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The largest prison strike in U.S. history has been going on for nearly a week, but there's a good chance you haven't heard about it. For months, inmates at dozens of prisons across the country have been organizing through a network of smuggled cellphones, social media pages, and the support of allies on the outside. The effort culminated in a mass refusal to report to prison jobs on September 9, the anniversary of the 1971 Attica prison uprising.
"This is a call to action against slavery in America," organizers wrote in an announcement that for weeks circulated inside and outside prisons nationwide, and that sums up the strikers' primary demand: an end to free prison labor. "Forty-five years after Attica, the waves of change are returning to America's prisons. This September we hope to coordinate and generalize these protests, to build them into a single tidal shift that the American prison system cannot ignore or withstand."
Since Friday, details on the strike's success have trickled out of prisons with some difficulty, but organizers and supporters have no doubt the scale of the action is unprecedented, though their assessment is difficult to verify and some corrections departments denied reports of strike-related activities in their states.
Prisoners in 24 states and 40 to 50 prisons pledged to join the strike, and as of Tuesday, prisoners in at least 11 states and 20 prisons continued the protest, according to outside supporters in Alabama. Tactics and specific demands varied locally, with some prisoners reportedly staging hunger strikes, and detainees in Florida protesting and destroying prison property ahead of the planned strike date.
"There are probably 20,000 prisoners on strike right now, at least, which is the biggest prison strike in history, but the information is really sketchy and spotty," said Ben Turk, who works on "in-reach" to prisons for the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee, a chapter of the Industrial Workers of the World union helping to coordinate the inmate-led initiative from the outside.
Small rallies and demonstrations in support of the strikers were staged in dozens of U.S. cities and a couple of foreign countries, but so far the coordinated strike remains largely ignored on the outside.
"The strike has been pulled off, but we're not quite breaking through to getting mainstream media," Turk told The Intercept, noting that the strike was widely covered by independent media. "I talk to people who aren't in that milieu and aren't seeing it on their social media, and they'll be like, 'We didn't hear about it, there's nothing about it anywhere.'"
That's bad news for the strikers, who rely on the support of outsiders to push for more radical reform but also depend on their outside visibility to mitigate retaliation by prison officials.
A week into the strike, a couple of groups were providing updates on the action, which organizers say will carry on indefinitely, as well as outside demonstrations of solidarity.
The information blackout is largely due to prison officials' ample discretion in the details they choose to disclose. As the strikes began, reports emerged of several facilities being put on lockdown, some preemptively, but the only way for outsiders to get updates would be to call each facility and ask, usually getting no explanation about the reasons for a lockdown. Reports also emerged claiming that prison leaders in Virginia, Ohio, California, and South Carolina were put in solitary confinement as a result of the strike, according to the Alabama supporters.
The Alabama Department of Corrections did not respond to a request for comment, while corrections departments in Virginia, Ohio, and California — three of the states where strike-related disturbances were tracked by outsiders — denied that inmates in those states participated in the strike.
A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Corrections said that prisons there had resumed normal operations after several hundred inmates staged protests and work stoppages at four facilities. The spokesperson added that several inmates identified in the disturbances were transferred to other regional institutions and will be disciplined "in accordance with procedure." At the Kinross Correctional Facility in Michigan, some 150 prisoners identified as "ringleaders" of the protests were also removed to other facilities after prisoners assigned to kitchen work declined to report to their jobs on September 9 and some 400 prisoners staged a peaceful protest. The situation there grew more tense a day later when prison guards went through the facility to remove suspected leaders, the Wall Street Journal reported, and the prison remains on lockdown.
Retaliation against strikers is also hard to track, but outside advocates said that several leaders were put in isolation and denied communication privileges, making it even harder for information to come out.
In one instance, at the Ohio State Penitentiary, Siddique Hasan, a well-known prison activist sentenced to death for his role in a 1993 prison uprising, was accused of plotting to "blow up buildings" on September 9. Hasan, an organizer with the Free Ohio Movement, was confined to isolation and denied access to the phone for nearly a month before the strike — a deliberate effort to prevent him from communicating with the outside about it, supporters said.
"What people have to realize is that these men and women inside prison — they expected to be retaliated against, but they sacrificed," said Pastor Kenneth Glasgow, a former prisoner and a supporter of the Free Alabama Movement, the prisoner-led group that first called for the nationwide strike.
"People on the outside are not understanding they are being bamboozled," he added, expressing disappointment that the strike hadn't garnered more attention. "A lot of people are not realizing the value in what's going on, they don't realize that it's slavery, that slavery still exists."
While the most ambitious to date, the September 9 strike was hardly the first such effort by prisoners. Prison protests have been on the rise in recent years, following a 2010 strike during which thousands of prisoners in Georgia refused to work, an action that was followed by others in Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, and Washington. In 2013, California prisoners coordinated a hunger strike against the use of solitary confinement that at its peak involved 30,000 prisoners. And this year, prisoners rioted at Holman prison in Alabama — one of the facilities most actively involved in the current strike — and went on strike in Texas.
Across the country, inmates are protesting a wide range of issues: from harsh parole systems and three-strike laws to the lack of educational services, medical neglect, and overcrowding. But the issue that has unified protesters is that of prison labor — a $2 billion a year industry that employs nearly 900,000 prisoners while paying them a few cents an hour in some states, and nothing at all in others. In addition to work for private companies, prisoners also cook, clean, and work on maintenance and construction in the prisons themselves — forcing officials to pay staff to carry out those tasks in response to work stoppages. "They cannot run these facilities without us," organizers wrote ahead of the strike. "We will not only demand the end to prison slavery, we will end it ourselves by ceasing to be slaves."
Prisoners on strike are calling for the repeal of an exception listed in the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which bans "involuntary servitude" in addition to slavery, "except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted."
That forced labor remains legal in prison is unknown to many Americans, and that's something strikers hope to change with this action. But it's also a sign of how little the general public knows about the country's massive prison system. "A nation that imprisons 1 percent of its population has an obligation to know what's happening to those 2.4 million people," Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT, wrote in a blog post about the tepid response to the strike. "And right now, we don't know."
But while information on prisons is notoriously hard to obtain, a potentially larger problem for the striking prisoners is the seemingly limited interest in their plight, which remains confined to a few activists, family members, and formerly incarcerated people, even at a time when criminal justice issues and prison reform are high on the agenda of social justice advocates and politicians alike.
Prisoners themselves have been largely excluded from the last few years' debate on mass incarceration, but the very fact that they were able to coordinate a collective protest of this scale, with all its limitations, is testimony to their determination that the prison system needs radical change, strike organizers say.
"When you have people who are inside, locked up, who have overcome all these obstacles and barriers and have organized in 24 states, 40 to 50 prisons," said Glasgow, "that means all of us out here need to start stepping up."
nick is right: When you consider that the majority of those in prisons today were NOT given a fair trial due to either incompetent court appointed "state public defenders"…
or worse, were manipulated, goaded, or guided by these public defenders to "take a plea deal"…just makes all of this more shameful and disgusting. NYT: Plea Bargaining and the Innocent | The Marshall Project
Dec 26, 2014 – The November 20, 2014 issue of the New York Review of Books included an … Southern District of New York, titled: "Why Innocent People Plead Guilty. … What time they will serve is argued to the judge and on appeal …
you can make theself-interest case: in most states, especially within private prisons, conditions are horrible. You can't just lock the door and throw away the keys. At some point most offenders get out. Denying people their humanity doesn't help people get ready to be reintegrated back into society.
Wait what? This is a thing? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but are they striking against prison conditions, fairness, pay etc. What the actual FK? Free Food (good or not good its edible), Health Care, TV, Housing, Work Experience, Education…. all for the fair price of acting a fkng fool in public? Someone please educate me cause I'm confused.
What they committed crimes so they lost their rights. They ought to have prisons on islands so they can't pull this crap.
Without this being mistaken as any type of commentary on the justice system or advocation for the prison system in its current state, this whole article completely overlooks that most prisoners want to work to stave off boredom, learn new skills and have something within the prison that they can take pride in. Lots of prisons offer certification programs that lead to employment opportunities upon release. Also, higher paying jobs require lower custody levels. Lower custody levels require a history of good behavior. Good behavior keeps everyone, staff and inmates alike, safe. Inmates have the right to refuse work, also. And then there's the part where their living expenses are completely covered by tax payers. There's only so much money in a prison's budget. If inmates are getting paid more staff are getting paid less. How much would you expect to be paid to keep a complex full of violent offenders under control?
By any other name, when private corporations profit from prison labor, it is still slavery (this is not the corporate ownership of prisons system of slavery President Obama has recently banned).
Because slavery is so efficient a profit generating system, corporations are ever alert to any opportunity to exploit it in any of its forms. Involuntary/forced prison labor in the U.S. today is one.
IMO if the private market place wants to exploit prison labor the government must allow the prisoners to negotiate a contract with the business – the National Labor Relations Board would be the proper agency to oversee the negotiations.
Let us not forget fascist Germany supplied prison labor to German industry (IG Farben [Bayer, BASF], Siemens, Bosch, VW, Opel [GM], Fordwerke [Ford]).
Prison/slave labor was and remains a part of the cry/demand Never again!
