text:
Sport Sidelined: A Synergy Snapshot of The 2015 General Election
|As Ed Miliband stated, the 2015 General Election is set to be the 'tightest for a generation'. With policy focus on heavyweight areas, and media attention revolving around the potential results and the resultant political permutations, you could be forgiven for growing weary of the wall-to-wall election coverage.
However, there has been very little attention paid to the topic of Sport. It's clear the seductive vision of the Olympic legacy promised in the 2010 UK General Election has not been realised. London 2012 brought more Team GB medals than any other Games, but participation levels in the UK are still falling, and yet Sport has been sidelined in the 2015 party manifestos. Within the combined 327 pages of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos, there were collectively 23 sentences referencing the subject. Not only is this disappointing, but it also seems illogical considering the impact Sport can have on on other policy areas, not least as physical inactivity is said to be costing our national economy £8.2 billion a year...
We must therefore ask: what effect, if any, will the election have on the Sport and sponsorship industry? To find an answer, we pored over the party manifestos, and delved into the political news archives to establish which elements of pre-election party chatter around Sport would actually make it on to the election agenda.
A summary of the major points can be found in our infographic here
For a more detailed view of these key topics, please read on...
Funding cuts leave door open for brands
In the weeks leading up to the 2015 General Election, much of the rhetoric has focused on each party's approach to reducing the UK's vast deficit (£101.8bn in 2014 alone). This need for collective belt-tightening makes cuts inevitable. With parties keen to ensure focus on the heavyweight policy areas, such as Education, Housing and the NHS, Sport has taken a back seat.
The prospects for sports funding, especially at the grassroots end of the spectrum, are poor. Whilst this is a worrying trend, any funding shortfall could open opportunities for brands to bridge gaps to provide capital, manpower, facilities and amenities. Work like McDonald's grassroots football campaign and Barclays' 'Spaces for Sport' programme have shown that brands can provide vital funding, equipment and coaching where there is a real need. With cuts to be made, and a prioritisation of welfare services, sponsors could play a key role in keeping Britons active.
Manifesto game plans show limited football focus
|MPs are often accused of politicising football, but parties have comfortably avoided any such accusations around this election, by barely including the national game in their manifestos at all. Following the February announcement of the new Premier League TV deal, worth £5.14 billion, leading politicians wasted no time in adding their two pennies, but Labour's manifesto was the only one to mention the subject.
Miliband has pledged to ensure the Premier League delivers on its 1999 promise to invest 5% of its domestic and international television rights income into funding grassroots. Further, Labour look to mix pounds and passion with a proposal to enable accredited supporter trusts. The move would mean fans could hold their football club far more accountable by appointing and removing at least two of the directors, and purchasing shares when the club changes hands.
The trickle-down of funds from the new TV deal and the enhanced ability for fans to hold their clubs to account could mean an evolving role for brands. Sponsors' changing role within football can be seen in recent high-profile examples, including that of Ched Evans, where club partners successfully supported Oldham fans in their calls to cancel the signing the player following his previous jail sentence.
After their focus on 'Reclaiming The Nation's Game' at their 2014 conference, it was hoped that football may play a large part in the Liberal Democrats' manifesto, but there were discouragingly few references. One of the few sport-related pledges concerned an exploration of safe standing, a stance that is sure to please a number of fans. Given the popularity of such a policy among football supporters, it might be tempting for brands already involved in the sport to show their own support by influencing policy-makers on this topic.
Worrying times for alcohol, betting and fast food brands
|Alcohol, betting and high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) brands would have been following the manifesto releases with a sense of trepidation, given the noise from major parties last year. Labour were most forthright in their views, referring to sponsorship of sports events by alcohol brands as 'potentially harmful' and calling for a debate on current rules. Their pre-election consultation on sport also included references to introducing a levy on betting companies, which could act as a new revenue stream for community sport. Additionally, a leaked document also proposed a 9pm watershed for TV adverts for unhealthy products that might appeal to youngsters – a policy mirrored by the SNP.
However, upon manifesto releases, there was barely a mention of marketing restrictions in any of the aforementioned industries. This does not mean these policies have been forgotten, rather, they appear to have been temporarily sidelined, due to the focus on 'safer' traditional policy areas. Given the impact any fresh legislation could have on brand advertising and sponsorship approaches – as well as marketing budgets – companies and rightsholders in the firing line will have to keep their eyes open.
A lot to learn on school sport
|A minimum of 2 hours per week from Labour, £150 million investment a year from the Conservatives and half a day a week from the Greens. These are the manifesto pledges made by the parties on the subject of school sport. The immediate question is, of course, what on Earth do they all mean? Comparing these disparate units of measurement is an almost impossible task, and that's before chucking in extra layers of confusion, such as Labour's rebuttal that the Conservatives' promise actually represents a reduction of current funding, when taking inflation into account.
The lack of a substantial commitment by any party ensures that schools still remain fertile ground for sponsors, as Lloyds Bank National Schools Sports Week programme has shown, and brands that can best understand where funding gaps will arise, once the anointed party has implemented their policy, will be best placed to create fruitful partnerships.
Closing the gender gap
|The push for equality within sport, in terms of both participation and representation, is gathering pace, with FIFA's No to Racism and Sport England's ThisGirlCan campaigns being just two high-profile proof-points. But whilst all parties vocalise support for women's sport when prompted, the Conservatives were the only party to clearly put pen to paper, pledging to push the number of women on national sports governing bodies to at least 25% by 2017. The Green Party included a more vague reference to 'setting targets for participation by women'.
The silence was particularly disappointing from Labour, who had put a primary focus on the subject within their pre-election sports consultation. Within the party's 'More Sport For All' document, there was even suggestion of a government fund incentivising commercial sponsorship of women's sport.
Such silence presents sponsors with the opportunity to bridge the gap on gender policy. The profile of women's sport is growing, but investment accounts for just 0.4% of the value of all the sponsorship deals and just 7% of total sports media coverage. As outlined in Synergy's NowNewNext article on the subject, brands can make a real difference within women's sport if their activity is grounded in appropriate insights. Savvy sponsors with existing partnerships stand to benefit the most. Our advice to the (right) brands not already engaged would be to get involved whilst you can.
Tories target American Sport
Increasingly popular in the UK, it was never going to be long before US sport landed on the political agenda. Referenced in the Conservative manifesto, David Cameron aspires to increase UK links with the major US sports, with a long-term view of franchises based in the UK. More than 600,000 people have already attended each of the previous two NFL events on Regent Street, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have long been rumoured to become a permanent NFL London-based franchise. On top of this, Britons have already witnessed regular-season NBA games on home turf as the Global Games Schedule expands overseas.
The globalisation of sport, as discussed in Synergy's NowNewNext report, is happening fast. It seems that a Conservative government would be prepared to turbo-charge this process. Sponsors need to be ready for the opportunities - and challenges – that this will bring.
Minority parties explore major changes
|Despite UKIP repeatedly referencing their support for 'unifying a British culture', the promise may be somewhat inhibited by a pledge to abolish the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of their streamlining measures. Given the department's crucial role in administrating UK sport at every level, including a major role in delivering the Olympics, the policy seems potentially ill-judged.
Another policy that stood out from the manifestos was the Green Party's position on horse racing. The proposal for a whip-free Grand National, and consequent 'full review of the sport' would represent a step towards the event being cut from the sporting (and sponsorship) calendar altogether. With £80m bet every year by the British public and 600m TV viewers globally, the policy would have widespread impact.
These more outlandish promises might be laughed off in almost any other election campaign, but given the likely delicate balance of power, concerns are justifiable, especially if either party were to grab power under a coalition or alliance.
Boiling 500+ pages of manifesto down into a seven-point snapshot was easy. Not because the Synergy Insights team comprises some of the brightest sponsorship brains in Britain (although this may well be true), but because sport and sponsorship have largely been sidelined by the UK political parties. While our seven snippets show that the parties have not been totally silent, one thing is emphatically clear:
Sport could use sponsors now more than ever.
Conservative Party https://www.conservatives.com/manifesto
Green Party https://www.greenparty.org.uk/we-stand-for/2015-manifesto.html
Labour Party http://www.labour.org.uk/manifesto
Liberal Democrat Party http://www.libdems.org.uk/manifesto
SNP http://votesnp.com/docs/manifesto.pdf
UKIP http://www.ukip.org/manifesto2015
Gambling Watch UK http://www.gamblingwatchuk.org/
Office for National Statistics http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/index.html
Sport England https://www.sportengland.org/
Sport and Recreation Alliance http://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/
Sports think tank http://www.sportsthinktank.com/


text:
Read the July 2012 Innovation Agenda Update
Report on CPS Goals 2010-12 and Innovation Agenda Benchmarks presented to School Committee
See the Upper School Curriculum Highlights Booklet and the Upper School Curriculum Night Presentation (WMP | Silverlight)
See the Upper School Brochure and the Superintendent's welcome letter to students in grades 5-7. English | Kreyòl Ayisyen | Português | Español | 한국의 | Amharic
The Innovation Agenda is an ambitious plan that will propel Cambridge Public Schools into the 21st century, and prepare all our students for life in a world we cannot fully imagine today. The Innovation Agenda is a design for excellent education rather than adequate education—merging Cambridge Public Schools' twin goals of academic excellence and social justice.
The Innovation Agenda is a district transformation process that will continue to be developed and phased in over time. In September 2012, Innovation Agenda programming will launch with the creation of four upper school campuses serving students in grades 6-8. The new Upper School Program, designed and developed by CPS educators in the 2011-12 school year, will continue to be developed and refined in 2013-14 and beyond.
The Innovation Agenda is designed to accomplish the following six goals, ensuring a quality educational experience for all students in Cambridge.
District Structure
Under the Innovation Agenda, the Cambridge Public Schools will offer:
Background Documents & Information

