View More) the same direction and orientation - allow individuals, schools, organizations, communities and scientists to monitor a variety of environmental parameters, including plant health, growth, and phenology; erosion and deposition; water levels; and cloud and canopy cover. Participants study change over time in their local area, view NASA satellite imagery on the same days as the pictures, and contribute towards improving their own communities. The website provides instructions for participating, including planning and installing a picture post, monitoring projects, and taking and uploading pictures, and a repository of images. Picture Posts may be added by anyone interested in monitoring a particular location. Currently, Picture Posts sites are active at science centers, schoolyards and gardens, local parks, and nature reserves. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $10 - $20 per group of students
Learners will build an open spectrograph to calculate the angle the light is transmitted through a holographic diffraction grating. After finding the desired angles, the students will design their own spectrograph using the information learned. The... (View More) activity is part of Project Spectra, a science and engineering program for middle-high school students, focusing on how light is used to explore the Solar System. (View Less)


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rechenwerk needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 81 designs submitted by 37 freelance designers.
The site sells discounted travel to travel professionals, is aimed not at consumers. The sale is online via http://www.pepexperience.ch settled.
PEP Experience
The brand "PEP Experience" is a product of the pre-existing company "Legends Travel". In the logo, the words "powered by Legends Travel" must be integrated. The lettering of Legends Travel can be found on http://www.legendstravel.ch.
The logo should act nobly and the lettering should match to the brand "Legends Travel".
There is nothing which is not allowed.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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I received an email from a student named Sam, part of which was as follows:
I used to enjoy making cakes at home and would actually quite like to bake something... but I don't have the first clue what to buy.
I suppose this is a request for a sort of 'beginners start up guide' post for your blog. What inexpensive kit to buy but will do the job, what key ingredients do you think every cake maker needs in his/her cupboard, that sort of thing. Then maybe a recipe to go with those things....
This got me thinking. Although my baking obsession began only maybe about 5 years back it's amazing how much kit I've acquired (I can be very focussed when I want to be!) so I've tried recall what I started out with and what I think you need to make nice cakes…and it's surprisingly little.
The first thing I'd say is that if you're on a tight budget forget kitchenware shops or department stores. Don't get me wrong, they sell gorgeous stuff but they're not known for being cheap. Ruling out options like charity shops or car boot sales (because you can't guarantee what you'll find on any given week) I think good quality but cheap kitchenware can be found in the following places:
- Wilkinsons or any equivalent general household goods store – many high streets have such a shop, many are independent rather than chains.
- Pound shops – used selectively. I'm not sure I'd buy my cake tins here but a set of plastic measuring spoons or a wooden spoon does the same job however much it costs.
- Supermarkets – a superb source of kitchenware at great prices. Electronic handheld whisks can be picked up for £6 (often cheaper in the sales). I buy virtually all of my everyday cake tins from Tesco.
- Robert Dyas – forget that it's a DIY shop, it has a good selection of cookware often with special offers like 2-for-1 on cake tins
- Ikea
So, that's where I'd head, but what should be on your shopping list? I've tried to be concise and cover all aspects of baking such as cakes, cupcakes, biscuits and pastry – obviously, if you have no plan to make pastry, ignore the stuff relating to pastry…sorry if that sounds patronising but I don't want to scare anyone by the length of the list! Some of these items might already be in your kitchen as they are multi-use.
If you hunt around and choose wisely I think you can easily get everything for under £40, and you won't need all of it straightaway. The list is intended as a "starting from scratch" guide, but you're more than likely to have some of it already.
- 2 x 20cm round springform tins i.e. the kind that do up with a clip. This tin is the workhorse of the kitchen and you'll use it for practically every cake you bake. Why two? They are the same diameter as sandwich tins (the sort you need to make layer cakes such as Victoria sponges) so, if you have two, you can save yourself having to buy extra tins for that purpose.
- 1 x cupcake pan i.e. the pan with 12 little indents. Non stick is always best because, while you won't need it for cupcakes as they sit in paper cases, you will if you decide to make mince pies or jam tarts in it.
- 1 x baking sheet – a flat tray perfect for biscuits or scones.
- 1 x large mixing bowl – metal, glass or ceramic it's up to you; they'll all do the job just as well. I'm always drawn to metal as a big stainless steel bowl is light to move around the kitchen and won't smash if you drop it.
- 1 x wooden spoon – try to get one with a nice long handle as it's easier to use.