Please just lock all the doors and after they eat all they have smuggled in they will call off the strike. Then make them clean up their mess.
Is against the law to stave imants. That why they receive bag lunch/breakfast during the strikes. Your solution is not plausible.
I don't think he cares. Americans have a bloodlust
The cruelest people are often those who consider themselves the most righteous.
I support those on strike. Our criminal justice system is a fraud and a racket.
I could only be convinced to support paying inmates more if they were required to pay for their room and board–and restitution for their crime(s).
$5/hour x 2080 hours/yr, invested at 7%, would become more than $250,000 in 15 years and more than $1 million after 30.
Should our prisons really be turned into a place where criminals are rewarded with riches?
It's hardly "slave labor" when they're being housed, fed, clothed, given health care (even shitty health care), cable television, internet access, etc. But if paying inmates more for their work, and having them pay for rent, utilities, clothes, etc., makes everyone feel better, that's fine with me.
Thank you, Scott. I completely agree.
When you consider that the majority of those in prisons today were NOT given a fair trial due to either incompetent court appointed "state public defenders"…
or worse, were manipulated, goaded, or guided by these public defenders to "take a plea deal"…just makes all of this more shameful and disgusting.
Not to mention how the judicial system has redefined the concept of a "jury of your PEERS" . A jury of your peers….by definition, is a jury consisting of individuals who have knowledge of said defendant's character. No one gets it, even if they end up getting it….very few will stand up or speak up loud enough to provoke any change. This system, this government…..is a corrupted, self-serving and manipulative machine that only survives because We The People allow it to.
"Tolerance and Apathy are the last virtues of a dying society"
For those men and women striking….my thoughts and my support are with you..
Please write an article naming the Companies who exploit these prisoners. I will look online, but won't hold my breath. Solidarity to those who honestly want improvement.
Literally any private prison system.
Most states have private prisons that are less efficient, more abusive, and focus on the bottom line of profit to keep as many prisoners and guarantee they return if released.
Proof? Federal government is closing all FEDERAL private for-profit prisons due to their awful reports by comparison to federally run prisons.
the 60's, the beatles, the hippies, humans were starting to think, not so controlled by the corporate/government/ 1% snobs. now, the smart phones have made them tracked,monitored, and more easily CONTROLLED by big brother, who sends the jobs away and provides a pitiful existence for so many . now, go vote, give your approval to that which cares not about you or the world just its top 1%. vote for jill stein if you can. good luck to the prisoners.
So end all prion work programs and leave them locked in their cages 23 hours a day.
They are lousy citizens… why not be lousy slaves too?
As long as rich people profit and they give money to politicians, there will be slavery. Billionaires are the core of the system, they are the problem, they have disease called greediness. Guards, cops, prosecutors, judges are just repressive department of rich people. In any case, the state was created by riches to organize themselves better: to exploit slaves and to protect themselves from other rich conquerors.
In that process of creating the state, they institutionalized punishment, before that, fist prisons are created as private prisons. when the punishment was institutionalized, punishment lost its face, private individual is not guilty for taking your freedom than faceless state is guilty for that.
Stop breaking the law and expecting law abiding hard working citizens to pick up the bill. They are in jail not on a vacation. They need to earn their keep and stop causing trouble.
The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.
-Fyodor Dostoyevsky
I think Gandhi said much the same thing, but substituted the treatment of animals, as how great a society is. We aren't the worst, but we are a long way from the best…
Agreed, we are not the worst. But we are far from the most civilized. Scandinavian countries lead there.
Although I am almost always critical of the degree to which Ms. Speri takes liberty with the truth in service to her own socially progressive, ideological bias, there are a number of legitimate concerns that nevertheless managed to bubble to the surface in this article – albeit they are obscured by the "winds that roil the water." In the past I have taken pointed exception to those who advocate for the outright legalization of marijuana or the decriminalization of more powerful mind altering drugs as they always couch their advocacy with arguments that are efficacy driven (e.g. "It is more cost effective to decriminalize drugs than to prosecute and incarcerate abusers)". Such arguments almost always fail to acknowledge the degree to which tolerance for recreational drug use has crippled the capacity of many cultures to muster enough collective political will to promote the type of change that would negate the need for mind numbing solutions. When I was in Pakistan during the 1970s, I could legally purchase a brick of opium from any local pharmacy. And, again, when I was in Afghanistan I could readily purchase a brick of hashish for personal consumption without worrying that it was technically illegal. Again, the same held true for Morocco, Burma, and Thailand (albeit the choice of recreational drugs varied with local). In everyone of those instances, i witnessed a direct correlation between political apathy and the chronic ingestion of these substances. It was almost always the poor and socially disenfranchised that were prone to chronic drug use. This fact was not lost on the ruling class in these countries as turning a blind eye to such self-anesthetizing patterns only further secured their own hold on power. Anyone who has read about the Chinese opium wars can readily understand how drugs have been employed in the past by imperialist powers to pacify the conquered.
Apropos of the foregoing, I am left wondering to what degree can the current problem of prison overcrowding be traced directly back to the flood of cocaine that was first allowed to illegally enter the American marketplace (via weigh stations in Arkansas) by elements of the dark state during the Reagan years; the off-the-books proceeds of which were used to fund an illegal war in Nicaragua against the "pro-communist" Sandinista government. Did policy makers at that time understand the degree to which cocaine would cripple the urban communities to which they were directed? Were they intended to quell the political unrest that had been evolving in these communities throughout the 1960s and 1970s? Did this modus operandi ultimately allow for the passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 which legally mandated life sentences for criminals convicted of a violent felony after two or more prior convictions, including drug crimes? As blacks were already cited for being disproportionately responsible for violent crimes, and most of the illicit drug traffic (crack and heroin) was coming out of poor urban communities, was it not logical to conclude that the Clintons were consciously facilitating an evolving trend of mass incarceration that, by the very inclusion of drug violations, would result in a federal prison population comprised of 37.7% black inmates? This number really stands out when one considers that blacks represent only 13.2% of the US population.
When considering whether the Clinton's understood the degree to which prison overcrowding could exacerbate intolerable prison conditions for inmates, only needs to look as far as the case of Hutto v Finney (1978) in which footnote #3 of the decision reads:
The administrators of Arkansas' prison system evidently tried to operate their prisons at a profit. See Talley v. Stephens, supra, at 688. Cummins Farm, the institution at the center of this litigation, required its 1,000 inmates to work in the fields 10 hours a day, six days a week, using mule-drawn tools and tending crops by hand. 247 F. Supp., at 688. The inmates were sometimes required to run to and from the fields, with a guard in an automobile or on horseback driving them on. Holt v. Hutto, 363 F. Supp. 194, 213 (ED Ark. 1973) (Holt III). They worked in all sorts of weather, so long as the temperature was above freezing, sometimes in unsuitably light clothing or without shoes. Holt II, 309 F. Supp., at 370. (One only needs to read the footnotes of the court's decision to understand the inhumane conditions that inmates in Arkansas prisons had to endure)
As Yale trained attorney's, the Clinton's must have been aware of Arkansas' very recent, sorted history wherein its penal system had been repeatedly cited in a "sequel" of court decisions dating back to 1969 for systemically violating the constitutional rights of its prison population . As the Clinton's occupied the Governor's mansion from 1979–81 and again from 1983–92, they would have been directly responsible for overseeing prison reform during Bill Clinton's tenure as Governor. So, too, they would have been aware of the CIA sponsored drug traffic that was passing through the state at that time. Thus, by the time that the Clinton's occupied the White house in Jan 1993, they would have been keenly aware of the potential outcome of overcrowded prisons – especially those that were intended to turn a profit.
Given that the forgoing is accurate, how can the progressive left explain the "African American" preference for Hillary in the current election cycle? Why is it that Trump is being painted as the neo-fascist when it is clearly evident that the Clinton's actions have consistently facilitated the mass incarceration of blacks and the resultant rise of privatized prisons?
Holy shit Karl. I haven't felt that level of crazy gust over me since I was last in an actual asylum.
Is there anybody out there who's old, bitter and racist, and I dunno, wants to keep it to themselves maybe? Ever? Yikes.
Given that it's almost certainly true that you are "almost always critical", in your hamfistedly self-revealing and grotesque way, of Ms. Speri and her work, which I'm sure you've never contributed anything half as selfless and important in, I am SUPER impressed that she keeps going, and keeps writing articles on important topics like this, whether they've got a few flaws or not. Given that *your* writing is more flaw than not, and that I'm sure you're not alone in just being an asshole for the sake of hearing yourself squawk, this girl has cojones to both tolerate and to not let your yammering get her down.
So you, above all, might have made her my favorite new author. Thanks!
So true. Good questions, Karl.
In Colorado we have a ballot proposal to change the slavery exception:
I'ts part of the New American Dystopia.
Here is an article that deserves to be read and cited copiously:
They used to chain em up and have them break rocks. They are criminals and it used to deter them from committing crimes. They don't need more rights, letting them garden is a nice rehabilitative thing to do. They should by all means work to pay for their incarceration. People should be scared to commit crimes, not because of the inmates they will be locked away with, but because of the sentence they will incur.