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Jackets & Fleeces
Here at logos4polos we stock an extensive range of stylish, high quality yet affordable jackets and fleeces. As with all the other items we stock you can buy a fleece or jacket blank, safe in the knowledge that you'll own a top of the range item of clothing, or you can design personalised fleece jackets.
Whether you opt for an embroidered fleece jacket or a printed fleece jacket the actual process of ordering your items has been made as simple and pain-free as possible. Look through our huge range of jackets and fleeces to find exactly the item you want and then upload the design or logo you wish to personalise it with.
All of the items we produce are made in-house by expert crafts people using top of the range technology. This means we can promise consistency of quality at the same time as lowering overheads and passing the savings on to our customers.
Whether you want a personalised fleece as an item of workwear or simply to own a customised piece of clothing, take a look at the range of top brands we stock and set about creating your unique printed fleece today.
Items 1 to 9 of 74 total
- Uneek Adults Premium FleeceCustomise from£14.62
- Uproar softshellCustomise from£30.52
- Air windbreakerCustomise from£13.35
- Full zip outdoor fleeceCustomise from£17.90
- SiroccoCustomise from£8.72
- Hudson jacketCustomise from£35.26
- Women's Hudson jacketCustomise from£35.26
- Industry 300 two-tone work jacket (IN30010)Customise from£44.00
- Uneek Unisex Classic Zip Fleece JacketCustomise from£8.82


text:
Home » Japan and SE ASIA » OSTERTAG, BOB/OTOMO YOSHIHIDE: Twins
OSTERTAG, BOB/OTOMO YOSHIHIDE: Twins
Concept- 3 invitees prepare 3 original pieces of about 4 minutes. Bob and Otomo generate pieces from deconstructing, sampling, reconstructing, and sometimes supplementing them; each 'parent' thus leading to a set of 'twins'. The original pieces - by Chris Cutler, Yagi Michiyo and Herb Robertson - appear too, so here's a window on samplers, musical thinking and plunderphonia - as well as a very listenable CD. Japanese Pressing
Code: CMDD0-00030
Price: £15.00


text:
Mark was "counseling" a couple with a cellar who had kind of lost track of what they liked. He suggested a tasting, and it blossomed into a charity tasting for the organization I run- win win! He rounded up some generous souls, and we met at Crabtree's Kittle House last night. I had a "pizette" with sushi tuna and (very mild) jalapenos, followed by a delicious guinea hen main.
Starter was provided by Mark, a 1983 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkapsel. I was very excited to taste this, and it did have great acidic balance and some wonderful petrol, orange blossom, and honied notes, there was also something musty, that came into focus as light TCA (at least to me and couple others at my end, I think others disagreed). A shame.
The reds
1989 Latour Haut Brion
Somewhat funky nose at first, and I thought soft and a bit clipped on the palate. It did seem to gain body and lenght with some air, and some rather classic cigarbox and leather notes. B+ by the end
1990 La Louviere
I've always liked this wine, and this bottle reminded me of why. Lovely midbodied claret, ripe with a plush texture and good length. A-
1989 Talbot
This was a bit bretty, but not enough to really bother me, but overall it was a stolid and slightly dull effort. B-
1986 Silver Oak Alexander Valley
Nice showing, nice herbal notes over some red fruit, cedar, fairly low acid but not enough (for me) to detract, good wine. B+
1998 Petite Eglise
A Pomerol I don't remember encountering before. Ripe/overripe, soft, jammy. C+
1996 Leoville Barton
Somewhat tannic, lots of herb, cassis fruit, I thought the acids were a bit spiky/unintegrated. Needs some time to come together. B
1996 Haut Batailley
Surprisingly ready, mild tannins, not especially expressive, but a little lead pencil over dark fruit. Didn't excite me. B/B-
1996 Pontet Canet
I thought this quite nice in a mid-modern style of Bordeaux- plush texture, full fruited, some wood but not really sticking out. Would be nice with a steak now but I'd give more time for wood and tannin to integrate. A-/B+
1996 Calon Segur
My favorite of the '96s. Full and rich, blackcurrants with coffee, graphite, spice. Not at all hard to drink now but clearly can last. A-
Fun night with good people, and raised money for a good cause to boot. Thanks to Tommy and Marcia for their generosity with wines, Mark for organizing, and all for their generosity and good humor.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.


text:
Back in December, KORG announced their iPolysix Remix Contest for their new app iPolysix for iPad. Remix a track from the selection of original tracks provided by KORG, composed entirely on the iPolysix. There's nine days left to enter the contest. Head over to http://ipolysix.herokuapp.com to find out more.
Your track will be certified as an Official Track and pre-installed on the next iPolysix update. A ton of other goodies are also up for grabs.
Here's a sample of some sounds that have been created using iPolysix in the iPolysix Featured Tracks Vol. 1 set so far and a newly posted Vol. 2.


text:
Dave Says Column
Dave Says is a syndicated column carried by more than 400 publishers. It has a total combined print circulation of over 8 million!
November 26, 2012
Why you shouldn't cash out
Dear Dave,
Is it a good idea for a married couple in their early thirties, who have a lot of student loan debt, to cash out one of their 401(k)s to pay it off?
Dear Marcy,
No way! You never cash out a 401(k) or IRA to pay off debt, unless it's to avoid a foreclosure or bankruptcy. Let's say you take $50,000 out of your 401(k). Do you know what happens next? They're going to charge you a 10 percent penalty, plus your tax rate. If you make $75,000 a year, that puts you in a 25 percent tax rate, plus the penalty. That's a 35 percent hit, and that's how much of your money is going straight down the toilet.
Look at it this way. You wouldn't ask me if it's okay to borrow money at a 35 percent interest rate to pay off your school loans, right? That would be ridiculous, and this is just as dumb.
There are no shortcuts when it comes to getting out of debt, Marcy. Roll up your sleeves and get on a beans and rice budget where every dollar has a name. This will enable you to save money and pay off that debt!
Paying for the classes
Dear Dave,
My wife and I have our fully funded emergency fund in place, and we're debt-free, except for the house. She wants to return to school to get a master's degree and change careers. She'll be reimbursed up to $7,000 a year. Can we use some of our emergency fund to get things started?
Dear Kevin,
I've got a better idea. Save up the money!
You guys are in great shape already. And to me, this opportunity seems like a small investment with a fabulous return. I really like the idea. But you have to be careful when it comes to things like this. You don't want to get into the habit of calling things emergencies when they're not emergencies. It's a great thing, but it's nowhere near an emergency.
I know she's excited about the possibilities, but I'd just roll up my sleeves, save a little extra for a while and cash flow the classes. She'll probably get reimbursed for the first classes right after she gets her grades, then you can use the reimbursement check to pay for the next classes, and the next check the next classes. Make sense?
I love the school idea, and I'm glad your wife has such a great opportunity. But I don't want you to take a chance on messing up the progress you've made in taking control of your finances. Just take your time and save for those first classes. You'll be glad you did!


text:
One Piece RP, a forum RP with over 100 unique locations to RP, unique systems including achievements, lineages, ranking, PvP, and much more. Make the impossible possible on this site, discover things never before seen in this non-canon forum RP.
non-canon, piece, achievements, official, #strawhat, luffy, boat, ranks, titles, islands, private, donor, system, unique, active, staff


text:
Dryer Vent Cleaning in Troy, South Carolina
Troy Dryer Vent Cleaning:
Save Money and Improve Home Safety
Periodic Dryer Vent Cleaning in Troy South Carolina Improves Dryer Efficiency
Drying clothes generates a significant amount of lint. We all understand the need to clean the lint trap on a regular basis. Depending on the type of fabric being dried, cleaning the lint trap after each load is generally recommended. Regularly cleaning the lint trap will improve air flow in the dryer, and allow it operate more efficiently, saving time to dry your clothes and saving you money on your electric bill. But cleaning the trap is not enough. Your Troy dryer vent needs cleaning occasionally as well.
Troy Dryer Vent Cleaning Will Reduce Your Risk of a House Fire
Your lint trap does not catch all the lint. Much of it can make it all the way through the dryer air vent, which is released to the outside of your home. Some of the lint will get stuck in the duct work. Flexible dryer hoses, with curves and ridges are especially susceptible to lint accumulation. The farther the lint must travel in the duct work, the greater chance it will accumulate. This poses a fire hazard in your home. Every year, house fires are caused by dryer vents that have become obstructed. When heat builds up due to an obstruction, the material becomes very hot. Fires are easily prevented with periodic dryer vent cleaning. Troy residents trust Universal Carpet Cleaning to provide thorough, efficient and reasonably priced vent cleaning services.
Top Three Reasons to Call Universal Carpet Cleaning for Dryer Vent Cleaning in Your Troy Home Today
- Increase your home's safety by reducing the chance of a fire
- Make your dryer more efficient (will dry your clothes faster AND save money)
- Our Troy Dryer Vent Cleaning Technicians are friendly, professional and efficient
Call (706) 447-9776 today for a fast, free quote, and get your Troy dryer functioning safely and efficiently. We'll schedule an appointment that works around your busy schedule.
Call for FREE Dryer Vent Cleaning Quote
(706) 447-9776
★★★★★ - "Great service Mr. Jackson was on time and did an amazing job on our carpets. We were weeks away from replacing the carpet but Universal Carpet saves us a lot of money. I highly recommend them."
Jackquelin B., Carpet Cleaning in Augusta, GA2018-11-14
★★★★★ - "Once again I called Mr. Jackson at the last minute and BAM!! He shows up when he said he would and does an amazing job on the carpet Thanks"
Mike D., Carpet Cleaning in Augusta, GA2018-11-14
★★★★★ - "Been using this company for commercial business and I refer all my clients or prospects to Mr. Jackson and his crew. Universal Carpet Clean has wowed every time! Highly recommend making sure you at least get a quote from them before hiring anyone else!"
Tyler, Commercial Carpet Cleaning2018-06-14


text:
Previous work in this genre Next work in this genre Poems Genre index About this register Links Search
"Havet ved Tanger (Hører du havets susende tone)" [Danish title] is number 2216 in the Hans Christian Andersen Center's register of Andersen's literary works, i.e. no. 716 in the category poems (the range 1501 - 2900).
"Havet ved Tanger (Hører du havets susende tone)" [Danish title] was first published 9 November 1863.
The work was published as a part of I Spanien [Danish title]. (Number 720. BFN 869. Category/genre: Travelogue).
Show this work in its context: all new Andersen publications from 1863.
In modern Danish on p. 813 in Johan de Mylius (editor): H.C. Andersen. Samlede digte ('Collected poems', Copenhagen, 2000).