- 1 x large metal spoon – you need this for folding. It has a sharper edge so cuts through the ingredients more crisply; again, a long handle will make it easier to use.
- 1 x spatula – now if you're going to use this in hot pans get a silicone one; however, I use mine only to scrape cake batter from the bowl. I'm cheap where spatulas are concerned – I hate the fancy ones with rigid wooden handles. I like a nice one piece plastic effort that is flexible; from memory, mine is by Kitchencraft and cost no more than £2.
- 1 x metal sieve – handy for sifting flours and icing sugar but also useful for straining fruit to make coulis and egg mixes used to make custard.
- 1 set of measuring spoons – don't pay much for these; I have a great set that came from a Christmas cracker last year! You can use your ordinary household spoons in the cutler drawer but these are more precise for half spoon measures.
- 1 x cake skewer for testing when the cake is done. However, if you already have metal or wooden kebab skewers you can use those instead.
- 1 x electronic hand whisk – yes this sounds extravagant but I have seen them in my Tesco for £5. It will repay its cost so many times over the first time you try to whip egg whites or cream! Personally, I reckon all sponges taste lighter when you get air into the creaming process – why break a sweat when this piece of kit will do it for you?
- 1 set of scales – I would go for electronic and, again, I've seen them in Tesco for around the £5 mark. Choose one with a nice big bowl that can handle wet and dry ingredients.
- 1 x wire cooling rack. Still the best way to cool cakes and get air flow round them. I like the old fashioned rectangular kind as you can fit two tins on it at a time.
- 1 x measuring jug – many cakes contain milk or oil and measuring this accurately can make or break a recipe. Plastic will be cheapest but if you're going to use it for other cooking with hot ingredients (i.e. making up stock) then choose glass.
- 1 x biscuit cutters – plastic are cheapest and I've bought whole sets in Pound stores.
- 1 x rolling pin – if you wish to make pastry, biscuits or scones then you'll need one of these; go simple and pick the plainest wooden one you can find – make sure it has a bit of weight to it.
- Baking paper – sold where the foil and clingfilm is in the supermarket. Line your cake tins with this and nothing will stick or tear on removal.
- Clingfilm – use this to roll out biscuit dough and pastry and you won't need to use any extra flour.
You have the kit but what will you use it for? There are staple ingredients I think every baker should have in their kitchen. With these you'll be able to bake a huge array of cakes and biscuits and, when a recipe catches your eye and needs something additional, you'll only have to buy that one extra item:
- Unsalted butter – always unsalted. You should be in charge of any salt in your baking
- Caster sugar – the one ingredient you'll use again, and again and again!
- Icing sugar – for icings and buttercreams, and some pastry recipes
- Plain flour – for pastry, biscuits and some cakes
- Self raising flour – for cakes
- Baking powder – the most common raising agent
- Eggs –I always use large eggs
- Milk – I only use semi skimmed, it's a nice halfway house as it isn't too fatty but still has flavour
- Jam or nutella – nice for filling sponges
- Cocoa powder – will turn any sponge batter into a chocolate sponge batter
- Vanilla extract – gorgeous in sponges, biscuits and custard
The perfect recipe to put all this into action? Start with a classic and marvel at baking skills you didn't know you had – it's got to be a Victoria Sponge, and you can find the recipe here.
If you think I've missed out anything important please leave a comment!


text:
Wigan boss Owen Coyle will this week step up his bid to sign Aston Villa midfielder Marc Albrighton.
Villa manager Paul Lambert is considering sending Albrighton, 28, out on loan to regain his match fitness after an injury-hit few months.
And Coyle is looking for reinforcements to boost his squad as they attempt to mount a promotion bid and qualify from their Europa League group.
"I've been trying to bring a couple of players in to boost our squad and we will continue to pursue that in the next week," he said.
"(Albrighton) is a very good player, he is a player I tried to sign at Bolton a few years ago but he's an Aston Villa player and until Paul decides otherwise then that's how it is.
"But we are always in the market for good players and he is certainly one of those."
Coyle may also need goalkeeping cover after Scott Carson left Charlton on crutches having injured his ankle in the warm-up prior to Sunday's 0-0 draw.


text: Thirty years later, she's an acclaimed stand-up comic and established Hollywood actress. Her credits include roles as a cast member on "MADtv" as well as a recurring character on "Reno 911!" She's also a headliner on The Latin Comedy Jam, a touring act that hits the Kiva Auditorium on Saturday, June 30.