Criminal should go on strike and refuse to commit crimes.
From palace to prison, our nation is coming unglued. I still hope to exit this life before the defecation begins to really hit the ventilation, but I fear for future generations. In time, not even money will be able to stave off the oncoming collapse and chaos.
Have a sparkling day!
The prison slave economic model has not fulfilled its potential. So it is worth examining why the wage slave economic model is still predominant.
From an economic viewpoint, the problem with classical slavery is that the slave doesn't have very much incentive to work. No matter how hard the slave works, at the end of the day, he is still a slave. In contrast, a wage slave, if he works hard, can buy lottery tickets and dream that one day he will win the lottery and no longer be a slave. In my opinion, therefore, the people running the prison slavery system have simply been too greedy. They need to provide the prisoners with some incentive to work, since simply threatening them with punishment hasn't been enough. You need both a carrot and a stick.
However, if you pay prisoners enough to buy lottery tickets, you lose much of the cost advantage of prison slavery. In addition, you must build expensive jail facilities and staff them with prison guards who are being paid to do nothing productive. So your overheard is higher than the capitalists you are competing against. Of course, it is the tax payers who pay your overhead, so you still have a cost advantage. The problem, however, is that as more and more people are put in jail, there are fewer and fewer tax payers to subsidize your costs.
So that is why there will always be a need for wage slaves, and the prison slave economic model will never completely displace it.
There is something about slavery that excludes satire/sarcasm Benito .
Well maybe that's just me .
I thought I should tell you this because I do enjoy reading your comments .
I'd like to know the names of the private companies that profit from prison labor. This is pretty clearly, IMO, slave labor.
On the other hand, when you've been convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison, why shouldn't you have to do some cleaning and maintenance? Taxpayers foot the bill to keep you incarcerated. You should have to contribute to that.
Where I live, it's pretty common to see prisoner work crews who clean up roadsides and empty lots. Some people I know express revulsion at this, but it's my understanding that these crews are voluntary and prisoners welcome the opportunity to spend a day away from the tedium and horrors of prison life. They might even pick up some skills that could be useful on the outside.
It seems like there are a bunch of issues mixed up in this strike. If the strike ever does make it into the MSM, you're apt to have an unsympathetic (or apathetic or ambiguous) audience.
Focus on naming the names of the companies that profit. People are pretty angry these days about corporate abuse, and this angle could stir up some real outrage.
The problem with this stuff is that everywhere we're lied to. Wal-Mart says it doesn't use prison labor … then you find out that's all bullshit. Martiori Farms says they stopped in 2012… but do you believe them? Barack Obama had eight years as the first black president, and never once did he tell the public that Jim Crow is still the dominant economic model of the land? So who the fuck?
No justice until the last speck of oil shale is squeezed, the last drop of methane rises, the last ocean boils, the last filthy microbe is forever cleansed from the face of the Earth. Let the one who made it try to do a DECENT job next time.
"So who the fuck?"
Jill Stein.
Vote for the the one you think is the best person . Any other criteria is indicative of insanity .
What it comes down to is simply
That said ,, this " Election " ,, will be "Democratically/$$" decided .
I think you are urinating into a very strong headwind.
Now that's more like it! Holy shit, totally disgusting. DISGUSTING!
Thanks for the link.
The California prison strike of 2013 over repressive solitary confinement torture had some lasting effects and changed prison officials behavior in California:
Here's a statement from that strike, worth reading, with relevance to American society as a whole:
The agreement, released in August 2012, declares its signers' intentions to "collectively seize this moment, and put an end to more than 20-30 years of hostilities between our racial groups… we must all hold strong to our mutual agreement from this point on and focus our time, attention, and energy on mutual causes beneficial to all of us [i.e., prisoners], and our best interests. We can no longer allow CDCR to use us against each other for their benefit!!" Some of the documents' authors, Todd Ashker, Arturo Castellanos, Sitawa Nantambu Jamaa (Dewberry), and Antonio Guillen, are named plaintiffs in the class action against California.
As far as this current strike, it seems like common sense that prison labor should be voluntary and paid at the minimum wage rate.
Sentences to labor or "hard labor" are constitutional but are also long out of style.
Internal housekeeping chores are not illegal or unconstitutional as long as no coercion is involved. Let volunteers be rewarded with privileges and favorable reports.
Unless a prisoner has been explicitly sentenced to labor or "hard labor", work for profit must also be both voluntary and paid at least minimum hourly wage without threat of clawbacks or seizure of savings for any reason.
No constitutional amendment is required if this is done, because it is explicitly conforming to the Constitution as it is actually written and not as slavers have chosen to interpret it.
As this is a Constitutional matter the President already has the authority to require that all slaves be explicitly sentenced to slavery, and no state may impose slavery without an explicit sentence of slavery.
Thank you, well said.
I laugh at this news as well. If I get arrested and put in jail for years, yeah, I'll do slave labor. After all, I do get free healthcare, free dental, free room, 3 meals a day. Ridiculous to think its ok to do the crime, get caught, then sit on ya butt with all counts of your well-being taken care of.
Inmates are sentenced to incarceration, not incarceration plus slavery, beatings, and torture.
Even if the state pays just minimum wage to inmates the amount of money will be enormous.
You sound like someone who never has – nor wants to face the reality versus your imagination of it – had that free "healthcare", free "dental", free "room", or 3 "meals" a day.
Try it.
Methinks that you are slightly deranged. Better get your head checked out.
Let me tell you about the three meals a day–they are shit you wouldn't feed to a dog. Free health care. You're stupid right. They don't give a shit about your health and when your return home you are so physically damaged by the lack of health care you will be lucky if you can heal. Have a headache, menstrual cramps, broken bones sorry you can only receive over the counter pain medication via commissary if you have money in your account and the slave wages aren't enough. So laugh all you want. It's the conditions you moron. And the punishment is being removed from society not giving up your most basic constitutional and humab rights. And everyone who goes to prison is guilty. You my friend would be someone's bottom and no the guards wouldn't give two craps about your bleeding assholes.
I work in a prison in California with around 4,000 inmates and this is the first I have heard about this. At least in California, inmates have many more rights than they used to. I had an inmate laugh at me the other day and tell me that he has better health care than I do. Another had cataract surgery in one eye and is about to be paroled. He says he wants to come back to get the other eye done (says a lot about the sad state of our health care on the outside). We have inmates that regularly swallow needles and put pencils in their penis so they can be sent to an outside hospital for the food, morphine and the pretty girls they can look at. Just thought I would balance out your argument a bit :-)
Look up the Armstrong, Clark and Coleman Court decisions and that will tell you a lot about where inmates stand in regard to rights :-)
May be you too should put a pencil in your penis in order to obtain better medical treatment.
Wow! Your completely anecdotal experiences have really changed my mind! Thank you
Its called real life not anecdotal….I'm sure your key board warrior/commentary experience far outweighs the experiences of people who are actually out in the trenches. Also notice how I posted actual court cases that can be looked up by anyone so they can make up their own mind about the state of inmate rights in California. Contrast that with your knee jerk smart ### comment that adds nothing to the conversation. Job well done.
It's your personal real-life experience, but it's still anecdotal. You are citing a few examples out of 4,000 inmates where you work… And there are 2,000,000+ nationally and the conditions vary from state to state. Your experience doesn't mean it's the norm on a national level.
So your implying that you and every outside researcher has spoke with all 2,000,000 + incarcerated individuals. With your own words you have proved your theory to be more "anecdotal" than the person's who has an applied theory inside that very controlled environment you are unreasonably attached to by your hyper liberal inquiry turned obsession. How about this become a corrections officers eat, sleep, work next to them "slaves" and you'll actually find that the conditions they are afforded are actually a standard or two above their normal way of life. Judging by your snobby responses I'm assuming you are one of the Clinton type democrats that bear all the signs and fight all the fights but immediately called the police when a person or Persons of Color enter your neighborhood. The problem with being educated in a classroom is that far too often the student never applies the "theory" they are presented with, to a real world situation. Leaving their education rendered a theory and the obsession than becomes well idealistic views.
Was the guy with the cataract locked up from before Obamacare? Coming out of prison with no income he should be just about immediately eligible for Medicaid, and even if he is able to land a job that pays enough to disqualify him, he'll then get either employer coverage or be eligible for Obamacare with probably still very deep subsidies.
That is, of course, unless he's unlucky enough to get him second cataract under Donald Trump, in which case in prison or out he'd better get used to being blind. (Well, actually, there's a sort of miracle salve called lanosterol that is similar to the cyclamen salves the ancient Romans used for the condition, but the odds he'll hear about it are practically nil)
I had an inmate laugh at me the other day and tell me that he has better health care than I do.
Either the inmate is clueless or you have stunningly bad health care — or you are lying.
Health care in the California prison system was so deficient (at least one unnecessary fatality per month), for so long, that it has been under federal receivership since October of 2005.
Yes..Doug..you are partially correct…health care was so bad that prisons in Cali were forced to improve…and rightly so. You shouldn't have inmates crawling from a bus to their yard because they weren't provided a wheelchair when they needed one. That's downright criminal and led to the above mentioned court cases that forced necessary changes. I am not lying and have pretty good health care..the point I'm trying to make is that inmates do have more rights than you think and many unfortunately abuse those rights.