text:
Why Choose Us?
- keyboard_arrow_rightConsultation by experts
- keyboard_arrow_rightTransparent Pricing
- keyboard_arrow_rightExperienced, Trained and Background Verified staff
- keyboard_arrow_right100% Satisfaction or free rework
- keyboard_arrow_rightOn-time handover of Project
Recent Jobs in Marol naka, Mumbai
Painting Service
Customer Name
Vijay Shertukde
HJ Expert
Aphsar Ali
Customer Name
Asha Menon
HJ Expert
Aphsar Ali
Painting Service Providers Near You
Housejoy presents their best in class Painting services in Marol naka, Mumbai, with an overall 267 service providers in and around the vicinity. We, at Housejoy, excel in taking away the pain of finding the right Painting expert to cater to your needs, right at the comfort of your home. With reasonable pricing, you can avail our Painting services anywhere in Marol naka, Mumbai with just a few clicks of a button. We, at Housejoy, provide expert and trustworthy professionals at your doorstep. We connect you with experts in your locality who present Painting services at your convenience. With the right tools, best-fit products and a courteous professional, you can see that the quality of Painting services offered by our experts surpasses the standard offered elsewhere. All you need to do is let us know your requirement in Painting services and schedule a convenient time for a Painting at home. On confirming the booking, we will assign the best professional for the job and send him/ her to your place at the designated date and time to carry out the Painting service(s). To safeguard and ensure your safety, all in-house professionals have their backgrounds checked and verified. Furthermore, Housejoy aims to simplify your everyday life with a range of top-notch home services that not only lower your expense (through affordable and transparent rates) but also save you on time and energy. Our certified experts are on time, every time, as per your convenience and promise you 100% satisfaction on all home services.
Aphsar Ali
HJ Expert in Painting
Marol naka, Mumbai
gradegradegradegradegrade4.510 years of experience
What our Customers say
Dattatray Hajare
HJ Expert in Painting,Carpentry,Renovation & Refurbishment
Marol naka, Mumbai
gradegradegradegradegrade5.020 years of experience


text:
In each of the last seven terms of Congress, Rep. John Conyers has introduced a bill – H.R. 40 – to get Congress to study the reparations question. These bills always die in committee. (Thank goodness.)
QUESTION #4: Isn't it psychologically and culturally damaging for black people to walk around believing that the American society owes them money?


text:
Bubble ShooterBubble shooter is a puzzle game . The goal of the game is to clear all the bubbles from the level avoiding any bubble crossing the bottom line.
Zombie InvasionZombie Invasion is a survival game. Survive the zombie horde as long as possible avoiding them from crossing the bridge. Each zombie that escapes you damages your energy bar.
Street ShotMay 26, 2016 8:52 amThrow the ball and score! You have a limited time, and it will not be easy! Throw the ball and discover the bonuses you will have when you'll score more points… Will you get them all?Play Now


text:
Girls' leggings with satin applique
Scuderia Ferrari Store Exclusive
The stretch cotton leggings are embellished with satin that runs along the leg.
Perfect with a simple T-shirt and suitable to make even more sophisticated looks comfortable, these leggings are a great choice. Made of soft stretch cotton, they offer an excellent fit to follow every movement. The simplicity that characterizes the cut is embellished with the long satin strip that runs along the side of the leg and the gold-tone Shield printed on the bottom.
- Elastic waist
- Satin applique
- Composition: 95% Cotton, 5% Elastane
We offer both Standard and Express shipping: choose the service that best meets your needs at checkout.
We provide an easy return service: just ship your items back to us using the UPS return label included in your package within 30 days of delivery.


text:
As a patient at Samaritan Medical Center, we strive to always provide you with the best care possible in a comfortable, calm and healing environment. Once you are settled into your room, please know that your care team is here to exceed your expectations, from nursing care to dietary needs to everything in between.
Our staff is committed to hourly rounding. At a minimum a member of your care team will be into your room to check on you each hour and be sure all of your needs are being met. Should you need something more frequently, there is a nurse call button located conveniently on your bed. Please do not hesitate to call upon us if needed.
Each of our patient rooms contains a communication board on which your entire team of providers is listed, as well as any planned treatments throughout the day. This information is changed as the staff changes from shift to shift, so that you always know your staff by name and can call upon them when needed.
Feel free to give your family members and friends the direct number to your room, or they can call our main line at 315-785-4000 to have the operator connect them to your room.
Please see the other information on this page for specific services that we offer to make you as comfortable as possible while you are under our care. Additionally, please refer to the patient handbook for a complete overview of these and other services.


text:
Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Ben Hunt, Chesapeake Bayhawks
Hunt scored a career-high five goals, including a two-point goal, and added three assists as the Bayhawks handed the Denver Outlaws their first loss of the season with a 16-15 overtime decision at INVESCO Field at Mile High on Saturday night. Honored as the Bud Light Player of the Game, Hunt also scored the game-winning goal just 1:07 into overtime. Hunt, who had scored just one goal in his first three games this season, is the Bayhawks' third-leading scorer this season with 10 points.
Defensive Player of the Week
Jordan Burke, Boston Cannons
Burke posted a career-high 24 saves and allowed just seven goals as the Cannons earned their second straight win, a 19-8 victory over Long Island. Named as the Bud Light Player of the Game, Burke made nine of his saves in the second quarter as the Cannons held Long Island scoreless for nearly 21 minutes. Burke's 24 saves are the most by any goalkeeper in the MLL this season. Burke, who was making his second straight start, leads the MLL with a 9.53 goals against average and a .651 save percentage.
Cascade Rookie of the Week
Jeremy Thompson, Hamilton Nationals
Making his MLL debut, Thompson scored two goals to help the Nationals earn their first victory of the season, a 14-13 win over the Rochester Rattlers on Friday night at Sahlen's Stadium. He scored his first career goal just 51 seconds into the second quarter to give Hamilton a 4-3 lead before adding a goal in the third quarter, which gave the Nationals a 9-7 cushion. The sixth overall pick in the 2011 MLL Collegiate Draft, Thompson helped Syracuse University reach the NCAA quarter-finals as a senior.
MLL News and Notes
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Thursday's night game between the Chesapeake Bayhawks and the Long Island Lizards will mark the first of six MLL games this season to air on ESPN2. In addition to all three games during The Sports Authority MLL Championship Weekend presented by Warrior, the 2011 Sports Authority MLL All-Star Game and the Bayhawks' July 2 game against Rochester will air on ESPN2. Joe Beninati and Quint Kessenich are on the call for Thursday's game.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS: The Hamilton Nationals traded attackman John Grant, Jr. and midfielder Adam Rand to the Long Island Lizards on Tuesday afternoon in exchange for a second round pick in this year's MLL Collegiate Draft. Grant scored four goals with four assists in three games with the Nationals this year while Rand played in one game.
IT HAD TO END SOMETIME: With a 16-15 overtime loss against the Chesapeake Bayhawks on Saturday night, the Denver Outlaws became the last team in the MLL to suffer a loss this season. The Outlaws, who are one of three teams with a 3-1 record, opened the year with three straight victories. Boston and Chesapeake also have a 3-1 record entering this week's games.
WORKING OVERTIME: Saturday's game between the Outlaws and the Bayhawks also marked the first overtime game this season in the MLL. It was the first overtime game since August 7 last year when the Bayhawks earned an identical 16-15 victory over Boston at Harvard Stadium. There were four overtime games in the MLL last year.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Through the first 11 games this season, the team that scores the game's first goal has an 8-3 record. In all three games last week, the team that scored first went on to win the game.
ON THE HUNT: After posting just one goal in the Bayhawks' first three games, midfielder Ben Hunt exploded for a career-high nine points in Chesapeake's overtime victory over Denver on Saturday night. He scored five goals, including a two-point goal, and added three assists as the Bayhawks rallied to earn their third win of the season. Hunt, who ranks third on the Bayhawks with 10 points, also scored the game-winning goal just over a minute into overtime to earn the victory. He was named as the MLL Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
FIT TO BE TIED: Entering Week 5 of the MLL season, four players have jumped to the top of the scoring charts with 15 points. Boston Cannons midfielders Brad Ross and Paul Rabil have each tallied eight goals and 15 points while Denver's Brendan Mundorf and Chesapeake's Danny Glading have each scored 10 goals with 15 points. Of the top seven point scorers in the MLL, four of them play for the Cannons.
NOTHING GETS BY BURKE: In addition to leading the MLL in scoring offense through the first four weeks of the 2011 season, the Boston Cannons can also boast the league's top goalkeeper as Jordan Burke leads the league in goals against average and save percentage. After making a career-high 24 saves and allowing just seven goals, the former Brown University standout has a 9.53 goals against average while stopping 65.1 per cent of the shots he has faced. Burke was named as the MLL Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in last week's 19-8 victory over Long Island.
30 SOMETHING: Through the first four weeks of the season, the Chesapeake Bayhawks and Denver Outlaws have been the most accurate shooting teams in the MLL. Denver leads the MLL with a .318 shooting percentage while Chesapeake has converted on 30.0 per cent of its shots.
FACE IT: Long Island Lizards midfielder Peter Vlahakis became the all-time leader in face-off wins after winning 9 of 27 attempts in the Lizards' 19-8 loss against Boston on Saturday night. Vlahakis, who now has 1,023 career face-off wins, passed Paul Cantabene. Cantabene, who won 1,015 of 1,861 face-off attempts in his career, also ranks as the league's all-time leader with 538 ground balls. Vlahakis, a graduate of Fairfield University, is in his eighth season of MLL service, including his sixth with the Lizards.