text:
Police: Flags, veteran memorial rods stolen from cemetery
BELL TOWNSHIP — Punxsutawney-based Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the theft of flags and veteran memorial rods stolen from the Banner Ridge Cemetery in Mahaffey, Clearfield County.
Police said unknown actor(s) removed five U.S. flags — each of which was held with an 18-inch solid brass rod with a plate designating the wars in which the deceased had served, including the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I, World War II and Vietnam.
The incident occurred at the cemetery sometime between 7 a.m. Dec. 15 and 7 a.m. Dec. 25.
Police said the rods and markers are valued at $200.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 938-0510.


text:
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text:
Deputy District Attorney Richard Rosenthal knew he had a major case on his hands when he scheduled his first interview with Rafael Perez. After all, the rogue officer had just agreed to disclose two wrongful shootings in return for a reduced sentence on charges of stealing cocaine from a Rampart Division evidence locker.
But it wasnt until midway through the session that Rosenthal learned just how big a case he had. It wasnt so much a bomb as an atomic explosion, the veteran prosecutor recalled in a recent interview. It starts slow and then it builds up.
The meeting took place September 10, 1999, on the 17th floor of the new MTA headquarters building downtown, a secret location for what was then a secret LAPD task force looking into allegations of misconduct by Perez and a handful of other officers.
Key to the deal was that Perez would confess to shooting and framing unarmed gang member Javier Francisco Ovando, who was then serving a lengthy jail term. Perez had agreed to describe that episode, as well as a fatal raid by the Rampart gang squad at an apartment building on Shatto Place.
That was all Perez was obligated to disclose. Frankly, if he had just given us Ovando and claimed everything else was copasetic, that would probably have been the end of it, Rosenthal said.
Of course, that was not the end of it. Two hours into the session, with Perezs attorney, a court reporter and four task-force detectives on hand, Rosenthal asked Perez, Are you aware or can you give us, today, any specific information on any other person who has been wrongfully convicted, whos currently in custody as a result of that?
Rather than answer directly, Perez paused, then stammered, and finally asked to review the department paperwork generated by scores of arrests. Said Perez, I am really going to need to see those books.
At that moment, it dawned on Rosenthal: There were too many cases for Perez to remember. That was the first indication that there was much more to this than we really expected, Rosenthal said later. The shocking part was the allegation that this was common.
Over the next two years, the city would be shocked as well, as more than 100 criminal convictions were overturned, costing upwards of $50 million in awards paid to settle civil claims, with millions more to come. In addition, the Rampart scandal sparked intervention and the threat of a lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice, resulting in a consent decree requiring five years of federal oversight of police operations.
Yet, on the occasion of Perezs release from prison last week, we know little more than his original, voluminous allegations. For all the controversy, litigation and blue-ribbon panels, we have yet to see a definitive account of what happened at Rampart, or an independent inquiry into the cases, or the individual officers Perez accused of misconduct.
Instead, efforts to focus on the cases named by Perez have foundered. The sole trial to arise from Rampart ended with convictions that were thrown out by the trial judge; the several other criminal convictions of Rampart officers derive from pleas entered to head off prosecutions. Likewise, inside the LAPD, internal disciplinary proceedings completed through March resulted in 15 suspensions and 36 findings of not guilty. Nine officers resigned rather than face hearings, and several were fired for lying, but none was found guilty of the egregious acts planting evidence, unprovoked assaults alleged by Perez.
To some degree, those tepid results derive from the shadowy nature of the incidents Perez reported altercations between cops and gang members in some of the citys roughest barrios. Witness credibility in these cases is just very problematic, said Sergeant Ray Garvin, who prosecuted several of the internal LAPD hearings. The gang members are trying to get their cases overturned or to win judgments against the city, and the officers are trying to save their careers.
But in equal measure, the failure to locate witnesses or evidence corroborating Perez reflects the success of damage control that kicked into gear almost as soon as the ex-cop began making accusations. In issuing repeated claims that he and his staff had discovered the problems at Rampart, Chief Parks boasts that he assigned 70 investigators to the case. But in practice, those investigators did more to stymie outside inquiries than to develop the cases Perez identified. At the same time, the D.A. and the federal courts barred outsiders from questioning Perez.
As an attorney right now I just feel so much frustration, said Jorge Gonzalez, who represents several plaintiffs in Rampart civil suits and for years was president of Police Watch, a group that documents complaints against the police. The prime witness in this case is being released to head off to who-knows-where, and he has never been interviewed outside of law enforcement.