I'm much more worried about CDCR abusing prisoners and their rights than I am about prisoners abusing their right to decent healthcare.
The vast majority of those prisoners will be leaving your system and returning to the community. Their experience in prison is certain to be a major determinant of their attitudes toward the society that put them there and, thus, a significant factor in the equation that determines whether or not they will re-offend.
A smart society wouldn't want to institutionalize practices that help produce bitter and angry ex-cons who will, sooner or later, be roaming the streets and parks again.
Both are a concern Doug. I'm in complete agreement with you. Many of the prisoners are just doing their time for doing something very stupid that they did. When It comes to abuse though, inmates are abused far more often by other inmates and its hard to put a stop to that because no one talks. The system is far from perfect, but I'd like to think its better than it once was. I am no way trying to defend a broken system, just trying to add my two cents.
I understand your position and I'm appreciative of your openness, unusual for an insider.
I also understand that prisoners abuse each other — in all sorts of ways from the subtle to the truly brutal — on a regular basis. And of course no one talks. That would be a dangerous violation of the code they are forced to live by.
However, it seems pretty clear, to me, that much of that abuse arises from reaction to the environments in which prisoners live. Rats in overcrowded cages behave, predictably, in very similar ways.
Also, of course, abuse by one's peers is pretty likely to affect attitudes and behavior in the community upon release, just as is the case with abuse by people in authority.
It appears that we, as a society are both unwilling to spend the money required to build and operate humane systems of incarceration and that our culture of vengeance predisposes us to harsh treatment of people we deem worthy of incarceration. It's fairly common for humans to feel and act like this, but it's not universal.
Pretty much spot on Doug..thanks for the rational and thoughtful discourse.
I treat quite a few of these prisoners. They get whatever they want and if they complain the doctors get punished. They get just what you would expect a population would get if they were medically uneducated and wanted as much treatment as possible and this doesn't even include Insanity of the hepatitis C treatment. In this case the taxpayer is paying 3 to $400,000 per year for the medication in the prisoners go right back to tattooing themselves and Performing other acts and getting reinfected so it basically is a financing method for the big pharmaceutical companies like Gilead whose CEO gets hundreds of millions of dollars a year which is really made on the backs of publicly-funded hepatitis C treatment which is primarily provided to prisoners and drug users and heavily advertised on television.
Yes Felix..I too am a first responder in a TTA and the Harvoni is a travesty. It is $1000 a dose and the inmates will go right back to tattooing once they think they are free from Hep C. The biggest scam they do is claim suicidal ideation. We always get 4-5 inmates who say they want to kill themselves after a big football game or boxing match. They are at the losing end of the bet and now they have to pay up and don't want to be killed when they cant. Some just simply wont pay up drug money they owe. This sets up a 1:1 suicide watch where the state gets to pay about $1000 a day for staff to come in and observe them to make sure they don't follow through with their threat. Average cost to the taxpayer is about $10,000 by the time they are cleared to go back or get transferred to another institution. These guys are smart and know how to work the system to get what they want.
I wish you would go away and stick a pencil up your ass – your very dumb,and ignorant, uninformed ass that is.
Nice…this post was worthy of the Daily KOS or the Huffington Post. I defer to your superior intellect.
Going away would be an excellent option for you — one the vast majority of us here would appreciate.
I'm leery of this being taken too far here. On one hand, we all realize that Jim Crow labor camps, or the traditional punishment of breaking rocks, are abuses comparable to slavery. But on the other – is it "slavery" if prison officials demand that prisoners clean their cells, wash their clothes, wipe their asses? It would seem to me that the collective tasks of prison self-maintenance ("cook, clean, and work on maintenance and construction in the prisons themselves") are more akin to the latter than the former.
So I think it would make more sense to focus our attention on the issue of the private companies, or any products leaving the prison that actually earn outside money. And one advantage of this is that – IF someone had a list handy of who these companies are, what products go out – we could find out from the outside if these products and services remain available as usual, or if they have been suspended. The exploitative aspect of this sector makes it vulnerable to our sight when we exploit it.
A man who steals to eat is not a thief. Humans are born with a God given entitlement to food and habitat. That this has been removed and withheld from us is wrong and places people in an environment of contention and vulnerability to trespass.
There are very few people who would not work to enjoy freedom, food and habitat in comfort which we should all be entitled to. It's what the earth and life is for. This nonsense about competing for survival is the work of demons running a con on societies. Prisons are an advent of racist policies and corruption in the US. Were we genuine Christians and righteous about God's will, there would nary be a prison.
You can take one's time but not his labor. Refusing to be a slave will surely bankrupt the system. Refuse to fight wars and you bankrupt military nonsense. Refuse the currency and in stead trade – yep, chicken lady was right – and you bankrupt the print-to-loan-to-own wallstreet. Refuse to buy corporat goods and you bankrupt the crooked corporations. Refuse trade with israel and you bankrupt their resources to commit genocide. All of this is a matter of personal responsibility and karma. That we need so many prisons means we are on the wrong track.
Bankrupt the prison "system" and replace it with guaranteed life support and earned comfort as God's will would have it.
free and clear is wallstreet's fear
"Competing for survival?" What's the point of working if the boss never promotes you but promotes the people who have been riding on your blood, sweat and tears?
The industrial revolution changed the way humans compete to survive. To think otherwise is unimaginable and unAmerican.
quote"You can take one's time but not his labor. "unquote
Hahahaha.. says one who's never questioned the 16th Amendment.
" A man who steals to eat is not a thief". Where is your morality and ethics? God has given all humans a brain to use. Take care of yourself by working and producing yourself. What if someone stole from you?
Life is not about entitlement but independence and providing for yourself. Since the beginning of times people had to struggle and work hard to survive. People in the Nordic countries had to plan to have enough food to survive harsh winters.
Prisons are NOT an advent of racist and corruption in the US. Open up some history books.
Maybe the reason why some European countries have much lower incarceration rate is that they commit a lot less crime.
Since you are invoking God's name so much, how about living by the ten commandments . If you treat others the way you want to be treated, with respect there would be a lot less people in prison.
what if those who are imprisoned for pot offences were forced to work for big pot growing corporations…wouldn't that just be the shit! lol
An excellent piece. To fully appreciate what is happening in the prisons now the background info provided by The Politics of Incarceration is essential.
"the scale of the action is unprecedented, though their assessment is difficult to verify and some corrections departments denied reports of strike-related activities in their states."
I actually laughed when I read that.
I've been trying to follow the strike, but to my disappointment, even online media that I'd consider independent stopped covering it on the 9th. This is literally the first update I've been able to find. Even a Google search hasn't shown anything.
Google Twitter and Facebook have been actively suppressing topics and in some cases redirecting users to results they want to push. Welcome to 1984.
"I actually laughed when I read that."
That seems to be your response to everything …
it's probably better than crying every time you read something.
I think so also.


text:
From The Willits News:
Another $130,000 added to asset forfeiture fund
A McKinleyville man was stopped near Laytonville on November 7 with marijuana, cash totaling $130,000 and a TASER.
Illegally tinted windows was the reason cited by officers for pulling over a vehicle on Highway 101 just north of Laytonville. When the driver, John Dean Limer Denney, 36, of McKinleyville was questioned, the deputy smelled marijuana and a search began.
Deputies recovered one pound of bud marijuana, several sheets with detailed listings of marijuana transactions, a TASER and $130,000 in cash. They also noticed four large rubberized sea bags known to the officers as popular marijuana transport containers.
Denney was arrested on suspicion of possession and transportation of marijuana and possession of money intended for a drug transaction.
Denney posted $50,000 bail and was released.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|Completely restyled in 2010 in exotic Thai style, the low-rise, beachfront boutique resort provides a private sanctuary, ideal for couples, honeymooners and families. Built directly into the cliff face and surrounded by tropical shrubbery, the hotel offers 89 stylish rooms and suites enhanced by wooden floors, mood enhancing lighting and Thai silks. All rooms have IPTV solution and sea view balcony with sun loungers.
Honeymoon Deluxe(34.55 Sq.m.)
|Completely renovated in a chic, modern Thai style, the Honeymoon Deluxe provides a tropical ambience with a separate step-up lounge area and spacious, beachfront Balcony with sun loungers offering stunning views of the Gulf of Siam and Koh Larn (Coral Island).
Two Bedrooms Family Suite(75.75 Sq.m.)
|The all-new Cliff Terrace Suite is decorated in exotic Thai style with wooden floors and ceilings. The suite has a large master bedroom and central living room, each with LCD TVs and a second bedroom with twin beds. The luxuriously large and modern bathroom features a deep soaking tub and separate rainforest shower which is complemented with designer toiletries. Other suite amenities are 2 large walk in closets, 2 balconies overlooking the gardens and the beautiful ocean.
The Royal Cliff's newest restaurant. Set on the resorts private beach, the location is unbeatable and is one of the few places where you can enjoy the fresh, clean coastal breeze in peaceful surroundings. Open from 11.00hrs - 24.00hrs daily, guests and local residents are welcome to unwind in this chic haven and watch the day go by whilst enjoying a vibrant menu that will tempt your taste-buds no end.