text:
Hi - I'm writing an article for the BBC News website on workplace discrimination against atheists. I have seen a few stories on this site about people who felt excluded by their co-workers or even lost their job after expressing their beliefs. I would like to talk to people who have been through such an experience. You can contact me directly - my email is firstname.lastname@example.com - or share your stories in this forum.
Brian Wheeler
BBC News, Washington
**Moderator's note: After our initial message of caution to all of you we've had an opportunity to confirm that Mr. Wheeler is indeed who he says he is. Knowing this, we'd like to encourage everyone to please share their stories of discrimination in the workplace with Mr. Wheeler. We shouldn't let the opportunity of a BBC News reporter telling the world the story of very real anti-atheist discrimination pass by! He is on a deadline so you must contact him as soon as you're able to.
(Anyone interested in confirming the legitimacy of this Moderator's note may contact Nelson either on TA or by email.)**
Views: 5189
Hi Brian, I was smart enough to keep my disbelief to myself throughout my working life. When I retired 23 years ago I 'went public'. Letters to the editor in many different papers, mostly in response to letters by zealots & clergy. What a firestorm I created & FUN for me. Through all of this I made many friends -& some enemies.. I cherish both. Did this for a great many years.
I've always been the sort of non-believer who really doesn't rock the boat if it's in my benefit, so here are a few examples:
A former employer (major entertainment company) offered everyone a paid day out of the office if they'd lend their hands to Habitat For Humanity. This offer was open to the entire company, and employees actually had to show up and sign in to get paid for the day. After reviewing the HFH mission statement and hearing stories about bible presentations at the finished house ceremonies, I gave them two options: I get the same day off to go fishing or I get loud. I won that one easily and got some fishing done.
An english teacher in high school started the first day by saying "I know it's not technically legal, but I will read a bible verse at the beginning of every class until someone comes in and takes this bible from my hands." I was fine with it at the time because SHE knew that I knew that this was unacceptable, but I let it slide so I could breeze through the class. One bad grade, and she was going down. It was a nice truce.
The only other run-in was at the above-mentioned hugeass music company where a rogue group of bible-thumpers (I think they worked in the travel department) mass-emailed the company saying they were starting a prayer group in the biggest conference room on Wednesday mornings before work, and we were all encouraged to join them. I instantly forwarded that one to Human Resources with a note that read something like "Oh HELL no! Please shut this down immediately and make sure an apology follows." It was fixed by noon with the apology.
At my current job, I really don't find any sort of religious influence particularly bothering, probably because I like all the people I work with. Everyone's aware of my leanings, and I've never seen an ounce of animosity about it. I hear about Jesus sometimes, but they hear "fuck" and "goddammit" out of my mouth a lot too, so all is well. Amen.
Just wanted to share, but please don't use any of these stories to protect me professionally, thx.
Wow! You just gave me an idea! I sit around some seriously religious people at work. All day long I hear about Jesus and god but I keep my mouth shut. I try really hard not to swear in front of them too because I don't want to offend them. When I am with my other friends at work, we all swear freely. HA! I just happen to sit around very religious people. If I have to listen to their religious bs all day then why can't they hear me swear once in a while! Why am I the one who keeps my mouth shut and does not offend? Perhaps when they spout off about god this and god that, I will say fuck this and fuck that! Yeah that's right!
Being offensive may not be the best card to play in this instance. You could offer a truce and say I will refrain from swearing if you all agree to spare me the religious bs. If that doesn't fly put on your Sailor's cap. : ^ )
Yeah Ed, you're probably right. My point was that I'd worked in an environment before where I needed to be confrontational a couple of times. And thus far, now my current gig doesn't require that and I haven't needed to do it. I jumped out of corporate america to a situation where people are just people and friends are more important than causing a fiasco about religion and all that. Lisa, drop that f-bomb whenever you want to if you're willing to back it up and lose your job for it, but don't get too confident and lose your gig over it or make enemies at work. I've got massive respect for you whether you want to drop a "goddammit" bomb in the workplace and get fired for it or instead play along with the status quo.
I run my life somewhere in the middle. I'm eager to engage any coworker in a religious conversation if they REALLY want to have it, but I still take it easy with the conversation. I preface the entire discussion with "I doubt there's any way to have this conversation with you without you disliking me on a profound level afterward, so we probably shouldn't get into it." Throw the ball in their court... one-on-one. If you've got a colleague who needs to get into a drunk rant about religion, DO IT! But don't instigate, just lead the conversation that direction if you think someone needs help.
I think you should do whatever you think is right, and cause a stink if you need to. I've done it before, but personally, I'm not the token atheist, so I've raised my hands a couple of times in my career, but I don't wear this on my sleeve because honestly, it's not that important to me.
I guess what I'm saying is that there are times to Hitchslap and times to be a team player, and I have the ultimate respect for both ends of the spectrum.
@ED: I think it's one thing to be offensive for the sake of being offensive, but to censor one's self simply because one group may find otherwise mundane expressions to be offensive is kind of silly.
@Lisa: swear away! As long as it's not directed at them, there's no reason to shy away from being yourself and expressing your thoughts in any way that you see fit. If they approach you about it, THEN I would look into a truce. Until then: "To thine own self be true!"
Forced to work on an assembly line between two born again christians, does that count?
Only if this was an attempt to convert you... :-)
I've worked for the "born again"... That was fun...
Keep a bible in plain sight. Inside the cover, on the blank page print - in large letters - ONCE UPON A TIME....
I work as a graphic designer at a printhouse. A couple of months ago, an old family friend told me that he found my blog, which was anonymous, although if anyone knew my past (where I worked, etc), they would know it was my blog. However, this old family friend told someone that I work with about my blog and that I was an atheist. They attend church together. This co-worker then told others at work and said to watch out for me; that I'm dangerous. Now he won't talk to me anymore, he won't even approach me regarding work related issues without having the production manager in attendance. I feel very betrayed that this family friend would even do such a thing.
That sucks so bad! I am so sorry. That is just wrong! How dare him judge you and do this to you! This really upsets me. I'm sorry you have to go through this! How unfair! This is bullshit and you should not have to put up with this!


text:
Lets Talk About Your Hunting Gear.What do you use and why
There are currently 1 users browsing this forum. (0 members & 1 guests)
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules


text:
Jay-Z's Rocawear Lays Off Staff Prior to Blue Ivy Carter's Birth
Jay-Z's popular hip-hop clothing line Rocawear laid off half of its employees on Jan. 6, one day before Blue Ivy Carter was born, reports New York Post. According to the New York State Department of Labor, 28 people out of a staff of 56 were let go for "economic" reasons.
The New York post reports that Jay-Z rarely shows up for work at the Rocawear headquarters in New York. "It's kind of like he'd given up on the brand," a source told the newspaper. On Jan. 7, Jay-Z and Beyonce welcomed their first baby, Blue Ivy Carter, to the world. Following the birth, Hov released 'Glory,' a song dedicated to his newborn daughter.
Jay-Z started Rocawear in 1999 with business partner Damon Dash and sold it in 2007 for $204 million to licensing company Iconix Group, which owns Ed Hardy, Peanuts and Candies apparel brands. Ronnie DeMichael, Rocawear's operating chief, nor Iconix Group, had any comment on the matter.


text:
|Offensive Line Coach
Greg Fictum enters his eighth season in 2018 with Concordia University Wisconsin, primarily coaching and mentoring the offensive line.
During his tenure, Fictum has coached the offensive line who blocked for one of the country's most explosive offenses, a conference championship team and a quarterback who was a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy.
Individually, he has mentored three pre-season All-Americans, a D3Football.com All-North Region offensive lineman and seven All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference offensive linemen. In addition, the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys have done preliminary scouting for one of his linemen.
Coming to the Falcon's after nine years as a head coach at New Holstein High School, Fictum led the Huskies to six WIAA Playoff appearances after the school reached the playoffs just twice in its previous history.
Prior to his high school coaching, Fictum also served at Lakeland College where they won several conference titles. He also assisted with the offensive line at UW-Oshkosh.
As a four-year letter winner in college, Fictum played at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where he started on the offensive line and handled the long snapping duties for three years for the Pointers after transferring from UW-Platteville. With UW-Stevens Point, Fictum won two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships and a National Championship title. In addition, Fictum played several years of semi-pro football with the Racine Raiders, winning five national championships. He also played a year of football in Glasgow, Scotland.
Fictum was inducted into the American Football Association Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame, named All-American and all-conference, and had several NFL free agent tryouts earning time in three NFL training camps as an offensive lineman and long snapper.
He lives in New Holstein, Wis., with his wife Colleen and their two children, Grace and Noah.