I dont care how serious the D.A. and the LAPD said they were, you look at the transcripts and they were throwing softballs, Gonzalez said. Its as if they take off their detective hats when they go in there.
That suits the citys institutions of criminal justice just fine. The LAPD disciplinary hearings that arose from the Rampart scandal have all but ground to a halt, as have the efforts of the departments Rampart Task Force. Likewise, the D.A. has folded up its Rampart squad; Deputy District Attorney Rosenthal, in particular, has accepted a transfer to the Van Nuys Division, closer to home and far from the frustrations of the downtown office. From all appearances, as far as official Los Angeles is concerned, Rampart is over.
The clear winner in this extended round of power politics is Chief Parks, a disciplinarian and LAPD careerist who, from his first weeks in office, rebuffed the reform initiatives of the Police Commission by asserting that cops are the only ones qualified to police the department.
In the early weeks after Perez began talking, Parks seemed to take the confessions at face value, suspending officers by the score and promising full public disclosure of misconduct. But as the months wore by, his manner changed; by this year, Parks had become downright defiant.
The real pattern and practice of the LAPD is to provide outstanding service, Parks declared at a public forum in January. As to Rampart, Parks said, Our intent was to get to the truth of the matter, to show that this department had a willingness to put an end to this. That pursuit of the truth found that Clearly were dealing with a number of officers that is less than one-tenth of 1 percent of this department . . . involved in criminal behavior, and they have certainly, many of them been brought to conclusion . . . It is not the crime of the century that has been articulated in the news, nor is it the worst corruption ever seen in Los Angeles.
It was a telling choice of words. Parks was interested almost exclusively in issues of blatant criminality theft of drugs in particular rather than accepting â the idea that Perez was the extreme endpoint of an entire culture that needed reform. When other parties sought to examine the same cases, possibly with a different agenda, Parks and his staff pushed them back.
The departments effort to stonewall outside inquiries was most pronounced in dealing with its ostensible partner in the case, the District Attorneys Office. Details of the conflict came to light during the Rampart criminal trial last year, documented in a filing with the court. In a motion seeking access to LAPD personnel records and investigative files, Deputy District Attorney Brian Schirn argued that The Rampart investigation has demonstrated how difficult it is for a law-enforcement agency to police itself. This is especially true when the investigation is as widespread and far-reaching as it is in the Rampart scandal.
In many instances the investigators assigned to the LAPD Rampart Task Force worked Rampart [themselves] or were supervisors at Rampart at the time of the officers indiscretion. Many of these investigators from LAPD have relationships, even friendships, with some of the individuals under investigation. Accordingly, it is not surprising that there are some LAPD investigators who have difficulty conducting a thorough and complete investigation of the police agency to which they belong.
Members of the task force, Schirn continued, at times failed to conduct a thorough investigation, failed to provide vital information to the district attorney, failed to provide full discovery even after a court order, and even warned a suspect officer of search warrants to be served at several officers homes.
In one case that drew broad media attention, Chief Parks himself engaged in a similar round of obstruction. Claiming to be frustrated at the slow pace of investigation and prosecution by the district attorney, Parks, in March of 2000, directed his staff to stop cooperating with the D.A.s investigators and instead forward the fruits of the LAPDs investigation exclusively to federal agencies, the U.S. Attorneys Office and the FBI. The decision was pronounced illegal by the city attorney and the state attorney general, but when Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti cried foul, Parks denied the subterfuge and snubbed Garcetti as a person who has a sagging political future.
Parks conduct prompted an emergency meeting of the Police Commission and an order that Inspector General Jeffrey C. Eglash investigate to determine whether Parks statements amounted to official misconduct. After his staff had conducted an extensive investigation, including interviews with 28 individuals involved, Eglash reported back that Parks had, in fact, refused to cooperate with the district attorney, had unnecessarily criticized Garcetti, and had made misleading statements in denying the facts of the imbroglio. Moreover, Eglash reported that the chiefs top commanders, including deputy chiefs Martin Pomeroy and Michael Bostic, as well as Commander Dan Schatz, then head of the Rampart Task Force, had changed their stories to support the chief. Months later, after reviewing Eglashs report, the Police Commission sided with the chief and rejected the I.G.s findings.
With the investigation hopelessly stalled, with Chief Parks asserting that his department had located the Rampart scandal and brought it to an end, the question remains: What the hell happened at Rampart? Was Perez lying all along?