Opening hours: 11:00hrs - 24:00hrs (Daily, last order for food at 23:00hrs)
|Sunset Terrace Lobby Bar
Positioned on the rooftop of the Royal Cliff Beach Terrace Hotel is the Sunset Lobby Terrace; the newest addition to Pattaya's leading 5-star property. An atmosphere that highlights tropical sunsets, and relaxing evening vibrations, the Sunset Lobby Terrace is one of Royal Cliff's many gems worth exploring. This premier setting is inspired by the vision to create a modern, yet comfortable area in which to enjoy the afternoon sun, bask in the glow of twilight and indulge in tapas, wine and sensational cocktails.
Opening hours: 17:00hrs to 1:00hrs (Daily)
Royal Cliff enjoys an unrivalled reputation when it comes to meetings, incentives, exhibitions, weddings and special events.
With over 13,000 sq.m of available meeting space, the Royal Cliff Hotels Group is one of Asia's premier meeting, incentive and convention destinations. We offer small retreats to isolate the mind and grand venues for international conferences. We can customize the meeting package to suit your preference for example ice carving sculpture decorations, Chinese acrobat shows and grand firework finale. Having arranged and managed meetings for over 30 years for heads of state and leaders of companies we feel qualified to vie for all your business.
A dedicated events manager and team are available to ensure the smooth, flexible planning and execution of conferences, meetings or private events. They can also suggest activities and places to explore in Pattaya, with its wealth of scenic attractions and entertainment.
The FITZ Club
Racquets, Health & Fitness has one of the best tennis facilities in Pattaya with 7 floodlit, hard-surface tennis courts, plus one center court. A qualified professional coach for tennis or squash is available at the club to teach the basics or assist more experienced players in fine-tuning their game. Separate coaching sessions are conducted for children. An equipment rental service is also available.
Business Centre
There are 2 Business Centres within The Royal Cliff, situated next to the lobby area of The Royal Cliff Beach Hotel and The Royal Cliff Grand Hotel. The centre is equipped with state of the art amenities including Apple Mac desktops, high speed internet access, fax, printers, scanners, secretarial services, translation services and standard office stationeries. Whether you need it for work or leisure, the business centre is ideal to serve your technological requirements
|Infinity Edge Pool
|Business Centre
The Royal Opal
The Royal Cliff's latest addition to its' vast spectrum of impressive halls, high-tech meeting rooms and unique, yet highly productive spaces is the Royal Opal Theatre. The Royal Opal Theatre is designed as a superior multi-functional space. A distinctive and refreshing meeting room capable of inspiring effective business solutions. For a live entertainment experience the Royal Opal converts into an auditorium perfect for intimate performances, where every seat provides an optimal display of the stage.
The Verge Game
Royal Cliff introduces Pattaya's coolest teen zone, The Verge, a new exciting addition to its already impressive array of first-rate facilities. It features interactive elements and the latest video game consoles including the popular Xbox 360 and the flagship motion sensor product Kinect, Playstation 4 and Nintendo Wii. The game stations are all equipped with the newest games with different varieties to suit all tastes.
Over 200 sq.m of indoor play area for the children, Funtasea is the best edutainment centre in Pattaya. Edutainment is derived from combining entertainment and education. Our objective is to offer kids activities that are both fun and productive.
|Royal Opal Theatre
|Verge Game
|Cliff Spa
|Aqua Aerobics
Cliff Spa
The harmonious setting of the Cliff Spa, overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, provides a natural refuge from the holiday activities in Pattaya. Here guests can savor Thailand's rich traditions of service and gentle massage to revitalize body and mind.
Thai cooking
Learn the skills of Thai cooking, one of the world's most popular cuisines, at the Nah Pah Thai Culinary Arts School. Our award winning Chef will teach you step by step in the art of Thai cooking. Opened in September 2000, the school offers an ideal learning environment with a large open kitchen area for practical instruction, a small lobby and reception area, a locker room and Thai dining room with wooden furnishings.
|Private Beach
|Tennis Court
|Nah Pah Thai Cooking


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Here's a couple of photos of my radios and 'shack heater'.
images upload
Steve wrote:Thanks for sharing. A nice tidy set-up Unlike mine
m0lsx wrote:Nice linear, that should run 400 watts all day even on a heavy duty cycle.
My shack is in the bedroom, inside a cupboard, on top of a set of draws. Then as the wife works a lot of night duties, I often don't get the chance to use it.
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text:
The Rangers are back in the World Series for the second straight season after losing in five games to the San Francisco Giants last year in their first- ever appearance.
After their second straight AL West title and a franchise-record 96 wins this past season, the Rangers disposed of the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS before "Cruz-ing" to a six-game win over the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS, as outfielder Nelson Cruz set the all-time mark for most home runs (six) and RBI (13) in a postseason series on his way to MVP honors.
"Behold, here we are with another opportunity," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "They deserve a ton of credit. They got so much character in that clubhouse, so much drive. And as I said, we are a team, and that's the way they handle their business — as a team."
St. Louis, meanwhile, is the National League's version of the New York Yankees, as they are back in this round for the 18th time in team history following impressive wins over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS and the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS.
Of course, the Cardinals needed all 162 games to even reach the postseason, as they rallied from a 10 1/2 game deficit in late August and secured the wild card spot on the final day with a win over Houston coupled with the Phillies completing a three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves.
"We thought we had good character, not just good talent," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "That means you can't quit and can't give up. We did get to the end, and a lot of it was our character. This one here has its own mark, because coming from that far back is historic."
Armed with the best hitter in the game in Albert Pujols, it has been the Cards' bullpen that has carried them here in October, as St. Louis became the first team to advance in a postseason series without having a starter go more than five innings in any game of its series with the Brewers.
St. Louis last won a World Series back in 2006 and its 10 titles are the most by any NL team.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the matchups at each position:
Tampa manager Joe Maddon dubbed this season the "Year of the Napoli". Mike Napoli has been a terrific addition to this Rangers club and has hit safely in eight of 10 postseason games and is hitting .316, while providing some quality defense behind the plate.
Widely regarded as the top defensive catcher in the game, Yadier Molina had his best offensive season this past year, hitting .305 with 14 home runs and 65 RBI. He's hit .279 here in the postseason, but has continued to be a stud behind the plate and will keep the Rangers' speedsters honest in this series.
Michael Young's season started with a trade demand, but ended with him being in the discussion for American League MVP, as he was the Rangers' best player all season long, hitting .338 with 106 RBI. He's now playing his third position with the team and remains one of the classiest and most underrated players in the game. Mitch Moreland will likely play first base when these games are played in Arlington.
Perhaps playing his final set of games with the Cardinals, Albert Pujols remains the best player in the game. The three-time NL MVP had a down year by his standards, but has been tremendous this postseason and hit .478 against the Brewers with a pair of home runs and eight RBI.
Ian Kinsler had a terrific bounce back season after a disappointing 2010. The gritty second baseman hit 32 home runs and scored 121 runs. He's hit .275 this postseason with nine RBI, while crossing the plate 11 times too.
Skip Schumaker had been the Cards' everyday second baseman, but suffered a strained oblique muscle in their Game 5 win over the Phillies and was left off the NLCS roster.
Schumaker might be added to the World Series roster, but if he can't go then Nick Punto will handle the duties, as he did against the Brewers. However, he only had two hits in 15 NLCS at-bats. If Schumaker can't go and Punto continues to struggle at the plate, don't be surprised if La Russa goes to Ryan Theriot. Then again if Schumaker can go, Theriot will likely be left off the WS roster.
Aside from a three home run effort in the ALDS clincher Adrian Beltre has been quiet at the plate this postseason, going just 10-for-42 (.238) with six RBI. He's still one of the best defenders at his position in the game, though.
How many Cardinals would you have named before you got to David Freese in picking an NLCS MVP before the series started. Freese was tremendous, though, as he totaled 12 hits with three home runs and nine RBI versus the Brewers. He is hitting .425 this postseason with four homers after batting .297 in the regular season with only 10 home runs.
Last postseason was Elvis Andrus' coming out party to the baseball public. This year, though, he's had a tough go of it at the plate, batting just .205 while being caught stealing twice. He did swipe 37 bases on the season and could be a valuable weapon should he get on base in this series. He's also an A+ defender.
Rafael Furcal may not possess the same speed or range that he had in his heyday with the Atlanta Braves, but his October experience has proven to be a terrific asset to this Cardinals team. Even though he is only hitting .204 this postseason, he is still one of the better defensive shortstops in the game.
David Murphy has been an invaluable asset to the Rangers, filling in when needed for both Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz this season. He's hit .391 here in the playoffs with three RBI. Washington also likes to use the defensively- minded Endy Chavez here too.
Matt Holliday appears to be fully healed from a finger injury that cost him the end of the regular season and most of the NLDS. Holliday swatted 22 home runs during the regular season and has hit .375 here in the playoffs with five runs batted in.
Hamilton didn't quite have the MVP season he had last year, but is still one of the more feared left-handed bats in the game. He's yet to hit a home run this postseason, but has driven in seven runs.
Jon Jay is another of La Russa's unheralded stars, as he was a consistent contributor during the season, batting .297 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI.