text:
Swamper LTBs & Summit Wheels - No QuarterPosted in How To: Wheels Tires on August 1, 2009
Once you move into Interco's Super Swamper line of tires, you're really saying,"I care more about off-road performance than on-road comfort." In fact, you're saying it in bold, neon letters the size of a battleship. The Super Swamper TSL, or three stage lug design is comprised of short, intermediate, and large lugs that bite hard and clean out quickly. They're built on a tough bias-ply carcass that can soak up hard rock hits, rubbing, and any off-road abuse you can dish out. Where the LTB differs from the regular TSL design is in the layout of these TSL lugs, with the LTB featuring more aggressive, wider lug spacing. The outer lugs are offset farther to the outside of the tread and the sidewall lugs extend down onto the sidewall more than the regular TSL. Interco offers the LTB in a lot of cool sizes not found in some of its other lines. We're dreaming of the 16/40-15 for some future projects, but for now we ordered up five 31x11.50-15 Interco Super Swamper LTBs for testing on a mildly built Wrangler.
Since the LTB's stiff bias-ply sidewall construction allows the tires to be run at somewhat lower pressures than regular radial tires without unseating the beads, we didn't need to pop for expensive beadlock wheels to wring the most out of our test tires. In fact, we didn't have to spend much at all for a set of gorgeous, yet tough Summit Racing Series 50/51 wheels in a 15x8 size for our 5-on-4.5 Wrangler lug pattern. The Summit Racing brand wheels offer devastating good looks reminiscent of a classic five-spoke factory Jeep wheel of the '70s in at a very affordable price. The one-piece, clearcoated aluminum wheels are available in most popular sizes and lug patterns and come with closed centercaps. Open centercaps for locking hubs are also available.
How They Work
For starters, using these tires on the street is sort of like using a chainsaw to carve a turkey. It'll get the job done, but there are more civilized ways to accomplish your goal. The Swamper LTBs are a rowdy, off-road tire with big, blocky lugs that squirm on the street and caused our Detroit Locker in the rear axle to go somewhat haywire. The locker engagement was borderline scary on some twisty mountain roads and no rotating of the tires or playing with air pressures could change that fact. They're an off-road animal that ask no forgiveness on the street and that give no quarter off-road.
And speaking of off-road, we tested our LTBs in just about every terrain except for snow and ice. For all of our off-road testing we ran the fronts at 10psi and the rears at 8psi. Although the sidewalls are somewhat stiff and didn't exhibit a noticeable bulge when the vehicle was sitting static, the carcass did bulge and envelope obstacles as the tires rolled over rocks, ruts and other trail incongruities. We probably could've dropped the pressure even more without unseating the bead, but we found no need to because traction was never a problem. In the sand, we were able to keep enough tire speed to chew through long, loose stretches without sinking, but it did require a balancing act with the throttle. Too little tire speed and forward momentum suffered. Too much tire speed and the big lugs tended to dig down and sink. The trick was to get the tires up and moving on top of the sand, then just let the lugs do the work without getting throttle-happy.
Hopping over to the Truckhaven area of Southern California, we had plenty of loose dirt climbs, rock-strewn washes, and firmer terrain to check out. The bombproof sidewalls soaked up hard rock hits with barely a scuff and the finger-like lugs found traction in just about any terrain. Long, loose climbs proved no trouble and when the going got fast we found the rear end was able to kick out in 2WD with a little throttle application. Once the rear broke loose, it was predictable and stable with no sliding or spooking; both an indication that the lateral tire bite is right on the money.
Then it was off to Moab, Utah, for some slickrock and mud work. We found some long, deep, gooey mudholes on one of our favorite trails and hopped in like pigs in slop. Aside from our undercarriage digging in a little because of our low lift and short tire height, we had absolutely zero trouble clawing our way forward through sticky, taffy-like mud. The tires cleaned out readily, throwing gobs of slop all over the place. And once back in town, the clearcoated Summit Racing wheels simply hosed clean with no staining or blemishing of the aluminum surface. As for Moab's famous slickrock climbs and obstacles, we may as well have been driving on flypaper. Although it's pretty common to hear some tire squeal and noise on steep climbs, this wasn't the norm with the Swamper LTBs. The relatively soft lugs just took hold and grabbed like the ground was money, exhibiting very little slip, squeal, or spinning.
Bottom Line
TAG Motorsports in Escondido, California, mounted and balanced our wheel and tire package, so other than some flat-spotting when the tires are cold, the on-road ride is actually fairly smooth for a tire as aggressive as the LTB. We attribute this to the relatively small blocks of our 31x11.50-15 test size. However, while the smaller blocks offer slightly less lug slap through the driver seat, the noise level, tread squirm, and size variations make daily driving these tires a chore, Regardless, if you're more concerned with off-road prowess than on-road comfort, we'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better all-around tire. These are hard-core tires for the hard-core wheeler, plain and simple.


text:
Mitel Secure Collaboration
More than just group messaging, Mitel Secure Collaboration is a place for teams to come together and work closely in real time—all in a secure environment. Bring people together to coordinate on projects, events, or situations with messaging, video, content sharing and real-time connectivity all combined into a single app.
This product is available in the U.S. only
Do you struggle with connecting the members of a mobile or remote workforce with each other? Do you get frustrated having to switch between different apps or modes of communications to get the complete 'big picture'? Do you need a way to work closely with people outside your organization? Mitel Secure Collaboration is just what you're looking for.
Benefits of Mitel Secure Collaboration
Communicate securely
Keep sensitive information secure with AES-level encryption on all voice and data as it traverses the Internet—all the way to its destination.
Decide and act faster
Break down silos and cut out wasted time flipping between different apps. Get voice, video, group chat and collaboration all within a single application—across teams and organizations.
Get operational
No need to rely on existing infrastructure. The cloud-based OTT model makes it perfect for quickly establishing service for events, situations and mobile teams.
Work across organizations
Eliminate the barriers that create siloed activities by connecting people together—whether they're from different teams, departments, cities or outside organizations.
Share multimedia
Send a quick update via group messaging. Add notes to an attachment to share insight in context. Hold a team meeting via video conference. The possibilities go on.
Increase situational awareness
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then why rely on text and voice alone? Send images and video to give teams the full picture and save time and confusion.
Enhance team effectiveness
Work by nature is dynamic and fast paced, so don't let disjointed or disconnected communications impede your ability to get the job done.
Harmonize the flow of communications within a group by centralizing all group interactions into a single, synchronized workspace.
Operate anywhere
Work today happens on the move, and this is the system that can keep up. As a mobile-first, standalone platform designed to match the natural flow of communications, Mitel Secure Communications makes it faster and easier to set up almost anywhere and go mobile when the situation requires.
How it all works
As a cloud-based, over-the-top (OTT) application, Mitel Secure Collaboration works independently of your existing business communications platforms and services. That means you can use it without touching existing infrastructure.
The brains of the system reside in our high availability data centers, which were developed with layers of redundancy to guard against data loss and ensure continued service availability
All voice and data securely traverse the Internet to their destinations using AES-level encryption to protect communications regardless of team member location
Talk to a Collaboration Specialist
Key Features
- Mobile-first design
- Streamlined user interface
- Real-time voice and video
- Persistent workspaces
- Group chat
- Document annotation
- Searchable message threads
- Conversations mirrored across all devices
- Tap-to-connect team meetings
- File / Screen sharing
- Task assignment
- Tap-to-connect team meetings
- Secure remote working
- Data protected in transit / at rest
- Available via desktop and mobile devices


text:
|This information is provided free of charge by the Department of Industrial Relations from its web site at www.dir.ca.gov. These regulations are for the convenience of the user and no representation or warranty is made that the information is current or accurate. See full disclaimer at http://www.dir.ca.gov/od_pub/disclaimer.html.
Article 6. Administration of Permanent
Amusement Ride Program
(Permanent Amusement Rides Administrative Regulations)


text:
Eyal Ron needed a new other design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 44 designs submitted by 14 freelance designers.
We are launching a new leading Natural Health site at http://www.healthyaginganswers.com and we will give away this comprehensive Anti Aging Report eBook for free.
We are targeting both genders, aged 30 plus, and that are interested in Natural Health, Anti Aging and Live Well.
Creative eye catching 3D graphics. Your design should help visitors to decide to sign-up to receive this report eBook.
Report title: Fourteen Steps to Healthy Aging
Sub title (not a must on the design): Anti Aging: a Twenty-First Century Concept or a Revolution?
Author: Hong Curley
Pages: 21