Defense attorneys for the police answer with an emphatic yes. The late Barry Levin, attorney for former Rampart Sergeant Edward Ortiz and himself a former cop, made the argument before a superior court jury last October. Perez lied to the prosecutors, and he lied to the court, Levin said. Perez knew he needed immunity . . . so he concocted a pipe dream of a scandal on the backs of these fine officers.
But that argument is refuted by the man who struck the deal. Speaking in his downtown office the week before his transfer to Van Nuys, Richard Rosenthal described the circumstances that led to Perezs confession.
Rosenthal first tried Perez on drug charges in December 1998. When the jury failed to reach a verdict, the D.A. re-filed the case, and in April 1999, a grand jury answered with a new indictment. The following month, Rosenthal offered to deal with Perez attorney Winston Kevin McKesson. McKesson, in turn, made a proffer: In return for a reduced sentence, Perez would divulge all he knew about a single case of misconduct by the Rampart gang squad. One instance of unlawful use-of-force involving three officers and a sergeant, Rosenthal said which turned out to be the fatal police raid on a gang wake at Shatto Place.
Rosenthal agreed to deal, but his terms included the standard stipulation, that Perez could still be prosecuted for any instances of homicide or infliction of great bodily injury. What Rosenthal, and apparently McKesson, didnt realize was that Perez had been involved in just such a case the shooting, with his partner Nino Durden, of Javier Ovando.
When the lawyer took Rosenthals terms back to Perez, they met only silence, a clear indication there was a problem. McKesson backed off, Rosenthal said, and the deal languished until the new trial got under way in September.
The day that trial convened, Rosenthal said, two remarkable events took place. The first happened when L.A. Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry stepped in out of the blue, as Rosenthal put it, and offered Perez a seven-year sentence in return for a guilty plea, regardless of whether he cooperated. Which meant, assuming half-time credit for good behavior, that By cooperating he got one year off his prison term, and thats it, Rosenthal explained.
Perrys offer left Rosenthal little with which to entice the accused officer, other than the chance to avoid the anguish of another trial. For Perez and his attorney, the decision to cooperate on other investigations was a virtual toss-up. But Rosenthal had another surprise in store. At noon of the first day, with jury selection under way, McKesson approached the prosecutor, draped an arm over his shoulder and asked if they might again discuss the deal. This time, the topic was Ovando.
Over the lunch break, McKesson sketched in the details. Perez had not followed through on the original deal offer, the lawyer explained, because there was, in fact, an incident of great bodily injury. The victim, a member of the 18th Street gang, was unarmed when he was cornered by Perez and Durden in an abandoned apartment. The officers shot him three times, then planted a gun on him. Later, they testified falsely that Javier Ovando had pulled a gun on them, and finally, they saw him sentenced to 23 years.
Rosenthal said he decided immediately to grant Perez immunity and pursue a habeas corpus filing in order to spring Ovando from prison. It didnt take a rocket scientist to see this was an explosive case, Rosenthal said.
And it was more than enough, Rosenthal said, to earn Perez a deal for a five-year sentence, especially after Judge Perry had reduced the maximum term to seven. If he gave us Ovando and Shatto Place, that would have been it.
In fact, Rosenthal said, he was careful not to encourage Perez to give up more than he actually knew: I tried to structure the deal in a manner that he would not have the motivation to frame other officers.
That was what was remarkable to me later, added Rosenthal. When Perez started talking about all this, and he became kind of a pariah and the most hated police officer in the state . . . he only got one year off [his jail term] in order to do this. That actually inured to his credibility. Why in the world would he go through this if he didnt have to? And he didnt.
Also INURING TO Perezs credibility is the LAPDS long record of tolerating misconduct. Even the cops at Rampart, speaking privately, will acknowledge that former Officer Brian Hewitt, fired in 1998 after a long career for his role in a station-house beating, was, as they put it, an asshole.
And then there are the cases that continue to arise but which continue to be dismissed as anomalies. Officer Ruben Palomares, named by Perez in yet another fatal Rampart shooting which, he said, was covered up, was arrested this June in a federal Drug Enforcement Agency sting in San Diego County. A federal prosecutor in that case said at a bail hearing that Palomares had been using his authority as a police officer to commit crimes for more than two years.
Other cases crop up in other divisions. When officers Christopher Coppock and David Cochrane were indicted for criminal misconduct last October, it led to an ongoing review of more than 40 cases for similar potential misconduct. And the Weeklys own review of court documents related to another of the LAPDs CRASH units, in the 77th Street division, found repeated allegations of misconduct and wrongful shootings, as well as substantial civil judgments against the department.