Cruz was bothered for a lot of the regular season by hamstring injuries, but has caught fire here in the playoffs. He put on a record-setting performance in the ALCS, belting six home runs and 13 RBI to help oust the Tigers.
Lance Berkman turned out to be one of the best free agent signings of last offseason, as he earned NL Comeback Player of the Year honors after batting.301 with 31 homers and 94 runs batted in this season. He's only hitting .237 here in October, though, and had just two RBI in the series win over the Brewers.
Young will slide back to his DH role at the start of this series. However, Washington could go with Murphy and leave Young at first for the beginning of this set since Moreland has just two hits in 19 postseason at-bats.
Allen Craig hit .315 for the Cardinals this past season with 11 home runs and 40 RBI in 75 games. He hasn't hit much this postseason (.222) but La Russa will not hesitate to insert him into the DH role when the series shifts to Rangers Ballpark.
The Rangers lost a big piece of their starting rotation last offseason when Cliff Lee bolted as a free agent. Left-hander C.J. Wilson did an admirable job in assuming the role as staff ace and won a career-best 16 games, while earning his first-ever trip to the All-Star Game.
He's been atrocious in the playoffs, though, losing two of his three starts and failing to get out of the fifth in the other. Wilson has allowed 14 runs in 15 2/3 innings (8.04 ERA) and has walked eight batters in that span.
But he hasn't been alone.
Lefties Derek Holland and Matt Harrison and righty Colby Lewis were downright awful against the Tigers, as the group as a whole combined for an ERA of 6.59 in the ALCS. They also own just one quality start in the 10 games they have played in the playoffs.
St. Louis' starting staff hasn't been much better, as the Cardinals became the first team to win a postseason series when their starters failed to go more than five innings in any of the six games.
The exception to the rule is righty Chris Carpenter, who is the best starter in the series. A former NL Cy Young Award winner, Carpenter, of course, outdueled Roy Halladay in a decisive fifth game to get the Cards to the NLCS, and beat the Brewers in his only NLCS start, albeit a five-inning, three run performance.
The Rangers strengthened their bullpen at the trade deadline, acquiring right- handers Mike Adams and Koji Uehara. However, it has been a starter from this season who has dominated in the bullpen here in October for the Rangers.
Right-hander Alexi Ogando, who won 13 games and earned a trip to the All-Star Game in his first year as a full-time starter this season, has been exceptional out of the bullpen in the postseason, allowing just a run and four hits, while striking out 12 in 10 1/3 innings of work.
Ogando picked up two wins in the series against the Tigers, as Rangers starters C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison combined for a 6.59 ERA in the ALCS. The rotation also has just one quality start in 10 postseason games.
With Uehara (33.75 ERA) struggling, Ogando was called upon time and time again to help set the bridge to Adams and closer Neftali Feliz, who has surrendered just one run in the postseason.
St. Louis' bullpen, which ranked 21st in the majors in the regular season with a 3.95 ERA, pitched in just over 54 percent of the team's innings — the fifth-highest percentage ever for an LCS — and contributed a 1.58 ERA. La Russa also broke his own NLCS record by making 28 pitching changes.
The bullpen was spearheaded by a pair of mid-season acquisitions in lefty Mark Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel, who along with righty Edwin Jackson came over from Toronto as part of the Colby Rasmus deal.
Closer Jason Motte, the fifth such pitcher to be used in that role, has also found his rhythm, as he converted eight of nine saves in September and has saved four games in the playoffs without allowing a run in eight innings.
Outfielder Craig Gentry will be used as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement in late game situations. Moreland will also offer some pop off the bench when the games are in St. Louis.
It's kind of veiled as to who is a starter and who isn't with some of the Cardinals, as La Russa can't help himself with the mixing and the matching. When not being used as a DH, though, Craig will be his top bat off the bench with the versatile Theriot finding himself some at bats as well, especially if Punto continues to struggle and Schumaker can't go.
Tony La Russa is one of two managers to win World Series championships in both leagues. He is third all-time in managerial victories and with another postseason win he will tie Atlanta's Bobby Cox for the second most all-time. This is also the third St. Louis team he has taken to the World Series in the last eight seasons. He may drive you crazy with all his little moves, but at the end of the day La Russa is one of the best managers to ever manage a Major League Baseball game.
Washington has his team back in the World Series for the second straight season and with a better team than the one that lost in five games last year to the San Francisco Giants. Players love playing for him and he has made all the right moves here in October. Being in last year's Fall Classic will certainly help, as Washington won't get overwhelmed in the moment.
from: http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=378368
Nolan Ryan was born on January 31st, 1947 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nolan_Ryan
January 31st, 1947
1 + 31 +1+9+4+7 = 53 = his life lesson = what he is here to learn = Straight to the point.
January 31st, 1947
January 31st
1 + 31 +2+0+1+1 = 36 = his personal year (from January 31st, 2011 to January 30th, 2012) = Managing. Feeling like the weight of the world is on his shoulders.
36 year + 9 (September) = 45 = his personal month ((technically from September 31st, 2011 to October 30th, 2011; however since there is no September 31st, it is instead (from October 1st, 2011 to October 30th, 2011)) = Intense. Focused.
45 month + 28 (28th of the month on Friday October 28th, 2011) = his personal day = Hard luck.
Ron Washington was born on April 29th, 1952 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Washington
April 29th, 1952
4 + 29 +1+9+5+2 = 50 = his life lesson = what he is here to learn = World Series.
April 29th, 1952
April 29th
4 + 29 +2+0+1+1 = 37 = his personal year (from April 29th, 2011 to April 28th, 2012) = Heartfelt. Fatherly advice.
37 year + 9 (September) = 46 = his personal month (from September 29th, 2011 to October 28th, 2011) = Historic. Making history. And the rest is history.
Nelson Cruz was born on July 1st, 1980
July 1st, 1980
7 + 1 +1+9+8+0 = 26 = his life lesson = what he is here to learn = Popular with the fans. On television. In the news. Making headlines.
July 1st, 1980
July 1st
7 + 1 +2+0+1+1 = 12 = his personal year (from July1st, 2011 to July 1st, 2012) = Reversals. Have faith.
12 year + 10 (October) = 22 = his personal month (for October 2011) = Lucky.
22 month + 28 (28th of the month on Friday October 28th, 2011) = 50 = his personal day = World Series.
Alexi Ogando was born on October 5th, 1983
October 5th, 1983
10 + 5 +1+9+8+3 = 36 = his life lesson = what he is here to learn = Managing. Feeling like the weight of the world is on his shoulders.
October 5th, 1983
October 5th
10 + 5 +2+0+1+1 = 19 = his personal year (from October 5th, 2011 to October 4th, 2011) = Proud of his hard earned success. Front and center.
19 year + 10 (October) = 29 = his personal month (from October 5th, 2011 to November 4th, 2011) = Self-confidence. Teamwork.
Michael Young was born on October 19th, 1976
October 19th, 1976
10 + 19 +1+9+7+6 = 52 = his life lesson = Keen. Astute.
October 19th, 1976
October 19th
10 + 19 +2+0+1+1 = 33 = his personal year (from October 19th, 2011 to October 18th, 2012) = Loyalty.
33 year + 10 (October) = 43 = his personal month (from October 19th, 2011 to November 18th, 2011) = This is no fun.
43 month + 28 (28th of the month on Friday October 28th, 2011) = 71 = his personal day = Professional. Job well done.
Mike Napoli was born on October 31st, 1981 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Napoli
October 31st, 1981
October 31st
10 + 31 +2+0+1+0 = 44 = his personal year (from October 31st, 2010 to October 30th, 2011) = It is what it is.
William DeWitt Jr. was born on August 31st, 1941 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_DeWitt,_Jr.
August 31st, 1941
8 + 31 +1+9+4+1 = 54 = his life lesson = what he is here to learn = Technology. Interviews. Ask questions.
August 31st, 1941
August 31st
8 + 31 +2+0+1+1 = 43 = his personal year (from August 31st, 2011 to August 30th, 2012) = Celebrating. Congratulations.
43 year + 9 (September) = 52 = his personal month ((technically from September 31st, 2011 to October 30th, 2011; however since there is no September 31st, it is instead (from October 1st, 2011 to October 30th, 2011)) = Gossip. Rumors. Criticism.
52 month + 28 (28th of the month on Friday October 28th, 2011) = 80 = his personal day = Dealing with the aftermath.
Tony La Russa was born on October 4th, 1944
October 4th, 1944
10 + 4 +1+9+4+4 = 32 = his life lesson = what he is here to learn = Winning. Victory. Championship.
October 4th, 1944
October 4th
10 + 4 +2+0+1+1 = 18 = his personal year (from October 4th, 2011 to October 3rd, 2012) = Surreal. Cardinal madness. People going crazy over the St. Louis Cardinals.
18 year + 10 (October) = 28 = his personal month (from October 4th, 2011 to November 3rd, 2011) = Vulnerability.
28 month + 28 (28th of the month on Friday October 28th, 2011) = 56 = his personal day = Tie breaker.
David Freese was born on April 28th, 1983 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Freese
April 28th, 1983
4 + 28 = 32 = his core number = MVP.