text:
ASG argues: paying $6MIL Laufou judgement now would be disastrous to economy
Sending off island more than $6 million to pay for a High Court judgement, while an appeal is pending "would be disastrous" to American Samoa Government's programs that depend on these local revenues, according to the ASG motion asking the court to stay the enforcement of the trial court's decision on the fire that destroyed the old Laufou Shopping Center in 2002.
ASG, represented by Assistant Attorney General Jay Sayles made the argument in a motion filed with the court, which has since taken the matter under advisement, but it's unclear as to when a decision will be issued.
The decade old case has already gone through one appeal and was remanded back to the lower court, which late last year reaffirmed the judgement. ASG filed a new motion this year while the plaintiff, Progressive Insurance, the insurer of the old Laufou, sought enforcement of the judgement.
In his stay judgement motion, Sayles pointed out that when the court is evaluating whether to stay a judgement pending appeal, it considers: the likelihood of appellant prevailing on appeal; balancing the equities between the parties; and whether the public interest would be affected by a stay.
"Consideration of these factors favors granting a stay on enforcing the judgement in this action," he said and noted that among the legal arguments by ASG on appeal is the waiver of sovereign immunity, which has been outlined multiple times in ASG's briefs, "but a favorable ruling on this issue would bar Progressive from collecting on the judgement..."
Sayles said that there has been "substantial recent development in the law of American Samoa regarding sovereign immunity" since the last time the case went to the Appellate division. He cited local court cases from 2009 to this year as examples of new case law.
"The Appellate will have a substantial amount of new case law to apply regarding the sovereign immunity defense provided to ASG," he said.
The court's review of whether the appellant or appellee would suffer irreparable harm if the stay is granted is often combined into a single analysis that involves a balancing of equities, which is when the court reviews the complexity of the collection process, the time it may take to collect on the judgement if it is affirmed on appeal, the availability of funds to pay the judgement and the ability to pay the judgement, said Sayles, and noted that in this case, the equities favors ASG.
"Progressive Insurance... will suffer no harm as post judgement interest continues to accrue during the appeal," he argued. "If the judgement is preserved on appeal Progressive will receive the awarded amount including all accrued interest. Progressive cannot show how a stay of judgement will impact its business operations in American Samoa or the world."
Unlike Progressive, the impact of the judgement on ASG "will be significant" because it represents about 8.8% of local ASG revenues over the past three budget years, said Sayles.
"As local revenue is the only funding available to pay the judgement, this would severely harm ASG's finances while appellate review continues," he said.
The court needs to determine if granting or denying the stay will adversely affect the public interest, said Sayles, who contends that the "public interest would be greatly harmed by enforcing the judgement" while the matter is on appeal.
He reminded the court that the judgement represents about 8.8% of ASG's average local revenue for the last three budget years. "This is a substantial part of ASG's local revenue. This revenue also funds... Medical Service Authority, Department of Education and Department of Public Safety," he said.
"Sending this money off island to pay the judgement while the appeal is pending would be disastrous to ASG's programs that depend on these local revenues to fund them," stated Sayles. "This would harm public interest by removing funding from programs and services funded by local revenues."
"Therefore the public interest would be harmed by enforcing this judgement while appeal is ongoing," he said.
Gov. Togiola Tulafono last month submitted for legislative approval the $6 million plus post judgement on this case, however the bill was automatically defeated when the Fono took no action, as the 4th and final session of the 32nd Legislature officially ended Wednesday.
The proposal could be resurrected if the measure is presented later this month in a special session, should the governor call for one, and include this on the agenda. Otherwise, it will have to be taken up next January when the 33rd Legislature convenes.


text:
Carole Martinez joined IUCN Europe in October 2012 after working previously on protected areas and ecosystem management issues with IUCN's National Committee in France and on regional cooperation challenges at the French Marine Protected Areas Agency. Carole is Coordinator of the IUCN EU Outermost Regions (ORs) and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) Programme.
Q: Carole, Europe overseas are too often forgotten when we talk about European biodiversity. Yet, 70% of biodiversity in the European Union is actually hosted by the overseas entities. Why is it so important to conserve biodiversity in Europe overseas?
Protecting Europe's overseas means protecting an important part of the world's biodiversity. In the Pacific, the Caribbean region, the Indian Ocean, Europe overseas are part of the internationally recognized "biodiversity hotspots". Their richness is extraordinary: for instance, New Caledonia hosts as many species as the entire Europe and French Guyana belongs to a major area of wilderness in the Guyana Shield. Also, the marine heritage is immense: including overseas Exclusive Economic Zones, the EU has the first marine domain of the world, nested in all world oceans; the Exclusive Economic Zone of French Polynesia is as wide as the mainland EU territory and hosts 20% of the coral reefs and lagoons of the world. Degradation of both marine and terrestrial overseas ecosystems and loss of overseas biodiversity are big hurdles on global biodiversity and on future generations.
The European Union has therefore a double responsibility for overseas territories: to preserve these wonders of nature as part of the EU's nature and to protect them as key internationally recognized biodiversity areas. Their very diverse locations offer incredible opportunities to better understand ecological processes and current global changes, and to find innovative solutions. In addition, protecting these territories is necessary for the EU to achieve its international commitments, and in particular the Aichi Targets, and the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2020 Target "Stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss".
Q: Regarding the European Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, released last year, what are the main provisions for overseas and how does the EU intend to achieve its biodiversity targets?
The implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy can't be fully achieved without a real European and shared vision for Europe overseas' biodiversity. The Strategy provision directly targeting overseas is the following: "The Commission and Member States will work with outermost regions and overseas countries and territories, which host more endemic species than the entire European continent, through the BEST initiative (Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Territories of European Overseas) to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable use."
This is the only mentioning of overseas in the Strategy, despite the enormous importance of these territories, which may seem underestimating the importance of overseas biodiversity. Yet, the fact that this provision is placed in the section on "Partnerships for Biodiversity" is, in my view, very positive. It underlines the necessary collaboration between the EU, Members States and local governments and actors in addressing biodiversity issues in the territories. In opposition to a top-down approach, this provision lays the foundations for an innovative way of designing common actions as recently recognized by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity particularly in the last decision related to the Island Biodiversity Programme of Work.
The BEST initiative, in which IUCN and partners are involved, therefore opens the way to fruitful exchanges and collaboration on the role of overseas in the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and its priorities. A strategic seminar is planned as a follow-up to the La Reunion Conference of 2008 later next year which will be a great opportunity to reinforce cooperation among all the relevant actors.
Q: One of the recommendations from the La Reunion Conference in 2008 stressed the importance of increasing the "quality and the overall area of protected areas in the ORs and OCTs and to create a voluntary scheme for the conservation of habitats and species". Five years later, where are we standing?
We have still to work for better awareness and ownership of the overseas' natural heritage. Overseas protected areas are cornerstones of conservation efforts. They contribute to national efforts and are part of regional networks. They need to be taken into account at the European level and be part of the EU Strategy for Biodiversity. Thanks to the efforts of national and local governments, there is a large network of protected areas all over the world which contributes to protecting these jewels of global biodiversity, as well contributing to local sustainable development.
This is more than an asset for the EU and we would like to work on a special publication on overseas protected areas as a complementary assessment of the latest publication by the European Environment Agency on European protected areas. A vision for this network could be built in close partnership with Members States, local governments and actors. This would be a powerful complementary component of the BIOPAMA project recently launched by the EU. Synergies with this project would enhance cooperation and catalyze EU actions in the Pacific, the Caribbean and African regions and strengthen the EU as a key actor for the protection of global biodiversity and the promotion of ecosystem-based solutions.
This leads to another important point : European policies have to be designed with inclusion of Europe overseas. The different administrative structure and political status, geography and locations of the territories require extra efforts to create synergies and consistency among policies and funds. The BEST voluntary scheme is a great opportunity to develop and implement this approach.
Q: IUCN has been advocating for biodiversity policy in Europe overseas for a number of years. The conference in La Reunion in 2008 organized by IUCN under the French Presidency to the European Council was a landmark in this work. What are the main priorities for IUCN's action in the near future?
Despite some progress in acknowledging the importance of Europe overseas and their biodiversity – overseas referred to as "assets" in official EU communications, there are a number of critical steps still to be taken. To this end, IUCN will continue its work in close collaboration with the European Institutions, the Members States, NGOs, IUCN National Committees to implement the La Reunion Message and contribute to strengthening current European initiatives, such as the BEST Preparatory Action.
IUCN will support the long-term implementation of BEST since this is not only a short-term financial mechanism, but a fundamental tool to enable the implementation of the La Reunion Message and the development of concrete projects and actions. In close partnership with the Europe Overseas Roundtable on Biodiversity and Climate Change, which IUCN has been leading in recent years, we are supporting the development of a long-term plan for BEST.
IUCN has also recently co-organized an event with the European Parliament Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development to contribute to a better understanding of Europe overseas' marine issues and the development of a comprehensive and coherent European framework for 60% of the European marine domain.
In addition, next year we will be involved in the follow-up event to the La Reunion conference.
Q: Carole, you have been engaged in overseas' biodiversity conservation for quite some time. What, in your opinion, needs to be done to really protect the immense natural wealth of these territories?
Preserving overseas' natural jewels requires a multiscalar approach which combines all relevant levels and fosters synergies. In this regards, the EU, through its internal and external policies and funds is a key player at the local as well regional and international level.
Five years after the momentum of the La Reunion Conference, a dedicated EU strategy underpinning a comprehensive programme for European overseas biodiversity is very much needed. This requires some fundamental steps. First, an assessment of current European policies and funds to complete and improve the existing legal and financial frameworks. This work is already on the way thanks to the valuable collaboration of the Europe Overseas Roundtable members and some NGOs. Then, a political statement with priorities for action should be adopted by the EU, the Member States and the overseas entities. La Reunion follow-up seminar planned for next year, suggested by the French Government, would provide the space for this. And finally, a workplan needs to be set up in a coherent framework.
In short, we need political ambition and a vision followed by tangible actions. As I once read "Le droit est l'école de l'imagination!" which I would translate as "laws and policies should be an imagination training". So let's perform it for Europe overseas to continue developing innovative policies for nature-based solutions!


text:
Conference Call in phone number: 1-888-670-3525, press 9798513235 when prompted.
This conference call will address the committees' continued development of policy recommendations and work tasks to address the Council's Strategic Plan to reduce the number of persons who may be facing homelessness in Florida.
A copy of the agenda for any of the conference calls may be obtained by contacting: Tom Pierce, 1317 Winewood Boulevard, Tallahassee, FL, 32399-0700, 850-922-4691, or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Pursuant to Section 286.26, Florida Statutes, any disabled person wishing to access these meetings who may be in need of special assistance should contact the Office on Homelessness at 850/922-4691 at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please use the Florida Relay Service 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (Voice).