To attorney Gonzalez, whos brought actions against law-enforcement agencies across the state, the situation at Rampart recalls the Sheriffs station at Lynwood, where a class-action lawsuit against hard-charging deputies resulted in a multi-million-dollar judgment and intervention by a federal judge. They had a GET squad, the Gang Enforcement Team, said Gonzazlez. They had a trailer there, too [where the unit was housed separate from the other deputies], and they had gang signs. People began to take on the same practices as the CRASH officers, and nobody told them to stop.
For Deputy District Attorney Rosenthal, such circumstantial arguments arent enough to conclude that Perez was telling the truth. Rosenthal declines to offer a categorical appraisal of Perezs testimony: Help the community decide what happened at Rampart? Sorry. I just cant do it.
The difficulty, Rosenthal said, is that I cannot, without corroboration, believe what Perez said . . . The problem is that hes very charismatic and convincing, whether hes telling the truth or hes lying.
In his frustration, attorney Gonzalez proposes another tack. Put Brian Hewitt on a lie detector and let him answer a few questions.
Perez is gone, but its impossible simply to bookend a civic tsunami on the scale of the Rampart scandal. The District Attorneys Office has all but closed its books, and Chief Parks has grown comfortable in claiming victory, but the story continues to play out on another level the slow but sure grind of the federal government.
There are two main players still on the field, the U.S. Department of Justice and District Court Judge Gary Feess, empowered to enforce a consent decree holding the LAPD to new standards of review and accountability.
Officials at Justice insist that their investigation into criminal misconduct and civil rights violations at Rampart is continuing. That stance led many observers to predict that prosecutors would slap Perez with an indictment upon his release from state prison last week.
That didnt happen. Nevertheless, Justice spokesman Thom Mrozek maintained, We have an ongoing investigation into allegations of civil rights abuses by members of the LAPD Rampart CRASH unit. Beyond that we will not comment. Mrozek added that, The FBI is the primary investigative agency, and said other police incidents, including the shooting of Margaret Mitchell, a homeless woman slain after she was stopped for unauthorized possession of a shopping cart, are also under review.
On the civil side, former Manhattan prosecutor Michael Cherkasky has been appointed by Judge Feess to serve as his monitor in overseeing the consent decree. In an interview last week, Cherkasky acknowledged that there is no consensus on the extent and nature of police misconduct at Rampart. Were getting 180 degrees, Cherkasky said, divergent opinions about the consent decree, about the LAPD, about the political will in this community being for reform or not being for reform enormously disparate views about this.
But Cherkasky said he doesnt need to resolve the question of past practices to implement reforms that date back to the Christopher Commission. Besides, he sees an important role for an independent monitor. Clearly there has been a failure in the balance of the different institutions in Los Angeles. Thats why the federal government has come in and sued, and thats why this case has been settled.
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The decree, designed by the representatives of the Justice Departments Civil Rights division in Washington in collaboration with the LAPD, the City Council and the Mayors Office, sharply restricts the monitors purview. In reviewing the conduct of internal investigations, for example, the monitor may recommend changes in procedure, but Such evaluation . . . shall not obligate the department to reopen or re-adjudicate any investigation. Moreover, the decree states, The monitor shall not make any public statements or issue findings with regard to any act or omission of the city.
Yet Cherkasky said hes confident he has the authority, vested in him by the judge, to effect meaningful reform at the LAPD. Central to those reforms is installation of a new computer tracking system that will compile reports of misconduct and citizen complaints on individual officers, as well as close tracking of traffic stops and other police activity by race and by district. The idea is to institutionalize the process of looking at police officers full records, of how they behave themselves, and having that information available to make management decisions about promotions and discipline and assignments. Thats an institutional change I think is terribly important.
Cherkasky added that he believes changes in process can be more effective than making individual cases: In 1986, I was made the head of the rackets bureau in Manhattan, and I brought a prosecution that indicted 41 building inspectors. And I, showing all traces of hubris, said, I have cleaned up the building inspectors. And in three years, I did 29 more. And what it really taught me was, you know, making arrests and prosecuting people doesnt change the system, that you have to have organizational, systemic change.
Of course, Cherkasky is not the first person named to a position of authority in order to rein in the LAPD. The difference this time, Cherkasky said, is the source of his authority. Inspector General Jeffrey Eglash reports to the Police Commission, Cherkasky observed. I report to a federal judge.