Albert Pujols was born on January 16th, 1980 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Pujols
January 16th, 1980
1 + 16 +1+9+8+0 = 35 = his life lesson = what he is here to learn = Stamina. Hanging in there. Never giving up.
January 16th, 1980
January 16th
1 + 16 +2+0+1+1 = 21 = his personal year (from January 16th, 2011 to January 15th, 2012) = On the world stage. For all the world to see. Universally appreciated. Putting things in perspective.
21 year + 10 (October) = 31 = his personal month (from October 16th, 2011 to November 15th, 2011) = Competition. Rising to the challenge.
31 month + 28 (28th of the month on Friday October 29th, 2011) = 59 = his personal day = Savior. Redemption.
Chris Carpenter was born on April 27th, 1975 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Carpenter
April 27th, 1975
4 + 27 +1+9+7+5 = 53 = = his life lesson = what he is here to learn = Straight to the point.
April 27th, 1975
April 27th
4 + 27 +2+0+1+1 = 36 = his personal year (from April 27th, 2011 to April 26th, 2012) = Managing. Feeling like the weight of the world is on his shoulders.
Allen Craig was born on July 18th, 1984
July 18th, 1984
7 + 18 +1+9+8+4 = 47 = his life lesson = what he is here to learn = Famous. Internationally known. Legacy.
July 18th, 1984
July 18th
7 + 18 +2+0+1+1 = 29 = his personal year (from July 18th, 2011 to July 17th, 2012) = Self-confidence. Teamwork.
29 year + 10 (October) = 39 = his personal month (from October 18th, 2011 to November 17th, 2011) = Compliments.
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text: Having your windshield repaired is reasonably fast and painless but knowing what should be expected will make the method smoother than it might otherwise. What can be expected when repairing a chip, bull's eye, starbreak, or any other type of damage. The windshield repairs expert will require access to the auto windshield from the inside as well as the outside so plan to have somebody available in Burbank, CA to unlock the vehicle. The expert will check the damage removing any debris and comprehensively cleaning the area. Depending on the temperature where the auto is the windshield might have to be warmed or cooled for most impressive results. Many times the damaged area will have to be scrupulously drilled to be sure the resin will penetrate deep into the crack. Once this is done the specialist will inject the resin. The resin might need to be dealt with by the repair person using a UV light for 60 or 70 seconds. Finally the windshield will need to be checked both from outside and inside the vehicle. The windshield repair must not obstruct the driver's sight or meddle with the windshield wipers in any way. Once all these steps have been finished you shouldn't have to worry about the damaged area spreading and weakening the windshield. Bargain Auto Glass Corp offers auto glass replacement in citiy CA for over decade.


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MIT professors Shafi Goldwasser and Silvio Micali have won the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) A.M. Turing Award for their pioneering work in the fields of cryptography and complexity theory. The two developed new mechanisms for how information is encrypted and secured, work that is widely applicable today in communications protocols, Internet transactions and cloud computing. They also made fundamental advances in the theory of computational complexity, an area that focuses on classifying computational problems according to their inherent difficulty.
Goldwasser and Micali were credited for "revolutionizing the science of cryptography" and developing the gold standard for enabling secure Internet transactions. The Turing Award, which is presented annually by the ACM, is often described as the "Nobel Prize in computing" and comes with a $250,000 prize.
"For three decades Shafi and Silvio have been leading the field of cryptography by asking fundamental questions about how we share and receive information. I am thrilled that they have been honored for their pioneering work, and particularly excited that they have been recognized for their achievements as a team," says Professor Daniela Rus, director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL). "We are honored and privileged to have this tremendous duo here at CSAIL."
Goldwasser is the RSA Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and a professor of computer science and applied mathematics at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. She leads the Theory of Computation Group at CSAIL. Micali is the Ford Professor of Engineering at MIT and leads the Information and Computer Security Group at CSAIL, along with Goldwasser and Professor Ronald L. Rivest.
"I am delighted that Professors Shafi Goldwasser and Silvio Micali have been recognized and honored with the prestigious ACM Turing Award for their fundamental contributions to the field of provable security. Their work has had a major impact on a broad spectrum of applications touching everyday lives and has opened exciting new research opportunities," says Anantha Chandrakasan, head of MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). "This is a tremendous honor for the EECS department and inspiring for the large number of students and faculty who have benefited from interactions with Shafi and Silvio."
Goldwasser and Micali began collaborating as graduate students at the University of California at Berkeley in 1980. While toying around with the idea of how to securely play a game of poker over the phone, they devised a scheme for encrypting and ensuring the security of single bits of data. From there, Goldwasser and Micali proved that their scheme could be scaled up to tackle much more complex problems, such as communications protocols and Internet transactions.
Based on their work, Goldwasser and Micali published a paper in 1982, titled "Probabilistic Encryption," which laid the framework for modern cryptography. In the paper they introduced formal security definitions, which remain the gold standard for security to this day, and pioneered randomized methods for encryption. Goldwasser and Micali proved that encryption schemes must be randomized rather than deterministic, with many possible encrypted texts corresponding to each message, a development that revolutionized the study of cryptography and laid the foundation for the theory of cryptographic security.
They also introduced the simulation paradigm, which demonstrates a system's security by showing that an enemy could have simulated all the information he obtained during the employment of a cryptographic system, proving that the cryptographic system poses no risk. The simulation paradigm has become the most widely used method for enabling security in cryptography, going beyond privacy to address problems in authentication and integrity of data, software protection and protocols that involve many participants, such as electronic elections and auctions.
One of Goldwasser and Micali's most significant contributions is their 1985 paper, with Charles Rackoff, titled "The Knowledge Complexity of Interactive Proof Systems." It introduced knowledge complexity, a concept that deals with hiding information from an adversary, and is a quantifiable measure of how much "useful information" could be extracted. The paper initiated the idea of "zero-knowledge" proofs, in which interaction (the ability of provers and verifiers to send each other messages back and forth) and probabilism (the ability to toss coins to decide which messages to send) enable the establishment of a fact via a statistical argument without providing any additional information as to why it is true.
Zero-knowledge proofs were a striking new philosophical idea that provided the essential language for speaking about security of cryptographic protocols by controlling the leakage of knowledge. Subsequent works by Oded Goldreich, Micali and Avi Wigderson, and by Michael Benor, Goldwasser and Wigderson, showed that every multiparty computation could be carried out securely, revealing to the players no more knowledge than prescribed by the desired outcome. These papers exhibited the power and utility of zero-knowledge protocols, and demonstrated their ubiquitous and omnipotent character.
The paper identified interactive proofs as a new method to verify correctness in the exchange of information. Beyond cryptography, interactive proofs can be verified much faster than classical proofs, and can be used in practice to guarantee correctness in a variety of applications such as cloud computing. In a series of works by Goldwasser, Micali and other collaborators, interactive proofs have been extended in several new directions. One direction was to include interactions between a single verifier and multiple provers, which has led to a new way to define and prove NP completeness for approximation problems (an area of active research). Another led to the development of computationally sound proofs, which can be easily compacted and verified, allowing for expedient accuracy checks.
"I am very proud to have won the Turing Award," Goldwasser says. "Our work was very unconventional at the time. We were graduate students and let our imagination run free, from using randomized methods to encrypt single bits to enlarging the classical definition of a proof to allow a small error to setting new goals for security. Winning the award is further testimony to the fact that the cryptographic and complexity theoretic community embraced these ideas in the last 30 years."
"I am honored by this recognition and thankful to the computer science community," Micali adds. "As graduate students, we took some serious risks and faced a few rejections, but also received precious encouragement from exceptional mentors. I am also proud to see how far others have advanced our initial work."
Past recipients of the Turing Award from MIT have include: Manuel Blum, Fernando Corbato, Butler Lampson, Barbara Liskov, John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Alan J. Perlis, Ronald L. Rivest, and Ivan Sutherland.
The Turing Award is given annually by the ACM and is named for British mathematician Alan M. Turing, who invented the idea of the computer and who helped the Allies crack the Nazi Enigma cipher during World War II. Goldwasser and Micali will formally receive the award during the ACM's annual Awards Banquet on June 15 in San Francisco.


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Mac osx and Ubuntu have the same type of bar at the top of the screen. What I mean is that it is dynamic, when you launch an application, you can reach its setting by using that top bar, file view and so on is not implemented in the application itself, but it is implemented to that bar.
What is this user interface called?


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In partnership with parkrun, Stockland Highland Reserve are offering a free weekly 5km event for runners and walkers of all fitness levels starting in Tallowwood Park.
Afterwards the group enjoy a well-deserved coffee at Cafe Two Coomera - come along and meet your neighbours and fellow runners, we'd love to see you there!
Visit the parkrun Coomera webpage for more details and to register: http://www.parkrun.com.au/coomera


text:
Classic jersey with a lightweight fit and a unique collar
Choose colour
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- Free shipping on orders above 120 EUR
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- Quality: 100% polyester
- Fitting: Regular
Made in a lightweight material, the hummel® CORE SS POLY JERSEY is all about comfort on the field. This jersey features printed chevrons on the shoulders and a sporty collar, adding an authentic vibe to this style. Suitable for all kinds of sport e.g. handball, football or running.