text:
Houston Man Accused Of Being Russian Spy
04 Oct, 2012
The allegations that a naturalized U.S. citizen obtained military technology for Russia through his Texas export firm have the makings of a 1980s spy film.
Prosecutors say Alexander Fishenko and others sold cutting-edge microelectronics that could be used in Russian weapons systems, exchanged communications with Russian intelligence and tried to hide documents when they suspected authorities were onto them.
"(If) you are making it up, make it up pretty, correctly, and make sure it looks good," Fishenko allegedly wrote in one message to someone falsifying information.
Fishenko and six others charged in the alleged scheme are expected to appear Thursday morning in Houston federal court.
An indictment unsealed Wednesday accuses Fishenko of scheming to purposely evade strict export controls for cutting-edge microelectronics. It also charges Fishenko with money laundering and operating inside the United States as an unregistered agent of the Russian government.
Fishenko was born in the former Soviet Union in what is now Kazakhstan and owns Houston-based Arc Electronics Inc. He and seven others were in custody following raids there by the FBI.
The name of Fishenko's attorney was not immediately available. His wife, Viktoria, who was identified as a co-owner of her husband's business but not charged, declined to comment Wednesday.
"I will speak when I know what's going on," she said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement noted that the defendants had not been charged with espionage. Officials said diplomats have met with one of the detained suspects. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich lamented the fact that the United States failed to inform the Russian authorities of the impending arrests.
The indictment alleges that since October 2008, the 46-year-old Fishenko and his co-defendants "engaged in a surreptitious and systematic conspiracy" to obtain the highly regulated technology from U.S. makers and export them to Russia.
U.S. authorities say the microelectronics could have a wide range of military uses, including radar and surveillance systems, weapons guidance systems and detonation triggers. They also say the charges come amid a modernization campaign by Russian military officials hungry for the restricted, American-made components.
"The defendants tried to take advantage of America's free markets to steal American technologies for the Russian government," Loretta Lynch, U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, said in a statement.
Stephen L. Morris, head of the FBI office in Houston, called the charges an example of how some countries have sought to bypass export safeguards "to improve their defense capabilities and to modernize weapons systems at the expense of U.S. taxpayers."
According to court papers, Fishenko was born in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan and graduated from a technical institute in St. Petersburg before coming to America in 1994. He holds U.S. and Russian passports and has frequently traveled overseas to do business, making tens of millions of dollars on exports, authorities said.
An analysis of Arc's accounting records showed a "striking similarity between fluctuations in Arc's gross revenues and the Russian Federation's defense spending over the last several years," the court papers say. Investigators also recovered a letter to Arc from a Russian domestic intelligence agency lab complaining that microchips supplied by the company were defective, the papers add.
Phone calls and emails intercepted by U.S. investigators also "constitute devastating evidence of Fishenko's illegal procurement for the Russian government," the court papers say.
Prosecutors said the evidence revealed repeated attempts by Fishenko to cover his tracks. In one instance in March, he "directed an employee of a Russian procurement firm to `make sure that our guys don't discuss extra information, such as this is for our military client,'" the papers say.
In an earlier conversation, Fishenko favorably referred to a business associate using "a Russian colloquialism for `spy' or `secret agent,'" the papers add.
About a dozen FBI agents in Houston executed a search warrant on Wednesday at Fishenko's firm, an unmarked business located in an industrial area in southwest Houston. They took at least 18 cardboard boxes of materials from inside the business to a large truck parked in an alley in the back of the business.
Under sentencing guidelines, Fishenko faces more than 12 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Mentioned In This Post:
1 Comment
October 20, 2012
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I have truly enjoyed browsing your blog posts. After all I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!
About the author
Related Posts
Trump Bends The Knee! The Shutdown is Over
16 Shots and A Murder Only Gets 6 Years in Chicago
Longest Shutdown In History. Great Job America.
Social Activism Set Cyntonia Free
Surprise! The Government is Still Shut Down
White House 'Survivor' Claims Another Victim
Someone Is Trying to Set Up Robert Mueller
Can You Hear Putin Laughing in Russia?
Trump and Putin Meet. What They Are Talking About?
Trump's Supreme Court Pick Is In


text:
'"That wasn't really my focus, to show guys that I'm just going to be there to fight," Rivet said Wednesday. "There are things you never forget. . . . Hollweg tried to take advantage of one of our guys that enforces and has one of the hardest jobs on our team, and that's Peters. And there's always going to be payback. You're not going to take liberties with this team. There's a strong group of guys that care for one another."'
You are here: Home / SabresBeat / Newcomer is new captain


text:
Friday, January 28
Oakland's first Restaurant Week
January 23 – 29
Various restaurants, Oakland
Come taste the fine cuisine offered by Oakland restaurants during Oakland's first restaurant week. A number of Oakland's top restaurants will be offering special prix fixe dinner menus from $20 to $40 dollars. Reservations are recommended. More info here.
Re-Discover Oaktown: A Scavenger Hunt
5:30 – 6:30 pm
East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation: 310 8th Street, Oakland
The scavenger hunt will start in Chinatown, go through Downtown and Old Town and will end in a local bar, complete with a final "minute to win it" challenge. Re-discover what makes Oakland great. Make sure to bring your phone or camera to take pictures. The event does cost $10. More info here.
Oakland East Bay Symphony Opens 2011 with Inspiring Brahms' "Requiem"
8 pm
Paramount Theater: 2025 Broadway, Oakland
Opera singers Brian Leerhuber and Carrie Hennessey lend their voices to the piece, which also includes the Oakland Symphony Chorus. There is a pre-concert talk by John Kendall Bailey at 7 pm. More info here.
Click here to see a comprehensive list of community activities and events for the weekend of January 28-30.
Got an event we didn't know about? Please add it in the comments!
Become a friend of Richmond Confidential on Twitter and Facebook.


text:
When the western city of Misurata came under siege during Libya's revolution last year, Adnan al-Baghathi grieved for his countrymen. After Misurata residents fled to his town of Benghazi – 20 hours to the east by boat – he arranged lodging for them and organized food deliveries.
Today, however, he has no love lost for Misurata's residents, claiming they have monopolized top posts in the new Tripoli-based government and sidelined easterners, who spearheaded the uprising against Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.
"Everyone sacrificed during the revolution," Mr. Baghathi grumbles. "It doesn't belong to any one town or region."
So now, eastern Libyans like Baghathi who chanted "no east, no west, Libya is one" during the revolution are backing a nascent eastern political movement that is moving to break away from Tripoli. On March 6, about 2,800 political and social activists gathered in an old soap factory near Benghazi to announce the formation of an interim council that would pave the way for the creation of an autonomous government.
Return to federalism?
Easterners hope that such a return to federalism, which prevailed here before Mr. Qaddafi took over, could provide them with better community services and a greater share of the spoils from Libya's oil industry, which is largely concentrated in the east and south.
"We see none of our country's great oil wealth," laments Mukhtar Jabir of Benghazi. "All we know is oil is pumped from under our feet and goes to pay for health and education somewhere else."
But the eastern move toward autonomy could also have serious ramifications for the fragile state that has emerged from the ruins of Qaddafi's 42-year rule. While many proponents say such a move must be accomplished through democratic means, regional militias could take up arms to defend their territories and plunge the nation into a new civil war.
To reverse decades of marginalization, easterners seek to develop a quasi-state with its own legislature and court system. The local government would run education, housing, and health ministries, while foreign affairs would be kept in the hands of the central government.
"We in the east and the south have been marginalized the past 50 years," says conference organizer Abu Bakr Bueira. "All the major positions, jobs, and money are in Tripoli, not Benghazi."
Former royalty involved
Participants at the March 6 conference chose Ahmad Zubayr al-Sanussi, a relative of the monarch whom Qaddafi overthrew in 1969, to lead the interim council.
The monarchy that ruled from 1951 to 1969 was based in eastern Libya. The aristocratic elite came from eastern cities. Foreign ambassadors called Benghazi home. For the first 12 years of the monarchy, Libya comprised three republics: Cyrenaica in the east, Tripolitania in the west, and Fezzan in the south. To mitigate fears that heavily populated Tripolitania would dominate the sparsely inhabited provinces of Cyrenaica and Fezzan, colonial powers pushed through a federalist form of government with a high degree of regional autonomy.
The federalist system was abolished in 1963 after Libya began pumping oil and regional veto power over the nascent industry's activities proved unmanageable. Qaddafi overthrew the monarchy six years later, leading to a steady decline in the east's fortunes.
When revolution erupted in Benghazi last year, many easterners were optimistic the uprising would restore the province's past glory. Most of the members of the interim government, the National Transitional Council (NTC), hailed from the region.
Tripolitania controls parliament
When the capital of Tripoli fell, though, easterners' hopes were dashed. The NTC moved its offices from Benghazi to Tripoli. The top positions in the first post-Qaddafi cabinet were allocated to Tripolitanians. When the NTC announced its election law in February, Tripolitania was allocated 102 seats in the 200-seat parliament, while Cyrenaica only received 60.
While the allocation was supposed to be proportionate to population, it was based on the 2006 census, conducted under Qaddafi and now distrusted.
"Qaddafi manipulated figures for his own purposes," says Farag al-Kaza, a US-trained engineer and leading proponent of federalism. "People from Chad, Niger, and Mali were taken from the desert and given Libyan citizenship."
Same as the old boss?
It is not only technocrats who support federalism. Among those attending the March conference were a number of military defectors and militia leaders who fought to overthrow Qaddafi.
"We did not battle the old regime so a new one could rule us," says fighter Muhammad Mismari, who lost a brother during the revolution. But when asked if easterners were prepared to fight again to achieve their aims, he dismissed the suggestion. "We are one country and one people. But we want our rights, and we won't let Tripoli dictate to us."
Muhammad Kikhia, a college dean whose brother Mansur was Libya's foreign minister in the 1970s, agrees. "We have to go through a democratic system to convince people. This is a peaceful movement, there will be no violence." But others, such as Mr. Bueira, are more uncompromising: "If no federal system is adopted across Libya, and we still feel the east is threatened, there is a possibility of separation."
Such talk has unsettled the NTC. "We are not prepared to divide Libya," NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil said March 6. Despite hailing from the east himself, he vowed the NTC would "use force" to defend the country's integrity.


text:
This is an open letter to the Newport Beach Planning Commission.
On March 22, my husband and I were among the standing-room-only crowd assembled at City Council Chambers to hear the two agenda items scheduled by the commission for public discussion ("Planners send review onward," March 24).
We were there for the second item, the Banning Ranch draft environmental impact report (DEIR), but we noted a common thread throughout both deliberations: Change is inevitable. Indeed, one of the commissioners justified his vote for the first agenda item, development in Corona del Mar village, by saying that, and I am paraphrasing, things change and we have to adjust.
Change may or may not be inevitable, but change isn't inevitably for the better. Change can benefit one group over another. Change can hurt all concerned. It can take several steps back rather than forward. At its worst, change can cause precious things to be lost in the trade-offs that unrelenting progress demands.
After sitting through six hours of proceedings that night, waiting for decisions on two development projects — one of them Banning Ranch, which is arguably the most ambitious project in Newport Beach history — my husband and I agreed that we could sum up the results with a score card: Goliath: 2, David: 0.
Development won the night — and a very long night it was. The crowds packing the chambers were adamantly against more development. In the case of Corona del Mar, they wanted the area's unique sense of community and architectural traditions respected. In the case of Banning Ranch, a 400-acre parcel of coastal land in West Newport Beach, they wanted an irreplaceable natural resource preserved and protected as open space. The West Newport residents wanted protection from the traffic quagmire the huge development will create and from unsafe levels of air and noise pollution. The health and safety hazards of developing a 70-year-old oil field with nearly 500 wells were also grave concerns.
In Chairman Michael Toerge's preamble to the Banning Ranch public hearing, he noted that public comments could be intimidating, but also emphasized the strict three-minute time period, pointing out yellow and red lights that would assail commenters as they talked. I wonder when Toerge was last limited to three minutes to speak of profound impacts to his life, health and safety. I wonder how effective he would have been in his comments.
Toerge also cautioned people to address the substantive issues of the DEIR, a 7,000-page highly technical document, which may have led to the very atmosphere of intimidation he wanted to avoid. I personally know several people who decided not to speak, believing their comments weren't significant enough. I questioned the validity of my own comment about the 2.6 million cubic yards of contaminated soil to be moved during construction, creating toxic dust exposure even to children playing in the city park next to the development.
Perhaps unwittingly, Toerge also set up unreasonable expectations for the public. How could mere residents possibly meet the bar set by experts who testified on behalf of the development for hours? At the Banning Ranch study sessions, Toerge assured crowds that everyone would be heard at the public hearing. The March 22 meeting was a public hearing. Public comments are not unlike facing a firing squad with three minutes to save your life. Every member of the audience who had a concern should have been urged to come forward.
Esteemed commissioners, I offer these questions for your consideration.
Why were the developers and their consultants allowed unlimited blocks of time to present while opposing groups were denied them, even during public comments?
The Corona del Mar opposition was granted a block of time. Why not Banning Ranch, a development that will negatively impact the entire region?
Why did the commission defer to the city staff on virtually every question raised, including staff's "opinion" that the 19th Street bridge was still on the Master Plan of Arterial Highways? The bridge was removed at the March 12 Orange County Transportation Authority board meeting.
Why was the DEIR deemed fair and adequate without a traffic analysis to reflect new highly negative impacts?
Most significantly, when can the welfare of those severely impacted by development be denied in favor of public benefits, i.e., tax revenues and project amenities? To what extent is the commission or any other government body willing to make West Newport-Mesa collateral damage to the greater good?
I respectfully submit that the impacts were not "fairly and adequately resolved" and the public was not given reasonable or equitable access at the March 22 public hearing. I ask that the DEIR recommendation be rescinded and another public hearing scheduled. Thank you for your consideration.
Suzanne Forster
Newport Beach
The writer is a member of the Banning Ranch Conservancy.
OCTA failed to get Newport's agreement
I applaud the Newport Beach City Council's decision to "pursue litigation against the Orange County Transportation Authority [OCTA] regarding a recent decision to remove the 19th Street bridge from the county's master plan," ("Newport to sue over 19th Street bridge," March 29).
Although I am not necessarily a proponent of the bridge, I am an opponent of the OCTA's failure to obtain agreement by Newport Beach as an affected party, as is typically done for significant decisions. Prior to their decision, the OCTA neglected to conduct a formal environmental analysis or take into consideration the appropriate mitigation measures necessary.
I attended a Jan. 5 "community meeting" organized and attended by numerous elected officials to provide information regarding the 19th Street bridge. Unfortunately, the vast majority of attendees at this meting clearly were not interested in being informed because their minds were already made up; moreover, their behavior was rude and obnoxious.
Regardless of the outcome, issues such as the 19th Street bridge should be addressed with civility and respect for the arguments and objectives of all parties involved. Unfortunately that does not appear to be what has occurred to date.
Thomas R. Damiani
Newport Beach
Shipwright's wrongs
Having been a Newport Beach resident since the 1940s, I was going to add my two cents about the fire pit controversy, but because everything has already been said, I'll weigh in on that scofflaw Dennis Holland ("Protesters rally to save sailboat," March 25).
Come on Dennis, the jig is up! I clearly remember your first endeavor, the Pilgrim some years ago, and all the hoopla in getting it from your backyard finally to the water. Where were those neighbors recently, because I loved the pictures of the folks in costume who lived everywhere else but in your own neighborhood.
I have to agree with Councilman Rush Hill, who said it's time to remove the "industrial activity" out of your backyard to a suitable area! Your neighbors rode with you when you built the Pilgrim, but I think Shawnee has overstayed her welcome. Of course your family and supporters can say you need more time, but I think a reasonable amount of time expired some time ago! Make peace with your neighbors, Dennis, and move on.
Pete Rabbitt
Newport Beach
Wu is just tongue-in-cheek
Jack Wu's recent opinion piece has really gotten the community's thought leaders up in arms over the beach fire pit issue ("Fire pit removal illustrates lack of conservatism," March 25).
It would appear that these folks are taking Jack way too seriously. Most people in Newport get it, that old Jack just wants to give the city leadership a little friendly needling. They sure need it since Dolores Otting and Sid Soffer are now gone.
I am sure that most Newport Beach residents believe, as I do, that the fire pits are a health and safety hazard and should be removed. However, in the past, the city has had a habit of enacting ordinances that are politically correct but very impractical to enforce. So a little needling from time to time may be in order.
Jack is just doing his job, providing commentary on some of the issues that a few residents in Newport and Corona del Mar who may have a little too much time, and a little too much money, on their hands get overly involved in — those "quality of life" issues that are really just speak for "not in my neighborhood." Let's all try keep in mind that most of these issues are not life and death.
Jack's columns may be provocative, but they are also about showbiz, just like Rush Limbaugh and Bill Maher. Most of the smart people don't take them too seriously either.
Bill Garrett
Newport Beach
Board researching residential trash service
Board member Jim Fitzpatrick recently wrote that the Costa Mesa Sanitary District board of directors was trying to railroad him off the board ("Fitzpatrick retains counsel ," March 14).
An issue he noted was his call for "competitive bidding for a trash contract." His request was actually to implement a six-year sunset clause in the present 10-year trash contract, which began in 2006.
I want to share the logic I used to evaluate my no vote on taking the contract out to bid. My reelection was based on "no increase in residential trash fees." There were no increases during my first four-year term. In addition, the trash contract costs are near the average of the surrounding communities and the district has negotiated several service enhancements without contract increases.
I heard only one trash service complaint while walking nearly the entire city during my election and reelection.
Based on the present trash contract beginning in 2006 — low cost to residents, no trash fee increases in site and the contractor's excellent service record — I voted not to implement a six-year sunset clause to take the trash contract out to bid. The process for why the district has apparently never gone out to bid for trash services is of interest to me, but it is far down the list of whether the contract should be bid upon. When I believe there is value to bidding the contract out, I will support that.
Staff is researching if there has ever been a bid for the trash contract. Municipal agencies are not required by law to put this type of service out to bid as they would a public works contract. The history of who has performed the trash hauling and disposal is in the Costa Mesa Sanitary District March agenda which can be found online or by requesting a copy from the district office at (949) 645-8400.
The most recent trash contractor is CR and R, who acquired Costa Mesa Disposal in 2006. Whether or not the district should implement the six-year sunset clause in the present contract is the question. The staff and board are gathering the pros and cons on very complicated and difficult-to-compare-with-other-communities trash services issues. Trash vendors and the public are also providing input. The board has been requested to revisit the question of whether or not to sunset the present vendor's hauling and disposal contract in either the April or May board meeting.
Robert J. Ooten
Costa Mesa
The writer is president of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District.
Great to educate about Persian new year
I enjoyed Mona Shadia's article "Celebrating Persian new year in CdM" (Unveiled: A Muslim Girl in O.C., March 15).
Being a ethnic Parsi (Persian) Zarathushti (Zoroastrian) myself, I was happy that she was educating readers about this event, which was celebrated by Zoroastrian emperors and subjects throughout the vast Persian empires (559 B.C. to 652 A.D.)
Even after the Arab occupation of Persia and forcible conversion of the masses to Islam, the Iranian people refused to give up their ancient Zoroastrian festivals and their Persian language in spite of the Mullahs trying to discourage them.
Today, the Persian new year is also celebrated by several countries in the Middle East and Central Asia, and by Zoroastrians of India whose ancestors migrated there to preserve their monotheistic religion and culture among the peaceful Hindu populace who welcomed them.
By the way, for the information of your readers, the original word "Parsi" meaning Persian was pronounced by Arabs as "Farsi" because they don't have the letter "P" in the Arabic alphabet.
Maneck Bhujwala
Huntington Beach