Item no.. 003636-7037


text:
- News
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- Technology
What might Canada look like in 2017, the year of our sesquicentennial celebration?
It is, of course, impossible to predict events a week from now, let alone five years out. But for fun and the sake of argument, let's try. What follows is a brief national portrait, dated July 1, 2017. Utopia? Dystopia? Or the usual hodge-podge, leavened with fanciful nonsense? You decide.
In late June of 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is just getting his feet wet. He has developed wrinkles, a few grey hairs, and a hint of a paunch – which he intends to work off, he tells reporters, by doing half an hour of yoga every morning. Trudeau leads a minority Liberal government of 157 MPs, having eight months earlier narrowly defeated minority Conservative Prime Minister Jason Kenney, now reduced to 128 seats.
The New Democrats, led by Megan Leslie, hold 45 House of Commons seats, most of them in Quebec and the Maritimes. Elizabeth May's Greens, building on their five-seat B.C. breakthrough in Election 2015, hold eight seats in the 338-seat House of Commons.
But the talk this summer in Ottawa is not of eight Green seats, but 20: Delivering on a promise made in 2015 and again in the recent election, the Trudeau government has embarked on a full-blown reboot of the electoral system, which appears likely to result in a proportional setup based on the Australian model. That could see the Greens dramatically increasing their seat count at the next vote.
Meanwhile, as the price of their co-operation in the reform effort, May, Leslie and Kenney are negotiating through intermediaries for cabinet seats. Kenney has demanded Finance, Foreign Affairs and Industry. Leslie wants Health and Justice. May, of course, is determined to be Environment Minister. If they're not satisfied they may bring the government down, causing the whole reform process to collapse – and marring the sesquicentennial. But Trudeau can't give these key portfolios away, without sparking a revolt within his own ranks. Nor does he want to.
Complicating matters is a nationwide protest movement, initially led by aboriginal groups unhappy about the exclusionary tone and content of the 150th anniversary celebrations. "15,000, not 150!" goes the slogan. The protest quickly spreads, morphing into a multi-ethnic, multi-generational expression of dismay at the continuing specter of high taxes, declining government services and bleak job prospects for anyone without a marketable trade. A celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, on April 9, 2017, is marked by mainly peaceful protests on Parliament Hill and across Canada.
The prime minister attempts to engage protest leaders in one-on-one dialogue but the initiative quickly founders. Radicals among them accuse Trudeau of being a toady to globalist, corporate interests. He does not flip them the bird, but is sorely tempted to on more than one occasion.
None of this is made easier by the fact that former prime minister Stephen Harper, from his perch as head of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, continues to blast the Trudeau government and all its works with a stream of incisive and wickedly funny articles in the national media. A darkly ironic sense of humour, it turns out, was Harper's true hidden agenda.
Nor is Tom Mulcair, the New Democratic premier of Quebec, any help: He dislikes Trudeau with an intensity bordering on mania, and in fact has his portrait pasted on a dartboard in his home office. Mulcair continues to wield considerable influence with his allies in the House and is fomenting for the government's downfall. More than once, Trudeau is heard to sigh wearily to his Minister of Everything, Toronto MP Gerald Butts, or long-suffering chief of staff Katie Telford: "Why did we do all this, again?"
The Canadian and global economies remain mired in a decade-long slump – not a depression, per se, but anemic growth of just over one per cent. That's because the massive global de-leveraging process that began in earnest in 2013 is still only half-complete. The United States, Europe, India and even China are struggling with slowdowns of their own and the effect is cumulative. A huge ramp-up in U.S. unconventional fossil fuel production has blunted, somewhat, demand for Canadian bitumen – despite the construction of new pipelines to the Gulf Coast and a massive new rail transport network to Alaska. Enbridge's Gateway Pipeline project was shelved in late 2013.
China is now deeply engaged in the Middle East, both as a consumer of oil and politically, and focusing its resource-extraction efforts there and in Africa. The resultant softening in Canadian commodity prices has caused the Canadian dollar to slip back below 80 cents U.S.
Canadian creative industries, however – including engineering, technology innovation, media and the arts – are thriving. Newspapers in particular, after a decade of darkness that lasted 20 years, are once again posting healthy annual profits, thanks partly to the cascade of Internet pay walls that went up beginning in 2013. Drudge Report founder Matt Drudge, in announcing the dissolution of his now-bankrupt news aggregator site, angrily declares that "democracy on the Internet is over."
By 2017, technology is well on its way to transforming everything, again. Mining and oil-and-gas explorers are going deeper than they've ever gone before, in places they've never gone before, using increasingly sophisticated robots and drones. In 2016, the U.S. and Israeli militaries field a new prototype infantry combat robot, guided by satellite, quickly nicknamed "the Terminator" by the media. But the most startling technological innovations come in health care. For the first time, realistic-looking, functional and affordable prosthetics can be controlled by a user's thoughts. In early 2017, a chess robot designed and built entirely by another computer defeats a chess robot built by a human engineer.
That same year, Apple launches a free-standing medical division, with a line of apps and devices that allow users to self-monitor and self-diagnose many ailments and conditions. The company also markets a system, the first commercial application of its kind, that allows users to interact with their laptop or phone using mental commands. Locator chips become commonplace in pets and controversy erupts over plans for their widespread implantation in children. More controversy erupts after a Mumbai-based firm offers complete home health diagostics for Canadians, including 24/7 electronic and pacemaker monitoring, outside Medicare, payable via Paypal. In Kuala Lumpur, a young woman achieves international notoriety by giving birth to two "twin" clones – one of herself, one of her husband.
Across the country, provincial governments respond to exploding health-care costs by dramatically increasing the numbers of mid-salaried nurse practitioners and health-care technologists, and sharply reducing the numbers of high-salaried medical doctors, relative to the number of patients. There's still no cure for cancer – but incidence of the disease begins to drop sharply, due to much greater public attention to exercise, environmental factors, vitamins and nutrition. In late 2016, using stem-cell technology, researchers at the University of Waterloo find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease. They will later win the Nobel for medicine.
The Arts
Speaking of which: In 2017, Canadian short story writer Alice Munro at long last wins the Nobel Prize for literature. Novelist Miriam Toews wins the Booker for a darkly sardonic story narrated from the point of view of a Japanese-designed housekeeping robot. The hits just keep on coming as a Sarah Polley film based on Michael Ondaatje's 1987 masterpiece, In the Skin of a Lion, wins Oscar nominations for best adapted screenplay, best cinematography, best director and best picture. The film is shut out in all categories except cinematography, however, causing fans to cry foul.
A Phd candidate in mathematics at McGill develops a piece of software that creates real-time symphonic music based on the infrared signatures of the audience.As applause grows, the music becomes more energetic and complex; this feeds greater applause, and so on. The show is performed across Canada to rave reviews.
Late in 2016, actor Daniel Craig is at last nearing the end of his uber-successful run as Ian Fleming's superspy. As the film goes into production, rumours emerge of a plot surprise to eclipse all previous Bond films. Anonymous sources are quoted as saying the film has a "transgendered" theme, raising speculation to a fever pitch. Finally, the big reveal: In mid-narrative Bond's brain is transplanted into the body of a woman, played by Scarlett Johansson. Henceforth, Johansson will play Bond – Jane Bond. Fans around the world are outraged but turn out to see the movie anyway, in record numbers. Social critic Camille Paglia pens an essay in Salon.com in which she asserts that Bond's gender switch marks the end of "the ascendancy of man."
In March 2017, Justin Bieber, just turned 23, undertakes a world tour "unplugged," accompanying himself on an old acoustic guitar, sporting long hair and a scraggly beard. The show is wildly successful, including in Canada, where Bieber reprises his 2012 performance at the Grey Cup. This time, no one boos.
A wildly popular plan to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the NHL with a series of outdoor hockey games among the original six teams is shelved due to a dispute over money and television rights. After protracted negotiations the games are cancelled.
In regular season sports action, the Toronto Maple Leafs lose. The Toronto Argonauts lose. The Toronto Blue Jays lose. And the Toronto Raptors lose. But all four GTA pro sports teams post record profits as fans turn out in ever-greater numbers, paying ever-higher prices. Late in 2017, Stephen Harper finally produces his hockey book: 1,297 pages long, the volume is quickly recognized by sports historians as a masterpiece. "Harper does for hockey what Conrad Black did for Roosevelt," declares one reviewer.
In Chiang Mai, Thailand, a new cycling race emerges, billing itself as "no holds-barred": Competitors are free to use any drug or substance they wish to enhance their performance. The competition is denounced by athletic officials worldwide but public interest is such that TSN decides to broadcast it anyway. After a brief attempt at a boycott fails, advertisers leap aboard. The race, which snakes through the opium-producing mountains of the Golden Triangle, is the most watched cycling event in history.
Nevertheless, public disgust at the excesses of elite sport leads to a rethink of athletics funding here in Canada. In a program personally championed by Prime Minister Trudeau, partipACTION makes a comeback. Across Canada, sluggards and couch potatoes turn off their phones and tablets, and flog their bodies into action – running, walking and cycling, often by torchlight or by moonlight, to celebrate the country's 150th birthday.